by Rose Pressey
“What does it say?” I asked breathlessly.
“Mind your own business or you’re next.” Our eyes met. “Don’t worry, Rip, I’ll find out who did this.”
***
My nerves were on edge as I stepped into the library.
“I bet there’s another letter here somewhere,” I said.
“Where would you even start?” Tammy asked.
I released a deep breath and looked around the library. “Has to be here.”
Until the killer decided to let me know I would have to wait. I wondered if the killer was in the library right now.
“How long will it be until another letter appears?” Tammy asked.
I tapped my fingers against the counter. Maybe the killer got tired and wouldn’t leave one. That would be bad because then we would never find out.
Annie sent a text. Rip, I’ve seen another spirit here in the library.
I stopped in my tracks. “Where? What happened? Who was it?”
I had so many questions.
It was just a shadowy figure. Like the one you saw on the video.
“Was it with Brannon? Was he here when you saw it?”
No, he wasn’t here.
Hmm. And I was sure it had only been following Brannon. Was there another shadow figure now? Maybe I had attracted one now too.
It was following Monica.
“Did she know it was following her?”
I don’t think she had a clue.
This news sent my thoughts into a tailspin. What would I do now?
The rest of the day went by in a blur. When I was upstairs making sure all the lights were off, I spotted a bag in the room where we’d had the interview. I grabbed the bag. I supposed I would have to open it to see who it belonged to. Tammy and Monica had already gone. I’d take the bag downstairs. Sometimes I still got a little spooked upstairs. Too many bad memories up there. I hurried down the stairs with the bag in hand. Annie was right beside me.
I placed the bag on the desk and unzipped it. As I suspected, it was full of equipment. I assumed it was Heath’s bag. How would I find him to let him know that I had the bag? They were still in town, but I didn’t know where they were staying. With a small town like this, I could probably find someone to tell me where they were though. I zipped up the bag and headed for the door.
Just be careful, Annie said in her text.
“Of course I will, Annie. Don’t worry.”
She seemed more paranoid than usual.
Chapter 12
“What happened up there? It took you a while.”
I jumped when I heard Tammy’s voice.
“Sorry, did I scare you?” she asked.
“I thought you left,” I said.
She reached out and picked up a book from the reference desk. “I forgot I wanted to take this book with me.”
“I found Heath’s bag with equipment up there.” I pointed toward the staircase. “I’ll have to find him and return it.”
“Did you find anything good in it?” Tammy asked.
“Nothing but equipment.”
“Bummer.” She grabbed her bag and tossed it onto her shoulder. “I guess I should be going now. I might not have to work. Do you want to grab a bite after the tour?”
“Sure, that sounds good.”
We hadn’t spent enough time out lately. Watching movies at my place didn’t count. We needed a bit of girl time. Tammy and I walked out together.
“I need to run a few errands. Do you want a ride to the graveyard? Okay, that sounded as creepy as hell. As if I should be driving a hearse,” Tammy said.
I laughed. “Hey, maybe I should add one of those to my tour.”
“Don’t you dare,” she said. “Do you want me to give you a ride?”
“No, you’re going in the opposite direction. I’m used to walking.”
“That’s what lets you eat those cupcakes, yet stay so fit.”
“Sometime they will catch up with me.” I smiled.
“I’ll let you know if I don’t have to work. Talk to you soon.”
I walked toward the diner. I figured I’d pick up a little something to hold me over until after the tour. The trees were still bare of leaves, but a hint of spring teased in the air. When I neared the diner, I spotted Heath standing outside. I wouldn’t have to track him down after all. As I grew closer, I realized he was on the phone. By the way he stood and the movements of his arms, it looked as if it wasn’t a great conversation. I wanted to know what he was talking about. Maybe it had something to do with Alex’s murder.
I didn’t want him to see me eavesdropping though. When I reached the corner of the building, I stepped to the side. It was tough to hear with the traffic. Once there was a lull in cars, I picked up part of the conversation.
“So where should I meet you?” he asked.
Then he repeated the address. It sounded so familiar. Where had I heard it before? He hung up the phone and headed toward his car. That was when it hit me. I knew where I’d heard the address. It was the place in Bloomfield that Patrick Greystone had asked me to investigate.
I needed to get to that address right away. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Tammy. I hoped she didn’t have to work after all.
“Is something wrong?” she asked when she answered.
“Are you nearby and do you have to work?” I asked.
“Actually good news, I just found out that I don’t have to work. What’s up?”
“I need a ride somewhere.”
“Where are you now? Never mind. I see you. Why are you peeking out from the side of the building?”
I looked to my left and spotted Tammy’s car as she pulled up to the curb. “Sorry, I forgot it was safe to come out now.”
“Was someone after you?” Tammy asked.
I ended the call and climbed into her car. “I was eavesdropping on a conversation.”
She smiled. “Of course. Where are we going?”
I pointed forward. “We have to go to Bloomfield. Do we have time before the tour?”
“As long as we don’t take long.”
“I don’t think this will take long,” I said.
Tammy pulled out onto the street. “So what’s in Bloomfield?”
“You remember the guy who wanted me to investigate the house? Patrick Greystone?”
“Yeah, the weird one.”
“Well, Heath repeated that address as he was talking on the phone.”
“You think he was talking to the weird guy?” Tammy asked as she made the next left.
“I don’t know, but it certainly was a weird coincidence. I have to find out what was going on and if there is any kind of connection.”
“Heath’s not from around here, so what kind of connection could there be?”
I brushed the hair out of my eyes. “Well, the first link I can think of is he’s a guy with a haunted asylum and Alex was a guy who did documentaries about haunted places. There’s only one way to find out though.”
“What will we do when we get there?”
“Ask them what they’re doing.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a great idea,” Tammy said.
“Well, maybe we’ll be a little more subtle about it, but we can still try to get the info from them,” I said.
We made the drive to Bloomfield. After turning around a couple times, we finally found the address. The building was huge and old, six massive stories of brick that looked like an old haunted backdrop from a movie. It was obviously abandoned, with broken windows and boarded-up doors. At least someone had maintained the grass surrounding the place, though weeds were out of control next to the building. Tammy pulled down the driveway. Heath’s car was parked out front.
Tammy pulled right up behind it. “We can’t really go in there, can we?”
I shrugged and opened the car door. “Patrick did give me the address and ask me to investigate the place. I think that means I can stop by any time.”
“I think Heath
won’t think it’s a coincidence.” Tammy joined me at the front of the car as we looked up at the looming house.
“Shall we?” I asked as I motioned toward the house.
I knew by Tammy’s slow pace that she was hesitant to go up there.
“I wouldn’t go up here if I thought something bad would happen,” I said.
“But you suspect this guy could be the killer?” Tammy asked.
“Well, there is that. I suppose that is a risky thing.”
Tammy turned to go back to the car.
“It’s okay,” I said. “There’s two of us. We can run to the car.”
“Not if they trap us in the house.”
We moved up onto the wide front steps. “Okay, now you’re making me have second thoughts.”
That was when I heard the men talking. We paused to listen. I wondered if they’d heard us. Considering they were still talking, I doubted it. The window was open to the right of us. I recognized both of the men’s voices. I eased over closer to the window so maybe I could hear better.
“I don’t know what happened to the bag. I need it back though before someone finds the video.”
Tammy and I were both wide-eyed when we looked at each other. He was talking about the bag that I’d found. What was on the video that he didn’t want anyone to see? Did it have anything to do with the murder? I eased back over to the door.
“Are you still talking to them?” Tammy whispered.
“I guess so.” I paused with my hand raised.
Finally, I knocked on the door. They stopped talking. I knew they were surprised. They probably thought I had overheard them. Of course I’d overheard some of it.
Patrick opened the door. “Ripley, what are you doing here?”
Just then Heath walked up behind him. Now I really felt uncomfortable. He stared at us. I knew he was blocking the door, letting me know I couldn’t come in.
“Sorry, but I’m not ready for you to investigate right now,” Patrick said.
“Oh, I thought you wanted me to stop by anytime.” I looked over his shoulder. “Heath, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you knew each other.”
“Actually we go way back,” he said. “I just came by to see the place.”
I glanced around. “It is an amazing place. I’d be happy to take a look around.” I supposed that was in complete contrast to what I’d told him earlier.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to call you soon,” Patrick said.
I couldn’t understand why he’d wanted me here in the first place. “I’ll talk to you later then,” I said.
He nodded.
“Nice seeing you again, Ripley,” Heath said.
Tammy and I climbed into the car. Patrick was still standing on the porch as we backed up.
“That was extremely odd. Patrick is even weirder than I thought.” Tammy turned the ignition.
Now I knew I had something more than just equipment. “I have to find out what’s on the video.” There was no way to look at it now though. We pulled out on the street.
“There has to be a connection between these guys and the murder, right?” Tammy asked.
“It would be a big coincidence if not. I have to tell Brannon about this.”
I pulled out my cell and left him a message when he didn’t answer. I knew I was snooping again, but now I had been brought into this investigation. That meant it was personal.
The welcome sign for Devil’s Moon came into view. The sun had set and night quickly settled around us. The night seemed spookier knowing that a killer was out there. I hoped that Alex would get justice soon as his killer would be arrested. Tammy drove a little faster than she should have through town.
“I can’t guarantee that Brannon won’t give you a ticket if he sees you.”
“We’re here now so I’m safe,” Tammy said as she pulled up along the curb.
I had only five minutes to spare before the tour was to start. People were probably already there waiting for me.
As I got out of the car, Tammy said, “I’ll go on the tour with you.”
“Really? This is a treat.” I always loved having a friend with me. I closed the door as Tammy climbed out and came around the front of the car.
“You can just leave the bag in my car.”
Even though I knew her car would be locked I still worried about losing the bag before I found out what was on the tape.
“Don’t worry. We’re parked under a street light, no one will break in,” she said with a wave of her hand.
I smiled. “You’re right.” The words were more to convince myself.
Tammy and I hurried down the alleyway. I hated being late. It was totally unprofessional. Surprisingly, the tour-goers hadn’t arrived yet. However, there was someone waiting for me. Mrs. Clatterbuck was standing by the old iron gate. She appeared just as clear to me as any living person. Oak trees swayed with the wind.
“Do you see her?” I asked.
Tammy frowned. “Do I see who?”
“Mrs. Clatterbuck. She’s the ghost over there by the gate.”
“Oh, dear. No, I don’t see her. I’m glad that I can’t.” Tammy rubbed her arms.
“You should be glad. You know how grouchy she is most of the time.” I smiled at Mrs. Clatterbuck in an attempt to put her in a good mood.
“Why are you back again tonight?” she asked.
“I come here almost every night,” I said. “Mrs. Clatterbuck, I thought by now maybe we could form some kind of friendship.”
“And I’ve told you that you shouldn’t come here.”
That answered my friendship question. It was a big fat no.
Mrs. Clatterbuck continued, “The ghosts will come for him.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Just then chatter from a group of people caught our attention. People were coming down the alleyway toward us. When I glanced back, Mrs. Clatterbuck was gone. I had no idea what she meant. Who was the ‘he’ she was talking about?
The group of people gathered around me. The moon shone across the graveyard, casting an eerie white glow. There were two men and two women on the tour tonight.
“Welcome to the Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour.” I waved my arm through the air. “Tonight I will guide you through the haunted streets and buildings of town.”
At least it wasn’t a big group tonight. After last night, I needed a bit of a rest from the big groups.
The owl hooted from high atop the oak tree. It was as if he was trying to talk to the group too. He was probably trying to issue a warning, but for what I had no idea.
“We’ll start the tour at the tavern, go to various other buildings around town, and then we’ll come back here for the final part of the tour.”
“This is exciting,” one of the women whispered to her date. He seemed to like the fact that she was extremely close and holding his arm. Not only did I share spooky stories, I helped romantic dates.
The group followed me and we made our way down the alleyway. I told people a little history about the town to get us started.
I glanced over toward Tammy’s car. I hadn’t expected to see someone by the car though. I had to continue with the tour though. Even though now I was suspicious.
“First, we’ll start with the tavern. It used to be a stagecoach stop in the 1700s,” I said.
Chapter 13
When I looked back and noticed that Heath and Patrick were behind us, I realized they weren’t just casually walking down the sidewalk. They were hanging with the group. Never mind that they hadn’t paid for tickets. That was the least of my worries. What I found disruptive was that they were back there at all. This couldn’t be a coincidence. I supposed they realized where the missing video had gone. Since the library was locked, did they think that I actually had the bag, or did they just want me to let them back in to retrieve it? If there was something in that bag that they didn’t want me to find, then I could imagine
why they would want to follow me.
Heath had already been on the tour, so I knew it wasn’t just because he was interested. Though that could be the reason Patrick was there. I was being paranoid. Even if they remembered they had left the bag there, they had no reason to know it wasn’t still in the library. Even if they found out the bag wasn’t there, anyone could have been taken it.
We made eye contact. Now they probably knew that I knew. I poked Tammy and motioned for her to look over her shoulder.
“They’re here,” I whispered.
She whipped around. Of course not subtle in the least.
She looked at me. “What are they doing back there?”
“I think we know why they’re back there.”
It was the end of the tour and now I had to worry about talking to them. Should I admit that I had the video and just give it back before even watching it or pretend that I didn’t know what they were talking about and give myself a chance to see it?
Either way, it was risky, but keeping it was even worse. That could be life or death. After all, Heath could be the murderer and the reason why he wanted the video was because it was incriminating evidence. I hurried back toward the graveyard thinking about what I would do once I arrived. Thank goodness I hadn’t done the tour alone tonight. But once the tour was over, I looked around for the men and they were gone.
“What do you think happened to them?” I asked.
“Maybe it was just a coincidence after all,” Tammy said.
We walked back toward the sidewalk and her car.
“Maybe they went back when they couldn’t break into your car for the video,” I said.
Tammy looked around. “Well, they’d better not mess with me.” Tammy opened the car door. “Come on, get in. I want to take you home. You shouldn’t walk alone with those two roaming around.”
I climbed into the car. “You’re right, it’s probably better that I don’t walk tonight.”
We pulled up in front of my place and I got out.
“Call me if you need anything,” Tammy said.
“I sure will.” I closed the door and waved and then walked toward my front door.
The place was surrounded by a little iron fence. I opened up the gate and headed up the path. I’d almost reached the front porch when I remembered I’d left the bag in her car. With the excitement of seeing the men, I’d forgotten all about watching the video.