2 A Different Shade Of Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

hearted about this? “How do I
protect myself? You’re starting to worry me, Pearl.”
    Pearl
gave her a smile. “It’s not as hard as you think. The first thing you can do is
distance yourself from the ghost. The second thing sounds weird but it works.
You have to pretend that there’s a great big bubble around yourself, like it’s
protecting you.”
    Grace
frowned with concern. “I don’t think I can do that. I don’t think I’m cut out
for this job.”
    Pearl
moved closer and gave her a grin. “Just imagine yourself inside a great big
condom! You have seen a condom, haven’t you?”
    “Well,
yes, I ...” Grace spluttered. Her cheeks felt warm. If she ever had to imagine
herself inside a bubble it certainly wouldn’t be inside a condom.
    Pearl
laughed at her discomfort. “Don’t worry about this absorbing pain thing, I
think I’ve got you covered for this particular ghost. Now, tell me everything.”
    Grace
told Pearl all that she had learnt.
    Pearl
folded her arms. “There’s a lot more we need to know.”
    “I
know. I’m going to do an Internet search.”
    “Off
you go then, I’ll stay here with Frankie. Don’t work too late, Grace, you’re getting
that haggard look again. It doesn’t suit you.”
    Grace
wasn’t sure if that was an insult or genuine concern. She said bye to Pearl and
went back to the shop.
    She
took the business card that Amy Ford had given her and sat down at her laptop
in the kitchen. Charlie sat at her side expectantly.
    “Right,
we’ll find out more about you,” Grace said. She typed in the website address
that was on the card.
    Ten
seconds later she slammed the laptop lid down. She could feel her body tensing
as she looked at Charlie.
    He
moved back a few inches. “What is it? You look furious.”
    In
a barely controlled voice Grace hissed, “I’m not helping you, Charlie Ford! I
didn’t realise you were one of them!”
     

Chapter 10
     
    “One
of what?” Charlie asked.
    Grace’s
hands curled into fists, she tried hard to control her rising rage. “You’re a
loan shark. I hate loan sharks.”
    Charlie
let out a bark of laughter. “I’m not a loan shark! What are you talking about?”
Grace opened up the laptop and pointed to the screen. “Your site, you give loans
to people.”
    Charlie
moved closer. “Yeah, for businesses, at a good rate too. I’m no loan shark.”
    Grace
took a deep breath and calmed herself down. “Your website says otherwise.
Look.”
    Charlie
peered at the screen. He frowned as he read the details on the site. His
eyebrows shot up as he got to the bottom of the page. “Look at that interest
rate! I never agreed to that! I’d never agree to that, it’s daylight robbery.
This isn’t the site that I remember, some parts are the same but this section
about personal loans is new. I never authorised that, someone’s put it on after
my death.”
    Grace
considered his comments. He seemed like he was telling the truth . She said,
“Who had authority to change the site? Who has taken over your business?”
    “Everything
was left to Amy. She took an interest in the business but she never got
involved, she always said it was too complicated for her. I wonder if she’s got
a third party involved. She could have even sold the business to someone else
if she didn’t want to deal with it.”
    Grace
looked at him. “Are you sure you’re not a loan shark?”
    “I
swear. Why do you hate them so much?”
    Grace
looked back at the screen. “I don’t want to go into details but my dad got into
debt through a loan shark, it led to his, and my mum’s deaths. Let’s see what
we can find out about Benjamin Heath.”
    Grace’s
search brought up a drawing of the man they had just seen along with pictures
and photographs of Heathville.
    Grace
said, “There’s not much information about his death, it just says that he died
suddenly at home. These drawings of when the house was first built are lovely.”
    Charlie
nodded. “It’s a beautiful