Ghost for Sale

by Sandra Cox

“He said he couldn’t find her. Couldn’t reach her.”

  Excitement rose in my throat and bubbled out my mouth. “Has he been to the hotel?”

  “He didn’t say. Is it important?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. But any information we can get at this point has got to help us, bring us one step closer to solving the puzzle.”

  I took a quick look around, jerked the wheel, and made a U turn. Liam grabbed the door handle to keep from landing in my lap. “What in the name of all that’s holy are you doing?”

  “Going back to see William. Let’s find out if he’s been to the hotel. I’m betting he has, that he’s the reason the place is getting trashed. And if he has, what are the parameters? How close can he get to her?” I gave him a sideways glance. “And maybe with the two of you together, he can make it to her side.”

  “You’re brilliant, lass.” His smile brightened the car’s interior as he caught my excitement.

  “We’ll see if I’m brilliant or not. I can’t park in front of the house because of the nosy neighbor. Any ideas?”

  “There used to be an alley out back. Let’s try that.”

  I cut over a block and then up. I looked around uneasily. William’s house was nice and in the historical district. This area might have been nice at one time, but right now it made my skin crawl.

  “This may not be such a good idea. It’s not like I remember,” he said as the car inched down the narrow, dark alley.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. If I get in any trouble, I’ll just leave and drive around the block. If the old biddy sees me, she sees me.” I shrugged.

  “Lock the door.”

  “Right.” I pressed the locks down.

  “So, you’ll find out if William has been to the hotel and if he’s willing to go back with you. Right?”

  He nodded.

  “If he is, we’ll go back and see how the other ghost does against the both of you.”

  “Yes. Be careful. At the least sign of trouble, you leave.” Whoosh. He was gone.

  The car running, I checked my phone for messages, then fiddled with the radio.

  “Crap.” The rearview mirror showed two young men with baggy pants and straggly hair approaching. I turned down the music.

  The men flanked the car. Nerves crawled up my spine.

  The guy on my side leaned against the door and circled with his finger. “Roll down the window, pretty momma.” He was close enough I could hear him through the glass.

  I shook my head.

  “Now that’s not very friendly.”

  The other one rattled the door handle.

  “Oh great, where’s a policeman when you need him,” I muttered.

  “Come on.” The one on my side smiled and winked.

  All I’ve got to do is stall them. I stared straight ahead. As he pounded his palm against the window, my chest tightened and my heart raced.

  He stepped back and suddenly the car began to rock. The young hoodlums giggled hysterically as they pushed the car back and forth between them. As heat shot through me, my fear disappeared. “Hey, you jerks, cut it out!” They laughed and continued to rock the car.

  I laid on the horn.

  The rocking stopped. The guy on my side glared at me, and I glared back until he pulled out a knife and started toward my tires.

  “Don’t you dare!” I pushed open the door, hoping to knock him flat.

  The door slammed shut, and the knife went flying through the air as Liam shoved him backward. The punk stumbled and looked wildly around. “What the hell?”

  “What’s wrong with you, Jake?” his friend yelled.

  Jake batted his hands, then turned to run. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Liam put a well-placed boot to his rear and moved him along even quicker. Jake stumbled and took off running, his sidekick trotting after him, looking back in a bewildered fashion.

  Liam glided into the car, his expression grim. “Let’s go.”

  I backed the car down the alley. My two antagonists disappeared around the corner in the opposite direction.

  “Thanks for that.” My muscles loosened and my breath whished out.

  Liam didn’t respond. His features were sharp and defined to the point he was practically glowing.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Jeez-us, girl, what were you thinking? You could have been seriously hurt back there. Honking the horn was smart. What made you get out of the car?”

  “They were going to slash my tires.”

  “Better your tires than your throat.” His arms were crossed, and his features looked like a thunderstorm about to break. Waves of disapproval radiated off him.

  “Maybe you’re right,” I conceded.

  “Maybe?”

  “For the sake of argument, let’s say you are right. I just lost it, okay? It was stupid. I’m sorry.”

  He sighed. “Caitlin, if something happened to you, I don’t think I could bear it. Just have a care, all right?”

  I threw him a quick smile. “Most certainly. What did you find out?”

  He accepted the change in conversation. “You were right. He can get as far as opening the door to the lobby; then he’s met with a force field he can’t get past.

  “So he knew Anna was there?”

  “No, not for sure. It just seemed, to him, to be the logical place she’d be.”

  “Why do you suppose he can move around and you and Anna haven’t been able to until recently?”

  “Good question.” He thrummed his fingers on the side of the car. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s got something to do with our deaths. Mine and Anna’s were violent.” He lifted and dropped his shoulders. “He’s locked in the past and almost never ventures from the house he built for her. He thinks she’ll come to him.”

  “And she thinks he’ll come to her.” Pity surged through me and my eyelids heated. I blinked back moisture. “Well we are going to do something about that.”

  “Yes, we are. William and I will check out the hotel.”

  “You aren’t leaving me out of this!”

  “Be reasonable, lass. You’ll make Miss Aileen suspicious.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “I saw an ice cream parlor a block down. Why don’t you wait for me there?”

  We’d reached the hotel. Against my better judgment, I drove past. “Pat me on the head and buy me ice cream. What am I, two years old?” I grumbled.

  As I pulled into a parking spot in front of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, I caught him biting back a smile.

  “It’s not funny. I should be going with you. And if it wasn’t for the fact I probably would make Aileen suspicious, I’d do just that.”

  He reached his hand in the direction of my hair, then dropped it. “Lass, my heart stopped when I saw that hooligan with a knife. Let’s not tempt fate. I don’t want you around whatever is keeping Anna and…” He cleared his throat. “Apart. Humans are frail and damage easily.”

  “What if it hurts you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “What can it do to me? I’ll be back soon.”

  And like that, he was gone. My insides were churning. Maybe ice cream wasn’t a bad idea after all. A bell tinkled cheerfully as I opened the door. I walked to the counter and ordered a large hot-fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. Two bites into the sinful, warm sauce and my equilibrium righted. By the time Liam returned I had finished the ice cream and was licking the spoon. As soon as I saw him, I jumped up and hurried outside. “Well?” I demanded once we were inside the car.

  He shook his head. “Even with the two of us together, we couldn’t break through the barrier. We got to the base of the stairs, which is farther than William said he’s ever got, and then things started flying through the air, and we decided we’d better leave.”

  “Was anyone hurt?” Nerves thrummed through me.

  “No. Thank goodness, no one w
as in the lobby. It was a good idea, lass. But whatever force is keeping us out, it’s stronger than both of us.”

  “No point in trying again?”

  “No, it’s not the way to combat it. We’ve got to think of something else.”

  “Okay, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  He smiled. “That’s one of the many things I…like about you.”

  My tummy tingled. Had he been about to say love?

  “You never give up and you never get discouraged.”

  “Well that may be a slight exaggeration, but I don’t plan on giving up on this.”

  As we left town, my cell phone rang. I reached for it with one hand, my other on the steering wheel.

  “Maybe you should take that later.” Liam glanced at the phone, then at the road.

  “I’m okay.” Before he could object further, I answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Caitlin.”

  “Hi, Patrick.” Tension left my body. The realm of the supernatural was replaced by the here and now, and sunshine.

  “What are you up to?”

  Tracking down ghosts. “If I tell you, don’t laugh.”

  “I probably won’t.”

  “I like that about you. You don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Did I mention I’m planning on majoring in Journalism?” As of just this moment. Though the seed had been planted long ago.

  “No, you didn’t. And this has a bearing on what you’re doing?”

  “Right.” The wind blew through the open window and whipped my hair in my eyes. But I didn’t have a free hand to get it out of my face.

  A mild electrical current rippled across my face as my hair was tucked behind my ear. Liam eased back in his seat.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  I yelped and dropped the phone face down on my lap, which is what I should have done in the first place. “Thanks.” I still tingled. I took a quick glance in the mirror, at least my hair wasn’t standing on end or singed.

  I picked up the phone. “Patrick, I’ll call you back.” As soon as I saw a rest area, I pulled in. A couple dozen cars were in the parking lot. Several people walked their dogs. Others ambled toward the restrooms or the vending machines.

  I hit redial.

  “Caitlin?”

  “Sorry, I was trying to drive on the road and had to pull over.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Just a little shocked.

  “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You screeched.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Okay. So what were you saying before you didn’t screech.”

  “Funny guy. I was saying I’m researching ghosts in Virginia. If I can get some decent material, I’ll write an article and turn it in to the local paper.”

  “Wow. That’s cool. You’re out gathering material then?”

  “Yup.” My attention was caught by a Lab and his owner playing tug of war on the other side of the sidewalk. The Lab was winning.

  “Where at?”

  “Ruby Falls. I’m on my way back home.”

  “You’ll have to tell me all about it this evening.”

  “This evening?” My mind went blank.

  “We’ve got a date, remember?”

  “Of course I remember,” I lied. It was hard to concentrate on ordinary things like social engagements when you were ghost hunting.

  “How do you like picnics?”

  I hadn’t been on a picnic since I was a kid. “It takes me back. I like picnics.”

  “There’s a band contest in the park tonight. I thought we could take a picnic basket and listen to the local talent.”

  “Sounds like fun. When?”

  “Six?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Are you comfortable with me picking you up?”

  Second date, but the third evening I’d spent time with him. “Yes, I am.” I rattled off the address.

  “I’ll see you at six.”

  I hung up and glanced at Liam, then pulled back onto the road, wondering what had brought that pensive expression to his face.

  “Are you going to tell him about me?”

  The question hung in the air between us.

  “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

  “You told him you were writing a paper and that you’d tell him all about it tonight.” His voice held a strained quality. He stared straight ahead.

  “Liam, my dad always says if you have to lie, stick as close to the truth as possible. You’ll be less likely to get tripped up.”

  “I like your father. He’s a good man. He reminds me a bit of my da.” Like a kid, he stuck his arm out the window to catch the wind.

  “If I ever did write a piece on you, would you care?” I hadn’t thought of it as a possibility till now.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s one thing for your family and friends to know your history. It’s another to be splashed across the front pages of a newspaper.”

  “Well I don’t think getting on the front page need be a worry, but I get your drift.” I swallowed my disappointment. Depending on the ending, it could have made a lovely story. And I was determined this story would have a happy ending.

  “If it’s important to you, girl, you know I’d never stand in your way. Why should it matter to me anyhow? It’s not as if I’ll be around to read it.”

  Not be around? My gut knotted. My hands clenched the steering wheel. The link between us was intensifying. How else did he know I now wanted to publish his story? I must not have done a good job of hiding my disappointment.

  His expression was pensive, his eyes sad. As soon as he saw me watching him, he smiled. I swear the sun could take lessons from him on brightening a landscape. “So, we’re going on a picnic. It will be nice being outdoors.”

  “Yes, it will.” Grin. If Patrick only knew.

  The phone rang again, and Liam moved it hastily out of my reach. “I’ll see who it is.” A young boy, riding on the passenger side of a sedan next to me in the passing lane, bobbed up and down in his seat as he pointed at the floating phone. The car sped by, the driver paying no attention. I gave a commiserating grin at the youngster twisting around in his seat, still pointing.

  “That kid will be talking about the floating phone for weeks.” A giggle erupted from my throat.

  Liam didn’t respond. The corners of his mouth drooped. Sadness permeated the car. “What’s wrong?”

  “I would have liked a family of my own, a son like that little boy, and a daughter.”

  “Oh, Liam.” My heart tightened. “You’d have made a wonderful father. I trust when you reach the other side, you’ll be so happy that you won’t think about what you missed.”

  “I’m sure that will be the case.” He glanced at the phone. “Your caller was Clayton. That one I won’t miss. But I will miss you, lass.”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I’ll miss you too.” I shook off my depression and tried for perky. It was harder than it should have been. “There’s no need to worry about that yet, we still have plenty of time together. We’ve just started investigating.”

  “Right.” He reached over and turned up the volume of the radio. Tunes blasted as we rode down the highway. We smiled at each other in perfect accord. Once the initial shock had worn off, Liam had developed a fondness for today’s music. He had a good ear and a natural sense of rhythm. I deduced this by the way he stuck his head and shoulders through the top of the car and danced on the seat. And he thought my cell phone was a distraction when I drove.

  By tacit agreement, neither of us talked anymore about Anna, William, or moving to the light. We both just wanted to pretend we were two young people enjoying each other’s company. Who knew how much time we had left?

  As we pulled in the drive, my cell rang again. I stifled a groan. “Hell
o, Clayton.”

  “Hi, Cat, how are you?”

  “Fine, and you?” I turned off the motor and reached for the door handle. The car door swung open. With a flourish, Liam bowed and motioned me out. I lifted my hand as if I were royalty.

  “Your highness.” He bowed lower.

  My nose in the air, I swept by him. As he caught up with me, laughter pushed up my throat and burbled over.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I’d forgotten about Clayton. “Nothing.”

  “Do you always giggle about nothing?”

  “What do you want?” Impatience had seeped into my voice.

  “I thought I’d come over tonight.”

  “Sorry, I’ve got plans.”

  “What sort of plans?”

  “That’s really none of your business.”

  “Do you have a date?”

  Irritated, I tightened my grip on the phone. “And if I do?” The soles of my sandals clipped against the sidewalk as I paced toward the door, and the spicy scent of azaleas that lined the sidewalk filled the air. A Monarch butterfly fluttered in front of me before it landed on a bush.

  “Well, do you?”

  If I said yes, maybe he’d stop calling. “Yes.” I held my breath.

  “Oh. Anyone I know?”

  “That’s none of your business,” I repeated. “You know we’re both free to see other people.” The door opened of its own accord. I didn’t know what I’d do when Liam moved on. I was so used to him opening doors for me I’d probably walk into them.

  “Well that’s right,” he sputtered. “But I didn’t realize you’d started seeing anyone since we began dating.”

  “Is this a problem for you?” I headed for the kitchen and a cold soda.

  “You know I’d be perfectly happy for us to be exclusive if only you’d…”

  “Put out,” I suggested helpfully as I grabbed a soda.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have put it quite that bluntly, but yes. A man has needs.”

  Especially a young, horny one.

  “I’ve got no problems with you seeing other women. You know that.”

  “Fine,” he snapped. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Bye,” I said into the dead phone. I popped the tab and took a deep gulp.

  “Why are you still seeing him?” Liam had appeared at my elbow.