Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (20 page)

“
Not a bourbon drinker
after all, huh?” I chuckled, unable to control myself.

He gave a cocky smirk and Mindy stared
blankly at her fingernails. I sat on the arm of the chair across
from the sofa, staring at them, waiting for one of them to
speak.

“
So…” I said when it looked
as if neither one would speak first. “What have you two been up
to?”

“
Not much. I was at class
earlier,” Mindy said nonchalantly. “It was quite a turnout, thanks
to Cooper. He went around town and rounded up a bunch of ladies. I
couldn't believe it. They can’t resist his charm.” She smiled at
Cooper. “And you said I would never get people to come to
class.”

Hmmm. I had no comment. Technically, I
never said she’d never get any people to class. So the great Cooper
Garret could trick women into doing things they probably didn't
want to do. Why was I not surprised? Mae squeezed into the space on
the sofa between Mindy and Cooper. She gave funny looks to Mindy,
and it was all I could do not to burst out in laughter.

“
That’s great, Mindy.
Really great.” More silence filled the air. Finally, I said,
“Anyway, I have no idea who broke into my house.” Should I mention
the message on the mirror? No, I didn’t want to give Cooper the
satisfaction.

“
Well, I’m not surprised.
You don't have a lot of friends in town other than me.” Mindy
shifted in her seat.

“
What is that supposed to
mean?” I stared at her.

She shrugged her shoulders.

I wouldn’t let her off that easily.
“What do you mean by that, Mindy? Spit it out.”

Cooper looked to Mindy and I stared at
them, looking back and forth waiting for an answer.

“
It's just that you are
kind of snobby around town.” She crossed her arms in front of her
chest.

My jaw opened so wide, it could’ve hit
the floor. Was she kidding? That was it. If Cooper Garret was
responsible for this, I’d put a stop to it. He was so going down.
The enemy was sitting right there on my sofa, drinking out of my
glass, next to my best friend. Mindy would let him have it when she
found out what he’d done. But I couldn’t confront him yet. It would
do no good. He’d just deny it. I needed a way to stop
him.

Finally, I said, “What makes you say
something like that? I'm nice to everyone.”

“
That's not what I heard,”
Mindy chirped.

She could have whacked me over the
head with one of her “fitness” poles and it would have been less
painful. I eyed Cooper for his reaction to her statement. Did he
have anything to add?

“
What?” Cooper asked when
he noticed me looking at him. He held his hands up in surrender. “I
didn’t say anything.”

“
Who told you that?” I
asked Mindy. “Your new little playmate?” I gestured with a tilt of
my head toward Cooper. Not that I’d needed to, she knew who I
meant.

“
Cooper has nothing to do
with it. Mrs. Newton at the grocery said you were a
snob.”

“
That’s because she always
overcharges and I finally said something to her about it. She does
that to everyone. I wouldn't listen to a word she says, and if
that's all you've got to base your theory on, then you are way off
base.”

“
Whatever.” She shrugged.
Not one flicker of emotion remained in her eyes.

I couldn’t handle it anymore. I
snapped. “You know, Cooper, I have no idea why I even invited you
in my house. In my opinion, the apple doesn't fall far from the
tree. You’re just like your cousin. And I'd appreciate it if you 'd
leave now.” I stood.

“
Larue, don’t be so upset.
You should hang out with us more often. I helped Mindy and I can
help you, too.” He thought his dazzling smile would save him? I
wasn’t falling for it.

“
I’m pretty sure I don’t
need your help.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

He stared for a beat. “Come on, Mindy.
I don’t think Larue wants us here.”

Mindy got up, but didn't say a
word.

“
Mindy, don’t go like
this.” I hurried behind her.

She stopped when she reached the front
door, then turned to look at me.

“
Listen, Larue, it's time
you dealt with all this mess on your own. I have other things to do
than help you. I have a life too, you know.”

“
Mindy, I thought you were
my friend. I know you have a life, but something is wrong. Don’t
you think it’s strange that Cooper comes to town and our friendship
falls apart?”

“
I don’t know what you’re
talking about, Larue.” Mindy had a blank stare.

“
That’s it. I can’t handle
it any longer.” I threw my hands up in the air. “You know what’s
going on, don’t you? It’s him. He’s done this to you.” I pointed at
Cooper.

Mindy’s mouth fell open. “Larue, don’t
talk to him that way.”

“
He’s put you under a spell
just like his crazy cousin did to Callahan. He’s only in town for
revenge.”

“
Hey, are you calling me
crazy? I take offense at that. I’m nutty, not crazy.” He smirked
and let out a chuckle. “I told you Brianna was the black sheep of
the family. I would never do anything bad to Mindy.”

I glared at him. Did he take nothing
seriously? Was everything a joke to him?

“
You release whatever hold
you have on her right now,” I demanded.

“
We don’t have to stay here
and listen to this. If anyone is crazy right now, it’s you, Larue.
Just listen to yourself, accusing Cooper of something so terrible.
He’s a great friend. You should get to know him instead of judging.
He’s a lot better friend than you’re being right now.”

Her words stung, but I needed to
remember they weren’t her words. “You’ve let this evil man control
your mind. I won’t stop until I figure out what you’ve done and
I’ll stop you, if it’s the last thing I do.” I glared at
Cooper.

“
In all seriousness, Larue,
I haven’t done anything to Mindy. She’s a grown woman. She can make
decisions for herself. To be honest, I don’t want to be involved in
this girl drama. Mind if we head out, Mindy?” She nodded and moved
toward the door. Cooper turned before he headed out the door. “I
wish you’d change your mind about me, Larue.”

“
Highly unlikely,” I said.
“He’s set up some kind of dark spell in your mind, Mindy. Snap out
of it.” She walked down the steps, not turning to acknowledge my
statement.

I wanted to shake her. Maybe it would
break loose whatever hold he had on her.

“
Larue, if you don’t stop
this nonsense, the men with little white jackets will be coming for
you soon.” Mindy made a dash for her car. Cooper wasn’t moving
nearly as fast.

He gave me a little frown. Was that a
pity look? He could save it for someone who was buying his act.
Mindy rushed down the path and jumped in her car.

Chapter Thirty

“
Sorry about this,” Cooper
said, stopping on the front porch.

When I didn’t answer, he made his way
down the steps and across the path to Mindy’s car. I didn’t bother
watching her leave. I slammed the door and stomped back into the
living room.

“
That went well,” Anthony
said. “I didn’t think you’d confront him. That could have been a
huge mistake. If he’s doing something bad, this could make it
worse.”

I quirked a brow. “Thanks for the
advice,” I said.

“
I have to say, Larue, I’m
not convinced that Cooper had anything to do with the way Mindy’s
acting. He sounds as if he’s being honest.” Anthony leaned against
the wall.

I plopped down on the sofa and blew
out a deep breath. I ran my hand through my hair. “Who else would
do something like this to Mindy? I mean, he shows up and instantly
she starts acting weird. That person isn’t Mindy. She’s never acted
that way in her entire life.”

“
Well, people do change.
Maybe Cooper’s presence brought this out in her. Friends grow apart
sometimes.”

“
No, they don’t. I mean
they do, but not without some warning. You’re not friends one day
and not speaking to each other the next. Unless you had a fight
and, unless I’m unaware, we didn’t. That’s the whole concept of
friends…you’re ‘friends’.”

“
Maybe you need to look
into this Cooper man.” Seth leaned against his cane.

“
You know, I think you’re
right. I do need to look into him. But where do I start? Snooping
around in his shrubs won’t produce much of anything.”

“
You’re a smart girl, I’m
sure you’ll think of something. Did I mention you’re beautiful,
too?” Anthony smiled.

“
Maybe once, or twenty
times.” I gave a lopsided grin.

“
With friends like that,
who needs them?” Mae said from over my shoulder. She leaned against
the back of the sofa. The ghosts were always popping up in the most
unexpected places.

The tears spilled down my cheeks. I
fell over on the sofa and buried my face in a pillow.

“
Please don't be sad, doll.
I can't stand to see you like this.” Anthony stood next to the
sofa.

“
Just give her some air,”
Seth said. “What can we do, sweetheart?”

“
Nothing. I don't know what
can be done. What if I can’t fix this? What if she will always
feels this way? I’ll have to understand it and let her go. She has
a new friend now.”

“
Something has to be done.
I refuse to believe that she’ll always be this way,” Seth
said.

“
What do you mean?” I
sniffled.

“
Well, you’re right, your
friend didn't always act this way, and it’s no coincidence, like
you said. So stop that crying business and let’s get to
work.”

“
You’re right.” I sniffled
again. “I won’t take this lying down.” I wiped the tears from my
cheeks.

“
That’s my
girl.”

I paused, unsure of what to say next.
I was too exhausted to think about what to do now.

Anthony paced in front of the sofa.
“Maybe you're right about Cooper. Perhaps he is involved. He claims
he has nothing to do with magic, but this is too much of a
coincidence.”

I jumped up, pacing the same path
across the living room floor. “Yeah, it started as soon as she
began talking to Cooper.”

“
Who is this Cooper person,
anyway? Where did he come from? Why is he here?” Mae
asked.

“
He’s Brianna's cousin.
Brianna Garret owned the clothing boutique across the street from
Book Nook. She was not a nice person, and that's putting it mildly.
She practiced magic…black magic. She wanted to manipulate people
and use them. She placed a curse on Callahan and they almost got
married.”

“
So what happened to her?”
Mae asked.

“
I'm not sure…the woman I
went to visit in the hospital took her away. One day she came to
Brianna’s shop with these men and they took her off. And that's the
last I saw of her. But good riddance. You have no idea how evil she
was.”

“
You say Cooper is her
cousin?” Anthony asked.

“
That’s what he claims.” I
fidgeted my hands as I paced.

“
Honey, you need to sit
down, you’re making me dizzy,” Mae said.

“
Why is Cooper here again?”
Anthony continued, unfazed by my pacing.

“
He said he took over the
boutique.”

“
Just like that? That was
fast if you said this just happened.”

“
It was fast, but I figured
he came as soon as he heard, so the store wouldn't miss out on any
business.”

“
Maybe.” Anthony began
pacing in the opposite direction to me. “What do you know about him
other than what you just told me?”

“
Nothing. That's the thing,
I know nothing about him.”

“
Maybe you should find
out,” Mae said. “It never hurts to know a man’s
motives.”

Tears pooled in my eyes again. Mindy
had been the one who was good at snooping.

“
Mindy would have wanted to
snoop on Cooper.” I wiped my cheek with the back of my
hand.

“
I've been known to be a
good snooper in my day,” Seth said.

“
We'll all help you. I'd do
anything for you, Larue.” Anthony stood beside me and brushed my
hair away from my face.

“
I know you would,” I said
softly. He really had a way of making me feel better.

“
Easy there, Anthony, old
chap. She's still Callahan's girl.”

I frowned. “It doesn't look like I am,
Seth. He thinks I’m dating someone else.”

“
Aren't you?” Mae raised a
brow at Anthony.

“
Of course, I’m not. How
could I date a ghost, for heaven’s sake? That would never work.” I
continued my pacing. “I want things to work with Callahan, really,
I do. But right now, I have to find out what’s going on with Mindy.
I’ll try to call Callahan, though. I promise, Seth.”

Anthony was right. I needed to do
something. I wouldn’t just sit back and allow this guy to ruin
Mindy’s life. Then it hit me; he wanted to drive a wedge between
Mindy and me because he realized how important and strong our
friendship was. That would be an easy way to hurt me for what I had
done to his cousin. Unfortunately, I didn’t have Karyn to ask for
advice or help. Becky seemed close to Karyn, maybe she’d help. She
had said she’d look into Cooper. She didn’t trust him either. It
was the only plan I could come up with; it was all I had and I had
to give it a shot. What did I have to lose? I’d find Becky’s
address and drop in for a little visit. I had another coven
member’s number, I’d call her and ask for Becky’s number. Somehow,
I needed to talk with Becky right away.