by Rose Pressey
“Just act as if everything’s normal,” Kendra said.
A lot of her actions made no sense, but considering she had me tied up, I had no choice but follow her orders. Sidney would notice this soon. Kendra wasn’t exactly concealed. Maybe she should have worn camouflage. As soon as Sidney got out of the car, she frowned. She stared at me as I stood by the house. No doubt she wondered what I was doing over by the windows.
When she walked up to me, she said, “Is everything all right? Why are you holding your hands behind your back?”
I looked around, waiting for Kendra to pop out of the bushes. She needed to explain what she’d done to me. I wanted to tell Sidney to run, but I also knew she probably wouldn’t be able to get away from Kendra. Once I warned Sidney, Kendra would jump out and go right after Sidney. However, it would be two against one. Could we fight off a woman with a large knife? Probably not since I had my hands behind my back.
Wasn’t anyone looking around to see this situation? Didn’t they think that something fishy was going on at the museum? I could use a bit of help right now from the neighbors. Sure, they weren’t the friendliest people, and they didn’t like the museum being here, but I didn’t think they wanted us to be hurt either.
Just then Kendra jumped out from behind one of the bushes. She waved the knife, making sure Sidney spotted the weapon immediately. Sidney screamed and stumbled back just a bit.
“What’s going on?” Sidney asked breathlessly.
“Just do as she asks, okay? We’ll get out of this, don’t worry. Oh, and I’m sorry,” I said
Sidney looked completely confused by what was going on and I didn’t blame her for that.
“Just open up the door,” Kendra demanded and motioned for us to walk up to the front door.
I suppose we didn’t move fast enough because Kendra brandished the big knife again. Sidney’s eyes widened, but she did as Kendra asked and walked up to the door. Her hands shook as she pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. She pushed the door open and looked back at Kendra for further instructions.
“All right step inside,” Kendra said, pointing with the knife.
We followed her instructions as if we had any other choice and walked inside the dark museum. It wasn’t the haunted items that were scaring me now. It was having this crazy woman behind us with that knife. At any moment she could end it all for us, and no one would know what happened. Just as they didn’t know what happened to Josh. Thoughts of Brannon and Porter came rushing back.
“Wow, this place really is creepy,” Kendra said. “Can’t you turn on some lights?”
“I can’t,” I said. “Because you have my hands tied.”
Sidney reached over and flipped on the switch, flooding the room with light. Nevertheless, it was always dim in the museum because we wanted to keep the spooky atmosphere.
“Can I ask why we’re here?” Sidney said with a trembling voice.
“You can ask but that doesn’t mean I’ll answer,” Kendra said with a bit of a chuckle. “I came to get some items from the museum, and I would appreciate if you would get those for me right now.”
“What are the items?” Sidney asked.
“That vase that was sent to us,” I said. “Do you know where it is?”
“Yes, it’s locked away,” Sidney said. “Are you sure you want me to get it?”
“What do you think?” Kendra asked, flashing the knife again.
“It looks as if we have no choice, Sidney,” I said.
“What’s the other item that she wants?” Sidney asked.
“The conjuring book that I found, but it’s not here.”
“Are you sure are you’re not just telling me that?” Kendra said.
“No, it’s really not here,” I said. “I have it back to my house. I told you that.”
“Whatever. Enough talking. Now go get that vase. We don’t have all day. And no funny business either.” Kendra motioned.
Sidney exchanged a look with me, and I gestured with a tilt of my head for her to go get the vase.
“Maybe you could untie my hands so that I can help her,” I said.
“She needs help getting a vase? I hardly think that requires two people,” Kendra said with a smirk.
“Actually, it does,” Sidney said. “Because the doors are hard to open.”
“And the lock requires someone to push on the doors while another person turns the handle,” I said. “I know that doesn’t make sense and you probably think I’m just making that up, but it’s true.”
Sidney nodded. “It’s true.”
“That’s why I suggested I go help her,” I added.
“Fine, but don’t forget, I’ll be behind you the entire time. And remember I’m the one with the knife.” Kendra waved it around. “I’m coming with you all up there to get it.”
“I assumed that you would,” I said.
Kendra stepped closer. She placed the knife down on the table next to the door. This was the perfect chance for Sidney to grab the knife. Would she go for it? Kendra untied the back of my hands. I watched out of the corner of my eye for Sidney to make a move. She didn’t budge. I suppose she was too scared to make the move. That was understandable.
Momentarily, I wondered if I could get the upper hand. I could swing around and grab for the knife while Sidney helped, but then that could lead to a bloody fight. Maybe I would just wait and see if there was a better opportunity. Kendra picked up the knife again.
Once upstairs, I could possibly find something to use as a weapon. I had a lot of stuff in that room. It was so jampacked that it was actually more like a maze. Trying to get through it was tricky. Possibly Sidney and I could even maneuver ourselves so that we could run away from Kendra. I would assess the situation as soon as I got up there. Right now though, we began our trek up the old squeaky staircase.
“So after this is over you’re going to tell me where I can find Brannon and Porter, right? That was our bargain,” I said.
“I don’t remember ever making that deal,” Kendra said.
I knew she was going to say something like that. What if she really didn’t tell me where to find them? How would I get that information from her? Especially when she had what she wanted. I had to use the vase and book as bargaining tools to get Brannon and Porter. When I took Kendra to my house for the book, I wouldn’t hand it over until she gave me Brannon and Porter.
But wait. Was she even going to let Sidney go? Probably not because she knew that Sidney would call the police. What if she tried to kill Sidney? I mean, after all, Kendra already killed Josh. Who knew how many more people she had murdered. She could’ve killed Josh’s aunt as well. Now that I thought about it, that was likely what had happened. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.
My mind ran through possible scenarios as we reached the top of the staircase. Sidney and I marched down the hallway to the last room on the right with Kendra following on our heels. That was the place where we kept all the items that we hadn’t displayed yet. Where were the ghosts now when I needed them? Possibly if they could cause a distraction that would allow me to get away from this crazy woman. Now not a single ghost was in sight. No mystery footsteps or banging doors.
When we reached the door, Sidney pulled out her key. She unlocked the door, opening it with a groan of the hinges.
“You two move like snails. Will you please pick up the pace?” Kendra pressed the knife against my back.
My breath caught in my throat and my heart beat even faster. Fear raced through me. I thought about Brannon and never seeing him again. Why did it have to end this way? When Sidney and I stepped into the room, I remembered that spot on the floor where Brannon had fallen through. We’d yet to have it repaired. Talk about procrastination. My putting things off might just be a lifesaver.
Chapter 27
I wanted to maneuver Kendra over to the spot where the hole was in the floor. Maybe then she would fall through and be trapped. We could get out of there and then the police wou
ld come and lock her up.
“It’s right over there,” I said, pointing. “But you might want to go that way.”
Kendra frowned. I pointed to the left again. She looked at me suspiciously and I tried to act as if nothing was up.
“I’ll follow you,” she said with the knife pointed out.
Now I had to go that way where that hole was, but perhaps I could step around it. Then she would fall in. Okay, this was beginning to be like some kind of Bugs Bunny cartoon. Nevertheless, I would give it a shot.
I walked across the room, weaving around some of the boxes and other various items. Sidney was right behind me and I hoped that she would remember the hole. Having her fall in would be a disaster. I had warned her about it. We really should have repaired it already, but I was glad we hadn’t. Getting a contractor over here had been almost impossible. I suppose everyone was too scared to work in a haunted house.
We made it to the spot in the floor and I casually stepped around it. Sidney did too. Unfortunately, so did Kendra. Darn it. I had hoped that would work. Nevertheless, Sidney and I were in front of the cabinet now. She shoved in the key.
“Hurry up,” Kendra demanded.
I held the doors while Sidney wiggled the handle. Finally, Sidney opened up the cabinet. The vase was in the box just as I had received it. I hated to let it go without knowing why it was so special, but it definitely wasn’t worth any of our lives.
“Give me that,” Kendra said as soon as she saw it.
She grabbed the box from my hand.
“Be careful, you don’t want to break it now, do you?” I said.
Maybe that would be the best thing that happened. The vase would fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. But then again, she’d probably just kill us on the spot, and I would never be able to save Brannon and Porter. At least I still had the book to bargain with.
“Okay, now that I have the vase we’re getting out of here. You’re taking me to the book,” Kendra said.
She was practically giddy. When we were in the car, I’d have to ask her about the vase and the book. What was the meaning behind them? I hoped she answered my questions, just out of curiosity if nothing more. Sidney and I turned around with Kendra behind us. She carried the box with the vase in one hand and the knife still pointed at us with the other hand. She clutched the box like it was a prized possession. We headed for the door, maneuvering around that hole in the floor again. We’d almost reached the door when we heard what sounded like footsteps. I paused.
“What was that?” Kendra whispered. “Is someone else here? Did you call the police? Now I’m going to have to kill you.”
“Not before getting the book,” I said. “And no, we didn’t call the police. How would we have done that? Remember this place is haunted.”
Kendra looked at me as if I might be lying. She didn’t make another move yet, so I knew she was a bit confused about what to do next. I loved having her perplexed. She wasn’t totally in control now and that was a good thing. Maybe I could use this to my advantage. But how?
“You have to prove to me that that wasn’t the police. Now step out into the hallway. I’m right behind you, remember? No funny business.”
“I heard you the last time you said that,” I said.
We stepped out into the hallway, and of course, no one was there.
“Is someone hiding in one of these rooms?” Kendra asked. “I want you to open every one of the doors so I can make sure.”
More of her crazy demands. I motioned for Sidney to open up all the doors since she kept some of them locked when the museum was closed. It was a quirk of hers, I suppose. I wasn’t sure why she did it. Sidney walked over to the door across the hall, unlocked it, and opened the door.
Kendra stepped over to the door and peeked inside while keeping her eye on us. There was no way she could get a good look in the room because she couldn’t turn her back on us long enough to have a good peek. If only she would give me a couple more seconds maybe I could have attacked her and knocked her down. If only she didn’t have that knife. So many missed opportunities. I suppose maybe it was just that I didn’t want to risk it.
We moved on to the next door and Sidney unlocked it, pushing it open a bit. Kendra did the same thing by standing next to the door. Though this time she peeked inside and give a longer glance, giving just a few more seconds for an attack. And that was exactly what Sidney did. She jumped on Kendra’s back and they landed to the floor with a thud. The knife fell from Kendra’s hand and slid across the floor, twirling in circles like a propeller as it moved.
I ran over and picked the knife up from the floor. With a shaky hand, I pointed it in Kendra’s direction. At least now she had no weapon. She was fighting to get up, but Sidney was obviously a strong woman. Kendra couldn’t get her off her back.
“Stop fighting it,” I yelled.
The vase had fallen from her hand as well. I wasn’t sure if it had broken in that box. Kendra was desperately looking to get her hands on it again. I couldn’t believe that Sidney had bounced on Kendra like that. Thank goodness she had saved us.
“What are we going to do with her?” Sidney asked breathlessly. “I don’t think I can hold her for much longer.”
“Wait. I have the rope that she had tied me up with. I’ll go get it,” I said.
“Hurry,” Sidney yelled out as I ran across the hall and down the steps to grab the rope.
I really wasn’t much of a knot person so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to tie the rope tightly, but maybe with Sidney and I both trying we’d get it in a good knot, then I could call the cops. I ran over to rope that was still lying on the floor where she’d left it. I grabbed it and happened to catch a glance out of the corner of my eye. I thought I saw a shadowy figure. Was that what had made the footsteps? There was no time to investigate now.
I ran back up the stairs and to the room where Sidney still struggled with Kendra.
“I have the rope.” I waved it through the air.
I placed the knife down so that I could tie the rope around Kendra’s wrists, but I put it well away from Kendra’s grasp so that if she got up, she couldn’t reach it. I quickly wound the rope around her wrists and did my best to secure a tight knot.
“Do you think that is good enough?” I asked.
“I doubt she’ll get out of that,” Sidney said.
Kendra wiggled her wrists trying to break free.
“How’s that feel now?” I smirked.
Kendra glared at me. “I’ll get out of this.”
“There’s no way you’ll get out of that,” I said, hoping that I was actually correct.
Sidney checked to make sure that the rope was tight as well. She had stronger hand strength than me.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Sidney said.
I raced over and grabbed the knife from the floor and then asked Sidney, “Where’s your phone?”
“I left it in the car.”
“All right, I’ll stay with her, while you go get the phone and call the police,” I said.
Sidney nodded and jumped up from the floor, racing out of the room. Now I was left alone with Kendra. What would I do? Should I get her up and move her to a chair? Or just let her lay there on the floor? Probably it was better if I just let her stay there. I didn’t want to give her an opportunity to get to her feet.
“Now the police are coming to drag you away and you won’t have the vase or the book. Now you might as well tell me where Brannon and Porter are. The police will get it out of you anyway.”
“Never,” she said. “Not a chance.”
She wiggled again trying to break free. I hoped it didn’t take the police long to get here. I really was worried she might get out of this. What if Sidney had forgotten her phone? We’d have to go to the neighbors.
Footsteps sounded and I hoped that was Sidney coming back upstairs. A few seconds later she emerged at the top of the staircase. Her grim expression zapped my hope that we’d get out of here a
live.
“What happened?” I asked.
Chapter 28
“My car door is stuck. It does that sometimes,” Sidney said breathlessly.
Kendra laughed.
“Let me go try,” I said.
Not that I’d accomplish anything. I was pretty sure Sidney was stronger than me, but maybe I’d get lucky. I had to try something.
Sidney nodded and handed me the keys. I ran outside to Sidney’s car. She had obviously already used the key because the lock lever was up. I pulled on the handle and to my shock, the door opened. I had no idea why it had opened now, but maybe my luck was turning around. I found her phone on the passenger seat. Whew. That was a huge relief. I grabbed the phone and immediately dialed 911.
“What’s your emergency?” the woman on the other end asked.
Was this an emergency? Yes, yes, it was.
“I have a killer her. She tried to kill us and then we subdued her. We need the police to come and get her.” I probably sounded wild.
“You need the police?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Address please?” she asked.
I gave her the address and hoped that the police would arrive soon. I ran back toward the door, glancing around to see if by chance any of the neighbors were paying attention. Not a soul seemed to watch me. It was a good thing I’d gotten the door open. All was quiet when I raced back inside the house. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or if somehow Kendra had gotten out of the restraints and now had harmed Sidney.
I climbed the steps, panting breathlessly as I made it to the top.
“I called the cops,” I said.
“Thank goodness you got the door open,” Sidney said.
Kendra was on the floor still. Sidney stood in the doorway with the knife pointed at Kendra while Kendra twisted around, trying to fight her way up.
I shook my head. “She hasn’t given up yet, huh?”
“No, I’m just watching her. It’s kind of funny actually. If it wasn’t so scary. Thank goodness the police are on the way.”