Ghoulish Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 5)
Page 1
Ghoulish Magic
by
Constance Barker
&
Corrine Winters
Copyright © 2021 Constance Barker
All rights reserved.
Similarities to real people, places or events are purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Thanks for Reading
Catalog of Books
Chapter 1
Sipping on her punch, Thea gazed at the crowd in front of her. In the dark lighting, it was difficult to make out any particular faces. However, the dancing silhouettes coupled with the lively music was more than enough to show that everyone at the party was having a great time.
Although she could have been a part of that, Thea chose not to. Instead, she stood by herself by the drink station and mused. After a long day of work, she didn’t have too much energy left to spend on the dance floor.
As she looked around, she felt her heart swell up in pride to see so many people come together and finish the town’s haunted house. The turnout was amazing, more than she anticipated. She was appreciative of everyone who came by to help.
Volunteers helped run the ticket booth, while the local theater kids came ready in their costumes and make-up to assume the roles of monsters throughout the house. Mummies, vampires, and zombies were popular choices. Thea managed to spot Gage spooking a couple of kids with his fake chainsaw.
When he noticed her watching, he sent her a wave. Laughing, she reciprocated the gesture.
“Oops, sorry about that,” a girl mumbled when she accidentally bumped into Thea’s shoulder. “Didn’t mean to do that...”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Thea replied, shaking it off.
Her eyes narrowed as she observed the girl, wondering if she had ever seen her before. She seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. Her ghoul make-up was impressive, Thea gave her that.
“Have we ever met before?” Thea asked. She stuck out her hand. “If we haven’t, then I should introduce myself. I’m Thea Beal.”
As she poured a glass of punch for herself, the girl glanced her way. She eventually shook Thea’s hand. “My name is Annie Hendrick. I don’t think we’ve talked before.”
“My memory is pretty good, I would have remembered you otherwise,” Thea said, smiling. She motioned to the haunted house around them. “Are you having a good time here? Are you volunteering at a station?”
Annie shrugged. “I’m just hanging out, you know. Seeing the different attractions. It’s all pretty cool.
“I’m glad you think that way. A lot of us pitched in and helped decorate this place. It looks better than I imagined.”
Raising her cup, Annie sent her an impressed nod. “That’s really interesting, Thea. I’ll see you around.”
With that, the girl disappeared into the crowd. Thea watched as she left, squeezing her plastic cup between her fingers. It seemed as if everyone except her had something to do. She frowned, acknowledging that she didn’t want to stand around the drinks anymore. Her legs were itching for something exciting to take part of.
Thea decided to make herself useful and assist in applying the finishing touches to the haunted house’s front entrance. As she approached, she realized that Jesse was already there. The lump in her throat subsided, feeling at ease with someone familiar being around.
“There you are, Thea! What took you so long?” Jesse asked, passing her some painting materials. “We wanted to touch up this section of the entrance. Mind giving us a hand?”
“Of course I’ll help. I’ve been needing something to do.”
“You don’t want to go over there and scare the kids?” Jesse asked playfully, motioning towards the part of the haunted house where the actors would pop out of dark corridors to scare the people passing by.
Thea hummed. “You know, I think I’m gonna pass on that tonight.”
“Understandable. We can both scare the kids some other time.”
As they got to work, Thea had the chance to see which restaurant was catering the party. Maline Cuisine. Taking the lead on their operations was Francis Oppel, which wasn’t surprising. Ever since he took up the position as head chef, the restaurant had been on the rise.
In her heart, no restaurant would be able to compete with Witt’s End Diner. However, she could acknowledge that she was being biased.
Once she and Jesse finished, she retreated towards the drink station and poured herself a well-deserved glass of punch. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Jesse and Pippa danced together to the monster mash. They were becoming more comfortable with each other, which brought a smile on Thea’s face.
Jesse and Pippa made a good pair and it was about time that they started to realize that for themselves.
Snapping out of her daze, Thea realized that there was a woman standing next to her. She was quiet, with a sullen expression on her face. Her costume was the most realistic one Thea had seen that night.
“Would you like something to drink?” Thea asked her. “You look a little thirsty.”
The girl jolted upright. Meeting Thea’s gaze with a bewildered expression, she pointed to herself. “Are you talking to me?”
Thea laughed. “Who else, silly?”
“I-I...” the girl stammered, taking a few steps forward. “I didn’t think anybody would see me.”
“Why wouldn’t they? Your costume is great! I don’t think I’ve seen anyone’s costume has as good as yours tonight.”
The girl stared down at her clothes. She spoke out in a soft voice. “But... this isn’t a costume.”
“What do you mean?” Thea asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “I mean, it’s a Halloween party after all. I assumed everyone would be in costume.”
“How are you able to see me?” the girl said abruptly. “How are you talking to me right now? I don’t understand.”
“...Am I not supposed to?”
“I...I thought no one would be able to talk to me again,” she admitted rather sadly. There was a glossiness to her eyes that tugged at Thea’s heartstrings. “I was getting kind of lonely, you know. At the same time, I was beginning to accept this as my fate.”
“Hold on,” Thea interjected, setting her drink down. “What are you talking about? Why are you acting as if you’re invisible to the world?”
“It’s becaus
e I am,” she said. “I’m a ghost. No one was able to talk to me until you came along.”
Chapter 2
Thea blinked, taking a few moments to rationalize what she just heard. After taking a quick look around to make sure no one was close enough to hear, Thea managed the words out of her mouth.
“A... ghost?” she repeated incredulously. “But... how is that possible?”
The girl laughed softly, shaking her head. “I wish I knew. My name is Julie Walters, by the way.”
“I’m Thea Beal,” she replied, still processing everything that was happening.
There were many questions swirling in her head and it was difficult to narrow down the ones she wanted to ask first. Julie sent her a kind smile.
“It’s a lot to take in, I’m sure,” Julie said. “In all honesty, I’m feeling the same way. Do you really think I expected to talk to anyone again after what happened to me? It’s... surreal.”
Thea finally swallowed down the lump in her throat. “What happened to you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“It’s a long story. It feels like ages ago and I can somewhat remember bits and pieces of what happened that night.”
“Go on,” Thea encouraged. “I’m listening.”
“It was around a year ago, actually. There was a full moon that night and it was a couple days before Halloween. I was attending a haunted house, similar to the one you guys built tonight.”
Julie motioned to the scene around them. She gazed at the decorations and the people with a fond smile on her face, but it was laced with a tinge of sadness. Thea could see it clearly.
“My friends told me that the haunted house was going to be great that year and that everyone was going. I didn’t want to miss out, so I decided to come. Everything was fine that night until I eventually made my way through the haunted house.”
Thea frowned. “Did something attack you while you were in there?”
“I...” Julie thought about that for a moment, before sighing. “To this day, I’m not sure about what happened to me. I was nearing the end. There was a special demon room right before the exit. I thought it was the best room out of them all. The decorations were impressive and I thought the actors were giving everything they had that night. Or at least... I thought they were actors.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something jumped out at me from the shadows. A monster of some kind,” she explained, eyes glazing as she recalled the details in her mind. “At first, I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was just a part of the experience, but... that monster started chanting some words under its breath. I couldn’t understand them. I didn’t recognize the language it was speaking.”
Thea’s face turned to stone. “And what happened next? Did it do something to you? Attack you in some way?”
“I remember the floor lighting up around me. It was almost blinding and it scared me really bad. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but my breath started to get more shallow and everything started to get dark afterwards.”
Julie glanced down at herself. From her hands to her feet. The outfit she wore was the same one she had on the night she was killed.
“And when I woke up again... I realized that I wasn’t in my body. I wasn’t alive anymore,” she said. “It took me a while to get used to the fact that I died. Even now, when I look around, I sometimes forget that people can’t see or talk to me anymore.”
“That’s...” Thea started, wetting her lips before continuing. “That’s a lot to take in. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“It’s not your fault,” Julie replied with a small shrug. “And thank you for the conversation. I really appreciated it. It’s been a while, y’know? Since I’ve had an interaction with anyone.”
“I’ll look into what happened to you that night, Julie. I promise.”
Although the girl responded with a small nod, Thea could tell that she didn’t truly believe her. In all honesty, Thea didn’t blame her. She was in a despondent situation. It was difficult to find some semblance of hope in a spot like that.
While the party around them dispersed, Thea watched in awe as people walked through Julie’s form. Each time they did so, her apparition weakened. Eventually, she disappeared completely.
After regaining her composure, Thea snaked her way through the crowd to find Jesse and Pippa chatting to one another near the entrance of the haunted house. People were already forming a line to enter the attraction. She hauled the couple towards a more discreet area, which led to some mumbled confusion from the two of them.
Pippa was the one who broke the silence first. “Thea, what’s going on–”
“I just talked to a ghost.”
Jesse narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you didn’t just talk to an actor or something?”
“After I talked to her, she disappeared right before my eyes. These actors are good, but I’m pretty sure they can’t do that.”
“Wait, seriously?” Pippa asked, taking Thea’s wrist in her hand. “An actual ghost? Meaning a person who was once alive but is now dead?”
“Pippa, I wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Thea replied, as her gaze flickered between the two of them. “We need to find out why that girl was murdered and who was responsible. The circumstances around her death are really mysterious. I’m surprised we never heard about this happening.”
“How was she killed in the first place?” Jesse piped up.
“She told me that she was killed while she walked through the haunted house,” Thea explained. Pippa went pale as goosebumps appeared along her arms. “A monster popped out from one of the rooms and was responsible for her death. She doesn’t remember much after that.”
“That’s awful,” Pippa whispered. “I want to help her. Do you think we should ask around? See if anyone knows anything?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Thea agreed. “Her name was Julie Walters. I don’t know much about her, but she was obviously from Ardensville. There has to be someone around here who knew who she was.”
Chapter 3
So many people were in their vicinity, yet it was difficult to get even a few of them to speak up. They were too busy caught up in all of the fun. Every time Thea tried to spark up a conversation in the hopes of learning more about Julie, she was cut short.
She should have anticipated something like this happening. More often than not, she was ignored by the people she hoped to talk to. In the end, Thea gave up and waited outside the haunted house for Pippa and Jesse. She hoped that they had more luck asking around than she did.
However, based on their expressions as they exited the haunted house in unison, Thea realized that they all had a rough night. Their attempt at investigation didn’t lead them very far, so it seemed.
“Find anything useful?” Thea asked.
She was seated on a tree stump near the front of the haunted house. She scooted over to allow Pippa to take the spot beside her.
“Nothing,” Pippa said, shaking her head. “Everyone was so busy with the haunted house. They didn’t want to stop by and talk.”
“It’s somewhat understandable, don’t you think?” Jesse countered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I mean, if I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn’t have stopped to talk either.”
Pippa frowned. “Not even for me?”
“...I might have made an exception.”
“I still want to find out what happened to her,” Thea said, staring down at her shoes. “Seeing Julie made me a little sad. I didn’t even realize she was a ghost at first. I thought she was wearing a costume like everyone else.”
“Did she seem nice?” Pippa asked curiously.
Thea nodded. “Yeah. She was. She told me that she didn’t expect to talk to anyone ever again. She was also surprised by the fact that I could even see her.”
“That’s really sad,” Jesse mumbled out. “And it feels kind of strange that she was killed in a haunted house. Meanwhile...” He pointed towards the crowds
of people entering and exiting the building they just came from. “All of those people are enjoying their time over there.”
“She mentioned there was a full moon on the night she was killed, too,” Thea commented, gazing up at the night sky.
The stars flickered brilliantly in the dark, accompanied by the moonlight that speared through the passing clouds. As the grey billows moved along, they gradually revealed the full moon. Its light was radiant.
“There’s a full moon tonight,” Pippa whispered, leaning her head on Thea’s shoulder. “I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not, but... it’s pretty.”
“Definitely,” Jesse said, lifting his sights towards the moon. “I don’t know what it is about it, but the moon can always relax me.”
“You’re not the only one who feels that way, Jesse,” Thea responded. “So, do we have any ideas on what our next steps should be in figuring out what happened to Julie? I was thinking about what we could do. We could first–”
Without warning, Thea was abruptly interrupted by an ear-piercing scream coming towards the direction of the haunted house. The three of them were startled, as were the crowds of people waiting in line to enter.
Before they knew it, people were getting ushered out of the building in a hurry. Many were frantically pushing their way out of the haunted house, while others carried horrified expressions on their faces. Thea and Pippa rose to their feet, craning their necks to see what was happening.
“Jesse, can you see anything over there?” Thea asked him, knowing that his height gave him an advantage over crowds of people. “Why did someone just yell?”
“I have no idea,” he replied. “All of the people coming out of the haunted house look scared...”
Pippa’s eyes went wide. “You don’t think something happened to someone, do you...?”
Thea clenched her jaw. She made the initiative and led the way towards the front entrance of the haunted house. Meanwhile, the sound of police sirens was slowly approaching their direction. She exchanged a knowing look with Pippa before hurrying after a worker who was trying to get away from the haunted house as quickly as possible.