The Ghost Next Door

by Ginny Baird

  “We appreciate you stopping by,” she told him.

  “And thanks for the cookies,” Claire added.

  “No problem, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  Then he walked down the path and cut across the neighbor’s yard, heading to the drive around back.

  “Where’s his cruiser?” Claire asked.

  “He probably parked it behind the house.” She shut the door and locked it up tight, turning the dead bolt and sliding the chain in place for extra security.

  “That was nice of him to bring cookies,” Claire said.

  “Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “Why don’t we have a few with two cold glasses of milk?”

  Later that night, Elizabeth walked to the window to draw the blinds as she prepared for bed. Across the country road abutting her house sat the empty graveyard. Moonlight glinted off tombstones as a hoot owl called. The window was up just a tad to let in the breeze and freshen the air. Though this house couldn’t be more than five years old, it smelled as musty and stale as an old cupboard. A floorboard creaked, and Elizabeth’s heart pounded. Her gaze traveled to the side window facing the neighboring house. The rockers next door swayed gently in soft gusts of wind. Now who’s letting her imagination get the best of her?

  Elizabeth tugged shut the window, thinking she’d never sleep a wink hearing things go creak in the night. Suddenly, something caught her eye, and her blood ran cold. There, straight in her line of vision and at the highest point on the hill, sat two newly dug graves. It seemed impossible that she could have missed them before, mounds of fresh earth heaped high upon each, but she couldn’t recall having seen them at all. Elizabeth scolded herself for being spooked by what was obviously a routine occurrence. Of course people were buried there. She just hadn’t expected to take a daily head count.

  Thank goodness their stay here was only temporary and that she wouldn’t need to worry over their imperfect dwelling for too long. As soon as she was able, she’d investigate alternate lodging. In the meantime, she had other priorities. Claire started school on Monday, and Elizabeth had serious work to do. She had the key to the old newspaper shop and planned to make the place gleam like new.

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Elizabeth surveyed the rundown corner shop that was to become her new work home. A worn wooden sign beside the weathered door read The Town Gazette in stenciled lettering. The front window was clouded over with cobwebs gathering on the inside. Through its murky pane, she spied an old wooden desk, swivel chair, and what appeared to be an ancient manual typewriter draped in a leather cover. Elizabeth wondered how long this paper had been out of commission. She thought her boss in Richmond said ten years. From the looks of this place, nothing had been happening in the Blayton periodical business for over a half century. She stared down at the key in her hand thinking she might as well let herself in and get busy straightening up. She just prayed it had modern conveniences like electricity and indoor plumbing. Wireless service would be nice too, but was probably too much to hope for. She’d need to call somebody local to have that installed.

  “This place sure has seen better days.”

  Elizabeth peered over her shoulder to find Nathan standing there, sunlight bouncing off his hat. She couldn’t help but notice it had warmed up quite a bit these past few days. It was only nine o’clock, and already she felt overheated in her sweater. “Nathan,” she said with surprise. “It’s great to see you.”

  “You too.” He smiled. “Need any help opening up?”

  “I’m assuming the key will turn in the lock.”

  He glanced past her and stared through the window. “I suppose I should have asked if you need help picking up. Not exactly tidy in there.”

  “I think it’s mostly dust and cobwebs.” She slid the key in the lock and jimmied it open to demonstrate. But when she pushed open the door, Elizabeth fell back with a gasp. “Oh,” she said, choking on the word “Worse than I thought.” Stale air hung heavy as dust assaulted her lungs.

  Nathan followed her into the shop, covering his mouth with his sleeve. “I think we should open some windows.” He pointed past the desk and typewriter. “There are a few more in back.”

  She nodded, and he strode across the room, heaving a couple of sashes skyward and sending a blast of autumn breezes into the room. “Keep the front door propped awhile,” he told her. “That will help some of this clear out while we get to work.”

  “We?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.

  “I can’t let you handle this alone.” He gave her a serious frown, but his hazel eyes twinkled. “Could get dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “You could be attacked by dust bunnies.”

  Elizabeth burst out laughing. “That’s really nice of you, but don’t you have a beat to walk or something?”

  “I’m on it.” He patted the radio strapped to his belt. “Anything comes up, the dispatcher can reach me here.”

  Elizabeth didn’t see how she could inconvenience him to help her on a cleaning mission. Then again, there were some awfully big newspaper bins in the corner she wasn’t sure she could move by herself. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’ll let you help with the heavy lifting, but I’ll do the cleaning. This is my”—she glanced around the room with a grimace—“place of business after all.”

  “It will be a great place,” he assured her, “once it’s all neatened up. And, it’s got the best view in town.”

  “Oh?” Elizabeth followed his gaze out the dirty window and across the street to a quaint little coffee shop. Nestled right beside it hung a placard proudly stating Town Sheriff.

  “Your office is right over there?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, never taking his eyes off hers.

  “Then I guess I’ll always feel safe when I’m working.”

  “That’s the general idea,” he answered. “Helping the folks in Blayton feel safe.”

  But even as he said it, Elizabeth felt dangerously close to losing her way. For the past twelve years since Claire’s dad had left, she’d resolutely steeled her heart against going astray. She had two important jobs to focus on. First, she needed to tend to Claire and provide stability, serving as both mother and father in the absence of a second parent. Next, she had to ensure there was always food on the table and a roof over their heads, because, if she failed at that, it wouldn’t matter what kind of great mom she was. Without supplying life’s basic needs, she’d be letting her daughter down. From time to time, Elizabeth had noticed an attractive man. She’d even spoken with a few and had gone out more than once for a cup of coffee. But the moment she’d been asked on a nighttime date, her heart backed down. She couldn’t drag herself, much less her tender child, through another potentially traumatizing relationship. The stakes were simply too high.

  “I’m sure you do a great job.”

  “I do what I can. Plus,” he added, “I’ve got a good deputy to help me.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve met the deputy.”

  “No, I suppose you haven’t.” He studied her thoughtfully. “In fact, I’ll bet you’ve met almost nobody in town.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Apart from the school secretary and you.” She glanced down at the bucket of cleaning supplies she’d toted in. “And, oh yeah, the nice lady at the Dollar Store where I bought all these. I believe she said her name was Jane?”

  “Janet Campbell. Nice gal. Married to my deputy in fact.”

  He smiled warmly, and Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat. This time, she didn’t believe it was from the dusty air. It was in the way he looked at her, and each time he did, he seemed to be looking deeper. Way down into her soul to the secret part of her that screamed, I haven’t had a boyfriend in forever and have almost forgotten how to converse with a very hot, single man! “Really?” She was embarrassed to hear her voice come out as a squeak.

  “Almost everyone in Blayton’s connected somehow. You stay here long enough,” he said with a w
ink, “you’ll become connected to someone too.”

  It was impossible to tell if he was flirting or just being friendly. She’d been out of practice longer than she knew. “I’m hoping that Claire and I will make some friends.”

  “You’ve already got one.” He adjusted his hat. “How did you like the cookies?”

  Elizabeth’s face warmed all over. “Oh gosh, I didn’t thank you! I’m so sorry.” She swallowed hard to stop herself from stammering like an idiot as he just stared down at her with an appraising smile. “They were delicious. Thanks. World’s best chocolate chip. Not a one is left.”

  “It’s good to know they were appreciated.”

  Elizabeth admitted to herself she’d appreciated more than the cookies. She’d been happy Nathan had stopped by and felt glad to have the chance to get to know him. With him headquartered right across the street, it might prove easy to get to know him better. Her foolish heart leapt at the possibility he might feel the same. “You don’t really need to stay here and help… I’m sure you’ve got things to do.”

  “A few,” he said with a grin. “But I don’t mind moving some boxes first.”

  After he’d hauled some dusty old crates out back and shifted the furniture into position at Elizabeth’s direction, Nathan folded his arms with a nod. “I think that just about does it.” While he’d been working, she’d been busily dusting the room and mopping the old hardwood floors with oil soap. In no time at all, the place had been transformed from dreary into a space with actual potential. All she had left to do was clean the windows and go through the desk and filing cabinet drawers.

  “It looks a thousand times better already,” she proclaimed, leaning into her mop. “I’ve got to be honest. It was a little scary at first.”

  Nathan viewed her with understanding. “A lot of things seem scarier than they are. It appeared awful. Until you got to know it—one cobweb at a time.”

  Elizabeth laughed, enjoying his sense of humor. “I wish I could do something to repay you.”

  He replaced the hat he’d removed while he’d been working, and tipped it toward her. “All in a day’s work.”

  “Will you come to dinner sometime?” she asked, blurting out the words the moment the thought had occurred and before its ramifications could form in her brain. A simple invitation to a meal didn’t have to mean she was hitting on him. Did it?

  She watched his neck deepen a shade behind the high rim of his collar, thinking maybe it did. “I’d like that,” he answered. “Be very pleased to have dinner with you and Claire.

  “But first,” he said. “I think I should introduce you around. Help you get to know the town’s folk a bit.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “How about you stop by the station when you finish up here? If you’re not too tuckered out from cleaning, that is.”

  Elizabeth didn’t believe her being overtired later seemed likely. Not when just looking in his eyes left her feeling energized. Almost like a teen girl on the verge of a… Oh no, not that… Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat. A crush.

  Nathan headed back across the street to his office in a happy mood. Of all the strangers who’d come to Blayton since he’d been here, Elizabeth was by far the most interesting. Didn’t hurt that she was very pretty besides. Her daughter seemed like a nice girl too. And nice teenagers were a bonus in this town. He thought of his niece, Melody, wishing she’d get her meanness under control. He knew it had to do with things at home. Nathan’s sister, Belle, was a single mom doing her best with the girl. But her job at the library kept her busy afternoons and weekends, too. Melody was bitter over all the things she had to miss out on due to her mom’s work schedule, and their tight family finances. She hadn’t been able to participate in cheerleading or go on the class field trip. Nathan helped them out when he could, but the fact was he didn’t make a ton of money. Then again, Nathan wasn’t in his job for the money. He had bigger reasons for being the sheriff, most of them centered on setting things right. Everyone here had something they wanted, a goal they were working toward it seemed. At times they were aware of it, and at others they weren’t. Like in Melody’s case, where her duty was to grow into the caring young woman her family knew she had the ability to be.

  Nathan made his way into the station and spotted Martha at the front desk, her nose in a book. The middle-aged woman with red hair and a round face glanced up with a pleasant smile. Her real job was manning the 9-1-1 line, but since it seldom rang, he never commented on her rabid reading habit. “Morning, Sherriff,” she said, setting a bookmark in her book. Nathan noticed there was a stack of others by her coffee mug, several of which he’d offer to return to the library when he visited Belle later. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  “Thanks, Martha, but I’m set for now.”

  And he was too. Just the thought that he’d be seeing Elizabeth later put an extra skip in his step and made him feel charged all over like he’d already had loads of caffeine.

  “Morning, Nathan!” Bernie called from the back office. His deputy sat with his feet propped on his desk, working the morning crossword puzzle—from a decade ago. Since the Gazette had gone out of business, Bernie didn’t have a regular paper to feed his addiction. So Belle had been kind enough to dig up a heap of out-of-print editions from the archive room at the library. She didn’t mind getting rid of them, as they’d already been scanned and saved in electronic format and were headed to recycle anyway.

  For Bernie’s part, he was pleased as punch that he could engage in his favorite pastime and cheat when the need arose. More than once Nathan had caught Bernie sneaking a peek at the following week’s paper to nab a word or two that had vexed him from the solution box. Though Bernie was barely pushing thirty, he often came out with real old-timey expressions that made him sound like he was more than twice that age. Nathan wasn’t sure why, though he suspected it had to do with the number of years he’d spent in Blayton.

  The pace of things was slower here, and everything a little retro. But still, when Nathan had arrived, the town felt right. It was a warm and welcoming town, and Nathan liked the people. Everyone was genuine, and genuinely concerned about each other. Except for a few outliers that were still coming along. Nathan sat at his desk, thinking of his niece, Melody. Eventually, she’d make progress too. Because as backward as Blayton seemed, folks here always tended to move forward—sooner or later.

  Claire was just shutting her locker when two girls accosted her, one on either side. The first one was skinny and blonde with a boyish figure and cool blue eyes. “You’re new here, aren’t you?” she asked in a tone that wasn’t quite friendly.

  Claire glanced warily at the second girl, a shorter redhead, who stood nearby clutching her algebra book to her chest. “Today’s my first day.”

  “That’s what we thought,” the smaller girl said. “My name’s Joy.”

  “Yeah, yeah. And I’m Melody, but that’s really beside the point.”

  Claire steadied herself on her heels, not sure what to expect. A warm welcome to Blayton High didn’t appear in the offering. “What is the point?” she asked as evenly as she could.

  Melody gave an exaggerated sigh. “You moved next to the Fenton place, didn’t you?”

  “I’m not sure I—”

  “The creepy old house?” Joy filled in.

  Mirth danced in Melody’s eyes as she leaned forward. Claire instinctively wanted to inch back but held her ground. “You did hear it was haunted?”

  “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

  Melody and Joy exchanged glances, and a shiver raced down Claire’s spine as if she’d been exposed to a chill.

  “Then you’re in for some fun,” Melody said.

  “Ghostly fun,” Joy agreed.

  “Thanks for the tip, but I was on my way to lunch.”

  Claire tried to step past them, but Melody blocked her path with her tall frame. “The lady who lived there was murdered, you know. In her sleep.”

  Joy solemnl
y nodded. “Nobody found her for weeks.”

  “Weeks and weeks.” Melody lowered her voice in a vicious whisper. “And when they did… Her old tabby cat was eating up the corpse.”

  Joy assented with light brown eyes. “Poor thing was starving.”

  Claire’s stomach clenched. Not so much at their ridiculous story as at the thought two ninth graders could be so cruel, purposely tormenting a newcomer. Not that she hadn’t seen the same thing happen in her hometown. But there, it always happened to someone else. Claire was never on the receiving end. Nor on the side dishing it out. Claire simply didn’t have it in her.

  “What are you two up to now?” someone asked, approaching. Claire peered over Joy’s shoulder to see a cute boy with dark brown hair and eyes moseying down the hall.

  Melody turned with delight. “Perry! I didn’t think you were here today?”

  “Got in late,” he answered, still walking forward. He gave Claire a lazy smile, the sort that turned up higher in one corner, and her heart did a tiny cartwheel. “Hello? And you are…?”

  “I’m Claire,” she said, relieved at last to see a friendly face.

  “Nice to meet you, Claire. I’m sure Melody and Joy have been showing you the ropes?”

  More like trying to trip me with them, Claire thought but didn’t say. Instead, she answered, “We were just getting acquainted.”

  Melody narrowed her gaze at Claire in warning. As evil as she and her sidekick, Joy, were, Melody apparently didn’t want Perry finding out. “We were just telling her how great it is having a new girl in our class,” Melody lied.

  When Perry glanced at Joy for confirmation, she added, “And welcoming her to the school.”