01 Flip That Haunted House - Haunted Renovation Read online

  My steps were almost silent as I moved across the floor and into the foyer. I barely noticed how cold the room was now. My eyes were fixed on the ghost. I wasn’t about to let him out of my sight. I followed the ghostly figure as he moved down the length of the room. When he reached the foyer entrance from the opposite wall, he stopped. He turned to face me once again. My body shivered as, with wide eyes, I watched him. Once again, he pointed toward the front yard. Was he trying to tell me something? Perhaps he wanted me to get the heck out of his house. At first, his face held a blank expression. No evil red eyes, chains dragging the floor or anything. But as I studied him closer, his expression seemed almost sad, as if he were pleading with me for help. He turned and glided down the hallway, then pointed to the basement access.

  My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. Was the ghost really communicating with me? I watched his face again. Real emotion was written all over it. His lips moved. He was trying to talk. What started out as words, turned into nothing more than gibberish, though. The first word may have been help or he, I had no idea. I couldn’t understand men in this world, how the heck could I in the afterworld?

  A whiff of what smelled like the faint scent of gunpowder drifted past. Where did that come from? I recognized the odor because my stupid ex-boyfriend, Phil Mooney, took me to the firing range for date night—he sure knew how to impress the ladies. As the ghost pointed at the basement door, he grew more transparent and within seconds, he vanished. But to me there was no doubt about it—he was trying to tell me something. But what? I felt a rush. This encounter was something all ghost hunters dreamed about. Now I was experiencing it firsthand.

  I stood in the hallway, alone once again, my mouth still agape. Would he reappear? I wasn’t afraid of him. Heck, maybe I should have been, but I wasn’t. Now, if in the middle of the night, a ghost climbed in bed with me, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t scream. Anybody would be surprised by that, even a paranormal investigator.

  For several minutes I waited, shivering in the chilly air. The familiar loud thud sound returned—he was a noisy ghost. We had communicated. I was practically on a first name basis with this spirit. I was glad Sam and the gang weren’t around. I wanted to be alone with the apparition, as crazy as it might sound. This was my chance to make paranormal progress and I didn’t want help.

  I walked back into the parlor, looking for the misty form. Movement from the corner of my eye made me spin around. The ghostly man had joined me in the room. He was fast. He stood next to the window closest to the veranda. He peered out the glass, and then back at me. My heart rate increased. Popping up like that, he’d scared the heck out of me. If only he could warn me before materializing—wear a bell or something.

  He stared me right in the eyes and I stood immobile. In a fraction of a second, he disappeared. Bracing myself for another encounter, I gulped in air, then blew it out. What happened to our souls once we’d passed away always held my fascination and I was getting a lifetime’s worth tonight. I ran over to the window, praying he wouldn’t pop up in front of me, giving me a heart attack, and searched for him.

  I spotted the ghost on the front lawn—the light from Reed’s house making him barely visible. The silent stranger walked across the yard, to a place near the front steps. He pointed downward to a location on the ground. A chill ran up and down my spine, as I stared wide-eyed at the eerie scene from the parlor window. What did he mean? Not knowing what he wanted from me was incredibly frustrating. But if I felt like that, then how did he feel? It wasn’t a question of if he felt emotion, because I knew by the expression in his eyes, he did. I’d always thought of the scientific aspect of the afterlife…until now. Witnessing the spirit amazed me and left me without a doubt that there was something more when we passed from this world. As I watched in awe, he moved toward the house, then, vanished as quickly as he’d appeared.

  I wanted to know the ghost’s identity. An overwhelming need to help him pervaded me. No one should ever be dealt his fate. I needed to hit the library and search for answers. Maybe I’d discover something about the obvious tragedy that had taken place on the property. Something had happened to him, I felt it. Did he die in the house? His soul was trapped for some reason and I needed to know why.

  Tomorrow, I’d visit the library. There had to be information about the history of the house. No sooner had I grabbed my purse to leave, when again, another loud bang rang out. The sound came from underneath the house this time—in the basement. I eased back to the foyer and peered around the corner. The basement door was cracked-open. I inched over and stood at the top of the stairs, peering down at the black hole in the ground.

  “Hello,” I called, as if anyone would answer.

  Darkness enveloped the space and it was hard for my eyes to adjust. The only light was a single bulb at the bottom of the stairs and I’d have to make my way to it in the dark. Why wasn’t there a switch at the top? The small light provided from the open door at the top of the stairs would have to guide my way. Doubts filled my mind as I placed my foot on the first step. My teeth chattered as my nerves set in. Had the ghost lured me along just to lock me down there? For all I knew, it was an evil spirit pretending to need help in order to trick me. I knew little about demons…I’d seen The Exorcist before, and I didn’t want any part of that.

  I continued down the steps, easing deeper and deeper into the dark pit. I held my breath, waiting for something to jump out at me. My hand clutched the railing in a death grip as I descended. I moved slowly so I wouldn’t lose my footing. When I made it to the bottom step, without breaking a leg, I stepped onto the dirt floor. The space was pitch-black—I could barely make out my hand in front of my face. A sickening knot in my stomach returned, I’d grown accustomed to the feeling for the past few days. The sliver of light let off little glow, but just enough to see my destination. I inched across the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the bulb and yanked the string. Dim light shone around the space.

  It was even scarier than I had remembered. I’d come down once when I first looked at the house and had vowed never to return again. Now look at me…standing down here by myself in the middle of the night. Well, except for the ghost who, at the moment, was nowhere in sight. I shuddered at the thought of encountering little creatures…namely, rats. As I stood there eyeing the ground for any sign of a rodent, I realized I had no clue what I was down there for. Did the ghost live in this gloomy space? Not the best living conditions, to say the least. Although, I’d seen some bachelor pads that didn’t look much better. With that thought in mind, I had no inkling what to do next. I inched around the space. It was eerily void of anything. The further I moved, the more darkness surrounded me. The small bulb didn’t provide ample light to illuminate the entire basement.

  After a minute of glancing around, I decided being down there was pointless. Whatever he had wanted to tell me, I wasn’t sure I’d ever figure out. A loud noise drew my attention to the top of the stairs. Was someone up there? Maybe the ghost or Reed? I climbed the stairs, glad to put distance between the gloomy space and me. I eased the door shut and looked around. Still no one but me.

  After a second, a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I walked into the parlor and peered out the window. A silhouette darted from the side of the house. It didn’t take a hammer over my head to know someone had been peeping in the window watching me. And it wasn’t a ghost this time. My skin crawled. The scariest part?—the person was dressed all in black just like the person I’d seen running from Cooper Payne’s building.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  I ran to the far wall and huddled in the corner. A smaller window was next to me. I inched my head over and looked out into the darkness, trying to ascertain where the person had gone. My body trembled. I scrunched down low, hoping to hide from the trespasser—I didn’t want whoever was out there to know my movements. The small sliver of light from Reed’s porch light did nothing to illuminate the area. I couldn
’t tell where the person went or in what direction. In the distance, a dog barked and I wondered if his howling was at the mysterious black silhouette.

  A knock rapped at the door and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I froze. What was I thinking coming here in the middle of the night with a killer on the loose—and after me? Clearly, not one of my better ideas. I inched across the room, my back pressed close to the wall. As I neared the door, a soft voice called out.

  “Bama?”

  “Lacey?” I ran to the door “Is that you?”

  “Yeah, let me in.”

  I yanked open the door. “What are you doing here?”

  Lacey and her husband stood in front of the door. “We went to a late movie. We saw the light on and your car in the drive as we drove by and decided to stop. What are you doing here? You said you were staying home tonight.”

  I stared at her. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  She scowled. “You look like you saw a ghost. Have they been gliding around tonight?” She looked over my shoulder.

  “Um…no.” My thoughts were muffled.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  I tried to catch my breath. “Someone was messing around at the side of the house. I think they’d been peeping in the window, watching me.” I pointed to the window.

  “Bastards,” she said.

  Lacey turned and looked at Rob. He looked out over the dark yard. “You shouldn’t be here alone. Come on. We’ll follow you home.”

  “I’ll check around the house,” Rob said.

  I nodded. “Let me turn out the light and lock the door.”

  Lacey waited while I hurried through the rooms and flipped the switch on the chandelier. After I secured the front door, she grabbed my arm and led me down the steps to the car. My teeth chattered, but at the same time, my palms were sweaty. I scanned the darkness as we rushed across the drive. She closed my door, after I jumped in, then leapt in her car.

  Rob ran back from around the house. He nodded. “I didn’t see anything.”

  “Maybe I was imagining things.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lacey said. “Come on, let’s go.”

  With my hands still shaking, I pulled out of the driveway with Rob and Lacey following close behind. When I glanced in the rearview mirror at Reed’s house, no lights shone. Had he seen us? As I made my way home, still shaken up, I was at my wits’ end. I wasn’t sure if calling the police would help, but I knew Lacey would insist. It hadn’t helped any in the past, though.

  “Your taillights are broken,” Lacey said as I climbed out of my car.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. Take a look for yourself.” She pointed.

  I moved around to inspect the damage. The bulbs dangled out from the broken encasements. The red covering was shredded by an unknown weapon. Thank goodness Lacey stopped by and had followed me home. If the Rosewood Police had stopped me, I’d probably not only have gotten a big fine, but spent the night in jail. They were just looking for a reason to arrest me.

  Lacey put her arm around me. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.” She gestured for Rob to follow. He jumped out and trailed us.

  Stars sparkled overhead and the night air was nippy. A slight breeze drifted past. Thoughts of the creepy person lurking in the darkness filled my mind. I’d never really liked the dark anyway—add a deranged killer to the mix and I was terrified. Was this person trying to kill my car or me? Or just intimidate me?

  Once safely inside, Lacey picked up the phone with force and determination that said, don’t mess with me.

  “I’m calling the police to report this. Just leave everything to me,” she said as she punched the numbers on the phone.

  She was right to make the call, though. If I called Sheriff Bass one more time, he would arrest me for harassment.

  Rob paced as we waited.

  “They’re sending an officer out to take a report. In the meantime, we need to make sure all of the blinds are shut and windows locked.”

  Something my mother constantly had warned me about.

  “Why would someone vandalize my car?” I asked as I moved from window to window.

  Lacey shrugged. “Maybe it was just teenagers. I’ve heard of some break-ins around this area.”

  “Maybe.” I sighed.

  “I can fix those tail lights for you,” Rob offered.

  “Thank you. I think it’s almost time for a new car.” I rubbed my temples.

  “It is a little dinged.” Lacey laughed.

  “I have an old bike out in my garage you can use.” He grinned.

  “I may take you up on your offer.”

  A few seconds later, the cruiser pulled up, its headlights illuminating the room as he parked.

  Rob peeked out the window. “The police are here.” He moved to the door.

  “Here goes. This should be interesting,” I said. Lacey gave a look of sympathy.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly.” Rob held the door open.

  I cringed when I saw the same officer saunter through the door. The smirk was already plastered on his face. He looked even less interested the second time around, although I hadn’t thought it possible. We sat huddled in my tiny living room. The officer took the seat across from the sofa. He pulled out his pad again and sat ramrod straight, probably from his too stiff uniform. His shirt was so starched he probably couldn’t help but sit at attention. The badge on his chest sparkled under the light. He positioned the pen over the paper.

  I explained every detail and he scribbled, never looking up. But his eyebrow arched more with every other word. What was it about the Rosewood Police Department? They seemed downright uninterested to me. No doubt, I was a regular topic of discussion at their headquarters.

  “So what you’re saying is this person was dressed in all black. It was dark and you couldn’t make out any more than that? Kind of like the night you found Payne, huh?” he asked with a smirk.

  “That’s right.” I smirked back. How about a taste of your own medicine?

  “Will you patrol the area Officer Butcher?” Rob asked, trying to save me from being carted off to jail.

  “Yes, we’ll do what we can,” he answered evasively, while glaring at me. “We’ll be in touch.” He tipped his hat. “I’ll let myself out.”

  “Bama, I don’t think you should patronize the police.” Lacey said, closing the door.

  “I’m sick of not being taken seriously, Lacey.”

  She stretched her arms around me, then hugged. “I know you are. I’m sure they’ll find who did this, but in the mean time, we don’t need you in jail.”

  She was right. I could safely say I wouldn’t enjoy jail. I’d never been and never wanted to, for that matter.

  “You’ll be all right?” Lacey asked.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Having the cops in the area should scare them away,” she offered. “Do you want to spend the night at my house?”

  I didn’t bother to tell her I doubted the sincerity of his promise of patrolling.

  “No, no.” I waved off her offer. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for everything, y’all.”

  “Lock the door behind us,” she warned. “And no more investigating or out at night by yourself.”

  I nodded and waved them off, then clicked the deadbolt. I shouldn’t have gone to the house. I’d secretly hoped Reed would be around—I didn’t have the nerve to go to his house.

  Why had he kissed me and walked out?

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The next morning, I tidied up my house and even worked on the project for Julia Cooper—in spite of her potential murderer status—before my trip to the library. As crazy as Julia was, I had to keep my end of the bargain and help her. She never mentioned that she knew Nick, or acted as if anything was wrong. Probably part of her strategy.

  After what seemed like a million calls, I’d managed to locate a beautiful antique desk in Louisville for her romantic office. I left a message to let her know the good n
ews—thank goodness, she hadn’t answered. After the dreaded call had been placed, my stomach rumbled, so I sipped the rest of my coffee and devoured a strawberry Pop Tart, the kind with icing and little sprinkles on top. Wishing I could eat the second one in the package, I brushed the crumbs into the trash, then placed the package back into the pantry. I grabbed my coat and purse and headed for the door.

  As I ambled out, my phone rang.

  “Alabama, how’s it going?” Sam asked.

  “Okay.” I sighed. Could she sense my lack of enthusiasm?

  Should I tell her about my latest encounters? After all, we were a team. If she withheld info from me, I’d be ticked.

  “Sorry I didn’t call sooner, but I was busy reviewing evidence.” Her tone held a bit of irritation.

  So, she was mad at me for not helping. I was kind of involved in a few personal matters at the moment. Couldn’t she give me some slack?

  “Sorry I didn’t help. I’ve been busy with the house and all.”

  Not to mention, running away from a murderer.

  She didn’t acknowledge my apology. “We should have all the data we collected ready soon. We caught some stuff. Have you done any research on the house yet?” She asked.

  “No…not yet. I’m headed to the library right now. I think I may be on to something. The ghost is definitely trying to communicate with me. I saw an apparition.” I had to tell her. I’d want her to do the same with me.

  “Get out, what happened?”

  “I can’t talk now. I’ll fill you in later.”

  “Alabama,” she exclaimed.

  I really couldn’t talk. I wanted to be at the library as soon as they opened.

  “Did he send thought impressions to you? Or somehow use mental telepathy to allow himself to be seen? God, I want details.” She wasn’t known for her patience either. “How was he dressed? Was it really a full apparition? An ecto-mist?”