The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Thirty-Six

We drove to the local pizza place for the wrap party. My heart wasn’t in it though. I would have rather gone home, pulled the shades down, and gone to bed.

“This is where you go for a party? How lame,” Candy Cherry said.

Why hadn’t she been around when the demon was attacking Jennie? She was full of hot air.

“There’s no smoking,” I snapped at Mr. Fine when no one was looking.

He glared, took a drag, and then blew the smoke in my face. I coughed and waved the invisible smoke out of my face.

“I love pizza,” Elvis said as he looked at the slices longingly.

What kind of hell would it be to see a gooey pepperoni pizza and not be able to take a bite? Complete torture, I thought.

“Larue, you just haven’t been acting right since we left the investigation. What’s going on with you?” Mindy sat across from me after we’d gotten our cheesy pizza.

“What are you talking about?” I snapped as I shoved a slice of pizza in my mouth.

Okay. That wasn’t like me. My mood was growing worse. I had to tell someone what was going on and ask for help. As much as I wanted to do everything on my own, I knew I had to ask for help. Why had I just snapped at her? I didn’t want to talk to her that way, but it had just come out of my mouth. It was as if I couldn’t control my own voice.

I knew Mindy was right though. I’d felt the dark thoughts take over my mind and it was time to admit it once and for all and stop pretending what was happening to me didn’t exist. The feeling I had wasn’t only because I was working too much or over-stressed. No, I knew that something more sinister was going on.

“I’m sorry.” I rubbed my temples. “I have no idea why I snapped like that. Too much pressure, I guess.”

“I worry about you, Larue. You don’t even look the same. Your expression has changed. Even your eye color looks different. Your eyes look bluer.” She picked at her slice of pizza.

When Mindy said this, I knew I was in trouble. It hit me hard. This wasn’t normal behavior for me. Either I was being overcome by a demon, or a spell had been cast on me. With the events as of late, I couldn’t tell which.

“Mindy, I think you’re right.” My stomach twisted into a knot. “I think something is wrong with me. I haven’t felt myself since before the show started. I don’t know if it’s the demonic stuff in the house, or if a spell has been cast on me.”

“Who would have cast a spell on you? I thought all of that was behind us now. Brianna is gone and so is Becky. At least I assume they are gone for good. Do you think they’ve come back?”

I stared down at my plate. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t think they’ve come back, but I need to get answers. This could become very serious.”

She sighed. “I think it already is.”

“I still don’t know who sent the witch’s ball. How will I even begin to figure out a mystery such as that?”

“We need to do some sleuthing.” Mindy smiled and I attempted to return the sentiment. I knew she was right. If I wanted to save myself, I had to find out who was attacking me.

***

There had been no return address on the box. No card or any clues that would lead to its origin. Maybe I had overlooked something. I made my way to the box that I’d left in the kitchen. Mindy followed along behind me.

I hadn’t wanted to throw it away in the hopes that I’d somehow find a clue in it. But I’d looked at it several times over the last couple days and there had been no clues. I picked up the box and lifted out the tissue paper again.

“It doesn’t have many clues, huh?” Mindy asked as she stood beside me.

“Nope.” I shook my head.

I turned it upside down, thinking maybe something like a card would fall out like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Once again, nothing fell out. Someone snorted from over my shoulder and I knew without looking who it was.

“What do you want?” I snapped. “You know who sent this ball to me, don’t you? It gives you great pleasure to let them remain anonymous, doesn’t you?”

“What good does it do me to tell you? I get nothing for it, so why should I?” Candy Cherry walked around the table, circling us and glaring the whole time.

“Because it would be a nice thing to do.” I stared back.

“You just want to know who sent it so you can get rid of me.” She waved her index finger at me.

“That is not true. What good does it do for me to know?” I used the sweetest voice I could muster. “It’s not as if the person who sent it can tell me how to get rid of you. But there are ways to get rid of you.”

She snorted.

“We performed an exorcism on the show, I think I’m going to ask Cooper to come over and help cast you out as well.” I smirked.

It did my soul good to get in a little dig like that. If she thought she was going to hang around and torment me, she had another think coming.

“You can try all you want, but I’m not going anywhere.” She folded her arms in front of her chest.

“Say that all you want, but you’ll see. I’ll get rid of you.”

She let out a huff. “Fine. Maybe I can give you a few clues.”

I thought she’d see it my way. “Okay.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and leaned back. “I’m listening. You’d better not be yanking my chain again.”

She flashed her dazzling smile. “Would I do a thing like that?”

I frowned. “Yes. You have and you would. Now get on with it.”

“Okay. A woman may or may not have sent it to you.” She studied her fingernails.

“What kind of clue is that? I mean, I assumed it was either a man or a woman. Unless a ghost delivered it to my front porch, which would still be a man or a woman. So you’re not helping me much.”

“Okay, okay. You are a complete nag. It was a woman.”

I stood up straighter. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So if you can tell me it was a woman, then why can’t you just go ahead and come out with who it was?”

“Because that wouldn’t be any fun and then I would have failed at my job. I was meant to come here and harass you. Oops.” She covered her mouth.

“You were sent here to harass me? Just because someone sent you here doesn’t mean you actually have to nag me. Maybe you could just pretend to do it.”

She shook her head. “No can do. I have a job to do and I always finish what I start.”

“So what do you consider a successful mission as far as harassing me is concerned?”

“To get rid of you.” She smiled evilly.

Things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse with her comment and I hadn’t thought that was possible before now.

I swallowed hard and mustered up enough courage to ask. “What do you mean get rid of me?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. You’ll be coming with me so we can carry out more devilish missions.”

“Like hell I will.” Pun intended.

“Clever.” She smirked.

“So that’s all you’re going to tell me? If you are so good at your job, then I’d think you could share more without giving away the identity of the person who sent you. Or are you afraid that you can’t handle it? I bet you can’t tell me anything without letting the demon out of the bag. You suck,” I said.

Her face turned redder than her dress. My taunting had really pissed her off. Good. She deserved it. “You’re just trying to trick me into telling you stuff. I’m not that stupid.”

I shrugged. “Fine. If you say so. Keep telling yourself that.”

She glared at me. “She’s involved in witchcraft,” Candy Cherry said in a hurry.

“Big deal. I assumed that much. Is that all you got?” I asked.

“She has blonde hair and dresses very stylishly.”

I paused. Karyn had long blonde hair and dressed very stylishly. But would she have sent me the package? No. Not without telling me she was sending it. Plus, she wouldn’t knowingly subject me to this awful spirit on purpose. But now the seed of doubt had been planted. The spirit had succeeded and I hadn’t figured out for sure who had sent the witch’s ball. And Candy Cherry knew exactly what she’d done. She had a sly smile spread across her face. She was very happy with her accomplishment.

“It couldn’t possibly be anyone you know though, could it?” she asked with a smirk. “No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think so.”

I didn’t like this ghost. She probably had been an equally awful person when she’d been alive too. I’d find a way to get rid of her. I’d have the last laugh. I wouldn’t be bullied by spirits. I’d made that decision years ago and I wasn’t about to let it happen now.

“You think you’re so clever, but I don’t need you to figure out who sent the package. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“If you say so, but you haven’t had much luck with your search yet. Good luck finding the person.” And with that she disappeared.

Mindy had been staring at the whole exchange with her mouth agape. I picked up the box and slammed it down with frustration. I was pretending the box was Candy Cherry’s head.

Mindy eased the box away from me. “Do you think Callahan’s ex-girlfriend could have sent it? I mean she is sending you the letters, so postal mail seems to be her modus operandi.”

“Yes, of course, the thought has crossed my mind,” I snapped.

Mindy ignored my agitation.

“So confront Callahan. Give him a chance to explain what is going on.”

“I showed him the letters. He said she was just trying to be funny and that he’d talk to her. After that, I basically kicked him out of my house.”

“You’re kidding.” Mindy’s mouth hung open.

“Can he explain any more than that? It looks as if it’s all explained right on that page.” I shoved the latest letter toward Mindy.

She read the page then looked back at me. “We need to go and check out this place he’s working. Find out what’s going on. Check out this Ginger chick.”

“So snoop on him?” I asked.

“Exactly.”