If You've Got It, Haunt It Read online

  Praise for Rose Pressey and If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  “Rose Pressey’s books are fun!”

  —Janet Evanovich

  “A delightful protagonist, intriguing twists, and a fashionista ghost combine in a hauntingly fun tale.”

  —Carolyn Hart

  “If you’re a fan of vintage clothing and quirky ghosts, If You’ve Got It, Haunt It will pique your interest.”

  —Denise Swanson

  “Chic and quirky heroine Cookie Chanel and a supporting cast of small-town Southern characters are sure to charm lovers of high fashion and murderous hi-jinks alike.”

  —Jennie Bentley

  “A delightful mystery full of Southern charm, vintage fashion tips, a ghostly presence, and a puzzler of a mystery.”

  —Jenn McKinlay

  “Fun, fast-paced, and fashionable . . . a sheer delight.”

  —Kate Carlisle

  Also by Rose Pressey

  The Bayou Series

  Lost on the Bayou

  The Hadley Wilds Series

  Dead Girl’s Guide to Style

  Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series

  Crime Wave

  Murder Is a Beach

  The Halloween LaVeau Series

  Forever Charmed

  Charmed Again

  Third Time’s a Charm

  The Rylie Cruz Series

  How to Date a Werewolf

  How to Date a Vampire

  How to Date a Demon

  The Larue Donovan Series

  Me and My Ghoulfriends

  Ghouls Night Out

  The Ghoul Next Door

  The Mystic Café Series

  No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells

  Pies and Potions

  The Veronica Mason Series

  Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Undead

  A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery

  Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel

  Honeysuckle Homicide

  The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series

  Flip That Haunted House

  The Haunted Fixer Upper

  If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  Rose Pressey

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Praise for Rose Pressey and If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  Also by Rose Pressey

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 2 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 3 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips

  Chapter 4 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 5 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 6 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 7 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 8 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 9 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 10 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 11 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 12 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 13 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 14 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 15 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 16 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 17 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 18 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 19 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 20 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 21 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 22 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 23 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 24 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 25 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 26 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 27 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 28 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 29 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 30 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 31 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Chapter 32 - Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Chapter 33 - Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Is Your Cat Psychic?

  Acknowledgments

  Teaser chapter

  Copyright Page

  To my mother, who shared her love of books with me.

  Thank you for always believing in me.

  Chapter 1

  Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tip

  Many vintage clothing pieces

  don’t have labels listing the size.

  Make sure to try on the items when you can

  or get the measurements.

  I remember distinctly what I was wearing the day I first came face-to-face with a ghost.

  I collect garments for my vintage clothing boutique, It’s Vintage, Y’all. Raiding estate sales at the crack of dawn is one of the better ways to find hidden gems. My heart skips a beat every time I see someone wearing an authentic piece of vintage fashion—like the lady who came into my store yesterday in a fifties high-waist silk hoop skirt over a tiered crinoline, or the old photo I just posted on my blog of a rick-rack trimmed, fitted-waist sundress from the forties.

  My blog shares the same name as my boutique. I started it right after the store opened and was shocked at how much traffic I received. I get comments and questions from across the nation— sometimes even around the world. I discuss current trends based on vintage clothing, any new hidden gems I discover, and celebrities I spot wearing vintage.

  Some fashions don’t deserve to be called vintage though—like those awful polyester suits from the seventies. Those things should never see the light from the darkened corner of a closet ever again.

  Not only do I sell vintage clothing, I always dress the part, making the effort to incorporate at least one vintage piece into my outfit every day. I feel more like myself when I’m connected to the past. Maybe that’s because my grandmother Pearl had encouraged me to chase my dreams. She was a grand Southern lady who always dressed to the nines and wore a wide-brimmed hat and white gloves in public.

  I loved playing in her closet when I was growing up. Everyone remarked how much we looked alike with the same dark hair and brown eyes.

  The first day I met a ghost, I was wearing a rayon-linen blend, mid-length Christian Dior, white pencil skirt with a tiny pink floral print and a kick pleat in the back seam. Thank goodness the pleat allowed me to walk normally and not look like a mermaid. I may only be five-foot-two, but I didn’t let that stop me from wearing pencil skirts. The skirt was the bee’s knees and I’d gotten it for a steal. I paired it with a fifties silk pink blouse, fitted at the waist with turned-up sleeves and a back-notched Peter Pan collar. The tiny buttons were delicately covered with floral-print fabric. I completed the outfit with pink platform cork-heeled wedge sandals that had a soft leat
her upper with crisscrossed pink straps. They weren’t vintage, but totally retro. My purse was a large pink envelope clutch. I’d seen almost the exact outfit in a photo of Jayne Mansfield from 1957.

  I was going shopping at the estate sale of the late self-made businesswoman Charlotte Meadows. She’d made her money by buying small pieces of real estate when she was young. The town was all aflutter about her death, not surprising since not only had she passed under highly suspicious circumstances, she was also quite the celebrity around Sugar Creek. Hardly a piece of land in town existed that didn’t have her name attached to it in some way. She’d owned or partnered in businesses, land, and homes for miles around—as if she had been playing a real-life game of Monopoly.

  According to the headline in the Sugar Creek Gazette, she’d died from asphyxiation, strangulation suspected. The thought sent a chill down my spine. Sugar Creek, Georgia, located in the southern part of the state, is a small town more famous for sweet tea and Southern charm than murder, so it was no wonder that her death had caused a stir.

  I pulled my attention-grabbing red 1948 Buick convertible up in front of the huge house. Needless to say, most people in town knew me because of my car. The shiny chrome, red and tan leather interior, and tan top were designed to stand out in a crowd. I couldn’t own a vintage clothing store and not drive a classic set of wheels.

  After shoving the gearshift into neutral and setting the parking brake, I paused to take in the view. Sunrise had brought the first faint colors of day. The entire property was surrounded by immaculately trimmed hedges and a large, ornately-carved fountain bubbled in front. The massive stone steps welcomed visitors to the double oak doors. The outside of the home was white brick with black shutters on the sides of simply too many windows to count. The circular driveway allowed visitors to pull right up to the door.

  Entering the house, I was thrilled to see the inside was just as extravagant as the outside. A majestic Victorian staircase swept down to greet me as I walked across the marble floor in the foyer. Intricate moldings edged the ceiling.

  A petite gray-haired woman stood sentinel in the entranceway. She acknowledged me with a large smile.

  I reached out to shake her hand, surprised I didn’t recognize her face. Sugar Creek is a small place, and that’s putting it mildly. “My name is Cookie Chanel, from It’s Vintage, Y’all. I’m here for the clothing sale. Can you show me where to find it?”

  My mother had named me Cassandra, but from an early age, my Granny called me Cookie because of her love for fashion and because it fit so well with Chanel. Of course, that name stuck and everyone knows me as Cookie.

  The woman looked me up and down through her cat-eye glasses, then pointed to my right. “They’re really picking through that stuff in there. You’d better hurry if you want any good pieces.”

  By the look of the house, I assumed it was all good stuff, though I did have a few items at the top of my wish list. It had taken me several years to train my eye to spot the difference between genuine vintage and knock-off retro. A strong knowledge of fabrics helped me, too. Different types had been invented in specific years.

  My jaw just about hit the floor when I entered the living room. So many items were piled up that my eyes had a hard time taking it all in. Clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, books, and trinkets covered the racks and metal folding tables used for the sale. It was like the time my parents had taken me to Disney World and I hadn’t known which ride to take first. Which rack to start with?

  My wonder was tempered by the disappointment of finding the room explored by over a dozen people. Usually estate sales are kind of a niche event. Clawing through a dead person’s belongings is inherently creepy, no denying it. But in Charlotte Meadows’s case, I should have expected a crowd. Her magnificent home was famous in the region, and most people probably just wanted to catch a glimpse inside. The gruesome gossip surrounding her death only fueled the mass curiosity.

  Sure, it was a beautiful home, but I was just after the clothing and accessories. Rumor had it that Charlotte—who’d been a fashionista in the truest sense of the word—owned a rare Chanel white felt chapeau adorned with a silk black flower pin. I’d have given up my entire collection of Trigère to get my hands on that hat. Other than that, I was keeping an open mind about what I expected to find. The secret was getting to the best stuff first, and it looked like I’d already failed.

  I made my way through the crowd, stopping short when I neared the most enticing rack of clothing. A middle-aged woman stood next to a small table with her arms held stiff and straight down at her sides. Her ebony eyes sparked with frustration as she stared my way. Her gaze pinned me, holding me frozen in place.

  She was impeccably dressed in a white Dior pantsuit, leopard print heels, and chunky gold jewelry. Her shiny, chin-length mahogany-colored hair looked as if she’d just left a salon. Her outfit must have cost a small fortune. I recognized those leopard print heels from last month’s Vogue cover.

  Something about the woman was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her right away. Maybe she’d been in my shop. Judging by that outfit, I was sure she was after the best clothing, too. She must have known right away that I was serious competition. We seemed to be in a standoff. She positioned her body as if she was ready for a sprint at a track meet.

  I glanced toward the racks of clothing, gauging the distance and devising a plan to run and grab. If I wasn’t quick I was going to get stuck with one of those aforementioned polyester pantsuits. More often than not, true vintage items weren’t at estate sales. The really valuable pieces were few and far between.

  The woman stood her ground and our eyes met again. She knew what I was scheming. If she made a move, I’d cut her off at the pass. Maybe she was a shop owner, too, looking for merchandise just like me. She scowled and I wondered if she’d be a hair-puller. I’d narrowly missed being snatched bald in the past. I tried to remain ladylike at all times, but sometimes people made that a very difficult task.

  Maybe I could disarm her with some good Southern manners. “Hello.” I smiled graciously. I’d act as though we weren’t opponents. Kill her with kindness.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  I glanced from her to the clothing and back again. “Looking through this clothing?”

  Honestly, what did it look like I was doing? I’d spotted a lavender Yves Saint Laurent maxi dress from all the way across the room. If I could get it for the price I was thinking, I’d make enough profit to pay the utility bill this month. There was no way I’d let her have it, not when I’d seen it first.

  “So you can see me. I knew it!” she said with excitement in her voice.

  Oh, bless her heart, this lady was a few bricks short of a full load. Did she think she was invisible? I’d never have admitted it, but I was kind of relieved. A crazy person was easier to deal with than a rival vintage store owner who would know the real value of the clothes and fight me every step of the way.

  “Yes, I can see you,” I said, sorting through the clothing on the rack. I shoved a Chanel number under one arm and gripped it with my elbow.

  She studied the Jimmy Choos on her feet. “I’ve been having a bit of a problem talking to people for the last couple weeks.”

  Oh dear. I had a serious job to do and this woman wanted to chit-chat over tea and cookies. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, pulling out a pale yellow cardigan sweater with gorgeous detailed beading all along the front bust. The sweater sported a delicate combination of white rice beads, longer silver tube beads, and faux pearls. It was love at first sight, but the woman was ruining the romance.

  “No, you don’t understand.” She leaned in near to my face.

  I backed away and gave her the most evil glare I could manage. When she didn’t step back, I glanced around to see if anyone was watching us. Okay, the truth was I looked around to see if anyone could help me escape in the event that this encounter escalated into violence. She’d obviously skipped her meds that mornin
g.

  She waved her hand in front of my face to capture my attention again. “I think I was murdered. No, let me rephrase that. I know I was murdered. I distinctly remember someone choking me.”

  “Uh-huh,” I mumbled. It clearly called for withdrawal from the situation—Dior be damned. I’d have to signal for assistance from one of the helpers working the sale. I looked around in vain for a possible rescuer.

  The woman didn’t seem to notice my actions because she continued talking. “Apparently, you are the only one who can see me. You’re the first one who’s made eye contact or spoken to me since it happened.”

  I really hated to have the poor woman kicked out of the sale, but she was leaving me little choice. Maybe if I moved to a different rack she would leave me alone. I picked up the yellow sweater again and moved around her.

  “I don’t like you looking at my clothes.” She reached for the sweater, but her hand went straight through the fabric.

  I gasped and released my hold on the hanger. The sweater fluttered to the floor. Again, I scanned the room to see if anyone was watching our interaction, but the shoppers were wrapped up in bargain-hunting. No one was paying us the least bit of attention.

  “How did you do that?” I whispered.

  Chapter 2

  Heather’s Heartfelt Tip for Getting Rid of an Unwanted Ghost

  Have a pesky ghost in your house? First step is simple.

  Ask the unwelcome spirit to get lost.

  The woman scoffed. “Pick that up before it gets dirty. It’s a de la Renta!” She had such command in her voice that I did as I was told.