1 Dead Girl's Guide to Style (11 page)

“Wow, I didn’t see that one coming,” she said.

When I looked down the street again, I thought I spotted Max. Upon closer scrutiny, I realized that it wasn’t him. Now I was seeing things.

Caitlin had taken off in the other direction to go home. That left me all alone. It felt like I was in some scary movie
—all that was missing was the stormy night.

I didn’t take this way home often, but since I was in the area and it was the shorter way home, I decided to take the shortcut.
With a black velvet sky sprinkled with twinkling stars, it was a nice evening and in spite of the area being spooky, I was enjoying the beautiful night. The moon cast an otherworldly white glow over the landscape.

It was nice to have the cover of darkness since the sun had been so hot lately.
The area was spooky, yet hauntingly beautiful at the same time. When I reached the graveyard, I immediately thought of Max. This was where I’d met him for the first time. There was a black wrought-iron fence around the graveyard, blocking the living from the dead. Where did I fit in?

I’d made it down the sidewalk and almost to the entrance when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I glanced to my left and noticed a woman in the graveyard. Her back was facing me and she was wearing a light
-colored dress. The only problem was that I could see through her. Was she a ghost?

I hadn’t expected to see a spirit, but I shouldn’t have been too surprised since I was next to a cemetery. What better place to see a ghost, right? I was a little frightened and curious at the same time.

I pushed my fear aside and decided to walk into the graveyard to follow her. I was supposed be a badass vampire—dark and mysterious and all that stuff—but that wasn’t my style and I couldn’t change. I hadn’t embraced that whole violent vampire stuff.

After stepping forward, I inched through the gate of the cemetery. It was quiet and yet I didn’t feel alone at all. I was surrounded by the past. I walked down the path and was fully inside the graveyard now, although I could still turn around and run out at any moment if I needed to escape. What I
might need to escape from wasn’t fully clear to me though.

The ghost had been the reason why I’d walked into the graveyard, but the ghost was nowhere in sight now. I paused and scanned the area, but gravestones were all that decorated the landscape.
Tombs, statues of weeping angels, crosses, and tall stones etched with epitaphs encircled me. I studied the stones in front of me. An entire family was buried here. One grave was labelled Mrs. Jerry Hayes. Where was her first name? She hadn’t just been someone’s wife. I paused and looked at a few more stones, then continued along the stone path farther into the graveyard. I was still on the lookout for the ghost.

Just when I was ready to leave I spotted the ghostly figure again. She was farther down the path as if she
’d just appeared out of nowhere. I immediately moved forward. The ghost still hadn’t turned around, but I sensed that she was aware of my presence. I wondered if she was luring me in and wanting me to follow her on purpose. What that purpose would have been I didn’t know, but whatever the reason, I was following her. I walked slowly to keep my distance while still trying not to lose her. Calling out to her crossed my mind, but I wondered if it would just scare her away.

Across the cemetery I followed the ghost. She paused and I froze on the spot, waiting to see what she would do next. I expected her to disappear at any moment. When she moved again I continued down the path after her. I had never been this far inside the graveyard before, and I wondered how long until we reached the end. What would she do when we reached the end? Would she turn around and confront me?
She’d probably ask me why I was following her.

The ghost wore a pale rose
-colored dress with white lace trim. Her dark hair was tied loosely up with small ringlets hanging around her slim, delicate face. She was probably about my height, five three. Her feet weren’t visible because of the length of her dress. I didn’t know if she was actually walking or if she was really just floating around the graveyard. Even though I could see right through her body, her eyes were dark and haunting. Her mouth was set in a thin line. She didn’t smile or frown, but remained expressionless. I wasn’t even sure if she was aware that I was watching her.

The spirit turned around and moved down the path. I didn’t go after her this time, but she turned her head to the side and looked my way. She stared and I knew that was her way of telling me to follow her. Doing as I was instructed, I started down the path after her. Anxiety riddled my body and I wondered where she was leading me. Finally, she stopped in front of several stones. I inched closer. She seemed to be staring at one grave. Was it her stone? A woman’s name was etched in the stone
along with a rose. The headstone read Cassandra Bell. I needed to remember that name.

For a few seconds longer I stared at the stone, but then movement grabbed my attention again. The ghost was walking away. She didn’t turn around and look at me, but even if she had, I wasn’t going to follow her this time. She weaved around a few stones and then she disappeared. Within a split second, she was gone, like she’d been made up of nothing more than smoke. If I’d ever doubted she was a ghost, this had ended that doubt. I was full of questions now. Who was this woman and why had she appeared to me?

After a few more moments of staring at the area where the ghost had been, I decided it was time for me to get out of there. I turned to leave, but couldn’t remember which way had led me to this point. All of the paths looked the same. I should have left breadcrumbs. A decision had to be made because I couldn’t stand there all night. I assumed that the front of the graveyard was to my left, so I picked one of the two paths that led in that direction.

It took me a couple minutes to realize that I had taken the wrong path. Now I had to double back to the spot where I’d taken the wrong turn. There w
ere six paths total for me to try, so that meant that I only had five more to go before I found the correct one. I hoped that it didn’t come to that. I was really starting to freak out about being in the graveyard. There could be other ghosts all around. And the next one might not be as nice. I wasn’t sure if a ghost could hurt me, but I didn’t want to find out either.

When I reached the start of the paths where I needed to make a decision, I paused. The branches rustled in the wind. A noise sounded from my right and I whipped around to see if someone had walked up behind me. No one was there, but I’d thought for sure the sound had been footsteps. That scary movie scene flashed in my mind again. It was dark and the moon wasn’t providing much light. I had to pick the right path this time. I didn’t want to have to try all five. The branches moved again and I told myself that there was no one else in the graveyard but me.

After picking the path nearest to me, I hurried my steps so that I could get out of there as quickly as possible. I’d made it halfway down when I stopped in my tracks. Just as I’d feared, I wasn’t the only one in the graveyard, but this time I wasn’t seeing a ghost. I would have preferred that. This was a man and I recognized him right away. It was Rick Rhodes, the vampire from the bar. The one who had given us the information about the vampire hunters. What was he doing here? I didn’t want him to know that I was behind him.

I stood frozen for what seemed like forever. So far
Rick hadn’t seen me and I wanted to keep it that way. He paused and I stopped, holding my breath. After a few seconds, he moved forward and I decided to walk behind him. I had to be quiet so that he wouldn’t know that I was behind him. I should have just asked why he was there, but what if he was visiting a friend or relative? Actually, it was none of my business why he was there. He could have asked the same question of me. Had he seen the ghost?

I made the decision to continue behind him down the path. If he looked back and saw me behind him I’d just explain that I was visiting a friend. I was curious about
Rick now and wanted to see which way he went when he left the graveyard. I had assumed he’d be at the bar at this time of night, but maybe he’d taken the night off. The rustle of the branches did a lot to conceal the sound of my footsteps. If he thought someone was behind him, he never showed any sign of it.

At least I figured I’d taken the right path back to the entrance this time. We’d walked a short distance when he did something that I hadn’t expected. He turned to his right and went down another path. What would I do now? I could either continue following him or give up and just get the heck out of there. Apparently he hadn’t been ready to leave after all. Maybe he really did know I was behind him. Or he could have been visiting more than one person. If he was going to another grave then I didn’t want to invade his privacy.

When I reached the path where he’d turned, I paused. I peeked down the path and saw that he was still walking. There was no telling where he was going or how long he’d be walking through there. Heck, maybe this was how he got his exercise. People walked through here for exercise every day. They didn’t like being constrained by walking in the mall or the local gym. I paused and contemplated my decision. After a few more seconds, I finally decided that I wasn’t going to follow him. It just wasn’t that important. Sure, I was curious, but it wasn’t worth staying around.

I rushed away before he turned around and saw me. The entrance couldn’t be much further now. I made the slight curve in the path and released a deep breath when I spotted the main gate just ahead. Now if I didn’t run into any more ghosts or vampires I’d be safe. I hadn’t expected this detour tonight.

One last time I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone or anything was behind me. Nothing was there other than the tombstones. I reached the gate and hurried out onto the sidewalk. Once I’d made it out the bounds of the graveyard, I felt I was safe.

The vampire hadn’t followed me. I was almost at the edge of the graveyard when my phone rang and I jumped.

I pulled it out of my pocket and whispered, “Hello.”

As if I was really going to disturb someone. Mostly, I was worried about the vampire hearing me.

“Why are you whispering?” Caitlin asked.

I sped up and once I was away from the graveyard, I said, “It’s a long story.”

“I have time,” she said with a laugh in her voice.

“Where should I start?” I asked.

“From the beginning?” Caitlin said.

“I guess it’s kind of a simple story, really. I was in the graveyard and I saw a ghost. Anyway, she led me to her grave and then I saw
Rick, the vampire from the bar,” I said, barely taking a pause for a breath.

After a second, Caitlin asked, “Have you been drinking since I left you?”

I snorted. “No, that’s really what happened.”

“What did
Rick say?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t speak to him. I just followed him for a little while.”

“This conversation just keeps getting weirder,” she said.

“I suppose it does sound a little odd. Now I have to find out who the ghost was,” I said.

“You’re serious about seeing a ghost? I thought you were just pulling my leg.”

“No, I saw a ghost.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. I work for a ghost tour, for Pete’s sake. I’ve never seen a ghost.”

“Can you tell me more about the graveyard?” I asked.

“There are a bunch of ghost stories there. There’s even a serial killer ghost.”

“Oh, now you tell me. I don’t think this ghost was a serial killer though. She was young and pretty. She looked sweet actually… a little sad, but sweet.”

“Well, she is a ghost, so I can understand why she’d be a little sad,” Caitlin said.

“
Can you find out who she is?” I asked.

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.”

The next day I’d gotten an early start to the day. I’d even had time to grab a coffee before work. Today I’d selected a pair of hot pink Target Mossimo loafers,
a white and black polka dot blouse from Forever Twenty-One and black vintage Chanel slacks. I loved mixing designer brands with budget clothing. I was sitting at my desk taking notes when Max entered the shop. He flashed that dazzling smile at me again. I swore that made me melt every time. I really wished he’d stop doing that.

“Are you busy?” he asked.

Not too busy for him was what I wanted to say, but instead I settled for, “No, not at all. What can I do for you?”

He stepped closer and
gestured toward the seat in front of my desk. “Is it all right if I sit down?”

I hoped this was nothing serious.
“Yes, of course.”

After sitting, he focused his attention on me. “I thought I’d take you up on that offer to help with my style some more. I know we’ve been distracted a bit, but if you have time to go shopping with me?”

It didn’t get much better than this. Shopping with a hot guy. I had the perfect job.

“I’d love to take you shopping. When did you have in mind?” I asked with a smile.

“How about now? Do you have time?”

I pretended to look at my calendar. “It looks like I’m free.”

He smiled. “Great. Where should we go?”

“How about Saks?”

I wasn’t sure about his budget was, but since he owned a big company I figured he’d want a nice place.

“That’s perfect, but I want to warn you that I’m terrible at picking out items.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you make a mistake.” I stood and grabbed my purse. “Are you ready?”

He pushed to his feet. “After you.” He motioned for me to move forward.

When we reached the door, he held it open for me. He did the same as we slipped into my car.

“I haven’t gotten my driver’s license yet,” he said as I pulled out onto the street. “I was driving a carriage before and that’s quite a bit different.”

“I know you’ll catch on in no time,” I said.

We pulled into the parking lot of the mall and I whipped the car into the first available parking spot.

“You’re a good driver,” he said as he held onto the side of the car door.

I cut the engine and grabbed my purse. “Okay, maybe I get a little excited when I see a good parking spot.” And when I
was shopping. And when I bought a new pair of shoes. And when I had chocolate…oh, and my favorite blood. I could go on, but I digress.

As we walked toward the store
’s entrance, he said, “This is quite a change from the stores back in the day.”

“Yeah, it’s a heck of a lot better.”

“There’s a lot more selection,” he said.

Max held the door open and we stepped inside the air
-conditioned store. I forced myself to ignore the women’s section and headed toward the escalator. When I started to step on he paused.

“Why do the stairs move?” he asked.

I laughed. “They’re supposed to.” I grabbed his hand. “You just step on and it carries you up. It’s a lot faster than climbing all the stairs and it helps when you have your arms full of bags.”

He forced a smile and then stepped on. “Great idea.”

When we reached the top, he lurched forward and off the step.

“That’s always tricky,” I said.

I turned to the right and motioned for him to follow me to a section of men’s clothing. “I’m guessing you’ll need casual and work attire.”

He followed behind me as I grabbed items in a whirlwind.

“This should get us started,” I said. “You should try these things on.” I shoved him into a room with some of the clothing. “And I want to see everything.”

This was fun.

When he stepped out from the room for the first outfit, I had to control myself and not let my mouth drop. He looked so good in the casual slacks and shirt. They fit him in all the right places.

“How do I look?” he asked.

“Fantastic,” I said a little too enthusiastically.

Max tried on a few more outfits. Everything he wore looked good. Honestly, I didn’t think he needed my help at all. He was effortlessly stylish.
I especially liked the pleaded slacks and tan short-sleeved shirt on him.

I leaned close to the dressing room door. “So what about those men who took us to the party?
Dean and Jared? Have you seen them again?” I asked.

“Yes, they work for another man who works for the company.
The Enforcer.”

I paused. “That’s kind of strange.”

He opened the door with an armful of clothing. “The man is strange, so I wouldn’t expect any less from him.”

I stared for a beat and then asked, “So do you like the clothing?”

“I think it’s good.”

Typical male response. I knew he really didn’t care.

I took clothing from his arms. “So you’ll get everything here. But you need a few more casual pieces.”

I had hardly seen him in anything causal.

“I need some place casual to wear these things,” he said.

He couldn’t see my smile as we made our way to the register.
As we walked past a rack of shirts, he picked one up.

“What about this?” he asked.

I stared for a moment, trying to find the right words so as not to hurt his feelings. He’d picked out a hideous Hawaiian shirt. It was orange with black and green flowers. I had said Max would look good in anything, but I’d have to revise that statement if he wore that shirt.

I took the shirt from his hands and placed it back on the rack. “Maybe if you go to Hawaii.”

Okay, maybe that hadn’t been as delicately put as I’d wanted, but he had to be stopped. I couldn’t allow him to ever wear that shirt.

“How about we have lunch and I can wear something we just bought
? It’ll give me a reason to wear it.”

I wanted to say yes more than anything, but I already had another appointment. “I can’t go,” I said.

He nodded. “Maybe some other time.”

I placed the clothing on the counter and he handed the woman cash. Things had changed so much and I knew it must be overwhelming for him. At least I
’d had time to gradually adjust to the changes. Everything had changed around me. It wasn’t anything new and not all at once.

I looked at him. “It’s just that I have another appointment.”

He took the bag from the woman behind the counter and turned to me. “You don’t have to explain. I didn’t give you a lot of notice. I just thought maybe you were hungry.”

I was hungry. I could go for a burger and a bottle of blood, but there was no way I could cancel my appointment.

We jumped onto the escalator. He had no problems this time.

“I want to thank you for the help,” he said as he gestured at the shopping bags.

“Hey, I like shopping, so it’s a fun job.”

“I guess that would be a great job for someone who likes to shop. It’s not one of my favorite things,” he said.

“Most guys don’t like it,” I said.

We reached the first floor.

“Point me in the right direction,” he said.

The fact that he didn’t insist that he’d already bought enough and want
ed to escape said that he was a sweet guy. I knew he was sick of shopping already. I would have to hurry the last stop.

I insisted that he pick up at least one pair of jeans. And he looked even better than I imagined in them. I grabbed a couple T-shirts and we took off. We made it out of the store and into the bright sunlight again.

I should have bought him a pair of sunglasses. He held one of the bags up to his face to shield from the relentless sun.

“It
’s been a very warm start to summer,” I said.

I hurried and opened the trunk and Max dumped the bags in so that we could retreat to the shelter of my car.

As I made the drive toward his place, I couldn’t help but think about the missed lunch. It was no big deal, I kept telling myself. I just wished that I could have said yes. Not just because I liked him, but because when someone extended an invitation, I had the overwhelming feeling that it was rude if I said no—that they would think of me as a terrible person because I hadn’t accepted.

“You’re being quiet,” he said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I smiled when I glanced over. “Just thinking about all the great bargains you got.”

“You are a bargain shopper. I appreciate that,” he said.

When I pulled up in front of his place I noticed a couple of men.

“Who are they?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

He looked over and paused. Finally he said, “I work with them. Just a couple men from the company.”

His voice had a strange tone that hadn’t been there before. The men had been sitting on the front steps. They stood when they saw my car. They stared
, not taking their eyes off us.

“I get the impression that they’re eager to speak with you,” I said.

Max looked at me. “Yes, I’d better see what they want. Thank you again for everything.”

He handed me a wad of cash.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It should cover the invoice for today. You can’t run a business if your customers don’t pay.”

I felt bad taking his money. I mean, he could have picked out any clothing and looked great. What did he need me for?

“If it’s not enough just let me know.”

I hadn’t even given him the amount owed, but I was sure it would be more than enough.

“Are you going to be okay?” I pointed toward the men who were now walking down the path toward us. “They seem impatient.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said as he opened the door.

He paused for a moment as if he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Instead he stepped out of the car and walked toward the men. I watched as they paused and talked with him for a moment. Then the
y turned and went to his front door. The men looked back at me as if to ask why I was still there, but Max didn’t look back. I didn’t want to pull away. Not until they were inside and I could no longer watch them. Max opened the door and they stepped inside. I supposed it was time for me to leave.

I told myself to pull away, but for some reason I didn’t. I sat in the car and looked at Max’s house. I could go up to the house and try to listen from the front door. But that would just be weird. What if Max caught me? I could tell him that I
’d forgotten to tell him something if he caught me. But what would I say that I’d forgotten? No, he probably wouldn’t believe me.

Those guys looked kind of tough and I hoped they didn’t want any trouble. There was two of them and one of Max.

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel and tried to decide what to do. Of course my snoopiness won and I opened the car door and headed toward Max’s front door. If he caught me then I’d just tell him the truth. It was best to always tell the truth, right. I’d just tell him that I was suspicious of those guys. I made it to the front door and leaned close, but unfortunately I couldn’t hear anything. This was pointless. I might as well turn around and leave.

I’d barely finished the thought when my phone rang. I stumbled backward as I struggled to grab the phone from my pocket.

By some miracle I managed to answer the phone before it rang again.

“Hello,” I whispered.

There was a pause, and then Caitlin said, “What are you doing now?”

I hurried down the path, glancing over my shoulder to see if I’d been caught. So far they hadn’t come outside to see where the ringing had come from.

“I was trying to listen to a conversation,” I said as I made it back to my car.

“You’ve got to remember to turn your ringer off when you do things like that,” she said.

“I’ll have to remember that next time.” I slipped behind the wheel. “I was listening at Max’s front door. There were men here when I dropped him off and I was suspicious. So I thought I’d see what they wanted.”

Caitlin didn
’t say anything at first, but finally she said, “What makes you think they were no good?”

“It was just something about their body language, I guess.”

“What did you find out?” she asked.

“Nothing. I couldn’t hear anything through the door.”

“You could ask him.”

“I’ll have to since I couldn’t snoop and hear anything.”

“Just be careful when you’re snooping around,” she said.

I turned the ignition and steered away from the curb. When I glanced over, one of the men was watching me from the front window.