Larue Donavon 3 - The Ghoul Next Door (5 page)

Trying to change the subject, I looked
at Callahan and asked, “What’s going on? What makes you think you
have a ghost?”

“
Maybe this sounds crazy,
but I saw a cup move across the counter all by itself, then the
door opened and closed on its own.”

“
Nothing sounds crazy to
me,” I reminded him.

Hmm. But yeah, what he described did
sound like classic ghostly activity. And Mindy did have a point.
What were the odds that a ghost would have been at Mindy’s house
and now at Callahan’s shop? I smelled a rat.

“
Do you know anything about
this?” I asked Mr. Fine.

Callahan looked toward the empty air
where I had directed my question. It was so much easier now that he
knew I talked to the dead, although I still worried that he’d
eventually get sick of the weird antics. He had to, right? I had
taken him for a ride on a nonstop paranormal crazy train since we’d
met. No guy wanted to be a part of that.

“
I have no idea what you are
talking about.” Mr. Fine leaned against the counter as if he was
thoroughly bored.

It was apparent that I would get no
information out of him.

“
Okay, let’s go over to your
shop and see what I find.”

Callahan gestured for Mindy and me to
pass, then hurried over to open the door for us. When we emerged
out onto the sidewalk, Mr. Fine was already there, waiting just a
few steps away in front of Callahan’s front door. I rolled my eyes.
What a pain in the ass.

Mindy and I waited as Callahan
unlocked his front door and gestured for us to enter
first.

“
I don’t know how you deal
with this stuff on a daily basis, Larue. It’s stressing me out,”
Mindy said.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m used to
it by now. It’s been my whole life and I don’t know what it’s like
not to experience it.”

We stepped inside the shop, but I saw
nothing. All was quiet. No misty forms lingering in the corners.
What had Callahan seen? Maybe he was imagining things. The space
looked as cozy and quaint as it always had. Prints of different
style coffee cups and mugs covered the exposed brick walls.
Oversized leather chairs were placed into groupings with
cherry-wood tables in the middle—the perfect mixture of old and
new.

Callahan moved over to the counter.
“This mug was sitting here just like this…” He placed a mug down.
“And it just lifted up and moved all the way over here.” He picked
up the mug and moved it about a foot down the counter. “I don’t
think I’m going crazy.” He paused. “Am I going crazy?”

Well, as much stress as he had been
under lately, no one would blame him if he had imagined something
like that.

I shook my head. “No, honey, I know
you’re not going crazy.”

Wow, when had I become so comfortable
with calling Callahan pet names? I liked it.

Mindy followed closely behind me as I
moved over to the counter to examine the mug. As I reached down and
picked it up, a chill fell over the room and I knew what was
happening. A ghost was somewhere nearby and would probably be
making an appearance sooner rather than later. I knew it wasn’t Mr.
Fine, because he’d already made his appearance. The cold air was no
longer following him.

My heart thumped. I’d told Mindy that
I was used to this lifestyle, but that didn’t mean that I still
didn’t have apprehension when a new ghost appeared. I never knew
what to expect, and that could be unnerving. I felt a presence
taking form in the corner of the room. When I looked in that
direction, I noticed the misty form begin to take shape.

Callahan and Mindy followed my gaze,
but they wouldn’t see anything, that luxury was reserved for lucky
me. The form took on a human appearance right before my eyes… and I
couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Had I died and gone to
heaven?

I let out a scream. You’ve seen those
videos of girls screaming for Elvis Presley? Yeah, that was exactly
how I sounded. Dogs were probably hollering within a ten-mile
radius of Full Cup Coffee Shop.

Mindy jumped behind the counter with
one swift movement. I had never seen that girl move that fast. She
wouldn’t have jumped that fast unless she was truly terrified. I
had no idea she was that strong either. Those pole fitness classes
really were paying off.

Callahan rushed to my side. I jumped
up and down and continued to squeal. This wasn’t a terrified
scream, no, this was a fangirl, can-I-have-your-autograph,
I-want-to-marry-you-if-only-you-weren’t-dead squeal.

Standing before me was the one and
only King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. I didn’t know what to
say. Words literally wouldn’t form. I loved Elvis. When I was
little I had told my mother that I’d marry Elvis. Of course she
said, “He’s dead, you can’t marry him.” Why she’d had to burst my
bubble, I had no idea. Now who had the last laugh? Okay, I still
couldn’t marry him, but nonetheless, he was standing in front of
me… and in his young days. The hot, sexy, pelvis-shaking
Elvis.

Callahan touched my arm. Oh yeah, I’d
forgotten he was there. Whew. I needed to get a hold of myself and
say something. Anything. Mindy still cowered behind the counter,
revealing the top of her head and eyes. What was Elvis Presley
doing in a coffee shop in Magnolia of all places? Wasn’t he busy
haunting Graceland or maybe Vegas? He wore that gold suit. You know
the one. Yeah, that one. And he looked so yummy.

“
Larue, are you all right?
What do you see?” Callahan frowned with concern.

“
I think she’s in some kind
of trance,” Mindy said, popping up from behind the counter. “What
if she’s possessed?” she whispered.

I exchanged a glance with them.
“There’s a ghost standing in the corner of the room.” I rushed my
words.

“
Hello, darlin’,” Elvis said
with that sexy Southern drawl.

Oh my gosh, Elvis Presley had talked
to me. Okay, I needed to get a hold of myself. If I didn’t speak to
him like I was a sane human being, he might go away and this was
one ghost I wouldn’t push out of my aura for eating
crackers.

“
What are you doing here?” I
stammered.

“
Who is it? Who is it?”
Mindy said, backing to the furthest edge of the counter.

How was I going to break the news to
them? They’d never been around when I’d first encountered a
celebrity ghost. And lately I’d been attracting enough celebrity
ghosts to make any E! Entertainment Television reporter green with
envy.

“
The ghost in the corner of
the room is Elvis Presley,” I said matter-of-factly.

Neither of them said a word. The room
was completely silent. Even Elvis just looked at me. Mr. Fine had
moved over toward Elvis, but was keeping his distance. I was
waiting for Mindy or Callahan to burst out laughing.

Callahan searched my eyes. “Elvis
Presley?” His eyebrows rose. “As in Elvis? Love Me Tender, I’m All
Shook Up?”

“
I’m glad to hear that he’s
brushed up on my songs,” Elvis said.

Okay, this was crazy. What was I
supposed to say to Elvis?

Mindy hurried from around the counter.
“Elvis Presley is here. Damn it. Now I want to see ghosts
too.”

I smiled. Yeah, I didn’t blame her
this time.

“
What are you doing here,
Mr. Presley?” I asked, trying to keep the giddiness out of my
voice. That was no easy feat.

He flashed his dazzling smile. “I’m a
little surprised that you can see me. I mean, I always believed in
psychics, I just didn’t think I’d run into one here
today.”

“
Are you lost?” I asked.
What other reason would he have for being in Magnolia?

Callahan and Mindy stood beside me
engrossed in my one-way conversation just as much as they would
have been if they could have heard Elvis.

“
What’s he saying?” Mindy
poked my side.

“
I’m trying to find out why
he’s here.”

“
Are you sure it’s Elvis?”
Callahan asked. Before I answered, he said, “You know, I never
mentioned this, but I’m related to Elvis.”

I glanced over at him. And he left out
this little tidbit? That was important information in my book. But
I should have known, apparently good looks ran in the
family.

“
And there’s your
explanation for why I’m here,” Elvis said.

This was an interesting turn of
events.

“
How are you related to
him?” I asked.

“
Third cousins… twice
removed.”

“
What did he say? What did
he say?” Mindy bounced with each word.

“
Third cousins… twice
removed,” I repeated.

“
I still don’t understand
all that cousins, twice removed, three times removed, blah, blah,
blah, business. It’s confusing,” Mindy said with a
frown.

I couldn’t help her at the moment. I
had bigger issues to deal with.

“
So you’re here for
Callahan? Is something wrong?”

Callahan’s expression changed. I
thought he was even getting a little freaked out now.

“
What does he look like?”
Mindy whispered. “Young Elvis or older Elvis? Not that I care,
because I for one, think he was gorgeous no matter what.” She
grinned in the direction she assumed Elvis was in. I thought she
might have batted her eyelashes a few times, too.

Was it too soon to ask him to sing for
me? Yeah, it was too soon. It’d wait until I got him to come back
to Book Nook with me. I mean, he’d want to come back with me,
right? No sense in hanging out at the coffee shop with Callahan
when I could talk to him. It would be a lot more entertaining to
have someone to talk to. I was trying to justify bringing a ghost
back with me. He needed no justification. I was pretty sure I was
swooning just a little. Would Callahan be jealous of a
ghost?

Mr. Fine shuffled closer to Elvis and
broke my reverie. “Finally. This just got interesting. I thought
I’d be stuck listening to you complain and whine
twenty-four-seven.”

“
I do not complain and
whine.” I scowled.

“
Elvis says you complain and
whine?” Mindy asked.

I waved my hands. “No, no. Mr. Fine
said I complain and whine.”

“
Who’s Mr. Fine?” she
asked.

“
The guy from your
house.”

Mindy groaned. “That guy’s still here?
Tell him to get lost. There’s a new ghost in town. A much better
ghost.” She smirked in the direction in which she thought she’d
find Mr. Fine, but instead she was smirking at the opposite
wall.

He rolled his eyes. “She’s such a
ditz.”

I wasn’t about to tell her what he’d
just said. I’d get him later for that most uncalled-for
comment.

Mr. Fine took a puff of his ghostly
cigarette. “Listen, Elvis. I sing, you know. Maybe you’d like to
hear a song or two? I’ve been told I sound just like Old Blue
Eyes.”

Oh great. Now he was harassing Elvis.
“No one wants to hear you sing.” I snorted.

“
What?” Mindy smacked me on
the arm. “Of course we want to hear him sing. Wait. This isn’t
fair. I can’t hear him.”

“
Don’t worry. It’s not Elvis
who said that. Mr. Fine fancies himself an artist apparently. But
now that you mention it, I would love to be serenaded by Elvis.” I
smiled.

I really was in heaven.

What would I do now? I had never had a
ghost that I’d been this nervous around, at least not in a good
way. I was doomed to act like a giddy schoolgirl around him. If
ever there was a ghost I wanted to sing to me in my ear, this ghost
was it. Not long ago I’d had a cranky ghost who sang to me in the
mornings. She sounded like a distressed cat. No, wait, a room full
of distressed cats. This was the real deal though. Elvis Presley
was now hanging onto my every word.

“
I’m sorry if I frightened
Callahan. I try to keep my movements to a minimum, but I really
wanted him to know that I was here,” Elvis said with a
smile.

“
Well, Callahan definitely
knows you’re here now, Mr. Presley.”

He was lucky Callahan had a girlfriend
who could talk to spirits. Maybe Callahan would realize that and
not want to dump me for being crazy. It was a daily inner battle
wondering if he’d ultimately come to the conclusion that I was
bonkers.

Callahan nodded.

“
And don’t worry about
scaring him. Callahan’s a tough guy and not easily rattled.” I
smiled as I looked at Callahan. He had been tough through all the
black magic he’d been subjected to in the past few
weeks.

Callahan ran his hand through his hair
and nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Presley, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad
you came by for a visit.” Callahan talked into the air. He got
pretty close to Elvis’ location though, so that was good. He didn’t
seem convinced about having a one-sided conversation
though.

Mr. Fine began singing his version of
Love and Marriage by Frank Sinatra. It made my ears hurt as if they
would fall right off my head. That or I’d rip them off and throw
them at Mr. Fine.