The Ghost Next Door

by Ginny Baird

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, this certainly seems a good fit for you. You make an excellent town sheriff.”

  “Thanks for saying so.”

  He studied her a beat as night winds blew and the rockers creaked next door. “Do you think you’ll ever do it?”

  “What?”

  “Go over those mountains,” he said, motioning with his chin.

  “I’d like to. Someday.”

  Nathan gazed in her eyes, and her heart gave a flutter.

  “Maybe someday I’ll take you.”

  Claire drew a breath, absorbing the wonderful scents in the air…from fried apple donuts and funnel cake to hot apple cider and caramel apples. It was almost like a carnival but homespun and better, with a mime tying balloons into animal forms for children gathered by the side of a barn.

  “This is really cool,” she said to Perry as he led her through the rows of apple trees abutting the open field strung with festive lights. “Who knew Blayton had so much action?”

  Perry smiled smugly and took her hand. “Come on. There’s something I want you to see.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked. But her heart was totally light. So light, in fact, she felt it was filled with helium and she might float off into the night.

  He led her into a shadowy grove that opened onto an enormous sky. “Here,” he said, releasing his grip. “Away from the lights.”

  Claire stared up in awe at the glittery sky that seemed to be set with a million diamonds. “Awesome.”

  “Yeah. It’s even better under a full moon. It’s like the whole world lights up just for you.”

  She gave a saucy tilt to her chin. “One’s coming, I hear.”

  “They pretty much do. Once a month.”

  “You must love living out here.”

  “It’s cool, most of the time. But it’s sort of far from everything.”

  “Blayton’s far from everything.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I feel like I’ve stepped back in time.”

  “It’s a little hard at first, but you’ll get used to it.”

  She surveyed the lines of his face in the shadows. “I think I will.”

  “Ever been on a hay ride?” he asked her.

  “Not in Richmond.”

  “Then maybe it’s time.”

  Before long, Perry was helping Claire onto the trailer as other kids climbed down.

  “Well, look who the cat dragged in,” Melody said with a sneer, pushing past her.

  Joy was close at her heels. “Wouldn’t that be out?”

  “Yeah, and it was Mrs. Fenton’s cat, wasn’t it?”

  The other pair with them snickered.

  “Hey, girls.” Perry’s voice was a friendly warning, a reminder to them that he was there.

  Melody’s face beamed brightly, then took on a cloudy cast as her gaze flitted to Claire. “Don’t tell me that—?”

  “Everyone’s just here to have a good time,” Perry told her. “Let’s keep it that way, all right?”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes at her companions, who shrugged in return. “Suit yourself. Though I’ve got to say,” she spewed under her breath, “your taste’s not all that.”

  Perry caught her by the elbow before she could step away. “I know you meant to pay me a compliment.” Then he addressed the others. “Melody’s just never been very good with words.”

  Her face flushed red as she turned abruptly away. “Let’s go, guys,” she said to her friends, who filed in suit and stormed after her. “She’s cast a spell on him.”

  Joy’s reply was a chortle. “Now she’s got magical powers?”

  Melody fumed and plowed ahead, not caring to lower her voice. “That’s what happens when you live next to ghosts!”

  “Whoa,” Claire said, taking her seat. “Anger-management time.”

  Perry wedged himself between her and another kid who was sitting too close. “I’ll say.”

  “What’s her problem, anyway?”

  “Sometimes she tries to cut it back. But Melody’s meanness is like her fingernails. It always grows out again.”

  “Her friends seem to like her.”

  “Those girls are afraid of her. Afraid that if they don’t do what she says, she’ll turn against them and make their lives miserable too.”

  “That’s a hard way to live,” Claire said sadly.

  “Yeah,” Perry agreed as the wagon began to roll. “But let’s not think about Melody anymore tonight.”

  “That’s a deal!”

  “Claire?”

  “Huh?”

  “Thanks for coming out with me. I mean, I know I called really late.”

  “I’m glad you called,” she said. “Real glad.”

  His eyes warmed with surprise. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow. That’s nice.”

  Melody stood in the donut line with the other girls, watching the wagon roll away.

  “Uh-oh,” Joy quipped beside her. “I’ve seen that expression before.”

  “What are you going to do?” a third girl asked, her tone a tad gleeful.

  Melody narrowed her gaze, still tracking the happy couple. “Teach that little witch a lesson.”

  A few minutes before ten, Claire breezed in the door, a blissful sparkle in her eye.

  “So?” Elizabeth prodded. “How did everything go?”

  “Okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  Claire cupped her mouth with a giggle. “Oh, Mom, he’s so cool.”

  “Perry?”

  “Totally cool. You should have seen how he put those girls in their place.”

  Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled with worry. “Is that Melody person still giving you trouble?”

  “I can handle it.”

  “Seriously, honey. If it keeps up, maybe I can talk to Nathan. She’s his niece, you—”

  “Mo-om! Puleeze. I’d die.”

  “Well, we couldn’t have that.”

  “No.”

  “Want something to eat?”

  “I’m stuffed from apple donuts.”

  “Sounds yum.”

  “They were.” Claire suddenly frowned. “I’m sorry. I should have brought you one. I didn’t think to—”

  “It’s all right. I had plenty of apple cake to fill me up.”

  Claire glanced back toward the kitchen. “Nathan’s gone, right? I didn’t see his cruiser.”

  “Left about thirty minutes ago.”

  “That was a long cup of coffee.”

  “It was…nice.”

  “Um-hum.”

  “We just visited, that’s all.”

  “I’m glad you’re making friends.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Male friends. Ones of the opposite sex.”

  “I’ve had male friends!”

  “Your boss, Jerry, doesn’t count.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s married.”

  “What’s that go to do…” Her words fell off as Claire cocked an eyebrow.

  “This is good for you.”

  “Why, thanks. I’m glad you approve.”

  “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

  “Claire!”

  She broke out in giggles again. “I’m just yanking your chain.”

  “Yeah, and I feel it,” Elizabeth said, but she could sense herself grinning just the same.

  “So, you seeing Nathan again?”

  “Everybody sees everybody in this town.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Elizabeth flipped back her hair and tried to sound casual about it. “He might have said something about stopping by my shop next week to see how things are going.”

  Claire gripped her by the elbows. “Mom, that’s great!”

  “And…” Elizabeth added slyly. “He might have dropped a hint about taking me to lunch.”

  “Wow, Mom. Lunch. Better slow down there.”

  Elizabeth stared at her
daughter, who sagely shook her head.

  “Wouldn’t want to move too fast.”

  Chapter Five

  By Sunday, Elizabeth and Claire had done the last of their unpacking. They’d been too busy with work and school to deal with boxes during the week, so the few things they hadn’t gotten to the weekend before they’d tackled today and yesterday. It was a gorgeous autumn afternoon, sunlight bouncing off the trees hedging the graveyard. Somehow even the cemetery appeared lovely set against the spectacular mountains, now in full bloom with October colors. The air was light and crisp as wind rippled through the trees, sending gold and brown leaves spiraling to the ground. Claire plucked at her guitar on the front porch while Elizabeth sipped hot coffee. Life was beginning to seem idyllic in this small town. It was uncanny how the two of them had settled in, and how much at home they were already starting to feel in just a short while.

  “That’s a nice tune you’re playing.”

  Claire looked up from strumming. “Who knew I’d be playing to such an audience one day?” She glanced across the street at the tombstones. “At least no one’s complaining.”

  Elizabeth smiled at her daughter, glad she’d developed a sense of humor over their living circumstances. They couldn’t really be helped at this point and wouldn’t have to last forever. Phantom raised his head from the porch railing with a lazy yawn. He’d found a spot in the sun and was enjoying keeping them company outdoors.

  “Think we’ll get a lot of snow here?” Claire asked.

  “I’d guess a bit more than in Richmond.”

  “That’s nice.” She strummed her last few chords, then set down her guitar. “I won’t mind it, you know. Getting snowed in here in Blayton, beside a haunted house.”

  Elizabeth laughed out loud. “If we get much of a winter, the ghosts themselves will be too cold to come out.”

  Claire’s gaze panned the old Victorian next door. “Why do you think it hasn’t sold?”

  “It’s an older place.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Could need a bit of repair.”

  “At least the neighbors are good.”

  “World’s best,” Elizabeth agreed, raising her mug.

  Phantom plopped down off the porch railing and climbed up onto Claire’s lap, starting to purr.

  “Looks like somebody agrees.”

  Claire stroked the cat’s head, before addressing her mom. “When’s the satellite dish going in?”

  “Lex is coming by my office tomorrow and says he thinks he can get out here by the end of the week.” Lexington Holt was Martha’s husband. He also ran the only communications firm in Blayton. Satellite TV, Wi-Fi, or broadband. Whatever your interest, Lex was the man to fix you up.

  “We’ll get Internet then?”

  Elizabeth crossed her fingers and held up her hand. “That’s the plan.”

  “Great! I’d begun to think we’d fallen off the earth into some sort of black hole.”

  “Come on, Blayton’s not that bad.”

  “You’re right,” she said, snuggling the cat. “It’s not so terrible. Not so terrible, after all.”

  Curly-headed Janet adjusted her cat-eye glasses on the bridge of her nose and stared at the girls. She stood at the register while Melody and her friends dumped bags of fake spider webs and other items on the counter. “Ya’all are picking up quite a bit of Halloween stuff.”

  “We’re, uh…helping to decorate for the Halloween dance,” Joy offered. “The one at the high school.”

  Janet lifted the dismembered body part oozing with painted blood. “Nice. You got the severed foot. Is that the prize for best dancer?”

  Melody stared at her dumbstruck. “Huh?”

  “When someone can’t dance, you say he has two left… Never mind.”

  Joy studied the rubber foot. “How can you tell which foot it is?”

  “Forget about it,” Janet said, ringing them up. “That will be thirty-six dollars even.”

  Probably the only thing Melody appreciated about Blayton was the fact that there was no sales tax here. Made it easy to shop within a budget. Especially at the Dollar Store. She and her three buds had each chipped in ten dollars toward their goal. It was a twofold project and would be every bit worth the investment. Melody felt devilish just thinking of how well it would go. Once their plan was executed, Perry would see Claire for the hysterical wimp she was. And Claire… Poor little thing… Would be bent on getting out of Dodge. So determined, in fact, she’d work to convince her mother, who by then would have also begun to suspect something wasn’t quite right with this town.

  “Mel!” Joy nudged her. “We’re waiting for you to throw in your ten.”

  “Oh right. Sorry.” She flashed a bright grin at Janet.

  Janet bagged their stash with a dubious frown, then watched as they bunched in a giggling passel and headed out the door. “Have a nice day, girls.”

  Bernie leaned into the doorjamb of Nathan’s office. It was Monday morning at nine o’clock. “There’s something Janet told me this weekend that I think you ought to know.”

  Nathan, who’d been busy reviewing third-quarter revenues and expenses, looked up. “What’s that?”

  “Melody Anne and some of her friends were in the Dollar Store on Sunday buying supplies.”

  “What kind of supplies?” Martha asked, stepping up behind him. She knew the kids well enough to surmise that if Nathan’s niece was up to something, Joy was right in the thick of it with her. They’d been best friends since the eighth grade.

  “Halloween stuff,” Bernie said. “Claimed they were decorating for the high school dance.”

  “That could be,” Nathan told him. “There is a dance next Saturday.”

  Martha scrunched her lips, reflecting. “I thought the PTO took care of that.”

  Nathan addressed them both. “I’m not exactly seeing how a group of kids buying Halloween stuff in October is a crime.”

  “Janet says she got a funny feeling.”

  Nathan knew better than to respond to this. Janet was always getting funny feelings, having premonitions, and seeing people’s auras in some weird shade. Nathan’s color was ecru, which sounded more like a vegetable than a descriptive term to him. Not that he bothered to argue with Janet’s assessments. She was always quite sure of herself when she made them. And Bernie, bless his faithful-husband soul, always backed her up. One hundred percent. In public, that was. Only Nathan knew privately that Bernie thought Janet’s ideas were a little loopy sometimes. But she was a wonderful wife and one hell of a cook besides. So who was Bernie to quibble over a few minor quirks? Nathan guessed Bernie didn’t find kids buying Halloween stuff in October particularly unusual himself. But he also knew if something did go wrong and—heaven forbid—those kids pulled off some prank—Bernie would never hear the end of it for failing to heed Janet’s hunch and pass on her suspicions. Nathan would never hear the end of things either, if word of this got back to Belle and he hadn’t chosen to inform her about what, or what might not, be going on. Ah, the joys of living in a small town.

  Nathan nodded. “Thanks, Bernie. I’ll look into it.” Then he lowered his head and got back to work, thinking this was going to be a long month.

  Lex stood in Elizabeth’s newspaper office, shaking his head at the blinking light on the router. “I’m not sure why that’s not booting up. Could be the general server’s still down.”

  “For everyone?” Elizabeth asked with dismay. “But how can that be?”

  Lex was a tall, slim guy with a thinning hairline, yet his smile was warm as crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Jennings. We had a big storm blow through here about a week ago. Must have been right before you moved over. High winds, hail. Tore everything up. Most of the poles leading out of town got hit. I know the fellows have been working on it. But a lot our communications systems are still mangled.”

  “How much longer could it take?”

  “Hard to say. Could be a couple of hours. On the outside, a week. Maybe two
.”

  Two weeks? “You don’t understand. I’m under a deadline to get out my first edition.”

  He scratched his head a moment, then met her gaze. “Well, if it’s the first one, then how will folks know it’s late?”

  “Jerry will know.”

  “Jerry?”

  Elizabeth sighed heavily. “He’s my boss in Richmond. I’ll have to give him a call.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “At least this won’t affect setting up the broadband at home.”

  “Can’t promise you that. The problems seem to be widespread. And the crew we’ve got working on it? They’re a skeleton crew, if you know what I mean. Only three boys.”

  “That’s all that’s been assigned?”

  “That’s all that we’ve got.”

  “Has this happened before?”

  “I kind of hate to say this, with this being my line of work and all, but telecommunications aren’t exactly our strength in Blayton. When things are humming, they’re good. But, every once in a while, we get surprised by Mother Nature. Not much to do about it other than allow the boys to do their job and sit tight.”

  Elizabeth’s morning was going from bad to worse. All she needed was to have to face Claire after school with the news there’d be no social media for another few weeks. Claire was already feeling cut off from the world and missing her old friends. Kids that age didn’t use traditional phone calling to stay in touch. Messages needed to be typed in at one-hundred-forty characters or less. “And the satellite TV?” she asked weakly.

  “If you’re getting the bundle, might behoove you to wait for me to make the service call. Otherwise, you’ll be paying double what you should. Double the service and installation fees.”

  And paying double for anything wasn’t something Elizabeth could consider doing at this moment. She’d come here with a set amount of money but wouldn’t be paid again from headquarters until the end of this month. And that deposit was contingent on her first issue getting out. Elizabeth tried to think out how to make her grocery money stretch into the next month, but that seemed impossible. She’d need to call Jerry right away and ask for an extension. Surely, he’d be reasonable and understand. Jerry was a little crabby at times, but generally treated folks fairly. “You’re right,” she said to Lex. “I’ll wait.”