All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt by Rose Pressey Read Free Book Online

don’t know if we’ll be able to talk with that crazy woman Vera Lemon. I may have upset her just a teensy bit when I slapped the hat off her head.”
    I tried not to laugh, but a little snort slipped out. I didn’t want to encourage Alice, but she talked and talked. At around midnight I dozed off while she was discussing recipes. She probably continued the entire time I was sleeping. As long as she was hanging around I would have to buy earplugs.

Chapter 7
    Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips

    Finding quality vintage garments
doesn’t have to be difficult.
Things to check for: hand-sewn,
handset zippers or bound buttonholes.
These are just a few of the signs
of a well-made item.

    When the sun flooded my bedroom, I forced myself out of bed. I’d had nothing to drink the night before, but with Alice’s nonstop yammering, I felt like I had a hangover. Once in front of my closet, I had to pick out my outfit for the day.
    â€œYou should wear the blue dress,” Alice said from over my shoulder.
    â€œI think I want to wear the yellow dress today.” I pulled the hanger from the closet.
    â€œNo, you should definitely wear the blue one. It is a blue dress kind of day.”
    I sighed, placed the yellow dress back in the closet, and then took the blue one from the rack. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the blue dress; it’s just that I wasn’t in the mood for it today. It had a cinched waist and white trim around the sweetheart neckline with a full swing skirt. I paired it with straw wedge heels and a matching purse. Looking in my full-length mirror, I decided the outfit worked okay.
    â€œDon’t forget the lipstick,” Charlotte said from across the room.
    I jumped and my purse fell to the ground.
    â€œTrue. You never know who you might see,” Alice said.
    â€œWill you please stop doing that?” I said. “You nearly scared me to death.”
    â€œThat’s highly unlikely,” Charlotte said.
    Alice laughed. I felt a headache coming on. I picked up my purse from the floor. “Come on, ladies, I have to get to work.”
    â€œI call shotgun because I get car sick in the backseat,” Charlotte said.
    â€œThat isn’t possible,” Alice said from over my shoulder. “See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to be second ghost.”
    â€œIt’s like I told you, dear, you’re already second. There’s nothing you can do to change that now.” Charlotte marched out ahead of us.
    Alice sat in the backseat, next to Wind Song in her carrier, with her hands folded on her lap. If looks could zap Charlotte into the next dimension, she’d be out of here. On the ride to town Alice came around to talking with Charlotte though. Charlotte had a way about her that charmed everyone.
    â€œCharlotte,” Alice said, “You have to help me. I want Cookie to figure out who killed Nicole Silver.”
    â€œOh, was her death a murder?” Charlotte asked.
    â€œDefinitely,” Alice said.
    â€œCookie is good at talking with people. She’ll say she doesn’t want to do it, but if you push her she will. She just needs a little nudge, that’s all,” Charlotte said with a wink.
    â€œI am so glad that you have me all figured out,” I said.
    Charlotte tapped her fingers against the leather seat. “It’s the truth.”
    I pulled up in front of the shop, shoved the car into park, and got Wind Song from the backseat. Alice and Charlotte were still discussing the best ways for me to investigate the crime. I didn’t wait for them as I headed inside. Right before I opened the door, I spotted Preston Hart walking down the sidewalk.
    â€œThere he is,” Alice yelled from over my shoulder.
    I had hoped she wouldn’t see him.
    â€œYou have to go talk with him,” she demanded.
    â€œPut the cat inside and go talk to him before he gets away.” Charlotte motioned