by Rose Pressey
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I just left you a voicemail. Did you get it?”
“Yeah, I was right outside pulling up. For some reason my phone didn’t ring when you called. Why aren’t you on the tour?”
“I think I have a problem,” I said around a sigh.
“Not another missing person, I hope,” he said. “Please don’t say murder.”
I proceeded to explain the entire thing to him.
“Do you think you could talk to her?” I asked.
“I will absolutely speak with her,” Brannon said as he sat down on the stool beside me.
“Have you had any contact with Alexandria Emerson yet?” I asked.
“Nothing yet, but I’m hoping she’ll call you again. If she does, can you keep her on the line and text me or maybe patch me through on the call? Anything. Just try to keep her on as long as you can to find out where she is.”
“Yeah, I’ll try to do that, but I don’t know if she’ll call again.”
“She called once, she’ll probably call again,” he said. “I’m working on tracking down the numbers.”
“What about Jonathan?”
“With working on the other case, I haven’t had much time for anything else. I went by his place, but he wasn’t home. There’s been no contact. I think his friends are organizing a search party.”
“I just feel terrible about this.”
“Just remember it’s not your fault,” he said.
I nodded. “I’ll try.”
No matter what he said I still felt responsible. I had to find Jonathan. Brannon had no time for the missing person’s case so maybe I should take over.
“You know, it seems like you have two missing person cases. Alexandria Emerson and Jonathan Pennington,” I said.
“Let’s hope it stays at only two,” Brannon said.
“What do you mean? Could there be more?” My eyes widened.
“Don’t panic. I’m just saying you never know with Devil’s Moon.”
Sadly, I knew he was right.
I finished the last of my drink. “I guess I should go home now.”
“I’ll give you a ride,” Brannon said.
Normally I would walk but right now I was so unnerved that I decided to agree to a ride.
“I’ll talk to you later, Tammy,” I said.
“All right. Be safe,” she said with a worried look on her face. “I’ll call you later.”
Brannon and I got into his car and headed toward my house.
Silence settled in the car as we were lost in thought. But that silence was soon interrupted by static on the radio. The grinding noise hurt my ears.
“Oh, that’s really loud,” I said plugging my ears with my index fingers.
“It rarely does that,” he said.
As he reached for the radio, a voice came from it, breaking through the static. It wasn’t the dispatch. I wasn’t quite sure who we had captured.
“Beware of the trio,” a male voice said.
The words echoed as if speaking from another dimension.
“What did that say?” I asked.
Brannon’s eyes widened. “I thought for sure it said, ‘beware of the trio.’”
“It was warning that I need to stay away from them?”
“You think so?” Brannon asked. “Who do you think would say something like that?”
“I’m not sure, but that man didn’t have to tell me. I was already afraid of the ghosts. Nevertheless, I’m thankful for the message.”
I couldn’t believe the ghosts could send a message through the police car radio, but I shouldn’t be surprised. All electronic devices were useful for the ghosts. The static had stopped now.
“I suppose there are no other messages,” I said.
We made it just a short distance with no other interruptions on the radio, but I felt a presence behind me. I looked over my shoulder into the backseat and screamed. This made Brannon swerve the wheel.
“What’s wrong?” he yelled.
“In the backseat,” I said breathlessly.
When Brannon finally got the car under control again, he glanced in the rearview mirror. They weren’t there now, but the ghosts had been in back seat. It was as if the breath had been knocked out of me and I still could barely speak. Brannon pulled the car over to the side of the road.
“What was in the backseat?” he asked.
“The ghosts were in the backseat,” I said.
He whipped around, looking in the backseat.
“There’s no sign of them now.” I released a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
Brannon felt around back there. “It’s cold. Feel that.”
Reluctantly I put my hand in the backseat and felt the cold air.
“Remnants of the ghosts,” he said.
"Sorry to scare you like that, but I hadn’t expected to have passengers.”
Brannon merged back onto the road. “They probably won’t return now. It takes a lot of energy to manifest. They’ll have to recharge.”
"I hope they decide to stay away even after recharging,” I said.
Every few seconds I checked over my shoulder. Still no sign of them. I’d started to calm down a bit. Luckily, Brannon changed the subject and talked about other things. I was distracted though. I kept thinking about all the crazy things happening. Brannon pulled up in front of my house.
“Do you mind if I come by later?” he asked.
“I’d like that,” I said.
After kissing Brannon goodbye, I got out of the car and headed for the front door. Once at the door, I turned around and waved. Brannon pulled away from the curb. Instead of going inside, I headed back down the path toward my car. I had to do something to find Jonathan. And since Brannon had no time for the case I had to look into this on my own.
Brannon had two missing persons cases as far as I could tell. Alexandria Emerson and now Jonathan Pennington. I had to help Brannon with this. Well, Alexandria Emerson hadn’t just vanished. She’d left on her own to get away from the police arresting her. Jonathan, on the other hand, was truly missing apparently. If I found him would Jenny stop stalking me?
My idea was to go by Jonathan’s house. Brannon said he’d gone by there and Jonathan wasn’t home of course, but I had to check for myself. I climbed behind the steering wheel and buckled the seat belt. Checking the review mirror, I hoped that I didn’t spot the ghosts. Maybe they had made their one and only appearance for the night. The voice had warned me about them though. That meant they had to return.
As I sat there I quickly searched on my phone to find his address. This could all be pointless. There was no guarantee that I could find him. And I surely couldn’t ask Brannon for the address. Asking Jenny was certainly out of the question. I had the phone number Patrick had called from to set up the tour. Maybe he would give me the address. He seemed a little more willing to talk to me in a reasonable manner. However, maybe he had turned on me now too.
I scrolled down on my phone’s screen and found a business listing for Jonathan. He was a personal trainer. Ah-ha. Now I had a number and an address. It was worth a shot to check that out. Unfortunately, the address was the next town over, so I would have a bit of a drive. It would only take me about fifteen minutes to get there. I was nervous about driving at night with the ghosts lurking around, but I would have to get over my fear.
I pulled away from the curb and headed out of town. Turning on the radio, I hoped it would distract me from my crazy thoughts. I looked in the rearview mirror. There were no other cars on the highway right now. It was just me all alone out here. The lights of Devil’s Moon had long since faded. Much to my relief it was only about ten minutes until Rough Creek.
Something seemed wrong. I sensed that something was in the car with me. A heavy feeling filled the small space. I was beginning to have a panic attack. This was no time to freak out though because I was out here on this isolated and dark road. Being out here in the dark made me feel vulne
rable. It felt as if someone was watching me even though of course I was in the car alone. The heavy feeling inside the car faded, but a different sensation came over me.
As crazy as it seemed, I felt like maybe someone was outside of the car looking in while I was driving. But anyone out there waiting for me wouldn’t see me for long because I would be past them in a flash. This was all just my mind playing tricks on me because I was anxious about going to Jonathan’s house.
Nighttime devoured the road. I looked in the rearview mirror repeatedly, hoping I wouldn’t see the ghosts, but that feeling returned in the car as I drove. I tried to sing along with the music but I couldn’t find a single song that I actually knew the words to. Of all times. Usually I found some kind of song that would leave an earworm in my head for days. I Would Walk 500 Miles, You Can’t Touch This, or If You Like Pina Coladas? Classic stuck-in-your-head songs. Now when I needed them the most there was nothing. Thank goodness the sign up ahead listed that it was only five miles more to Rough Creek. The feeling remained in the car. The lights of the tiny town came into view.
Rough Creek was even smaller than Devil’s Moon. The tiny downtown area had only a few businesses. If I blinked I’d miss it. I slowed down so that I could make a left at the light. My GPS was directing me to Jonathan’s house. I only had two more miles to go. My anxiousness increased the closer I got to his place. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to find Jonathan there after Brannon had told me he hadn’t found him, but nevertheless, I was nervous.
What if Jenny was there? She really would freak out if she saw me there. I made another left turn onto the street and rolled up in front of the small white house. I sat there in the car for a moment, staring at the house, wondering what to do. Of course, no lights were on in the house. This was sad. I wanted to find him safe. I got out of the car and headed toward the front door. I supposed I would knock first and see if anyone answered. Would I talk to Jenny if she answered the door? I had no idea what to do if that happened.
Chapter 11
My knees were practically knocking as I stood in front of the door. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. I guessed I just didn’t want a confrontation. Nevertheless, I knocked on the door anyway. As I waited, I scanned the area. Darkness surrounded the quiet street, but still it felt odd, as if I was being watched. The same feeling I’d had in the car was with me now. Was someone following me? Perhaps the ghosts had trailed along for a ride. Though I doubted they had that kind of energy to manifest for this long. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
I stood there for a bit longer thinking about knocking again, but when no one had answered after a minute, I decided that no one was there. I hadn’t come all this way just to knock on the door. I planned to take a peek in the windows. I stepped off the small front porch and over to the window on the right side of the house.
I peeked in the window, but it was impossible to see much inside since it was so dark. I had the flashlight from my phone, but all it did was make a glare on the window and highlighted my face. Not a smart move. Plus, I was worried that someone would catch me. They would think I was trying to break into the house. They’d call the police. I’d be arrested and it would be this whole thing. The headline on the newspaper flashed in mind. Woman accused of kidnapping arrested.
As I moved around the side of the house, crickets sounded from the tree line to the right. The stars were out and the full moon was big in the sky. The wind moved the branches on the tree just a hint. After spotting a door at the back of the house, I stepped up to it and for some unknown reason wrapped my hand around the door knob. I would just check and see if it was unlocked, although I was positive it was locked. It opened. I looked around as if I thought someone might be watching me. Did I dare go in?
My legs shook and my breathing was heavy as I stepped through the open door and into the kitchen. A small table and chairs were directly in front of me. The cabinets were to the left with a stove and refrigerator on that side of the room too. I stood there for a moment, frozen and unsure where to go first. What was I doing here? If Brannon found out about this he would be extremely angry. But he didn’t need to know.
I shone my flashlight around the room. A coffee mug sat on the counter and pretty much nothing else. Jonathan was very tidy. I opened the cabinet doors and drawers, but saw nothing other than the expected dishes, silverware, pots, and pans. Nothing that would lead me to Jonathan in the kitchen. I might as well move into the other rooms. I’d come this far and there was no turning back now.
Moving out of the kitchen, I stepped into the dining and living combined space. The miniscule light from my phone only illuminated a sliver of the space. A sofa and TV sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table in front. A small table and chair set took up most of the space in the dining area. The right side of the room featured a bookcase and a desk. Immediately I zeroed in on the desk. That would be someplace I might get information about Jonathan. I wanted to know more about him. Had he had a trip planned? Had he met with family or friends somewhere? Anything that might suggest where he could possibly be.
I hurried to the desk and flashed my light across the top. An electric bill and a cable bill. Nothing interesting. I opened the drawer and shuffled through some receipts for a computer and a new cell phone. I wondered if anyone had bothered to get into his car and check his phone. They could at least get the last known number he had called.
Why had he bought a new phone? Perhaps he had left the old phone in the car on purpose to make people think he had disappeared. Had he staged his disappearance? Maybe that would be hard for his friends to believe, but it could be possible. Also in the drawers was a small leather-bound notebook. I pulled that out and opened the cover. The pages were blank except for one interesting thing: Lucy Marcus’ name with a number written underneath. I assumed the number was hers.
This was definitely interesting. I wished I could take the book with me, but I would have a lot of explaining to do if I took anything from this house. Of course, it could be evidence. How would I explain that to Brannon? I snapped a quick photo with my phone and then put the book back into the drawer. Even though I came all this way, I hadn’t expected to find anything.
Without a doubt finding her number was odd and not a coincidence. I glanced around the room to see if there was anything else I needed to check out. I grew even more uncomfortable by the minute. I needed to get out of there soon. That strange feeling had come with me into the house, as if someone watched me. What if Jonathan had surveillance video or something? What if someone checked and saw me breaking into the house? That thought made my stomach drop.
As I moved past the bookshelf I spotted a photo frame. I froze on the spot. Right away I recognized the people in the photo. This was unbelievable. Three people posed for the old photo. The ghosts. They were dressed the same in the photo as when they appeared to me. Were these relatives of Jonathan? Why did he have this photo?
Jonathan had recognized the ghosts at the graveyard that night. He had to know who they were. He had a picture of them on his book shelf, for heaven’s sake. There was something fishy going on here. Why hadn’t he mentioned that he knew them? And if he knew them did the others know them as well? They acted as if they’d never seen them before.
I supposed I wouldn’t get a chance to ask Jenny because she never wanted to talk to me unless it was accusing me of kidnapping Jonathan. Perhaps if I talked to Patrick. I would give him a call the first chance I got. I had no idea if he would really answer my questions, but it was worth a shot. I stared at the photo a few seconds longer.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
I wished they could answer me now.
A creaking noise sounded from somewhere in the house. My breath caught in my throat. Quickly I placed the photo back onto the shelf. Someone was in the house. It sounded just like a footstep. As if someone was trying to be quiet and tiptoe. Where could I hide? There was nowhere to go. I glanced around frantically, searching for a hiding spot. I scram
bled over and ducked underneath the dining table. Not exactly a great hiding spot, but it was all I had. Maybe the person wouldn’t notice me and then I could sneak out the back door. If I got out of here alive I’d never do anything like this again… maybe.
As I hid under the table my whole body shook. I was terrified of being caught. I waited and listened for any other noise, but there was nothing. The person was being awfully quiet. Probably waiting for a chance to grab me.
A considerable amount of time had gone by with no other sounds and no signs of a person. Maybe it had just been the house settling. After all, I was a bit on edge and was probably looking for any little thing.
I crawled out from under the table and pushed to my feet. I pressed my back against the wall and eased over to the kitchen entrance. My breathing was heavy again. I was definitely going to hyperventilate soon if I didn’t get out of there.
I peeped around the side of the kitchen door. There was no one in sight. Of course it was dark so maybe the person was hiding and I just didn’t see them. I had to keep my flashlight off because I didn’t want anyone to see me in the house. On the count of three I’d make a run for the door. I told myself there was really nowhere for anyone to hide in the kitchen, so I shouldn’t worry. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I thought I had a pretty good chance of getting out of there.
Like a bullet shot from a gun I rushed out the back door without even looking to see if it had fully shut. I just needed to get out of there. I ran around the side of the house, almost tripping over a mole hill. My ankle twisted slightly but I kept going. With my focus on my car I couldn’t wait to get inside.
Practically falling on top of the hood, I scrambled around the front of the Toyota and jumped inside, cranking the engine and pulling away from the curb. Making a U-turn, I headed back down the street in the same direction I’d come. As I drove by I glanced over at Jonathan’s house. The three ghosts stood on the porch, watching me as I drove away. I knew they had been there watching me all along.