Betwixt Read online

  She seethed, her pitch-black stare zeroed in on Lenny, who, for his part, didn’t look remotely concerned. Then again, as we had no idea who he was, her threat was a little far-fetched.

  “Lacey, go get a bottle of your perfume,” Adam instructed, flashing me a quick grin.

  I rolled my eyes and fished my cell phone from my pocket. “I doubt that will work,” I told him.

  “Are you kidding? Have you smelled that stuff? You have the luxury of your own bathroom. You forget that I have to use the same one as Princess Lacey and get a full blast of that stuff whenever she finishes showering.”

  “Got it!” Lacey returned wearing a black silk robe, holding up a bejeweled bottle. A good couple of inches of a deep purple liquid swirled through the crystal. “What now?” she asked Adam.

  “Spray it at him,” he said, waving the poker in Lenny’s general direction. “The ghost hunter told us they don’t like unpleasant odors.”

  Picking up on his meaning, Lacey shot Adam a scathing glare. “You’re saying my perfume stinks!”

  Adam’s grin widened. “I’ve driven by paper plants that smelled better!”

  “Argh!” Lacey launched herself over the banister and flew at Adam.

  With a casual flick of my wrist, I sent up a protective shield and she smashed into it like a bug on a windshield. Adam laughed and I shot a glare at him. “You do realize that one of these days I’m just going to let her tear into you?”

  “She can try.” Adam grinned. “I’ll relish the day!”

  I scoffed, dropped the shield, and wandered a few yards away to dial Scarlet’s number, consulting the business card I’d swiped from the small stack beside her cash register.

  Lacey shot to her feet and took a swing at Adam. He ducked with impressive speed and launched another attack. I knew Adam would never actually hurt her. As much as they despised each other sometimes, it was more of sibling-rivalry vibe between the two of them. Lacey wouldn’t truly hurt him either.

  At least, I didn’t think she would.

  “Lily Pond Floral Design,” Scarlet’s pleasant voice cut through the swirling chaos in the room.

  I sent a stunning spell at Lacey and Adam as they tussled together. The sting of the spell broke them apart and they backed away, going to their individual corners, still snarling at one another. Lenny stared at them, not bothering to conceal the disgust on his face.

  “Hello, Scarlet? This is Holly. Listen, I was wondering if you could come over to the manor. The ghost we told you about is here and we could use a hand.”

  “Sure. I’ll be right over.” She didn’t sound surprised by the request.

  “Thanks.” I clicked off the call and stuffed my phone back into my purse. “You two done?” I asked, shooting a look at Adam and then Lacey.

  I didn’t bother waiting for their responses before rounding on Lenny. He remained hovering over the staircase. I fisted my hands and slammed them onto my hips. “As for you, what is your problem? Why are you here again?”

  Lenny sighed loudly, as though he were the one being inconvenienced. “As I expected, Earl wasn’t too happy when I told him what kind of riffraff was living in his beloved manor.”

  “You saw him? Just now?” I asked, scraping my jaw off the floor. Not only was Earl a ghost, he apparently lived nearby.

  After that admission, Lenny clammed up. Luckily, Scarlet didn’t take long to arrive and immediately took over the situation. Her soft-spoken manner smoothed the ruffled feathers. “What would it take for you to share what you know?” Scarlet asked, her voice calm and sweet.

  She had heaps of self-control.

  “For starters, I’d like an apology from the beastly blonde,” Lenny said.

  Scarlet looked to me, the question evident in her eyes.

  “Before you got here, he was peeping on one of our other roommates while she showered. She made some threats. And before you ask, the odds of getting an apology from her are about as good as snow in the Sahara.”

  “Lenny,” Scarlet said, her tone even more buttercream fluffy than before. “Posy is a dear friend of mine and I know she would be so grateful if you could tell us more about Earl.”

  Lenny’s eyes sparked. “Posy is alive?”

  “Well, no, but she’s a spirit, like you.” Scarlet craned around and Adam, Lacey, and I all nodded.

  Lenny surged upward. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, guilt twisting up my stomach. “She’ll come back soon. I’m sure.”

  Lenny sank back down, his shiny shoes back on the wooden steps. “Earl will be so happy to know she’s here.”

  “Can you bring him here? To see her?” Scarlet asked.

  Adam and I exchanged a cringe behind her back.

  Lenny shook his head. “He’s been trapped for the better part of the last century.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  “Trapped how?” Adam added.

  Lenny’s hooded eyes moved slowly between Adam and I before he crossed his arms. “I want to see Posy. I’ll only talk to her.”

  Scarlet looked at me helplessly. “I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

  I sighed. “I guess so.”

  When Posy still wasn’t back the following morning, Adam and I ventured into town to find her. A few hours later, after suffering through a long, rambling exchange with Gwen, Posy’s sometimes-friend and fellow ghost, we found out where she’d gone. According to Gwen, she’d returned to the place of her own death.

  Scarlet came back to the manor around eleven and we all set off together.

  “Here goes nothing,” Adam said as we stood near the edge of the tree line at the back of the manor’s property.

  “How inspiring,” I huffed and gave his shoulder a tiny shove.

  The Beechwood Manor stood on a bluff overlooking the harbor that lent the town its name. Behind the manor was an expansive wooded area that eventually tapered off to the edge of a rock-faced cliff—the very cliff that Posy had thrown herself from nearly a hundred years before. I’d personally only visited the site once, and the eerie feeling that came with knowing it was the site of Posy’s suicide was enough to keep me from returning.

  “It’s not uncommon for ghosts to return to the place they were last physically alive,” Scarlet explained as we trekked through the trees. “It often brings a sense of connection to the world. Being a ghost can lead to an overwhelming sense of loneliness.”

  “See, that’s the part I don’t understand,” I interjected. “I’ve met several ghosts. I mean, even just here in Beechwood Harbor three—now four—have crossed my path. None of them have been lonely. They’ve all known other ghosts.”

  “And you said there are some new ghosts in town that are already part of your support group,” Adam pointed out, stepping over a fallen log. He was so familiar with the woods that he practically walked on autopilot, rarely even glancing down at the path in front of him.

  Scarlet turned back and nodded. “Yes, but ghosts aren’t always welcomed. You have a relationship with Posy, so that’s probably why it doesn’t seem all that odd to you, but if Posy didn’t have you all living under her roof, do you think she’d have much of an afterlife?”

  I’d never really given it much thought, but when presented with the question, the truth painted a grim picture. Even in the year plus since I’d moved into the manor, Posy had undergone a gradual transformation. Gwen dragged her out to haunt the town and was the only reason Posy had even met Scarlet. Even the previous afternoon, when she was out and about in town in the middle of the day, was a huge step forward for Posy.

  Scarlet didn’t wait for an answer as she plowed ahead on the winding trail that cut through the woods. “From what I’ve gathered, my best guess is that without all of you, she’d have caved in on herself a long time ago. The manor itself would likely not be standing.”

  “She would have destroyed it?” Adam asked.

  “It’s entirely possible. I’ve seen it before. Ghosts can become so entrenc
hed with a place—or even a person—that they end up destroying it. Years of repressed emotions can lead to disastrous results.”

  Adam shot me a knowing glance. We’d both seen the damage Posy was capable of doing. I couldn’t imagine what she’d be able to do if she were to come completely undone.

  “Often times, ghosts can’t find their place among the living or the dead. They get stuck. It’s sometimes easier to retreat into themselves,” Scarlet continued. “Ghosts like your friend Gwen and my two … sidekicks … are the exceptions, not the rule. Most ghosts are lost and spend years—decades even—searching for answers and trying to figure out why they weren’t able to move seamlessly from this world to the next.”

  “Why do you think they get stuck?” I asked her.

  She shrugged. “It’s different for each ghost. It’s far from textbook.”

  Her statement reminded me of Katerina, the ghost I’d rescued from the beach several months earlier. She’d been so new that she hadn’t even realized that she was a ghost. I’d often worried about what would have become of her, had I not stumbled upon her when she was frantically trying to get the attention of the other, still living, beach goers that day.

  Up ahead, the trees started to thin out. More and more of the early afternoon sky peeked through; it was shaping up to be a pretty nice spring afternoon. The sound of the ocean roared in my ears as we neared the cliff. Some fifty or sixty feet below, the waves crashed against the rocks, sending up a spray of mist. Gulls circled the harbor and disappeared into the nests they’d created among the rocks.

  Squinting against the sun, the three of us strode out of the trees, and there, standing with her back toward us, was Posy.

  Scarlet stepped on a stick and the cracking sound was enough to get Posy’s attention. She turned around, and even though she was nearly translucent under the sun’s rays, we could see a heartbreaking mix of conflicting emotions playing out on her face.

  “Hello, Posy,” Scarlet called out gently.

  Chapter 4

  What are you all doing here?” Posy’s eyes darted between us, clearly disturbed to find the three of us together.

  Adam started to speak but Scarlet raised a delicate hand. “Adam and Holly came to me yesterday afternoon.”

  “I knew it!” Posy spat, glaring at the pair of us.

  “Posy, please … hear us out.” Scarlet moved closer to the edge of the cliff. Her steps were slow and deliberate. “There’s a new ghost in town and he’s causing some trouble. Adam and Holly wanted my advice on how best to handle the situation.”

  Posy’s panicked eyes flicked toward me. I gave a slight nod. “I was working in the greenhouse and a ghost named Lenny interrupted me.”

  “Lenny?” She shook her head. “I don’t know anyone named Lenny.”

  “Apparently he knows you,” Adam groused.

  Scarlet ignored Adam’s comment. “He mentioned Earl.”

  Posy’s eyes went wide. “Earl? My … my Earl?”

  “He said that his father helped build the manor,” I told her, following Scarlet’s example and keeping my voice low and calm.

  We were far enough away from the manor that I doubted she could cause any damage to the house itself, but if I’d learned anything in the last twenty-four hours, it was that my knowledge of the spirit world was lacking at best.

  “What … what did he say his full name is?”

  “Um, Lenny …” I paused, trying to concentrate on the initial meeting. “Lenny Knowles.”

  Posy made a sputtering noise and covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes filled with tears that glistened under the harsh light. “Roger. His father was Roger. He and Earl were good friends. And yes … yes, now I remember. He had a son, he was … well, he must have been fifteen at the time.”

  Posy floated higher and higher off the ground, and her face broke into a wide smile.

  “Would you like to see him?” Scarlet asked her.

  “Very much so, dear.” She glanced around. “Where is he?”

  “He’ll be at the manor in a few hours,” I said.

  “There’s one other thing you need to know,” Scarlet cautioned.

  Posy floated back to the ground, her silvery shoes grazing the large rock she was hovering above. “What is it?”

  I drew in a breath. “Posy, from what he said, Earl is in fact a ghost.”

  Posy made a muffled cry and covered her mouth again. She started shaking her head. Violently.

  “Posy—” I moved forward, but she vanished.

  Poof. Gone.

  Just like that.

  Adam and I whipped around to stare at Scarlet, who, unreassuringly, looked just as startled as we did.

  “Where did she go?” Adam asked. “I’ve never seen her do that before.”

  “My guess? Back to the manor,” Scarlet replied.

  I moved away from the edge of the cliff and Adam took my hand. “Come on,” he said. “We have to find her.”

  He wasn’t going to get an objection from me.

  No one said much on the trek back through the woods. Half an hour later, we were back where we’d started and were tentatively approaching the manor as though it could blow at any minute. Because … well … it could.

  “I knew I should have crashed Evangeline and Teddy’s romantic weekend away,” I muttered under my breath as we started up the back stairs. “To think, I could be on a beach, sipping a Mai Tai right now.”

  Adam ignored me and opened the kitchen door. He peeked his head inside. “Posy?”

  “Posy!” Scarlet and I called in unison as we followed him into the bright space.

  Nothing.

  “Great.” Adam tugged a chair away from the table and plopped down. “Any ideas?” he said, looking mostly at Scarlet.

  She gave a simple shrug. “We’ll have to wait until she comes back. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.”

  I sighed. “Must be nice.”

  Boots scratched on the kitchen door so I crossed to let him in. After his demands for attentions were fulfilled, he waddled over to the cupboard where I kept the bag of kibble. With a laugh, I filled his bowl and patted him on the rump as he buried his nose in the silver dish.

  “At least he can’t talk,” Adam said as we all absently watched Boots.

  “No kidding,” I said.

  “I resent that.”

  I jumped at the velvety voice and turned to see Flapjack at Scarlet’s side. He strutted around her legs, whipping at her with his tail. She frowned down at him and sidestepped out of range. “I thought I felt you lurking around. What have I told you about eavesdropping?”

  Flapjack didn’t reply. Instead, he zeroed in on Boots—blissfully unaware as he reveled in kibble Nirvana—and tiptoed across the kitchen.

  When Boots looked up, it was a moment too late. Flapjack was already nose to nose with him. Boots hissed, his back arching as his tawny fur poofed up, making him look a little like a fur covered balloon.

  “Flapjack!” Scarlet snapped. “Leave him alone!”

  Flapjack laughed as Boots took a swipe, only to hit air.

  I hurtled across the kitchen and snatched Boots up from the ground. I slung him to my side, balancing him on my hip, and glared down at the cackling ghost cat.

  “You sure I can’t use the fire poker?” Adam asked Scarlet.

  Scarlet looked at him. “Not necessary. You have a lemon?”

  At the word, Flapjack stiffened and turned to Scarlet. “Why can’t I have any fun?”

  “Because your idea of fun is mean,” she said, returning his glower. “Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and see if you can find Posy.”

  To my surprise, Flapjack vanished and by the time Boots extracted his claws from my sweatshirt, he’d returned with Posy in tow.

  Adam hopped up from his chair. “You all right, Posy?”

  She nodded but placed her fingers at her temple, as though her head was spinning. “Yes. I think so. Thank you, dear.”

 
; Apparently Adam was once again out of the scoundrel box.

  “I got so upset …” Posy started. “Everything went black. When I opened my eyes, I was up in the attic.”

  “Listening to something absolutely awful,” Flapjack inserted with a scrunch of his chocolate brown nose.

  Boots hissed.

  A few months back, at Posy’s request, we’d moved the record player from the study up to the attic. It should have been the first place we checked after returning to the manor. Usually she responded when her name was called, even when lodged in the stuffy attic, but I realized in hindsight that we should have gone upstairs and tapped on the door to the small room.

  “Did I miss Lenny?” Posy asked me.

  I shook my head. “You weren’t gone for very long. He should be here soon.”

  At least, I hoped.

  She nodded slowly. “I think I’ll return to the attic, dear. As you know, the music helps.”

  “Right. We’ll knock on the door when he arrives.”

  She floated slowly from the floor and disappeared through the ceiling.

  Flapjack watched her go. “Seriously, what was that music?”

  “You’ll have to excuse him,” Scarlet said, narrowing her eyes at him. “He doesn’t have a filter.”

  Scarlet looked up at the clock on the wall and then back at her furry companion. “Flapjack, if you hurry you can be at the dock when they bring in the catch of the day.”

  Flapjack’s eyes went round as dinner plates and without another word, he whizzed out of the kitchen.

  “Impressive,” Adam said on his way to the fridge.

  “He’s been my constant shadow for a long time. I’ve learned how to deal.”

  Lenny arrived at the manor later that evening. He floated into view in the middle of the living room as we all milled around, nervous and edgy. The reunion between Posy and Lenny was both strange and nostalgic. Scarlet, Adam, and I all stood back and let the two ghosts get caught up. Lenny’s entire demeanor was different when he spoke with Posy. He was animated and eager to answer any question she asked. He revealed that he’d been killed in a tragic boating accident down on the Mississippi River and had spent the past few decades traveling. When he finally made his way back to Beechwood Harbor, his one-time home town, he’d hoped to find any remaining family members, spirits or otherwise, but came up empty handed. As a boat captain, he spent a lot of time haunting the ships and boats coming and going from the harbor, and in a moment of happenstance, found Earl.