Ghoul of My Dreams (Larue Donavan Series Book 4) Read online

  “I’ll leave you to your work then. If you need me, I’ll be in the living room.” The look on her face let me know she wasn’t thrilled about going in there.

  “You don’t have to leave,” I said.

  “I’ll go look out the window and see if I spot Bethany.” Bonnie headed for the front of the house.

  “Is it really necessary to use all of those?” James asked.

  I pulled out my digital recorder. “If I want to prove to people that ghosts are real, yes.”

  Since Bonnie had stepped into the other room, the ghosts were now extra chatty.

  “I thought I told you all to stay in the car,” I said.

  “That is just too boring,” Roger said.

  Marilyn gave me a look as if to say, “Sorry, but it’s true.”

  Bonnie walked back into the kitchen. “What should I do now? Do you need my help?”

  “You can stay down here. Try to relax. I won’t be long. This is for me to get an initial feel for what’s happening in your house.”

  She nodded. “Thanks again.”

  I stepped out of the kitchen and through the living room. The place I wanted to start was upstairs. I felt like most of the activity was taking place up there. The ghosts were right behind me.

  “Do you all have to follow so close?” I asked.

  How was I supposed to investigate with the ghosts acting this way? I reached the staircase and headed up. Of course, the ghosts were still right there with me. James didn’t act quite as concerned as Roger and Marilyn. They were practically holding on to the back of my shirt. If they could have climbed into my clothing with me, they would have.

  “You all act as if you are scared. What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “Ghosts are scary,” Roger said.

  “But…” I studied his face. “You do realize you’re ghosts, right?” I looked from Roger to Marilyn and then to James.

  “Yes, but that still doesn’t mean we’re not scared of ghosts,” Marilyn said.

  I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t have time to discuss it right now.

  So far, none of the equipment had shown any activity. I had the recorder on, so maybe it was picking up a voice or other unexplained sound I couldn’t hear at the moment. Not all ghosts wanted to talk to me right away. I wouldn’t find out if I’d caught anything until I played it back later.

  It always felt strange going through people’s homes, but I focused on my job and tried my best never to accidentally break anything. I spotted that a door on the right was slightly ajar. It had sounded as if someone was shuffling around in the room.

  “Did you hear that?” Marilyn asked.

  “I did,” I whispered.

  “I never hear anything,” Roger said from right next to my ear.

  As I neared the room, I spotted that it had to be Bethany’s bedroom. I glanced over my shoulder as if I would see her standing there watching me. I hadn’t heard her come back, so I suppose it would be okay to go in and have a look around. After all, I was investigating the paranormal and it had sounded as if there might be activity in the room. I eased the door open and inched inside.

  “If she finds you in her room, she will kill you,” Roger said.

  “Well, I hope to get out of here before she comes back,” I whispered.

  The room looked feminine with a pink comforter and pink walls. Nothing like the way Bethany dressed now. Her favorite color seemed to be black at the moment. The only thing that stood out was the candles on a small table in the corner of the room. I moved closer for a better look.

  “What is all that?” Marilyn asked.

  I picked up one of the melted candles “She’s been practicing witchcraft.”

  “What does that mean? Does it have anything to do with the paranormal activity in the house?” Marilyn asked.

  “It might have something to do with why she wanted spells to get rid of negativity, but how she got the negative stuff to begin with is the question I want answered.”

  “What will you do if she comes back and catches you in her room?” Worry filled Roger’s voice.

  I figured I could sneak out before she even knew I’d been there. The window next to where I stood was open. I stepped over and peered down into the backyard. Trees lined the edge of the property with a large grassy area in the middle.

  “Look,” Marilyn said, directing my attention out the window.

  I followed her pointing finger and spotted what she was talking about. The silhouettes looked exactly like the shadows I’d seen at the house I had visited in my dream. Were they haunting this house? How could they have been in my dream, too?

  Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed as if the spirits were standing out there looking up at me. Since they had no facial features, I couldn’t tell for sure if they were watching me, but it seemed that way. I turned away from the window. I couldn’t watch them any longer. It was too spooky. That was saying a lot considering I had ghosts standing right behind me. The spirits seemed menacing, though. Not like the ghosts I had with me. This house was going to take more investigating. I would have to spend more time here, but for now, it was time for me to leave.

  I made my way out of the room, and thank goodness, I hadn’t been caught. Or course, I had an excuse, but I doubted Bethany would want to hear it. Based on her reaction when she saw me, I knew she didn’t want me here and I wasn’t sure why. Wouldn’t she want help to get rid of the spirits? When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Bonnie was waiting for me.

  She fidgeted her hands. “Did you find anything?”

  I didn’t want to scare her with what I‘d seen just yet.

  “Not really. I need to come back, if that’s okay. Would your daughter be available to talk with me?” I asked.

  “I’ll make sure she is,” she said.

  “Thank you.” I placed my equipment back in my bag. “In the meantime, please call me if anything worse happens. It seems like things are calm right now.”

  The fact that it seemed calm was a little odd. Usually when I came into the haunted locations the ghosts were sure to act up.

  “Thank you, Larue.” She followed me to the door.

  I moved out onto the porch. “I’ll be in touch.”

  After I stepped off the porch, I slipped around for a peek into the back yard.

  “We’ll wait over here,” Roger called out from the sidewalk.

  The ghosts didn’t want to come anywhere near the back yard. When I peered back there, I saw nothing unusual. No spirits. Where had they gone?

  Chapter 16

  Last night, I had explained to Callahan what happened with Stone. He said he believed me and felt bad about not being there to help me when the car had almost hit me. I knew he was still unhappy with the amount of time we’d spent together lately, or the lack thereof, but I had no other options right now.

  The dark shadow didn’t come to me in my dreams last night. Maybe it was false hope, but I wondered if it had decided to leave me alone. It could have gotten bored and moved on. Maybe it found someone else to harass? That would make me feel bad since I wouldn’t be able to help that person.

  A friend of Gina’s had found the address for Stone’s mother, so I was headed over there this morning. I wasn’t sure what I would say to her, but I had to try to find out more about him. Maybe his mother would be more helpful. She could tell me what had happened in that house. Even though the dark shadow had left me alone for the past day, it didn’t mean I would let my guard down just yet. I had to be prepared for its return. I also had to find out where the other shadow spirits had come from and what they wanted.

  The ghosts were with me again this morning. Marilyn was in the seat next to me and James and Roger were in the back. They were all quiet as they looked out the car’s windows at the passing landscape.

  “This was all farm land when I was a young man,” James said from the back seat

  “Oh no, here with go with the ‘when I was young’ stories,” Roger said.


  “Don’t be rude, Roger, if James wants to reminisce, he can,” I said.

  “I wish we were in Hollywood,” Marilyn said. “I miss the glitz and glamour.”

  Roger leaned forward from the back seat. “You should drive us to Hollywood, Larue. Road trip!”

  I shook my head. “I can’t go to Hollywood right now. I have responsibilities here. I have a business.”

  “She has a Callahan,” Marilyn said with a smile. “That Stone guy is handsome, too,” she added.

  Finally, we arrived at the house. At least the ghostly chit-chat would stop now. Who was I kidding? They would follow me to the house. After shoving the car into park and cutting the engine, I climbed out and headed toward the door. Shifting from foot to foot, I knocked and waited for an answer.

  “Why are you so nervous?” Roger asked.

  “I just hope he talks to me now,” I said.

  I had no reason to believe this time would be any different than the others. Stone was just being plain weird. What was the big secret he couldn’t talk to me about? The door opened, breaking me from my thoughts. A woman, whom I assumed was Stone’s mother, stood in front of me. With short gray hair, she was a lot older than I’d expected. Maybe it wasn’t her after all.

  “Are you Sabrina?” I asked.

  She narrowed her light blue eyes. “Yes.”

  “I’m looking for your son, Stone. Is he here?” I tried leaning over for a view into the darkened house.

  She furrowed her brow at me as if I’d asked her about aliens. Or maybe I was a deranged killer.

  “Is this a joke? Why would you ask me such a thing?” She slammed the door in my face.

  “Wow, that was rude,” Roger said.

  What had I done that was so bad?

  “I’m guessing Stone isn’t here,” James said.

  “Apparently, Stone doesn’t have a good relationship with his mother,” Marilyn added.

  “Then why was he in Magnolia if not to see his mother? I guess there’s no sense in knocking on the door again.”

  “Go away,” the woman yelled from the other side of the door.

  “You’d better do what she says before she calls the police on you.” Roger motioned.

  Yeah, he was right. I had to find out what was going on between Stone and his mother. I stepped off the porch and headed toward my car. When I looked back at the house, I saw her watching me from the window.

  “She’s making sure you leave,” Marilyn said.

  I started the car and pulled away. “If Stone isn’t at his mother’s, then where is he?”

  “How can you find out?” Marilyn asked.

  I navigated the streets heading toward town. “He’s probably slightly older than me. How old do you think he is?” I asked.

  “Probably about sixty,” Roger said.

  My mouth dropped open. “Oh, shut up, Roger. I’m only twenty-eight.”

  Roger shrugged. I knew he still thought I was old.

  “He looks about late thirties,” James said. “Maybe thirty eight.”

  “That would make him ten years older than me,” I said.

  “You’re old,” Roger said.

  I wasn’t even going to acknowledge his comment.

  “I didn’t go to school with Stone or I would remember.” I pulled up to the gas station to fill up the car. “I bet I can find someone in town who did.”

  Before I had a chance to get out of the car, my cell rang. I pulled it out of my bag and swiped the screen when I saw Mindy’s picture.

  “You missed class last night and I am not happy,” Mindy said.

  Hearing her voice reminded me that she had an older brother. He would have gone to school with Stone. They were the same age.

  “Have you talked to your brother lately?” I asked.

  “Okay, you come up with the most random questions to avoid talking about class,” she said.

  “I need to find out if your brother went to school with Stone Watkins.”

  She sighed. “I suppose I could ask him, but don’t think that gets you out of coming to class.”

  “Of course not,” I said. “Are you going to bribe me with doughnuts again this morning?” I asked.

  “Obviously, my bribery doesn’t work, so what’s the point?” she asked.

  Now she was trying to make me feel bad.

  “I will come to class, but I’d rather do the pole fitness,” I said.

  I couldn’t believe I had said that. I was terrible at both. Making me do the Zumba was probably her way of tricking me into the pole fitness classes again. I would be so bad at one that the other would start to look good.

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Mindy warned.

  “I know you will,” I said.

  “I’ll call you when I find out anything.”

  “Talk to you soon.” I tossed the phone back into my bag.

  I filled the gas tank up and then headed to the store. I would be anxious until I heard from Mindy again. When there was a puzzle like this in my life, I had to solve it. My mind wouldn’t let me forget about these kinds of things.

  “There’s a stop sign,” Roger yelled out. “And I thought my driving was bad.”

  I glared at him in the rear-view mirror. “I saw the sign.”

  “You’re a great driver, Larue, don’t listen to him,” Marilyn said.

  Roger’s expression changed to a droopy pout.

  I pulled up in front of Book Nook, parked, and jumped out. Callahan was busy again this morning, so I skipped visiting At least that would be my excuse of why I didn’t stop to see him when he asked.

  I was busy stacking books when my cell phone rang. Dashing over to the counter, I grabbed the phone, hoping it would be Mindy.

  “I’m glad it’s you,” I said when I answered. “What did you find out?”

  “Aren’t you going to tell me what a great friend I am? How lucky you are to have such a great friend?” she teased.

  “Okay, you must have good info if you’re going through all that. So spill it. What did you find out?”

  “Some gratitude,” she said in a huff. “Yes, I did talk to my brother.”

  “And? Stop torturing me and tell me what you found out.” I waved my hands as if she would see.

  “Well, you guessed it. My brother did go to school with Stone Watkins.”

  “The suspense is getting to me. What is she saying?” Marilyn asked.

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “He said he was weird.”

  I wasn’t surprised by that. Mindy’s brother thought everyone was weird, so that didn’t tell me much.

  “What else?” I pressed.

  “He claimed he left school suddenly.”

  “That must have been when they moved,” I said. “What else?”

  “He said Stone told some people he could see ghosts.”

  “Well, I already knew that much.” This wasn’t giving me any new details.

  “When I pushed my brother for more information about the paranormal, he said he remembered Stone had used the Ouija board in the past. Apparently, he talked about it in school.”

  I leaned against the counter. “He must have used it in the house. What if he had unleashed a dark spirit? That might explain why he didn’t want to talk about it.”

  I’d had no idea Magnolia had another medium.

  “Is that all?” I asked.

  “I can’t wait until she gets off the phone so I can hear the details.” Marilyn paced back in forth in front of me.

  “That’s all he told me. He didn’t know much else. Oh wait, there was one more thing.” Mindy’s voice was a bit more excited.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “He said Stone’s best friend still lives in town. Over on Leland Street.”

  “Maybe that’s how I can finally track down Stone. I bet he’s staying with his friend,” I said.

  “Or at the very least, the friend has seen him.”

  “I hope his friend is more talkative th
an Stone’s mother. Maybe I should go pay the friend a visit,” I said.

  “I have a feeling you will do exactly that,” Mindy said.

  “Do you want to come with me?” I asked.

  I didn’t want to go alone and the ghosts didn’t count.

  “You know I will come with you. When do you want to go?”

  “As soon as possible?” I checked the time on the clock. “When do you have a class?”

  “Well, you could come by and take the class and we could go from there.” I knew Mindy was giving me her sad-eyed look through the phone.

  Ugh. I couldn’t say no to that. She was doing me a favor and the least I could do was go to class. Mindy was always afraid no one would show up for her classes. I really didn’t think she had to worry about that now. Her business was a success. People around town loved what she offered.

  I sighed. “Sure, I’ll be there.”

  “You’d better get more pep than that before you get here or you’ll never survive,” she said.

  “Yeah, whatever you say.” I hung up and found the ghosts were standing right behind me.

  “What did she say?” Marilyn asked excitedly.

  “Stone used a Ouija board and I think he probably did it in that house. That’s probably where the dark spirit came from.” I grabbed a stack of books.

  “That’s not cool,” Roger said.

  “He still has a best friend in town. If Stone isn’t at his mother’s then maybe he’s at his friend’s house,” I said.

  “Good thinking, Larue,” James said.

  I had to get my work finished and close up so I could make the class on time. As much as I would enjoy being late, I wouldn’t do that to Mindy. Now, if I could get the ghosts to stay out of the studio. That would never happen, though. The incident with the dark shadow during the last class came flooding back to my mind. I hoped it didn’t happen again. I still thought it was strange the shadow hadn’t appeared recently. Instead of questioning it, I would just enjoy the time away from the shadow before it did come back.

  I was turning my computer off when the strange feeling came over me. It wasn’t exactly like when the dark shadow had appeared, but it was similar. I scanned the room expecting to see it, but there was nothing. I went back to my work, but the sensation only increased. For some reason, my attention was drawn to the front of the store.