by E.J. Stevens
“Oh o.k., I’ll make sure to queue up some yaoi. Loveless made him squirm last time you were mad at him,” Gordy said laughingly.
“Ah Gordy, you’re the best. Thanks! See you there.” I had to run to get to physics class before the bell rang.
Chapter 4
I stared at the clock as it tick-ticked its way through the last period of the day. When the last bell rang I already had my bag slung over my shoulder and was half-way up the row of desks. The vinegar smell was getting worse and I couldn’t wait to get on the road with Calvin and solve the case of Mr. Smelly so I could be back to normal life. It had nothing to do with seeing Calvin. Nothing at all.
He was waiting for me by his truck with his head tilted up like he was sunning himself.
“Hey skin cancer! You ready to go?” I shouted over at him. I had hoped to startle him and break his calm, cool façade but he just slowly opened his eyes and stretched.
“Sure Dung Beetle Princess, ready when you are,” he said as he jingled his keys.
Oh boy, this was going to be a pleasure trip. I just rolled my eyes and jumped up on the running board so I could climb up into the passenger seat. “Ew, it smells like wet dog in here,” I complained.
Calvin just swung up into the driver seat and grinned his toothy smile at me. “Well my spirit animal is a wolf,” he said as he started the engine and backed the truck out of the parking space. “It could be worse. It could smell like your spirit animal Yuki,” he said and coughed a little to cover his chuckle.
Oh yeah, laugh it up big guy.
“Well, it smells gross. You should think about hosing it out or something,” I said while wondering why it smelled like wet dog in here when I knew Calvin’s family didn’t have any pets.
He just shrugged and waited for the traffic light to change and then turned his truck, his smelly truck, onto the highway that would take us close to the Green family farm. He was doing me a favor driving me out to the farm, so I tried not to complain anymore about his truck hygiene. But just for the record? Wet dog and vinegar just don’t mix.
Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to take the sensory overload we turned onto a gravel drive and Calvin pulled to the side of the road. I rolled down the window to try to catch my breath and settle my stomach. The wet dog smell did seem to fade a little, but the vinegar smell just became stronger. “I guess this is the place,” I said wincing at the headache beginning in my temples. Now that we were here I had no idea what to do next. It’s not like I had time to come up with a plan or anything.
Calvin, however, must have spent the entire school day scheming. “O.k. you’re name is Cindy and you’re doing a school report on organic farms in the area,” he said, “I learned on the Internet that the Green family was clever and when organic farming became popular they played on their name and became a ‘green’ farm.”
So apparently he had worked on this plan through the night as well. Yup, I’m a slacker. Thanks Calvin Miller for making me look bad.
I grabbed a notebook and pen from my school bag preparing for the part I was about to play. Stalling for time. I’m not good at acting. In school I leave the drama to the cheerleader bimbettes. If I were really honest with myself I’d have to admit that I was scared. How was I going to lie to a grieving widow and figure out what this ghost needed so he could move on?
“Can I just use my real name?” I asked Calvin, “I’m not good at lying. I think I’ll do a better job if I only have to exaggerate the truth about the school report.”
He looked at me a bit weird, maybe a little disappointed, but then shrugged, “Sure. Yuki it is then.” and pulled back out onto the gravel road.
We didn’t have far to go, but Cal drove slowly, giving us a chance to scope out the place. It was a gorgeous farm. I was no expert, but there were apple orchards on one side of the road and rows of grape vines on the other. At the top of the hill there was an old farmhouse and in the opposite field were a tower of white boxes I recognized as bee hives. I laughed at the thought of my friend Emma’s mortification at what she called “bee oppression.”
Emma and I had discussed bee oppression last semester after I had used a different shoe polish on my boots. She had run up admiring my boots and asked what color polish I had used.
“Oxblood,” I replied, immediately wishing I could take it back.
Emma blanched. Emma had pale skin and long pale blond hair so when she went an even lighter shade of pale she nearly disappeared against the ivory wall behind her.
“Um, there’s no real blood in it though,” I said lamely hoping she wasn’t going to cry or throw up.
Emma was really sensitive, especially when it came to animal cruelty. I was vegetarian but Emma was vegan. I waited for the tears, but instead she started to laugh. It started as a nervous giggle, but grew so that we were nearly falling over with laughter when Cal walked by. He did that eyebrow thing of his and we just started laughing harder. He kept walking by, but I could have sworn his shoulders were shaking as he turned the corner down the hall.
“Oh Yuki, I’m more grossed out by the cow that had to die for those boots,” she sighed wiping tears from her eyes.
That was when she had told me about bee oppression and how as a vegan she didn’t eat honey. It was actually kind of interesting and after her calling it bee puke for over an hour I couldn’t eat honey either.
Coming back to the current situation I thought dreamily that maybe I could get a school paper out of this gig after all. Apparently the Green Farm used bee slave labor to pollinate their crops. I’m sure Emma would help me write an outraged paper on the topic.
“Hey freak, what are you doing here?” a disgusted voice griped behind me.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around and realized I must have died and been sent straight to Hell because standing there in front of me was Jared Zempter, the devil himself, holding a pitchfork. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at him.
Jared was wearing tall rubber boots with muddy jeans and I realized belatedly, I know the pitchfork should have clued me in, that he must be working here at the farm. Just my luck. Normally a kid from my school working here would have been a break for me. Yeah, if he were human. Instead this was rapidly turning into a major disaster.
“Bee oppression,” I said hoping to throw him off guard. Where the heck was Cal? I could really use some backup. The smell of vinegar was getting so strong I felt like I was going to pass out. Patience Ghost Dude, I’m working on it.
“Hey Jared, maybe you could help me,” Calvin said with a fake grin on his face.
We had been friends since second grade, I could tell when he was faking his outward passivity. Jared just looked back and forth from me to Calvin with a bewildered look on his face. Jocks and bullies are not known for their high intelligence.
“Hey man,” Calvin said trying to draw Jared’s attention, “I heard they might be hiring here now that old man Green is gone. Yuki just came along for the ride,” he said somewhat dismissively turning attention away from me.
They started talking somewhat civilly about jobs and farm stuff and I tried to concentrate on my smell impression. Come on Spidey sense don’t fail me now.
I slowly turned 360 degrees while trying to look like I was just bored and taking in the scenery. The vinegar smell was strongest when I faced the house on the hill and what I realized was probably a barn out behind it. Sighing inwardly I started walking casually up the hill. I stopped a few times to admire things growing on the ground.
When it became apparent that Jared was too busy talking to Calvin to pay attention to the freak, moi, I hustled up to the front of the house. It was a typical white colonial farmhouse, though in better shape than most I had seen. The paint wasn’t peeling and the porch wasn’t sagging. I wondered again at how this family could lose the inheritance that Mr. Green was said to have left behind. They obviously had, or recently had possessed, a fair amount of money. It would take a large amount of money to keep the fa
rm going and the buildings and road in such good repair. Even the fencing around the orchards and vineyards looked to be picture perfect. So what is wrong with this picture?
I caught a whiff of wet dog just as I sensed someone behind me. I turned as Calvin reached for my hand.
“Come on Yuki, let’s head back to the truck,” Calvin said as he led me back down the hill.
I guess that was all the reconnaissance we were going to manage for today. Sorry Mr. Green. We’ll try again tomorrow. On the ride back I tried to laugh along with Calvin about Jared and the J-team, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit depressed. I wanted to help the ghost of Jackson Green find peace. I also wanted to stop smelling vinegar. It was giving me a headache.
Chapter 5
I sat in third period daydreaming about Garrett Hamlin asking me to the homecoming dance. I wasn’t usually into those things but this was senior year and I heard that Garrett and his girlfriend Nadine had broken up over summer break. Yes. Now I just had to turn on the Yuki charm and get Garrett to ask me to the dance. That would give me an excuse to wear the black corset dress I found in Salem last winter. I bought it after the Halloween rush when most of the shops were closing for a few months. It had been hanging in my closet just waiting for a chance to be worn. That chance was coming. I could feel it.
Or maybe it was just the non-stop vinegar smell going to my head. This has to stop or I am going to go insane. I tried to make it through the remainder of class thinking about Garrett. He was totally my type. He dressed all in black, with the big chunky boots that made him absolutely tower over me, not that he needed them. Garrett was 6’1” without the boots and I was 5’ nothing even when I piled all my hair on top of my head. He was perfection wrapped in a pretty, bad boy package. Garret always wore black eyeliner that made his emerald green eyes pop. He had dead straight dyed black hair in an asymmetrical cut that usually hid his right eye giving him a mysterious look. It also showed off the row of silver studs running up and down his ear. Yum.
Calvin always scoffed that Garrett used so much hair gel to hold his hair in place that he ended up with helmet head. Right. What did Calvin know? He always looked like a shaggy dog that just shook his head and let it dry. What was Calvin doing interrupting my Garrett daydream anyway? Why was I thinking about Cal?
It had to be the smell bombardment. It was throwing me off my game. With a sigh and silent prayer for some higher power to give me strength I focused back on the mystery of Jackson Green and his missing inheritance. I was convinced the missing money had something to do with why he was still connected to this plain of existence. The boating accident that killed his three sons also seemed suspicious. Oh emm gees. What if Jackson Green didn’t die of old age? What if Jackson Green was murdered?
I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. I guess I just saw his advanced age and that idyllic farm and thought he must have passed away peacefully. Well, except for the part about him haunting me, but I figured he was going to lead me to the missing money which I could help deliver to his widow and voila, no more vinegar smell. I never considered that his spirit might lead me to a murderer. I was going to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I wasn’t going anywhere near that farm without backup. I was going to have to ask Calvin for a favor. Wonderful.
This was probably going to cost me. Maybe I could treat Cal to his favorite Indian restaurant. Nothing a little Tandoori can’t fix, right? I tried sneaking a text to him before the end of school, “Wanna grab curry l8er? My treat.” and hit send before I could chicken out. It was just dinner with Cal right? No big. So why were my hands shaking so bad I could hardly send the text? Just as the final bell rang my phone vibrated. I looked down to see Calvin’s text, “sure, pick u up at 7?” “Sure,” I lamely texted back. For some reason I felt sick as I grabbed my bag and walked out of class. Son of a dung beetle. I was nervous to meet Cal for dinner. What was wrong with me lately? Maybe I had the flu, or malaria. I could only hope.
Chapter 6
By 6:45 PM my bed was covered in clothes and I still had no idea what to wear for my date with Cal. Correction, this is not a date. I just suddenly had no idea what to wear for a dinner non-date. I was holding my black fishnets and tossed them back on the bed. Fishnets after dark would scream slut. My scary tramp look during daylight was ironic but it took on a whole new meaning after dark. Great, what was I supposed to wear tonight? I opted for a black kimono top over red leggings with my black boots. Too combat ninja? Last minute I added a red and black choker and pulled my hair up with chopsticks. They were the kind from Yumm Mee take-away, not the fancy kind you buy at the mall, but they would have to do. There. Eat your heart out Calvin Miller. Yup, there was something seriously wrong with me today.
I came downstairs as my mom was coming through the front door. My parents worked really long hours during the week so we didn’t usually have dinner together except on the weekends.
“Hi mom, I hope you don’t mind but I have dinner plans tonight. Calvin’s taking me to the Shalimar in Portsmouth,” I said hoping that dropping Calvin’s name would soften the fact I was going out on a school night. It seemed to do the trick.
“That’s great sweetie, you look amazing,” she said with an approving nod, “Cal’s a lucky boy.”
I thought about correcting her but was already running late and figured arguing over it being a non-date might cause her to make me stay home. I settled for blushing instead. That was something I was going to do either way.
Just then I heard Cal’s truck pull into the driveway. Hoping to leave before anymore awkwardness, I ran for the door. “Bye mom!” I said as I opened the door.
“Bye sweetie,” my mom answered before I closed the door, “Have fun!”
I was about to turn to walk down my front steps when I smelled wet dog. Calvin.
“You look amazing,” Calvin said as he walked beside me to the truck.
“Um, thanks. You too,” I stuttered as I he opened the passenger door for me. You smell like wet dog. I was starting to wonder if Calvin was taking in strays or working a side job at a pet grooming shop, but I didn’t ask. Maybe I don’t want to know.
“So the Shalimar?” he asked as we backed down my driveway.
His arm was over the back of the seat as he looked behind the truck and my heart started doing flip flops in my chest. Yuki, get a grip.
“Where else are we going to get Chanaa Masala?” I asked as an old argument began.
“Ew Yuki, why waste perfectly good Indian food on a chickpea dish?” Calvin replied, “Now I am going to order Lamb Jalfrazi.” He actually looked like he was drooling.
Must be the reflection from the street lights.
“Emma would pass out if she were here,” I tossed back at him.
“Emma isn’t here,” he said with a dangerous glint in his eye.
You got me there Calvin Miller.
“Plus, you said dinner was your treat so that means you are paying for a lamb to be slaughtered for my pleasure. That makes me some kind of god or something,” he gloated showing that toothy grin that I was starting to think had a somewhat predatory look to it.
I kind of liked it. Oh man. Why do I have to have a bad boy complex? And why was Calvin Miller suddenly triggering it? I shivered and tried to change the subject. You’re in over your head Yuki.
“So um, are we going to have to cross the bridge?” I asked lamely.
“No Yuki. I thought we’d swim,” Calvin replied doing that eyebrow thing of his. “Of course we have to drive over the bridge.”
“Oh,” I whispered suddenly wishing we had picked somewhere else to go for dinner. That’s me, tough combat ninja Yuki afraid of crossing over bridges. Someone once told me not to worry that I would outgrow my fear, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Calvin seemed to tense up all of a sudden and then relax, “You can close your eyes the whole time we’re on the bridge. I’ll let you know when we’ve gone over it.” He said it so softly and compassionately I was at
a loss for words.
“Thanks. It means a lot,” I hesitated for just a second and added, “Thanks Calvin.” I was suddenly awash in wet dog smell, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around myself while inching down in my seat. I had a bridge to cross.
Chapter 7
Day three of school and the air was saturated with the smell of vinegar. I think Jackson was getting frustrated. Could I blame him? I had been distracted last night by thoughts of Calvin when I got home and hadn’t gone online for any more research. Something was going on with Calvin, but I couldn’t quite figure out what had changed about him. It was like someone had abducted my annoying friend and replaced him with a darker more secretive version. He was still annoying though. Maybe when I start my research on Jackson Green’s family I should think about doing a covert search of Calvin’s house. I could suggest doing the research at his place. We were on good terms since I stuffed him with Indian food last night. That boy really likes his meat, I thought with a shudder. It was unnatural.
Maybe I’d grab him an extra burger at lunch time to soften him up. It’s not like I ever used my full lunch allowance on cafeteria food anyway. The only guaranteed vegetarian food was from the salad bar and I draw the line at getting my food from something that requires a sneeze guard. So gross. Emma says it’s a conspiracy against non-flesh eaters. I’m not so sure, but today it just meant that my meal ticket was going to help me enlist Calvin’s help after school. Sorry cow and other meat byproducts.
“Can you taste its fear?” Emma asked Calvin as he bit into his second burger. She was looking at him intently, probably revving up for one of her arguments against eating meat.
Calvin actually looked a little spooked by her question.
Could he taste its fear? I was glad to be eating fear-free celery sticks. “So Emma, you have a date for the dance?” I asked just to get her to change the subject. Was I actually trying to help Cal? Maybe.
