Ghost Stories by Morgana Best

Author:Morgana Best [Best, Morgana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781922420107
Publisher: Best Cosy Books

CHAPTER 13

Mum and Ian stepped into the room.

Janet breathed a sigh of relief to see them, but I would have preferred demons.

“The detectives have falsely accused me,” Mum said, her face white. “Laurel, I tried to call you several times. What were you doing? Where were you?”

“We were all chatting, and my phone was turned off,” I said, annoyed with myself for being defensive.

Just then, the lights came back on. Mum and Ian sat next to Janet. The six guests all fidgeted, all clearly embarrassed. “We should go now,” James said.

I stood up, intending to show them to the door. “Thanks so much for coming.”

“It was, err, fun,” Jenny said lamely.

“I’m going, too,” Janet announced. “I’ll show them out, Laurel. This time I’ll lock the door.”

We waited until we heard the front door shut. “What happened, Mum?”

Mum twisted her white lace handkerchief in her hands. “The detectives told me about the murder weapon. They came to my house and forced me to go with them to be questioned.”

Ian dared to interrupt Mum. “Thelma called Pastor Green, who sent her a lawyer.”

“Thank goodness for that,” I said.

Ian pursed his lips. “He was a lawyer from our church, of course.”

“Of course,” I said with more than a hint of sarcasm. Pastor Green was one of the good guys, but Mum and Ian would not allow anyone who didn’t go to their church to do anything for them. Their cars were always breaking down, because they went to a substandard mechanic who attended their church. “Is he qualified?”

Ian appeared to be affronted. “He’s just out of law school and was doing contract law, but we’ll hope and pray.”

“I don’t need a lawyer. I have justice on my side,” Mum said primly, “and even more, I have the Great Judge.”

“All right, then!” I said quickly, hoping to forestall her from going into one of her usual rants. “Did the detectives say what the murder weapon was?”

“It’s just a bunch of nonsense,” Mum said crossly. She made a big show of blowing out the candles. “If God wanted us to have candles, we wouldn’t have electricity. Only New Age heathens, and witches use candles; may they burn in hell!”

Ian’s cheeks puffed up. “Suffer not a witch to live!” he said dramatically.

I rubbed my temples and fought the urge to say something horrible to him, perhaps even strangle him. Instead, I addressed Mum. “What’s nonsense?”

“Hat pins!”

“Hat pins are nonsense?”

“Stop twisting my words, Laurel!”

Basil leant forward. “Precisely what did the detectives tell you about hat pins, Mrs Bay?” His tone was steely.

Mum’s eyes darted from side to side. “Tom was killed by a metal hat pin with an enamel coating. They said it was a vintage one.”

My jaw fell open. Mum had never given such a straight answer to me. I nudged Basil with my elbow.

He took the hint and continued his questioning. “Was it one of the hat pins they took from you?”

Mum shook her head. “There was a missing hat pin.”

“Did the detectives find it?” I asked her.

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