Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  When the deputy nodded, she grimaced. "Maybe you don't know if you've never seen him at his worst, but Todd's dad is a horrible drunk with a matching drunk driving record. He hit a woman years ago when driving home. Todd never could accept the fact that his dad had gotten off so lightly." Raising her voice slightly, she repeated, "Todd would never drink and drive. Never. There had to have been someone else in that vehicle with him. Maybe they survived the crash and ran off, afraid of what they'd done. I don't know exactly what happened, but I need to." She leaned forward. "Please, check it out further."

  With a heavy sigh, the deputy shuffled the papers in front of him, aimlessly. "I'll tell you what. We won't close the case until we have all the facts. Good enough?" At her bright smile, he held up a warning hand. "Don't get too excited. The men were pretty sure they knew how this accident had played out."

  Cassie's grin didn't dim one bit. "No, I understand. Thank you." She jumped to her feet and headed for the door. At the doorway, she turned back. "I don't suppose it's possible to search for the cell phone is it? Just in case he picked up a friend who needed a ride or called for help?" She leaned over and handed him a folded sheet of paper with the type of phone, color and the number. "Here is the description of his phone. I've tried calling and texting, but it never goes through. Oh, and he scratched his initials on the back, on the sliding keyboard piece."

  The deputy grinned. "Are you angling for a future in law enforcement, young lady?"

  "No, sir. Just doing for a friend who can't do for himself."

  Serious appreciation glinted in his eyes. "Lucky friend."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Cassie, can we see you for a few minutes, please," her mom called up to her.

  Cassie groaned and dropped her head to her keyboard. When would they leave her alone? "Just a minute." She saved her homework, closed the lid on her laptop and headed downstairs. Checking her watch, she realized how late it had gotten.

  Her parents sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table again. Her stomach sank. Now what? She studied their serious expressions. Would her life never get easier? "What's wrong?"

  Her father spoke up. "On my way home from work, I saw you coming out of the sheriff's office."

  Cassie stared up at the ceiling. Not good. She dropped her gaze to lock on his face and said, "And?"

  "I'd like to know what you were doing there."

  "Like to know or demanding to know?" She pulled out a chair and sat down. This might take awhile.

  Abby jumped in. "Cassie, this isn't an interrogation. Honey, we're concerned about you. You've had a difficult time lately. And going to the sheriff's office is unusual for you."

  "How do you know, Mom?" Cassie would have liked to ignore their glares, but found it beyond difficult. She always had. There was just something about that parental stare. "I wasn't trying to hide my visit there. I just didn't feel the need to tell you about it."

  "Why did you go?" Abby got up and walked over to sit down beside her husband, aligning herself against Cassie, as always.

  "I wanted answers about Todd's accident."

  "Damn it!" Her father glared at her. "Why would you want to go and do that?"

  Cassie's heart pounded. She rarely bucked her father. This time she had no choice. It was that important. Trying to keep her voice calm and steady, she said carefully, "Because I needed to."

  Her dad sat back open-mouthed. Abby reached over and held his hand.

  "Cassie, what information did you want?"

  "Confirmation that no one else could have been driving that vehicle." The words just burst out. "I knew Todd. I knew him better than probably anyone else, and there's one thing that I know for sure – he wouldn't have gone driving if he'd been drinking."

  Abby dropped her head. "Oh, honey. You're trying to prove he wasn't responsible. What difference will that make? He's still going to be gone. You have to accept that."

  "All the difference in the world to me. Don't you understand? I go to school and all I hear throughout the day is how Todd brought this on himself. How Todd met the end he deserved. It doesn't stop." Her tone rose. "Todd. Did. Not. Do. This."

  Slumped back into his chair, her dad stared at her wordlessly. Abby held her fist against her mouth.

  "What will it take for you to leave this alone, Cassie?"

  At the pain and caring in her mom's voice, Cassie's lower lip trembled.

  "The truth."

  ***

  Jessie kicked the rock all the way home, putting force behind the blows, enjoying the satisfaction of being able to hit something…hard. Tension lived with him these days. Nothing was the same anymore. He'd always been sure of what he wanted to do, knew where he wanted to go. That had changed. Everything felt messed up. His brother, he could have used more time with; and his father, well he could use a whole lot less of him. And his mom had grabbed the wrong idea there. She seemed to think he was missing a father's touch. That getting him and his dad together would save them both.

  How wrong could she be? Todd was proof of that.

  She was probably fearful that she might lose one of them or the other like she had Todd and she wanted them to have a relationship before it was too late. Like it now was with Todd.

  But just because he'd lost his brother didn't mean he wanted to create a relationship with his messed up father.

  His phone rang. Jessie checked the incoming text. Stephen and a couple of other friends wanted him to join them at the mall. He didn't feel like it. School was over for the day, and he felt lost. He wanted to know more about his brother. That meant talking to Cassie.

  The tension inside eased. He'd always liked her, really liked her, but she'd been Todd's friend, and that had meant she'd been off limits. Todd's death was too recent to feel any differently about that. Yet, she'd always had a smile for him. Even more when Todd had acted like an ass. She'd always stepped in to smooth out any conflicts, the first to make everyone feel welcome.

  It would be nice to talk to her.

  His phone beeped again. He checked and didn't recognize the number. "Hello."

  "Is this Jessie?"

  "Yes, who is this?"

  "Cassie. I grabbed your number off the phone when you called me."

  Sweet. "Smart," he said.

  "I stopped at the sheriff's office today and spoke to a deputy."

  "Really? What did he say?"

  Jessie listened in amazement as she explained what had gone down at the station. "Wow, I'm really surprised."

  "I know. So am I, actually. It's encouraging."

  "But he did say to not get excited about this," he warned. Jessie had to agree with that commonsense statement. To expect much out of this would be a mistake. He'd love to know that his brother hadn't done anything so stupid, but the odds were against confirming that.

  "I know. I'm just happy they're at least going to check it out. They need to find his cell phone."

  Jessie sat down on a bus stop bench. Cell phone? That's right. Todd was always on that thing. If the cops said he'd had an accident while texting, Jessie would have been convinced hands down.

  Drunk driving – not so much.

  "Jessie, are you there?"

  "Yes, sorry." He sighed. "I just realized how much I'd blindly accepted. It never occurred to me that the police might not have retrieved the cell phone or checked out any calls."

  "They haven't found it." Cassie's voice stopped and a weird sound carried through. "The deputy assumed the cell phone burned in the fire. He did say he'd consider the problem. See where Todd's phone might have ended up."

  "What are you doing right now?" Jessie watched the traffic go by, not paying attention to anything but Cassie. He wanted to spend more time with her.

  "I'm sipping coffee."

  "Coffee?" Jessie gagged. The one time he'd tried the stuff he'd choked on it.

  "Yeah, don't you drink it?" She giggled.

  Jessie stared down at the phone in his hand, charmed. "Not really. Haven't had any that was drin
kable."

  She laughed aloud. "It took me a couple of tries before I liked it."

  "Really?" Jessie didn't believe her, but he liked that she'd say so to make him more comfortable.

  "Yeah. Come and try the coffee at the Shake Shop."

  Jessie snorted. Several cars drove past, followed by a bus, which stopped beside him. "Doesn't sound like good advertisement for coffee." The bus stopped and let someone off. Jessie shook his head at the driver and waved him on. Cassie was still talking.

  "I know. Weird, isn't it? But they make a good brew."

  "Maybe I'll try it again one day."

  "Why not today? That's where I am now. If there's one thing Todd's death showed me it's that we take every day for granted - instead of making the most of our time. Come and join me. I'm sitting by the window." With that she clicked off.

  Jessie stared down at the phone; his pulse jumped for joy. Hell yeah, he'd try another cup of that poison if it meant hanging out with her. He stood up and headed off. In less than ten minutes, he'd be with Cassie. Of their own choice, his feet picked up the pace and raced down the street.

  ***

  Deputy Magnusson read through the file on his desk. That pretty young lady had seemed so adamant. He had daughters of his own, and when they believed something, they were fanatical about it. Cassie Merchant had been passionate. She also looked to be a might stressed. Right or wrong, she'd presented some good arguments. He'd already checked out the boy's father. Sure enough he had a long history of charges, including domestic violence, traffic violations, along with several DUIs, ending in his running down a sixty-year old woman.

  Cassie's facts were there, and her logic was sound. People growing up in that type of household often went to one extreme or the other. They'd either turn into alcoholics or never touch the stuff. According to Cassie, Todd fell into the latter group.

  What Cassie was forgetting was the mentality of an eighteen-year-old, teenage male. Something no one could predict.

  The cell phone was worth a second look. The airbag was something he wanted more information on, too. Had it inflated and deflated like it was supposed to? What about other mechanical problems? All in all, that young lady had brought up some valid points.

  Where was the vehicle now? It should have been towed to the lot, but he didn't have that paperwork in front of him.

  Why not?

  ***

  Cassie sat in the corner of the Shake Shop and wondered what she'd just done – and why. Jessie had been on her mind all day. Even now her insides quivered at the idea he'd be here in a few minutes.

  "Why the hell did you invite my brother here?"

  Cassie started, letting out a small shriek. Todd sat across from her in the booth. She spun around to see if the older couple sitting behind them were listening in. "You have to stop doing that!" she hissed.

  Todd glared. "What am I supposed to do, sing a song, tap you on the shoulder or something? Cripes, I'm darned happy to be able to even talk with you and you're nagging at me for the way I do it." He slouched in that way of his, and brooded.

  Cassie grinned. Todd had brooding down pat. He'd have made it big in Hollywood.

  He glanced at her, caught her grin and frowned. "What are you smirking about?"

  Her grin widened to an all out laugh. "You. The look on your face."

  Turning to stare out the window, his frown deepened. "What about my brother?" His glare should have seared the glass, and when he turned it on her, Cassie hurt.

  "Why are you upset with me?" she countered. "Your brother is helping me to figure out what happened to you. Why would that bother you?"

  Todd's mouth worked but no sounds came out. He slouched further. "I don't know," he muttered. "Because it's Jessie. Perfect Jessie who never did anything wrong. Who'd never do something so stupid as get himself killed."

  Cassie gasped. "Todd, you aren't stupid. You know it was an accident. You didn't do this on purpose."

  "So, why do I feel stupid?"

  She hated to see him hurting like this. "I don't know what happened or why. All I can do is try and find out for you."

  As she stared him his shape rippled, almost as if waves of red ran through him. She sat back, a little unnerved.

  "Cassie. I'm pissed," he said, his voice rising in crescendo. "As in deep, searing anger."

  Feeling conspicuous, Cassie surreptitiously glanced around the room. Did no one else hear him? Apparently not. Todd spoke again.

  "Can't you understand? I don't want to be dead. I want to be alive. I did not do this to myself. I feel cheated, damn it."

  Fury, pain and grief radiated out from Todd. Cassie's own heart hurt for his loss, and her own. His emotions had to be much more magnified. She didn't know what to say. Everything felt inadequate. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

  He studied her face. Cassie swore she saw a glimmer of moisture in his eyes as he started to fade.

  "Wait." She leaned forward. "Your funeral's on Friday."

  The shimmering fade slowed, hitched, then he blinked out altogether.

  Cassie lowered her head, blinking back tears.

  "Cassie?"

  She jerked up. "What?" And saw a face so like Todd's…with effort, she shifted gears.

  "Hi. Grab a seat." She managed a small smile for him. It wasn't hard. After his brother's volatile visit, nice uncomplicated Jessie was perfect – even if he did look too much like his brother for comfort.

  Jessie slid into the cracked vinyl bench across from her. He gave a searching glance around the empty room. "Nice décor. Not."

  The restaurant had that sixties retro thing going on. Cassie loved it. So had Todd.

  Bringing his gaze back to her, he said, "I hope I didn't interrupt something. I heard you talking to someone when I walked in."

  Heat rose on her cheeks. Of course he'd have heard her. "No problem. I'm done." Searching for a new topic before she started blabbing on about his brother's ghost, she nodded to the coffee cup in hand. "Is that coffee?"

  "What?" He looked down at his hand. "Oh yeah. I thought I'd try it black. The last one a friend fixed for me and it was loaded with sugar and cream."

  Cassie couldn't help but grin. "Bet it was a girl."

  A sheepish grin, so like Todd's slid out. "Yeah, it was. It was horrible. Like a hot milkshake without the ice cream." He gave a mock shudder.

  "Black might be too strong, though," Cassie warned.

  "I'll be fine." He stirred his cup, studying her face. "How are you doing? With Todd's death?"

  Was he serious? "I lost my best friend. I saw Todd almost every day and spoke or texted with him dozens of times in a day. I feel lost. How do you expect me to feel?" Despite her best intentions, Cassie's voice raised, attracting attention. She groaned and slunk down. "Now look what you made me do."

  Jessie just shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just…feel awkward about all this, I guess."

  Cassie closed her eyes. "No. It's not your fault. I'm so touchy these days. Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." She turned to stare aimlessly out the window. "In truth, sometimes it's fine and all I do is smile when I think of him. Other times I cry. And sometimes I get mad." She shrugged, still not looking at him. "No matter what anyone thought of him, nobody deserves to die at eighteen. His whole life was ahead of him."

  "That's what my mom keeps saying."

  "Speaking of your mom, why didn't she have more to do with Todd? He hated that. It bugged him constantly that she didn't love him."

  "What?" He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Of course, she loved him."

  "Well, that's not the way he saw it. As far as he knew, you were the chosen one and he lost out." Cassie stirred her cup, studying his face. His was open, mobile. Todd's had that cynical world-weary look. They were so much the same and so different. Like all siblings, she supposed. Not that she had any to compare.

  Jessie looked absolutely stunned. His mouth opened and closed several times. "Are you serious? Did he say that?"

 
"Yes. Several times. He was really jealous of you, you know."

  "Jealous. Why? He had the freedom to do whatever he wanted. He had Dad, I didn't. Not sure I wanted to, but I couldn't help thinking they were doing father and son things I didn't know about. My mom loves me and I love her, but that's not the same thing."

  Cassie considered the other half of the problem. "Why couldn't you guys share? I don't get it. There are two parents and two kids, why couldn't you spend time with both parents? You both needed a mom and a dad."

  Jessie stared around the almost empty restaurant. "Mom and dad fought a lot. Then dad started to really drink and she couldn't take it anymore. Before we knew it, the situation had become 'them against us.' It's not the way Todd and I wanted it, but we soon found ourselves on opposite sides of the fence. Not enemies exactly, but neither were we friends."

  "Sad."

  "Yeah, especially now that he's gone and there's no longer a chance to be anything more." He lifted his cup and took the first sip. And scrunched up his face.

  Cassie giggled. "It's not that bad."

  He tried a second sip and this time barely winced. He nodded bravely by the time he finished. "Not bad. I can see it's growing on me."

  "Good. So how do you feel about ghosts?"

  He raised his head and looked at her. "What?"

  "I asked how you felt about ghosts."

  With a half grin, he gave a half shrug. "Not having seen any, it's hard to know what to say."

  "Hmmm." Cassie wondered why Todd was only visible to her. Surely his family or other friends should be able to see him, too.

  "Is this an arbitrary question or does it have something to do with my brother's death?"

  Cassie grinned. "It's arbitrary. Tell me the details of the funeral."

  ***

  Adam Spence hated his life. He hated the booze bottle that sat permanently attached to his hand. And he really hated the popcorn ceiling that hovered over his living room. Remnants of the seventies' era when life had been simpler, happier. Somewhere, somehow he'd lost his place in the world. Now he was haunted by his actions and lack of actions. He wanted his son back and that couldn't happen – not any more.