Walk in My Haunted Shoes Read online

  Chapter 28

  “Oh, here they are,” she said, holding up the cards as if she’d just found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. “Sorry about that, but the spirits have been known to play pranks on me in the past.”

  She hurried back over to me and sat down beside me on the sofa. A little too close for my comfort. After she placed the cards down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, she turned to face me. Why was she just staring at me with that strange narrow-eyed look? Was I supposed to do something? Perhaps I should just get out of there.

  “Okay, shall we begin?” she asked.

  That was weird. I still had no idea why she had stared at me like that. Did it have something to do with the reading? Who knew.

  “Fine by me,” I said.

  I couldn’t wait to get away from here. She reached out and picked up the cards again. Once she’d placed the cards down on the table face down, she leaned closer and stared at them. Next she flipped a few over.

  “Hmm. Interesting,” she said.

  Okay, now she was making me even more nervous. Did she see something bad?

  “What do you see?” I asked.

  “This card here means that you are in danger.” She tapped it with her pointy red fingernail.

  “Well, I kind of assumed,” I said. “Do you know who wants to harm me?”

  She studied the cards again. “I don’t know, but I can tell you what to do.”

  “You can?” I asked suspiciously.

  “Yes, there is a place you should go to deal with this.”

  “Deal with what?”

  She looked irritated as if I should have known what she meant. “The spirit that wants to harm you.”

  “Oh, so it is a spirit?”

  “Oh, yes, most definitely it was a spirit,” she said.

  “Can you tell me who this spirit is?” I pressed.

  “I don’t know that much,” she said. “But like I said, I can tell you where to go.”

  Now I was becoming more skeptical. “Where should I go?”

  “You need to go to Walton Academy. The answers you need are there.”

  What? Was this some kind of scam? Why would she tell me to go there? It was the same place that the murdered woman had gone. And was it a coincidence Haley had visited this psychic too? Dana had been told to go there too. And now Dana had a bad spirit at the coffee shop? Something strange was going on here.

  “Why would I need to go there?” I asked.

  “You have to confront the spirit there. Tell it to leave you alone.”

  “That sounds dangerous. You said I was in danger. Why would I want to go there where a spirit wants to hurt me?”

  “I know that sounds strange, but it is the only way.” She waved her hand.

  I still was skeptical. However, I had to go along with what she said. More importantly, I felt it was time for me to get out of here. Before that though I had to try for more information from her.

  “I have another question to ask,” I said.

  “Sure, anything,” she said.

  “I want to ask about a murdered woman.”

  I knew this question might seem out of nowhere. But I had to do it.

  She stared at me for a moment. ‘I can ask the tarot cards for you.”

  Where was Haley when I needed her?

  “Who is the woman?” she asked.

  “Haley Aleman. She came to see you recently. Shortly thereafter she was murdered.”

  “I see a lot of people. Like I said, I can ask the tarot cards.”

  “Yes, I think that would be nice,” I said.

  She picked up the cards and moved them around again. I didn’t take my eyes off her. Better safe than sorry.

  She placed them back down on the table. “It was the tarot cards.” This time she didn’t make eye contact with me.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  I had no clue what she meant. The more she talked the weirder she became.

  “The tarot cards suggested that she go there too.” She waved her hand across one of the cards.

  “Do the tarot cards tell everyone to go to that location?” I asked suspiciously.

  Okay, that question garnered an irritated look from her. I didn’t care. I wasn’t trusting this woman one bit.

  “Was it because she was in danger too?” I pressed.

  “Yes, I believe it was,” she said. “I’m sorry, but your time is up. I have another appointment.”

  I studied her face for a moment. “Yeah, sure.” I pushed to my feet.

  Even though I was eager to get out of here, I would have liked more of an explanation from her. I moved toward the front door but spotted something before I stepped out of the room.

  On the table by the door were several framed photos. It had only taken a glance for me to realize that one of the photos featured Roxanne, the friend of the murdered woman. The one who had insisted that I perform a séance. Why had she made me do the séance when it looked as if she was close friends with a psychic? Why ask me, a stranger who really had little experience speaking with the dearly departed?

  Someone else was featured in the photo. A man. He looked extremely familiar too. Where had I seen him? I wished that I could get a closer look at the photo. Tina was right behind me though. I couldn’t stop and stare at the picture. If only I could snap a photo of the photo without her knowing. If I made this move, I’d have to act quickly. One wrong move and things could turn ugly in a split second.

  “What was that?” I pointed across the room.

  When she looked in that direction, I snapped a photo of the photo with my phone. With my heart pounding wildly in my chest I lowered my phone and tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

  She turned her attention back to me. “What was what?”

  “Oh, I thought I saw movement out your window. I guess it was just a bird.”

  She raised an eyebrow as if she didn’t believe me. It was time for me to get out of there. I cast another glance at the photos on my way out.

  “Looking for something?” she asked.

  I glanced back. She stared at me with an angry expression. Uh-oh. I sensed something was about to go seriously wrong.

  “Nothing. Just checking out the lovely shade on your wood desk,” I said, trying to sound sweet.

  Why was she acting so strange?

  “It’s an antique. I actually bought it in Devil’s Moon.”

  “Really?” I moved toward the door. I wasn’t really interested in the desk.

  “Yep,” she said.

  “From the antique shop, I suppose?”

  “Yes, I guess you’ve been to the antique shop since it’s such a small town.” She followed along behind me too closely.

  Thank goodness I was on my way to the door. Just a bit more and I’d be out of this weird house. Unfortunately, in my haste to get out of there I smacked right into one of those bizarre mannequins. I tumbled to the floor with the vampire-caped plastic statue falling right on top of me. The cape was draped over my face. This looked like the scene from some poorly attempted scary movie.

  “Oh, what did you do?” she yelled.

  I pushed the cape off my face. “I didn’t mean to knock over your, um, display.”

  She pulled Dracula from the floor and propped him up in the corner again. For several seconds she adjusted his costume. This was my chance to get out of there alive.

  “Wait, I’ll walk you to the door,” she called out.

  Ugh. I thought for sure she’d be too preoccupied with the vampire.

  “I can see myself out,” I said.

  She obviously didn’t care what I said.

  “You didn’t answer my question. Have you been to the antique shop?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’ve been there.” I reached for the door.

  She stepped in front of me, blocking my exit.

  Chapter 29

  “You’re in an awful hurry. Why do you have to rush off?” she asked with a toothy grin.

&n
bsp; “I have somewhere to be.” No way would I tell her that I did the haunted tour.

  She studied my face to see if I was lying. A few seconds later she moved away. “Okay.”

  She obviously wasn’t happy with my answer. I hurried out the door, but she followed me halfway down the path, still chatting. It wasn’t a friendly chat though. I knew she just wanted to learn more about me. She wanted to know if I was really going to the abandoned school. Little did she know that I had already been there once. I saw no reason to go back. Especially since she wanted me to go.

  I made a beeline for my car, glancing over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t following me or perhaps ready to grab me. She should go back inside with her creepy mannequins and leave me alone. I hopped in my car and locked the door. I could never be too safe. She stood on the sidewalk with her gaze still focused on me. She didn’t offer a smile or a wave. Not that I’d expected it.

  Once I started the car, I shifted into gear and sped away. I needed to call Tammy right away. She had warned me that this could be a scary scene.

  *

  I looked in the rearview mirror. No cars were behind me on the road. I supposed it was safe to pull over and call Tammy.

  A small clearing on the side of the road was up ahead. I merged over and placed the car in park. Tammy picked up on the first ring.

  “Oh, thank goodness. I was getting ready to call you. What happened?” Tammy asked.

  “You were right,” I said.

  “I knew it,” she yelled. “What was I right about?”

  “The woman was extremely strange.”

  “Oh, did you get out of there? You’re not still there, are you?” she asked with a frantic voice.

  “I’m in my car and a safe distance away. I’m driving back now.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  I briefly explained everything that had taken place.

  “Mannequins dressed as vampires, werewolves and witches?” she asked in shock.

  “And that’s just the one room I saw. No telling how much weirder it got in the rest of the house,” I said.

  “You really are lucky that you got out of there alive,” Tammy said.

  “Don’t remind me,” I said. “Listen, I’ll be at the tavern soon.”

  “Just be careful,” Tammy said.

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Sadly, I couldn’t offer a guarantee at this point. I ended the call and started to merge back onto the road. However, I had to wait since there was another car traveling down the road in my direction. I waited for the car. It was driving slowly. I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm along with the music. Was the car slowing down? The closer it got to me the more nervous I became. What if it pulled up behind me? No way would I get out of my car. The car slowly drove by me. As the car moved by, the driver looked over at me.

  I screamed when I saw the woman. It was Tina, the psychic medium. Why had she followed me? She looked right at me as she drove by. At least she had driven by and not pulled up behind me. Would she stop in front of me? My heart sped up as I watched the car. Luckily, she kept going.

  After a couple seconds, I pulled out onto the road. Even though I was behind her, this still made me nervous. I didn’t want to be anywhere around her. I needed to ask Dana why she had sent me to someone so strange. When the car reached the hill in the road up ahead, I lost sight of her. As I crested the hill and looked ahead on the road, she was nowhere in sight. Where had she gone? I didn’t trust her.

  There was no sign of her behind me. I thought maybe she had pulled off somewhere and gotten behind me. Though I hadn’t spotted any other places to pull off. She must have really sped to get that much farther ahead of me. Nevertheless, I was just glad not to see her. Maybe I’d speed just a little too and hurry my trip back to Devil’s Moon.

  A huge relief came over me when I pulled up to the tavern. I found a parking spot along the curb and parallel-parked between a red Toyota and a white Ford truck. There was no sign of the psychic medium. If she’d shown up in Devil’s Moon right now, I might have completely freaked out.

  Before getting out of the car I had to call Roxanne. I needed to ask her about the photo. I wouldn’t just come out and ask right away. If she was up to something nefarious then I wanted to catch her in this before letting her know that I was aware of what she’d done. The phone rang several times and then just went to her voicemail. I’d hoped that she’d answer, but I supposed this gave me more time to think about what I should say to her. When I left a voicemail, I tried to sound as casual as possible so that she wouldn’t be suspicious.

  Now that I’d placed the phone call, I got out of my car and headed for the tavern door, remaining on full alert in case something crazy happened. I still thought that car that might or might not belong to the killer might drive back through town. No way would I cross the road with that potential killer still driving the roads of the town. The way I saw it everyone was at risk. He needed to be caught soon before someone else was killed.

  When I stepped inside the tavern there was barely room to move around. I’d never seen the place so packed. A band that I’d never heard before played at the back of the room. People stood around, since there appeared to be no available seating. I maneuvered around a few people, trying to get a good look at who was behind the bar. I hoped to spot Tammy and let her know that I was here. Someone bumped into me, almost knocking me over. He didn’t even say ‘excuse me’ or ‘sorry.’ I frowned at him, even though he ignored me. Stepping around him, I continued toward the bar.

  I’d just spotted Tammy when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Looking to my right, I spotted the ghost. He was dressed in old-fashioned clothing, much different from the other patrons. Tammy hadn’t noticed me yet, so I used this chance to go after the ghost. She probably would have tried to stop me from following him. No one else in the room seemed to notice the man either. That confirmed to me that this was definitely a ghost. I’d recognize his face now. I had it memorized.

  Again, I had to maneuver around the crowd. Where was he going? What would I do if I actually caught up with him? I didn’t want to take my eyes off him for fear of losing track of him. People kept walking around and blocking my view. Somehow, I managed to keep up with him through the crowd. He was headed toward the back of the tavern. This area was known for being the most haunted area of the building. This must be where the ghosts liked to hang out the most. Tammy would freak out if she knew that I had followed the ghost. I watched his movements as he stepped closer to the backdoor. What would he do next?

  He moved right through the door. A few people even stood around the exit. But they didn’t act as if they’d seen a thing. I hurried the rest of the way to the back door. Thank goodness they kept it unlocked while the tavern was open. The staff regularly took out the trash or stepped outside for a smoke break. Now I could walk outside and see if I could locate exactly where the ghost had gone. The few people standing by the door gave me a curious look when I hurried out. A cool blast hit me as I stepped out into the night air.

  I stood by the door and peered to the left and then to the right. The ghost was nowhere in sight. Was he hiding somewhere, or had he just vanished into the night air? The cold blast had faded, but a chill still carried across the wind. I sensed a presence nearby, yet I still didn’t see the ghost. It had to be him I felt, right? He was probably watching me. Had he known that I would follow him outside? This gave me the creeps. Please don’t let him jump out at me.

  Cold chills crept along my skin. Maybe it was time for me to get back inside. After all, I had a tour to get to. There was no time to chase the ghost any longer. The sound of footsteps came from behind me. I spun around but no one was there.

  “That’s it, I’m out of here,” I said.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry?” a female voice asked.

  I screamed and spun around once again.

  Haley clutched her chest. “Don’t do that. Why are you alwa
ys screaming like that? You should be used to this ghost stuff by now.”

  “Well, I’m not used to it. Why do you keep sneaking up on me like that?” I asked.

  “What do you want me to do? Call out to you?” she asked.

  “You could do that, yes. ‘Hey, Rip, it’s me, Haley. I’m here. I didn’t want to scare you.’ Did you ever think to try something like that?”

  She shook her head. “No, never thought of that.”

  “You should try it sometime,” I said with a smirk.

  “I’ll make note of that,” she said.

  “Now that I’ve calmed down just a bit, I have something to show you.” I pulled out my phone. “Do you recognize this guy?”

  Haley moved closer and stared at my phone’s screen. “The image is kind of grainy. I recognize him though.”

  “Who is it?” I asked excitedly.

  Finally, something that might actually lead me to find out who did this to Haley.

  “That’s the guy I went to the school with,” she said.

  “Harrison?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, his name was Darren. No, wait. Maybe it was David. My memory is still spotty.”

  At least her memory was coming back some now.

  Just then my phone rang. I jumped just a little.

  Haley pointed. “See, you did it again.”

  As I pulled the phone from my pocket, I glared at her. Roxanne was calling me back.

  “It’s your best friend calling. I have a question to ask her,” I said.

  “Is it about my killer?” Haley asked.

  “Maybe, I’m just not sure.” I shrugged.

  “Sorry I missed your call, Ripley. Is everything okay? You sounded a bit upset when you left the message,” Roxanne said.

  “Well, I suppose I was a bit upset. I went to visit a psychic. It was the one Haley had gone to see. I think the psychic told Haley to go to an abandoned school with some guy.”

  “Really? I had no idea,” Roxanne said.

  She acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. How could that be?

  “Did you ever go to the psychic with her?” I asked.