Secrets of the Specter

Aunt Linda thanked him profusely, promised to meet him for coffee soon, and hung up.

As soon as she did, Shadow traipsed into the kitchen and sat on her haunches. Maggie appeared behind her.

“That was you?” I asked.

Maggie nodded and offered a slight smile.

Aunt Linda staggered to the side. “Maggie,” she whispered. “It’s been so long.”

“We’ll find out what happened,” I said. “I promise you. Rest easy for now. We’ll get to the bottom of your death. We’re not giving up on you.”

A sense of peace filled the room, and Maggie disappeared.

Shadow stood and walked closer, meowing.

“I guess we’re stuck with you, huh?” I asked. And—oh, what a bummer—I guess that meant I would be stuck with Dr. Wes, too.

Shadow meowed again, and then winked at me with her one golden eye.

“Hey, if you’re a ghost cat, does that mean I don’t have to feed you?” I joked as I picked her up and settled her on my lap.

She let out a low growl, and Aunt Linda and I both broke out laughing.

Life would never be the same after this, but somehow I suspected it would be even better than before. READY FOR MORE?

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WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m Mags McAllister, and my cat is a ghost.

Well, sort of. It’s a long story.

All you really need to know is that, thanks to said cat, I can now see the spirits of people long past.

They bring me the mysteries surrounding their death and expect me to solve them. But you can’t exactly do a quick Google search to learn more about small-town events that happened more than a century ago.

Apparently you help one wayward specter and more will start appearing at the foot of your bed in the middle of the night. Uh-huh, I’m creeped out, too.

This time, a Victorian-era gentleman named Patrick is in need of my assistance. Now what could he possibly want?

I guess there’s only one way to find out…

GIFTS OF THE GHOST is now available.

CLICK HERE to get your copy so that you can keep reading this series today!

SNEAK PEEK: GIFTS OF THE GHOST

“Hello there, my lovely Wax Wonders! For those just joining the livestream, I’m Mags, and we’re here at Colonial Candles, my family’s candle shop here in Larkhaven, Georgia. I parked at the end of the block and thought you’d like to see my walk into work.”

I raised my eyebrows and gave a crooked grin to the viewers. I tried not to move my hands around much as I strolled down the street of Larkhaven, juggling a cell phone and a stack of books. “Normally I’d have a candle-making video for you, or maybe a sneak peek behind the curtain to see all the mysteries revealed, or we might talk about ideas for new candles. But…” I said, drawing out the word. “As most of you know, it’s only been a week since someone set fire in our shop.”

I grimaced into the camera. “Yeah, you heard right. Someone burned down Colonial Candles.” I let out a huge sigh. “Allegedly. I feel like I’m supposed to say allegedly so I don’t get into legal trouble. So for this little story time stream, let’s just assume I say ‘allegedly’ in all the right places. Buckle up, because it’s a long story, so make sure that you’re following me for future updates.”

“Okay, let me get to a few of these questions before I start,” I added, tapping the screen to switch my view. “All right, Candy Candelabra asks, ‘Who did it?’ First off, love your username, but I’m not allowed to answer those questions in public just yet, so you’ll have to stick around for that secret.”

A car honked as I passed through an intersection, so I turned and waved at one of the customers we’d seen often before the fire.

“Hey, Mary!” I called.

The gaunt, older woman grinned as she leaned out of her car window. “Hey, Mags! Can’t wait to visit the new shop! Glad you’re rebuilding.”

The light turned green and Mary sped away, startling a pair of cardinals off the sidewalk and into the closest tree. I paused as a large truck from the furniture store downtown rumbled by.

“Wow, kind of loud today,” I laughed to the viewers.

Whenever I got around to editing the recording of the stream, I would trim out the distractions and turn it into an edited, more cohesive video to post in other social media places. Then I’d add in a YouTube link and a flashing sticker pointing at the follow button to encourage more followers. It made one giant social media network funnel to drive business to my family’s company which meant lots of bank if we ever went viral.

I turned back to the live stream. “As some of you know, my family is descended from a Revolutionary War spy. It was one of the reasons that my Aunt Linda named our shop Colonial Candles, though, at the time it was a big secret. Anyway, someone we knew and trusted was behind the arson in our shop. They were trying to keep us from uncovering a set of papers that would have exposed their family for the frauds they are. Don’t worry. My aunt and I are fine, but the arsonist set fire to my aunt’s house as well.”

I scrunched my nose. “Allegedly. Now I know some of you have already asked. But please remember that I can’t tell you who yet. At least until I’m given the go ahead. So until then, it’s a secret for a future vid. I promise I’ll keep you updated regularly as things progress, but I feel that there is more to the story that hasn’t yet been uncovered. It’s why I’ve been at the library all day researching my family’s history.”

I smiled as I thought about all the information I’d be uncovering very soon. Though, I’d probably never be able to share the ghostly reason I’d gotten started unraveling the mystery behind everything in the first place.

“These leather-bound journals,” I held them up near my face so my camera could capture them, “may hold the key to the next part of my journey. In the comments, tell me what you think is inside these very special volumes.”

I tapped the screen again so I could slow the chat to read more of the comments. Then I waited a few seconds for new ones to populate. “Josie wants to know, ‘Are they recipes for a love spell?’”

Well, that had nothing to do with what I’d been talking about, but at least Josie was watching. “I’m fairly certain these journals won’t have any love spells, but I’ll let you know if I discover something like that while I’m researching. You can bet there will be a video about it.”

Another comment rolled in, this time about the candles, not the intrigue. “Oh, Cheryl, I wish I could give you the list of our scents for next season, but we don’t know how long it’s going to take for repairs. As soon as we know, I’ll do another video with all those details. But hey, if you have any suggestions, make sure to leave a comment below.” Mary had introduced Cheryl to our little shop way back when we first started.

Almost out of breath from trying to talk, walk, film, and of course, not trip onto my face during a live feed, I finally arrived at Jitterbug coffee shop. I wiggled my eyebrows. “Y’all are going to love this shop and the wonderful Laura.” With my hands full, I waited half a second for a businesswoman in a pinstriped suit to come out so I could duck inside before the door closed.

“Hey, Laura,” I called as I stepped over the threshold and dramatically took a deep breath. “It smells heavenly in here.” My eyes adjusted quickly, and I scanned the back of the store.

Laura froze mid-wave when she saw me streaming. With a small squeak, she ducked behind the counter.

“Y’all will love Laura, just let me see if I can find her,” I said to the camera while I gestured for her to come out. “Laura, there are some viewers who want to meet you.”

“No,” she mouthed, keeping mostly hidden behind the pastry counter.

“Come on,” I coaxed.

“No,” she said, louder this time, and laughter filtered through the other people in the coffee shop.

I fake-sighed, stopped at the cash register, and gave a half-spin, careful to keep Laura out of view. “Well, I guess someone is a little shy today. But this cute little shop is where I get my favorite coffee, and I don’t even have to tell her what I want anymore. She just knows.”

Laura rolled her eyes before handing me a to-go cup. “Thanks, hon.”

Directing my attention back to the live, I held the to-go cup close to my mouth. “If you come to Larkhaven to visit Colonial Candles when we’re up and running again, you’ll have to stop by and see Laura at Jitterbug. She loves meeting people in person.”

“You know I do,” Laura called from off camera.

The candle shop was down the street from Jitterbug, and I continued chatting and replying to comments until I arrived at the sidewalk in front of the shop when my new kitty sauntered up and rubbed along my legs.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to the camera. “Now, here is the true owner of our shop.” Flipping the camera around, I trained it on Shadow. “Her name is Shadow, and somehow, she always shows up wherever I go. Isn’t she the cutest?” I crouched down, careful to balance the books and my coffee in one arm/hand.

Shadow put her front paws on my knee, and I was able to give my fans the kitty close-up they wanted. I continued, “Shadow adopted me when we started researching the information about my ancestors.”

Couldn’t really tell them Shadow had come with a ghost. Now could I? It wasn’t that kind of livestream. My ancestor, Maggie McAlister, had come to me as a ghost to help me figure out that my old assistant, Kim, had been trying to kill me and find a set of papers my family had kept hidden for years. Kim’s identity wasn’t the only one I had to keep under wraps.

Viewers loved pets, so I let the Shadow have her fifteen seconds of fame. When I straightened, Shadow meowed and followed me into the reconstruction zone. I didn’t bother changing the camera view. Give the people what they wanted, and right now, they all wanted to see Colonial Candles as it underwent its reconstruction and renovation.

“Ready to see our mess?” I sing-songed.

The door had been propped open by Aunt Linda or maybe a contractor (probably to let fumes of one kind or another escape), so I made my way inside. Stepping over the lumber strewn everywhere, I strolled through the storefront to give everyone the tour. Aunt Linda glared from the back corner. I guess Shadow was my only willing guest today on the stream. Everyone else had their claws out. With a dramatic sweeping gesture, I showed off the interior. Even though the store had been gutted after the fire, sheets of plastic and tarps hung everywhere, obscuring the source of the cacophony of banging happening in other parts of the building.

The contractor started whistling, a code of sorts to let us know he was working in the bathroom. Had to make sure we didn’t walk in and surprise him or vice versa.

I pointed to a few places in the shop. “As you can see, there’s quite a lot of damage that needs to be repaired before we can start making candles again. It still smells of smoke in some of the more heavily impacted areas, even in some of the places that weren’t heavily burned. It’s crazy how smoke gets everywhere. And don’t get me started on the water from putting the fire out. That’s something that gets overlooked a lot. Ah, looks like there’s another guess in the comments as to what’s in my leather-bound books.”

I flipped the camera back to my face so I could react as I read it. “Do the books contain spells and magical ways to enchant our candles to seduce a lover?”

With a giggle, I winked at the camera. “Well, if I had a book that could do that, I probably would be on a beach somewhere being fed grapes and fanned with palm fronds rather than checking on repairs to my favorite candle shop.”

Aunt Linda still glowered at me from the back room, unwilling to be on camera, and more than miffed about the time I took to make videos. Maybe she understood why, but she sure didn’t like it.

Time to shut it off. “Much as I’d love to keep talking with all of you, I have to get to work now. Making things ready for when we can open again. Until then, stay out of trouble, stay safe, and burn bright!”

I’d have to download the video and scrub through it so I could reply to all the comments and questions I missed. At least this would allow my followers to stay updated on how the shop repairs were progressing. Plus, the bit of intrigue with the Kim drama and the secret identity of the arson would help draw viewers.

Aunt Linda thought my videos somehow tainted the family reputation and devalued our candle-making in the process. I thought I’d appeased her when I switched Wax Nation over to something a bit less militant. It was a shame she wouldn't get on board, but it was something I did as much for myself as I did for the shop. I made as much from my instructional videos as I did from working in the candle shop. Sometimes more. Especially while the brick-and-mortar shop wasn’t even functional.

Online sales were great, but social media content was even more important when we were currently depending on online sales for important things… like food and mortgage.

Shadow meowed, and I slid my cell into my back pocket so I could pet Shadow properly. “And cat food,” I said. “We have to buy cat food, don’t we?”

Aunt Linda came out from the rear of the shop. “Oh, good. Now that you’ve turned that thing off, we can discuss a few things. What do you think about having a new paint color?” She slapped one of those paint swatch things on the closest counter.

Pursing my lips, I considered the options. “Didn’t you like the color it was before?”

“Well,” she said. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I echoed.

“What do you think?”

Personally, I didn’t see the need to change it, but it was more her shop than mine, even if I did own a half-stake in it. Mostly, I deferred to her. Picking wall colors was a bit like selecting paint for the walls in a beauty shop. We had to be careful. If the wall color made the candles look less appealing, business would go down.

“Is there one that you think will work better with all the candle colors that we make?” I asked.

“Last time, the color before was white with the idea that it would match all the different varieties of candle colors. I’m really leaning toward a mint green or maybe this light peach.” She tapped the colors thoughtfully. “Maybe this tan would work as well. It’s still neutral, but all of them are a lot less antiseptic.”

I hummed. “What if we did each wall in a different color? Then we could do displays for each season and not have to worry about using curtains for props.”

The curtains were the reason that our assistant, Kim, had been able to set a wildly spreading fire in the shop. She’d had a plan but having all that cloth and a few candles around had just made it a little easier for her to accomplish.

The whistling came closer and stopped when the contractor stuck his head into the room where we were. “Hey, ladies. If you could figure out which paint color you’d like, then we can get it ordered.”

When we both glared at him, he held up his hands. “Sorry, no rush, but we’ll need a decision fairly soon or it’ll hold up the schedule. I know you’ve got a lot riding on your grand reopening, so…” His words trailed away.

I turned to my aunt. “I’m going to leave the final choice up to you. I need to get home and work on some more video content, so I won’t fall behind when we get to start work on restocking the shop.” I blew her a kiss then scooped Shadow into my arms, adjusting her around the books.

Shadow could easily make her own way home, but I enjoyed having her with me for company.

GIFTS OF THE GHOST is now available.

CLICK HERE to get your copy so that you can keep reading this series today!

MORE MOLLY

ABOUT MOLLY FITZ

While USA Today bestselling author Molly Fitz can't technically talk to animals, she and her doggie best friend, Sky Princess, have deep and very animated conversations as they navigate their days. Add to that, five more dogs, a snarky feline, comedian husband, and diva daughter, and you can pretty much imagine how life looks at the Casa de Fitz.

Molly lives in a house on a high hill in the Michigan woods and occasionally ventures out for good food, great coffee, or to meet new animal friends.

Writing her quirky, cozy animal mysteries is pretty much a dream come true, but sometimes she also goes by the names Melissa Storm and Mila Riggs and writes a very different kind of story.

Learn more, grab the free app, or sign up for her newsletter at www.MollyMysteries.com! PET WHISPERER P.I.

Angie Russo just partnered up with Blueberry Bay’s first ever talking cat detective. Along with his ragtag gang of human and animal helpers, Octo-Cat is determined to save the day… so long as it doesn’t interfere with his schedule. Start with book 1, Kitty Confidential. PARANORMAL TEMP AGENCY

Tawny Bigford’s simple life takes a turn for the magical when she stumbles upon her landlady’s murder and is recruited by a talking black cat named Fluffikins to take over the deceased’s role as the official Town Witch for Beech Grove, Georgia. Start with book 1, Witch for Hire. MERLIN THE MAGICAL FLUFF

Gracie Springs is not a witch… but her cat is. Now she must help to keep his secret or risk spending the rest of her life in some magical prison. Too bad trouble seems to find them at every turn! Start with book 1, Merlin the Magical Fluff. THE MEOWING MEDIUM (WITH L.A. BORUFF)

Mags McAllister lives a simple life making candles for tourists in historic Larkhaven, Georgia. But when a cat with mismatched eyes enters her life, she finds herself with the ability to see into the realm of spirits… Now the ghosts of people long dead have started coming to her for help solving their cold cases. Start with book 1, Secrets of the Specter. THE PAINT-SLINGING SLEUTH (WITH LINNIE ROSE)

Following a freak electrical storm, Lisa Lewis’s vibrant paintings of fairytale creatures have started coming to life. Unfortunately, only she can see and communicate with them. And when her mentor turns up dead, this aspiring artist must turn amateur sleuth to clear her name and save the day with only these “pigments” of her imagination to help her. Start with book 1, My Colorful Conundrum. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 1-3