The Secrets of Ghosts Read Online Free Page A

becoming strange and other-worldly in the half-light.
    As a result she didn’t notice the figure sitting on the steps that led from the upper lawn until the very last moment and she nearly kicked him in the back.
    She recovered her balance without falling over him. ‘Jesus! You scared me.’
    ‘Sorry.’ The chicken thief stood up. He was too close for comfort. Especially in the dark, deserted garden. Katie took a step back.
    He stepped away, too, as if aware of her discomfort, giving her more space. ‘I’m sorry I startled you.’
    ‘Why are you loitering out here?’ She didn’t mean to sound so abrupt, but it hadn’t been the best evening.
    He held up an unlit cigarette. ‘I’m wrestling with my demon.’
    ‘Ah,’ Katie said. ‘I’ve heard it’s harder to give up nicotine than heroin. Or is it cocaine?’
    He shrugged.
    ‘Why aren’t you in there?’ Katie gestured to the hotel. ‘The police want to speak to you.’
    ‘To everyone, surely. Not me specifically.’ He tilted his head back. ‘You look better. Are you feeling better?’
    ‘You did find the deceased,’ Katie said. ‘I think that makes you a key witness or something.’
    ‘You found him first.’
    ‘And I’ve spoken to them,’ Katie pointed out.
    ‘Good for you. Very public spirited.’
    ‘Seriously. A man is dead. You ought to—’
    ‘I prefer to keep a low profile.’
    Katie’s mouth twisted. ‘I hardly think they’ll care about you crashing the wedding.’
    ‘You noticed that, huh?’ He pulled out a packet and stuck the unlit cigarette inside. ‘And I thought I was so stealthy.’
    ‘It wasn’t that obvious. I was watching you, though—’ Katie broke off. That was an embarrassing thing to say. He looked amused, which didn’t help.
    ‘That’s good to know.’
    ‘Because you seemed dodgy,’ Katie said. ‘Not for any other reason.’
    He smirked. ‘I’m Max, by the way.’
    ‘Katie. So, big drama tonight.’ She indicated the looming building behind them.
    ‘Yep.’ Max sat down again, his elbows on his knees.
    ‘What were you doing in Mr Cole’s room?’
    ‘I was just passing, the door was open and I heard a noise.’
    ‘Did you know him? The one who—’
    ‘No.’ Max shook his head quickly.
    He was lying. Katie felt sick. It was unlikely that he had anything to do with the poor guy having a heart attack, but still. He was a liar. And he crashed the wedding which made him a thief, too. She felt a crushing sensation of guilt. She ought to have told the police about him. Ought to go back inside and tell them right now. He’d just lie to them, of course. And he seemed to be awfully good at it.
    Like it or not, he was her responsibility. She sat down on the step next to him, probably a little too close for comfort but she’d always found this particular trick easier if she was physically near to the person she was trying to read.
    She took a deep breath, concentrating hard, and trying to ignore the fact that she was close enough to catch the scent coming from his skin. ‘Did you have something to do with his death?’
    She watched him closely.
    He frowned. ‘Are you serious?’
    ‘Just answer the question,’ Katie said. Her voice was calm.
    ‘No,’ Max said. He looked disgusted. ‘No, I didn’t have anything to do with his death.’
    He was telling the truth. Thank God. It wasn’t his expression or the tone of his voice or the way his eyes met hers, it was something else. A certainty. Another of the Harper family intuitions but one that came in handy more often than most. ‘Sorry.’ She smiled, more at ease now. ‘I’m just a bit shaken up, I guess.’
    ‘Well, that’s understandable—’
    ‘It must have just happened when I found him. He’d called room service twenty minutes before. He was really cold, though.’ Which was odd. Maybe. How long did it take for a body to get cold? Katie swallowed, feeling suddenly sick again.
    ‘Oh, Christ. That can’t have been fun.’
    ‘Worse for