Every Boy Should Face His Demons, Charlie Boone! - 3. Chapter 3

"There's a good girl," Ricky said, as Moped launched herself into her bowl of food. "Hungie doggie, huh?"

Charlie laughed. "You always talk baby-talk to dogs?"

Ricky straightened and grinned. "Only if I like them. And they like me. It's hard to talk baby-talk to a Doberman that's about to rip your face off."

Adrian and Kippy, seated at the kitchen table, laughed.

"But Moped wouldn't hurt anyone," Ricky continued, watching the dog eat. "She's a sweetie."

Annie had left just before noon to go meet her friends, and the guys had walked around the house and property for a couple of hours getting the lay of the land before returning to grab their bags from the SUV and take them upstairs to their selected bedrooms. They had then made their beds from the linens Annie had left for them, and killed some more time walking around outside on the second floor balcony, and then looking out at the magnificent view provided by the windows in the cupola. Now it was going on five o'clock, and they'd brought Moped down to the kitchen for her evening meal.

"Makes me hungry, watching her go at that bowl," Adrian said, smiling. "And it reminds me that we missed lunch. We should be thinking about what we want for dinner."

Kippy nodded at that. "I'm hungry, too. The first thing we should decide is if we want to cook, or go out to eat."

"We could order a pizza," Ricky reminded. He walked over to a counter and picked up a sheet of paper laying there. "Migro's. They deliver."

Kippy adopted a patient look. "We're going to do that tomorrow, for Halloween, aren't we?"

"That's true," Charlie agreed. He smiled at Rick. "You're not trying to mess up tradition, are you?"

Ricky laid a hand on his chest. "Me? I wouldn't dream of it. But I do intend to eat something, and soon. So let's make a decision, okay?"

"I wouldn't mind going into town for dinner," Adrian said. "I'd love to see the place a little better. We pretty much just whizzed through and then back out again." He smiled. "There must be other places there to eat."

"There are." Ricky held up the paper. "Annie left a list of her five favorite places." He examined the sheet, and smiled. "How about the White Owl Cafe? I kind of like the name."

Kippy frowned. "What do they serve?"

Ricky glanced at the paper again, and shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe you can look it up on your phone."

Kippy blew out an exasperated breath, but hauled out his cell and entered the required information on Google. He frowned at the screen of his phone a moment, and then smiled. "Well...they have a site, anyway. Um...wait. Dinner starts being served at five. Here's the menu...hmm...well....hmm." He looked up and smiled. "Looks like they have some good stuff!"

Charlie nodded. "If Kip's happy, so am I."

Ricky's eyes went to Adrian, who laughed. "Hey, if you like the name of the place, it has to be good."

Ricky nodded. "It's close, too. Right back on Route 12, just off main street."

Adrian turned to Kippy. "You have your phone out. Want to call and see if we need a reservation?"

"No problem." Kippy did that, and quickly had a table for four for them. "Cool. Let's go."

Ricky laid the paper back on the counter and turned away from them. "Hold on a second while I make sure the door to the garage is open."

The garage, at the end of the wing holding the kitchen and dining room, contained a large litter box where Moped could go if no one was home to take her outside. Annie left the dog inside each day when she went to work, and Moped was used it now. She had several beds placed around the house, all in front of windows where she could look out, and each accompanied by rawhide chews and squeaky toys. Moped could choose where she wanted to relax and wait for Annie to come home. Ricky thought the dog was a little spoiled, but also that it was Annie's right to spoil her.

He was back in a moment, waving the car keys at them. "Okay, let's roll."

Moped followed them to the front doors, then seemed resigned when Ricky held her back as the others exited. "You have to stay here, honey. We'll be back soon."

Ricky turned on the porch lights, then squeezed through the doorway and closed the door, and pulled out the ring of keys that Annie had left him, and set the deadbolt. There was motion to the right of the door as Moped nosed aside the thin white curtain covering the narrow lights beside the door, and stared out at him. He smiled at her and waved, knowing she would simply go find somewhere comfortable to lie down and wait for them to return.

"She'll be okay, won't she?" Adrian asked, as Ricky climbed into the driver's seat.

"Sure. She's used to being left. We'll only be gone a couple of hours, anyway."

"It will be dark when we get back," Charlie said. "I'm kind of interested in seeing this place at night."

Kippy pushed up against him. "Looking for spooks?"

"No. I meant seeing how the house looked, lit up and all. It's got to be dark as pitch here at night, maybe save for some lights from town. But they'll be small and distant. I want to see what the house looks like at night."

Kippy smiled at the structure as Ricky started the engine and put the SUV into gear. "It's really an amazing place, Charlie."

Charlie nodded. "I feel that, too. And I'm not sure why. Besides being huge, and of a unique design, and utterly cool, I mean."

The other's laughed.

The SUV moved to the circular turnaround at the end of the drive and reversed course, and passed the house heading for the road. Charlie caught a last look at Moped watching them from the vertical row of windows by the door, and then they were past. He smiled. "I have to wonder, sometimes, what dogs think of us."

Kippy laughed. "If I was a dog, I'd see that humans do all sorts of cool things. It would be fun to be a part of that, and I'd miss it if I got left behind."

Charlie nodded, but didn't say anymore. Moped would probably have forgotten about them by the time they got back, and would be overjoyed all over again that these new people had returned. Being a dog had to be kind of dull at times, with long periods of boredom interspersed with amazingly interesting spurts of action involving people. The thought made him smile. Actually, being a human could be that way, too!

They hit the lane, which was empty of traffic, and headed back to town. There was a slight breeze now, and the trees moved slowly and gracefully around them, a gentle rain of reds and yellows striking the road ahead and dancing away to the shoulders as they passed. Charlie felt Kippy squeezing his hand intermittently, and wondered what his boyfriend was thinking. If the smile he wore was any indication, it was happy thoughts at just being there. That made Charlie happy, and he gave a little sigh of content and relaxed in the seat even more.

They were very quickly back in town, and Ricky turned right on Route 12, known as Broad Street here. The road widened, and Ricky easily found a parking place along the curb, which was marked out with a lane of its own just for that purpose. The cafe was in a row of businesses along the street, a narrow, deep building, and Charlie smiled as they arrived at the front door. A line of various-colored pumpkins hugged the exterior wall beneath the front window, offering an immediate Halloween mood.

The interior of the cafe was cheerful and bright, with old-fashioned crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, forming glowing pools of yellow light on the polished surface of the dark hardwood floor below. A row of track-lighting was trained on several shelves of art glass along the wall opposite the counter, providing some color along with additional lighting for the tables below. The counter was long, with a line of crystal lighting above that matched the chandeliers, and the painted brick wall to the rear of the counter held shelves holding what looked like bottles of wine. Several wonderful aromas were immediately apparent to their noses, and Charlie was reminded again that they had missed having lunch.

The cafe was not crowded, with only three of the tables already occupied by diners.

"I like this place already," Kippy said, smiling. "It's like Irving's, but with charm."

Charlie smiled at that, even as a pleasant young woman in a black White Owl Cafe tee-shirt approached them, menus in hand.

"Uh, Travers," Ricky said, smiling. "Party of four." He turned to Adrian and grinned. "I always wanted to say that."

The woman laughed, and swept a hand towards the tables. "You can pick your own, if you want. We also have outside tables out back, but it's probably too chilly for that now."

Ricky looked around at the others, but when no one immediately jumped at the outside eating idea, shook his head. "Yeah, we'll stay inside, I guess."

"That table looks good," Adrian said, pointing at the last table in the line along the wall. "It's well away from everyone else." When the woman's eyebrows rose somewhat questioningly, he smiled and pointed at Ricky. "Oh, my friend here just likes to throw food. We don't want to get any on anyone else."

Charlie and Kippy laughed right off, and the woman smiled at the joke. "Oh, I see. One, table, four chairs, one mop. Gotcha. Come this way, please."

She turned, and Adrian pointed at her and smiled. I like her!

They followed the woman, were seated, and each handed a menu. "I'll let you guys look, and be back to take your order in a few minutes."

Ricky sighed happily and opened his menu. "Man, I'm hungry!"

Charlie let his eyes rove over the sandwich offerings, which all looked delicious; but he really felt like a dinner meal, not a late lunch.

"Ooh, look at the Bleu Apple Cranberry Chicken wrap!" Kippy said, licking his lips.

Charlie looked at the entry, and agreed that it looked scrumptious. "But I want dinner, I think."

Kippy sighed, but nodded. "Yeah. I'm starving."

They oohed and aahed a bit over what was offered, then made their selections. Ricky decided he'd get a Delmonico rib eye steak, which came with potatoes and vegetables. Charlie and Kippy both opted for the Salmon Risotto, grilled wild-caught salmon served over lemon risotto and sauteed spinach. Adrian tried to decide between the two, then laughed and selected the Surf-N-Turf instead, which consisted of a beef filet with crab cake, over risotto and sauteed spinach. "That's sort of a little of each," he observed, smiling.

They got a plate of White Owl Mac 'N Cheese to share between them, which the menu stated was macaroni covered in gooey locally-made cheese and topped with bacon and green onions. They got the Apple Haze to drink, freshly pressed hazy apple cider made next door in Vermont. The woman came back and took their order, smiled at the comments they made, and asked them if they wanted something to gnaw on while they waited for their meals. They looked over the small side dishes, and then decided it might take the edge off their anticipation, and declined.

"We'll have the cider now, though," Charlie said.

"Coming right up."

Adrian smiled after the woman as she headed back towards the counter. "She has a good sense of humor."

Kippy nodded, and looked around the interior of the cafe. "I could get used to this. Living in a small town is probably very relaxing."

Adrian leaned closer and lowered his voice. "We'd just mess it up."

Kippy grinned, and also leaned forward conspiratorially. "How so?"

The laughter in Adrian's eyes was infectious. "The first time Murcha landed Lollipop nearby, the people here would freak. And then there's having elves suddenly underfoot, and aliens, and who knows what else."

Charlie smiled. "We haven't upset the burbs with that stuff."

"Not much upsets the burbs," Adrian countered. "They're too busy with life to notice things like spaceships landing or elves visiting."

Ricky chuckled at that. "Murcha won't let the ship be seen. And Max and the others could pass for the boy next door!"

Kippy smiled dreamily. "I wish!"

Ricky hooted, and patted Charlie's arm. "There, there. I know he didn't mean it."

"He meant it," Charlie countered. "He might be my boyfriend, but that's never kept him from enjoying the scenery."

Kippy sighed. "Oh, Charlie. You know you have my heart forever. But a pretty face is like fine artwork. Would you walk through the Met and ignore the masterpieces on display?"

"Probably not." Charlie smiled at his boyfriend. "Have I ever been jealous? No. It's because I know you're only looking."

Kippy made a face. "I wouldn't mind if you were jealous, just a little."

Ricky and Adrian laughed, and Charlie sighed. "Okay. I am jealous. But just a little."

Kippy looked happy. "That makes me feel like you don't want to lose me."

"I don't want to lose you," Charlie said evenly. "You mean everything to me, Kip."

Kippy looked startled, and then took Charlie's hand on the tabletop and rubbed it affectionately. "I'm sorry. I was just kidding around."

"I know." Charlie nodded. "I know, Kip."

They smiled at each other, and Charlie again felt the special link that only he and Kippy shared. It had grown stronger these past five years, and Charlie could not imagine anything capable of breaking it. He could see a similar link between Rick and Adrian now, and it made him happy for his friends. Luck, it would seem, had smiled on all of them.

Their plates arrived, and they dug into their meals with great gusto. The food was excellent, and seemed to disappear quickly. They talked and laughed while they ate, and Charlie was conscious of the good time they were having.

Outside, the sunlight slowly waned, and soon the streetlights lit. Night came on quickly at this time of year. Charlie missed the protracted evenings and lengthy sunsets of summer, but knew they would be back in a few month's time. The world moved on, always.

They finished, and sat back in their chairs. The server reappeared, smiling. "By the look of you, I don't think there will be any dessert?"

"I'm stuffed," Ricky said, smiling.

Adrian laughed. "And if he's stuffed, the rest of us have to be."

The woman made a show of examining the walls and floor. "No mop needed, either." She smiled. "I always say, when the food's too good to throw, you know you've had a good meal."

"It was good," Charlie said, smiling. "Thanks."

"Sure. You guys just stopping for a meal? I haven't seen you in here before."

"Just visiting family," Ricky said. "And enjoying the town. It's pretty."

The woman smiled. "We like it. Well, I'll get your check, then."

"I want to leave her a good tip," Adrian whispered, as she strode away.

"I'll chip in," Kippy said, digging out his wallet.

They all chipped in, and left more than they might have normally.

The woman came back with their bill, and Ricky waved a hand. "I got it." He opened his wallet and handed her a credit card.

She smiled at the look on Ricky's face. "Be right back."

Charlie grinned. "Credit card, huh?"

Ricky couldn't hide his pleasure. "Yeah. It's secured by a deposit, but you gotta start somewhere."

"I've been thinking of doing the same thing," Charlie said. He smiled again at the look on his friend's face. "After seeing how much fun you're having, I think I will."

Kippy clapped his hands together as the server neared their table again. "Now we can go back and see what an octagon house looks like in the dark!"

Charlie was aware of a slight pause in the woman's step as she arrived at the table and handed Ricky his card. Charlie looked up at her, saw the frown on her face, and the new way that she seemed to be looking them all over. She noticed him watching then, and her face slowly reddened. "Sorry."

Charlie nodded. "Something my friend said?"

The woman looked undecided. "Well...I heard what he said, about the octagon house. There's only one around here - the Ravishaw house, up on the hill outside of town."

Charlie nodded. "That's the one he meant."

The woman nodded again. "You're staying there?"

Ricky frowned. "My cousin bought the house a few weeks back."

"Yeah. I heard it had been sold. I didn't know the new owner had moved in. " She leaned closer to them. "But you're staying there? Right now?"

Charlie nodded. "For a few days."

The woman's eyes went to Ricky. "And your cousin has been living there a few weeks, you say?"

"Yep."

"And everything's okay?"

Ricky cocked his head to one side. "What's that mean?"

The woman looked flustered, and then grinned. "Oh, it's nothing. All the business people in town know Mrs. Ravishaw. The family has been here forever. She's very nice."

Charlie looked at Kippy, who had a strange expression on his face.

"You were going to say something else," Kippy said then.

The server shook her head. "It's nothing. Something stupid I heard recently, that was stuck in my mind. It's nothing."

"We'd love to hear, if it's about the house," Charlie said quickly.

The woman's nose wrinkled, and she looked a little embarrassed. "Well...we have a regular that comes in here. Mrs. Viggerol. She's a retired nurse, and she worked for Mrs. Ravishaw for a few days as caretaker."

"A few days?" Ricky repeated. "What happened there?"

The server looked around at the boy's faces, and Charlie could see the here goes nothing impulse build in the woman's eyes. "Well....she sat in here one night and told one of the other servers that the octagon house was haunted. I heard the whole conversation."

"I knew it!" Kippy gushed, looking joyful.

Charlie laughed at him, and then smiled at the server. "Don't mind him. His sense of humor is weird."

The woman also laughed. "Well, I feel stupid even mentioning it. But Mrs. Viggerol was very adamant, and very convincing. You hear stuff like that, and your first notion is that the person telling you has been drinking, or isn't quite right. But Mrs. Viggerol is a pretty upright old lady, and she's lived here for longer than I've been around. She was very convincing. We just thought it was funny at first. But I remember the look on her face while she was talking. Serious. A story told like that kind of gets in your head and won't go away, you know? When you guys mentioned the house, my first thought was --"

She stopped, and frowned.

"Was...what?" Charlie prompted.

"Well, I don't know what I thought." She looked at Ricky. "Maybe to caution you? But...obviously, if your cousin has been living there a few weeks already, there is nothing going on there. And Mrs. Ravishaw lived there a long time without any problems." She sighed. "I guess Mrs. Viggerol was having a bad day. Maybe she was just saying that to explain why she left her job there so quickly."

Charlie and Kippy exchanged glances, and then Charlie smiled up at the server. "What happened to Mrs. Viggerol?"

The server shrugged. "She said she heard things and saw things, but that Mrs. Ravishaw seemed not to. It scared her, and she left the job after a few days."

"Where is she now?" Charlie asked.

A smile crossed the woman's face, but quickly turned back into a frown. "You want to talk to her? Some of the people in here that night laughed at her. She was a little upset when she left. She may not take kindly to questions from strangers."

Ricky nodded. "We'd love to hear any stories about the house."

The woman suddenly leaned down. "What's it like? The house? I've never actually seen it up close."

"It's gorgeous," Kippy said, before anyone else could speak. "Beautiful, inside and out."

"It is," Adrian agreed. "It's a wonderful old house."

"Hmm." The server frowned again. "Hardly sounds like a creepy old haunted mansion, does it?"

"It doesn't seem like one, either," Ricky said, pointedly.

The woman bit her lip. "Well...look, I'm sorry I said anything. It's crazy, talking about ghosts and things like that."

Charlie knew better. Billy and Will had taught them a lot about the afterlife. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...

"It's almost Halloween," Kippy said. "What better time is there?"

"You just want to talk to her?" the server asked. "Maybe I should ask her first?"

"Well, we're only here for a few days," Ricky said, shrugging like it didn't matter. "Don't worry about it."

The woman was obviously torn on how to proceed.

"We'll be nice," Charlie said, smiling. "And we won't mention where we heard the story."

"Yeah. Well, I don't want to get Emily - that's the other server - in any trouble with Mrs. Viggerol. But...there were a dozen people in here that night that heard the story. The way some of them laughed, I don't think Mrs. Viggerol will suspect where you got your information, anyway." She made a face. "Still doesn't make it right for me to put her out there."

"We'll be tactful, too," Charlie said patiently. He smiled again.

The server smiled back at him and nodded. "You're pretty convincing." She leaned down and put her hands on the table. "Okay. Mrs. Viggerol is working over at the movie theater, behind the concession stand. She's in her late sixties, gray hair, has a very friendly face. She should be there right now."

"I thought you said she was a nurse?" Adrian asked.

"Retired, I said," the server returned. "Everybody's gotta eat. I guess her social security isn't enough."

Charlie looked around the table. "We should be going."

The server blew out a short breath, and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's fine," Charlie said, getting to his feet. "We're not going to cause anyone any trouble."

The server watched them go, obviously conflicted about having mentioned anything at all. Charlie felt a moment of sympathy for her. Here was another facet of small town life: There were very few things that didn't get talked about.

They stopped outside, and Charlie looked up and down the street. The movie theater was right across Broad Street, and a few buildings down. He turned to the others. "Anyone feel like a movie?"

Kippy took hold of Charlie's arm, and wrapped his own around it. "So we're going to talk to her?"

"I sure want to," Ricky said. "If there's something screwy going on at Annie's, I want to know about it."

Adrian nodded. "Better safe than sorry."

Charlie frowned. "Once upon a time, I'd have just smiled at a story like this and forgotten about it." He briefly tilted his head back and examined the stars overhead. "But we've come a long way since that frame of mind." He looked around at the others. "I think we should talk to her."

"Can we just ask her, straight out like that?" Kippy asked. "Hey, we heard you saw ghosts up at the Ravishaw house?" He made a face. "That would make me shut up in a hurry, I know that."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to embarrass her or hurt her feelings." He thought about it a moment more, then sighed. "Maybe asking her straight out isn't the way to go. We might have to go a more subtle route. Let me think about it, okay?"

They crossed the street and approached the theater. There was no line, but that wasn't that surprising. Charlie was pretty certain they were early for the next show.

"We've seen this movie," Kippy said, looking up at the marquee. "It wasn't all that. Remember?"

"We don't plan to stay, anyway," Charlie said.

The girl at the ticket window confirmed their earliness. "Next show's not until seven. You can wait in the lobby, if you want."

Charlie smiled at her. "That'd be fine."

They bought four tickets and went inside. The lobby was meant to look old-fashioned, and had a nice feel to it. The concession stand was open, and an older woman fitting Mrs. Viggerol's description was sitting in a chair behind the glass popcorn case. Charlie looked her over, and sighed again. "Listen to what I say, and follow my lead," Charlie said softly to the others, as they moved forward.

The woman saw them coming through the glass and smiled.

"Well, we've got some time to kill," Charlie said, a little more loudly, as they arrived at the stand. "Might as well get something to munch on while we wait."

The woman got to her feet and smiled at them over the countertop. "What can I get for you?"

Charlie blinked as their eyes made contact, feeling an unusual yet familiar sense there, a sort of brightness and clarity that was commanding.

"I'll take a medium popcorn," Ricky said. "What about you, Ad?"

Adrian was also gazing at the woman a little wondrously. "Um...I'll take one, too. I'm still pretty full from dinner."

Charlie looked at Kip, whose eyes were definitely wide with recognition. He nodded. "Sounds good to us," Charlie agreed.

The woman smiled. "Four medium popcorns, coming right up."

Charlie smiled at Ricky. "Your cousin got a great deal on that house, man."

Kippy turned to Ricky then and smiled. "I still can't get over what a nice place it is. Your cousin must be in seventh heaven there."

Ricky grinned. "I'll say. I'm kind of surprised she went off for four days and left it."

"It's just so unusual," Adrian ad-libbed. "I've never seen an octagon house before!"

Charlie was watching Mrs. Viggerol as she filled the paper cups with popcorn. At Adrian's words, she nearly dropped the scoop, and her eyes came up to stare at them through the glass between them. There was no question in Charlie's mind that her reaction was genuine.

"I can't get over people telling us the place is haunted, though," Charlie said, smiling. "Who ever heard of such a thing?"

Mrs. Viggerol carefully went back to what she was doing, filling the cups, but Charlie could see now that her hands were shaking. He felt badly about that. Obviously, the woman had some strong feelings about the subject they were discussing.

She straightened, and moved the cups to the countertop.

"Ghosts!" Kippy repeated. "That's ridiculous!"

Mrs. Viggerol frowned at them. "You should never make light of things you don't know about."

Charlie knew they were being very manipulative. It would have been a simple matter to march right up to the counter and ask Mrs. Viggerol about her experience at the Ravishaw house. But somehow he thought that would not get them the response they wanted.

"We just don't believe in ghosts," Charlie said, shrugging. He nodded at Ricky. "His cousin just bought this big house up on the hill outside town. It's really a nice place. Someone already told us it was haunted, though. It's ridiculous."

Ricky nodded. "My cousin's been living there for weeks. She hasn't seen anything."

Mrs. Viggerol nodded carefully. "Maybe everyone doesn't see them. That doesn't mean they're not there." She bit her lip a moment. "Maybe they only come out at night."

Ricky frowned. "Well, my cousin is there at night, too. She hasn't seen anything spooky."

"Maybe she can't. See them, I mean." Mrs. Viggerol looked unsettled now. "I think only some people can see these things."

Adrian looked interested. "Well, we're staying there for the next few nights. I haven't felt anything spooky yet."

The woman forced a smile. "Maybe you won't."

Charlie frowned at the woman. "You sound like you're saying you've seen something."

Mrs. Viggerol took a deeper breath, and smiled at them. Obviously, she had regained her composure. "I didn't say that. And if I did, I would be careful who I talked to about it." She gently rolled her eyes. "Otherwise, people might make fun of me."

Charlie leaned on the countertop. "Have you ever seen a ghost?"

The woman smiled at him. "Well, there are ghosts, and there are ghosts, I suspect. Most people think of ghosts as people that have died. I tend to think there might be other sorts of things that haunt houses besides the spirits of the dead."

"What kind of other things?" Kippy asked, leaning on the countertop next to Charlie. "What other things can haunt a house besides dead people?"

Mrs. Viggerol tried to put a cap on the first cup, and almost dropped it. Her eyes fastened on Kippy's. "There are other forces in the world besides people. And death is not the only door. Some things in this world have never been alive at all, I suspect. Dark things." She snapped the top into place and nodded at Kippy. "Demonic things."

"Demons?" Charlie asked, not having to feign incredulity. "That's a little much, isn't it?"

"It's a name," Mrs. Viggerol countered. "Just a word, maybe, to describe something beyond our normal understanding." She took another breath, smiled again. "Do you boys want drinks with this?"

Somehow, Charlie felt that was all they were going to get, short of asking more direct questions. And now he felt he didn't want to do that to Mrs. Viggerol. She had obviously decided this was a subject best not discussed.

Kippy must have felt the same thing. He looked at Charlie and gently shook his head. "I don't want a drink."

Charlie looked over at Ricky. "We're done."

Ricky nodded, and smiled at Mrs. Viggerol. "Just the popcorn, thanks."

They made some more pleasant conversation, paid for the popcorn, then found seats on the other side of the lobby from the concession stand, out of earshot.

Kippy frowned as they sat down. "That was a little devious."

Charlie nodded. "I didn't like it, either. But we needed to know if this woman was serious about seeing something at the house. I believe she is."

"I felt that, too," Adrian agreed.

Ricky smiled tightly. "Funny how we all seemed to know what to say to get her to talk."

"No." Kippy shook his head adamantly. "Didn't you feel it? Our skwish was linked."

Ricky shook his head. "I don't have any skwish."

"Of course you do," Adrian countered immediately. "You and Charlie both have it. It's just different from what Kip and I have."

"I think I did feel a sort of joint purpose," Charlie admitted. "Anyway, we got the information we needed." He cast a quick glance towards the concession stand. Mrs. Viggerol had taken her seat behind the popcorn case again, but she seemed to be watching them through the glass. "She seems to think that something other than just ghosts are present in the octagon house."

Ricky snorted. "But wouldn't Annie know by now? And how about Moped? Aren't dogs supposed to sense things even we can't?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know." He turned to Kip. "Did you sense something a little different about Mrs. Viggerol? When you made eye contact with her, maybe?"

Kippy didn't have to think it over. He nodded immediately. "You mean like a sort of extra intensity, as if her words meant more than normal?"

Charlie smiled. "That's sort of what I meant, yes."

Adrian looked over at the concession stand. "She has skwish."

Kippy slowly nodded. "I think she does. It's weak, not like what I get from all of you. But I definitely felt it while talking to her."

"I see where you're going," Ricky said. "Annie doesn't have skwish, or we would have sensed it, too. So you think only someone with skwish can see the goblins at the house?"

Charlie gave a small laugh at his friend's words. "Or something like that. But...maybe it's a little more complex than that. I'm reminded of what Annie said the real estate lady told her. That so many people loved the house from the outside, but lost interest after touring the inside."

"You think skwish is a factor in that?" Kippy asked.

"Maybe. I mean, we all have active skwish now, but once we didn't even know we had it. It wasn't developed at all, and it didn't work for us."

"So these people that looked at the house and turned it down all had latent skwish, and that spooked them away?"

"No. Actually, I was thinking the reverse." Charlie looked around at his friends. "We all love the house. We all feel it's a special place. Annie feels the same way. I think Annie is the one with the skwish, but that it is completely undeveloped, and so we don't yet sense it." He tossed his head towards the concession stand. "Mrs. Viggerol has skwish, and hers is slightly more developed."

"But she didn't love the house," Kippy pointed out.

"Maybe she did, originally," Charlie returned. "Right up until the minute she started to see and hear things. Her skwish may be developed enough that she can experience whatever it is that's in the house. Then her fears took over. He own ideas on what she was seeing. Someone with skwish enough to see things may have no idea what it is they're seeing."

"So what about all the people that looked at the house and changed their minds?" Adrian asked. "Are you saying they didn't have skwish, and that sent them packing?"

Charlie shrugged. "If there is some force inside that house, it may be aware of those people with skwish, even a latent version. I'm thinking that those people unable to sense whatever is there may have been deliberately discouraged from buying."

"Oh, Charlie," Kippy said, putting a hand on his boyfriend's arm. "That sounds like you think whatever is there may be intelligent!"

Ricky nodded. "We're doing a lot of supposing here."

"Well, we are," Charlie agreed. "I'm just trying to work out the possibilities based on what we've learned."

"Oh, hey," Adrian said, looking from one boy to another. "Wouldn't that mean that the Ravishaws would have to have some kind of skwish? I mean, they built the house and lived there forever. They'd have been run out if you're theory is true."

Charlie nodded. "Remember what Annie said? That Mrs. Ravishaw wouldn't move out of the house until she found someone that loved it as much as she did.. And she also cut the price considerably to make certain that the house went to Annie. That makes me a little suspicious right there."

Ricky looked alarmed. "Could Annie be in any danger, then?"

Charlie held up one hand. "Let's not jump the gun." He looked over at the concession stand one more time, and then got to his feet. "Let's go. I want to get back to the house."

They stopped at the ticket stand on their way out, and Charlie held up his phone to the girl inside. "Just got an emergency call. We can't stay for the movie."

The girl looked sympathetic. "I can refund you right up until fifteen minutes before the flick starts. Plenty of time. Can I have your tickets back?"

They passed them to her through the drawer, and their money was refunded. "Good luck, guys."

Charlie thanked her, and the four boys moved off.

"I'm starting to feel like a crook," Kippy complained, as they crossed the street to the SUV.

Charlie put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder and hugged him. "We're done with all that sneaking around. Stop worrying."

But after they climbed into the SUV and belted up, Charlie leaned over and planted a firm kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "Don't ever change, Kip."

Kippy turned his head and smiled, and leaned closer and kissed Charlie, with feeling.