3 The Ghoul Next Door Read online

  “Like it’s connected to you?” I repeated. “Has this ever happened to you before?”

  I felt this woman might be a sensitive too. Whether she knew she might have this talent, I had no idea. I had to know more before I could tell her for sure. Candy Cherry floated around the room looking at all the knickknacks. She didn’t seem fazed by the oppressive feeling. Elvis and Mr. Fine had decided to wait outside. I thought that was the best decision they’d made in a long time.

  “Yes, it’s happened to me a lot. I always thought I could handle it. It didn’t just start here in this house.”

  “So have you thought of moving?” Cooper asked.

  “I thought about it, but I know it would follow me.” She fidgeted with her hands. “At night when I’m in bed, I hear footsteps coming closer and closer. They walk around and around my bed. It happens every night.”

  Mindy shifted from foot to foot behind me. I knew this was making her uncomfortable. I didn’t blame her. This woman’s story was creepy as heck.

  “Does this thing ever get in the bed?” Cooper asked.

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “I don’t want it to follow me if I move. I go days without sleeping. I can never sleep if I’m alone in the house. I feel cornered.”

  “Has anything else happened?” Cooper studied the room. Had he seen the girl in the corner too?

  “When I was sitting in that corner over there, something grabbed my arm and jerked me backward. I fell right out of the chair onto the floor.”

  “Has that only happened once?” I asked. Physical confrontation took this to a completely different level.

  “Yes, just the one time. It had never happened before, but it scared me. I started crying and left the house immediately. It took me several days to come back. That was when I decided to call. Whatever this thing is, it’s aggressive. I tell it to stop, but it doesn’t listen.” She shook her head as if she was trying to shake the memory away.

  “Thank you for sharing everything with us, Jennie. We’ll do everything we can to provide answers for you,” I said.

  I might have appeared calm on the outside, but on the inside I wanted to hurl. Having the camera on me with all the lights was tougher than I thought it would be.

  Cooper shook Jennie’s hand and I hugged her. It felt like the right thing to do.

  “We’ll start with just walking from room to room, if you don’t mind?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Sure. Go anywhere in the house you need to. I really think he likes the attic.”

  I froze, then looked around the room for Mr. Fine. Candy Cherry and Mr. Fine were nowhere in sight. Mr. Fine seemed like a cranky-pants, but I didn’t think he was capable of this kind of behavior. The statement had caught me off guard though.

  I walked into the foyer, then made my way down the hallway. Mindy, Cooper, the cameraman, and the sound guy all followed me. Since I was used to being alone on an investigation, this group of people behind me was throwing me off my game. They had no idea that ghosts were walking through the house with us. Random ghosts—the spirits didn’t speak or even look over at me. There was a portal somewhere in the home.

  The house was sparsely decorated with neutral shades of beige on the walls. Nothing on the walls, no photos or decorations. The hardwood floors appeared to be original to the house as well. Wood could absorb a lot of energy and some of the activity could be nothing more than a residual haunting.

  Cooper was behind me and, bless her heart, Mindy was beside me holding her own as we moved through the house. I knew she was a tough cookie when push came to shove.

  “Things are being attracted to this house and not in a good way,” I said as we made our way to the end of the hall toward the bedrooms.

  “I sense they’re some of the most powerful dead you can experience,” Cooper added.

  I nodded. “You’re right. The dead here are very powerful and can cause pain to the people living here. They can even make them physically ill.”

  Mindy swallowed hard. The cameraman moved along behind us with the sound guy somewhere back there too. I pulled out my digital recorder to see if I could collect any electronic voice phenomena. Cooper held an electromagnetic field meter looking for fluctuations in the air around us.

  “There’s a man in that room.” Cooper pointed to the door on the right at the end of the hall.

  We paused, exchanging glances. It was as if we were asking who was going in first with our eyes.

  “A living person?” Mindy whispered.

  “No, it’s a spirit,” I answered. “His name is Heath. He’s grumpy and nasty.”

  This ghost was communicating with me, but not like ghosts usually do. He was telepathically sending me messages. I liked when the ghosts actually spoke much better than this way.

  “Yeah, he’s pissed.” Cooper stepped closer to the door and I followed.

  So he was doing the same thing to Cooper too. This ghost was just trying to be finicky.

  “If he’s angry maybe we should let him have some space. I know I don’t like to talk when I’m having a bad day,” Mindy said.

  Cooper stared at her, but didn’t respond. The cameraman moved behind me again. Couldn’t he point that thing at someone else for a change?

  When I placed my hand on the doorknob, I said, “This man doesn’t like anyone who lives here. He wouldn’t like anyone who moved into the home. He doesn’t like us either.”

  I knew all this and I hadn’t even seen him yet. That was how powerful he was. I couldn’t let him intimidate me though. I had to press forward. We stepped inside the shadowy room and the temperature was at least twenty degrees cooler. A small bed was in the middle of the room with simple white window curtains and matching bedspread. Again there were no items on the walls or personal effects.

  “He wants us to get everyone out of the home,” Cooper said as he eased deeper into the space.

  Mindy turned around so quickly I was surprised she hadn’t sprung her ankle. “Well, he doesn’t have to ask me twice.”

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the room. “We’ll be okay.”

  The pained look on her face let me know she wasn’t convinced.

  The air in the room changed, and at that moment, I wasn’t convinced of what I’d just said to Mindy. This spirit really didn’t want us in the house, so were we really safe?

  Mindy eased her hand away. “I’ll just wait in the hall.”

  I didn’t try to stop her this time. Based on the new vibe I was getting in the room, I wasn’t even sure that the hallway was safe for her. I wasn’t sure I even wanted her in the home. I should have warned her more about what could happen, but I had no idea it would be this bad. What had I let them talk me into?

  “He won’t talk to me,” Cooper said as he walked across the room.

  As I stood in the middle of the room, I rubbed my temples. The spirit was next to me, circling me like an invisible shark, but he wouldn’t speak to me either. “He won’t leave me alone. He’s trying to take control of my thoughts and actions. Everyone’s lives are in danger in this home. He doesn’t want us here.”

  The man didn’t speak, but I knew his feelings. I could also see what he looked like. He wore faded denim overalls with a white T-shirt and had thinning gray hair. His skin was lined and tan from what was probably years spent out working in the sun.

  Why was he sending me messages and not talking directly to me? It was as if he wanted to show me who was boss. Apparently he didn’t know who he was messing with.

  “He likes hurting people. He makes agitation creep through your body, every muscle is affected and in pain. It’s very uncomfortable in here.” I stepped closer to the door.

  Maybe we should get out of here. I didn’t think that often, but when I did, it was usually best to follow my instincts.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I just saw a shadow zip down the hallway,” Cooper said as he neared the door.

  “What did it look like?” I peered out the door. />
  When I looked out into the hallway, all I saw was Mindy leaning against the wall as if a monster had nearly taken her life.

  I rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”

  Mindy clutched my arm. “Did you see that?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Cooper saw it. It was a shadow? What did it look like?”

  Cooper hurried down the hall looking for the shadow person.

  “Like a shadow.” She scrunched her brow.

  “Well, they can be different colors. So enlighten me,” I snapped.

  Why had I snapped at her? That wasn’t like me. That strange feeling invading my body was increasing. The air seemed hot and oppressive. Mindy looked at me as if I’d just smacked her in the face.

  I attempted a smile. “Sorry. I think the house must be getting to me.”

  She stared for a second, then said, “It was a black blob… darker than the darkest dark.”

  That was exactly what I was afraid she’d say. Shadow people were pure evil and always appeared in black. I tried to avoid them at all costs.

  “Is it with us now?” I asked when Cooper returned.

  My voice was barely a whisper.

  “I don’t see anything. It was very dark, Larue.”

  Cooper knew that that meant bad news for all of us.

  “Where is it?” Mindy whispered. Panic was settling into her voice.

  “All around us. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Plus, the spirit in that room is still trying to communicate with me.”

  Why wouldn’t this man come out and stop playing hide and seek with me? It was as if he had a peekaboo fetish.

  “What’s he saying?” Cooper asked.

  “He says he’ll do whatever he wants. This is his house and we should get out.”

  Cooper closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “I hear him too now.”

  Mindy looked completely confused and terrified. She twisted her hands and I thought she’d developed a facial tic.

  “He wants us out of here…” Cooper looked at me. “Except for you. He says the reason the evil is here is because of Larue.” Cooper pointed at me and Mindy let out a little gasp. “The demon is tormenting this family because of you, Larue. He’s playing a game of cat-and-mouse.”

  My heart rate increased and sweat beaded on my forehead. I couldn’t show fear. “I’m better at the game than him,” I said.

  I thought I heard the cameraman audibly gulp. He might throw the camera down and run at any moment.

  Cooper continued. “He says the evil came to this family because it knew it could get you here. This is the demon’s entertainment. It wants to take this family to hell… and you too.”

  If Cooper was going for the creep factor, he’d just succeeded.

  Mindy pulled on my arm. “Larue, you have to get out of here.” Panic ran amok through her voice.

  Cooper didn’t pay attention to Mindy’s fear. He continued relaying the message. “This demon sure likes to brag. The male spirit says the demon brags about what it’ll do to your family and friends.”

  My head swam and my stomach turned. I couldn’t think about whether or not this demon really had anything to do with me or the things I’d seen at my home. I wouldn’t let this monster take anything from me. I had to banish him back to hell and finish the job I’d been called in to do.

  We continued through the house going from room to room, but luckily, things seemed to have calmed down. One thing was for certain, it had drained the energy from all of us. My movements had slowed to a crawl and I needed rest. And food. Maybe an entire pizza.

  Matt called over the walkie-talkie. “Why don’t we wrap this up for the day?”

  Finally. The call I’d been waiting for. Putting an end to this for the day was fine with me. I needed a break from the place. I was psychically ill, but I still hated to leave Jennie there with that thing.

  ***

  After filming ended, I needed to check on the bookstore. I wasn’t used to being away from it for this long. The crew had dropped me off at home and I needed to head straight for Book Nook. But before that, there was one thing that had been eating at me. The letter.

  The letter was in an elegant cream-colored envelope. It looked so pretty compared to the other plain, boring envelopes. Even the handwriting was elegant. I grabbed the envelope. It was as if it was calling my name. Well, it did have my name right there on the front in big, black fancy letters. But I digressed. One odd thing though, it had no return address. Who could have sent it? There was only one way to find out.

  I pulled out my silver letter-opener and sliced the top of the envelope. I almost hated to ruin the pretty letter, but my curiosity won out. I pulled the contents from the envelope. The scent of roses tickled my nose. A matching cream-colored piece of paper was inside. I unfolded the paper, anxious to find out what it said.

  I read the letter.

  Dear Ms. Donavan,

  You don’t know me, but unfortunately, I know you. Frankly, I am sick of hearing about you. But I’ve finally remedied that situation. You don’t know it, but you are losing your boyfriend. Well, you never had a firm grip on him anyway, so this can’t come as a big surprise to you. Callahan and I dated for several years and we are soul-mates. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are out of the picture. Oh, and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t mention this to Callahan. I love him and he is all mine. I will eliminate you from this equation.

  Such fancy writing for such ugly words. Call me crazy, but I really didn’t like the tone of this letter. I thought the word eliminate was a little too much. I was picky like that.

  “Oh, you have fan mail,” Candy Cherry said smarmily.

  Mr. Fine laughed.

  “If you weren’t dead I’d make you eat that letter.” I glared at her.

  She wiggled her hands. “Oh, look at me shake. I’m scared.”

  After tossing the letter down, I picked up my cell phone because my first thought was to call the police immediately. But right before I found the last one in 911, I thought better of it. She’d told me not to tell Callahan. If I told the police, they would question Callahan. What if this crazy woman harmed Callahan because I’d gone to the police? But then, I didn’t want to risk my life over this crazy woman either. Was the letter the real reason Callahan had cancelled our dinner? No. I trusted him more than that. I’d push that thought from my mind. One thing was for certain, I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to call Mindy right away.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Since Mindy didn’t answer her cell, I left a voice mail, jumped straight into my car and headed for the store. The agitated feeling grew within me. Either I was going crazy or something more sinister was at work. My ghosts had returned for the ride. Of course Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry had been scarce when the going got tough during the investigation.

  “I wouldn’t let that letter worry you too much. She’s probably just trying to scare you,” Elvis offered his encouraging words.

  Unfortunately, they did little to comfort me.

  When I walked through the door of Book Nook, I was somewhat relieved to see Beth had things under control. The store was still standing and she was working… all good signs. Although her appearance seemed a little out of sorts. Her normally tight brown ponytail had loosened and several strands of hair fell on her face. Her green cardigan sweater was twisted as if someone had thrown it on her and her khaki pants were wrinkled like a discarded, crumpled-up piece of paper.

  As I approached the counter, she attempted a half-hearted smile. “Someone keeps calling and asking for you. When I ask who’s calling they just hang up.”

  I shrugged. “I get a lot of that. There are people who only want to talk to me about the books. I’m sure they’ll call back.”

  The letter popped into my head. Had Callahan’s ex-girlfriend been the caller?

  “I hardly think you’re an expert on books. They must be desperate for help if they ask you for advice.” Candy Cherry sat on
top of the counter with her legs crossed and examined her bright-red fingernails.

  “Get down from there,” I yelled.

  Beth jumped back, clutching her chest. Her eyes widened and she said, “Did I do something wrong?”

  Oh, great. The nasty ghost had finally made me snap. Beth thought I was one chocolate short of a whole box of truffles. What possible explanation would I have for my outburst?

  “I’m sorry. I was singing a new song I heard on the radio. ‘Get down from there’ was the chorus.”

  She looked at me as if I’d just announced that I had just returned from the planet Altair, where my brain had been scoped for top-secret government information. In other words, like I was a raving lunatic.

  “You have a nice voice, Larue,” Elvis winked.

  Candy Cherry cackled. “You are completely wackadoodle.” She held her stomach.

  It wasn’t that funny.

  Elvis shook his head. “Don’t worry, Larue. You’re not wackadoodle, as Candy calls it.”

  What the heck? Whatever. She had a lot of room to talk.

  Beth’s hands shook. “I don’t know how to say this, but a lot of the books over there were destroyed.” She pointed toward the front of the store.

  “What are you talking about?” I whirled around and looked out across the bookstore. Everything seemed normal from my vantage point.

  Mr. Fine stood beside Beth and was trying to whisper in her ear. I resisted the urge to tell him to knock it off or I’d kick his ghost butt.

  She shook her head and swatted at her ear as if a fly buzzed around. “I don’t know. A customer must have done it. Are you going to fire me?”

  I couldn’t afford to fire her. But I didn’t tell her that. Could I afford to keep her though if she was going to allow something like this to happen?

  “Where are they?” I asked looking around.

  “In the paranormal romance section.” She pointed again.