06 Hauntin' After Midnight Read online

  I was staring at the police car and the officer’s lifeless body inside, unable to dial Brannon’s number or do anything. I had to snap out of this, but I was in a zone as if I was outside of my body looking down on the scene.

  Finally, flashing lights caught my attention and snapped me somewhat out of this trance. How long had I been this way? I tried to shake it off, looking around for Erin. I didn’t see her. Where had she gone? Police cars descended on the street, blocking everything. I’d never seen so many at one time. But in the sea of blue uniforms I didn’t see Brannon. That made me panic more than anything. What if he didn’t show up?

  Officers jumped out of their cars and raced toward me. The next thing I knew they were ordering me to drop my phone and put my hands up. Did they think that I had killed the policeman? I didn’t see Brannon anywhere and panic surged through my body. I did as I was told, holding my hands above my head. I stayed put, not moving an inch. Maybe I didn’t even blink. Thank goodness Brannon appeared and soon the officers pointed the guns away from me. I was able to put my hands down.

  Brannon raced over and hugged me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but your fellow officer isn’t.”

  “Do you know what happened?” he asked.

  “No, actually Erin told me there was something wrong with him.”

  “Where is she?”

  I looked around and then finally saw her talking to the police officer. Thank goodness. I thought maybe she had left me here alone to explain the situation.

  “When I came out to check on him I found him that way.”

  Brannon helped me to my feet. He led me toward the house as the police tended to the crime scene. Erin was behind us with another officer as we headed up the steps into my apartment. Once inside, Brannon helped me over to the sofa and I sat down. Erin was in the chair across from me.

  “Okay, so I want to start first. Tell us what happened,” the other officer said.

  Brannon had a way of putting things a little more delicately. He was never harsh or abrasive. He was always kind and trying to make me feel better, but maybe that was because we were dating. I liked to think he was that way with everyone though.

  “Well, when I came by the cop car I just noticed something strange and I had a feeling something was wrong.”

  Brannon was staring at Erin. Was he suspecting something as well?

  “So you didn’t check on him right away?” Brannon asked.

  She stared at Brannon for a moment, as if she was surprised that he had actually asked her that. It was a good question though. Why had I had to come out to check on him? Why didn’t she check on him on her own?

  She stared for a moment longer and then she said, “Because to be honest with you, I’m scared for my life. My aunt was murdered.”

  Was she just saying that for sympathy? Of course not. She was upset. Now I felt bad for doubting her. That seemed like a completely legitimate answer. Brannon seemed to believe it too.

  “What happened after she came to get you?” He looked at me.

  “Well, that was when we went down to check on him. I knocked on the window, but he didn’t respond so I opened the car and saw him like that. I called on his radio because I thought it would be faster. I was getting ready to call Brannon, but I think I went into some kind of shock. It was almost as if I was possessed. I just fell onto the ground.”

  “Did you see or hear anything unusual tonight?” he asked.

  “Um… I’m not sure.”

  The whole scene of me going to that house with Tammy played in my mind. I knew I would have to tell Brannon that we’d seen the officer motionless when we came back. As a matter of fact, he’d been that way when we left. That thought sent a chill down my spine. What if he had been dead when we left? The killer could have been following us the whole time. Now I was worried about Tammy. Panic surged through me. I had to call her.

  “You didn’t notice him acting strange or anything earlier?” Brannon pushed.

  I looked at my feet. Now was the time that I had to tell him.

  Finally, I looked up at him and said, “Tammy and I left the house earlier without the cop. He was asleep so that’s why we snuck out and went over to the other house.”

  Brannon didn’t say a word. He just listened, but I knew by the look on his face that he was upset with me. They’d had a cop here for a reason and I’d specifically done the opposite, putting my life in danger without even thinking of his feelings. I felt so ashamed. I told myself that if this ever worked out I would never do anything that stupid again. But I had explained this to him and I hoped that he would forgive me and understand why I’d done what I’d done.

  “And why did you go to the other house after dinner?” Brannon asked.

  I glanced over at Erin. She was watching intently. I wished that I could talk to Brannon alone without the officer and Erin standing there, but I wouldn’t ask for that. I would just forge forward.

  “Earlier when I went past for the tour I thought a ghost had whispered something to me.”

  I knew that the officer and Erin were staring at me, but I didn’t look over at them.

  “There was a message that the ghost had a book. I thought that meant that the ghost was trying to tell me something. So Tammy and I went back to look around.”

  The sounded crazier when I said it out loud.

  “So then what happened?” Brannon asked.

  “In fact, we did find a book.” I glanced over and saw that it was still sitting on the coffee table where I’d left it.

  “Is that the book?” Brannon asked, following my gaze.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “And it has something to do with the case or the haunting?”

  “That’s what I’m still trying to figure out,” I said. “The pages at the end of the book are missing. Without them I don’t think we’ll know if there’s any connection.”

  “Why don’t you just get another book?” the officer asked.

  I’d hoped that he hadn’t been listening. Maybe by some chance he had been daydreaming and tuned out what I’d said. No such luck though.

  “The book is old and out of print. I found one, but it’s expensive,” I said.

  “You’re a librarian and you can’t get the book?” Erin asked.

  “I’m a librarian, not a magician.” Okay, that sounded a bit snippy. “I thought I’d try to find a copy tomorrow.”

  “Did anything else happen?” Brannon asked.

  “No, after that we just came home.”

  “How did you get into the house?” Erin asked.

  Oh, yeah, she was the owner now and she didn’t sound happy to hear that I had been in her house.

  “The back window was open,” I said.

  Brannon shook his head. I knew he was scolding me in his mind.

  “So technically that book is mine,” Erin said as her stare fell on the blue hardback.

  We had just discovered another murder victim and she was going to give me a hard time about the book?

  “I suppose, yes, it is your book,” I said.

  She stood from the chair and walked over to the table. She picked up the book. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  By the smirk on her face I knew I should say no. Now I definitely had to find another copy of that book. She didn’t even look at the book as she placed it in her bag. Did she even care about solving the murder? After all, it was her aunt who had been killed.

  I stared her right in the eyes. “Exactly why did you come to my apartment tonight? How did you know to get me if the officer was down there? How did you know he was here for me?”

  “I think everyone knows that,” she said. “It was obvious that he was an officer. It wasn’t like that was some big secret.”

  “Okay, calm down, ladies. Let’s not get off subject,” the officer said.

  How could that be off subject? It seemed extremely relevant to me.

  “Can I leave now?” Erin asked.

  What made her
think she was off the hook already? I still had questions I wanted answered.

  “Thanks for making sure I got home earlier.” Erin batted her eyelashes at Brannon.

  Seriously? She was flirting?

  When I glanced over at Brannon he acted as if he was trying to ignore Erin. She had probably been flirting with him before. At a time like this? This was the worst possible moment to do that. What was wrong with her? Didn’t she think about what had just happened? She should have seen the officer. She’d been right there when we’d found him.

  “You’re welcome. Officer Allen, can you make sure that Erin gets home safely tonight?”

  She frowned. I guessed she’d been expecting Brannon to take her home. I didn’t like the way that this was going. She gave me the creeps. And to think that I’d considered buying the house from her. I wished that she didn’t own it. Though technically she didn’t own it yet. It would only be a formality though and soon enough it would be hers.

  Erin looked at me as if she wanted to make a nasty comment. Thank goodness she kept whatever she was thinking to herself. Erin stood from the chair and looped her bag over her shoulder. The bag that contained the book. No matter though. I would find another copy. She could have that one.

  “We’ll be in touch. In the meantime, if you think of anything else you might have seen tonight please call me,” Brannon said.

  Her face lit up at the mention of calling Brannon. I had a feeling she would find some reason to call him. I wasn’t usually the jealous type, but I saw right through her act.

  “I’ll definitely do that, Brannon,” Erin said in a sweet voice.

  The officer walked her to the door. She looked over her shoulder at me and I couldn’t read her expression. It was almost as if she was blank inside. Then when she looked at Brannon she smiled. She knew what she was doing. She acted that way on purpose. There was no way that Brannon didn’t pick up on that. Was I the only one who found that odd? They walked out the door and I moved over to the window to get a look at what was happening outside. Though I probably didn’t want to know. The car had been covered, so I didn’t know if they had removed the body. Erin and the officer came into view. She looked up at the window as if she knew I’d be watching her.

  Brannon stepped over to me. “I’m sorry this had to happen to you.”

  I turned and buried my face into his chest. At that moment it was all I could do to keep myself upright. He took me into his arms and walked me over to the sofa. Brannon sat beside me, brushing the hair from my face.

  “I’m sorry I went to that house again,” I said.

  “You really shouldn’t have done that. Promise me that you won’t do that again,” he said.

  I stared at him.

  “You can’t make that promise?” he asked, searching my eyes.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think I can do that.”

  “I can’t guarantee that you won’t be arrested if you go back there and get caught,” he said.

  I nodded. “I understand.”

  He knew that even that probably wouldn’t stop me, although maybe one night in jail would make me think otherwise.

  “You really think that book had something to do with the murder?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I have to try to find out. There’s a lot on the line here. I mean, another person was murdered. It could have easily been you.”

  That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Now you know how I feel about you going back to that house. You know how I feel when you go somewhere alone.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I said.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning I hurried and dressed in my usual slacks and cardigan. I had a trip planned before I had to be at the library and I didn’t have a lot of time to get there. I was headed for the used bookstore to see if by some crazy chance there would be another copy of that book. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to look.

  Another officer was following me. That made things even worse because I was constantly reminded of what had happened last night to the other officer. How long would this continue? Who was the killer and when would he be caught?

  The officer was waiting downstairs for me. I stepped out of my apartment and locked the door behind me. On the way down the stairs I ran into my neighbor who lived on the second floor. I greeted her with a cheery good morning, but all I got in return was a frosty look. I supposed the neighbors weren’t happy with me. I couldn’t say that I blamed them. I had brought a lot of scary stuff to this building. And now a murder in front of it. She rushed out the door and down the path in a hurry.

  The officer nodded and then fell into step behind me as I headed down the sidewalk toward the book store. The sun had made an appearance this morning after last night’s storm. The warmth surrounded me as I passed by the old buildings in downtown Devil’s Moon. Soon the book store came into view. I’d been there almost as many times as I’d been to the library. Usually there was a new employee working. I rarely saw the store’s owner. If anyone would know about this book though it would be him.

  I stepped into the store. It was nine now and they had just opened. I’d told Tammy I would be a few minutes late this morning. I just hoped that the board members didn’t find out. I was the only customer so far this morning. Not only were there no customers, I also didn’t see an employee. Maybe they were in the back. The bell over the door had announced my arrival. The officer was waiting outside by the door for me. I headed over to the section which contained older books. It wasn’t a large selection, but I knew it was where I needed to start.

  As I perused the books I felt a presence behind me. When I spun around it was the bookstore owner.

  “Oh, am I glad to see you.”

  He looked a little shocked. “I am surprised to see you here this early in the morning.”

  Did he mean because it was early or because of what had happened last night? Regardless, I wasn’t going to talk about what had happened last night. I just wanted to talk about finding the book.

  “I need to find a book.”

  He peered at me from over the top of his eyeglasses. “What’s the name of the book?”

  I knew he probably wondered why I didn’t have what I was looking for at the library. I gave him the title of the book and told him the publication date.

  “Oh, that will be difficult,” he said.

  “There’s one online, but I didn’t have that kind of money.”

  “I don’t know why people put crazy prices on books like that.”

  “I guess because they’re hoping someone will eventually come along and pay it,” I said.

  He smiled. “Yes, I suppose that’s it. Well, I don’t have it, but I can certainly look for you.”

  “That would be great. Thank you,” I said.

  “Is there anything else?” he asked.

  I sensed that he wanted to ask about the murder. I couldn’t exactly talk about it even if I wanted to. There was one question I would ask though.

  “Do you happen to know who used to own the house on Edman Street?”

  “The house has a lot of history.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What kind of history?”

  Why hadn’t I heard about this?

  “I’m not the best person to tell you about it. You need to speak with Elle Martin. She can tell you everything you want to know.”

  “I don’t think I know her,” I said.

  “She lives in the old school over on Main. The one that has been converted into apartments.”

  “I know the place. Do you think she will talk with me?” I asked.

  “I think she will. She’s friendly.”

  I thanked him for the information and headed outside. Now I would be excited and nervous until I got a chance to visit Elle. Maybe I could go at lunch time. Since Tammy and I took different lunch breaks she wouldn’t be able to go with me. I hated doing things like that alone.

  That was
when I glanced out the window and spotted the officer. Yes, I wouldn’t be alone. I was never alone outside of my apartment now. Apparently for good reason too. How easily things could have turned out differently for me last night.

  Maybe I should tell Brannon. I’d tell him if I found out anything good. So I didn’t have the book, but at least I had some kind of lead. Maybe Elle would know why the book had been hidden in the first place. I walked out of the bookstore and into the sunshine once again. The officer fell into step behind me. Did he really have to walk behind me? Couldn’t he walk beside me? I guessed that wouldn’t work in case someone ran up behind me. What if someone sneaked up behind him? Now I was starting to be paranoid. I couldn’t let the fear stop me from living life.

  I stopped off for a quick coffee and headed the rest of the way to the library. Maybe it was just my imagination but it seemed as if people were keeping their distance. When I came near they walked away or got as far away as possible. That wouldn’t be good for business. Now that there had been another murder and I was involved the board members would probably send me packing.

  When I stepped into the library Tammy ran over and wrapped her arms around me. “I don’t know how you were holding up. I would be crazy by now. Heck, I didn’t find dead people and I’m already crazy.”

  “Who says I’m not crazy?” I asked.

  She waved her hand. “Oh, please, you are the most level-headed person I know.”

  “Tammy, that doesn’t say a lot for the people you know.”

  My cell alerted me to a text.

  The tragedy. You poor thing.

  Annie stood by the stack by the reference desk. She had a pitying look on her face.

  “I’m fine, Annie. Don’t worry about me.”

  “We’re all worried about you,” Tammy said.

  I placed my bags on the desk and blew the hair out of my eyes.