Free Make the Ghost of It (Witch Woods Funeral Home Book 3): (Ghost Cozy Mystery series) by Morgana Best

thinking up ways to get Mom out of the funeral, but had drawn nothing but blanks. I thought that perhaps it was best simply to leave her there to enjoy the funeral. After all, was she really hurting anyone? I sighed when I realized that leaving Mom with Ian on a leash was potentially the least damaging thing I could do.
    The speeches didn’t take long to wrap up. Pastor Green’s had been by far the best of the bunch, and the others, from a handful of ex-girlfriends, had been passive aggressive at best, borderline violent at worst. Each had focused on her own relationship with Lewis, and how much better hers was than anybody else’s. Frankly, it was awful to listen to, but it also made extremely sad. Nobody seemed to know Lewis well, except perhaps on a very shallow level. If I hadn’t known him better, I’d have felt sorry for him.
    At the moment, though, I had bigger problems. Mom was still wearing her ridiculous getup, which would not be so bad had she not insisted on bringing Ian on a leash. To my dismay, I found her approaching a small group of guests and striking up a conversation.
    I considered how quickly I could run out of the room, and how much it would damage my social and professional standing if I were to be seen sprinting away into the sunset. I figured that, unfortunately, it would probably do more damage than simply being the woman who handled the crazy stranger with a man on a leash. I approached my mother, listening to the conversation she was having and looking for my chance to jump in and get her to leave.
    “And might I ask why you have a man on a leash?” a woman asked Mom. It was a perfectly reasonable question, albeit one nobody should ever have to ask.
    “Oh, he’s not a man. He’s my pet.” Mom made the unfortunate decision to wink as she said it, and for a brief moment I thought the woman she was talking to might throw up.
    “Excuse me, Mo… err, Thelma,” I said as I approached, desperate to save the poor stranger. I decided to bite the bullet and just tell her the truth. “This isn’t the Wizard of Oz themed funeral. That one’s next week.”
    Mom looked at me like I’d just told her a nuclear missile was headed straight for us. Her eyes widened, and Ian looked like he was about to pass out. “Of course, I know that,” she said, struggling to maintain an even smile. “Now, please excuse us. I left the oven on and Ian needs to help me turn it off.”
    I didn’t know my mother could move so fast, especially with Ian on a leash running on his hands and knees. They vanished from sight before I could blink.
    I looked back to see Pastor Green giving me a thumbs up from the crowd of people, and I smiled back. I had at least helped make Lewis’s funeral a little less depressing, but being here was making Lewis’s death feel more real. Seeing him as a ghost had made me feel as though he’d never really died, but seeing these people mourn—or rather, not mourn—made me feel sorry for Lewis. It also made me sorrier for Basil, who was the prime suspect. I had to get to the bottom of Lewis’s murder, and soon.
    I crossed over to the door to shut it, but the two detectives burst into the room. I opened my mouth to speak to them, but they bypassed me, and to my horror, headed straight for Basil.
    As they led Basil past me, he stopped to tell me not to worry, and then he was gone.
    I turned my attention to the food. Pastor Green was already steering people to the room where we always served tea, coffee, and finger food after a service. As usual, I had prepared it before the service. I was worrying about Basil. Why would they question him, let him go, and then take him in again for questioning? It made no sense.
    I was surprised to see Mom return. I expected she would’ve been embarrassed, but there she was as large as life, yet without Ian. I was talking to Norbert and Violet, so introduced Mom when she came over. I hoped they wouldn’t connect her with the woman in fancy dress from