2 The Haunted Fixer-Upper

by Rose Pressey

  This meeting had not gotten off to a great start. The woman didn’t like me before she’d met me because of what she thought I’d do to the house, and now I’d made it even worse.

  “I promise we’ll take good care of the home. We’ve restored a home before and it turned out great.” Reed looked to me and nodded, then gave the woman a reassuring smile.

  She wasn’t having any of it though. That same venomous look oozed from her eyes. “I’ve got my eyes on you.”

  She whirled around and stomped back to her car.

  Reed shook his head. “She’s passionate about what she does.”

  “That’s one way to put it,” I said, as I watched her speed away.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Reed grabbed my hand. “I’m starving.”

  As I moved toward the truck, I couldn’t help but feel eyes watching me. It was the darn woods again. The last thing I wanted to do was look, but I couldn’t help myself. It was as if I was asking for punishment though because I glanced over toward the trees. Why couldn’t I just ignore the feeling and bury my head in the sand, or in this case, in the Georgia red clay mud?

  If I didn’t see anything it would make it all go away, right? Everything would be just perfect. But no, I had to go and look. And I certainly was sorry for that when I looked over at the tree line and saw the man staring back at me. His dark disheveled hair reached to his shoulders and he stood motionless with his arms at his sides. He looked like a man who’d been lost in the woods for several years. I had to say something to Reed.

  “There’s a man in the woods looking at us,” I said, without pointing to attract attention.

  Reed paused and spun around. “What? Where?” he asked.

  “Right there on the edge of the property.” I attempted to direct Reed to the man with my eyes.

  When the man noticed Reed looking in his direction, he ducked behind a tree and disappeared just as he had the first time I’d seen him. Reed took off in a sprint toward the tree line and I followed after him—a lot slower, I might add. I couldn’t let Reed run into the woods after some crazy man. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. No, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

  “Stay there, Alabama,” Reed said over his shoulder.

  Yeah, right. Did he really think I’d follow that order? I’d never listened in the past, and I sure wasn’t about to start now. I ran into the woods after Reed. But after a short distance, Reed stopped and looked around, unsure of which way to go. Silence surrounded us. Even the birds were quiet. You’d think we would have heard the man running away in the distance.

  “Where did he go?” Reed asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. He disappeared behind a tree when he saw you look in his direction.”

  Reed turned to me with a smile on his face. “Wait a minute. I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me back for that serial killer ghost story.” He laughed. “Good one. You really had me going for a minute.”

  I looked at him with my mouth hanging open. “Do you really think I would try a stunt like that?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I really do. Come on.” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s go. You got me back. I promise not to mention the ghost again.”

  “But I really saw someone,” I said as we walked back toward the truck.

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  I yanked my hand away. He turned to look at me, but I didn’t smile in return.

  “I am not playing a game with you, Reed. I really saw a man out there.”

  “You’re not kidding, are you?” He furrowed his brow.

  “No, I told you I wasn’t kidding,” I said, not trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

  Reed stared at me, trying to read my expression. “You are serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, he was standing there by that tree watching us.” I let out a deep breath. “And it wasn’t the first time I’ve seen him.”

  Reed stepped closer to me. “What? When did you see him before now?”

  I felt the strain in his voice.

  “The first time we were here I thought I saw him.” I paused, then said, “I know I saw him.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?” His expression tensed.

  “I thought maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but now that I’ve seen him again, I know that he’s real and not a serial killer’s ghost. A serial killer maybe, but not a ghost.”

  Reed moved closer to the tree line again. I hurried over beside him.

  Reed ran his hand through his hair. “Well, I guess he’s gone now. I have no idea who it could have been. There’s not another house around here for miles. It’s not hunting season.” He stared out into the woods for several seconds, then turned to me. “Let’s get out of here for the evening. We’ll keep our eyes out for him. If I see him I’ll confront him.”

  When we hopped in the car, I said, “I can’t believe you thought I was joking.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said as he turned the ignition.

  “Maybe you’ll believe me next time.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

  “Maybe,” he said in a teasing tone.

  Who was this man? I glanced back in the mirror as we pulled away and saw him standing there again. What did he want with me?

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning I was still thinking about what had happened at the plantation—the weird paranormal encounter I’d had with the footsteps and then the man I’d seen in the woods. His behavior had been strange to say the least. Why hadn’t he come out and talked with us? Could he really be a ghost? He looked so real though. There was no way he was a part of the other world.

  Reed and I had been staying at the little cottage on Reed’s uncle’s property again. It was cozy and rustic and made it feel as if we were on a camping trip. Okay, it was a little cramped and I was terrified that I’d see a snake, but I was making the most of it.

  After pouring a mug full of coffee, I stepped out to the edge of the lake. The sun had risen over the water, casting shades of yellow and bathing the whole area in sunshine. I inhaled the scent of pine and let the warmth of the sun hit my face. The scenery certainly lifted my mood and took my mind off what I might be getting myself into with buying the house.

  Sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—I bit off more than I could chew. As my mother always said, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I’d always felt like Mama hadn’t had confidence in me; now I knew that wasn’t the case. She’d told me how proud she was of me when I’d saved her life from the crazed realtor. Okay, I’d gotten her into the deadly situation in the first place, so I should have helped save her. And technically Reed had been the one who busted the door down and stopped the killer, but I digress.

  I’d thought Reed had gone for a morning jog, but the sound of his voice drew my attention toward his uncle’s house. Unfortunately I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Lou was pointing and Reed was looking in the opposite direction. There was no way for me to sneak up on them, though I would have in a heartbeat. I wanted to know what the heated exchange was all about.

  When I noticed Reed coming toward the cabin, I rushed inside. I didn’t want him to think that I’d been eavesdropping. I hurried into the shower before he had a chance to come inside. It would give him a chance to be alone with his thoughts.

  As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, Reed reached out and grabbed me. He lifted me in the air and spun me around, the coffee mug falling from my hand.

  “What the heck are you doing?” I asked, clutching at the towel wrapped around my chest. Yes, I was still shy around Reed. I didn’t know if I’d ever stop.

  “I’m just happy you talked me into being adventurous.” He planted a big kiss on my lips, then set me back to the floor.

  “I think you’ve been working too hard.” I laughed. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  “Gordon says he has some old papers that he found in the house a while back and he’d like to give us th
em too. How about we stop by there on our way for breakfast?” Reed rubbed my still-damp shoulders.

  “I actually have a few things to pick up at the store. How about I meet you there in an hour?” I asked.

  “You got it.” He flashed his perfect smile.

  After picking up a few necessities, I pulled my car into the lot and spotted Reed’s truck. We’d decided to drive down from Kentucky separately so that we’d both have our vehicles. It was hard to get things done with only one means of transportation. I parked the car beside his truck and got out. It was getting late and I wanted to get to the house soon before we wasted the whole morning. The afternoon sun shone in the front windows of the house and really heated the place up. I hated working in the heat. Not to mention I didn’t like staying after dark in the house. I wasn’t sure when I’d get the nerve to be in that house alone after sunset. Would the man be lurking in the woods then too? I had to find out who he was and what he wanted.

  I hurried up the stone steps of the old house that was now Millerton Used Cars and pushed through the door.

  “Hello,” I called out.

  Where was everyone? The tick-tock of a clock was the only sound. I turned to my left and headed toward Gordon’s office.

  When I stepped into the room, I spotted Reed standing over Gordon’s motionless body. Gordon was lying on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him. Reed held a hammer in his hand. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. My stomach sank. I closed my eyes for a second, praying that when I opened them again this would all be a dream. When I forced my eyes open again, I realized this was real and nothing short of a nightmare.

  “What the hell is going on?” I yelled.

  A look of sheer panic was in Reed’s eyes. “Gordon is dead,” Reed whispered.

  “I can see that.” I rushed over and pulled Reed toward me. “What happened to him?”

  Reed still held the hammer in his hand. He was silent for a moment, as if his vocal cords no longer worked, until he finally lowered the hammer and placed it on the desk. “I don’t know,” he said breathlessly. “I came in to get the papers from him and found him on the floor.”

  “Have you called the police yet?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, this literally just happened seconds before you came in.”

  “Are you sure he’s dead?” I asked as I peered down at the body.

  I’d had the unfortunate experience of discovering a dead man before. This time looked no different. The life had left Gordon’s body. Reed looked at me blankly, so I didn’t repeat the question. I scanned the room, but nothing seemed out of place. The only odd thing I noticed was a piece of peppermint candy still in its wrapper next to the body. It was the kind of candy that my grandmother kept hundreds of in her purse.

  I pulled the cell phone from my purse. “Come on, let’s wait outside on the porch.” I pulled Reed’s arm with one hand and held the phone up to my ear with the other.

  Within seconds the swirling lights of the police cars descended on the car lot. I’d never seen this much madness. Not even when I’d discovered the body of the owner of the other house I’d bought. This was not going to look good for us. The last person I’d bought a house from had been murdered too—plus, Reed and I had been the ones to discover the body this time. Well, technically Reed had discovered the body and I’d found him standing over the man with a hammer in his hand. Yeah, that wouldn’t look good to the police either.

  Who had killed Gordon Millerton and why? Was the killer still around? Chills ran up and down my spine at the thought.

  Chapter Eleven

  The parking lot was full of screaming sirens and flashing lights. My heart rate spiked just thinking about the fact that I’d have to talk with the police. I’d had my share of doing that recently and didn’t care to be a part of an investigation ever again.

  An officer in a crisp, blue uniform rushed out of his cruiser and straight toward us. With his dark hair and slim physique, he was night and day from the sheriff back home. He was younger than the sheriff too, but oddly enough, they had the same scowl down pat. This conversation probably wouldn’t end well.

  Another policeman who looked like a steroid-laced version of the first one climbed out from a car and joined his colleague. Now they both had their laser-like focus on us.

  I really hoped I didn’t have to deal with another hostile officer. Reed and I were standing at the foot of the steps when the officers approached.

  “The body’s in there.” I motioned, hoping to avoid conversation. Yeah, fat chance of that.

  The uniformed men eyed us suspiciously, then the beefy one said, “Stay there.”

  I watched as they ascended the steps and entered the building. This wasn’t how I’d thought the day would turn out. I imagined it wasn’t how Gordon had thought it would turn out either. Reed seemed to still be in a state of shock. I wanted to grab his arms and shake him out of it. Now was not the time to become catatonic.

  The paramedics weren’t far behind. The only thing they’d be doing was removing Gordon’s body. The poor man. One officer emerged from the building and brushed past us. Within seconds he returned and an influx of other uniformed men followed him. Another officer stood beside us, but didn’t say a word. It was as if he was standing guard over us. Probably so we wouldn’t take off.

  There was nothing we could do but stand around and wait. I hoped I could be away from there before they brought out the body. My mind wasn’t ready to remember such a horrific scene again. I’d try my best to push it to the back of my mind.

  When I spotted the officer headed our way, I cringed and wanted to run in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, running from law enforcement was not the best of ideas. Orange was not my color and I’d never looked good in jumpsuits. My experience with the police back in my hometown while they investigated the murder of the last person I’d purchased a home from hadn’t gone well. I imagined the Bay Point police department probably wouldn’t understand that I’d been involved in two murder investigations in the past year.

  When the officer approached, he said, “I’m Officer Morgan, can you tell me what happened here?” He looked from me to Reed. “As a matter of fact, why don’t you go with Officer McAdams.” He gestured toward Reed.

  Oh no, they were splitting us up. This was where things always took a turn for the worse in the movies. I wished I’d reminded Reed not to talk about anything without a lawyer. He had nothing to worry about, right?

  Officer Morgan cleared his throat to catch my attention. “Now, why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  It wasn’t a question but more of a demand. I’d give him the basics and let him figure out the rest. I didn’t want to accidentally say anything incriminating. I slowly explained what had happened. He listened but seemed somewhat uninterested. How could he be so nonchalant about the whole thing?

  When telling my version of what had happened, I omitted the part about seeing Reed holding a hammer. I didn’t know why he was holding it, but there was no need to give that info to the police. Besides, what Reed had been doing when I walked in could’ve been completely irrelevant. After all, I had no idea how Gordon had been murdered. I assumed he had been murdered by the amount of blood underneath his body, but I had no way of knowing for sure.

  The coppery scent flooded back to my mind as a flash of Gordon’s body came to me. I just wanted to get this interview over and get out of there.

  “Is there anything else?” Officer Morgan asked. “Maybe something you forgot. Any little detail is important.”

  “Well, there is one thing…” I let my words trail off while I debated whether I should really divulge the information.

  Why did I feel like a rat for doing this?

  He looked at me suspiciously. “Yes?”

  “There was a guy here when we first met Mr. Millerton. His name is Stan Kern. They were fighting over money.”

  There. I’d done it. The police needed to know. I wanted them to find Gordon’
s killer.

  Officer Morgan stared for a couple seconds. “We’ll take that into consideration,” he said stiffly. “Thank you for the information. We’ll be in touch.”

  He seemed oddly detached from this dire situation. Was I missing something?

  Reed was still talking with the police and Officer Morgan joined in on the interrogation. I wouldn’t allow them to do this long before I called a lawyer. They couldn’t keep him forever. As I stood at the side of the building watching the confusion, I spotted Reed’s cousin Melody.

  Our eyes met and she wasted little time walking over to me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, but I had little choice at the moment. Since Melody worked for Gordon, why hadn’t she been here earlier?

  “Alabama, where’s Reed? I heard what happened.”

  I pointed. “He’s still talking with the police. Where have you been?” My words came out harsh, but I didn’t care. I was too worried about Reed.

  Melody was fidgeting and nervous as she moved from foot to foot. I felt guilty for being so harsh with her, but like I said, I was worried about Reed. Her boss had been murdered and she was obviously was upset, so I’d cut her some slack.

  She held her head in her hands. “I can’t believe this has happened. I was late for work today.”

  Well, if ever there was a day to be late, this was it.

  “So, you found the body?” she asked shakily.

  I swallowed hard as the memory came back. “Actually, Reed was the first to find him. I came in right after that.”

  She stared off into the distance. If only I could read her mind.

  “Do you have any idea why someone would want to do this to him?” I asked.

  She glared at me. “What makes you think I’d know? I have no idea. Don’t ask me.”

  Wow. She’d gone from one emotion to the next in a split second. She had to know something since she’d worked with the man.

  “Did you know about his fight with Stan?” I asked.

  She frowned. “Yeah, I knew. That Stan is an asshole.”

  I couldn’t say that I disagreed with her on that.