by Rose Pressey
“It was open in the past?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
I nodded. “Not too long ago.”
“Did anything bad happen?”
“Well, it was pretty rough going for a while, but we managed to get rid of the demon.”
“Well, that’s good, I suppose,” he said. “Demons can hide, you know? Lurk in the corners and when you least expect it they’ll pop out. I hope none were left behind.”
Okay, now he was scaring me.
“I’m pretty sure we got everything out of the library before the portal was closed,” I said.
“I just hope it stays closed,” he said.
“Me too,” I said. Now I needed to know if Charlie was here for books or to discuss the portal. “Can I help you find anything?”
“I was just stopping by to get some reading material. I’m not looking for anything in particular, I suppose.”
“Well, if there’s anything I can help you with please let me know,” I said.
I spotted Davis at the front of the library. I would have liked to ask Charlie more about his psychic abilities, but I had to get Davis back here for his opinion on the portal. No offense to Charlie, but I trusted Davis. I didn’t know Charlie.
“Nice meeting you,” I said.
“Likewise,” he said.
“Let me know if you need anything.” I tossed my hand up in a wave and then headed across the library toward Davis.
“I certainly will. Thank you.”
When I glanced back, I noticed that Charlie was still watching me. His piercing stare was kind of strange, but I smiled as if I thought everything was fine before turning my attention back to Davis.
“How’s everything right now, Ripley?” Davis asked when I approached.
“Oddly calm,” I said.
Chapter 8
Davis and I walked over to the area where the portal was located. He stood in front of it and stared. For a moment, he remained silent, making it impossible for me to read his expression. My anxiety increased as I waited for a response. Looking around the room, I spotted Charlie. He watched us but then quickly looked away when he noticed me. Charlie was a strange one. I supposed Charlie was interested in the portal and what the demonologist would say, but with the weird happenings in Devil’s Moon I could never be sure.
Davis turned his attention to me. “Well, honestly, I don’t pick up on anything. I don’t think it’s open again.”
“You think not?” I asked.
He removed his wire-rimmed glasses and cleaned the lens with the edge of his shirt. “I honestly think it’s still closed. So as to what caused all the chaos in here, I’m not quite sure.” He placed the glasses back on his face. “Have you checked the video to see if it was captured on camera?”
“Believe it or not, no. That probably sounds crazy, but I haven’t gotten a chance. We can do that now if you’d like.”
“Yes, please. I think it’s important.”
“We can go back to my office and check,” I said, gesturing across the library.
Davis followed me down the hallway to my office. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Papers were thrown everywhere. Books were knocked off shelves.
“Sorry, I haven’t been in here this morning. It looks as if the ghost attacked in here as well.” I reached down and picked up a book in front of my feet.
He studied the room. “This is amazing. It takes a lot of energy to do something like this.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” I said as I picked up papers from around the floor.
Davis helped me gather the books and put them back on the shelves. Pushing back my uneasiness, I turned the computer on and waited for the screen to light up.
“It should just take a couple of minutes,” I said.
I needed to get the camera’s app to work on my phone and then I could check when I was away from the library. Now that this type of thing was going on it was more important than ever.
Quickly I clicked on the icon for the cameras. Davis leaned in close for a better view. My excitement mounted as I waited to see what was on the video. But when I got to the date and time that it should’ve been there, nothing showed up. It was only static. Davis and I exchanged a glance.
“Looks like every single camera malfunctioned. Probably ghost interference,” he said.
“Sounds like somebody doesn’t want us to see what was going on.”
“It’s unfortunate. It would’ve been some compelling evidence, that’s for sure,” Davis said.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing. But I hope it doesn’t happen again.” I clicked out of the camera footage.
“I wish there was something more that I can do for you,” he said.
“I’ll call and have the cameras checked to make sure they’re working properly. If it happens again then, maybe next time we’ll catch it.”
“Well, if anything else happens call me,” he said.
“Thank you again for coming, Davis. I’ll walk you to the door.”
As I walked Davis to the door I remained on high alert for more activity. Everything was quiet in the library, completely normal, as if nothing strange had ever occurred. Although I still hadn’t spotted Annie.
“Thanks again, Davis,” I said.
He shook my hand. “Anytime, Ripley.”
Giving one last look around the library, he stepped outside. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed as if maybe I couldn’t handle all of this on my own. Davis couldn’t hang around forever though. I had no choice but handle this. I checked my phone to be sure I hadn’t missed a text from Annie, but there was nothing. I was starting to worry. Maybe some of the scary ghosts had chased her away. What if she never came back? I guessed I’d never thought that possible, but it could happen.
As I felt someone watching me I spotted Charlie waving from across the library. I waved back as I walked to the reference desk. Yes, he was definitely an odd one. I wasn’t sure what to think of him.
“Who’s the hot guy?” Tammy asked.
“Well, funny you ask,” I said. “He says he’s a psychic medium. He just came in out of the blue and started talking to me. It’s kind of strange actually.”
“Strange maybe, but hot, yes,” Tammy said.
As Tammy and I were at the front desk working, I felt something tug on my pants. When I glanced down I expected to see Jane Austen. She wasn’t there though. Looking to my left I spotted her across the room sitting on the window sill. There was no way she could have gotten over there so quickly. It had to have been a ghost playing tricks with me. I was glad Tammy hadn’t felt anything. She hated when the ghosts came around.
I looked up to see who had entered the library. Dana headed over toward me. Her books weren’t due back for another week, so I was surprised to see her today. She usually got all that she needed for the week. Too bad she hadn’t brought pastry and coffee. She walked across into the library as if on a mission with her stare focused on me. Had she seen my doppelgänger again? What had I done?
“I need to talk to you,” she said with a furrowed brow. “Why would you do this to me?”
“Do what to you?” I asked. “What have I done now?”
What could the doppelgänger possibly have done?
“You sent her into my coffee shop. And now she wants to join the book club,” Dana said.
I grimaced. Right away I knew she’d met Abigail.
“I had no idea she was so annoying. I’m sorry. Maybe she’ll be better during the meetings.”
“I highly doubt that,” Dana said.
Before Dana had a chance to say more, Tammy laughed. From over Dana’s shoulder I spotted Abigail headed our way. Unfortunately, a groan slipped from my lips, even though I’d tried to hide the disappointment on my face. Dana picked up on my expression. I shouldn’t have looked over her shoulder. She glanced back and then released a groan too.
“I think maybe she followed me here,” Dana said.
Was Abigail really that bad?
>
“Hi, ladies,” Abigail said in a cheery tone when she walked up.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to be as sweet as possible.
Now I would have Abigail hanging around the library just as much as Jane Austen. I had to be nice to Abigail though. I mean, she was trying to be sweet in her own strange way. Even though she had been creepy last night by showing up at the tavern. She’d had said she was on her way there anyway so I had to assume she hadn’t followed me. Following Dana too though was weird. Maybe I was overreacting.
“I just realized that I forgot to get any books yesterday.” Abigail laughed. “And I also forgot my library card.”
I reached behind the desk and retrieved the card for her. “Here you are. I saved it for you.”
“You’re so sweet, thank you. I think we’re going to be good friends,” she said with a huge smile.
Tammy snickered. Now I felt bad about last night. She was probably just trying to fit in and make new friends in a new town.
“Well, thank you. I’m going to look at the books now.” She waved and headed off around a nearby stack.
Dana, Tammy, and I stared in silence at each other for a moment.
“What happened at the coffee shop?” I whispered in case Abigail was nearby.
“She was telling me how to make the coffee, telling me how much to charge for pastry, how to decorate the coffee shop. The list goes on and on,” Dana said with a wave of her hand.
My eyes widened. “Sounds like a similar situation I had last night on the tour. She’s being so nice now though. I think maybe she’s just nervous about being in a new town.”
“That’s a good point,” Tammy said. “I bet she is just trying to make friends.”
“Well, she has no idea how to do it,” Dana said.
Glancing to my right, I spotted Abigail going down another aisle. I couldn’t tell if she had been listening or not.
“What should I do about having her join the book club?” Dana asked.
“You can’t tell her no, right? I mean, it wouldn’t be nice.”
“No, I suppose I can’t do that, can I?” She sighed.
“Though if she does the same thing at the book club meeting you’ll have to politely tell her,” I said.
“I was thinking since you’re the head librarian that you could tell her.” Dana crossed her fingers and gave me a pleading look.
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell her. Only because I like you so much.”
I wasn’t the leader of the book club. Why did I have to tell her?
“All right, I have to get back to the shop, I’ll see you later.” Dana waved and headed toward the door. “Don’t let her follow me.”
“It’s certainly been a crazy day,” Tammy said.
“It’s been a crazy few days,” I said.
“What have you found out about the woman at the antique shop?” Tammy asked.
“I have the name and that’s it really. I just hope that doppelgänger doesn’t show up again.”
“I hope not too. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the whole thing,” Tammy said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Abigail. I thought for sure she’d been staring at us. When I glanced in her direction she quickly turned her attention back to the books on the shelf in front of her.
“She’s strange,” Tammy whispered.
“I hope she checks out books soon.” I turned my head so that Abigail wouldn’t notice me and think I was talking about her.
“You and me both,” Tammy said.
“If you can handle it up here for a bit I might go back and do a little research.”
“I’m fine, I suppose,” Tammy said. “I’d rather you not go and leave me alone with her. Plus, I’m sensing a strange vibe around her, but I also want to know about the woman… so go ahead.”
“I’m sure you’re just still spooked by the books incident, but Davis said the portal is still closed. I have a feeling whatever that is attached to me.”
“You’re absolutely right. I’m fine. Go.” Tammy waved her hand.
“Okay, but I’ll be back soon.”
When I looked over at the tables in the middle of the room I spotted Charlie still sitting there. He wasn’t watching me this time though.
“Checking out Mr. Handsome?” Tammy asked in a singsong voice.
“I’m just perplexed by him, that’s all.”
“I don’t blame you, I was looking too.” Tammy smiled.
I shook my head and took off for my office. During my walk down the hallway I kept a lookout for Abigail. Thank goodness she didn’t come to find me. I hoped that my tiny safe haven space wasn’t a mess like before. I still couldn’t believe everything that had happened and that we hadn’t gotten it on video. These were seriously some tech-savvy spirits. I sat down at my desk and typed Meredith’s name into my computer.
Just as Brannon had reported, Meredith wasn’t from Devil’s Moon. Surprisingly there was an article in The Tennessean about her antique’s collection. The article included a picture of the woman. I hadn’t seen her until now. From Brannon’s description, I thought the photo had to be of her. An address was listed in the article.
With this newly discovered tidbit I decided that a road trip was in order. Maybe I’d talk to some of her friends and family and find out more about her. Before I did that though, I needed to speak with people around town to find out if anyone had seen anything suspicious. I knew Mr. Byrd hadn’t killed Meredith. Sure, he could be considered a suspect, but I knew him, and I just couldn’t believe it possible. I needed to speak with him as soon as possible though. That was if he still wanted to talk to me. He hadn’t answered when I’d left a voicemail this morning.
During my lunch break, I intended on going around to some of the shops near the antique shop. Not all of them were on my tour, so I didn’t have regular contact with the shop owners. Nevertheless, I would give it my best shot.
I searched for more information on Meredith, but I found nothing particularly interesting. Although she had a sizable amount of antiques that were valuable, according to the article written about her rare finds. Would that be a motive for murder? If she’d been home maybe, but they hadn’t burglarized her home for the pricey items. The killing had taken place right there in the antique shop. That seemed strange. In my opinion, someone had followed her to Mr. Byrd’s. Maybe it was a targeted hit. Of course, that didn’t explain why there was a doppelgänger of me walking into the shop.
After closing down my computer, since it was almost time for lunch, I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. The part-time assistant Laura Jean came in while I went to lunch. And I was happy to see that she was already behind the counter. That meant I could leave now. I was in a hurry to get around to all the shops.
I only had an hour, so I didn’t have much time. I would have to eat on the go. Maybe I would grab a sandwich at Dana’s coffee shop. It was a lot faster than the diner. I should’ve thought to bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but after everything that had gone on last night, I’d been lucky to remember to wear shoes to work.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” I said with a wave.
“Text me if anything happens. I sure hope everything goes smoothly,” Tammy said.
I glanced over at the tables. That guy was gone. As mysteriously as he’d shown up, now he was gone.
“He left about ten minutes ago,” Tammy said.
I glanced around. “What about her?”
“Abigail left too.”
“Whew. I’ll be back soon,” I said with a wave.
Still no sign of Annie. Where was she?
Chapter 9
I had to hurry because with only an hour it would be barely enough time to get food and talk to a few people. Soon I reached Dana’s coffee shop and stepped inside. The more I thought about her cucumber sandwiches the more my mouth watered.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you so quickly,” Dana said. “Tell me she didn’t follow you here. I can’t handl
e more today.”
“Don’t worry as far as I know she’s nowhere near the coffee shop. I just thought I would pick up lunch before going into a couple places. I want to talk to a few people about what happened at the antique shop. Possibly see if anyone saw anything around that area.”
“Oh, good thinking. The police still don’t have a suspect?”
“Well, other than Mr. Byrd and me? No. But they’ve been tight-lipped. I guess they don’t want to tell a suspect what’s going on with the case.”
She gave me a nervous chuckle. “Oh, I’m sure they don’t think you or Mr. Byrd are suspects.”
“If I can get it from Brannon I’ll show you the video from the shop. The person looks just like me.”
“I know the person I saw that day looked just like you and she didn’t say a word to me.”
“Well, then you know it wasn’t me,” I said.
“That’s what I thought too. Let me make you a quick sandwich. The usual?” Dana asked.
“Yes, please, cucumber.”
I grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerated display case as she made the sandwich.
“Here you are,” she said as she handed me the bag.
I gave her the cash and took the bag. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Good luck,” she said with a wave of her hand.
I’d just reached the door with my hand on the handle to pull it open when I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t believe what I saw walking down the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop. I almost dropped the bag and water.
The person who looked just like me was walking right in front of me. I had to say something. I had to stop her and ask what was going on with her. I felt as if I was in a different dimension. Could she speak?
I hurried out of the coffee shop and fell in behind… myself? I was still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. Should I yell out for this person to stop? Tackle her and make her stop? Or just follow and see where she went? The more I thought about it, the more I thought I was in some sort of other dimension seeing a glimpse of my alternate self.
That got me thinking about what would I do in a different dimension? Would I be exactly the same there? Or would things be different? Would I work at the library and give haunted tours?