by Rose Pressey
***
The next morning, Brannon had already gone, and I had fallen back asleep. I wasn’t worried as much now that it was daylight. However, maybe I should be afraid. I mean, after all, Josh had been killed while it was still daylight. I’d called Mr. Byrd this morning. Unfortunately, he had no idea where the photo had come from. He offered to research this for me though. I hoped he found some information soon.
After hurrying to get ready for work, I hopped in my car. I planned on stopping by Dana’s coffee shop since I had nothing to eat at home for breakfast. One of my worst habits was procrastinating grocery shopping. I had just enough time to stop at the coffee shop.
Sadly, I wasn’t walking to work this morning. It was one of the things I loved the most, but I had promised Brannon that I wouldn’t do that. And I kept my promise. I wasn’t sure for how long though.
I pulled up along the curb next to the coffee shop. Dana Newman owned the coffee shop in town. She was also a member of the Book Wormers book club, who met at the library once a month. She would be surprised to see me driving and not walking. I hopped out and headed for the door. At least Kendra wasn’t waiting for me. The cute sign with a coffee cup hung above the door. A chalkboard menu board rested close by the door with the daily specials written with colored chalk.
As I moved along the sidewalk, I happened to glance over at the newspaper stand. To my surprise, I saw my photo splashed on the front page. The photo had been taken apparently during the tour last night. The headline was about the murder victim and how he’d been found outside the library. On the other side was another photo of Tammy and me, stating that we had been attacked. What the heck? Why would they put that in the newspaper?
I raced over and dug change out of my purse, then pulled a copy from the stand. A phone call to the newspaper was in order. Were they now in cahoots with the reporter from Nashville? I quickly scanned the newspaper. It mentioned how many deaths had been around the library or the haunted tour. I looked around as if everyone was probably watching. Thank goodness no one seemed to notice me.
Suddenly I didn’t want coffee and I didn’t want breakfast either. I tucked the paper under my arm and headed right back over to my car. I sped through town and over to the library, pulling up into the parking lot behind the building. I sat there for a moment staring at the paper. What should I do next? Inevitably everyone in the library would see it because we would have our daily copy.
I grabbed my bag and shoved the paper inside, then headed for the back of the building. I thought about ignoring the article, but I knew that wouldn’t work for long. The first thing I’d do was call Brannon and let him know about this. Then I’d call the newspaper and give them a piece of my mind. I had to find the killer so that the newspaper would run an article talking about how I had solved the case. I’d show them.
I slipped into the back door of the library, even though the patrons wouldn’t be there yet. Tammy was already at work, I assumed. Though I hadn’t checked to see if her car was here. I opened the door and stepped inside.
All was quiet as I made my way down the hallway. My heels clicked against the hardwood floors as I passed by the grand staircase. When I reached the main area of the library, I realized that the lights weren’t on yet. Tammy was roaming around the library in the dark? That was unlikely. She was spooked as it was with the lights on, so I highly doubted she would roam around in the dark.
“Tammy,” I called out.
There was no answer. Annie hadn’t responded either and Jane Austen was nowhere in sight. I walked over to the reference desk and placed my bag on top. I scanned the area for any sign of Tammy.
“Tammy,” I called out again.
Still, I received no answer. I pulled my phone from my bag and dialed her number. Had she been attacked again? Naturally after last night, I thought the worst. The phone rang but there was no answer. Oddly, a ringing came from somewhere in the library. Tammy had to be here somewhere. Something was wrong with her. Had someone followed her into the library? What if the killer was here?
Chapter 11
Now I had to walk around the library and find Tammy. Should I turn the lights on or leave them off? If I turned the lights on the killer might think that I was in pursuit of him. Maybe it was better if I remained anonymous in the dark. Then again, did I really want to walk around here in the dark? I wouldn’t be able to see the killer if he was really here. Decisions, decisions.
Ultimately, I decided I should turn on the lights. That was the smart thing to do, right? I hoped that I was doing the right thing. I moved over to the wall and fumbled around for the switch to turn on the overhead lights. Just the lights in that one section on the left side of the building. I flipped the switch, but nothing happened.
Immediately fear ripped through me. Had someone turned the power off on purpose? There were other faint lights on, but those were emergency lights that stayed on all the time. I flipped the switch again, hoping that magically it would work. That didn’t happen though. I pulled my phone out to use that as a flashlight, although it certainly wouldn’t give off much of a glow.
I’d only made it a few steps when the light on my phone stopped working. What was going on around here? Paranormal activity drained batteries. Had that happened now to my phone? I sensed a charged energy in the air. Light or no light, I had to look for Tammy. The uneasy feeling overwhelmed me. Nevertheless, I pressed forward.
“Tammy?” I whispered.
Why was I whispering? If she needed my help, I wanted her to hear me.
“Tammy?” I called out louder this time.
There was no answer. The library was dead silent. I just made it around the aisle when I someone standing there. A dark shadow. My breath caught in my throat and my heart hammered in my chest. I froze on the spot, instead of running in the opposite direction. That was something that I routinely did. I thought I’d know by now to get out of these situations when I saw something dangerous, but no. Then again, standing my ground and confronting someone might be the right thing to do.
“Who is it?” I called out.
My phone alerted me to a text message. “Annie?”
No, it couldn’t be her. The shadow was too big.
“Josh? Is that you?” I asked.
I pulled the phone from my pocket. At least the text had come through even if the flashlight on the phone didn’t work.
It’s me, Josh.
Josh was at the end of the aisle. He stared at me, but I really couldn’t make out his face that well because of the dark room.
“Oh, Josh, you scared me. Have you seen Tammy?” I asked.
A text came through. She isn’t here. She was here though.
“I need to ask you some questions, but first I have to find Tammy.”
What kind of questions? he responded.
“About a photo I found. I need to show it to you, but like I said, right now I have to find Tammy. Do you know where she went? Which direction?”
He pointed toward the main area by the reference desk. Maybe he’d seen her go that way, but she definitely wasn’t there now.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
Once back at the reference desk, I stood there staring around, when all of a sudden, a shadow popped out from the hallway. This time I screamed out. I’d been startled so much that I almost jumped on top of the desk. I couldn’t help me. Tammy came around from the back hallway.
She clutched her chest. “Oh, you scared me. I thought you were a ghost.”
“I thought you were a ghost,” I said. “I thought maybe the killer had gotten into the library and attacked you.”
“What happened with the lights? I turned them on before I walked outside to the car. I just went out to get something from my bag.”
“I didn’t see you out there.”
“I guess I was in the backseat of my car. You know how I lose things back there,” she said.
“The lights aren’t working now,” I said.
Tammy walked ove
r and flipped the switch. The one that I had just tried. The lights flooded the room.
“I guess they're working now,” I said.
That was odd. The lights hadn’t been working a moment ago. I looked back to see if Josh was still there. Now that I’d found Tammy, I wanted to ask him about the photos. He was gone once again. Couldn’t he stay in one spot for more than a few seconds?
“I’m glad that you’re okay,” I said. “I was worried because you didn’t answer my calls. Your phone was here in the library, too, which freaked me out.”
“Sorry if I scared you,” she said as she placed her bag on top of the desk. “It’s understandable though after what happened.”
“Now more than ever it’s urgent now that I find the killer,” I said.
“Because you think the killer is the one who attacked us?” Tammy shuttered.
“Unfortunately, yes, I think the killer came after us.”
“Why me though?” Tammy asked. “No offense but I had nothing to do with this.”
“You work at the library,” I said.
“Does that mean that everyone who works here is in danger?”
“I hate to admit it, but I think it’s possible.”
Even more reason for me to find this person before they attacked again.
“I need to make a call before we open the doors,” I said. “I’ll be in my office. It’ll only take me a moment.”
“Take your time,” Tammy said with a wave. “I’ll just hang out here with the ghosts.”
We still had twenty minutes before we opened the doors and the other assistants should be here soon. As I moved back down the hallway toward my office, I kept my eye out for Josh, but he still hadn’t made another appearance. In the meantime, I’d call Mrs. Glass and ask her if I could meet with her and look through those things. Maybe she would recognize that photo as well. Jill walked by and didn’t look my way. A whiff of creamy vanilla mixed with a hint of floral drifted through the air in her wake. She might have spritzed just a bit too much.
I continued down the long, dim hallway toward my office. The echo of my footsteps bounced off the walls. I reached my office and stepped inside. The air seemed a bit thick, but I ignored the feeling. This wasn’t unusual. Sometimes I thought it was just the heat worked too well back in this small space. Once at my desk, I dialed her number. I’d forgotten that it was still early, and I hoped it wasn’t too early for a phone call.
“Hello,” she said suspiciously when she answered.
I explained that it was Ripley from Bilson Library in Devil’s Moon.
“Oh, yes, I remember you,” she said.
“Did you had a chance to find time for me to look through those things?”
“Would you like to come later today?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure if I could get time to go all the way to Nashville.
“It’s the only time I have. Take it or leave it,” she said.
“All right, I’ll be there,” I said. “One o’clock.”
I’d have to take a long lunch. I felt a bit satisfied knowing that I’d make some progress, but for now, I had to get to work. As difficult as it was, I had to push all the stressful stuff out of my mind. If I didn’t get work done in the library, the board would find out about it and I’d be out the door,
After about fifteen minutes, I headed back up to the library so that I could make everything right for the start of the day. Jill walked by. The scent from her overpowering perfume remained in her wake. That same vanilla and floral mixture. Should I mention that she wore too much? I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings, but customers might notice.
As I approached the book cart, Tammy asked, “How did the phone call go?”
I gave a thumbs up. “She’s going to let me see the things, but I might have to take a long lunch ‘cause I have to go all the way to Nashville.”
“All by yourself?” she asked.
“There really is no one to go with me because I was hoping you would take over for me while I’m at lunch,”
“Absolutely,” she said. “But I don’t like that you have to go by yourself.”
“It’ll be fine. Apparently, the killer’s in Devil’s Moon. I’m more worried about you.”
A worried look spread across her face. Maybe I shouldn’t have reminded her.
Chapter 12
Later that day, I was over at the edge of the library on the main floor, looking for a book that I thought hadn’t been returned. Just in case I was wrong, I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t on the shelf. As I knelt to the bottom shelf, my phone alerted me to a text message. I pulled out the phone from my pocket and realized that the message was from Josh.
The bad one is in the building. You should be on the lookout.
I immediately got to my feet. “Where are you?” I whispered. “What does this mean?”
Now I was in a panic. Did he think the killer was here in the library? Did he know who the killer was? I had so many questions. I needed more answers, not cryptic messages.
I peeked around the side of the aisle, but no one was on that side. I moved over to the next side. A woman was looking at books on the shelf. She glanced over, smiled at me, and then went back to perusing the titles. I probably looked like I was a bit loopy with the way I was peeking around the corner. I needed to find Tammy right away. I hurried over to the next aisle to see if anyone was there. It felt as if someone watched me. I assumed that maybe it was Josh. Why didn’t he send me more details? Since people were around, I couldn’t exactly call out to him again.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Yet, I saw no one paying an ounce of attention to me. It had to be Josh, right? If it was Annie, she would let me know. I checked my phone to see if maybe I had missed a text message, but there was nothing there. If it was Josh, then why was he being so quiet now? After giving me that ominous warning he should say something else. This was no time to bail on me. I needed all the help I could get. I also needed to find Tammy because if someone was in this building that meant us harm, I had to protect her right away.
As I took a couple of steps, the feeling that someone was behind me overwhelmed me. Just as I spun around, I spotted a man. Maybe I was off base, but I thought perhaps he had been trying to attack me.
It was just a feeling, I suppose, or maybe it was just the message that Josh had sent making me feel that way, but this guy had been up to no good. I assumed it was a guy since I only saw the back of him as he walked out the side door. The door was one that wasn’t supposed to be used since it was only for emergencies. Luckily, he hadn’t set off an alarm.
“Hey, you’re not supposed to go out that door,” I yelled.
He didn’t turn around or acknowledge me. I had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to be in here at all, as if maybe this was the person who had attacked us. I had to know for sure if it was him. He had to be captured. Maybe I couldn’t come face to face him, but I wanted to get a good look at his face so that I could describe him to Brannon. Sure, I wasn’t going to confront this person, just in case, but I wanted it to be able to give as much information as possible to Brannon.
He went out the door and I followed right after him.
I called out again. “Hey, stop. I want to talk to you.”
What would I do if he turned around and ran after me? That sent a shiver down my spine. Sometimes I was braver than I needed to be and sometimes I was more of a coward than I should be, but that was neither here nor there right now.
The man wore a black coat, dark pants, and had short raven-colored hair. But only seeing the back of him, I wasn’t sure that description would help. I needed a good look at his face. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem like that would be possible, so I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of him as he took off toward the parking lot around back.
He rounded the corner of the building and was now out of sight. What should I do next? I wanted a better look at the guy, but I didn’t want him to be waiting for me if I walked b
ack there. I suppose I could go just a little bit farther and peek around the side. This was one of those times when I couldn’t decide if I should be brave or be a coward and go back inside where it was safe. Or was it safe in there?
I decided to take a quick look and see if I found him. I hurried down the side of the building but paused before stepping around the side, just in case he was waiting for me. After inhaling and letting out a deep breath, I counted to three and then peeked around the edge of the brick wall. He was nowhere in sight. I kind of expected that though. At least I had tried to look for him.
I stood there for several seconds scanning the area to see if he was hiding anywhere. Maybe he had gotten into a car and pulled away. I didn’t see him on foot or any cars leaving the area either. He couldn’t have just disappeared. I was certain he wasn’t a ghost, although some of the ghosts looked as if they were of the living world. Now I was confused and not sure what to think.
Something shiny caught my attention and I glanced down. On the ground was a key on a chain. I reached down and picked it up. Had he dropped this as he hurried out of the area? I suppose it could have been dropped by anyone, but I hadn’t seen it earlier when I’d arrived at the library.
I flipped it over in my hand to see if there were any identifying markers. There was a number but that could be for anything. How would I find out if it had been this guy’s key? Maybe he would come back for it. After the way he had taken off, I was pretty sure I didn’t want him back in the library. But at least I had a photo of him now. Well, a photo of his back. I needed to show it to Brannon.
I moved back around the side of the building to go back inside, but I had to go around to the front because the back and side doors would be locked now. They only opened from the inside. I couldn’t get in from the outside. The only access would be through the front door. Even worse, I had forgotten my keys inside.