She tilts her head and raises one hand palm up. “Next time, think before you go opening yourself up to other dimensions. You could’ve lived blissfully in denial the rest of your life if you’d been more careful.”
“This all would’ve been great information to have before I touched you,” I snarl through clenched teeth, spinning on my heels and making my way out of the small room.
“What is meant to be, will be, and it seems you were destined to unlock your potential. Lucky for me, you helped unlock mine as well,” she calls to my back.
“Sounds like you owe me.Bigtime.” I stress the wordbig, hoping she realizes that she’s not going to be filing nails the rest of today. I’m prepared to drag her out kicking and screaming if she resists.
I turn to confirm she’s still following me.
“We close early on Sundays, so you can wait until I’ve finished my last few clients. I’ll help you, but thenyouoweme.”
I don’t bother asking her what more she could possibly want from me. I’m too eager to get the ghostbusting underway. If I’m lucky, Billy Garet will be well on his way to the pearly gates, or land of fire, by nightfall.
?THE FRONT DOORcreeps open, and I pop my head inside. Corinne’s chest presses against my back as she peers over my shoulder.
“Can I help you?” I drawl, looking back at her and pursing my lips at her invasion of my personal space.
“Sorry.” She takes a step back. “Is he here?”
“I haven’t even made it in the door yet. I have no clue if he’s lurking.”
I push down the building anxiety and rush into the foyer, searching for any signs of Billy. Corinne follows, closing the door a little too loudly.
The stairs leading to the second floor are directly in front of me, and I’m happy to find the area free of Billy.
To the left is the living room that bleeds into the dining room, which circles into the kitchen. To the right is a hallway that also circles around to the kitchen. Garrett’s office is to my immediate right. It’s been converted into a junk room. Boxes of papers and books, clothes, and shoes are stacked against the walls, hiding his personal belongings that I couldn’t stand to see. I close the double glass doors, closing off that room. I don’t want to think anymore about the contents of those boxes. It’s not my current problem.
“Where is he?” Corinne hisses.
“Shh,” I scold, tiptoeing toward the back of the house, with Corinne hot on my heels.
Nothing seems out of place. It’s quiet, but not abnormally so.
Maybe because it’s the middle of the day and the sun is shiningbrightly through the windows, but the uneasy feeling I’ve gotten every time Billy Garet is near is absent.
“I don’t think he’s here,” I whisper. “At least, it doesn’t feel like it.”
When we make it to the back, the kitchen is empty. Off to the right is the addition, and that too is clear.
We’ve walked through the entirety of the first floor, and every room is Billy-free.
“What should I do?” I ask.
I turn toward Corinne, who appears to be taking in the place.
“What have you done every other time?”
I think back over all the moments that Billy appeared, and nothing stands out.
“He just pops in whenever the hell he wants. Which is half of the reason I’m on edge in my own damn house.”
“Would a warning really be any better?” She lifts an eyebrow.
She’s not wrong. A flick of the lights or a noise would have me screaming like a banshee.
“Why don’t you try calling out his name?” she suggests.
I breathe in and out slowly, preparing myself for what might come.
