October Ghosts (A Southern Romance Monthly) Read Online Free Page B
Author: CJ Hockenberry
Tags: Romance
Halloween and showtime."
He nodded into her shoulder and stepped back when she let him go. Once she left the apartment, Matt locked the door, checked all the closets, even the one on the back deck.
He didn't know why he was on edge. But he'd had a nagging feeling ever since leaving Mesa Cove that he was being watched.
CHAPTER FIVE
Chloe pulled into the back parking lot, past the small crowd of people. She'd recognized the local news vans, and a lot of those crowded around the front of the shop had cameras. Apparently the story ran on the eleven o'clock news the night before, not long after it happened. She and Matt were clueless it was happening.
The constant ringing of her phone woke her too early and she shut the infernal device off after answering the third call from a reporter. Why was this news? Because it was Halloween? Because she had one of those weird shops? Wait…
Chloe sat in her car, dreading the possibility that one of those gathered out front would follow her around the back. Was it possible that someone had put the effigy in her shop just for this reason? To drum up media attention? For what? It couldn't be to sell more papers, no one really bought physical papers anymore. Was it to get more subscribers?
Subscribers…
YouTube.
She didn't like the direction her imagination went.
Chloe yelled when someone banged on her car window. She looked out and into Kevin's face. He held up a coffee and a bag. She opened the door. "You scared the shit out of me," she muttered as she got out of her car. She was dressed in jeans, sweatshirt and sneakers and nothing like the personna most of her customers knew in her shop.
"Yeah I saw the creeps out front when I got here. Luckily no one was waiting at the station. I opened up the back but I left the closed sign on the door." He handed her the coffee and grabbed her bag of the back.
Chloe locked her car and followed Kevin into the back door. The effigy was gone, taken by the police the night before. Black dust decorated most of the shelves and the floor of the office. The nasty thing about a CSU team investigating a crime scene; they were responsible for processing it, but not for cleaning it up.
She closed her office door, not really wanting to be in there, and went to the back area break room. She set her backpack down. "I guess we could start cleaning. Wait for the vultures to leave."
"Yeah. But I doubt they're going to go anywhere soon. You know there's no news in this town so they'll pick at this till after Halloween. And that's tomorrow. You want to keep the shop closed on the busiest day of the year?" He set the bag on the table.
Chloe peered in and smelled the Everything bagels. There was a smaller bag inside with packets of cream cheese. "Well…I'm going to enjoy coffee and a bagel."
Kevin joined her and grabbed his own small cream cheese. "And while you do that, you're going to tell me what happened with ghost hunter mc-hottie last night." He pointed at her. "You're going to tell me what happened and where he spent the night."
Chloe gave him an exasperated look. "Mr. Hunt spent the night where ever it is he's staying while here. And I spent the night at my place with all the doors locked." She gave him a shortened version of the evening after he left.
When she finished, Kevin sat with a peculiar look on his face. "Isn't it a little odd that he conveniently forgets his keys, and then while you're outside talking with him, someone breaks in and hangs that thing up?"
She didn't answer. Mainly because she'd been entertaining the same thoughts.
"Think about it, Chloe," Kevin shifted in his chair, his bagel half eaten. "You've never been threatened before, and two days before Halloween, this guy shows up, a ghost hunter of all things, wants you on his show and when you say no, someone threatens you." He shrugged. "It all sounds like a lot of set up to me. Has he called yet?"
Chloe checked her
He nodded into her shoulder and stepped back when she let him go. Once she left the apartment, Matt locked the door, checked all the closets, even the one on the back deck.
He didn't know why he was on edge. But he'd had a nagging feeling ever since leaving Mesa Cove that he was being watched.
CHAPTER FIVE
Chloe pulled into the back parking lot, past the small crowd of people. She'd recognized the local news vans, and a lot of those crowded around the front of the shop had cameras. Apparently the story ran on the eleven o'clock news the night before, not long after it happened. She and Matt were clueless it was happening.
The constant ringing of her phone woke her too early and she shut the infernal device off after answering the third call from a reporter. Why was this news? Because it was Halloween? Because she had one of those weird shops? Wait…
Chloe sat in her car, dreading the possibility that one of those gathered out front would follow her around the back. Was it possible that someone had put the effigy in her shop just for this reason? To drum up media attention? For what? It couldn't be to sell more papers, no one really bought physical papers anymore. Was it to get more subscribers?
Subscribers…
YouTube.
She didn't like the direction her imagination went.
Chloe yelled when someone banged on her car window. She looked out and into Kevin's face. He held up a coffee and a bag. She opened the door. "You scared the shit out of me," she muttered as she got out of her car. She was dressed in jeans, sweatshirt and sneakers and nothing like the personna most of her customers knew in her shop.
"Yeah I saw the creeps out front when I got here. Luckily no one was waiting at the station. I opened up the back but I left the closed sign on the door." He handed her the coffee and grabbed her bag of the back.
Chloe locked her car and followed Kevin into the back door. The effigy was gone, taken by the police the night before. Black dust decorated most of the shelves and the floor of the office. The nasty thing about a CSU team investigating a crime scene; they were responsible for processing it, but not for cleaning it up.
She closed her office door, not really wanting to be in there, and went to the back area break room. She set her backpack down. "I guess we could start cleaning. Wait for the vultures to leave."
"Yeah. But I doubt they're going to go anywhere soon. You know there's no news in this town so they'll pick at this till after Halloween. And that's tomorrow. You want to keep the shop closed on the busiest day of the year?" He set the bag on the table.
Chloe peered in and smelled the Everything bagels. There was a smaller bag inside with packets of cream cheese. "Well…I'm going to enjoy coffee and a bagel."
Kevin joined her and grabbed his own small cream cheese. "And while you do that, you're going to tell me what happened with ghost hunter mc-hottie last night." He pointed at her. "You're going to tell me what happened and where he spent the night."
Chloe gave him an exasperated look. "Mr. Hunt spent the night where ever it is he's staying while here. And I spent the night at my place with all the doors locked." She gave him a shortened version of the evening after he left.
When she finished, Kevin sat with a peculiar look on his face. "Isn't it a little odd that he conveniently forgets his keys, and then while you're outside talking with him, someone breaks in and hangs that thing up?"
She didn't answer. Mainly because she'd been entertaining the same thoughts.
"Think about it, Chloe," Kevin shifted in his chair, his bagel half eaten. "You've never been threatened before, and two days before Halloween, this guy shows up, a ghost hunter of all things, wants you on his show and when you say no, someone threatens you." He shrugged. "It all sounds like a lot of set up to me. Has he called yet?"
Chloe checked her
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