by Rose Pressey
As I neared my front door, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. It seemed like a shadow. Kind of like the one I’d seen in the house I’d just left. But, that had been Roger and he was with me now. I glanced to my left to make sure he was still there. Of course he wasn’t going anywhere as long as Marilyn was still here. Could it have been another spirit? If so, then where had the spirit come from?
“Did you see that?” Marilyn asked and pointed.
“You saw it?” I asked.
She peered at me with her long-lashed blue eyes. “Yes, but it moved so quickly I thought maybe I’d imagined it.”
I shook my head. “No, it was real.”
I’d seen them too many times now to think they were just a figment of my imagination.
“Did you see it, Roger?” I asked.
He was staring at Marilyn. “Did I see what?”
“Never mind,” I said.
That was when I spotted it on my left this time. A familiar burning sensation ran through me, signaling that this spirit probably wasn’t friendly. It felt like the rush when you ate ice cream too fast, only this was throughout my body. Thank goodness it only last a second.
I stopped. “There it was again.”
The thing was moving so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to get a good look at it. I glanced behind me, but didn’t see movement. It was almost as if this thing was toying with me.
I eyed Roger suspiciously.
“What?” he asked defensively.
“Are you playing games with me again?” I asked.
He threw his hands up. “Why do you always think it’s me? Why does it automatically have to be me messing with you?”
As a woman walked by, I peered down at my white tennis shoes so it wouldn’t seem as if I was talking to myself. “Calm down. You were the one playing a hide and seek game with me this morning, so can you blame me for being suspicious?”
He furrowed his brow. “Whatever.”
I hoped to have children someday, but now I was rethinking that based on what I’d go through with the teenage years. The shadow didn’t pop out again, so I opened the shop door and headed inside.
Whatever was out there, I hoped it would go away. Maybe it was a spirit simply passing through. That happened sometimes. The rich smell of books whirled through the air, hugging me when I moved through the shop. It always made me feel at home when I was here. I was most comfortable surrounded by the books. They were like old friends and family. I knew I was always safe when I was around them. A cozy fireplace was on one side of the store with leather chairs placed in front to relax and read. The checkout was on the opposite side.
“So many books,” Marilyn said as she glanced around the store. My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“Really? Harper Lee has a second book now. It was just released,” I said.
Roger cut off my conversation when he asked, “What are we going to do here?”
“We’re going to work,” I said, moving behind the counter to turn on my computer.
“Why do we have to do that?” he asked with an annoying whiny voice.
I flashed him a forced smile. “Because I have bills to pay and I like to eat occasionally.”
He rolled his eyes again. I should have told him if he did that too often his eyes would freeze like that.
“Do you have the new book?” Marilyn asked in a sweet voice.
I moved over to the display and grabbed the hardback. “Here it is.”
Her eyes widened. “I would love to read it, but since I can’t hold the pages it would be kind of hard.”
Roger leaned against the counter. “You should read it to her.”
Marilyn fixed her gaze on me and smiled. “That would be nice.”
How could I say no to that? “I suppose I could do that.”
Since there were no customers at the moment, I opened the cover and started reading from the first chapter. Roger yawned as if he was bored, but Marilyn remained transfixed on my every word. However, much to Marilyn’s disappointment, a customer came in and interrupted our reading time. After the woman paid for her purchase and left the shop, I sat back down on my stool behind the counter.
Before I had a chance to pick up on the page I left off, Marilyn asked, “Who was that?”
“Who are you talking about?” I asked.
She pointed toward the front of the store. “There was a man staring in the window just now.”
I frowned. “I didn’t see anyone, but maybe it was a customer wondering if we are open yet.”
She shook her head. “That wasn’t a customer.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
She released a deep breath. “He was a spirit. I could see right through him.”
I moved from behind the counter and toward the front window. This was starting off to be a strange morning and I hoped it settled down soon. Once I reached the window, I pressed my face close and peered outside. I glanced to the left and then to the right, but didn’t see anything.
“What did he look like?” I asked.
Marilyn’s expression turned serious as her sculpted eyebrows furrowed. “He had on a dark suit and he appeared mean.”
I turned from the window. “That didn’t sound good. Roger, were you the shadow at the house this morning? When you were playing hide-n-seek?”
“Stop saying that. I wasn’t playing hide-n-seek. You make me sound like a two-year-old.” Roger scowled.
“Well… if the shoe fits,” I said with the wave of my hand.
He glared at me again. “I’ve never been a shadow. I don’t know how to do it.”
I’d been afraid he would say that. Now I knew I was dealing with something far more serious. I’d been suspicious of the shadow. Even though Roger liked to play games, I believed him when he said it wasn’t him. Now, I thought I might be dealing with another spirit… one more sinister. That was the last thing I needed right now. As soon as I moved away from the window, the bell above the door jingled. I whipped around and stuck my hands out in a defensive stance.
Callahan held his hands up. “Whoa. That’s a heck of a way to greet customers. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
I inhaled and tried to relax. At least Callahan was fully aware that I saw and talked with ghosts. I could be honest with him about what I’d seen.
Chapter 4
Callahan was as handsome as ever with his short dark hair and big blue eyes. His full lips easily slid into a smile. He wore dark jeans and a blue button down shirt. He was much taller than me, but that wasn’t tough with my five foot one frame. His muscles filled out his clothing in all the right places. His sexy voice made my body tingle. I could go on and on about Callahan’s qualities.
“Who is this dude?” Roger gestured toward Callahan. “I don’t think I like him.”
Roger was just worried Callahan might try to move in on his girl, Marilyn. Of course, Marilyn would have something to say about that.
Callahan leaned over and pressed his warm lips against mine.
“Isn’t that sweet,” Marilyn said.
“Disgusting,” Roger said.
Callahan stepped back and gazed into my eyes. “How are you?”
I pushed the hair away from my face. “It’s been a long morning.”
“Tell me about it. What happened?” Callahan asked.
“You know I went by that house to investigate, right?” I straightened a book on the nearby shelf.
Callahan shifted his eyes around the room. “Did you bring a ghost back with you?”
I nodded. “You guessed it.”
Callahan glanced over his shoulder. “Who is it?”
Roger was behind him making mocking gestures.
“A teenager named Roger and he is a pain.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment,” Roger said sarcastically.
“That’s not all,” I added.
Callahan’s eyes widened. “There’s more?”
I nodded. “I a
lso picked up the ghost of Marilyn Monroe.”
Callahan stared at me and then laughed. “Are you joking?”
I placed my hands on my hips. There was no need to answer. He would be able to tell by the look in my eyes.
“You’re not kidding?” Callahan asked.
“No, she’s right here.” I pointed to where she stood.
Callahan looked of course. “Wow, how did that happen? What has she said?”
“She’s kind of quiet. It’s funny, but I met her at Mindy’s house. Mindy’s father collects memorabilia and she was attached to earrings he recently bought.”
Callahan ran his hand through his thick hair.
“I know it’s crazy,” I said.
“Coming from anyone else, I would say it’s outlandish, but…” Callahan said.
“Not from me.” I laughed.
“So, your boyfriend thinks you’re nutso.” Roger chuckled. “How sweet.”
“He doesn’t think I’m crazy, Roger.”
Callahan shook his head. “You do lead an exciting life.”
I suppose that was one way to look at it. If there was a revolving door of ghosts, then my life was the lobby.
“What are you going to do with them?” Callahan asked.
“She’s going to keep us, what else?” Marilyn offered.
That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.
“I guess I need to find out why they’re here,” I said.
“That doesn’t seem like it will be possible,” Marilyn offered.
I wasn’t sure why she thought that, but I’d have to ask more about her comment later.
Callahan touched my arm. “Is something else wrong?”
He must have sensed my tension. As if having two ghosts, one who was an icon, wasn’t enough, there was the other shadow I’d seen. Something definitely felt off about it.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We saw a dark shadow as we were coming inside and then Marilyn saw a spirit of a man peeking in the front window.”
“He was probably star-struck.” Callahan laughed. When I didn’t laugh back, he cleared his throat, straightened, and said, “Sorry, I know this is serious. Do you have any idea who it is?”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “No idea. I just got a bad vibe from him.”
“Him?” Callahan quirked and eyebrow.
“Yes, Marilyn said she saw the man and he was definitely a spirit since she could see right through him.” I rushed my words. I knew I was stressed because I started talking fast when anxiety kicked in.
Callahan reached out and took my hand in his. For such a short time together, we had been through a lot and he had been so understanding about all of it.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
I smiled. “No, I’m sure everything will be fine. My mind is just working overtime right now.”
“How about we go out tonight to take your mind off it?” he touched my chin with his index finger.
“I love dates. Where are we going?” Marilyn asked.
I frowned at her and then asked Callahan, “What do you have in mind?”
He flashed his gorgeous smile. “It will be a surprise.”
“Isn’t this sweet,” Marilyn said.
“I can’t handle this love fest any longer,” Roger said.
“That sounds great,” I said, ignoring Roger’s comment.
For a moment, I thought I spotted the shadow out of the corner of my eye. Now that I was already paranoid, I figured it was probably nothing. I just needed to relax and take my mind off everything. With any luck, work would allow me to do just that. Books were my stress relievers.
“Great. I’ll pick you up after you close tonight.” Callahan peeked at his watch. “I guess I should get back to the shop.”
Callahan had hired a part-time employee to help him, which gave him a little more free time.
“I’ll see you tonight,” I said.
The words had barely left my lips when books started flying off the shelves all around us. Marilyn screamed and I ducked, covering my head. The sound of books hitting the floor and walls echoed throughout the store. After what seemed like forever, the barrage of books finally stopped. A couple seconds passed and I looked up. Hardbacks and paperbacks covered the floor. Almost every book at the front of the store had been knocked off the shelves.
“What the hell was that?” Roger asked.
That was exactly what I wanted to know.
Callahan ran over to me. “Are you all right?”
He helped me to my feet. “I’m okay, but look at the mess.”
He caressed my cheek. “That can be fixed just as long as you’re okay.”
Marilyn and Roger were still there. They appeared just as stunned as me.
My legs shook from the rush of adrenaline. “What happened?”
“Do you think it was an earthquake?” Marilyn asked.
It wasn’t unheard of to have an earthquake. There had been one a few years ago, but we’d barely felt it.
“I guess it could have been, but only the books are off the shelves.” I pointed.
Callahan scanned the room and saw that pictures were still on the walls.
I knew by the look in his eyes that he was thinking the same thing as me. Something not of this world had made this happen. I immediately gazed at Roger, but I really didn’t think he’d had anything to do with this. He was a pain in the butt, but I figured he wouldn’t do anything as mean as this. I thought about the shadowy figure. It had to have been associated with this. But why? I hoped it didn’t happened again.
“I will help you clean up,” Callahan said, picking books from the floor.
“No.” I stopped him. “It will take a long time and you need to return to work.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Okay, but I’ll come back to help as soon as I can.”
I kissed him goodbye and started the long process of cleaning up.
Chapter 5
It was almost time to close when I finally finished placing the books on the shelves. I’d even gotten in some reading time for Marilyn. I plopped down on the stool behind the counter and rolled my shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension. The customers who’d come into the shop today were a little confused by the mess, so I was sure I’d missed out on some business. Roger and Marilyn stood in front of me as if they were waiting for me to say something. I’d been wondering if Roger had seen the dark shadow I’d seen in the house on more than one occasion, so now it was my time to ask.
“Roger, did you notice another spirit in that house often?” I asked.
He stared at me as if he had no clue what I was talking about.
I asked again, “Did you notice other spirits in the house you were haunting?”
I couldn’t make my question any clearer. I stared at him, waiting for an answer.
He shrugged. “No, I never saw anything.”
I hadn’t known Roger long, but I could already tell when he wasn’t being honest. He was definitely hiding something. How would I get him to tell me the truth?
I asked again, “Roger, Did you see anything at the house?”
He turned and walked across the room. “When are we getting out of here? I want to see something else. This place is boring.”
I stepped out from behind the counter and over to where he stood. His back was still turned to me, so I moved in front of him, placing my hands on my hips.
“What are you, my mother or something?” he snapped.
I pointed my index finger at him. “I will keep asking you until you tell me the truth.”
Dealing with Roger was exhausting.
Marilyn moved over beside us. “You tell her the truth right now.”
Roger seemed stunned that Marilyn had scolded him. She quirked an eyebrow as if she dared him to defy her.
He threw his hands up in the air. “Okay, maybe I saw something, but I don’t know what it was. That’s all I know, so leave me alone, okay?”
&
nbsp; I watched him for a moment, but he wouldn’t meet my stare. I still thought he was hiding something. It didn’t appear as if we’d be able to force him to tell us more though, even with Marilyn’s help.
I released a deep breath. “Fine.”
I might let him off the hook for the time being, but I would revisit this topic soon. Right now, I needed to close the shop and head home. I had a date to get ready for.
I wondered where Callahan was taking me. There weren’t a lot of options in Magnolia. It was a small town and not a lot to do. Maybe he was taking me to the movies. That would be fun, although it seemed a little more mysterious than that. Marilyn was whispering to Roger. I wondered what she was telling him. If anyone could get him to talk, it would be her. I’d leave them alone and see if she could get through to him. I shut down the computer and grabbed my purse.
I’d almost made it to the front door when the man’s face popped up at the window. He had glowing green eyes and his skin was ashen gray. He glared at me and snarled showing his mouth full of fang-like teeth. I screamed and jumped back. I hadn’t expected to see his face. I’d been trying to put the thought out of my mind and now he was back. Roger and Marilyn stopped talking and raced over to me.
“What happened? Marilyn asked.
All I could do was point to the window.
“You saw the man,” she said.
I raced out the door and onto the sidewalk. I was scared, but I had to face my fears and see if this man was really out there. I knew he was a spirit, but I wanted to confront him to see what he wanted. Why was he looking into the store? What did he want? I peered to my left and to my right, but I didn’t see him. Roger and Marilyn stood beside me as I stared down the sidewalk.
“Where did he go?” Marilyn asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Cars drove by and people walked up and down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. No one acted like anything unusual had happened. They hadn’t seen the spooky specter. I tried to calm my nerves as I released a deep breath.
“Larue,” Mindy called out.
I turned around to see Mindy coming toward me on the sidewalk. Was I ever glad to see her! Just then, a growl sounded from my right. I looked over and saw the man standing right beside me. My heart sped up. He moved in a flash and rushed toward Mindy. I didn’t know what to do to stop him. I dashed forward, reaching out to grab him, but I missed. Instead, I fell to the ground, catching myself with the palm of my hands.
