“BARGAIN BASEMENT MURDER” is a short story found exclusively as a bonus in REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST, 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Here’s a sneak peek…

 

Slipping quickly through an adjoining door, the Scarlet Spirit began searching through the Accounting department. What Margaret expected to find, she wasn’t certain, but began with files related to the ‘Bargain Basement’ and the sales held down there. Would Douglas Chodzik have been involved in anything down there that would have warranted his death? She had no real direction to go, except that Gimple was really making a fuss to prevent the police from looking through the files.
Where the police are not allowed, a ghost must go.
That seemed to be her brother’s belief anyway.
“Stay right there!”
The hall door flew open and the lights came on.
It was that side of beef security guard Bruno that had so manhandled Margaret earlier. The Scarlet Spirit wasn’t going to go so easily.
“What’s with da’mask?” he asked, moving closer, watching her hands more than her face. The expectation of a thief having a gun kept him alert.
After what had happened to Adrian, Donald and Margaret had sworn that neither the Masked Ghost nor the Scarlet Spirit would use guns, but there was no reason to let this bull know that.
Quickly, the Scarlet Spirit grabbed a stapler from the desk at her side and flung it at Bruno. Instinctively, he threw up a hand and ducked. The stapler bounced off his arm, but before he registered what it was, the vigilante was running for the door.
Bruno followed and was only yards behind the Scarlet Spirit.
The Scarlet Spirit ran for the stairwell, but found it locked. The guard must have locked it after discovering someone was up here, hoping to trap a mouse.
This mouse felt trapped, but that only meant it was time to find a hole to crawl into. The other offices were locked, and in her excited state Margaret knew she couldn’t pick a lock fast enough, and there wasn’t enough time with the guard only yards away. His heavy footsteps echoed down the hallways.
Her luck changed when she turned to the elevator. For security purposes, the crew had shut it down away from the store levels, so it was parked right here. She forced open the gate of the elevator. Once inside, she pulled it shut and yanked down on the lever. With a hard jerk the box moved downward.
As it began a laborious descent, the Scarlet Spirit looked about the small box. There was a small latch on the ceiling. Margaret had heard about escape hatches in elevators, but she had no idea what she would do if she were able to actually climb on to the top of the elevator. That would only get the mouse further trapped.

Interested in reading the rest of the story? Then pick up my ebook novel REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST, 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

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