Chapter 14 Ghosted
Skitters the Cat is becoming a drug mule. Actually, Skitters can barely lug around his own lumpy butt, let alone drugs, but his handler has discovered his furry friend excels as a closer. Today on Quirky Cat Nips, we're airing Chapter 14 of Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted in our ongoing presentation of this hilarious audiobook. Meow Kitties!
Listen to Episode #25 Now:
Transcript:
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This is Pet Life Radio.
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Let's talk pets.
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Announcer: Cat lovers and feline friends, it's time for Adele Park's Quirky Cat Nips.
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Announcer: Today on the Quirky Cat Nips Podcast, we're airing a chapter of Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted, which we will do until the entire audio book has been broadcasted.
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Announcer: We invite all you kitties to kick back now, relax and enjoy Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted by Adele Park.
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For!
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Announcer: Audio Recording St.
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Announcer: George Presents Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted Written, produced and edited by Adele Park Narrated by a full cast.
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A Directive from Gertrude Fletcher, Head of the Naval Utah Department of Motor Vehicles, Part 14.
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It's curious how people fail to see what is right before their very eyes.
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They walk around with filters over their consciousness, blocking out that which should be obvious.
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Operating on autopilot is a dangerous way to behave, especially if you're behind the wheel of a two-ton vehicle.
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Really, the Department of Motor Vehicles should be more discriminant in who they issue licenses to.
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Despite his inabilities to see a ghost who is in his house every day, Brandon Spinkle has a new awareness.
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Brandon stumbled upon the ghost of Delphina Fletcher on the bridge at Juniper Hollow, even though he didn't know what he was looking at.
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My husband Boyd is also unaware his mother is scaring people to death, understanding only that something isn't quite right.
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During our marriage, Boyd's obsession with Juniper Hollow began to rub off on me.
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We both had our reasons to sift through the rubble of that sad and sinister place.
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At the end of the day, they amounted to the same thing.
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Heinous crimes were committed on this property.
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Boyd was looking for justice.
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I suppose in a way I was too.
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We just had different motives.
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I am a woman of duty.
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Even in death, I take pride in running an efficient operation.
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Although technically retired from the occupation I had before I moved to Utah, I continued to be vigilant in my observations.
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Unbeknownst to Boyd, I was fully briefed on the situation at Juniper Hollow.
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Having worked for the organization which essentially helped the Fletcher's fall to ruin, I knew far more than I let on.
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Although I was retired from double deuces, I felt the heavy weight of the mob activities that marred the otherwise pristine Christian landscape of Naval Utah.
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Boyd no longer cried over the financial spilt milk of the past.
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He was looking to clear the name of his mother, Delphina.
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He was haunted by her memory, both figuratively and mentally.
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With Brandon Spinkle's revived interest in Juniper Hollow, sparked by the recent discovery of the photo showing Delphina's apparition on the bridge, perhaps Boyd can get the piece he seeks.
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But no one, Boyd, Brandon, or Blu McKenna, is going to receive this until Delphina gets her moment of reckoning.
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In case you haven't noticed, you've been ghosted.
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Chapter 14, Brandon Spinkle.
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I finally get how people can be paralyzed with fear.
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Someone was yelling their head off.
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Taj, I might have been yelling too, I don't know.
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Time gets warped when your worst nightmare is coming to life.
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Our entire marijuana site was torched.
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In that moment, however, it wasn't financial ruin that had my knees knocking.
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It was that fucking ghost thing that told us to get out.
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By then, the yelling was all over, so I heard the voice clearly.
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It was blue.
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Only she was green and you could see through her.
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This wasn't a flat image or a cloud of smoke.
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This was three-dimensional Freddy Krueger piss your pants real.
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The question now was who burned down our crop?
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Dad got home just a few minutes after we did.
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He had Rudy with him, which made me think maybe he really did go to some doctor deal in Naval.
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Dad wasn't off the list of suspects.
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He just didn't occupy the top two spots.
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Those were reserved for Taj's ex-boyfriend, a guy I call Brucifer, and Moon McKenna.
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I can understand why Moon would have gone all pyro, but why would Bruce?
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If he drove all the way from Vegas and somehow managed to find the Oasis, why would he set the damn thing on fire?
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Revenge didn't seem likely.
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He'd given Taj the old heave-ho a long time ago and was busy jacking off with some other guy.
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I don't have to be at the banner until later in the morning, which gave me time to drive out to the Oasis after everyone else had left for the pool.
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Rudy and Dad are taking a swim class taught by Taj, which is hilarious because he has to call my dad Dr.
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Spinkle.
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I get to call his dad Tom no matter where we are.
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I took the roundabout way going to the Oasis, careful not to drive by Gecko's Gulch.
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It was quiet when I got there.
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Nothing but the sound of crickets and a few birds.
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It still felt sinister as hell, like the whole place had been cursed.
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Even Skitters seemed a little buggy.
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Not enough to stay in the Jeep, but he didn't saunter through the place like he normally would.
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Depression set in as I saw the charred remains of what once was a thriving business.
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No sign of the creepy Cruella thing we saw last night.
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Thank God.
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If there really were crosses staked in the ground, they were gone now.
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The only thing ensnared in the blackened bushes were a few stubborn leaves, dangling like burnt bats.
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I started getting pissed about the whole thing.
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Sure that Moon and maybe even Dad were screwing with us.
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Of course, there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it.
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It about killed me to be all, lo-dee-do, everything's just hunky-dory during breakfast this morning.
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Frustrated, I kicked a burnt log.
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It burst open with a satisfying crack.
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Then the stink seeped out.
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Cripes.
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That fucking green mist was back.
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This time, I didn't waste my breath screaming.
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Bolting back the way I'd come, I tripped a couple of times, scrambling to get away from that gaseous gangrene mist.
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Yowzers!
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How can anything smell so bad?
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Skitters jumped in the jeep at the same time as me, making me thump my head on the roof in surprise.
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I'd forgotten all about Skitters when I beat feet out of the oasis.
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Whatever is in there isn't natural.
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Taj was right.
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It wasn't worth it to try and grow ganja there anymore.
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I would have been on my own anyway since Taj is now scared straight.
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It's possible Dad has rifled through our stuff at Legacy Grove.
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He didn't find anything.
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The pound or so of weed we had left was still vacuum sealed and snuggled safely in some frozen food boxes in the packing shed refrigerator.
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Taj never kept any pipes in the house.
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He had some stuff stashed by his split sofa, which is just a glorified rock Taj sits on while he's getting blitzed.
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I'm sure it's gone by now.
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Taj isn't saying much these days.
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Between almost getting busted for growing weed and a little misunderstanding I have with Danica, he's icing me out.
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Okay, maybe I've been a little flirty with a contact for the Naval Weekly banner.
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There's a girl in town, Mandy Tillens, who qualified for the National Extreme Sports Championship in skimboarding.
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I've been spending a lot of time down at Cinnamon Sands watching her practice.
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It's a great gig, especially since Mandy has the legs of a goddess.
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No kidding.
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I'll bet her inseam is 40 inches.
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Watching her pull off a perfect pop shove-it in that lime green bikini gives me solid wood for a week.
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I'm surprised Mandy's mom lets her out of the house in that thing.
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Maybe she doesn't know about it.
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Lots of girls change outfits before they go home at night.
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Don't get me wrong.
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Danica looks amazing in a swimming suit.
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Only hers is a red one-piece with a white cross on the front.
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Cute, but not wood-inducing.
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Danica should be more understanding.
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As a member of the press, I have to cover all kinds of news, including stuff that involves foxy babes like Mandy.
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Taj says that I'm a man-whore.
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Whatever.
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At least I get some.
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The tributaries of the Stratton River are super shallow in places, creating perfect conditions for skimboarding.
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There's a big competition happening at Cinnamon Sands on Saturday.
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Knowing I'd be out there all day doing interviews and taking pics, I got my boss at the banner to let me have Friday off.
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Needing the money, I wanted to unload the rest of our weed before dad finds it.
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The problem was, who could we sell it to?
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Kaylee Fitzsimmons was out.
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She'd rather slice me like a sandwich than buy what is undoubtedly the best ganja she's ever smoked.
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Sludge, our buddy from school, is at football camp.
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As much as Taj hated to do it, I got him to text his ex, Brucifer.
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Satan that he is.
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Brucifer said sure, but we had to front it to him.
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No chance.
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I trust that asshole about as far as I can bench press him.
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That left Remy Samisota, a limo driver at Diamonds in the Desert Casino.
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Technically, this could be a tough sale.
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I think Remy's parting words to us last time we called on him had something to do with beating the crap out of us or calling the cops.
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I knew he wouldn't do either one, but it was obvious he wanted us out of sight.
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Now, we were having a literal fire sale.
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Would Remy take the bait?
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We were prepared to offer the deal of a lifetime.
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I woke up early Friday morning.
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I was too nervous to sleep, but didn't go in the house, knowing that might make dad suspicious.
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Usually I'm not up until a few minutes before I have to leave for the banner.
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With nothing to do, I took a shower, even though I had showered the night before.
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I tried working on my skimboarding story, only to get an extreme chubby brought on by visions of Mandy's lime green bikini.
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I spent some quality time doing the old five-knuckle chuckle.
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When 11 a.m.
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finally rolled around, Skitters and I headed west to the city of sin.
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Destination?
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Diamonds in the Desert Casino.
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Announcer: Hang tight, kitties.
00:12:19.370 --> 00:12:20.930
Announcer: We'll be back in a scratch.
00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:27.550
Announcer: In the mood for a killer audiobook?
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Announcer: Quirky Killers by Adele Park is the story of a serial bride who sends her husbands to heaven in a hurry.
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Announcer: Too bad the cops don't see the humor in this and arrest this woman who is just trying to make sure everyone gets to meet God.
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Announcer: Quirky Killers.
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Announcer: Get it today on audible.com.
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Announcer: You'll die laughing.
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Announcer: Take a bite out of your competition.
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Remi works at night, so I was pretty sure he'd be around.
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Diamonds in the Desert has a tower on its property for employee housing.
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Remi didn't answer when I knocked.
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Shit.
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What was I going to do?
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I knocked again, startled when a gruffy voice asked, Who the fuck is it?
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Answering that question seemed like a bad idea.
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I stood where I was, waiting for Remi to open the door.
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When he saw it was me, he tried to close it again, but by then, Skitters had dashed into the apartment.
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Good kitty.
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Too bad I had left Skitters' home last time I was in Vegas and hightailed it out of town butt naked.
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Skitters has an uncanny way of knowing when to step in.
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It's like he can understand what humans are saying.
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I was stoked to see my faithful four-legged companion was laying it on Remy, rubbing against his ankles and purring so loud I could hear him across the room.
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Remy must like cats because he actually picked Skitters up even though he weighs as much as a barrel of lead paint.
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Skitters isn't normally a cuddle-me-close kind of kitty, but he seemed to be enjoying his purr session with Remy.
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Keep it up, kitty.
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When this is over, there's a number five from Holy Cow Hamburgers with your name on it.
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I've got an offer you can't refuse, I said.
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Wow, talk about a stupid sales pitch.
00:15:07.910 --> 00:15:15.910
Before Remy could object, I continued with, I've got a pound of Agent Orange you can have for a thousand bucks.
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This time, Remy actually laughed.
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What was so funny?
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It was worth way more than that, even at the legal dispensary in Boulder, Colorado, where dad's drug dealer works.
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Fortunately, Remy looked hung over.
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Here, I said, handing him a spliff Taj rolled for this very purpose.
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Then Remy did the unthinkable.
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He left the room with Skitters still in his arms.
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Oh my God, was he catnapping Skitters?
00:15:49.310 --> 00:15:51.750
How was I going to explain this to Moon's twins?
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He was still their cat.
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I was just looking after him for the summer.
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My heart was slamming against my chest, reminding me of that joke about acute angina that Taj likes to tell.
00:16:05.570 --> 00:16:09.290
Yeah, like he'd really appreciate acute angina.
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There must have been a battery operated clock somewhere in the apartment because I could hear slow and steady ticks.
00:16:16.730 --> 00:16:19.790
Like the damn thing was counting off the seconds of my life.
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Or maybe Skitters.
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Should I run for it?
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What about leaving no cat behind?
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I wasn't in the army, but I did have some sense of decency.
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Remy came back in the room before I had a chance to do anything.
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He was carrying a giant bong.
00:16:37.690 --> 00:16:41.750
The water was so filthy, it could qualify as a hazardous substance.
00:16:42.510 --> 00:16:44.770
I took it as a sign Remy likes his reefer.
00:16:45.330 --> 00:16:48.130
Two tokes was all it took to close the deal.
00:16:48.990 --> 00:16:49.990
It wasn't a good one.
00:16:50.970 --> 00:16:54.470
Remy haggled me down to $500 for the whole lot.
00:16:55.350 --> 00:16:56.870
What a rip-off.
00:16:58.070 --> 00:17:03.770
By now, Skitters was back in the room, so at least I wouldn't have to explain what happened to him.
00:17:04.670 --> 00:17:06.650
Can you at least buy me some vodka?
00:17:07.630 --> 00:17:12.250
I still hadn't replaced the bottle of gray goose I swiped from Dad's liquor cabinet.
00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:19.990
Dad was a space cadet for sure these days, but he knows his liquor cabinet the way some people know the back of their hand.
00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:23.350
Remy let out another condescending laugh.
00:17:24.070 --> 00:17:30.130
Afraid he would kick me out, I said, Come on, Remy, there's a liquor store right in the casino.
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I'll get you a bottle too.
00:17:33.090 --> 00:17:38.770
I really didn't want to do that, especially since everything in there is obscenely overpriced.
00:17:39.710 --> 00:17:52.350
With a little assistance from Skitters, who was now sitting in Remy's lap enjoying a secondhand bong hit, I finally coaxed him into buying two bottles of Grey Goose for me and a bottle of gin for him.
00:17:53.070 --> 00:17:55.430
It was a five-finger filch for sure.
00:17:56.290 --> 00:18:00.450
Those three items set me back 149 bucks.
00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:09.630
Taj was going to lose his nugget, even though he created this whole mess by daring me to swipe the vodka from Dad's liquor cabinet.
00:18:10.450 --> 00:18:15.110
I know now Blue was in our house when we grabbed the Grey Goose last fall.
00:18:15.990 --> 00:18:20.670
For a long time, I thought it was just paranoia brought on by stress.
00:18:21.610 --> 00:18:25.910
That little jigaboo in the oasis the other night wiped out all doubt.
00:18:26.850 --> 00:18:29.950
Blue may be dead, but she's not gone.
00:18:30.850 --> 00:18:35.950
I dreaded the thought of having to go to our house alone to replace the bottle of vodka.
00:18:36.670 --> 00:18:38.370
At least it would be during the day.
00:18:39.230 --> 00:18:45.030
I parked my jeep a block away, worried that if Taj's dad was in town, he might see me.
00:18:45.890 --> 00:18:48.450
I entered through the backyard, scaling the fence.
00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:51.870
This time, I used my key to get in.
00:18:52.850 --> 00:18:58.430
The house felt like an ancient ruin, not just because no one had been in it for a while.
00:18:59.290 --> 00:19:02.030
It was like the whole place was sad.
00:19:03.090 --> 00:19:10.790
Not wanting to waste time, I headed straight for the liquor cabinet, replacing the gray goose in what I hoped was its original spot.
00:19:11.850 --> 00:19:18.830
I was just about to take a quick leak in the downstairs bathroom when the smell rolled in like a blast of buttqueef.
00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:23.050
I should be used to this by now, but I'm not.
00:19:24.130 --> 00:19:25.310
What do you want?
00:19:26.470 --> 00:19:32.350
I screamed this question so loud, I'm sure Remy heard me at Diamonds in the Desert.
00:19:33.310 --> 00:19:36.930
I was so scared, it actually made me angry.
00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:40.730
That's when I heard it, loud and clear.
00:19:41.890 --> 00:19:43.410
Please, help me.
00:19:44.350 --> 00:19:49.410
That was my cue to act like a banana and split, but I didn't.
00:19:50.390 --> 00:19:54.510
I'd put Skitters in danger twice just during the last 24 hours.
00:19:55.350 --> 00:19:58.810
I couldn't leave him here, not with that stinkeroo.
00:19:59.810 --> 00:20:02.470
Skitters couldn't stand Blue when she was alive.
00:20:03.310 --> 00:20:09.610
Now he was flailing around trying to spray splooge on the vapor, even though it was already fading.
00:20:10.570 --> 00:20:14.330
It was like Blue used all her juice on those two words.
00:20:14.970 --> 00:20:17.450
Scooping him up, I made for the door.
00:20:18.190 --> 00:20:19.750
Skitters weighs a ton.
00:20:20.570 --> 00:20:25.250
Dropping him on the grass in the yard, I made sure the back door was locked.
00:20:26.290 --> 00:20:30.430
Okay, that was done, but what was I supposed to do about Blue?
00:20:31.370 --> 00:20:35.590
I couldn't just let her slink around, smelling up the place until the end of time.
00:20:36.590 --> 00:20:41.990
No way I could talk to Dad, especially since I wasn't supposed to be in Vegas.
00:20:42.950 --> 00:20:47.250
I couldn't cop to seeing Blue in the Oasis either because of the whole ganja thing.
00:20:48.170 --> 00:20:49.030
What about Moon?
00:20:50.210 --> 00:20:58.210
I still don't know if she murdered our marijuana plants, although I could count on Moon not to blab most of the stuff I tell her.
00:20:58.950 --> 00:21:03.150
I remember last summer hearing Moon talk about being haunted by her dad.
00:21:04.030 --> 00:21:07.970
I'm sure half those stories were just meant to scare me out of the Oasis.
00:21:09.070 --> 00:21:17.310
Still, forgetting about the number fives from Holy Cow I promised Skitters, I drove straight to Gecko's Gulch.
00:21:18.110 --> 00:21:23.550
Fridays were Moon's night to make dinner, which meant she got takeout and brought it back to her place.
00:21:24.370 --> 00:21:25.770
I didn't care what it was.
00:21:26.150 --> 00:21:28.330
I just didn't want to talk to anyone from town.
00:21:29.370 --> 00:21:33.730
I had replayed that techy scene with Blue all the way home from Vegas.
00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:40.170
I could hear music coming from the patio when I parked in front of the Adobe wall surrounding Gecko's Gulch.
00:21:40.890 --> 00:21:45.130
The wrought iron gate creaked when I opened it, but no one was around to hear it.
00:21:46.050 --> 00:21:47.810
Dad was definitely on site.
00:21:48.450 --> 00:21:54.050
His SUV was outside and I could see two wine glasses and an empty bottle on the table by the pool.
00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:58.310
Walking across the courtyard, I wondered what was for supper.
00:21:59.070 --> 00:22:04.430
Suddenly I was starving, which meant Skitters was probably in his last stages of life.
00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:07.810
We have an open door thing with family members.
00:22:08.650 --> 00:22:13.350
I actually lived at Gecko's Gulch last summer, which is why I didn't bother knocking.
00:22:14.130 --> 00:22:15.590
Most of the lights were off.
00:22:16.530 --> 00:22:17.690
Where was everybody?
00:22:18.590 --> 00:22:24.430
Gecko's Gulch is laid out in a perfect square, with the middle hollowed out for the courtyard and pool.
00:22:25.430 --> 00:22:30.650
A nightlight was on in the hallway going to the ginormous room shared by Moon and Randall.
00:22:31.510 --> 00:22:40.070
Passing by the twins' bedroom on the way, I peeked in, seeing Rudy fast asleep in a crib that must have been moved in there since the last time I looked.
00:22:41.010 --> 00:22:47.270
Not wanting to wake the little tyke and possibly having to change a shitty diaper, I quietly backed out.
00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:51.850
I could hear some grunting noises happening further down the hall.
00:22:52.930 --> 00:22:55.450
I started to get a bad feeling about this.
00:22:56.230 --> 00:22:57.990
A really bad feeling.
00:22:58.870 --> 00:23:01.790
For a second, I thought about just leaving.
00:23:02.830 --> 00:23:03.310
I didn't.
00:23:04.070 --> 00:23:10.490
I had to know what that sound was, even though by this time I was pretty sure what it was.
00:23:11.310 --> 00:23:13.970
I tiptoed along for the next couple steps.
00:23:15.090 --> 00:23:17.370
The door to Moon's bedroom was open.
00:23:18.290 --> 00:23:25.630
I could tell just from the nightlight in the hall there were two people on the bed, pulling off a little horizontal mamba-jamba.
00:23:26.770 --> 00:23:31.450
Even more disgusting, they didn't know I was there so they kept at it.
00:23:32.250 --> 00:23:36.030
It was almost as disturbing as that nasty green gas.
00:23:37.030 --> 00:23:41.150
Slinking back down the hall, I wondered what I should do next.
00:23:42.230 --> 00:23:48.010
In the short walk to my truck, I went from being horrified to full-on torqued.
00:23:49.150 --> 00:23:52.890
What in the fuck was Dad thinking?
00:23:54.090 --> 00:23:59.790
I needed him to know slipping the old ham bone to Blue's twin was not okay.
00:24:00.830 --> 00:24:03.650
I don't care how freaking sad he is.
00:24:04.690 --> 00:24:11.790
Fired up with anger, I gunned the jeep several times, making sure they could hear me over all the music and moaning.
00:24:12.610 --> 00:24:17.870
Just for good measure, I did a giant donut spin around Gecko's Gulch in the jeep.
00:24:18.770 --> 00:24:22.210
That ought to wilt Dad's heat-seeking moisture missile.
00:24:23.150 --> 00:24:26.190
Breakfast in the house the next morning was unavoidable.
00:24:27.150 --> 00:24:32.370
Now that Dad has smoked us out of our business, I couldn't afford holy cow hamburgers.
00:24:33.410 --> 00:24:37.590
At this point, I was sure Dad was involved with torching the Oasis.
00:24:38.090 --> 00:24:40.850
He was literally in bed with Moon on this.
00:24:41.890 --> 00:24:42.290
Jerk.
00:24:43.430 --> 00:24:47.190
I was up early because of the skimboarding thing happening at Cinnamon Sands.
00:24:47.930 --> 00:24:53.950
Normally Dad sleeps in on Saturdays, but there he was, waiting for me at the kitchen table.
00:24:54.910 --> 00:25:03.090
The second he opened his mouth to try and talk to me about that skeevy scene with Moon, I held up my hand and just said, No.
00:25:03.990 --> 00:25:08.690
I fixed myself a huge bowl of cereal and went back to the shed to eat it.
00:25:09.710 --> 00:25:13.690
A few minutes later, Taj actually graced me with his holy presence.
00:25:14.690 --> 00:25:15.430
What do you want?
00:25:15.770 --> 00:25:16.390
I asked.
00:25:16.790 --> 00:25:19.250
Still irritated over the thing with my dad.
00:25:20.390 --> 00:25:20.750
Money.
00:25:21.350 --> 00:25:23.750
Of course, Taj wanted money.
00:25:24.510 --> 00:25:28.610
Boy was he scorched when all he got was 175 bucks.
00:25:29.850 --> 00:25:34.230
If you were so concerned, Taj, you should have made the deal yourself, I said.
00:25:34.250 --> 00:25:36.550
I didn't even charge you for gas.
00:25:37.550 --> 00:25:43.570
Instead of being grateful I picked up the tab on the trip to Las Vegas, Taj just took his share of the money and left.
00:25:44.310 --> 00:25:44.770
Fine.
00:25:45.530 --> 00:25:51.270
I don't give two steaming shits if no one at Legacy Grove ever talks to me again.
00:25:52.330 --> 00:25:56.270
I know someone who is all ears when it comes to the kind of story I'm sitting on right now.
00:25:57.290 --> 00:25:59.710
My day was trashed from the get-go.
00:26:00.550 --> 00:26:10.530
I got to Cinnamon Sands a few minutes before the competition was supposed to start, but by then the parking lot was already full and I had to do a death march in the broiling hot sun.
00:26:11.490 --> 00:26:18.510
My shirt was soaked and I had rivers of sweat running down both sides of my face when I finally got to the competition site.
00:26:19.390 --> 00:26:23.750
The first thing I saw was some college dude giving Mandy a kiss for good luck.
00:26:24.870 --> 00:26:25.310
Really?
00:26:25.950 --> 00:26:27.010
She has a boyfriend?
00:26:27.710 --> 00:26:29.310
Good of her to let everyone know.
00:26:30.450 --> 00:26:33.630
The competition dragged on forever.
00:26:34.470 --> 00:26:38.930
I was looking forward to downing some gray goose when I got back to Legacy Grove.
00:26:39.970 --> 00:26:43.150
Taj was home, of course, since he has no life.
00:26:44.270 --> 00:26:47.850
Geez, it's like Taj can't exist without Danica.
00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:50.050
What a girly mon.
00:26:51.230 --> 00:26:52.730
It was dad's night for dinner.
00:26:53.570 --> 00:27:00.650
I ignored his smarmy small talk, wolfed down the steak he made in about four bites, and headed back to the shed.
00:27:01.430 --> 00:27:06.610
That's when I remembered the photo album, the one Blue had in her bag when she died.
00:27:07.610 --> 00:27:11.790
I had flipped through it before, but didn't really look at it too closely.
00:27:12.910 --> 00:27:16.890
All of the pics were of Juniper Hollow and the area outside the property.
00:27:17.830 --> 00:27:20.150
The more recent ones were taken by Moon.
00:27:21.150 --> 00:27:24.810
It was the shots of the pilings to the bridge that pinged in my head.
00:27:25.790 --> 00:27:30.450
Was that some sort of light, or was it just a reflection of the sun?
00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:36.630
I looked through the next pages, more pictures of the pilings, but taken from a different angle.
00:27:37.590 --> 00:27:43.130
If that glowing spot was from the sun, it wouldn't have shown up on both sides of the bridge.
00:27:44.210 --> 00:27:49.530
No, this was something different, something not real.
00:27:50.510 --> 00:27:58.630
Since the silent treatment was the new norm around here, there was only one person I could ask about this, Boyd Fletcher.
00:27:59.890 --> 00:28:01.290
Had he seen these photos?
00:28:02.150 --> 00:28:03.030
I'm betting not.
00:28:03.790 --> 00:28:05.390
Otherwise, he would have said something.
00:28:06.250 --> 00:28:09.790
I texted the old cooter asking if I could come up on Sunday afternoon.
00:28:10.630 --> 00:28:12.090
Screw the party in the park.
00:28:12.950 --> 00:28:15.430
Dad and Moon would be there, so no thanks.
00:28:16.510 --> 00:28:22.230
Taj works at the pool on Sundays, so he was out, even if he wasn't treating me like I was a jackwipe.
00:28:22.930 --> 00:28:25.150
Boyd seemed stunned by the photos.
00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:28.950
I was sipping on a cup of Boyd's rocket fuel coffee.
00:28:29.290 --> 00:28:31.310
Not that I needed to be any more amped.
00:28:32.130 --> 00:28:34.510
Too bad he didn't have any popovers to go with it.
00:28:35.370 --> 00:28:37.430
My bad for not giving him more notice.
00:28:38.570 --> 00:28:40.690
I seem to be the one with all the treats today.
00:28:41.670 --> 00:28:45.170
It was obvious the pictures of the bridge were prickling Boyd's pecker.
00:28:46.050 --> 00:28:48.030
Do you see that glowing thing in the road?
00:28:48.270 --> 00:28:48.850
I asked.
00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:53.230
Why else would Boyd be so jaw-clenched?
00:28:54.190 --> 00:29:03.270
Boyd's hands were shaking when he handed the photo album back and said, My Gertie died in the same spot as your stepmama.
00:29:03.850 --> 00:29:07.190
But that glowing thing ain't neither one of them.
00:29:09.390 --> 00:29:14.570
This bit about both women dying in the same place was certainly news I could use.
00:29:15.550 --> 00:29:19.630
Besides being kind of shocked, I was also semi-mad.
00:29:20.610 --> 00:29:22.430
Maybe even a little afraid.
00:29:23.390 --> 00:29:26.030
Why hadn't Boyd told all this to the cops?
00:29:27.150 --> 00:29:28.110
Oh, wait.
00:29:28.650 --> 00:29:30.290
They should have already known.
00:29:31.290 --> 00:29:32.490
But of course they didn't.
00:29:33.390 --> 00:29:33.830
Why?
00:29:34.650 --> 00:29:40.490
Because that numbnuts, Deputy Kip Nichols is the one they sent to investigate.
00:29:41.490 --> 00:29:42.470
Real nice.
00:29:43.530 --> 00:29:50.190
Kip walks around with a permanent rod stuck up his ass, looking to bust people for the stupidest things.
00:29:50.710 --> 00:29:54.890
All the while, he's stepping out on his wife and chasing after married women.
00:29:56.090 --> 00:30:05.750
I'm beginning to suspect the reason Blue is floating around smelling like a deviled egg after a month-long power outage is because she didn't have to die.
00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:12.990
Everyone has seen those shows about people who refuse to walk towards the light because they're a victim of slaughter side.
00:30:13.990 --> 00:30:21.550
Blue may be trying to tell us who did it, but she keeps fading out, leaving nothing behind except nostrils scorched by her stink.
00:30:22.310 --> 00:30:27.990
Taj is the only one who agrees with my theory that some local Hannibal Lecter ran her off the road.
00:30:28.810 --> 00:30:35.950
What I couldn't understand was why Boyd was just now telling me the exact same thing happened to his wife.
00:30:40.470 --> 00:30:44.270
In case you haven't noticed, you've been ghosted.
00:30:45.130 --> 00:30:54.010
Announcer: This is especially bad news if you're a ghost trapped at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the only way out is through the help of a snarky cat.
00:30:54.810 --> 00:30:58.930
Announcer: Find out what happens next in Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted by Adele Park.
00:30:59.590 --> 00:31:02.010
Announcer: This quirky audio book is The Cat's Meow.
00:31:03.110 --> 00:31:06.890
Announcer: Get Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted today on audible.com.
00:31:08.710 --> 00:31:14.770
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