Free Christmas Spirit (The Middle-aged Ghost Whisperer Book 1): (Ghost Cozy Mystery series) by Morgana Best Page A

somewhere.”
    Alum nodded and looked at the floor. “I’m starting to feel bad that I got you involved.”
    “No, it’s fine. I do want to help you,” I said.
    “I know. I just want you to be careful,” he added.
    I was uneasy. I had a bad feeling about it all. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but perhaps that’s exactly what I needed to be. Surely it was better if I thought everyone was more of a threat than they were. It would keep me from ending up like Alum.
    Alum broke into my thoughts. “I do remember being shot by my partner, but I don’t remember what I had discovered that led to that. Was he only looking out for himself, or did he answer to someone? I think there’s a good chance he was on a gang’s payroll. At any rate, you need to stay far away from Stanfield Kelly. He’s not a homicidal maniac by any means, but he did shoot me because I found out something. It won’t do any good if he thinks you’re close to whatever it is, too.” Alum paused and held up one hand. “Of course, he might’ve shot me for a reason completely unrelated to the Brady Wayland case, but I won’t take any chances with your safety, Prudence.”
    My stomach fluttered at his protectiveness. It seemed more than just a cop-civilian sentiment, but then I caught myself. This guy is dead , a small voice said inside my head. I shook myself. Aloud I said, “I need to speak with Amanda. I want to make sure she wasn’t keeping anything from me. If a dirty cop was poking around, maybe I should be doing the same.”
    Alum frowned. “Don’t forget that Kelly would be doing normal cop stuff ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m sure. His visit to Amanda could well have been on legitimate business. I keep coming back to the fact that we don’t yet know if Wayland’s murder was related to my, err, death. It most likely was, but I can’t be sure.”
    I shrugged. “I’ll call her now and see if she wants to meet for coffee.”
    Amanda had proven quite keen to talk to me, and wanted me to meet her at eleven at a little café in her town.
    If I was going to be there by eleven, I needed to hurry. I went to my bedroom to get changed and put on some perfume and makeup.
    Alum was still in my living room when I walked out.
    “You look lovely,” he said with an appraising smile. “That color blue really brings out your eyes.”
    I smiled at him, while chanting, He’s a ghost; he’s a ghost , over and over in my head. Alum was the nicest man I had ever met, and he was dead.
    “Be safe,” he said with a worried frown.
     
     

Chapter 13
     
    I felt somewhat guilty leaving a note for my guests, but I did, with instructions as to where everything was for their breakfast. I wasn’t so worried about the house being destroyed now that Uncle Tim seemed to have Luke’s measure.
    I found the café easily enough. It was dark and dismal, with hardly any patrons. It reminded me of her house when I’d first met with her. There were wide windows at the front, but I supposed that the black and dark-crimson walls had sucked all the light from the room. The orange booths did nothing to add to the ambience. It was an entirely uninviting place. At least the smell of coffee was welcoming, although it was all but overtaken by the smell of fried food.
    Amanda was in a booth near the back, already nursing a steaming cup of coffee. I went to her and sat, and before I had even opened my mouth, a waitress appeared to take my order.
    “A soy latté, please,” I said.
    “With milk?” she asked.
    I raised my eyebrows. “Um, no. A soy latté, please.”
    The young woman left. I figured it must be her first day on the job. I turned to Amanda.
    “Thanks for coming to see me,” she said. “I just thought you should know that the cops came to see me. I didn’t know who else you had been talking to. I wanted to make sure the detective questioning me didn’t have anything to do with you.”
    “No, not at all,” I said hurriedly. “I haven’t spoken to