A Ghostly Ride in Gulfport (Gulf Coast Paranormal Book 10)

by M. L. Bullock

  Brittany must not care too much about this note.

  It didn’t look like the note had been opened, and Brit didn’t bother to hide it from me…unlike her journals, which I read anyway. I flipped the note over.

  From Your Secret Admirer.

  Huh. That wasn’t cool.

  It was one of those cleverly folded messages; I’d gotten a few of them in my day but not since Kendra and I broke up. Good riddance. I frowned at seeing my sister’s name drawn on the outside with a heart. I shoved it in my pocket and finished my sandwich before getting ready to hit the gym. Baseball would be wrapping up soon, and it was exciting because my team was in the postseason. As a pitcher, I had to keep my arm ready. We only had two more games, if we were fortunate enough to win it all. Just two more and school would be over for me. Then what? I had no idea and Dad asked me every day. College? Maybe some factory work? Mom smiled and tried to appear supportive either way, but she wanted to know too. I didn’t know what to tell either of them.

  I wasn’t one of those guys who hated my hometown. I loved Gulfport, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Maybe join the police academy? I wasn’t sure. I’d only ever been good at one thing, high school, and that was coming to an end. Man, this whole line of thinking was depressing. I headed upstairs to grab my gear from my room. I closed the door behind me and opened the note with a grin. My cat-that-ate-the-canary smile quickly vanished when I read the first few lines.

  Brittany,

  I can’t stop thinking about your beautiful face and your totally hot body. I wish I could tell you how I feel face to face, but you’re just too much. You’re like an angel from heaven, Brittany. If I was sure you wouldn’t laugh in my face, I’d ask you to go out with me. What if we met at the end-of-year dance? You are so amazing, and I’m like totally crazy over you. Please say you’ll meet me? I’ll be waiting at seven o’clock by the water fountain on the concourse.

  Your Secret Admirer

  “Open the door, jerk face. I know you have my letter.” Busted. Well, I didn’t care, and I sure wasn’t letting her make an ass of herself. I hadn’t planned on going to the stupid dance, but if she even thought about hooking up with some “Secret Admirer,” I was going for sure. I opened the door but didn’t give her the note.

  “You can’t be for real, little sister. This is a joke. Someone is having you on, playing a joke on you.” I flung the open letter at her. I did feel kind of bad about invading her privacy, but what was done was done.

  “You’re such a jerk, Benjamin! Such a jerk! No wonder Kendra broke up with you.” She bared her braces at me, but I just laughed at her. If she thought that Kendra dig was going to hurt, she was totally off base. My ex-girlfriend made sure I wouldn’t miss her. I mean, I caught her kissing all over Patrick Hollinger. Complete turnoff. Nobody knew about all that, though, except Kendra and me. And, of course, Patrick. I didn’t mention it to Brittany. It wasn’t anyone’s business.

  “You’re not going to meet this weirdo, are you? I’m telling you, it’s a prank, Brittany Joann.”

  Suddenly she was in tears. “Are you trying to sound like Dad? Why would you say it’s a prank? Because you think nobody could love me? Whatever, Benjamin.” She slammed my own bedroom door in my face. She could do what she wanted; I wasn’t going to let her make a fool of herself. No doubt she planned to meet this kid at the dance. I’d be there too, waiting to keep this fresh kid in line.

  The rest of the day flew by. I worked up a sweat at the gym, rewarded myself with a hamburger from Jack in the Box, did some chores for the Old Man and got ready for the dance. As we came down the stairs, Mom began waving her Polaroid camera. “Look at these two, Mel. You both look wonderful. But if I’d known you wanted to go to the dance, Benny, I would have sprung for a tuxedo. Are you sure you aren’t underdressed in that suit? I mean, it’s good for church but not for a dance, is it?” Mom bit her lip, but I kissed her cheek to calm her nerves. She was socially awkward and always unsure of everything.

  It was a weakness that Brittany often took advantage of. I couldn’t count the times she said, “But Mom, everyone else is wearing Izod belts,” or “Everyone else is wearing Levi’s. I can’t wear these cheap knock-offs.”

  I swear the only reason Mom went back to work was to support Brittany’s never-ending shopping list.

  “He looks great, Gladys. Don’t fuss over him. Here, son. Take the Integra. You can’t very well drive your sister to the dance on the motorcycle. Be back in the house by midnight.” My parents were nice people. Boring but nice.

  “Thanks, Dad.” I could tell by Brittany’s face that she thought she should be driving the car.

  “Don’t pout, dear. You’ll smear your lip gloss. You only have a learner’s permit, not your license. One more picture.” Mom made us pose in front of the fireplace, and then we left. As soon as we got in the car, Brittany crossed her arms and refused to talk to me. At least for the first few blocks.

  “The only reason you came to this stupid dance is because you want to spy on me,” she said in her typical accusatory tone as she shot me a dirty look. If she wanted to get on my nerves, she was doing a good job. I was this close to telling her that she had on way too much eyeliner and her eyeshadow was too dark. But other than that, my little sister looked beautiful. Too bad she had such a crummy attitude.

  “Yep,” I said with a smile. “But you do look great, Brittany.”

  She relaxed her arms and touched her hair. “You really think so?”

  “Yeah, I do. Tell you what, if this guy isn’t a weirdo, I’ll leave him alone.”

  “But even if he is a weirdo, no jumping out and embarrassing me. I can get rid of him. I can handle myself, big brother. If he’s a nerd, I’ll let him down easy, okay? Please, Benjamin? Don’t embarrass me.”

  I didn’t remind her that she did that well enough on her own. That she sometimes had a big mouth and a bad attitude. Like tonight. I did what any good brother would. I agreed to her request and turned up the radio. Twisted Sister screamed, “We’re not gonna take it,” at us as we searched for a parking spot. The place was packed out.

  “Oh crap,” I heard Brittany say under her breath as we made the turn down another long row of cars. Kendra and Patrick were making out by Patrick’s truck; they only paused their pawing long enough to look in my direction, and then together they turned and walked toward the school holding hands. “That bitch! I’ll beat her ass, Benny! You get him.”

  “No, you won’t. There will be no ass-beating. I already knew about those two. Just leave it alone.”

  She frowned at me and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re just going to let them walk off like they haven’t done a thing wrong. You need to get a grip, Benny. You know what? Just go home, brother. You don’t have to hang out here. I’ll get Vanessa or somebody to bring me home,” she said as she squeezed my hand, her heavily made-up eyes full of concern.

  “No way. I don’t care what those two do. I’m over her,” I lied with a smile. “Besides, I’m moving on too. I think I might ask Stephanie out.”

  She didn’t approve of my choice but didn’t argue with me either. “I guess you could do worse. Let’s go inside, then. It’s almost seven o’clock, Benjamin. Word of honor, though, no embarrassing me. Last chance to change your mind and go home.”

  “I’m not going home, sis. Scout’s honor, I won’t embarrass you,” I said as I got out of the car.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  We walked into the school, and I was immediately blown away. Was everyone here? I did kind of feel underdressed now, but I wasn’t the only one sporting a regular suit. I greeted a few friends and tried to keep an eye on Brittany…unsuccessfully. By the time my friends got done razzing me about my bright blue shirt, Brittany was at the back of the auditorium and heading out to the concourse. I was just about to catch up with her when Kendra intercepted me.

  “You just don’t care at all, do you?”

  I looked down at her pinched face. Kendra
had thick dark eyebrows and wavy long dark hair. When I first fell for her, I thought she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. But after getting to know the real her, I didn’t think she was that hot after all. And she sure as hell wasn’t hot enough for me to want to kiss her after she slobbered all over Patrick.

  “I care that you’re in my way. Move, please.” I glanced over her shoulder and saw Brittany leaving like her skirts were on fire.

  Kendra grabbed my hand and teared up, which was always pretty easy for her. “It’s like you never cared at all, Ben.”

  “Hey, Benjamin. Want to dance?” Stephanie pushed her way in front of Kendra, and I had never been happier to see her.

  “Love to.” I put my arms around her waist as the music changed to a slower tempo. Who was this? Kenny Loggins? Richard Marx? I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t really into slow-dancing, but anything to get away from my crazy ex-girlfriend. After Kendra stormed off, I whispered to Stephanie, “I’ve got to check on Brittany, but I’ll be right back. Save me a dance?”

  She looked disappointed but kissed my cheek. That was kind of a forward move but not an unwelcome one. “You’ve got it. But hurry up.”

  “I’ll be back in a jiff.”

  I walked out of the auditorium.

  Chapter Four—Cassidy

  It was kind of weird seeing Pete’s chair empty, but it was completely understandable. I wasn’t sure if he actually intended on leaving us behind during the Crenshaw Road investigation, but it sure looked like it. Midas said Pete didn’t put up a fuss or anything when he gave him the news, so I guess it was all good. We had a solid team of investigators ready to go on this case. Joshua and Sierra were back in action, so I liked our chances. I held their precious little Emily while Sierra arranged the conference table.

  Sierra grinned at me as if to say, “See? I told you that you’d get baby fever.”

  “No,” I mouthed back as Jocelyn and Aaron came in together. Jocelyn appeared noticeably happier than she had yesterday, which was good. The doorbell chimed again, and Bruce walked in and shook Midas’ hand. I was glad to see him plop down in Pete’s chair. Why was Pete’s absence bothering me so much? Emily began to fuss, but I quickly found her pacifier and popped it back into her mouth. Joshua plugged in a few cords and announced that we were ready to go.

  “Hey, everyone. I trust you all read your email or else you wouldn’t be here. We’ve got an interesting case in Gulfport. It’s the Gulf-A-Rama Amusement Park; Trenton Gaines is the owner. It’s been closed since 2005, but there has been an uptick in possible paranormal activity.” Midas nodded at Sierra, who flipped off the lights. I stared at the big monitor as I held the baby, studying the pictures from our recent visit.

  “Sierra, would you read the list of sightings?”

  “Sure, I was just reading over it. I got a little busy with the baby today. Looks like we’ve got a variety of activity. Red orbs, multicolored ones too, huh? That’s unusual. We usually see green, blue or white. Also, people claim to see an apparition of a little girl in prairie clothing around the grounds. There are claims that the lights and music will play at random, and…is this correct? There’s no power to the place?”

  “That’s right. Trenton showed us the breaker box. There’s nothing in there,” I said, remembering that spider-infested house of horrors.

  “Yep,” Midas echoed. “No power at all.”

  Sierra continued reading. “There are also lots of reports of growls at the carousel, which has been listed on the Hauntings website for years. Those guys are pretty good at keeping up with local reports. I don’t know who all remembers the case, but that is where Benjamin Pettis’ body was found back in 1987. It is still an open case.”

  I went cold just hearing the name. I could still smell his cologne, an older brand. Brut, maybe?

  Bruce added, “That was a terrible mess. I knew the Pettis family. Benjamin was a good kid, a senior in high school. He had a bright future. I think losing him wrecked that family. Mel and Gladys divorced, and his sister, Brittany, she lost her mind. Got involved in the whole drug scene pretty heavily.”

  “I had no idea that you knew them personally, Bruce,” Midas said with some concern in his voice. “Now that you know that this case concerns a friend, are you still on board? We’d understand if you couldn’t do it.”

  Bruce removed his baseball cap and rubbed his balding head. “No, I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been to Gulfport in years. Interested to see if he’s actually at the park.”

  Emily began to complain loudly, and Sierra rushed over to take her back. “I think she’s hungry. Want to feed her?”

  I sheepishly shook my head. “I think I should work my way up to that. Here you go, Mommy.”

  “Actually, give her here, Sierra. I haven’t held her all day.” Joshua shoved the computer to the side and gave his daughter a raspberry. It didn’t make things better until he gave her the bottle Sierra handed him. Man, how could one small being make such a large racket? Good thing she was cute.

  Sierra continued, “There are a few reports of an entity in the funhouse. People report the feeling of being watched, nausea, dizziness.”

  Joshua said, “That’s not unusual if there is high EMF…but since there is no power out there, what could cause that? I call dibs on the funhouse.”

  Sierra snorted and said, “Yeah, well, you’re going solo. This thing likes to show up in mirrors, and many people say it appears as a clown or has a clownish silhouette. Clowns? You never said anything about clowns, Midas.” She gave him a dirty look over the top of the laptop. “I didn’t see that in the reports. Did you add that?”

  Midas grinned and said, “Yeah, I did. Trenton shared that with us at the interview, and I put it in the report this morning. Just something to be aware of. What are the chances of an actual clown entity haunting the funhouse?” Everyone on the team just stared at him.

  “Okay, okay. But that wasn’t on the Hauntings website, just the rumor mill. It’s probably just someone’s imagination running wild. Anyway, be on the alert if you’re in there. Here’s what you should know…” Midas filled everyone in on the recent incidents including the latest with the security guard.

  Bruce tapped his pen thoughtfully on the table. “I think I could arrange a meeting with Brittany if you want to talk to her, Midas.”

  “I don’t want to upset her. She might not like the idea of someone investigating the park.”

  Bruce scribbled on the paper as if he were making a note for himself. “No, I think she’d be open to it. She turned into a real wild child after Benny’s death. I actually don’t know if she’s down here or even alive, I’m ashamed to say. This will give me a reason to reconnect with her. I think I have her mother’s number in my phone. I’ll go call her.”

  Midas agreed, and then we went over the layout for the investigation. We were going to be limited on the hardwired cameras, but we’d have lots of handhelds. Joshua didn’t seem too stressed out about it, but then again, he wasn’t as uptight as Pete was about those things. “I’ll make it work, if you can help me check batteries, Aaron and Jocelyn. Sierra, she’s out.” He handed his wife the baby and headed to the equipment room. Midas and Sierra began sketching out a plan of attack. I left them all to hammer out the rest of the details. I wasn’t proficient with any of the technical stuff, but I did have one tool in my tool belt. My drawings. And right now, I needed to get back to my studio.

  “I’ll check in later. I’ve got to get home.” Both Sierra and Midas said their goodbyes and didn’t pester me about why. They knew why.

  I had to go home. Benjamin Pettis was waiting for me.

  Chapter Five—Midas

  “Thanks for connecting me with Brittany, Bruce. It’s really great of her to agree to this. This must be hard on her, returning to the place where her brother died,” I said as I pulled the vehicle into the parking lot of the deserted amusement park. It was later in the afternoon than when I visited the Gulf-A-Rama with Cassidy. The sun hung lo
w in the sky like a fiery ball, and we were experiencing a cool snap. I could get used to the cooler weather. I had the keys to the place now, so there was no need for Trenton Gaines to come. This meeting was going to be just Bruce and Brittany Pettis and me. Or so I thought. Brittany was here already, if that was her, and she wasn’t alone.

  “Oh dear, she doesn’t look well,” Bruce said in a concerned voice. “I thought maybe she would have gotten it together by now, but I guess not. I hope I didn’t do wrong by setting this up.”

  “Whatever the outcome, it will be fine, Bruce. Thanks for doing this.” I pulled the SUV up next to her car and rolled down the window. There was a guy hanging out by the car, and a woman sitting inside of it gave us a half-smile. She had a black eye, which immediately made my blood boil. At least it looked like a black eye; she had a gaunt, hungry expression, the kind you see on people who used methamphetamines regularly. Bruce was right—this might be a bad situation if we weren’t careful.

  “Brittany Pettis?”

  She frowned as she got out of the car. “Yeah. Are you Midas Demo…however you say it?”

  “I’m Midas Demopolis, and I think you know Bruce.”

  She leaned forward and smiled, showing broken teeth. She seemed genuinely happy to see him. “Bruce? I can’t believe it’s you. Man, you got so old-looking, but it’s you. I’d recognize those eyebrows anywhere. How long has it been?” she asked as she tugged at a strand of dirty hair. Was she flirting with him?

  “It’s been a long time. Thanks for coming today.”

  The guy who’d been smoking by the car walked over. He didn’t bother extinguishing his cigarette, and some of the smoke drifted in through my open window. Not cool, dude. He wasn’t winning any points with me, that was for sure. I was suddenly glad that Cassidy hadn’t come along.