Free A Sweet Murder by Gillian Larkin Page A

stood up
and raised her arm. Grace called out, “Don’t slap her!”
    “ I’m
not going to slap her!” Pearl raised her other arm and pulled the
frozen Connie into her embrace.
    Grace felt her
eyes sting at the picture in front of her. Pearl was holding Connie
as if she was the most precious person in the world. Grace heard
murmurs coming from Pearl. She was reassuring Connie that
everything would be okay.
    The grey shadow
that had covered Connie seeped over Pearl. Pearl didn’t seem to be
affected, she pulled Connie closer and kept up her
reassurances.
    Grace clenched
her fists, feeling useless. Would Pearl freeze too? Would both
ghosts disappear again?
    The strawberries
on Connie’s dress turned from grey to a light pink. Grace
unclenched her fists as Connie and Pearl returned to their original
colours.
    Grace said,
“Pearl, are you okay? Did you absorb Connie’s sadness?”
    Pearl swayed
slightly and gave Grace a slow wink. “I was a miserable old cow to
begin with, nothing’s changed.”
    Grace wasn’t
convinced. She had to solve Connie’s murder soon. She could cope
with becoming the size of a house but she couldn’t bear Pearl
getting hurt.
     

Chapter 19
     
    Pearl told Grace
that she would talk to Connie and try to find out how she
died.
    “ It
won’t be easy if she keeps turning grey, it’s like talking to a
wall,” Pearl said with a disgusted tut.
    “ Do
what you can, thanks. I’d better open up the shop,” Grace
said.
    “ Aren’t you going to wake your good-for-nothing
brother?”
    “ No,
I’ll let him sleep. If he’s still asleep by lunchtime I’ll wake him
up.”
    “ If
I was you I’d throw a bucket of water over him!”
    Grace studied
Pearl for a moment, she seemed fine now, back to her old self.
Grace made herself a mug of tea and took it through to the shop.
She opened up a few minutes later and was soon dealing with
customers. She planned to phone Vincent at Flamingo Head Office,
the number was on the card that Lucinda had given her. She was
going to use the excuse of wanting a vending machine in their shop
and was going to use the little white lie of saying that Lucinda
advised that she speak to Vincent direct. She just had to hope that
her lies wouldn’t be discovered.
    Grace never got
chance, the shop was busy all morning. She had just finished
serving a customer when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She
jumped and looked at the owner of the hand. She had to do a double
take.
    “ Frankie! Is that really you? You look awful, your eyes are
all bloodshot. What have you been doing?”
    Frankie
shrugged, wincing as he did so. “I’ve been clubbing again, it was a
late night.” He sighed. Grace nearly passed out from his breath. “I
don’t think I’m cut out for this clubbing lark. I’m aching all
over.”
    “ You
need a good night’s sleep. Go back to bed now if you
want.”
    “ No,
I can’t leave you to do all the work. I’ll have a good sleep
tomorrow night,” Frankie said. He scratched his stomach.
    “ What’s wrong with having a good sleep tonight? Don’t tell me
you’re going out again!”
    “ I
am, I’ve already told the woman that I’ll be there, it’s someone’s
birthday. I think the club is staying open until 6 a.m.” Frankie
looked into the distance and slowly shook his head. “6
a.m.”
    “ You’re mad,” Grace concluded. “Go and get yourself something
to eat. And brush your teeth. And wash your face. And have a
shave.”
    Frankie gave her
a mock salute. “Yes, sir!”
    He sloped away,
Grace saw his jaw moving in a yawn. What could she do with him? He
wouldn’t listen to common sense. For a moment she wished that he
could see Pearl too, she’d tell him exactly what she thought of his
behaviour. She had no doubts that Frankie would listen to
Pearl.
    More customers
came in, looking at their mishmash of wares dotted around the shop.
Frankie returned thirty minutes later looking cleaner but still
tired.
    “ Grace, take the rest of the