The Stuffing of Nightmares (The Mysteries of Bell & Whitehouse Book 7)

Read The Stuffing of Nightmares (The Mysteries of Bell & Whitehouse Book 7) for Free Online Page B

Book: Read The Stuffing of Nightmares (The Mysteries of Bell & Whitehouse Book 7) for Free Online
Authors: Nic Saint
him. If word ever gets out about our special deal…”
    “I’m sure he doesn’t know about that. There’s no way that he could.”
    Or was there?
    Peverell sensed his hesitation. “This brother of yours could become a real problem, Brian. He needs handling.”
    “I know,” he said ruefully. “But what can I do? It’s not like I can kill him.”
    Then he caught the look on Peverell’s face. And he was shaking his head before the old man spoke the words. “You could,” the old ghost said slyly. “It would solve the problem.”
    He was still shaking his head. No way. “You can’t do that.”
    “You’re right about that. I most certainly can’t. But you could.”
    “He’s my brother. I can’t possibly do that.”
    Peverell shrugged. “Let’s see how this plays out. But your priority is the group, Brian. The group before anything else.” He gave him a penetrating look that bored straight into his soul. “Even before family, you understand?”
    Brian felt a distinct chill race up and down his spine. Even though he appreciated Peverell and all he’d done for him, the old guy still had the capacity to spook him from time to time. And now was exactly such a time.

Chapter 11
    A lice stared at the pony . She’d been on her way out with Fee and Rick when her friends spotted the peculiar package Reece had received.
    “It’s just a gift from a friend,” she said when Fee asked her what in heaven’s name that thing was doing in their hallway.
    She didn’t mention her suspicions that this old friend was actually an old girlfriend, and had shipped Reece this pony as a way to remind him of her.
    “What’s his name?” Fee asked.
    “Tony. He was the pony Reece trained on for his first starring role.”
    “Hunk,” Rick muttered.
    Even though Rick had never been a great fan of the actor, he and Reece had bonded over the course of their most recent adventure, and Rick had recently binge-watched all of his movies on Netflix.
    “So what are we going to do with it?” Fee asked.
    Alice shrugged. For all she cared they would ship it right back to where it came from. But that was not her call, of course. It wasn’t her pony to return.
    “I think he looks pretty creepy,” Fee said, rubbing her arms.
    Alice agreed. It was bad enough for some people to post the stuffed head of some poor animal on their wall as a trophy, but to stuff an entire pony? Who did that? And it wasn’t as if he looked very nice, either. Whoever had stuffed him had botched the job. There was a hump on his back where no hump should have been, and his snout was crooked as if he’d taken a hit on the nose. And then there were his eyes, which were almost lifelike. As if he wasn’t quite dead. Glass, probably.
    She stepped in for a closer look and tapped the pony’s nose. She jerked back her hand when the animal suddenly came to life!
    “Hey, what’s the big idea?” the pony asked, his lips moving.
    “Yikes!” Alice cried, jumping back.
    “What the heck?” Fee chimed in, and even Rick seemed startled, even though he was the resident Dr. Dolittle of their small band of four.
    From the confines of the dead pony a ghost pony now stepped, tearing itself loose from his formally fleshy form and hovering in the hallway like an ectoplasmic emanation. He shook himself, as if surprised to find himself in this position, then looked back at his stuffed self, going face to face, and staring dumbly into his own eyes.
    “What’s going on?” he cried. “Why is there two of me all of a sudden?”
    “Well, you died,” Alice replied, quite insensitively.
    “I did what?!” the pony exclaimed.
    “It happens,” she pointed out.
    “But then why am I still standing?” he asked. “And why am I so... stiff?”
    He nudged his stuffed self, which didn’t budge, of course.
    “Because they had you stuffed,” Alice pointed out.
    “Stuffed? They had me stuffed?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Christ! This is a nightmare!”
    “Yeah, it’s no

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