Page 14 of Ghost Girl

‘Well, Bessie, looks like you’re gonna need a new best friend soon. We should probably make some memories first, huh?’

I flicked the dreamcatcher hanging from the rearview mirror before tucking the flower petal in its web, then drove off, eager to enjoy the scenic ride home. Bessie had been with me since I was a teenager and was given the first all-clear by the docs. She’d been my first ever independent buy, and I’d loved her ever since. Bessie and me, we were meant to be. She was on her last dregs, too, so we were going to enjoy our last moments of this life together.

I was going to smell every last one of those damn roses everyone talked about. When I turned her off, of course. Bessie was many things, but eco-friendly she was not.

The drive home was long, winding, and typically peaceful, with very few cars on the road alongside me. This time, however, I ended up stuck behind a parade of vans and RVs. What intrigued me the most were the logos stamped and painted all over them.Northeast Paranormal Investigators.Huh. There had always been tales of ghost sightings and such, but no one had ever taken them seriously enough to come investigate before.

A smile spread, slow and excited. They could just be passing through, but if they were sticking around, this could be fun.

I followed them all the way down Highway 97, curious where they were headed. I was pleased when they pulled off onto the side road that led to the local campsite. Not just because it looked like things around here were about to get a hell of a lot more interesting, but because they were right in my backyard. My house sat a few miles up the road, but my family had ownedthis campsite for three generations. It was the perfect excuse to strike up a conversation, see what was going down.

I followed them in, feeling their suspicious eyes on me through their mirrors. But life was full of coincidences, and while I wasn’t sure I believed in fate, I certainly believed in luck. The entourage pulled up outside the service building where we held the front desk, some showers and other amenities, and a small café staffed by two staff, Fred, the old curmudgeonly chef, and yours truly.

I drove Bessie around them to my designated spot around the back of the building and gave the dreamcatcher one more flick before hopping out. Rounding the corner with my hands in my pockets, an easy smile on my face, I moved to greet my new customers. A tall man with dark, almost black hair that was in dire need of a cut approached, a scowl forming deep grooves between his brows. I tilted my head to the side to study him, something about him screaming familiarity, though I couldn’t place where I knew him from. I wasn’t one to follow paranormal investigators, so I knew it couldn’t have been from his job.

‘Who are you?’ he asked in a gruff voice, violence brimming in the tension of his admittedly large muscles. ‘Why are you following us?’

‘Calm down, Chance. He’s probably just a fan or something,’ a short, dark-skinned woman attempted to de-escalate as she jumped out of another RV, an equally short Latina woman hopping out the passenger side to join her.

‘Not a fan, sorry,’ I said, leaning casually against the side of the building.

‘Who the fuck are you, then? What do you want?’ the grumpy man demanded.

‘The name’s Rhodes.’

‘Like the campsite?’ the Latina woman asked.

I dipped my chin in acknowledgement. ‘Yup. I own the property. Didn’t mean to spook you fine folks. I was just coming back from an appointment and happened to be coming to the same place. How can I help you?’

Grumpy Man’s scowl deepened further, but he backed down when he realised I wasn’t a threat. I’d never met someone as high-strung as him before, and I wondered where the stick up his ass came from.

‘Sorry about him,’ the black woman stepped forward, offering her hand for me to shake, which I took. ‘I’m Ashe. The pretty Mexican lady is Gloria, and the surly one is Chance. Mikey’s in the last van, but he’s a bit shy.’

‘Nice to meet you. Why don’t you come on in, and I can get you set up?’

‘We reserved some spots online this morning. We’re just checking in.’

‘Right. Even better. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you all checked in and set up.’

They followed me inside, and Fred popped his head out of the kitchen with a scowl even scarier than that Chance guy’s, though that was just his normal face. I waved at him and gestured to the small dining area we passed. ‘Coffee and food are served from nine to six, and we have a few vending machines around back if you’re hungry for a midnight snack. And don’t mind Fred. He’ll grunt at you, but he won’t bite.’

Mister Grumpy broke off from the women to head straight for the coffee bar, sharing a grunt with Fred, who responded in kind before handing over a mug of freshly brewed coffee, then gestured vaguely to the condiment bar.

‘Sorry about him,’ the black woman, Ashe, apologised sheepishly. ‘He’s a nice guy most days.’

‘Just not today, huh?’ I teased with a little smirk pulling up the right corner of my lips as I moved around to the other side of thecounter and booted up the old laptop I’d been using for the past decade.

‘Today’s been a rough one. He’ll be all smiles tomorrow after some sleep, promise.’

‘Nah, he’s fine. We can’t all have good days.’ My smile felt a little more forced when I thought about the shit day I was having. It seemed to be a pandemic. When the laptop finally started, I pulled up their booking information, noting how they hadn’t written in a check-out date. ‘So, how long are you guys here for?’

‘We don’t know yet. We’re investigating the deaths along the highway, so however long it takes, I guess. I hope it’s not an issue.’

My brows rose in surprise. ‘Not at all. You’re welcome as long as you need. So, you’re here about the drownings, then?’

‘Yes. Well, more specifically, we’re investigating the sightings of a potential entity that may be responsible for the drownings.’

‘So what, you’re like, paranormal police?’

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