Audrey Claire - Libby Grace 01 - How to be a Ghost by Audrey Claire Page B
Authors: Audrey Claire
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Isabelle linked an arm through his and tugged him inside. The door closed with a decidedly firm click as if to say no ghosts allowed, and I considered what to do next.
* * * *
Tired of having to wait for Clark and have him ask all the questions and miss some I would have asked, I decided to take the investigation into my own ghostly hands. I knew the risk of being exposed, and trust me Ian’s warnings replayed in my mind like a mantra. However, standing around waiting for others was not my style.
I sat in the mayor’s office watching her talk on the phone and judged how long I could hold my present form. If she didn’t end the call soon, I would need to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Not that I didn’t feel well. I had spent a couple hours in the park where a few residents enjoyed lunch breaks, making it possible for me to absorb energy from them. The problem I encountered was concentration. My mind kept wandering to whether the mayor had killed her husband. Even as cold as she was, I couldn’t imagine her doing the deed. I couldn’t imagine anyone in Summit’s Edge being that violent. If I did, I suppose I would live in fear.
At last, the mayor ended the call, and I checked the mini chiming clock on the Massimo étagère behind her desk. Ten minutes had passed, and I still held my solid form. In fact, I was pretty sure I could go another ten at least. Feeling proud of myself, I offered a bright smile to the mayor, and she frowned back at me. I refused to be daunted by her attitude.
“Thank you so much for seeing me, mayor,” I said in as cheerful a tone as I could muster. “I wanted to talk to you about a job.”
The frown deepened, and she folded rough, wrinkled hands in front of her. I faltered for an instant in my concentration when I noticed how strong those hands were. Even without a weapon, those hands might have been able to wring poor George’s neck. The mayor blinked and squinted at me, but then she shuffled papers on her desk.
“I don’t have any openings at the moment,” she said in her brisk tone, “and I’m not hiring any volunteers for my campaign until the end of summer. Not paying ones anyway.”
While she spoke, I took in the mayor’s appearance—neat white silk blouse, plain pencil grey skirt, and she kept patting her tightly curled salt and pepper hair, which made me wonder if she had just had it styled at the local salon. Not a curl lay out of place, so there was no need to fuss. Then again, maybe the mayor was vain. I didn’t know her well; just what I had heard and the glacial gaze tossed my way here and there. Somehow I didn’t believe it was vanity that kept the mayor fiddling with her hair. Maybe she was nervous like Miles and hiding something.
Then her words penetrated my mind. “Not hiring?” My heart sank. “Oh, you thought I meant at the office here? No, I meant the hardware store. You haven’t hired a replacement yet, have you?”
Her eyebrows rose. “That store?” The word store fell from her lips as if it had been bitter in her mouth. “Why would you ever want to work in a hardware store? You have a degree in early childhood development, don’t you? Or was that a fabrication? I’m sure the elementary school pays enough to support you and your child.”
Offense made me bristle. Why would I lie about my education? I had suffered through each and every term paper and exam. Still, I hadn’t thought ahead to an excuse as to why I couldn’t work at the school. Rather than antagonize her since I had come needing a favor, I chose to excuse the insult. “Practically everyone in Summit works more than one job or moonlights to pay the bills. You’re right. The school pays me a decent salary that I don’t need an extra job per se.” Who would watch Jake anyway? I scoured my mind, but only the truth stuck out in the forefront. “Ms. Campbell asked me to take an indefinite time off since I am…well, being questioned about the
* * * *
Tired of having to wait for Clark and have him ask all the questions and miss some I would have asked, I decided to take the investigation into my own ghostly hands. I knew the risk of being exposed, and trust me Ian’s warnings replayed in my mind like a mantra. However, standing around waiting for others was not my style.
I sat in the mayor’s office watching her talk on the phone and judged how long I could hold my present form. If she didn’t end the call soon, I would need to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Not that I didn’t feel well. I had spent a couple hours in the park where a few residents enjoyed lunch breaks, making it possible for me to absorb energy from them. The problem I encountered was concentration. My mind kept wandering to whether the mayor had killed her husband. Even as cold as she was, I couldn’t imagine her doing the deed. I couldn’t imagine anyone in Summit’s Edge being that violent. If I did, I suppose I would live in fear.
At last, the mayor ended the call, and I checked the mini chiming clock on the Massimo étagère behind her desk. Ten minutes had passed, and I still held my solid form. In fact, I was pretty sure I could go another ten at least. Feeling proud of myself, I offered a bright smile to the mayor, and she frowned back at me. I refused to be daunted by her attitude.
“Thank you so much for seeing me, mayor,” I said in as cheerful a tone as I could muster. “I wanted to talk to you about a job.”
The frown deepened, and she folded rough, wrinkled hands in front of her. I faltered for an instant in my concentration when I noticed how strong those hands were. Even without a weapon, those hands might have been able to wring poor George’s neck. The mayor blinked and squinted at me, but then she shuffled papers on her desk.
“I don’t have any openings at the moment,” she said in her brisk tone, “and I’m not hiring any volunteers for my campaign until the end of summer. Not paying ones anyway.”
While she spoke, I took in the mayor’s appearance—neat white silk blouse, plain pencil grey skirt, and she kept patting her tightly curled salt and pepper hair, which made me wonder if she had just had it styled at the local salon. Not a curl lay out of place, so there was no need to fuss. Then again, maybe the mayor was vain. I didn’t know her well; just what I had heard and the glacial gaze tossed my way here and there. Somehow I didn’t believe it was vanity that kept the mayor fiddling with her hair. Maybe she was nervous like Miles and hiding something.
Then her words penetrated my mind. “Not hiring?” My heart sank. “Oh, you thought I meant at the office here? No, I meant the hardware store. You haven’t hired a replacement yet, have you?”
Her eyebrows rose. “That store?” The word store fell from her lips as if it had been bitter in her mouth. “Why would you ever want to work in a hardware store? You have a degree in early childhood development, don’t you? Or was that a fabrication? I’m sure the elementary school pays enough to support you and your child.”
Offense made me bristle. Why would I lie about my education? I had suffered through each and every term paper and exam. Still, I hadn’t thought ahead to an excuse as to why I couldn’t work at the school. Rather than antagonize her since I had come needing a favor, I chose to excuse the insult. “Practically everyone in Summit works more than one job or moonlights to pay the bills. You’re right. The school pays me a decent salary that I don’t need an extra job per se.” Who would watch Jake anyway? I scoured my mind, but only the truth stuck out in the forefront. “Ms. Campbell asked me to take an indefinite time off since I am…well, being questioned about the
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