GHOST 👻 (A Paranormal Romance)

Strange Coincidence?

As Dylan and I enter the  Museum, I see the show's theme is an interesting mix of macabre history and witchcraft. We grab a sandwich in the gift shop and then amble through an exhibit titled, Modern Paganism. It's quite empty in the gallery. I feel relaxed knowing we can talk here privately.

Entering one of the other exhibit rooms, we suddenly hear a crashing noise behind us and then the echo of footsteps running down the hall. Someone who was listening nearby accidentally knocked over one of the statues. Immediately, an Inspector Poirot style curator appears, wringing his hands. "What's happened to our prized exhibit?" Distressed, he raises his eyebrows at us and waits for an explanation.

I point towards the exit. "Whoever did this ran outside." Disgusted, the museum official turns and heads towards the exit, muttering under his breath about drug induced vandalism.

That's when I notice Dylan's limping. I stop walking and gently grab him by the arm. "Dylan, please let me look at your foot. Whoever was eaves dropping on us is long gone." Finding a marble bench up against the wall, I sit Dylan down and prop his foot onto my lap for inspection. After I get his sock off, I see his foot's pretty banged up. The top is covered with black and blue bruises.

When I gently his foot and gently trying to bend it, he emits a sharp gasp of pain. "I think it might be broken," he says through gritted teeth. He seems surprised by the injury. "My foot didn't hurt like this after it was clipped by the truck." He winces in pain as he stand up.

I offer him my shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to the emergency room."

As we're making our way out back to his car, he asks me about his step uncle. "What did you want to tell me about Jerry?"

I decide to tell him everything I've learned about Jerry's involvement, including my suspicions about his sketchy background. "Julia told me he has a wolf tattoo on his body. One he got while he was in the military. She also told me Harlan's nickname for him was The Gray Wolf."

Dylan stops hobbling, giving me a sharp look. "Lizzy, everything you've just told me is circumstantial. It's not real evidence. Besides, how does she know he has a tattoo on his body?" I think he's subconsciously defending his step uncle, but I notice he looks troubled. At his car, he hands me the keys.  After I start up the engine, he says. "There is something that I wondered about," he muses. Why did Jerry initially send me to talk to you?"

I look over at him without blinking. "I think he did it to throw you off his trail." Dylan grimaces with pain, but I can't tell if it's because his foot hurts or he's afraid of my driving. As we pull into emergency room parking lot, I see an ambulance arrive at the hospital's bay doors. I sharply inhale. Someone's been in a terrible accident. I can see by the first responder's frantic movements that the victim has been seriously injured. Grabbing a wheel chair to bring Dylan into the emergency room, I see the ambulance's gurney being offloaded. Sticking out of the blood stained sheets are a pair of clunky high heels. My heart clenches as I gasp in surprise. Donna's been in a terrible accident!

Oh My God, I think she's dead!

Thank you for reading!👻