“Who’s messing up what?” Paul walked in, what hair he had left sticking up in all directions like he’d just woken from a nap. I had no idea how he spent his days at home now, since he still had no further leads on a job.

Just get through Halloween.

“Are you going to show yourself at the block party this year?” I asked Cole.

He shrugged. “Do I have to?” He popped another piece of salami in his mouth.

“Stop eating that.” I tossed the cheese and salami packages back in the refrigerator. “And yes, it would be nice if you came. Given this might be our last one.”

“Ah, give him a break, Kendra,” said Paul. He picked up a bag of opened potato chips from the counter and started crunching on them. “When you were a teenager, I’m sure you didn’t want to hang around with your parents on Halloween.”

I snatched the bag of chips from him. “We. Are. Eating. Soon.” I glared at both of them.

“Whoa. Calm down.” Paul held his hands up. Behind him, I caught a glimpse of a reporter on the news, standing outside a building with police cars and fire trucks in the background. “The level of perfection is just too high sometimes. We can’t live up to it.”

I turned back to Paul. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were aiming for mediocrity here.”

He let out a dramatic sigh. “Never mind. Forget I said a thing. I’ll set the table.” He jerked open the drawers and slammed down the silverware, his own small rebellion, and Cole used it as an opportunity to slink out.

I didn’t take the bait. I switched back to the television. I’d missed the weather report, but Maggie Lewis’s voice now filled the kitchen. I’d know it anywhere—nasal and lilting, like she was pinching her nose and trying to act surprised. What she said made me forget all about Cole and Paul.

“An I-Team special investigation,” she said. A tacky Halloween graphic with bats flying out of a haunted house appeared on screen. Then an image of the railroad bridge, fading into a sepia tone that I guess was supposed to be frightening. Maggie’s voice said, “A young woman. A tragic death. A local urban legend that comes alive each year on Halloween. But what do we really know about this story?”

Maggie appeared on screen then, doing her best to look serious. “Tonight I will take you behind the scenes to uncover the true story behind the Ghost Girl legend. We all know the rumors. But what is the truth?”

“Oh fuck,” I muttered, tossing the pasta into the pot and taking a seat at the kitchen table. I was going to need vodka for this.

Maggie narrated the history for everyone. “It was an annual block party. A harmless tradition. And then it turned deadly.”