Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Ignoring Rick's cranky mood, which wasn't much better than Gabe's, Natalie stood.

She had more important things to worry about than Rick. Such as what would have Alice knocking on her door almost an hour before the shop opened?

"Good morning, Alice," she greeted with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "It's not ten yet."

"Get out of the way, girl. I'm not here to shop. We have important things to discuss." Alice pushed past her and into the meeting room. "And why are you sitting in here by yourself anyway?"

"I was, um, doing my… morning meditation."

"Well, meditate on this. They chose the venue for Ghost House ." As she announced it, Alice moved to flop back into the chair currently occupied by Harriet.

"No!" Leaping forward, Natalie grabbed both of Alice's arms and pivoted the diminutive woman toward the empty chair she'd vacated. "Sit here. That other chair has a horrible spring problem."

Once Alice was seated, Natalie perched on the edge of the coffee table and let out a breath. "Now what were you saying about Ghost House ?" she asked.

"They didn't choose Mudville," Alice announced with a scowl.

"Oh, no. That's terrible. I'm so upset." Natalie ignored Gabe's snort over her poor acting.

"I am upset. It would have been fun," Rick commented.

Harriet shook her head. "I don't know. All those strangers in town."

Unaware of the conversation happening around her, Alice continued, "They chose a supposedly haunted theater in Utica. Humph . What a racket. They didn't even have a ghost voice on tape the way we did."

"I am sorry, Alice. I know you're disappointed after how hard you worked to get Mudville on the show." That, at least, was the truth.

Alice waved one hand. "That's the least of my concerns. You won't believe who they hired to lead the cast."

Natalie shook her head. "I couldn't even guess."

"That fake Madame Letisha!"

Harper's discredit campaign had spread the word far and wide—or at least to the Mudville town line—about how Madame Letisha was a fraud. Alice was visibly upset over the choice and Natalie couldn't blame her.

Was there no justice? Letisha was no better than a grifter. An overt scammer.

She lied for a living and the Paranormal Channel was going to put her on television and make her a household name for doing it? Okay, Natalie did a good bit of lying herself but she didn't take people's money for it.

Letisha's business would skyrocket. She'd be able to peddle her fake clairvoyant medium services and swindle innocent trusting people all across the country. People who might be depending on her for actual help with a ghost problem.

"What are you going to do about it?" Natalie asked knowing Alice was not the type to sit quietly and let things pass. Not when she was this riled up.

More knocking on the window had Natalie and the ghosts glancing at the front of the shop one more time.

Harper stood there yelling through the glass, "Oh my God! Did you hear? Madame Letisha!"

"So much for our meeting," Rick grumbled.

Gabe let out a short laugh. "The meeting can wait. This is far more entertaining."

Natalie shot Gabe a glare for that comment as she stood to unlock the door again for Harper.

Harper stormed inside, saying as she walked, "We can't let that charlatan get famous off this show."

"I agree," Natalie nodded. "But what can we do? Write more letters?"

"Or… we put our own ghost whisperer up for the cast and have her shame that con artist," Alice said, and she stared directly at Natalie as she said it.

She felt the blood drain from her face. How could they know? Who had told? Did Gabe use his and Millie's new ability to be heard to tattle on her?

As Natalie's brain spun as she feared she might pass out from lack of oxygen, because she might have stopped breathing even though her heart was pounding like a racehorse, Harper grabbed her shoulders.

"Yes! You have to apply. You were so good leading that seance last Halloween," Harper said.

Thinking playing dumb was the best course of action—for lack of a better plan—Natalie asked, "Why me? Harper, you're the one writing the ghost book. A famous author with a social media following. They'll love you."

"Hell, I'll apply too. You too, Alice. And Agnes. We all should. Can you picture Letisha's reaction when she sees us all there knowing we know she's running a scam?"

As Alice agreed with Harper, the ghosts in the room carried on their own conversation.

"Now I do wish they'd chosen Mudville. This is going to be one hell of a show," Harriet said.

"Is Utica too far for us to go watch?" Gabe asked.

"Not sure. I never tried traveling that far. They'd have to be filming close to Halloween for us to have any chance at all of making it," Rick commented.

"Can they get a show cast and in production that quickly?" Harriet asked.

Natalie noticed that all three of the ghosts were now looking to her for an answer. Meanwhile she was having a hard enough time keeping track of both conversations happening simultaneously.

To keep the spirit coalition happy, and probably the livings as well, she drew in a breath and asked, "Do you know when they'll start filming?"

"In a couple of weeks. The cast will be locked in the theater for a week. Four days of filming, then the final episode will be broadcast live on Halloween night," Alice explained.

"Not really a ghost house though, is it? Since it's in a theater ." Harper was obviously still upset that a location within Mudville hadn't been chosen, until she grabbed Natalie's arms excitedly. "Nat, you have to apply with me. Please ."

The invisible peanut gallery behind Harper all watched and waited for her answer just as Harper and Alice did.

Natalie didn't want to do it. Subject herself to not only the audition process and the possibility of rejection. Or worse, get on the cast and have to be locked in a haunted theater with an unknown number of ghosts and Madame Letisha. For a week! Then have to be on live television, when the last time she'd tried that she'd frozen and made a fool of herself in front of the entire WBNG viewing area.

It all sounded like the seventh circle of hell.

There were so many reasons not to do this and only one real reason to do it. Exposing Madame Letisha as a fraud.

Apparently that one reason was enough.

"Okay, I'll do it."

There was rejoicing all around—from both the living and the dead. Even Gabe smiled. She'd made everyone happy. But she had to wonder what making everyone else happy was going to cost her in the end.