02 Ghouls Night Out - Larue Donavan

by Rose Pressey

  “Right. Of course you know you’re Mae West.” I glanced around to make sure we were alone. “Okay, I have to ask. Why are you hanging around a complete stranger’s bedroom? You have to admit that is a tad bit odd.”

  She let out a hearty laugh, glided over to the large ottoman in the corner, and slid down. I stepped back, just in case she wasn’t who she appeared to be. Demons could take on a disguise. They were sneaky like that sometimes. Better safe than sorry.

  “Darlin’, I certainly didn’t ask to be here. Don’t you think I’d pick someplace fancier than this? I’m stuck here. Those teenagers playing around with that Ouija board called to me and I made the mistake of answering. Once I got here, I couldn’t leave.” She adjusted her cleavage within the tight restraints of the corset. By the smiled plastered on Seth’s face, he was enjoying the show.

  “What do you mean you couldn’t leave?” I asked.

  “I’m stuck. I don’t know why. Anyway, it’s not been all bad. Once you see him, you’ll know what I mean.” Her lips curled up at the sides, revealing a huge smile.

  “Him? Exactly whom are you talking about?” This was getting weirder by the minute.

  Seth sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hat beside him, then crossed his legs. He seemed thoroughly interested. A cold air descended on the room. My breath whipped from my mouth, dancing in front of me. From the left corner of the room, beside the closet, a whirling mist appeared. Right before my eyes, it took shape. A human form. As if watching a teleportation device, a spirit manifested from the thin veil of the Other World.

  His features developed. Slowly, the eyes appeared, then the strong cheekbones, and the full lips. Wow—a gorgeous ghost. His chiseled cheekbones flowed right down to perfectly sculpted lips and his big brown eyes shone behind thick eyelashes. His black locks were cut in a short style and his muscular frame bulged beneath his jeans and tight-fitting T-shirt. He looked as if he’d stepped out of a time machine from the 1950s. Kind of like a dark-haired version of James Dean. Very Rebel Without a Cause.

  “I’d like you to meet the former owner of this house,” Mae announced. “Isn’t he a doll?”

  “How ya doing, baby?” He leaned against the wall, as casual as if he were still among the living.

  So this was the reason Mae refused to leave. She had herself a young one, too.

  “I’m just great. Just peachy,” I said.

  How bizarre was this situation? And I’d been in some pretty strange predicaments as of late, but this had top honors in the weird department. How many ghosts were in this house, anyway? I needed to remain professional. Well, as professional as one could be while talking to apparitions.

  “I guess you guys may be wondering how I can see you,” I said.

  “Who’s the old man?” James Dean look-alike nodded toward Seth.

  “He’s not an old man. His name is Mr. Seth Weiss, and he’s a friend of mine.” I stood my ground. I wouldn’t let him bully Callahan’s grandfather.

  Fifties guy crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Look, Seth, I don’t think we really have room for any more people around here. Mae takes up too much room as it is.”

  Mae let out a huff.

  Anthony glanced over at Mae and back to me. “You have to watch what you say around this one.” He pointed at Mae. “Everything she says can be taken about four different ways.”

  I stifled a giggle, then regained my composure. “Listen, y’all.” I clapped my hands and spoke, interrupting the brewing conflict. “So anyway, I’ve been called in to help you guys move on. You know, to heaven.” I gestured toward the ceiling.

  “Are you here with the rest of that bunch of crazy cats?” Fifties guy asked.

  “Um, yes, I’m with them, but they’re not crazy.”

  “They act crazy. How come you can see us and they can’t?” he asked.

  “I don’t really have an answer for that, it’s just a gift I have, I guess.” I shrugged.

  “She’s a witch, darlin’.” Mae smiled, then winked at Seth.

  I frowned. “No, I’m not a witch, I’m a medium.”

  They looked at me, as if pondering the word.

  “Well, I own this house and I’m happy hanging around. I’m even happier now that you’re here.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Heat rose to my cheeks. Without thinking, I giggled. What was the matter with me? He was an argumentative apparition, for heaven’s sake. I straightened, regaining my composure. “What’s your name, can you tell me that much?”

  “Anthony Harris. You are beautiful, you know?”

  He was flirting with me. As sure as I stood in the bedroom of a stranger’s house, he was flirting. “Thank you,” I said matter-of-factly.

  I needed to get rid of him, pronto. Not to mention, stop encouraging his flirtatious behavior. Plus, I had to get to the task at hand, the reason I was there to begin with—moving these two into the light.

  “I’m not sure if y’all know this, but…how do I say this…you’re dead.”

  Might as well just blurt it out, right? I never knew how to phrase that little statement, how to make it not sound so abrupt. They cast a glance at each other and then burst into laughter as if I was the main stand up act at a comedy club.

  “Yeah, we’ve figured that much out, sweetheart.” Anthony smiled.

  Thank goodness. That was the hardest part. At least they already knew, although they made me feel a little stupid for asking. “Well, you can’t blame a girl for asking, can you? You’d be surprised at how many ghosts, er, people just don’t get it. You understand you need to move on and let the living enjoy this home in peace.” I held my breath waiting for an answer, but they remained tight-lipped. I continued, “You can’t harass the current homeowners, and frankly, Ms. West, I’m shocked that you would do such a thing.”

  Guilt sometimes worked. I’d try any tactic at this point.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re being frank, darlin’. I was only having a little fun. Do you have any idea how boring it is to be dead?” She adjusted her cleavage.

  “I can imagine it’s not exactly a party.”

  The former homeowner said, “You got that right. I can tell you right now…I’m not going anywhere. I own this home and I don’t see any reason to leave. Unless of course, it’s to be near you.” He grinned.

  Ugh. Again with the flirting.

  “Look, you said yourself it’s boring.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I wouldn’t give up easily.

  “No, she said that.” He pointed to Mae. “I’m fine. She came in and stirred up trouble. The strangers with all the funny gadgets wouldn’t be here if not for her. Although, now that you’re here, I’m grateful. Did anyone ever tell you that you have the most engaging eyes? The most gorgeous long black hair?” he asked.

  “She has a boyfriend,” Seth piped up, folding his arms in front of his puffed out chest.

  Was Callahan my boyfriend? I didn’t think we were quite at that level yet, but I didn’t remind Seth. No need to open that can of worms right now. Anthony shrugged his shoulders. I got the impression he didn’t care about my relationship status.

  “It’s getting late, could we wrap this up?” Seth asked with impatience.

  I should have reminded him no one was forcing him to hang around. All of a sudden, he was Callahan’s watchman. Where had he been when Callahan had the nasty love spell placed on him by the former bad girl in town?

  “I suppose if I asked you all to go into the light, you wouldn’t, huh?”

  They shook their heads in unison.

  Huh, well, that wasn’t going to work. What kind of ghost hunter was I? Lack of confidence wasn’t my style, at least not where ghosts were concerned—I needed to be forceful with this bunch.

  “Can I ask y’all to be quiet and leave the new homeowners alone?” I almost held my breath with anticipation of the answer.

  “Sure, we can do that,” Mae answered. “I’m a woman of very few words, but lots of action.” She flashed a h
uge smile.

  Just like that? I didn’t trust her. Was she telling me the truth? “Starting now? No more antics?”

  “Yes, starting right now,” she said.

  I could have sworn I saw Mae wink at Anthony. I hoped they weren’t playing a trick on me. Before I could ask, both spirits disappeared into the air, leaving nothing, not even a misty residue. No puffs of smoke. No misty forms. Just gone, as if they’d been on television and someone had turned off the channel. The room was silent.

  “Good job, Larue. Callahan really got a great catch with you.” Seth stood and plopped his fedora back on top of his head. “So this is what you do in your spare time. Interesting.” He moved toward the door, waiting for me to open it. As if he couldn’t just walk on through.

  Being psychic made my life unusual, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much. Ghosts constantly badgering me could be over-the-top annoying. The events altered my life; there was no way around it. Having my date’s dead grandfather hanging around was what I considered not one of the good aspects. I hadn’t even met any of his living family members yet, for heaven’s sake.

  “Larue, are you all right? I’m worried about you,” Callahan called from the hallway, his voice full of uncertainty.

  “I’d leave her alone if I were you,” Mark’s voice carried through the door.

  “It’s too quiet. I need to know what’s going on.” Callahan’s voice grew closer.

  Uh-oh, trouble was a brewin’.

  Chapter Four

  “It sounds as if you’d better settle my worrywart of a grandson down.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, before he breaks the door down.”

  I grabbed the knob and glanced over my shoulder one last time. The room remained empty and still. After claiming they weren’t going anywhere, I knew this ghost-busting fest wasn’t over. A gnawing feeling churned in my stomach—it felt just like the time Mindy had served me expired cheese on a cheeseburger, except this time, neither food nor negligent best friends were involved. But the homeowners’ claims about an evil spirit nagged at me. Surely Mae or Anthony hadn’t been the responsible party. Maybe an unseen force still lingered in the home?

  As I stepped from the room, Callahan met me.

  “Are you all right? What’s going on?” he asked with an edge in his voice.

  “I’m fine. Just doing my job. No reason to worry.” I smiled. “Come on. Let’s go back to the others.” I looped my arm through his.

  Mark moved down the hallway as I turned around. “I told him you were fine.”

  “It’s okay, Mark.” I smiled. “He’s new to all this, cut him some slack.” I released my hold on Callahan, as much as I hated to, then grabbed Mark’s arm.

  I guided Mark back down the hall, while giving a wink to Callahan. “I need to update Mark on some of my observations.”

  He gave a half-hearted smile. Which was exactly why I wasn’t sure about him offering to come on this investigation in the first place. After all, we’d only been on three dates. He’d been under a love spell and almost married to another woman less than forty-eight hours ago. Okay, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. Don’t think I’m a home-wrecker. The evil witch who owned the high-end designer fashion boutique across the street had placed a spell on Callahan. Thank goodness with the help of the local coven and their leader, Karyn Bentley, I’d been able to rid him of the said spell.

  When we reached the living room once again, I pulled Mark aside. “I need to talk with you in private,” I whispered.

  The sensation of being watched sweep over me. I glanced over my shoulder at Callahan. He observed us with every ounce of his attention. If he read lips, I was in big trouble.

  “Sure, we can go to the kitchen, I guess. As long as you think it’s safe.” Mark looked over his shoulder, as if he thought someone stood behind him.

  “I think it’s safe.” I nodded.

  Callahan’s gaze bored into the side of my head. I acknowledged his stare with a smile. “Callahan, I need to speak with Mark, then we can get out of here.”

  “Take your time,” he said with a worried look. His expression didn’t instill confidence. He looked uncomfortable. Once this was over, I hoped we could pick up where we had left off. Continue a normal date—it wasn’t too late. Yet. Although, the searching for a demon thing was definitely a romantic mood killer.

  Mark and I slipped into the kitchen. The only light in the small space came from the hallway. I eased next to the small table and leaned against a chair. “Mark, there were two spirits back in the main bedroom.” I held up two fingers.

  “Wow, what happened?” He stared while his stance remained ramrod straight. “Tell me everything,” he whispered.

  “You’re not going to believe this…” I looked over my shoulder. “…but one of them was Mae West.”

  Mark scrunched his brow and leaned back against the counter. “You’re right. I don’t believe you. Larue, I don’t think this is the time for pranks. This is serious.”

  “Look, I am serious. I just got rid of Abraham Lincoln, what makes you so surprised that Mae West would pop up?” My voice had gotten louder than I’d meant, so I glanced back toward the hallway. No one appeared to be listening. Thankfully, the oppressive feeling had disappeared. The spirits must have truly meant what they’d said. Why was I suspicious of that? The twinkle in Anthony’s eyes told me he never surrendered that easily.

  Mark moved forward and glanced out into the hallway, then back at me. “No, it’s not that, but why here? I mean, of all places. Why not Hollywood?”

  “I gave up on trying to understand ghosts years ago. It’s worse than trying to figure out men. No offense,” I said.

  “None taken,” he said drily.

  “But anyway, the current homeowners held a séance. Did they tell you that?”

  “Yes, they mentioned it. I told them never to do it again,” he said.

  “I hate when people do that. Apparently, they wanted to speak with Mae West, and they got her. Man, did they ever. But she’s not the only ghost. There was a man already here, and I think Mae is quite partial to him, if you know what I mean.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

  “Mae West has the hots for another ghost who’s stuck in the house?” He chuckled. “This is classic. If I didn’t know you so well, I’d think you were full of shit. Excuse my language.”

  “You’re excused, and thanks for the vote of confidence. Anyway…they were stuck in the house, thank you very much. I’ve convinced them to move on.”

  He leaned against the counter again. “You’re good.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “What can I say, I have a gift. When I ask a ghost to leave, they listen.”

  Chapter Five

  Callahan’s car wasn’t large enough for me, him, and three ghosts. Plus, Mae West’s hat took up a considerable amount of room.

  “This backseat is too small for all of us.” Mae twisted in the middle spot. Her curvy bottom wedged between Seth and Anthony.

  “Why did you invite these two?” Seth asked, then crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  I couldn’t answer. Not without Callahan thinking I was one buckle short from being permanently placed in a straightjacket. Darn it all. I’d just gotten rid of a gang of ghosts and now I had three new ones. And what was with the famous ghosts? Didn’t they have souls to entertain in heaven? Performing in heaven had to be better than being stuck between worlds. My number one priority was to get rid of them as soon as I got home.

  “Are you hungry?” Callahan asked as we headed down the highway toward Magnolia, the little town we called home.

  We both had shops in the quaint and cozy historic section of town. It was lined with stone buildings and brick sidewalks. Huge planters sat along the sidewalks with overflowing flowers. Some of the shops had awnings covering their entrances, while others had clever signs dangling gently over the doors.

  “Yes, I’m starving.”

  Forget the delicate act. I needed nourishment and I wanted it now. Hidi
ng my hefty appetite for much longer wasn’t an option. It would eventually show itself anyway, blueberry doughnut crumb covered and all. One of my favorite things was blueberry doughnuts from the little shop in town. I prayed I didn’t have to stop eating them since Callahan sold pastries at his coffee shop. His place was adjacent to my bookstore. Only a brick wall separated our shops. His front door was a few steps away from mine.

  Another aspect of my life would eventually show itself as well, the fact that ghosts talked to me and I talked back. For right now, I would ignore that predicament and concentrate on my date. I’d worked hard for my night out with Callahan, darn it. Now I wanted to enjoy it. Never mind the fact that the backseat of his car was suddenly a portal to the Other World.

  Anthony cleared his throat, attempting to capture my attention. I’d gotten good at ignoring ghosts over the years. I didn’t even bat an eyelash when he spoke.

  “Did you know your hair shines even in the dark? When the streetlight pops up, it gives me a glimpse of your beautiful face. My stomach does cartwheels.” Anthony sighed.

  Normally I’d be flattered by those compliments, if not for the fact they came from a ghost. I wanted so badly to turn around and tell him to button his lip.

  “So I was a little surprised by the investigation. I thought you’d use more equipment.” Callahan steered around a curve.

  “Normally, I would have, but I didn’t think it was necessary in that situation. Sometimes people just have an overactive imagination. Most of the time that’s the case.”

  “So that was what was going on back there?” he asked.

  “Yes, no haunting going on there that I can tell.”

  Nope, no haunting…anymore. The haunting was now in Callahan’s backseat.

  The next little town we came to boasted a large sign for Mimi’s Café. “Down home Southern cookin’ at its finest” proclaimed the sign out front. It sounded perfect to me.

  “How’s this?” Callahan asked, flashing his pearly whites.

  “It’s perfect, thank you.”