A Strange There After (15 page)

Glancing to make sure Abby was okay, I
watched her grasping her neck and staring at Catherine’s prone body
in awe. Once she managed to catch her breath, she gurgled, “Nice
one, Quinn.”

Her praise caused me to giggle, which under
the circumstances seemed a little inappropriate. Whenever I gave in
to my emotions, I worried I was bounding ever closer to ending up
like Catherine. But, goodness, it felt so good.

Jason rushed into the kitchen, soup and
ginger ale in his arms, interrupting my inner dialogue. Gone was
the blazer he wore to the party, and he had his shirt sleeves
rolled up. He set the groceries down and immediately went to
Catherine’s side. “Oh, my god, are you okay?”

“Prince Charming to the rescue.”

I shot Boone a dirty look, but he focused on
the scene in front of us. Jason helped her up as she groaned and
rubbed her head. Relief bloomed through me, transmitting from the
twisted bond we shared. I hated the idea of him bringing her
comfort.

Jason had yet to notice Abby and Boone as he
ran his hands over her, checking for injuries. Her body trembled
and I wondered if it actually was fake. He leaned in, brushing his
lips across her forehead. I reached up to touch mine, annoyed by
the tickle.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Abby
shouted.

Jason and Catherine jumped apart for a second
before he pulled her back into his embrace.

He smiled tentatively in greeting. “Abby.
Always good to see you.” His attention shifted to Boone. “We
haven’t met. Jason Parker.”

Boone studied Jason’s outstretched hand as if
it contained a deadly virus. Eventually, he shook it. “Boone
Ravenwood.”

Jason glanced around the room, his eyes
skipping right over me, and asked. “What’s going on? Why were you
on the floor?”

I glared at Catherine, nestled where I so
badly wanted to be. Boone backed up, coming to stand beside me, as
if aligning himself with me, offering support. This was the moment
I’d been waiting for, with both hope and dread. Would Jason believe
Abby?

Abby stretched her neck, and I noticed the
angry red welts. Then she focused on Catherine.

“Do you want to tell him? Or should I?”

Chapter
Sixteen

The air in the kitchen grew heavy as everyone
waited, and my anticipation built, an electric charge shooting
through me. I had spent so much time hoping and praying for Jason
to find out about Catherine stealing my body. Now the day had
arrived, and the notion terrified me. What if it was too much for
him to take, and he left? He might decide continuing a relationship
with a ghost was out of his comfort zone, or worse, he might prefer
the new me.

I watched him closely, searching for any sign
he connected the dots. Finally, he spoke, “Tell me what?”

“Nothing. Abby and her friend are leaving,”
Catherine said through clenched teeth.

“The hell we are!” Abby objected. “Something
happened that night in the cemetery.”

“We got rid of Catherine,” Jason replied. His
eyes flicked between Abby’s look of anger and Boone shaking his
head. “Didn’t we?” I was the only one who noticed Catherine flinch.
“Everything’s been fine since then.”

“Are you saying you haven’t noticed anything
different about her?” Boone all but pointed at Catherine, and his
voice indicated Jason was dumb if he didn’t.

He hesitated for a minute then said, “Not
really. I mean, she’s starting fresh, finding herself after a
traumatic couple of years. She’s growing into herself.” He scowled.
“And what business is this of yours?”

“Quinn asked me to be here.”

Jason turned to Catherine. “What is he
talking about?”

“I’ve never met this person until today.” I
almost believed the trace of fear in her voice.

“Doesn’t mean Quinn didn’t ask him for help,
though,” Abby teased.

“Stop talking riddles!” Jason burst out.
“Look, Abby, say what you want to say and be done with it. You’re
upsetting Quinn. She’s not feeling well.”

“Fine. Catherine is standing beside you.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t automatically look to
his right. Instead, he directed his eyes in my direction. And I
thought, for a second, maybe he too might notice the ghostly
presence. His baffled expression told me I was wrong. He turned on
Catherine, who stood on the other side of him, nibbling her lower
lip. The longer this played out, the more I realized it wasn’t
going to turn out the way I desperately wanted. Right now, I would
very much like to throttle Jason.

“She didn’t go away that night?”

Abby gaped, obviously at a loss for words.
Boone took over for her. “What Quinn’s best friend, the person who
knows her better than any other, is trying to tell you is that
Catherine pushed Quinn out of her body. She’s parading around as
someone else, while Quinn has been left as a ghost.”

Jason’s brows furrowed together as he stared
intently at the floor. Not once did he shift away from Catherine or
spare her a doubtful look. When he lifted his head, his expression
was resolute.

“It’s not possible. I would have noticed if
Quinn wasn’t Quinn.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Boone said
ironically.

“What are you saying?”

Boone sipped his water. “I’m saying if you
cared for Quinn like you say you do, you’d have noticed something
was off.”

“Excuse me?” Jason untangled himself from
Catherine and took a menacing step toward Boone, who didn’t so much
as flinch or step away.

No. He laughed. And said, “Did something I
say strike a chord?”

Abby hopped between them. “Boys. We’re
getting off track.” She stared hard at Jason. “It’s the truth,
Jason. That’s not Quinn.”

Jason opened his mouth, I assumed to argue,
but then, he took a good hard look at Catherine. The moment spread
out, and I shivered, trembling with exertion from not shouting at
him to snap out of it.

I watched Catherine’s eyes well with unshed
tears as she returned Jason’s stare. “Why are you looking at me
like that? I’m the same me I’ve always been.” She flashed a wounded
glance at Abby, and a tear snaked its way down her cheek. “Why are
you doing this to me? I thought we were friends?”

“Well, apparently there are two actors among
us,” Abby muttered.

“No, you two are out of line. Quinn’s been
through enough. She doesn’t deserve to have you questioning her
because she is spreading her wings. It’s time to grow up.” He
directed the last sentence at Abby. “You should leave...now.”

Behind him, Catherine smirked, wiggling her
fingers in farewell. Not to be outdone or doubted, she walked
forward and linked her arm with Jason’s. “I’m the only one in here.
It’s me, Abby. I don’t know why you can’t be happy for me.” Her
tone wavered, as if it truly was hard for her to say.

“Play the EVP, Abby,” I said under my
breath.

“Good idea, Quinn. Play the recording,” Boone
suggested.

Abby smirked as she unplugged her ears and
switched to playback mode. I knew there was a reason I loved that
girl. She paused it from recording the present conversation and
pulled up the file from the night in her room.

My words drifted out, for the second time in
half an hour, and my watery voice begged for help. The plea took on
physical form, rising up in the middle of the kitchen.

“Sounds like her,” Jason said. “But it
doesn’t prove anything. The recording could be old. From one of the
nights you were fooling around.”

“What about this?” Boone set his water on the
counter and reached into his messenger bag for the video recorder,
the one he had the night we met, the one he claimed I broke.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Quiet, Catherine,” Abby said.

Jason’s brow furrowed as he watched, and it
didn’t take long for him to grasp reality. He rewound the footage
over and over, his face becoming paler and paler with each viewing.
He shook his head, as if trying to unsee what he’d seen.

“It can’t be,” he whispered.

“Because it’s impossible. It’s probably
Photoshop or something.” Catherine reached up and put her fingers
under his chin, forcing him to look at her. She placed his hand on
her chest, right above her heart. “This really is me.”

Jason continued to hold Catherine’s gaze, but
directed his question to Abby. “Abby, why are you lying about this?
What are you trying to prove?”

He didn’t believe the physical proof!

“She’s jealous!” Catherine blurted.

“Very rich, coming from a body snatcher,”
Abby tossed out.

Jason returned his attention to Boone. “How
are you involved in this?”

“She was at Moon River, trying to contact
Abby. Quinn and I are alike, meaning I can sense ghosts.” He
flicked his gaze to me. “She’s pretty hard to miss.” When he looked
back at Jason, he continued. “And I guess you could say I’m a
professional.”

“Professional what?”

“Circus performer. What do you think? I’m a
paranormal investigator. And trust me, there is a whole lot more
going on than you obviously grasp.”

Jason considered the information a few more
minutes, processing what he’d been told. I prayed he came to the
logical conclusion, the one staring him in the face. A blind man
could see he was having a hard time believing, despite the evidence
and my best friend telling him the truth. His hesitation hurt. He
swore under his breath and directed his question to Abby.

“If this is true, why am I finding it out
now?”

“I only found out myself four days ago.”

“Four days have passed when you had every
opportunity to tell me. None of this is making sense.” He paused,
his jaw clenched. “No. Impossible. In fact, Quinn and I don’t have
to stand here any longer and listen to this crap.” Jason grabbed
Catherine’s hand and drew her toward the front door. He stopped
long enough to say, “When we come back, I hope you are both gone or
at least done with this stupid prank and ready to apologize.”

For a split second, we were all frozen in
shock. Until Abby shook it off and chased after him. “Wait, listen
to these headphones. I can prove it!”

Her reply came in the form of a slamming
door.

Chapter
Seventeen

After Catherine and Jason made their exit,
silence enveloped the rest of us. I stared at the door in
disbelief. Despair mixed with anger, coloring the edges of my
vision red. Rooted in place, I struggled to form a rational
thought. From far away, I heard Abby and Boone, apparently as
shocked as me.

“Well.” Boone started.

“Did that just happen?” I asked weakly.

“It did not go as expected,” Abby deadpanned.
“I mean, seriously? Is he blind?”

“Or just stupid?” Boone crept in my
direction, slow, as if expecting me to come unhinged. “I’m sure
he’ll come to his senses soon.”

Unable to speak, I shrugged my shoulders and
shook my head in uncertainty.

“What now?” Abby asked.

“Not sure about you, but I’m waiting for them
to come back. Besides, I don’t think we should leave Quinn
alone.”

“Good idea.” Abby yanked open the pantry and
pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese, then went in search of a
pot. “I eat junk when I’m frustrated, so junk it shall be. Think
he’s always been hardheaded?”

“Most people are so firmly rooted in reality
they can’t open their minds enough to grasp a concept as
fundamentally different as the supernatural or paranormal, let
alone accept it. They believe only what they see, even someone who
swears up and down that ghosts exist.”

Boone’s speech snapped me out of my
astonishment over Jason’s departure, although I only managed one
word, “Profound.”

Relief swept across his face. “I am capable.”
He pulled the milk out of the fridge and passed it to Abby. “I’m
sure it’s on one of my webcasts, in case you want to download them
and play it whenever you think of me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I doubt I’ll ever be able
to get you out of my head,” I mumble.

Abby laughed, but Boone took it the wrong
way. He leaned close and winked at me. “I can live with that.”

I rolled my eyes and approached Abby by the
stove. Summoning the energy, I laid my hand on her shoulder.
Startled by the touch, Abby squealed, and the pot clattered to the
floor, sending noodles and water flying. With her unbroken hand to
her heart, she said, “Warn me next time you do that.”

“Sorry,” I managed to squeak out through my
laughter. Abby chuckled too as she wiped up the mess and started
over with a new box.

“Might as well come in and join the party,”
Boone said.

I turned to find Jackson near the breakfast
bar, his spine stiff, legs spread, as if he couldn’t decide if he
was coming or going. Poor guy looked awkward.

“He’s right,” I said. “You’re always welcome
with us.”

Jackson dipped his head once. “Thank
you.”

He took a total of three steps into the
kitchen before stopping and giving Abby and Boone a cautious
glance. In order to include him, I went over and stood by his side.
Leaning in, he asked, “What is she making?”

“Macaroni and cheese. Pasta. She and I lived
on it growing up. It’s processed nastiness, but if you don’t think
about that part, tastes pretty good.”

“There are tons of amazing foods you’re
missing out on,” Boone added. “I mean, they probably didn’t even
have hamburgers in your age, did they?”

“What is it?” Jackson inquired.

“Well, that answers that.”

I took over for Boone. “It’s a piece of
ground beef, usually cooked on a grill and put between two pieces
of bread. You can top it with a lot of different
ingredients—onions, lettuce, cheese.”

“Bacon,” Abby added.

“Guacamole,” Boone put in, drawing a
disgusted look from Abby. “What? It’s good!”