Page 12 of Weston

Carrie didn’t want to bring attention to herself while the three ghosts that were arguing finished up whatever they were doing.She knew who they were, why they were with her, and who had killed them.But she couldn’t tell them anything unless they figured it out for themselves.As it stood right now, she didn’t figure that they’d ever get to that point, and she wasn’t going to be telling them anything until then.It had been several months now, and they were still fighting amongst themselves like she was sure they’d done when they were alive.The older of the three of them turned to her, but she didn’t let her see that she wanted to be elsewhere.Ghosts could be mean at times, and she didn’t feel like messing with them today.

“You there.Are you going to just sit there, or are you going to help us sort this out?”She told the elder woman, Helen Pine, that she was waiting on them.“Waiting for what?You need to get us something to eat and drink while we figure out where Howard is.He should be here too.”

“I’m not going to do anything until you figure this out on your own.I’ve said that to you several times now, and until you do, you’re going to just stand where you are.”They had to be where they were because it was the house they’d been killed in.This house, one that had been well kept, was a place they’d been squatting in for the past several weeks.Then, for some reason, Howard Pine, Helen’s son, had had enough of them and had killed not just his mother but his father and grandfather.“I don’t think that Howard is coming back here either.”

Howard had been killed several counties over by the police when he tried to rob a convenience store.He’d been on his way out of town when he’d made his fatal decision.Sunny joined her in the room just as she was thinking about leaving them to their business.

“I thought that you had hours set up for them to come and see you.”She explained how these people had been murdered three months ago and still hadn’t figured out that they were dead.“Does it usually take that long?I would have thought that with the way that they look, they’d have gotten it right away.”

“They only see what they want to see.”Sunny laughed, drawing their attention to her.“You leave her alone, or there will be hell to pay.Just get with your argument and leave the two of us alone while you do whatever it is that you’re doing.”

“Where is Howard?”She said he had dealt with his personal business and had moved on.“What’s that supposed to mean?And don’t think that I didn’t notice that you’ve never gotten us anything to eat or drink.What kind of place are you running here if that’s the way you treat people?”

“You get what you give.”She’d only just learned that, too.If they were mouthy with her, she could give them the same.If they tried to hurt her in any way or form, she could do the same to them.This whole seeing the dead thing was draining at times, but she was getting better at it, and sometimes it was fun.She looked at Sunny then.“I’ve got an idea that I wanted to run by you about the new women to the family.What if we had lunch with them once a week?It would have to be on the weekend, like a Saturday or something, because Thelma wants to teach starting in the fall, but don’t you think it would be fun to get together like that?”

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I got into this family.Hoping that the men find their mates so that I could have female friends.I’ve been hanging out with men most of my life or waiting on their sorry asses.When did you want to start?”She said today was as good as any.“Great.I’ll contact Rogen and her sisters.Did you know that they’ve been selected to build the fire station?If you would have asked me, I would have thought it would have been an easy build.A bunch of bricks in a square shape, and poof, you’re done.But they’re going to make it more appealing to the eyes.”They both laughed, and she looked at the dead again.“Do you think they’ll get it?”

“I’m thinking that the older Pine has figured it out.Notice how he keeps looking at the spot in the room nearest the fireplace?That’s where his body was when they found it.I think he is remembering that’s where he died.”She asked her about the other two.“Mr.Pine won’t get it until his wife says he can.She’s got him so tied up it’s like he’s not even a person without her influence.”

“Howard, they said that the first decision he made had gotten him killed.I’m assuming that his mother was treating him the same way she did her husband.”Carrie told her that was about right.“Did he linger, too?”

“No.He came to see me after he was killed.Crying like a baby.He told me that if I could give him a month without his mother around, he’d be all right with being dead.Once I told him that I couldn’t do that, he moved on.Poor man.To think that he’s been treated the same his whole life and had to resort to killing his family before he could be his own man.Only to end up dead a few hours later.”Mrs.Pine stood in front of her.“What is it I can do for you?”

“Howard isn’t coming, is he?”She told her that he was not.“Well, I’ll see about that, the little shitter.He wasn’t worth the sweat it took me to push him out.Nothing but a pain in my backside.Did you know that he wanted me to allow him to marry and bring some woman into my house?That’s not going to happen.”

“No, it’s not.”She looked startled when she so readily agreed with her.“Have you gotten it yet?Why you’re here, and Howard isn’t?”

“He left me.”Carrie agreed that he had.“You’ll tell me now or so help me, I’m going to teach you how to respect your elders.Why aren’t we able to leave this house?”

“We’re dead, that’s why.”She knew that Mr.Pine senior had gotten it, but it looked to her like he might well have gotten a backbone in dealing with his daughter-in-law, too.“That son of your’n killed us off like we weren’t…well, I don’t think he meant to kill me.I’ve been good to him all his life and his little girl, a damn sight better than you’ve been to him anyways.But I think that me coming into the room the way that I had it what—”

“What do you mean we’re dead?Don’t you think I’d notice if I was dead or not?Shut up until I speak to you, you old bastard.”Helen looked at her.“We ain’t dead if that’s the conclusion that you’ve been waiting on us to get to.I’d know if I was dead or not, and I’m not.”

Carrie just stared at the woman.She had a feeling that she figured it out as well that she was as dead as the other two of them were as well.Some people, like this woman, didn’t believe they were ever going to die, and it was sad for them, really.Helen marched over to where her body had been found, slumped over the couch like she’d been reaching for something lying just beyond her reach and had died.Well, she had the big axe in the back of her head, which was a testament to how much her son hated her.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?”She nodded at the older man.“Thought as much.Can’t seem to get it out of my head that I’ve been killed.You go on now and send me on my way.I’m going to get me a bit of peace and quiet before she comes around and ruins that, too.Damned woman was forever screaming about something not being to her liking.You send me on now, I’m ready.Hopefully, I can see my missus, too.”

Carrie didn’t need to do anything to send people on like the elderly man.Once they made peace with the fact that they were no longer living, they just sort of faded out of this plane onto the next.She hoped that he got his time with his missus and had some of the quiet that he’d been craving, too.It had been a real shame that he’d been killed, too.The poor old man.

It didn’t take long for Helen to notice that her father-in-law was gone.She bitched at her about doing something with him until she told her to go away.The only thing she could do was wait on them, and once the other man figured it out, he faded away as well.She could only hope that there was a special place for people like Helen.

“I’m not dead.”Carrie had had enough and told her that she was.“No.I won’t believe it.I’ve too much to do to be lying around in my casket.You tell that son of mine that he’s to come here and do my bidding.”

“He’s moved on.The same as you should.”She said that she refused to believe that he’d do something without her permission.“Yet he did, didn’t he?”

Carrie stood up and glared at the other woman.She could see her glancing at where her body had been found.The couch was gone.It had been moved out a few hours after she’d been killed.The only person left, Danielle Pine, Helen’s granddaughter, was going to move into the house as soon as she moved here, and hopefully, Helen would have moved on.Or she’d move her on.It made very little difference to her.

“Why are you in charge anyway?”Carrie told Helen that she was and that there was very little that she could do about it.“We’ll just see about that, won’t we?I want to see your boss.Right now, bring him here.”

That made her burst out laughing.And when she told Sunny what she’d said, she laughed too.It took them more than twenty minutes to get their humor calmed down enough to have a conversation with Helen, and by then, she was spitting—literally spitting mad.

“I’ve had enough.”Carrie told Helen that she was going to send her to the other place if she spit on her once more.Of course, they were never hit by any of the spittle, but it was the fact that she was doing it that pissed them both off.As soon as she could, she was going to banish the woman to the other place—a place that she’d only heard of in order to make it so that she couldn’t bother her or anyone else that was in the living area.“You will apologize right now or be gone.”

“No, I will not.”That was all it took to send her on her way.She had better things to do than sit around and listen to the woman anyway.Snapping her fingers, not only was she gone, but she was also quiet too.It was the nicest thing she could have done for herself.Banishing the woman would be good for a great many people, too, she thought.

By the time she was ready to go out to lunch with the other women, Carrie was in a better mood.All morning, she’d been dealing with the Pine family, and she needed to relax and to chill out.As soon as they were in the restaurant, she did something that she’d never done in her life.Had a large piece of apple pie before she ate her meal.Of course, the others teased her about it.

“I’m a grown-ass woman who can have pie before her meal.You should try it sometime.”The pie was warm with a large scoop of ice cream on it.She moaned at the taste of it.“I mean, I might not even order lunch and have another piece of pie.You guys don’t know what it is you’re missing.”

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