Page 8 of Ghost of a Chance

“Super. You’re both great. Let’s get your mic on.” Dan was all business.

Which Jasper totally should be as well. But this was Kirsty…

She clipped it on herself. Jasper already had his on. “For now will this do?”

Gia nodded and went back to typing on her phone.

“Where do you need me?” Kirsty asked.

Dan cleared his throat. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen when you open the book, so let’s start there. Jasper wants me to capture you examining the book. Then maybe you can get the ghost to talk, come out and shake his hand.”

The glare she gave Dan would have melted any man who was more aware of social cues. But Dan, who was notoriously oblivious, calmly waited for her to answer.

“I get feelings from them. The ghosts don’t take corporeal form.” She sat down heavily in one of the ladder-back chairs around the table.

Jasper slid into the chair next to her, reaching for the physics book. “What should I do?”

“I think for the sake of the camera you might want to explain what’s going on and why you feel like the ghost is in the book,” she said.

She’d been almost friendly earlier but now…well, she was probably ticked about the state of the dilapidated Victorian. It didn’t help that Dan had no clue what it was she did.

“Mostly Paul just puts on Judge Judy and flicks lights,” Jasper said to Dan.

“Yeah, that’s it. But tell it to her.” Dan indicated Kirsty with his head. “We will start with that shot. Like explaining it all to Kirsty.”

“Okay. I’ll do that later in the living room. For now let’s get a shot of me reading the book for some B-roll, and then Dan can capture me looking up into the camera,” he said.

“Like you’re the lord of the manor? Dog at your feet and everything?”

He flushed. “No. Honestly, I thought it would look mysterious like we’re in a gothic film.”

“Maybe it would be best to leave Chewbacca in the kitchen.”

Chewie wasn’t always the best at a long down anyway. He wanted Kirsty to know that he valued her input.

“For now I’d like you to examine the book or whatever you do. This is really about you and Paul.”

She picked the book up and began to leaf through it while Dan recorded.

He noticed that the polish on her index finger was chipped and her nails weren’t that long.

So she wasn’t the type to get herself perfect before going on camera.

Her skin was fairly pale in the dim light of the old house, but it was fall and had been chilly lately.

He wanted to ask her where she lived, what made her happy, how she got these crazy powers at all since he hadn’t gotten the chance…but that had nothing to do with the shot they were trying to get. Kirsty cleared her throat. “What do I do now?”

Jasper pulled himself together. He had to stay on task.

“For the camera?” Dan asked.

The hard look she shot Dan made Jasper hide a smile. Kirsty definitely wasn’t one to suffer fools. Dan missed it totally fiddling with the settings on his camera.

“It’d be best if you forgot I was here. Talk to Jasper about what you’re doing and I’ll film it. Don’t worry about showing me the book or anything. I’ll do a bunch of additional B-roll shots later. Ready?”

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, then pulled it back nervously.

“You’re going to be great.”

“Thanks.”

Again with the sarcasm.

Dan started filming again. It was time for Jasper to focus. “Have you dealt with a ghost trapped in an object before?”

“No, this will be my first time dealing with this in real life. I did write about one in my first book Dead Flowers For The Living .”

He hadn’t read any of her books, so he wasn’t familiar with it. She relaxed when she mentioned the book. Calmer now in a way which made sense given she was a published author rather than amateur clairvoyant.

“My heroine, Eva, noticed that every time she put fresh flowers into a particular vase she picked up at a garage sale, they immediately wilted. That was her first clue that something was amiss. What kind of strange events occur around your book?” Turning toward him, a strand of hair brushed her cheek as he met her gaze.

For a minute, words just left his head. All he could think about was how her hair had brushed his face when they kissed.

“Jasper?”

“Uh…so the TV turns on once or twice a day, always to Judge Judy . Without anyone touching the remote, of course. There’s some random stuff like music suddenly playing from my smartphone or lights flickering on and off as well. And, well, you saw what happened in Bri’s studio.”

“Is there a pattern to the random stuff?”

“Like what?”

“Does music play when you are experiencing a specific emotion…like, are you a jock?”

“Huh?”

“You sort of have that vibe.”

“I played basketball in high school and have a pickup game when I’m home.”

“Knew it.”

That shouldn’t have made him feel special. But it did. No matter that he’d decided they were coworkers, he still saw her as a woman he wanted to get to know better and kiss again.

“So after your team scores, does ‘We Are The Champions’ play?”

Laughing, he shook his head. “More like when I have a long day at work ‘Batshit’ blares.”

“Whatever is that?”

“Oh, you’d love it. The band is called Sofi Tukker, they are electronic/dance. I’ll play it for you later.”

“Sounds good. So there is purpose to the music.”

“Odd I never realized. Probably because I like the songs so they don’t annoy me like Judge Judy .”

“Maybe. What would be best is if we observe things around this house for a few days and establish a pattern. Next, we need to retrace Paul’s steps and understand more of who he was and what might be motivating his spirit to stay on this earth.

What was he doing the night he died, that kind of thing,” she said.

“How’s that?” she asked Dan.

“You’re doing great. I set up cameras in the living room. The lighting needs to be turned on. Let’s go in there next,” Dan suggested.

Jasper had forgotten Dan was in the room with them.

Kirsty flipped open the cover of the book. “All of this stuff sounds weird, but most of it could be explained away by malfunctioning technology or accident. Does anything else unexplainable happen that might be easier to observe?”

“No,” he said. “I mean, other than the times when I’ve left the book on a bench or thrown it away. Each time it shows back up at my place.”

“How often has that happened?”

“Three times.”

“How do you know it’s the same book?” she asked, skimming through the text itself.

“That right there.” He pointed to an inky sketch of a tree that was clearly out of place.

“Good that you have that as a marker. Did Paul draw it?”

Tracing the sketch to avoid letting the sadness he felt overwhelmed him. He’d never had the chance to fully process his grief. The fight had filled him with guilt when Paul had died.

He’d freaked and lost it without Paul’s anchoring friendship. Then after he’d moved to a new apartment he’d noticed the book and of course Judge Judy which he only associated with Paul.

“I have no idea. I never looked through the book before he died,” he said.

“Well it’s not a lot, but I can start there.”

“By asking him about it?” He wasn’t sure that talking to Paul’s poltergeist was going to actually work. But she was the expert.

“Possibly. We’ll see how he feels about talking to me.”

* * *

It didn’t work .

They spent fifteen minutes filming in the living room.

Kirsty did her best to “talk” to Paul while holding the book—nothing from her research was particularly clear on how talking to spirits even worked.

Was she supposed to sound casual? Or use some kind of exaggerated fortune-teller voice?

She ended up doing a mix of both, but nothing happened.

Gia left to go talk to someone about filming at the college library, and Jasper hovered in the doorway to the living room observing her failure.

This might be quicker than even she’d expected. One day in and she was close to being exposed as the fraud she was. “I need a break. I’m going to head into town and stop by the bookstore.”

“For research?”

“Uh…no,” she said sheepishly. “I have a new book out. Figured I’d go sign stock, clear my head a bit.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

“About?”

He gave her a look, his eyes sharp and penetrating. “That night.”

She arched one eyebrow. “What about it? It was an almost one-night stand with a guy I met at a concert. As far as I’m concerned, that’s it.”

“Cool. Me too. But we’re going to be working together. Might be nice to clear the air or whatever you need to do. And not in front of Gia and Dan.”

“Fine,” she said, getting her black wool peacoat and putting it on.

It was cold today thanks to the rain from earlier.

She gave herself a once-over in the mirror near the front door, noticed her lipstick was wearing off and touched it up.

Double-checking she had some bookmarks and pens in her bag, she heard Jasper call out to Dan that they’d be back later.

“If anything paranormal happens use your phone to film it. Use the highest quality settings and landscape, not portrait.”

“Will do,” Jasper said. At this rate, she’d almost welcome something paranormal happening if it meant saving her skin from complete humiliation.

“Ready to go?” Kirsty turned to see Jasper approaching her in the hall leading to the front door. He’d put on a UVM hoodie, different from what he was wearing earlier.

“Mind walking?”

They weren’t that far from the town center.

Kirsty knew she thought better when she was moving.

Lord knew she needed to think and figure out her next step with the book and Jasper.

She ignored her own car and Jasper fell into step beside her.

Seeing him in his college sweatshirt he looked younger than she thought.

This might play a part as to why he was so attached to the book and needed it to be Paul. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-five. You?”