Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls Read Online Free PDF Page A

African.”
    “Ah,” Gil said. “You knew by the accent.”
    “Yep. We should ask Anya in the morning if she knows of any other foreigners staying in town. In a village this small, I’ve gotta believe that the locals keep track of outsiders.”
    “Do you think they’ll find the guy on the causeway?”
    “God, Gil, I really hope so. You should’ve heard him crying out for Alex. It was heartbreaking.”
    “I wonder who Alex was to him.”
    “Might be his son.”
    “Might be his lover,” said Gil, and when I looked at him in surprise, he added, “Hey, you mention one guy looking for another and I immediately think gay.”
    I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me a winning smile. “By the way,” he added, “Teeko sent you an e-mail.”
    Gilley routinely went through my e-mail, even though I routinely changed the password. “Did she get Wendell off the plane okay?”
    On our last bust I’d adopted a homeless black pug. As most of our ghost investigations tend to be in locations that aren’t exactly pet friendly, I’d thought it best to send him home and place him in the care of my best girlfriend. “She got him all right, and he’s safe and sound and already making doggy friends in Teeko’s neighborhood.”
    I felt my shoulders relax. I’d been worried about such a long journey for a little puppy. “Any word on Doc?” I also had a parrot back home, being looked after by another dear friend of mine.
    “You mean the other e-mail you got from Mama Dell?”
    I couldn’t help smiling. Gilley really didn’t understand the meaning of the word “privacy.” “Yep,” I told him. “How’s my little guy doing?”
    “According to Mama Dell, he’s swearing like a sailor at all her customers, chewing on all her wood furniture, and throwing beakfuls of food around his cage.”
    My eyebrows rose. “He’s in good spirits, then.”
    Gilley nodded. “I really miss him, M. J.”
    I sighed heavily. “I know, buddy. Me too.”
    Turning to climb into bed, I fluffed my pillow and lay back to watch television without commenting. But for the few hours before I fell asleep, I was acutely aware of how much I missed my pets, and my home. The only other thing my thoughts could focus on was the man from the causeway, and for a long time that evening, the sound of his desperate voice haunted me.

Chapter 2

    The next morning was cold, wet, and drizzly and perfectly matched the mood of the team. “Ireland sucks,” said Gilley.
    “You’ve been here for less than a day, Mr. Judgmental,” I replied.
    “Fine,” he told me. “Today, Ireland sucks. Tomorrow might be different.”
    “At least it’s good ghost-hunting weather,” Heath reminded him.
    Gilley shivered. “Yippee,” he said woodenly. I should mention here that Gilley’s mood often shifts with the weather, choice of menu, day of the week, and even—I’m convinced—time of the month.
    “Well, let’s not stand around in the rain,” I suggested while we huddled under the three umbrellas we were sharing between the seven of us. “Let’s go ask about that man on the causeway, then find some grub.”
    Anya had offered to serve us breakfast, but as we’d gotten such an early start, we’d told her that we’d grab some coffee and a roll on the road. She’d looked decidedly disappointed, and we understood that tomorrow we’d make sure to eat at her table.
    I realized when we’d all piled into one van (Gopher wanted us to save on gas) that I’d forgotten to ask if she knew of any other foreigners who might have been staying in town.
    Once we were under way, we made our way back to the coast guard station and waited while Heath and John went in to ask about the lost man on the causeway. They came back grim-faced. “There was no sign of either the man on the causeway or the mysterious Alex,” said Heath, shaking off the rain and scooting in next to me.
    My heart sank. “Those poor people.”
    “Maybe they both made it to the island,” Gopher