Coffee and Ghosts: The Complete First Season (Coffee and Ghosts: The Complete Seasons Book 1) by Charity Tahmaseb

Author:Charity Tahmaseb [Tahmaseb, Charity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Collins Mark Books
Published: 2015-10-03T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

Our tiny conference room brims with caffeine. In addition to the coffee I’ve brewed in the percolator, Malcolm’s tea scents the air with its exotic blend of saffron and spices.

“It’s different today,” I say to him, blinking my eyes against the steam.

He holds his index finger and thumb together. “Just a pinch of cardamom.”

Nigel sits at the end of the conference table, which is really nothing more than someone’s discarded dining room set. On either side of his laptop sits a cup—one of tea and one of coffee. He takes a sip from each, alternating precisely, never playing favorites.

“I’ve traced the patterns of the thefts,” Nigel says after a sip of tea. “About three days after Katy went on a call, alone, without you”—he points to Malcolm—“something went missing.”

“Which is why they didn’t arrest me, I’m guessing.” Malcolm leans over Nigel’s shoulder, gaze on the laptop’s screen.

“So it looks like I was staking out places to rob,” I say, “after living all my life in Springside?” I roll my eyes.

I haven’t been in everybody’s house, it’s true. Some people like their ghosts, especially the sprites, who are usually harmless. Some people refuse to believe, like Chief Ramsey. Still, this is a rather clumsy attempt, I think, to make me look guilty.

“Bad blood, Katy. Blame your grandmother.”

The voice startles me. I shoot to my feet, my chair careening backward into the wall. In the conference room doorway, Jack stands, all dark suit and red lawyer tie. He has his hands in his pockets and he leans against the frame. It’s a devastating pose, one he perfected against the lockers at Springside High School.

I grope for my chair and plant myself in it. “Who said anything about blood?”

“It’s an expression,” Malcolm says, his voice grumpy.

Well, yes, I know that. I cast him a quick glance and fight the urge to roll my eyes again.

“And I don’t think that assessment is fair to Katy or her grandmother,” he adds. This last is directed at Jack.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Jack says. He is frozen now, an ice sculpture of a man.

“I live here now.” In the echo of Malcolm’s reply, I catch: and you don’t.

My gaze flickers between the two men, then lands on Nigel. He gives me a shrug, but I notice his lips twitch, as if he’s trying not to laugh.

“Anyway,” Jack says, turning his attention to me, a smile melting some of the ice. “The charges are dropped, but you shouldn’t leave town.”

“Funny,” Malcolm says. “That doesn’t sound like the charges have been dropped at all.”

“Please, it’s not like I ever leave town except to release ghosts,” I say. “The last time I went anywhere was the school trip to the state capital.”

This confession brings silence. I wonder if something of Mistress Armand lingers in the air of Springside, for certainly I’ve managed to blurt out several things that can kill a conversation. Again, that sense that I’m odd weighs on me. I don’t feel deprived for not traveling.

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