few people had my home number. I was thinking of getting rid of the thing because I never used it.
“This is Larue,” I said with skepticism.
“Congratulations, Larue Donavan, you get to chase demons on national television,” the deep male voice announced.
My hand shook as I clutched the phone to my ear. “I get to what? Who is this? Is this a prank call?”
Definitely a prank call. I should have known.
“No, no prank. You can chase demons on television. Well, that’s if you want to, but I know you’ll want to. Who wouldn’t want to be on TV?”
Okay, this guy was rambling and clearly insane. Why did I attract all the loonies? Living or dead, I was a magnet.
“I can think of a lot of people who wouldn’t want to be on TV. And I’m one of them. I’m asking you again, is this a prank call?”
I was getting ready to hang up on this nutcase.
“Maybe I started this conversation off on the wrong foot, but I really need your help,” he said.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name’s Matt Kelly. Zach Duncan gave me your name. He says you’re exactly what we’re looking for. Purely by coincidence, the case we’re investigating is just a short drive from Magnolia.”
“Imagine that. Aren’t I lucky?” I said sarcastically.
Definitely crazy.
He sighed. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Not in the least,” I said.
“I’m the producer for a new reality show called Chasing Demons. We need a psychic for the show, so that’s why I called you.”
Hmm. Okay, he had piqued my interest. On one hand I hated the thought of being on TV, but I had to admit, a part of me was a little excited.
“Why do you need me?” I asked.
“The medium we’d picked for the show can’t make it. Now I’m going to get fired if I can’t come up with a replacement like yesterday. Filming starts tomorrow.” He rushed his words.
This was unbelievable. This had been one hell of a day. First Elvis, then a weird ghost in a ball, and now a reality show? The only reality show I felt like I was on was Pranked—as if my whole life was one long episode of the show.
Mindy was looking at me with a wide-eyed curiosity. “Who is it?” she whispered.
She wouldn’t believe it if I told her. I held up my index finger and mouthed, “Oh my God.” That statement only made her eyes grow wider.
The whole town would soon find out that I talked to dead people. I’d managed to keep it secret for this long. Would it hurt my business if people knew the truth about me? I’d always been happy living in my safe little bubble. People were strange and I had no idea how they would react to the news. They’d probably think I was some kook. And I was most certainly not a kook.
Wait until I told my mother. She’d be on the phone blabbing to everyone faster than she could say reality TV. I could hear her now: “Oh, you’re a celebrity.” Explaining to her that just because I’d be on a show didn’t mean I’d be a celebrity by any stretch of the imagination would be like explaining rocket science to a baby. Besides, I didn’t want to be famous anyway. I just wanted to work at Book Nook and help people who had problems with spirits haunting their homes. Those were the things I was passionate about. Cameras, ratings, scripts, and producers didn’t ignite the passion within me. Helping spirits cross over did.
The new ghost leered at me from over Mindy’s shoulder. Candy Cherry’s hairstyle appeared instantly mussed as if her amplified anger had reached out with a metaphorical hand and rustled her perfect coiffure. I had no idea what her problem was.
“You’d really be helping me out,” Matt said with a pleading anxiety in his voice. “It’ll just be for a few days, but who knows, they may ask you to do more shows.”
I guessed I’d give the guy the benefit of the doubt. If it turned out to be a joke, well, it wouldn’t be the first time I looked like a fool, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” A thunderbolt of excitement swept through me with the words.
I jotted down the information of where and when to meet him.
After I hung up the phone, Mindy jumped up, splashing margarita out of her glass. “What was that all about?”
“Maybe you should sit back down.” I pointed toward the