Ghoul of My Dreams (Larue Donavan Series Book 4) (13 page)

“Bye, Larue. You too, handsome stranger.” Gina smiled at Stone and walked out the door.

“Sorry again about that reckless driver.” Stone glanced over his shoulder toward the front of the shop.

“Let the poor man leave,” James said.

Not without asking again I wouldn’t.

“It’s okay, I want to help her,” Stone said.

Stone had no idea what James was really talking about. The ghosts had better not tell him either.

I leaned forward so I was closer to Stone. I wanted him to listen to what I had to say. “I sense you don’t want to talk about the house and I can sympathize, but I really need to know more. It’s for the current owners. Surely, you want to help someone else if you can.”

He shook his head. “I wish I could help you.” He searched my eyes as if he wanted to say more. “I have to go.” He turned around, and the next thing I knew, he had walked out the door.

I sighed. “That didn’t go well.”

“Maybe Marilyn should have asked him,” Roger said.

Maybe Roger was right. Marilyn would have probably had better results.

Chapter 15

After closing up the bookstore, I immediately walked to the coffee shop. Of course, it was closed, but I peered in the window to see if Callahan was still inside. The lights were off, so I assumed he’d gone for the day. If I’d wanted to avoid him, I had now officially figured out the best way to do it. He’d seen me with another man and I was sure he assumed the worst. I didn’t want it to be this way, though.

I would have to go to his house, although that opened up the chance for the dark shadow to attack Callahan on his own territory, which was even worse. I climbed into my car with the ghosts in tow. I’d just started the ignition when my cell rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but I picked up anyway.

“Larue Donavan,” I said.

“I hope I have the right number,” the woman said. “Are you the paranormal investigator?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

She sighed. “Oh, good. I need your help. My name is Bonnie McCarthy.”

Where had I heard that name recently?

“What’s the problem?” I asked.

“There is a lot of stuff going on in my house. I don’t know what to do any more.” Her voice was full of anxiety and her fear came through the phone.

“I could come by tomorrow. Are you in town?” I asked.

“No. I need help right away. Couldn’t you come any sooner?” She pleaded.

I’d really hoped to go by Callahan’s place now, but it sounded as if Bonnie was desperate.

I shifted the phone to my other ear. “Yeah, I can come now. Where are you?”

“Thank you so much.” A slight relief sounded in her voice.

She gave me the address and I pointed the car in that direction. It was only about a five minute drive.

“What’s the problem?” Marilyn asked.

I pulled out onto the road. “Another ghost dilemma.”

“I hope you don’t pick up any more. There’s no room left in the car,” Roger said.

He was telling me.

“I’ll try my best not to attract any new ones,” I said.

“I refuse to ride in the trunk.” Frustration laced Roger’s voice. 

I chuckled. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

After locating the house, I pulled up in front and shoved the car into park. It was a two-story, red brick, newer home. It had a black front door and small porch with no decorations, flowers, or any sign that someone lived there.

“It’s probably better if I go in alone.” I turned off the car.

I figured Marilyn would listen to me, but I wasn’t sure about James or Roger. Oh, who was I kidding? I knew they wouldn’t stay put. I climbed out of the car and headed to the front door. When I looked back, the ghosts were still sitting in the car. They smiled and waved. They were up to something. Once in front of the door, I knocked.

The woman answered right away. “You must be Larue.”

“Are you Bonnie?” I asked. 

She seemed frazzled as she nodded. Her brown hair was loose down to her shoulders and she wore wrinkled navy pants and an even more wrinkled blue shirt.

“Won’t you please come in?” She opened the door wider.

I stepped inside the house. A television played in the distance.

“We can talk in the kitchen if you’d like.” She gestured.

I nodded. “That would be great. Thanks.”

We moved through the living room. The shades were drawn, making the space dim. Boxes were stacked in the corner of the room, as if she was either moving out or in. A sofa, chairs, and coffee table filled the space, so I assumed maybe she was packing to leave. I followed her through the dining area and into the kitchen. The kitchen was large and since the shade was up on the window, the space was much brighter. The walls were painted a light beige color. Dark-colored cabinets and modern stainless steel appliances made the room seem not as foreboding as the rest of the house.

“I spend most of my time in here.” Bonnie glanced over her shoulder, as if someone she didn’t want to hear her might be right behind her.

There was a small table by the picture window at the back of the room.

She gestured toward the table and chairs. “Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” I pulled out the white wooden chair and sat. “Can you tell me about what’s going on in the house?”

“It started out as little things.” She picked at the edge of the yellow floral-patterned place mat in front of her. “Doors shutting on their own or things moving. But now, it’s loud footsteps with a dark shadow figure appearing.”

I froze when she mentioned the dark shadow. I never liked to hear that description when someone was describing a haunting. It never went well. Footsteps sounded from the other room and I turned to see who was walking.

“That’s probably my daughter,” Bonnie said.

Just then, the young woman walked into the kitchen. I almost fell onto the floor. It was the girl who had ordered the books. The one I’d almost gotten killed following just a short time ago.

Her eyes widened when she saw me.

“What are you doing?” she asked angrily.

“Sweetie, I called this lady to help with the paranormal activity in our house.” Bonnie forced a smile onto her face.

“Why did you do something stupid like that?” she snapped.

“Bethany, don’t talk that way.” Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

“What is she so angry about?” Roger said.

I looked to my left and discovered the ghosts were now in the room with me. I knew they wouldn’t listen. Bethany turned around and stomped out of the room.

Bonnie frowned. “I’m sorry about that. She doesn’t like to talk about what’s happening here much. It makes her nervous and I can understand that. I’m just trying to help. I’m trying to do something to make our lives better.”

The front door slammed shut. Silence filled the house once again.

“Looks like she left,” Marilyn said.

“Teenagers.” Roger scoffed.

“She’ll be back,” James added.

In the meantime, I had to figure out what all this meant. The haunting had to be related to the witchcraft books she had ordered, right?

Obviously, she was trying to get rid of the negative spirit with the witchcraft. I was glad the woman had called me when she did.

“Has the spirit been harassing your daughter?” I asked.

Bonnie tapped her fingers nervously on the table. “Yes, I believe it is after her the most. Although, it doesn’t exactly leave me alone either. My daughter has become more and more withdrawn as the activity increases.”

“Do you know if she has used a Ouija board?”

Bonnie shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

It was important I found out for sure if she had used one.

“I just want things to be back to normal,” Bonnie said. “I want quiet in the house again.”

“When did all of this start?” I asked.

She sighed. “About two months ago. It was fast when it started, too. Like I said, it was the little things at first, but it quickly got worse.”

“I brought some of my equipment. I can take a look around your house and see if I can gather any evidence,” I said. “That may help me figure out the source of the haunting. The sooner I know where it’s coming from, the faster I can get rid of it for you.”

She pushed to her feet. “That would be wonderful.”

I grabbed my bag of equipment and pulled out a couple pieces. “It’ll take me a minute to set up.”

“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.