Page 61 of Ghost

“I’ll go ask Nick where he wants it,” Paul answered, heading off downstairs.

Mitch knelt down with a large pipe wrench ready to start.Mason went to check out the bit of kitchen there was.He leaned over the one cabinet to see how it was attached when an old man yelled at him.He was cussing up a blue streak.

Mason stood up startled.“What in the hell?”

“What is it?”Mitch called from the bathroom.“You need help?”

Mason looked at the man who was standing in front of the cabinet now, his arms crossed.He was barefoot, wearing a stained under shirt and pants that’d been out of fashion for at least twenty plus years, also stained.

“No, I’m all good,” Mason yelled back.He turned back to the man.“Who are you?”Mason whispered.

The man glared at him.“None of your business.You need to leave here.Get out of my house.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, and this isn’t your house anymore,” Mason said quietly, moving slightly towards the man.

“It is my house,” he yelled.“Get out!”He pointed towards the door.

Mason shook his head.“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s not going to happen.”

It was obvious that man wasn’t about to move.Mason went into the bathroom and riffled through Mitch’s toolbox.

“What’cha lookin’ for?”Mitch asked, still bent over the bathtub.

“That little crowbar and a hammer.”

“Crowbar is in the bottom.”Mitch looked over his shoulder at Mason.“Hammer should be in that tray on the floor.”

“Got it.”

Mason walked back out into the kitchen area.The old man wasn’t there, but he had a feeling that as soon as he started to remove the cabinet the old man would be back.

He looked at the cabinet and wondered what was so important about it.It wasn’t like it was worth anything.He peered inside and didn’t see anything.Mason wedged the crowbar in behind the old thing and as soon as he started to pull, the old man came screaming back.Mason took a deep breath, knowing what was coming.

The old ghost ran through him, attempting to keep Mason from removing the cabinet.Mason couldn’t help but shiver.The taste in his mouth wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been with Francis’ mother, but still bad nonetheless.”

Mason pulled hard on the crowbar and the cabinet came loose, nearly toppling over onto his feet.The old man rushed Mason again, screaming he had no right and to get out of his house again.

Looking closely behind the cabinet, he saw a hole cut into the plaster.Mason stuck his hand in and felt a metal box.Lifting it up, it was just small enough to fit through the hole.The old man continued to scream and cuss.

Mason set the lockbox in the sink, took a deep breath and opened it.“Holy shit!”