Never Dead (Welcome To Dead House Book 1)

by M. L. Bullock

  “I’m not going to run away. You need to talk to us. This is our house now. Our space. You need to tell us your name, please.”

  The answer was a bloodcurdling scream.

  Only it wasn’t the screamer I was looking for. It wasn’t a female in agony or a child in pain like the scream I’d heard the other day, the one that had incited a cop coming to the house. That was very much the scream of a man.

  A terrified man. Joey!

  Suddenly he was back in full force and gripping my shoulder again. As I glanced behind me, trying not to pass out, I saw Joey glowing like a hundred-watt bulb.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” I complained. That was when I saw what the screaming was about. Chloe was swearing under her breath and backing away as we both noticed a hooded figure at the end of the hall. It was blacker than black, and it was watching us. My hand immediately went for the light switch. I flipped it on because usually, light repelled a manifestation, but the dark figure remained.

  Joey and Chloe screamed in unison and practically knocked me down as they fled. The black-clad monk figure stepped back and vanished into the wall.

  I couldn’t get out of the hall fast enough. As I scurried down the stairs behind the two terrified investigators, I began to rethink my life.

  “Did you see that? Oh, my God! Did you see that?” Chloe was talking ninety miles to nothing while Joey blinked in and out and fanned himself like a crazy person. “It was there the whole time. What was it? The Grim Reaper? Do we have a reaper in the house? Why is it here, Tamara? Oh, my God! How am I ever going to sleep up there?”

  I might need help, but who was I going to call? I could only think of one person. One local person, anyway. Boy, was he going to love hearing from me. How was I going to get Deputy Patrick to take me seriously and not put me away? Chloe was shaking. Her face was pale, her curls wildly framing her heart-shaped face. For the first time, I could see the resemblance between Chloe and her mother. Dang it, Tina Louise! Why did you have to leave me your kid? I love you, but I don’t want to do anything except get the hell out of here.

  “You two calm down. Stay here, Chloe. I’m going back upstairs. You keep Joey close. Joey, are you listening? You stay here and keep Chloe safe.” I was talking all kinds of brave, but it was the last thing I was feeling. Time to get it together, Tamara Garvey. Woman up.

  “You can’t leave us. Are you sure you want to go back up there? Oh, my God. I can’t believe I saw that…whatever it is. What is it?” She was close to tears, but I couldn’t stop and comfort her. If I did, she’d be scared to death for the rest of her life, and I wouldn’t have the courage I needed to get answers. Joey lingered close to Chloe as she plopped down on the padded bench in the downstairs hallway.

  “I don’t know, but it’s not friendly. Joey, what do you think? Do you know who or what that is?” I asked, hopefully.

  “Really? What, because I’m a spirit and he’s a…whatever, I’m supposed to know him? Way to stereotype a person. Later.” He flickered away, and Chloe frowned at the emptiness beside her.

  “Typical. He’s not good in a crisis. Or in everyday life. Now, what’s your plan? The Ghost isn’t going to babysit me, Tamara.” She raised the camera as she stiffened her back. “If you’re going back up there, I’m going too. You shouldn’t do this by yourself.”

  “There’s no need to—” I began, thinking I could talk her out of it.

  “This is all real, isn’t it? All of it.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Of course, it’s real, Chloe. Joey is real. You’ve seen him every single day since we got here.”

  “I know you’re fond of him, but do you think he has something to do with that horrible thing being here? I mean, if there’s one, doesn’t it attract others? He could be causing all of this. Why not get rid of him? Let’s burn some sage, cleanse the house, and be done with it. Get rid of everything. Forever.”

  “Whoa, Chloe. That’s the nuclear option. We’ve just started our investigation. I can’t and won’t do that to Joey, and I don’t believe you really feel that way. Joey isn’t evil. He doesn’t deserve that. He’s lost and confused. If I can help him, I will, and I can’t do that if I push him out of here. Surely you see that. Wait a second. Is that what Joey was talking about? Have you been saging your room?”

  “It’s my room, isn’t it? He won’t stay out of my clothes.”

  “What else have you been doing? I need to know.”

  “I don’t know. Meditation? That’s all. I haven’t been doing anything wacky like holding séances or playing with Ouija boards. I just don’t want him in my room.”

  “I guess I can’t tell you what to do in your own room, and Joey shouldn’t be invading your space, but please don’t hurt him. Give me time to help him move on.”

  “Is that really the goal? You want to help him move on?”

  “Yes, that’s the goal,” I confessed. Even as I said it, my confession was news to me. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it until that moment. Although I enjoyed his company, it would be wrong to keep him there.

  “Fine. Let’s do it your way then, but if I end up dead, I’m going to be so pissed at you. And if I haunt you…”

  “Don’t say things like that!” It’s not good to tempt fate, I thought but didn’t say. Tina Louise used to make macabre statements like that. She’d threatened to haunt me a few times, too, but that was before. She never did. Losing Chloe wasn’t an option. Not on my watch. “If you’re ready, we’ll go back up. We can’t run this time. We’ve got to face it. It’s time to take our house back. You with me?”

  She jutted her chin out defiantly and rose from the couch with her camera in hand. “If you’re game, I’m game. Let’s do this, Tamara.”

  “Great,” I said as we headed back upstairs to confront the Grim Reaper. For whatever reason, her description stuck in my mind. It was an apt name for the hooded figure. The only thing that was missing was a sickle. “Stay close,” I whispered as we cleared the steps, and I flicked the light off. We were once again standing in complete darkness in the second-floor hallway.

  Time to get this party started.

  12

  Kevin

  Nobody questioned me when I returned to the office with a stack of paperwork. Technically, I was supposed to keep quiet about my cases, but I was eager to talk to someone about them, and Tamara Garvey. Two other deputies were in the break room, the shift about to change, but I didn’t see hide nor hair of Sheriff Jarvis. It felt like everyone knew I was working the cold case files and gave me a wide berth. I'd never been singled out for such a task, so I wasn't sure how much my involvement in this special assignment would stir the pot.

  I had never been one to get involved in office politics, and I didn't want to start now. I waved goodbye to Willie Mae as I hung up the keys to the patrol car and exited the office. I was only a few days into this investigation, and I was extremely frustrated. Annie Hensley's friends either didn't want to share information or they didn't know anything.

  No, Annie wasn't dating anyone when she died.

  No, Annie wasn't on drugs or involved in anything illegal.

  No. No. No.

  How did this professional woman with no personal life and no ties to anything illegal end up dead by Black Snake Creek?

  I’d managed to track down an ex-boyfriend of hers, but he wasn't much help either. He hadn’t seen Annie for a few months before her death, so it wasn't much of a lead. I ran his alibi and verified there was no possible way he was anywhere in or around Crystal Springs on the night of her murder. He was in another part of the country so if that wasn’t a rock-solid alibi, I didn’t know what was.

  I needed to get my mind on something else, and the unexpected invitation from Tamara Garvey fit the bill. I’d been dying to get back in the house, so I sure wasn’t going to pass this opportunity up. Not to mention, I was pretty handy with a crowbar. Of course, I planned on keeping as much information to myself as possible. I’d give her a few crum
bs about past deaths around the Ridaught Plantation for her book or her amusement. I couldn’t be sure which.

  Tamara said six o’clock, but I was ready to go at five-thirty. I killed some time drinking half a beer before heading out. I thought I should have worn my uniform and not blue jeans. Was she expecting Deputy Patrick or plain old Kevin Patrick? She’d offered me dinner, so I imagined this was technically a social call. I couldn’t go empty-handed.

  What did you bring to a dinner invitation? Flowers? No. That would indicate this was a date, and it wasn’t.

  I sailed into Edward’s Pharmacy and patrolled the aisles for a suitable thanks-for-the-dinner-invitation gift. I didn’t think wine or beer would be appropriate. Not everyone drank alcohol. It was a possibility Tamara Garvey was in recovery or not a drinker, and if I brought her booze, it would mean I was enabling her. I couldn’t have that on my conscience.

  I’d watched too much Dr. Phil lately, I thought. I was overthinking this.

  I decided to bring something every woman loved: candy. Not chocolate because that was too date-ish, but hard candy. Candy would be perfect, I hoped. Or not. Maybe I’d just keep the candy. I wouldn’t know for sure until I got there. Everything about this dinner was weird. I left the pharmacy with my candy and headed to the Ridaught Plantation.

  Tamara Garvey, a woman of mystery. Nothing had come up for her name, and I’d done a statewide search. I wanted to run her name through the national database but needed a good reason to do so. I couldn’t just pick up the phone and ask the feds to check out a prankster.

  I shook my head at my own thoughts as I pulled into the driveway. As I climbed up the steps to the front door, I took in the view. It was a beautiful old place, but it was more like a movie set than a home. Miss Garvey must have some money stashed away if she planned on making this place an actual home. Before I could tap the knocker, the door opened. I expected Tamara to step out, but there was no one there. An odd sort of breeze rushed past me, fluttering my hair and my shirt. Then nothing.

  “Hi, I’m a few minutes early,” I offered, but there was no one there. Was this another joke? “Hello?”

  I heard music playing in the distance and footsteps thumping my way. Tamara came to the door, wiping her hands on a blue and white checkered kitchen towel. “Hi, come in. Did Chloe leave the door open like that?”

  “Probably didn’t close it good. Nice to see you. I brought you these.” I handed her the sad plastic bag of hard candy. I felt like a cheap-ass bringing candy to a dinner.

  “Oh. Candy? Halloween candy, too. Great,” she said with a big smile. “I didn’t make a dessert.”

  Idiot. Hard candy? Smooth.

  She welcomed me inside. It was my second visit to the Ridaught Plantation, and this time I wasn’t on the job. It was a work in progress with sparse, dated furniture, but the place had some great things going for it. Hardwood floors, antique trim that appeared to be in good shape. Not bad for a location that had been left empty for so long.

  We paused in a cramped living room. “This is Chloe and her friend Trey. Guys, this is Deputy Patrick.” The teenagers glanced up from their phones, glanced at each other and went back to texting, or whatever they were doing. “Chloe?”

  “Hey,” Chloe said as she put her phone down. “Nice to meet you, Deputy.”

  “Please call me, Kevin. I’m off the clock. Nice to see you, Trey. How’s your dad doing? Feeling better?” Trey paled and shrugged.

  “I guess. I haven’t seen him in a while. Have you?”

  Shoot. Inappropriate, Kevin.

  The senior Trey Burger might not appreciate me putting his business out on the street. It was easy to assume the newbies wouldn’t know all the small-town secrets. Like, Trey’s father was a notorious huffer and had been for years. Huffing was a poor man’s way of getting high. People with his kind of addiction breathed in spray paint, gas fumes, you name it. How the man managed to have a family was beyond me. From what I knew of his activities, he was rarely sober, and whatever brain cells he had left, he’d killed breathing in his favorite chemicals. Big waste of a life. Which was bad for Trey Junior.

  “Sorry. I just meant...sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s not a big deal. I better take this call.” I didn’t hear the phone ring, but Trey put the phone to his ear and walked out of the house, leaving the front door open slightly. Nobody followed him, and I didn’t think anyone noticed he’d left. Chloe had followed Tamara into the kitchen. I hadn’t meant to run the kid off. Cold chills covered my body, but the sensation only lasted a few seconds.

  “Did Trey leave?” Tamara asked as she stepped back in the hallway.

  “Not sure. He went outside. He said something about a phone call.”

  “Come on, Kevin. I made a salad. Are you hungry? I hope so since I think it’s going to be just you and me. Chloe’s got something to do.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I rarely cook for myself, so a home-cooked meal is a treat.”

  “Don’t get excited. It’s a salad, so no home-cooking.”

  “If it didn’t come from a drive-thru or out of a can, it’s home-cooking. I’m sure even your worst dinner would be better than mine. Not that yours will be bad. As you can see, I don’t get many dinner offers.”

  She sat at a small table, her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her. “Oh, I don’t believe that. What would you like to drink? I’ve got cola, tea, and bottled water.”

  “Water is fine with me, ma’am.”

  “It’s ‘Tamara,’ not ma’am, Kevin.” After pouring herself a glass of tea and handing me a bottle of water, she sat with me. I guessed we were waiting for the teenagers, but I was starving. “Any word on our mystery screamer? Any other reports?”

  “No, but I haven’t been in the office much the past few days, Tamara. Have you seen your neighbor lately?” I cracked open the water.

  “No, but I’m sure she’ll be here for the party.”

  “How do you like living here? It’s a big place. I think I could fit four of my apartments in here.”

  “It’s huge,” she told me. “Really huge. You should see my power bill. But it’s Chloe’s place, her family home. I’m here for her. It's only temporary. For me, at least.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Must be nice except for the occasional disembodied scream.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. As I mentioned, I am a writer. I thought it might be a good project to write something about the place, even just for Chloe. She doesn’t know much about her family. They built this place, and maybe it could give us some clues about the screamer.”

  “I’m not sure I follow unless you’re suggesting the history of this house is related to your prankster. You know, come to think of it, there are a lot of people who think this place should stay empty. It could be someone wants you to leave. Small-minded of them, but it’s certainly possible.”

  With a weak smile, she sipped her tea. “I don’t want to believe that, but it’s possible. It happened again, Kevin. We heard it again last night. I went to investigate, but I haven’t found a clue as to who is screaming. It is terrifying to hear, but I guess you know that. It almost doesn’t sound human.”

  “An animal, maybe?” Even as I made the suggestion, I didn’t believe it. I knew what screaming sounded like, human screaming. This particular example was more bloodcurdling but a hundred percent living person. Where was she going with this? “Possums do make strange noises. Squirrels. Lots of creatures burrow into walls and floors, and camp out in attics.”

  “You think it was a squirrel? No offense, but I question your policing skills if you don’t want to admit that was a person and not a marsupial.”

  “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘rodent,’” I joked, trying to dissuade her from becoming even more intense and focused. Tamara had an opinion, and she very much wanted to tell me about it.

  She leaned back in her chair with her head tilted at a pretty angle. “Oh, that’s definitely not the word I was thinking.
”

  “Hey, I’m going to my room. Trey is gone. Later,” Chloe remarked as she shot me a go-to-hell look. I didn’t know the teenager well, but I knew that look. Her foster mom wore it quite frequently.

  “You might want to stick around, Chloe. We’re about to break into the attic. After I show Kevin here my photos of the silver. Don’t you want to see what’s up there?”

  Chloe uncrossed her arms and shoved her hands deep into her baggy jeans. “Count me out. Try not to tear the house apart.” To Tamara, she said, “You should know Joey is back. He’s in your room.”

  Tamara shifted in her seat, and her face paled. She didn’t make eye contact with me, but she knew I was watching. “Okay, thanks. Can’t you keep an eye on him for a while?”

  “Not a chance, Tamara. He’s your responsibility. Not mine.”

  “Fine.” Some sort of strange silent exchange passed between them. They stared at each other as if daring one another to speak and tell a secret—a secret I needed to know. My suspicious mind ran in a thousand directions. Chloe disappeared, and I heard her footsteps echoing up the stairs and down the second-floor hall. Clearly, Tamara Garvey was having a difficult time here. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

  I thought about offering her some untested advice but then decided it best to keep my mouth shut. After a few awkward moments, she reached inside the purse on the chair beside her and pulled out her cell phone. “I have to show you something, Kevin. When you left the other day, well, more stuff happened. It’s going to seem crazy when you see it, but this is no joke. No joke at all. Please, try to have an open mind.”

  “Joey? You didn’t tell me you had a roommate. Maybe I should talk to him.”

  Tamara slid the phone toward me, and I picked it up with an uncommitted shrug. “You have to see this, Kevin.”