Cold Cases and Haunted Places

by Trixie Silvertale

  “Oh my God! What did you do to my camera?” Nate shrieked as his camcorder started to smoke. “This baby was so expensi… oww!” Before he’d finished the sentence, the camcorder exploded into bits and pieces.

  “Eeeeek!” I shrieked as shattered pieces of what used to be Nate’s camcorder flew all over the place. “Come on! Violence is not the right way to express your anger, you know!”

  “You deserve to die!” the monster roared. “You dared to wake us from our sleep! Not only that, you tried to kill us with the sickening chanting of stupid spells! Talk about disrespect!”

  “No worries, Mandy.” Katie stepped out in front of me and raised her hand, clutching the rosary. Loud and clear, she chanted powerful spells of exorcism.

  For a moment, the monster resembling a sumo-wrestler stopped moving. “Did you nail it, Katie?” I asked expectantly.

  “Hopefully—” Adam started, raising a hand, ready to high-five his date and ghostbusting mate, but things didn’t go along with our wishful scenario.

  “You… little…” The monster let out a low growl, with what looked like little remnants of the monster’s hair standing up like it was channeling one of those groupies following hair metal bands back in the ‘80s in L.A. music scenes. “You… little… devils… You shall die…”

  “Oh, geez… That ain’t looking too good,” I muttered. A part of me wondered why I was suddenly talking like Vince Neil from the Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room music video, but nobody else asked any questions about this matter—mostly because everybody was too preoccupied with the monster’s movements.

  “I declare in the name of the Holy Spirit,” Katie went on. “Angry spirit, you shall calm down and rest in peace!”

  But her spell didn’t seem to be working at all. The monster was charging toward us, and so were countless fireballs that looked like its subordinates.

  “We’re leaving here!” Adam scooped up Katie as she froze there, completely at a loss for words. Under normal circumstances, I’d have swooned with a little touch of envy, as the way he carried my friend resembled a movie scene in which the Prince Charming carried a runaway princess, but I didn’t have time for that.

  The monster was coming closer and closer to us.

  “Mandy, come on!” Nate pulled my arm, running back toward Katie’s Toyota. Feeling slightly bubbly with the situation, I ran with him, following Adam and Katie in front of us. I’d always been on the clumsy side, and even in this life or death situation, my legs refused to move like a pro runner.

  “No… place… to… run…” the monster’s menacing voice boomed in my brain.

  We ran like mad on the narrow pathway, but the sound of heavy, wet objects hitting the ground was growing louder and louder, meaning the monster and its gang were getting closer to us. Along with the wet footsteps, the strong stench of rotten flesh and dirty water assaulted my nostrils.

  My heart pounded frantically, and I felt an oh-so-heavy knot in the pit of my stomach. I moved my legs so fast that I was afraid that my legs would turn into butter and melt away. And, the next thing I knew, I felt a strong gust of wind on my back, and—

  “Ow!” With a yelp, Nate fell down to the ground—prompting me to lose my balance, but somehow, I managed to dig my feet into the ground.

  “Are you okay?” I bent down and tried to help him up, but in front of my eyes, his body was snatched by the monster.

  “Ouch…” Nate groaned, trying to clutch whatever he could reach to stabilize himself, but this area happened to be devoid of trees big enough to steady a teenage guy.

  “Oh my God, oh my God, ohmigod!” All I could do was stutter like a total idiot in a panic. “Seriously, you shouldn’t take him! After all, Nate had no part in chanting the spells and sprinkling holy water into the swamp, remember?”

  “Gaaarrrr!” The monster responded in an incoherent roar, and Nate yelped, “Noooooo! Help!”

  “Can I use these cards?” Adam snatched the talisman cards from Katie. “Nate, Mandy, duck!”

  I didn’t quite grasp what he was up to, but I lowered my head anyway. As for Nate, he was already down on the ground. And the next moment, Adam threw a wad of talisman cards at the monster, the talisman cards landing with loud slaps.

  “Did you nail it?” I asked, slowly standing up.

  “Hopefully…” Katie muttered, but then she gasped. “Oh, no…”

  “Gyaohhhhh!” The monster roared like Godzilla, pulling Nate even more strongly.

  “Wahhh!” I screamed as I witnessed the scene.

  If I were a stronger woman, I’d have jumped to his rescue, hitting his assailant with my super-duper drop kick or something, and if I were a lady from the regency era, I’d have fainted right on the spot. Anyway, I was only myself, a not-so-glamorous high school girl with a tendency to sneeze at the worst possible times.

  As if a feather tickled the deepest inner parts of my nostrils, I let out a sneeze. I’m not talking about a subtle, ladylike sneeze. Oh, no. I’m talking about a monster of a sneeze—complete with the snot and storming spit particles. “A-choo!” Even in this situation, I didn’t fancy being regarded as a slob, so I added, “Excuse me!” but apparently, the monster wasn’t listening.

  I’d once heard about sneezed spit traveling at the speed of a bullet train, but the sneeze came out so abruptly that I didn’t have time to cover my mouth. Not to mention my hands and sleeves were dirty following this little excursion and encounter with monsters.

  For a while, everything stopped moving, and all I could hear was a deafening silence. Even the monster and the gang of smaller monsters stopped moving. Honestly, I braced myself for death. After all, the distance between the sumo-wrestler-like monster and yours truly was less than a yard. Even though Nate, trembling so badly, was more likely to be killed first, it didn’t mean the monster would spare me from being its dinner or snack or whatever.

  Anyway, my stormy sneeze hit the monster square in its forehead, and I could see the slimy snot that probably came out of me gleaming on its surface, reflecting the moonlight.

  “Um… I’m sorry?” I said, my words sounding more like a question than a statement. Not that I was optimistic enough to expect the monster to forgive me with a gentle smile, but at least, saying something seemed like a good way to distract it.

  The monster didn’t respond, and Nate was spread-eagled on the wet ground. If looks could talk, he would have been screaming, “Don’t even think about aggravating this already whacked up situation, okay?”

  I glanced at Katie and Adam, hoping they’d come up with something, anything to bust this monster—except, they were simply gawking at the assailant.

  And the next moment, a bluish white light flashed in the sky, followed by an ear-splitting roar, complete with the ground shaking like we were in the middle of an earthquake.

  Along with that, I heard a noise like eggs burning in the frying pan. “Aaaaarrrrgh!” A thunderous scream echoed in the night, and the monster collapsed on the ground. Definitely dead.

  “Oh my God! I can move… I can move!” Nate exclaimed, jumping up.

  “Thank God you came with us, Mandy!” Katie came running to me, embracing me oh-so-tightly. “Thank you for rescuing all of us! You killed the monster!”

  “Pardon me?” I exclaimed, violently shaking my head. “I didn’t kill that monster! I didn’t!” I might have sounded like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, but I was a teenager, and I was still on a date with my crush! Okay, my impression of Nate had changed, but I wasn’t lame enough to brag about busting a menacing monster with my unladylike sneeze. Honestly, I wanted to blame a freak accident for everything. I was no clairvoyant, and I had no idea what was in store for my future—such as ending up with the unfortunate nickname the Grim Reaper after accidentally killing murderers who slipped out of the justice system.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay…” Not knowing my inner conflicts, Katie patted my arm. Her touch was soothing, but she went on, “No need to be so humble, you know. Hey, I’
ll buy you a chocolate parfait and orange crepes. Thanks to your great exorcism, I don’t need to refund a hundred bucks to Nancy.”

  Adam cleared his throat. “Anyway, we’ve got to call the police. I think this monster is a drowned corpse with a heck of a grudge.”

  “Seriously?” Nate’s jaw dropped. Rubbing his leg where the monster had been clutching it, he muttered, “Oh my God… I thought I was gonna die…”

  Nobody was carrying a cellphone because those were super-luxurious items back then. So, we walked to the Maxwells’ house. Luckily, nobody was hurt, despite the crazy encounter, and as soon as Nancy let us in, Adam called the police.

  When the police arrived, they conducted a thorough investigation by illuminating the swamp with flashlights and found a bloated corpse floating on the surface of the swamp.

  Epilogue

  “So, who was this bloated floater?” Jackie tilted her head, sitting by my side on the sofa in our living room. The tale of my teenage adventure turned out to be longer than something I could finish on the way home. “Assuming from the attitude, this person sounds like somebody who’d been brutally murdered in the swamp—or someone who ended up dead in the middle of a Voodoo or Santeria ritual.”

  “Actually, the floater turned out to be the missing sister of Nancy Maxwell,” I informed her.

  “Oh my God… Had she been murdered?” Jackie put her palms on her cheeks a la The Scream by Edvard Munch. “Maybe she was about to run away with a man her dad regarded as unsuitable for the family, and he killed her as their fight escalated.”

  “I don’t think so…” I tilted my head. “The coroner found nothing indicating foul play. The cartilage in her throat, along with the little bones, were intact, meaning that she didn’t die of strangulation. She didn’t have any damage to her skull either, so they ruled it as an accidental death.”

  “Did they find something like a suicide note?” Jackie dug in. “The ghost was so sinister that you mistook it for a real menacing monster, right? Sounds like this sister of Nancy’s was extremely grudgy when she passed away.”

  “I know.” I shuddered, recalling the encounter, complete with the stench of rotten flesh and the redness of the ghost’s eyes. “Still, I’ve heard about the agony of drowning before, and the swamp was so filthy and stinky to begin with. Anybody who ends up dead in that slimy water without being found for months could turn into a seriously menacing spirit. I was so glad when Nancy told us that her late sister visited her in Nancy’s dream about a week after the discovery of the corpse. She asked Nancy to pass on her appreciation to all of us.”

  “Oh, so, she found peace. What a relief.” She nodded, letting out a deep breath. “Having been left without closure following your death is bad enough, sinking in smelly water would be a total disaster. Wow, now I feel like I’m the lucky one. Always an optimist,” she said happily.

  When we met each other for the first time, she was a ghost of a murdered drag queen who was bound to the place she was murdered. Somehow, she could follow me around, demanding to find her killer. We became friends, and even after we’d found out the truth about her murder, she stuck around in this side of the world.

  “Your positive attitude is something I truly like about you,” I said, and I meant it.

  “Thanks!” She raised her palm, and I moved mine to look like we were high-fiving. “So, now we know that this sumo wrestler monster was the ghost of a poor girl suffering from an untimely demise, but apparently, you have things you haven’t shared with me yet, you know!”

  “Oh, like what?” I said teasingly, popping a chocolate truffle into my mouth.

  “Like, how Katie and Adam reacted to the whole situation, and how the relationship between you and Nate resolved.” She wiggled her finger. Glancing at a piece with jasmine tea-flavored cream filling, she added, “Hey, can you possibly cut it at the center?”

  “Sure.” I cut the piece at the center so she could taste the scent of the filling. As a ghost, she can’t eat or drink, but she did enjoy savoring the scents of food and beverages for humans.

  “Okay, let’s start with Katie and Adam.” She snapped her fingers after savoring the chocolate truffle.

  “Katie missed school for three straight days following the night of our misadventure, calling in sick,” I started. “And, as soon as she came back to school, she came to me, declaring that she was retiring from her career in exorcism.”

  “Seriously? When did her exorcist career ever start?” Jackie rolled her eyes.

  “Come on, we were teenagers,” I pointed out. “She was serious about her magical career back then. In case you don’t remember, kids tend to dream big when they’re teenagers.”

  “Oh, now I remember. I wanted to become an actress, working as a wizard on the side.” Jackie giggled.

  “That sounds fun. Anyway, Katie went to college, and then to dental school. She admitted that the special ability she used was all about aura reading, and her spiritual power to fight evil wasn’t all that strong. Her relatives in Louisiana recommended that she pursue dental education, and add magical touches by combining dentistry with her aura-reading skill.”

  “Hmm, it sounds like a good career. What about Adam? What did he become?”

  “He went to college, and then to GIA’s gemology school, and took over his family business. Now he’s happily married with two kids,” I replied, trying my best to keep my tone nonchalant. “Oh, did I mention it’s Katie who gave birth to his kids?”

  “Really?” Jackie jumped up. “I didn’t see romance coming between them, much less a marriage!”

  “I know. When we went on that double-date thingie, Katie and Adam regarded each other as something like business partners, but both of them realized how deep their feelings toward each other were when they were running away from Nancy’s sister Pricilla. Ooh, poor Pricilla. We should never have called her a monster or sumo wrestler. Nancy showed us the photos of late Pricilla. She used to be such a beauty, you know. Anyway, I swore never to die from drowning.” I shook my head, hoping to clear my memory of the images of her ghost that turned into a scary creature. “By the way, Adam has a jewelry line along with his family business, and Katie is selling his creations at her dental office.”

  “I see. Sounds like they’re a perfect match.” Jackie bounced.

  “So true.”

  “And?” My ghostly pal floated while giving me a sideway glance and wiggling her fingers. “You haven’t told me about how your crush towards Nate turned out. Did you go on another date or something? Considering that you saved his life and everything, he owed you a huge thank you note, at least.”

  “You’re right.” I chuckled. “Well, my crush on him had lessened somewhat in the middle of the misadventure. And, truth be told, it turned out Nate was gay.”

  “Ooh… I’m so sorry!” Jackie’s eyes widened. “Well, I had a hunch about that, but I shouldn’t have kept on digging about him. I’m really sorry, Mandy!”

  “Don’t be. It’s okay, Jackie.” I let out a laugh. “Still, we became friends. We found out about our mutual love for sweet delights, and we spent the rest of our high school days hanging out at cafés and cake shops, chatting about the latest developments in our romantic lives —or lack thereof.”

  “Oh, okay.” She flashed a wide grin. “I’m so envious of your fun-filled high school days. And, to be honest, I’m so relieved that I don’t need to hide the secret of your past romance from Rick. Not that I can directly talk to him.”

  “I know!” I giggled.

  When I saw Jackie for the first time, I was the only person capable of seeing the desperate ghost, but Rick believed me—without casting doubts or looking at me like I was crazy. Instead, he told me to describe the person in front of me, and by the time I finished answering his questions, he’d identified Jackie as the victim of a cold murder case that happened years ago.

  “Oh, speaking of whom, he’ll be home in a few seconds.” As soon as she told me, the doorbell buzzed.

 
“Hi, Rick!” I went to the foyer and literally welcomed my husband with open arms.

  “Hey. How was your day?” He smiled, embracing me in his strong arms.

  “Good. How was yours?” Looking up at his mesmerizing green eyes, I was grinning like an idiot. If I could travel through time, I might go and see me in those high school days, and give me a hint of a happy romance awaiting in the future.

  Of course, doing anything that could tamper with the future was a big no-no, and I didn’t even have a time machine.

  THE END

  I HOPE YOU ENJOYED Wicked in the Water! Continue reading with Wicked for Hire and check out the latest story The Night of Living Wicked.

  Lotta Smith writes paranormal cozy mysteries full of quirky characters, magic, and humor. A little sprinkle of romance is another favorite ingredient of her stories. When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys gawking at fine jewelry on the web.

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  All witch Jayce Bonheim wants is to scare up business for her coffeeshop at PaganCon. But then a druid in distress asks her for help, and the conference turns into a setup for murder. Can Jayce unveil a killer and stop an evil fey before her time runs out?

  1

  I wouldn’t be much of a witch if I ignored premonitions. But sometimes it’s tough to untangle magically bad feelings from stress, a rotten mood, or, say, a blinding fear of public speaking.

  Here’s the thing though: after you’ve finished your first-ever lecture on coffee magic and you still feel the heebie jeebies?

  That’s not good.

  I scanned the people rising from rows of folding chairs and trickling through the tent’s exit. I’d had a good crowd. My lecture had gone well, even if PaganCon had listed me in the program as Jace Bonheim instead of Jayce Bonheim.