by Louise Lynn
“For a cat who jumps headfirst into snow drifts, you sure are a wimp when it comes to rain. You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. But we’ll be inside. Part of the time," she said.
Michael raised his eyebrows. "I thought we were looking for evidence of a horse. We’re going inside the house too?"
Hazel bit the inside of her cheek. "We have to find those other secret passages ASAP, and Sheriff Cross and the deputies have their hands full looking for Emma and Josh. I figured it wouldn't hurt."
"Unless whoever killed Cameron is waiting in one of them with an axe. I think that would hurt," Michael said.
"I don't think an axe murderer is going to sit in a secret passage and wait for his victims. Plus, he left his axe in Cameron’s head last time, gruesome as that was. It seems more like this is all a set up for the Ghost Hunters Extreme YouTube channel."
Michael had told her about the atrocious things Cameron had said to his crew, and even he agreed that it gave them good motive to want him dead.
"Yeah, I guess. But what does Tess have to do with any of this?"
Hazel didn't have an explanation for that. Cameron was the one obsessed with Tess, so why did Emma keep pointing the finger at her? "Maybe to keep the blame off of them? Plus, we’re not sure if they were in on it together or one of them plotted it separately. Hopefully we’ll find that out soon. Do you want to do secret passages or horse duty first?"
Michael's frown tugged into a playful grin. "What kind of ‘duty’ are we talking about?"
She nudged him. “I’m not sure. If we find one kind, we’ll know for certain it’s not a ghost horse." Then she petted Anthony Ray's head. “I can carry you in my jacket so you don't get too wet."
He gave her a look of indignation. Anthony Ray was more than capable of taking care of himself, rain or not. He proved it by jumping out of the truck as they did.
She fished the spare key from her pocket, and they made a run for the porch. Once there, they stood for a moment, watching the rain pelt the ground. It could last for five minutes or several hours, knowing the weather in the area.
"How are we going to find a horse in this? Much less have a Halloween Fair," Michael said with a pout.
He didn't mention anything about the killer, but she figured that was a given. "Sheriff Cross said something about them moving into the community center if the weather didn't clear up."
Michael shrugged. "It's not the same."
Hazel silently agreed with that.
The house made its typical creaks and groans as they stepped inside. Hazel hoped Patricia didn't mind that they wiped their feet on the mat. She figured it was better than tracking mud all over the hardwood floors. The rain poured on the roof and scaffolding in a deafening din.
They'd be able to work quicker if they split up, but even Hazel was hesitant to do that. They headed together to the parlor. She knew they needed to prove there was a way for the killer to escape Dora’s room without being seen. Plus, there might be evidence in that secret passage—assuming the killer didn't think it would ever be found.
She glanced at the copy of the blueprints Marcus gave her. She'd have to ask Celia to give him a big kiss later as a thank you.
“So, the one in the study is in a bookcase. There aren't any bookcases in here," Michael said, somewhat unnecessarily.
"No, but the place between the walls is wider than normal here." She stood in front of a glass display filled with fancy china, the kind she didn't own. She never understood why people wanted china they couldn't eat on. It seemed like a waste of space.
"We have to open it to find that trigger thing?" Michael said.
"Well, it was a picture in the study. And here," she pointed at another picture, this one of a young girl with braids. It was impossible to tell if it was the daughter who drowned or Dora as a young girl.
Michael's eyes sparked. "I'll try it." He opened the display case and moved the picture.
It clicked, and the display swung open, creak free, as if the hinges had been oiled recently. The one in the study had both cobwebs and dust, while this one had the cobwebs brushed free and the dust swept clean.
Her heart thudded in her throat, and she pulled out a hefty flashlight, and carefully stepped inside.
“If you see any evidence, Anthony Ray, don't mess it up."
He flipped his tail as if he would never do such a thing, and they worked their way inside.
Such a place demanded silence, and Hazel and Michael obeyed. The passage turned in all the right places, according to the map, and about halfway to what she assumed was Dora's bedroom, she noticed a dark smudge on the ground, froze, and pointed it out.
"That could be blood," she whispered.
They all stepped around it.
There were more dark streaks on the ground, and she noticed a few on the wall as well.
Finally, they came to a dead-end.
Hazel found the knob and turned. The door clicked without a squeak and welcomed them into the dim confines of Dora's bedroom. Outside, the storm still lashed, and the yellow and black crime scene tape made it look even more dismal.
“Xtreme_Skeptic was right. He posted this morning that he thought a person killed Cameron," Michael said and picked his way past the dried puddle of Cameron Killian's blood.
Hazel raised her eyebrows. "Really? That's in poor taste."
Michael shrugged. “Probably, but that’s what Xtreme_Skeptic does. It’s like his whole goal in life is to destroy the Ghost Hunters Extreme Channel," Michael said and scratched his head as they stood in the hallway.
“Wait. How did this guy online get any information about the case beyond what Ghost Hunters Extreme posted the other day? That video is heavily edited and hardly has any real information about the case."
Michael shrugged. “That’s a good point. Here, I’ll show you the blog post he made on my phone. It’s full of details about the case. Weird ones."
Her heart thudded as she took his phone and read through the post.
Michael was right. Whoever wrote that had insider information—extremely so. Not only did the post mention where Cameron was killed, it also mentioned the police investigation in more detail than was possible for someone who hadn’t seen it firsthand. Was there a third unaccounted for suspect that they hadn't taken into consideration?
“I think Xtreme_Skeptic is someone in Cedar Valley right now." Her hair stood on end when she said it, and she remembered what Violet had said the night before. “Can you text Violet? We need Milo to find out what Xtreme_Skeptic’s IP address is to prove it."
Anthony Ray's ears perked in alert.
Michael paled. "Do you think that’s the killer?"
“Maybe. I think Xtreme_Skeptic was closer to Cameron than he knew. Cameron found out who Xtreme_Skeptic was, and got an axe in the head for his trouble."
Michael’s fingers trembled as he sent the text. “It’s not Tess, is it?"
Hazel shook her head. “No, but I think it’s one of Cameron’s friends."
Since they were closer to the third floor stairway then the second floor stairway, she opted they go upstairs and find the final secret passage.
However, they didn't get the chance.
When they reached the bathroom, Michael glanced out the window as Hazel tried to figure out where the door to the secret passage might be.
Suddenly, he gasped. "There's a horse outside, and it's green!"
Hazel rushed to the window and caught the horse rearing in the rain with a black figure on its back.
Sure enough, it faintly glowed green.
Chapter 21
They made it downstairs and outside in record time. Hazel didn't know she could run that fast, and she didn't know Michael could either.
She sensed Michael hesitating as she charged into the rain, and she cast her assistant a quick look. "Call Sheriff Cross, you don't have to follow if–"
Michael charged after her, his face red, and moved toward where they'd seen the glowing gre
en horse and its ominous rider. She really didn't know much about horses or how fast they could travel. But with the rain and the mud, she assumed that would slow it down somewhat.
They ran to the place where they’d seen the animal, and Hazel glanced back up at the house toward the third floor bathroom window. Anthony Ray yowled and sniffed at what looked to be a pile of mud.
No, not mud, she tugged his leash away and pointed. "Well that's what we were looking for. And it’s fresh. I don’t think ghost horses do that," she said and wrinkled her nose.
Michael nodded, even with the mud, they could see where the horse hooves led, and they both followed.
In the distance, she heard a disgruntled whinny.
"What are we gonna do when we find a glowing green horse?" Michael said far too loudly for Hazel's comfort.
“I have no idea. Hope the rider isn’t armed first off," she said and wiped the water from her face. Her raincoat was already soaking through, and Anthony Ray’s fur was drenched. She’d have to towel him dry and light a fire that night so he could warm up.
Assuming they lived that long.
There was more than one person missing.
Josh Hopkins might have acted frightened the night before, but Hazel realized that may have been an act, as had his entire friendship with Cameron Killian.
Like Colton had said, his guilt made perfect sense.
The horse tracks led through the garden, and at least the trees overhead gave them a reprieve from the rain.
She saw where they dug up the unidentified body, and a shiver went up her spine. She hoped that was the only body on the grounds and there weren't others hidden somewhere. With all the rain and muck, it reminded her of the ending of Poltergeist, with all the skeletons popping up.
At least something like that hadn’t happened.
Yet.
Once they made it to the end of the garden, the path wound through the trees.
After another twenty feet or so, Hazel saw it.
The horse stood on the beach, shaking its head, and something was perched on its back—a figure, stiff and most definitely headless. But that's not the only thing that caught her attention. Someone stood in front of the horse, gently touching its muzzle.
"Tess?" Hazel called.
“What's she doing?" Michael asked and shivered next to her. He didn't even have a raincoat, and his sweatshirt clung to him. He looked as miserable as Anthony Ray.
Hazel's gut filled with a sinking sensation. This was the only person they'd ever seen with the green glowing horse, and the animal didn't seem frightened by Tess’s presence. “I don’t know, but I hope that horse isn’t hers."
"It looks super suspicious. I'll give you that," Michael said and wrung his hands.
Hazel took a slow step forward. She'd gone looking for the animal, and she’d found it, though not quite the way she’d planned. She figured they'd stumble across it in a garage or barn, not on the beach with Tess nuzzling it.
Well, beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Tess? It's Hazel. Where did you get the glowing horse?" she asked and approached the beach.
Lake Celeste rocked with the wind and rain. The white tipped waves rose out of the lake and threw her usually blue waters into a blackened frenzy.
Tess started, and her glasses ran with so much water Hazel wondered how she saw through them. “Horse and Hazel together at last. The spirits said this would come to pass."
"Oh? What else did the spirits say?" she asked. She doubted it was anything but nonsense.
Michael shuffled behind her, and Anthony Ray crept up to the horse and sniffed its hooves. The horse let out a huff, and Anthony Ray jumped back. For once, he was reasonably wary around a bigger creature, like he should be.
The black rider didn’t budge. Then again, it didn’t have a head, so Hazel thought it good the rider didn’t move.
Tess looked straight into her eyes. "The darkness here stirs to a head, but you will avenge those that are dead."
"Why are you here with this horse, Tess?" Hazel asked as kindly as she could.
Tess glanced at the horse and then back at Hazel, as if they were having this conversation in a warm house and not on a stormy beach. "I found it just now. I got a calling this creature needed me. Look what they've done to it," she said and pointed at the horse’s back.
Now that Hazel was closer, she saw that the reason the horse glowed wasn't because of anything supernatural. It'd been fitted with luminescent cloth over its face and down its back. The cloth went down to the horse’s knees. It reminded her of the glow sticks she’d seen near Jimbo that first night at Patricia’s ruined house.
So that’s how they did it!
But that wasn't what Tess pointed at.
The figure on the back slipped to one side, and the horse shook its soaked mane and whinnied again.
Hazel stepped up and noted the rider was fixed on to a saddle and draped in black rags of what looked like one of those cheap Halloween cloaks, ripped and soaked.
“Is it a real body? Oh no. It’s Josh Hopkins, isn’t it?" Michael gasped.
Hazel had the same sinking sensation, but she didn’t say anything. If it was Josh or Emma, they’d know soon enough.
As she pulled the cloak back, she recognized the fleshy hands beneath. Even if the head was gone, she knew who this was. "So this is what became of Jimbo."
“Who's Jimbo," Michael said. "Wait, is that a real body?"
Hazel shook her head. "Not quite, but I’m pretty sure whoever set this up is also guilty of Cameron's death. We need to get back to the house and call Sheriff Cross right away." She looked at Tess. "Can you lead this horse somewhere dry?"
Tess nodded and reached for the horses lead. “Come, darling. Hazel’s soul speaks to animals, and she knows what they need.“
Hazel froze. "What did you call that horse?"
Tess swept her soaked curls from her face and pointed at the horse’s bridle. "Darling. Here."
Sure enough, ‘Darling’ was inscribed on the bridle.
She’d heard that just the day before. What was it that Patricia had said? All of her horses were darlings. Here Hazel thought she was saying that in an affectionate sense. But maybe she meant they were all named Darling.
As she turned back to look at the foreboding presence of Pearl House, her heart stood in her throat. Her mind raced. It could be a coincidence, but that familiar knot in her gut told her it wasn't.
The same knot told her Sheriff Cross might be wrong. All the crazy was meant to distract and look like an impossible crime of the supernatural, when in fact there was a reason for all of it.
Her mother had even told her so. Patricia loved attention and fame, and she’d do anything to get it. Did that mean she’d kill for it too?
But she couldn’t have done it alone, and Hazel knew who her accomplice was now.
Her heart hammered in her throat as she fished her truck keys from her pocket and handed them to Michael. "Take Tess and my truck and go. I’ll take the horse. Tess, have you seen Josh today?"
"Where are you going?" Michael cried.
"I have to see to something in the caretaker's cabin. Hurry," she said and turned.
However, Tess stepped toward her, the horse walking behind. "I must accompany you, the spirits have decreed it so."
With a sigh, Hazel shrugged. “Fine. Do what you want, just hurry up both of you," she said and ran toward the grounds.
Chapter 22
The caretaker's cabin was closer to Lake Celeste than the main house, and though no lights were on as they approached the backdoor, Hazel had a feeling someone was there.
Someone everyone had been looking for. They'd been sweeping the town when in fact he'd been hiding under everyone's noses.
Figures.
The glow in the dark fabric on the horse. Jimbo. It all made sense now.
The horse shook itself as they drew it onto the covered back porch. At least it would keep dry for a time.
There was n
othing that would make a particularly good weapon, but there were a few walking sticks propped against the door. Hazel hefted one and handed the other to Tess. "If anyone attacks, defend yourself. Can you do that?"
Tess nodded mutely, and Hazel tried the door.
It creaked, and Hazel sucked in a breath as she stepped into the dim confines of the caretaker's cabin. The backdoor opened into the living area, and Hazel stood in the small room for a second, allowing her eyes to adjust to the shadows. The hall to the kitchen was to the left, and to the right stood a closed door that was either a bedroom or bathroom.
"Josh, Emma, I know you're both here. The police are here, and if you don't come out and talk to me, they're gonna rush in here and arrest you faster than you can say ‘Jimbo's tied to a glowing horse,’" she said.
A whimper sounded from the closed door, and Hazel took another step.
She hoped that place didn't have a maze of secret passages as she moved toward it. She held her stick ready, and turned the knob.
It creaked open, and Josh Hopkins was there, only not as she assumed.
He was tied to a chair, a gag in his mouth, and his cheeks were red and puffy, streaked with tears. His nose dripped uncontrollably, and Hazel's eyes widened.
A quick glance told her no one else was in the room. It looked like it'd been a bedroom at one time, but the old furniture had been removed.
"Josh, who did this to you?" she said and pulled off the gag.
“Ms. Hart? Tess? Oh no, I'm so sorry. I swear, it was a joke. We were just trying to scare you, and everything went out of hand. None of this was supposed to happen."
Hazel bent to look at the rope tied around his hands. They were in a series of complicated knots that she couldn't begin to figure out, and she didn't have anything to cut them with either.
"Okay, you need to calm down and tell me who did this to you. What do you mean it was all supposed to be a joke?"
Josh sucked in several great gulps of air. "The whole thing. Cam didn't think the house was haunted, he just wanted to freak Tess out. The whole thing with him getting killed, it was supposed to be an act. Like he got killed by the ghost, Tess would think her weird prophecy came true, and then Cam was gonna rub it in her face because it didn't really happen. But it did!" He dissolved into a series of sobs, and Hazel sighed.