Always Dead (Welcome To Dead House Book 2)

by M. L. Bullock

  “That goes without saying. I would never want to bring Aaron’s family more hurt. Let’s see if maybe he can help us solve the mystery of his murder.” I squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. I was feeling particularly affectionate tonight. Deputy Kevin Patrick better look out.

  “I’ve seen firsthand that those voices are the best witnesses.”

  With narrowed eyes, I answered. “Ghosts. They are dead people, not just voices on the wind, Kevin. I agree with you, but if we can get a clue as to what Aaron might have seen or experienced, I’m sure it will be helpful.”

  He shrugged noncommittally but he didn’t argue with me. “Should I help with the dishes?”

  “The dishes can wait. It’s supposed to rain later, and I’d like to get out to the road before there’s water everywhere. Let me grab my spirit box.”

  Kevin nodded as he moved the dishes to the sink. I liked this domestic side of him. That could prove useful in the future. Washing dishes was not my favorite thing, but I found that I had to do it quite frequently even when it was just me in the house. I couldn’t quite bring myself to load the dishwasher for just one or two people.

  “Why don’t we take my vehicle back there? The road is not in good condition, but it might be helpful, especially if it rains. Using that box in a more contained area is better, but it’s better than nothing.”

  I hollered up to Chloe to tell her we were stepping out of the house for a few minutes, and she hollered back. Luckily, she didn’t ask questions because I didn’t want her to tag along. For more than one reason.

  To reach the road, we had to go down the driveway and take a right, make a half loop, and come up behind the house. It was strange to think that all of this property used to belong to the original tract. It was a lot of land. We rode in silence as Kevin did his best to dodge potholes and unseen dips in the road. We went about halfway down the property line, and he put the car in park. It was a pleasant evening although clouds were gathering. We still had quite a bit of moonlight. I wasn’t sure how long it would last, but I was anxious to get out of the car and get to work.

  “Ready?” I asked as I leaned against the front of his vehicle. I placed the spirit box on the hood, careful not to scratch the paint. “I’m about to crank her up.”

  Kevin shivered slightly but nodded as if to say go for it. I flipped the switch on and tinkered with the volume until I got it at a decent level. That didn’t prevent the occasional scream from launching out of the speaker, but anything I could do to make it easier to hear the voices helped. Luckily this particular brand of spirit box allowed me to record my sessions on a digital file I could examine later on my computer. There was something thrilling about seeing those wave files in graph form. People didn’t understand how easy it was to record the disembodied voices. If they did know, I’m sure it would be a world-changer for many.

  “Aaron? Aaron Knight? Are you here?” We got an immediate response.

  Yes!

  Without thinking about it, I smacked Kevin on the arm. This was exciting. I couldn’t be sure this was the person we were looking for, so I pressed a little harder.

  “Aaron, this is Deputy Patrick, and my name is Tamara. We are investigating your death. I know that’s a tough subject to talk about, but if you could help us, we can help you. Aaron? Are you there?”

  No.

  I’m here.

  Car. Dead.

  “What the hell?” Kevin asked as he stepped away from the box. “How many dead people are around here?”

  I raised my hand to remind him to be calm. “I can tell there are a lot of you out here, but I need to speak to Aaron. Aaron, do you know what happened to you? Can we talk about it?”

  Joey...

  A young man’s voice came through, and it was not Joey.

  “What about Joey? Did you come here to meet him? Was he your friend?” A sudden burst of desperation rose within me. It was true then, Aaron and Joey were connected. Somehow, I’d known that from the get-go. I wondered if that was why Joey had been so standoffish.

  “Aaron? This is Deputy Patrick. I’m investigating your case. Do you know who killed you?”

  There was silence, and then a sudden burst of energy hit the box and manifested in a strange way. A song began to play, a familiar song by Simply Red.

  The desperate voice came over the speaker again, the same young man.

  Joey?

  “That’s impossible. This radio has no antenna. It can’t pick up songs like that. Pieces of songs, snippets of voices, but not play an entire song. This is crazy.” I turned up the volume slightly, and a cacophony of voices came through. The young man’s voice whispered something, and then there was a deeper voice, one that sounded almost inhuman. Until that moment, I hadn’t thought about the Reaper, but could this be his voice? As far as I knew, he didn’t speak. He did like to appear menacing and enjoyed staring and growling but not speaking.

  Help...Joey...

  I turned the spirit box off. I couldn’t take it anymore. I rubbed my eyes and refused to let the tears fall. It was clear to me this dead young man was worried about his friend, worried about Joey. He didn’t know he was gone and didn’t understand Joey was gone, too. Suddenly, Kevin’s arms were wrapped around me. A light sprinkling of rain cast across Kevin’s jacket and my bare arms.

  “The bottom is about to fall out. We better get in the vehicle.” I didn’t argue with him. I was ready for this session to be over and quite frankly had chills all over my body. I suspected that we had made contact with Aaron, but he was not going to be able to help us. He was too disconnected and confused to be of much help, like many murder victims.

  Kevin slid his keys into the ignition and the interior lights came on, but I put my hand on his. “No, let’s stay here for a minute. Just a minute.” I forced back the tears, and before I knew it, his lips were on mine. He kissed me, and I kissed him right back. A few minutes into our delightfully agonizing make out session, I whispered in his ear, “You better take me home before there’s no going back.”

  He whispered back, “We are way past that point, Tamara Garvey.”

  “I agree,” I said breathlessly. “Way past. So, what are we going to do about it?” As he drew back to remove his jacket, I kicked off my shoes and slid into the back seat. It had been a long time since I’d been in the back of a police car, and certainly never willingly. Kevin was too muscular to heave himself over the seat without knocking me unconscious. He turned on the radio softly and eased into the backseat via the door. I scooted over to make room for him.

  “Are we breaking the law?” I teased him.

  His warm hand stroked my cheek confidently. “We are two private citizens on private property having a private conversation. That’s my story. What’s yours?”

  I touched his lip with my finger softly. I enjoyed those lips. I was excited about the possibility of exploring the rest of him. “Are you looking to write a report?”

  Deputy Patrick unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it over the seat. I mimicked his movements, sat confidently on the backseat of his vehicle, and waited for his answer. “No, ma’am. I plan on being a first-hand witness.”

  “Sounds good,” I answered as he pressed against me and we collapsed onto the seat. The rain began to fall, and the music played softly. It felt right to be in the backseat with Kevin. Completely right. I didn’t think too much about the horrible things that had happened on this road, the sad, wretched things that occurred on the Ridaught property. I thought about this moment and this moment alone. I needed to get lost in him, lost in us.

  We managed to steam up the car in only a few minutes. As we careened into mutual satisfaction, I rubbed his neck with my hand and he kissed my ear softly.

  To our surprise, the spirit box kicked on. All by itself.

  Joey? Are you there?

  15

  Tamara

  As Kevin’s vehicle pulled away from the Ridaught Plantation, I stepped inside the house after saying goodbye with a quick wave.
Talk about bad timing. I definitely came in at the wrong moment. The two teenagers, Chloe and Lynn, were lumbering down the staircase with empty chip bags and soda cans. Obviously, they were coming to the kitchen for refills and were laughing and giggling until they saw me.

  At least those two were getting along again. I was happy about that. Not so much about getting busted trying to sneak back inside, looking like I’d been rolling around in the backseat of a car.

  I suddenly wondered what my ponytail looked like. I hadn’t given it much thought since climbing out of the back of the police car. It was probably all jacked up, but if I reached for it now, I would definitely appear guilty. Showing any kind of weakness when you’re parenting a teenager was a bad idea. Even I knew that.

  “Whatcha doing?” Chloe asked as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. She wore a smart-ass smile that stretched across her pretty face. Funny how she looked like her mother right then.

  “Oh, just working on an investigation with the deputy. Doing some work.” Lynn snorted beside her, but Chloe elbowed her into silence. I worked on keeping my face blank as I shoved my hands in my pockets.

  Oh, shoot. Why were my pockets hanging out?

  Chloe’s grin deepened. “What kind of investigation? Anything we should know about? Lynn and I are up for anything. We’re kind of bored, actually. We might watch one more movie before she goes home, but we’ve got time. So, what kind of investigating are you doing again?”

  I shook my head and tried to look cool. “The paranormal kind. What other kind is there? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go put this spirit box back where it belongs.”

  They sputtered and giggled behind my back, but I ignored them. I was sure my face turned fifty shades of red, but it wasn’t until I cleared the hallway mirror that I saw what they were giggling about. My hair was definitely jacked up, and my t-shirt was on backward. My pockets hung out like I’d been robbed.

  No, I didn’t look guilty at all. To be fair, it’s not like we hadn’t gotten dressed in a hurry. The spirit box had come on by itself, and it freaked us both out and put a damper on the mood. For a fact, Kevin was weirded out. I sighed before my reflection when Chloe stood behind me, shaking her head. “I’m sure I don’t want to know how your investigation went down.”

  “Hey, cut that out. Guilty as charged, but can we change the subject? I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. Please do a better job than me of staying out of trouble.”

  She hugged my neck and tugged at my lopsided ponytail. “It’s okay to be human, Aunt Tamara.”

  I froze in my tracks. She’d never called me that before, and I intentionally didn’t mention it. Best not to make a big deal out of it. Aunt Tamara. I liked that nickname, and it had been her idea.

  “Hey, quick question. Are you going to be around tomorrow? Do you have to work?”

  “Not until tomorrow evening. Why? What’s up?”

  “I'd like your help with the spirit box. As I mentioned, I was with Kevin tonight, and we were working with the spirit box when Aaron's voice came through. I turned it off, but it switched back on by itself. Aaron really wants to talk. He's looking for Joey.”

  “I figured that. I should have said something to you. I think they knew one another.”

  “Really? Aaron keeps asking about him. I hate to even ask you to do this after the Loper thing, but do you feel up to helping me connect with him? We'd really like to get to the bottom of his murder. Sheriff Jarvis isn’t well, and solving these cold cases is kind of important to him.”

  "Whatever I can do for Joey or you, of course I’ll help.” Chloe hugged me tight, and I hugged her back. "Now go get a shower. You smell like a cop who wears too much cologne."

  I laughed before I finished the walk of shame down the hall. I went to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. The girls had the radio on in the kitchen. I liked that; not necessarily their choice in music, but I liked having music playing in the house.

  Aunt Tamara.

  I was a blur of emotions—joy, worry, happiness, fear. All the good ones. I put the spirit box in the closet before sadly surveying my untidy clothing. If Joey saw this, he’d have a cow. Or a stroke, depending on what mood he was in. He regularly used both euphemisms.

  After tending to myself and pondering starting my laundry, I crawled into bed and listened to the rain. I reminisced about this evening’s events and quickly fell asleep, which wasn’t normal for me. Sleep rarely came easily.

  The blaring alarm clock woke me up. After some quick math, I figured I’d only had about four hours of sleep.

  Coffee...I needed coffee.

  After the second cup, I walked to my computer to check my email. I was surprised to see an email from Kevin, complete with attachment. The subject line read JOEY LACOSTE.

  I swallowed as I put my cup down on the desk and clicked on the email.

  Naturally, my internet slowed down momentarily, and it took forever for the picture to load. When it did, it took my breath away.

  Joey! It was my friend!

  I stared at the photograph. Joey Lacoste had been born on April 6, 1977 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He had been pursuing a degree in art but also minored in acting. His parents Rhett and Marie Lacoste only had one child, and both were deceased. He had no major medical problems, no tattoos, and no criminal history.

  There were other tidbits, but it was so much to take in. I had to know what happened to him and how he died.

  My friend, Joey Lacoste. I miss you, Joey.

  He was killed at the Ridaught Plantation on the same desolate road as Aaron, only a few weeks before him.

  Why was this bit of property so attractive to murderers? Two young men murdered on the road behind the house with just weeks between them. Aaron was looking for Joey. He must have known Joey had been here, but how and why?

  I wanted to cry, but I was in shock. I sent Kevin an email to thank him for the information and clicked through to the last page of the report. I wondered how much trouble he would get in for sharing this with me. I’d have to see that nobody knew about it.

  Nobody but Chloe.

  I scanned the page and easily found the death certificate. Under Manner of Death, the coroner had Joey’s death marked Undetermined. What did that mean? Not a murder? Further notifications classified Joey’s death as a drug toxicity death, probable heroin.

  Heroin?

  I clicked the printer icon and stared for another ten minutes at my late friend’s photo. This made no sense.

  Joey had died of a drug overdose? That couldn’t be true.

  “Hey, I’m going for a cinnamon roll run. You want one?” Chloe popped her head into the office, but her smile vanished immediately.

  “What is it? Is that Joey?”

  There was no sense in denying the truth. Joey stared back at us from the grainy photograph. His youthful face gleamed slightly. Like all young people, he probably believed he would live forever. It was weird studying him like this without him poking out his tongue or asking, “What? Do I have spinach in my teeth? A flag in my nose?” He had wide hazel eyes I knew occasionally appeared green. They were narrow but easily conveyed his emotions. He had a full bottom lip, the same one he poked out when things did not go his way. His long bangs hung off to the side, and he held his head a jaunty angle.

  “Tamara? That’s him, isn’t it? I need you to say it.”

  “It’s him, Chloe.” I handed her the freshly printed papers. She might as well know the whole sad truth. Observing her as she scanned the documents, her defiance showed she’d come to the same conclusion as me. She didn’t believe for one minute Joey had overdosed. Why would they classify the nature of his death as undetermined if there wasn’t some kind of evidence that disproved an accidental overdose?

  She squinted at the paper as she began reading the death certificate aloud. “Aaron came here looking for him, and Aaron was murdered. What was his method of death again?” Chloe asked as she put the papers on my desk.


  “Strangulation. On the road back there, but he was found in his car. Joey was found near that spot too. Just a few yards away.”

  “How did Joey get here? Did he walk? Did he drive? If there was no vehicle, someone dropped him off and left him. Someone murdered Joey, Tamara. Oh, God! This is so horrible! I can’t believe what a lousy friend I’ve been to him. Such a lousy friend, calling him the Ghost and refusing to let him in my room. I never knew he was a murder victim.”

  Chloe sat in the chair beside me. She was plum shaking and almost hyperventilating. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Chloe. It’s an undetermined death. We don’t know for sure that he was murdered. I’m with you, I believe they are related, but we don’t know for sure. I would have never guessed Mrs. Loper hung herself from our chandelier or that she was an evil twin. Let’s make a list of questions, and I’ll email them to Kevin to get his input. While he’s checking those out, we need to go back to the road. It has to be us. Me and you.”

  She slapped her knees in frustration. “You’re right. We have to help Aaron and Joey. We have to do it for them. This isn’t right. What happened to them is not right at all.” I squeezed her hand in silent agreement.

  No, it wasn’t right, but the only thing we could do for either of them was help them pass over.

  And say goodbye forever.

  16

  Chloe

  Tamara and I trudged through the overgrown yard and stood by the side of the road where Joey died. As I had done quite a few times in recent days, I reached out to him with my mind, but he was quiet. Wherever Joey was and whatever he was doing, he was unable to communicate with me. Whether on purpose or not, it still hurt, and I felt a tremendous amount of guilt. No matter what nice things Tamara said to me, no matter how much Lynn tried to encourage me, the truth was, I had been the one to put Joey in harm’s way.