Who doesn’t love a Christmas Ghost Story?
Everyone
Except Michael Brady…
It’s ten days before Christmas.
Brady’s first Christmas in his new house. Ash. Siobhan. Family and friends.
It’s going to be perfect…
But Whitby’s been wreathed in fog since November. “We couldn’t even see across the harbour…”
And everyone’s got a ghost story to tell.
The woman in the shop:
“He turns. Her hair has caught fire. The flames are all over. Some say the baker beat the flames out. Some say she ran out into the street screaming, hair still on fire. Either way it’s too late. Her flesh peels off as she stands there. And if you’re in Grape Lane of a night you can see her. Surrounded by flames, hair ablaze. And some say you can still smell her hair burning…”
Ruby:
“She was a nun. A young nun. And she fell in love with a handsome knight. An’ did what we all do after a few rum n’ blacks. Broke her vows of chastity. They bricked the poor lass up in the walls of Whitby Abbey. So they do say that on a still, dark night you can hear poor Constance pleading for mercy. And early morning in this fog, Mr Brady…”
Even Frankie:
“It’s blowing a gale. Waves coming over the pier. Rain vertical off the sea. The lighthouse keeper’s in town. Buying his Christmas presents maybe… Looks at the pier. Sees the lighthouse isn’t lit. So he gets his lamp. Battles his way along the pier. By the time he reaches the lighthouse he’s soaked to the skin. Water pouring off him. But he makes his way up the stairs. Lights the lamp. Saves the ships. He’s coming back down. Slips. Stone steps. They’re wet. The water that’s dripped off him on the way up. Slips and hits his head on every single one on the way down. And his ghost haunts the lighthouse. Opposite your house, boss…”
But Detective Chief Inspector Michael Brady doesn’t believe in ghosts. He believes in evidence.
Cold, hard facts…
Until a body is found at Bagdale Hall.
Bagdale Hall that’s haunted by the pirate, Browne Bushell…
Suddenly old cases which weren’t investigated properly start to make sense.
The crime scenes have one thing in common.
A ghost. A ghost of Whitby’s past…
The case gets more complex – and Brady sees Christmas slipping away.
He’s already treading a fine line between his daughter and his girlfriend.
He’s got ten days. Ten days to catch a killer.
Or he’ll pay the price.
And spend Christmas Day on his own