The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt Read online

  “Perhaps I should run for city council,” Pearl muttered as she made her way down the front walk. “After all, if it wasn’t for me, they would still be illegally operating a business in a residential neighborhood.”

  Her stride determined, the newspaper still tucked under one arm, Pearl plodded up the sidewalk toward Marlow House. She passed its south gate. It led up the driveway into their side yard. While the gate was closed, its padlock was not latched. Yet she had no intention of entering from that way. Pearl intended to use their front door.

  When she reached the front gate a moment later, she found it open. Entering, she started up the walkway when motion from one of the front windows caught her eye. With a frown she stood there a moment, staring at what she believed was the living room window. If she didn’t know better, it looked as if something was floating around in the room. What are they up to? she asked herself. Curious, Pearl decided to take a closer look.

  Ducking down so the shrubbery along the front of the house would block her from view should someone from inside look out, Pearl stealthily made her way to the living room window. She paused a moment and glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one was walking up the sidewalk. It would be just her luck to have that annoying redhead from across the street come barging over about now.

  Stepping off the walkway and onto the mossy ground, she crept closer to the window, careful to conceal herself from whoever might be inside. Crouching behind a leafy shrub—it covered the lower right corner of the window—she used her hands to part the branches, peeking through them and into the living room.

  Pearl ducked down lower because, as it turned out, there were a number of people sitting in the room. It appeared to be some sort of gathering of the neighborhood. One she hadn’t been invited to. Not that she wanted to be invited, she reminded herself.

  There had been no reason to worry about the redhead from across the street sneaking up on her. Pearl spied her sitting in one of the chairs facing the couch. Sitting next to her in the other chair was that man from down the street, and on the sofa sat the Marlows. There was someone sitting on the floor with that troublesome pit bull, and she was fairly certain it was her other neighbor. Such a nasty girl, that one—she gets perverse delight in scaring me with that vicious dog, Pearl thought.

  Gritting her teeth over the thought of a pit bull residing in her neighborhood—something she would work to outlaw should she someday become a city council member, she spied what she had seen a moment before—something floating by. Was it some remote-control toy? she wondered. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in what appeared to be a blue blanket. Pearl frowned, trying to identify the object. No one in the room seemed to be manning controls for the slowly floating bundle, which confounded Pearl.

  A moment later the unidentified object shifted directions and, when doing so, revealed what was wrapped inside. A baby!

  Stunned, Pearl stood up, staring in disbelief as the baby floated by the window. It turned its face in her direction and opened its eyes. Looking into her face, it let out a cry.

  Lily, who had finally managed to give her full attention to the conversation at hand—a discussion of the upcoming haunted house fundraiser and what still needed to be done—heard Connor let out a sob. She, along with everyone in the room, looked in his direction.

  Standing at the window behind Marie and the once sleeping baby was Pearl Huckabee from next door. Her gray eyes wide, she stared blankly in the window. The next moment, she disappeared.

  Marie, who had stopped pacing and started bouncing Connor gently, soothing him, looked in annoyance at the window.

  “That horrid woman scared him!” Marie said.

  In the next moment Lily jumped up and took Connor, who was no longer crying.

  Marie stuck her head out the window—literally through the glass pane—and looked down. A moment later she pulled her head back inside and turned to the others.

  “It looks as if that dreadful woman has fainted,” Marie said matter-of-factly.

  Lily took Connor to the parlor while the others rushed outside to Pearl. Just as they reached her, she was coming to. Now muddy from falling on the damp ground, Pearl looked up to her neighbors, who all stood over her, looking down curiously. The dazed woman blinked up at the four people—not seeing the two ghosts who accompanied them. A moment later Walt and Chris each offered a hand to help her up. Scowling at the men, Pearl refused to take their assistance. She stumbled to her feet. Both men withdrew their hands without comment.

  “There is a baby flying around in your living room!” Pearl blurted.

  Danielle smiled at Pearl. “Oh, so you saw that? Pretty impressive, huh?”

  Pearl narrowed her eyes and looked back in the window. No one was in the room now, and nothing was floating about. “What’s going on here?”

  “Odd question coming from a Peeping Tom,” Heather snarked.

  Pearl glared at Heather. “I am not a Peeping Tom!”

  In unison, they all arched their brows. “You were looking into our window,” Walt reminded her.

  “I…I simply came over here to talk to you about…” Pearl stammered and then looked around for the newspaper, realizing she must have dropped it when she had fainted. She found it sticking out from the shrub she had been hiding behind. Snatching up the paper, she folded it to show the ad and then held it up for all to see. “I came over to talk about this!”

  “Ahh. Well, then I guess you know why there was a baby floating around in our living room,” Danielle said sweetly.

  “I do?” Pearl muttered in confusion.

  “Sure.” Danielle smiled again. “It’s one of the tricks we’re trying out for our haunted house. Pretty impressive, wasn’t it? I bet you really thought the baby was floating. He wasn’t, of course. Babies don’t float.”

  Drawing her forehead into a scowl, Pearl looked from Danielle to the rest of the neighbors. They all smiled at her, which she found unsettling. Without saying another word, Pearl turned and hurried back to her house, newspaper in hand.

  Three

  Ian Bartley, who wrote under the pen name Jon Altar, sat at his computer in his home office, researching telekinesis and psychokinesis. The research wasn’t for a future article or book—it was more personal than that. His golden retriever, Sadie, napped on the floor nearby, and his battered old Cubs baseball cap sat on his desk next to his now empty coffee cup.

  He had just finished reading an online article when Sadie jumped up and gave a little woof, her tail wagging. The dog dashed from the room, and Ian assumed Lily must have returned home from Marlow House with their son. He couldn’t believe the baby would be a month old tomorrow. It seemed like just yesterday Connor had been born. Just yesterday that Walt had moved a downed tree limb out of their way so they could reach the hospital in time. How Walt actually managed to move that heavy tree limb had been preoccupying Ian’s thoughts, which was the reason for his recent internet search on telekinesis and psychokinesis. A moment later Lily walked into the room with their son.

  “Still working?” Lily asked after dropping a kiss on Ian’s lips. He remained sitting in his desk chair, but accepted the kiss and then reached out and gently stroked Connor’s cheek. The baby squirmed restlessly in his mother’s arms, but he did not cry.

  “Just doing some research,” he said.

  “You mind if I sit in here while I feed him?” Lily asked, taking a seat on the rocking chair they had recently added to the room.

  Ian swiveled his chair to face his wife and son. Lily hadn’t waited for an answer, which only made him smile. Leaning back, he watched as she opened her blouse and released one of her breasts. A moment later Connor latched on to the nipple and began to greedily nurse, making little cooing sounds as he did.

  “You do that so naturally,” Ian said in awe.

  Looking up from their son, she flashed Ian a smile and then glanced back at Connor, gently stroking the side of his cheek. “It is natural.”

  “Have I told you lately how
much I love you?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Lily grinned. “Before I left this morning. But I always love hearing it. I love you too, Ian.” She stared down at Connor and sighed. “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact we created something this perfect.”

  “How was he over at Walt and Danielle’s?” Ian asked.

  “He got a little fussy, but then Marie insisted on taking him.”

  “Marie?”

  Lily looked up at Ian and giggled. “Marie confessed she stopped in last night to check on Connor, and he could see her—like she could see Eva when she was a baby. And by how Connor reacted to Marie—which was weird for me, since I couldn’t see Marie—he is obviously drawn to her. She walked him a little bit after he got fussy, and he immediately fell asleep.”

  “I’m trying to imagine that—watching Marie walk him, but not being able to see her.” Ian cringed.

  “Yeah, I know. It was a little nerve-racking, but according to Dani, Eva claims the universe would never allow Marie to drop him—whatever that really means. Oh, and Pearl Huckabee saw.”

  “Saw what?”

  “She came over this morning. I suspect to bitch about the upcoming haunted house, considering she had the newspaper ad with her—”

  “I saw the ad this morning. Turned out good,” Ian interjected.

  “Well, she never really got to talking about the haunted house. When she was coming up the front walk, she must have noticed our son floating around the living room, so she went to get a closer look. Poor Connor, he woke up to her angry mug staring at him through the window, and she made him cry.”

  “She saw Marie carrying him?” Ian recalled the time he had witnessed the wine bottle and glasses floating in the Marlow House kitchen before he was aware of the existence of ghosts.

  “Yep. And she fainted. Right there in Dani’s front shrubbery. Thankfully she didn’t knock her head or anything, or I imagine she would be suing Dani about now.”

  “So what did you tell her?”

  “I didn’t tell her anything. I took Connor in the parlor while they all went outside to check on her. I guess she was just coming to when they got outside. Dani told her it was one of the tricks they were practicing for the haunted house.”

  “And she believed that?” Ian asked.

  “You would have believed it,” Lily reminded him, referring to the wine bottle and glasses. “And I actually told you the truth.” She had told him the truth, but at the time he had chosen to believe some sleight-of-hand trick was responsible for the floating objects, not energy from a ghost.

  Ian shrugged. “So then what did she say?”

  “I guess not much. She bolted and went home. But we all assume her original reason for coming over was to protest the haunted house, but after she fainted, she was just too flustered.”

  “So how are the plans coming?”

  Before answering, Lily glanced down and moved Connor from one breast to the other. “Good. I think it will be fun. Tomorrow Evan is coming over after school to help finish decorating.”

  “Is Eddy coming too?” Ian asked, referring to Evan’s older brother.

  Lily shook her head. “No. He has a scout meeting. So, what are you working on?”

  “Not really work. But I’ve been doing more research on telekinesis and psychokinesis.”

  “I’m not sure why Walt moving that tree limb has you so obsessed. After all, he’s been doing stuff like that since you met him.”

  “I suppose it’s because Walt is no longer a ghost. And picking up something the size of that tree limb is a far cry from bending a spoon. Which is typically the extent of what those who claim to have telekinetic or psychokinetic powers normally do. I just don’t understand it.”

  “I don’t imagine we’re meant to. As for me, I don’t understand the difference between telekinesis and psychokinesis,” Lily said.

  “Kinesis means movement,” Ian explained. “While psycho means mind and tele means far off. Some of the articles I’ve come across claim the terms are basically interchangeable, while others say there is a subtle difference between the two. But considering most reputable sources say the power of the mind to move objects is unproven, then I don’t suppose it matters.”

  “But you know it isn’t fiction.”

  “Yes. But is it really telekinesis or psychokinesis?” Ian asked. “Or just a convenient label Danielle suggested to explain the power?”

  “I don’t imagine you will find the answer online,” Lily said.

  “I did read something interesting.” Ian swiveled his chair to face his computer. “Let me find the article.” A moment later he pulled up the webpage he had read earlier.

  “What is it?” Lily asked, facing her husband’s back as he used his computer.

  “It’s an article that was posted earlier this month, by a Benjamin Radford, on Live Science dot com. The headline is ‘Psychokinesis: Facts About Mind Over Matter.’ It’s rather interesting.”

  “What does it say?”

  “Basically that it’s a phenomenon that remains unproven. According to the article, some researchers believe if psychokinesis exists, it only works on small objects.”

  Lily chuckled. “I guess they didn’t see what Walt did with the tree.”

  “The article mentioned one person who had garnered public attention for his self-proclaimed power of psychokinesis, but when put to the test, he couldn’t perform and later confessed to perpetrating a hoax. And another notable who claims he has the power—everything he’s done can be duplicated by magicians. Most rational people understand magicians aren’t performing actual magic.”

  “Which illustrates why Dani doesn’t just come out and announce to the world that she can see ghosts,” Lily said.

  “What do you mean?” Ian turned in his chair and looked at Lily. He noticed Connor had fallen asleep at her breast, his small mouth still making soft sucking sounds.

  “I remember back when Heather had the idea to write a book about the haunting of Presley House. She hoped Dani would back her up so people would believe her. But the fact is, the world of science is skeptical—which is understandable. And as long as magicians can perform amazing sleight of hand, trying to convince a nonbeliever there really are ghosts is going to be impossible. Look at you. It almost broke us up. You certainly didn’t believe what your eyes—what I was telling you.”

  “Very true,” Ian said with a nod. He then turned to the computer and said, “Oh, there was something else I found interesting.” He then began to read from the article, “ ‘…Some people even link psychokinesis to the spiritual world, suggesting for example that some reports of ghosts—such as poltergeists—are not manifestations of the undead at all, but instead the unconscious releases of a person’s psychic anger or angst.’ ”

  Lily chuckled. “It’s sort of funny, if you think about it. Both ghosts and psychokinesis are difficult concepts to wrap your head around. But they decide to go with the psychokinesis instead of ghost.” She then stood up.

  “Where are you going?” Ian turned around in the chair again, facing Lily and his sleeping son.

  “I’m going to put Connor down in his crib. And then how about we get some lunch?” Lily suggested.

  Ian stood up. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen. We have some roast beef left. Want me to make us sandwiches?”

  “Sounds great!” Lily paused at the doorway and turned to face Ian. “Just an FYI, don’t say anything in the nursery you don’t want someone else to hear.”

  Ian frowned. “Why? I don’t think Connor is going to be repeating what he hears at home. At least, not for a couple of years.”

  “Marie asked me—through Dani—if I had any objections to her visiting Connor. She doesn’t want to invade our privacy—you know, just popping in here uninvited. So she said she would enter through the outside wall, directly into his room. I told her it was okay.”

  Almost fifteen minutes later Lily joined Ian in the kitchen. Two plates sat on the breakfast bar, each
holding a roast beef sandwich, dill pickle spear, and potato chips.

  “What took you so long?” Ian asked.

  “Connor woke up, and I had to change his diaper. But once I put him in his crib, he went right back to sleep.” Lily sat down at the breakfast bar and watched as Ian set a tall glass of iced tea in front of her.

  “Looks delicious,” Lily said, picking up half of her sandwich. “Thanks.”

  “No, thank you,” Ian said, dropping a kiss on her cheek as he took the seat next to her.

  Before taking a bite, Lily said, “Guess what Chris told us?”

  “What?” Ian asked, picking up his glass of tea and taking a sip.

  “Pete Rogers’s house sold. Chris is going to have new neighbors.”

  “Really? I didn’t know it was for sale. There wasn’t a sign.”

  Lily shrugged. “If you think about it, there wasn’t a sign when we bought this house—”

  “I was living here,” Ian reminded her.

  “Yeah, but Adam had a buyer lined up—before us—and he never put up a sign. Same for Pearl’s house.”

  “True. So how did he find out? Did he meet them yet?” Ian asked.

  “No. Adam called him this morning. He doesn’t know who bought the house, but he heard they’re going to be full-time residents and are moving in any day. It was a quick escrow.”

  “I wonder if Rogers still owned the property?” Ian asked.

  “I don’t know. But considering his age and the sentence he got, he’s probably going to die in prison. He was never going to be moving back to that house.”

  Four

  The pit bull no longer slept in her crate at night. Although, when left alone at home—which was rare—Chris crated her. According to Walt, she didn’t mind. In fact, Hunny felt safer in her crate when left alone, and she preferred its door latched. Fact was, the world often scared Hunny. If alone, she wanted to be securely tucked in her wire den, and at night, she preferred sleeping close to Chris, snuggled against his back as the two shared his king-size bed.