3 The Ghoul Next Door

by Rose Pressey

  I still wasn’t sure I knew what he had meant, but I had my suspicions. Did he know more about the spirit world than he’d let on?

  Mindy broke my reverie. “Do you think I’ll be possessed by a demon if I go on this investigation with you? ’Cause that could throw a kink in my plans.”

  I patted her hand. “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about as long as you do what I tell you.”

  I wouldn’t lie to her and say that having a demon become attached to her wasn’t possible. Possession was no walk in the park. I’d seen it before and it still scared the bejeezus out of me. I’d used a Ouija board once when I was young and hadn’t known any better. A nasty demon had come forward that night and it had stayed around me for a long time until one day it just went away. I’d always wondered and waited for the day it would return. Honestly, I’d known better than to use that darn board, but I’d tried it anyway. My world had been turned upside down at the time and I’d been in emotional upheaval, so it was no surprise. It was the teenage years, what could I say? Boy problems, school problems, and not to mention trying to get those little rubber bands attached to my braces on a daily basis. All of that was enough to make anyone a miserable mess, and therefore, quite appealing to demons.

  Had that demon from years ago popped back up again like a nasty rash, only worse? There had to be some explanation for what I’d seen the other night. Perhaps getting involved in a show about demons wasn’t the wisest of decisions. It was like I was just asking for trouble.

  “I’m getting a Diet Coke.” Mindy jumped from her seat, breaking me from my thoughts again. “Do you want one?”

  “No, I’m good.” I stretched in the chair.

  What was taking these people so long anyway? If this really was a joke, I’d be more than a little perturbed. I watched Mindy as she strolled toward the exit sign. Within seconds the door rattled, and Mindy hurried back in, allowing the heavy door to slam shut again. She panted and clutched her chest.

  “My gosh, Mindy. What the heck? Are you all right?” I jumped up from my chair and rushed over.

  “I ran,” she said between pants.

  “Is something chasing you?” A fair question in my line of work. “Should I be concerned?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “No, no.” She waved off my concern. “The producer is walking down the hallway now.”

  “Is that all? No biggie.” Okay, my stomach flipped. I was a little nervous too.

  Mindy leaned down, attempting to catch her breath. “You’re not going to believe who is with him. Go peek out the door.” She gestured with her hand.

  I hurried over to the door and eased it open, trying to stop it from squeaking. “What!”

  “Exactly.” Mindy joined me by the door.

  “What is Cooper Garrett doing with him?”

  Cooper ran the clothing boutique across the street from my bookstore. He’d taken over after his cousin Brianna had used the black magic on Callahan. I still didn’t know how he’d managed to keep the store open and thriving. He had zero fashion sense, but he had psychic ability and it looked as if he was moving in on my gig.

  “I’m guessing that he’s going to be on the show too,” Mindy offered as if she was the psychic.

  The producer had led me to believe I’d be the only psychic, but now all of a sudden we needed another one? Why he’d kept this a secret, I had no idea.

  “He’s probably eye candy for the show. You know, to get ratings,” I said, as I shut the door. I didn’t want them to see us gawking. “That’s the only reason they’d ask him to be on the show. Eye candy.” I was trying to justify my jealousy. There was room for both of us, right?

  “Did someone call me?” Candy Cherry popped up beside me.

  Great. I’d never be able to say the word candy again. “No, we’re talking about something else.” I wanted to shoo her away. Mr. Fine and Elvis still sat at the table, waiting for me to make my next move.

  “Is everything okay?” Elvis asked.

  I nodded. “Everything’s fine.” How could anything be all that bad with him around?

  Mindy waited for me to finish the conversation with the ghosts, then said, “Oh, and you’re not eye candy?”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “No, I’m not. That’s not the reason they hired me.”

  “Calm down, I know, but it’s an added bonus as far as they’re concerned. You two are going to be like Paranormal Ken and Barbie.”

  “I’ll never be a Barbie. My waist isn’t small enough and my hips are too wide. And I like it that way.”

  She took a drink of her soda. “You know what I mean.”

  The door rattled as Matt opened it. “Cooper’s going to get a butt-kicking by the first demon he comes in contact with and I’m not sure if there’s a thing I can do to stop it,” I whispered to Mindy.

  “I guess he’ll learn the hard way. Here they come.” Mindy smoothed down her shirt with her hand, then wiped her forehead. “Fix your hair.”

  “Are you primping?” I laughed. She was primping. We weren’t even on the show yet and she was worried about her appearance.

  I chastised Mindy, but I found myself wondering if my lip gloss had smudged. I couldn’t help myself. Was my hair frizzy yet? The humidity was at its daily high. I ran my hands over my hair and rubbed my lips together, checking to see if remnants of gloss remained.

  “I can’t believe Cooper is here.” Candy Cherry said.

  I whipped around and looked at her. How did she know Cooper?

  “Look at this clown,” Mr. Fine said. “He thinks he’s some kind of hot-shot.”

  In spite of my frustration with having to share the show with someone who obviously didn’t give a grasshopper’s hind leg about taking his talents seriously, I had to suck it up and work with the guy. If in fact that was why he was there. But why else?

  Matt Kelly, the producer closed the distance between us with Cooper strolling closely behind him. Matt was lean, but well-muscled and tanned. Probably from too much vacation time. His white buttoned-up shirt needed at least one more button secured. No one needed to see that much of his chest. The gray in his salt-and-pepper hair matched his pants. He was what Mindy referred to as a silver fox.

  “You guys found it.” He moved toward us with big steps.

  “Well, we are from Magnolia. It’s kind of hard not to know where everything is,” I said.

  I eyed Cooper with a slight smirk. We stared at each other as if we were in a shootout. No way would I allow him to win.

  “Touché. Touché. Listen, I’m really excited to get started.” Matt clapped his hands together, then stretched his hand toward me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Larue. I’ve heard a lot of good things.”

  “Thank you.” I shook his hand.

  “Larue, I’d like for you to meet your new co-host, Cooper Garrett.” Matt gestured to his side.

  He knew good and well that we’d already met. I stared the men down. “I know Cooper.”

  “Right, well, I thought he’d be a good addition to the team. I met him last night at Homestead Tavern. His ability to speak with spirits is spot-on, so I knew he had to be a part of the show.”

  Cooper winked. He could be such a pain in the butt.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I couldn’t deny that I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be doing the show alone. I was the kind of person who liked to be in control of the situation. With Cooper involved, I knew I wouldn’t be in complete control.

  Matt gestured toward the table. “Please have a seat and we’ll go over a few details. Plus I have a few papers for you to sign.”

  Mindy and I reclaimed our seats. Matt and Cooper sat across from us. My ghosts took a table closer to us so they could eavesdrop. Cooper glanced over at them and smiled. Candy Cherry winked at him. What was that all about?

  “This is my assistant, Mindy Winters. She’s here to help. I hope that we’ll be okay?”

  Cooper snorted. I wanted to kick him under the tab
le but he was sitting too far away.

  Matt looked Mindy up and down, then said, “Sure. That’ll be fine.” He handed us several forms. “Just sign on the dotted line and we’ll be all set.”

  I took my time reading over the pages, but Mindy just signed as if the pen was on fire. Luckily for her, as far as I could tell everything seemed pretty straight-forward.

  Matt took the papers and placed them back in his briefcase. “We’ll go to the home tomorrow. It’s not far away. We’ll come by your home and pick you up if that’s okay?”

  I nodded. “Sure, that’s fine.”

  “You and Cooper will interview the family. We have some tech guys who’ll run the equipment.” He leaned back against the chair and folded his hands together.

  “How will we know what to do? We’ve never done this before. Well, I’ve never done anything like this. I have no idea about Cooper.” I gestured with a tilt of my head.

  Matt shrugged. “Just do what comes naturally.” His cell rang and he walked away leaving me with Cooper.

  “So we’re doing the show together,” I said, meeting his gaze.

  Cooper flashed a wide smile. “It looks that way. This can lead to many more opportunities, you know.”

  I snorted. “Do you know how many people say that? We’ll get fifteen minutes if we’re lucky, and I’m fine with that.”

  He shrugged. “I disagree with you. I don’t think I’ll ever get an opportunity like this again, so I’m going to use it to my advantage.”

  “I doubt there’ll be any advantage for you,” Mr. Fine said.

  “You should keep your opinions to yourself,” Cooper snapped.

  Candy Cherry glared at Mr. Fine and he didn’t retort. She seemed to have some sort of hold over him. Elvis wasn’t affected though. He looked as if he wanted no part of their antics. I wanted to ignore Cooper, Mr. Fine and Candy, but I didn’t have that luxury.

  Mindy jumped up. “While you two bicker, I’m going to place a couple calls. I have to tell the few remaining people who don’t know that I’m going to be on TV.”

  I watched Mindy march out of the room, then I focused on Cooper again. “You got this chance once. Who’s to say it won’t come around again?”

  He hesitated, then said, “We have to make the most of this. I know you wanted to be the only host, but it is what it is. You may not want to work with me, but if you want the show to succeed, then we'll get through it.”

  He had me there. “Why in heaven’s name are you doing this show?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

  “What do you mean? It’s a chance for me to be discovered for my many talents.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll have fame and fortune.”

  I scoffed.

  “Come on, Larue, I’m doing it for the same reasons that you’re doing it.” He leaned back in his chair. If the chair tumbled back and he landed on his butt, I wouldn’t hesitate to laugh out loud.

  “Oh, and you know why I’m doing it?” I scowled.

  He eased forward in the chair. Now I wouldn’t have the chance to laugh at him. Given time, he’d do something else snicker-worthy. “Because it’ll be fun. A new experience. Something we can tell our grandkids.” He winked.

  Well, Cooper did have me there. I guessed he did know why I was doing it. It would be a unique experience, and I couldn’t blame him for not turning it down. I was just being selfish wanting to be the only psychic on the show. I had better character than that, and I needed to apologize to him for my snappiness.

  “What does he mean, your grandkids?” Candy Cherry asked.

  “Not our kids together.” I pointed between Cooper and me. “Our children in general… with other people. And what do you care anyway?” I paused. “Never mind. I don’t have time to listen to the answer, nor do I care.”

  Cooper flashed a smile again.

  Apparently, he thought his smile was infectious.

  “You’re right, Cooper. It will be an awesome time and I’m glad you’re doing the show with me.” I smiled. “Just don’t embarrass me, okay?”

  “You got it, sunshine. I wouldn’t think of it.” The corners of his lips tilted up into a devilish grin.

  I shook my head. How had I ended up dealing with a pain-in-the-butt living person? That was a job usually reserved for the dead.

  “You don’t want me to invade your paranormal turf, do you?” He traced the rim of the water glass with his finger and looked at me for an answer.

  “Well, there has been only one psychic in Magnolia for quite some time. Actually, forever as far as I know.” I took a drink from my glass.

  “I won’t get in your way. I promise.” He crossed his heart with his index finger.

  “Like I said, you’d better not do anything to embarrass me,” I warned with a wave of my finger.

  “Who, me? What could I possibly do that would embarrass you?” He leaned back in the chair again.

  “We’ll be on television. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  “I’m insulted that you’d think so little of me.” He frowned, pretending to put on a sad face.

  I snorted. “You are never insulted.”

  “You’re right.” He looked very pleased with himself.

  “I guess I’ll have to deal with it,” I said.

  “There’s plenty of room for both of us. We have slightly different talents. You see the spirits better than I do. So you’re obviously the better psychic.” He glanced over at the ghosts. Mr. Fine was singing to Elvis again. Cooper shook his head.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?” He met my gaze.

  “You’re being nice and flattering me. That means you have to want something.”

  “Nothing. Don’t be so suspicious. Can’t a guy be nice?”

  “A guy can. You? I’m not so sure.”

  “I’m not all that bad once you get to know me.”

  I quirked a brow. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  Someone coughed from behind and I whirled around.

  Apparently, Matt had been listening from behind us. “I love this. If you all could fight like this on air it would be fantastic. You’ve really got some chemistry going on and I think the audience would love it. Keep it going.” His phone rang again and he took off.

  I rolled my eyes. If he thought I was going to fake anything just for ratings, he had another think coming. I wasn’t the girl for the show if that was what he wanted. And I’d tell him as much too.

  Cooper leaned forward. “It’s not so much chemistry as it is our difference of opinion. See, I think differently about what we’re seeing. You’re probably picking up on that difference of opinion. I believe most of what we’re encountering is demonic. The spirits hanging around that she thinks are so nice are really bad. The other ghosts that don’t talk are just in a different dimension.”

  I couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “You have got to be kidding. I can’t believe you actually think that’s logical.”

  “It’s what I believe.” He shrugged.

  “Well, it’s not what I believe. And maybe you should let me do all the talking to the spirits. I’ve encountered many nice spirits. What about Abraham Lincoln, Mae West and Callahan’s grandfather? Oh, and don’t get me started about Elvis. Those are fighting words.”

  Cooper looked over my shoulder at the ghost table. “What about Candy Cherry over there and that other Dapper Dan fellow?”

  “I don’t know about them, but I know the others were nice.”

  “How do you prove it?” he asked.

  “I don’t need to prove anything to you.”

  He smiled. I couldn’t determine if he really believed what he’d just said or if he was just yanking my chain.

  “So what do you think we’re headed into? Do you think the demons that you’ve read so much about are waiting for us? Are they from a different dimension?”

  “Oh no, they’re from hell. I suspect there’s a demonic possession from what Matt told
me.”

  “Well, he must have shared a lot more information with you than he did with me. I didn’t get any details.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Psychical attacks, scratches, religious objects being thrown around the room by unseen hands.”

  “Have you ever dealt with anything like this before?” I looked around the room while waiting for him to come up with his answer. Mindy was still on the phone and Elvis looked as if he needed to be rescued from Mr. Fine. I’d have to save him soon.

  Cooper took too long of a pause, which gave me the answer I was looking for. “I haven’t witnessed anything first-hand, per se. But I’ve read extensively about it.”

  “How have you kept the spirits away? I have to fight them off all the time.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve just never had to deal with them.”

  There was something he wasn’t sharing with me. There was no way the spirits just stayed away voluntarily. No one could be that lucky. “Just be careful,” I warned.

  “I can hold my own though. I’ll be fine,” he said.

  I nodded. “I know you will. Maybe Matt is wrong. The client could be exaggerating. I’ve seen people do it all the time. It doesn’t mean they’re faking it or doing on purpose. It’s just sometimes their imaginations get the better of them.”

  “I guess we’re about to find out.”

  Matt finally stopped talking on his phone and hurried back over. “So, we’ll get started bright and early in the morning. It’ll be a long day of filming. Get your rest tonight.” He flashed his unnaturally white smile. “You’re going to need it.”

  Did Matt know more than he was sharing? Maybe I’d signed on for more than I could handle.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After briefing us on what was to happen the next morning, Mindy and I left Cooper and Matt so that I could open the Book Nook. I didn’t want to deprive the people of Magnolia of their books for too long. They needed me... they needed books. Mindy headed off to run a few errands before promising to come back and discuss what we’d wear for the show tomorrow. I hadn’t even thought about the ordeal of picking out an outfit.