Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  And he wanted his ex-wife to shut up.

  She called all the time. What's with all the questions about Todd's casket or the dress code for the funeral and what flowers to have there? Like he cared. Or that Todd cared.

  Then she'd asked him to quit drinking again so he could spend fatherly time with Jessie. Said he was struggling with his brother's loss and needed him. And time was too short.

  The leather couch crackled under his weight as he shifted and reached for the bottle of gin. The whiskey was long gone. He took a heavy gulp, letting the firewater slide down his raw throat. There shouldn't be any membranes left to hurt, but somehow there were.

  Spend quality time, she'd said. Help Jessie to grow up and be a man. Like who was she fooling? Look what had happened to Todd. Guilt speared through him. He'd been a horrible father.

  If she only knew.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Yesterday Cassie had forgotten to ask Jessie to check his dad's house for Todd's cell phone. Cassie had called the number several times, but the calls went to voicemail immediately. She didn't know what that meant. She hadn't been able to let go of the possibility that Todd might not have had it on him when he'd crashed.

  Cassie left for school a little earlier than usual. She appreciated the sunlight and warmth. It felt like days since she'd enjoyed a morning like this. On the way, she texted Jessie, asking him to follow up on possible locations for the missing phone.

  As soon as she sent it, guilt poked her. Her coffee with Jessie had shifted something between them – brought them closer together. Only now that she'd had a chance to connect on a deeper level, he no longer seemed like Todd's brother – just a terrific guy in his own right.

  Even though Jessie was helping her get answers, she felt disloyal to Todd each time she found him attractive. Only Todd wasn't here and Jessie was. And she'd always had a crush on him.

  Penny had called last night, squealing when Cassie told her about the meeting. Then she'd gone quiet, asking if Cassie was trying to replace Todd, and wouldn't it be better to find someone else? Because Jessie shouldn't be looked at as a stand-in for Todd.

  Cassie hadn't thought about it that way. Why would she? Todd was still here with her, and now she was becoming friends with his brother. A brother she'd wanted to spend a lot of time with before – and hadn't been able to. Sounded good to her.

  As she walked the many blocks to school, she considered the couple of hours of research on the after-world that she'd managed to squeeze in between her Math and English homework last night. Her mom had come in, seen the monitor, compressed her lips and had left quickly. Cassie had been afraid that her father would bolt up the stairs to haul her computer away after that.

  It wasn't like she was becoming obsessed or like a Goth or Emo type of person. They had several of those at school. Todd had been friendly with a bunch of them. That had been Todd, an all-around friendly guy. And he'd so liked the girls. And the girls had so liked him.

  Cassie wondered what Todd's future would have been like if he hadn't died. He'd have graduated in less than two months, and then what? Todd never did answer her question about whether he'd applied to college or not. He'd just laughed and said he had loads of time.

  How wrong could one be?

  And what did she want to do herself? She couldn't help wonder about her own future. Become a veterinarian? Go into biological, or even environmental science?

  It seemed too far away for her to care and yet, for Todd, the end had come so early – at least the end of one kind of existence.

  According to her research, there've been thousands of ghost sightings, with the ghosts usually hanging around because of unfinished business. In Todd's case, she assumed the unanswered questions regarding his death kept him here. And when he found his answers, he'd leave.

  Her heart constricted, and for a second she struggled for breath. If just the thought of his leaving hurt her like that, how was she going to handle it when that time actually came? She knew the only reason she was 'handling' his death was because to her he wasn't really gone. But when he truly was…

  Determined to throw off that depressing line of thought, Cassie stopped to admire a beautiful garden where thousands of white flowers cascaded over a stone wall. Stunning. This life had so much beauty, so much to offer; she understood someone wanting to stay after their death. If they had a choice.

  Earthbound is the explanation she'd found in her research. Immediately her mind conjured up images of Todd wrapped like a mummy in white bandages and caught on a bush in the forest. So not the image Heartthrob Todd would want to be remembered by.

  "Well, well, if it isn't little Miss Perfect."

  Cassie rolled her eyes as four of Todd's friends caught up to her. She walked faster. She had only a block to go to meet her friends. These druggies weren't her friends. They were heavy drinkers and hung around the back of the school and did drugs during the day, their lives already set on a destructive path.

  "What's the matter, Little Prissy? Too good for us now that Todd's not here? Or just scared because he's not here to protect you?"

  Protect? Had Todd kept these lowlifes away from her? If he had, she owed him more than she'd known. "I don't need protection. You guys will just crawl back under your rocks soon anyway. After all, it's daylight and that's sleepy time for the creepy crawlers."

  "Hey, what did she just say to us?"

  Cassie grinned. Aric was big and burly but didn't know what end was up on any given day. Definitely a dunce – a relatively harmless one. "I said I'll see you at Todd's funeral. I'm sure that as his friends you'll all show up and pay your respects." She dashed up the front steps of the school, relieved to see Penny and Suzie waiting in front of the double doors, their smiles a bright beacon. Linking arms, she tugged both girls through the doors. "Are they still following me?"

  "No, they never came up the stairs. Were they hassling you?"

  "Yeah, something about Todd not being here to protect me."

  Penny turned to look behind them, searching for the teens. "They're gone."

  "Figures."

  "What did they want?"

  "I don't know."

  But it did make her wonder. Had one of them been with Todd when he died? If they'd called Todd for a ride that night, he'd have gone to pick them up. He'd done that so many times before.

  "It might explain their comments this morning," she muttered under her breath. She'd have to mention that to the deputy when they met again this afternoon. Then she remembered her parents. They didn't want her to talk about Todd's death. And wouldn't appreciate her taking a second trip to the sheriff's office. She pondered the issue throughout the afternoon. She could hardly rope Jessie into doing this too.

  Still, someone had been in that vehicle with Todd. It was the only viable explanation, at least for her. But how to find out?

  All around her, students worked quietly on their assignments. She studied their bent heads. What about Todd's online presence? Was anyone looking after that? Her cell phone plan was only basic and had no Internet. Much to her disgust.

  At the sound of the school bell, Cassie raced home, saying a quick, 'hi,' to her mom before taking the stairs two at a time and opening her laptop. Booting up the laptop, she quickly accessed her account. Geesh. She'd posted about having a personal loss and that she'd be offline for a couple of days. She hadn't thought to check Todd's pages.

  There. Someone had created a memorial page. She frowned, feeling both guilty and pissed. She was Todd's best friend. She should have done this for him.

  She read the wall and the multitude of comments. Though most were friendly, some were not. She tried to ignore those, although some were particularly difficult to read. Trying to hold the anger back she scrolled down the many entries. Opening another window she ran through the Twitter feeds…same old, same old.

  What if she posted something to stir things up? Something about hoping that the people riding in the vehicle with Todd on the night he was killed would
turn themselves in. Or would that get her in more trouble?

  It was her call, yet she didn't want to do something stupid. So no then. Chewing on her bottom lip, she went to the school website and checked if they'd posted a notice. There was a small corner article dedicated to Todd's memory, mentioning the time and location of the funeral. A note stated grief counselors were available to speak with any student who needed to talk. Cassie slumped back, rubbing her hands over her eyes. Should she talk to someone? Doubt worried away at her.

  Was she losing it? Was she imagining Todd's ghost? She had to wonder. No one else could see him. Maybe only people who cared could see him, but then what about Todd's mother? She loved him. Only Todd hadn't believed that. So maybe he could only be seen by people he felt loved him. That probably limited the list to her.

  How sad.

  If Cassie died, who could she visit? Her mom and dad? Maybe. Possibly Penny and Suzie. Grams and Todd, if they'd been alive. Her eyes narrowed. Maybe there were only a few special people for everyone.

  Cassie stood up, unable to drop the idea of posting something on Facebook. Would they have to know the post was from her? Could she create a different account and post that way? Could she post anonymously? Or did that not work?

  She couldn't check Todd's email. He'd never given her his password. She hadn't really wanted it. He had a lot of correspondence with his girlfriends that she so didn't want to see. Yuck.

  What about Todd's laptop? Where was it now and had anyone checked it over for clues?

  And who had created the memorial page?

  ***

  Todd leaned against the pantry door in his mom's kitchen. How many times had he visited here since his parents divorced? Six, seven times. Maybe more at the beginning. In the last two years maybe once. By then he'd felt like an outsider.

  Right now she was at the stove cooking. Todd sniffed the air, before remembering that he had no sense of smell. He paused. Was that garlic? He frowned. There was a faint smell. Spaghetti? Sights were brighter on this side. Then there were times where everything was flat, one dimensional. He didn't know what made it one way or the other. He'd seen other people like him wandering around, but he couldn't communicate with them.

  It was horribly confusing…and lonely. Thank heavens for Cassie. She was the only one he missed. The only person he'd cared about. Sure, he had girlfriends. They were girls for fun not for friendship. Cassie was different. He'd never kissed her – well, not a real kiss. He'd dropped kisses on her cheeks, maybe even on her lips, except they weren't those kinds of kisses. He wanted her to be happy. But he'd rather it be with him and not his brother.

  Just then, Jessie walked into the room, texting someone. Todd walked up behind him trying to see who he was messaging. Cassie.

  He twisted his head, trying to read the message and missed it.

  "Jessie, set the table, please."

  "Sure, Mom." Todd followed every footstep his brother took. He actually tried to breathe down his brother's neck, hoping for some acknowledgment that of his presence. Nothing.

  Todd felt like he was in a horror flick. Waiting for the killer to jump out from behind the cupboard. A killer only he could see.

  He hated this. He'd chosen not to interact with these people when he'd been alive. He'd figured it didn't matter. They didn't matter.

  He'd been wrong.

  "Jessie, no cell phones at the table."

  Jessie grimaced, checked the message and shoved it away again. "Sorry." He polished off the spaghetti on his plate, then carried it over to the sink and washed his dishes. "I'm off to do my homework." Taking the stairs two at a time, he raced to his room.

  Todd followed. Jessie had been a little too fast on that exit. In his room, Jessie pulled out his phone and made a call. "Cassie, yeah. I know. I searched. There's no sign of it. I asked my mom if the cell phone was in Todd's personal effects, she said she didn't know."

  Todd jumped closer to hear Cassie's answers. He couldn't.

  "I don't know that she's even looked. She's been to the sheriff's office and to the funeral home. We have to go back on Friday, with the clothes he's to wear for the burial. It's possible my dad has the stuff, however there's also no guarantee that he's looked either. Or that there was a cell phone in with the rest. Whatever the rest is."

  "I know there should be his wallet and that necklace you gave him for his birthday." Jessie nodded. "Yeah, I'll try Dad's place next."

  Stepping back, Todd stumbled around the room, slightly disoriented. Jessie was helping Cassie? Really? To find out what had happened to him?

  He hadn't seen that one coming. Sure, Cassie had mentioned it, only he hadn't believed Jessie would. The concept rolled around his head. Nothing bad or good came to mind. He didn't know how he felt about it. If he were still alive, it would piss him off to see them together, but now, well, maybe that would be good for both of them.

  He sighed. Being dead was very confusing.

  ***

  Cassie put the phone down. Who took home the personal effects in a case like this? The mom or the dad? Did the dad have actual custody of Todd, if so he'd be the one to get them, wouldn't he? If they shared custody and the mom was making the funeral arrangements, she'd be the one most likely to take them. Cassie needed to find out what happened to the cell phone. It might be nothing or it could provide all the answers.

  Should she contact the deputy and ask him? She opened up a web page and searched for the contact information. There. St. Paul's County Sherriff's Office. There were phone numbers and a map. No email addresses. Well, there was, but only for the main office reception. She checked the directory. Bingo. The deputy's email address was there.

  She opened her email account, then jotted down a draft email, trying to list the questions that sat uppermost on her mind. The cell phone was the biggest issue. Plus she wanted to know if the deputy had found any new information. Not that he'd tell her what it was. Still, she mentioned the people Todd had been with that last night, just on the off chance he hadn't already followed up.

  She sat back and reread what she'd written. She chewed uncertainly on the inside of her lips. Should she mention Todd's friends who'd accosted her on the way to school? Could Todd have been partying with any of those kids?

  She finished with a quick apology for taking up so much time and that she just really needed to know that everything possible had been done to find the truth. She hit send then sat back and said, to the empty room, "There's really not much more I can do."

  "And that's already plenty. Thank you."

  "Todd," she spun around with a happy grin on her face. "Wow. It's good to see you. I never know if or when you're going to show again. Each visit is a gift, as it could be the last time."

  He grinned. "Yeah, for me, too."

  She laughed, shaking her head. "You're such an idiot."

  "What?" he protested. "You know I love being able to spend time with you like this."

  "What's it like?" She tilted her head. "Do you get tired? Sleep? Do you eat? Or do you want to eat?" She studied his face. "Do you get cold?"

  "Whoa." Laughing, Todd strode over to her bed and sat down comfortably against the pillows. Except there was no indentation where he lay.

  Cassie shook her head. This stuff was pretty wild. "So…answer."

  Holding up one hand, Todd laughed as he counted the questions off. "No, I don't get cold. No, I haven't found myself tired yet. I'd love to eat, but don't think I can as I can't pick up anything to begin with. However, I'm never hungry, so it doesn't matter."

  Cassie thought about his answers. "How are you doing inside? Still angry or starting to get over it?"

  "Not even beginning to get over it. I don't want to be dead, Cassie. As much as I hated school, I'd give anything to be able to go there again."

  His lopsided grin was tinged with sadness. "Too bad kids can't spend a day playing 'dead' to learn to appreciate what they have."

  Sobering thought. Cassie asked curiously, "What would you
change? You know, if you could come back?"

  "I'd definitely want to get to know my mom and my brother better. Drop the multitude of girlfriends and buddies and work to find more true friends." He stared up at the ceiling. "Regrets are the worst. People I didn't appreciate, like Mom. Things I wish I'd done more of, like riding my motorcycle, fishing, snowboarding. And spending time with people I care about – like you."

  Tears threatened to fall. Cassie brushed them away and sniffled. "We have this time now."

  "Right." He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and asked. "What have you found out?"

  She brought him up to date. "Finding the cell phone would be a huge plus. With it I could figure out if someone called and asked for a ride home that night. Or maybe someone sent you on an errand after you dropped the others off."

  He frowned down at his clasped hands. "I can't remember the last time I used it. I remember taking Ivan to his house and then turning toward home." He shook his head. "The rest is still a blank."

  "I wonder if those memories are accessible."

  Todd looked at her in horror. "There's no way I'm going to let you play around inside my mind, so forget that idea."

  Cassie couldn't resist a bit of dark humor. "Why not? What's the worst thing that could happen? You're already dead!"

  His grin was pure devil. "But you're not – yet!"

  She laughed.

  "Cassie?"

  Her door pushed open. Her mother stood the doorway, one hand on the door knob. "Who are you talking to, honey?"

  Cassie groaned silently. Quick. What could she say to her mom? "Hi, Mom, did you want something?" Cassie cast a quick glance over at the bed. As she'd suspected Todd had stretched back out on the coverlet with a big grin on his face.

  Her mom frowned, her eyes darting around the room before returning to Cassie's face; a confused frown furrowed her forehead.