Or not.
Lighting a candle, I sat and watched the clock march its way toward midnight. When the bell chimed, a chill froze the breath in front of my face. In the corner of the room, a glow began to take shape and grow stronger.
“Welcome back.”
Ella floated toward me, the hemline of her ball gown skimming the floorboards. She reached the foot of my bed and twisted the folds of her skirt in her fingers.
“Sorry to wake you. My hauntings aren’t exactly at a decent hour.”
“It’s okay, I can’t sleep. It’s actually nice to have the company. This place can get kind of quiet. You’d think by now, I’d be used to living alone, but I miss having others around.”
“I know what you mean. I used to feel lonely when my father was away on business. When he told me he was getting married, and I’d be getting a new stepsister, I was so excited. Many of my memories are gone, but I know that even after they arrived, I still felt alone.”
She drifted closer to the nightstand and fluttered her fingers through the candle flame. The light didn’t waver, but she held her hand in it, staring at the orange blaze.
“Does anyone miss me?”
The question caught me off-guard and made me think about our legacies. My mother had left behind numerous people she’d helped over the years, but besides Vivian, would anyone miss me? I wasn’t so sure. A few customers were likely planning to dance on my grave for ruining their lives with one of my spells.
“Of course people miss you. I know it’s difficult to believe, but your stepmother seemed genuinely upset.” It was strange commiserating with a ghost. “I think family can be a blessing and a curse. Even loving relationships can have cracks. Those cracks stay with us and make it difficult to relate to other people.”
She resumed playing with the candle. “Something tells me you’re speaking from experience.”
“Guilty. My mother loved me, but she couldn’t hide her disappointment in my abilities. The harder I tried, the bigger I failed. Now that she’s gone, I can’t bear to see that look on other people’s faces.”
“Is that why you don’t want the detective to get too close?”
“He’ll only be disappointed.”
“I don’t know.” She smiled softly. “Here you are, trying to solve a murder case to help a ghost. We’d never even met before I came to your shop. I’m a perfect stranger. Disappointments don’t help strangers.”
“My motives aren’t squeaky-clean. The reward does have something to do with it.”
Ella shrugged. “No one expects you to work for free.”
“I’m a regular saint then.” I sighed. Taking a deep dive into my stunted emotional growth wasn’t going to catch a killer or pay the bills, it would only lead to breaking out the elderberry wine and drowning my sorrows. The last thing I needed was to get drunk. “Actually, there is something I need to ask you about.”
“What’s that?”
“We learned something about your case. It appears you might have been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Ella’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?” Her fingers brushed her temple as if it could help her remember.
“Yes, I’m positive. We found traces of belladonna in your wineglass. It can make you confused and delusional. It would have weakened your defenses. Have you ever heard of that plant before?”
“No, never.” She floated closer, her fingers curling into fists. “I must have been helpless.”
Her struggle with the killer flashed in my mind, and I went numb. No wonder death helped you forget. Seeing it through her eyes had been more than enough. Actually experiencing that kind of overwhelming fear? I shuddered.
“You fought back as best you could. Tomorrow, Derrick and I are going to search for the source of the poison. We’re going to find the person who did this to you.”
“I know you will. I trust you.” Ella drifted toward the door. “Try to sleep. You don’t need me haunting you all night. If you don’t mind, I’ll hang around your shop for a while. Don’t worry, I can’t touch anything.”
I laughed. “Remind me to lay out some spells for you next time. It will give you something to read.”
“Do you have any love spells? Those are my favorite.”
My eyes squeezed shut. I had almost put the kiss out of my mind.
