06 Hauntin' After Midnight Read online

  I sat at the bar and waited for Tammy to finish with the customer. A few seconds later she came over with my usual glass of water.

  “How’s it going? You look stressed.”

  Tammy was always a good listener.

  After taking a drink, I said, “Well, I followed a ghost to the house, but the cop stopped me. Then the ghost appeared at the graveyard with Mrs. Clatterbuck. Other than that, the night was uneventful.”

  “All in a night’s work, right?” Tammy asked. “The ghost was on the tour?”

  “Actually it started when I followed the ghost from the library.”

  “So that’s why you took off out of the library in such a hurry,” Tammy said.

  “Yeah, sorry about that, but I didn’t want to let her get away.”

  It seemed as if I was becoming obsessed with this case.

  “She got away though?” Tammy asked.

  “It was more like I had to let her get away.” I glanced over my shoulder at the cop standing by the front door. “He stopped me from going in the house.”

  “What are you going to do?” Tammy asked.

  “I plan on telling Brannon tonight. Maybe he will go to the house with me.”

  “Good luck. Are you meeting him here?” Tammy poured more water into my glass.

  “Yes, he should be here soon.”

  I noticed Tammy watching the front door.

  “So what’s going on with you two?” I motioned with a tilt of my head.

  She blushed. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  “I saw the way that you were looking at each other.” I took a drink of water.

  She waved her hand. “That’s nothing.”

  “Why don’t you ask him out?”

  She scoffed. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” I set the glass down.

  “What if he says no?” Tammy grabbed a towel and wiped off the bar that was clearly not in need of cleaning.

  “What if he says yes?” I quirked an eyebrow.

  She shook her head. “I’m not going to take that chance.”

  I would have to work on this without Tammy’s help. I’d get him to ask her out. I saw the way he smiled at Tammy and he was definitely interested.

  A few seconds later and I spotted Brannon outside the window. He was talking to Officer Ellison. They had stepped a bit away from the door. I was sure he was telling Brannon about what I had done tonight.

  Movement caught my attention. A guy was peeking in the window. He was staring right at us. I knew he was doing this on purpose because he didn’t look away when I looked at him. I also recognized him right away. It was Scott Lynwood, Katrina’s ex-boyfriend. Why was he standing out there watching us? He was standing at the other end of the tavern. Brannon and the other officer hadn’t noticed him.

  “Why is he watching us like that?” Tammy asked.

  “I don’t know, but he’s creeping me out.”

  Tammy glared at him, but he obviously didn’t care because he didn’t turn his attention away from us. I needed to tell Brannon about this guy right away. As I turned to stand from the stool, the guy took off. I rushed toward the door, but then Brannon dashed by the window and down the sidewalk after Scott. I went back over to the bar.

  “Wow, what is going on?” Tammy asked.

  Now my stomach twisted into knots worrying about Brannon. I hated that he had to be in danger. My legs felt weak, as if they might fall out from under me, so I sat back on the stool.

  Tammy touched my hand. “He’ll be all right.”

  I tried to smile. “Sure, I guess he just wants to talk to Scott. He probably wants to talk about why Scott was staring in the window like that. It was weird, right?”

  Tammy scoffed. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

  I looked at the time on my phone. Brannon had already been gone for five minutes. Officer Ellison was still standing by the door.

  “I’m going to ask him what happened.”

  “Good idea,” Tammy said.

  Officer Ellison looked over when I walked out the door.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  He gestured with a tilt of his head. “We saw him looking in the window. When Brannon called out to him the guy took off.”

  “That’s a bit odd, don’t you think?”

  “He probably just got scared when he saw the cops. A lot of people do that.”

  “Yeah, a lot of guilty people. Do you think Brannon’s okay?”

  “He can take care of himself.”

  This guy wasn’t much help. Was Tammy sure she wanted to go out with him? Maybe she was just caught up in his gorgeous smile and mesmerizing blue eyes. I went back inside and over to the bar.

  “What did he say?” Tammy asked.

  “Just like we thought, they wanted to ask him why he was looking in the window. So I’m sure Brannon will be back soon.”

  I told myself that over and over in my mind, hoping that it would be true. I sat on the stool, but turned around so that I was facing the window.

  “Maybe you should have something a little stronger than water,” Tammy said.

  Normally I would have said no, thanks, but I was beginning to think Tammy was right. Every person who walked by the window got my hopes up. I tried not to look out and keep my back facing the window, but that only lasted a couple minutes.

  Just when I was about to panic, I spotted Brannon headed down the sidewalk. Scott wasn’t with him. I wondered if Brannon had found him.

  “He’s back,” I said.

  Tammy rushed over after handing someone a beer. Brannon talked with Officer Ellison for a moment and then they walked inside. I hurried over to Brannon. He hugged me and I melted into his strong arms. The lingering smell of his aftershave made my stomach dance.

  “I was worried about you,” I said.

  Brannon brushed the hair from my forehead. “Everything’s fine.”

  “What did that guy say?” I asked.

  “I didn’t catch up with him.”

  “Wow. I thought you had since you were gone for a while.”

  “He led me on a bit of a chase, but I lost him when he jumped the fence.”

  “Wow. He must have really wanted to get away,” I said.

  “He won’t be able to avoid us forever,” Brannon said.

  “I noticed him watching through the window,” I said. “I have no idea why he was doing that.”

  “Well, we should forget about him tonight. We’ll have a nice relaxing dinner.”

  “I guess you’re hungry after that unexpected jog,” I said.

  Officer Ellison had joined Tammy at the bar. With any luck I wouldn’t need to play matchmaker.

  “Shall we go?” Brannon motioned toward the door.

  I waved at Tammy and winked. She smiled in return and focused her attention on Officer Ellison again. Suddenly a rush of uneasiness fell over me when I looked at the two of them talking. I tried to shake it off as we walked out the door. Brannon and I set off down the sidewalk. The strange feeling stayed with me, but I tried to forget it.

  “You’re being quiet,” Brannon said.

  “I was just thinking about that guy looking in the window,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about him.” Brannon put his arm around my shoulders. “We’ll find out what he’s doing.”

  Yes, we would find out. I might find out before Brannon because I planned on finding this Scott guy and asking him what he thought he was doing.

  As we walked along, I said, “I guess Officer Ellison told you that I went to the house today.”

  Brannon paused for a moment and then said, “Yes, he mentioned it.”

  “I have a good explanation.”

  “A ghost?” Brannon glanced over at me.

  “Yes, she was at the library. Annie says she’s been hanging out there. I think I talked with the ghost even. She’s as clear as Mrs. Clatterbuck.”

  Brannon looked shocked. “Really? What does she want?”

  “That’s why
I followed her. I want to ask what she wants. But he stopped me when we got to the house.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” Brannon said.

  “Maybe so, but you know we have to find out what she wants. The fact that she found me means something.”

  “She could have just followed you since you were at the house. Maybe it means nothing,” Brannon said.

  Way to burst my bubble. He was right though, it could mean nothing, but I had to find out for sure.

  We reached the restaurant and the hostess guided us to a table at the back of the room. It was romantic, with the dimly lit room and flickering candles on each table. Décor consisted of exposed brick walls, and dinged up hardwood floors that had many feet walk across it over the past two hundred years.

  We’d been to this place before, but in the past something had always happened. Maybe this time we’d actually get through the meal with no major interruptions. The building was haunted, so I wouldn’t be surprised to spot a misty form and hear unexplained footsteps.

  We studied the menus. Every time I glanced up Brannon was watching me. He was acting a bit strange.

  I placed my menu down. “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. What are you having?”

  “I think I’ll have the baked chicken. What about you?”

  “Sounds good.” He placed his menu down.

  I eyed him suspiciously. That wasn’t like him. He never liked the same food as me. That was when I noticed Brannon was looking over my shoulder. He realized that I’d seen him.

  He took my hands in his. “Okay, don’t be alarmed, but Erin is here.”

  Sure, I was suspicious of her, but why would I be alarmed?

  “I think she followed us here,” he said as if reading my mind.

  Yes, that did make it suspicious.

  “What makes you think she followed us?” I asked.

  He leaned back in his chair. “Well, I saw her as we were walking and now she’s here. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I should go and ask her why she is doing this.”

  “I should go talk to her,” I said as I started to get up.

  “No need,” Brannon said. “She’s coming over here now.”

  This should be interesting. Erin came up to the table. Her appearance had changed since the first time I’d seen her. Now she was dressed in black jeans, a black tank top, and black shoes. Had she dyed her hair darker? Yes, it definitely looked darker.

  She smiled. “Wow, I didn’t expect to see you two here.”

  “Well, we do live in town and there’s not that many places to eat,” I said. The smile started to slip off my face like a melting candle.

  “It’s good to see that you’re getting out after what happened,” she said with a pitying look.

  “Yeah, you too,” I said.

  Had she forgotten that she was there with me when it happened?

  “Did you get a chance to find another copy of that book?” she asked.

  She knew that I hadn’t found one, otherwise she wouldn’t have even asked. She must know how difficult it was to find a copy.

  “I’m working on it. I have some connections,” I said.

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Really?”

  That seemed to upset her for some reason.

  “I thought you’d be happy at the thought of finding your aunt’s killer.”

  Her eyes widened. “You think a book from the 1950s will find the killer? A novel at that?” She scoffed. “It’s not even real.”

  Now she was just making me mad.

  “Erin, where is Officer Boyd?” Brannon asked, trying to defuse the situation.

  He wanted to change the subject, but I wouldn’t forget what she’d said.

  “Oh, he’s at the front of the restaurant waiting for me. He’s a really nice guy. I really like the other one though. What’s his name? Officer Ellison?”

  Tammy wouldn’t be happy.

  “Yes, that’s his name,” Brannon said through a forced smile.

  “Well, I’ll see you all later.” Erin tossed her hand up in a wave and walked away.

  “Don’t let her upset you,” Brannon touched my hand.

  “Who me, upset?” I plastered a smile on my face.

  After finishing our dinner, Brannon and I stepped out of the restaurant hand-in-hand. The evening was still beautiful and I had enjoyed our time together in the restaurant. Stars twinkled in the sky and a warm gentle wind blew across my skin. I wanted to enjoy this evening and forget about all of the bad things that happened recently, if only for a little while before I had to think about them again. Unfortunately, my mind never worked that way, and as much as I tried to push the thoughts away they would pop back in. And then I would force them out again, only to have them return within seconds. It was a never-ending cycle.

  We stepped across the parking lot hand in hand, going around the side of the building so that we could head back toward my place.

  “I imagine that Officer Ellison is happy that he’s not trailing behind me now,” I said.

  Brannon laughed. “He certainly thinks you’re one of a kind.”

  “That means he thinks I’m a little wacky.”

  I was okay with that though. That made me eccentric and different.

  We had made it to the sidewalk when someone called out to Brannon. When I looked back it was Erin. The officer was walking with her.

  “What’s wrong?” Brannon asked.

  “Well, sir, I had to step back in the restaurant for a second and Erin got out of my sight. She says that the guy was in the parking lot again.”

  Erin narrowed her eyes. “You make it sound like it was my fault he is there.”

  “No one is blaming you. Is he still out there?” Brannon asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. He ran back toward the trees over there.” The officer pointed.

  I thought this was awfully suspicious. Why had she gone away from the officer when he was specifically supposed to be with her? Nonetheless, we walked back around to the back of the building.

  “I’ll go look. You all stay here. I’ll be right back.” Brannon took off searching for the guy.

  I stayed close to the officer so that Brannon could take a look around. Now I had to stand next to Erin when I really didn’t want to be near her at all. I honestly had nothing to say to her. When I glanced over, I realized she was watching me. She gave a fake smile so I gave a big one back. We both knew that the other one was just putting on an act, but she had started it, not me.

  I guessed I could believe that Scott was around here, since we’d seen him earlier. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him now. I stood there uncomfortable next to Erin, wishing that I was already home. I scanned the area, but saw nothing in the tree line. I didn’t know what was going on with her story.

  “Are you sure you saw this guy?” I asked.

  She narrowed her eyes, as if offended that I would even doubt her. “Yes, I saw him. He looked right at me and I was pretty sure he was going to kill me.”

  “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  “Just by the way he looked at me, okay?” she asked in a frustrated voice.

  I thought she had purposely stepped away from the officer, but I wasn’t sure why. I had no way to prove it though. Plus, what would be the point? And if there was a killer out there, would she really want to be unsafe in this dark scary space back here with no protection?

  As we stood there, she moved to the left a little bit, as if she was looking for something.

  A couple of seconds later she said, “Look what I found.” She held up a black glove. “He was wearing this.”

  I just stared at her in confusion. “The guy was wearing that? He was wearing a glove?” I asked. “It’s too warm for gloves.’

  She nodded. “Yes, this means he was here, and it proves that I’m telling the truth.”

  How convenient that she found this right there. It was almost as if she knew exactly where to look and had walked right to it. “Well, I sup
pose we’ll just give this to Brannon,” I said. “Then he can trace where it came from.”

  Brannon came back over. “I didn’t see anyone. But he’ll probably stay away now that he sees all of us here.”

  “She found something.” I pointed.

  I couldn’t wait to tell him.

  Erin held up the glove. “He was wearing this and I found it right over there.”

  Maybe I shouldn’t be so suspicious, but I couldn’t help it.

  Brannon took the glove. “You sure he was wearing this?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded.

  “All right. We’ll look into this,” he said.

  Chapter 18

  Sunshine shone brightly through my bedroom window the next day. Dinner with Brannon had been wonderful, other than seeing Erin, but I tried to push those bad thoughts from my mind. After getting ready for work, I took off for the coffee shop. I had been wanting a fresh croissant for a long time and I figured this morning was the perfect time to get one.

  Before work I was going to visit Elle. I hoped this time I got a chance to speak with her. Every time I walked outside I thought about the night I found the officer in his car. My escort fell into step behind me. I hoped Officer Ellison didn’t tell Brannon my every move. Though the officer wouldn’t realize I was going to visit the former owner of the house on Edman Street.

  We walked down the path and to the sidewalk. The coffee shop was down the street from the tavern and a little before the restaurant where we’d eaten last night. I hoped it wasn’t too early for me to visit Elle, but it was the only time I had. Since I had to work all day and guide the tour at night there was no other option. Well, I supposed that wasn’t true. I could wait until my day off, but I had to go now. I had to know before then.

  I glanced back at the officer and smiled. He nodded. Should I ask if he wanted a croissant too? That would be the polite thing to do. Several people were in the shop when I stepped inside.

  “Would you like me to get something for you?” I asked.