Page 44 of Ghost in the Cupboard

“I do like getting paid on time,” Ginny replied.

“All right,” I said. “You’ve convinced me. Will you stay open a little bit longer, just in case anyone stops by? Then you can finish up and study all you want. Half hour?”

“Sure thing, boss man!” Ginny gave me a sharp salute.

Laughing, we parted ways. I gathered up my things, put my coat and scarf back on, and headed out. Before I knew it, I was in my car and headed back to the house. My mind, for some reason, felt like it was racing as I drove, but I couldn’t figure out why. My thoughts were erratic and complex. What I even wanted to think about eluded me. Every time I tried to pin down one thought, it flittered away, replaced by another random thought.

Pushing my mind clear, I was approaching my driveway before I knew it. Finding Danny’s truck outside my house and him sitting in one of the chairs on my porch did not surprise me one bit. I took my time parking and getting out of the car, not caring how long Danny sat hunched over, holding his coat tightly around himself on my porch.

If he was that cold, he should have stayed in his truck with the heater on.

“Figured you’d be here,” I said calmly as I approached the porch.

“Regular Sherlock Holmes,” Danny mumbled.

I went straight to the front door and unlocked it, then went inside without another word. Danny entered a few seconds behind me. I put away my coat and scarf and headed to the kitchen, ignoring Danny. His footsteps through the house behind me let me know he was following.

After I grabbed a diet soda from the fridge, I turned to find him standing right behind me. I nearly jumped at his closeness, but I managed to stay planted. Popping the tab of the can, I brought it to my lips and took a long swallow as I stared at him.

“You were at her funeral,” Danny said.

“Get out,” I replied.

“That’s how you knew what she was buried in,” Danny continued, ignoring me. “That’s the only way you could know.”

I stared at him for a moment, took another sip of my drink. Proving to Danny that I was not a fraud was not even in the top one hundred things on my agenda. However, I was angry.

“Didn’t your grandmother die while we were in college?” I asked.

“Yes,” Danny said. “So?”

“I went to college in California,” I said. “Your grandmother died in the middle of February. I was across the country when you came home for the funeral. Or do you not remember calling me? Crying to me from nearly two thousand miles away? How could I have seen what she looked like in her casket, Danny?”

He chewed at his lip, averting his eyes.

“I offered to come home to be with you for a few days, but you insisted that I don’t disrupt my studies. Remember?”

Danny finally looked back at me.

“Then why won’t you actually summon my dad?” he asked, quietly.

“He never shows up when I try to summon him for your mother,” I said. “I’ve told you that. I can’t force ghosts to do things. They’re not compelled to answer me. I’ve told you this.”

“But why wouldn’t he show up?” His eyes were pleading with me for answers. “Why? I was even there today.”

I shrugged. “I don’t have the answers you want, Danny. Your father will or won’t show up as he wishes. Just like every other ghost. That’s all I can tell you.”

Danny threw his hands up and marched out of the kitchen. I took another sip of my drink as I stood there in the kitchen. When I didn’t hear the front door open and shut, I sighed and headed to the living room. I found Danny sitting on the sofa, his head in his hands. I leaned against the doorjamb and stared at him, holding my half-empty can of soda.

“What do you want from me?” I asked. “I mean, I know what you usually want when you show up here. But that’s not what’s on your mind tonight.”

Danny rubbed his face with the palm of his hands before finally looking up at me. His eyes were red, but no tears had been shed yet.

“I want you to stop giving my mother hope.”

“I don’t give her hope,” I said. “I’ve told her time and time again he’s not going to show up, but she keeps insisting I try. Why she does it is her business. Not yours and not mine.”

Danny considered me for a moment.