Chapter 3

Katniss beat Madge to the hot tub. Steam filled the air and she wrote a heart with KE + PM 4ever. She rubbed it off with a towel, spun and looked her body. A smile appeared when she placed her hand on her belly and twisted to see her butt.

Every muscle relaxed when she dipped her toe in the water. She loitered at each step as she descended down the stairs.

Katniss sat between two jets of water and let the bubbles surround her. She focused on her breathing, pulled he legs into her chest and her mind cleared. All thoughts of work, family, diet, exercise got pushed aside. Her mind resembled a clean whiteboard.

A cold breeze blew through, she shivered.

Katniss opened her eyes and a woman, not Madge, sat across from her. She hadn't heard anyone enter the hot tub. The woman was blurry; Katniss blinked and tried to focus her eyes.

"Your husband is right, you need glasses."

She leaned forward, "excuse me."

"I said, Peeta is correct, you need glasses."

Katniss narrowed her eyes. She felt her blood pressure rise. "Listening to a private conversation is impolite, and may be illegal."

The woman leaned back and stretched, her cleavage rose above the water line. "That didn't stop you."

She leaned in. "What?"

"Kit Kat. I'll join you in a second."

Katniss twisted around and Madge slipped out of her flip flops.

"I heard you talking to yourself." She grinned as she dipped her toe in. "The water's hot."

"I was talking to ..." Katniss examined the room and didn't see the woman she was talking to. There were a few pieces of plastic furniture, but not enough to hide behind. She dipped her head below the water and saw only bubbles.

"Katniss, are you alright? You're pale. You should be red as a beet with this heat."

"No, I'm okay, just thinking out loud."

"Listen, after we relax, come with me on my first ghost hunt."

"Um, sure, whatever."

Katniss' wide eyes kept looking around the room.

Madge laid out her ghost hunting equipment on the bed. A video camera, tripod and audio recorder to tape and review what they saw. A thermal thermometer, night vision goggles and a thermal imaging camera to see in the dark. EMF meter to measure stray electromagnetic energy in the area. Pen, paper, flashlight, and night vision goggles rounded out her equipment.

"Oh, Christ Madge! What is all this crap?"

"It's all my equipment Kit Kat. Here, you take the video camera, audio, and thermometer. I'll take the rest. We're off to the basement."

Madge and her reluctant assistant opened the door to the basement. The squeak of the hinges sent a shiver up Madge's spine. She flipped the light switch, but nothing happened. "The bulb must be out. I see another switch at the bottom."

They took one step at a time. The stairs creaked and Madge didn't twinge when Katniss dug her nails into her shoulder. She flipped the switch at the bottom of the stairs and waved her hand in front of her face in case there were cobwebs blocking her view.

She blinked as her eyes adjusted.

"What the f ...?"

"This is really nice." Katniss walked over and sat on the couch in front of the sixty-inch television. "It reminds me of your father's basement Madge."

Madge frowned. "It's kinda disappointing."

"Why? Who says basements must be dank, disgusting and dark?"

"I guess you're right."

"Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"No, the book said start in the basement and move up."

"What book?"

"Geoffry Godfrey's Guide to Ghouls, Goblins, and Ghosts. Set up the camera between the pool table and the pinball machine. I'll set up the microphone by the wine refrigerator."

"Now what?"

"Well, the book says that we should check out the area with an EMF meter. Here's a pair of night vision goggles. Turn out the lights."

"Why?"

Madge blinked her eyes like as she computed an answer. Katniss kept her gaze. "Because that's what they do on TV."

"Always trust TV." Katniss flipped the switch and donned her goggles.

"Follow me."

"Madge, why are we whispering?" She glared at Katniss. "Oh, that's right. TV told us to."

They examined every inch of the basement, including the furnace room, wine cellar, storage closet, and exercise room.

Madge's heart pounded every time the meter flicker only to feel a twinge of disappointment when the needle would settle back to zero.

"Madge."

"What?"

"Are we done?"

Madge stood up straight and made a beeline for the light switch. "I suppose so." She frowned as she removed her goggles and turned off the equipment.

"Don't worry. This was only your first time," Katniss said. "Let's have a beer."

They sat on the couch, turned on a classic movie and drank beer.

Madge woke first and pulled a blanket around herself. "It's freezing down here." Her mouth tasted like cotton. She rubbed her eyes and Katniss came into focus. "He, he, he," she poked Katniss.

Katniss swatted her away and rubbed her arms. "Brrrr. What are you laughing at?"

Madge giggled and led Katniss to a mirror in the exercise room. "Look."

Katniss narrowed her eyes when she saw the black rings around them. "Oh my God, I'm going to kill who did this," she said. "I look like a raccoon."

Madge grabbed her sides and bent over laughing. "No ... you have black across the top of your nose. I think they're glasses."

"Peeta ... is a dead man."

Gale sat on the bed while Madge was out playing ghost hunter. His terrible round of golf played on his mind. He didn't mind losing to Peeta. Peeta had improved over the past couple of years, mainly thanks to Gale's tutelage. What made Gale's blood pressure go through the roof was the thought that he's gone from playing golf at his personal best to hack in such a short time.

This time last year he was hitting 250-yard drives down the center of the fairway. Now he's lucky if it's only twenty yards into the rough. He's run his swing through his mind over and over, even had it videotaped, but he couldn't identify the problem. His next step might be to consult a pro.

Gale lay back and closed his eyes. "Maybe some sleep will take my mind off it."

A floorboard creaked, his heart pounded, Gale's eyes popped open. "Madge, is that you?" It would be hard to miss his wife in the small bedroom. He got up and examined the bathroom, empty. "I must have imagined the footsteps." He felt goosebumps as he rubbed his arms and shivered.

"You didn't imagine anything."

Gale instinctively reached for his gun but spun around empty handed. His eyes got tremendous and he backed up.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Reginald." He held one of Gale's clubs and swung it back and forth as he stepped towards Gale.

"What are you doing in my room, Reginald?" Gale asked.

"Just thought I'd pay you a visit."

He sized up the intruder. Gale could easily take him. He only had to time it right so he didn't get hit by the club.

Gale lowered his head and charged. He wrapped his arms around Reginald's waist to tackle him.

"Whoa!" Gale went flying across the bed and landed on the floor. "What the ..."

"Why did you do that?" Reginald asked.

Gale looked over the bed and squinted at him. Gale couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Reginald looked odd. He looked transparent. Gale stood up.

"What's wrong Gale?"

Gale's mouth went dry. He backed up.

"There's no reason to be nervous."

He backed up against the wall.

"But ... you're not real."

"Don't be silly, of course, I'm real. You can see me, can't you?"

"That doesn't mean I'm not hallucinating."

Reginald frowned and poked Gale with the club. "Does that feel like a hallucination?"

Gale's face went ashen, his legs buckled. Reginald stood over him. "You're a ghost?"

"Get up Gale." He held out his hand.

Gale complied with the apparition's order and stood at attention.

"Gale, you have a problem."

Gale narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You're too stiff, you have to loosen up." Gale raised one eyebrow and let his muscles relax. "You're not centered."

"What?"

"You're not keeping your body centered. That why your swing is off."

"Really, how would you know that?"

"I watched you and that lawyer guy take practice swings outside."

"But how do you know what I should do?"

"I was the golf pro at the Putnam Country Club for years. At least till I died."

"Okay, now we're talking."

Reginald gave Gale pointers on his swing and Gale peppered him with questions on every aspect of his golf game and he was only happy to oblige.

"Thanks. I can't wait to get out in the morning."

"Why wait?"

The door opened. "Gale, who are you talking to?"

Madge stood in the doorway with her night vision goggles on top of her head. Her face was flush and her blonde head of hair was mussed.

"I was ... " Gale did a 360. He looked under the bed, behind the drapes, in the bathroom. He couldn't find Reginald. "Um, I lost a golf ball."

"Jeez, Gale, you're so pale."

"No, I'm fine."

"Good, I have to take a shower before dinner." Madge kissed him on top of the head.

Gale heard the bathroom door close, but his eyes darted around the room.

"Come on out back and I'll show you what I mean."

Madge found Katniss on the back deck.

"I see you washed the black off. Did you kill Peeta?"

"It wasn't him. He and Gale were out the whole time we were in the basement."

"Who do you think did it?"

"Peeta said one of your ghosts did it. I hit him."

"Good for you. Have you seen Gale?"

Katniss nodded her head towards the cage in the backyard. Gale took swing after swing.

"Is he talking to himself?" Madge asked.

"It looks like it."

"What do you think Kat?"

Katniss bit her lip and stared at her childhood friend.

"Katniss, answer me, what do you think?"

"I think he's finally flipped his lid. I told him golf would do him."

"I couldn't agree more," Madge said.

Gale sat next to Madge at breakfast. Sae served oatmeal. The raisins added some flavor to the tasteless gruel. Gale struggled to chew the cardboard-like meal. He felt it thud when it hit his stomach.

"You have any Mound of Meat left?" Katniss asked.

Gale kept his eyes on his bowl and took another bite.

"Gale, answer me."

He pointed to his full mouth.

"You have meat left, don't you?" Katniss narrowed her eyes. "Gale, I'll pay you for a piece of meat."

Gale moved one seat over and took another bite; he couldn't close his jaw. Katniss followed him.

"I can't believe you won't assist your partner when she's in need."

Gale swallowed just as Sae sat down. "Good morning everyone," she said.

"Good morning," Gale and Katniss said in unison.

"Sae, I have a question. Madge mentioned a ghost named Reginald. Do you know his story?"

Katniss raised one eyebrow. "I thought you didn't believe in ghosts."

"Um, I don't. I'm just helping my lovely wife with some research." He and Madge exchanged a smile and a wave.

"Oh sure, Reggie. He was a golf pro at the Putnam Country Club back in the fifties," Sae said.

"How was he as a golfer?"

"I hear he was good, he played all the time and won a handful of local tournaments. He's sort of a local legend at the clubs in the area. He even designed the course at the Fischer Club."

Gale nodded and pushed the oatmeal away. "Um, that's very interesting. How did he die?" He tried to wash down the oatmeal with pear juice.

"It's a tragic story. He died right on the property here.

Gale and Katniss leaned in. "How?" Katniss asked.

"Well, he came by to talk to the owner of the house at the time. His wife drove up and they had a big fight."

Gale's eyes got tremendous.

"She whopped him over the head with his own nine iron."

Gale spat out his pear juice.

"Gale! What the ..."

"Oh dear. Let me help you clean up." Sae grabbed some towels and patted down Katniss.

Gale grabbed the towel from Sae and tossed it to Katniss.

"Thanks a lot, Gale."

"No problem Kat. Sae go on." Sae continued to clean up Katniss. "She can take care of that Sae, right Kat?"

"Well, actually-"

"Thanks, Katniss, go one Sae." Katniss slumped in her chair and Gale leaned in.

"He fell face down right there on the front lawn."

"Wow, why'd she do it?"

"She was angry about him playing so much golf ..." He spat out more pear juice in Katniss' direction.

"GALE!"

Sae rushed to Katniss' aid again. Gale bolted to Madge's side and whispered in her ear.

"Now?"

He took her hand and they sprinted upstairs.

"He seems a little hyper, doesn't he?" Sae said.

"Yeah, it's like having a six-foot poodle for a partner."

"Hey, you ready to go antiquing?"

"Peeta, I'm soaked in pear juice."

"So, no?"