Mary walked down the hall to the bedroom, passing Rudy on the way. After she changed into her pajamas, she made the kissing noise that would summon him. She climbed under the covers and turned off her lamp. Rudy had still not come. She smooched again. She did not hear his collar jingle.
Concerned, Mary turned on her lamp and got up. She went into the hall, turning on the light. Rudy was sitting in the laundry room doorway, and he was watching into the dark.
“Rudy?”
Rudy turned his head and yawned. Mary grabbed his collar. He didn’t resist as she guided him to the bedroom. She sat on the bed, and he jumped up onto his side.
“What’s up, buddy?” asked Mary. “Did you see a ghost?”
Rudy lay with his head up and his front paws crossed. He looked at her. Mary crawled under the covers again and turned off the lamp. She felt him flop down into sleeping position.
Mary’s eyes popped open. ‘Dogs were sensitive. Maybe Rudy really did see a ghost.’ This thought brought goosebumps. ‘Where has the ghost been? Why did it show up just now?’
‘Maybe it’s here on the anniversary of its murder.’ She sat up. Rudy shifted and got down. She heard his claws clack on the hardwood as he went into the hallway. She got up and turned on the lamp.
‘If there was a murder, then there would have been blood. UV lights find blood on TV all the time. I still have that UV flashlight from Halloween last year.’
Mary went to her closet and felt around on the top shelf. ‘Got it.’
She went into the hallway, carrying the flashlight, and saw Rudy sitting in the doorway. He looked over at her and then back into the room. As she approached, he stood up, stepped forward, and growled. Mary stepped back and felt the hairs on her arms rise.
“What is it, boy?” asked Mary.
Rudy sat down again. Mary stepped around him and into the laundry room. She scanned the floor and then the walls. She spotted it. A splotch with runs on the wall to the left of the washer.
‘Oh, my God,’ thought Mary. ‘Something did happen here.’ She turned on the light. On her way back to the bedroom, she turned on the hall light. She got under the covers and left her lamp on.
Mary sat down in her chair after helping Tina bring in her laundry baskets. She was reading about ghosts on her computer. Tina went down the hall with her baskets. It was a familiar ritual. They were seldom aware of each other. Then Mary remembered what she found last night.
“Hey, Mary, what’s with Rudy?” called Tina.
Mary went to the laundry room. There was Rudy in the doorway.
“Rudy found a ghost. Someone was murdered here. Very dramatic.”
“What?” Tina’s mouth opened and closed with wide eyes. “How the hell do you know that? Why am I just now finding out?”
“Well, I just found out last night. I found all the blood.”
“Blood?” Tina looked around, then back at Mary. She raised one eyebrow.
“Well, it was last night. The lights were off, and I used the UV light from last Halloween. Like on CSI Miami. I’ve been watching it on Netflix.”
“Huh. CSI. You know that’s just TV, right?”
“I’ll show you! Pull the curtains, and I’ll get the flashlight.”
Mary rushed to the bedroom and got the flashlight from her nightstand. She went back to Tina, stepping around Rudy. The room was darker.
“Here,” said Mary. She pointed the flashlight where she had found the blood last night, and the splat showed up immediately. Tina started laughing.
“What the hell’s so funny?” asked Mary.
“Sis, that’s where I spilled detergent a few weeks ago.”
“No, it’s blood,” explained Mary.
“No, it’s detergent. I’m sorry. Not murder.” Mary felt alone. She went back to her chair, and Tina stopped laughing. Mary looked up pictures of dogs on her computer.
Tina’s car pulled out of the driveway.
Mary went to get Rudy; he needed to go out. He was no longer in the doorway; he was sniffing the baseboard by the dryer. A mouse burst out from behind the dryer and into a slight gap between baseboards. He snapped at it but missed.
