Haunting Hooligans

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

  That affair didn’t go over well for Rebecca Thurman, William’s wife, who upon discovering the fervent affair, rushed to the post office one cold December morning and shot poor Nellie straight in the heart, killing her on the spot.

  Town legend said Nellie never left that post office, and as it morphed over time, ultimately becoming the town library, she stayed there, unable to leave for reasons no one ever knew. Reports of a shadowy figure in the stacks, books falling for no apparent reason, and a woman crying were rampant for library patrons, so much so, the city actually brought in a woman to cleanse the building, to rid it of the spirit.

  It hadn’t worked, though. From what I’d just seen, she could leave when she saw fit. I made a note on Nellie’s page of the tour.

  And while rumor has it that Miss Nellie Clementine never leaves the library, waiting forever for the return of her beloved William Thurman, there are some who have seen her wandering around other buildings in town, speaking of events to come. Could it be a warning, or just talk in this small town?

  I giggled at my additional text, though a chill ran through me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d just set myself up for something I wasn’t ready to handle.

  I grabbed a late lunch consisting of an individual chicken and vegetable pot pie with a small side salad and a glass of sweet iced tea at Del’s Community Café and finished up the last two rewrites for the tour.

  Del served my lunch herself, having a seat across from me at the small table. “You doing the whole thing over again?”

  “You make it sound like I’ve done this before.” I scooped a spoonful of pot pie into my mouth and moaned. It was delectable.

  “You have. Last I knew you’d done it three times. Thought the last round was perfect.”

  I finished a bite of salad. “I had a visitor today, and you’ll never guess who.”

  Del leaned toward me. “You mean a visitor, visitor? Like from the other side kind?”

  I nodded. “Yup, and the best part is, she’s one of the tour stops.”

  Del’s eyes widened. “Which one?”

  “A certain woman that hangs out at the library kind of one.”

  “Well, snap my garters, what’d she want?”

  “I don’t think she’s looking for me to check out a book for her, that’s for sure.”

  She laughed. “’Course not. She’s got a full pass to them things.”

  “She said something a little odd though.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “She said there isn’t much time to save her, and I must hurry.”

  “Save her? Who’s she talking about?”

  “I’m not exactly sure.”

  “So, what’re we doing about it?”

  “We aren’t doing anything. In fact, I’m not doing anything, at least not tonight. It’s Halloween, and I’m heading home at five o’clock to get Austin out the door in his not a costume costume, then I’m parking my butt on my front porch with a bag of candy I don’t like so I don’t eat it all and tossing it at all the kiddos as they come by. Tomorrow, I’ll deal with the ghost.”

  “But she said we got to hurry.”

  “No, she said I must hurry. There was no we in her words at all.”

  She shrugged. “She probably misspoke.”

  “Besides, you’re scared of ghosts.”

  “I ain’t scared of ghosts.”

  I raised my eyebrow and chuckled. “You run screaming practically every time we’re near one.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’m scared of them, ‘cause I’m not.”

  “What exactly does it mean then?”

  “It means I’m scared of the things they can do.”

  I laughed. “I can see that, but seriously I don’t know what she’s talking about.” I took a sip of tea. “I’ve tried to see if I’m missing something about her story, but I don’t think I am.” I handed her the page on the library. “Can you give it a quick read through? Maybe something will click for you. Maybe she’s talking about someone at the library?”

  She handed me back the paper. “I don’t need to look at this. I’ve read the other versions a million times. You didn’t miss a thing. There’s nothing more to the story. Unless the ghost is playing a joke on you, she’s not talking about the library.” She stretched out her hand. “Give me the other ones. Maybe one of those will ring a bell.”

  “You’ve read all those, too.”

  “Good point.”

  “I think the only thing I can do is wait. My inaction will cause her to react.”

  She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t think you want that kind of reaction from a ghost.”

  “It’s about the only thing I can do right now.”

  I finished up my lunch and headed back to the office. Nellie Clementine didn’t make another appearance there, and when I’d finished getting everything ready for the next night’s tour, I headed to the grocery to purchase the bags of candy I didn’t like and one bag of Snickers bars just in case I ran out of the other stuff. At least that’s how I rationalized buying my favorite candy.

  I ran into detective Jack Levitt at the grocery.

  “A little last minute Halloween shopping?” he asked.

  “I always buy the candy the day of for fear I’ll eat it before Halloween.”

  A smile made its way across his face.

  “Need some help handing that out tonight?”

  “Oh, no. I’m good, but—” Jack had recently expressed interest in me somewhat romantically, and while I’d been intrigued by the idea, more like ready and willing to go for it, I’d begun the back off phase in my obvious fear of commitment since my divorce and retreated into my hole of divorced spinsterhood—was that even a thing?—I’d created for myself. Del, Olivia, and Thelma thought I was crazy. “I’m sorry. Yes, that would be nice. Can you be there in an hour? The kids start coming—” I glanced at my iWatch. “About now.”

  “I can follow you there if you’d like.”

  I blushed. “I don’t have much for dinner.”

  “We can order our favorite. They deliver.”

  “Extra sauce?”

  “However you’d like.”

  I set my candy on the conveyor belt at the checkout line and dug through my purse for my debit card. “I know it’s in here,” I mumbled. “I haven’t used it since I took Austin to McDonald’s last week.”

  Jack slid his card through the machine. “You used it at Community Café yesterday. Maybe you left it there?”

  “Oh shoot, I did, didn’t I? I forgot about that.” My cheeks warmed. “I’ll pay you back when we get to my place.”

  “Don’t sweat it. I can handle a few bags of candy.” He winked at me as he grabbed the grocery bags. “But you’re splitting the Snickers with me. Those are my favorite.”

  “Really? Mine, too.” The temperature of my cheeks went a tiny bit higher, so I stared at the floor like an awkward teenager.

  He set the bags on the passenger seat of my car. “I’d say race you there, but—”

  “But you could give me a ticket.”

  He smiled.

  Jack ended up not staying long, but in retrospect, that wasn’t a bad thing. The chief called and requested, as the chief often did, Jack said, his presence at the station to assist in an interrogation of a possible thief. “I was looking forward to hanging out with you.”

  “I understand. But I have to know, what is he accused of stealing?”

  “Twenty-seven pumpkins.”

  “One guy?”

  He nodded. “Right? Though one under each arm would cut the time in half.”

  I laughed. “I suspect he had help.”

  “Which is why Chief wants me to question him.”

  I smiled. “You are a still an interrogator.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “I’ve been to a crime scene or two recently.”

  After he left, Austin came down in his Halloween costume, a pair of jea
ns and an Auburn University sweatshirt. “I’m meeting the guys in town. When do I need to be home?”

  “It’s a school night, so nine o’clock.”

  “Nine o’clock? Come on, Mom. It’s a Thursday. It’s not like we do anything on Fridays anyway. How about ten?”

  I caved. I couldn’t help myself. He was a good kid, his grades were solid, and he deserved to have fun with his friends on Halloween. “Fine, but if you have to walk home alone, call me please. I’ll come get you.”

  “This is Castleberry, Mom. What do you think’s going to happen?”

  He had no idea what horrible things a mother could think of happening to her kids if she let her mind go there.

  I saw him to the door, tossed a few candies into his pillow case, and told him to behave. “And keep your cell on vibrate in case I call.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  Wow, I thought. That was new. Austin’s canned response to me babbling instructions or mom-speak at him was normally, “Okay, Mom,” so, maybe he’d actually heard me?

  I snuck a Snicker’s bar from the bag on the kitchen table and poured myself a glass of iced water. When I flipped around to grab another piece of candy, I nearly fell back into the kitchen counter. Nellie Clementine stood next to the table. “Why aren’t you helping? She’s running out of time.”

  “Nellie, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t help you without more information.”

  The spirit’s eyes, a deep, dark brown, widened. “But only you can save her.”

  “Who, Nellie? Who is it only I can save?”

  “Please, hurry,” she said, and then she fizzled out like a dying Fourth of July sparkler.

  I groaned. “Momma never said there’d be days like this, that’s for sure.” I grabbed the entire bag of Snickers and headed to the den to plop myself in front of the TV while I waited for cute kids in costumes to bang on the door and beg for candy.

  I didn’t have to wait long.

  I quickly chewed and swallowed the most recent Snickers nugget I’d popped into my mouth in an effort to get rid of the good candy evidence and opened the door to two witches, a princess, and a much shorter, younger, but just as cute as the original, Iron Man.

  I tossed the candy into their bags while the witches cackled, the princess curtsied, and Iron Man expressed his dismay. “Peppermints are for Christmas.”

  “Beggars can’t be choosers, little dude.”

  I growled at him after I closed the door. “You can eat peppermint candy any time of the year. Ever heard of peppermint chocolate brownies? What about peppermint tea?”

  “You realize you’re tryin’ to justify yourself to a little kid.”

  I flipped around and gasped. “Oh, woah.” I pointed to the spirit in front of me. “You’re…you’re…”

  “Dead? Yes, ma’am, so they tell me.”

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, yes, you’re dead. That’s not what I meant. I meant you’re Andrew Castleberry. The town founder.”

  He gently bowed the top of his body ever so slightly. “Yes. Howdy, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I…I…” I was giddy. Meeting the founder of our town was like meeting a celebrity. A few people had sworn they’d seen his ghost at the Castleberry family cemetery, and he was a top stop on the haunted historical tour, but I’d never had the pleasure. I’d tried, but the man never appeared for me.

  Not then, anyway.

  I’d seen some pretty old ghosts before, but this guy was at well over two hundred, if I counted all the years he was dead, which I had. “I’m sorry, I’m a little surprised to meet you. You’re the founder of Castleberry.” I blew out a breath. “I already said that, didn’t I?”

  He smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What…what’re you doing here? I mean, it’s a privilege and all, but—oh, wait. Do you need my help? Do you want me to get a message to Olivia or her family?”

  He laughed. “What message could a man that died so long ago have for family he’s never met?”

  “The British are coming?” I laughed.

  He glanced toward the door, and I instantly regretted my poor choice of a joke.

  “No, no. I’m kid—that was a—never mind. Do you have something you’d like me to do in town?” I pulled at straws while I wiped the egg off my face for my bad sense of humor, but inside, I couldn’t wait to tell Del what I’d said. She’d find the humor in it. Who has the chance to crack a bad Revolutionary War joke to a ghost that was born when the country wasn’t even twenty-years old? My mother was very likely rolling over in her grave at my lack of manners.

  “It’s Olivia.” His eyes darkened, and his face morphed from a soft, easy going smile to a stern, flat mouthed expression of concern. Concern for a loved one he’d never met.

  My heart sank into my stomach. “What do you mean, it’s Olivia? Is she okay?”

  His body faded in and out. I was losing him, and I panicked, waving my hands, begging him to stay. “Wait, no. Don’t go. What’s going on with Olivia?”

  But it was too late. Andrew Castleberry had already disappeared.

  The lion, the scarecrow, and the tinman came knocking.

  I held out the bowl of candy. “Where’s Dorothy tonight?”

  “She couldn’t make it,” the tinman said.

  The lion giggled. “She got grounded for using her mom’s lipstick on her little brother.”

  I chuckled. “Oh, gosh. Looks like you’ll have to go to Oz without her.”

  “We’re stocking up on candy for the long trip down the yellow brick road,” the scarecrow said.

  They all said happy Halloween in unison and marched off to the next house.

  I closed the door and picked up my phone to text Olivia. “How’s the pub crawl going?”

  “We’re done. Heading to a barn for a bonfire. Def more fun.”

  “What barn?”

  I waited, but didn’t get a response.

  “Hello?”

  Olivia still didn’t respond, and worried I was already too late, I tried another idea. “Andrew? Mr. Castleberry? Are you around? Please. Come back. I need help finding Olivia.”

  A dull light blinked on and off down the hall and in the kitchen. I rushed to it and saw his shape take form.

  “It’s hard for me to be here for too long. My energy doesn’t last.”

  I had no idea that happened, but it sort of made sense. “I can’t find Olivia. She said she was going to a barn, but I don’t know which one. Am I too late? Did something happen? What’s going on?” My heart raced. Olivia wasn’t just my coworker, she was my friend, and over the past several months, I’d begun to look at her like a daughter of sorts.

  “I don’t know where she is. I just know she’s in danger.”

  My chest tightened, which made the whole heart racing thing much more intense. “What do you mean, you don’t know where she is? I thought you were here to help me?”

  He was losing energy again, because the light around him flickered, and he faded in and out. “I…I…” His voice crackled almost like someone on a phone with a bad cell connection, and then he vanished again.

  I clenched my fists and shook them. “Come on! I need some help here.” I paced the hallway from my front door to my kitchen, my mind filling with every negative thought it could come up with. I felt like a mother whose child was out after curfew and had no idea where her kid was. “Nellie? Are you here?”

  If she was, she didn’t feel the need to acknowledge me.

  The doorbell rang. I hurried to it and flung the door open. “Oliv—”

  “Trick or treat,” two little girls dressed as princesses screamed at me. “Give us something good to eat!”

  I blinked, forgetting entirely it was Halloween. I shifted toward the bowl of candy and thrust it out to them. “Here.”

  As they each began picking through it for something they liked, I dug my hand into the bowl, grabbed a bunch of pieces and tossed it in the first girl’s bag. I repeated i
t for the second girl, backed up, said, “Happy Halloween,” and slammed the door.

  “Now that right there is what I’d call rude,” Charlie Sayers said.

  I backed up into the door and held my hand on my chest, catching my breath.

  “Charlie, you scared me.”

  He smirked. “That’s what us ghosts do. ‘Specially on Halloween. Kind of fun sometimes, too.”

  “It’s Olivia. Something’s going on but I can’t find her. Can you help me?”

  Charlie Sayers was married to my dear friend Thelma but passed away a few years ago. We’d recently become acquainted through the space between the here and now and the afterlife, and I wasn’t quite sure which Charlie preferred. I thought he’d have moved on, but I guess I’d thought wrong.

  “Olivia? Is that the little girl you work with?”

  “Young lady, not little girl, but yes. Andrew Castleberry and Nellie Clementine both said she’s in trouble, and I have to hurry, but Andrew can’t stick around long enough to tell me much, and Nellie is MIA.” I raised my eyebrow and wondered about him, so I pointed at him. “Why can you be here longer than Andrew Castleberry? That doesn’t make sense.”

  He shrugged. “He probably hasn’t been here long, and making appearances like this gets harder and harder the longer you’re dead, ‘specially if you don’t do it that much.”

  “Can you help me find Olivia?”

  He sighed. “Wish I could, but that’s not how things work.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means, I don’t know what’s going on with her because it’s not something I’m attached to. I can only help with things I’m personally attached to or have had a history with.”

  An image of a ghost I’d previously encountered came to mind. “That’s not true. I know a spirit that can pop in and do whatever she wants with stuff she’s not connected to.”

  “She had a connection, you just don’t know what it was.”

  That could have been true, and I really didn’t think calling another spirit to help was the answer if three other spirits already couldn’t. “So what should I do?”

  “That’s why I’m here. You should call your friends and get them to help.”