The Hanging Hill

88

“Zack? We’re invited to the party. Zack?”

Judy poked her head into her stepson’s room. It was nearly six-thirty. Time to get ready for the party with Reginald Grimes.

But Zack wasn’t in his room.

“Zipper?”

The dog was gone, too. Maybe Zack had taken Zipper out for another walk. Judy was worried about Zack. While she was in rehearsal, her husband, Zack’s dad, had left a message on her voice mail. Something about Zack discovering that his mother had once been an actress at the Hanging Hill Playhouse.

Judy had heard how cruel the first Mrs. Jennings had been to her only son. She remembered how shy and withdrawn the boy had been when she’d first started dating his father.

She also knew something Zack’s father didn’t: His son saw ghosts. Not in the metaphorical sense, either. Zack really saw them. Judy was afraid he had run off someplace to hide from the mother who might be trying to haunt him.

She saw Derek Stone heading up the hall.

“Derek?”

For some reason, the boy was wearing a tuxedo.

“Hello, Mrs. Jennings.”

“Derek, have you seen Zack?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“Downstairs.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Judy assumed Zack must’ve heard about the last-minute party invitation from the company manager or someone in the cast.

They’d meet up in the lower lobby.

Great.

Now all Judy had to do was find something decent to wear.

And figure out how to keep Susan Potter away from her son.