The Halloween Haunting

by Kathi Daley

  “Morning, Aunt Ruthie,” I said after entering Sister’s Diner, the restaurant my mom, Lucy Thomas, and my aunt, Ruthie Turner, owned together. I always enjoyed spending extra time each day at the diner, but when the air outside was cool, and Ruthie greeted me with a cup of hot coffee and a freshly baked cinnamon roll, my delivery stop at the diner almost always turned into my morning break.

  “It’s chilly out today,” Ruthie commented.

  I nodded as I slipped my mailbag off my shoulder, tossed it into a nearby booth, instructed Tilly to crawl beneath, and then accepted the coffee and roll. “I heard it might snow by the end of the week. I’m sure it won’t amount to much, but the cold turn does serve as a reminder that I should start putting away my deck furniture and getting my cabin winterized.”

  “I’d think that handsome boyfriend of yours would take care of chores like that,” Ruthie said as she sat down across from me.

  “He usually does, and I’m sure he will once I fill him in on the impending snow, but he’s been putting in a lot of hours at the haunted house. I’m not even sure he realizes they are calling for snow by the end of the week.”

  “The cooler weather has sort of snuck up on us,” Ruthie agreed. “And I’m sure Tony is busy. I’ve wondered how his work with the haunted house has affected his work with his friend, Shaggy, and the game they’ve been developing. I seem to remember they wanted to have it ready for testing before Christmas. Are they still on track for that?”

  Tony was a computer genius, and Shaggy owned a video game store. They were both heavily into gaming, and according to Tony, the game they were working on was going to be revolutionary.

  “The amount of time Tony has spent working on the house has set them back a bit, but we are heading into winter, and the slow season, so I’m sure they can make up the lost time. I’m not sure about the Christmas deadline, but knowing Tony, he’ll do what he needs to do to meet his commitments.” I took a bite of the cinnamon roll. “Did you do something different to the frosting? It’s good. Different, but really good.”

  “Your mom has been trying out different flavors. Yesterday was caramel and the day before was almond. I think she added a hint of peppermint to the frosting today.”

  “I like it. And I think the variety is fun. I’m sorry I missed the caramel. That sounds delicious.”

  “It was very popular, so I’m sure she’ll do that one again. I’ll save you one when she does.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. Where is Mom anyway?”

  “She is attending the committee meeting for Christmas on Main.”

  I raised a brow. “Are they going to do that again this year? I thought the committee decided it was too much work and they were going to try a different type of fundraiser.”

  “They were going to try something less labor-intensive this year, but then they found a woman who works as an event planner. Her name is Virginia Wellington, and apparently, she was willing to take on the project for a very reasonable fee. The committee discussed it and decided to hire her. I guess they are even planning to expand the event to include a carnival with rides and kiddie games. They plan to set it up in the field next to the park.”

  “What if it snows?” White Eagle was far enough north that a white Christmas was pretty much a given.

  Ruthie shrugged. “Apparently, the committee doesn’t care if it snows. In fact, your mom mentioned that a little snow drifting through the air while visitors ride on the Ferris Wheel would be romantic. And I suppose she has a point. As long as it is just a little bit of snow and not a blizzard, which as we both know, has happened from time to time even in December.”

  I wrapped my arms around my shoulders and faked a shiver. “Sounds cold to me, but I guess if the committee is on board, I’m on board. Christmas on Main is a fun event, and I was sort of bummed when I heard they weren’t doing it this year.” I glanced at the clock and pushed the remainder of my cinnamon roll to the center of the table. “I really should get back to my route. Do you mind wrapping this up for me? I’m sure I’ll be hungry later.”

  “Sure thing. A snack for later will be just the thing. I hear you’ve been working yourself ragged trying to get your haunted house ready for the Haunted America crew.”

  “It’s been a lot of work, but I really think it is going to be something special, and I think it is going to make a lot of money for the shelter which is, after all, the most important thing.”

  “It is. You and Brady are to be admired for the commitment you’ve shown for the homeless animals in the area. The fact that this community supports the shelter the way it does is a testament to the folks who live here as well.”

  I picked up my bag and flung it over my shoulder. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  The next hour flew by as I dropped off mail, picked up outgoing letters, and knocked out a good portion of my route. I knew that I’d need to stop and chat when I arrived at the Book Boutique, the bookstore owned by my best friend and new sister-in-law, Bree Thomas. Bree had established long ago that unless the town was literally on fire, as my best friend, I owed her, at the very least, a good five to ten minutes of chitchat when delivering her mail.

  “Your brother is a pig,” she said the minute I walked in the door.

  Uh oh. I turned around and looked down the street, half hoping for a fire. “What did he do now?”

  Her face turned red. “You mean other than go out of his way to make my life a lot harder than it really needs to be?”

  I groaned. It seemed that Mike and Bree had suffered a few growing pains now that the two of them were married and living together full time. “Yes, other than that. I know he has been getting on your nerves lately, but what has he done this time to make you so mad?”

  Bree huffed out a breath and walked around the counter. She stood next to me, leaning a hip on the counter. “I had my book club last night. The Sunday book club at the church, not the Thursday book club I have here. Anyway, when I got home, I was greeted with what could only be described as having had a tornado blow through my kitchen. I swear every pot and pan I own was dirty. I tried to keep it together, and as calmly as I could, I asked why he hadn’t cleaned up his mess if he’d decided to cook for himself, to which he responded that he’d get to it later. Later? Seriously? By this point, the food was so stuck on them that I seriously considered tossing them and buying new pots and pans.”

  I wasn’t at all surprised that Bree and Mike were having this particular problem. Bree considered it a mortal sin to leave a single dish in the sink, and Mike was the sort to use a letter opener as a knife if all the knives were dirty.

  “You knew Mike was a slob before you married him,” I pointed out.

  Bree groaned. “I did, but I just had no idea how much of a slob he really was. Before we were married, he at least pretended to try to pick up after himself, but now that there is a ring on my finger, he acts like he has a dish fairy following him around who will take care of things if he leaves the dishes sitting out long enough.”

  “So stop being his dish fairy, and he will stop counting on it.”

  Bree looked at me with doubt in her eyes. “Are you sure about that?”

  Was I? “Actually, no,” I answered honestly. “My mom waited on Mike hand and foot for his entire life. She even did his laundry and made his bed right up until he moved out. After he got his own place, his apartment looked like an ‘A-bomb’ had been set off inside pretty much the entire time he lived there. There is no doubt about it; Mike is a slob. I honestly think being a slob is hardwired into his circuit board. I really don’t know if he’ll ever change, but if you’d like me to talk to him, I will.”

  “No. That’s okay. I married him; I guess it’s up to me to fix him.”

  Fix him? Oh, sure that ought to go over well.

  “Do you remember your wedding day?” I asked, after thinking things over for a moment.

  “Of course, I remember.” Bree’s expression seemed to shift. Her scowl turned to a soft smile as s
he remembered the event. “It was perfect; the two of us standing under the stars professing our love for each other with our families looking on.”

  “And do you remember what you said to my slob of a brother while looking into his eyes and reciting the vows you had written?”

  Bree groaned. “I said I loved Mike, and while we didn’t always see eye to eye, I was willing to accept him into my life just as he was.”

  I raised a brow.

  “I know what I said, but seriously, did he have to use every pot and pan in the house to make a single meal?”

  “Apparently, he did.” I glanced down at Tilly, who was waiting patiently by my side. “I need to make this a short visit today. I’m supposed to meet up with Tony at the haunted house as soon as I get off. We are hoping to finish up everything we need to for the inspection tomorrow.”

  “Do you feel like you’re ready?”

  I shrugged. “I hope so. We’ve been working hard, and I think we’ve tackled everything on the list except the problems we’ve been having with the electrical.”

  “Didn’t some guy die messing with the electrical on that house?”

  “Yeah, a long time ago. Tony knows what he is doing, so no need to worry.”

  “Maybe, but all the same, please be careful. I’d hate for Tony to end up as nothing more than crispy bits of burnt flesh. You do realize he is probably the perfect guy for you. He won’t be easy to replace if he gets himself blown up.”

  I laughed. “Tony is not going to get blown up or electrocuted. He’s much too smart for that. And I do know that Tony is the perfect guy for me and that he’d be impossible to replace. I really do need to run, but think about what we discussed before you talk to Mike again. The wrong approach will just make him dig his heels in, and then you’ll never get him to wash a dish.”

  “I know. And thanks for the advice.”

  Chapter 3

  By the time Tilly and I arrived at the house, Tony and his dog, Titan, were already there. A few other volunteers lingered in the area, but the house was mostly ready for the inspection tomorrow by the county. An inspection and a permit were necessary for us to get insurance for a commercial endeavor, so I was putting a lot of weight on making sure everything that needed to be done would be done in time. As I’d mentioned to Hap, the only real problem we were still faced with was the flickering lights.

  “I know we’ve traced the wires back to the main electrical panel, so it seems like the interference must be occurring somewhere between the electrical outlet and the source,” Tony said after I’d kissed him hello.

  “I don’t really understand what you mean. Where would there be something to interrupt the flow of the electricity other than in the lines?”

  Tony squinted, biting his lower lip as he considered things. “I’m not sure. It really is odd the lights don’t flicker all the time. It is almost as if the interference comes and goes. Take the light on the second-floor landing. That light has been flickering since day one, but only at times. Other times, it is perfectly fine. And if you trip the breaker in the main box in the attic, the light on the second-floor landing goes out completely, along with all the outlets in the hallway. It makes sense that the wiring for the entire landing and hallway runs up through the ceiling and then up the interior wall of the second bedroom and into the attic where the breaker box is located. I just have to wonder if it makes a direct trip or if the wiring takes a detour at some point between the outlet and the breaker.”

  I frowned as I watched Tony, who stood on a ladder with a flashlight, sorting through wires of varying colors. “I’m not sure what you are getting at. Why would anyone run wiring from one location to another and not take a direct route?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “Most people wouldn’t. Unless the wire splits somewhere to provide additional outlets that were added to the house after it was constructed. I’m going to go up into the attic and take another look around. I’m pretty sure the only way to know for sure what is causing the interruption is to open up the walls and actually eyeball the wiring, which I don’t plan to do at this point since we have an inspection tomorrow, but maybe if I can make a small hole in the wall about halfway between this point and the breaker box, I can get a better feel for what might be going on.”

  Tony was a genius, and I trusted his instincts. Sure, his area of expertize was computers and not electrical contracting, but Tony had done a lot of upgrades to the electrical system in his home to handle the special needs of his very high-end equipment, so I figured if there was a possibility that someone had spliced into the wire that provided electricity to the hallway, he’d be able to figure it out. Still, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Bree’s warning about the man who’d already died while trying to fix the wiring in the old house and reminded Tony to be careful. He assured me he would as I followed him into the attic and then stood next to him while he stood in the middle of the room, staring at the wall. I figured he was going through the options in his mind, so I waited quietly, as did Tilly and Titan, who were sitting at my feet. Eventually, he walked up to a wall and began knocking on it. After several minutes of him doing this, I finally asked him what he was doing.

  “This wall looks wrong.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “What do you mean, wrong?”

  “It feels like it is in the wrong place.”

  I stared at the wall, but couldn’t see what he was talking about.

  “If this wall is an exterior wall, the ceiling is all wrong,” Tony continued. “Since the attic is the only space on the top floor, all the walls should be exterior walls, yet this one is off.”

  Okay. I understood what Tony was saying. I think. I wasn’t as spatially adept as he was, so I still couldn’t actually see what he was talking about, but I understood. “So you think the wall is a fake wall and not an exterior wall?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Maybe whoever built the attic didn’t want such a large space to finish off, so they used interior walls to minimize the space.”

  “Maybe.”

  I jumped when Tony picked up a hammer and punched a hole in the wall.

  “Geez, you could have warned me,” I said, placing a hand on my chest. “You nearly scared me to death.”

  “Sorry.” He pulled the sheetrock away. The space behind the wall was dark, and the air was musty, but it was definitely another interior space and not the exterior of the house. I guess Tony’s hunch had been right after all.

  “Can you see what’s back there?”

  Tony shook his head. “It’s too dark. Hand me that flashlight.”

  I looked around the room and then picked up the flashlight from the pile of tools Tony had left on the floor from his work on the electrical panel. I crossed the room and handed it to him. He shone it into the room on the other side of the wall, sticking his head in through the small opening he’d created.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said with a tone of amazement in his voice.

  “What is it?” I asked while trying to look over his shoulder.

  He stepped aside, and I stuck my head into the hole he’d created to find myself face to face with a skeleton.

  Chapter 4

  The next several hours were crazy. I called my brother, Mike, who showed up with the coroner. The skeleton was removed from the room behind the wall and taken to the morgue. During the excavation of the body, Mike found something even more surprising than the skeleton Tony and I had found. Inside the secret room was a ladder that led to the clock tower, and laying on the decking of the clock tower behind the old clock that hadn’t worked in decades, was a second body. A fresher body; a body that couldn’t have been placed there more than a week ago.

  “Do you know who this is?” I asked Mike as he called the coroner back after he’d left with the first remains.

  “I suspect that it is Joe Brown. His wife reported him missing a week ago.”

  “Joe Brown. That name sounds familiar,” I said.

  “He was o
ne of your volunteers. He works as a contractor and came with Grange to help out with the various repairs.”

  Grange Plimpton was a local contractor who’d been volunteering at the shelter for years.

  “So what is Joe doing up here in the clock tower?” I looked around the small room behind the face of the clock. “How did he even get up here? The only access I see is the ladder which it appears can only be accessed via the secret room, and when we broke through the wall of the secret room, it looked as if it hadn’t been accessed in ages.”

  Mike pursed his lips. He drew his brows together and looked around. “I don’t know how he got here, and I don’t know why he is here. I suspect he was murdered and then his body was stashed here, but at this point, I don’t even know that for certain.” Mike rolled the man’s head to the side with his gloved hand. “It looks like there was trauma to the head, but with all the decay, it’s hard to know if a blow to the head was the cause of death. I guess all we can do at this point is let the medical examiner take a look and then take it from there.”

  “Did this man’s wife report that her husband had disappeared from this house?” I asked.

  “No. According to Nora Brown, her husband had been here at the house helping Grange with the needed repairs but had come home after they’d finished for the day. They’d had dinner and watched a little television. She’d had a headache and went to bed early. When she woke up the following morning, it was obvious that Joe had never come to bed, so she looked around the house, but both he and his truck were gone. She assumed he’d already gone to work, so she didn’t worry since he often went in early. When he didn’t come home that evening, she called one of the men Joe works with who told her that her husband had never come in that day. The wife waited until the following day thinking he might show up with a reasonable explanation, but when he didn’t, she came down to the station and filed a missing person’s report.”