Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (18 page)

“
You loved music, huh?” I
smiled.

“
Yes, I did.” He chuckled.
“Believe it or not, I sang in a band. To be honest, that's what I
really wanted to do with my life, but my parents discouraged me and
I listened to them.”

The headlights from the car almost
blinded me. Anthony stopped talking and Seth and Mae fell silent.
We stared as the police cruiser moved toward the car. I hoped they
wouldn't think I was the bad guy. They’d have their guns drawn,
ready to shoot at the slightest little movement. Just to be safe, I
kept my hands down until I was sure they wouldn't make any stupid
moves. It had been known to happen.

The lights from the car flickered,
making me slightly dizzy and casting an ominous red and blue glow
around the yard. Police cars, lights…it looked as if there was a
murder crime scene or something. Kind of spooky. The officer tapped
on my window and I rolled it down.

“
Are you all right in
there?” he asked.

I recognized him from the bookstore
the other day. “Yes, I'm okay. I didn't want to wait inside in case
the person was still in the house.”

“
That's the best idea. You
wait here while we check things out.”

He didn't have to tell me twice. I
wasn’t stepping out of the car and into the darkness to be
killed.

“
I hope they find out who
did it,” Seth said with concern in his voice.

“
Me too. The dirty
bastards,” Mae said.

She didn't mind telling it like she
saw it. She said whatever came to mind. I wished I could be more
like that.

“
If I were alive, I'd find
out who did it and they'd be sorry. Heck, if I find out who did it,
I'll hunt them down and haunt them,” Anthony said.

The gang quieted as we watched the
house. After a few minutes of waiting in anticipation, the two
police officers returned. “It's safe to come inside now. No one is
there. We'd like for you to have a look around and tell us if
anything is missing.”

“
Sure, I can do that.” I
eased out from behind the wheel, like a skittish cat, ready to jump
at the slightest noise or movement.

I hoped it was safe. Surely, they knew
what they were talking about. I didn't know how I would stay in the
house tonight and sleep without worrying about someone breaking in.
If only I had someone to come over and stay with me. Maybe I’d
attempt another call to Mindy and see if she could come over,
although what good would she be if a would-be burglar came back?
But then again, she did have some serious arm muscles from all
those pole fitness classes. The chances of her answering her phone
though were slim to none. Why was I holding onto false hope? As if
somehow she’d snap out of this weirdness on her own.

I marched toward the house with a lump
in my throat. My uneasiness rested like a heavy weight at the
bottom of my stomach. Lights shone from the windows, but that
didn’t erase the creepiness. Thank goodness the police had turned
on a few. As I peered around my house, I wanted to cry from anger.
Someone had been in home. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes
when I thought about this person creeping around my house. The
bastards, as Mae had said.

Again, I couldn’t imagine who had done
this and what they wanted. Was it really Cooper? Why would he come
into my home? Just to scare me? Maybe he really had broken into
Book Nook. It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed my mind
and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Whoever did this must be
fearless and not care about being caught. Wasn't stealing five
hundred dollars from me enough? This person had to have more?
Needed more? What type of person would do something like
this?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“
Can you look around, Miss
Donavan, and tell us if anything is missing?”

I shook my head. “I don't think so,
just from looking around.”

“
It would be better if you
looked through every room.”

“
Every room?” I let out a
deep breath. “All right. Sure, no problem.” I moved through the
house, scanning for any missing items, but nothing seemed to be
gone. The footprints went from room to room. It was creepy to know
someone had been in my home. I wasn’t looking forward to mopping
all the floors. It was almost as if they wanted me to know they
were there. Did this person think I kept cash hidden in my home
like in the bookstore? I'd never understand a criminal
mind.

When I stepped into the bathroom, a
little gasp slipped out of my mouth. ‘Get Out’ was written cross
the mirror. How had the police missed this message? Then I
remembered. I knew how they’d missed it because I’d seen this type
of message before. The communication was from something not of this
world. The words were written in the steam, but no water had been
running. The letters quickly disappeared when the sound of the
policeman’s footsteps neared. The message was meant for my eyes
only.

“
I don't see anything
missing,” I said, attempting to sound calm.

Then I remembered my jewelry box, not
that I had much—a few necklaces, mostly things of sentimental
value. I didn't want to look for fear they might be gone, but I
knew I had to.

I eased open the box and, much to my
surprise, everything was still there.

The officer stood nearby, waiting for
the report. Anthony, Mae, and Seth hovered over my shoulder.
“Everything’s still here,” I said to the officer. “I don't keep any
money in the house like I did at the bookstore.”

“
I’m surprised they didn't
take your television or something.” He gestured toward the living
room.

“
Well, it's not exactly
that nice. I don't watch a lot of TV…I read books.”

He smiled. “You are your own
advertising, huh? It’s a good thing.”

“
I love books. What can I
say?”

“
To be honest, there’s not
a lot more we can do. There doesn’t appear to be a crime. Nothing
is missing. Just a dirty floor…my boss won’t let me report that as
a crime, although my wife would probably say it is.”

I didn’t have the heart to even
chuckle at his attempt at humor.

“
Does anyone else have a
key to your house?”

“
My mother. Oh, and my best
friend, Mindy Winters.”

“
Would either one of them
come into your home? Maybe they were here and didn’t tell you.
Considering nothing is missing…”

“
Well, the footprints look
bigger than their feet.” Why was I doing his detective
work?

“
I’ll take a list of anyone
you think might be behind this, if you’re willing to provide it.
Considering your store was broken into as well, it could be worth
taking a look at. Do you have any enemies?” He stared, not taking
his eyes off me.

“
Wow, enemies? Really? Not
that I can think of.” I shook my head.

I would hate to think someone I knew
would do something like this, but then after Brianna, I shouldn't
be surprised by anything. I didn't know witches could really place
spells until I met her, so I guess it could’ve been someone I knew.
The message on the mirror though left me wondering if the whole
demon scenario really was what was happening.

“
Give me a bit and we’ll be
out of your hair. We just need you to sign a statement for the
investigation. Oh, and you’ll give me any names?”

The investigation. I didn’t like the
way that word made me feel when it left his lips. It sounded way
too official. He wanted names? Cooper Garret. That was the only
name that came to mind. Short list. There was that woman who came
into the store the other day wanting a refund for an already used
crossword puzzle book. She was pretty steamed when I told her no.
She hadn’t even bought it at Book Nook. Other than that, I had
nothing to tell the officer.

“
Do I have time to call my
friend before you leave? I’d really like someone to come over after
you guys leave.”

“
No problem. I’ll be in the
other room if you need me.”

“
Thanks.”

He nodded and walked out of the
room.

If Mindy were acting like herself,
she’d be shocked at the turn of events. The officer mentioned a
friend or family member coming into my house, but since Mindy was
acting weird, I doubted she’d do something like that. Plus, like I
told him, the footprints were way too big to be Mindy or my
mother’s prints.

As I dialed the number yet again, I
prayed Mindy answered this time. We were each other’s rock until
this weird power had taken over. I had always known I could count
on Mindy, but now that assurance was gone. I waited while the phone
rang, tapping my foot against the floor anxiously. On the fourth
ring, just as I thought she wouldn’t answer, I got a breathless
hello.

“
Mindy! Oh my gosh, I’m so
glad you answered. I’ve been so worried about you. You're not going
to believe what happened,” I said.

“
I'm kind of in the middle
of something here, Larue. Can this wait?”

Wow, she had never been too busy to
talk to me, especially when I said you're not going to believe
this. What would I do to get through to her? “Don't you want to
hear what happened?” I asked.

“
All right.” She sighed.
“What happened this time?”

I was sensing a tone from her and it
wasn’t a good one. More like I was an irritating gnat that she had
to keep swatting off. Was she seriously that mad at me? Maybe
something was making her this way. Could this be her true feelings?
What could I have possibly done? Had I done something and not
realized it? I hoped not. I didn't like when people were mad at me,
even more so, when I'd been friends with someone as long as I had
with Mindy.

“
Someone broke into my
house.” I waited. I’d give her the chance to say “You're kidding”,
then I would say, “Would I kid about something like that?” It's
what we always said.

But this time, she didn't. She
remained silent. I was in shock. I didn't know what to say from
here. But I had to help Mindy. This wasn’t her talking…this was
something evil. A demon? Witchcraft? How would I find
out?

Instead of her usual comment, she
said, “Well, Larue, trouble seems to follow you around lately, huh?
You should lock your doors.”

“
I did lock my door,” I
huffed.

She didn't ask if I was all right or
if anything had been stolen. What dark place had Mindy slipped away
to?

“
The police are here now.
They’ll be leaving soon. Do you want to come over?” Maybe if I
offered margaritas, we could have a fun night just like old times.
We'd get a little tipsy to drown away the pain of what’s been going
on lately. Not that I was an alcoholic or a lush, mind you, ’cause
I was not.

“
I can't do that, Larue,”
she said around a sigh. “Why don't you be an adult and do some of
these things on your own for a change?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Something
had to be done. “What is wrong with you Mindy? You've never acted
this way. Did I do something to offend you? Can’t you see that
you’ve been acting strange?”

The officer stepped back into the
room. He looked at me as if to say “Save the high school drama for
later.”

Mindy said nothing.

“
Well, talk to me.” I
didn't care if he was waiting.

“
No, you didn't do
anything. I’m just sick of you being a baby, that's all. Listen,
I'll come over in a bit. We can talk about it. I have to go
now.”

Laughter sounded from the background
and I could have sworn I heard someone say the name Cooper. Sounded
as if they were having a party on the other end of the line and I
wasn't invited.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

While waiting on the officers, I paced
the floor, worrying about how to help Mindy.

“
You want me to check the
house for you another time before I leave?” the officer asked,
pulling my attention away from my thoughts.

“
Yes, would you? It would
make me feel so much better. I have a friend coming over and maybe
she can stay overnight, just until I feel safe again.”

Whenever that may be. I didn't know
how long it would take me to get over this latest creepy event.
Especially if I never found out who or what had done it. It made me
feel violated and that's a feeling I never wanted to experience
again.

I hoped Mindy would show up but, after
the way she acted on the phone, it was a distinct possibility that
wouldn’t happen. If she did come by, I would confront her with my
suspicions. She’d deny it, because she wouldn’t be able to
understand her strange behavior, but confronting her would be the
first step toward making this right again.

I stood and walked to the foyer. “I'll
have to change the locks and get an alarm. Maybe I should get one
of those huge dogs.”

He nodded. “That's what I'd
do.”

“
I could use the
companionship, anyway,” I said softly.

It looked as if I'd need a new best
friend if I didn’t figure out how to help Mindy.