by Rose Pressey
As I walked back toward my apartment, I dialed Brannon’s number. I wanted to tell him about what had happened, although I knew he wouldn’t be happy that I’d come all the way over here by myself. He answered right away.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Well, that’s the thing, I’m walking down the street away from the library.”
“What are you doing? Why would you do that?”
“Monica was there with some of her friends doing a séance, so I had to put a stop to it.”
“That’s not good.” He turned down his police radio.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Right behind you,” he said.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw his car pulling up beside me along the street. I smiled as I hurried over. He motioned for me to get in.
I hurried into the passenger side. “What are you doing out here?”
“I got a call about suspicious activity at the library. I was just going to check it out. At least now I know what was going on,” he said.
“Yeah, I would have called you, but I was in a hurry.”
“I know how you are. You just like to live dangerously,” he said.
“Not particularly,” I said.
As we neared the tavern, I noticed the red car parked along the side of the street and recognized the guy getting out of it. John had stepped up onto the curb. He was opening the passenger door for someone.
“Oh, look who it is,” I said, pointing toward the car. “It’s John, the boyfriend.”
“Have you heard anything else from him?” Brannon asked.
“Not since he asked me for more clues.”
That was when he opened the car door on the passenger side and a woman got out of the car.
“I wonder who that is with him?”
I couldn’t see her face. She had long hair and was looking down at her feet. It was almost as if she was trying to hide her appearance. We drove past the car, but didn’t stop to talk to them. I would have to call John tomorrow. I got a better look at the woman’s face. Was that Ruby?
When we made it to my apartment, Brannon parked out by the curb in front of the gate.
“Hold on for just a second. I’m going to open the door for you. Wait right there.”
“Okay,” I said with a smile.
What was he up to? I watched as he got out of the car and went around the trunk. He got something out, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. He was hiding it behind his back when he came over and opened the door for me. He held his left hand out, but kept his right hand behind his back. I got out of the car and that was when he gave me the red roses.
“They are beautiful. Thank you.” I sniffed of the flowers.
“I just saw them and wanted you to have them.”
“That is incredibly sweet,” I said, smelling the roses again.
Brannon and I had just stepped out onto the sidewalk when a woman bumped into me.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.
When our eyes met she stared me straight in the eyes. She didn’t offer a smile. Her long dark hair reached down below her shoulders. She looked as if she had just left a wedding because she was dressed in a pink silk formal dress with matching heels. Was she the bridesmaid? That was as strange as the way she was looking at me. I stepped around her.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said, grabbing my attention.
Brannon and I turned to look at her.
She held up a piece of paper. “Do you know where 566 Maple Hill Road is?”
Brannon pointed. “It’s just the next street over.”
She looked him up and down. They exchanged a look for a moment. “Thank you.” She cast a glance my way and then turned and walked away.
Brannon frowned. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head. “She seems familiar.”
The woman had just turned the corner onto Maple Hill Road.
“She didn’t look familiar to me,” I said.
“Maybe she’s been in the police station before.”
“Or you just saw her around town,” I said.
“It’s possible,” he said, still looking in the direction she’d walked.
“Okay, well, thank you for the flowers,” I said, taking the conversation away from the woman.
Brannon smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“What’s the occasion?” I asked, sniffing the roses.
“Absolutely no occasion other than I passed the flower shop and thought I should get you roses.”
“How sweet of you.” I kissed him on the cheek.
As we walked down the sidewalk, Brannon looked over his shoulder again. He was definitely preoccupied by the woman. I guessed he was just trying to recall where he’d seen her before. I looped my arm through his and guided him toward the little iron gate in front of the path leading to my apartment. In the other hand, I carried my roses.
“I just can’t place where I know her from,” he said.
“Well, you’ll probably think of it later.”
We continued up the path toward my apartment. The scrubs next to the path rustled and I jumped. Brannon managed to grab my arm and keep me upright. A cat zoomed across the path in front of me.
I chuckled. “I guess I’m a little on edge. The neighbor always lets her cat out.” Thunder rumbled in the distance and I looked up at the sky. “It looks like it might rain soon.”
Just then another noise sounded from my right. Another cat? When I glanced to my left, I spotted the neighbor’s cat. He was sitting on the front stoop, licking his paw.
“Is anyone there?” I called out.
Brannon stepped over to the bushes, and then looked around. “Nothing there, Rip.”
“Did you hear that noise too?”
He nodded. “It must have been a squirrel or something. That was probably why the cat was back there in the first place.”
I scanned the area again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“We should get you inside before it rains,” he said with a smile.
Out of nowhere the rain started to pour and thunder rattled. Lightning flashed not long after that happened. A storm had popped up out of nowhere and it made my surroundings even creepier. The static energy would no doubt lure even more paranormal activity. I’d already had enough. Rain pounded against the sidewalk and thunder rumbled again. I felt even antsier, as if something was watching me. I ran for cover, splashing through a huge puddle of rain. Brannon and I shook the rain off once we were on the porch.
“Wow, that really came down fast,” he said. “It’ll probably be a busy night at the police station because of the storm.” He pushed the wet hair off my forehead.
“Thanks for walking me home,” I said.
“How about I make us dinner?” Brannon said.
I smiled. “I’m hungry.”
“Perfect,” Brannon said, taking my hand.
We walked up to my apartment and I opened the door. There was an odd vibe in the air. I’d thought I’d been safe at my apartment, but now I wasn’t sure what to expect or when something would happen.
“I’m not sure what I have to eat,” I said.
The hardwood floor creaked under my feet with each step. My place was old, and that added to the creepiness. I eased over to the window to take a quick peek outside into the dark night. Thank goodness nothing was out there looking back at me.
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” Brannon said as he took my hand.
We headed toward the kitchen. Brannon was a bit of a culinary expert. I couldn’t wait to see what he would try to whip up with my meager ingredients.
Brannon opened the refrigerator. “Let’s see what I have to work with.”
“I haven’t had a chance to go to the grocery,” I said.
Would he believe me? I rarely had a full refrigerator.
“I thought maybe you were on a hunger strike. Chicken and veggies? I can work with that.” He pulled out the ingredients.
I help
ed him out while he made dinner. Then we opened up a bottle of white wine and sat down at the dining room table to enjoy the meal. I could really get used to this.
We’d just finished our food when a noise sounded at the front door. It was a distinct rattling noise, as if someone was trying to get inside. Brannon jumped up from the table and immediately ran across the room. He didn’t waste any time—he knew that no one should be trying to enter my place.
When we reached the door, Brannon raised his hand for me to pause. He picked up his gun that he’d left on the table and prepared to open the door. He positioned his gun.
"You really think you’ll need to use it? You think that this is serious?” I was hiding out by the dining room.
“Just in case something serious happens.” Brannon swung open the door when. No one was there.
He stepped out of the apartment. “I’ll be right back.”
What was happening out there? I should go check it out. What if he needed my help? A couple of seconds later and he came back.
“I didn’t find anything unusual,” Brannon said. “You did hear the door knob, right?”
“Yes, I heard it. I’d know the sound anywhere.”
“I should check outside,” he said.
“I don’t know. Are you sure?”
Brannon caressed my cheek with his finger. “It’s better than having somebody return, right?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
I didn’t like being left alone in the apartment, but I figured it was best to stay put. I didn’t close the door behind him in case I needed to run out. A few minutes later and he returned.
“Nothing out there either,” he said.
“Maybe someone had the wrong door.”
“It’s possible.” Brannon placed his gun back on the table.
“Though it sounded pretty aggressive.”
“Don’t worry about it, okay?” he said.
We had just stepped back into the dining room when everything started. The rattling door and then pictures started flying off the walls, landing with a crash onto the floor. Everything was breaking like we were in the middle of an earthquake. That was when the shadow flew across the room. The thing from the library was now at my place. This was scary. I would never be able to get away from this thing. I ducked, covering my head with my arms. Finally, it stopped. Brannon ran over to me.
He wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?” I asked.
“I’m fine. Everything is just a mess, but at least we’re okay. I’ll help you clean up,” Brannon said.
“Did you see the shadow? It followed me here.”
I guess I did have the book with me, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe I should lock the book away so it couldn’t hurt anyone.
“Maybe we can find a way to get this thing unattached from the book,” Brannon said.
That was the only option.
Chapter 11
Morning had dawned gleaming and bright. Brannon and I were going back to the graveyard where Sarah Tyler had been buried. We would see what we could find out and I wanted to check out that date to see if it matched with the end of the diary.
“This is the spot,” I said, pointing to the gravel road.
“I can’t believe you came out here by yourself. You’re braver than I am, I think. I’m not sure I feel safe here.”
“I’m not sure if someone else found out where this place is or if that was a ghost, but I’ll show you where the person was when I saw them.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he said, parking the car and turning off the ignition.
We got out of the car and moved around front. The bright morning sun had soon been covered by gray clouds. The hum of insects and wind-whipped branches was all we heard. It was a long walk across the grass and it looked like it might rain soon. We would have to hurry. I had my phone, which had apps for a digital recorder, EMF, and other ghost-hunting things that I would need with me. At least we didn’t have to carry a lot of equipment. Carefully Brannon and I stepped through the tall grass. Our shadows were cast along the ground, reminding me of the dark shadow I’d seen a short time ago.
“That’s the tree over there,” I said.
Brannon hurried over toward the wooded area. “Maybe I can find something… a clue about who this person might’ve been.”
It was a long shot, but at least he could try. We also had the other device, the ghost box, which had words listed in it that would allow us to possibly communicate with a spirit in the cemetery. Brannon loved to make new devices and equipment to search for the paranormal, but this one had proven to be one of the more accurate and interesting ones that he had come up with. I couldn’t wait to hear if the ghosts had anything to say. We walked to the little iron gate and stood close by the entrance.
“Show me where the tombstone is,” he said.
“It’s right over there by at the edge of the cemetery.” I pointed.
We headed over to the grave marker and I leaned down to take a closer look. The stone had eroded some over the years. The name and date had faded a bit, but were still visible. A beautiful scroll pattern adorned the bottom of the marker.
“That’s the date,” I said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m positive. That means there has to be a connection. I think that the stranger Jacob killed her. We have to find out.”
“I’ll see what I can look up,” he said.
“That would be great,” I said.
I just had to know what happened to her, but I also wanted to know what connection this book had to the haunting at the library.
“We should use the device,” Brannon said, pulling out the little box.
Now I was getting nervous, but I did want to hear what it had to say.
He pulled out the device and said, “Would you like to ask a question first?”
I took in a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, here goes. Can anyone give me their name? Who might be here?” I asked.
My questions were met with silence. That was a little disappointing. I hoped that something better came along, but before I could ask another question, there was a word. I guessed you could call it a name.
“The devil,” the voice said from the box.
Brannon and I looked at each other. That was scary, but luckily, I didn’t take off running quite yet.
“Is there anything else you’d like to say?” I asked.
The word “diary” came next. It could be a coincidence, but I doubted it. I looked at Brannon with wide eyes. What did the “devil” have to do with the diary? Did it mean the dark shadow that had been haunting the library? Was that the devil? I would believe that… the thing was evil.
“We’re going to be leaving soon. If there’s anything else you’d like to say, do it now,” I said.
The name “Jacob” came out of the box.
“Was that the stranger’s name?” Brannon asked.
“Yes, that’s the name,” I said.
We asked a few more questions, but didn’t get any more answers.
“Are you ready to get out of here?”
A drizzle of rain fell from the gray clouds that had swiftly moved in.
“It was nice talking with you, whoever you are,” I said as we left that little cemetery, as if I had been talking to the woman with the diary. “You think if we do a cleansing here we’d be able to help whoever’s here move on?”
“As you know, it’s hard to convince the spirits to move on unless they’re ready. If it’s demonic, then we would need more help than just a cleansing,” Brannon said.
“What about some of your devices for demons?”
“We can try if it will make you feel better,” Brannon said as he held the little gate open for me.
“It would make me feel better knowing that we tried.” I stepped through and headed for the car.
; Brannon and I got into the car and pulled away from the cemetery.
“So you want me to drop you off at the cemetery for the tour?” Brannon asked.
I peered in the rearview mirror at the graveyard as we pulled away. “If you don’t have time, I can walk from the police station.”
“Of course I have time. I’d rather you not do the tour at all tonight.” Brannon glanced over at me with a worried look.
I touched his arm as he steered the wheel. “I promise everything will be just fine.”
“You’re too stubborn,” he said. “I can come by after I check in at the station.”
“I don’t want you to think I need a police escort.”
“Not always. Just until we solve this.”
We? I was glad he was including me in this. Or did he mean we as in the police?
Once we reached town, Brannon dropped me off next to the alleyway. “I’ll be back as soon as possible. You promise to call if you see the slightest strange thing?”
“Well, I can’t do that. You know how many strange things here are in Devil’s Moon.” I smiled.
“You know what I mean.”
“I promise to call if I see anything that makes me suspicious.” I opened the car door and got out.
We had to move on with life. I couldn’t live in fear just because there was a murder. What were the odds that there would be a serial killer?
“I’ll be back to check on you in just a few minutes,” Brannon said.
I waved and then turned to walk down the alleyway. I felt eyes still watching me. When I glanced back, Brannon was still back there. I waved him off. He smiled and then pulled away. As much as I’d told him that I’d be fine now that I was all alone, now that it was reality, I felt a little differently. I pushed the thought from my mind… well, I tried to push it from my mind.
The branches swayed with the wind as I approached the cemetery. The owl was there in his usual spot, watching me. He was here more often than Mrs. Clatterbuck. I waited by the gate for the people to arrive. That was assuming that I had people tonight and that Ruby didn’t take my tour-goers again. I had talked with all of the shop owners and it looked as if they weren’t going to let her in, so that was good. Tammy said she’d sold tickets for tonight. I was hoping that Ruby didn’t sabotage it before they got to the graveyard.