A Ghost in Time (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

for it, but of course, we all knew she did.  
    “You bring in that silver cat,” Jane was saying with a shrug. “You bring that ugly bird here.”
    “Oh, come on. Barnaby’s gorgeous.” I looked quickly over to the large outdoor cage where the noisy parrot lived, knowing he could hear us. He swung from his hanging perch to the edge of his aviary, clinging to the bars and squawking at the top of his lungs, just to emphasize that very point.  
    “Maybe to you. Not to Sami.” She shook her head, shooting a look at the aviary. “That bird? He a loud mouth.”
    I sighed. You couldn’t deny the truth of that. I’d been having second thoughts ever since Roy had brought him over to stay with us. Silver was adorable-though I seemed to be the only one who thought so.
    Barnaby—not so much. I’d thought I was just offering temporary refuge, but nobody had offered to take them off my hands since. How did you put a parrot up for adoption anyway?
    But she was right. Sami wasn’t happy about either one of them. No wonder he took off.
    “So what do you think?” I asked her. “Where did Sami go?”
    “I don’t know. He never been gone this long before.” Her brow wrinkled into rows as she thought that over. “Maybe he went off with his ghost friends.”
    “Ghost friends? What ghost friends?”
    “Ghost friends.” She nodded wisely and clammed up, humming while she worked on ruining Bebe’s watering setup.  
    I gave up. I was never quite sure if she was wandering in memory blizzards or thinking rationally. It didn’t do to take what she said too literally.  
    I went inside and found Bebe sitting at the kitchen table, staring off into space, probably worrying about the meeting we would be leaving for right after lunch.  
    “Shall I make a fresh pot of coffee?” I asked her.  
    She looked up and smiled. “Not for me. I’m already too nervous.”
    “Don’t be nervous.” I sat down across from her. “Think about something else. How about this. Can I ask you some questions about Aunty Jane?”
    She turned her attention fully on me as though she was surprised. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
    “First of all-where did she come from?”
    Bebe smiled. “From the evidence, I’d say Hawaii. Wouldn’t you?”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “So you’re asking me where a ghost came from? Like I’m supposed to know it all?”
    I gave her a mock glare. “Why is she attached to you?”
    Bebe took a deep breath and settled back as though this was going to take some doing. “I saw her many times at Granma Kalena’s in Manoa Valley when I was young. Didn’t you?”
    I shook my head. “No. I never saw her in those days.”
    “Funny. She just seemed like one of the family when I used to go stay there.”
    “Did Granma see her?”
    “Sure. They’d been good friends before Jane died. At least, that was always my impression.” She frowned, thinking back. “After Granma died, Jane started hanging out at my house. I didn’t think too much of it at first. She didn’t talk much. She was just there. Sort of a comforting figure in my life. One time I asked her why she was there, and she said she was waiting for Granma Kalena to show up.”
    I stared at her. “Is she still waiting?”
    Bebe shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know.”
    “Could you ask her… ?”
    “Mele! I can’t ask her anything. I haven’t seen her in weeks.”
    Now that surprised me. “What do you mean?”
    “She doesn’t talk to me anymore.” She looked pained and a bit sad. “Is she still talking to you?”
    I nodded. I was stunned. This was her ghost, someone who had tagged along when she married Jimmy Miyaki and came to California to help him raise cut flowers. She’d come all the way from Hawaii. If she was still here, why was she hidden from her?
    “I don’t understand how this ghost thing works at all,” I said.
    Bebe laughed. “You and me both.”  
    I was really disturbed. The fact that Bebe and I both saw ghosts from