02 Ghouls Night Out - Larue Donavan

by Rose Pressey

  Callahan’s gorgeous face popped into my mind. Not only was Mindy ignoring me, but also Callahan had distanced himself as well, after overhearing my ghostly conversation. What was he doing tonight? He hadn't called or stopped by. Would he show up for our date tonight? Maybe it was just as well, I needed the time to come up with a plan to help Mindy. I needed to figure out exactly what was going on with my best friend.

  The only explanation was that he was mad. He’d overheard my conversation. Callahan probably wouldn’t believe any lame excuse I came up with to explain what he’d heard. I didn't know how I would mend this little quandary. I wasn't dating anyone else, but what if I were? Would that be any reason for him to just give up on me? Didn't he want to fight for me? Win my heart and all that kind of romantic stuff. Guys could be clueless.

  I wanted to call Callahan again to see if our date was still on, but the thought of picking up the phone after I’d left that voice mail for him was paralyzing. Calling would mean maybe hearing that things were over between us. If I didn't talk to him, then it wouldn't officially be over.

  No, I’d wait. He’d realize that what he thought was something was really nothing at all, and he’d show up at my door, ready for our romantic dinner. I missed his smile already and it hadn't even been a full day yet. The more I saw him, the more I fell for him. The big question was, did he feel the same for me? I might never find out the answer.

  My driveway sat a good distance from the road. I pulled in, the gravel crunching under the wheels. Darkness had completely taken over the sky. The small lights on the front porch were normally my only means of illumination but, unfortunately, I’d forgotten to turn them on before I’d left. I hadn’t anticipated being out so late. Not to mention there was less daylight nowadays as winter was quickly approaching.

  I turned off the ignition and sat there staring blankly into the darkness. A chill ran down my spine letting me know something wasn't right. It was part of my psychic sensitivities. Like a little bell chiming when danger was near.

  My cell rang. I fumbled around in my huge bag, then finally yanked it out. Please let it be Callahan or Mindy. Maybe Callahan had realized that I wasn't dating a hundred guys. All right, how he'd realized that when I left a lame explanation, I didn't know. But I digress. What if this was the call to cancel our date? Dateless but not ghost-less. No, I’d stick with the positive thought. Perhaps it was Mindy calling to tell me she wasn’t spellbound by Cooper, or possessed by a demon, after all.

  “I just wanted to check on you,” Mark said when I answered.

  My face probably sagged to the ground from disappointment. I hoped he wasn’t calling with another investigation right now. I had so much going on that I didn't have time to help. Okay, I didn’t have anything really going on, but with Karyn in the hospital, Mindy acting weird, and Callahan possibly hating me, I didn’t want to leave Magnolia. Although, if he needed me I knew I couldn't tell him no. After all, I’d taken my date with me when Mark had called, for heaven's sake.

  “No investigation problems then?” I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “No, nothing right now. It seems as if you did the trick, although maybe it’s too soon to know for sure. But as bad as things were, I don't think it’s a coincidence that they ended when you came.” He paused. “I can’t seem to get the investigation out of my head. A nagging sensation in the back of my mind tells me that something is off. So I wanted to warn you, or remind you rather, that maybe the spirits in the house aren't as nice as we think they are. I know I said it before, but I’ve just got this bad feeling, Larue. I can’t seem to shake it. I couldn’t sleep last night for worrying about it. I think the ghosts are still in the house.” He let out a deep breath. “Remember, the devil can disguise itself as someone sweet and nice. It’ll fool you.”

  As I contemplated his words, I glanced in my rearview mirror at Seth and Mae. They smiled. Then I looked over at Anthony. He gave me a huge smile and winked. Hmmm. I suppose it was possible, but I didn't think so. No, these spirits were innocent—I felt it. Even if they did like to bicker and listen to music too loud, I didn't think anything sinister was going on with the spirits in my backseat. Was it? But the mysterious dark shadow I’d been seeing was an entirely different story. I could guarantee Mark the spirits were definitely not in the house anymore.

  “I know you worry, but you’ve just let this stuff get to you. Maybe you need to take a little break.” There was no need to worry him with the dark shadow business. I’d figure out what was going on and take care of it myself. “I got rid of the spirits in the house, remember?” By bringing them with me.

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He let out a deep breath.

  I glanced around through the darkness and moved closer to my front porch. “I know the spirits can follow me home.” Did I ever know. No need to embarrass myself by telling him the spirits were sitting in my car while we talked. I had a professional image to uphold. “I feel everything’s all right. Don’t worry about me, okay? I'll let you know if I have any problems.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

  “Please do, Larue. You know I'm here for you, just as you've always been there for me. I'll help at the drop of a hat. Just say the word.”

  “You know I will.” Okay, I was stubborn and wanted to take care of things on my own. “I'll check in soon. Oh, and I hope the homeowners are happy with the peace and quiet.”

  “Oh, they’re elated. They can't thank you enough. Don't be surprised if you receive a fruit basket in the near future.”

  A fruit basket, huh? Get rid of ghosts…get a fruit basket. Not bad.

  “I always did like those orange candies they add into those baskets,” I said.

  Mark laughed. “Me too. Anyway, I'll see ya later.”

  Anthony fake coughed from the backseat. “Who was that?” he asked when I hung up.

  “Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I guess you’re bored to death, and not just nosy, huh? Get it? Bored to death.” I chuckled.

  “Please, don’t quit your day job,” he retorted.

  “What? You don’t like my jokes?” I grinned.

  Silence from my ghost audience. Tough crowd. I'd be bored too if all I had to do was follow some random woman around all day long. I had my share of issues, but my life was boring with a capital B.

  “Okay, if you must know, it was the guy from the house you were haunting. The house where you kept draining the batteries out of every electrical device? Turning lights on and off, and opening and closing doors? Remember harassing the homeowners? Or did you conveniently forget?”

  “Hey, that wasn't me. That was Mae.” He pointed over his shoulder.

  “Excuse me?” she asked. “It was all your idea.”

  “Never mind,” I said. I didn't need those two arguing. I had peace for the time being, and I wanted to keep it that way. Mae and Seth could continue their cozy little chat, ignoring Anthony.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  As I stood on the little pathway that led up to my porch, I stared at the house. That strange feeling had grown stronger. Was it the dark shadow? Or maybe the person who’d broken into Book Nook had found my house, too? All the rooms in the house were covered in darkness. I wondered if I should really go in there alone. Sure, I had ghosts with me, but they were ghosts. What could they do? Scare the intruders, I guess, but that was about it. I inched my way toward the house. It was quiet, no noise other than a few crickets. I stepped onto the porch, pausing before finally opening the door. I eased my purse onto the floor and put my cell phone and car keys on the table next to the door.

  After fumbling for the lamp, I flipped on the switch, illuminating the area around the table with the dim glow. There wasn’t enough light to see anything else. If something was going to jump out at me, I wanted to see it coming, but if someone was outside watching me, I didn't want to give them light to see me. When I looked to my right, something seemed amiss. I scanned the area.

  When would the strange feeling go away? The living
room seemed off. As soon as that vibe hit me, I noticed several books had fallen over on the shelf. Walking into the room, I reached up and stacked them back into their correct positions. When I turned around, my gaze immediately went to the floor. A footprint was on the hardwood floor. Then I spotted more prints…dirty footprints trailing across my floor. Some were partial prints, and others the full footprint. Running back to the front door, I looked down at the floor, but nothing was there. Where had the prints come from, and was the person still in my house?

  “Wow. This house gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Mae said.

  I flicked her a look of exasperation, opened my mouth to speak, but closed it before saying anything. I didn't know what to say. Whatever I might have said, it would have sounded panicked, so I said nothing. I needed to hold on to an ounce of professionalism in front of them.

  “We need to be quiet. Wait. I need to be quiet. The person can’t hear you. Why am I talking out loud still?” I asked, looking at the three of them.

  “This is not good.” Seth leaned against the table and shook his head.

  “No, it's not. I'm going back to the car and calling the police.” I grabbed the doorknob.

  “Do you think it's safe to stay outside in the car? Whoever did this may be outside waiting for you.”

  “Well, whoever did it may still be in the house, too,” I whispered. Of course, if they were still in the house, by now they surely thought I was crazy for talking to myself.

  Maybe having the person think I was nuts wasn’t a bad thing, then maybe they would leave me alone. I didn't want to find out, though. I grabbed my keys and cell phone and hurried back toward the car. I was in a state of panic. I looked around, waiting for someone or something to step out from the darkness and attack me. If this demon was going to do something, I wish it would get it over with so I could banish the sucker back to hell.

  Demon footprints looked like animal prints, not human, so who would break into my house? And why? Were they looking for something? Were they looking for me? I swallowed hard at the thought. I didn't know if they'd stolen anything from my house or not. I hadn't noticed anything missing, but then I hadn't moved much past the front door to notice. I punched in the numbers on my cell phone as I moved toward my car. My hand shook as I tried my best to shove the keys in the car door. Not an easy feat while in a state of panic. Finally, I opened the door and jumped in.

  “Nine-one-one. How may I help you?”

  “Someone has broken into my home.”

  “What's your address?”

  I gave the address and hunkered down in the seat, waiting for the police. Maybe if someone or something were around, they wouldn’t notice me. So much for my tough paranormal investigator act, but if this was a real person, I didn’t want to be an easy target.

  Could Cooper break into my home and Book Nook? His cousin was capable of doing the same type of evil stunts, so surely he was, too. Dealing with the dead was so much easier than dealing with the living. I prayed it didn't take the police too long. I lived kind of far out of town. It would be several minutes before they made it to my neck of the woods. I would have to sit there in a panic for ten whole minutes or more. That seemed like a long time in crime time. At least I had ghosts to keep me company. What would I do without them? I didn’t even have Mindy anymore. How sad. Maybe my ghost friends weren't so bad, after all.

  Time seemed to drag by. When I looked at the green digits on my cell phone, it had actually only been nine minutes, but instead seemed like an eternity. Seth and Mae chitchatted in the backseat. She told him all about her days in Hollywood, which was something I’d wanted to ask about since she first came into my life, but I hadn’t found the time. All the movies and glamour. It was so much fun to think about her fascinating life. Of course, you know who sat in the passenger seat with a huge grin on his face. He decided that now was the perfect time to pay me more compliments. That record was getting old. But talking with someone would make the time go faster and take my mind off my problems, so...I let him talk.

  I studied Anthony for a minute, then said, “Tell me about yourself, Anthony. And don't talk about my eyes, or my hair, or my skin. Let me know about you.”

  Cooper, Mark, and Becky had all warned me recently that demons could take on disguises. If Anthony were a demon, I'd find out now, right? He couldn’t hide it much longer. A demon couldn't come up with an entire history of a person’s life, or could they?

  “Not much to tell.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Oh, come on. Tell me what you did when you were alive. I know nothing about you.”

  “Seriously, there's not a lot to tell, really. I lived a boring life.” He looked straight ahead. “I let it slip through my hands and now I'm stuck here. No one could see me except for the ghosts until you came along. Now I have hope once again.”

  “You know, you don't have to stay here. You can move on. Go to the other world. Be with your family. You did have family? Parents?”

  “Yes, I had parents. Two brothers and a sister. Nieces and nephews. I watched my parents die and a brother. The rest I visit from time to time, of course they don't know I'm around. It's nice seeing the ones that are alive.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents and brother.” I paused. “If you move on, you can interact with the ones that are gone. You can talk to your parents again.”

  He shook his head. “No, they’d just tell me what a disappointment I was to them, like when they were alive. I was never good enough. I didn't become a doctor like my brother so, in their eyes, I was a disappointment.”

  “So what did you do? What was the career that you chose that your parents didn't like?”

  “I was a car salesman. They hated that. They thought I’d have no money and no future. Maybe they were right. I was drifting and alone when I died.”

  “I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you die?”

  “It was a car accident. Out on Highway Twenty-Six. Another car crossed the centerline and hit me head on. Apparently, I died instantly, so that’s a plus. At least something went right for me, even if it did result in death.” He shook his head. “That was such a long time ago.”

  “Things have changed a lot since then, huh?”

  “Yes, they sure have. It makes me sad in a way. The Fifties was a great time…a serene time in my eyes. The thing that bothers me the most, though, is the music. They don't make it good like that anymore. No Elvis. We lost the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. No more Chuck Berry or Fats Domino.”

  “You loved music, huh?” I smiled.

  “Yes, I did.” He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I sang in a band. To be honest, that's what I really wanted to do with my life, but my parents discouraged me and I listened to them.”

  The headlights from the car almost blinded me. Anthony stopped talking and Seth and Mae fell silent. We stared as the police cruiser moved toward the car. I hoped they wouldn't think I was the bad guy. They’d have their guns drawn, ready to shoot at the slightest little movement. Just to be safe, I kept my hands down until I was sure they wouldn't make any stupid moves. It had been known to happen.

  The lights from the car flickered, making me slightly dizzy and casting an ominous red and blue glow around the yard. Police cars, lights…it looked as if there was a murder crime scene or something. Kind of spooky. The officer tapped on my window and I rolled it down.

  “Are you all right in there?” he asked.

  I recognized him from the bookstore the other day. “Yes, I'm okay. I didn't want to wait inside in case the person was still in the house.”

  “That's the best idea. You wait here while we check things out.”

  He didn't have to tell me twice. I wasn’t stepping out of the car and into the darkness to be killed.

  “I hope they find out who did it,” Seth said with concern in his voice.

  “Me too. The dirty bastards,” Mae said.

  She didn't mind telling it like she saw it. She said whatever came to mind. I wished I
could be more like that.

  “If I were alive, I'd find out who did it and they'd be sorry. Heck, if I find out who did it, I'll hunt them down and haunt them,” Anthony said.

  The gang quieted as we watched the house. After a few minutes of waiting in anticipation, the two police officers returned. “It's safe to come inside now. No one is there. We'd like for you to have a look around and tell us if anything is missing.”

  “Sure, I can do that.” I eased out from behind the wheel, like a skittish cat, ready to jump at the slightest noise or movement.

  I hoped it was safe. Surely, they knew what they were talking about. I didn't know how I would stay in the house tonight and sleep without worrying about someone breaking in. If only I had someone to come over and stay with me. Maybe I’d attempt another call to Mindy and see if she could come over, although what good would she be if a would-be burglar came back? But then again, she did have some serious arm muscles from all those pole fitness classes. The chances of her answering her phone though were slim to none. Why was I holding onto false hope? As if somehow she’d snap out of this weirdness on her own.

  I marched toward the house with a lump in my throat. My uneasiness rested like a heavy weight at the bottom of my stomach. Lights shone from the windows, but that didn’t erase the creepiness. Thank goodness the police had turned on a few. As I peered around my house, I wanted to cry from anger. Someone had been in home. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes when I thought about this person creeping around my house. The bastards, as Mae had said.

  Again, I couldn’t imagine who had done this and what they wanted. Was it really Cooper? Why would he come into my home? Just to scare me? Maybe he really had broken into Book Nook. It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed my mind and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Whoever did this must be fearless and not care about being caught. Wasn't stealing five hundred dollars from me enough? This person had to have more? Needed more? What type of person would do something like this?