The Ghost and The Haunted Mansion by Alice Kimberly

party? Didn’t the old dame have any relatives?
    “I don’t think so, Jack. Not living, anyway. I asked Aunt Sadie that question, and she said Miss Todd never married or had children; never mentioned any other family, either.”
    Stoddard swiveled his chair slightly to face Sadie and me. “As the owners of Buy the Book on Cranberry Street, the two of you have supplied Miss Todd with reading material for many years. She wanted to return the favor after her passing, so Miss Todd has bequeathed your store the entire contents of her large and varied library.”
    “Mercy!” Sadie exclaimed.
    “Wow,” I said.
    “That’s really nice,” Seymour agreed.
    “Every book in the Todd mansion is yours, ladies, with the exception of one special volume located in the master bedroom, which is to go to Mr. Tarnish as part of his inheritance.”
    “What do you know,” Seymour said, glancing at me and Sadie. “She left me a book, too.”
    “That’s not all she left you , Mr. Tarnish.” The lawyer swiveled his chair again and met Seymour’s eyes. “You have also inherited all of Miss Todd’s property in Quindicott.”
    Seymour stared. “What?”
    “You have inherited the property on Larchmont Avenue and everything inside it. You have also inherited the land the structure is built on, as well as the two outbuildings.”
    “Holy cow,” I whispered.
    “Heavens to Betsy,” Sadie rasped.
    Seymour still hadn’t uttered a word. He simply sat stiff as a cold corpse, his eyes bugging out.
    “Mr. Tarnish,” Stoddard said, “do you understand what I’m telling you? You are the primary beneficiary of Miss Todd’s estate. You have just inherited her Larchmont Avenue mansion.”
    “Seymour?” Aunt Sadie called. “Did you hear the man?”
    Seymour failed to respond.
    Will somebody shake that lug already! He’s staring into space like a beached sperm whale.
    “I think we should get him some water,” I announced.
    Mr. Stoddard buzzed his receptionist. The young woman in the black dress strode in with a bottle of water and a paper cup. We all waited for Seymour to take a long drink and get a grip. I tried not to look at the girl, who continued to stare at me through her rimless glasses.
    What’s with the chippy in black over here? Can she see me or not?
    “I can’t even see you, Jack. I can only hear you.”
    Well, can she hear me then?
    “How should I know,” I told the ghost. “Why don’t you ask her—”
    Okay, baby, if you insist.
    “Wait, Jack, maybe that’s not such a—”
    HEY THERE, SISTER! WHAT DO YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU SAY?!
    A frigid blast of air swirled through the room. For a moment, I sat unmoving; then with emotions somewhere between dread and curiosity, I forced myself to look at the young woman. She folded her arms, arched a jaded eyebrow, and smirked in my direction. That’s when Jack spoke again—
    BOO!
    The girl rolled her eyes. “Is he serious?” she mouthed to me.
    “Oh, my God, Jack,” I told the ghost. “I think she can see you and hear you.”
    Gee, ya think so?
    “Yes, and I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think you’re the first spook to say BOO to her, either.”
    “My, there’s a chill in here all of a sudden!” Aunt Sadie rubbed her arms. “Is your air conditioner broken, Mr. Stoddard? We have that same problem in our building all the time.”
    “I don’t know.” Mr. Stoddard scratched his receding hairline. “I’ll have to have it checked.”
    Sadie turned to our mailman. “Are you okay to continue, Seymour?”
    Seymour nodded mutely.
    Mr. Stoddard glanced at his young secretary. “That will be all for now, Miss Tuttle. In fact . . .” He checked his watch. “Why don’t you head home now? I’ll see you in the morning.”
    Miss Tuttle nodded and strode out of the room, shaking her long curtain of raven hair as if she were completely unimpressed by my ghost’s little display.

CHAPTER 7
    Change of Fortune
    If stirring things up is your system, I’ve got a