A Haunted Walk to Remember Read online

  I shook my head at Brannon. “That went about as I had expected.”

  Brannon and I headed out across the library to make sure that she left. Just as she was reaching the front door, I wasn’t sure what happened. Whether she stumbled a bit, or if maybe a ghost hit her. The purse looked as if it had been knocked from her hand. The bag fell to the ground and all the contents spilled out. Even though she had been rude to me, Brannon and I hurried over to help her pick up the things.

  “I got it,” she said in an irritated voice.

  For some reason, she didn’t want us to help. I guess she was just mad, but she was stuffing things in her bag as if maybe there was something there that she didn’t want us to see. Or maybe she thought we would take something. I picked up a piece of paper, and right away, I saw something suspicious on there. She snatched it from me.

  “Why do you have that?” I asked.

  “Why do I have what?”

  “That little piece of paper,” I said.

  She pushed to her feet and slung the purse over her shoulder.

  “You have the address of the woman. Mrs. Glass,” I said.

  Kendra opened the library doors and rushed out before giving me an answer. Obviously, she wasn’t going to answer. Had she been to Mrs. Glass’ house as well? That was very odd. What was she looking for at Mrs. Glass’ house?

  “What’s wrong?” Brannon asked.

  “She had the address for Mrs. Glass,” I said.

  “Why would she have that?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “This is getting more twisted by the minute,” he said. “Maybe you should call her and ask why the reporter was at her house.”

  “I guess I’ll have to, but I hate to call her again. She isn’t exactly thrilled with having to deal with me.”

  “Then I can’t imagine she would be thrilled with dealing with that reporter either,” Brannon said.

  “No, probably not. Maybe she’ll be so irritated at her that she’ll tell me why she was there.”

  “Let’s get out of here now. Everything seems to be fine.”

  I checked the time on my watch. “Yeah, it’s time for me to get to the tour.”

  After locking the doors, Brannon and I climbed into his car and headed over toward the tavern,

  “Promise me that you’ll be on the lookout for anything suspicious. You’ll call immediately if something is wrong,” Brannon said.

  “Everything will be fine. I’m not going to be in the cemetery by myself.”

  “But you’ll be at the gate by yourself while you wait for the tour-goers.”

  “Yes, but it will still be somewhat light then and I’ll be just fine.” I smiled, trying to reassure him.

  “Since I know I can’t talk you out of doing this, I should have a police officer come over and walk with you.” Brannon glanced in the rearview mirror as if he was watching someone behind us.

  “An officer can’t do the tour with me just because you can’t do it tonight. It doesn’t mean that another officer needs to be with me. I’ll be just fine,” I said.

  Brannon glanced my way. “You seem to forget that you were attacked.”

  “That’s all behind us now. I think whoever did that won’t come back for us.”

  “I think you’re being naive about this,” Brannon said.

  I frowned. “Don’t say that. I’m very aware of what could happen.”

  I didn’t need an argument with Brannon right now.

  “Let’s change the subject,” I said.

  “All right, but I’ll pick you up after the tour and take you back over to your car. I don’t want you walking all the way home in the dark. It’s one thing to walk with a group of people but entirely different to be alone.”

  I leaned over and kissed him goodbye. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait, what about the Ouija board?” he asked.

  “We’ll talk about that later too,” I said.

  Just before opening the tavern’s door and stepping inside, I waved at Brannon. He waved back and then finally pulled away from the curb. I knew he didn’t want to leave me here, but he didn’t have a choice in the matter. I’d be just fine.

  The tavern was quite crowded, but I made my way through the group of people and over to the bar. Luckily, I found an available stool. Tammy was busy pouring a drink, but she waved at me. I still had a few minutes, so it was no big deal if I had to wait on the bag of flashlights. I still wasn’t allowed behind the bar after dropping too many glasses.

  I glanced over my shoulder and spotted someone outside the window. The man wore a black hooded jacket over his head. The glare from the window made it so that I couldn’t make out his features. He just stood there in an odd way with his arms down by sides. As he stared into the window, a shiver ran down my spine. What was he doing?

  After a few seconds, he turned and hurried away from the window. Maybe he had sensed that I was watching him. I jumped up from the stool and hurried over to the window. I pressed my face close to the glass so that I could see outside. The man headed down the street away from the tavern.

  I wasn’t sure what that had been all about, but I suspected that he’d been watching me. Maybe he was just looking for someone else. It was only natural for me to think the worst though after everything that had happened. Telling myself not to worry, I hurried back over to the stool before someone else could get the spot.

  Tammy walked over and handed me the bag of flashlights. “Is everything all right?”

  “Just the usual strange stuff, I suppose.”

  “But nothing else happened at the library?” Tammy asked.

  “Nothing ghostly,” I said.

  She raised an eyebrow. That was when I explained to her all about the reporter.

  Tammy shook her head. “What is wrong with her? She’s crazy.”

  I didn’t tell Tammy about the man staring in the window. I didn’t want to spook her any more than I already head.

  “Just remember to be on the lookout for anything strange,” I said.

  “You’re telling me? I’m behind the bar. You’re the one who’s out there walking around those dark streets, going to a cemetery where you were attacked. All by yourself too. You’re the crazy one.”

  “I’ll be just fine.” I waved off her concern.

  I couldn’t tell her that things had settled down because I still wanted her to be on guard. I was doing the exact opposite of what I asked everyone else to do. That kind of was reckless of me, but how would I find the killer if I didn’t face my fears? I had to accept the reality that bad things sometimes happened. I wouldn’t let someone like this stop me from living my life.

  Chapter 17

  Tammy’s eyes widened as she stared at someone over my shoulder. When I glanced back, I saw that Kendra had followed me to the tavern.

  “She’s following me. This isn’t a coincidence,” I said.

  “I’m not going to put up with her. I’ll just tell her she can’t come in here,” Tammy said.

  Tammy’s boss was right behind her. “You’re going to tell who what?”

  Oh, no. I didn’t want to get Tammy in trouble. Tammy stared at him without answering.

  “You can’t tell someone they can’t come in here. Not if she’s done nothing wrong,” he said.

  “Sorry,” Tammy said.

  “The guy at the end of the bar wants a beer,” the boss snapped.

  When he walked away, Tammy looked at me and mouthed, “I’ll tell her.”

  “Just don’t get in trouble,” I said.

  “Me? Of course not,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  We watched as Kendra walked toward the bar. She didn’t act as if she’d seen me, but I knew she had. She was just trying to play coy like she had before at the library.

  “Look at her. She’s so smug. She knows what she’s doing,” Tammy said.

  “I’d better get out of here before something else happens. I really don’t want to talk to her aga
in.”

  “Yeah, you go ahead and get to the tour. I’ll take care of her.” Tammy narrowed her eyes.

  “Don’t be too tough on her.” I pushed to my feet.

  “Why not? She deserves it.”

  “I meant don’t pick her up by her shirt and kick her out or anything,” I said.

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that. I’ll just give her a verbal tongue lashing. I’ll tell her to leave my best friend alone.”

  I knew Tammy was good at the tongue lashings.

  “All right, I’ll see you soon.” I waved.

  “Just be careful out there,” she said.

  I hurried toward the door without looking over at the reporter. I had a feeling she was watching me, but maybe Tammy had already gone over to talk to her. As I stepped out of the tavern into the cool night air, I pulled my coat closer around my neck and turned the corner headed down the alleyway toward the graveyard.

  The foreboding feeling came over me as I walked down that cobblestone path. It seemed to take longer than usual, but it was just my anxiety, I reminded myself. My heels clicked against the ground, echoing off the brick walls surrounding me. The graveyard came into view and immediately I saw her waiting for me.

  Mrs. Clatterbuck stood at the ornate black iron graveyard gate. She wore her gray hair up in a bun and always wore the same brown blazer and skirt. A brown purse was draped on her arm. Early on I’d discovered that her purse actually had items in it too when she’d dropped it and pennies, a comb, and crumpled-up tissues fell out.

  With her stare focused on me, I knew that she wasn’t happy. But then again, that wasn’t much of a stretch to assume because she was never happy with me. I might as well get this confrontation over with sooner rather than later. Maybe she’d lose the energy needed to speak and go away. Mrs. Clatterbuck was just someone that I had to deal with. As crazy as it might sound, she was kind of endearing. I liked her. She was cute in her own weird kind of way.

  “What can I do for you, Mrs. Clatterbuck?” I asked as I approached.

  The owl hooted from top of the tree. I glanced up and saw the glowing green eyes peering down at us. I had a feeling that he wasn’t too thrilled with Mrs. Clatterbuck either.

  “I want you to tell your friends to stay out of the graveyard,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said with a scowl.

  “And what friends would that be?” I asked.

  “That strange man who’s been roaming around.” She gestured over her shoulder.

  My eyes widened. “I don’t know what strange man you’re talking about.”

  “The one with the dark hair. He’s just really creepy looking. He’s up to no good, I tell ya. I mean, honestly, I think it was the one who attacked you the other night.”

  My eyes grew larger. “Are you serious? He was around here?” I looked all around in a panic.

  I should probably just run back to the tavern now.

  “Did he leave?” I asked.

  “Yes, he’s gone now. I scared him away. He probably won’t come back.” She pushed her shoulders back.

  I released a deep breath. I had to calm down.

  “Should you really be in the cemetery? I mean if people are coming after you that’s a perfectly good reason to stay away,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said with a devilish smile.

  Now I wasn’t so sure I trusted her. Had she really seen that man or was she just telling me that so that I would be scared and not come back?

  “You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t come back, but I have to get back into my routine at some point, right?”

  “If by routine you mean traipsing through the graveyard, then no,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said with a scowl.

  “Tell me the truth, Mrs. Clatterbuck, did you really see a man just now in the graveyard? Or you just telling me that so that I’ll stay away?”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating. Of course, I told you the truth. Why would I lie?”

  “To keep me away from the cemetery,” I said.

  “Oh, that’s preposterous.” She waved her hand dismissively.

  “Not really. I mean, we know how much you hate me being here. You tell me every time I come here that you want me to stay away.”

  “Well, that’s not the case this time.”

  “Regardless, I’m continuing with the tour tonight. I don’t see anyone around.” I scanned the surroundings once again.

  Okay, I still was a bit hesitant, wondering if she was being truthful, but I had to do this. Soon enough the group would be here, and I wouldn’t be alone. That gave me a bit of comfort. Mrs. Clatterbuck turned and stomped away until finally disappearing into the night.

  When the owl hooted again, I spun around, wondering if the man was somewhere behind me. No one was in sight. It was just me and the owl now. At least that was all I saw in my dark surroundings. Unless the man was hiding somewhere. I hoped that wasn’t the case. An eerie feeling floated through the night air though. There was no denying that. I checked the time on my watch. The group was late.

  Twenty minutes passed and I determined that tour-goers weren’t showing up tonight. I wondered what had happened to them? This was disappointing because I really needed the extra cash from the tour. I was saving up to redo the bathroom at my house. No use dwelling on it, though.

  What would I do now? I figured I’d just go back to the tavern and hope that Kendra had left. Although, maybe it was time for me to get home for the night and curl up with a good book. I could make that new lemon cake recipe that I’d found the other day.

  The owl hooted again, breaking my thoughts. I looked around but there was still no sign of another living soul.

  “I’ll be leaving now, Mr. Owl. Thank you for watching out for me.”

  He didn’t respond. I always thanked him for taking good care of me. Just then, a noise came from over my shoulder. With my heart thumping faster, I spun around. It had sounded like shuffling footsteps, but no one was there. Thank goodness no one was there. My breathing was heavier, and I worried I might have a panic attack. I had to get out of there. Okay, I was being a bit too paranoid. Nevertheless, it was time for me to go. The spooky feeling around me was just too much.

  I’d only taken a couple of steps when I heard an “Oh, oh.” When I looked over my shoulder, I spotted Mr. Clatterbuck.

  “What’s the matter, Mrs. Clatterbuck?” I asked.

  “There are scary noises. I think there’s something really bad here in the graveyard and you brought it. Now take it with you,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  “But I don’t see anything, Mrs. Clatterbuck,” I said.

  I’d never seen Mrs. Clatterbuck scared before.

  “It’s just that strange feeling in the air. It’s so thick.” She waved her hand as if fighting off a cloud of smoke. “I know you sent it here. Now you take it with you.”

  “I don’t know how to take it with me, Mrs. Clatterbuck,” I said.

  “Well, you’d better figure it out.” She glared.

  “Okay, I’ll take it with me.” I reached around the air.

  I would humor her. I’d pretend like I was grabbing the air around me.

  “Oh, now you’re just mocking me,” she said. “Go ahead, but it will get you in the end.”

  “Don’t say mean things like that,” I said. “I’ve got the bad stuff and I’m taking it with me. Follow me, bad energy.”

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud, but I didn’t want Mrs. Clatterbuck to be scared.

  “Don’t goof around,” she said.

  “I’m not goofing around. Are you all right now?” I asked.

  “I’ll be just fine.” She turned around and disappeared again.

  Mrs. Clatterbuck confused me most of the time. Before she had a chance to return, I spun around and headed toward the alleyway. I wanted to get out of there before something else happened. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it far when all of a sudden, it felt as if a couple of hands had pressed against my back. I was
moved forward, landing on the ground.

  I groaned and managed to glance over my shoulder to see if the man had attacked me again. No one was there. Unseen hands had pushed me. Mrs. Clatterbuck had been right. Something scary and bad had been in the cemetery. And I’d asked it to come with me. Apparently, the spirit had taken that request seriously.

  “Get out,” the sinister-sounding voice said from somewhere around me.

  Chapter 18

  The spirit certainly didn’t have to tell me twice. I climbed to my feet as quickly as possible, almost slipping again, which would have been completely tragic. I ran down the alleyway headed toward what I hoped was the safety of town and other people. If the spirit came after me again, I hoped that someone would see that I was in distress. Someone would hopefully help me if needed it.

  I glanced over my shoulder repeatedly to see if anything was back. So far, I was in the clear. I was terrified, though. No matter how many times I dealt with spirits, it never got easier when something like that happened. If I just saw a little mist or even a full-body apparition, I was fine with that. If the spirit looked nice, then that was no big deal, but something telling me to get out in with a growl chilled me to the bone.

  I hurried down the sidewalk, but just a few steps past the tavern, I spotted something on the ground. I knew immediately knew what it looked like, but surely that couldn’t be the case. I reached down and picked it up. Sure enough, it was exactly what I thought. It was a photo of the same guy.

  The one who was obviously related to Josh. What the heck was going on here? It was a different photo, but it was the same guy. Right there on the sidewalk. Where could this possibly have come from? I glanced around to see if someone possibly had lost it, or for any sign of Josh. Where was he anyway?

  “How did this get here?” I asked out loud as if somebody might magically answer me.

  No one was around and certainly no one would give me an answer, even if they had been around. Was there a reason I’d found this photo on the ground? Was someone trying to give me a message with this photo?

  “I’m over here,” the male voice whispered.

  I spun around, clutching my chest. Josh stood with his back pressed against the red brick building. It looked as if he was attempting to hide. Was he hiding from someone or something?