Rocks & Gravel (Peri Jean Mace Ghost Thrillers Book 3) by Catie Rhodes
Authors: Catie Rhodes
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engine. I met him at my bumper.
“You want to come in for a plate of barbecue? It’s free.”
“Nah. You were right earlier. Little man might split the seams of his boy’s extra medium dress shirt.”
I didn’t bother defending Dean to Wade. Their different paths in life ensured they’d never be friends. “Thanks for following me.”
“Never any need to thank me. Just doing what I need to do.” He started his motorcycle before I could offer him supper again and did a U-turn on the narrow road, raising his hand to wave goodbye. I watched him until the noise of his ride faded into the night.
“Where the hell have you been?” Hannah stormed across the parking lot, Rainey Bruce right behind her. Both their arms pumped like people I’d seen walking in a mall. I realized I didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with them about the time they reached me.
“Dean’s waiting on you,” Hannah said. “He wants you to stand onstage with him when he gives his welcome speech. Come on.”
“She isn’t going in there looking like she’s been bar crawling for a week,” Rainey said. “Not as long as I’m Dean’s campaign manager. Eddie said you left his house forty-five minutes ago. I figured you’d gone to change. What did you do? Go partying with Wade Hill?”
My throat ached with the buildup of what I’d seen. The thing came out of my phone, reached for me. It could have killed me. The whispers I’d heard all my life filled my head. Schizophrenic. Hallucinations. I shook my head to clear it.
“It came out of the phone and chased me into the road.” Even as I said the words, I knew they were out of context and wouldn’t make sense. Sure enough, both Hannah and Rainey shook their heads. I explained what happened, leaving out the stuff about how the boogie man would kill me and everybody I loved unless I kept the curse attached to the treasure. No need to cause a panic. What little I told them must have been enough. Both women drew away from me, their eyes widening.
“Oh no.” Hannah put her hand over her mouth. “No wonder you’re filthy.”
Rainey took out her cellphone. “Dean. Stall them ten minutes, okay?” She paused while he said something. “Just do it, you hear me?” She hung up and spoke to Hannah. “You got anything to fix her up?”
Hannah studied me, raising one eyebrow. “I’ve got my makeup box in the car. But it’s the one I travel with. Not much in there.”
“It’ll have to do. Let’s get her over there.”
They dragged me to Hannah’s BMW sedan and forced me inside. Hannah took out a plastic case bigger than some of the toolboxes I’d seen and opened it. Inside lay an array of tubes and tins, all filled with mystery substances. I reached for a black eye liner pencil and Hannah slapped my hand.
“Clean some of the dirt off your face. Get your neck, too.” Rainey handed me a damp disposable wipe. I started scrubbing. Rainey grabbed a hairbrush out of the toolkit and started dragging it through my hair. I moaned once to let her know it hurt. The look she gave me dried up any more complaints. Hannah dabbed at my face with creams and powders, the brushes she used tickling my face. Three minutes of tickling, tugging torture later, both women leaned back to scrutinize me.
“Her shirt’s still filthy,” Rainey said. “You got anything else?”
To my amazement, Hannah went to her trunk and pulled out a pile of clothes. “None of this is going to fit her. She’s smaller than me.”
Rainey picked through the clothes and came out with a sleeveless spandex shirt and tossed it at me. I wanted to argue. The color was a pastel blue, and the straps looked like bra straps. One glance at Rainey’s face convinced me to keep my mouth shut and do as they said. Hannah took one look at me and dug through the pile of clothes again, this time pulling out a short black jacket. I slipped it on over the tank top and waited for their judgment.
“A dress would have been better,
“You want to come in for a plate of barbecue? It’s free.”
“Nah. You were right earlier. Little man might split the seams of his boy’s extra medium dress shirt.”
I didn’t bother defending Dean to Wade. Their different paths in life ensured they’d never be friends. “Thanks for following me.”
“Never any need to thank me. Just doing what I need to do.” He started his motorcycle before I could offer him supper again and did a U-turn on the narrow road, raising his hand to wave goodbye. I watched him until the noise of his ride faded into the night.
“Where the hell have you been?” Hannah stormed across the parking lot, Rainey Bruce right behind her. Both their arms pumped like people I’d seen walking in a mall. I realized I didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with them about the time they reached me.
“Dean’s waiting on you,” Hannah said. “He wants you to stand onstage with him when he gives his welcome speech. Come on.”
“She isn’t going in there looking like she’s been bar crawling for a week,” Rainey said. “Not as long as I’m Dean’s campaign manager. Eddie said you left his house forty-five minutes ago. I figured you’d gone to change. What did you do? Go partying with Wade Hill?”
My throat ached with the buildup of what I’d seen. The thing came out of my phone, reached for me. It could have killed me. The whispers I’d heard all my life filled my head. Schizophrenic. Hallucinations. I shook my head to clear it.
“It came out of the phone and chased me into the road.” Even as I said the words, I knew they were out of context and wouldn’t make sense. Sure enough, both Hannah and Rainey shook their heads. I explained what happened, leaving out the stuff about how the boogie man would kill me and everybody I loved unless I kept the curse attached to the treasure. No need to cause a panic. What little I told them must have been enough. Both women drew away from me, their eyes widening.
“Oh no.” Hannah put her hand over her mouth. “No wonder you’re filthy.”
Rainey took out her cellphone. “Dean. Stall them ten minutes, okay?” She paused while he said something. “Just do it, you hear me?” She hung up and spoke to Hannah. “You got anything to fix her up?”
Hannah studied me, raising one eyebrow. “I’ve got my makeup box in the car. But it’s the one I travel with. Not much in there.”
“It’ll have to do. Let’s get her over there.”
They dragged me to Hannah’s BMW sedan and forced me inside. Hannah took out a plastic case bigger than some of the toolboxes I’d seen and opened it. Inside lay an array of tubes and tins, all filled with mystery substances. I reached for a black eye liner pencil and Hannah slapped my hand.
“Clean some of the dirt off your face. Get your neck, too.” Rainey handed me a damp disposable wipe. I started scrubbing. Rainey grabbed a hairbrush out of the toolkit and started dragging it through my hair. I moaned once to let her know it hurt. The look she gave me dried up any more complaints. Hannah dabbed at my face with creams and powders, the brushes she used tickling my face. Three minutes of tickling, tugging torture later, both women leaned back to scrutinize me.
“Her shirt’s still filthy,” Rainey said. “You got anything else?”
To my amazement, Hannah went to her trunk and pulled out a pile of clothes. “None of this is going to fit her. She’s smaller than me.”
Rainey picked through the clothes and came out with a sleeveless spandex shirt and tossed it at me. I wanted to argue. The color was a pastel blue, and the straps looked like bra straps. One glance at Rainey’s face convinced me to keep my mouth shut and do as they said. Hannah took one look at me and dug through the pile of clothes again, this time pulling out a short black jacket. I slipped it on over the tank top and waited for their judgment.
“A dress would have been better,
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