Gull Harbor by Kathryn Knight Read Free Book Online

fridge. I saw that mess, and it was bad—but it seemed like more of an annoyance. Today, though, once I got a look at the rest of the rooms, I got a very different feeling. Now I’m seriously worried.”
    “I am too. I don’t think she fell down this morning on her own.” Dan leaned forward and scrubbed his face with his hands. “What can we do?”
    “She’s very—” He stopped and took a sip of his beer. Dan thinks I just met Claire, he reminded himself. “She seems like she can be a very stubborn woman when she sets her mind to it. I doubt we can convince her to leave. But maybe we can help her get to the bottom of this mystery before something terrible happens.”
    “I think I’d prefer to actually burn the house down.” Dan glanced at his wristwatch. “If we hurry, we might be able to get it done before Claire gets back.”
    Max smiled grimly. “I like the plan in theory. But both of our insurance rates might go up if we get convicted of arson. Seriously, though, what do you know about that house?”
    “Let’s see. It was built in the 1950s, I believe, by the Williams family. They mostly used it as a summer place until old Mrs. Williams died. Then her grandson Gary moved in year round for a while. He was bad news.”
    “How so?”
    “Well, he didn’t have a job. The house was paid off, so there was no mortgage to worry about, but he had to be getting money for living expenses from somewhere, right? The rumor was that he was a drug dealer. And that makes sense, because about four years ago—right before you bought the tavern—he disappeared. Just vanished and abandoned the house. The property taxes went unpaid for a time, and then the town seized it. Then the new couple bought the place at auction.”
    Max scratched the stubble on his chin. “Maybe it’s the grandmother who’s behind the haunting. Could be she’s pissed about what Gary was doing. Or that he lost the house.”
    “I suppose that’s possible. But her name wasn’t Maria, of that I’m sure.”
    “I’ll go to town hall tomorrow, see what I can find,” Max said, standing up and pacing the small room. “In the meantime, the two of us will just have to try to keep an eye on Claire as much as possible.”
    “Oh, she’ll love that,” Dan said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
    Max drained the rest of his beer. “No kidding.”

Chapter 7
    Max pushed his way through the diner’s front door. Nodding to the customers he knew, he crossed the room and took a seat at the far end of the counter.
    “You hungry?” asked Dan. “I was going to close up shop soon, but I can rustle something up for you.”
    “No. Maybe.” He looked up at the clock. It was late afternoon; he’d spent most of the day searching for information about Gary Williams and his haunted house. He had very little to show for his efforts, and he blew out a frustrated breath. “Don’t go to any trouble,” he said finally.
    “No trouble.”
    Five minutes later, he was presented with a fish sandwich and a plate of thick steak fries. “Thanks. I’ve been to town hall, the police station, and the court house. It’s like a wild goose chase unless you know exactly what you’re looking for.”
    “You find anything?”
    He shrugged. “Not much. Gary Williams spent a year in jail for unlawful possession of a firearm. That was before he moved into the house here. It was widely suspected that he was dealing drugs all over the Cape and as far away as Boston, but obviously the police can’t just search a house or car without cause or permission. He must have been careful after that initial arrest. And then he disappeared, so problem solved.”
    Dan folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll try an Internet search after I close.”
    “Tried it already. It’s a fairly common name, but maybe you’ll get luckier than I did.” Max put down his sandwich and picked up his phone. “I need to talk to Claire. Do you have her cell number?”
    “Get this—she doesn’t have