Chapter 11
Isit on the porch, impatiently looking down at the screen of my phone. The internet can be so fucking slow out here sometimes. Jared is dragging fallen branches out of the front yard and putting them in what he keeps referring to as “the burn pile.”
Finally, the article I want to read opens, and I scan it so fast I have to go back and read it again.
Jared summed everything up pretty well: a guy named Josh Harper was the last guy working in his office when—according to him—he heard someone crying and went to see who it was.
He saw a woman in a pink dress standing in the hall, and when he asked her what was wrong, she “went psycho” and attacked him.
If this article is right, he got pretty beat up.
Three broken ribs, a nasty bump on the head, and covered in cuts and bruises.
The article ends with a statement saying to contact the police if anyone has any information about the woman.
Son of a bitch. I can’t go into work. I can try to call and get info…
depending on who answers. I close the internet tab on my phone and shake my head at myself.
Yeah, it’s really fucking coincidental that I did a spell that opened a rift, then saw a ghost who fits this description to a T, and then someone gets attacked.
But it doesn’t mean the guy was actually attacked by a ghost.
Can ghosts even hurt people like that? If they can walk through walls, how can they physically harm anyone? Wouldn’t their fist go right through you if they tried to throw a punch?
I get up and go inside, debating on calling Tiffany and asking if she knows anything more about the case.
She’s a crime scene photographer and wouldn’t have been called to this scene.
And even if she had been…what would I say?
Tell me about the crazy guy who said a ghost attacked him?
He was attacked by something, with injuries severe enough to require a hospital visit.
Was this looked into like an assault? The office probably has some sort of security footage to look through, though I don’t know if ghosts show up on camera.
I set my phone down and open the fridge, looking for something to make for dinner. The guys go through a lot of food in a short amount of time, and I need to go grocery shopping. Not wanting to go out now, I just order pizzas.
Jared knocks on the front door, and looks inside as soon as I open it.
“Come in, have a look around,” I say.
“The whole house?”
“No.”
“But you said I could—”
I raise an eyebrow. “This is still my house, kid. It’s not a museum. I have personal shit in places, you know.”
“Oh, right. I knew that. Is it creepy living here by yourself?” He steps through the foyer and raises his gaze to the balcony.
“I don’t live by myself. My boyfriend lives with me.”
“The one I saw at the party?”
I nod. “Yeah. Him.” And three others…but I’ll keep that to myself. I don’t want to go putting ideas in this kid’s head. “He’s at work now.”
Jared goes through the living room, still looking around as if the house might wake up and grab him. The house won’t, but who knows if there are any spirits lurking.
“There’s poison ivy all along the front,” Jared tells me as he slowly walks to the library. “I’ll come back with long sleeves and gloves.”
“Good plan.” I lean against the wall and cross my arms, watching Jared.
He stops in the threshold of the library but doesn’t go in.
I know I should say something else, give him a little more info to hold onto that’ll keep him from looking for answers elsewhere.
But, dammit, this isn’t my area of expertise.
“I have seen a ghost,” I say, going back to our conversation earlier. “Right here, in the house.”
Jared snaps his head up, looking back at me. “Like here here?”
“Yes, she walked through the house and into the library.”
“And then what?”
I shrug. “I didn’t see her after that.”
“Any idea who it was? Have there been murders in this house?”
I laugh. “Not that I know of. And I think…I think it was my mother.”
Jared casts his eyes down. “That’d be cool if she was here.”
“Yeah. It would be.” I take a step forward and shift my gaze to the door, hinting that he should leave. Taking the hint, he heads for the foyer.
“Thank you, Ace. No adult has ever taken me seriously.”
“No problem, kid.” I pull out my phone. “What’s your number?”
He gives it to me and I drop call his phone so he has my number as well. “See you tomorrow.”
“Same time?”
“I’ll be here.”
Gilbert wraps his arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. I’m stuffed full of pizza and just enough wine to make me a little tipsy. We’re working our way through the Harry Potter movies and having a low-key night at home.
Jacques wasn’t sure about the ghost attack.
He thinks it’s possible, but hasn’t come across any cases like that personally.
So I’m back at square one and trying hard not to obsess, which seems to be my new thing nowadays.
Though as a cop, I know that sometimes my inability to let something go means there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
And right now, I’m pretty convinced the ghost I saw walking through my house is out there attacking people. She already got one…I have a feeling it won’t be long until there’s another.
“Finally,” Gil says, sliding his arm up so his fingers rest at the base of my breast.
“Finally what?”
“You’re relaxing. Only took half a bottle of wine.”
“Shut up.” I laugh. “I’ve been relaxed this whole time.”
“Really?” He tips his head down, raising his eyebrows. “You still need lessons in how to let your hair down.”
“My hair is down,” I sass, making a face.
He gathers it to the side and kisses my neck. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” I let my eyes fall shut and wiggle closer to him, stretching out my legs so they’re resting on the coffee table.
We finish the movie and move onto the next one.
The guys are pretty into the storyline, and are amazed by the realistic special effects.
I spent a few minutes trying to explain it all, but lost them when I started talking about CGI and green screens.
After the second movie of the night ends, we get up to do something else. It’s late, but since I don’t have to be at work tomorrow I can stay up and sleep in and get more time with the guys.
When I’m too tired to stay up any longer, I head upstairs to brush my teeth and get into PJs. “Want some company?” Gilbert asks, stepping into the master bathroom with me. “I mean just company, not sex. I know you’re tired. Though if you do want to have sex, I’m willing to take one for the team.”
“You’re getting good with your modern phrases.” I turn on the shower, letting the water warm up. It takes a while in this old house. “And yeah, company would be nice. And I’m tired, but I wouldn’t rule out sex just yet.”
Once I’m ready for bed, we crawl under the covers together.
“Wake me up if I’m having a nightmare.” I hook my leg over Gil’s and snuggle against him.
“I will, don’t worry.” He kisses my forehead and holds me tighter. Listening to his heartbeat, I know I won’t worry at all.
I sleep through the night with no bad dreams or interruptions.
I didn’t even stir after Gil left, and wake up after ten a.m. Lounging around in bed for a while before I get up, I stretch out and enjoy the sun shining through my windows.
It’s a sunny day and I can tell already it’s going to be warm.
I need to invest in some sort of air conditioning for the house.
I know it’s possible to add central air to old buildings, but I’m sure it’s crazy expensive.
A window unit for my room at least should do the trick for a while. I can’t sleep when I’m hot.
When I finally get up, I don’t bother getting dressed.
I have no plans for the day. Pulling my hair into a messy bun, I go downstairs and make a cup of coffee, taking it to the front porch, my mind on the pink dress ghost. On my phone, I Google the guy who was attacked, and the same article I read yesterday pops up first. The same story appeared in a few local papers and news sites, as well as a few mentions on Facebook.
I click on the first Facebook link, taking me to a ghost hunting club’s page.
They’re meeting at a coffee shop this evening outside of Philly, but only about an hour away. And the guy—Josh—who got attacked will be there. If this isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is.