Duke, The Spook

16. A Realtor's Struggle

Duke stood next to the street, unsure of what to do next. Of course, his first reaction was to simply go back inside the house, but he wasn't sure if that was a good idea anymore. Perhaps it would be better if he just left.

But where would I go? Duke knew that he could go anywhere, but the only place he wanted to be was right there. Not only was this his home, but it was where Violet was, and he couldn't just leave her—especially with her thinking that he was harming her brother.

Leaving would also mean that Vincent had won, Duke thought. I am never going to let that happen.

Duke looked up at the attic window. It was lit up with the overhead lights. Just then, the curtains started to close. The light shrunk from a circle to a sliver, and then it was gone.

I have to fix this, Duke thought. I just have to.

Duke made himself invisible and sneaked back into the house through the kitchen. He went back to the spare bedroom, not caring about any hidden cameras picking anything up.

She already knows a ghost is here.

Once he made it to the spare bedroom, Duke began his usual pacing and thinking. The best thing would be to convince Violet that Lionel and her brother was gone. He thought about ways of making it look like the ghosts were leaving the house, but lying made him feel even worse. He knew deep down that the only thing he actually wanted to do was to tell Violet the truth.

Hi, Violet. I'm actually a ghost—the ghost in your house. I'm Lionel Weatherby. I just changed my name to Duke because that's who I feel like, not Lionel. And, yes, I did kind of kill the last owners, but it was an accident. Also, your brother's not here. That was Vincent. He's a jerk, and he was just trying to get me into trouble.

Even if he didn't use those exact words, there didn't seem to be a better way to put it.

There's got to be a better way. She said I'm her friend. How can I get out of this mess but still keep Violet as a friend?

Duke thought himself in circles as he walked countless half-circles around the bed. The sun rose, Mr. Gunderson went into his office, and Violet even emerged from the attic by ten o'clock, but Duke was so concentrated on his increasingly frantic thoughts that he didn't notice. It wasn't until he heard her voice that he snapped out of it.

"Sue, how lovely to see you!"

Stacey Winston?

"Oh, come on in, Stace!" Mrs. Gunderson said.

Duke poked his head out of the bedroom to hear better.

"I really love what you've done with the place. Oh, my, look at the chandelier. I've never seen it sparkle brighter."

"Awww! Thank you!" Mrs. Gunderson said. "It was a lot of work to get this place whipped back into shape, but it was so worth it. Well, Stace, it sure is . . . a surprise to see you. What brings you by?"

There was a pause. "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Gunderson laughed. "I mean that I wasn't expecting anyone today. I would have brushed my hair. Forgive the curls. They're feeling a little rowdy today."

"But . . . didn't you have Violet call me?"

If Duke had a heart, he was sure it would have sunk into his feet.

"Have . . . Violet . . . call you?" Mrs. Gunderson laughed uneasily. "No."

"Oh, hi, Stace." It was Violet. "I'm so glad you could make it over. We have a lot to talk about."