Previously on Other Peoples' Heartache

If You Are A Friend Of Any Sort

Note: My thanks to squigglydigg and ectoimp for letting me borrow The Pepperman. Prompt sent in by bluemist17: The funniest or oddest ghost bust that the MSA gang has had to do. Setting is long before Things We Lost.

.....

"Who told the 73-year-old lady it was okay to drag race her Prius against a monster truck?" Arthur threw his hands wide, gesturing at the mess Lance's truck had towed in.

"Don't ask, Artie," Lance grunted, settling the wreck into Arthur's designated station. "But she's a long time customer. Good track record with payments. Do what you can for it, eh?"

"It'll take a week at least!" Arthur ran his hands over the right side, crunched in with jagged bits of glass lining the empty holes that had been windows. "And that's just the exterior. You say it flipped and she's still kicking?"

"Yep. She's a tough ol' bird." Lance headed for his office. "Heard she did it 'cause some hotshot made fun of her car."

A snort sounded from the other side of the car and Arthur glanced over. He'd forgotten Lewis and Vivi were there.

"Sounds like something you'd do at that age." Lewis nudged Vivi with his shoulder, receiving an offended swat to his arm for the trouble.

"I would not, you sandblasted wingnut cookie. Besides, I'd be in the monster truck."

"Not on MY watch!" Arthur exclaimed. "Lewis, you have to swear to me you won't ever let a monster truck suffer under her! It wouldn't be right!"

"Say it to my fist, Squire! I'll knock you on your rocky road and kick the ever-loving cheesecake out of you!"

"Hey, hey you two. We're here to talk Mystery Skulls' budget issues, not start fights." Lewis flashed a notepad. "Think we can talk while you start work, Arthur?"

Arthur was about to respond when strains of Magic floated through the air. Kay was calling. Grimacing, he grabbed his cell phone. "Hey, yeah. How's it going, Kay? Lewis and Vivi are here, yeah, did you want to talk to them? I mean Lewis?" He rushed the words all together in one breath. If she was trying to get details on their next meeting, now was not a good time.

"Hey Arthur. Actually, yeah. I've been trying to get ahold of Lewis, but he's not answering."

Arthur blinked, glancing over at Lewis. Cranking up a wry grin, he raised his voice. "Well I guess it's not surprising he hasn't picked up, Kay, since he's doing his best Romeo impression with Vivi over here."

Lewis flushed as Vivi cackled.

"But it's okay," Kay continued. "Actually we kind of need the three of you over here."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you have a haunting."

"Well, I don't think it's a haunting, but we're not the ghost experts. It's definitely something, though. How fast can you guys get over to the Pepper Paradiso?"

Arthur assessed the wreck at his station. There wasn't much he could get done before closing time at this rate. It would be better to start fresh in the morning anyway. "Ask the manager. Hold on." He flipped his phone over the top of the wreck at Vivi, who swiped it out of the air and held it to her mouth like a walkie talkie.

"This is the Mystery Skulls. We're on our way. Over and out."

.....

Arthur couldn't get enough air, and by the sound of it, Vivi was in the same boat. He didn't know it was possible to laugh this long and hard and was pretty sure he'd be feeling it in the abdomen tomorrow. He tried to push himself up off the floor, but all it took was one glance at the paranormal visitor to the Pepper Paradiso to send him right back down.