Ghost On Duty (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by J. D. Winters

think. He looked as though he lived right out there in the woods someplace. Maybe in a treehouse or something. His hair was dark and wild around his head, as though it hadn’t been combed for a long time. But the funny thing was, he did wear a red scarf around his neck. And I’m pretty sure I saw him back there in the trees behind the house the day I found Ned’s body. So he might have been there when the murderer struck.”
    Lance raised an elegant eyebrow as he stared at me. “Or he might have been the murderer himself,” he noted.
    I had to give him that one. “Yes. He might have been.”
    Lance seemed to remember, suddenly, that he was smitten with me and he took my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. “Thank you for being so honest and forthright, Mele,” he said earnestly. “You’ve been a big help.”
    I suddenly remembered the brochure. Where had I put it? I looked around the room and there it was on the side table. Picking it up, I handed it to him.  
    “Lance, I wish you’d explain this to me. I hear you’ve been passing these out. But they seem to be encouraging Village people to sell out to a developer, and I don’t understand how this squares with your passion for the pageant.”
    He frowned, displeased. “Who told you I was passing these out?” he said. He crumpled the brochure in his hand. “Pure garbage. Don’t give it another thought.”
    “Oh. But…”
    He was smiling again, completely dismissing the issue of the brochure as he leaned toward me again. “I wish I could take you to dinner tonight. We have some very good restaurants here in North Destiny Bay. But I’m afraid I have a very important appointment. Something I can’t avoid.”
    I smiled at him and despite everything, I felt warmed by his obvious attraction, as I always was. “No problem. I have some things I have to do as well. Some other time?”
    “Of course.”  
    Leaning forward, he dropped a kiss on my lips. I blinked, surprised, and suddenly glad Dante wasn’t there, cause I wouldn’t want to have to explain myself. But I couldn’t say I didn’t like it, and I smiled again. He drew back, patted my hand and rose to leave.  
    “You’ll call me if any other surprising developments pop up?” he asked. “You seem to be the one with all the news.”
    “Of course,” I said, and showed him out. He drove off with a cheery wave and I wondered if he and I were meant to be.  
    “Hardly,” I told myself with a sigh. “He’ll realize soon enough that I’m probably not ruling class material. Oh well.”
    I looked up the address of the printer where I was to go to pick up the ballots. It was right downtown. I’d probably walked past it a dozen times. I’d just picked up my keys and started toward the door when my phone rang. I took a look. It was Peg. I juggled the phone and the keys, trying to get the door open while I talked to her.  
    “Hey Peg,” I said to begin. “You haven’t been arrested yet?”
    “No.” She sounded affronted that I put it that way and to tell the truth, I regretted it.  
    “Oh. Well that’s good.”
    “Is it?”
    I sighed.  
    “Well?” she went on brusquely. “Did you talk to Bobby?”
    “Yes, I did. And Peg—I think you’re barking up the wrong tree there. He’s a hustler, but he’s not a murderer.”
    “Oh yeah? Are you kidding? You’re going to tell me about murderers? What do you know about murderers? Huh? You don’t know a thing.”
    Peg was not endearing herself to me with this attitude. I tried to break into her incipient rant, but she left no convenient opening.  
    “You’re like a babe in the woods. What do you know about murder? Do you know how to poison a man? Huh? Do you know how to make car accidents happen? What do you know about guns? You’ve probably never even held a gun in your hands. Have you? Huh?”
    “No. But I was shot at today.”
    That shut her up, but not for long. Still, when she started up again, her voice had a whole different