The Girl with the Uninvited Ghost: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #1

Chapter 22

Tony jogged up the cement walkway to his front door, But instead of slipping the key in the lock, he paused on the house's small front porch.

"What's the matter?" Mahogany asked as she stepped onto the porch behind him, followed by Evelina. The porch's shade was several degrees cooler than the out in the sun, and she welcomed the reprieve.

"It's open," he said, not taking his eyes off the front door.

"Did you forget to lock it?" Evelina exchanged a concerned look with Mahogany, whose scalp prickled, telling her she already knew the answer to the question.

"Not a chance," Tony said. "I grew up in San Francisco. I lock the door on autopilot."

Tony pressed his fingertips to the door and slowly pushed it open, but Mahogany placed a hand on his arm. "Wait. Guy can check if it's safe. Someone might still be in there."

Guy nodded and vanished through the open front door, and Mahogany closed her eyes, summoning Bazgul. Unlike usual, Bazgul didn't arrive immediately but took his time responding to his master's request. A red-brown haze appeared before solidifying into a giant tarantula. Bazgul perched on Mahogany's shoulder and took a defensive posture, his mandible ready to sink into anything that threatened his master and her friends. Well, Evelina, at least. Tony might be on his own.

A few minutes later, Guy reappeared. "All clear. It looks like they broke in through the sliding glass door from the backyard. But the place is trashed." He shook his head. "It looks like the brownstone after my murder."

Mahogany nodded, her heart sinking. "They're gone, but brace yourself. Guy says whoever broke in wrecked the place."

The intruder or intruders ransacked the cozy home. Books were thrown from the shelves. Broken glass littered the kitchen. Tony's framed Led Zeppelin poster had a spider web of cracks distorting the image. The couch cushions lay in ruins.

"Did the murderer do this?" Evelina asked. She clutched the sizable yellow chip bowl defensively in front of her.

"No doubt in my mind," Mahogany said.

"Bob," Tony said, his voice giving a slight shake. "Bob, here, boy."

After a pause that hung in the air with heart-wrenching uncertainty, Bob emerged from one of the bedrooms. He trotted up and wove himself around Tony's legs, purring like a jackhammer. Tony bent to pick up the large black cat. "Thank goodness they didn't hurt you." He buried his face in Bob's fur.

"Tony, I'm so sorry," Mahogany said. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't let you and Evelina help me, the intruder wouldn't have trashed your house."

"Don't be ridiculous. I understood what I was getting myself into. We're investigating murders. Plus, this tells us something significant," Tony said.

"What's that?" Mahogany said.

"Now we know the murderer is still in town, and they know we're on to them." Tony gave Bob another scratch behind the ears before setting him on the couch. The large black cat sat primly and blinked at his owner with large green eyes.

On her shoulder, Bazgul relaxed. "Does it look like anything's missing?" Mahogany said.

Tony peered around the once tidy house. It looked as if a tornado had touched down. "I have no idea." A tinge of hopelessness colored his tone.

Evelina walked over to the coffee table and lifted one side. A slew of broken and misplaced objects cascaded onto the floor. Bob jumped into the air and landed on the other side of the couch, hightailing it down the hallway. Evelina set the bowl with their lunch on the now unencumbered surface and said, "Neither of you is good to me on an empty stomach. Let's eat and then start cleaning."

Mahogany and Tony nodded. They headed to the couch, flipped over the ruined cushions, shoved them back on the couch as best they could, and dug into their veggie burgers. Evelina coaxed Bob from his hiding place with the promise of treats, and Mahogany shared her lunch with Bazgul, who thankfully remained in his dry, non-slimy spider shape.

"You know," Mahogany said around a mouthful of burger, "Stolen burgers taste better than legitimately procured ones."

"If this is good, wait until you taste the stolen candy." Evelina reached into her purse and pulled out a handful of miniature-sized candy bars. "They had a bowl of the stuff with the food."

"They had trick-or-treat-sized candy at an End Halloween barbecue?" Mahogany rolled her eyes. "Will the irony ever cease?"

"I can't believe the intruder ruined the murder board," Tony said. He stared at the rolling chalkboard. The intruder had smashed the slate and erased their notes.

"Here, have a Milk Dud," Evelina said, holding out a small yellow box.

"Thanks," Tony said, taking the candy. His lower lip protruded in a pout.

Evelina glanced around the living room and connected kitchen. "Maybe we should call the police. You could be in danger."

Tony shrugged. "I'll be fine, plus getting the police involved will be more trouble than it's worth. I've experienced several break-ins living in the Bay Area, and the police didn't catch the intruder or recover anything they took. No. We'll clean up and move on."

"Plus, Detective Sawyer might lock us up when she sees all the clues we've collected." Evelina glanced at the mess. "Wherever they might be." She headed to the sliding glass door, the point of entry for the ransacker. "Did your uncle not have protection spells on the house?"

"He did, but they need refreshing every few weeks. It's been too long for them to be effective." Tony shrugged. "Human, remember?"

"This looks forced." Evelina squinted at the bent latch on the door.

"Do you mean a human broke in?" Mahogany asked. A person possessing magic would have used a spell to enter an unprotected home.

Mahogany joined Evelina and glanced into the yard. It would have been easy for anyone to walk in from the street. "They could have been Folk, but not use their magic to throw us off."

"That does it," Evelina said. "I'm calling my aunt. She is fantastic at locking spells. She'll get this place sorted so no one, human or magical, will break in again." She grabbed her phone and dialed. "Aunt Cecilia, I need a favor." She wandered into the kitchen, carefully stepping around the broken glass as she proceeded.

"OK, let's get started." Mahogany hopped to her feet. "Where do you keep your cleaning supplies?"

Tony pointed toward the kitchen. "The door next to the fridge."

Mahogany opened the pantry and retrieved several trash bags and a dust broom. "We'll get all the big items and then vacuum."

"Right," Evelina said. "My aunt will be over this evening and sort everything out." She grabbed a trash bag from Mahogany. "I'll start in the living room."

"I'll work on the kitchen," Mahogany said.

________

A/N: Well, that blows. Poor Tony. His place is recked! Who do you think is responsible? What were they looking for? At least they didn't harm Bob.

Recently I met a wonderful writer here on Wattpad. @Gauravaaditya has a lovely book called Near Touch that perfectly encapsulates teenagers' minds. So many people write teens, but few nail them. Gauravaadity has done an amazing job. If you're into paranormal reads, add this one to your reading lists pronto!