A Deadly Lesson (Storage Ghost Murders Book 5) by Gillian Larkin Page A

the entrance to the travel shop. It really was expensive looking, she
half-expected to see a uniformed doorman guarding the entrance.
    Grace
stepped into the shop. It even smelled expensive. Posters of exotic beaches
were on the wall – in frames, not stuck on with tape.
    “I
can’t see Brooke anywhere,” Abbie said.
    An
over-made-up sales assistant shot Grace a brilliant-white smile and said, “Good
afternoon, madam. How may I help you? Please, take a seat. Would you like a hot
beverage? We have a variety of herbal teas and speciality coffees.”
    Grace
smiled and sat down. “How kind, a coffee would be nice, thank you.” She quickly
scanned the posters. If she was going to lie, she might as well make it a good
one. “I’ve come into some unexpected money and I’d like to book a world cruise.
I want to travel first-class, no expense spared.”
    A
shadow fell over the smiling assistant and she seemed to shiver. A cold voice
said, “Chantelle, take your break. I’ll deal with this customer.”
    Chantelle’s
voice trembled as she said, “I don’t mind, I can wait for my break.”
    The
cold voice continued, “That wasn’t a request.”
    Abbie
floated into the chair at Grace’s side. She beamed and said, “It’s Brooke!”
    Grace’s
glance moved upwards. That was Brooke?

 

Chapter 14

 
    Brooke
folded her arms and waited for Chantelle to vacate her seat. Chantelle gave
Grace an embarrassed smile and walked away. She stopped in her tracks when
Brooke loudly clicked her fingers. Chantelle looked back over her shoulder, an
eyebrow raised.
    Brooke
tutted and barked out, “Coffee! Now! And get me a mint tea.”
    Brooke
turned towards Grace and lowered herself into the empty chair. Grace could feel
herself staring, but she couldn’t help it. Brooke looked years older than Abbie
would have been now. Her dyed blonde hair was pulled back and piled on top of
her head, the texture of it was so shiny that it looked plastic. Her hair must
have been pulled back too tightly because Brooke’s face had a stretched look to
it – unless that was how she always looked. Grace blinked as she looked
closer at Brooke’s eyes. Her eyes were small but her eyelashes were huge, Grace
could see each one individually. She must spend a fortune on mascara. An image
came to Grace of those spiders that have little bodies and great big legs. It
looked like two of them had scuttled on to Brooke’s face and taken up
residence.
    Brooke’s
mouth was small and pinched, it had been painted a vibrant red. The painted
lips moved fractionally and Grace realised with a shock that Brooke was
smiling. Grace involuntarily sat further back in her chair. There was something
cold and mean about this woman.
    Brooke
spoke, “I heard you talking about a world cruise. We have many options. Where
do you want to go, and how much deposit do you want to pay today?”
    “I
wasn’t planning on paying a deposit today,” Grace began. She glanced at Abbie,
she was smiling at Brooke as if she was her favourite person in the world. Had
Brooke been this rude to Abbie?
    Brooke
wasn’t listening to Grace, she had placed her phone on the table and was now
reading a message. Her mouth moved a fraction more, but only to one side. She
turned her attention back to Grace and said, “We take a fifty per cent deposit,
non-returnable. How will you be paying?”
    Grace
frowned and sat up straighter. “I didn’t say I was going to pay a deposit. I
haven’t made my mind up as to where I want to go.”
    Abbie
clapped her hands and said, “Tell her the places that we were going to visit! I
wonder if she went after I died.”
    Abbie
reeled the destinations off and Grace repeated them to Brooke. She had to pause
at one moment as Brooke read another text message. If Brooke recognised the
proposed locations, she showed no indication of it.
    Grace
tried a different approach. “I wished I’d done this when I was younger. Maybe
taken a year out of education, I could have