CHAPTER 16

"Thank you, I—" Eulalie froze as Death entered the room carrying a teapot in one hand and a Viewmaster toy held to his face. His bony fingers were long enough that he could casually flick the lever that changed the image inside. He did this as he walked past, the Viewmaster letting out a hushed click as he chortled in glee.

"Can you see what he has?" Mike asked Beth.

"On it." She stood and followed Death into the dining room.

"Was that a ghost?" asked Eulalie in awe. "That teacup was just hovering, it was so wild!"

"That's...complicated." He heard Death protesting loudly and Beth came out of the dining room with the slide reel in her hand. She handed the slide to Mike, who held it up to the light.

"I will have you know, Mike Radley, that I paid mistress Tink the sum of twenty dollars for that slide," Death announced as he walked back into the room. "By the laws of state and local commerce, that item rightfully belongs to me."

He focused his eye on one image at a time and let out a laugh. The pictures were all of Tink in various states of undress, though a few of the pictures were just downright goofy. In one of them, she was wearing a pair of his boxers on her head with her nose sticking out of the fly.

"Mistress Tink?" he asked. "Since when do you call her mistress?"

"Transference of titles is another valid form of currency, Mike Radley." Death held out his hand expectantly. "Now please return my property."

"Yeah, sure." He extended his hand out, but Beth snatched it away from him.

"Where did you get twenty dollars?" Beth asked.

"Who are you guys talking to?" Eulalie asked in a whisper.

"Just a sec," Mike replied, curious to hear Death's answer.

"I found it," Death replied in an indignant tone.

"Where?" Beth asked.

The grim reaper scowled at her, the tiny flames in his eyes brightening. "In your bedroom," he replied. "On the floor. Unattended."

"That was my twenty dollars," Beth informed him with a scowl. "I keep cash in my purse for emergencies, it must have fallen out. Though I'm not sure how, because I never go anywhere."

"Aha!" He held up a bony finger. "Per the rules of 'Finders Keepers,' that money belongs to anyone who finds it when nobody else is nearby."

Beth squinted at him. "Finders Keepers isn't a valid law. But if it were, it certainly does not apply whilst inside of a domicile. Otherwise I could go into the office and claim your maps or your teacups whenever I wanted as long as you weren't around."

Death rose a hand to make a counterpoint, but faltered. "Hmm. Perhaps I misunderstood the full tenets of Finders Keepers, and I see that I have made an egregious mistake," he admitted. "In effect, those pictures now belong to you. Please accept my apologies. I would be happy to loan you my Viewmaster should you wish to view them."

"Ugh, no thanks. Here." Beth handed the disc over. "You can have it back. But no more taking money from my room."

Death took the disc from her and deftly slid it into place as he rushed out of the room toward the kitchen.

"And I want my own title!" Beth shouted after him. "Make it something good!"

"Are you guys arguing with a poltergeist?" Eulalie asked.

"That's just Death," Dana replied. "Just try not to let him walk through you, it feels awful."

"Wow," she whispered with shimmering eyes. "I always wondered what it would be like here, but never imagined it would be this busy! Emily invited Velvet and me when we were little and told us about some of the people who lived here, but I kind of forgot about them until I saw them out front. The banshee is pretty, can't believe I forgot about her."

Beth nodded. "That would be the geas," she said. "It alters memories when the old Caretaker dies."

Eulalie sighed, then looked at Mike. Her eyes shimmered under the lights of the living room. "This is so interesting, and I wish I was here under different circumstances, I really do. I often dreamt of coming here and getting to know all these different people, and maybe even being allowed to stay. But we need help. This is a lot to ask, but would you come to Oregon and see if you can help us? We just want somewhere to live in peace, I promise."

Mike nodded. The land was his, and therefore, so was the responsibility. "We can head out in the morning," he told her. "We don't have a Bigfoot, but we do have some tricks of our own. You lead me to the cabin and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you so much, I—" She opened her mouth to say something else, but her stomach growled. Wincing, she put her hands on it. "It's been awhile, sorry."

"C'mon," Beth said, then took Eulalie by the hand. "Let's see if we have anything for you to eat, then we can figure out what to do next."

Mike watched them go, then let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Once he was certain that Eulalie couldn't see him, he shuddered. Even though Eulalie seemed nice, he couldn't look at her legs without feeling baby spiders all over his face. He felt bad, and promised himself that he would do his best to get over it.

Up on the roof, Abella gazed balefully across the yard. The party had long since wrapped up, and though she was watching for signs of movement, it was the conversation inside the house that she was listening to.