Page 27 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder
Natalie scowled. “You just don’t want to admit I might be right about something ghost related. That I thought of something you didn’t.”
“No, Natalie. That’s not it at all. Doug did communicate with Rick. Sort of. When Rick called his name, Doug stopped, looked right at him, glared like he was annoyed, then went on his way.”
Hmm. That level of interaction probably did pretty much do away with her residual haunting theory. “It doesn’t matter. I have to at least try.”
“And fail,” Gabe added.
She scowled at him. “We’re just going to have to see, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are,” Gabe countered with a level of attitude equal to her own.
With a huff, she turned toward the door…then remembered she still had two more hours to go before she could close the shop.
Dammit.
“Can the ghost watch keep tabs on Doug and where he is until I can speak with him?”
“Already on it.” Gabe nodded.
“Good.” She was going to confront Pompous Ghost Doug tonight, whether he liked it or not.
Chapter Twelve
Natalie watched the clock, counting the remaining hours and minutes until six when she could finally flip the Open sign to Closed and lock the front door of the shop.
After the antique grandfather clock had finally chimed six, she went to find Doug. So it was barely after six that evening that she passed through the doorway of the former Masonic Temple slash Mudville Community Center.
The massive wooden front door was unlocked. Luckily for her. Her ghost spies who were following Doug, and the ghost of Doug himself, could pass through walls but she couldn’t. She hadn’t even considered that the door should have been locked at this time of night.
After hauling it open and stepping inside she heard the sound of voices.
“…now bring this meeting of the Mudville Historical Association to order.”
That explained why the front door was unlocked. There was a meeting and here she was, not even a member of the organization, but crashing anyway in an attempt to help her friend.
Liam would have tried to talk her out of the plan to interview Doug’s ghost… had he known her plan.
He no doubt would have said she was asking for trouble... if he hadn’t still been working at the lab when she’d snuck out of her apartment without texting him to say where she’d be.
Seriously, though. There was nothing to worry about. How could speaking with Doug’s ghost get her into trouble?
Pompous Doug was now a spirit. No other living being could hear him complain about Natalie. He couldn’t implicate her in this mess. The other ghosts in the Mudville spirit community could hear him, of course, but they were on her side. And on Harper’s side.
Fueled with renewed enthusiasm for this plan to clear Harper’s name on all counts, she crept in as silently as possible, making sure not to let the exterior door slam and draw attention to her.
She stopped just inside the doorway of the meeting room and glanced around… and there was Doug, seated in the back row next to his living wife who had no idea he was occupying the seemingly vacant chair to her right.
This was going to be tricky. Speaking to ghosts in the presence of the living always was.
She should have brought Gabe with her. At least then she’d have an invisible partner who could get Doug’s attention without tipping off his wife or any of the other usual attendees.
Maybe she should go back outside to the cemetery next door. She could rustle up some spectral assistance there. Although besides Rick, the rest of the ghosts in the graveyard were far less friendly. Some wanted nothing to do with her or anyone from recent eras. She supposed the Revolutionary War era spirits did earn the privilege of peace and quiet in their afterlife without being bothered by a modern living who needed a favor.
She’d just have to wait for the end of the meeting and grab Doug then. They’d hopefully be done soon.
Just as she leaned against the doorframe, prepared to settle in and wait, Doug turned for some inexplicable reason and spotted her there.
She knew he’d seen her because his eyes narrowed and his mouth screwed up.
