Ghostly Play

by K E O'Connor

  “That’s where this comes in.” Eva pulled out a sheet of paper from beside the TV screen. “It’s a cheat sheet. There’s always a workaround for the most complicated things in games. We can beat him and teach him a lesson.”

  “I don’t mind cheating if it’s for a good cause,” said Helen. “Do you think we can really do this?”

  I did like the idea. We could get back at Piers for being so awful to Priscilla, without him even knowing it.

  “What do you think?” asked Eva. “Do you fancy a game?”

  I took the controller she held out. “Why not? Let’s play with Piers.”

  Chapter 11

  We spent the next twenty minutes running through the basics of the game. It was an alien attack game. You joined as a squad of battle-hardened warriors and fought against the evil alien enemy who’d arrived on Earth with plans to decimate the planet. It was suitably gruesome and violent, just the sort of thing I imagined Piers would love.

  Once I’d gotten the hang of the controller and how to shoot, it seemed simple enough.

  Helen, on the other hand, was not so adept with her controller.

  “Why doesn’t it do what I want it to do?” Helen bashed one of the keys.

  “What do you want to do?” asked Eva.

  “Shoot that alien.” Helen gestured at the screen. “The one with the fangs that is charging at me.”

  “Hit the fire button,” said Eva, her tone sounding like she was talking to a five-year-old. “It’s the yellow one.”

  “Oh! I thought it was the red one.” Helen pressed the button and squeaked. “I killed the alien.”

  “Well done,” said Eva dryly. “Okay, are you both ready? We’ll go in as a squad of three, fighting in the same group as Piers. When his back is turned, we’ll start shooting.”

  “How do you know he’ll want to play with us?” I asked.

  “He never turns down a gaming invitation from me,” said Eva. “He’s always looking to get his own revenge on my character. Piers wants to be the squad member who gets the most alien kills, even if that means leaving his team members behind.”

  “Does he play dirty?”

  “I can guarantee it,” said Eva. “He’s no match for me. Piers has the attention span of a gnat. Distract him with a few aliens and explosions, and he won’t see us coming.”

  “What’s our squad name?” asked Helen.

  “I was going to keep it simple and call us the Hellion squad.”

  “That’s too violent,” said Helen. “How about the Awesome Chicks’ squad?”

  Eva’s eyebrows quirked. “This is an alien attack game. You don’t get many awesome chicks playing.”

  “I bet there are a few,” I said. “But maybe that’s not the best name.”

  “The Feisty Ladies gang,” said Helen. “That has a nice ring to it. Or we could be the Belle Ball Busters.”

  “That’s not so terrible,” said Eva.

  “We should stick to the Hellion squad,” I said. “At least then, Piers will know who he’s dealing with.”

  “Agreed,” said Eva. “Let’s issue the invitation and get started on humiliating Piers.”

  I felt surprisingly tense that we were about to go up against Piers in a shoot ‘em up game. Of course, it wasn’t real, but I felt a sense of anticipation at being able to get my own back on such an unpleasant person.

  I studied the character I’d chosen for the game. He was an enormous, muscled guy, with a crewcut and scars on his face. He carried an automatic weapon and a flamethrower. He looked more than capable of taking down Piers.

  “We’re in.” Eva flashed us both a smile. “Now, remember, we’re playing alongside Piers to start. We’re supposed to be on the same side. Our target is Thunder Mountain. Whichever squad gets there first gets the bonus.”

  “You mean we can’t blow Piers’s character’s head off straightaway?” Helen’s bottom lip jutted out.

  “You’ll be able to kill him eventually,” said Eva. “We need to draw him in first and make him think we’re on his side. Once he gets distracted by upping the number of alien kills he’s made, then we can turn on him.”

  Seeing the evil glint in Eva’s eyes, reminded me she was also on my suspect list for Greg’s death. She certainly had a vengeful streak in her, even though she was enacting that vengeance through a computer game.

  “Follow me and try to keep up,” said Eva, as the game started, and we entered a dark, creepy looking cave.

  Helen squealed and hit the fire button as a small alien with glowing eyes dropped from the ceiling in front of her.

  “Nice shooting,” I said.

  “I’m getting good at this,” said Helen.

  “That one would have done nothing more than chew on your arm,” said Eva. “It’s the ten-foot aliens that spit acid you need to be careful of.”

  Helen grimaced. “I’ll watch out for those.”

  A message flashed onto the screen. Are you ready to die, Hellion?

  Eva smiled. “That’s Piers being his usual charming self.”

  I stared at the screen name he used. “He calls himself King Stud?”

  “King idiot, more like,” muttered Helen.

  “I know; it’s pathetic,” said Eva. “We will show everyone else in this game he’s anything but a king.” She typed back a quick message. Never going to happen, loser.

  You’ve been lucky so far, replied Piers. When you’re taken down, I’ll be there to watch it and finish you off.

  “He’s such a sweet talker,” I said.

  Eva shrugged. “This is his true personality you’re seeing. He makes out it’s an act and he’s playing the big man. If he could be like this in the real world and get away with it, I know he would. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

  I glanced at Helen, and she gave me a knowing nod. That could have been what happened with Greg. Piers wanted him gone, so he made it happen.

  “Oh my goodness,” squeaked Helen. “What on earth is that?”

  “I’ll get it.” I fired at the enormous alien as it charged toward us.

  “This one needs a joint effort,” said Eva. “Keep firing both of you. I’ll keep an eye on Piers. He’s sneaky enough to attack us while we’re protecting ourselves.”

  “I can’t get this controller to work!” Helen kept hitting the wrong key.

  “Hit the fire button,” I said as the alien grew nearer. “The yellow one!”

  “I am hitting the fire button.”

  “No! You’re running straight into the jaws of the alien.”

  Helen kept pressing the same button. The alien grabbed her and bit her character in two.

  She gasped. “That’s not supposed to happen. I’ve got another life, haven’t I?”

  Eva grimaced and shook her head. “Afraid not. You only get one life in this game. You’ll have to sit the rest of this out.”

  Helen sighed and slumped back in her seat. “I so wanted to kill Piers.”

  “Don’t worry; we’ll do that for you,” said Eva. “You enjoy the show.”

  We successfully defeated the giant alien, more by luck than skill on my part. Then it was a race through the cave. I struggled to keep up with Eva as she maneuvred her character skilfully over the obstacles.

  “That mountain up ahead is where everyone is heading,” said Eva. “We need to make sure Piers doesn’t get there.”

  I jabbed the controller, determined to keep up with Eva. Her character, an enormous, muscled guy with dreadlocks, leapt ahead of me. “How are you making him jump so far?”

  “Check the cheat sheet,” said Eva. “You need to press a combination of buttons. It will give you super speed.”

  I looked down at the cheat sheet.

  “Look out for that alien,” yelled Helen.

  I looked up, just in time to see an alien about to grab me.

  Eva’s character turned and shot down the alien.

  “Thanks for that,” I said, my heart thudding in my chest.

&nbs
p; “Maybe stick to running,” said Eva. “I’ll do the fancy stuff.”

  My scarred hero ran after Eva’s muscled guy. We reached the base of the mountain.

  “Wait here. This is the perfect place for an ambush.”

  I stopped my muscle. “Won’t Piers see us?”

  “He’ll be too busy avoiding being killed by the aliens.” Eva pressed a button and changed the view of the game.

  I was suddenly looking behind us. Piers’s character was speeding toward us, five salivating aliens on his back.

  “Are you ready?” Eva didn’t even look at me, she was so focused on the game.

  I clenched my fingers around the controller. “I’m ready.”

  Eva changed the view on the game again. Five seconds later, Piers’s character rushed past us.

  “Now!”

  We both shot him in the back. It wasn’t the most majestic way to kill an enemy, but it felt good to me.

  “You got him!” Helen cheered.

  Piers’s character lay dead on the ground.

  “Now, run!” Eva raced her character up the mountain.

  I followed her until we’d shaken off the aliens.

  Eva let out a contented sigh. “There’s no way he will live this down. Piers is always bragging about how easy it is to get to Thunder Mountain. Not so easy when you’re dead.”

  “This is a fun way to get back at someone,” said Helen. “I need to practice some more.”

  Eva typed a message and sent it to Piers. Time for you to go back to playing safe games that don’t get you killed.

  We stared at the screen. I expected to see a nasty reply from Piers. There was nothing.

  Eva shook her head. “He’s gone off-line. Talk about a bad loser.”

  A second later, a door slammed downstairs.

  “Do you think that was Piers?” I was already on my feet, heading to the bedroom door.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if he stormed out,” said Eva. “He doesn’t take defeat well.”

  As I inched open the door, I could hear murmuring downstairs. I crept along the landing and peered over the banisters. Helen, Flipper, and Eva followed me.

  Piers was by the front door. From his tone, I could tell he was furious.

  Harriet stood with him, her hands on his arms. It looked like she was trying to calm him down.

  “They look cozy,” whispered Helen.

  “They always are,” said Eva. “Harriet is supposed to be with Alex, but the way she behaves around Piers, you wouldn’t know it.”

  “Did they used to date?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so,” said Eva. “Piers doesn’t like to date. He says it stops other opportunities coming his way. He reckons he’s some big-time stud.”

  I watched as Piers turned toward the front door. Harriet pulled him back around and launched herself into his arms.

  My mouth fell open as they embraced and kissed passionately.

  Eva shook her head. “I should have known. It was only a matter of time before this happened.”

  “She’s cheating on your brother with Piers,” whispered Helen. “Shouldn’t you stop them?”

  “If Alex is idiot enough to be friends with people like this, he’s got to expect this thing to happen,” said Eva. “Besides, he’s not that into Harriet. He just likes the quiet life, so he lets her hang out with him to prevent an argument.”

  “I wonder how long it’s been going on,” I said. If Harriet and Piers were close, maybe she was involved in Greg’s death as well? The two of them could have been in it together.

  Eva turned away and walked back to her room. “Harriet chases the money. She’ll go wherever it is. Alex isn’t giving her enough. She’s been whining on about going on holiday for months. He keeps fobbing her off with excuses. I don’t think he’d mind the holiday. But I think he’d object to having Harriet hanging on his arm the whole time.”

  “So she’s after Piers instead?” asked Helen. “Has he got money to give her?”

  “His parents have,” said Eva. “They fund his lifestyle. Maybe they’ll also fund a gold digging girlfriend.”

  “You don’t think much of Harriet,” I said.

  “I’ve seen her in action, so I know what she’s like,” said Eva. “She even made a move on Gregory.”

  “What happened?”

  “He rejected her, of course,” said Eva. “Gregory was an honest guy. He never did anything that might hurt Alex. He was horrified when Harriet made a move on him.”

  “Were you there when it happened?” asked Helen.

  Eva looked at the ground. “I was just passing by and happened to see it.”

  Eva had an uncanny knack for being conveniently behind doors, listening to important conversations. I’d have to be careful of that, in case she caught me talking to Greg’s ghost or discussing his murder with Helen.

  “How did Harriet take the rejection?”

  “Not well.” That evil grin appeared on Eva’s face again. “She turned an ugly shade of red and accused him of not liking girls. Of course, he liked girls, just not girls like Harriet.”

  “Was Greg seeing anyone before he died?” I asked.

  “No, I’d have known if he was,” said Eva, her own cheeks turning red. “He never mentioned a girl.”

  It was clear Eva had liked Greg. It must have been painful to watch the object of her affection mauled by someone as manipulative as Harriet.

  I looked back over the banister and saw Harriet and Piers finally break apart. She glanced over her shoulder before giving him a finger wave and disappearing back into the lounge with Alex.

  Piers ran a hand through his hair before turning and leaving the house.

  Their relationship added an interesting twist to this mystery. It was possible they were involved in Greg’s death and got rid of him together. The fact Harriet had taken an interest in Greg and he’d rejected her was also a motive for her wanting him dead. It sounded like she didn’t take rejection well. Whatever the case, I was now very interested in Piers and Harriet.

  “Do you want to play some more?” asked Eva. “I’m ready for another game now Piers has gone and can’t spoil things.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll pass,” I said. “It’s getting late. We’ve got lots to do tomorrow.” Like investigating Piers and Harriet.

  “You’ll have to learn to be a night owl if you get into gaming,” said Eva. She glanced at Helen. “Maybe you’d be better sticking to the kitchen. No offense, but you’re terrible at playing computer games.”

  “It was that controller,” said Helen. “It doesn’t work properly.”

  Eva grinned. “That must be the problem. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” She walked into her bedroom and shut the door.

  “That was fun,” said Helen, as we headed to our own rooms.

  “You got killed.”

  “That was an accident,” said Helen. “We got one up on Piers. He was furious when he left.”

  “Maybe less so after Harriet stuck her tongue down his throat and kissed everything better.”

  Helen grimaced. “I feel sorry for Alex. But the guy needs a backbone. He should stand up to Harriet and Piers and get rid of them.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t realize what’s going on,” I said. “He’s so caught up in his computer games. And the business is a mess. From what I’ve seen of the paperwork, he’s making plenty of money, but it’s off the back of products that are months old. He hasn’t created anything new since Greg’s death.”

  “Maybe he’s got a creative block.” Helen stopped outside my bedroom door. “He can’t work without his partner.”

  “It could be that.” I tilted my head as I heard a scratching sound on the other side of the bedroom door. I opened it to find Lucy in the room. “How did she get in here?”

  She raised her head and her curly tail wagged just like a dog’s.

  Flipper bounded over. They sniffed noses before he settled next to her on the floor.

  “You can’t have a pig in
your bedroom,” said Helen.

  “I don’t see why not. She’s no worse than Flipper, and he always sleeps with me.” I walked over and petted both their heads.

  Helen eyed Lucy cautiously. “It’s your room. So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Are we going to do more investigating into Piers?”

  “I think he’s involved. But first, we need to make nice with Harriet,” I said. “Find out what she knows about Greg’s death and how involved she is with Piers. You never know, we could become her closest friends, and she’ll let slip what happened.”

  Helen’s nose wrinkled. “I’d rather take my chances in that alien game for real than befriend Harriet Fawcett.”

  Chapter 12

  I woke with a start, fighting the alien that had me in its horrible clutches. I reached around for my gun to shoot it, when I realized the alien was, in fact, my tangled bedsheets.

  Groaning, I rolled onto my front. That was the last time I was ever playing violent video games.

  I bumped into something warm and soft. Flipper lay next to me in his usual position. By his side was Lucy. It looked like I was now sharing my bed with a dog and a pig. I scratched both their heads before reaching for my mobile.

  I hadn’t spoken to Zach since I’d arrived at the house and wanted to know how he was getting on with Amelia. Well, actually, I didn’t. It was the reason I hadn’t been in touch, other than a brief text message. Zach’s ghostly wife was a sore subject. I still wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  He picked up on the first ring. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  I smiled when I heard his voice. I missed him, despite the problems with the ghost. “Good morning. I wanted to check-in and let you know how things are going.”

  “I was going to call you this morning to find out just that. How’s life in Kent?”

  “I get long lie-ins. I’m making this call from my bed.” I wriggled my toes. “I’ve met two pigs, fought aliens, spent hours playing a game that involved unicorns, and met a ghost.”

  Zach chuckled. “How many days have you been there?”

  “This is my third day,” I said. “I know it sounds unusual. My new boss is a gamer. He insisted I play with him.”

  “Is that in your job description?”