Gabe pondered the information. “Jesus! Damn her. Damn them. Yeah, that’s right: Phil. She wouldn’t tell me his name, but I heard Daniel calling some guy named Phil on the phone when I was coming back from the men’s room in the coffeehouse. He didn’t think I’d heard him. I didn’t think anything of it. He could have asked for Tom, Dick, or Harry. What the hell did a name mean to me?”
“Listen, Gabe, Phil Hodges is the scum of the earth. He fits every cliché about Hollywood slime you’ve ever heard about, and he blames me for ruining his career.”
“I thought he was a hotshot producer at the cable network.”
“Oh, he very well may be. But he used to be a hotshot movie producer and lived an entirely different life. I’m sure his current situation may look appealing to many people, but he’s not the least bit happy with it. He’s living in a two-bedroom condo in Hollywood when he used to have a six-bedroom house in Bel Air. That’s where I lived with him. Believe me, Gabe, Phil destroyed his own career by being an abusive prick, but men like that don’t take personal responsibility. They’re not like you. So, not only is he now with your ex-wife, but he tried to use your anger against her to hurt me. Are you following all of that?”
“I sure as hell am. Arielle, I’m really sorry. Believe me, I’ve been trying hard to keep them at bay. I just wish I knew how they were getting in here to do everything. I know Larsen’s seen something, but he’s not talking.”
“Wait; you said something a minute or so ago about how things started happening around here, and now you’re going there again. What are you talking about? What is Larsen not talking about?”
Gabe leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I have no idea how they’re doing it, Arielle, but I’m positive they’re the ones who messed with the promo—”
“Yes, I know. My friend Lisa has pretty much confirmed that.”
“Well, I’m trying to tell you that they’re getting in here somehow, and I’ll be damned if I know how. I’ve watched Raphael and the other two like hawks, and it’s not them. I’ve checked every nook and cranny of this place and come up with nada. I’m telling ya, it’s keepin’ me awake at nights.”
“What is it that Raphael and the guys aren’t doing and someone else is doing? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Making it look as if this place is haunted, that’s what. Making a blond kid appear and disappear. Playing that song from West Side Story. Making the stage cold. Making crying noises come outta nowhere. They’re clever. I’ve tried to stop them. I thought I was a smart guy. But for the life of my kids and me I can’t figure out how they’re doing it. Guess they’re not as stupid as they sound most of the time.”
Arielle took a few more sips from her water bottle. “Thank you, Gabe. You can go back to work now.”
“Is everything okay with—”
“Please, Gabe. Just go back to work.”
Chapter 24
“So, Lars, there you have it. That’s everything I know, from my horrid ex tampering with our promo trailer to his new girlfriend and Gabe’s ex-wife being one and the same.”
Larsen scratched Muggins’ neck as the dog cozied up to him. “I would have never figured all of that out if I lived a hundred years. Just like Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It: ‘All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts …’ ”
“You’re quite a fan of the Bard.”
“Yeah. My English teacher at my last school was a Shakespeare freak, lucky for me. And now I’m a bit of one, too.”
“Golly gee, that’s interesting, Lars.” Arielle’s voice grew more sarcastic. “And you know what? I’d be even more interested if I weren’t so busy here and if there wasn’t a big piece of this story that you know and I don’t. So before Gabe comes back—”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. D. I really am. We just didn’t want—”
“We? Did you say ‘we’?”
“Um …yes, I did.”
“Lars, you know I adore you, but I’m not really happy that you’ve been hiding the truth from me about the goings-on at this theater. By ‘we,’ I’m assuming you mean you and Gabe, right? You and Gabe decided not to tell me about the unusual things you’ve seen, despite the fact that you know I’ve seen someone, too. You even told me you thought it was someone from the neighborhood. Was that what you believed, or was that meant to throw me off track? Because I don’t like being lied to, Lars.”
Becoming emotionally distraught was the last thing he wanted to do, but Larsen had been on edge ever since his mother’s surprise visit the night before, and he was a lot more fragile than he cared to admit. As a few tears rolled down his face, he quickly wiped them away with his hand. “I hate myself right now. You’ve been so good to me; I’d be lost without you. And, no, I didn’t mean Gabe and me.”
Arielle folded her arms and stared at Larsen. “Then real quickly, you’d better explain who the ‘we’ includes.”
“Um, River, Jessie, and Jinxsy. And, yeah, Gabe told me not to tell you that people were messing with things in the theater. He just didn’t want to upset you.”
“I’m up to date on Gabe’s rationale, but I’m clueless about yours. So, my kids and Jinxsy knew about this, too. And that’s the real reason you were all together at my house on Saturday, right?”
“Yeah … sorry.”
“Jinxsy owns this theater, I don’t, so let’s leave her out of this for the time being. Give me one good reason why you and my children made a mutual decision to keep me in the dark about the fact that people have been gaslighting me, perhaps all of us, into thinking this theater was haunted.”
“Gaslighting?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s actually a word that originates from a 1940s film called Gaslight. It’s when you manipulate a person’s environment to make him … or in this case, her, think that she’s going insane.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve actually heard that before.”
“Good. Now, can we return to our regularly scheduled question?”
Noticing that his hands were trembling, Larsen put them in his lap, hoping his anxiety would be less obvious.
“Lars, I’m sorry. I’ve been sarcastic as hell all day today. No one has been spared. I’m just all out of patience. Now, tell me why I wasn’t allowed to know that someone’s been sneaking into this theater to create illusions, delusions, or whatever the hell it is they’ve been doing to make me, and perhaps everyone else, think this place is haunted.”
“Mrs. D, Gabe is the only one who thinks that someone is coming in here to mess with you.”
Arielle ran her fingers through her hair and dug them into her scalp in frustration. “What do you mean Gabe is the only one who thinks that? If that’s true, and I believe you’re telling me the truth, just what is it that you, River, Jessie, and Jinxsy think? And please, Lars, no long dramatic pauses here. Just answer my question. Right now.”
“We think the theater is haunted for real, Mrs. D.”
“Say what? Are you kidding me?”
“Why do you think that Gabe told you he’s turned this place inside out and can’t find anything? Because there’s nothing to find. We just didn’t want to freak you out or distract you from your work until we knew what we were dealing with.”
“And do you know what or who you’re dealing with?”
“Yes, we do. And it’s really ironic, but my mother’s visit on Saturday is indirectly responsible for us knowing much more.”
“How in the world could that be?”
“Because when Kathryn got so angry with my mom, she told her about Peter. And then after she left, Kathryn told us all the horrible way Peter was killed.”
Arielle covered her face with her hands. After a few seconds, she folded her hands in her lap and looked up at Larsen, her face as pale as a ghost. “Peter was killed in this theater. Of course. So he’s the blond boy I’ve been seeing.”
Larsen nodded. “That’s right, Mrs. D.�
��
“Does Kathryn know?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t want to tell her until I was able to contact Peter and ask him if he wanted me to bring her here.”
“Did you try?”
“Yes. I actually connected with him yesterday. Remember when you asked me to give Gabe a message, and I got up so quickly? It’s because I was really eager to find Peter. After Gabe left, Peter appeared to me, but then Gabe came back unexpectedly, and Peter disappeared.”
“My head is spinning. Look, I’d like you to have dinner with us tonight so we can discuss everything and figure out what to do next. But right now, you need to get back on the computer and get the rest of that invitation list put together. And I’ve got a million and one things to do. Ghosts or not, the show must go on, and we’ve got a deadline to meet.”
`*`*`*`
“Sorry, Mom. I was just so freaked when the photo that I took matched River’s drawing, and it seemed kind of selfish to worry you until we had some idea of what was going on. We kept it a secret for your own good.”
“Oh, Jess, get real.”
Jessie, sitting cross-legged in her father’s armchair, looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Mom. That’s the truth.”
“Are you serious? For my own good?”
River laughed. “Ha ha, Mom. You and Dad used to say that to us all the time as kids. ‘It’s for your own good.’ ”
“Riv, that’s a cliché reserved for parents only. You’re not allowed to say ‘It’s for your own good’ until you have kids of your own.”
“Good one, Mom.”
“I feel really bad, Mrs. D. I let you down. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Lars, I’m over it. Besides, I know you were between a rock and a hard place. No more secrets, okay? I’m a big girl. Now, before Mick comes home, let’s figure out how to handle this.”
“Ha ha. Are you gonna keep Dad in the dark for his own good?”
Larsen wanted to laugh but was too afraid to do so.
“You’re more fun than a barrel of monkeys, Riv. I have no intention of keeping any of this from your father. Now, am I up to date on absolutely everything? I’ve told all of you everything I learned from Lisa and Gabe.”
Jessie wriggled uncomfortably in the chair. “Mom, I sure hope that Phony Phil creep isn’t stalking you or something. I despise that scumbag. Even thinking about him makes me sick.”
“I hope he’s not either, Jess. But now that Gabe knows who he is, Phil had better not even think about coming to the theater or messing with me, much less Gabe. You know what really kills me? Gabe told me this afternoon that Phil wanted Candace to live in LA with him, but not enough to move her there. No, she was only welcome if she could pay her own way. That’s how expendable the douche bag’s women are. She could easily have been replaced, and eventually I’ve no doubt she will be.”
Jessie gave a look of disgust. “Why didn’t Candace Martelli just leave on her own and let her family stay in Jersey City? Why did she do all of those horrible things and then drag her family to California just to leave them?”
“I don’t know the woman, Jess. But I’d assume it’s so she could still see her kids when she wanted. Of course, now none of them will speak to her, so that didn’t exactly work out too well, did it?”
Larsen looked pensive. “I’m trying to figure out if she’s worse than my mom. At least my mom is upfront about things. But that sure isn’t saying very much. Sorry, I don’t mean to keep talking about her.”
“Hey, dude, how can you not think or talk about her? It’s all right. We all feel bad, not only after what happened last night, but what’s been happening. You don’t deserve any of that.”
“Thanks, Riv.”
“Okay you three, is there anything else I need to know before we put our heads together to figure this out?”
Larsen raised his hand. “Permission to speak from the couch.”
“Ha ha. Dude, we’re not in school.”
“Lars, maybe someday when you have spare time you’ll teach my son to be as polite as you are. You’re very sweet, but you don’t need to be so formal. Now, what did you want to tell us?”
“I would have told you on the car ride over here, Mrs. D, but you were on the phone with Lisa.”
“There’s more, Lars?”
“Yeah. I went into the theater around four o’clock. The guys were cleaning up in the lobby, and I was hoping to make contact with Peter in the main hall. I walked down to the stage and called to him. After about a minute, he appeared, but he was very faint, meaning I could barely see him. Then, just as I was going to speak to him, he totally disappeared.”
“Ha ha ha.”
“What’s so funny about that, numbnuts? ”
“I was just thinking, Jess. Maybe someone spooked him. Ha ha. Can ghosts get spooked?”
Arielle, Jessie, and Larsen laughed.
“So what did one ghost say to the other?”
Jessie rolled her eyes. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“You look pale, dude, like you’ve just seen a person. Ha ha. ‘Knock knock.’ ‘Who’s there?’ ‘Boo!’ ‘Boo who?’ Ha ha.”
“Hilarious. Are you finished? Or will your father and I have to take you back to Mars when he gets home? What’s the plan here? Larsen, you know Kathryn better than any of us. How do you think she’d respond to this news?”
“Well, Mrs. D, I’ve given that a whole lot of thought. First, I don’t think she should know anything until I can find out what Peter wants me to do. Wow, I can’t even believe I’m having a normal conversation about talking with a ghost, but I guess I am. For starters, I do think Peter is scared. I guess after spending forty years as a ghost and only fifteen as a person, he might be scared to do anything. You know how some people are really afraid of change? Well, maybe ghosts get the same way. I’m just rambling. Sorry.”
“How do you think Kathryn would react to seeing her long-dead son again? As a ghost! I wouldn’t want her to have a heart attack.”
“Don’t think so. She’s been looking for him for forty years. I think she’d be really glad to find him. She told me once that most people never really accept that someone has died, so if we see our deceased loved ones, we’re more likely to experience joy than fear. Those aren’t her exact words, but you know what I mean.”
“It’s called paraphrasing, dude.”
“Oh, right. Gee, it’s great to have a dictionary as your best friend.”
Arielle sat straight up in her chair. “Oh, wait. I have news. Lars, you couldn’t hear my conversation with Lisa because I had ear buds on, but it seems like Phil’s ridiculous little caper got a whole lot of people talking about our theater. In fact, having the screaming woman in the trailer brought more publicity than we ever dreamed, so much so that some people even accused Lisa of doing it as a publicity stunt. She’s set the record straight on that, though. Anyway, as embarrassing as that was, it’s been getting news coverage all over the country. You’re famous, Lars, and so is our theater. And the director, Edgar, is now thrilled because his old film is getting renewed interest. And because of Phil’s silly sabotage, we’re going to get double or triple the media coverage on opening night.”
Jessie looked disgusted. “I’m glad it backfired on him, but I just hope that doesn’t make him even angrier. This all may be good news for the theater, but it’s bad news for Phony Phil, and you know he is not gonna like it. I’m scared. I just hope he doesn’t come after you again.”
Arielle’s excited tone ceased immediately. “I hope not, Jess.”
`*`*`*`
“Happy hump day, handsome hands.”
River closed his locker and spun around to face Gina. “Oooo. Humping. That sounds like a great idea.”
Gina pressed her body gently against River’s until his back was up against the locker, then whispered in his ear, “I’m feeling more and more like it’s gonna be right for us really soon. And when it is, you will be the first and only person I tell.”
River
ran his hand through her blond locks. “You’re so sexy, baby. You’re my favorite fantasy.”
Coyly, Gina looked up at River. “I love hearing that. Riv, what happens after we’re together? I’m afraid I won’t be your favorite fantasy anymore because you’ll already know what I have to offer.”
Putting his lips to hers, River kissed her deeply, something he had never done before in the hallway of Mystekal High. When he was done, he looked into her twinkling blue eyes. “What makes you think that I’ll stop fantasizing about the next time? Or replaying the memories in my head—over and over again? No commercials. Just you and me on the love channel broadcasting directly from the hippocampus. Ha ha.”
“The hippo campus? Say what? Is that where hippos go to college?”
“No, it’s the part of the brain where our memories are stored.”
Gina laughed, then got serious again. “So you really don’t mind waiting a bit longer?”
“Hey, Gin, I could take you somewhere and make love to you today because I want you so bad. And I know you want me. But I know you have your reasons for waiting.”
“I just can’t be like Taylor. She gave it away like Halloween candy. Probably still does. My sister is a mess. I just don’t want to be Mess Junior.”
River wrapped his arms around Gina and held her close. She felt every cell in her body shiver with excitement. “Hey, just because I’m a guy, that doesn’t mean that I’m always ready to be with any girl. You’re the only girl I have any desire to be with. And that desire is getting bigger all the time, so I’d better chill because I can’t go to class with my desire showing. Ha ha.”
Gina looked to her right and left to make sure nobody was watching them and grabbed River to feel him getting hard. “Oh my, did I do that?”
River laughed and pulled away. “Damn, girl. We’re at school. I’m gonna have to think of someone really ugly to make this go down again.”
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