If deleting preferences per Jim's suggestion doesn't solve it, try transferring your project's media to a newly created project. To do this, open your current project and do an Edit/Select All, Edit/Copy, and then create a new project and and do an Edit/Paste in the new project. That will copy your current project's media, including all editing, to the newly created project. See if you still get the phantom audio in the new project.
-- Rich