Tammy ran off. My heart felt a bit heavy without Jackie’s support. I wished she had never met that Randall.
Chapter 7
The dark apartment told me that Jackie hadn’t come home. I figured that she went to Randall’s place, wanting to avoid me and my suspect list. I dumped my things on the table. Feeling bummed, I pulled the ice cream out of the freezer. Not a healthy supper, I know, but I didn’t care. Nestling on the couch, I plunged my spoon into the frozen, creamy goodness.
It happened again. My heart pounded in my chest trying to break free. My pulse throbbed. Breathing heavily, an unknown fear rose within me, controlling me. But something different took place. A black shape materialized before me. It was inhuman, yet took a humanoid shape. No facial features. Nothing. Just a black mass. I stared at it unable to move.
“Get out!” it hissed.
Not needing to be told twice, I dropped my ice cream, snatched my keys, and bolted out the door. My feet pounded through the hallway as I made my way down the stairs and to the parking lot. As I started the engine of my car, I took one last glance at my apartment. The black mass stood in the window with the lights flickering on and off. My tires screeched as I took off.
Fiddling with my phone, I dialed Greg while trying to control the car with one hand. Panic controlled my movements. I got his voicemail.
“Greg, pick up. Call me after you get this. There is a big, scary thing in my apartment. I don’t know what it is, but it followed me from the crime scene and has been bothering me ever since. It’s fear. Pure fear. Just call me. I need you.”
The phone slipped from my grasp and landed near my feet. I bent down to grab it. Feeling around I finally grasped it. Sitting back up, I stared in horror as a set of headlights came straight for me. I had veered into the other lane. Yanking the wheel, I swerved back into my lane; adrenaline pumped through my veins.
Aimlessly, I drove not knowing where to go until I reached Church Alley. The church. Holy places were safe, right? I parked crookedly on the side of the road not caring that my car stuck out.
Luckily, the door was unlocked when I tried it. I went in. I had never noticed the vastness of the building until now. Its dim interior gave the stained glass windows new life. Empty. Good. I found a place to sit, isolated from everything. Not knowing what else to do, I just sat there alone and in the dark.
A black shape sat beside me. Startled, I jumped.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” said Father Hillard.
I mentally tried to slow down the sudden increase in my heart rate. “I shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. But I noticed you come in here. Thought I’d see what was wrong.”
“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.” Even in the dim light I could see the doubtful look on his face. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“I recall you saying that once before and I ended up believing you. Most people do not visit a church at this hour unless something is on their mind.”
Curse it all. He wasn’t going to let me get out of this. “Something in my apartment scared me.”
“Something?” Father Hillard turned toward me. “You’ve gotten involved in another mystery haven’t you?”
People knew me too well. “I didn’t set out to. This time I actually saw someone get killed.”
“Sorry to hear that. Go on.”
Sweat formed under my arms. Inwardly, I battled with telling someone that some dark, creepy thing appeared in my home and had scared the daylights out of me. His expectant look forced me to speak.
“I went to the woods with some friends and wandered around by the river. Ever since then there has been something in my apartment. Something that keeps scaring me. I can’t explain it. But sometimes when I am alone, I start to feel fear. And I don’t know why. And it’s not a panic attack.” I spat out the last part.
“Does your roommate feel the same?”
“She’s hardly ever there these days,” I said, solemnly, “New boyfriend.”
“You said you went by the river a few days ago. You didn’t visit the place where that body was discovered did you?”
Guilty. Totally and completely guilty. I didn’t have to answer. Father Hillard figured it out by my expression and silence. “Did you wander away from your friends?”
“Yes.”
“And was that the first time you had this panic attack?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t be certain, but I would say you stumbled upon something that did not want to be found. You’re not originally from around here are you?”
“No,” I replied, “I only moved here to go to the local college.”
“Locals rarely go by that area. Some do fish at the river, but they never stray too far from it.”
“You’re not going to tell me that that place is haunted.”
“Every town has its own ghost story or legend. According to local lore, this area was a particularly violent one during Colonial Times. There were numerous clashes between the Indians and settlers; the British burned it during the Revolutionary War; a man was hung here in the early 1800s for murdering an entire family. It has had its share of darkness. The teenagers all talk about a ghost that haunts the area by the river that you and your friends were in.”
“Don’t tell me you guys have your own Blair Witch.”
Father Hillard laughed. “Would it really be that far off? Detective Shorts tells me that you can speak to ghosts and that that is why you keep getting involved in his cases. Is it really that far off to consider that perhaps you stumbled upon something that did not want to be found? Maybe you accidentally invaded its territory and now it is retaliating.”
I considered the possibility. I did wander off. I really needed to work on that.
“You haven’t been fooling around with things such as tarot cards or Ouija boards, have you?”
“What? No. I don’t have time for that.”
“But you have time to solve murders.”
He got me there. Amidst my busy schedule I did seem to get involved with murder and mayhem a lot.
“Look,” I said, “I don’t bother with that stuff because I think it’s stupid. Mostly, I try to remain with the living. It’s not my fault that I seem to be a ghost magnet. I didn’t think priests believed in such things anyway.”
“You’ll be surprised what we believe in. Like other people, some priests do not acknowledge the spirit world, which is ironic because Catholic teaching does believe in the unseen world. But as I’ve said before: I was not always a priest and in my years on this planet I have seen many things; some which I will never be able to explain.
“The Catholic Church does believe in spirits, angels, and demons if you will.”
“Exorcisms.” I mumbled that last part forgetting how empty churches echo.
“Well, yes, but not the Hollywood version. They get everything wrong. Look, it sounds like you stumbled upon something that has taken an interest in you. I can come over in the morning if you’d like, say a blessing. But you must show no fear when it shows up again.”
“But it is fear.”
Father Hillard mulled over that last bit. “I’ll be over in the morning. But, I think it’s time for you to go home. Stay at a friend’s if need be.”
“Not much of a night person, are you?”
“When you get to be my age, you’ll find that staying up past midnight is a difficult thing to do.”
Father Hillard walked me out and made certain that I made it to my car all right. I steered the vehicle home. Maybe I’d stay at Greg’s. He was at work, but I had a key to his place. When I reached the door to my apartment, I paused. I really needed to get in there and grab a few things, but I did not want to face whatever it was that had thrown me out.
“Need help?”
Chris walked up to me, his tool belt around his waist. My standing there staring at the door must have attracted his attention. “No, I…” I let my voice trail off.
“Door stuck?”
I didn’t answer
. How do you tell someone you don’t know that some creepy, dark thing is in your apartment scaring the crap out of you?
Chris rattled the door handle. Of course it was unlocked. I hadn’t bothered with locking it in my haste to get out of there. He pushed against it, but it didn’t budge.
“HMMM, it is a bit stuck isn’t it?”
Another hard shove and the door burst open. Chris swung it back and forth a bit checking what might have caused it to stick in the first place. “Well, a little WD-40 on the hinges should help keep it from sticking again.”
“Thanks,” I said. I went in. The apartment was as I left it, including the melted ice cream on the floor. It felt chilly in there. Not the sort of chill you get when the heat is turned down. This was different. Unnerving. “Um, you can fix that whenever. I’m just going to grab a few things and leave.”
“I can fix it now. It’s no problem.”
I didn’t care what he did. To be honest, I was glad that Chris was there while I rummaged in my room for my pajamas and a toothbrush. I just didn’t want to be alone there.
No sign of Jackie. She must have stayed out with Randall. I missed her company.
Within minutes I had what I needed and left. “Just lock up when you’re done,” I told Chris as I let myself into Greg’s apartment. I cleaned myself up and crawled into his bed, relieved to fall asleep instantly.
Chapter 8
The next morning I awoke to find Greg sitting in a chair staring at me. “Morning, sunshine,” he greeted.
“When did you get in?”
“Not long after you went to bed. You were sleeping so peacefully, so I took the couch not wanting to disturb you.”
“You’re sweet.”
Greg yawned. All those extra hours were catching up with him.
“You’ve been working too much.”
“Yeah, well, when these extra shifts are over, I think I’ll take a few days off.”
“I’d like that.” I snuggled into his lap.
“You don’t often stay here,” said Greg, “Jackie partying too much?”
I frowned. “Jackie and I had a fight. I haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon.”
“So what happened with your place?”
“What?”
“You sent me this cryptic voice message last night.” He held up his phone and played back my message.
Knowing I wouldn’t get out of it, I answered his question. “There’s something in my apartment. Like an evil ghost, or something. Happened ever since I went to the river.”
“Do you know how to get rid of it?”
“No. That’s the problem. With the last few ghosts, they talked to me and I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. But this…this thing doesn’t speak. It just causes me to suddenly panic.”
“You know, if it was anyone else, I’d say they were crazy. But ever since I met you, I’ve become more open to these things. Do you know what you can do to be rid of it?”
“Oh, Father Hillard is coming over to say a blessing. And then I have to get ready for a party.”
“Party?” Greg’s eyebrows went up.
That’s right. I hadn’t told him.
“Well, some friends are going to sneak me into Randall Hopkins’ home while his party is going on. I can search his place while everyone is distracted with the other guests.”
“You’re really going all out to prove to Jackie that he’s no good,” he laughed.
“It’s not like that.” I chucked a pillow at him.
“Look, I know you have your reasons. It’s too bad that I’m going to miss all the fun. Anyway, I gotta run. But if that thing shows up again, or you don’t want to be alone, stop by work. You can hang out there until I get off.”
“Thanks,” I said giving him a quick kiss.
Grudgingly, I went back to my place and dressed just in time for when Father Hillard showed up. He came in all business like. I just wanted this stupid thing out of my apartment. Moments later, Chris showed up.
“I just wanted to catch you before you started your day,” he said, “I fixed the door. It shouldn’t stick anymore. Turned out the hinges had rusted. It was odd really. Hello.” Chris noticed Father Hillard for the first time.
“Chris, meet Father Hillard. Father Hillard, Chris. He’s the temporary handy man around here,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” Father Hillard held out his hand. “You are welcome to stick around. I was about to do a blessing of this place.”
“Sure,” said Chris.
“Really?” The surprise must have come through in my voice.
“Yeah. My grandmother was Catholic. She got after me a lot for not going to church, but I don’t mind participating in these things. Maybe with more of us here, whatever is frightening you will leave.”
I eyed Chris a moment. For someone I had only met in passing, he seemed to know an awful lot about what was happening in my apartment.
“Let’s get started then,” said Father Hillard, opening his book.
We went from room to room while the priest said the prayers flinging Holy Water everywhere. He put the water in the four corners of each room. I hoped it worked. Within fifteen minutes he had finished and packed up his belongings.
“Now, this is not a cure all, but perhaps it will bring you some peace,” said Father Hillard. “If you feel that fear rising in you again, Mel, say a prayer—any prayer. Command it to leave. But whatever you do, do not run away. Running away makes it worse and gives it power over you.”
“He’s right you know,” said Chris. “Oh and I cleaned that melted ice cream on your carpet. Took a while, but it’s good as new.” He left. I made a mental note to look up more information on the guy. Something about him bothered me.
“Yo, Mel, you having a party?” Elise, Tiny’s girlfriend, walked inside. She carried a tote bag on one shoulder and a shiny, red dress in plastic wrap. “Well, hello there,” she said to the priest.
I don’t know what Father Hillard thought of Elise with her tight leather outfit and practically spilling cleavage. Not to mention the tattoo of a bat on her chest. But whatever the priest thought, he remained courteous.
“I was just leaving,” said Father Hillard.
“Oh, you can stick around if you want,” said Elise, “We’ve got to get Mel all gussied up for a party this evening. A big fancy one too.” She set her things on the couch, but hung the dress up in the coat closet.
“The less I know, the less I have to report to the police,” smiled Father Hillard. “Good day, everyone. If you need me, just call.”
“Report to the police?” asked Elise.
“He’s best friends with Detective Shorts,” I said.
Her face brightened up. “Oh, so the detective got a priest to keep you out of mischief. It doesn’t seem to be working.” She poked her head out the door. “Hey, ladies! Get your behinds in here. Mel can’t get all ready by herself.” More girls from the biker gang came inside carrying armloads of stuff.
“Now, first things first,” said Elise handing me a can of shaving cream and a razor, “Time to get rid of all that extra hair.”
One thing about Elise: she did not beat around the bush. She said what she meant and that was that. I took the razor and shaving cream.
“Well, go on,” she waved me to the bathroom. “Oh, and we got you some fruity shampoo.” She shoved a bottle of shampoo in my hands. “So you’ll smell all pretty.”
Not knowing if that comment was directed at my current body odor or not, I took the shampoo and soaps she pushed into my arms and locked myself in the bathroom. I shaved everything and the soaps actually felt nice against my skin. Maybe I’d change from typical ivory. The shampoo had a nice watermelon smell to it which filled the shower when I took the cap off. Elise knew her stuff. Though I was a bit apprehensive about what they planned to do next.
The next several hours were spent with them doing my hair and makeup; all the things I never bother with. One of Elise’s friends put my hair up
in curls, nice soft, bouncy ones. The sun had set by the time they had finished dressing me up for the party. Who knew that these preparations could take all day?
“Now for the dress,” Elise handed me the red gown.
I felt the silky fabric amazed at how soft it was. Expensive. Very expensive. “Where did you get this?” I asked.
“There’s this place downtown where people can rent fancy dresses or tuxedos. It’s perfect for those of us who don’t normally wear such things. This was brand new on the rack. Just don’t rip it or anything.”
The girls helped me into the long gown. Someone had to close the zipper. No way would my inflexible arms be able to reach it.
“Just a few finishing touches.” Elise put a necklace around my neck. “Your ears pierced?”
“Yes,” I replied.
She handed me a pair of diamond earrings. I put them in my ears marveling at how they dangled without pulling too much.
“And now for shoes.” Elise handed me a pair of red heels. “They’re just three inch heels. I stayed away from the five. You don’t strike me as someone that wears them all the time.”
Only three inch heels. I’m the sort of person that can break an ankle wearing tennis shoes. At least if I break something tonight, I’ll look glamorous. I slipped on the shoes and allowed myself to be led away to a full length mirror.
I did not recognize the person staring back at me. My long hair bounced with every move I made with my head, but the curls the girls had put in framed my face perfectly. The sleeveless, red gown felt divine against my skin. It showed every curve, but still possessed a bit of modesty as it draped a bit in the front forming a wide v. Carefully, I practiced walking in the heels. My outfit accentuated each of my movements. I suddenly felt like Cinderella.
“You know when you get all gussied up, you knock ‘em dead.” Elise pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of me. I hoped my perplexed look didn’t ruin it. “There. Now that absentee boyfriend of yours will know what he’s missing.”
I smiled at her still not believing how gorgeous I looked.
“Okay, now listen up,” said Elise, handing me a wrap. “Adam said he will meet you at the party. He’s dressing up like a waiter to get in and then will change into his tux. Now, you need to be at the entrance by 8:20. It will make you fashionably late and you’ll be with the bulk of the guests arriving. Pretend you forgot your invitation, but act like you belong there. Make a scene.”
Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 05 - Oh Holy Ghost Page 6