by Unknown
“You’re welcome.” A heavy sigh heaved from him. “I only wish I could’ve helped Irene, Pammy, and Evelyn.”
“We were sent here to reap you because everybody thinks you murdered those three women, plus Carolyn Turner,” Nate said.
“I did kill Carolyn, but not before she shot me.” He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth. “I knew she wouldn’t stop, so with my dying breath I made sure she’d never kill again.” He lowered his hands and looked at us. “Unfortunately, even that didn’t stop her. If being blamed for those murders was the price for stopping her, then I’d gladly pay it a thousand times over.”
My throat tightened, this time from the conviction in his voice, not from being strangled by his crazy ex-girlfriend. Good-looking, wealthy, heroic—why did all the good ones have to be dead?
“That’s what we thought,” I said. “That’s why we wanted to talk to you. We’re hoping you can help us send Carolyn to the afterlife. The last thing we want is for her to murder again. The new owner of the theater mentioned some of the problems she had while trying to renovate.”
“That was me, not Carolyn.” He gave us a sheepish grin. “I was afraid somebody would get hurt, or worse, so I caused a little mischief, nothing too serious, just enough to shut down the work.”
“That was a good idea.” Nate nodded. “Evelyn’s niece looks a lot like her. It would have only been a matter of time before Carolyn zeroed in on her. She would have suffered the same fate as her aunt.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help.” Parker held out both hands and nodded. “Anything you need, I’ll make sure you get it.” His piercing dark eyes softened. “It would be wonderful to have the theater open again, even if I wasn’t around to enjoy it.”
“If everything goes as planned,” I said, “we’ll make sure you never have to worry about Miss Turner or the theater again.” I would’ve held out my hand to shake on our deal, but I’d had quite enough ghost contact for one night—I didn’t care how handsome he was. “I’d say at the very least you deserve that.”
“Thank you.” The tension eased from his shoulders and he gave us a smile that would’ve made any female’s heart flutter. “I know it’s crazy, but I feel partially responsible for what Carolyn has done.”
“Don’t,” Nate said, his tone abrupt. “It’s not your fault your girlfriend turned out to be a psychopathic killer.”
Please Nate, tell us how you really feel. The vehemence in his voice made me wonder if a crazy girlfriend—or two—lingered in his past. I made a mental note to ask him about it. He called it prying, while I called it being a caring partner. Maybe it was Willow from the Grim Reaper Services payroll department. There seemed to be something between them, though I couldn’t tell whether it was hostility or sexual tension. I kind of hoped it was the first option.
“I know you’re right, but none of those women would’ve been murdered if it hadn’t been for her unhealthy infatuation with me.” His image wavered, growing more solid the longer he sat in front of us. “Even though I was unsuccessful once in stopping her, and I paid for that with my life—” He shook his head. “—I have nothing left to lose.” His smile returned. “And everything to gain.”
“First off, we need you to announce to Carolyn that tonight you’ll be putting on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and casting Pammy in the lead,” I said. “We’ve already had Arlene put the bug in her ear, and you confirming it will really get her riled up.”
Samuel flinched. “You’re trying to make her angry?”
“Our goal is to keep her so focused on playing Juliet that she misses what’s going on around her.”
“What about Pammy?” Parker asked. “I’d hate to disappoint her again.”
“She and Arlene are in on the plan as well. And, if everything goes smoothly,” Nate said, “Pammy will still get her time in the spotlight.”
“Then count me in.” Samuel stood. “I’ll go make the announcement now.”
We both rose and followed him to the door. “Things are about to get interesting,” I said. “And I want a front row seat.”
We now had everybody we needed on board, and even though this was Nate’s reap, the plan was going to take a village—or in this case, the cast and crew.
9
T he shrill nagging voice of Carolyn seeped through the fitting room door. It seemed she was every bit the diva the ghosts had said she was. “I can’t believe Samuel would do this without my permission. What was he thinking casting Pammy as Juliet? Clearly, I’m the best Juliet.”
“Maybe he wanted a fresh face,” Arlene said in a deadpan voice. “You know, somebody who doesn’t bitch so much.”
“You’d better watch it, Arlene, I can make your life very miserable.”
“That ship sailed a long time ago, Carolyn.”
“Ouch! “A high-pitched squeak yipped from the diva. “You stuck me with that pin on purpose.”
“Did I? Then I suggest you hold still,” Arlene replied.
Samuel brushed past us and braced his hand against the door. “Time for my big scene,” he whispered.
Nate and I stepped to the right so we wouldn’t be seen. I held my breath, anticipation jetting through me. It was like being inside our own reality TV show, except all the players were dead, besides Nate and me.
“It’s about time you showed up.” Carolyn’s voice reverberated down the hall. I could only imagine what she’d been like when she was alive. Probably twice as possessive and arrogant. “I’ve taken the liberty of recasting Juliet. I will be playing the part.”
“It’s a pretty complicated role,” he said. “I don’t think you can handle it.”
“Of course, I can handle it, you idiot!” Something smashed against the wall beside the door. We both leapt back in an effort to avoid projectile shards of white porcelain. “I’m the only one who can handle this role.”
“What do you say about this, Pammy?”
“Yes, Pammy, what do you think about me—the obvious choice—playing Juliet?” Carolyn echoed.
The room was silent for a few seconds, drawing out the tension. I didn’t know if Pammy was truly afraid to speak, or she was plying her craft to the current situation. Finally, she said, “Of course Miss Turner should play Juliet. She’s much more talented than I am, and has the savoir-faire the role requires.”
“See, what did I tell you? Even Pammy knows I have the savor…the savoy…that savvy thing she just said.”
Samuel let her comment hang in the air, not responding immediately. Though we couldn’t see exactly what was going on, I could imagine his cool expression and Carolyn’s pissed off glower. At some point he’d need to close the door so we could get things ready for the rest of the plan, but I think he hadn’t yet so we could enjoy the scene.
After an extended hesitation, he said, “All right, Carolyn, but first I want to watch you do a run through of a couple of scenes. If I like what I see, you can play Juliet. But if I don’t, Pammy gets the part.”
“You’re making me audition?” A loud crashing came from inside the room. It sounded as if she’d overturned a table. “Are you kidding me?”
“Take it or leave it,” Samuel said. “That’s my condition.”
Turning my head toward Nate, I mimicked an open-mouth laugh. Nothing gave me more satisfaction than hearing the snooty hag get her comeuppance. The psychopath had tried to kill me. He grinned back, clearly enjoying the drama as much as I was.
“Fine,” Carolyn quipped, “But I choose the scenes.”
“One of them will be the death scene, after you see Romeo drink the poison and die, start there. I want to hear your final speech.” Samuel stepped back across the threshold but continued to stare into the room. His gaze didn’t wander to us or give any indication that we were mere inches away. “You may decide on the second scene. Finish up with your wardrobe alterations. I’ll expect you on stage, fully costumed, in an hour.”
Not waiting for her to
agree or disagree, he closed the door and faced us. Again, a crash sounded against the wall. If we didn’t get her reaped there wouldn’t be another coffee cup, statue, or anything breakable left in the place. Samuel flicked his head toward the end of the hall and we crept past the fitting room door, stopping at the end.
“That should do it,” he said.
“You were awesome.” Unable to resist, I rubbed his shoulder. “I think you missed your calling as an actor.”
“I was always more of a behind-the-scenes man. That’s where I do my best work.”
I bet he did.
“We need to get ready for the next, and hopefully final stage.” Nate gripped my upper arm and pulled me toward the theater. “This could get a little tricky.”
AN HOUR later I found myself ensconced behind one of the backstage curtains. Besides Samuel, who sat in the front row, the theater was empty. All ushers and early arriving patrons had been cleared, much to their chagrin. Now Carolyn stood on a makeshift balcony, spouting the most famous lines from Romeo and Juliet.
“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” I peered at her through a tiny slit in the curtains. Her hands gestured wildly in front of her, as if in the throes of an epileptic seizure. “Deny it no farther and refuse my name.”
“Deny thy father and refuse thy name.” Samuel’s voice rose to just below a yell, the irritation apparent in the way he enunciated each word. “Not deny it no farther and refuse my name.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” She flipped her hands at him, gesturing for him to be quiet. I bit my lip in an effort not to laugh. Wow, she stunk. Talk about getting by on your looks. That had to be the case because she had no talent whatsoever. “Deny my father and refuse thy name,” she said in a robotic voice.
Listening to her massacre the lines was torturous, and that was saying a lot coming from a grim reaper. I’d been attacked by demons, dragged across the tundra by the ghost of a moose, had the spirit of an evil vampire try to possess my body, and yet all of those were more preferable than having to listen to Carolyn Turner act her way through Romeo and Juliet.
“Stop!” Samuel stood and shook his head. “I’ve heard enough.”
“Wait!” She turned and disappeared through the façade’s door. Even though she was a ghost, I could hear her footsteps thundering down the wooden stairs behind the scene. It was as if she thought she was still alive. Again, I didn’t know if Halloween could be the reason, but she wasn’t the only spirit who had solidified and moved like a corporeal being. A few seconds later she shot through the downstairs door. “I still have a death scene to do.” She propped her fists on her hips, looking like she belonged in The Taming of the Shrew instead of Romeo and Juliet. “You promised.”
I shifted to get a glimpse of the theater owner. Boy, the guy played a convincing part. He released an exaggerated exhale. “Fine, but only because I keep my word. Go change into your death scene costume.”
“I don’t need to change.” She indicated the blue and gold gown she currently wore. “I’ll just wear this to do the scene.”
“Part of being Juliet is the ability to proficiently work with the wardrobe. Much of the scene is spent laying down, or maneuvering a dying Romeo onto your lap.” He lowered himself back to the chair.” I need to know you can do this without fumbling around.”
She jerked her fists off her hips, directing them toward the floor, and stamped her foot. Though she didn’t actually argue with him, she did give a loud guttural growl of exasperation before stomping offstage.
When I knew for sure she was gone, I stepped out from behind the curtain. Samuel stood and jogged up the steps to join me, and together we pushed the makeshift deathbed to the center of the stage.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s get Nate in place.”
A second later my partner strolled out from behind the opposite curtain. It took all of my willpower to maintain my professional bearing and not laugh and point. He was dressed head to toe in Shakespearean garb, which included a pair of beige wool tights. Thank God for that tunic thing covering his junk, because the tights left little to the imagination. Sure, I might’ve had the odd fantasy about Nate and what he looked like naked, but there was a time and place for that kind of stuff, and this was not that time, nor the place.
His eyes skated to me, held for a second, as if daring me to say anything, and then cut back to the bed. “Where do you want me?”
“Climb up here and lay on your side.” Nate did as he asked. Samuel moved forward and shifted Nate’s body, adjusting the placement of his legs and arms. “We don’t want her to see your face, so keep your arm draped across your head like this.”
“Yeah, that should work,” Nate said. After making a few adjustments, I couldn’t even tell it was Nate. “So, I just lay here? I don’t have to say anything?”
Samuel shook his head. “No, I’ll have her pick up the scene after Romeo has died.”
“And I’ll just wait over here.” I pointed toward the curtain I’d been hiding behind. “In case you need help.”
“Thanks, Carron,” Nate said from under his arm.
I smiled, unsure whether he was thanking me for having his back, or for not teasing him about the tights. “That’s what partners are for.”
I made it to my hiding spot mere seconds before Carolyn came stomping back on stage. “What’s this?” She glared at Nate laying on the bed and then at Samuel in the audience. “Where’s Mikey?”
“He’s getting ready. This is his understudy.” Samuel folded his hands over his stomach and crossed his legs, giving her a bored expression. “Can we begin, please? Despite your need to claim all my attention, I do have other matters to take care of.”
“This is so unprofessional,” she grumbled, taking her place on the far side of the bed. “Is he going to say any lines?”
“No, just pick it up from the happy dagger line.”
Carolyn started in on what I could only assume was her rendition of the death scene. I don’t know what version of Shakespeare she’d learned, but it certainly wasn’t the same one I’d read in high school. Or that anyone else had ever read for that matter. As I watched her fumble through the scene, it was hard for me to believe that this had been the same ghost who had nearly strangled me. She was so inept and clumsy.
Still, I’d seen death do weird things to spirits. One minute they were calm, and the next they morphed into a violent specter. She wasn’t right in the head when she was alive. No telling how that psychosis translated in death.
When she reached for Nate, I tensed, my heart beating faster. It took a couple of fumbling tries, but Carolyn finally managed to lift him into her arms. Stepping from behind the curtain, I inched toward them. Samuel remained unmoving in the front row. His eyes darting from me, and then back to the deathbed was the only hint that he’d noticed me. He shifted, sitting straighter—more alert.
Though from my spot behind Carolyn I couldn’t see what was going on, I knew the second Nate enacted his intent and claimed her to be reaped.
“What are you doing?” She pushed away from Nate, but couldn’t loosen his hold. That was one of the perks of a grim reaper’s intent—and also one of the dangers. “Let go of me.”
She stumbled backward, pulling Nate off the table with her. They barreled toward me. Her once solid body now grew translucent and gauzy. No doubt she would try to flee or evaporate. They always did. The soft leather boots Nate wore had no traction, and as Carolyn attempted her escape, she dragged him along with her. I, on the other hand, had dressed for the part. Digging in the heels of my hiking boots, I braced for impact.
They hit me with the power of a speeding truck. Even though I was able to grab on to Carolyn, the forced knocked the breath out of me. I gasped for air, but clung tight to the spirit. Our bodies lifted off the ground, my toes barely grazing the stage floor, and screams pouring from Carolyn as she tried to break free of our hold. I glanced up and almost released her at the side of her skeletal face. There was no arguing that the
woman had a lot of pent up rage.
Arms encircled my waist pulling the three of us to the floor. Samuel, now almost fully corporeal, added his weight to the pile. “It’s over! No more, Carolyn,” he said. “No more killing.”
She stopped thrashing and growled at him. “You don’t tell me when it’s over. I say when it’s over.” A maniacal laugh erupted from her. “And it will never be over, Samuel. As long as there is a breath in this body, I will take everything from you.”
Still pinning her legs to the floor, he sat back on his haunches and stared down at his onetime girlfriend. “You already have, Carolyn. You’ve taken everything that mattered to me, but I’m going to make sure you can’t do that to anyone else ever again.”
He bent and grabbed her by the puffy sleeves. She flailed and kicked against his hold, screeching for us to let her go. It took our combined effort, but we managed to wrangle her to her feet.
“Pick!” Nate yelled for his porter.
It only took a couple of seconds for the blue light to appear, elongate, and widened to the shape of a door. The rectangle slid open to reveal an elevator, and standing inside Nate’s porter, Pick. With his slick pinstripe suit and the tiny bumps on his head that reminded me of horns, he was creepy with a capital C.
“Nate, what goodies have you brought for me today?” His gaze tracked over Carolyn, and I swear he licked his lips.
“I am so glad it’s you going in the elevator and not me,” I whispered into her ear.
Her head twisted in an unnatural angle to look at me. “We’ll just see about that.”
“This is Carolyn Turner,” Nate informed his porter. We inched closer to the elevator. “I have no doubt she is on your list.”
“Ahh, yes, the murderess.” Again, Pick’s black gaze moved over the ghost and I swore I physically felt it. “It must be my lucky day.”