Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2)

by Joy Elbel

  “She didn’t!” I said but I wasn’t actually shocked— Misty was the nastiest person I’d ever met in my life. “She did, Ruby—and I just lost it! I called her a bitch and told her that someday someone would give her what she deserved. She went directly to Coach Hunter and told her that I physically threatened her. She didn’t believe her so Misty bullied the other girls into backing up her story. Coach Hunter felt bad—I could tell—but she had no other choice but to kick me off the squad.”

  “Somebody does need to give her what she deserves! She’s awful!” How could one person cause so much destruction in one school?

  “I know. The worst part is that I know she only did it because she’s pissed at me for helping get you and Zach back together. One of the other girls told me so later.”

  Now, I was pissed! How dare she try to ruin Rachel’s life because of me! “I’m sorry, Rachel. I feel like it’s my fault that you’re crying.” I was about to suggest we both go find her and settle it with a good old fashioned cat fight when Rachel interrupted.

  “I hate her more than anything in this world but that’s not the reason I’m crying! I’m upset because Crimson has been missing since Halloween and the police think Drake had something to do with it.”

  “Missing? What do you mean missing?” She definitely wasn’t the kind of girl whose picture you’d expect to find on the side of a milk carton. I’d heard my dad use that phrase before. What did that phrase even mean? Did they actually put pictures of missing children on milk cartons at some point? Thank goodness they invented the internet.

  “Well, she had that fight with Ivy at the party, but eventually Boone and Drake broke it up. Drake had to practically drag her out of the house kicking and screaming while Boone kept Ivy at bay. Drake threw her into his car and they drove away. That’s the last anyone has seen of her.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “What exactly do the police think happened?”

  “They think Drake hurt her—maybe even killed her!”

  “What do you think happened?” “That’s just it—I don’t know! I want to believe Drake when he says he dropped her off at the bus station but it’s all so much like what happened five years ago.” Rachel put her head in her hands and began to sob again.

  “What happened five years ago?” There was something about that question that gave me a cold chill. It felt like once I asked it, there would be no turning back even if I wanted to.

  Rachel told me the story through a veil of tears which made it feel even more tragic. “Five years ago when Drake was a senior in high school, he was dating this college freshman. Her name was Allison Cornell. I was only twelve when this happened so I don’t remember all of the details. But basically Drake claimed that she was homesick and he dropped her off at the bus station on Friday night so she could visit her parents. Her roommate was supposed to pick her up on Sunday but Allison didn’t get off the bus. When her roommate called Allison’s family, they said she never made it home. Drake was the last person to see her alive.”

  “Alive? So I take it they found her….” The word “body” got stuck in my throat.

  Rachel nodded her head. I took notice of the fact that she avoided using the “B” word too.

  “That’s where it starts to get weird.” Starts? What kind of town was I living in anyway? Ghosts, disappearances, suicides—and I was pretty sure Rachel was about to add murder to that list.

  “They found her murdered a few months later on the steps of the old Baptist church in a wedding dress. But here’s the really weird part—when they found her, she’d only been dead for a few days.”

  And there it was—the “M” word. “So where was she in the meantime?” Part of me knew that I should just keep my mouth shut and stop asking questions that I didn’t want the answers to. But really, when was the last time that I listened to my intuition?

  “Well, they think she was being held hostage and tortured during that time.” Ahh, torture. What list of things associated with Charlotte’s Grove would be complete without torture? Cliché or not, I really was beginning to think the entire town was built over an Indian burial ground!

  “Drake was the only suspect but there wasn’t any real evidence against him. They never found her killer. They’ll probably reopen the case now that Crimson’s gone, too.”

  “I’m sorry, Rachel, is there anything I can do for you?” “Only if you can speak to the dead!” she uttered sarcastically. “Then we could find out who killed Allison and maybe get to Crimson in time.”

  I could tell by her reaction that Zach never told her about my connection to the other side. And it had to stay that way. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to help her but there was already too much going on with Garnet for me to go romping off on any other paranormal adventures. I wasn’t Nancy freakin’ Drew, for cryin’ out loud!

  I listened while Rachel explained the impact this would have on Drake’s future in the NFL and Boone’s, too, by association. When she finally stopped crying, I popped a comedy into the Blu-Ray and tried to take her mind off of things. Rachel didn’t laugh once.

  Things were a little awkward when I stepped into Something Wick-ed the next morning. I stormed out of there like a brat when Rita wouldn’t tell me what Mr. Raspatello talked to her about. So with my tail tucked figuratively between my legs, I offered an apology.

  “Rita, I’m sorry about the way I acted the other day.” Then I uttered those three dreaded words. “You were right.” She responded gracefully, accepting my apology with one of her own. “I’m sorry, too. I wish I could answer your question but I can’t.”

  It was probably as good a time as any to ask her something she could answer. I followed her outside as she packed her car for the day’s ghost hunting adventure. “Rita, do ghosts communicate with each other? You know, like, could word of my abilities be front page news on the Ghost Gazette or something?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh as she grabbed the last bag of equipment from the sidewalk. “If they communicated with each other, Scarlet and Levi would have reconnected years ago and you wouldn’t have had such an interesting summer.”

  True. Why didn’t I think about that? I felt so stupid about this whole thing. Would I ever really understand what was happening to me? The even bigger question—did I really want to? Frustrated, I pressed on.

  “Very true. Do ghosts appear anywhere at any time? What I mean is, do they appear right after they die or is there some sort of waiting period? And are they always attached to the place where they died or can they roam around a little?”

  “Is this about the ghost at the school or is something else going on?” She eyed me quizzically with more than a hint of the same look Mr. Raspatello kept giving me.

  I didn’t want to talk about my dreams or Lee—not just yet. Mentioning it to her would only give it a level of importance that I wasn’t ready to give it. “Neither,” I responded, “just curious is all.”

  “They appear instantly—I know that for a fact.” Rita closed the back of her SUV and leaned against it. “I was at an amusement park once when someone flew out of a ride and got killed. She stepped right out of her body and wandered away. I went back to that same park a few years later and I saw her several times.”

  “So they do stay in the place where they died!” While thoughts of Lee haunting the rebuilt Destiny Bridge were far from pleasant, at least I knew my dream was never going to come true.

  “Not always.”

  Dammit. I should have known there would be a catch. “What do you mean?” “Most ghosts are attached to the places where they died but sometimes they feel more connected to the places where they felt most alive—their homes, favorite places, things like that. Sometimes they still have a strong connection to their bodies so the cemeteries are full of them. Of course objects can be haunted and people, too. I guess the best rule is that there aren’t any rules. I hope that helps.” Rita got into her car and drove away.

  I hope that helps. If anything, I was just more co
nfused. Did this mean that Lee could still find me? Was I upset because I was afraid he could or because I was afraid he couldn’t? My future was with Zach either way, but it would help to have complete closure with Lee. Everything was fine until I had those stupid dreams. Maybe now that I was done reading the book, they would go away on their own.

  The shop stayed busy for most of the day and it kept my mind off of my dreams. Toward the end of the day, all I could think about was my date with Zach. Things were starting to feel normal again—at least by my standards.

  The drive-in was closed for the season and the next closest theater was the IMAX in Graysburg so we opted for another quiet night in. I picked up a few movies on my way home and enough snacks to feed a third world country. Now that my stomach was playing nice, I wanted to eat everything in sight.

  I decided to reverse the roles a bit and pick Zach up instead of him just meeting me at Rosewood. He did a lot to support me—it was about time I showed him some gratitude.

  “So you’re taking me out on a date, huh? What did I do to deserve this?” he asked as he got into the car. He took one look at the bags of food I bought laying in the backseat and laughed. He cocked one eyebrow at me and said, “That’s not all just for me, is it?”

  I knew exactly what he meant by that. He was so worried about my weight loss that he took every possible opportunity to feed me.

  “No, my appetite is back with a vengeance—you’ll be lucky if you can catch some of my crumbs!” “Good,” he said as he rubbed my shoulder lightly. “I don’t care if I don’t get a single bite. As long as you’re eating, I’m happy.”

  “I guess I could save you some seeing as how it’s Zach Mason Appreciation Day and all,” I teased as I pulled out onto the road.

  “Zach Mason Appreciation Day? Funny, that wasn’t marked on my calendar.”

  “Well it was on mine. You’ve been really supportive through some really tough times. Tonight, I say thank you.”

  “You don’t have to do anything special for me, sweetie. Just being with you is thanks enough for me.” “See, now comments like that are what earned you your own holiday,” I replied as I parked in front of the mansion. “Tonight is your night but I could use some help carrying the food in if you don’t mind.”

  With a smile, he snatched up every last bag and followed me into the house. Once inside, he rounded the corner toward the kitchen but I stopped him. “We’re going to the attic.”

  “Geez, Ruby, just how much do you plan on appreciating me tonight?” The look on his face was priceless. “Ha ha—very funny! But you definitely won’t feel unappreciated by the end of the night—trust me!”

  Once we were safely out of earshot, Zach asked, “So any progress on our plan?” I nodded my head. “Nothing concrete, but it totally looks favorable. It’s all Shelly can talk about. When I hear something, you’ll be the first to know.”

  Zach tried to help me with the food but I wouldn’t let him. “Sit down, relax, and let me take care of you for once. You are still injured and all.”

  “Not for much longer—this thing comes off on Wednesday, you know,” he said waving his cast in the air. “That’s right but I can still take care of you until then.” I passed him a bowl of barbecue potato chips and a bag of pretzels. “Do you want ice cream now or later?” I called over my shoulder while I grabbed some sodas from the mini fridge.

  “Later—but feel free to have some now if you’re in the mood.” I was definitely in the mood—just not for ice cream. “I think I’ll wait, too.” I stashed the ice cream into my tiny freezer and closed the door. But I made sure to take the bag of chocolates back to the futon with me. I heard that chocolate was the next best thing to sex—and boy did I like chocolate!

  Once the movie was in, I added the final touches. I turned out the light and opened the door. The darkness would heighten the mood but the open door would ensure that it didn’t get heightened too much.

  The first movie I picked was a dark comedy about a girl who fell in love with a zombie. We cuddled on the futon, laughing hysterically the whole way through. When the movie ended, I turned on the lights to change the disc and Zach took a bathroom break. As soon as he walked away, Shelly and Dad popped their heads through the doorway.

  “Hey, sorry to interrupt but I want to ask you guys something.” Shelly craned her neck around the corner. “Where’s Zach?”

  “Bathroom break,” I answered nervously, hoping that he wasn’t doing anything more while he was in there. All I needed was for him to emerge from the bathroom and say something inappropriate in front of them.

  No need to worry. He must have heard her voice because the second he came out he said hello to them. Charming as always.

  Shelly looked like she was about to burst so I asked her what she wanted to talk to us about. I knew it had nothing to do with sex this time because my dad was smiling.

  “I’m getting us tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We want to invite you both to join us. We can double date!” Shelly sounded more like a teenager than my thirty-five year old stepmom.

  It felt like I just the lottery. I really did want to go but I wanted to be alone with Zach even more. But I had to play it cool. “Sunday you said? I work every Sunday.”

  “Yeah, me too,” replied Zach. He kept a straight face but I knew he had to be just as happy as I was on the inside.

  “Maybe if we talked to Andy and Rita we could work something out,” my dad countered.

  Dammit! We could both definitely get out of work to carry out our plans but the last thing we needed was for them to know that. “I really need the money, Dr. Matthews—but thanks for the offer.”

  “If you’re sure, Zach.” My dad looked straight at me. “What about you, Ruby? Are you in or are you out?” I wanted to scream “out, out, definitely out!” Instead, I acted like I was giving it some serious thought before answering. “Out—there’s no one else to watch the store in my place.”

  Shelly was visibly disappointed but my dad smiled at us. “It’s nice to see that you’re both so responsible. Maybe next time?”

  “Definitely!” The word practically exploded out of my mouth as Zach nodded vigorously in agreement. “Okay, then,” my dad said as he started down the stairs after Shelly. I was just about to explode with excitement when he returned to the landing and pushed the door open by another foot before leaving. Push that door open all you want, Dad—your little girl’s still about to become a woman!

  Once I was definitely sure they were gone for good, I threw my arms around Zach and practically knocked him down backwards onto the futon.

  “Whoa, Ruby! Careful—I’m gonna need all of my body parts in working order, you know!” He plunked down onto the futon and pulled me along with him.

  “Your plan worked!” I kissed him quickly on the lips. “I’m dating a freaking genius!”

  “Really? What’s his name? I have to know whose ass I’m going to kick!” “I’m talking about you, stupid!” I swatted him on the arm with the back of my hand and started giggling uncontrollably.

  “Oh, so now I’m stupid!” He threw a potato chip at me and I laughed even harder.

  “You think it’s funny? I’ll show you funny!” Zach held me down and tickled me with his good arm. “Stop, Zach!” By this point, I was laughing so hard I almost couldn’t breathe. I grabbed the bag of chocolates and lobbed one at his head.

  Zach was laughing almost as hard as I was. “Now you’re really going to get it!” We wrestled around on the futon until eventually we rolled straight off of it. Zach landed on the floor first and I plopped right on top of him.

  “Are you okay?” Zach suddenly sounded serious.

  “Yeah,” I responded. “Are you?”

  “Yeah. Never better.” We were both gasping for air from laughing so hard that we stayed on the floor trying to catch our breath. What started out as a lot of fun began to change into something completely different.

  Ther
e was nothing funny about the feelings coming over me as I lay there on top of him. In three short weeks, we would finally be alone together. I wanted it to be tonight. The look in his eyes told me the same story so I bent down and kissed him.

  That one kiss was the only spark we needed to ignite. His lips never left mine as he sat up, pulling me into his lap. My intensity only seemed to increase his until I was in a state of sheer delirium. I reached heights I only fantasized about before. But reality was much better than fantasy. For some reason, Zach lost his will power like he never did before. And I lost my inhibitions right along with him.

  I’m sure that if Dad and Shelly weren’t downstairs we wouldn’t have been able to stop. His hands found every part of me that he wouldn’t allow them to before and mine did the same. Neither of us ventured under each other’s clothing, but it was one steamy session nevertheless. The only thing that brought us back to earth was Coco who was clearly fascinated by what we were doing. She somehow tunneled her way between us and was perched on her back paws with her face close to ours.

  Total mood killer. We stopped kissing when her whiskers brushed against our faces. What started with laughter, ended with laughter. Aside from the obvious, it was everything I hoped it would be. But in three weeks, it would be everything.

  I hoisted myself off of him and took a drink of my soda. Zach climbed back up onto the futon and said only one word.

  “Wow.” The dreamy look in his eyes said way more than just that, though.

  “I never knew tickling could be so….” I struggled to find the perfect word to describe what I’d just experienced.

  “Passionate? Intense?”

  “Both good words but even they don’t totally do it justice.” “Thanks, I guess, but you’re the real fire behind what just happened,” Zach replied. Shy Zach was back again, quiet and not wanting to take credit for how amazing he truly was. “Two thumbs up for Zach Mason Appreciation Day.”