Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 01 - Sugar And Spice and Not So Nice Read Online Free

college could be this difficult? I had spent each day since my date with Greg scurrying around on campus between classes, darting back and forth from work, and getting home late with just enough time to sleep.
    Greg and I continued seeing each other. When not in class, we met for coffee or lunch. I only saw Jackie a few times, mostly when at work. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had time to really investigate Rachel’s death. Rachel’s insistence at showing up whenever she liked didn’t help. I had a feeling this was going to be a common occurrence with her.
    The weather had turned a bit colder as we moved into October. I was glad that Jackie had bought me that jacket. It was quite warm.
    I jogged across campus with my arms full of books. One more class to go today and I could go home. The late afternoon sun felt nice, but I hadn’t time to enjoy it.
    “Mel!” Once again Rachel appeared from nowhere.
    Her sudden appearance caused me to drop my books. They scattered everywhere. “Rachel, not now,” I said. I knelt down to gather my stuff.
    “Have you found any leads?”
    “I’m sorry, no. I’ve been busy.”
    “But you said you would help me,” whined Rachel.
    “Rachel, I will help, but you need to give me something to go on. Right now, I’m about as far as the cops got. Now, please, go away. I have a class to get to. We can talk later when I get home.”
    A couple of people walked by. I continued picking up my books and tried to ignore them. “Please, Rachel,” I whispered. “If I stand here talking to you, people will think I’m crazy.”
    “Oh, please,” replied Rachel, “you’re way past that. You agreed to help a ghost find her murderer.”
    “Rachel, you can’t keep popping in when you please. You may be dead, but I have responsibilities. Now go back to the apartment and I’ll meet you there.”
    More people walked by. They stared at me with a questioning look.
    “Practicing for a play,” I said with a smile. Their glances told me that they didn’t buy it.
    “Fine. If I go back, do you promise to spend the night with me, helping me figure out who killed me?”
    “Yes.”
    With that, Rachel left. I grabbed the rest of my things and hurried off to the other end of campus for my math class.
     
    I arrived home to find Rachel waiting for me. She sat on the couch, watching television. She snapped her fingers and the TV turned off. Luckily, Jackie had to work, so I didn’t need to worry about her walking in while I talked with a ghost.
    “So, how was school?” asked Rachel.
    I dropped my books and slumped in a chair, exhausted. I had a mountain of homework, but it would have to wait. Right now, it was time for Rachel and I to talk. I had promised her and guessed I ought to quit putting it off.
    “The usual,” I responded to her question.
    “Well,” Rachel jumped to her knees on the couch, “It’s time to put all that aside and concentrate on catching my murderer.”
    I thought about her statement a moment. A part of me thought that it sounded selfish. I pushed it aside. I did promise to help her, and right now it was all about her.
    “What do you remember about the night you died?” I asked.
    Rachel rubbed her chin, concentrating. “Most of it is a blur. I remember I had a night class that night. It was the usual three hours of boredom, but I got through it. Afterward, I went to Zappy’s to meet with some friends.”
    “Greg said you came home late in a panic. That you rummaged in your apartment for something, called Tom, and left,” I said.
    “That’s right, I did! But I don’t remember what had frightened me,” said Rachel.
    “What class was it?”
    “Huh?”
    “You’re night class. What was it?”
    “It was that video editing class with Professor Vincent,” replied Rachel.
    I massaged my temples. This was going nowhere. I had a ghost that only I could speak to who wanted help finding her murderer. The only problem was she couldn’t remember the night she died.
    “Are any