Part 4 (1/2)

'Good point, I guess. And hey, look, I know you must be pretty rocked over this but- 'I tell you Ive been murdered and the best you can offer is that I must be ”rocked” by it? Thats it? Now she was pacing, awkwardly, on her one stiletto. 'Some basic sympathy wouldnt go astray, you know.

'And ditto for basic manners, but I guess well both have to suck it up. Come on! It wasnt like she was the only one whod suffered a shock here!

I shouldnt have even bothered answering her; it was like she hadnt even heard me. Suddenly pivoting back on her one heel, she stared at me, her eyes wide frightened even. 'Oh my G.o.d, was my phone with me when I had the, um . . .?

'I have no idea, JoJo, I answered softly.

'We have to find it! She was striding in the opposite direction, fully panicked. When she reached my bed she started tossing pillows onto the floor, dragging out drawers, overturning books . . . 'It has to be somewhere! You have to find it!

I dived to catch a crystal photo frame. 'Me! Why would I want to find it?

JoJo turned, and for a moment confusion clouded her features. She shook it away, replacing it with the chilling stare I was becoming way more familiar with. 'Oh, youll want to find it, Willow Cartwright. Youll want to find it very badly. Because everything youve been screaming at me for the past thirty minutes is apparently true meaning Im . . . Im d-dead. Not breaking the stare-lock, she inhaled to compose herself. 'So. Im a ghost. Right? Which means I must have been drawn here for some reason. Which means, youre going to find that phone.

I shrugged. 'Hate to sound like a broken record here but Im not following your logic. So, again: why would I do that?

'Because if you dont Im going to make every minute of your life a living h.e.l.l. Literally. And believe me Ive had a lot of practice. My whole life is in that phone. Just find it and youll find all the suspects you want and a whole lot of other interesting stuff . . .

I swear the temperature dropped even lower, as though I was living in Alaska in mid-winter and someone had just left the door open. 'Youre crazy! For starters I wouldnt have any idea of where to look! You cant be serious!

'Deadly serious. Oooh, look at me! I just made a pun. Her glossy lips curled; youd almost call it a smile. Almost. If it werent for the ice shooting out of her eyes.

And as each shard hit me I felt myself filling with ice-cold dread. Could she do that? Could she haunt me forever if I didnt help her?

I wanted to laugh, to call her bluff, but the words stalled in my throat. Frankly, I didnt have a clue whether she could carry out her threat but was I game to risk it? I rubbed my hands along my arms to try to coax back some circulation, some warmth.

But instead of comforting warmth, it was dread that surged through me.

Heavy, stomach-churning dread.

What was next? Because that was the only certainty: that there would be something else; that this nightmare had only begun.

Chapter Four.

Actually, what happened next was something of an anticlimax.

After JoJos announcement I guess Id expected something pretty dramatic. Fire and brimstone? Some ghostly mayhem? At least a token smas.h.i.+ng of something breakable.

If anything, it was just the opposite. Before my eyes she started to fade; power-down. I saw it in her eyes first, and then she literally began to fade. It was the weirdest thing, and in direct relation, my concern was downgrading to confusion. Nothing made sense, especially her babblings about needing to rest.

'Are you even listening to me? I said, ”Im tired!” There was a subtle whoosh as she pa.s.sed me. 'And Im going to lie down.

Which she did. On my bed.

What was I supposed to do now?

I stared at her, suddenly feeling weak myself. Reaching out, I snagged the back of the big armchair in the corner and sank into the soft velvet. My head reeled, trying again to make sense. Why did JoJo need to rest? To recharge? Why? Because she was still new to the ghost gig and she didnt know the drill yet? Or did all ghosts come with rechargeable battery packs?

Jackhammers pounded inside my skull as I wondered what to do next. Maybe if I could lay down Id be able to think more clearly. There was just one big problem with that . . . Okay, I knew what she had wasnt catching, but I just couldnt lie down and share that bed. Even if it was king-sized. The thought of it really creeped me out.

Minutes ticked by. Minutes with no clear thoughts other than the fact that I had a ghost in my room. In my bed! It was barely eleven pm, yet it seemed like Id been in this room for hours. The light hurt my head and I reached for the dimmer switch.

'Dont. It was one word, but something about the way she said it stalled me.

Dropping my hand, I frowned. 'You want the light on? Why? Are you afraid of the dark?

She ignored me. Frustration burned, kicking the jackhammers up to high speed. Boy was she in for a shock. Last time I heard, coffins didnt come with night lights. Even the top of the range.

Idly I fingered the phone still in my hand. What I wouldnt give to have the Ghostbusters on speed dial right now. That had been my first instinct; not to ring the G-Busters, but to call someone; tell someone. But Id tried that. Twice. And twice, no one had believed me. Mentally I scrolled down the contacts. Seth? Could I call Seth? Yeah right. The chances of him believing me were even slimmer than Macey believing me. So what? I was the only one who knew of her existence?

A cloak of loneliness settled around my shoulders. For most of my life Id struggled with the sense that I didnt really belong, but that was nothing compared to this. Thoughts buzzed through my brain with the speed of lightning but none of them settled for long enough for me to grab onto and examine. Until those thoughts wandered back to Pete.

Pete and his phone call . . .

Did Pete know about JoJo? Was that why hed freaked out? Did somebody else know? Anybody?

An idea hit me maybe there was a way. It was a long shot but worth a try.

It took all my courage to actually touch her again. But it was necessary. 'JoJo! Wake up! I need your Facebook pa.s.sword.

'Why?

The answer shocked me. Because it was so instant and so normal. 'Youre not asleep, are you? Irritation burned a path up from my gut. 'You dont even really sleep, do you? So why the heck do you need my bed?

'I asked, ”Why? she repeated in that haughty way that probably always ensured she got her own way. Well, she could add this occasion to the list because I needed to check out my idea and didnt have time to argue.

'Its a stretch, but I thought if I could log on to your page I might be able to see what your friends are saying.

She didnt argue further and within seconds I was logged on to the internet on my phone, typing in the letters she spelled out.

And what I found really spun me out.

'What? she demanded, trying to look over my shoulder. 'What are they saying?

I shook my head. 'Its not what theyre saying. Her confused expression prompted me to continue. 'Its what youre saying. Seems like youve posted four, five no, six comments in the past four days.

She frowned. 'But thats- 'Impossible? I offered.

She moved with the speed of light and before I could even blink she was beside me trying to s.n.a.t.c.h my phone from me, but her hands went straight through it! This time I didnt scream, but I did have to draw in a long slow breath to force my heartbeat back to normal. At least this time, though, my trip to the outer limits wasnt made alone; JoJo was staring at her hands in sheer disbelief. 'Good party trick, I muttered, trying to pretend I wasnt fazed.

Maybe it worked, because immediately she shoved her hands behind her back; like they were the only problem? The disbelief had left her eyes and the sub-zero chill factor was back. 'Could you just stick to the issue? she snapped. 'What do the messages say?

'Um . . . I cleared my throat and gave my attention back to the phone. 'Theyre all much the same: ”Let the fun begin,” I read. 'Another one says, ”Game on.” Heres one where you offer advice: ”Not sleeping? Maybe you need to get something off your conscience?” I shook my head. 'This is really weird stuff. Who would write this? I paused and scrolled up. 'This ones a bit creepy it says, ”Find the phone and you find the answers.” Darting her a glance, I added, 'Oh, and by the way, as of the day after your death? Your status was changed to Dead. Maybe . . .