Page 23 of The Ghost of Ellwood

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, feeling ten kinds of stupid. But I didn’t know what to say to a freaking ghost. “I hope me being here isn’t upsetting for you.”

Brown eyes stared into mine. “I don’t like visitors.”

“Oh.”

“The people who visited before you were much too loud,” he said, walking over to the side table near the window, the one that had held his journal. “They had no respect for my home.”

“Is that why you scared them away?”

Theo’s shoulders tensed.

That’s when I noticed his muscle definition; wide shoulders and round biceps. He must’ve taken good care of his body. When he was alive.

“They didn’t belong here,” was all he said.

“And Wayne Henderson?” I pressed, slowly moving out from behind my desk. I expected Theo to disappear any second. “Rumor has it he was almost murdered by a coffee mug.”

“I was only doing to him what he threatened to do to another.”

Huh?“How so?”

Theo peered at me. “It matters not.”

“It matters to me, though. You seem like an…easygoingguy, but I don’t really want to have scorching hot coffee thrown in my face, either.”

“Wayne Henderson threatened his son, saying he would feel the fire of Hell someday and burn in the fiery pit. I had no fire, but hot coffee worked just the same.”

“Why would he say that to his son?”

“You ask many questions, Ben Cross.” Theo moved his gaze to the window. “Mother used to say curiosity killed the cat.”

“What can I say, I have a thirst for knowledge. Asking questions helps me better understand the world around me.”

However, I no longer knew the world around me. Everything I used to believe had been turned on its head. Things I never thought possible were real.

And I was talking to one of them.

“Tell me, Mr. Cross, what is it you do in here?” Theo placed his hands behind his back and spun on his heels to face me. His form flickered a little. “I see you in this room typing away on your machine at all hours of the day. That is no typewriter likeI’veever seen before. No paper and no ink. Is it witchcraft?”

“You watch me?”

“It’s my turn to ask the questions.”

Damn, I just got bossed around by a ghost.

“Um, no. It’s not witchcraft,” I responded, still trying to steady my racing heart. “It’s called a computer. Think of it like a very technologically advanced typewriter.”

“I see.”

Silence followed his words. Again, I thought he’d flicker out of sight, but he stayed in place, staring at me before walking toward my desk. He was only inches away, and I sucked in a breath at the sensation of him being so close. It was like standing outside an open ice box. Chilly air filled my lungs.

Theo touched my laptop, and I gaped when he was actually able to click the keys. I’d assumed his fingers would go right through them.

I fought the urge to reach out and touch him, to know if all of him was solid.

“Why haven’t I seen you until now?” I asked. “There’s been plenty of times when I heard footsteps behind me but no one was there when I looked.”

“I can make myself visible when I want to.” His face lit up as his fingers pressed more keys. He seemed amazed by the laptop, like a child discovering something new. I was too captivated by him to read what he was typing. “I didn’t feel comfortable showing myself to you at first, so I remained hidden from your sight.”