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Phoebe couldn't prevent her smile, and she shook her head at Chloe's attempt to change the subject. Sheriff Mason Ward was everything Phoebe hadn't realized she was missing in her life.
Mason was tall, dark, handsome, and extremely intelligent.
The man valued family, he was loyal to his community, and he would risk his life for others. Phoebe had met him while she and Chloe were investigating a few deaths the locals had believed were due to a spirit being trapped inside a house, which Phoebe and Chloe had debunked.
There were only two issues when it came to Sheriff Mason Ward—he lived in Ohio, and he had no idea that Phoebe could see her dead sister.
"That's what I thought," Chloe teased as they began to walk across the parking lot. "It's not fair, you know. You get to have phone sex every night, and I'm living in an apartment above your mother’s yarn shop. Pretty soon, I'll start adopting cats."
The morning bell rang out, echoing through the crisp air.
"No comment," Phoebe said with a full-blown smile as she reached out for the door's handle. "I will say that I would like to investigate another urban legend in Ohio as soon as possible."
"I knew it," Chloe exclaimed softly as she stepped inside the warm lobby. They were both brought up short by a horrible odor. "What the…"
"Skunk," Phoebe managed to say from behind her hand. Nothing could stop the stench from burning the lining of her nose. "Wow. That's bad."
The lobby appeared smaller than she remembered, as well as the rows of faded green lockers that were pressed close together on both sides of the hallways. She had expected the unique scents of books, floor wax, and teenage sweat that every high school seemed to share, but it seemed as if their football opponents had taken their rivalry to a whole new level.
"Excuse me, ladies." A stern voice spoke from the door to the principal's office. "May I help you?"
A tall, slender woman with silver-streaked hair peered at them over the rims of her cat-eye glasses. Her posture was ramrod straight, and her lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line.
Phoebe would have recognized her anywhere.
"Hi, Mrs. Todd," Phoebe greeted as she and Chloe closed the distance to the main office. "It's Phoebe. Phoebe Burrow."
Mrs. Todd's eyes widened in recognition.
"Phoebe. My goodness, look at you. All grown up, and our very own celebrity."
Mrs. Todd had never been very affectionate. Phoebe wasn't surprised when Mrs. Todd extended her arm. The two shook hands, and Phoebe took the time to introduce Chloe.
"It's good to see you, Mrs. Todd."
"Are you here for career day?" Mrs. Todd inquired as her gaze dropped to the camcorder. "I hadn’t realized that Principal Grayson had reached out with a request. The two of you have been very successful, and I'm sure the students would love to hear how you were able to make Graveside Mysteries such a hit with your audience. You have some fans here, you know."
"We would love to take part in career day, though maybe next year?" Phoebe offered before gesturing toward the office doorway. "We were hoping to speak with Principal Grayson this morning about another matter."
"The students are in their homeroom period for the next ten minutes," Mrs. Todd said as she turned around and entered the administrative offices. "As I'm sure you could tell from the moment you opened the front doors, someone thought it would be funny to let a skunk loose in the hallways. The students are being given a chance to come clean on who might have pulled such a stunt, but it was likely one of the school's rivals. Anyway, is ten minutes enough time for you, or would you like to make an appointment for later in the week?"
Mrs. Todd's low-heeled shoes clicked on the polished floor as Phoebe and Chloe began to follow behind her. Phoebe's gaze was drawn to the trophy case where Jenna's name was engraved for varsity swimming. The bulletin board right outside the entrance of the auditorium was plastered with playbills for the school's last musical of the year.
Chloe crossed the threshold first, and Phoebe wasn't far behind.
"Ten minutes is all we need," Phoebe said before Mrs. Todd indicated that they should remain in front of the main counter. It was clear that she was still curious about the camcorder. "Please."
"I'll be right back then," Mrs. Todd said with a curt nod of her head.
"I bet she was a joy back when you went to high school here," Chloe whispered as she leaned against the tall counter. "My knuckles hurt from just imagining a ruler in her hand."
Phoebe feigned an issue with the zipper of her jacket to cover up her smile. Chloe wasn't one to hide her thoughts.
"Mrs. Todd wasn't that bad, but she was known to run a tight ship. I doubt that she has changed much over the years. Maybe you should remain behind and see what she can remember from back then," Phoebe suggested, warming up to the idea more and more. "Besides, Mrs. Todd will be the first person Principal Grayson tells about our visit."
"I think Mrs. Todd is a fan of ours, so it shouldn't be too hard to get her to talk." Chloe reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. "We're sticking to the story, right?"
"Someone wrote on our message board about seeing Jenna's ghost near the back road that runs behind my family's pond," Phoebe reiterated quietly, spotting Mrs. Todd walking toward them. "Don't forget to mention what you overheard last night at the hospital. Jenna's best friend was Olivia Watson. See if Olivia had any concerns that she might have voiced to Mrs. Todd."
