Keep on Haunting
KEEP ON HAUNTING
A Haunted Tour Guide Mystery
By Rose Pressey
“Rose Pressey’s book are fun!”
Janet Evanovich
Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey
“Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.”
Coffee Time Romance
“Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”
ParaNormalRomance
“I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”
Fallen Angel Review
As if Devil’s Moon, Kentucky isn’t haunted enough now a few spooky visitors have come to town. Librarian by day, Ripley Van Raden is not only in charge of the books, but she has to track down why there’s a sinister spirit hanging around the library. What’s even more terrifying is the spirit seems connected to a recent murder.
At night Ripley guides tour-goers around the haunted locations of town. When a mystery man appears she has to find out if he’s the killer. Séances, ghosts, and peculiar strangers all stand in her way. At least she has the help of her hunky detective/paranormal investigator boyfriend Brannon, best friend Tammy, and tech-savvy ghost librarian Annie.
Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)
Paranormal P.I. Series
What the Hex?
The Hex With It
Chase Charley Series:
Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake
Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes
Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:
These Haunts are Made for Walking
A Walk on the Haunted Side
Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk
Walk this Way, Haunt this Way
Take a Haunted Walk With Me
Haunted Vintage Series:
Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It
Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt
Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore
Book 4 – Haunted is Always in Fashion
Book 5 – If the Haunting Fits, Wear It
Book 6 and 7 – coming soon
Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Crime Wave
Book 2 – Murder is a Beach
The Halloween LaVeau Series:
Book 1 – Forever Charmed
Book 2 – Charmed Again
Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm
Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure
Book 5 – A Charmed Life
Book 6 – Charmed Ever After
Book 7—Once Upon a Charmed Time
The Hadley Wilds Series:
Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style
The Rylie Cruz Series:
Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf
Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire
Book 3 – How to Date a Demon
The Larue Donovan Series:
Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends
Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out
Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door
Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams
The Mystic Café Series:
Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells
Book 2 – Pies and Potions
Book 3 — Spells a la Carte
The Veronica Mason Series:
Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead
A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:
Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel
Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide
The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House
Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Dedication
This is to you and you know who you are.
Acknowledgements
To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.
Index
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 1
I think I just saw a ghost.
This was the text message I’d just received. Ironically, the message had been sent by a ghost. Yes, I received messages from the great beyond. Electronic devices and modern technology were the only way that Annie Gibson had to speak with me. Sometimes she emailed and even on occasion Tweeted me on Twitter. No, she didn’t have her own page, but she used the library’s page. The messages mysteriously deleted after I read them. As long as she had a space to type out a comment she’d do it. Actually, I thought she should have her own Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram page. How cool would that be?
Currently I stood behind the reference desk of Bilson Library. That was my day job. I was the head librarian. Back in the 1800s Annie had held that position as well. It was the middle of the day and the library was full of patrons. Having a ghost hanging around was kind of appropriate considering the library looked like something that should be in a scary movie. It had three stories plus a cemetery out front. It was a large stone and brick structure with corbels, gables, and a turret on one side. A large foyer with a marble floor and wide double doors led into the library.
Hardwood floors gleamed with matching molding throughout the building. When you walked in, to the right were the stacks with tables and chairs with lamps on each one. There were more stacks of books to the left and the reference desk as well. Computers were to the back and a hallway led down to the office and other rooms. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the front of the library, allowing in a lot of sunshine. At least that made the space somewhat less spooky.
My best friend and coworker Tammy White was across the library placing books on the shelves. Tammy couldn’t communicate with or see ghosts. She wanted nothing to do with the paranormal. Although she was fine with Annie being around now. Once she’d figured out Annie was a good ghost she was okay with it.
I picked up the phone’s receiver and held it to my ear so that everyone wouldn’t think I was talking to myself. “What makes you think that you saw a ghost?”
Annie pointed across the room. Because I just saw the thing float around that corner. The text came up on my computer screen this time.
My eyes widened. “You saw it float?”
Right around the corner.
It wasn’t unheard of to have o
ther ghosts around the library. We even had a graveyard right out front. It had been there before the library had even been built back in the 1800s. I spent my share of time in graveyards. That probably sounded a bit strange—I ran the haunted tour around my hometown of Devil’s Moon.
There was no shortage of haunted places in my hometown. That was part of the reason why I started the tour in the first place. It was interesting to describe the unexplained events with others. Plus, I’d had my share of paranormal events too. Not only did I tell my stories, but the accounts of other Devil’s Moon residents. If something strange happened, I was the first person people told about it—everything from mysterious footsteps to fleeting shadows. My mother worried about me walking around in the dark in spooky locations. My dad reminded her that I was an adult and could take care of myself. Sometimes I wondered if she was right though. Maybe it was too dangerous.
I’d moved away for a while to follow the person I’d thought was the love of my life. Turned out he was a complete jerk and had cheated on me. No worries though, because I had a new great guy in my life. It just so happened that Brannon Landon loved the paranormal too. His fulltime profession was detective with the local police department, but in his spare time he liked to hunt for answers to the unexplained.
Since I had experience with ghosts I supposed I should go check out what Annie had seen. I wouldn’t tell Tammy about this. No need to freak her out. Maybe it had only been a shadow from the sunlight or Annie had seen a patron out of the corner of her eye.
When Tammy headed back over to the desk I said, “I’ll be right back. I just need to get something I left upstairs.”
I was terrible with coming up with lies on the spur of the moment. She frowned and I knew she was suspicious. However, she didn’t question my motives.
“Sure thing. I’ll watch the desk,” she said with narrowed eyes.
I headed over toward the staircase that led to the second and third floors of the library. There was also a basement area that held reference books, etc. I glanced over my shoulder to see if Tammy was watching me. She still had that confused look on her face. I smiled and tossed my hand up in a wave. Tammy wiggled her fingers in what could be considered a faint wave.
I was sure what Annie had seen was nothing. The more I thought about it the more I thought my idea was right—that out of the corner of her eye she had caught a patron walking around the corner and just thought they’d floated. That was possible, right?
Annie had followed me over to the staircase. The cool air from her presence whirled behind me. For that reason, I’d brought my phone. I knew she’d text soon.
Once at the top of the stairs I paused at the second-floor landing. The stained-glass window cast a prism of color across the hardwood floor. The wood banister curved around the stairs with intricate details guiding the way up. Since there could be people moving around some of the rooms, I wasn’t sure where to look for a ghost. Was I even looking for a real ghost? If I saw someone I might think it was the ghost.
“Annie, what did the ghost look like?” I asked.
My phone dinged, alerting me to a text message.
The ghost was dark, like a shadow. Almost see-through and grayish then turning to black. I definitely sensed a male presence.
Annie had moved ahead of me and had been scanning the room while I’d been reading her text. Based on her description, I wondered if this was some kind of negative spirit. Where had the spirit come from and why was it here? I had a feeling that maybe I’d brought the spirit with me. Hanging around a bunch of haunted places meant there was a good chance a ghost could attach to me. No wonder people in town didn’t invite me to their homes for parties. There were no invitations to cookouts or baby showers. Wherever I went the paranormal seemed to follow. Or maybe I followed the paranormal? Nonetheless, I had ghosts hanging around.
If there was one here then I needed to get rid of it right away. Unless it was a good ghost like Annie. How would I know? Ghosts could be tricky.
Another message appeared on my phone. Annie was watching me now. What do you think? Is this dangerous?
“I won’t know until I see it.” I peered around the room.
I didn’t want to tell her that it was a real possibility that this situation could be dangerous. There was only one way for me to find out though. I had to move forward and check things out. The ghost had to be in one of the rooms, right? I still wasn’t convinced that Annie had really seen a ghost. Though I supposed she had a good description, so she’d obviously seen something.
Maybe it was a shadow of a person. I peered over my shoulder at the window. The gray clouds had moved in quickly and now hung over Devil’s Moon. Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been a shadow. I moved toward the first door on my right. Once at the door, I eased it open and peeked into the room. No one was there. The room had tables, chairs, and shelves of books.
Backing away from that room, I walked over to the next door and looked inside. Annie was following along behind me. That room was empty as well. I moved down the hallway away from the rooms. On the left was the main area for reading on the second floor. We had newspapers and magazines up here. A few people sat at tables around the space, but they were busy reading. They certainly didn’t act as if they’d seen a ghost.
He must be hiding. Annie was still behind me.
One of the men looked up at me and smiled. More and more it was looking as if this was a false alarm.
I turned around so the patrons wouldn’t see me talk to Annie. “I think the spirit must be gone,” I said.
Annie shook her head. I still feel the presence. I think it’s nearby.
She had a good sense for these things, so I felt as if I should take her word for it. Though the ghost must be hiding from me. Tammy would be freaking out because I was gone too long. I had to get back downstairs. I hoped the spirit left soon.
Just as I walked down the hall toward the staircase, I passed one of the rooms that I’d just checked. A dark shadow zipped around the room. My stomach dropped and for a moment I lost my breath. I was used to seeing ghosts, but it was still a surprise every time. Annie was right. This spirit had a strong presence.
What was this ghost doing in the library? I eased over to the door and peered into the room. There was no sign of the ghost. Maybe it had moved through the wall and into the other room. Annie liked to do that, so I assumed that other ghosts did it too. I stepped away from the room and down the hall to the next door.
The ghost wasn’t there either. It had disappeared. Something told me that the ghost was still in the library, and now I had to track it down. I stepped into the room. Nothing felt different. Sometimes I felt a cold spot if a ghost was around or had been there moments earlier. Actually, it felt a bit hotter in the room. I hoped that wasn’t a bad sign.
“Well, the ghost isn’t here now, Annie,” I said.
I still think the ghost is hiding.
“Maybe he went back downstairs,” I said. “Regardless, I have to get back down there to help Tammy. She’ll wonder what I’m doing up here.”
I think she was already suspicious.
“Yes, she was.” I headed out the door and over to the staircase. Once at the landing, I paused and looked back down the hallway one more time. “No sign of the ghost,” I said.
That was a good thing. I didn’t want to deal with another ghost in the library.
The air in the hallway seemed hotter too, just like the room.
Is something wrong?
“It seems hotter in here.” I fanned myself with my hand. “I suppose I need to adjust the thermostat.”
I’d only taken one step when the scream rang out. It echoed and bounced off the walls. My heart hammered in my chest. It sounded like Tammy. I rushed down the stairs, trying not to tumble head first. I would be of no help if I plunged all the way to the bottom. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had fallen on the staircase, and I didn’t want to be the next victim.
Once at the bottom of the stairs I r
an toward the front of the library. I was almost sure that was where I’d heard the scream. People were standing from their chairs and staring in the direction of the reference desk. I was terrified of what I’d find. What would make Tammy scream like that?
As soon as I turned the corner I saw Tammy standing behind the desk. She had stepped back close to the wall and was clutching her chest. I ran over to her. A couple people had rushed over to see if she was all right and needed anything.
“Tammy, what happened? Are you hurt?” I asked.
Tammy had been staring blankly toward the front doors of the library. Now she focused her attention on me. Tammy pointed toward the doors. I looked again. A man stepped inside the library and noticed us watching him. Tammy was still pointing. He looked over his shoulder. I attempted a smile just so that he wouldn’t be completely freaked out. He headed toward the non-fiction section, but looked over his shoulder several times to see if we were still watching.
The man and woman who had been trying to help Tammy started to walk away now that I was here.
“She’ll be okay,” I said when they glanced back. I guided Tammy to the nearby chair. “What did you see?”
Tammy shook her head. “It was a ghost. I know it was a ghost.”
Annie was next to Tammy, though Tammy had no idea. I hadn’t even told Tammy about what I’d seen. Would she describe the same thing?
“Are you sure it was a ghost?” I asked.
Tammy quirked an eyebrow. “You have to ask that?”
“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure.”
Tammy pushed the amber-colored hair out of her eyes. “It was a shadow. Misty and see-through.”
The same thing that Annie and I had seen. Now I had to tell Tammy the truth. That she had actually seen a ghost.
“Tammy, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said.
Her gaze immediately shifted to me. “You knew there was a ghost here, didn’t you? I knew you were acting suspicious. How long have you known?”