Free All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt by Rose Pressey Page B

she is looking for something.”
    What would she be looking for down by the water? Then it hit me, “What if Nicole had gone to Vera’s property and she caught her, then pushed her in the water?”
    â€œThat seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Charlotte said.
    â€œYou saw the way she acted the other day,” I said. “She wasn’t being rational.”
    â€œNothing would surprise me,” Alice said.
    â€œWhere is she now?” My back was still pressed against the tree trunk.
    I felt the bark through the thin cotton of my shirt.
    â€œShe went down the path, past the pond,” Alice said as she stood guard.
    This was entirely too sticky of a situation. The last thing I wanted was another confrontation with Vera.
    â€œI need to get out of here before she catches me.” Maybe she would push me into the pond too. I ran across the lawn toward the parking lot, praying I wouldn’t fall flat on my face wearing my wedge heels. Every few seconds, I glanced back to see if Vera had spotted me. The ghosts had left me behind and were already inside the car. I supposed I didn’t run fast enough to suit them.
    Releasing a breath of relief when I made it back to the car, I jumped in and cranked the engine. Thank goodness we had gotten out of there before I’d been caught. Plus, I hadn’t left empty-handed either. I had Nicole’s phone.

Chapter 11
    Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips

    If you find favorite thrift shops,
make sure to check back frequently,
as their inventory changes often.

    We were headed back to my shop. I soaked in the sunshine and the slight summer breeze while listening to one of my favorite fifties songs, “In the Still of the Night.”
    â€œThat’s a romantic date song,” Alice said from the backseat.
    Charlotte was sitting in her usual spot in the front seat. Maybe Alice had stopped fighting for that prime real estate.
    â€œYes, it sure is—now we just need to get her another date.”
    â€œThere was no first date,” I reminded my ghostly companions.
    â€œWhatever you say,” Alice said.
    Charlotte laughed.
    They’d never stop talking about my breakfast with Dylan. The fact of the matter was it wasn’t a date. After parking the car, I headed straight for Heather’s. Unfortunately, she’d left a sign on her door that she’d be back in a few minutes. So I turned and headed back to my shop.
    Once inside, I greeted Wind Song and petted her head. Sitting behind the counter, I pulled out the phone I’d found from my purse. I scrolled through a few items in her call history, and then I searched through her recently viewed web browsing. There was nothing much there other than celebrity tabloid Web sites and some clothing Web sites. I opened the screen for the text messages. That was when I gasped.
    â€œThis was definitely Nicole’s phone, no doubt about it,” I said, mostly to myself.
    â€œWhat’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.” Alice snickered.
    â€œThis is serious,” I said.
    â€œLet me see.” Charlotte leaned in closer.
    â€œThere are messages from Jessica Duncan on here.” I pointed at the phone.
    â€œAnd you’re sure that it’s Nicole’s phone?” Charlotte placed her hands on her hips.
    I scrolled back to the ID page and tapped the screen with my finger. “See, right here is her name and info.”
    â€œSo what’s the big deal about the messages from Jessica Duncan?” Charlotte asked. “After all, they were both acting in the same film.”
    I glanced over at her. “Well, I don’t know for sure. I haven’t read them yet. I just saw the one sentence.”
    â€œThat’s not much to go on,” Charlotte said.
    â€œWhat does the sentence say?” Alice asked.
    I looked down at the screen. “‘Don’t threaten me.’ That was the response from Nicole to