GHOUL OF MY DREAMS - DropPDF1.droppdf.com/files/HW3w5/ghoul-of-my-dreams-larue...Next Door Book 4...

GHOULOFMYDREAMS

Book4oftheLarueDonavanSeriesByRosePressey

LarueDonavanisa

smalltowngirlwhojust

happenstobeaworld-

renownedpsychicmedium.

Yes,shetalkstoghosts,but

notjustanyghosts...lately

she’sbecomeacelebrity

ghostwhisperer.Famous

ghostsjustwon’tleaveher

alone.Unfortunately,they’re

nottheonlyonesinterestedin

Larue.Evilentitieshavetheir

sightssetonhertoo,andthey

keeppoppinguparound

everycorner.

ThistimeLaruefinds

herselfinthepresenceof

iconicfilmstarMarilyn

Monroe.Marilynisasex

symbolintheafterlifetoo.

Alsothere’samysterious

manisintownandLarue

wonderswhatsecretshe’s

hiding.Shehasastrong

feelingheknowsaboutthe

evilspirits.Plus,ayounggirl

isinterestedinwitchcraft,and

Laruethinkshercuriosity

mightberelatedtorecent

sightingsoftheshadow

people.Onarecent

investigation,Laruemight

haveunleashedademon.

Nowshethinksit'safterher

andeveryonesheloves.But

doesthatmeanshehasto

pushherbestfriendMindy

andboyfriendCallahanaway

forever?Doesthemystery

manholdthekeytogetting

ridofthedemons?CanLarue

convincehimtohelp?Larue

mightfindtheanswersfrom

theghoulofherdreams.

"RosePressey’sbookarefun!”Janet

Evanovich

PraiseforMeandMyGhoulfriendsbyRosePressey

“RosePresseyspinsadelightfultalewithmisfitsand

romancethatmakesmecheerloudly.”

CoffeeTimeRomance

“Hercharactersarealiveandfullofquickwittedcharmandwillmakeyou

laugh.Theplottwistskeepyouturningthepagesnon-stop.”

ParaNormalRomance

“Iabsolutelylovedthisbook!Ithadmechucklingfromthe

beginning.”

FallenAngelReviews

RosePressey’sCompleteBookshelf

(clicktitletopreview/buy)

ChaseCharleySeries:

Book1:ForOldCrimesSake

Book2:SeemsLikeOldCrimes

HauntedTourGuideMystery

Series:

TheseHauntsareMadeforWalking

AWalkontheHauntedSide

HauntedVintageSeries

Book1–IfYou’veGotIt,Haunt

It

Book2–AllDressedUpandNoPlacetoHaunt(July

2015)

Book3–HauntCoutureandGhostsGalore(October

2015)

Maggie,P.I.MysterySeries:

Book1–CrimeWave

Book2–MurderisaBeach

TheHalloweenLaVeauSeries:

Book1–ForeverCharmed

Book2–CharmedAgain

Book3–ThirdTime’saCharm

Book4–Charmed,I’mSure

TheHadleyWildsSeries:

Book1:DeadGirl’sGuidetoStyle

TheRylieCruzSeries:

Book1–HowtoDateaWerewolf

Book2–HowtoDateaVampire

Book3–HowtoDateaDemon

TheLarueDonovanSeries:

Book1–MeandMyGhoulfriends

Book2–GhoulsNightOut

Book3–TheGhoulNextDoor

Book4–GhoulofMyDreams

TheMysticCaféSeries:

Book1–NoShoes,NoShirt,NoSpellsBook2–Piesand

Potions

Book3—SpellsalaCarte

TheVeronicaMasonSeries:

Book1–Rock‘n’RollisUndead

ATrashtoTreasureCrafting

Mystery:Book1–MurderatHoneysuckleHotel

Book2–HoneysuckleHomicide

TheHauntedRenovationMystery

Series:Book1–FlipthatHauntedHouseBook2–The

HauntedFixerUpper

Allrightsreserved,includingtherighttoreproducethisbookorportions

thereofinanyform,(electronic,

mechanical,photocopying,recording,or

otherwise)withoutthepriorwritten

permissionofthecopyrightowner.

Thisbookisaworkoffiction.Thenames,characters,

incidents,places,andbrandsaretheproduct

oftheauthor’simaginationandnottobeconstruedasreal.

Theauthoracknowledgesthe

trademarkedstatusandtrademarkownersofvariousproducts

referencedinthisworkoffiction,whichhavebeenusedwithout

permission.Thepublication/useof

thesetrademarksisnotauthorized,associatedwith,orsponsoredby

thetrademarkowners. 

Dedication

Thisistoyouandyouknowwho

youare. 

Acknowledgements

Tomyson,whobringsmejoyeverysingledayandistheloveofmylife.Tomy

mother,who

introducedmetotheloveofbooks.Tomy

husband,whoencouragesmeand

alwayshasfaithinme.AhugethankyoutoMarleyGibson.Andtothereaderswhomake

writingfun. 

Index

Chapter1Chapter2Chapter3Chapter4Chapter5Chapter6Chapter7

Chapter8Chapter9Chapter10Chapter11Chapter12Chapter13Chapter14Chapter15Chapter16

Chapter17Chapter18Chapter19Chapter20Chapter21Chapter22Chapter23Chapter24Chapter25

Chapter26Chapter27

Chapter1

MynameisLarue

DonavanandIseeghosts.I

talktoghosts,too.Forthis

reason,ghoststendtofollow

mewhereverIgo.Sometimes

I’mokaywiththat,butat

othertimes,itcanbeabit

frustrating.Iunderstandwhy

theywouldwanttobechatty

ifIamtheonlylivingperson

theycantalkto,especiallyif

theyaretrappedinabuilding

andallalone.Beingaghost

wouldprobablygetboring

andI’dgobonkersquickly.

So,forthatreason,I’vetried

tohelpthespiritsallthatI

can.

Recently,though,

therehasbeenanew

development…

I’vestartedseeing

celebrityghosts.Crazy,right?

Mostpeoplewouldn’tbelieve

meiftheyheardmystories.I

can’tblamethem.My

experienceswerekindoffar-

fetched.However,celebrities

arepeoplejustliketherestof

us.Theylivedanddied,too.

Therefore,ontheirtransition

totheirnextplaneof

existence,theycouldget

stuckinthewrongdimension.

Sofar,I’vehadvisitsfrom

AbrahamLincoln,Elvis

Pressley,andMaeWest.

Whatanoddcombination,

right?I’vebeenwaitingfor

thetimewhenI’dhavea

wholebandshowup.That

wouldbeawesome.Maybe

mystreakofcelebrityvisits

wasover,though.Ithasbeen

awhilesinceElvisleftthe

building.

Rumorsswirled

aroundforyearsaboutthe

hauntedhouseIwascurrently

investigating.Accordingto

thecurrentowner,the

paranormalactivityhad

recentlyincreased.Thatwas

whyIwasheretohelpher.

Theold,large,brick

housewasbuiltin1815.It

wastwo-storieswithalarge

frontporchontheFederalist

stylehome.Asemi-circular

windowwasabovetheporch

andnarrowsidewindows

flankedthesidesofthedoor.

Thestreetwaslinedwith

similaroldhomes.Theowner

wasrenovating,which

usuallystirredupactivity.

Theexperienceshadgotten

sobadthatshecouldn’tget

contactorstoworkonthe

home.IwashopingIwould

beabletohelphersoshe

couldgetherremodeling

finished.Sometimes,inorder

tohelp,itmeantbringingthe

ghostbacktomyplace.Ionly

hopedIdidn’truninto

anythingdemonicthistime.

Aloudbangcame

fromtheroomtomyleft.I

knewIhadtoinvestigate.I

easedtowardthedirectionof

thesound.Thehomeowner,

hadmovedthefurnitureout

ofthespaceinordertopaint

thewalls.Iguessedthe

ghostlyactivityhadceased

thatjob,aswell.Adark

shadowzippedaroundthe

cornerandintothedining

room.Ifrozeonthespot.

“Isawyou,”Icalled

out.“There’snoneedtohide.

I’mheretohelpyou.”

Istuckoutmyarm,

hopingtheghostwouldspeak

intothesmallrecorderIwas

holding.“Doyouseethis

device?Itcanpickupyour

voiceifyoujustsay

something.”

“Something,”amale

voicesaidinateasingtone.

Iwhippedaround

thinkingforsuretheghostly

whispershadbeenbehindme.

Great…Ihadawittyentity.

Howfun.

Icontinued.“That

wasveryclever.Now,why

don’tyoureallychatwithme

thistime?”

Ihadanarsenalof

equipmentwithme.Ifthe

ghostdidn’twantto

communicatewithmeusing

therecorder,thenIcould

bringsomethingelseoutof

mybagoftricks.

Iliftedanotherdevice

frommypileofgadgets.

“ThisSpiritBoxcanalsopick

upyourwords.Justuseyour

energytosaywhateveryou’d

like.”

TheSpiritBoxuses

radiofrequencytopickupthe

ghost’swords.Itfreakedme

outthefirsttimeIusedit.I

hadn’texpectedittoworkso

well.Iftheghostswerebeing

stubbornanddidn’twant

speaktomedirectly,thiswas

agreatwaytotricktheminto

activity.

MaybeIshouldn’t

haveinteractedwiththis

ghost.Ifhedidn’tknowthatI

couldactuallyseeandspeak

withhim,thenitwould

decreasemyoddsofhaving

himattachtome.IfIcould

gethimtoleavewithout

goingthroughallthat,it

wouldbebetterforbothof

us.Okay,mostlybetterfor

me.Chattingwithghostsused

alotofenergyandalways

leftmefeelingdrained.Not

tomentiontheyneverknew

whentoleave.

“Getlost!”The

electronicvoiceonthe

machinejabberedoutforthe

ghost.

Iplacedmyhandon

myhip.“Thatwasn’tvery

polite.”

Itlookedasifthiswas

goingtobeanotherdifficult

one.

“You’dbetterplay

nice,”Isaid,asIeasedacross

theroom.Ipeekedoutinto

thehallway.“Whereareyou

hiding?”

“I’muphere.Ibet

youcan’tfindme.”

Uhoh.Thatvoicehad

comethroughwithouttheuse

ofanyequipmentagain.I’d

hearditloudandclear.But,

sofar,Ihadn’tseenanything

otherthanthedarkshadow.

Ididn’tlikeshadow

people.Thereweresolid-

lookingmasseswithno

features.Itusuallysignaled

thatitwasanevilspirit.I

reallydidn’twanttodealwith

oneofthoserightnow.

“Iwillfindyou,”I

calledout.“Don’tthinkyou

canhidefromme.”

Ididn’tgetananswer

thistime,soIfiguredI’d

havetohunttheghostdown.

Itseemedlikethevoicehad

comefromupstairs,soI

headeduptheoldstaircase.

Themahoganybanisteraided

inmyclimbtothesecond

floor.Onceatthetoplanding,

Ipaused.Withseveraldoors

oneithersideofme,theghost

couldbehidinganywhere.

“You’regetting

warmer,”theghostteased.

Thatsentachilldown

myspine.Thisghostwas

playinggameswithme,

whichdidn’tinterestmeat

all.Ididn’twantto

participateinparanormalhide

andseek.

“Comeout,comeout

whereveryouare,”Isang

sarcastically.

Okay,maybeI

shouldn’thaveprovokedhim

withmyteasing,butI

couldn’tresist.

Theghostreleaseda

menacinglaugh.Goose

bumpsappearedonmyarms

immediately.

“I’moverhere,”the

voicesaidtauntingly.

Ithoughtthesound

hadcomefromtheroomat

theendofthehallway.AsI

slowlymademywaydown

there,Iwasn’tsurewhatto

expectwhenIopenedthe

door.Inearedthehandle,

reachingmyhandout,andI

knewIwasabouttofindout.

Ofcourse,myanxietywasat

anall-timehigh.Ihatednot

knowingwhattoexpect.I

saidaquickprayerfor

safety’ssake.

Withmyhand

wrappedaroundtheknob,I

twisted.Itwasunlocked,soI

inchedthedooropen.Ipoked

myheadinandscannedmy

surroundings.Onlyaniron

bedwithawhitespreadanda

smallnightstandoccupiedthe

space.Therewasnosignof

theghost.Unlesshewas

hidingintheclosetorunder

themattress.Itwouldn’t

surprisemeintheleastto

findhimineitheroneof

thoseplaces.

“Wrongroom,”the

ghostcalledoutwith

boisterouslaughter.

Iwhippedaroundonly

toseehewasn’tbehindme.

“Idon’thavetimeforthis.”

“Thengoaway,”he

answered.

“Ifyoushowyourself

andtalktomelikeaman,

thenIwillleave.Stopacting

likeachild,”Idemanded.

Silencefilledthe

house.Aquietnessthatsenta

chilldownmyspine.The

spiritleadingmeonthishide

andseekwasn’ttheonlyone

here.Therewasnowayto

proveit,butIjusthadthe

feeling.

“Oh,didImakeyou

mad?”Isteppedovertothe

otherbedroomandopened

thedoor.

Thisroomwas

similarlyfurnished.Ablue

comfortercoveredthetopof

thisbed.Iseriously

consideredliftingtheduvet

andlookingunderthere,butI

didn’twanttheghosttojump

outatmeincasehewas

there.Icouldn’tletmyguard

downandallowthisghostto

knowIwasinanywayscared

ofhim.Ofcourse,Iwasonly

humanandIdidget

frightenedsometimes,butit

wasalwaysabadideatolet

theghostknowthatparticular

tidbitofinformation.They

usedmyfearagainstme.

“Okay.I’llstop,”the

ghostsaid.

Ididn’ttrustthe

ghost.Whywouldhestop

teasingmenow?Ichecked

outtheothertworooms,but

sawnothing.

“Areyoustillhere?”I

calledout.

Noanswer.

Apparently,theghosthad

stoppedashesaidhewould.

Somethingtoldmehe

remained,though.Hewas

simplywaitingforthechance

topopout.Hewastoying

withme.Ihatedplayingthis

game.EspeciallysinceI

didn’tknowtherules.The

ghostwassuretowinthat

way.

Afterlookingthrough

alltheroomsupstairs,I

headedbackdownthestairs.

Theoldtreadscreakedunder

myfeet.I’donlymoveda

couplestepswhenIthought

forsuresomeonewasbehind

me.Istoppedandlooked

overmyshoulder.Noone

wasthere.

Onceatthebottom,I

peeredupthestairs.I’d

honestlyexpectedtoseethe

ghostmereinchesfrommy

facewhenIturnedaround.

Thankgoodnesshewasn’t

there.Thatoddfeelingwas

stillthere,though,soIknew

hewasn’tgoneforlong.

“Areyougoingto

playthisgameallday?”I

asked.

Thatsamesilence

filledthespace.

“Okay,I’mleaving

now.I’dbetternotgetacall

fromthehomeownersaying

you’rebotheringheragain.

Thehauntingstopshere,

buddy.”Isaid,usingmybest

sternvoice.

Aftergatheringupmy

equipment,Iheadedtoward

thefoyer.WhenIreachedthe

frontdoor,Istopped.Iturned

tofacethespiritwho

obviouslywasn’tgoingto

showhimself.

“Onelastchanceto

saysomethingbeforeI

leave,”Icalledout.

Thisghostwas

persistentandanoddone.

ThefeelingIwasbeing

watchedremainedwithme.

“I’mleavingnow.”I

twistedthedoorknob,

expectingtheghosttostop

me.

ItwasasifIwas

tellinghimIwouldgoonthe

countoften,butstartedusing

halfnumbersmidway

through.Apparently,he

wasn’tgoingtobegmeto

stay,soIneededtomoveon.

IhadtoremindmyselfthatI

couldn’tsolveeverycaseI

tookon,butIdidn’tknow

whatIwouldtellthe

homeowner.

Islippedoutofthe

houseandovertomycar

parkedinthedriveway.After

placingmyequipmentinto

thetrunk,Icloseditand

lookedbackatthehouseone

lasttime.Therewasno

spectralfacestaringatme

fromanupstairsbedroom.

Thehomeownerwouldwant

afullreport.Iwalkedoverto

thecar’sdoorandopenedit.

ThatwaswhenIsawhim

sittinginthepassengerseat.

Hehaddarkhairthatreached

tohisshoulders.Heworea

redandblueplaidshirtwith

whatappearedtobebell

bottombluejeans.Iguessed

he’dbeenlivinginthe

seventies.

Hestaredmerightin

theeyes.“Tag,you’reit.”

Okay,thatwas

creepy.

“Whoareyou?”I

asked,tryingtoremaincalm.

“TheGhostof

ChristmasPast.”

Yeah,therewasa

wiseassteenagerinmycar.

He’dbeenslightly

see-throughatfirst,butnow

hewascompletelysolid.It

hadbeenevidentrightaway

thathewasn’tofthis

dimension.Nodoubt,he’d

beentheghostplayingwith

meinthehouse.

Ididn’ttrytohidethe

frustrationinmyvoice.

“Whatareyoudoing?”

“IthoughtI’dgofora

ride.Youdon’tmind,do

you?”Hetappedhislong

fingersagainstthecar’s

leatherseat.

Iplacedmyhandson

myhips.“Actually,yes,Ido

mind.Imakeitapolicynot

toentertainparanormal

hitchhikers.”

Ofcourse,thatwasn’t

true.Ihadghostswithme

practicallyallthetime.He

didn’tneedtoknowthat,

though.Ialreadyhadasmany

ghoulfriendsasIcould

handle.I’djustgottenridofa

setofspirits,andIwas

enjoyingmydowntime.I

wasn’treadytoaddanother

entityjustyet.Thiswasmy

vacationfromthe

paranormal.Okay,ifI’d

wantedarealvacationfrom

thesupernatural,Iwouldn’t

havebeenonan

investigation.Thatwastrue,

butIfoundithardtostay

away.Especiallywhen

peopleneededmyhelp.

Hemotioned.“Getin

andtakemeforaride.”

Isighedandtossed

mybagintothecar.IknewI

mightaswelldoashesaid.It

wouldtakeforeverformeto

getridofhim.Icouldtellby

themischievouslookonhis

face,aswellasthegamehe’d

alreadybeenplaying.

Ipulledoutofthe

driveway.Ididn’thavea

ghostfollowmeeverytimeI

wentonaninvestigation,but

ithadbeenhappeningmore

andmoreoften.Ifhewas

comingwithme,thenIhada

lotofquestionsforthisghost.

Irolleduptoastop

sign.“Whatisyourname?”

Hesmirked.“Doesit

matter?”

Ohno.Thisonewas

goingtogivemealotof

attitude.Ifeltaheadache

comingonalready.

Iflickedontheturn

signalandmergedintothe

otherlane.“Igenerallyliketo

knowwhoI’mtalkingto,so,

yes,itdoesmatter.”

Hesighedandthen

said,“RogerEdwin.Areyou

happynow?”

Well,thatwasastart.

Evenifhehadamega

attitudeaboutit.

“MynameisLarue

Donavan.I’maparanormal

investigatorandIguessyou

figuredoutIspeaktothe

deadaswell.”

“Yeah,Igatheredthat

much.”Hegazedoutthe

windowatthepassing

scenery.

Weweredriving

throughthenewer

subdivisions.Iwonderedifhe

recognizedhissurroundings.

Ineverknewhowto

askthisquestion.Therewas

noeasyway.

“Howdidyou…get

there?Youknow,inthat

house.”Imadealeftturn

ontoBowlingStreet.

Heshrugged.“Ifyou

wanttoknowhowIbitthe

dust,Iwasinacaraccident.”

Well,thatwasone

waytoputit.“Wereyou

driving?”

“Yeah.Itwasraining

andIlostcontrolofthecar.I

guessIwasn’tsuchagood

driverafterall.”Hewaved

hishand.“Whenit’syour

timetogo,it’syourtimeto

go.”

Iclutchedthesteering

wheelalittletightereven

thoughitwasn’training.I

repeatedmyquestion,“How

didyouendupinthat

house?”

“Theaccidentwas

rightinfrontofit.IguessI

didn’tknowwhereelseto

go.”

Well,thatwasjust

terrible.Mycellphonerang.

“Ineedtotakethis

call,”Isaid,pullingoverto

thesideoftheroad.“It’sa

portablephone.”

Hewavedhishand.

“Whatever.Iknowwhatitis.

I’maghost,butIcanstillsee

what’sgoingonaroundme.”

“Sorry,”Isaid.

Mybestfriend,Mindy

Winters’,namewasdisplayed

onthescreen.Ihadaphoto

ofherthatpoppedupevery

timeshecalled.Itwastheone

fromourtriptothestatefair.

Shehadcottoncandyonher

facelikeapinkmustache.

Herlong,blondehairhad

beenstreakedbythesummer

sunandherbrowneyes

sparkled.

“Ihopeyou’re

finishedwiththe

investigation,”shesaid.“I

didn’twanttodisturbyou.”

Iglancedoverat

Roger.Hewassmirkingat

me.

“Ijustwrappeditup.”

IlookedawayfromRoger.

“Canyoucomebymy

house?IhavesomethingI

wanttoshowyou,”Mindy

said.

“Sure,whatisit?”I

asked.

“Oh,it’sasurprise,

butIthinkyou’llloveit,”she

saidwithenthusiasminher

voice.

“Okay,nowyouhave

meintrigued.I’llbethere

soon.”

Mindylivedashort

distanceaway,soImadeitto

herhouseinonlyafew

minutes.Herpolefitness

studiohadreallytakenoff

andshe’daddedsomenew

classesandshe’djust

purchasedanewplace.I

pulleduptoherhousewhich

wasacombinationbrickand

stonefaçadewithcutewhite

windowboxeswithbrightred

andyellowflowersspilling

overthesides.Sheevenhada

newswimmingpoolinback.

IrecognizedMindy’s

dad’sblueFordtruckinthe

driveway.Ihopedeverything

wasokay.She’dactedasif

everythingwasfine.She’d

soundedupbeat.

“Roger,youwaithere

forme,”Isaidtotheghostas

Igotoutofthecar.

AsIwalkedupthe

pathtowardthefrontdoor,I

feltapresencebehindme.

WhenIglancedback,I

realizedRogerwasrighton

myheels.

“IthoughtItoldyou

tostayinthecar,”Isaidover

myshoulder.

“Idon’twantto,”he

said.

Isupposetherewas

nothingIcoulddotogethim

tostay.Icouldhave

threatenedhimwithasage

cleansing,butIdoubtedit

wouldbeeffectiveonhim.

WhenMindyansweredthe

door,Ialmostfainted.I

hadn’texpectedtoseethe

ghostofMarilynMonroe

standingbehindher.

Chapter2

Istoodthere

speechless.Infact,Ididn’t

knowwhattodonext.It

wasn’tlikeseeingaghost

shockedme,butIhadn’t

expectedMarilynMonroe,

forheaven’ssake.Whydid

thiskeephappeningtome?

Wordmusthavegottenout

thatIwasthepsychic

mediumtothestars.Marilyn

wasjustasglamorousinthe

afterlifeasshehadbeenwhen

shewasliving.Herchin-

lengthblondehairbounced

withcurls.Herlipswere

coveredinbrightredlipstick.

Sheworetheiconicwhite

halterdressedshe’dwornin

thefilmTheSevenYearItch

whereshe’dstoodoverthe

subwaygrateandtheskirt

hadfloateduptowardthe

sky.Herappearancewas

exactlyasIwouldhave

picturedher.

“Wow.Thisisfarout.

Ican’tbelieveit’sMarilyn

Monroe.”Rogersaidashe

walkedrightthroughMindy

andintoherhouse.

Mindyfrownedasif

she’dfelthimpassthrough

her.Now,Rogerstoodnextto

Marilyn,staringwithstar-

struckeyes.

Awickedsmile

curvedhislips.“Thisis

turningouttobeaverygood

day.”

Marilynglancedat

himandfrowned.Roger

neededtobackoffandlearn

whatpersonalspacemeant.I

couldn’tbelievehe’djust

walkedrightintoMindy’s

housewithoutbeinginvited

in.Wherewerehismanners?

Justbecausehewasaghost

didn’tmeanheshouldbe

rude.

“Istheresomething

wrong?”Mindyasked.

Ididn’twanttotell

herjustyetthatMarilyn

Monroewasstandingbehind

herandthatIhadalso

broughtanowinfatuated

teenageghostintoherhome.

Iespeciallydidn’twanttotell

herwithherdadthere.He

wouldthinkhisdaughter’s

bestfriendwasaburgershort

ofacombomeal.

Mindywaswearing

herworkoutgearofblack

yogapantsandablueand

blacksportsbra.She’d

probablyjustleftherstudio.I

hadtofindoutwhatthis

excitingnewsofherswas.

“Okay,nowthat

you’rehere,getinside.”She

motionedformetoenter.

AsIsteppedintothe

foyer,Ikeptmyeyeson

Marilyn.Ontheleftwasthe

largelivingroomandjust

beyondthatwasthedining

room.Mindyhadhireda

decoratorwhohadusedlight

colorsofcreamandbeige

aroundthespace.

Mindy’sdad,Mark,

poppedoutfromthekitchen.

Hisheadwascrownedwitha

thicklayerofshort-cropped

grayhair.Hehadbeengray

foraslongasIcould

remember.Herfatherhad

alwaysbeenfitsothatmust

havebeenwhereMindygot

herloveoffitness.

“Hello,Larue.It’s

nicetoseeyouagain.You’ve

beenhidingfromme,haven’t

you?”Lineswrinkledaround

hisblueeyeswhenhesmiled.

Ilaughedandgave

himahug.“It’sgoodtosee

youagain,too,Mr.Winters.

So,whatistheexciting

news?”Iaskedglancingfrom

Mr.WinterstoMindy.

MarilynandRoger

werestandingrightnextto

Markandhehadnoclue.

Thiswasparticularlyfunny

becauseMindy’sdadwasa

hugeMarilynMonroefan.He

wouldprobablydieifhe

knew.

Mindymotionedover

hershoulder.“Comeintothe

kitchen.There’ssomething

mydadwantstoshowyou.”

Thismustbehuge

withthewaytheywere

acting.IfollowedMindyand

herdadintothekitchen.

Marilynwasrightbehindme

andRogerwasstanding

entirelytooclosetoher.

Basedonthedownward

curveofherlips,Iknewshe

wantedmetogetridofhim.

TherewaslittleIcoulddo

aboutthatrightnow.Mr.

Wintershurriedovertothe

tableandpickeduptheobject

inaglasscase.Thesmileon

hisfacewentfromeartoear.

Heheldthecaseclosetohis

chestasifitwasfragile.

“Doyouhavetostand

soclose?”Marilynasked

Roger.

Thiswasthefirsttime

she’dspoken.Hersweet

voicedidn’thideherirritation

withhim.IgaveRogerastare

thatsaid,“Backoff,buddy.”

Heheldhishandsupand

easedacouplestepsaway.

“Thankyou,”I

mouthed.

Mindyfrowned.I

thoughtshe’dcaughtme

talkingtoRoger.She

probablyhadsuspicionsthat

somethingwasgoingonwith

aparanormalnature.Iknew

she’dfreakouttodiscover

ghostswereinherhouse.The

lasttimethathadhappened

she’dwantedherhome

exorcisedimmediately.For

allIknew,thatcouldhave

beenwhyshe’dboughtanew

place.Mindydidn’thaveto

worrythough.Ihadevery

intentionoftakingtheghosts

withmewhenIleft.

“Thisissocool.You

knowyouweremyfavorite

actress.IlovedyouinSome

LikeItHot,”Rogerchatted

away.

Surprisingly,his

commenthadgottenasmile

outofMarilyn.

“Thankyou,”shesaid

inhersexywhisper.

Heracknowledgement

hadalmostmadeRogerfaint.

WhatwasIgoingtodowith

thesetwo?ThesamethingI

didwithalltheotherghosts,I

guess.Iwouldhavetoputup

withthemandhopethey

movedonsoon.However,I

hadtoadmititwasn’tthe

worstthingtohavetohang

outwithcelebrityghosts.I

waskindofexcitedtogeta

chancetospeakwithMarilyn.

Iwasn’tevensurewhatI

wouldask.

Mindygrabbedmy

arm,breakingmyattention

awayfromtheghosts.“Look

whatmyfatherbought.”

“Whatisit?”I

steppedcloser.

Ithadbetternotbe

somekindofcreepybugin

thatcontainer.AsIpeeredin,

Ispottedthesparkling

earrings.WhywasMr.

Winterssoexcitedabout

earrings?

“Yourdadboughtyou

those?”Iasked.

Mindyshookher

head.“No,theearringswere

MarilynMonroe’s.Mydad

boughtthematanauction.”

Wellnow,that

explainedeverything.I

glancedoveratMarilynand

sheflashedasweetgrin.I

wouldhavetotellMindyshe

washere.Herdadwould

neverbelieveitthough,so

thatwasn’tadetailIwas

readytosharewithhim.

“Wow,theyare

beautiful,”Isaid.

Mr.Winterssmiled

withexcitement.“Iwaslucky

Igotthem.Ithoughtyou

wouldappreciateseeing

them.”

Littledidtheyknow

thiseventhadnowledmeto

Marilyn’sghost.

“Ithinkthat’s

wonderful,Mr.Winters.They

willlookgreatwithyour

collection.”

Hehadotheritems

he’dcollectedovertheyears

ondisplayinhisbasement.

Mostly,hehadpostersand

othermoviememorabilia.

Thisitem,though,wouldbe

thehighlightofhiscollection.

AtleastnowIknew

whyMarilynwasinMindy’s

house,butIwascuriousasto

whyshewaswiththe

earrings.Didtheyhavesome

kindofspecialmeaningto

her?Obviouslythathadtobe

thecase,otherwisewhy

wouldshebehere?Mr.

Winterswrappedtheglass

caseinablackvelvetcloth.

“Well,I’dbetterget

going.”HehuggedMindy

andthenme.“Ladies,you’ll

havetocomeovertothe

houseandseetheseonceIget

thecaseforthem.”

“Wewill,Dad.”She

peeredatmeandshookher

head.

Mr.Winterscarried

hisvaluablecollector’sitem

outsecuredinbothhishands.

Oncehewasoutthedoorand

ithadclosedbehindhim,

Mindyturnedtome.Iknew

shewassuspicious.

Ihadfullyexpected

MarilyntoleavewithMr.

Winters.Afterall,hehadthe

earringsandthatwasthe

reasonshewashereinthe

firstplace.Right?But,she

didn’tgowithhim.She

watchedhimwalkoutthe

doorandthenstaredmeright

intheeyes.Ihadtoaskher

whyshehadn’tgonewith

him.First,Iwouldhaveto

tellMindyabouttheghosts.

IsupposeIhadtotell

herthetruth.Shewasmybest

friendandIdidn’twantto

hideanythingfromher.Ijust

hopedshewasunderstanding.

Iwasresponsibleforbringing

Rogertoherhouse,butwas

Marilynmyfault,too?She

wouldhavebeenthere

whetherIshowedupornot.

Mindyturnedtome

andplacedherhandsonher

hips.“What’sgoingon?”

Icringedandrushed

towardthedoor.

Shesteppedinfront

ofme.“Oh,noyoudon’t.

You’renotleavinguntilyou

tellme.”

IthoughtI’dbe

honestwithher,butnowI

washavingsecondthoughts.

Mindywasblockingmyexit.

“Tellhershehasthe

biggestsexsymbolinhistory

inherlivingroom.”Roger

wiggledhiseyebrowsat

Marilyn.

Marilyninched

furtherawayfromhim.

Ireleasedadeep

breathandsaid,“Okay,I

guessIcan’thideitfrom

you.”

“No,youcan’t,”

Mindysaid.“Thereareghosts

withyou,aren’tthere?”

InoddedatRogerand

Marilyn.“Alittlebit,yeah.”

Mindypeeredaround

theroom.“Whoarethey?”

“Youwon’tbelieve

it,”Isaid.

Shequirkedan

eyebrow.“AfterAbeLincoln,

MaeWest,andElvisPresley,

IthinkI’dbelieveanything.”

“Isupposeyouwould.

Therearetwoghosts.Oneis

famous.”Imotionedtoward

Marilynwithatiltofmy

head,eventhoughMindy

couldn’tseeher.

Marilynfluffedher

hairandcheckedherred-

polishedfingernails.

“Theotheroneisabit

ofapaininthebutt.”I

scowledatRoger.

“Rightbackatyou.”

Hesmirkedme.

“Well,whoarethey?”

Mindymotionedformeto

tellher.

“Well,youknowhow

yourdadhadtheearrings

here?”

“Yeah…”shesaid.

“MarilynMonroewas

attachedtotheearringsand

she’sherenow,”Isaid,

rushingmywords.

“Ineedtositdown.”

Mindywalkedovertothe

leathersofaintheliving

room.

Isatbesideher.“Are

youokay?”

Shepushedthehair

outofhereyesandreleaseda

deepbreath.“Whyisshe

here?”

IturnedtoMarilyn

whohadfollowedusintothe

room.“Whyareyouhere?I

thoughtyouwereattachedto

theearrings?”

“Iwasattachedtothe

earrings,butnowI’m

attachedtoyou.”Shewinked.

Ifrowned.“Why

me?”

“Becauseyoucansee

andtalktome,darling.”

“Duh,”Rogersaid.

“WhywouldIgowith

theearringswhenIcan

actuallycommunicatewith

you?”

“Whywereyou

attachedtotheearringsinthe

firstplace?”Iasked.

Shewavedherhand.

“That’salongstoryIdon’t

wanttotalkaboutrightnow.”

“Whatdidshesay?”

Mindyasked.

“Shedoesn’twantto

talkaboutit,”Isaid.

Mindyrubbedher

temples.“Thatfigures.What

abouttheotherghost?”

IgesturedatRoger.

“HecamefromthehouseI

wasjustinvestigating.Itold

himtostayinthecar,buthe

didn’tlisten.He’sateenager

andyouknowhowtheycan

be.”

Herolledhiseyes.

“Hey,don’tthinkyouknow

everythingjustbecauseyou

areolderthanme.”

“Youaren’tgoingto

leavethemhereareyou?”

Mindyasked.

“No,ofcoursenot.”I

triedtosoundreassuring.

Rogerpointedto

Marilyn.“I’mnotgoingif

she’snotgoing.”

“I’mgoingwithher,”

Marilynsaid,motioningto

me.

Well,Iguessthat

solvesthatproblem.

“They’llbothbe

comingwithme,”Isaid.

“Whew.Thank

goodness.Idon’twantghosts

inmyhouse.Nooffense,”

Mindysaid,gazingaround

theroom.

“Nonetaken,”

Marilynsaid.

Ireleasedadeep

breath.Now,Ihadtofigure

outwhatIwoulddowith

them.Iguessthefirstthing

wastogetthemoutof

Mindy’shouse.

Ipushedtomyfeet.“I

shouldgettotheshopnow.”I

motionedattheghosts.“Are

youbothreadytocomewith

me?”

Marilynsashayed

towardthefrontdoor.Roger

jumpedupandhurriedacross

theroom.

“Leaveheralone,”I

barkedoutathim.“Helikes

Marilyn.”

Mindysnorted.“What

manwouldn’t?”

Ilaughed.“True.”

Waituntilmy

boyfriend,CallahanWeiss,

foundoutMarilynwaswith

me.He’dbejealoushe

couldn’tseeghosts,too.

Mindyfollowedme

acrosstheroom.“Thanksfor

stoppingby,nowgetthe

ghostsoutofhere.”

Isteppedoutside.

“Comeon,Marilynand

Roger,Mindydoesn’twant

youhere.”

Shelaughed.“You’re

right,Idon’t.”

“Callmelater.”I

waved.

Rogermotioned

towardthecarforMarilynto

gofirst.Sure,hewaspoliteto

her.Ifhecouldhaveopened

thedoorforher,hewould

have.Wepiledintomycar

andIbackedoutofthe

driveway.IneverthoughtI’d

beridingaroundtownwith

MarilynMonroesittingnext

tome.SinceIhadsomany

ghostspoppinginandoutof

mylife,I’dhadtopreparea

sortof“orientationtalk”for

thespirits.Settingboundaries

andlettingthemknowwhat

theycouldandcouldn’tdo

wasessentialformysanity.

“Wherearewegoing?

Marilynasked.

“Ihaveabookstorein

town.Iworkthereduringthe

day.”

“Ilovebooks.”She

watchedoutthewindow,not

noticingmeasshetalked.“I

hadalmostfourhundred

books.”

“Metoo.”Roger

leanedforwardintheseat.

“Areyoujustsaying

thatbecauseMarilyndid?”I

askedasImadealeftturn.

“No,ofcoursenot.I

didn’thavefourhundred

books,butIlovebooks,”he

saiddefensively.

Silencefilledthecar.

Marilynwasquiet,soI

assumedshedidn’twantto

talk.Ihadabunchof

questionsforher,butIdidn’t

knowwheretostart.Of

course,therewasthewhole

questionastowhetherher

deathhadbeenanaccidentor

suicide,butIwasn’taboutto

askthat.Itwasnoneofmy

business.Howevershedied,

ithadbeenatragedy.Ifshe

wantedtosharethe

informationIwouldbeall

ears.Sinceshedidn’twantto

tellmewhyshewasattached

totheearringsthatleftmeat

alossforwords.

Ipulledupinfrontof

myshop.“Well,herewe

are.”

Chapter3

BookNookwasmy

bookstoreinthelittletownof

Magnolia,Kentucky.Ithad

beenmygrandparentsbefore

theyretired.Thedowntown

areaoftownhadalotofcute

storesinoldbuildings.My

placewasrightnextdoorto

FullCupCoffeeShop.My

hunkyboyfriend,Callahan

Weiss,ownedtheplace.The

coffeewasthebestI’dever

tastedandthepastrywasto

diefor.

Acharmingsign

dangledabovethedoorofmy

shopwelcomingvisitors.

BookNookhadalwaysbeen

mysafehaven.SinceIranthe

shopduringtheday,Ihadto

findtimeformy

investigating.Mosttimes,

thatmeantIeitherhadtohunt

ghostsearlyinthemorningor

lateatnight.

MarilynandRoger

followedasIgotoutofthe

carandheadedupthe

sidewalktowardtheshop.

“Thisisalovely

town,”Marilynsaidasshe

sashayedalongbesideme.

Rogerleanedcloseto

herandsaid,“We’regladyou

likeit.”

Now,hewassuddenly

Mr.Charming.Irolledmy

eyes.

“Howlonghaveyou

hadtheshop?”sheasked.

“It’sjustbeena

coupleyearsnow.Iloveit

though.”Iglancedtoward

Callahan’s,butdidn’tsee

him.

Itwasearlyand

peopleweregoinginandout

ofhisshop,soIknewhe’dbe

busy.

Thingshadfinally

startedtosettledownafter

Callahanhadbeenhitwitha

coupleofspellsthathadleft

himnotactinghimself.Thank

goodnessthatwasallbehind

us.Therewasalotof

witchcraftintown,butafter

gettingthepeoplewhowere

performingblackmagicto

leaveMagnolia,itwasall

goodmagicnow.Therefore,

wehadn’thadanyproblems

since.Plus,thespiritsthat

hadbeenaroundlatelyhad

beenquiet.Itwasoddreally,

almostlikethecalmbefore

thestorm.

AsInearedmyfront

door,Ispottedsomethingout

ofthecornerofmyeye.It

seemedlikeashadow.Kind

ofliketheoneI’dseeninthe

houseI’djustleft.But,that

hadbeenRogerandhewas

withmenow.Iglancedtomy

lefttomakesurehewasstill

there.Ofcoursehewasn’t

goinganywhereaslongas

Marilynwasstillhere.Could

ithavebeenanotherspirit?If

so,thenwherehadthespirit

comefrom?

“Didyouseethat?”

Marilynaskedandpointed.

“Yousawit?”Iasked.

Shepeeredatmewith

herlong-lashedblueeyes.

“Yes,butitmovedsoquickly

IthoughtmaybeI’dimagined

it.”

Ishookmyhead.“No,

itwasreal.”

I’dseenthemtoo

manytimesnowtothinkthey

werejustafigmentofmy

imagination.

“Didyouseeit,

Roger?”Iasked.

Hewasstaringat

Marilyn.“DidIseewhat?”

“Nevermind,”Isaid.

ThatwaswhenI

spotteditonmyleftthistime.

Afamiliarburningsensation

ranthroughme,signalingthat

thisspiritprobablywasn’t

friendly.Itfeltliketherush

whenyouateicecreamtoo

fast,onlythiswasthroughout

mybody.Thankgoodnessit

onlylastasecond.

Istopped.“Thereit

wasagain.”

Thethingwasmoving

soquicklythatIdidn’thavea

chancetogetagoodlookat

it.Iglancedbehindme,but

didn’tseemovement.Itwas

almostasifthisthingwas

toyingwithme.

IeyedRoger

suspiciously.

“What?”heasked

defensively.

“Areyouplaying

gameswithmeagain?”I

asked.

Hethrewhishands

up.“Whydoyoualways

thinkit’sme?Whydoesit

automaticallyhavetobeme

messingwithyou?”

Asawomanwalked

by,Ipeereddownatmy

whitetennisshoessoit

wouldn’tseemasifIwas

talkingtomyself.“Calm

down.Youweretheone

playingahideandseekgame

withmethismorning,socan

youblamemeforbeing

suspicious?”

Hefurrowedhisbrow.

“Whatever.”

Ihopedtohave

childrensomeday,butnowI

wasrethinkingthatbasedon

whatI’dgothroughwiththe

teenageyears.Theshadow

didn’tpopoutagain,soI

openedtheshopdoorand

headedinside.

Whateverwasout

there,Ihopeditwouldgo

away.Maybeitwasaspirit

simplypassingthrough.That

happenedsometimes.The

richsmellofbookswhirled

throughtheair,huggingme

whenImovedthroughthe

shop.Italwaysmademefeel

athomewhenIwashere.I

wasmostcomfortable

surroundedbythebooks.

Theywerelikeoldfriends

andfamily.IknewIwas

alwayssafewhenIwas

aroundthem.Acozy

fireplacewasononesideof

thestorewithleatherchairs

placedinfronttorelaxand

read.Thecheckoutwason

theoppositeside.

“Somanybooks,”

Marilynsaidassheglanced

aroundthestore.Myfavorite

bookisToKilla

Mockingbird.”

“Really?HarperLee

hasasecondbooknow.It

wasjustreleased,”Isaid.

Rogercutoffmy

conversationwhenheasked,

“Whatarewegoingtodo

here?”

“We’regoingto

work,”Isaid,movingbehind

thecountertoturnonmy

computer.

“Whydowehaveto

dothat?”heaskedwithan

annoyingwhinyvoice.

Iflashedhimaforced

smile.“BecauseIhavebills

topayandIliketoeat

occasionally.”

Herolledhiseyes

again.Ishouldhavetoldhim

ifhedidthattoooftenhis

eyeswouldfreezelikethat.

“Doyouhavethenew

book?”Marilynaskedina

sweetvoice.

Imovedovertothe

displayandgrabbedthe

hardback.“Hereitis.”

Hereyeswidened.“I

wouldlovetoreadit,but

sinceIcan’tholdthepagesit

wouldbekindofhard.”

Rogerleanedagainst

thecounter.“Youshouldread

ittoher.”

Marilynfixedher

gazeonmeandsmiled.“That

wouldbenice.”

HowcouldIsaynoto

that?“IsupposeIcoulddo

that.”

Sincetherewereno

customersatthemoment,I

openedthecoverandstarted

readingfromthefirstchapter.

Rogeryawnedasifhewas

bored,butMarilynremained

transfixedonmyeveryword.

However,muchtoMarilyn’s

disappointment,acustomer

cameinandinterruptedour

readingtime.Afterthe

womanpaidforherpurchase

andlefttheshop,Isatback

downonmystoolbehindthe

counter.

BeforeIhadachance

topickuponthepageIleft

off,Marilynasked,“Who

wasthat?”

“Whoareyoutalking

about?”Iasked.

Shepointedtoward

thefrontofthestore.“There

wasamanstaringinthe

windowjustnow.”

Ifrowned.“Ididn’t

seeanyone,butmaybeitwas

acustomerwonderingifwe

areopenyet.”

Sheshookherhead.

“Thatwasn’tacustomer.”

“Howdoyouknow?”

Iasked.

Shereleasedadeep

breath.“Hewasaspirit.I

couldseerightthroughhim.”

Imovedfrombehind

thecounterandtowardthe

frontwindow.Thiswas

startingofftobeastrange

morningandIhopeditsettled

downsoon.OnceIreached

thewindow,Ipressedmy

facecloseandpeeredoutside.

Iglancedtotheleftandthen

totheright,butdidn’tsee

anything.

“Whatdidhelook

like?”Iasked.

Marilyn’sexpression

turnedseriousashersculpted

eyebrowsfurrowed.“Hehad

onadarksuitandhe

appearedmean.”

Iturnedfromthe

window.“Thatdidn’tsound

good.Roger,wereyouthe

shadowatthehousethis

morning?Whenyouwere

playinghide-n-seek?”

“Stopsayingthat.I

wasn’tplayinghide-n-seek.

Youmakemesoundlikea

two-year-old.”Roger

scowled.

“Well…iftheshoe

fits,”Isaidwiththewaveof

myhand.

Heglaredatmeagain.

“I’veneverbeenashadow.I

don’tknowhowtodoit.”

I’dbeenafraidhe

wouldsaythat.NowIknewI

wasdealingwithsomething

farmoreserious.I’dbeen

suspiciousoftheshadow.

EventhoughRogerlikedto

playgames,Ibelievedhim

whenhesaiditwasn’thim.

Now,IthoughtImightbe

dealingwithanotherspirit…

onemoresinister.Thatwas

thelastthingIneededright

now.AssoonasImoved

awayfromthewindow,the

bellabovethedoorjingled.I

whippedaroundandstuckmy

handsoutinadefensive

stance.

Callahanheldhis

handsup.“Whoa.That’sa

heckofawaytogreet

customers.Areyouokay?

What’swrong?”

Iinhaledandtriedto

relax.AtleastCallahanwas

fullyawarethatIsawand

talkedwithghosts.Icouldbe

honestwithhimaboutwhat

I’dseen.

Chapter4

Callahanwasas

handsomeaseverwithhis

shortdarkhairandbigblue

eyes.Hisfulllipseasilyslid

intoasmile.Heworedark

jeansandabluebuttondown

shirt.Hewasmuchtallerthan

me,butthatwasn’ttough

withmyfivefootoneframe.

Hismusclesfilledouthis

clothinginalltheright

places.Hissexyvoicemade

mybodytingle.Icouldgoon

andonaboutCallahan’s

qualities.

“Whoisthisdude?”

Rogergesturedtoward

Callahan.“Idon’tthinkIlike

him.”

Rogerwasjust

worriedCallahanmighttryto

moveinonhisgirl,Marilyn.

Ofcourse,Marilynwould

havesomethingtosayabout

that.

Callahanleanedover

andpressedhiswarmlips

againstmine.

“Isn’tthatsweet,”

Marilynsaid.

“Disgusting,”Roger

said.

Callahansteppedback

andgazedintomyeyes.

“Howareyou?”

Ipushedthehairaway

frommyface.“It’sbeena

longmorning.”

“Tellmeaboutit.

Whathappened?”Callahan

asked.

“YouknowIwentby

thathousetoinvestigate,

right?”Istraightenedabook

onthenearbyshelf.

Callahanshiftedhis

eyesaroundtheroom.“Did

youbringaghostbackwith

you?”

Inodded.“You

guessedit.”

Callahanglancedover

hisshoulder.“Whoisit?”

Rogerwasbehindhim

makingmockinggestures.

“Ateenagernamed

Rogerandheisapain.”

“Thankyou.I’lltake

thatasacompliment,”Roger

saidsarcastically.

“That’snotall,”I

added.

Callahan’seyes

widened.“There’smore?”

Inodded.“Ialso

pickeduptheghostof

MarilynMonroe.”

Callahanstaredatme

andthenlaughed.“Areyou

joking?”

Iplacedmyhandson

myhips.Therewasnoneed

toanswer.Hewouldbeable

totellbythelookinmyeyes.

“You’renotkidding?”

Callahanasked.

“No,she’srighthere.”

Ipointedtowhereshestood.

Callahanlookedof

course.“Wow,howdidthat

happen?Whathasshesaid?”

“She’skindofquiet.

It’sfunny,butImetherat

Mindy’shouse.Mindy’s

fathercollectsmemorabilia

andshewasattachedto

earringsherecentlybought.”

Callahanranhishand

throughhisthickhair.

“Iknowit’scrazy,”I

said.

“Comingfromanyone

else,Iwouldsayit’s

outlandish,but…”Callahan

said.

“Notfromme.”I

laughed.

“So,yourboyfriend

thinksyou’renutso.”Roger

chuckled.“Howsweet.”

“Hedoesn’tthinkI’m

crazy,Roger.”

Callahanshookhis

head.“Youdoleadan

excitinglife.”

Isupposethatwasone

waytolookatit.Iftherewas

arevolvingdoorofghosts,

thenmylifewasthelobby.

“Whatareyougoing

todowiththem?”Callahan

asked.

“She’sgoingtokeep

us,whatelse?”Marilyn

offered.

Thatwasn’texactly

whatIhadinmind.

“IguessIneedtofind

outwhythey’rehere,”Isaid.

“Thatdoesn’tseem

likeitwillbepossible,”

Marilynoffered.

Iwasn’tsurewhyshe

thoughtthat,butI’dhaveto

askmoreabouthercomment

later.

Callahantouchedmy

arm.“Issomethingelse

wrong?”

Hemusthavesensed

mytension.Asifhavingtwo

ghosts,onewhowasanicon,

wasn’tenough,therewasthe

othershadowI’dseen.

Somethingdefinitelyfeltoff

aboutit.

Ituckedastrandof

hairbehindmyear.“Wesaw

adarkshadowaswewere

cominginsideandthen

Marilynsawaspiritofaman

peekinginthefrontwindow.”

“Hewasprobably

star-struck.”Callahan

laughed.WhenIdidn’tlaugh

back,heclearedhisthroat,

straightened,andsaid,

“Sorry,Iknowthisisserious.

Doyouhaveanyideawhoit

is?”

Icrossedmyarmsin

frontofmychest.“Noidea.I

justgotabadvibefromhim.”

“Him?”Callahan

quirkedandeyebrow.

“Yes,Marilynsaid

shesawthemanandhewas

definitelyaspiritsinceshe

couldseerightthroughhim.”

Irushedmywords.IknewI

wasstressedbecauseIstarted

talkingfastwhenanxiety

kickedin.

Callahanreachedout

andtookmyhandinhis.For

suchashorttimetogether,we

hadbeenthroughalotandhe

hadbeensounderstanding

aboutallofit.

“IsthereanythingI

cando?”heasked.

Ismiled.“No,I’m

sureeverythingwillbefine.

Mymindisjustworking

overtimerightnow.”

“Howaboutwegoout

tonighttotakeyourmindoff

it?”hetouchedmychinwith

hisindexfinger.

“Ilovedates.Where

arewegoing?”Marilyn

asked.

Ifrownedatherand

thenaskedCallahan,“What

doyouhaveinmind?”

Heflashedhis

gorgeoussmile.“Itwillbea

surprise.”

“Isn’tthissweet,”

Marilynsaid.

“Ican’thandlethis

lovefestanylonger,”Roger

said.

“Thatsoundsgreat,”I

said,ignoringRoger’s

comment.

Foramoment,I

thoughtIspottedtheshadow

outofthecornerofmyeye.

NowthatIwasalready

paranoid,Ifigureditwas

probablynothing.Ijust

neededtorelaxandtakemy

mindoffeverything.With

anyluck,workwouldallow

metodojustthat.Books

weremystressrelievers.

“Great.I’llpickyou

upafteryouclosetonight.”

Callahanpeekedathiswatch.

“IguessIshouldgetbackto

theshop.”

Callahanhadhireda

part-timeemployeetohelp

him,whichgavehimalittle

morefreetime.

“I’llseeyoutonight,”

Isaid.

Thewordshadbarely

leftmylipswhenbooks

startedflyingofftheshelves

allaroundus.Marilyn

screamedandIducked,

coveringmyhead.Thesound

ofbookshittingthefloorand

wallsechoedthroughoutthe

store.Afterwhatseemedlike

forever,thebarrageofbooks

finallystopped.Acouple

secondspassedandIlooked

up.Hardbacksand

paperbackscoveredthefloor.

Almosteverybookatthe

frontofthestorehadbeen

knockedofftheshelves.

“Whatthehellwas

that?”Rogerasked.

Thatwasexactlywhat

Iwantedtoknow.

Callahanranoverto

me.“Areyouallright?”

Hehelpedmetomy

feet.“I’mokay,butlookat

themess.”

Hecaressedmy

cheek.“Thatcanbefixedjust

aslongasyou’reokay.”

MarilynandRoger

werestillthere.They

appearedjustasstunnedas

me.

Mylegsshookfrom

therushofadrenaline.“What

happened?”

“Doyouthinkitwas

anearthquake?”Marilyn

asked.

Itwasn’tunheardof

tohaveanearthquake.There

hadbeenoneafewyearsago,

butwe’dbarelyfeltit.

“Iguessitcouldhave

been,butonlythebooksare

offtheshelves.”Ipointed.

Callahanscannedthe

roomandsawthatpictures

werestillonthewalls.

Iknewbythelookin

hiseyesthathewasthinking

thesamethingasme.

Somethingnotofthisworld

hadmadethishappen.I

immediatelygazedatRoger,

butIreallydidn’tthinkhe’d

hadanythingtodowiththis.

Hewasapaininthebutt,but

Ifiguredhewouldn’tdo

anythingasmeanasthis.I

thoughtabouttheshadowy

figure.Ithadtohavebeen

associatedwiththis.But

why?Ihopeditdidn’t

happenedagain.

“Iwillhelpyouclean

up,”Callahansaid,picking

booksfromthefloor.

“No.”Istoppedhim.

“Itwilltakealongtimeand

youneedtoreturntowork.”

Heglancedoverhis

shoulder.“Okay,butI’ll

comebacktohelpassoonas

Ican.”

Ikissedhimgoodbye

andstartedthelongprocess

ofcleaningup.

Chapter5

Itwasalmosttimeto

closewhenIfinallyfinished

placingthebooksonthe

shelves.I’devengottenin

somereadingtimefor

Marilyn.Iploppeddownon

thestoolbehindthecounter

androlledmyshouldersinan

attempttoeasethetension.

Thecustomerswho’dcome

intotheshoptodaywerea

littleconfusedbythemess,so

IwassureI’dmissedouton

somebusiness.Rogerand

Marilynstoodinfrontofme

asiftheywerewaitingforme

tosaysomething.I’dbeen

wonderingifRogerhadseen

thedarkshadowI’dseenin

thehouseonmorethanone

occasion,sonowitwasmy

timetoask.

“Roger,didyou

noticeanotherspiritinthat

houseoften?”Iasked.

Hestaredatmeasif

hehadnocluewhatIwas

talkingabout.

Iaskedagain,“Did

younoticeotherspiritsinthe

houseyouwerehaunting?”

Icouldn’tmakemy

questionanyclearer.Istared

athim,waitingforananswer.

Heshrugged.“No,I

neversawanything.”

Ihadn’tknownRoger

long,butIcouldalreadytell

whenhewasn’tbeinghonest.

Hewasdefinitelyhiding

something.HowwouldIget

himtotellmethetruth?

Iaskedagain,“Roger,

Didyouseeanythingatthe

house?”

Heturnedandwalked

acrosstheroom.“Whenare

wegettingoutofhere?Iwant

toseesomethingelse.This

placeisboring.”

Isteppedoutfrom

behindthecounterandover

towherehestood.Hisback

wasstillturnedtome,soI

movedinfrontofhim,

placingmyhandsonmyhips.

“Whatareyou,my

motherorsomething?”he

snapped.

Ipointedmyindex

fingerathim.“Iwillkeep

askingyouuntilyoutellme

thetruth.”

DealingwithRoger

wasexhausting.

Marilynmovedover

besideus.“Youtellherthe

truthrightnow.”

Rogerseemedstunned

thatMarilynhadscoldedhim.

Shequirkedaneyebrowasif

shedaredhimtodefyher.

Hethrewhishandsup

intheair.“Okay,maybeI

sawsomething,butIdon’t

knowwhatitwas.That’sallI

know,soleavemealone,

okay?”

Iwatchedhimfora

moment,buthewouldn’t

meetmystare.Istillthought

hewashidingsomething.It

didn’tappearasifwe’dbe

abletoforcehimtotellus

morethough,evenwith

Marilyn’shelp.

Ireleasedadeep

breath.“Fine.”

Imightlethimoffthe

hookforthetimebeing,butI

wouldrevisitthistopicsoon.

Rightnow,Ineededtoclose

theshopandheadhome.I

hadadatetogetreadyfor.

Iwonderedwhere

Callahanwastakingme.

Thereweren’talotofoptions

inMagnolia.Itwasasmall

townandnotalottodo.

Maybehewastakingmeto

themovies.Thatwouldbe

fun,althoughitseemeda

littlemoremysteriousthan

that.Marilynwaswhispering

toRoger.Iwonderedwhat

shewastellinghim.Ifanyone

couldgethimtotalk,itwould

beher.I’dleavethemalone

andseeifshecouldget

throughtohim.Ishutdown

thecomputerandgrabbedmy

purse.

I’dalmostmadeitto

thefrontdoorwhentheman’s

facepoppedupatthe

window.Hehadglowing

greeneyesandhisskinwas

ashengray.Heglaredatme

andsnarledshowinghis

mouthfulloffang-liketeeth.

Iscreamedandjumpedback.

Ihadn’texpectedtoseehis

face.I’dbeentryingtoput

thethoughtoutofmymind

andnowhewasback.Roger

andMarilynstoppedtalking

andracedovertome.

“Whathappened?

Marilynasked.

AllIcoulddowas

pointtothewindow.

“Yousawtheman,”

shesaid.

Iracedoutthedoor

andontothesidewalk.Iwas

scared,butIhadtofacemy

fearsandseeifthismanwas

reallyoutthere.Iknewhe

wasaspirit,butIwantedto

confronthimtoseewhathe

wanted.Whywashelooking

intothestore?Whatdidhe

want?Ipeeredtomyleftand

tomyright,butIdidn’tsee

him.RogerandMarilynstood

besidemeasIstareddown

thesidewalk.

“Wheredidhego?”

Marilynasked.

Ishookmyhead.“I

don’tknow.”

Carsdrovebyand

peoplewalkedupanddown

thesidewalkontheotherside

ofthestreet.Nooneacted

likeanythingunusualhad

happened.Theyhadn’tseen

thespookyspecter.Itriedto

calmmynervesasIreleased

adeepbreath.

“Larue,”Mindycalled

out.

Iturnedaroundtosee

Mindycomingtowardmeon

thesidewalk.WasIeverglad

toseeher!Justthen,agrowl

soundedfrommyright.I

lookedoverandsawtheman

standingrightbesideme.My

heartspedup.Hemovedina

flashandrushedtoward

Mindy.Ididn’tknowwhatto

dotostophim.Idashed

forward,reachingouttograb

him,butImissed.Instead,I

felltotheground,catching

myselfwiththepalmofmy

hands.

WhenIglancedup,I

sawthemanflytoward

Mindyandthenmoveright

throughher.Oncehe’d

passedthroughherbody,he

disappeared.Shefellback

ontotheground.Ijumpedup

andracedovertoher.

“Areyouokay?”I

askedasIhelpedherup.

Mindyseemed

stunnedandunabletofocus

onmyface.Shedidn’tspeak

andherhandswereshaking.

Iloopedmyarm

aroundher.“Comeon,let’s

goinsideandsitdown.”

Shestaredstraight

aheadwithoutsayingaword,

butshefollowedmeintothe

shop.

“Issheokay?”

Marilynasked.

“Ithinkshe’llbe

fine,”Isaid.“Itprobably

knockedthewindoutofher.”

IhelpedMindyover

tothestool.“Areyoubetter

now?”

Shefinallylookedat

me.Hereyesweredarkand

blank,butthen,theychanged

backtothebigbrowneyes

I’dalwaysknown.

Shepushedthehair

outhereyeswithhershaky

hand.“Yeah,I’mfine.”

Apparently,she’d

snappedoutofit.

“Whathappened?”

sheasked.

Iwasn’tsureifI

shouldtellherwhatreally

occurred,butIdidn’tknow

howelsetoexplainit.

“Itwaslikethe

strongestwindI’deverfelt.”

Sheshookherheadasif

tryingtogetridofthe

thought.

Hadshenotseenthe

man?Ofcourseshehadn’t.

Hewasaghostwhichmeant

onlyI’dseenhim.Well,

Marilynandme.

IknewIhadtobe

honestwithher.Iwouldwant

hertodothesamewithme.

“Ithinkaghostran

throughyou.”Irushedthe

wordssomaybeitwouldn’t

soundsobad.

Hereyeswidened.“A

ghost?”

IhopedMindywould

stillcomearoundme.Ifshe

wasstillmyfriendafterall

this,thenIknewshe’dnever

stopbeingmyfriend.

“Istheghoststill

around?”sheasked.

Ishookmyhead.“No,

he’sgone.”

“Good,Ihopethat

neverhappensagain.”She

straightenedhershirtand

brushedoffherpants.

“Metoo,”Isaid.

Mindytuckedaloose

strandofhairbehindherear.

“Ifeelbetternow.I’llbe

fine.”

Istaredatherfora

moment.

“Ipromise,”she

added.

“So,whydidyoustop

by?”Iasked.

“Icamebytocheck

onyou.Afteryoutoldme

whathappenedwiththe

books,Iwasconcerned.

Lookslikeyougotitalltaken

careofthough.”Shepeered

aroundtheplace.“I’msorryI

didn’tgetheresoonerto

help.”

Iwavedmyhand.It

wasnobigdeal.“I’musedto

puttingthebooksup

anyway.”

“Yeah,butnotthat

manyallatonce.”Shepicked

uponeofthebooksandsetit

backdownagain.“Doyou

thinkwhathappenedtomeis

relatedtotheeventwiththe

books?”

IwishedIcouldtell

herno,butIcouldn’t.I

nodded.“Ithinktheyare

related.”

“So,youthinkitwas

thesameghost?”Mindy

asked.

Istudiedmyshoesfor

amomentandthenfinally

metherstare.“Yes,Ido.”

Shesighedandthen

asked,“Wheredoyouthink

hecamefrom?”

IglancedatRoger,

butheavoidedeyecontact.

“I’mnotsure,butplan

onfindingout.”

Mindypushedtoher

feetandgrabbedherpurse

fromthecounter.“Well,I’d

bettergetoutofhere.”

“Areyousureyou’re

okay?”Iasked.

Sheplacedthepurse

strapoverhershoulder.“You

knowI’mtough.”

Sometimesbeing

toughwasn’tenoughwhen

thesebadspiritswere

involved.

Shewalkedtoward

thedoor.“Callmewhenyou

canandletmeknowwhat

Callahan’sbigplanswere.”

Somethingwas

makingmenervousabouther

leaving.IguessIwasworried

theghostwouldbeoutthere

waitingorher.Shewaved

andthensteppedoutontothe

sidewalk.Mindypausedand

lookedtotheleftandthento

theright.Iknewshewas

searchingfortheghosttoo.

AfterIsecond,sheturnedto

theleftanddisappearedfrom

view.

“Let’sgetoutof

here,”Rogersaid.

Inodded.“Fine.We’ll

gotomyhouse.”

“Cool,”hesaidashe

followedmeoutthedoor.“I

hopetheplaceisn’tadrag.”

Marilynsatinthe

frontwithmeandRogerwas

inthemiddleofthebackseat

withhisbodyleaning

forward.

“Doyouhavetobeso

close?”Marilynasked.

Heleanedback

slightly,butnotalltheway.I

waslikethemomtryingto

makethekidsbehaveonthe

carride.Ifeltlikesaying,

“Don’tmakemeturnthiscar

around.”

Graycloudsformedin

thedistanceasifawarningof

thingsyettocome.Icouldtry

tooutrunthem,butIknew

theywouldeventuallycatch

up.Aftertheshortdrive,we

arrivedatmyhouse.

“Thisisanadorable

littleplace,”Marilynsaidas

wegotoutofthecar.

Iopenedthedoorand

motionedortheghoststo

enterfirst.“Makeyourselfat

him.”

WhatelsecouldIsay?

Theywouldmakethemselves

athomewhetherIinvited

themtoornot.Myplacewas

asmalloldfarmhouse.The

roomshadbeenredone,soI

wasproudofthehardwork

I’dputintoit.Rogerplopped

downontomyoversized

whitesofa.Ifhehadn’tbeen

aghost,Iwouldhavetold

himtotakehissneakersoff

first.Buttherewaslittle

chancehecouldgetitdirty

anyway.

“Hey,canyouturnon

theTV?”heasked.

Isighedandthen

grabbedtheremote.“Whatdo

youwanttowatch?”

“Theguyatthelast

housewatchedESPNalot.

Doyouhaveit?”

Iflippedthroughthe

channels.Ican’tbelieveI’m

turningthetelevisionfora

ghost.”

“Youneedtoget

readyforyourdate,”Marilyn

placedherhandsonherhips.

“Where’syourmakeup?”

“It’sallinmy

bedroom,”Isaidand

motionedforhertofollow

me.

WasIreallygoingto

getfashionadvicefrom

MarilynMonroe?Istepped

intotheroomandshecame

behindme.AtleastRoger

wasoccupiedwiththeTV.

Thiswaslikeagirls’night.

“Whatareyou

wearing?”sheasked,

scanningmyroom.Mybed

satonthefarwallbetween

twowindows.Ontheother

sideoftheroomwasa

fireplacewithacomfychair

nexttoit.Asunnyyellow

colorthatremindedmeof

summercoveredthewalls.

Thesmallbathroomwas

attachedtotheroom.

“IguessIhadn’t

thoughtaboutit,”Isaid.

Shemotionedtoward

theclosetdoor.“Well,let’s

seewhatyouhave.”

Iopenedthedoorand

Marilynsteppedcloser.She

wassilentforalongtimeas

shepeeredintothedepthsof

mycloset.Itookthatasabad

sign.Ihopedshedidn’tlook

inthebackwhereIhadstored

theoutdatedjeansandT-

shirts.

“Iguesswecancome

upwithsomething.Youwant

ittobesexy,butleavehim

wantingmore,too,”shesaid

inhersexkittenvoice.

Sheobviouslyknew

morethanmeaboutthis,soI

woulddoasIwastold.She’d

madeacareeroutofbeinga

sexsymbol,soIknewshe

knewwhatshewastalking

about.

“Whataboutthis?”I

asked,holdingupayellow

dressforhertoexamine.

Sheshookherhead,

blondecurlsbouncingwith

themotion.“Doyouhave

anythinginadeepblue?I

thinkthatcolorwouldlook

greatonyou.”

“Oh,Ihaveadress.”I

fishedaroundinthecloset

andpulleditout.“Hereitis.”

Sheeyedthedressup

anddown.“Thatwillbegood

fornow.Weshouldgo

shoppingthough.”

Inodded.“Okay.”

IfiguredIshouldtake

heradviceonfashionand

glamour.Soon,Ifound

myselfwearingthebluedress

thathitjustabovemyknees.

Ithadafullskirtandsmall

straps.Iworeblackstrappy

heelswithit.Marilynhad

helpedinstructmewithmy

makeup.Ofcourse,I’dbeen

wearingmakeupforyears,

butIdidn’targuewithher.I

didfeellikeImightbealittle

overdressed.Whatif

Callahanwasjusttakingme

tothemovies?Whatifhe

wantedtogotothelocalpub?

IguessI’djustbe

overdressed.

EventhoughIwas

excitedforthedate,I

couldn’tstopthinkingabout

Mindy.Ishouldhavegone

withherandmadesureshe

wasokay.

Thedoorbellrangand

mystomachdidalittledance.

“Lookslikeyourdate

ishere,”Marilynsaid.“Now,

gogethim.”

Ihurriedtowardthe

door.Rogerwasalready

standingbesideit.How

wouldIconvincethetwoof

themtostayatmyhouse

whileIwentoutwith

Callahan?

WhenIopenedthe

door,Callahan’seyes

widened.“Wow,youlook

gorgeous.Notthatyoudon’t

alwayslookgorgeous.”

Hischeeksblushed

andhegrinned.Iknewwhat

hemeant.

“Thankyou,”Isaid.

IturnedtoRogerand

Marilyn.“Okay,I’llbeback

later.”

Marilynmoved

aroundCallahanandnow

stoodonmyfrontporch.“I’m

goingwithyou.”

Iwouldn’teven

botherarguingwiththem.I

justwantedtohaveanice

evening.Thechatterofghosts

inmyearwouldbe

distracting,butIhaddealt

withitinthepast.Whatwas

onemoretime,right?

Chapter6

Westeppedoutonto

theporchandIlockedthe

doorbehindus.Atleastthe

rainhadheldoff,butIfeltthe

stormbrewingintheair.

“Areyougoingtotell

mewherewe’regoingyet?”I

askedasIwalkedwith

Callahantowardhiscar.

Heopenedthedoor

formeandIslippedinside.

“You’llseewhenweget

there.”

“Ihatesurprises,”

Marilynsaidfromtheback

seat.

Rogerwasbackthere

already,too.

Callahangotbehind

thewheel.Hepausedwithhis

handontheignitionand

studiedmyface.“Areyou

okay?Itseemslike

somethingisbotheringyou.

Isitstillwhatoccurredthis

morning?”

Ihadn’ttoldhim

aboutwhathadhappenedto

Mindyyet.Isighedandthen

recountedtheincident.

“Ifit’sbotheringyou

thatmuch,thenweshouldgo

checkonher,”Callahansaid.

“Whataboutour

plans?Idon’twanttoruinthe

eveningforyou.”

Hestartedengine.“As

longasI’mwithyou

nothing’sruinedever.”

Mystomachdida

littledance.Healwaysknew

whattosay.

Hepulledoutontothe

streetandheadedtowardher

house.“Whatkindofthings

canhappenwhenaspirit

travelsthroughyou?”

“Theiremotionscan

staywithyouforquitea

while.Insomecases,the

spiritactuallytakes

possessionofthebodyand

theyhangaroundforawhile,

waitingforachancetotake

overthemind.”Iwatched

himforareaction.

Callahanflashedmea

worriedlook.“Doyouthink

thishappenedtoMindy?”

“Ithinktheghostleft,

butIsuspectshe’sstill

feelingtheaftereffectsofthe

spirit.”Ileanedmyheadback

againsttheseat.

“Kindoflikea

hangover?”heasked.

“Exactly,”Isaid.

Aftertheshortdrive,

wepulleduptoherhouse.I

wasrelievedtoseeMindy’s

carparkedinherdriveway.

CallahanandIgotoutand

walkeduptothedoor.Afew

sprinklesofrainhadstarted

tofall.MarilynandRoger

camewithus.

“IhopeMindyis

okay,”Marilynsaid.

“Ihopeshehasthe

TVon,”Rogersaid.“Iwant

tocatchthelasthalfofthe

game.”

Iknockedonthedoor

andcalledout,“Mindy,it’s

Larue.”

Therewasalotof

noiseontheothersideofthe

door.CallahanandI

exchangedaglance.

“What’sgoingonin

there?”Rogerasked.

Ishookmyhead.“I

don’tknow.”

Iwasstartingtoreally

worrywhenshefinally

answeredthedoor.Mindy

steppedoutontotheporch

givingusafunnylook.She

haddarkcirclesunderher

eyesandablankstareinher

eyes.NowIwasmore

worriedthanever.Theattack

reallyhadaneffectonher.I

hopeditwouldn’tlastmuch

longer.Callahanlookedatme

worriedly.Hecouldtellthis

wasn’tgood.

“Mindyareyou

okay?”Iasked.

Atthesoundofmy

voice,sheseemedtosnapout

ofit.Hereyesseemedto

focusandsheacknowledged

me.

“Oh,Larue.I’mglad

you’rehere.”

“What’sgoingon?”I

asked.

“Ican’tshakethis

feeling.Ikeepgettingangry

andIdon’tknowwhy.”

Mindyrubbedherarms.

She’dbarelyfinished

thesentencewhenthefront

doorslammedshut.Theforce

hadmadethewreathfallfrom

thehanger.Mindyjumped

andmovedclosertous.With

wideeyes,shereachedout

andheldontomyarm.

“Cool,”Rogersaid.

Thiswascertainlynot

cool.Iwasn’tlikingwhatwas

goingon.

“Howdidthat

happen?”Marilynasked.

“There’sobviouslya

ghostinmyhouse,”Mindy

saidwithfearinhervoice.

“Idon’tthinkMindy

shouldbealoneuntilshe

recovers,”Callahansaid.

Hewasright,she

didn’tneedtobebyherself.

Asforaghostinherhouse,I

wasabouttofindout.

Mindywrappedher

armsinfrontofherwaistasif

thatwouldsomehowmake

hersafe.“Ireallydon’twant

tostayhererightnow.”

IlookedtoCallahan.

Callahantouchedmy

arm.“Whydon’tyouallgo

backtoyourplace,Larue?

YoucanhangoutuntilMindy

feelsbetter.”

“Areyousureyou

don’tmind?”Iasked.

Heshookhishead.“I

havealotofpaperworktodo

anyway.Wecandothis

anothernight.”

Inodded.“Ifyou’re

sure.”

“I’mpositive.”

“Wherewerewe

going,bytheway?”I

whispered.

“Ithoughtwe’dgoto

thatnewrestaurantintown,”

Callahansaid.

“Oh,Iwouldhave

lovedthat,”Isaid.

“We’llgosoon.Just

letmeknowwhenyouwant

togoandwe’rethere.”

Callahantouchedmychin

withhisindexfinger.

Rogerhurrieddown

thesteps.“Good,maybeifwe

hurryhomeIcancatchthe

lastofthegame.”

Ihadnewsforhim,

MindyandIweregoingto

watchagoodmoviesoshe

couldtakehermindoff

things.Maybehavesome

junkfoodanddrinks,too.

Mindytwistedthe

doorknobanditopened.“I

needtogetacouplethings.”

“I’llberightbehind

you,”Isaid.

Callahancradledmy

headwithhishands,leaned

down,andsoftlyplacedakiss

onmylips.Iopenedmyeyes

andlookedathim.Thewarm

imprintofhislipslingeredon

mymouth.

“Nowthat’sakiss,”

Marilynsaid.

“Doyouwantmeto

driveyoualltoyourhouse?”

Callahanasked.

“That’sokay.Wecan

takeMindy’scar.Everything

willbefine,”Isaid.

Hestudiedmyface

foramomentasifhewas

tryingtoseeifIwasbeing

honest.“Callmeifyouneed

anything.”

IwavedasCallahan

climbedintohiscarand

droveaway.Iwalkedinside

tohelpMindygatherher

things.Sheemergedfromthe

bedroomwithabigbag

packed.

“Howlongdoesshe

thinkthiswilltake?”Marilyn

asked.

Ididn’tthinkitwould

takethatlong,butifitmade

Mindyfeelbettertobring

halfofhercloset,thenthat

wasfinewithme.She

grabbedhercarkeys.

“You’renevergetting

hertoleaveyourhouse,”

Rogersaid.

Iignoredhim,and

said,“Areyouokay?Ican

driveyourcarifyouwantme

to.”

Shehandedmethe

keys.“Maybethat’sagood

idea.”

AfterMindylocked

thefrontdoor,weheadedto

hercar.Afewdropsofrain

stillsputteredfromtheskyas

ifitwastryingtodownpour,

butcouldn’tgetstarted.The

windhadpickedupmaking

thetreebranchessway.The

rustlingoftheleavessounded

likethewhisperofvoices,

onlyIcouldn’tmakeoutthe

words.Ireachedouttograb

thedoorhandlewhen

suddenlythelocksshut.

“Didyoudothat?”I

whispered.

Sheshookherhead.I

punchedthekeyfobagain.

“MaybeIaccidentally

hitit,”Isaid.

IknewthatIhadn’t

though.

Somethingwas

playingtrickswithus.

“Idon’tthinkhe

wantsyoutoleave,”Marilyn

said.

“Who?”Ilookedat

her.

Shepointedtoward

Mindy’shouse.Ipeeredup,

butdidn’tseeanythingoutof

theordinary.

“Whowasit?”I

asked.

“Itwasthesame

man,”shewhispered.

Herwordssentachill

downmyspine.Whywasthe

manhere?Ithoughtwe’dleft

himonthesidewalkinfront

ofthebookstore.Ididn’t

thinkhe’dactuallyfollow

Mindyhome.Ipushedto

unlockthedoorsagain,but

nothingwouldhappen.

“Maybeitneedsa

newbattery,”Mindysaid.

“Doyouhavethe

otherone?”Iasked.

“Ithinkit’sinthe

kitchen.”Shepeeredbackat

thehouseandIknewshe

didn’twanttogointhere

alone.

“Ifyoutellmewhere

itis,Icangogetit,”Isaid.

“It’sinthetopdrawer

bytherefrigerator.”She

pointed.

“Okay,I’llberight

back.”Ihurriedupthepath

andtothefrontdoor.

Ishovedthekeyin

andunlockedthedoor.I

wantedtogetthekeyfoband

getout.Thehousewassilent

andthesensationofbeing

watchedfollowedmewith

everystep.Icouldhave

brusheditoffasmy

imagination,butitwasnever

myimagination.Something

orsomeonewasobserving

me.

WhenIreachedthe

kitchen,IgaspedwhenIsaw

thatallthecabinetdoorsand

drawerswereopen.There

wasnowayMindyhadleft

themlikethat.Whatreason

wouldshehavetoleavethem

open?Ineededtocheckout

thedrawersasquicklyas

possibleandthengetoutof

there.Onethingwasforsure,

Ihadaspiritproblemonmy

hands.

Iinchedintothe

kitchen,prayingnothing

wouldhappenwhileIwas

there.Theroomwasalot

biggerthanIrealized.It

seemedlikeforeverbeforeI

reachedthecabinets.Peering

intotheopenedthedrawerby

therefrigerator,Ispottedthe

keyfobrightaway.Ishoved

myhandintograbit,butthe

drawerslammedshut.It

almosttookmyhandoff.

Iwhippedaround

expectingtoseethespirit

behindme,buttherewasno

onethere.Afterreleasinga

deepbreath,Igrabbedthe

drawerhandleandyankedit

openagain.I’dexpectedit

nottoopen,butmuchtomy

surpriseitdid.Now,Ihadto

stickmyhandinthereagain.

OnceI’dshovedmyhandin,

Igrabbedthekeyfob,and

thenrushedoutofthekitchen

backtothefrontdoor.

Footfallsechoedbehindme.I

didn’thavetimetoturn

aroundtoseewhoorwhat

wasthere.

PantingasifIwas

losingamarathon,Irushed

outofthehouseandoverto

thecar.Mindystaredatme

withwideeyesasIran

towardher.Isloweddown

longenoughtofinallypeek

overmyshoulder.I’dbeen

confidentsomethingwas

behindme,butnothingwas

there.

“Iseverythingokay?”

Afrownsnappedbetween

Mindy’seyebrows.

Aftercatchingmy

breath,Iheldupthekeyfob

likeitwasatrophy,andsaid,

“I’mfine.”

Notwantingtoworry

heranymorethanshealready

was,Idecidednottoshare

thecabinetdoorfiascowith

her.Ipushedthekeyfoband

itstilldidn’twork.Icursed

undermybreath,butMindy

releasedanexpletivethatthe

neighborsprobablyheard.I

didn’tknowwhattodotoget

inthecar.

“Thisoneisn’t

workingeither,”Isaid.

Thewordshadbarely

leftmylipswhensuddenly

thedoorsunlocked.Mindy

andIexchangedalookof

shock.Iwasatalossfor

words.MarilynandRoger

stoodinsilence,too.

Ididn’twanttorisk

beinglockedoutagain,sowe

hurriedintothecar.The

thoughtcrossedmymindthat

thesamethingcouldhappen

again.Whatifnexttimethe

doorswouldn’tunlockand

wewereinthecar?Whatif

thedoorswouldn’tunlock

andwewerestuckinthecar

likesardinesinatincan.

Okay,Ineededtocalmdown

andnotpanic.Ihadtobe

strongforMindy.After

startingthecar,Ibackedout

ofthedriveway.

“Whatdoyouthinkis

goingon?”Mindyasked.

“Iguesstheremight

besomethingwrongwith

yourlocks.”Ikeptmyeyes

ontheroad.

IknewifMindy

lookedinmyeyes,shewould

knowIdidn’tbelievewhat

I’djustsaid.

“IguessI’llhaveto

getitcheckedout,”shesaid.

Everyonewassilent

fortheshortdrivetomy

house.Iguesswewereall

thinkingaboutwhathad

happened.AtleastIknewwe

couldrelaxalittleatmy

place.AfterparkingMindy’s

carbehindmine,weall

climbedoutofthecarand

hurriedinsidebeforetherain

camedownharder.Thedrops

werefallingatasteadypace

now.

WhenIsteppedinto

thelivingroom,Rogerwas

alreadywaitingbytheTV.

Withoutsayingaword,I

grabbedtheremoteand

flickeditontohisfavorite

channel.Atleastitkepthim

entertained.

“ForRoger,”Isaidto

MindywhenInoticedher

surprise.

“HewatchesTV?”

Mindyasked.

Ishookmyhead.“It’s

betterthanhimtalking.”

Mindylaughed.“Is

Marilynhere?”

Igesturedbesideme.

“Shehelpedmegetreadyfor

mydate.”

Mindyeyedmeup

anddown.“Youlookgreat

bytheway.Ifeelbadabout

messingupyourevening.”

“Thankyou,anddon’t

worryaboutit.”Iwavedmy

hand.“We’llgooutanother

night.”

“WillCallahanbe

upset?”sheasked.

“YouknowCallahan

isasweetiepie.Hejustwants

toknowyou’renotupset.

Nowhowaboutwegointo

thekitchen?”Isaid,tryingto

talkoverRoger’syellingat

theTV.

“Goodidea,”Mindy

said.

Nowitwasjustthe

girlshangingout.

“Howaboutwehave

strawberrydaiquiris?”I

wiggledmyeyebrows.

“Yougetthemixand

I’llfindthevodka,”Mindy

marchedtowardthecabinet.

“Ihaven’tdonethis

foryears.”Marilynleaned

againstthecounter.

MindyandI

exchangedalook.

“I’mgoingtochange

intomysweats.I’llberight

back.Marilyn,youcankeep

Mindycompany?Whydon’t

youtellheraboutyourmovie

SomeLikeItHot,”Isaidwith

asmile.

Ihurriedintomy

roomtochangeoutofthe

bluedress.Iwouldhaveto

saveitforanotherday.When

Ipassedthroughtheliving

roomagain,Rogerwasstillin

thesamespotonthesofa.

Mindyhadalready

madethedrinksandwas

pouringthemintomyfavorite

glasses.Theoneswiththe

swirlystemsandred,yellow,

andbluesstripesaroundthe

top.Iploppeddowninthe

chairacrossfromMarilyn

andtookabiggulp.Thisday

seemedtohavetwenty-five

hoursanditwasn’tevenbed

timeyet.

Afterlickingthe

daiquirifrommylips,Iasked

Mindy,“Didanythingelse

happenatyourhouse?”

“Nothingotherthanit

feltasifIwasbeing

watched.”

Atleastitseemedasif

Mindywasfeelingbetter

now.MaybeI’dleftthespirit

atherhouse.Iwouldhaveto

getitoutoftherethough.She

hadtogohomeeventually.

“Ifanythingwas

there,it’sprobablygone

now.”Ihopedshedidn’task

whyIthoughtthatbecauseI

wouldnothavealogical

answer.Iwantedtomakeher

feelbetter.

“Can’tyoutellthe

thingthat’stheretogetout?”

Marilynasked.

Iknewshe’dseenthe

spiritI’dseen.

“Ifthereisanentity

there,thenIdon’tthinkhe

willlistensimplybyme

asking.Iwouldhavetodo

somethingmoresevere.”I

tookanotherbigdrink.

Justthenthesoundof

footstepscamefrom

overhead.

Mindypointedup.“Is

someoneupthere?”

“No,unlessRoger

wentupthere.Ijustsawhim

inthelivingroom,though.

Whywouldhebeupstairs?”I

asked.

“Weshouldgocheck

onhim,”Mindysaid.

“I’mgladhe’sleaving

mealone,”Marilynsaid.

Ipushedtomyfeet

andheadedtowardtheliving

room.MarilynandMindy

wererightbehindme.The

televisionwasstillplaying,

butRogerwasn’taround.

“Iguesshewent

upstairs,”Isaid.

Weinchedthrough

thelivingroomandintothe

hallway.Imotionedand

Mindypaused.

“I’llgoupandsee

whathe’sdoing,”I

whispered.

Mindynodded,but

sheseemedalittletense.Just

whenshe’dstartedtofeel

better,nowRogerwantedto

showoff..Iwouldtellhimto

cutitout.Ididn’twantany

moregamestonight.We’dall

hadalongdayandIwasn’tin

themoodforit.Iclimbedthe

stairstomysecondfloor

whichwasjusttwobedrooms

andasmallbathroom.

“Roger,areyouup

here?”Icalledout.

Hedidn’tanswer.It

wasjustlikewhenI’dfound

him.Apparently,hefeltlike

itwastimeforanothergame

ofhide-n-seek.

Chapter7

Onceatthetopofthe

stairs,thefootstepssounded

again.Yes,thiswasalotlike

whathadtranspiredatthe

housewithRoger.Icouldn’t

believehewasdoingthis

again.Iwouldlethimhaveit

whenIcaughthim.Imarched

downthehallwaytothe

bedroomontheright.Whena

rustlingnoisecamefromthe

othersideofthedoor,I

figuredthiswaswherehe

was.Iwasn’tevengoingto

callouttohim.Iwouldpop

inandthengivehimapiece

ofmymind.Aftergrabbing

theknob,Iswungthedoor

open.Tomysurprise,Roger

wasn’tthere.Hemustbe

hidingagain.

Itiptoedovertothe

closetsohewouldn’tknowI

wasabouttocatchhim.I

grabbedthehandleand

yankeditopen.Rogerwasn’t

thereeither.Ipushedthe

clothingIhadhangingin

theretothesidetomakesure

hewasn’tattheback.Nosign

ofhim.Hemustbeunderthe

bed.Iflungthecomforterup

fromthefloorandpeeked

underneath.StillnoRoger.

Thatmeanthemustbeeither

inthebathroomortheother

bedroom.Aftereasingoutof

theroom,Iwenttothe

bathroomfirst.Iinchedinto

thesmallspaceandgrabbed

theblueandwhitestriped

showercurtain.

Withoneswift

movement,Iyankeditback.

“Ah-ha!”

NoRoger.Hethought

hewasbeingsoclever.He

wasprobablyinonespotand

immediatelydisappearing

whenheheardmecoming.I

neededtobequieter.

Therewasonlyone

roomleft.Now,Iwasreally

angryI’dhadtochaseRoger

allaroundthehouse.Iwould

forgetaboutbeingquiet.I

stormedintotheother

bedroom.Unfortunately,

Rogerwasn’tthereeither.He

musthavealreadygoneback

downstairs.Iwastootiredto

playhisgametonight.I

massagedmytemples,trying

tokeepthedullheadache

fromgrowing.

Iwasreadytoleave

theroom,butIinstantlyhad

thatcreepyfeelingIwasn’t

alone.Therewassomeoneor

somethingtherewithme.I

wasafraidtoturnaround,yet

IknewIhadto.Iwasn’tso

surethispresencewasRoger.

Itfeltmuchmorepowerful

thanhismanifestationhad

everfelt.Istoodfrozenonthe

spot,unsureofwhattodo

next.IdecidedIwouldspin

aroundquicklybeforethe

thinghadachancetoslipup

onme.Iinhaledadeep

breath,preparingmyselffor

whatImightsee.

Onthecountofthree,

Iwouldturnaround.1…2…

3…Iturnedaround.Ispotted

itinstantly.Therewasachair

inthecorneroftheroomand

therewassomeonesittingin

it,exceptthepersonhada

sheetoverthem…likethey

werewearingitfortrickor

treating.

“Roger,isthisyour

ideaofplayinglikeyour

CaspertheFriendlyGhost?

Well,it’snotfunnyandI

don’thavetimeforgames

rightnow.Takeitoffand

let’sgo,”Isaidwithmy

handsonmyhips.

Imarchedovertothe

chair,stoppingafewsteps

away.Thatsameeeriefeeling

surroundedme.Itfeltlike

whenI’dfoundRogerat

Elisa’shouse,exceptthe

creepyfactorwasintensified

byaboutahundred.I’dnever

beenthiscreepedoutby

Roger.Whywasn’thesaying

anything?Whatifitwasn’t

himunderthere?Iswallowed

hardandinchedacouple

stepscloser.Iwasrightup

nexttothechairnow.Roger

orwhoeverwasunderthere

stillhadn’tmovedaninch.

“You’dbettercome

out.I’mstartingtogetreally

agitated,”Isaid.

Apparently,thatwas

oflittleconcerntotheperson

hidingbeneaththefabric.I

wasstalling,butIknewIhad

topullthatsheetoff.This

littlegamehadtoend.I

willedmyselftobestrong.

I’dbeendealingwiththe

paranormalforyears.Surely,

Icouldhandleaprankster

ghost.Itwasfreakingmeout

thoughthatthisghostwasn’t

evenmoving.Myheartrate

increasedandmystomach

flutteredwithanxiety.

Ireachedouttoward

thesheet.“Okay,Roger,I

gaveyouachance.I’mnot

playingniceanymore.Igave

youachance,youshould

havetakenit.”

Igrabbedthesheet

andyankedonit.Itfluttered

totheground.Igaspedand

stumbledbackward,

managingtoremainupright.

Therewasnoonethere.How

hadtheghostgottenaway

withoutmeevenseeinga

glimpseofhim?Iwasalmost

surethiswasRogeruptohis

shenanigansagain,butinthe

backofmymindIknewit

hadfeltdifferent.Ifthiswas

Rogerthenhehadalotof

explainingtodo.Inallthe

yearsI’dbeendealingthe

paranormal,I’dneverhada

spiritplaythatkindoftrick

onme.Istaredatthechairfor

amomentlongerandthen

decideditwastimetogetout

ofthere.

ThatwaswhenI

noticedthehatonthefloorby

thewindow.Wherehadthat

comefrom?Isteppedcloser,

thenreacheddownand

pickeditup.Itwasabeige

fedorastylehat.Itwasn’t

mineandRogerhadn’tworn

ahat.Iglancedaroundthe

room.Achillwentdownmy

spine.Iexaminedunderthe

bedandinthecloset,butno

onewasthere.

IknewIprobably

shouldn’ttellMindyabout

this,butIhadtotell

someone.Iclutchedthehat

andwentbackdownthe

hallwaytowardthestairs.It

feltasifsomeonewas

walkingbehindmetheentire

time.Ikeptglancingovermy

shoulder,buttherewas

nothingvisible.Ifthespirit

wasreallythere,thenhewas

hidingfromme.Thatwas

whenIrememberedwhere

I’dseenthehatbefore.The

spiritthathadattackedMindy

hadbeenwearingit.Now,

shewouldreallyfreakout

whenItoldher.

Apparentlytheentity

hadfollowedushere.

“Whydon’tyoushow

yourself?”Iasked.“Areyou

acoward?”

Withthewayithad

attackedMindy,maybeI

shouldn’tprovokeit.But,I

wasmad.Howdarehedo

thattomybestfriendand

thenmessaroundwithme.

“Iwantyououtofmy

housenow,”Idemanded.

Silencesurrounded

me.Iexpectedthespiritto

popupatanymoment.

“Larue,areyou

comingbackdown?”Mindy

calledoutfromthebottomof

thesteps.

“Coming,”Isaid,

tryingtosoundcalm.

Ihurrieddownthe

stairs.WhenIreachedthelast

step,Rogerwasstanding

behindMindy.Marilynwas

ontheothersideofher.They

allstaredatmeexpectantly.

“What’sthat?”Mindy

pointedatthehatinmyhand.

Ishowedherthe

fedora.“Ifoundthis

upstairs.”

Hereyeswidened.

“Mygosh,itlookslikethe

oneFreddyKrugerwears.”

Ihadn’tthoughtof

that,butitdid.

“Whoseisit?”she

asked.

Herecamethehard

part.

“Ithinkitbelongsto

thespiritthatattackedyou.”

Sheimmediately

tensedup.“Ohno.He’shere?

Hecamehereforme?Whyis

hedoingthis?Whydoeshe

wantme?IshelikeFreddy

Kruger?Ishecomingforme

inmydreams?”

Mindywasfreaking

out.Ihadtocalmherdown.

“WhoisFreddy

Kruger?”Marilynasked.

“It’safictional

character,”Iexplainedina

hurry.

Itriedtohidethehat

behindmybacksoMindy

couldn’tseeitagainuntilI

hadachancetostashit

somewhere.IknewI

shouldn’thavetoldherabout

it.

IledMindywithmy

otherhandtowardtheliving

room.“Here,let’sgosit

down.”

Istuffedthehatinthe

tabledraweroncewegotinto

thelivingroom.Igrabbedthe

remoteandturnedofftheTV.

Thatwasenoughsportsfor

Rogerforoneday.He

actuallyseemedconcerned

aboutMindywhichsurprised

me.

Isatbesideheronthe

sofa.“Takeacoupledeep

breaths.Thisspiritisnot

FreddyKrugerandhe’snot

comingforusinourdreams.”

Herbrowsknitted

togetherinafrown.“Areyou

sure?”

Inodded.“I’m

positive.”

Mindywasstilltense,

butitseemedasifshehad

calmeddownabit.Speaking

ofcalm,therewerenoother

footstepsandthingswere

quiet.Ihopeditstayedthat

way.

“Weneedtogetsome

sleep,”Isuggested.

Mindy’seyes

widened.“Yourealizewhat

happenswhenyougoto

sleep,right?”

“Yes…wegetrest.

Thereisnospiritcomingfor

youinyourdreams.”Ishook

myhead.

Shesighed.“Well,

justthesame,thereisnoway

Iamsleepingupstairsby

myself.”

IguessIcouldn’t

blameherforthat.

“Youcansleepwith

me.”Ipointedmyfingerat

Roger.“Keepthecomments

toyourself.”

Heheldhishandsup.

“Iwasn’tgoingtosay

anything.”

Iknewthatwasalie.

“Larue,Icankeepa

watchoutwhileyouallsleep.

WillthatmakeMindyfeel

better?”Marilynasked.

Inodded.“Thatis

verysweet.Thankyou,

Marilyn.Marilynisgoingto

watchforthespirit.Shewill

wakemeifhecomesaround.

Doesthatmakeyoufeel

better?”

Mindywrappedher

armsinfrontofherwaistasif

givingherselfacomforting

hug.“Yes,thathelps.Thank

you,Marilyn.”

“You’rewelcome,

darling,”shesaid.

MindyandIwentto

myroom.“Thisiskindof

likeaweirdslumberparty,”

shesaid.

“Yes,it’slike

Halloweenyouspentthe

nightbecausesomeonetold

yougirlswerebeing

sacrificedthatnight.”Ipulled

pajamasfrommydresser

drawer.

“Thesourcehad

seemedcreditableatthe

time,”shesaidasshe

removedthepillowsfrommy

bed.

Afterbrushingmy

teethandchangingintomy

pinkpajamaswiththelittle

whitebunnies,Iclimbedinto

bed.WhileMindywasinthe

bathroom,Ilaidtherestaring

attheceiling.Great,nowallI

couldthinkaboutwasFreddy

Kruger.Marilynappeared

nexttome.Iknewwhatshe

wanted.Themattressmoved

downasshesatbymyfeet.

Thenovelwasonthe

nightstandbymybed.When

Mindycameoutofthe

bathroomandcaughtme

readingaloud,Ihadto

explaintoherwhatIwas

doing.Mindysmiledand

climbedunderthecovers.

NowIwasreadingtobothof

them.Iwasn’tsureatwhat

pointI’ddozedofftosleep.

Thedarkshadow

appearedtofloatright

throughthedoorway.The

lightcomingfromunderthe

bathroomdoorgavejust

enoughglowtohighlightthe

shadow’ssilhouette.Itglided

acrosstheroomtowardthe

bed.Thiswasdefinitelythe

manfromearlier.Hewasn’t

wearingthehatnowthough.

Hadhecomebackforthe

hat?

Eventhoughitwas

darkIknewhewasstaring

rightatme…hisgreeneyes

glowedinthedark.Mybody

wasfrozenasifIwas

paralyzed.Hemovedcloser

andcloserandnowhewas

rightbesideme.Thesmellof

rottenleavesassaultedmy

nostrils.Heleaneddownand

puthisfacerightinfrontof

mine,yetIstillcouldn’t

move.Whatdidhewant?

Ihadtoscreamor

move.Therehadtobeaway

togetawayfromhim.

Willingallmystrength,I

finallyjumpedupinbed.The

manwasgoneandMindy

wasasleepbesideme.How

hadthathappened?How

muchtimehadpassed?HadI

fallenasleep?ThebookI’d

beenreadingtoMarilynand

Mindywasstillonmylap.

Myheartbeatfastand

sweattrickleddownmy

forehead.Apparently,ithad

allbeenadream.Itwasall

thattalkofFreddyKruger.

Surprisingly,I’drarelyhada

ghostcometomeinadream.

Iespeciallydidn’twantitto

happenifthatghostwas

goingtobemean.Ipeeredat

theclock.Itwasfoura.m.

Therewerestillacoupleof

hoursuntiltimetogetup.

Ilaidbackinthebed

andtriedtotakemymindoff

everything.Ineededtothink

ofsomethingelse.Happy

things.Callahanpoppedinto

mymind.Thoughtsofhim

alwaysmademehappy.I

triedtothinkofthe

bookstore,butthatmademe

rememberthespiritpeeking

inthewindow.Ididn’tknow

whenIfinallydriftedoff

again,butIwokewhenthe

suncamestreaminginthe

windowandsplashingacross

myface.Movementcaught

myattentiontomyleftandI

thoughtforsureIspotted

Rogerdriftoutthedoor.Had

hebeenintheroom?

Iwouldbeextremely

angryifIfoundouthe’d

comeinhere.Wherewas

Marilyn?Iguessshecouldn’t

keepaneyeonhimallthe

time.Mindywasstillasleep,

soIeasedupandheadedfor

thebathroom.Iwantedto

finishmyshowerbeforeshe

neededit.WhenIwas

finished,Mindywasalready

awake.

“Hey.Areyoufeeling

better?”Iasked.

Shesatonthesideof

thebed.“Aslongasthat

ghostisn’there.”

Imovedovertothe

closettopickoutmyoutfit.

“Nosignofhim.Ibethe’s

longgonenow.”

Shequirkedan

eyebrow.“Yeah,we’llsee

aboutthat.”

Ipulledoutanavy

bluepencilskirtandawhite

short-sleevedblousewitha

fittedwaist.

Mindyshuffled

towardthebathroom.“I’m

takingashower.”

“I’llstartbreakfast,”I

said.

Shepeekedaroundthe

door.“Oh,canyoumake

Frenchtoast?”

Ismiled.“Sure.”

OnceMindywasin

thebathroom,Islippedoutof

myrobeandintomy

clothing.Navyblueflats

wouldcompletemyoutfit.

Usually,Iworejeans,but

sinceIwassurroundedmy

Marilyn’sglamorallday,I

decidedtodressupabit.I

rushedthroughputtingon

makeupandpulledmyhair

backintosomesemblanceof

astyle.BeforeImade

breakfast,Ineededtofind

RogerandMarilyn.Imoved

throughthehallwayandover

tothelivingroom.

Theyweresittingat

oppositeendsofthesofa.As

shestudiedherred

fingernails,sheseemed

extremelyboredwithhis

conversation.Hestopped

talkingandglaredatme

“Goodmorning,”

Marilynsaidasshejumped

up.“Boy,amIgladtosee

you.”

“Goodmorning.”I

smiledather.

Iplacedmyhandson

myhipsandstaredatRoger.

“Wereyouinmybedroom?”

Heglancedatme.

“No.”

Ismirked.“Isawyou

leaving.”

Irritationpinched

betweenhisdarkbrows..“I

saidIwasn’tthere.Now,get

offmyback.”

Helookedaway.I

guessstaringathimwasn’t

goingtogethimtoconfess.

“Justdon’tletit

happenagain,”Iwarned.

“Whatever,”he

mumbled.

Imovedintothe

kitchentostartbreakfast.

Marilynfollowedme.

“Ineversawthespiritagain

lastnight.”

“Well,Idid.Hecame

tomeinmydream.”I

glancedovermyshoulderto

makesureMindywasn’t

there.

Marilyn’seyes

widened.“JustlikeMindy

said.”

Ipulledthebread

fromthecabinet.“No,it

wasn’tlikethatatall.Itwas

onlyadreamandI’mnot

goingtotellMindy.”

“TellMindywhat?”

Iwhippedaroundto

findMindystandingatthe

kitchendoorway.

Uh-oh.HowwasI

goingtogetoutofthisone?

Chapter8

Ihadtothinkquickly.

“Iwasn’tgoingtotellyou

thatI’malloutofpowdered

sugar.Iknowhowyoulikeit

onyourtoast.”Myvoice

wavered.Ihadneverbeena

goodliar.

Mindystaredatme.I

knewshewassuspicious.

“Quickthinking,”

Marilynsaid.

Yeah.Ithoughtitwas

prettygood,too.Mindy

movedovertotherefrigerator

togetorangejuicewhileI

finishedtheFrenchtoast.Of

course,Mindykeptaskingme

iftherewassomethingI

wasn’ttellingherthewhole

timethroughbreakfast.I

woulddenyituntiltheend.

MarilynandMindyhad

talkedmeintoreadingmore

ofthebookwhilewesatat

thetable.Notthatithadtaken

muchpersuading.Afterwe

finished,Mindyhelpedme

putthedishesinthewasher.

Shewipedherhands

onthedishtowel.“IguessI

shouldgetoutofhere.”

Iknewshewasstill

nervous.“Thingswillbejust

fine.Okay?”

Mindyfidgetedwith

herpursestrap.Sheshifted

fromonefoottotheother.

Herexpressionwasfilled

withuneasyworry.

“Okay,I’mgoing

now.”Sheturnedandwalked

towardthefrontdoor.

“Callmeifyouneed

anythingthough,”Istood

withher.

Shewavedand

climbedintohercar.I

watchedasshepulledoutof

thedriveway.Forasplit

second,IthoughtIsawthe

shadowinthebackseat.

WhenIblinked,itwasn’t

there.Thehaironthebackof

myneckrose.Thiswasreally

startingtofreakmeout.

“Willshebeokay?”

Marilynasked.

“Ihopeso,”IsaidasI

watchedMindydriveoff.

“Okay,it’stimeformetoget

tothebookstore.”

Rogerinstantly

poppedupbesideme.

“What’shappening?”

“Willyoustopdoing

that,”IsaidasIclutchedmy

chest.

“Sorry,”hesaid

sarcastically.

RogerandMarilyn

hurriedouttothecarasI

lockedthedoor.

IthoughtIheard

movementasIturnedthe

key,butIwasn’tgoingto

openthedooragaintoeven

look.Ihadafeelingtheghost

wasnowinmyhouse.That

wasbetterthanbeingat

Mindy’s,though.Istartedthe

carandpulledoutontothe

street.

Iglancedintherear-

viewmirroratRoger.“If

thereisanythingyoucan

rememberaboutthathouse,it

wouldbereallyhelpful.”

Heshookhishead.“I

toldyouIcan’tthinkof

anything.”

Isighed.“Iknowyou

did,butifyouhappento

thinkofsomething.”

“IwilltellyouifI

do,”hesnapped.

Ihadtofindoutmore

aboutthathouse.Iftherewas

anotherghostinthere,thenI

neededtoknow.Thatcould

bethecluetofindingoutwho

thisspiritwasandwhathe

wanted.Iwouldhavetocall

thehomeownerthefirst

chanceIgot.

WhenIpulledupin

frontofBookNook,Inoticed

Callahan’scarparkedatthe

curb.Ismiledatthethought

ofhimbehindthecounter

makingadrink.Helookedso

sexyinthatapron.Iglanced

atthetimeonmyphone.I

hadjustenoughtimetopop

informymorningcaffeine.

Ofcourse,thatwasmy

excusetogetachancetosee

Callahan.NotthatIneeded

one.

TheFullCupCoffee

Shopsignhungabovethe

door.Isteppedinwith

MarilynandRogertrailing

rightonmyheels.

“Oh,thisguyagain,”

Rogersaidaroundasigh.

Igavehimastern

look,butheignoredme.

“Don’tpayattention

tohim,Larue.Ithink

Callahanisasweetiepie.”

Marilynflashedhergorgeous

smile.

Callahanwashelping

acustomerandhadn’tnoticed

meyet.Hisshopwasquaint

withexposedbrickwalls,the

perfectmixtureofoldand

new.Printsofdifferentstyle

cupsandmugsdecoratedthe

walls.Oversizedleather

chairswereplacedinto

groupingswithcherry-wood

coffeetablesinfront.The

intoxicatingaromaofroasting

beansswirledthroughtheair.

ItookabigwhiffasIstepped

furtherintothespace.

MaybeIneededa

pastryforlater.Afterall,

Mindyhadmademepromise

toattendhernewZumba

classshewasteachingthis

evening.AsbadasI’dbeenat

polefitness,IhadafeelingI

wouldbeequallyterribleat

thisclass.IwasprettysureI

hadtwoleftfeet.

Callahanglancedup

andwaved.Hisbig,white

smilemademystomach

dance.Ihadnoproblemwith

thatkindofdancing.Justa

couplemorecustomersandI

wouldhaveCallahanallto

myself.Ihopednooneelse

cameinforacoupleminutes

soIwouldhaveachanceto

talktohim.

“Doyoufeelthat?”

Marilynaskedwithafrown.

“DoIfeelwhat?”I

asked.

Thewordshadbarely

leftmylipswhenIknew

whatshemeant.Itwasthe

sameeeriefeelingI’dhad

beforewhentheshadowhad

appearedandnowsurrounded

me.Ihopedthatspiritwasn’t

aroundagain,butIknewit

was.Ishouldn’tbesurprised

ithadfoundmeagain.It

seemedasifthisthingwas

followingmeeverywhere.

WhenIglancedtomy

right,Ispottedthedark

shadowonthewallbehind

Callahan.Ithadn’tappeared

asthecreepy-lookingman,

buttheywereoneinthe

same.Ididn’twantthisthing

tobenearCallahan,butIfelt

powerlesstostopit.Ihadto

dosomething.Obviously,it

wasn’tgoingtoleaveme

alone.And,evenworse,it

seemedtobearound

everyoneIcaredabout.

Ididn’twanttoget

theminvolvedwiththisdark

entity.Myfriendsshouldn’t

havetodealwiththisthing

justbecauseIhadattractedit.

Ihadtofindoutwhereitwas

comingfromandwhatit

wanted.Thatmightnotbeso

easy.

Nooneelseinthe

shopseemedtonoticethis

thing,onlymeandtheghosts.

Ifthecustomershadseenit,I

wassuretheywouldhaverun

outofthecafewithouteven

lookingback.Thething

movedclosertoCallahan.I

wantedtoyelloutforitto

leavehimalone,butIknew

thatwasn’tpossibleright

now.

Iwatchedthething,

hopingitwouldgoaway

soon.Nosuchluckthough

becauseitrushedforwardand

movedrightintoCallahan’s

body.

“Ohno!What’sit

doing?”Marilynaskedwith

panicinhervoice.

Callahanstopped

makingthecoffeefora

momentasifhe’dforgotten

whathewasdoing.Hehada

blankstareandhiseyes

turneddark.Thiswasthe

samethingthathadhappened

toMindy.Whywasthisspirit

attackingthem?Iwantedto

screamout,butthecustomers

wouldprobablythinkIwas

crazy.Iwantedtotellthe

spirittoattackme,butto

leavethemalone.

Ithinkthespirit

wantedformetoseethis

assaultonCallahan.Asifit

enjoyedtargetingthepeopleI

caredabout.Ihadtodo

somethingtogetthespiritto

leaveCallahanalone.But

what?Ididn’twantthe

customerstothinkIwas

crazy,buttheywerealready

lookingatCallahanstrangely.

Ineededtocausea

distraction,soImovedcloser

tothedisplayofbiscottion

thecounter.Whenthe

customersweren’twatching,

Ireachedoutandknockedthe

packagesontothefloorwitha

loudcrash.

Everyonelookedmy

way.Thatseemedtocapture

thespirit’sattention,too.At

thatmoment,thedarkshadow

zippedfromCallahan’sbody.

Itmovedswiftlyacrossthe

coffeeshoptothefront

windows.Asifitpushedthe

fastforwardbutton,the

shadowzoomedouttheglass.

Itwasgonefornow,

butwoulditbeback?Iknew

itwould.Whateverthisthing

wantedithadn’tgottenyet.

AsIwatchedthefrontofthe

shop,Inoticedsomething

odd.Themaninthecornerof

theroomhadbeenobserving

thespiritasitleft,too.He

hadseenit;Iwassureofit.

Howcouldheseeitwhenno

oneelsecould?Theman

focusedhisattentiononthe

newspaperagain.

WhenIglancedback

atCallahan,hewasacting

completelynormal.Hiseyes

hadchangedbacktothe

stunningblue.Hefinished

withthecustomersandthen

turnedtome.

“Goodmorning,

gorgeous,”hesaid.

“Gag,”Rogersaid

fromovermyshoulder.

“Bequiet,Roger,”

Marilynscoldedhim.

“Areyoufeeling

okay?”Iasked,asIpickedup

thepackagesI’dknocked

ontothefloor.

Hegrabbedatowelto

wipehishands.“Well,Iwas

fine,butaminuteagoIhada

strangefeeling.LikemaybeI

wascomingdownwith

something.I’mallrightnow

though.Howareyou?”

Itracedthelittlecrack

inthewoodcounterwithmy

indexfinger.“I’mfine…”

Iwasn’tabouttotell

Callahanwhathadhappened.

Notyet.First,Ineededto

wrapmymindaround

everythingbeforeIshared

thisnewswithanyone.I

wouldhavetokeepthespirit

awayfromMindyand

CallahanuntilIfiguredout

howtogetridofit.Callahan

grabbedacupandpouredmy

favoritecoffee,chocolate

coveredcherry.Hemadeit

withlove,whichmadeittaste

evenbetter.

Hehandedmethe

papercup.“Hereyougo.”

Iimmediatelytooka

sipandresistedtheurgeto

spitouttheliquid.

Callahan’sbrows

liftedquestioningly.“What’s

wrong?Doesittastebad?”

Icouldn’ttellhimthe

truth…itwasawful.This

wasthefirsttimethishad

happened.

Iforcedasmile.“No,

it’sperfectasusual.”

“Icanmakeyou

anotherone.”Callahan

gestured.

“I’dbettergettothe

store.”Imotionedwiththe

cupinmyhand.

Iwantedtogetoutof

therebeforethespirit

returned.And,soIcouldtoss

thecoffeeinthetrash.

“I’llcomebyandsee

youinabit,”Callahansaid

withasmile.

Iinchedawayfrom

thecounter.“Imightbetoo

busy.I’llcallyousoon,

okay?”

Thesparkleof

happinessfadedfromhiseyes

andhislipscurved

downward.“Yeah,okay.”

Iturnedandheaded

towardthedoor.Thedark-

hairedmanwhohadseenthe

spiritwasgone.Itwastoo

bad,becauseIwantedtoask

himwhathe’dseen.Fornow,

Ineededtokeepthespirit

away.ThatmeantIwould

havetostayawayfrom

CallahanandMindy.That

wouldn’tbeeasy,butitwas

forthebest.

Chapter9

I’djuststeppedoutof

thecoffeeshopwhenI

spottedthemanwhohadseen

thespirit.Heworejeansand

afadedblueT-shirt.A

newspaperwastuckedunder

hisarmandhehadhiscoffee

cupinhisrighthandashe

walkeddownthesidewalkon

theoppositesideofthestreet.

“Whoareyou?”I

askedundermybreath.

“Youshouldgoout

afterhim,”Marilynsaid.

“You’reabsolutely

correct.”Isteppedcloserto

thestreet,waitingfortraffic

topass.

Themanhadstopped

infrontoftheantiqueshop.

Afteracoupleseconds,he

startedwalkingdownthe

sidewalkagain.Ineededto

hurrybeforehegotaway.

Morningrushhourtrafficwas

heavy.Okay,notManhattan

styletrafficjam,butIstill

hadtowaitforachanceto

crossthestreet.

“You’regoingtolose

him.”Rogerpointed.

“Thanksfor

remindingme,Roger,”Isaid.

Finally,therewasa

breakintraffic,soIran

acrossthestreet.

“You’regoingtohave

topickupyourstepifyou

wanttocatchhim.”Roger

movedwitheasebesideme.

“Ihaveshortlegs,”I

saidbreathlessly.

“I’lltakecareofthis.”

Marilyntookoffdownthe

sidewalk.Theskirtofher

dressgentlyswayedbackand

forthasshemoved.

“Whatisshedoing?”

Rogerasked.

Ishrugged.“Your

guessisasgoodasmine.”

WhenMarilynfinally

caughtuptotheman,she

lungedinfrontofhim.He

immediatelystopped.

“Hecanseeher,”I

whispered.

“She’stalkingto

him,”Rogersaid.

Irandownthe

sidewalk,gettingmorethana

fewstrangelooksinthe

process.BeforeIcouldreach

theman,hestartedmoving

again.Marilynrushedback

overtome.Themanducked

insideanotherbuilding.

“Whathappened?”I

asked,stoppingbrieflyto

catchmybreath.“Whydidhe

leave?”

Sheplacedherhand

onherhip.“Hedoesn’tthink

I’mreal.”

“Whatdoesthat

mean?”Iasked.

Shetossedherhands

up.“Idon’tknow.That’sjust

whathesaid.”

“Buthecouldseeyou,

right?”

Shenodded.“He

spoketomewhenIaddressed

him.”

“Ihavetofindhim,”I

saidcontinuingtowardthe

boutique.

Thismanwasodd.

Howcouldheseethespirits

yetnotbelievetheywere

real?

Isteppedinsidethe

clothingshop.Theplacewas

decoratedwithturquoiseand

whitewithwallspaintedin

stripesandracksofexpensive

clothingdottedthespace.

Dressingroomswereonthe

leftmiddlewaydownthe

roomandthecheckout

counterwasacrossfromthem

ontheright.CooperGarrett

ownedtheplace,buthewas

out-of-townonvacation.A

fewpeoplewereshopping

aroundthespace,butIdidn’t

seetheman.Wherehadhe

gone?Hecouldn’thave

simplydisappeared.

Thepetiteblonde

workingtheshoptoday

approached.“Hi,Larue.CanI

helpyoufindsomething?”

“Didamanjustcome

inhere?”Iscannedthespace

again.

“No,Ididn’tseea

man.”Shelookedaroundthe

shop,too.

“Isthereaback

door?”Icouldn’tremember.

Someofthebuildingshad

rearentranceswithparking.

Shegestured.“Yes,

wedohaveabackdoor.”

“Oh,thanks.”I

weavedaroundracksof

clothingandrushedtoward

therear.

She’dprobablytell

everyoneintownhow

strangelyI’dacted.Ohwell,

nothingnewthere.WhenI

reachedthedoor,Ishovedit

openandsteppedoutintothe

brightsunshine.Ispottedthe

managainrightaway.

“Heyyou,”Icalled

out.“Ineedtospeakwith

you.”

“Isheaghost?”

Marilynasked.

Iglancedather.“I

don’tthinkso.”

Whatwouldmakeher

thinkthat?Themanglanced

myway,butkeptwalking.I

ranacrosstheparkinglotand

finallycaughtupwithhim.

“Excuseme,”Isaid

whenIwasnexttohim.“I

needtospeakwithyou.”

Hestoppedandstared

rightatme.“Yes?”

Mymotherwouldcall

hisdarkeyes“bedroom

eyes.”Hismessyblackhair

seemedasifhehadn’tspent

muchtimestylingitthis

morning.Ashestaredatme,

therewasnosignthathe

wouldoffertheslightestof

smiles.Hisfulllipswere

pressedtogetherintoa

straightline.Hetowered

abovemyfivefootone

height.Iguessedhimtobe

aboutsixfoottwoorthree.

I’dneverseenthisguyin

townbefore.Ofcourse,that

didn’tmeanhewasn’tfrom

aroundhere,butIthoughtI

knewjustabouteveryone.

“Isawyouatthe

coffeeshop,”Isaid.

“Isawyou,too,”he

saidandthentookasipfrom

hiscup.

Callahanusually

wrotetheperson’snameon

thecup.Itriedtoreadwhat

waswritten,buttheman’s

handwascoveringmostof

theblackmarking.

Iglancedovermy

shoulder.MarilynandRoger

stoodbehindmetakinginthe

conversationwithevery

ounceoftheirattention.

“AmItheonlyone

yousaw?”Istudiedhisface

forareaction.

Ididn’tknowhow

elsetoaskthequestion.He

regardedmeforamoment.It

wasasifwewereina

standofftoseewhowould

speakfirst.

“Someonesay

something,”Roger

demanded.

“Yes.Isawother

peoplethere,”theman

answered.

ItlookedasifIwas

goingtohavetogetrightto

thepoint.

“Iknowyousawthe

darkshadow,aswell.I

watchedyouwatchit.”I

crossedmyarmsinfrontof

mychestandwaitedforan

answer.

“Ireallyneedtogo

now.”Hegesturedoverhis

shoulderandthenturned

away.

“Please,behonest

withme.”Ijumpedoutin

frontofhim.

Whywashebeing

secretive?

Hemovedacouple

stepsbackasifhewasready

tosprint.

“MynameisLarue

Donavan.Iownthebookstore

nexttothecoffeeshop.”I

searchedhiseyes,wondering

whyhewasavoiding

answeringme.

Hestartedtowalk

away.“Itwasnicemeeting

you,Ms.Donavan.”

“Youcan’tlethimget

away,Larue,”Marilynsaid.

Irushedtocatchupto

him.“Iknowyoucansee

MarilynMonroebehindme.”

Hestoppedand

peeredbackatMarilyn.

“Okay,IguessIhaveto

knowwhyyouhavetheghost

ofMarilynMonroewithyou.

ItoldmyselfIwouldn’ttalk

toghostsanymore,butnowI

guesscuriosityisgettingthe

betterofme.”

“Iknewyoucouldsee

theghosts,”Ipointedathim.

“Areyouamedium,too?”

Hestaredforabeat

andthensaid,“Yes,Iam.

Thename’sStoneWatkins.”

“You’renotfrom

Magnolia,areyou?”Iasked.

Heflashedtheteeniest

ofsmiles.“IliveinNew

York.”

“Hefinallysmiled,”

Marilynsaid.

Rogerrolledhiseyes.

“Bigdeal.”

Stoneignoredtheir

comments.

“Whatareyoudoing

here?”Iasked.

Hedidn’tmeetmy

gazewhenheanswered.“Just

visiting.”

MaybeIwasalittle

toosuspicious,butthatmade

mewonderifhewasbeing

honest.Whywouldhelie?

Therehadtobemoretoit

thanthat.Rightnow,Imerely

wantedtoknowaboutwhat

he’dseen.

“So,yousawthespirit

inthecoffeeshop?”Iasked

again.

Hereleasedadeep

breathandsaid,“Yes,Isaw

it.Idon’teverwanttoseeit

againeither.”

“Doyouknow

anythingaboutthespirit?”I

asked.

Hisgazemetmine.

Therewassomethingalmost

hypnoticabouthiseyes.“I

knowit’snotgoodandI

don’twantanythingtodo

withit.Ifyouarewise,Ms.

Donavan,youwilldothe

same.”

“Idon’thavea

choice,”Isaid.

Hisexpression

darkened.“Why?”

“Ithinkthethingis

attachedtome,”Isaidand

didn’tblink.Iwantedhimto

knowIwasdeadserious.No

punintended.

“Goodluck,Ms.

Donavan,butIreallyhaveto

go.”Heturnedandwalked

overtotheblackcar.

Iwatchedashe

climbedbehindthewheelof

hisMercedesanddroveoff.

MarilynandRogerstoodnext

tome.Graycloudsrolledin

coveringthesunasifStone

hadcausedthemtodosoin

hiswake.

“Whydoyouthinkhe

wasactingthatway?”

Marilyn’slipscurved

downward.

“Becausehe’sahead

case,”Rogersaid.

“Heactedasifhe

knewmorethanheleton,”I

said.

“Youhavehisname,

doyouthinkyoucanfindout

moreabouthim?”Marilyn

asked.

“Idon’tknow,butI’m

certainlygoingtogiveita

shot.”Imotionedforthe

ghoststofollowme.

Chapter10

Iclosedthecoverof

thebook.“Okay,IguessI’ve

readenoughfortheday.”

“Ah,Iwasjustgetting

intoit,”Rogersaid.

Nowevenhewas

enjoyingthestory.Ilookedat

theclock.Itwasalmost

closingtime.Thelaststreaks

ofdaylightfellacrossthesky.

Atleastthecloudshadmoved

out.Aftersuchanexciting

morning,nothingmuchhad

happenedtherestoftheday.I

stillcouldn’tstopthinking

aboutStone.Wasitwrong

thatIthoughtaboutchecking

thehotelsintowntoseeifI

couldfindhim?Itwasn’t

oftenImetanothermedium.

And,itwasevenrarertomeet

oneinMagnolia.Itwas

almostlikefate.Ididn’t

believeincoincidences.

I’dmanagedtoavoid

Callahanallday,butIknew

thatwouldn’tlastforlong.I

wouldhavetobehonestwith

himsoon.Plus,Ididn’twant

toavoidhim.Thethoughtof

notseeinghimmademesick

tomystomach.

MarilynandRoger

wereroamingaroundthe

store.Iwasenjoyingthequiet

whileIfinishedmy

paperwork.Whenmyphone

rangandIsawitwasMindy,

dreadwashedoverme.I

knewIwouldhavetodeal

withthiscallsoonerorlater.I

thoughtaboutlettingitgoto

voicemail,butIknewMindy

wouldcomelookingforme.

Plus,whatifthespirithad

returnedandsheneededmy

help.No,Ihadtopickup.

“Areyoureadyfor

class?”MindyaskedwhenI

answered.

Ipausedandinstantly

sheknewsomethingwas

wrong.

“Youarenotgetting

outofthis.You’vebeen

puttingmeofffortoolong.”

“No,it’snotthat,”I

said.

“Well,thenwhatis

it?”Hervoicewasfullof

frustration.

“It’sjustthatafter

whathappenedwiththespirit,

I’mnotsureIshouldbe

aroundyou.”

Mycommentwasmet

withsilence.

Finally,shesaid,

“Whatisthatsupposedto

mean?Youdon’twanttobe

aroundme?”

Myshoulders

slumped.Isighedandthen

said,“No,Ido.Iloveyou,

andthat’swhyIfiguredI

shouldn’tbearound.I

broughtthespirit.Icaused

theproblem.IfIdon’tcome

around,thenthespiritwill

leaveyoualone.”

Shepausedagain.

“It’smyfault,Larue,fornot

beingtougher.You’remy

friendandIknowthatmeans

sometimesIwillhavetoface

spiritsandotherspooky

things.Iwouldn’twantitany

otherway.So,Irefusetolet

youstayaway.”

Iknewshemeantit,

too.Shewasstubborn.

“So,getyourbutt

overhereforclass.Thereis

nowayI’mlettingyououtof

thisone.”

Mymusclesached

justthinkingaboutthetorture

Iwasabouttoinflictupon

myself.

Isighedandsaid,

“OkayI’llbetheresoon,but

thisistotallyagainstmy

betterjudgment.”

“Larue,honey,

sometimesyourbetter

judgmentisn’tsomuch

better.”

“Youhaveapoint

there.Okay,seeyousoon.”I

hungupandstraightenedmy

workarea.

RogerandMarilyn

appearedinfrontofme.It

wasliketurningontheTV.

Oneminutetherewasablank

screenandthenextwasa

perfectpicture.

“Wherearewe

going?”Marilynasked.

Ishookmyhead.“I’m

goingtoMindy’sfitness

studio.”

Rogersnorted.“I

can’twaittoseethis.”

Rogerwaslikethe

youngerbrotherInever

had…MaybeI’dbeenlucky

tobeanonlychild.

Iraisedaneyebrow.

“Ifyouaregoingtomakefun

ofme,thenIwon’tletyou

comeinside.”

“Asifyouhavea

choice,”hesaid.

Ihateddealingwith

defiantghosts.Igrabbedmy

purseandheadedforthefront

door.

“Contrarytowhatyou

believe,youcan’tdo

whateveryouwant.Ihave

waystogetridofyou,”Isaid

asIsteppedoutontothe

sidewalk.

Rogerscoffed.“Yeah,

right.”

“Pleasedon’tfight

youtwo.Itmakesme

nervous,”Marilynsaid.

Ilockedthedoorand

peereddownthesidewalk.Of

courseIwasonedge

expectingthespirittopop

backup.Forabriefmoment,

IthoughtIcaughtaglimpse

ofsomeonewatchingme.It

wasn’tthespiritIthoughtI

saw…itwasStone.

However,hehadducked

behindagroupofpeople

whenhethoughtI’dcaught

him.Maybeithadbeenmy

imaginationbecausehe’d

disappearedsoquickly.Or

hadhereallybeenspyingon

me?

Iclimbedintothecar

withtheghostsandtraveled

theshortdistancetoMindy’s

studio,FitnessWorld.She’d

justinstalledthebigsign

recently.Theplacewasdoing

reallywellandshe’dadded

evenmoreclasses.Iparkedin

thelotandshutoffthecar.

Igrabbedmybag.

“Okay,I’llbebacksoon.”

RogerandMarilyn

werestandingbythedoor

whenIentered.Somuchfor

tryingtogetthemtostayin

thecar.IknewMarilyn

comingwouldn’tbea

problem,butIdidn’twant

Rogertotagalong.He’d

inevitablyhaveasnarky

comment.

Afterchanginginto

myworkoutgear,Imademy

waytothefloor.Mindy

smiledandthenstartedthe

music.Ofcourse,shealways

mademetakeaplaceatthe

front.Itriedtokeepupwith

thefastpace,butwithtwo

leftfeet,itwasreally

difficult.Insteadofdancing,

itlookedmorelikeIwas

havingamedicalemergency.

Mindywasagood

instructor,butIdidn’tfollow

instructionswell.Mybrain

saidmovetotheright,butmy

feetwenttotheleft.Marilyn

wasstandingtotheside

hidinghereyes.Shedidn’t

wanttoseethetrainwreck.

Roger,ontheotherhand,was

laughinghisbuttoff.Iwasso

gladhefoundmytorture

amusing.

Afterstumbling,I

managedtopushbacktomy

feet.Itriedtofocusonwhat

Mindywassayinganddoing,

butwhenIspottedthedark

shadowoutofthecornerof

myeye,itwasimpossibleto

continue.Iknewthesilence

hadbeentoogoodtobetrue.

Thethinglookedlikea

silhouettenow.Iwasn’tsure

whyithaddecidednottotake

ontheothercreepyimage.

Maybebecauseithadlostthe

fedora?

Theshadowrushed

fromthecorner,butitmoved

rightpastMindy.Whodid

thisthinghaveitssightsset

onthistime?Ihopedit

wasn’taninnocentstranger

fromclass.Thewomen

continueddancing,unaware

thatthisdarkentitywas

invadingourspace.Itweaved

aroundtheroom.Ifollowedit

withmystare.Thenextthing

Iknew,thedarkmasswason

topofme.

Isensedthispresence

wasmale.Ifelltotheground

withathud.Atthatsecond,

thelightswentoutandthe

musicstopped.

“Holdon,everyone.It

seemswe’velostpower,”

Mindysaidwithstraininher

voice.

Becauseitwasdark,

noonecouldseeIwas

fightingtogetthisentityoff

me.Thethinghadmepinned

totheground.Itfeltasifa

tonofrockswassittingon

topofme.Hishandswere

wrappedaroundmyneckand

Istruggledtobreath.How

wouldIgetawayfromhim?I

couldn’tevenscreamoutfor

help.Iwrappedmyhands

aroundwhatIthoughtwas

thething’sarmsandpushed.

Ishovedwithallmy

strength,butI’dneverfelt

thiskindofforcebefore.

Surely,someonewouldbe

abletohelpmesoon…before

itwastoolate.Lightflooded

theroomonceagainandinan

instanttheshadowwasgone.

Icoughedandtriedtocatch

mybreath.Thankgoodness

thethinghadleft.AllIcould

thinkaboutwaswhenhe

wouldreturn.I’dgottenaway

withmylife,butnexttimeI

probablywouldn’tbeso

lucky.WhenIlookedaround,

Isaweveryonewasstaringat

me.IsupposetheythoughtI

wasnutssincetheyhadn’t

seenwhatwasattackingme.

DidnoonecareIwas

choking?

Mindyrushedoverto

me.“Larue,whathappened?”

Itriedtospeak,butI

couldonlycough.Isatupand

finallystoppedhacking.Fear

shoneinMindy’seyes.

“Thespiritattacked

me.”

Sheheldmyarm.“Do

youneedtogotothe

hospital?”

Iwavedoffher

comment.“I’llbefine.”

Itoldherthis,butI

wasn’tsureitwasthetruth.

“Thisspiritisgetting

worse,”shesaid.

Icouldn’targuewith

her.Iwasthankfulithad

attackedmeandnother.

“Canyoustandup

now?”sheasked.

Ireleasedadeep

breathandthensaid,“Ithink

so.”

“Larue,Isawthe

spiritcomingafteryou,but

therewasnothingIcould

do,”Marilynsaid.

Ismiledather,but

didn’tanswersincethe

peoplearoundmewere

listening.Inthecornerofthe

room,IspottedRoger.He

waswatchingme,too.He

glancedawaywhenoureyes

met.Didheknowsomething

hewasn’ttellingme?There

hadtobeawaytomakehim

talk.MaybeIcouldscareit

outofhim.

Mindyheldmyarmas

Ipushedtomyfeet.“Areyou

sureyoucanyoustand?”

“I’masgoodasnew,”

Isaid.

Istumbledovertoa

chairatthesideoftheroom.

Mindyfollowedme,handing

meabottleofwater.

Itookabiggulpand

thensaid,“Iamgoingtogo.I

don’twanttointerruptthe

classanymore.It’snotfairto

theothers.”

“I’msurethey

understand,”Mindysaid.

“Yes,Larue,I’msure

theyunderstand,”Marilyn

added.

Alltheysawwasa

womanonthefloorkicking

andscreaming.

“TheythinkI’mone

crayonshortofafullbox.”I

stoodfromthechair.“I’llcall

youlater.”

Mindy’sperfectly

sculptedeyebrowspinched

together.“Larue,areyousure

you’reokaytodrive?”

Igrabbedmybagand

threwitovermyshoulder.

“Yes,I’llbefine.”

Rogerspottedme

leavingandhurriedoversoI

wouldn’tdriveoffwithout

him.Ifithadn’tbeenfor

stickinghimatMindy’s

place,Iwouldn’thave

mindedatallifhestayed

behind.Onceoutside,I

climbedintothecarand

pulledoutoftheparkinglot.I

brieflyworriedIhadleftthe

spiritwithMindy,butIknew

hewouldmuchprefertobe

withme.Hewouldattack

anyoneIwaswith.He

wouldn’tgetthemwhenI

wasn’taround.No,hewanted

metoseetheattack.

Ihadtogobacktothe

housewhereI’dgotten

Roger.

“Larue,doyouhave

anycluewhothisspiritisor

whathewants?”Marilyn

asked.

Inavigatedaturn.

“No,butIwilldomybestto

findoutrightnow.”

“Larue,youlooked

likeyouwerehavinga

seizurebackthere.Dancingis

notyourforte,”Rogersaid

fromthebackseat.

“Thanksfor

remindingme,Roger.”

“Noproblem.Where

arewegoing?”Rogerasked.

AsInearedthestreet,

Ifiguredhewouldrecognize

it.

“Areyoutakingme

back?”heaskedwithpanicin

hisvoice.“Idon’twanttogo

back.It’sboringthere.”

Iglancedoverat

Marilynandsheflasheda

widesmile.

“Areyougoingtobe

nicefromnowon?”Iasked,

lookingathimintherear-

viewmirror.

Rogerscowledand

thenfinallysaid,“Yes,Iwill

benice.”

Ipulledupinfrontof

thehouse.

Hehuffed.“Itoldyou

Iwouldbenice.”

Iturnedoffthe

ignition.“Relax.Imerely

wanttotalkwiththe

homeowneraboutthe

previousowners.Sinceyou

won’tgivemeany

information.”

“I’mstayinginthe

car,”hesaid,foldinghisarms

infrontofhischest.

“Oh,don’tpout,”I

said.

“I’mnotpouting,”he

snapped.“Ijustdon’twantto

goinside.”

Ishrugged.“Suit

yourself.Comeon,Marilyn.”

“Gladly,”shesaidas

shegotoutofthecar.

AsMarilynandI

madeourwayupthe

sidewalktowardthehouse,I

noticedamanwalkingaway.

AllIsawwasthebackof

him,butIthoughtforsureI

recognizedhim.

“IsthatStone?”I

asked.

Marilynfollowedmy

pointingfinger.“Itlookslike

him.”

Icalledouttohim,

buthewastoofarawayandI

wassurehehadn’theardme.

Well,Ithoughthehadn’t.

Whatwashedoingover

here?Didheknowsomeone

inthearea?Thiswasthe

secondtimeI’dseenhim

sincemeetinghim.LikeI

said,I’veneverbelievedin

coincidences.

MarilynandImadeit

tothefrontdoor.Myclient

answeredrightaway.Elisa

Castle’sdarkhairwasstyled

inanupdotoday.WhenI’d

seenherlast,shewas

disheveledandfearwas

evidentinhereyes.She’d

wornhersweatsanda

wrinkledT-shirt.Now,she

wasdressedinblackslacks

andabeautifulemeraldgreen

silkblouse.

“Larue,I’msogladto

seeyou.”Elisareachedout

andhuggedme.

Sheseemedmuch

happierthanwhenI’dseen

herlast.Thatmustmeanthe

hauntingwasgone.More

thanlikelybecauseitwas

withmenow.

“Pleasecomeinside.”

“Thankyou,Elisa.”I

followedthewomanintothe

house.

Ilookedaroundthe

spaceanditseemedsomuch

brighterthanthelasttimeI’d

beenthere.Thesunshone

throughthewindowscasting

ayellowglowaroundthe

room.Thecolorsseemed

morevibrantandthesmellof

flowerslingeredintheair.

“Comeintothe

kitchen.Iwasjustmaking

tea.”Elisamotionedtome.

Ifollowedherthrough

thehouse,keepingonhigh

alertthewholetimeincaseI

spottedtheshadow.Iknewit

wasn’tstayinghereany

longer,though.Theheaviness

ofhispresencewasgone.He

wasnowwithmefulltime.I

knewthefullscopeofwhat

Elisahadbeendealingwith

beforeshehadcalledme.

Thereprobablyhadn’tbeen

anyhauntingsinceI’dbeen

there.

“Pleasehaveaseat.”

Isatattheendofthe

oaktable.Elisapulledouta

cupandpouredwaterand

thendippedtheteabag.

Sheplacedthecupin

frontofmeonthetable.

“Wouldyoulikesugar?”

“Yes,please,”Isaid.

Marilynsatinthe

chairnexttomeandwatched

thehomeownerasshepoured

acupforherself.

“Larue,Ican’tthank

youenoughforeverything

youdid.”Elisapattedmy

hand.“It’sevenlighterin

here,don’tyouthink?”

Icouldn’tgetover

howpeacefulthehouse

seemednow.IfonlyIcould

getridofthisdarkshadow

forgood.

Ilookedaroundthe

room.“Yes,itismuch

lighter.”

Icouldonlyimagine

howbadithadbeenforherif

thatdarkshadowhadtrulyset

upresidenceinherhome.

“So,nothinghas

happenedsinceIleft?”I

asked.

Shetookasipoftea

andsetthecupdown.“No,I

haven’tsleptthiswellin

years.IfeellikeIoweyou

mylife.”

“Larue,you’rea

hero,”Marilynsaid.

Itookadrinkandthen

asked,“Doyouknowanyof

thehistoryofthehome?”

Sheheldaplateof

lemoncookiesinfrontofme.

“Wouldyoulikeone?”

Itookoneandplaced

itonmyplate.“Thankyou.”

“Notmuchreally.The

neighbortoldmeafamily

usedtolivehereandthatthe

fatherleft.So,themotherand

herteenagesonmovedout

soonafterthat.Iguessthey

couldn’taffordtostay.”

“Howlongagowas

that?”Iasked.

Shetookasipoftea,

andthensaid,“Aboutten

yearsago,Iguess.We’ve

beenhereforthreemonths.I

thinkalotofpeoplelived

herewhenitwasrentedout,

buttheyneverstayedlong.”

“Didyouhearstories

fromanyoneelse?”Inibbled

onthecookie.

Sheshookherhead.

“No,Iguesstheywantedto

keepthestoriestothemselves

andjustgetout.”

Isighed.“Sometimes

itwouldbebetterifthey

sharedsotheproblemcould

havebeenaddressedyears

ago.”

Sheplacedhercup

down.“Thatwouldhavebeen

goodforme.Ihadnoidea

whatweweregettinginto

whenweboughtthehouse.”

“Doyouknowwhat

happenedtothemotherand

sonwhomoved?”Iasked.

Shetookabiteofher

cookie.“No,Ineverheard

anything.”Shestudiedmy

face.“Iseverythingokay,

Larue?Youseemstressed.I

canimaginewhatyoudoputs

alotofpressureonyou.”

Isupposeshewas

rightaboutthat,butIhadno

choice.ThiswaswhatIdid.

Itwasapparentlymylife’s

calling.

“I’mfine.Ijustliketo

getanswersforthehomes

I’vebeenin.”Ipickedatthe

edgeofmynapkin.

“That’s

understandable,butatany

rate,I’mthankfulforwhat

youdid.EvenifIneverknow

whatitwas.I’mjustgladit’s

gone.”

Ihopedforhersake

thatitneverfounditsway

backtoherhome.Iwouldtry

mybesttogetridofthe

shadowspiritbeforeithada

chancetoterrorizeanyone

else.

Itookthelastsipof

mytea.“Thankyoufor

everything.Ireallyshouldbe

goingnow.”

Ipushedtomyfeet

andElisafollowedmetoward

thedoor.Marilynwas

directlybehindher.

“Larue,ifthereisever

anythingIcandoforyou,

pleasedon’thesitatetoask.”

Elisapausedwiththedoor

open.

Ismiled.“Thankyou,

Iwill.Callmeifyouneed

anythingelse.”

Thesunshinebathed

meinwarmthwhenIstepped

outside.Iwasamazedathow

brightandhappythehome

hadappeared.Elisahadbeen

right.Iscannedthearea,

wonderingifIwouldsee

Stoneagain.Apparently,he

waslonggone.

Ineededtofindout

moreaboutthefamilieswho

hadlivedinthehousebefore

Elisa.IfIcouldtrackdown

thepreviousrentersthat

mightgivememore

informationaboutthisdark

spirit.Wherehaditcome

from?Someonefromthe

home’spasthadtoknow

something.EvenifIfound

theformeroccupants,getting

themtotalkmightbe

difficult.Sometimes,if

peoplehadadramatic

experiencetheydidn’twant

todiscussit.Thatwas

understandable,butthiswas

kindofaparanormal

emergency.

“Sheseemedreally

happy,”Marilynsaidaswe

walkeddownthesidewalk.

“Youhelpalotofpeople,

don’tyou?”

Igrinned.“Itry.”

OnceImadeittothe

car,IfoundRogerwaitingin

thefrontseat.Islipped

behindthewheel.Marilyn

motionedforhimtomoveto

thebackseat.Ofcourse,he

immediatelycomplied.IfI’d

askedhim,Iwouldhave

gottennothingbutgrief.

“Whattookyouso

long?Ididn’tknowyouwere

goingtostayallday,”hesaid

inahuffedbreath.

Istartedtheignition.

“Iwasonlyintherefor

fifteenminutes.”

“Whileyouwerein

therehavingfun,IwassureI

sawthatshadowagain.”He

gesturedtowardthesidewalk.

Iwhippedaroundto

lookathim.“Wheredidyou

seeit?Diditgoinsidethe

house?”Icouldn’tletthat

thinggetbackintoElisa’s

again.

“No,itwasrighthere

bythecar,asifitwaswaiting

foryou.”Rogershookhis

head,clearlyexasperated

withme.

“Wherediditgo?”I

asked.

Heshrugged.“How

shouldIknow?Idon’twant

thethingaroundme.”

Istaredathim.“Well,

Ithoughtyoumighthave

watchedtoseewhereit

went.”

RogersighedasifI’d

toldhimtogotohisroom.

“Thethingjust

disappeared,okay?Icouldn’t

watchwhereitwent,”he

snapped.

Isighedandlooked

aroundforanysignofthe

darkspirit.ThankgoodnessI

didn’tseeit,butIwasstill

worriedtheevilentitymight

trytogettoElisaagaineven

thoughIwasalmostcertain

thedarkspiritwantedme

now.Thatwasfine.Iwasa

lotmorecapableofhandling

thisthing.Ihadyearsof

experience.

Isteeredthecaraway

fromthecurbandtookoff

downtheroad.WhenI

passedthestreetwhereI’d

spottedStone,IwonderedifI

wouldeverfindhimagain.

MycellrangandIpulled

oversoIcouldanswer.

“Hey,honey.Just

wantedtoseehowyou’re

doing.”Callahan’ssexyvoice

reverberatedthroughmelike

alingeringkiss.“Howabout

lunch?”

Icouldn’triskseeing

himrightnow,butithurtto

tellhimno.

“Actually,Ihavea

fewappointments.”

“Oh.Iunderstand.

We’llcatchuplater?”

Disappointmentsoundedin

hisvoice.

“I’llcallyousoon,”I

saidandthenhungup

quickly.

“Youcan’tavoidhim

forever.”Marilynwarned

withawaveofherhand.

“He’llthinkyou’re

dumpinghim,”Rogersaid

withlaughterinhisvoice.

Iknewalltoowell

whatCallahanwouldthink.I

didn’tneedtobereminded.I

wouldhavetothinkof

somethingtotellhimsoon.If

Itoldhimthetruth,hewould

insisthewasstrongenoughto

fightoffthisdarkshadow.

Soon,Imighthavenochoice

buttodivulgethetruthto

him,butuntilthen,Iwould

trytosolvethisproblemon

myown.

“Everythingwillbe