“But it doesn’t explain everything…”
He stroked his chin for a few moments and observed new people entering the bar, the cold blast from outside fol owing them in. “No, it doesn’t. I reckon your problem is you’re combining al these events that have happened to you and expect them to al be connected. But I don’t think that’s the case here.”
I waved my hand for the waiter and caught his eye.
Screw it, Nancy Drew must have let her hair down once in a while.
“So what says ‘ghost’ to you?” I asked, my attention back on the burly redhead.
“Obviously the slippers. The doorbel . The knocks. The yel ing, the TV, those are al things that poltergeists do.”
“Last time you thought there was a poltergeist, it turned out to be skinwalkers,” I pointed out.
He smiled, a tad embarrassed. “I’m not saying it can’t be anything else…”
“What about my nail polish?” I say, wiggling my right hand at him.
“It’s very pretty.”
“I mean, how did this get on my nails? And for that matter, who hid the syrup on me?”
He gave me a sharp look as the waiter approached the table. I composed myself and smiled up at him.
“What wil you be having?” the waiter asked. “Another of the Quails Gate?”
I nodded and Maximus caved and ordered another beer.
His eyes fol owed the waiter until he was gone, then he leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. I noticed his steel grey shirt was made out of fine silk, like fancy cowboy wear.
“What happened to you in Seattle?”
I flinched, surprised at the question. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t mean with Dex, I don’t care to hear about that.”
I could have sworn a dark shadow passed over his freckled face as he mentioned his name. The same look probably appeared on my face as wel , and often.
He continued, “What ghosts did you encounter?”
“Oh. Wel I don’t care to particularly think about that. You saw the footage that aired, right?”
He nodded. “And that was it? Was there anything else in that asylum?”
I thought about Creepy Clown Lady’s message on the EVP. Then I thought about Creepy Clown Lady in the hospital.
“You know how I was tel ing you about that woman I saw?”
“Circus freak?”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “Yeah. She left a message for Dex. Wel , us, real y. On the EVP. And only I had heard it. Dex might have now, but I heard it first and told him not to listen and then everything, wel , you know…
she real y does seem to want to warn me about something.”
He leaned closer stil . I caught a whiff of his spicy cinnamon smel . I breathed it in and automatical y found myself closing my eyes for a second.
“What did the message say?”
“I can’t real y remember,” I said, somewhat truthful y.
“She told me to ask my parents who Declan O’Shea was…
do you know?”
“Not unless Dex had a different last name. He hasn’t for as long as I’ve known him.”
I nodded, not real y expecting to have gotten an answer. I took in a deep breath before I blurted out the more painful stuff.