These Haunts Are Made For Walking (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 1)

by Rose Pressey

  “Well, you know they won’t hear it from me.”

  Tammy and I sat in silence for a moment while we pondered the thought.

  “So what was the fight about?” Tammy leaned forward in the leather chair so that she wouldn’t miss a detail.

  “Marion bought the building that houses all the ladies’ shops, then she proceeded to raise the rent immediately.” I took a drink of coffee.

  “I can see where that would make them upset.”

  I nodded. “They were ready to end the friendship over it. I have to admit I thought there would be a fight, but I never guessed someone would end up dead. I thought maybe they’d throw cupcakes at each other.”

  Tammy leaned back in her chair. “If only that was all that happened. I don’t even want to go upstairs now because I have to pass the spot.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess it’s something we will just have to get used to.”

  “We could try to get the library moved,” Tammy said.

  I chuckled. “I doubt that will happen. Besides, I’m used to being around creepy places. You’ll get used to it eventually.”

  Movement caught my attention and I looked up. My heart rate increased and my stomach dropped. Annie stood in the doorway. She looked right at me and then she actually waved. At that moment my phone dinged.

  Tammy looked down at my phone. “I think you got a text.”

  I looked from Tammy to the phone.

  “Aren’t you going to answer it?” she asked.

  I waved my hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably spam from the phone company.”

  Tammy smiled. “Oh, are you getting texts from a handsome officer and you don’t want to tell me?”

  My cheeks probably blushed. But my lips were sealed.

  Tammy pushed to her feet. “Okay, don’t tell me. I’d better get to work. Let me know if you need anything.”

  I stared at my phone, then finally looked up at her.

  “And you’d better answer him.” She smiled.

  I gave a nervous chuckle as she walked out of the room. Tammy moved right by Annie and didn’t even know it. Annie watched Tammy until she was down the hall and then she floated into my office. I looked down at my phone to see if the message was still there. Yep, it was there.

  There is more to Marion’s death. Help her.

  “How are you doing that?” I asked. “Somehow you’re manipulating energy to send devices messages, but I have no idea how you’re doing it.”

  Just help her.

  So Annie thought there was more to this event. Maybe there was, but what could I do? I kept thinking back to how angry the women had been with Marion. What kind of trouble had Marion really been into? How did she get the money to buy the building?

  What was I supposed to do? Annie just didn’t understand. I couldn’t get involved. I busied myself with work, but there was no way to ignore Annie’s presence. Sadly, I was supposed to be okay with the paranormal, but I was scared of the ghost in my office staring at me and sending me text messages. She might look like a sweet old lady, but she was still a ghost and that was pretty darn spooky. I still couldn’t believe I was communicating with a ghost.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Without looking at Annie, I left my office. I didn’t want to look back to see if she was following me, but I felt her presence. If Brannon ever found out that I was interacting with a ghost and hadn’t told him, well, he’d probably never talk to me again.

  When I reached the front desk, I knew I had to act as if nothing was wrong. That would be tough because after all these years Tammy could read me like a well-worn old library book.

  I helped a couple customers while behind the front desk, but I purposely didn’t look over my shoulder. Since I’d left my phone in my office, I didn’t know if Annie was texting me. It didn’t matter though because when I moved over in front of the computer, the screen lit up and a message appeared.

  I know I am right about this. Marion was murdered. You have to get involved. Don’t ignore this. You will be sorry.

  I didn’t know what kind of threat that was, but I didn’t like it one bit. I turned around and frowned at Annie so that she would know I was extremely unhappy.

  “Are you okay?” Tammy asked.

  I snapped out of my trance and looked at her. She was practically standing in front of me.

  “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” She chuckled.

  I attempted a half-hearted grin.

  “Look, you are letting this new job stress you out. I can tell by the way you’re acting. Don’t let this get to you. It will get better.”

  Leslie walked by at that moment and scoffed.

  Tammy rolled her eyes. “Of course it won’t get better with Leslie, but what can we do?”

  I sighed. “You’re right. I will be fine.”

  I glanced over Tammy’s shoulder. Annie had an innocent little smile on her face.

  “I have to get to the salon. Don’t forget to take it easy, okay?” Tammy asked as she rounded the corner and headed toward the entrance.

  I clicked off the computer screen and smiled. “I promise I will.”

  Tammy waved over her shoulder. I had more work to do in the office, but I knew that once I got back there Annie would follow me. She was seriously getting in the way of a lot of work.

  I moved around her misty form and headed down the darkened corridor toward my office. This was what scary dreams were made of. A ghost following me down a darkened hallway.

  But I had asked for it. All the haunted tours and paranormal talk… this was what I got for that. Mrs. Clatterbuck had warned me to leave the dead alone. Was this what she’d meant? Maybe she knew more about the ghosts than I realized.

  As I sat at my desk I kept my head down, ignoring my surroundings and the ghost. I had a job to do and the paranormal would have to wait. The mention of paranormal made Brannon flash in my mind. He was the last thing I needed to think about right now.

  Luckily, the rest of the day kept me busy. My phone dinged a few times, but I wasn’t able to check the messages. Finally I couldn’t avoid it any longer and I picked the phone up from my desk. Releasing a deep breath, I clicked on the screen.

  Ask about Marion.

  What was that supposed to mean? Surprisingly Annie wasn’t in my office, so I couldn’t find out what she meant. I cleaned off my desk and gathered my belongings. I had to help Leslie with a few things out front and then it would be time for me to get out of there.

  Maybe I would be able to get away without Annie sending another message. I still wondered about the text I’d received last night when I’d seen the male ghost.

  I hurried toward the front of the library. The sun was setting and it cast an eerie glow across the space. Leslie had her head buried in a book when I reached the front desk.

  “A successful day,” I said with a smile.

  What I really meant to say was at least we hadn’t had any other accidents. I’d never forget my first day at Bilson Library.

  I grabbed a couple stacks of books. “So Leslie, how are you doing after what happened last night? You haven’t mentioned it.”

  I looked to see her reaction to me bringing up what had happened. I got the feeling she didn’t want to talk about it, but I had to know for sure.

  She shut the book cover. “Maybe we should just mind our own business and not discuss it. We had nothing to do with it.”

  I’d suspected that Leslie hadn’t wanted to talk about it, but I had no idea she would be this upset.

  I placed a stack of books on the cart. “I’m sorry, but it’s kind of something we have to talk about, since it happened here in the library.”

  She grabbed her purse. “Do you need me for anything else or can I go now?”

  I let it go. This was obviously upsetting her. I looked around at the library. There was only a couple people at the tables. “Sure, I can handle it from here.”

  She headed toward the door without saying another word. I wasn’t sure w
hy she had to be so rude about it, but that seemed to be the way Leslie handled everything. It didn’t look as if I would be able to make friends with her. At least we could get along as co-workers though. I’d give her some time to get over the dramatic event, then I’d try again.

  With her hand on the door, Leslie turned to me and said, “People will be upset if they think you are meddling in other people’s affairs.”

  With that she walked out the door. My phone rang again. I felt Annie behind me, but again I didn’t turn around to look at her. Jane Austen was by my feet. She meowed and pawed at my leg. I knew she was trying to tell me to pay attention to Annie. When I didn’t turn around to look at Annie, she moved in front of me. I released a sigh and looked at my phone.

  Don’t like Leslie’s behavior. Tell her to get rid of nasty attitude.

  I scoffed. “Yeah, that’s easier said than done. I can tell her, but I doubt she will listen.”

  At that moment, I felt eyes on me and realized it wasn’t Annie looking at me. A patron had walked up to the counter with books to check out. I was sure that my cheeks blushed.

  I chuckled. “I was talking to the cat.”

  The man nodded, but didn’t offer a response. I figured talking to a cat was a perfectly reasonable response. People talked to their cats all the time. I checked out his books and handed them back to him.

  “Thanks.” That was all he said. Oh, well—I’d have to be more careful from now on. Thanks to Annie and her nagging, everyone would probably think I was crazy.

  And speaking of everyone, why couldn’t anyone else see Annie? Why was she showing herself only to me? Was it because of my connection to the paranormal? That had to be it. But Brannon had a connection too. Why couldn’t he see Annie? Maybe he could and just hadn’t told me. Maybe that was why he had wanted to investigate the library. How would I ask him that?

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was a beautiful evening, even if a little chilly. I had the ghost tour again tonight. I’d decided that four times a week around this time of year would be best. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. During the winter, I doubted I would be able to have a tour, plus not as many people would want to do it in the cold months.

  Before this evening’s tour, I needed dinner. Usually, I’d have a salad with grilled chicken or maybe grilled fish for dinner, trying to be healthy, but after the latest events, I needed comfort food. I was headed for Mammy’s Café to get a big juicy burger and fries.

  I walked past the tavern, bakery, and hair salon to the cafe. I looked at my watch. I only had an hour to eat before the tour started. As I walked down the sidewalk, my cell phone rang. My heart rate increased. Was Annie now calling me? What would her voice sound like? I pulled the phone from my purse and looked at the screen. A number was displayed and it looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure who it was. There was only one way to find out—answer it.

  I pushed the screen and said, “Hello.”

  The male voice said, “Ripley?”

  Even though I’d only talked to him a couple times, I recognized Brannon’s voice. I was surprised that he was calling me.

  “Good evening, Officer Landon.” I tried to remain professional.

  “Please call me Brannon. I’m afraid I have some bad news.” His voice had turned serious.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked.

  “Marion’s death probably wasn’t an accident. I just wanted to warn you. I don’t know much else yet. We believe it was a homicide based on the coroner’s report. We’re not sure how she was murdered just yet. The medical examiner says Marion sustained no injuries that would have caused her death.”

  I couldn’t believe what he was telling me. It was as if someone had knocked the wind out of me. I paused on the sidewalk, trying to steady my shaky legs.

  “Are you still there?” he asked.

  I nodded as if he would see me through the phone. “I’m here, it’s just a bit of a shock.”

  More so than he knew because Annie had been telling me all along that it wasn’t an accident. I didn’t know what to think about this latest news.

  “What should I do?” I asked.

  “We may have a few questions for you,” he said.

  “Sure, anything I can do to help, but I don’t know if I can tell you much.”

  “Where are you now?” he asked.

  “I’m standing in front of Mammy’s Cafe.”

  People were looking at me strangely. Probably wondering why I didn’t just come inside instead of staring at the door.

  “Do you mind if I come by?”

  “No, not at all.”

  Why would he want to talk tonight? Was it that urgent? I hung up the phone and shoved it in my purse. I bet I looked a mess. I hadn’t known I would have a dinner partner. Of course it was just business.

  The diner had so many tables and chairs crammed in the small space that I wondered if it was a fire hazard. Every single seat was taken though, and usually people were standing outside waiting for a table. Truth be told, I didn’t think there was anything special about the food, but it was the only restaurant like this in town. There were other places that served fine dining and then there was the fast food, nothing in between. So I could see why people were always waiting to eat here. I’d lucked out and come at a time when most people had already eaten their food and I’d managed to spot a few open tables from the window outside.

  I pushed open the door and walked in. A couple tables at the front remained empty, so I sat at the booth and grabbed the menu. People still watched me as I crossed the floor. News of Marion’s death had spread like a wildfire across town. It was also known that I had found her. I guessed everyone was curious as to how I was dealing with this event.

  The smell of greasy food lingered in the air. Black and white tables with matching chairs dotted the space. The booths lined the walls next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. My shoes squeaked against the tile floor. As I walked across the diner, I looked out the front window. Something had caught my eye. When I looked closer, I thought I spotted the misty man who had been in the graveyard. I blinked and he was gone. He had definitely been looking at me. Or had he? Was I imagining things? Now more than ever I knew that ghosts did exist. I knew I’d seen him. But what did he want?

  I needed to find out who this man was. But how? Could I just go around describing this ghost? I supposed people might not be too surprised at a question like that from me, since I did spend a lot of my free time in the graveyard and every other haunted location I could find. Who could I ask who would have the most details about the spirits haunting this town? I’d done a lot of research on my own for the information I gave on the tour. I’d interviewed people who had been willing to share their stories. Not everyone was open to the paranormal even if they’d had an experience of their own.

  Even though the eyes in the diner were on me, I was still focused on watching for the ghost outside. So far he hadn’t appeared again. The waitress walked over and stood next to the table. She stared at me for a moment without saying a word.

  Finally, I said. “Hello.”

  She leaned a little closer. “What was it like to discover Marion?”

  Okay, this was getting a little too strange for me. “It was disturbing.”

  She scoffed. “I bet.”

  I handed her the menu. “I’d like the deluxe burger, please, with fries.” She reluctantly took the menu. “Oh, and a Coke too.”

  She stared for a moment longer and then turned and walked away. I noticed the sideways glances from everyone. So what if I’d found the body? It wasn’t as if I’d killed Marion. Then it hit me. What if they thought I’d done something to her? No, they still thought it was an accident. Unless word had already spread that it wasn’t an accident. I thought the police kept that stuff a secret while they investigated.

  I was probably just being paranoid. They were just curious since I’d been gone from home for so long and then came back.

  The waitress sat my plate in fro
nt of me. “Anything else?”

  “No, that’s all. Thanks.” I grabbed the ketchup.

  She raised an eyebrow and then walked away.

  I tried to ignore the looks as I dumped ketchup onto my fries. It was almost impossible to eat with all this attention. If people had questions about what had happened they should just come up to me and ask. I’d tell them whatever they wanted to know. Well, maybe not everything. I wouldn’t tell them that I’d seen a ghost and was receiving text messages from the spirit world. Not to mention the ghost apparently knew how to use the computer too. People in town thought I was kooky for believing in ghosts, but I didn’t care.

  As I took a drink of my Coke I noticed the police chief was at the counter. Right at that moment he looked over at me. I wanted to look away, but it was too late. He’d already caught me looking at him. Now I was extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t take his eyes off me. The next thing I knew he was walking toward me. My heart rate increased. Why was I so nervous? I’d done nothing wrong. Maybe it was the fact that he was six five with a look on his face that said he’d eat me for dinner. The chief had graying hair that was cut extra short. Lines creased his blue eyes and he had a small mouth that was set in a permanent grim line. He wore the Devil’s Moon police uniform of blue pants and matching shirt. The shiny badge was displayed above his shirt’s pocket. His black shoes looked as if he’d spent a great deal of time polishing them. As he moved across the floor he fixed his deep blue eyes on me. I shifted in my seat, wishing that I could disappear.

  He stood right next to my table, peering down at me.

  “Good evening, officer,” I managed.

  “How are you enjoying your time back in Devil’s Moon?” he asked.

  I nodded. “It’s good. I’m glad to be home.”

  “So you’ve started the ghost tour, huh?” The tone of his voice let me know that he didn’t think my new business was necessarily a good thing.

  “It’s fun,” I said.

  He leaned down, placing his hands on the table. He wore a large gold ring on each of his hands. “We intend to find out what happened at the library. Just remember that everyone is a suspect. We’ll be keeping an eye on all of you.”