The Ghostly Grounds: Malice and Lunch (A Canine Casper Cozy Mystery—Book 3)

By Sophie Love

“The perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”
--Midwest Book Review (For Now and Forever)

THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MALICE AND LUNCH is Book #3 in a charming new cozy mystery series by bestselling author Sophie Love, author of The Inn at Sunset Harbor series, a #1 Bestseller with over 200 five-star reviews!

Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, leaves the stressful life behind and heads to a small town in coastal Maine to create a new life. She remains intent on renovating the old, historic house her great-aunt left her and giving it a new life as a B&B. Yet there was one thing she couldn’t plan for: the house is haunted. Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.

When Marie, her reputation for ghost-cleansing growing, is summoned to exorcise an old manor house, she finds more than she bargained for: an unexpected death occurs.

Worse, her trusted dog gets so sick, he is sent to the vet indefinitely.

Marie, on her own, must solve the murder and expel the ghosts all by herself.

Is she up to the task?

A page-turning cozy, packed with mystery, love, hauntings, travel, pets and food—anchored around a small town and a B&B in need of renovation that will capture your heart—THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MALICE AND LUNCH is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you turning pages (and laughing out loud) late into the night.

“The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”
--Books and Movies Reviews (For Now and Forever)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Love
• Release date: Jan 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094371320

Book preview

T H E  G H O S T L Y  G R O U N D S:

M A L I C E

A N D

L U N C H

(A CANINE CASPER COZY MYSTERY—BOOK 3)

S O P H I E   L O V E

Sophie Love

#1 bestselling author Sophie Love is author of THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR romantic comedy series, which includes eight books; of THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES romantic comedy series, which includes 5 books; of the new CANINE CASPER cozy mystery series, which included three books (and counting); and of the new CURIOUS BOOKSTORE cozy mystery series, which included three books (and counting).

Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, to hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!

Copyright © 2020  by Sophie Love. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright  OrelPhoto, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY SOPHIE LOVE

A CURIOUS BOOKSTORE COZY MYSTERY

THE WITCHING PLACE: A FATAL FOLIO (Book #1)

THE WITCHING PLACE: MURDER BY MANUSCRIPT (Book #2)

THE WITCHING PLACE: A PERILOUS PAGE (Book #3)

THE CANINE CASPER COZY MYSTERY SERIES

THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MURDER AND BREAKFAST (Book #1)

THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: DEATH AND BRUNCH (Book #2)

THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MALICE AND LUNCH (Book #3)

THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR

FOR NOW AND FOREVER (Book #1)

FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS (Book #2)

FOREVER, WITH YOU (Book #3)

IF ONLY FOREVER (Book #4)

FOREVER AND A DAY (Book #5)

FOREVER, PLUS ONE (Book #6)

FOR YOU, FOREVER (Book #7)

CHRISTMAS FOREVER (Book #8)

THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES

LOVE LIKE THIS (Book #1)

LOVE LIKE THAT (Book #2)

LOVE LIKE OURS (Book #3)

LOVE LIKE THEIRS (Book #4)

LOVE LIKE YOURS (Book #5)

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

CHAPTER ONE

Marie was sitting in what Madame Agnes referred to as her den. It was really nothing more than a dimly lit parlor within a basic suburban home. Unlike the other two mediums she’d tried, there wasn’t an overabundance of candles and incense. There was no chanting, no mantras, no Ouija boards.

She appeared to be an older lady, maybe nearing sixty-five, and she exuded the sort of warmth and charm that made Marie assume Madame Agnes was a grandmother. Her face did not contain many wrinkles, but the ones that were there seemed deep, though they disappeared slightly when she smiled.

Marie, not knowing what to say, cleared her throat.

So, Marie began, you are a…clairvoyant?

Agnes rolled her eyes at the term.

That’s what the sign outside says, Madame Agnes said. But that’s just because people know what that means. What I am, dear, is a psychic telephone between the living and the dead.

Madame Agnes sat on a plush pillow on the floor, in front of an ornate coffee table. Marie, at Agnes’s request, was sitting in a very comfortable love seat. Her black hair was up in a ponytail, the angles of her face in plain view. It was a face that, despite a few stresses, felt much brighter than it had three or four months ago.

Are you okay, dear? Madame Agnes asked.

Yes, Marie said.

It was true; this was the most at ease she had ever felt in meeting with a medium in the hopes of trying to finally determine the truth about her mother. Six months ago, if someone told her she would be meeting with a medium and actually thinking it would work, she would have laughed her rear end off. But she had experienced quite a bit in the past several months and now, she was pretty sure not only that ghosts existed, but that humans (and dogs) could maybe even interact with them.

You look worried, Madame Agnes said.

"Do I? I’m actually not. And maybe that’s what’s worrying me."

A very natural reaction when you have accepted some of the more unbelievable things about your world. She spoke with tones that hinted at wisdom, not in a cheesy fortune cookie way but with that same grandmotherly kindness.

Marie had found Madame Agnes through a very peculiar chain of people. It had started with the daughter of one of Robbie Dunne’s employees at the Red Reef Diner. Marie had stayed as polite as possible when she told the young lady that her services weren’t quite what she was looking for; the young lady had, in fact, been borderline psychotic and had asked for a live chicken as part of her ceremonies.

More hesitant searching had led her to Madame Agnes, an on-point clairvoyant working in the small town of Juniper Mills, Rhode Island. It had all led to this: Madame Agnes closing her eyes and slightly tilting her head. Marie was very interested to see how things would play out. Agnes had asked for no money and no big details about her life. All Madame Agnes really knew about Marie was that she had moved to a coastal town after inheriting a house from her great-aunt, and that she was looking for answers. Honestly, Marie felt rather bad. She had sort of set a trap for Madame Agnes. For Marie, the tell would be if Agnes just assumed she was looking for answers about her great-aunt.

So it shocked her when Madame Agnes tilted her head in confusion and, with eyes still closed, asked: So…there’s a dog involved in all of this. I know that might make no sense, but I am getting an overwhelming sense that there is an animal wrapped up in your search. Not a cat, but something bigger. A dog, for sure.

Absolutely stunned, Marie nodded her head. Yes, that’s right.

She rubbed away the goosebumps on her arm. This was the real deal. Sure, it was spooky, but it was also exciting to think that she might get some answers—that she may be in the presence of someone who had a more intimate knowledge of the other side than even Brendan Peck.

Madame Agnes seemed rather confused over this but forged on. The dog…you were not expecting it. It was not yours originally. I sense that and I…hmmm… This house you are living in. You think there are spirits there, yes?

Well, it’s sort of complicated. There may have been, but not anymore.

Again, Madame Agnes seemed perplexed over this. I sense…many spirits intertwined with your life. Lots of turmoil in your life that these spirits are only complicating further. But I also sense…

Madame Agnes paused here. The silence that followed lasted nearly fifteen seconds. She looked almost worried when she continued. "You have almost welcomed these spirits in. They are becoming part of your life…"

Marie crossed her arms and rubbed them, still battling off the chills that passed through her. She felt vulnerable suddenly, as if this Madame Agnes was literally peeking into her soul.

So tell me, what is it you want to know? Agnes asked.

I want to know what happened to someone from my past. Someone I assumed was dead.

She felt guilty, still laying the trap. But so far, she figured it would be nothing for Madame Agnes to overcome. Everything so far had been scarily accurate. She was more than fine with using some planned trickery if it might help her to find out the truth about her mother.

Madame Agnes nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. There was just the tiniest bit of dramatic flair to the action, but Marie let it slide. Compared to some of the other things she had encountered in trying out the two other mediums, Madame Agnes was pretty much normal.

I sense…I sense that your great-aunt has indeed moved on. She misses you very much.

This quickly took the proverbial wind out of Marie’s sails. Of course, it did not prove that Agnes was a fraud like the others, especially since some of the stuff she had touched on had been downright eerie.

She is at peace, and trusts that you will find peace as well. She knows you will take good care of her home. A home that I sense is often filled with visitors.

More vague comments. All Agnes would had to have done to find out about her so-called visitors was to Google her name and find that she had altered Aunt June’s house into a bed-and-breakfast.

Yeah, but how about the other stuff she hit right on the head? she asked herself. Actually, she wasn’t sure if this was her talking to herself or not; that nagging voice that insisted there was something to all of this was starting to sound a lot like Brendan. Besides, it was a good point. As far as she knew, she’d done an exceptional job of keeping her little ghost-cleaning side gig a secret. Brendan and Posey were the only ones who knew about it; and even after five total cleanings now, she trusted them both more than ever.

The only true help I can offer, Madame Agnes said, "is to tell you to be careful who you trust. These spirits that you cling to—that I sense you almost chase after—can often cause people to do deceitful things. I am getting a warning of sorts, urging you to not get too comfortable with these things, or the past will repeat itself."

And with that, Agnes was apparently done. She opened her eyes and rocked back and forth a bit. She blinked her eyes as if coming out of a brief nap. While Marie honestly had nothing against the woman, it did feel like more of the melodramatic, though.

I’m sorry, Agnes said, leaning forward. She took a sip of her tea, a strong-smelling brew that made Marie think of pine tar. You look disappointed.

No, not really, she said, a little dishonestly. You for sure named some things there was no way you could know, but I think I was looking for a very specific answer.

Ah. I see. If you give me more details, perhaps I can find more information.

Marie almost told her; she almost admitted that she was looking for information about her mother. But one of the many warnings Brendan had given her about psychics, clairvoyants, and all other manner of mediums was to not divulge too much. The really good ones could fabricate information that seemed mind-blowing on the surface but was really just the result of piecing together certain trivial details of the clients’ lives.

No, I don’t think so, Marie said. But thank you for your time.

Of course, Madame Agnes said, getting to her feet. Now, if you’ll follow me to the kitchen, we’ll have more tea and take care of payment.

Marie followed along, not sure if she felt she had wasted her money or not. However, when she stepped into the more well-lit hallway toward the kitchen, she got her answer. She was wearing her white pull-over, one of the comfier long-sleeved pull-overs she had. It had started to get a little chilly at night on the coast, causing her to break out warmer clothes.

In the light of the hallway, Marie noted the few stray hairs on the left sleeve. They were not brown, like hers. Instead, they were short, black, and wiry. Too wiry to belong to a cat, for sure—making it what was clearly dog hair.

That’s how she knew about the presence of a dog, Marie thought. That’s how she knew about Boo.

She felt almost betrayed, but more like a fool than anything else. Still, she paid up without any complaint and left Madame Agnes’s house with no answers. As she headed out of Juniper Mills and back north toward Port Bliss, Maine, Marie started to wonder if this search for the truth about her mother was even worth it. Her mother clearly did not want to be found—she did not want to know anything about her daughter or the husband who had died nine years after she had left.

Three strikes and you’re out—that was the idiom everyone lived by, right? So far, she’d tried three mediums, and they’d all turned out to be frauds.

As far as she was concerned, that was the end of the search.

Besides, it wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough weird stuff already going on in her life. And it was a life she was getting used to—a life she was rather eager to get back to as she drove through the night back toward Port Bliss.

CHAPTER TWO

Marie arrived at June Manor just shy of eleven o’clock. The place was quiet, but she was delighted to see a guest perched in the sitting room with a glass of wine and a book. It was Shirley DeVoss, an up-and-coming photographer who had spent the entire morning snapping shots of the sunrise over the beach. She’d been a last-minute guest, excited to try a new place so close to the beach.

Boo was sitting at her feet. He looked up at Marie as she came in but did not seem all that excited.

Is Boo bothering you, Ms. DeVoss? Marie asked as she stepped into the sitting room.

No, not at all. He’s rather cozy, actually. I was sitting out on the patio, listening to the ocean while I read for a while, but it got a little too breezy for me. Boo here seemed to sense that I was cold and offered to keep me company.

Well, as long as he’s not being a nuisance…I’ll leave you be.

Not a nuisance at all, Ms. DeVoss said, returning her attention to her book.

Marie made her way through the sitting room, into the dining room, and then into the kitchen. There, she found Posey poking at her new iPad. It was something Marie had gifted her with when she’d given Posey her second paycheck a few days ago. Marie had introduced Posey to Pinterest and ever since, Posey had been pinning recipes and life hacks like a madwoman. As Marie entered the kitchen, she saw that Posey was pinning a recipe for a gluten-free lemon crumble cake.

Do you need an intervention? Marie asked.

Posey turned to Marie with a tired look on her face. You know, I just might. She closed out of her Pinterest account and set the iPad to sleep mode. Any luck tonight?

You know, I thought so at first. I mean, this woman really had me going. But in the end, she turned out to be just very good at picking up on personal clues. She yawned, waved it off, and said: I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, Posey said. Remember, I’ll be in late. But the pecan rolls are already made up and sitting in the fridge. They just need to be put in the oven and baked for half an hour at four hundred degrees. I figured Rebeka can do that. Will she be here that early?

Yes, I will, a soft voice said, coming from the sitting room.

The Rebeka that Posey mentioned was Rebeka Collins, the newest member of the June Manor family. She stood in the entryway to the sitting room, her little backpack slung over her shoulder as she was on her way out for the day. She was a seemingly shy nineteen-year-old who had come into June Manor four days ago, looking for work. Marie had nearly turned her away but then thought of all the responsibilities she had been dumping on Posey. Also, though Marie hated to admit it, the girl looked like she’d been through rough times; she saw it in the girl’s shaky smile and the way she carried herself. No confidence, no real energy. She had a plain look about her, the sort of face that was striking in one kind of light but pale and featureless in another. Marie had hired her for fifteen hours a week to start, just to see how it would work out. Posey was appreciative of the help, but also very protective of Marie and June Manor, so she put a bit of a reserved tone in her voice whenever she spoke the girl’s name.

Great, Marie said. Thanks, Rebeka. So, how was it today? Any questions?

No, I think I’m good, she said. I put a new filter in the vacuum cleaner. The old one was getting pretty nasty.

Oh, good, Marie said. See you tomorrow?

Rebeka gave one of her usual shaky nods and turned away.

Posey gave Rebeka a skeptical look as she made her exit. She’s too shy, Posey said. Maybe too quiet and reserved to work at a bed-and-breakfast where everyone wants to see cheer and hospitality.

Do you not like her? Marie asked.

Oh, I like her just fine. She just seems…I don’t know. Like something is always bothering her.

With a shrug, Posey picked up her iPad and started for the sitting room. Marie heard her give a pleasant goodbye to Ms. DeVoss before she left the house.

Marie made her way to her bedroom, leaving Ms. DeVoss to her reading. The only other guest in the place was Mr. Atticus Winslow, and in the two weeks he’d been staying at June Manor, he’d made it very clear that he valued his privacy. And as long as he continued to pay for each day he tacked on, Marie was