by K P Stafford
Grams cracked an egg into the glass mixing bowl. “Everyone is in an uproar about new changes, moving to computer systems and the way some things are being run since new people have taken over. Mavis Clark was throwing accusations at Decatur Williams about the library. Decatur was harping on about Shirley and how Shirley is always a nosey busy-body and keeping everyone in town mad about something or other. Ms. Jensen was trying to keep the peace with everyone. It was just a mess.”
Lexi sipped her coffee to wash down the cookie. “It seems Mrs. Williams might have gotten Mavis and Shirley mixed up. Mavis is usually the one keeping things stirred up.”
Grams shook her head, probably remembering the time she was on the end of accusations from Mavis when a local couple was murdered right after Lexi moved back to her hometown of Cryptic Cove. It was a time everyone wanted to forget, and luckily, Mavis and Grams had made their peace since then. She finally spoke, “It was odd. Shirley had been a little bit vocal with her thoughts, which is odd for her, she usually shares things in private instead of group meetings. And let’s not forget about that reporter. We allowed him into the meeting, and he stirred as much trouble as he could. I thought him and Dale were going to get into a fist fight.”
“Mr. Chimay? He’s usually so nice.”
“Yes usually, but he’s gotten a little cantankerous since his retirement and he’s more against all of this digital stuff than anyone else. With All Hallow’s Eve coming up, people around here just get a little on edge about the smallest things.”
“I agree, it’s odd, Grams. I haven’t figured out why it bothers the people so much. I mean, they all join in the festivities, but they all act scared that something bad is going to happen, like some curse is going to swoop in and land on the town.”
Grams stopped mixing the ingredients she’d added to the bowl and stared off into space, a faraway look in her eyes.
“Grams, what’s wrong?”
She started stirring the stuff in the bowl harder than was necessary. “Nothing, child. Just old memories, I suppose. No cause for you to worry.”
“What can I do to help?”
Grams’ face pinched up as she thought about it. “Can you start loading things into my car? I think I have everything in here under control.”
“Sure,” Lexi said, grabbing the bag of party supplies to take to Crystal Scents, the candle shop Grams owned. She was concerned about her grandmother’s reaction when she joked about a curse. She hadn’t meant anything by it, and Grams had blown it off, but it had bothered her more than she wanted to admit. As she loaded the supplies into Grams’ car, she thought about the big city reporter in town snooping around and doing an article on Halloween in this town. She couldn’t help but think about a forgotten curse. Was there a curse on this town? She didn’t believe in real curses, but someone could keep the possibility of one alive. That could explain all of the strange behavior and happenings around this time of year. A Halloween curse, even a fake one, was all she needed right now.
CHAPTER 2
Lexi arrived at the office a few minutes early, hoping to settle in with a cup of coffee before the morning barrage of gossipers called to cue her in on the latest fiascoes with neighbors, chickens, goats or whatever. John had arrived early, so she hollered into his office that she was there as she popped a pod into the coffee machine.
Her boss, John Ballard, town constable of Cryptic Cove, came out of his office. “Make that a to-go cup. There’s been some vandalism at the cemetery we need to go check out.”
She was only a secretary, but always helped him solve town capers and disputes among the town’s folks. She also doubled as the crime scene photographer when necessary.
She placed an insulated thermos cup on the machine and pushed the button. “Who vandalizes cemeteries? That’s so tacky.”
“It is. We usually get some every year around this time, but the caretaker said this was a bit strange, so we better check it out.”
“People do get a little mischievous around Halloween.”
“You were new here last year, so you probably didn’t notice how strange things can get. The older generation takes this time of year very seriously.”
“Some of them take everything seriously, John. I’ve noticed that.”
“Yes, but this is different.” John said as he headed to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
She grabbed her coffee mug and placed the lid on top. Her camera bag was still hanging on her shoulder, so she headed straight out the door with John and locked up.
The morning air was crisp and a thick fog hovered over the cemetery. At one time, Lexi would have found it creepy, but these days, she often found it rather comforting. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel comforted today. As John parked his truck, a little ripple pulsed through her body. She could barely see the area where the mausoleums stood. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. The caretaker was waiting as John got out of the truck and pointed to the tomb that had been desecrated. It was next to the wood line. Lexi stared for a minute more before opening her door and joining John and the caretaker, who were already halfway to the trees. The morning dew sloshed under her feet as she walked quickly to catch up. The niggle in her gut grew stronger with each step closer to the tomb.
She stood in front of the tomb with John. Someone had broken a gargoyle from its pedestal next to the door. Lexi looked down as one eye of the gargoyle looked up at her. She thought she heard whispers. Suddenly, the sky around them filled with crows swooping in and landing in the tree branches and any other surface they could perch on. Lexi looked over towards the trees and saw a burned circle. She walked over and inspected it. A scorched crow lay in the middle of the circle. Shivers shot through her. “John, you need to see this!”
He walked over and looked down. “Oh no. It isn’t Baxter is it?”
Lexi turned away for a moment, her heart pinching in her chest. “No. Baxter wears a little tag on his foot. This bird doesn’t have one.”
“Unless it was removed by someone.” John said the words slowly, almost under his breath.
Lexi looked down and let her breath out. “I doubt it. Baxter is pretty picky about who he lets close to him.”
“What if he was trapped?”
Lexi shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s pretty smart, and crows communicate with one another. This may be a young crow who was easily tricked.”
“You know a lot about crows.”
“Well, since Baxter took to me so well, I’ve done some studying. I never knew how amazing they are. They’re quite brilliant, actually.” She looked around in the trees, “You see how they’ve all come to this spot.”
John looked all around. “Fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
Lexi looked towards the tomb. “Do you think this is related to the vandalism?”
John rubbed his chin. “It’s hard to say. I’m sure it’s just some kids and their pranks, although we’ve never had any meanness like this in all the years I’ve been constable.”
“Have any new kids moved into the area?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But one of the local kids could have seen something on one of those horror films and decided to mimic it.”
An ill feeling washed over Lexi. “You’re probably right, but my gut tells me there’s more to it.”
John and Lexi walked through the cemetery looking for more signs of vandalism. They discovered a few more burned areas, but none of them contained animals. Some had burned plastic flowers, which had been ripped from grave sites.
They returned to the broken gargoyle. Lexi looked up at the tomb. Vines had grown over the namesake so she stepped up and began pulling them back. A jolt seared through her body when she recognized the name etched into the marble. Danforth. She let out a gasp. John looked up to see what had her so troubled. His mouth gaped open.
CHAPTER 3
Lexi squinted driving out to Hayden’s Ridge in the morning sun. Her grandmoth
er’s friend, Shirley, wanted her to stop by and look at an item she thought was perfect for the something old and the something blue parts of her wedding attire, but she didn’t want to wait until the party that afternoon to show it to Lexi. A smile crossed her face thinking about how close it was getting. It had been over six months since Jake had proposed and they both wanted a fall wedding. With All Hallow’s Eve just around the corner, so was the wedding. At least she assumed it was just around the corner. They hadn’t actually set a date.
Lexi drew in a deep breath. The cool fall air filled her nose with the smell of cedar and pine. She looked at her watch, noting she was a bit early, but the caterer had called and needed her back in town before noon to work out some details of the menu.
Hayden’s Ridge was the retirement village located just outside of town on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. The cottages were charming and perfect for older people who weren’t quite ready for the nursing home that was also on the property. This allowed people their freedom, but gave them added security knowing a doctor or nurse was close by if they required any assistance.
Lexi walked towards Shirley’s cottage. A rush of cold air swirled around her, giving her a chill and an uneasy feeling. As she approached the door, she noticed it was slightly open. Since the elderly lady was expecting her, she figured she’d left the door open and intended for Lexi to come on in. It was almost a tradition in Cryptic Cove.
Lexi pushed the door open and peeked into the room, “Shirley? It’s Lexi, I’m a little bit early.”
She gasped when movement caught her eye. A hooded figure ran out the patio door. She ran in hoping to get a better look at the person before they disappeared.
“Shirley, someone is in your house, are you okay?” She yelled as she looked out the patio door. Whoever had been in Shirley’s home had already vanished into the wooded area.
Lexi turned, the smell of burned cloth seeped into her nostrils. A light fog of smoke drifted in from the other room. Beams of sunlight highlighted the small wisps floating around the room.
“Fire!” She yelled as she called out to Shirley again. “I think something is burning. We need to find out what it is.”
She looked towards the open door where the smoke came from. She entered the bedroom and saw a dark mass on the floor, smoldering, the smoke thicker in this room. Her hands went to her chest realizing what she was looking at.
She hurried to the mass and looked down. “Oh no!” She shrieked.
Heavy sobs escaped her as tears streamed down her face upon seeing the body of Shirley on the floor. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to gain some kind of composure. She looked around the room, but didn’t see any candles nearby, only a smashed jewelry box lying on the floor, jewelry scattered everywhere. Apparently she’d interrupted a robbery, but why would anyone use such a cruel method to get a handful of jewelry?
She looked back at the body on the floor. Tears continued to stream down her face. She’d found her share of bodies since moving back to Cryptic Cove, but this was the most disturbing. This lady had been a long-time friend of her grandmother’s. How would the town be able to handle this?
She composed herself and pulled out her cellphone to call John.
The sheriff arrived shortly after John. Of course he started giving her the third degree for being the one to find another body in Cryptic Cove.
Lexi stood straight and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why do you always assume it has something to do with me?”
“Miss Danforth, you’ve only been here a little over a year and a half. This is the fourth murder in that time. This town hadn’t had a murder in over ten years when you came back. How do you think that looks? Besides, you have this strange habit of finding the bodies.”
“That’s ludicrous. I can’t help that I find the bodies, but I assure you, I’ve had nothing to do with any of these deaths. You know good and well that I’ve always helped with these investigations and been more than cooperative.”
“Humphhh. I’m still keeping my eye on you.”
“Of course you are. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Lexi turned and headed out the door. The overbearing sheriff was the least of her problems at the moment. She wanted to get to her grandmother before the town gossip train took off. Grams would take the news much better if it came from her. She only hoped she was alone at Crystal Scents, although she knew there was a slim chance of that. She made a quick phone call to Peyton while she drove the short trip back into town. She knew Peyton would keep it quiet until a statement was released to the public.
Grams and Ms. Jensen took the news more calmly than Lexi expected. She stared at them in disbelief as they shot each other sideways glances. Did they know something? She didn’t want to seem overly suspicious of the two older women, but their behavior was strange indeed.
They were almost unemotional at the news. Maybe they were in shock. Grams looked over at Ms. Jensen after a few quiet moments. Ms. Jensen returned the look, her face slightly pinched, like she was using some kind of ESP to speak with her eyes. Grams raised an eyebrow. Neither woman was wailing or crying at the loss of their friend. Was there something more to this? Something Lexi was missing? Surely they weren’t speaking to each other without using words. They were just in shock and unsure of how they should react in front of each other. A tear trickled down Grams face, the first sign of any real emotion. Lexi felt the sadness surround them, but that didn’t explain why they were being so out of sorts about the whole thing. Baxter flew in from the backroom. Grams had a small doorway built for him over the backdoor so he could come and go as he pleased, just like at her home. He landed on Grams’s shoulder and appeared to whisper in her ear. Her face turned pale as she looked at Ms. Jensen again, this time her expression more ominous. Lexi didn’t know what was going on, but it was strange, more strange than she’d seen these two women act before, and she had seen some strange things the past year and a half. There was definitely a new murder case in Cryptic Cove, but what did it mean? The whole thing reeked of a cult or something. Lexi wasn’t sure she was up for this one, but she and John had to get to the bottom of it.
CHAPTER 4
The day had been long, mentally and emotionally draining. Lexi tucked herself into bed and stared at the ceiling. The nightlight from the hallway cast shadows throughout the room, but the ceiling appeared to glow at times. She and John had more questions than answers and nothing pieced together. The idea that they were working on several cases instead of just two crossed her mind. Nothing made sense. They even considered the fact that they were trying to put pieces into the wrong puzzle. Perhaps they were grasping at straws.
Her droopy eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.
“Stop them!” The voice was clear. Her eyes flew open and she looked around. No one was there. In the darkness she was looking at the mausoleum, the broken gargoyle lying on the ground staring up at her. She shook her head. How can this be? The caretaker had already cleared the crime scene and was working on getting the creature restored. Whispers carried across the fog that rolled in and enveloped her. A man’s voice, and then another, sliced through the thick moisture. She knew that voice. She strained to listen. “Find the truth. The town has secrets.”
She awoke in a cold sweat, like the damp fog had crept into the room and drenched the entire bed. She sat up and looked around. It had only been a dream, but it felt so real. Or was it a dream? She and John had run so many scenarios around that day it was possible her subconscious mind was overwhelmed and trying to piece anything together that made sense. Of course, standing in a cemetery in the middle of the night listening to voices made absolutely no sense. But this town, and the people, weren’t exactly known for making a whole lot of sense. What did the voice say? The town has secrets. Why is the voice so familiar and why can’t I place it?
She got out of bed and headed downstairs for a cup of chamomile tea. Tomorrow would be another trying day and she needed rest. They couldn’t ignore the
reporter any longer. He would have questions about the murder investigation now, and not just his silly Halloween story. Plus, it was possible he knew something and could be behind the vandalism and the death of Shirley.
Lexi found her Aunt Agatha sitting at the kitchen table, the light over the sink illuminated the room just enough to see her. She walked over to her aunt and placed her hand on her aunt’s shoulder as she noticed another cup of tea sitting on the opposite side of the table. “Are you and Grams having trouble sleeping too?” She asked as she pointed to the steamy cup.
“That’s for you.”
Her eyes grew wide. “How did you know I was coming down for a cup of tea.”
Agatha waved her hand in the air, nonchalantly. “You and Velda aren’t the only ones with the intuition thing.” She said with a smile.
Lexi sat down in the chair across from her and took a sip. “Can you tell me about this so-called gift we have? It’s not doing me a lot of good right now. It won’t even tell me who killed Shirley, why they killed her and how all these pieces fit together.”
“The town likes to keep its secrets.”
Lexi almost choked on the tea. “What did you say?”
“Secrets. The town likes to keep them.”
She stared at Agatha in disbelief. Her aunt knew all about secrets. She had been one of the best kept secrets in this town for most of her adult life.
Agatha cocked her head sideways, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something. What’s wrong Lexi?”
“A voice in my dream. It said the same thing, that the town has secrets.”
“Then you should start digging into that.”