Larue Donavon 3 - The Ghoul Next Door Read Online Free Page A

for
being there, then I could help him cross over into the
light.
    As I made my way down the hall,
thoughts of the shadow ran through my mind. It had been dark,
human-shaped and wearing a cape. Well, maybe it was a little
skinner than a human with slightly longer arms, but it was hard to
tell in the dark. Whatever the shape, it was enough to make the
hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a chill run up my
spine.
    What kind of creature had been lurking
outside my house? Karyn had said the shadow I’d seen before was
just Becky Schultz playing tricks on me with a magic spell. Was
someone else still playing a trick on me? Or was this sighting
something else? With any luck, I wouldn’t have to think about it
ever again and this thing would never appear again.

Chapter Five
    The next morning after kissing
Callahan goodbye, I made my way through the living room toward the
kitchen. Mr. Fine sat on my sofa with his feet propped up on the
coffee table. A cigarette dangled from his lips.
    “ What’s with all the toss
pillows?” he asked with disdain. “A little excessive, don’t you
think?”
    “ What’s with all the
cigarettes?” I smirked. “A little excessive don't you
think?”
    He blew out a ring of smoke that
circled his head like a halo. He was no angel though.
    “ I don’t allow smoking in my
house. I have an allergy,” I warned.
    He blew out another ring of smoke, but
didn’t offer a response. It looked exactly like a ghostly mist
floating toward the ceiling.
    I let out an exasperated breath.
Ghosts. You couldn’t live with them and, well, you couldn’t live
with them.
    “ Any time you want to tell
me why you are hanging around would be great,” I said over my
shoulder as I continued on toward the kitchen. I wasn’t going to
let him ruin my corn-flakes.
    I’d just sat down with my bowl and
milk when a knock sounded at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone,
so the sound caught me off guard. Maybe it was Mindy. All those
fitness classes were making her way too chipper in the mornings.
She’d started one of those pole fitness studios. Who knew the
little old ladies of Magnolia would be so good at working the pole.
Anyway, I’d rather attend yet another pole fitness class than deal
with another ghost—I prayed she didn’t have another ghost problem.
I didn’t want or need another one hanging around my
kitchen.
    I left my new ghost friend sitting at
the kitchen table and made my way back through the living room and
to the front door. When I peeked out the side curtain, no one was
in sight, just the crisp blue sky and the swaying branches of the
trees. Not this again. I unlocked the door and eased it open. I
never knew when something might lunge out at me, so I wasn’t taking
any chances.
    A small brown package sat in front of
the door, lost like a little stray kitten. Where had it come from?
I reached down and grabbed the box, turning it over in my hands to
see if I’d find a clue as to its contents. Nothing gave away what
was inside. I glanced around again before returning inside. Once
back in the kitchen, I placed the box on the table.
    “ Special delivery?” Mr. Fine
straightened.
    “ Get your legs down,” I
snapped. “Were you raised in a barn?” I’d always wanted to use that
expression. It was one of my mother’s favorites.
    Great. Another nosy ghost, although I
guessed I’d be meddlesome too if I wasn’t able to communicate with
the living. The first person who came along who could see me and
I’d talk their ear off.
    Without answering Mr. Fine’s question,
I opened the package and pulled out a blown glass ball that dangled
from a clear string. Strands of glass weaved through the interior
of the ball in a wild, random pattern. The glass was a beautiful
shade of turquoise with streaks of white and yellow mingled
through.
    I’d seen these ornaments before and
heard about the lore associated with them. According to folk tales,
a witch’s ball enticed evil spirits with its bright