I Spy Dead People (13 page)

I laugh, and she looks up and smiles. That's the first time she's smiled with me in the last couple of days. She's pretty when her face isn't apathetic or contorted into a bear's roar. Unlike her sister, her nose is straight, and her eyes are the same size, everything symmetrical.

"Why though?" I ask. "Why are you limited to a certain area?"

She shrugs, and there goes our 'moment'. She's back to being a diva. "How should I know?"

Of course her knowing or sharing something would be too easy. "So you can be in my house and backyard, and you said you saw your mom crying, so your house too? Where else?"

"The street."

"Is that it? You got to the corner before being thrown back? Which one?" I lean against my dresser.

She sighs. "I tried both. I can't get off the street. I didn't try cutting through my backyard, but it's probably like yours."

Probably.

"So what's this mean, Veronica?" she asks.

I scrunch up my nose. "Huh?"

She rolls her eyes. "Isn't Veronica Mars a sleuth?"

I chuckle, pleased she thinks of me as awesome as V. Mars, as a marshmallow. "Yeah, but I think the correct term is Sherlock."

"What?"

I shake my head. It's not important. "Never mind. Anyway, I wonder why. Are you stuck here because it's where you lived?"

That doesn't make much sense. Well, I guess it could, like how when I don't wear my glasses, things look clearer if I squint. It just doesn't feel right, unless…

A chill runs through me.

I must widen my eyes or shiver because Linzy frowns. "What?"

"Where'd you die?"

She flops her head back down and shuts her eyes. "It doesn't matter."

"Are you kidding me? Of course it does." And it would explain why she's stuck to a certain area. If my theory is correct, she died on her street. Was it in her house? Could it have been Shayla after all?

"Well, I'm not discussing it, so let it go. Now can we get back to my problem? I have to see Elias. Since I can't go to him, you'll have to bring him here."

She's still at this? The entire way inside she ranted about Elias, but since I don't speak crazy, I didn't understand, and I still don't.

"I don't know him. He won't come here."

"Sure he will. Just make something up. He's a sucker for a pretty girl."

"You think I'm pretty?" It's such a doofus thing to ask, especially to a stranger, but it falls from my mouth, like a piece of flavorless, over-chewed gum. The only other person to ever tell me that is Dad, and he loves me so his opinion doesn't exactly count.

 "Just call him."

This is the stupidest plan. I cross my arms over my chest. "Let's say he comes, then what? It's not like you can talk to him."

"You'll talk for me."

"Won't he think it odd that I'm talking about stuff I know nothing about?"

"He doesn't know I didn't pour my soul out to you that night you followed me."

"That's lame."

She sighs. "Just do it."

I shake my head. "No, it's too weird, and my dad will never allow…"

"Piper?" As if on cue, Dad calls up to me.

I open my door and shout down the stairs, "Yeah."

"I need to run out. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

Linzy laughs.

I bite my lower lip. "Sure." I don't want to turn and see the triumphant grin on her face. How do I get out of this now?

"No more excuses," she says.

Dad opens and shuts the garage door.

"It's still a stupid idea."

Dad's car rumbles awake.

I walk to my window and wait to see him drive off.

"If you do it, you'll learn why Elias hates me enough to kill me."

I turn to her. She spoke the magic words, and her smirk tells me she knows it.

"Fine."

 

* * *

 

Waiting for Eli to show up has me in the kitchen, staring out the back door, wringing my hands. He believed a stupid lie about my needing to tell him the last thing Linzy said. He didn't ask how I got his number, just said he'd be right here. That was ten minutes ago. I have no idea what part of town he lives in, how long it'll take him to get here, how he'll get here (like on foot or by carrier pigeon), or when Dad will be back.

To say I'm a nervous wreck is like saying water is wet. Duh.

Linzy's lounging on the grass, eyes shut, hands crossed on her stomach. She looks dead. Well, she is dead, but she looks like she practicing her coffin pose, or maybe tanning. And since she's not capable of either anymore, I find it super annoying.

How is any of this happening to me? I'm not the kind of girl who sees, talks to, or yells at dead people. I'm the girl who wishes her life was different, but my wishes have never come true before. And by different I mean normal. Live in one house until I get married, go out for pizza and a movie with a boy I like, have slumber parties. With all the candles I've blown out, stars I've wished on, and dandelions I've blown, not once have I ever asked to communicate with ghosts. That's for grown women who own antique shops.

The doorbell rings, and I flinch. I run down the hall and peek out the side window, just in case it's a reporter. I spot the Fedora and fling the door open.

Eli is peering over his shoulder at an approaching cameraman.

I grab his arm and yank him inside, slamming the door shut. "Hi."

"Whoa." His expression is one of surprise—wide, stunned eyes, an "o" forming on his mouth. "Are they there all the time?"

"Every minute since I found Linzy's body."

He shakes his head. "That's awful."

Is he talking about the press or finding Linzy? It doesn't matter. I walk to the kitchen. "Come on. My dad's not home, and if he returns and finds you in here, he'll decapitate me."

A frown forms on his brow.

"No worries. I just really like hyperbole." I don't bother to add that Dad would still implode if he catches Eli in here.

Eli nods and follows me outside. Linzy hasn't moved. Is she aware that he's here? If I announce him, that'll be odd. Not that I care what he thinks. I'd just rather not have to explain more than necessary.

Right after I called him, I found a couple of metal folding chairs and one of those old-fashioned snack tables in the shed. The previous owners must've forgotten them. There was also a deflated whale swim floatie and a torn table umbrella. I set the chairs up on the edge of the cement, and put two bottles of water on the table. Of course, they're now warm. Great thinking, Piper.

We sit down. He takes his hat off, wipes his hairline with the back of his hand, and puts the Fedora back on.

"Why do you wear that?" I ask.

He scowls. "Because I like it. Why do you wear red, white, and blue shorts?"

Yeah, yeah, I get the point. "Touché. But I don't wear them every day."

Linzy still hasn't moved or even peeked at us.

He shrugs. "It fits me. You probably wear the same shoes every day. Oh wait, you're a girl."

"What's that mean?"

He grabs a bottle of water and untwists the cap. "What do you think it means?"

"That I'm shallow."

He smirks. "You said it, not me."

What the heck do Linzy and Kinley see in this jerk?

I grab the other bottle and guzzle the water until I drool some onto my shirt.

He laughs. "You spilled some."

I narrow my eyes. "What did Linzy see in you?"

That gets her to growl. Yep, just like a rabid dog. Hopefully she'll tell me what she wants me to say to him, so that I can learn something and he can get the heck out of my yard.

He displays a dazzling smile. "Isn't it obvious? My charm and wit."

"Yeah, haven't seen those yet."

He chuckles loud. "Is that why you invited me here? To insult me. You could've done that over the phone. So what did Linzy say?"

I stare at her, subliminally willing her to tell me something. But she just lays there.

My cell phone beeps. Thank goodness. "Hang on," I say and pull it out of my pocket.

It's a text from Kinley.

Is Eli @ ur house?

Crap. She must've seen him come in.

I look up, ready to directly ask Linzy what she wants me to say—who cares if Eli thinks I'm crazy—but she's no longer on the grass. Double crap. I slip the phone back into my pocket. I'll deal with Kinley later. Right now, what should I do?

Eli stares at me intently. He's waiting, and the line of sweat on his upper lip makes me think he's getting impatient.

"Okay, so I lied. She didn't say anything to me. We never even spoke."

He just sits there, expressionless, then that cocky, little, annoying smirk appears. "So you just wanted to spend time with me 'cause you know how fly I am?"

I roll my eyes. If Linzy wasn't already dead, I'd add myself to the list of her murder suspects.

"No, I want to talk to all the people who were significant in her life."

He sits back in the chair, extends his legs, and crosses them at the ankles. "Why?"

"To figure out what happened to her, obviously." It's so much easier to tell this fool the truth.

He laughs. "You think you're better equipped to solve her death than the cops?"

I never thought of it that way before. "Not necessarily better but equal."

He laughs so hard, he almost falls off his chair.

Okay, so maybe not equal. They have much more experience and a whole bunch of resources, but I think I can help. I certainly don't think my thoughts are laughable. But what else can I expect from a guy who wears a Fedora in ninety degree weather and calls himself "fly?" Gross.

The back door opens, and I flinch, expecting to see Dad standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and that vein in his temple throbbing. No one's there though. Did Linzy do it? But why? She can walk through doors. Now that I think of it, I still haven't asked her if she was the one who made the whirlwind the other night. It had to be her. Unless Cameron's ghost is here too, and I just don't see him.

I glance down at Eli, who's still obnoxiously grinning, then notice movement behind him, in the doorway.

Suddenly the blanket Dad keeps in his office flies through the air right at us.

 

The blanket lands directly on Elias' head and drapes over him. That's when I notice Linzy attached to the other side, like she's on a magic carpet ride.

Eli jerks forward, but Linzy has such a strong grip on it, he can't fling it…her off.

She passes through everything, so how is she doing this?

It dawns on me that the coffin pose was her way of reserving her energy so she could perform this feat. She doesn't want me to talk to him. She really wants to kill him. She's obviously not into hyperbole.

"What's going on?" His voice is muffled, and if she wasn't trying to suffocate him, I'd laugh.

I jump up and step forward, not sure how to help. "Linzy, stop."

She doesn't listen to me though. She's determined to hold onto him.

He manages to stand and starts swinging his body back and forth, trying to dislodge the blanket.

Her arms are wound around his neck, but her legs flail about. She tries to wrap them around his waist, but he's moving too fast for her to get a grip.

I can't help but pull one of his moves and smirk. The whole scene is disturbingly comical. She's strong.

His movements slow down, and his knees buckle. "I can't breathe."

Panic rises in my chest. It's funny as long as she's not really hurting him.

I lean forward and grab a corner of the blanket and tug. "Linzy," I scream through clenched teeth.

We make eye contact, and her grip falters. She frowns then disappears.

Eli is on his knees, and the blanket slides down his back. He breathes deep.

Fear presses my tee to my back. I hand him his bottle of water. "Are you okay?"

He sips it and sits back in his seat. He looks behind him then down to the blanket that's innocently lying by his feet. "What happened? Why couldn't I get it loose? Were you holding it down?"

"Of course not. That's crazy."

He stands, wobbles, and steadies himself. "No, a blanket attacking me is crazy. You wanted me here so you could kill me."

"Why would I want that? I don't know you."

He takes a step back. Fear and disbelief covers every inch of his face. I don't blame him. It's all eerily freaky. Inanimate objects can't kill people on their own.

"I gotta go," he says and runs around the side of the house between my yard and Kinley's

Before I can say a word, he's gone.

Great. I learned nothing and almost saw my second dead body. I gather the blanket and waters and go inside. I toss the bottles into the trash and return the blanket to Dad's office. I close his door behind me and shout, "Linzy. Get over here and explain yourself."

Gosh, I sound like Dad.

The garage door sounds, and Dad's car pulls in. I'm just standing there when he steps into the house. He does a double take and grins. "Waiting for me?"

"I was going to the kitchen." Actually, I am kinda hungry.

I reach up on tip-toes and give him a peck on the cheek. There's a smudge on the collar of his light gray tee. It almost looks like blood, but I don't see any nicks from shaving. As I pass, I get a whiff of perfume. Not the gnarly musk he wears. Something floral and feminine. Is he sneaking around with someone?

 

* * *

 

I spend the rest of the day in my room, waiting for Linzy to return and for Eli to send the cops to my house. But neither shows up. Then after dark, my cell rings. That's when I remember I didn't get back to Kinley. Shoot. The caller ID says it's Eli. Double shoot. Is he going to curse me out?

I swipe to the right and press the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"I wa-wasn't sure if you'd answer." His voice is hoarse. Gosh, I hope Linzy didn't actually damage him.

"I didn't think you'd call me."

"Yeah, well I have questions."

I let out a breath. "Me too."

We don't say anything for a minute, then he clears his throat. "Well, I'm not coming to your crazy house. Can you meet me?"

I bite my lower lip. "Where? My father won't let me leave. I'd have to sneak out, and if he finds me gone…"