Fourteen Days(19)

“You’re right. I’m not saying that you saw a spirit, but there is a possibility.” She took another sip of her tea. “Has anything else been happening around here?”

“Well, the smoke detector’s been going off on its own for the past couple of days, even after I changed the battery. But I suppose it could be faulty.”

“It could be faulty. Anything else?”

“I’ve been having weird dreams about the woman.” He thought for a second. “Oh, and Nicky’s keys went missing. The TV came on on its own with the volume all the way up. I mean, that was strange. Really strange.”

“And has Nicky witnessed any of this?”

He shook his head. “No—apart from the smoke alarm and the TV. Nothing else. It’s just always when I’m home alone in the day.”

Karen sat back on the couch, chewing on this information. “This woman—did you recognize her? Maybe from work, or…”

He shook his head again. “No. I’ve never seen her before.”

“And you’re positive?”

“Yes. One hundred percent. I’ve never seen her before in my life. That’s what’s so weird.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then there’s a good chance that you did see someone in your kitchen. And that someone could well be trying to get a message across to you.”

Frowning, he shuffled on the couch, half-hoping that she was talking complete nonsense. “Look, if I did see something—and I’m not saying I did—but if I did, then what might she want from me?”

Karen shrugged. “Who knows? In a lot of cases it’s the previous owner of the house. Do you know anything about them?”

“I think the house is about fifteen, or maybe even twenty years old. And the last owner was a man.”

“How many other owners have there been? Maybe it was a woman that died before him.”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. My neighbour Ilene will know—she’s lived here for years.”

“Ask her.”

Richard chuckled. “Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s ridiculous. I can’t go ’round her house and ask her about a bloody ghost. She’ll think there’s something wrong with me. Plus, I haven’t been ’round in ages. And she’s old and lonely. She’ll make me feel guilty for not making more of an effort.”

Karen grinned. “Well that’s perfect then. You’ve got an excuse to go and see her. You can have a cup of tea and a chat, and then you can just drop it into the conversation. You don’t even have to mention the ghost. Just pick her brain about the previous owners. She’ll probably be grateful for the visit.”

Mulling over the idea, he sat back. But then he shook his head. “No. It’s not happening. It’s stupid. I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“Are you sure about that? Sounds to me that you’re in denial, that you’re afraid to admit it.”

“Look, I admit that I almost wet my pants when I saw her—it. And I admit that things have been a little strange around here. But the idea of having a real-life ghost in my house is too laughable. I mean, come on, Karen, things like this don’t happen. Not to me. And not in my house.”

Karen finished her tea and set the cup down on the floor. “Look, whether you believe it or not, you just need to know that if it is a ghost, she probably doesn’t mean you any harm. You could always ask her what she wants, or even ask her to leave.”

He sniggered. “Ask her to leave? Yeah, I’m sure she’ll listen.”

“Just try it if anything else happens here. What have you got to lose?”

“My dignity for one. I’d look like a complete dick asking a ghost to leave my house.”

“No one’s going to hear.”

“I’ll hear though.” He got up from the couch and walked toward the door. “Look, Karen, I know you’re trying to help, but I’m fine. I’m just tired. It’ll pass in a few days. And I’ll be back to work in no time. Then I can put all this stupidity behind me.”

“All right, Rich. But remember what I said. And you can call me if you want to ask something. Oh, and give Nic a shout for me. She’s probably outside the door listening.”

“You mean laughing.”

He opened the door to find the hallway empty. “Nicky!” he called out. “I’m done. You can have your friend back now!”