Ghost of a Gamble (Granny Apples Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

spirits, though that didn’t happen often. Emma wasn’t sure if that was a decision made by Kelly herself or if the spirits were leaving Kelly alone. Either way, Emma was pleased. She didn’t want any distractions from Kelly’s education.
    “The talent does seem to be genetic, at least in my family,” Emma admitted. “And you give readings, Milo, so maybe Dolly being a fortune-teller isn’t that far off the mark. She might be more accurate than you think.” She thought about something else. “What about your father?”
    “I have no idea who he is. Dolly was barely twenty when she had me. I always figured it was some guy who’d passed through Vegas. She’s never spoken about him and refused to answer my questions.” Milo’s face darkened like sunlight turning to dusk as he spoke. “I’ve never met any of my mother’s family either. I only know what Dolly has told me, that she’s originally from somewhere in New York and that her family disowned her when she came to Las Vegas to be a dancer. Apparently, they were quite religious.”
    Aching with curiosity, Emma asked, “How did she get from dancer to fortune-teller?” It was one of the many questions on her mental list she could now cross off.
    Milo gave a weary shrug. “She danced until they felt she was too old to be attractive. From there she got a job in a casino as a cocktail waitress, then as a dealer. She didn’t start up with The Raven’s Craft until she was in her late fifties and standing at the tables all day started to bother her. She doesn’t make as much money as in the casino, but it’s her own business and seems to make her happy. Like I said, she claims she got the idea from my readings.”
    “Which came first,” Emma asked Milo. “The Raven’s Craft or Ravenscroft?”
    Milo chuckled. “My last name actually. When I was fifteen, Dolly asked me if I wanted a different last name. She said I could keep Milo Meskiel if I wanted, but that it sounded like a bug-eyed accountant instead of someone who would one day be famous and important.” He laughed again.
    “See,” said Tracy, pointing a finger at him, “your mother might very well be clairvoyant. You are famous and important.”
    Milo snorted and pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose. “And still bug-eyed, my love.”
    Turning his attention back to Emma, he continued, “Dolly said to take my time and find a name I’d be happy with for the rest of my life. During my senior year in high school, I came across
Ravenscroft
in a book and instantly glommed on to it. Dolly liked it, too, so she had my last name legally changed to it. I entered high school as Milo Meskiel and graduated as Milo Ravenscroft. When she started her shop, she asked if I’d mind her using a version of it. Which I didn’t, of course.”
    Tracy leaned forward with eagerness. “So do you think Dolly really knows there’s a spirit in her house?”
    Emma took a drink of water. “I think there is a good possibility she senses something.”
    Remembering the comment she’d heard just before she left Dolly’s, Emma asked, “Tell me, what does the name
Nemo
mean to you?”
    Tracy piped up first. “That cute fish in
Finding Nemo
?”
    Emma turned to Milo. “And what about you?”
    Tracy leaned toward Emma and said in a loud whisper, “I’ll bet five dollars he says Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
.”
    Milo got up from the sofa and paced, his hands jammed into the pockets of his slacks, as he gave the question consideration. “Normally,” he said to Tracy, “you would be right. That was one of my favorite books as a youth. However, given we’re in Vegas, another thought came to mind.”
    He sat again on the arm of the sofa and focused all his attention on Emma. “Tell me, Emma, why are you asking?”
    “Shortly before I left Dolly’s, I could have sworn I heard someone say, ’Did Nemo’s boys send you?’” She paused to let the words sink in.