Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 01 - Sugar And Spice and Not So Nice (2 page)

“It’s too bad, too, because she had a lot going for her. She was getting ready to graduate with her degree when it happened.”

Suddenly, I felt sorry for this Rachel. And somewhat guilty for taking what had been her apartment. I checked my watch and realized I was late for my next class. What a great start I was off to this semester. “I need to run,” I said, “but it was nice meeting you. Perhaps I’ll see you around.”

It was well past suppertime by the time I walked into the apartment. The smell of spaghetti and garlic bread greeted me. Jackie had dinner all prepared. I sat down at the table and reveled in the aroma of a good meal. “This is good,” I said as I dug into the pasta.

“Guess what? I have a surprise.” Jackie jumped up and down with excitement. Apparently, she had been waiting all day for me to get home. “I got a job!”

“So soon? How’d you do it?”

“Well, I walked into this shop, and this guy was making a fuss. Anyway, I told him to shut his mouth and be more polite. I was probably more forceful than necessary. Anyway, the manager saw the whole thing and hired me on the spot. I am now a sales clerk.”

I just shook my head. Only Jackie could kick someone’s butt and get a job out of the deal. “How much does it pay?”

“Ten bucks an hour and it’s fulltime so I get benefits. Plus, the manager said that if I knew a friend who needed a job to bring them by. So you and me got jobs.”

“What about my classes?” I asked.

“Taken care of,” said Jackie as though I had asked a stupid question. “I told him that you were attending classes at the university. He said it was no problem. On the days you don’t have school, you can work. Our pay will be enough to cover expenses.”

I had to hand it to Jackie. We’ve only been here for two days and already she found us both jobs. But, she has always been good at getting what she wants. “Where are we working?”

“At the Candle Shoppe. We drove past it yesterday.”

“You’re a piece of work.”

“So what did you do today?”

“Well, I met this guy.”

“And you thought I’d been busy,” said Jackie. “Is he cute? Did you ask him out?”

“One at a time.” I held up my hand to stop her questioning. “Yes, he is very cute and he lives right across the hall from us, in apartment 215.”

“No way,” Jackie exclaimed.

“Way,” I said. “He told me about the girl that used to live here.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, her name was Rachel and she went to the college here in town. She was killed last October. Her body was found on campus and the police never found out who murdered her.”

“That’s a bummer,” said Jackie with her mouth full of garlic bread. “You sure you want to stay here?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Besides, it happened almost a year ago. What could possibly happen to me?”

“That is your first mistake. Never ask the ‘what can go wrong’ question. Anyway, I’m off to the shower. I have an early day tomorrow and so do you.”

I continued eating my spaghetti after Jackie left. I heard the water turn on and figured she was right. I should think about going to bed. I cleaned up the dishes and put them in the sink. When I turned around, I nearly screamed. Standing before me was a woman of about my height, black skin and gorgeous black braids. She wore knee high boots, a knee length skirt, and a short sleeve, belted jacket.

“How did you get in here?” I demanded.

Instantly, the woman vanished. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Had I just seen a ghost?

A knock sounded at the door. I jumped. Cautiously, I opened the door and there stood Greg, holding a platter with a cake on it. It was Devil’s Food Cake, one of my favorites, and it had a rose decoration on it.

“I, uh, got in a baking mood and ended up baking a bunch of cakes. Since most people like chocolate, I thought maybe you might want one.”

I took the cake, still speechless from my ghost encounter just a moment ago. “Thanks,” I said.

“And I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime.”

Unfortunately, his question didn’t register and I ended up closing the door in his face. I put the cake on the counter, still wondering what had just happened.

“Well that was wonderful,” said a voice behind me.

Startled, I whirled around. The same woman had just reappeared. “Who are you?”

“Rachel. And this was my apartment,” said the woman. “I can’t believe you! A man brings you a cake with a rose and you slam the door in his face.”

“What?”

“He was trying to ask you out, you dummy.”

Suddenly, I remembered the cake and Greg asking me on a date. I ran to the door and flung it open. Of course, he wasn’t there.

“Well, go knock on his door.”

“You still here?” I said.

“I never left,” said Rachel with her arms folded. “Go on. Apologize to him.”

What if—,” my words were cut off as Rachel shoved me toward Greg’s door. I crashed into it with a loud bang. Suddenly, I had a headache. My knee throbbed as well.

The door opened and there stood Greg. God, he was gorgeous.

“Greg, I, umm, I’m sorry about earlier. Before you knocked on my door something had startled me and I guess I was still freaked when you asked me out. I’d love to go on a date with you, if you still want to.”

“You like Mexican?” he said with a smile.

Hell, yes, I did. I’d like anything as long as he served it. “I love Mexican,” I said, practically melting.

“Seven o’clock okay with you?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“It’s a date,” said Greg. He closed the door and I went back to my apartment.

“Just throw yourself at him,” said Rachel.

“What?” I just stood there looking like an idiot.

“By the way, you’re welcome. And you might want to find a really nice outfit and wipe that stupid expression off your face.” Rachel dissolved into thin air.

I couldn’t believe it. Not only did I just speak with a ghost, but she helped me get a date, and then proceeded to offer me fashion advice. Could this day get any more interesting?

Chapter 3

“It is ten o’clock in the morning and is a bright sunny day. Be sure to wear a sweater when you go outside, for it is a bit chilly. Now, I believe it is time to…
get your lazy butt out of bed
!”

I groaned as I rolled over onto my side. I opened my eyes. Rachel stood over me. “Oh, no,” I said, “it wasn’t a dream?”

“Sorry, sweet cheeks,” said Rachel, “but it all happened.”

Ten o’clock, I thought. My class! I bolted out of bed and then realized that I had no classes today. I stood up and went to the bathroom. “I have to get to work and I don’t need your assistance in the shower.”

“I’m not into that kinky stuff.” Rachel glanced down at my bare legs. “However, you might want to shave those hairy things before your date tonight.”

I slapped my forehead. That’s right! I had a date and, no, I hadn’t shaved for several weeks. It was too much work and I preferred jeans anyway. I grabbed a towel and slammed the door in Rachel’s face. “Good-bye,” I said to her.

The Candle Shoppe was a nice little store. Despite its name, it had more than just candles. There were accessories, books, scent warmers, incense, and even handmade scarves. The soft lighting in the place provided a calm atmosphere for shopping. I loved it. It was much better than the harsh light of florescent bulbs. Candles littered the place with their flames. A great way to showcase the product.

The manager’s name was Harvey Stilton. I just called him Mr. Stilton. He gave me a nametag, I filled out some paperwork, and he explained my duties. Jackie was already there helping customers. My job was managing the cash register, assisting customers, and restocking shelves.

My first day at work remained uneventful, for the most part. At least, it did, until Rachel showed up. I had an hour to go before my shift ended and she popped in.

“Hey,” she said as she appeared next to me. Her voice startled me, causing me to send the tea lights in my hands flying across the store. I quickly retrieved them.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed at her.

“I just wanted to know how your first day at work is going,” replied Rachel.

“I’m trying to work,” I cut myself off as a couple people walked by. They looked at me strangely. My smile did little to assure them that I wasn’t crazy. “You can’t just show up when it pleases you. Now go away!”

“All right, fine,” said Rachel. “I just thought you’d like to know that that guy over there is trying to make off with a bunch of merchandise.” She disappeared.

I glanced over at the man she had pointed out. Sure enough, he stuffed his pockets with candles and incense. Figures. My first day and I get a shop lifter. I walked over to the man.

“Hey,” I said. “You going to pay for that?”

He shoved me out of the way and bolted for the door. I tried going after him, but was too slow and ended up tripping over my own feet. Rachel appeared at the entrance and kicked him in the gut. The guy doubled over, allowing me to grab him.

“What’s going on here?” demanded Mr. Stilton as he walked out of his office.

“Shoplifter,” I said.

“Really?” Mr. Stilton emptied the man’s pockets. “Go on get out of here,” he said to the man. “If you ever come back here I’ll call the cops.”

The guy ran out the door. No doubt he was still wondering what hit him.

“You’re welcome,” said Rachel as she disappeared again. I was beginning to regret coming to Vermont.

Later that evening, I prepared for my date. Greg picked me up. I borrowed Jackie’s floral, knee-length skirt and paired it with my new blouse and jacket she had bought me. I must admit, it looked good. The Mexican place was an outdoor restaurant. Despite the chill, we managed to stay fairly warm, thanks to the heating lamps they had.

“So,” said Greg, “back story.”

“You go first,” I said.

“As I’ve said, I’m thirty and decided to finally go to college. I moved here a year ago and am studying criminology.”

“Which explains why you are taking a video editing class.”

“That is an elective I chose to take to fill some credits. And it’s an easy A.”

“Ah,” I said. “I am hoping to be an independent filmmaker. Hence, why I am in Mr. Vincent’s video editing class.”

“So, the great Mellow Summers wishes to be an Oscar nominee.”

“I was thinking more of an Oscar winner,” I said.

The waiter brought our food. I dug into mine immediately after realizing how hungry I really was.

“I like a girl with a healthy appetite,” said Greg. He watched me stuff a burrito in my mouth. Suddenly, I blushed. So much for first impressions.

“Can you tell me anymore about this Rachel?” I asked.

“Why do you want to know? You aren’t saying your place is haunted are you?”

“There’s just been little things,” I said, hoping to brush aside his comments. Now that Rachel seemed to be making a habit of showing up wherever I was, I wanted to know more about her.

“There isn’t much to tell,” said Greg. “She kept to herself, mostly. However, she did like to frequent the bars. Especially this one place on the corner of Rhinestone and Main. It’s called Zappy’s.”

“Zappy’s?”

“Yeah. Strange name I know, but very popular among the college crowd. There were many times she came home drunk and I’d have to help her unlock her door. But all that started to change when she met Tom. She stopped going to parties and stayed with him all the time.

“Her death really is a mystery. No one knows who would want to kill her. The cops focused on Tom at first, but with a lack of evidence, they had to let him go.”

“Do you think he did it?” I asked.

“No,” replied Greg. “He was a nice guy. Full ride scholarship and he worked at the local coffee shop. When he received the news of Rachel’s death, it devastated him. When everything quieted down, he left. Too many people thought he did it and the damage had been done. Once labeled a suspect, it stays with you.”

“I suppose it does. So, you never knew Rachel?”

“Not really well. Like I said, I saw her a few times and helped her into her apartment when she came home wasted, but we were more acquaintances. She seemed like a really nice girl, and, like I said, she did stop her drunken homecomings after meeting Tom. After that they were inseparable.

“For the most part Rachel kept to herself. Though there was this one night she came home in a panic.”

“Panic?” I hoped the intrigue in my voice went unnoticed.

“It seemed that way. I remember her running to her apartment door. Her hair was frazzled and her clothes were disheveled. Her hands shook, too. I remember that because she had difficulty getting the key into the lock. I helped her open her door and asked if there was anything I could do. She said ‘no’ and so I left her alone.”

“What happened after that?”

“Before I closed the door to my apartment, I overheard her try to call Tom. Apparently, she had gotten his voicemail because she left a hurried message. Then she ran out of her apartment, got in her car, and left.”