Lexi short 3: Halloween

When Lexi is invited to an impromptu Hallowe'en party, all she expects is a fun night out. Instead Lexi, Lily, and Maddox are plunged into a puzzling case at a haunted house.

(Reader's note: In the Lexi-verse timeline, this unedited story is circa books 1-3.)

HALLOWEEN GRAVES

Camilla Chafer

A Lexi Graves Mysteries Case File

CHAPTER ONE

"Please, Lexi! Please! You have to come to the party."

"At the haunted house? No way! Nuh uh! I don't want to go there. I remember all the creepy stories from high school. Lily, you're on your own." I returned the invitation Lily thrust into my hand minutes before and shook my head firmly. There was nothing on this earth that would get me to spend the evening at the creepiest house in Montgomery. The haunted house, only a few blocks from our old high school, was not a place I wanted to spend any time at all, and most definitely not the creepiest night of the year.

Sure, I was all for celebrating Halloween. Lily and I had a pumpkin on the porch of the building where we both had apartments, her on the first floor and mine directly above on the second. I'd even sprayed a few cobwebs across the door and windows and attached a fluffy spider to the door buzzers. I'd even pulled together a witch costume ready for a night of answering the door and I had a cauldron full of candy ready for the neighborhood kids. But spending the night partying at the creepiest house in town? No thank you!

Lily laughed at my obvious displeasure. "It's not a haunted house anymore. It's a newly renovated mansion and the owner is throwing the party as a housewarming. Costumes obligatory and there's a free bar. It'll be a blast! You could invite Maddox."

"It's still a no."

"Solomon?"

"No!"

"Are you a scaredy cat?"

I frowned at Lily's question. I wasn't scared of Solomon even if he was an absolute enigma but I wasn't planning on inviting him to parties anytime soon. Maddox however... I wondered what costume he'd wear? Probably a cheeky devil. "Of Solomon?" I asked, still puzzled.

"No! Are you scared of that old house?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? We used to run past that house on the way home from school. It scared the heck out of both of us. You once screamed so bad when a cat ran out from the hedge that the police were called. They thought we were being abducted."

"Oh pfft!" whistled Lily as she adjusted the sparkling crop top of her costume and adjusted the belt of her brightly colored harem pants. "Put on your big girl panties and some make-up. You have nothing better to do and we're going to party!"

"Urgh," I gurgled.

Lily pointed to her front door that led to the communal stairs. "Now! I mean it! You have nothing better to do and you owe me after blowing me off two nights in a row to smooch with Maddox. Also, did I mention free bar?"

It was hard to say what swung it: Lily's indignant expression at me missing two nights out with her, or the lure of the free bar but I did get off the couch and make my way upstairs. I let myself into my apartment and stepped into my bedroom, casting an eye over the outfit I'd laid on my bed. My witch costume was strictly kid friendly, unlike Lily's interpretation of the latest Disney princess, and if this was the hot ticket of Halloween, somehow I didn't think the owner of the house on Cedar Street would appreciate me turning up in as much green face paint as Wicked's Elpheba. I had to come up with a new idea, fast.

Leaning over the bathroom vanity, I pushed the theatrical face paint to one side and reached for my makeup bag. A few minutes later and I was perfectly made up with smoky eyes and ruby red lips. Unfortunately, the sexy gothic vibe still had the long, shapeless velvet dress to compete with, but in the absence of any other Halloween costume, I pulled it on, added a pair of vertiginous heels instead of the flats I had planned, and returned downstairs.

"No!" exclaimed Lily promptly as I stepped through the doorway.

I hung my head. "I don't have anything else!"

"You can raid my closet for something decent to wear."

"You mean indecent."

"That too. Let me see what can be done with this..." Lily walked around me. With two sharp tugs, she ripped off my sleeves.

"Hey!"

"C'mon! I see improvement already. Wait here." She ran upstairs and I heard her footsteps move into my bedroom, opening drawers and crashing through my closet. She returned with an armful of items. "For starters, put this bodice over your dress," she ordered, handing me a black lace-up bodice I'd once paired with a black pant suit for an evening party and not worn since. I tucked it over the dress and tugged the zip up as Lily knelt down and ripped a long parting in the cheap skirt.

"I was going to return this!"

"I can still see the bargain bin five-dollar label stuck to your butt." Lily ripped it off and handed it to me. "I don't think you'll lose sleep over not getting a refund."

I crumpled the sticky label in my hand semi-glad Lily had found it so I wouldn't be, literally, the butt of the neighborhood kids' jokes when they noticed it. "Okay, fine, so I wasn't going to return it, but can you go easy on it, it's not the best... Lily!" I squeaked as she ripped another lengthy slit in the skirt.

"This is better. This shows your legs and the bodice gives you some shape. All you need are..." Lily tore a slit in the center of the bodice then cupped her hands under my cleavage and gave it an unwelcome, mortifying boost then tightened the bodice a little more. "Boobs!" she yelled triumphantly. "Now put on this slutty choker and let's go party!"

CHAPTER TWO

The haunted house occupied a prime piece of real estate in West Montgomery. Situated on the corner plot of a street full of Victorian houses, with its very own turret room, it had always had what realtors called "beautiful bones". Lily and I might have walked past the house during our high school years but truthfully we'd never gotten close to it though we, like everyone else we knew, had all heard the frightening stories of poltergeists and unexplained phenomenon.

Now, eight feet tall iron fences flanked by neatly trimmed hedges and electronic gates shielded the house from the street and a long drive leading up to the imposing house perched on a small hill. West Montgomery wasn't the most expensive area of Montgomery but this street and a couple surrounding were the high end due to the gorgeous old houses. It was cheaper than Bedford Hills, the neighborhood was "smart and upcoming" according to realtors, and property on this street didn't often come up for sale. My mom, who'd heard from someone in her adult ed class, told me the property had been inherited by a grandson of the original owner. Apparently he lived across country and had no intention of returning so the house had been put up for sale and sold quickly.

For as long as I could remember the house had been disintegrating, which no doubt fuelled the haunted house rumors, but now as our cab turned onto the driveway, I could see money had been pumped into the place. The lawns were beautifully manicured, the bushes carefully sculpted, and the facade of the house had been given a makeover worthy of a winning contestant on a television makeover series.

"This guy is loaded," Lily whispered as we gaped at the Halloween decor. Skeletons hung from trees, ghosts fluttered in between topiary, and huge glass lanterns with flickering pillar candles lined the steps leading to the double doors. "Looooow-dead."

"How did you get invited anyway?"

"Justin threw a party at a club I was working and invited me."

"That's nice. Friendly."

"I think he wanted pretty girls to liven up the place."

"Could have hired them."

"Not that kind of pretty girl."

My mouth dropped open. "Lily!"

"Heh! Your face! The guy just got here. He's some fancy lawyer in Boston and he's making this house his weekend home, not his secret slut nest. I looked him up online. He's a party animal. He was an eligible bachelor in some magazine. He’s hot."

"Are you interested?" I asked, sensing a new reason for Lily's determination to get to the party.

"No. I'm looking for a distraction until Jord realizes I'm The One."

I laughed. Lily had been crazy about my youngest brother Jord since she first met him but he barely gave her the time of day. Lately I'd noticed him sneaking long looks at her when he thought no one was looking but he remained tight-lipped about Lily, refusing to be drawn on any question about her. Whatever was going on his head was a mystery to me.

I looked around at the parked Porsches, Mercedes and BMWs as we slid to a stop next to an Aston Martin Vanquish. I had never been ashamed of myself or my lot in life but I was relieved I hadn't driven us in my own VW. These cars were the cars my car wanted to be when it grew up.

Lily paid the driver and we got out, following a devil and a sailor in a dress that was most definitely not Navy issue up the steps to the door.

"Lily!" The door flung open revealing a tall, elegant man dressed in an old-fashioned costume of breeches and shirt with a fancy tie knotted around his neck. It was a surprisingly good look and it suited his long, angular face and short dark hair. He ushered the devil and the sailor inside with barely a glance but waited for us. He kissed Lily on both cheeks, appearing pleased to see her. "I'm happy you came. And who is your lovely friend?" he asked, turning to me with a smile.

"Lexi Graves meet Justin Trevor."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" he wondered, assessing me as he shook my hand.

"She's a super hot private investigator. You might have seen her in the news."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "You're really an investigator? Funny, I just called a detective agency this week to set up an appointment. The Solomon Detective Agency. Do you know them?"

I nodded. "That's the agency I work for."

"Then I consider this the most amazing coincidence. Come inside. I think I have a case for you."

Lily and I gave each other puzzled glances but followed Justin inside. I'd wondered what the inside of the mansion looked like for years, but I doubted it had looked like this for long. Everything looked shiny and new from the tiled floors to the gauzy curtains suspended from floor to ceiling at the sheet glass windows. We stood in a big room, too big for a lobby yet too small to be a ballroom. Staircases ran upwards on either side, leading up to a gallery. A ten-foot glass chandelier hung from the ceiling. Everywhere I looked there were decorations that were far from the kitsch ones I'd chosen for my apartment building: pumpkins that looked like they'd been carved by skilled artisans not a hobby knife on the kitchen table. Glittering spiders climbed pillars and ghostly cobwebs hung on gossamer strands. It was both fun and ethereal. Justin obviously had every intention of throwing a party Montgomery would never forget.

The party was in full swing and I counted just about every costume I could think of amongst the guests as vampire waiters weaved in between the partygoers, bearing goblets of red liquid and toxic-green cocktails wafting trails of ice smoke. Rock music thumped over the music system as Draculas and super heroes danced with cartoon characters and Stars Wars droids.

"This is awesome!" squealed Lily, clapping her hands. "Aren't you glad I made you pump up those boobs to be a hot witch instead of looking like a hag."

Justin gave me an arched eyebrow and pinched his lips together, holding back a laugh. My cheeks reddened. I figured it matched my newly vampy outfit. I was saved from coming up with a witty rebounder by Justin beckoning a waiter over. The waiter bowed as Justin passed us each a glass. I sipped dubiously, finding the blood red drink to be a raspberry fizz laced with alcohol.

"Why did you call the agency?" I asked, raising my voice so he could hear over the music.

"Ah. I have a little problem with the house. You've heard the rumors?"

"What rumors?" I asked, playing innocent.

"Only all of them!" said Lily, refusing to hold back. So much for my cool demeanour. "Is it really haunted? Does the ghost of a woman really prowl the halls at night? Was there really a massacre here fifty years ago?"

Justin made to answer just as the music system cut out to the tune of several annoyed voices. The annoyance quickly turned to oohs and ahhs as the lights began to flicker and a blast of cool wind travelled through the room.

"This is so creepy," said Lily, absolutely thrilled.

"I have nothing to do with this," murmured Justin, looking puzzled as he glanced around.

"What is that?" Lily whispered, pointing as heads began to tip upwards. Crossing the gallery was the almost translucent form of a woman in a long white dress. She paused at the viewing platform overlooking the room where we stood, flickering in and out of view as she looked over her shoulder, addressing someone or something behind her. As she turned towards us, I could just make out her mouth move. Then she screamed silently, grabbed her skirts and ran towards the staircase. Before she made it, she seemed to stumble and then fall backwards, her hands gripping the banister as she leaned away from something we couldn't see. The crowd gasped as she glanced fearfully behind her to the long drop below. "I can see through her. She isn't real!" gasped Lily.

"No, she's not..." Justin started, but was interrupted as the pale woman began to thrash violently, grasping at her throat, pushing at something we couldn't see. Then her body plunged over the banister, her skirts and hair spreading around her as she began to fall... and disappeared, screaming in silent terror.

Below the crowd stared, stunned.

The music started again, as quickly as it had cut out, the thumping tune at odds with the frightened expressions on the revellers' faces and the confusion in their voices.

Justin stepped forwards, shouted "Happy Halloween!" and gave a regal wave as his guests broke into a smattering of applause. "There's plenty more spooky fun in store tonight if you dare to stay!"

"That was great," said Lily, as Justin turned back to us when the clapping dissipated. "How did you do that?"

"This is what I need you to investigate," said Justin as he cast another worried glance to the now empty gallery. "That wasn't me! I need you to find out why this house is haunted. I think someone was murdered here and I need you to help the ghost of that poor woman move on."

I took a deep breath, wondering what I was about to get into. Ghosts weren't real, except... we had just seen one. There was no doubting the fear on the poor ghost woman's face as she fought for her life from an invisible foe, only to plunge to her death in front of us. "Let's talk somewhere quiet," I said.

CHAPTER THREE

Justin's study was like the rest of the house: refined, elegant, filled with modern pieces that were well made but not at odds with the architecture of the hundred-year-old house. They seemed to complement each other well and Justin moved around comfortably, though there was a slight shake to his hand when he indicated that we should take the leather sofa as he pulled over a tub chair.

"I can't believe we just saw a ghost," said Lily. "This is unreal!"

"But it's not the first time you've seen it?" I guessed.

Justin shook his head. "No, it isn't. I've seen the woman several times since I bought the house and I'm not the only one. She scared off my first two work crews so I hired a third crew and paid them extra to finish the work without running off. She's never hurt anyone but just seeing her is enough to freak people out."

"Your guests don't seem too worried," I said, after a group of giggling people stumbled past the closed doors.

"I just had the waiters put out that it was a show for the guests. A big "gotcha" thanks to all the rumors. I think my guests fell for the ruse."

"Good thinking."

"I never believed it when I bought the house but I'm afraid that the rumors are true. I have a ghost and she's haunting my house."

"Maybe it's her house," said Lily. "Maybe she's stuck here. Have you thought of having a séance?"

Justin nodded like that was a normal thing to ask. "I've thought of it. I've had a priest here, and a so-called exorcist, and a witch, and Chinese practitioners. You name it, I've had them here and not one of them have seen a thing but they've all claimed to feel a presence, usually right before they ask for a donation," he said, shaking his head.

"Ghostbusters?" persisted Lily.

"Wasn't in the budget," Justin quipped. "But I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the ghost."

"You're telling me! She looked like she was getting murdered!" said Lily, turning to me. "Did you see her grabbing her throat and then getting tossed over the banister? Oh man, you have a murdered ghost. That's the worst kind!"

"I think the worst kind is the made-up kind," I said, waiting for Justin's nod. The suspicion in his eyes matched my own. "You don't think this is a real haunting?"

"I think it's too convenient. I've done my research into this place. Everyone's heard the stories about this house being haunted. It was old and in a bad state of repair, so that's natural. Neighborhood kids make stuff up and dare each other to break in and sleep the night without being terrified. Any creak would scare them. Average stuff. Yet no one has actually seen a thing..."

"Until now," I finished, following his thought.

"Until I bought the place and started construction," Justin clarified. "I find that suspicious."

"That is suspicious," I agreed. "Did you pay market rate for this house?"

Justin shook his head. "I'm not sure what that's got to do with it, but no. I paid well under due to the dereliction. For the record, it's taken a heckuva lot of cash to get it to a liveable standard. I could have demolished this place and rebuilt it for less money but it’s beautiful and I couldn’t bring myself to knock down such a great old house. I have had every trade in here fixing this place up and I'm only part way through. Some areas are still off limits."

"What happens if you sell up?" I asked.

"It goes back on the market at a cut price rate. I can't sell as a finished house until I complete the work but I can sell with part of the renovation complete and full plans for the remainder. Why?"

"It gives motive for why someone else would want you out of this place. Scare you off, buy the place for less."

"No one else wanted this house, believe me. I wasn't even eager to buy it but my realtor told me it was a good bet and I wanted a weekend getaway that wasn't in the middle of nowhere."

“But it’ll be worth a lot when it’s finished,” I pointed out.

Justin nodded. “A lot more than it’s worth now. The land itself is worth good money.”

“So all someone has to do is scare off your workers, terrify you, and wait for you to put the house on the market. No one else will want it. If they wait, they could probably even get you to drop the price again.”

“That could be true but how in the world did they get a ghost to prowl my house? They have to have one helluva connection to the other world to pull in a favour like that?”

“We all know ghosts don’t exist,” I told him. Lily turned to me and gave me a sceptical look complete with raised eyebrows and a forefinger jabbed in the direction of the gallery. “They really don’t, Lily.”

“Looked like a ghost to me,” Lily huffed. “A brutally murdered ghost. I bet if we scour the newspaper archives we’ll find a story of a terrible murder here.”

“Or maybe we could just assume someone is messing with Justin and save us some time.”

“You could solve her murder,” Lily persisted. “Then Solomon could add cold cases, or supernatural murders, to his services. You could specialise in the occult, maybe even get your own TV show… Hey, where are you two going?”

“To the other places the ghost was spotted,” I said, beckoning her to follow.

“The first sighting was in the gray bedroom,” said Justin, taking us up the stairs and past the gallery, turning onto the corridor that the ghost ran through. He let us into the bedroom at the end and we all stepped inside. The gray bedroom was exactly that, a deep, warm gray on the walls with darker gray woodwork and a four-poster bed. “This is the guest bedroom. My sister came to stay and she screamed the place down. She said a woman stood by the window just staring at her.”

“Doesn’t sound scary,” said Lily.

“How about if I tell you the ghost started screaming and made to attack my sister?”

“That works,” agreed Lily.

I walked over to the spot by the window, looking around. “Was the room finished at that time?” I asked. I checked the locks on the windows and ran my hands across the seams. It was locked and no air whistled through cracks.

“Yes, it was furnished as you see it now.”

“Why did your sister think the ghost was going to attack her?

“She said she wasn’t afraid at first, just curious. My sister spoke to her and the ghost didn’t acknowledge her, just continued to stare. Then she started to scream like a banshee and rushed at my sister with her hands outstretched like she wanted to hurt her. My sister said she felt a horrible cold chill and something in her hair and that’s when she started to scream.”

“What happened when you got to the room?”

“There was nothing here.”

“But you believed your sister?”

“Of course. My sister was terrified. Plus, I’d just lost my second construction crew after they claimed the ghost of a women tried to attack them when they were laying the new subfloors in the kitchen.”

“I think we better take a look in the kitchen.”

“Let’s go,” said Lily and raced out of the room. I figured it was less about the excitement of whatever waited in the kitchen and more a desire to put space between a homicidal ghost and her overactive imagination.

Instead of retracing our footsteps to the gallery and descending the haunted staircase, Justin took us via another route which fulfilled a huge childhood fantasy of mine by pressing against a panel in the hall wall which popped open to reveal a concealed staircase. “This was used by servants,” he explained. “They wouldn’t have been allowed to use the main staircase to go about their duties so a lot of these houses have concealed staircases. This one leads directly to the kitchen. Isn’t it great?”

I agreed it was as we descended, stepping into the busy kitchen. Two chefs busied themselves preparing more canapes while the waiters dropped empty trays and grabbed new ones, disappearing out of the doors. “I installed a new kitchen but we found some great items that I could restore like those copper pans,” said Justin, pointing to a set of gleaming pans hung on the wall.

“They’re like artwork,” said Lily. I was going to agree when I realized she was talking about the canapes.

“Where was the ghost seen here?” I asked.

“Just walking. Apparently, she went through the table and disappeared into the wall. Scared the crap out of my workers.”

“Have you seen the ghost before?” I wondered, making a mental note that plenty of people had seen the apparition.

“Yes, but just once. Mostly I just hear noises. I just thought that was the downside of living in an old house, all those creaks, but lately I’ve been wondering if I’m really hearing a ghost. Sorry, I digress. You asked about when I saw the ghost? Last night was the first time.”

“Did you see it here?”

“No, I saw the ghost upstairs. I saw exactly what we saw tonight.”

“Exactly the same?”

“Exactly the same. It scared the crap out of me! I’m afraid the occurrences are getting more regular. Do you understand now why I’m so worried?”

“I understand,” I assured him as I looked around while careful not to get in the way of the kitchen staff. “I have a theory too.” Just as I was about to voice my theory, a scream reached us. The cooks froze in their preparation and a server paused in the door, their startled looks matching us.

“What was that?” whispered Lily.

“We better find out,” I said, leading the way despite my thumping heart. Despite the hauntings, I was sure there was a reasonable explanation for the apparition currently plaguing Justin’s home.

The scream came from the main living area and by the time we arrived seconds later, people were milling around looking confused as a woman was being comforted.

I tapped the arm of a devil holding a pitchfork, shivering as a cold breeze hit the back of my neck. “What happened?” I asked, as he turned around. “Adam?” I exclaimed, laughing in surprise. A Halloween party was not the place I expected to see Detective Adam Maddox, otherwise known as my boyfriend. He’d thought he had to work tonight but apparently he’d got out of that and pulled in an invitation to the party. Unlike the other costumes, his hadn’t required much effort. A black suit, black shirt and tie, with two red horns perched in his short crop of unruly brown hair. A red tail was slung over the crook of his arm and the trident looked lethal.

He beamed at me as he leaned in to drop a kiss on my lips. “Lexi! You got my message?”

“What message?”

“To meet me at the party. Nice costume,” he said, his eyes roaming the tight bodice and long velvet skirt. “Sexy. When did you get here?”

“Thirty minutes ago. We heard the scream. What happened?” I asked, pushing away my surprise at seeing him and my confusion about the message I hadn’t received.

“We saw… well, I guess I can only describe it as a ghost. She fell over the railings and I guess someone thought they were about to be crushed by a falling body and screamed the place down.”

“This is getting worse,” said Justin.

I turned from Maddox, searching for the owner of the scream. She stood a few steps away, sniffling as she retold what happened to the concerned group surrounding her. I could just hear the tail end of what she said. “—She touched me, I swear! I felt her cold fingers on my face as she screamed at me. Then I screamed and, and, I thought I was going to die! I want to get out of here!” she finished before crumpling in her friend’s arms. He scooped her up and carried her out of the room as Justin hurried after them, issuing instructions of where she could lie down and that it was just a Halloween joke and there was nothing to worry about. From the expressions on the other guests faces, I wasn’t sure if anyone believed him.

“What’s going on?” asked Maddox. “This wasn’t a show?”

“Justin asked us to look into the supposed hauntings of the house and I think you got caught up in the latest event,” I told him, quickly filling him in on what we knew.

“Sounds like someone is trying to scare him off and fuel a few more rumors.”

Another blast of cold wind made me shiver again and then I saw her, falling towards us, her mouth open wide in a scream. Someone screamed for real and several people dropped to the floor, covering their heads. She disappeared as fast as she appeared, leaving us standing there, frozen to the spot.

“That was weird,” said Maddox.

“The whole thing is weird.”

“If I didn’t know ghosts weren’t real, I’d be as scared as everyone else,” Maddox said as people slowly rose to their feet, shrugging to each other and looking a mixture of embarrassed and scared. I reached a hand down to Lily and hoisted her off the floor. Maddox dusted off his knees and leaned against his trident, looking like a very sexy devil with his red tail.

“Ghosts aren’t real and I think I know how they did it. Can you help me prove it?”

“Tell me what you want me to do,” Maddox said as the cold breeze rushed past us and the ghost woman hurtled to the ground again, this time sending partygoers rushing for cover.

CHAPTER FOUR

“I noticed it in the bedroom but the falling ghost woman cinched it for me,” I told Maddox and Lily as we moved through the kitchen and took the secret staircase to the second floor. “If I’m right, it’ll still be there.”

“The ghost?” asked Lily.

“Not exactly.” I pushed open the door to the gray room and we stepped inside. Maddox reached for the light switch but I stopped him, instead leaving the room bathed in moonlight. Something flapped past the window and I restrained a squeak of fear. “Okay,” I said, pushing myself to stay calm. “Pass me that chair.”

Maddox picked up the chair with ease and settled it at my feet where I pointed. I stepped up on it and pushed up on tiptoes. There, near the top of the wall was an air conditioning grate. I tugged on it, unsurprised when the screws came away loosely. I reached inside, finding what I was looking for and pushed a switch.

Lily screamed and I smiled. Turning around, there was the ghost, standing where Justin had said she was. She smiled wanly and then opened her mouth to silently scream. I flicked off the switch and she disappeared.

“Where did she go?” asked Lily.

“Here she is,” I said as I flicked the switch again. “I noticed a faint light here and realized that it must have been a projector. I think, if I reach inside… ah hah! It’s attached to a battery pack and something else. What’s this?” I asked, pulling out a black box. “Is it a timer?”

“That looks like a router,” said Maddox, taking and examining it. “Someone could operate this wirelessly from anywhere, switching it on and off as they please.”

“The ghost is a fake,” sighed Lily. “Told you so.”

“No, you didn’t! You were terrified. I just had to haul you off the floor where you were crouched in terror.”

“I was not!” she snipped indignantly. “I happened to drop something at the same time the ghost tried to kill us all.”

“The ghost is fake,” I said, pausing as another scream echoed through the house.

“This one is. What about that one?” asked Lily. “You know, the one that’s scaring people.”

“There’s a simple explanation for that,” I said, stepping off the chair just in time for Maddox to catch me and set me on my feet. I grabbed his hand and stepped into the hallway, almost colliding with Justin.

“People are leaving,” he said. “They’re terrified.”

“I can prove the ghost is a fake,” I told him, leading the four of us to the gallery. “If we can see the ghost here, then…” I started, looking around for another projector. It had to be fixed somewhere opposite.

“How about there?” Maddox said, pointing to the bookcase opposite. “It could be hidden there.”

“What’s hidden?” asked Justin as we hurried around the gallery. Maddox, Lily, and I began to pull at books, just as Justin froze, grabbing my arm. “There she is again!”

“Found it,” said Lily, triumphantly holding another projector aloft. The ghost disappeared from view before she could begin her descent. “It’s attached to a router too.”

“Here’s your problem,” I said to Justin, handing him the projector. “Someone wanted to make it appear like you had a ghost and rigged up these projectors to scare people. We found one in the gray room hidden in an air conditioning vent and I’m pretty sure we will find one in the kitchen and anywhere else a ghost was spotted. This one must have got stuck on a loop, that’s why we’ve been seeing a portion of the film over and over.”

“Who the hell would do something like that?”

“I’m pretty sure we can trace where the router is transmitting,” said Maddox. “It looks like a simple system.”

“Can they tell that we found it?” I asked.

“Maybe. If they’re here, they are probably freaking out that it’s on a loop. Or,” he said, pausing to consider, “Or, they’re thrilled that the video is having the desired effect. I don’t see any kind of audio-visual transmitter so my guess is they can trigger the video remotely but they can’t see what actually happens when they do.”

“At least we haven’t tipped them off that we found out the real story,” I said.

“Not yet. I’ll call my guy at the station and get him to trace the transmission.” Maddox handed me the projector and turned away, reaching for his phone.

“Doesn’t this break a ton of laws?” asked Justin. “Is this stalking?”

“I don’t think so but it’s definitely wrong. Who would have had access to plant these?”

“Anyone. There have been so many workmen on site that it could easily have been one of them, or someone could have slipped in with them. I wasn’t here for a lot of the time so I couldn’t even identify a person that shouldn’t have been here.”

“It wasn’t me or Lexi,” said Lily. “So that’s a suspect list of the entire population of Montgomery minus two.”

“Helpful,” I said.

“I wish I could narrow it down further but I just don’t know. Anyone could have walked in any time.”

“My guy is running a trace. We should have an answer soon,” said Maddox. “Are you sure you didn’t make any enemies by buying this house?”

“No, my realtor practically gift wrapped the house, he was so pleased to get rid of it.”

“No, nasty letters? Hate mail of any kind?”

“Nothing!”

“No one storm over here? Chew you out over the house?”

Justin held up his hands. “Like, I said, there’s not been a single thing. That’s why this is so weird. Who would want to do this to me?”

“Maybe someone back home? Or to do with your business?”

“I’m a lawyer so I piss people off occasionally but I work in tax, not criminal. And there isn’t anyone in my home life. No angry exes.”

“Interesting,” said Lily, perking up. “No angry girlfriend?”

“No,” he said, turning a bright smile on her. “I’m happily single.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Oh, please,” I groaned but they both ignored me.

Maddox’s phone buzzed and he answered. “That so?” he said after listening for a moment. “I see. Yes, that is close. Okay. Great work. No. Yes, put it on my desk.” He hung up, turning to us with raised eyebrows. “The trace was easy for my guy which was lucky. I was afraid there would be some complicated system bouncing it around the world but we actually got a hit within minutes. Did you know that you can watch YouTube videos on this kind of setup so literally any one can do it.”

“Are we supposed to be overjoyed by that?” I asked, puzzled by his apparent amusement. Or was it amazement? Or could it be that he was impressed someone with apparently little skills had managed to set up a way to scare the crap out of someone who didn’t seem to deserve it?

“No, it’s just really interesting to know what a person can learn on YouTube. I might learn something too.”

“Like what?” I wondered.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. Maybe we can learn something together? How do you feel about plumbing?”

“Slightly depressed. What about cooking?”

“Great. I’ll find a video and we’ll cook something. Friday night?”

“If you two are finished setting up a date, can you tell us who did this?” asked Justin. “My guests all seem to have left.”

We all peered over the banister to the empty room below. “That sucks,” said Lily. “What a shame you’re unexpectedly free.”

“Am I?” asked Justin.

“Did you forget about the case?” I asked.

“Kinda,” he said, gazing at Lily.

“Good grief.” I turned to Maddox, the one person without gooey eyes in the immediate vicinity. That included me. Maddox just did that for me. There was no time for that now. I could look at him all I wanted later. “Maddox, what did you find out?” I asked, focusing my attention.

“Your creep is nearby. Let’s go.”

CHAPTER FIVE

We followed Maddox down the stairs and out the door, past a trail of debris and a lone vampire waiter. I considered snagging another glass of the blood red fizz but I didn’t know if Maddox intended to get in a car or stomp through the treeline. I doubted I wanted to carry a goblet in either of those situations. Plus, it wasn’t exactly professional and I was very interested in looking professional in my new role as a private investigator.

“This way,” he said, taking my hand and charging ahead as Justin and Lily hurried after us. We hit the sidewalk and rushed on.

“This is my neighbor’s house,” said Justin as we turned onto the path.

“Do you know who lives here?” asked Maddox.

“No, I haven’t met them.”

“Your neighbour is called Ed Marin. Name familiar?”

“Not at all.”

Maddox knocked on the door. A moment later it swung open. The balding man in the doorway blanched as he saw us then he asked, “Can I help you?”

“Sure, do you have a receipt for these?” asked Maddox, holding up the transmitters.

Ed Marin blinked. “Uh, no. No, they’re not mine. No. Goodnight.” He made to shut the door but I stuck my foot in the way, glad he didn’t squash my foot.

“Try again,” I said.

“Why are you spying on me?” asked Justin. “Did you plant the projectors in my house?”

“No, not me. I don’t know who you are, any of you. Go away. Uh, move your foot please?” he said, hurriedly, trying to nudge my foot with his toe.

“Either let us in and tell us why you did this,” said Maddox, “or we can make a scene on the street and the whole neighbourhood can watch.”

“Fine by me,” said Ed, pushing the door again.

Maddox sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge. “Yes, it’s real,” he said. “Obviously, I am not dressed like a cop tonight.”

“He doesn’t do Halloween,” quipped Lily. “Just bachelorette parties.”

“Not helping,” I hissed over my shoulder. “And his badge is real. You can call MPD and ask but before you do that, I suggest you let us and start talking before we start talking arresting you and hauling your ass out in handcuffs with as many sirens on the street as we can get and cops harassing all your neighbors.”

Lily leaned forwards, saying loudly, “I bet that makes front cover of the Montgomery Gazette. You’ll be famous.”

Ed made a strangled noise then stepped back, opening the door and releasing my foot. “I don’t have to say anything to you,” he muttered.

“But you should,” I pointed out, hoping I’d joined up the dots Maddox had already connected, “because we already traced the transmitters you planted next door to here. We want to know why.” I didn’t wait for an answer, instead I stepped inside, Maddox, Justin and Lily following quickly behind me.

“Why did you want it to seem like my house is haunted?” asked Justin. “People have been so scared.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Maddox crossed his arms. “Cut the crap before I arrest you. We have your transmitters and projectors, we traced the feed here, and I’ll bet you weren’t smart enough to wear gloves so there’s probably fingerprints all over the equipment. Save yourself the trip to the station and tell us what game you’re playing.”

“He doesn’t deserve that house!” Ed Marin’s face crumpled. “That house should have been mine!”

“What are you talking about? No one else put an offer on the house.”

“It was supposed to have been left to me. I was promised the house by my great aunt and then she left it to her no-good grandson.”

“Who’s your great aunt?” I asked.

“Great Aunt Maggie owned the house next door. We were always close and she always said that one day I would own the house. I used to play in the orchard every day when I was a kid then I used to help her tend the gardens when she got older and then I took over when she got too old.”

“They were overgrown when I bought them.”

“Only because I spent every day visiting Great Aunt Maggie after work. I didn’t have time anymore.”

“I bought the house fairly,” said Justin. “I bought it from the legal owner. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That doesn’t matter! I just wanted to scare you off so I could have the gardens again.”

“The gardens? I thought you wanted the house?”

“I love the house but it’s the gardens that I really love. I thought if I could scare you out of there, you would sell up and go and I could buy the house. Great Aunt Maggie promised it to me and then she… she didn’t. I don’t know why.”

“Maybe she was stringing you along?” said Lily.

“No, she wasn’t like that. I think she just forgot to update her will but that doesn’t matter. The law stands and I can’t contest it. I can’t afford to so her grandson got the house. He didn’t even take the time to come out and look at it before he planted a for sale sign on the lawn. He never even visited her!”

“My sister was terrified by the ghost she thought she saw. My workmen were afraid. I thought the house was haunted.”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Wait… I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?”

“No, no one was hurt,” I assured him, “but a lot of people are upset by what you did.”

“I’m really sorry. Like I said, I just wanted to scare you away. Am I going to be arrested?”

We all looked to Justin. “I can’t say I’m not tempted. You’ve caused me a lot of problems and worry but I’m intrigued that you seem to want the gardens more than the house. Is it just because of your childhood memories?”

“Mostly. It was those gardens that inspired me to become a landscape gardener. All of my happiest memories are there. I couldn’t bear to see them… I don’t know… get bulldozed!”

“They aren’t going to get bulldozed! As it happens, I need to find a gardener to take care of them. I don’t have green fingers, and even if I did, I won’t be here often enough to maintain them. Plus, I like the orchards. It reminds me of the house where I grew up.” Justin paused, a thoughtful look filling his face. “I think we might have the answer to both our problems. I’m not going to sell the house but I do like the notoriety of it being haunted. That’s fun, especially since everyone now thinks it really is and I know it really isn’t. I need someone to look after the gardens and you want to. Why don’t I hire you? You can come here whenever you like and can do whatever you want so long as it looks nice. How does that sound?”

Ed opened his mouth, closed it again, looking amazed. I figured he had to be. This was truly his lucky day.

“I won’t even press charges so long as you don’t pull another stunt like that,” Justin said and held out his hand. “What do you say?”

“Yes. Thank you, yes.”

“We should get back to the house. Come over tomorrow and we’ll talk details,” said Justin, standing. The rest of us followed his lead, waiting as they shook hands. By the time we stepped out the front door, the mood had lifted and I was feeling fairly satisfied. If only all my cases were this easy to solve!

“That is one lucky guy,” said Maddox as we strolled to the end of the path, then stopped, realizing Justin and Lily were still stood in the doorway talking to the very fortunate Ed Marin.

“All that effort for a garden,” I mused. “Is it weird that I want to know all about how he did it?”

“Me too. Is it weird that I’m grateful he isn’t any smarter? He could be dangerous with better skills.”

“True. At least we confirmed that ghosts aren’t real. They really, really aren’t real.”

“They never were. I knew this whole thing was a set-up,” said Maddox, offering me his arm. I took it, leaning into him as Justin and Lily joined us.

“Shame it ruined my party,” said Justin giving one last wave to Ed before he closed the door.

“Are you kidding me? It was the best Halloween party ever,” laughed Lily. “I already have twenty text messages with twenty different rumors. This party is going to be talked about for years. Way to make an entrance in this town!” She high-fived Justin.

“Let’s have a celebratory drink,” said Justin. “I have several crates of wine to empty. Lead the way, Lexi.”

I stepped ahead, Maddox next to me, unsure whether to be disappointed or relieved by the evening’s events. The party should have been fun but instead it had been interrupted in disturbing ways by a very creative and jealous neighbor. At least we had debunked the idea that ghosts existed, not that I ever thought they did.

As we turned from the sidewalk onto the path leading to Justin’s house, something caught my eye. I stopped, tugging Maddox’s hand so he stopped too.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

“Shush.” I waved him silent, searching for whatever it was that caught my attention. Wind whistled through the trees and wrapped around my shoulders, causing an involuntary shiver that turned to fear in my spine. Looming between the trees was a figure swathed in fabric so white it was almost translucent. Her hair rippled in the breeze and her feet hovered above the ground.

“It’s… it’s…” I stammered, pointing.

“A ghost,” finished Maddox, grasping my hand tighter.

We both screamed, mine high and shrill, as the ghost swooped towards us, her hands outstretched, and ducked. Crouched together on the floor, shivering, my heart thudded.

A noise behind us made us look suspiciously at each other, then up to where Lily and Justin held their sides as they laughed uncontrollably while looking down at us.

“Gotcha!” said Lily. “I knew you really believed in ghosts.”

“What was that?” yelled Maddox, hauling me up as he straightened to his full height. I was sure his expression matched my own: a mixture of fear and confusion.

“Ed confessed to one last trick and I convinced him to let me use it on you guys. Lily’s right,” he grinned. “Gotcha!”

I shook my head ruefully at Maddox. “We will never hear the end of this story.”

“I wasn’t scared,” said Maddox. He still grasped my hand in his. “I knew it was a trick. I was just playing along. Where’s the wine? I need a drink.”

“I’m going to get you back for this,” I warned Lily. Lily merely giggled.

“This has been the best Halloween ever,” said Justin. He directed us towards the house where a vampire server waited with four glasses. “Ghosts, private investigators, creepy neighbors. This was better than I could have ever planned!”

We raised the glasses, clinking them together in a toast. “Happy Hallowe’en!” we cheered.

As the door shut behind us, I took one last look over my shoulder to the gardens beyond. Definitely no ghosts.

Happy Hallowe’en!