HAUNT THE HAUNT, WALK THE WALK
Book 3 of the Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series
by Rose Pressey
"Rose Pressey’s book are fun!” Janet Evanovich
Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey
“Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.”
Coffee Time Romance
“Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”
ParaNormalRomance
“I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”
Fallen Angel Reviews
Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)
Chase Charley Series:
Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake
Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes
Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:
These Haunts are Made for Walking
A Walk on the Haunted Side
Haunted Vintage Series:
Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It
Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt
Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore (October 2015)
Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Crime Wave
Book 2 – Murder is a Beach
The Halloween LaVeau Series:
Book 1 – Forever Charmed
Book 2 – Charmed Again
Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm
Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure
Book 5 – A Charmed Life
The Hadley Wilds Series:
Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style
The Rylie Cruz Series:
Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf
Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire
Book 3 – How to Date a Demon
The Larue Donovan Series:
Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends
Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out
Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door
Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams
The Mystic Café Series:
Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells
Book 2 – Pies and Potions
Book 3 — Spells a la Carte
The Veronica Mason Series:
Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead
A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:
Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel
Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide
The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House
Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Dedication
This is to you and you know who you are.
Acknowledgements
To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.
Index
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 1
Devil’s Moon Cemetery was the perfect setting for a spooky haunted tour. Old trees flanked the aged black iron gates. Their gnarly branches reached out like arthritic hands to snatch every soul who dared to set foot through the entrance. This ethereal setting was where I started all of my tours.
Fall was quickly turning to winter and the sun went down much earlier this time of year. In the summer it stayed light for most of the tour, now we were surrounded by darkness the whole time. People seemed to like that though. It added to the spookiness. I had flashlights for everyone so that made it easier for us to see.
Most of the graveyard’s headstones dated back to the 1800s, but some were even older. A small black iron fence surrounded the grounds. Anyone who spent even a short time in the graveyard would swear they’d seen a misty shape peek from around one of the stones or dart out from behind one of the giant oak trees. Devil’s Moon, Kentucky was a historic town with old buildings and even older legends that added more eerie ambiance to the tour.
My name is Ripley Van Raden, but my friends call me Rip. I supposed that was ironic since I spent so much time in a graveyard. As long as I could remember, I had always wanted to be a haunted tour guide. It was a fun job, even if a little spooky. Since I’d moved back to Devil’s Moon, I was finally getting my chance at my dream job.
I’d moved back to my hometown to take the position of head librarian, but also to use the opportunity to start my tour around town. After my ex-fiancé had cheated with my ex-best friend, it had seemed like the perfect time for a change. I had moved on from their betrayal.
Devil’s Moon was one of the most haunted places I’d ever known. It had more than its share of ghosts. There were plenty of scary stories to keep everyone intrigued and an abundance of ghosts to be spotted everywhere in town. I’d quickly figured that out when they kept popping up all around me.
Sometimes the spirits even followed me during the tours. Of course that freaked a lot of people out, and I was a little scared of them myself. Especially since I didn’t know what they wanted or why they were following me. There was also a new development in my paranormal adventures—ghosts were now sending me text messages. I knew that sounded crazy, but it was true. Too bad the ghosts didn’t have their own phones so that I could answer them back. Sure, I could speak out loud to them, but sometimes they hid or took off before I had the chance. At least they found a way to communicate with me. I hadn’t decided if that was good or bad.
I was the head librarian at Bilson Library by day. That didn’t mean that I didn’t encounter ghosts then too. The library was haunted as well. That was where I’d received the first ghostly text message from the former librarian Annie Gibson. She was one tech-savvy ghost. Annie managed to send me emails too. Next I expected her to set up a Facebook page or maybe an Instagram account. If Annie could figure out how to take a selfie she would. It definitely made my job more interesting having her around.
I stood at the entrance to the cemetery waiting for the customers for tonight’s tour to arrive. The owl hooted from the top of the oak tree behind me, as if he wanted me to know he was there. The wind rattled the remaining leaves on the branches, sending more of the colorful fo
liage cascading to the ground. I pulled my black sweater up closer around my neck. Once we started walking it would warm up considerably.
The owl hooted again and I jumped. It never got any less scary standing in a graveyard all by myself. A ghost could pop up at any moment. Not all of them were as nice as the librarian ghost.
Voices carried across the night air from around the corner. I soon spotted the group headed toward me. I was glad that I wouldn’t be alone in the graveyard any longer. I gathered up the flashlights and waited for the group to reach the entrance.
They were talking amongst themselves and laughing, so it seemed like they were excited for the tour. Finally, they reached me, looking at me expectantly.
In my most mysterious voice, I said, “Welcome to Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour. I’ll be your guide around this haunted town tonight.”
At least I thought I sounded mysterious. I was trying to set the mood. It was a large group tonight, consisting of five women and four men. Based on how they stood together in the group, I assumed that the four women and men were together and then the one woman was by herself. She had straight long dark hair that reached her waist. I’d guess her age to be twenty-five. The woman stood away from everyone with her arms wrapped across her waist, holding her thick blue-and-yellow striped jacket close to her lean body. The other women had blonde hair and the guys had chestnut-colored hair. The men looked as if they might be brothers.
I handed out the flashlights. “Here you go. You’ll be needing these tonight because it gets dark in a lot of places.” I motioned over my shoulder toward the graveyard. “This place being the biggest one.”
The group took the flashlights and flicked them on at the same time, adding a bright glow around us. The owl hooted again, in protest at the light, I guessed. The wind stirred the trees again. Some strange feeling told me that tonight would be an active one.
The woman remained back from the group, so I realized that she definitely wasn’t with them. She was brave for coming by herself, but then that was probably something I would have done too. She caught me watching her, so I smiled, but she didn’t return the expression. Maybe she was just nervous about what she would see on the tour tonight.
“We’ll start here at Devil’s Moon Cemetery,” I pointed my flashlight at the small sign with the cemetery’s name.
The group followed me into the cemetery and I led them to the first group of stones, where I shared the story of the blue lady ghost that regularly appeared in the graveyard. Of course that wasn’t the only ghost that showed up. Most of the time I had the ghost of Mrs. Clatterbuck following me around the gravestones.
By the intense stares, the group was enthralled with my stories. I wondered if one of the ghosts would appear to make it even more exciting for them. They’d better hope it wasn’t Mrs. Clatterbuck. She was mostly cranky and didn’t like that I brought people into the graveyard. She told me I was disturbing the dead. For quite a while I’d thought she was a living person when she’d come to the graveyard and warned me to stay out. Turned out she used to live across the street. Apparently she was still guarding the place even after death.
No sooner had the thought left my mind when a misty form zipped by the group. The women gasped and the guys jumped back a little. It had happened so quickly that later they might question whether they had really seen it at all.
“Wow, did you see that?” one of the men asked.
I most definitely had seen a ghost, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen that one before. The dark form had blended in with the nighttime surroundings. It wasn’t the blue lady because she always appeared with a blue glow around her.
I was hoping that the group wouldn’t leave after seeing something like that. They were whispering amongst themselves. Maybe they were planning on telling me they were finished with the tour. The single woman seemed undaunted by the event.
“It’s okay, everyone. The ghost was probably just coming to see what we were doing.” I tried to sound casual.
Finally, the group settled down, so I continued. After all, they had taken a haunted tour, and I assumed that they wanted to see ghosts. Sure, it was startling to experience the paranormal for the first time.
I led the group through the rest of the graveyard without spotting any other ghosts. Everyone was on high alert though, including me. Well, everyone except for the quiet woman. I ushered the group through the iron gates and out of the graveyard, closing the gates behind us. Now was the time to check out the rest of town.
I pointed my flashlight in front of me. “If everyone will follow me, I will take you to the other haunted locations around town.”
The group followed me away from the graveyard, down the alleyway, and to the sidewalk. The street was mostly empty now. Only a few pedestrians other than our group moved about town. The only light cutting through the darkness came from the few remaining businesses that were open. Shadows appeared around every corner and I never knew if they were spirits or just a trick of light.
“First, we’ll go by the old tavern,” I said with a wave of my hand.
That was where my best friend Tammy White worked. She also worked with me at the library during the day. Actually, she had three jobs—her last was working part time at Sue’s Savvy Beauty Salon as a stylist.
We reached the tavern and I peeked in the front window. Tammy was behind the bar pouring drinks. She didn’t notice us standing on the sidewalk, but as busy as she was that wasn’t surprising. This place was the heart of the Devil’s Moon social scene. Built in the 1700s, the stone building had originally been used as a stagecoach stop.
The place was crowded as usual, so I decided to just tell everyone the stories right there on the sidewalk. Normally, I would try to go in, but tonight there was just no room. After sharing the tales of the man who supposedly haunted the tavern, I moved the group down the sidewalk toward the haunted restaurant. It was easier for us to get inside there.
Moving on, we came to the restaurant at the corner of Main and Flaget Streets. The brick and stone structure dated back to the late 1700s. I led the group inside and we weaved around the people dining at tables scattered around the room. The building had an upstairs that wasn’t being used for dining, so the owner didn’t care if I took my groups up there. I’d use the side stairs. That way we wouldn’t disturb the diners and I could share the paranormal sightings with my guests. A lot of activity occurred on the second floor, so it was better there anyway.
The old narrow stairs went straight up at a dizzying angle. The group gathered in front of me in the empty storage area and I started with my story. “For years patrons of the restaurant have seen a woman wearing a white dress in the restaurant. She walks up and down this staircase. The woman is reported to be the ghost of a Civil War soldier’s wife.”
“Do you think it’s a residual haunting?” one of the men asked.
“She’s seen in this area often, but I’m not sure if she’s had direct contact with the living. It’s said she was waiting for her husband to come home from the war. She died before he returned, so now she’s forever searching for him.” I led the group across the room.
The old floors creaked under our feet. The mysterious woman stood back by the staircase, not joining the rest of us as we stood in the middle of the room.
“That’s a tragic story,” one of the women whispered.
I nodded. “Yes, it is.”
I’d barely spoken the words when a misty form zipped by again. The ladies gasped again.
“Did that thing follow us?” one of the men asked.
It was an active night. Usually we were lucky if we spotted one thing during the tour, usually never two events.
“I’m scared,” the woman closest to me said.
I had to try to calm everyone before they ran out of there. “It’s okay,” I said. “Like I said, the spirit is probably just wondering what we were doing. The ghost can’t hurt us.”
“Probably?” The man next to me quirked his eyebrow.
I led the group back down the stairs, out of the restaurant, and onto the sidewalk. Everyone needed a little fresh air. We emerged from the back door into the dark alleyway, and then over to the street. As we walked down the street the cool air stirred around us. Soon even colder temperatures would arrive in Devil’s Moon, but I would enjoy this weather while it lasted.
We traveled to a few of the other buildings in town. The owner of the antique shop always let me bring the group through his place. It was one of the most haunted locations around town, probably second only behind the graveyard. It wasn’t uncommon for things to fly off the shelves during the tour.
I rushed the group through the building hoping that nothing would happen this time. I figured they had experienced enough for tonight. I got them through my talk and out of the building. With any luck they didn’t notice that I’d hurried.
As we continued down the sidewalk, I glanced back to make sure everyone was still with me. I didn’t want to leave anyone behind. That was when I noticed that the mystery woman wasn’t with us.
“Did anyone notice where the woman went?”
Everyone exchanged looks and shrugged. Maybe she had decided to stop the tour early. Had she been too scared after all? I moved around the group and down the sidewalk a little bit, but I didn’t see her. I felt bad for leaving her behind, but I had to end the tour soon.
“Maybe she’ll catch up,” I said.
“Maybe she was scared and decided not to finish the tour.” The woman beside me rubbed her arms, fighting off the chill.
I grinned and said, “It’s possible.”
That rarely happened, but a few people had stopped the tour in the past. Based on the look on the mystery woman’s face when we were in the restaurant, I never would have guessed she would have left because she was too scared. It had almost seemed as if she had been smiling when the spooky form had zipped by. Maybe something else had come up and she’d had to leave. I would never know.
Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 3) Page 1