Girl of Shadows Read Online Free Page A

want a pastime. I’m too busy.’
    Friday raised a sly eyebrow. ‘Working out how to get your own back on Esther the Cow?’
    ‘Something like that.’
    ‘Oh, Sarah.’ Harrie sighed heavily. ‘She’s just a bitter, spiteful woman. Try to ignore her.’
    Friday suggested, ‘Have you tried a horseshoe over your bedroom door?’
    ‘To ward off Esther? I hadn’t thought of that,’ Sarah said.
    Harrie tittered.
    ‘No, though that’s not a bad idea.’ Friday poured herself more tea. ‘I meant to keep the nightmares away. It’s a pity you can’t shift them onto her, isn’t it? That would teach her.’ Her face lit up. ‘Actually, that would be a good idea! She could have mine as well, and be haunted by the gallows and Keegan.’
    Sarah stared at Friday for a long, thoughtful moment. Then her mouth twitched in the beginnings of a rather unpleasant smile. ‘Harrie, are you still dreaming about Rachel?’
    ‘On and off.’
    ‘Good dreams or bad dreams?’
    Harrie took a long time to reply. ‘Well, good, I suppose, because I still get to see her. But bad, too, because when I wake up I remember all over again she’s gone.’
    ‘Why don’t you come calling and tell me about it?’ Sarah suggested. ‘When Esther’s listening.’
    Harrie frowned. ‘What for? You already know. And why does Esther have to be listening?’
    ‘Sarah Morgan,’ Friday demanded. ‘What are you scheming?’
    Sarah pushed her cup and saucer away and crossed her arms defiantly. ‘I am going to teach her a lesson. For stopping me from saying goodbye to Rachel, and for being such a bitch.’
    ‘But what’s that got to do with my dreams?’ Harrie asked.
    ‘While Esther’s flapping her big ears, you can tell me that you think Rachel’s haunting you in your sleep. Which isn’t really a lie, is it? And I’ll tell you it’s the same for me. Then after a few weeks we’ll tell each other she’s haunting our daylight hours as well, and that Rachel must want …’ very slowly, Sarah leant forwards ‘… vengeance !’
    Friday and Harrie both jumped: heads at nearby tables turned.
    ‘Vengeance for what?’ Friday said.
    ‘For being left to die alone in the Factory. For having no one to mourn her when she was buried.’
    ‘But that’s not true,’ Harrie protested.
    ‘We know that, but Esther doesn’t, and Esther’s terrified of spirits. She’s got hands and eyes and horseshoes and scroll whatsits all over the house. And crosses, and Jews don’t even have crosses.’
    Friday started to laugh. ‘It’s a bloody good idea and it would serve her right, but there is one tiny problem.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Rachel isn’t haunting you.’
    ‘Ah, but I can make it look as though she is, can’t I?’ Sarah replied excitedly. ‘A toppled vase here, a missing hairbrush there, odd unexplained noises. Don’t forget I’m quite good at creeping around without people noticing.’
    ‘And what’s Adam going to think about you scaring his wife half to death?’
    ‘Well, obviously I’ll have to do it without him realising it’s me.’
    ‘What if you frighten the shit out of him as well?’ Friday asked.
    Sarah frowned: she hadn’t thought of that.
    Harrie shook her head. ‘I don’t think you should.’
    ‘Why not?’ Sarah said. ‘You just said I should get myself a pastime.’
    ‘It’s disrespectful.’ Harrie fiddled with her teaspoon and wouldn’t look up. ‘To Rachel’s memory, I mean.’
    ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Friday said. ‘I reckon she’d think it was a hoot.’
    ‘Haunting, though,’ Harrie replied. ‘Spirits and the like. You should be very careful with that sort of thing.’
    Especially, she thought, now that Rachel really might have come back.

Chapter Two
    Friday hurried back to the Siren’s Arms Hotel on Harrington Street down on the Rocks. It was supposed to be one of her days off but Rowena Harris had reluctantly admitted this morning she was too unwell to work in the attached brothel, so Friday had