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looked again at the poster-sized enlargement of GhoulBane ’s twenty-fifth cover, a full color fold-out depicting GhoulBane devouring a barely dressed, gun-wielding bimbette whole.
    Bailey examined the print like an art critic at a gallery opening. “Nice job, and congrats on the expanded cover. You’ve really nailed the detail work on Ghoulie’s veins.”
    Sean gave his mother a bright smile, then entered the living room. “Thanks. Those books you loaned me helped, especially the one on endocrinology.” Pastor Bailey’s youngest daughter was a third year med student at University of Iowa and had the best anatomy books Sean had ever seen. And she was a Ghoulie fan.
    Bailey turned and offered his hand. “Always glad to help,” he said as they shook hands. He leaned forward to say, “Sorry about this, but someone was rather frantic.”
    Helene froze in the archway with her arms crossed as if touching anything would taint her. “The police were here and you were missing again! What was I supposed to think?”
    “That I’m not a kid anymore?” Sean sighed. His mother had been overprotective and over-reactive since he was twelve. After what had happened to him back then she’d become over-protective, paranoid, and terrified of grime. Getting mad at her wouldn’t change that. “I’m fine, it’s just…” Aw, hell. “Some, uh, odd people wandered into the yard. They were naked and lost, Nicole called the sheriff…” He shrugged. “After everyone left, I took a walk.”
    He paused, uncertain what else he should include. “Dad’s brother… Uncle Paul…”
    The corners of Helene’s mouth tightened. “What about him?”
    Sean glanced at Pastor Bailey then took a single hesitant step toward his mother. “A guy who looked a lot like him walked out of the tree farm this morning.”
    She blinked, the color leaving her face. “Your Uncle Paul’s corpse was in the trees?”
    Great. This will make her even more neurotic. “No, not his corpse,” Sean said. “Him. Or at least a guy who looked like him, said he was him. Other people, too, who had died.”
    Helene shook her head and flinched. “ Dead people? Here? Why would you say such…” She swallowed, gaze darting about as if rotting corpses reached for her. “Such an awful thing?”
    “I know it sounds crazy, but they came out of the tree farm. They were naked, had no idea where they were or what was going on. The cops were here because Nic called them. But these people, they all claimed to be folks who’d died .”
    Bailey closed his mouth, settled himself, and said, “Sean, I know you’ve illustrated some pretty strange things, but you’re scaring your mother.”
    Her? I’m scaring myself! “This isn’t a comic, this happened. Today. Here.” Sean turned again to his mother. “Mindy Howard died a couple of years ago out on the highway. She was here in my kitchen this morning. Evelyn Fischer. I’d never met her but she said she knew you.”
    “Not Evie.” Helene scoured her arms with her palms. “No. You were a baby when she got hit by that snowplow.”
    Sean pressed on. “That Dunders kid who got run over was here too. And so was Uncle Paul. They’re all at the hospital now. Go check, if you don’t believe me.”
    “It’s not possible,” Helene muttered through clenched teeth.
    “The cops said they’re running some scam, but I can’t figure out why. What leverage could a woman who’s been dead thirty years possibly use to swindle someone? And a little kid con artist? It makes no sense. And if it’s some joke or hoax, why so many cops? And a helicopter ? Seems like overkill, if you ask me.” Sean glanced at Pastor Bailey before turning back to his mother. “And why’d they walk up naked? Why’d they all stink of mold?”
    “What are you saying?” Pastor Bailey asked.
    Sean took a breath. “The cemetery’s right across the tree farm. Its driveway leads to Juniper Road. Maybe those people were dead, but aren’t