Call On Me (8 page)

“Condoms?”

“No! Salt and
holy water.”

“I’m pretty
sure the holy water is for demons. Which this isn’t.”

“Salt can be
used for ghosts.”

“I don’t make a
habit of carrying around salt.”

“Maybe you
better start studying their techniques.” Ali sat on the ground.

“Oh honey,
where’s the fun in that?” Dropping to his knees beside her, Ghost
opened up the video bag and took the camera from it, turning around
to face the pond and raising the camera to his eyes, he started
adjusting the controls.

“I just think
being prepared is a good thing,” Ali stated.

“I’m prepared.
I’ve got the video camera in case the ghost appears, remember?”

Shaking her
head, Ali trained her gaze on the pond, part of her wanting the
spirit to be real, to appear, but part of her was hoping it was
simply a wild story of Old Man Parker’s. Go figure, the thrill of
the spirit against the pure fear of the unknown.

Ghost set up
the small tripod, going behind it to fix the camera to it, and
after ensuring it was in the direction he wanted, he finally sat
back down beside Ali and leaned back languidly on his elbows,
taking a deep breath and settling down contentedly.

Amused, Ali
observed him from the corner of her eye. His gaze was on the pond,
his pose relaxed, but she knew he was just taking it all in,
including her own rising tension. Like a sponge he was just soaking
it all in – the atmosphere, the surroundings, the ghost story, no
doubt cataloguing his own reactions and emotions as he waited. It
was as though these excursions rejuvenated him, speared him on to
write his horror and thriller stories, inspiration filling every
corner of his agile mind.

For as long as
she’d known him, he thrived in these situations, yet he refused to
take ghost hunting paraphernalia with them, simply bringing along
his video recorder to capture anything if it appeared. He loved the
plain thrill of the simplicity in simply watching and waiting or
searching, but without the technology used by serious ghost
hunters. For him it was the thrill, the atmosphere, the
imagination. The fun.

And sucker for
a good ghost story and hunt, Ali followed happily along on his
jaunts into the unknown. He thrilled, she chilled. It was the way
they did it.

Sitting
cross-legged, she watched the pond and waited.

A chill crept
through the air, no doubt by the dew that was starting to gather. A
light breeze rippled the surface of the pond and not far away an
owl hooted.

The minutes
ticked past. Slowly her tension tightened, winding tighter, but as
time passed and nothing happened, she started to relax.

Just another
wild story. Thank God. But what a disappointment, too. As usual,
she had mixed feelings.

Glancing
sideways at Ghost, she saw that he was still watching the pond, his
eyes half closed, thick eyelashes hiding his brown eyes from sight.
Motionless, he lounged back, his handsome face not giving away his
thoughts. Every breath he took was deep and even. Calmness
practically oozed from his pores.

Yep, no matter
how scary the situation got, he remained calm, cool-headed, and
controlled. So calm right now, in fact, that he looked like he
could almost fall asleep.

Which would
leave her awake to face a possible scary ghost. Not happening.
Stretching out one leg, she turned to face him, reaching out to
touch his shoulder. “Ghost?”

“Mmm?” He
didn’t move an inch.

“I don’t think
she’s coming.”

“Mmm.”

“Parker’s scary
story is just that, a story.”

“Do you think
so?”

“Obviously.”
She gestured to the pond. “Nothing there and-”

“Quiet!”

There was no
laughter in his tone. Without shifting he reached out and grab her
thigh, his large hand curving over her. Instantly she obeyed,
freezing. His lashes had lifted and now she saw his brown eyes were
alert, tracking something, and her heart started to beat fast.

Oh God, was it
the ghost? The spirit? Coming out of the water, floating
there…
turning towards them
?

Chapter 3

Slowly, she
started to move her head around.

“Stop,” Ghost
ordered, just as quiet but with authority ringing in his low tone.
“Stay dead still.”

Oh sweet baby
Jesus! Her mouth went dry and her hands started to shake. It was
the spirit!

Staring at
Ghost, Ali was just a fraction relieved when he glanced up at her
reassuringly, although there was no laughter in his eyes. It wasn’t
a joke, something bad was near and he didn’t want to draw attention
to themselves. Nor did she. No way did she want a ghost to come
right up to her. Ever.

Oddly, Ghost
just kept looking into her eyes and she saw the concern within the
calm brown depths. And then she felt it, a weight on her ankle,
something touching her.

Every nerve
tightened and she had the overwhelming urge to leap up and scream.
The only thing that stopped her was his hand tightening on her
thigh in warning and his eyes narrowing slightly.

Staying still
while something slid over her ankle, the weight heavy. The spirit’s
hand? Was it touching her? It was touching her! Her breath
fastened, her mouth opening a little, her breath coming out in
small gasps.

Ghost kept her
gaze trapped with his and all she could do was gaze helplessly at
him, fear riding her hard but her faith in him unshaken. If he said
to be still, then she sure as hell wasn’t going to argue. Maybe the
spirit was passing them, not really seeing them.

The weight
disappeared and agonizing seconds ticked past as they continued to
stare at each other before slowly Ghost’s grip eased on her thigh
and he sat up.

“Is it…is it
gone?” Ali asked shakily.

“Yeah. It’s
safe to move.” He pushed up to stand tall.

Leaping to her
feet, Ali stared wildly around while gripping onto his shirt front.
“Did you see it? Was she ugly? Did you get it on camera? Where did
she go?”

His arm slid
around her shoulders as he drew her into him to drop a kiss on top
of her head. “Honey, it was no spirit.”

“What? But I
felt it touch me and-”

“It was a
bloody big gwardar snake.”

“What?” Skin
prickling, she looked up at him.

“An adult
gwardar wandered in our direction and was right near your leg.” He
squeezed her waist. “But it’s gone now.”

She stared up
at him. “Snake?”

“Yep.”

“Oh shit!”
Leaping around, she brushed her hand across her ankle and shrieked.
“Oh
shit
! I hate snakes! You know I hate snakes! Oh God, are
there any more?”

“If there were,
they’re a miles away by now.” Grinning, he moved around to start
packing up the video camera. “Come on, honey, time to go home.”

“Oh my God! A
snake!” Shuddering, she gazed around almost wildly. Snakes were on
the top of her fear list, above even spirits. “Oh geez!”

Laughing now,
he took the bottle of water from the backpack and opened it,
handing it to her. “Here, have a drink and calm down.”

Still icked
out, she took several mouthfuls while scanning the ground around
her the whole time.

Taking it from
her proffered hand, Ghost took several long swallows before
recapping it and returning it to the back pack, which he swung up
across one broad shoulder. Picking up the video bag, he sling it
over her shoulder, caught her hand and started back around the
pond. “Come on, honey, time to go home.”

When the panel
van finally came into view, Ali fastened her stride, ignoring
Ghost’s chuckle. The van was safe, it got her off the ground.

~*~

Pulling the
panel van near the petrol bowsers, Ghost grinned as Ali jumped out
of the car. “In a hurry, honey?”

“Just keep
laughing, jackass.” Ali bent down to peer at him through the
window. “Want anything to drink?”

“Iced coffee
would hit the spot.”

While she
disappeared into the service station café, Ghost popped the fuel
cap and got out of the car, smiling as Lori rounded the back and
reached for the fuel gun. Before she could get it, he took hold of
the handle. “I’ve got it, Lori.”

“It is my job,”
she replied.

“Sure it is,
but I’m giving you a break.”

She smiled.
“Ali was moving fast. Did you see the ghost?”

“No, but a
snake crawled across her ankle.”

Lori shuddered.
“Ugh.”

She didn’t ask
if her sister was okay, which Ghost knew was because she had
absolute faith in him and knew if Ali had of been hurt, they’d be
at the hospital right now, not the service station. Instead, Lori
said, “I’d wait a few weeks before inviting her on the next ghost
hunt.”

“Oh, for sure.
That little sheila won’t be in a hurry to go to another bushland
scene for a while.” Ghost laughed, Lori joining in.

They both
looked up when an ambulance pulled in to the other side of the
bowsers, Lori immediately moving to their side as the cap flipped
open.

“Hey, Ghost.”
Sally, one of the local volunteer ambos, got out, nodded at him and
headed off to the café.

The driver
rounded the back of the ambulance to reveal the paramedic, Matt,
who smiled down at Lori. “Hey, Lori.”

She smiled
slightly. “Hi, Matt. Fill ‘er up?”

“Please.” He
glanced around as a semi pulled up a little further away beside the
diesel bowsers. “Busy night?”

“Not too bad.”
She kept her gaze on the fuel gun as she fitted the nozzle into the
fuel inlet. “You?”

“Quiet, though
I’m probably jinxing us.” Matt looked up and caught sight of Ghost.
“Hey, Ghost.”

“Matt.” Ghost
eyed the ambulance thoughtfully. “Tell me, do you have ghosts in
there?”

“I haven’t
picked any up tonight,” Matt replied easily.

“Just
thinking.”

“Coming from
you, that’s intriguing.” Matt leaned back against the side of the
ambulance. “Thinking of writing about a haunted ambulance?”

“Hey, don’t
laugh. It’s said ghosts haunt places they die. People die in
ambulances.”

“Well, true,
but we try not to allow that to happen.”

Not at all put
off, Ghost studied the ambulance. White with a green patterned
stripe and dark windows, an idea started to stir in his head.
Hmmm…

“So, what are
you doing out and about this late at night?” Matt glanced at his
wrist watch. “Or should I say, this time of the morning?”

“Ghost
hunting.” Ghost took the nozzle from the fuel inlet and hung it
back into position.

“Catch
anything?”

“Not a thing,
though Ali did have a close encounter of the snake kind.”

Matt’s brows
rose. “Seeing as neither you nor Lori are upset and are both still
standing here, I’m thinking she’s all right.”

“Rattled, but
fine.”

Matt’s gaze
flicked past him, a small smile curving his lips. “More than fine,
I think.”

Turning, Ghost
looked over the top of the van to see Ali chatting to a bloke. From
the distance he couldn’t see who the bloke was and he wondered at
the identity. What was certain was that Ali was entertained,
because she laughed, the sound clear in the early morning darkness.
The man was medium height and lean, but he seemed to be amusing
going by her laughter.

“Who’s that?”
Ghost queried as Lori moved up beside him.

Lori glanced
over briefly. “New mechanic.”

“What’s he
like?”

“Seems
okay.”

Matt moved up
on Lori’s other side and they all watched as Ali and the new
mechanic shook hands.

“Getting
chummy,” Matt observed.

“Hopefully he’s
better than her last idiot date.” Ghost glanced down at Lori.
“What’s his name?”

“Chris.”

“Chris
what?”

“Chris
Smith.”

“You are
kidding me.”

Lori
shrugged.

Ghost looked
across at Chris Smith. “What do you know about him?”

“Just moved
into town.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”
Lori moved around him and started towards the service station. “Is
that cash or card, Ghost?”

Pocketing the
car keys, Ghost closed the distance easily between himself and
Lori, falling into step beside her. As they neared Chris and Ali,
he looked at her to find her smile genuine and her eyes sparkling.
Whatever Chris was saying to her, she was enjoying it. He wondered
what the new bloke could possibly be saying to amuse her.

He only managed
to catch a glimpse of Chris as they passed, politeness stopping him
from turning and walking backwards to stare at him. He had dark
hair and his profile seemed okay, kind of hawkish, if that was the
kind of thing that turned on Ali.

Entering the
small office off the main service station, he paid for the fuel,
all the time casting furtive glances out the window at Chris and
Ali. Geez, didn’t the man have a job to do? And besides that…“How
come you have a mechanic here at this time of night?”

“He’s not
working” Lori handed him his change.

“So what’s he
doing here?”

She levelled a
readable look at him. “Minding his business?”

Lori had a
sharp tongue when she decided to use it, he’d give her that, not
that it deterred him one bit. “Huh. Odd time to be around.”

“You’re
around.”

“I’m on
legitimate business.”

“Matt?” Lori
looked behind him.

Ghost
obligingly moved aside to find Matt grinning at him as he handed
over the card used for the ambulance fuel-ups. “What?”

“Nothing,” Matt
replied. “Nothing at all.”

“Hey, she’s a
good friend. I’m just looking out for her.”

“Sure you
are.”

“What’s that
supposed to mean?”

“You’re like an
old mother hen clucking around when a stray fox comes into the
pen.”