Take A Haunted Walk With Me (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 5)
TAKE A HAUNTED WALK WITH ME
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
When the sun goes down, Ripley Van Raden sets out to guide tour-goers through the haunted locations of Devil's Moon, Kentucky. During the day, she's head librarian. There are plenty of ghosts there too.
Ripley receives an old diary in the mail. When strange things occur at the library, Ripley believes the book could be the cause.
During one of her haunted tours, a murder victim is discovered. That's not Ripley's only problem. Someone is trying to take over her haunted tour. Is the competition related to the murder?
Perhaps the old diary holds the answer. Ripley must discover the truth before the past comes back to haunt her.
Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)
Paranormal P.I. Series
What the Hex?
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
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 – Untitled 2016
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
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
My name is Ripley Van Raden. By day I’m a librarian and by night I run the local haunted tour. Devil’s Moon is my hometown, one of the most haunted places I’ve ever known—probably the most haunted place. Around every corner is a haunted building or location. Visitors and residents never know when a ghost might pop up. So naturally I felt it was only appropriate that there was a haunted tour through town. In my opinion the graveyard right in the middle of the historic section of Devil’s Moon was the most haunted of them all.
Bilson Library was built in 1851. It was a beautiful stone structure with three stories. Gables and peaks decorated the façade, giving it a gothic vibe. The spookiest part was the graveyard that was right out front. Patrons had to walk past it in order to get to the front entrance. The graveyard had been there long before the library had been built. Some of the stones were so old that they had started to fade. I’d started a collection for restoring them.
I was sure that the area was haunted. I’d seen shadows drift behind the old tombstones and disappear behind the oak trees. Everyone usually dashed by the site as quickly as possible. I, on the other hand, was used to that kind of stuff. That wasn’t to say that I still didn’t get spooked, but I supposed part of me got some kind of rush out of it.
It had been a while now since I’d moved back to Devil’s Moon. Getting over a broken relationship had seemed almost impossible when I’d first caught my fiancé cheating with my best friend. Being with my family and friends again had made it surprisingly easy to get over him. Plus, the tour and my new job had helped tremendously as well. It hadn’t taken long for me to feel as if this was home again. Now it seemed as if I’d never been away.
I’d started my haunted tour almost immediately upon returning home. It seemed as if the longer I did the tour the more haunted things became. Why one of those paranormal TV shows hadn’t come to Devil’s Moon yet I had no idea. They would be shocked at just how haunted this place was. With so many haunted places to choice from I’d added some new ones over the past few days.
Tammy was sorting through the mail when I walked up to the front area of the library. The sun from the nearby window highlighted the golden streaks she’d just added to her auburn hair. She wore the forest-green silk blouse she’d bought last week on our shopping trip, paired with beige slacks.
The beautiful black cat we’d na
med Jane Austen sat on the edge of the counter, licking her paws. She probably wondered what had taken me so long this morning. I’d stop by to pick up a new bag of treats for her.
Monica Turner was the library assistant. She’d only been here a short time, though she’d caused quite a bit of ruckus with patrons. I constantly had to remind her to be nice. The library board didn’t want me to get rid of her. I wasn’t sure how much more of her antics I could handle.
Monica stood behind the reference desk too, although I wasn’t sure what she was actually doing. A forced smile spread across her face when I looked her way. She stared at me with her big blue eyes. She had blonde hair cut in a pixie style. Today she wore a black dress.
Tammy moved around placing books back, and then she returned to the reference desk. She was so intent on her project that she didn’t even notice that I had walked up. When she did, letters flew from her hands and through the air, floating to the ground.
She clutched her chest. “Oh, you scared me. Don’t do that.”
I laughed. “Sorry about that, but you were really focused on your work.”
Tammy reached down and picked up the letters. “By the way, there’s a package for you.”
“For me?”
She motioned. “On the edge of the desk.”
“How exciting,” I said as I pulled the box closer.
I would have been excited because it was almost my birthday and maybe this was a present, but no one would send me a gift to the library. I grabbed the letter opener and tackled the box as if it was Christmas morning. Once the tape was removed, I pulled back the flaps of the box and peered inside.
Tammy was now standing over my shoulder, looking too. Plus, Annie the ghost had arrived. She liked to communicate with me through electronics. My cell phone was her favorite, but she would use any means she could get. My phone sent an alert for a text message, so I knew she was asking what we were doing. I had gotten so used to the conversations with her that I almost knew what she was going to ask before she typed it.
“Someone sent me a package,” I answered without looking at the phone.
Inside of the box was another package, but this one was wrapped up in brown paper with a twine ribbon tied around it.
“That’s odd. What do you think’s in there?” Tammy asked.
I pulled the package out from the box and said, “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
I untied the twine and removed the paper, tossing it to the ground haphazardly.
“It’s an old book,” I said, almost under my breath.
I supposed that made sense. I was a librarian and this was a library. We dealt with books, so why wouldn’t someone send me a book? This one was extremely old though. There was writing on the front that looked as if it had been a foil gold. Over time the lettering had faded and now it was dull. All I could make out from the front was the year 1921.
The leather cover was rough and part of the spine at the top of the book was coming undone. Since it was extremely fragile I touched it gently. I opened the leather cover carefully so as not to hurt any of the delicate yellow pages.
“What’s written inside?” Tammy asked.
Some of the writing had faded. It was written in cursive.
“I think it’s a diary.”
“Anything juicy?” Tammy leaned closer.
“Well, I don’t know yet. I haven’t had a chance to read it,” I said.
“What are you waiting for? Take the book back to your office and get to work because we need to know what’s inside.” Tammy gestured.
“I can’t do that with Mrs. Agnew on her way over.” I picked up the wrapping paper and shoved it in the trash.
The library needed to be in tip-top shape for her arrival. A speck of dust made her act as if the library would soon be condemned.
“Why does she always ruin everything? So who’s the book from?” Tammy picked up the package looking for the return address.
“I don’t know. I guess I was so excited to see what was inside that I forgot to look.”
“There’s no return address,” Tammy said as she peered inside. “Nothing in here either. Does the book say who it’s from?”
I examined the front and back covers. “Maybe… there’s some info from the original owner, but it’s starting to fade.”
“What can you make out?” Tammy asked.
“That remains to be seen. I guess I know what I’ll be reading tonight.” I looked at the time on my phone.
“You have to tell me what you find right away.”
“I promise I will.” I studied the box again to see if maybe I’d missed a card or something.
“Why did someone send this to you?” Tammy asked.
I shrugged. “I guess because this is the library?”
Tammy helped a patron check out books, but kept the conversation focused on the new discovery. “So you think it’s a donation?”
I tossed the box in the trash. “I guess so.”
Well, it’s a thoughtful gift. Annie sent a text.
“It’s a fabulous gift, but I’ll have to take extra-special care of it. I’ll have to find a special place for it,” I said.
“You’re never going to let anyone else touch that book, are you?” Tammy asked.
I chuckled. “Not if I can help it. Maybe we can have the library board set aside money so we can make a special area for these kinds of books.”
“You only have one,” Tammy said.
“True, but we can start collecting here at the library. It would be a fantastic way to remember the history of our town.”
“Are you sure this is from Devil’s Moon?” Tammy reached out to touch the book and I moved it away from her hand.
“Just remember the oil from our hands can damage the pages.”
She glared at me. “I think I can remember that.”
“Okay, here.” I reluctantly handed her the book. “Just be careful.”
“I will.” She pretended to tear the page.
“That’s not funny.”
“Sure it is,” she said with a laugh.
“I suppose I don’t know that this book is about someone from Devil’s Moon, but why else would someone send it here?”
“As opposed to a library in some other town?”
“Yes, I guess I’ll have to track down where it came from and who the author is.”
“That might not be easy, but if anyone can do it you can.” Tammy handed the book back. “See, I didn’t even mess up the pages.”
“You’re a doll,” I said. “For now I have to get ready for the visit from you know who.”
“I wonder what new things Mrs. Agnew found to complain about this time,” Tammy said.
“It should be entertaining to find out,” I said.
Tammy sighed. “Or seriously depressing.”
A swoosh sound flew by my head like a missile had skimmed the side of my head. Next a crash thundered as a book hit the floor. I ducked, but it was too late anyway. The book had missed me, but if it was better aimed it would have hit me right in the head.
“How did that happen?”Tammy asked as we both remained under cover behind the desk.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
“Who do you think threw it?”
“It came from behind us.” I eased up from behind the desk.
There was no way anyone could have been behind us to throw the book. That was a restricted area and no one had access but us. The only books back there were the returns that we were getting ready to put back on the shelves.
“That book flew by your head with a lot of force. As if someone specifically threw it at you,” Tammy said.
I rushed to look behind the shelf, but no one was there. Annie had been standing beside us the entire time. Besides, she would never do that anyway.
“Annie, did you see anyone throw the book?” I asked.
She shook her head and then sent the text. I was looking at you and didn’t see anything unusual.
This was unnerving and I couldn’t explain how it had happened. I just hoped that it didn’t happen again. It could be extremely dangerous if someone was hit. Tammy and I picked up the books, making sure everything was in order before Mrs. Agnew arrived. We were unable to locate exactly where the book had been thrown from or where it had been shelved before it had happened.
“Are you all right?” Tammy asked, touching my arm.
“Yeah, I’m fine, what about you?” I worried about her the most. Tammy didn’t handle paranormal events well. She wasn’t as accustomed to this type of thing as I was.
“Sure, I’m peachy.” She forced a smile.
Tammy had always tried to put on a strong front. She loved her tough persona. I knew the soft and sweet girl underneath that exterior.
“Okay, if you’re sure you’re okay, I think I’ll go to my office now before Mrs. Agnew arrives.” I grabbed the book and headed down the hallway.
I was definitely shaken by what had happened. Was one of the spirits from the graveyard now in the library trying to cause harm?
Chapter 2
I had no sooner gotten settled at my desk and ready to work when a pounding rattled the door. I groaned, realizing that Mrs. Agnew had arrived. I was surprised she hadn’t just walked on in without knocking.
“Come in,” I called out.
A scowl covered her face as she made it across the threshold.
“Good morning, Mrs. Agnew,” I said in a cheery voice. It probably sounded fake, but I tried my best.
Mrs. Agnew looked around the room as if she was scrutinizing every detail. One little thing out of place and she’d have something to say about it. I’d stackedall my papers neatly and filed most things away. My best was practically military precise.
Today she wore her usual brown skirt suit with crisp white blouse. Maybe she slept in the same outfit? Did she sleep? Her brown hair was pulled up into a tight bun.
“Ms. Van Raden, I need to speak with you about library activities.” The line between her eyebrows deepened.
“Would you like to have a seat?” I gestured toward the other chair placed in front of my desk.