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

by Rose Pressey

  Tammy tapped her fingers against the seat. “I suppose that is possible. Scary to think about though.”

  I pulled up to the library and parked the car. We walked past the graveyard and to the front door. I glanced over at Annie’s grave. I knew she would be waiting for answers. She’d start texting as soon as she saw me.

  Tammy and I were discussing the visit when we walked through the door. Leslie was behind the desk and noticed us right away.

  “Hi, Leslie. Is everything okay?” I asked.

  Leslie glared at us. “You know, I really don’t want to hear about your meddling.” She grabbed her purse and marched around the front of the desk. “You should stay out of everyone’s business.”

  Her face was red. I’d never seen her that angry before and I wasn’t quite sure what I’d done to make her that mad. After a few seconds, she stomped over to the door and stormed out.

  “Wow, she was mad,” Tammy said.

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Yeah, I thought she might punch me in the face there for a second.”

  Tammy nodded. “It did look like she was about to let you have it.”

  What could I have possibly done to make her so mad? I wasn’t trying to get into anyone’s business. I just wanted to see the killer brought to justice. It seemed like the only right thing to do.

  On Leslie’s way out, a small, white piece of notepaper had dropped from her bag. She had been too angry to even notice.

  I reached down and picked up the paper. I’d seen the paper before. The same piece as I’d found in the book. It was also like what I’d found at Sue’s.

  “What is it?” Tammy asked, looking over my shoulder.

  I unfolded the paper. It had Sue Lovelace’s name and an address written on it. There was something else very familiar about it, but I didn’t know what. My phone sent a text alert, but I didn’t have time to look at it.

  “Sue’s address is on the paper,” I said.

  “What do you think this means?” Tammy asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think we have to find out quick,” I said.

  My phone rang and I jumped. I pulled the phone from my pocket. Annie had probably learned how to call me since I was ignoring her text messages. No such luck. It was Brannon’s number. I had to tell him this time about what I’d found. I was in way too deep this time.

  When I answered, he said, “I have information about Marion’s building purchase. I think you should close the library and get away from Leslie as soon as possible.” There was an urgency in his voice that I’d never heard before.

  “Why? What did you find out?” I asked.

  “What is it?” Tammy whispered.

  Brannon continued, “Leslie’s mother and Marion had planned on going into business together, but for unknown reasons the deal ended abruptly.”

  “So? What does that mean?” I pushed.

  “Leslie believed that her mother had been wronged. She was out for revenge after that.”

  Brannon’s call let me know that I should have told him about what I’d found sooner. Apparently I couldn’t always do things on my own. Sometimes, I needed other people’s help after all. Brannon was nice enough to offer this information when it could possibly get him in trouble. Maybe the least I could do was let him investigate the library again. After all, maybe this time he would actually find a spirit.

  “I’ll get out now,” I said. “I’m headed your way.”

  “What happened?” Tammy asked when I hung up the phone.

  I explained the call and Tammy motioned for me to follow her to the door. I rushed over to make sure Jane Austen had food and water and then met Tammy at the door. We had to get out of there before Leslie decided to come back. But still, just because her mother had interacted with Marion didn’t mean Leslie was the killer.

  As I studied the note that Leslie had dropped, the realization hit me. I remembered the strange way the killer had looped the letter s and crossed the letter t in the confession note. Leslie’s handwriting matched exactly.

  Leslie Knight had killed Marion. Of course, I had forgotten that she’d helped Katherine carry in the refreshments. That was the perfect time she could have done something. Brannon had been right to request that we get out of there. And to think that I had been working with the killer all this time. She’d probably been planning on poisoning my coffee or cupcake too.

  My phone text alert went off. I looked back and saw Annie standing by the bookshelf. I pulled the phone from my pocket.

  “Ripley, come on, let’s get out of here.” Tammy motioned.

  I read the message from Annie.

  Leslie may be following the plot from the book.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Tammy frowned. “Who are you talking to? The ghost?”

  Annie responded: There could be another murder soon.

  “I know, that’s why I’m trying to get out of here,” I said.

  No, not you. Sue Lovelace.

  That was right. Leslie had Sue’s address written down. That must mean that Leslie was on her way to see Sue. Was she on her way to kill her? Probably yes. I had to help Sue. I studied the phone back into my pocket and raced for the door.

  “Thanks, Annie,” I said over my shoulder.

  I had to admit that I had been suspicious of Annie’s claim at first until I realized that the initials of the victim in the second book matched the initials of Sue Lovelace. That was when it all made sense. Leslie was going to kill Sue just like she had Marion. It had to be a coincidence though. Why would she want to kill Sue? What had Sue done to make her that angry? I rushed out the door and locked it behind us. I looked around to see if Leslie was near, but so far I hadn’t spotted her.

  “We have to reach Sue before it’s too late,” I said as I ran toward the car.

  Tammy was running behind me. We weren’t the fastest, and the trendy shoes didn’t help matters either. When I reached the car, I yanked open the door and jumped behind the wheel. Tammy jumped in the other side.

  “Step on it!” she yelled.

  I hoped that Brannon was on his way to Sue’s. I had to call and tell him where we were headed. If Leslie was already there then it could be very dangerous.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  When we arrived at Sue’s house, Leslie’s car was parked close out by the curb.

  “She’s here,” I said.

  “What do we do now?” Tammy asked.

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. I hadn’t thought that far in advance. “I guess we need to confront her.”

  “I’ve never confronted a killer before,” Tammy said. “At least not that I know of. The worst I’ve had to deal with is the drunk people at the bar.”

  “I hope there won’t be a confrontation. But if Sue needs us then we have to go help her.”

  Tammy nodded. “I’m ready.”

  I released a deep breath and opened the car door. “Okay. We can do this.”

  I climbed out from behind the wheel and Tammy followed. We rushed toward the house. When I reached the house, I paused by the window and peered through the front window.

  “What do you see?” Tammy whispered.

  “It’s dark in there.”

  “Maybe they’re in a different room,” Tammy said.

  “I guess we’ll have to ring the doorbell and hope that Sue answers. If she doesn’t we’ll have to call the police.”

  Just then I saw movement. I looked at the corner of the room and I spotted them.

  “I see them,” I whispered.

  Tammy moved over to the window. “What are they doing?”

  “Leslie is standing over Sue, offering her a cup of coffee.” My stomach turned.

  So that was how she’d poisoned Marion—the coffee. Hadn’t anyone else drunk the coffee? I was glad that I hadn’t tried a cup. Hadn’t the police tested the coffee for the poison? Whatever the case, I had to help Sue now.

  “I don’t know if we should confront Leslie for fear tha
t she will go into super-crazy mode,” I said.

  Tammy snorted. “I think that ship has already sailed.”

  “True. Leslie is on the USS Crazy and lost at sea. I don’t know what to do,” I said.

  Tammy shook her head. “I don’t have a clue either.”

  “Sue is refusing the coffee, so she must know what’s in it,” I said.

  “We’ll just have to confront Leslie,” Tammy said. “There are two of us. Surely we can save Sue before Leslie poisons her too.”

  “Okay, we’ll try the door. We won’t even knock, we’ll just walk in. You grab Leslie and I’ll help Sue.”

  “Why do I have to grab Leslie?” Tammy asked.

  “Okay, I’ll grab Sue and you grab Leslie.”

  Tammy frowned. “You just said the same thing.”

  I waved my hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll get Leslie. Let’s go.” I motioned toward the front door and we rushed over.

  We’d reached the porch when Tammy stumbled forward and tripped over the white rocking chair on the porch. Tammy tumbled to the floor with a thud. There was no way that Leslie hadn’t heard that noise. We were in for trouble now because she would be alerted to our presence. It would give her a chance to form a plan, which was a lot more than we had at the moment.

  “Sorry,” Tammy said.

  It wasn’t her fault. There was no way she could avoid tripping over the chair. I didn’t have time to ask if she was okay.

  I reached down to help her up when the front door burst open. Leslie’s eyes were full of rage. It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen. Leslie stormed out the door like a tornado. Within two steps she reached for Tammy, grabbing her by the shirt and slamming her to the floor. Tammy screamed and I wasn’t sure what to do. I had no idea what Leslie was capable of. She had poisoned Marion, but could she kill without the poison? She would have to fight both of us.

  Without thinking I tackled Leslie on her back, landing on Tammy too. . Leslie groaned and so did Tammy. Maybe I should have thought of a better plan, but it was too late for that now. Leslie managed to shrug me off and then she tackled me.

  Tammy was holding her side. I’d probably caused her permanent damage when I’d jumped on top.

  Now that Leslie was on top of me, we rolled across the front porch. Where the heck was Sue? Shouldn’t she help us out? Next thing I knew Leslie and I had tumbled down the steps and rolled on the ground.

  Leslie was pulling my hair and I was pushing to get her off. I smacked her with my fist, but that was doing no good. I had to really throw a good punch if I wanted to get her off me. I glanced over and noticed Tammy on her phone. What was she doing? Calling for takeout? Sue was standing in the doorway.

  “A little bit of help over here,” I yelled.

  “They won’t help you,” Leslie panted.

  Police sirens sounded in the distance and that was when I realized Tammy had been calling for the police. Duh. I should have realized that. It was hard to think when Leslie yanking on my head.

  “Get the hell off me,” I said.

  “Not a chance,” Leslie said.

  Soon tires screeched and Brannon ran toward us. I was sure I looked a complete mess, but this was probably not the time to worry about that. Brannon reached us and pulled Leslie off me. He took her to the ground and handcuffed her.

  After he’d marched her over and placed her in the back of his car, he waked over to me. “I must admit that was quite a sight.”

  “Are you making fun of me? I was fighting with a killer.” I placed my hands on my hips.

  “Why did you come here without me in the first place?” he asked.

  “Because I make stupid decisions on a regular basis?” I asked.

  “That stupid decision almost got you killed.”

  “I’m human, I make mistakes, what can I say?”

  He touched my arm. “You can tell me you are okay, that’s what you can say.”

  My heart had just started to slow down from the fight but now sped up again.

  Brannon explained, “Marion had stolen Leslie’s mother’s idea for a home décor shop. They were supposed to be partners, but Marion had forced her out and taken her money. When Leslie’s mother refused to tell anyone what Marion had done because Marion had threatened her, Leslie vowed revenge.”

  “Sorry I didn’t help,” Sue said, “but I didn’t know what to do.”

  I waved off her comment. “Think nothing of it.” So what if I was almost killed and you watched as if it was a fight on the latest episode of Bad Girls Club.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Tammy.

  She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m fine. For someone so small you really knocked the wind out of me when you jumped on top.”

  Brannon quirked an eyebrow.

  “Don’t ask,” I said.

  “I’d better talk to the other officers.” Brannon pointed at them.

  “I guess we showed Leslie.” Tammy smiled.

  I watched the scene with a feeling of accomplishment. “I guess we did.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  After a few minutes, Brannon returned. “I think we’re all wrapped up here.”

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Good. I’m ready to get out of here.”

  “Let me walk you to your car.”

  Tammy and I walked with Brannon behind us. I didn’t even look over at Leslie. It still sent a shiver down my spine to know I had been working alongside of her all this time. Tammy jumped in the passenger seat and Brannon opened the door for me and stared at me.

  “Thanks for saving us,” I said.

  He nodded. “It’s my job.”

  I shifted from one foot to the other. “Yes, yes, it is. Well thanks anyway.”

  “I may get in trouble for this, but…” In one swift movement Brannon reached out and placed his hands on my face. He planted his lips on mine. At first the wind was knocked right out of me. It took several seconds for me to fully come to turns with what was happening. He moved his sexy lips across mine and my knees went weak. My body relaxed and I didn’t tell him to stop. To be honest, I didn’t want him to stop. I kissed him back. There was an unexpected measure of wildness in his actions.

  Finally he stepped back. “I’ll call you.”

  As he walked away I stood there breathless and still a little dazed. I managed a smile, but nothing more.

  “Told you he liked you,” Tammy said when I collapsed into the car.

  “Yeah, maybe it’s not just for my cardigan sweater.”

  ***

  The next day at the library was strange without Leslie there. It was nicer. More relaxed and not as tense. I hadn’t realized how her bad attitude had left a negative vibe over the entire building. Jane Austin was much happier too. She came out of hiding a lot more now.

  Tammy and I were working behind the front desk when Sue came in. She looked a little like she hadn’t slept, but otherwise okay. To be honest I hadn’t slept much either. Tammy claimed it was because I was thinking of Brannon. Sure, I liked him, but I hadn’t thought about him all night. Just half the night.

  Leslie had been obsessed with Ted Alistair’s books. She’d suggested to Sue that the Book Wormers read the book for their monthly selection. Apparently Leslie had been driven crazy by her mother’s predicament and finally snapped. Leslie had decided to attempt to carry out her own murder mystery by poisoning Marion. But she hadn’t done it like I’d thought, by cupcake or coffee—she’d given Marion candy on the way into the library. That explained why no one else was hurt.

  According to Brannon, Leslie had gotten the poison from an acquaintance. I wasn’t sure of the specifics, but it was scary to know that she’d been able to get her hands on it so easily. I guess when she’d made up her mind to carry out the murder as it had been done in the book nothing would have stopped her. Sue was lucky that Leslie hadn’t been successful in getting her to ingest the poison too. Maybe Leslie would have targeted all the Bookwormer women. For some crazy reason, after she kille
d Marion, she become angry with the other women as well. She’d been leaving them strange messages and that was why I’d seen Katherine, Sue, and Dana speaking with her.

  Tammy walked through the door and gave me a pitying smile. “How are you holding up?”

  I smiled back. “I’m fine now. It’s a new day at the library and things are looking up.”

  Tammy nodded. “You’re right. You know, it does seem a little brighter in here.” She reached for a stack of books. “Of course we will have to hire new assistant.”

  I cringed.

  “Too soon?” Tammy asked.

  “I just hope this one is nothing like Leslie.”

  “Odds are we will not get another killer assistant.”

  “I should hope not.”

  Tammy walked away to put the books away. Annie popped up beside me.

  “You startled me,” I said.

  Sorry, she wrote on the screen. Good job. I knew you could find the killer.

  “Thanks for the confidence, Annie. That really means a lot.”

  It had been hard to start the new job and even harder when something like that had happened. I was just glad that now we could all put it behind us. Even though the Book Wormers had been unhappy with Marion, she could now be remembered for the good times they’d had and not for her unsolved murder. I’d discovered through a little more research last night that the ghost following me around town had in fact been Marion’s great-grandfather. I guessed he had just wanted to help find the killer. Where he’d gone to now I had no idea.

  I like what you’re doing at the library.

  I smiled. “That makes me feel even better.”

  Jane Austen jumped up beside me and meowed. The cat pawed in the direction of Annie.

  “I think she sees you,” I said.

  Jane Austen meowed again as if answering me and then jumped down and strolled away. What would Annie say now that the murder had been solved? She’d been so consumed with finding the killer before.