Part 4 (2/2)

And I could smell it. It was a real tree!

”When this place was a funeral parlor,” Dags continued, after tossing his coat on a nearby chair. All the tables were square, made of dark-polished wood. ”They kept the coffins upstairs and that hole is where they would lower them down.”

I looked up again. Ew.

”Are there any actual stories about ghosts with this place?”

”Oh you bet,” Dags smiled. ”Civil War Romeo and Juliet. The owner of the general store had a daughter, who fell in love with a soldier from the North. They carried on a torrid affair for a long time, until they were discovered. He was hung in the square for treason and it was reported she took her own life in the attic.”

”She hung herself?” Rhonda asked.

Dags shook his head. ”No one knows, really. Some say she threw herself off the top of the building, some say she hung herself. But it's up there where the real freaky stuff happens.” His smile vanished. ”Be careful, okay? This is where Jamie Reed had her accident and the jerk manager won't pay for workman's compensation.” He looked away. ”This is also where I last saw Maureen.”

Yikes. I immediately started looking around for Maureen's ghost. They seemed to follow me around lately--but there didn't seem to be any sign of one. In fact, I wasn't seeing anything weird.

”But you said she disappeared.” Rhonda frowned at him. ”You're thinking disappeared is dead?”

Dags nodded. ”She's dead. It's just the last time she was seen was here--I saw her. And then she was found dead in the square.”

”When you say you saw her here,” Rhonda said, leaning her head toward him. ”You mean you saw her ghost here before she was found dead? Or you saw her alive here before she was found dead.”

He frowned at her and blinked. ”The first one. Only, I didn't know she was dead, 'cause she looked alive to me. But they said she'd been dead for twenty-four hours, which meant she'd already been dead.”

There was a very odd pause. No one said anything.

I waved at him to get his eyes off of Rhonda (and because word problem always gave me a headache) and pointed upstairs. Are we okay to go upstairs?

Dags nodded. ”Yeah, yeah. Let's go on up.”

I nodded and looked up the steps. Well, so this is where the oogies hang out--let's go see.

The stairs were a straight, slanted shot up. I could just make out the back end of a baby-grand on the way up. As well as the back of a brick wall and a gold-framed landscape picture. Another tree--only this one was decorated in blue and green--gleamed at me against the far wall. The air felt different up here--not warmer like I expected 'cause you know--warm air rises. But more like...

Cold.

Just as I topped the first step something slammed hard into my right s.h.i.+n. I let out a silent whoosh of air much like a scream--only--not. I did tumble forward into the edge of the piano and knocked it with my weight.

”Zoe!” Dags was up the stairs and beside me, his hand on my arm.

”Did you see that?” I heard Rhonda say in a more than excited voice.

No I didn't see a d.a.m.ned thing. Though my shoulder connected pretty hard with the piano leg. Ow. That sucked. I could hear Rhonda behind me, her weight making the hardwood creak. But as I pushed myself up to be on hands and knees with Dags trying his best to be helpful but instead getting in my way, I did catch something--well--dark and fuzzy--out of the corner of my eye.

Now--seeing smoky, blacky, whispy things out of the corner of my eye had become a norm since changing into a Wraith--or whatever. I saw them all the time. Mostly it was always in the shadows of a place--though not in my home or my Mom's. I did see them a lot in old buildings, and in hospitals.

Sheesh. Hospital. Another name for Grand Central Station.

I rarely saw these things in the daylightand trust me--with the time of day and where the Livery's front faced--there was direct sun streaming into that loft. So I made sure that I stood up slowly, and cautiously, because whatever it was, it'd wasted no time trying to shove me into the piano.

”There it goes again!” Rhonda almost squealed with delight.

Well, I was glad someone was having a good time. Me? Not so much. I was getting a little unnerved by the whole thing. I didn't get the whole ”wee.. we're chasing ghosts” fun that Rhonda was high on.

I straightened up and stood in front of the piano, the window behind me on the opposite side of the baby grand, the staircase down to my right. The cut-through was just a few feet away as well, surrounded by a waist high mahogany banister.

Taking in more of the place, smaller tables were s.p.a.ced out evenly about the area, though I could see where they could all be placed facing the piano. You know, just in case Billy Joel showed up.

The entire back wall was a bar. And I mean a nice bar. The wall was covered from ceiling to --well--it might go to the floor. The bar obscured it for me. Trimmed in s.h.i.+ny bra.s.s--it was impressive.

”Nice, eh?” Dags said as he moved away from me and then continued to the bar. ”This is where I work most s.h.i.+fts. Maureen never came up here. Refused too--said there was something up here that gave her the creeps.”

I snapped my fingers at Rhonda to get her attention and motioned for her to hand me a pen and paper. Okayso--yeah I should carry my own. But I hated carrying bags, much less a purse. Rhonda liked backpacks.

And she was organized. She kept a small notepad and pen in an outside pocket and handed them to me.

”You really should consider sign language,” Dags said.

I scribbled. YOU KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE?

He nodded. ”Sure.”

Scribble, scribble. HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE YOU KNOW USE SL?

He pursed his lips. ”Good point. But--if you learn it and Rhonda learns it, then it's easier for her to interpret for you.”

'Scuse me? Rhonda interpret? h.e.l.l no! She'd PG me!

”Interpret huh? I like that,” Rhonda said with a smile. She moved away from the stairs, which made me feel a little better. ”Maybe then I could get on a real payroll.”

Phhhttt.

I turned the page. Scribble. SO--YOU SEEN THE BROWNIES UP HERE?

”I'm not buying the Brownies angle,” Dags said. ”But I've seen them out of the corner of my eye--just like a few seconds ago. There is no reason to trip up that step, Zoe. But you're not the first to do it. Almost everyone that's new up here does it. Customers are almost used to it happening. It's like a game.”

I was watching him. I scribbled again. BUT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S A GAME TO THE BROWNIES?

He shook his head slowly.

”So, did you see it, Zoe?” Rhonda asked as she neared us. ”When it tripped you?”

I shook my head, and then frowned. I pointed at her and Dags got what I was indicating.

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