Free Larue Donavon 3 - The Ghoul Next Door by Rose Pressey Page B

sleeping demons
lie.
    I always asked, “Don’t you mean ‘let
sleeping dogs lie’?”
    “ No, I mean demons,” he’d
said with a wild-eyed look.
    I still wasn’t sure I knew what he had
meant, but I had my suspicions. Did he know more about the spirit
world than he’d let on?
    Mindy broke my reverie. “Do you think
I’ll be possessed by a demon if I go on this investigation with
you? ’Cause that could throw a kink in my plans.”
    I patted her hand. “I really don’t
think you have anything to worry about as long as you do what I
tell you.”
    I wouldn’t lie to her and say that
having a demon become attached to her wasn’t possible. Possession
was no walk in the park. I’d seen it before and it still scared the
bejeezus out of me. I’d used a Ouija board once when I was young
and hadn’t known any better. A nasty demon had come forward that
night and it had stayed around me for a long time until one day it
just went away. I’d always wondered and waited for the day it would
return. Honestly, I’d known better than to use that darn board, but
I’d tried it anyway. My world had been turned upside down at the
time and I’d been in emotional upheaval, so it was no surprise. It
was the teenage years, what could I say? Boy problems, school
problems, and not to mention trying to get those little rubber
bands attached to my braces on a daily basis. All of that was
enough to make anyone a miserable mess, and therefore, quite
appealing to demons.
    Had that demon from years ago popped
back up again like a nasty rash, only worse? There had to be some
explanation for what I’d seen the other night. Perhaps getting
involved in a show about demons wasn’t the wisest of decisions. It
was like I was just asking for trouble.
    “ I’m getting a Diet Coke.”
Mindy jumped from her seat, breaking me from my thoughts again. “Do
you want one?”
    “ No, I’m good.” I stretched
in the chair.
    What was taking these people so long
anyway? If this really was a joke, I’d be more than a little
perturbed. I watched Mindy as she strolled toward the exit sign.
Within seconds the door rattled, and Mindy hurried back in,
allowing the heavy door to slam shut again. She panted and clutched
her chest.
    “ My gosh, Mindy. What the
heck? Are you all right?” I jumped up from my chair and rushed
over.
    “ I ran,” she said between
pants.
    “ Is something chasing you?”
A fair question in my line of work. “Should I be
concerned?”

Chapter Fourteen
    “ No, no.” She waved off my
concern. “The producer is walking down the hallway now.”
    “ Is that all? No biggie.”
Okay, my stomach flipped. I was a little nervous too.
    Mindy leaned down, attempting to catch
her breath. “You’re not going to believe who is with him. Go peek
out the door.” She gestured with her hand.
    I hurried over to the door and eased
it open, trying to stop it from squeaking. “What!”
    “ Exactly.” Mindy joined me
by the door.
    “ What is Cooper Garrett
doing with him?”
    Cooper ran the clothing boutique
across the street from my bookstore. He’d taken over after his
cousin Brianna had used the black magic on Callahan. I still didn’t
know how he’d managed to keep the store open and thriving. He had
zero fashion sense, but he had psychic ability and it looked as if
he was moving in on my gig.
    “ I’m guessing that he’s
going to be on the show too,” Mindy offered as if she was the
psychic.
    The producer had led me to believe I’d
be the only psychic, but now all of a sudden we needed another one?
Why he’d kept this a secret, I had no idea.
    “ He’s probably eye candy for
the show. You know, to get ratings,” I said, as I shut the door. I
didn’t want them to see us gawking. “That’s the only reason they’d
ask him to be on the show. Eye candy.” I was trying to justify my
jealousy. There was room for both of us, right?
    “ Did someone call me?” Candy
Cherry popped up beside me.
    Great. I’d never be able to