06 Hauntin' After Midnight Read online

  Nothing else happened. There were no doors slamming, no footsteps, and I didn’t pick up on any strange vibes. Could the sage have worked? I would be shocked, but I supposed it was possible. Just because I was inexperienced didn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t work. With no further activity it was time for me to get out of this place. My comfy bed was calling me.

  I hurried down the stairs and paused at the door. Blowing out the sage, I glanced around one last time. The Ouija board was still on the floor. I would suggest to Katrina that she get rid of the thing. Of course I wasn’t going to touch it any more. I shouldn’t have picked it up. The last thing I needed was for bad vibes to rub off on me. Maybe a psychic would know what to do with the board.

  Brannon would be interested to hear what had happened tonight. He had to work so he wasn’t able to be here, though he had been nervous about me meeting the stranger who had made the mystery call. Lucky for me Katrina had turned out just fine. I walked out the door and joined Katrina. She was already sitting in the car. At least she hadn’t driven off and left me. I climbed in the car.

  “How did it go?” Katrina asked with wide eyes.

  “Everything seems calm. I think I may have actually gotten rid of it.”

  She stared for a moment. “Great news. I knew calling you was a good idea.”

  Okay, now she was making me blush. Katrina drove me home and I was finally able to relax in my bed with the book. Though I couldn’t stop thinking about that house.

  Chapter 2

  The next day I headed out for the library. I’d thought about that house quite a lot since last night. I wasn’t sure why it was on my mind so much. As usual my work outfit consisted of black slacks and a plain white blouse. Occasionally I wore a dress or skirt. I’d worn my favorite pink cardigan so I could take it off later in the afternoon when the temperature grew warmer. Summer was right around the corner, but the mornings and evenings were still chilly.

  Flowers had started to pop up and leaves budded on the trees. Birds chirped as I walked along the sidewalk. It was as if they were singing as they escorted me to work. Things had been going well at the library and the board members had stopped hounding me for the time being. I just hoped it stayed that way. I decided to stop off at the coffee shop for a cinnamon dolce latte and a croissant. Every once in a while I treated myself. I picked up my pace so that I wouldn’t be late for work. I passed by the historic buildings of town. A lot of them were featured in my tour.

  Annie, the resident ghost, was standing over by the reference desk when I stepped inside the library. As usual she wore an ivory-colored Victorian lace dress. Her gray hair was in an up-do with little ringlets falling against her round cheeks. Jane Austen was licking her paws while sitting next to Annie. That sounded strange, I knew. Jane Austen was the cat who lived at the library.

  Bilson Library was a beautiful old building with three stories. Sun streamed through the stained-glass windows. A grand staircase led to the second and third floors. There were conference rooms up there along with other books.

  Yes, Bilson Library was haunted by Annie. I enjoyed talking with her. She’d become one of my dearest friends. I walked over to the reference desk and placed my bags down. Immediately my phone dinged that I had a text message. I knew it was from Annie without looking. Oh, I forgot to mention that I communicated with her via text message, email, social media, and other electronic devices. At first it had been hard to believe that she was able to do this, but now I understood she did it with the energy she collected. Sure, we went through a lot of batteries at the library, but it was worth it. I pulled out my phone and read the message.

  Good morning. You seem in good spirits. LOL.

  Annie had picked up a little text talk along the way.

  “That’s a good one, Annie.” I turned on the computer. “As a matter of fact, I am in good spirits. And not just because I’m around you, but that does help a lot.”

  She smiled.

  “I can’t say for sure why I’m in such a good mood. I’m not complaining though.”

  Is it because of Brannon? her next text asked.

  I shrugged. “Could be.”

  My best friend Tammy White strolled through the door. She’d recently changed her hair. Now instead of a beautiful auburn color she was a gorgeous shade of blonde. Honestly, no matter what she did to her hair it looked great. Tammy worked part time at the library and part time as a hairstylist, so it was no wonder her hair looked fantastic. She was a professional.

  Tammy walked over to the reference desk. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on with you? Why are you smiling so much?”

  “Do I frown that much?” I asked.

  “No, you usually have a pleasant look on your face, but it’s hesitant. Like you’re just waiting for something bad to happen and rain on your parade.”

  Tammy did have a point. I did feel like that most of the time. My cell rang, breaking my reverie. Annie and Tammy watched as I answered the call.

  “Hello, Katrina?” I said. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’ve made a decision about the house,” Katrina said.

  “Okay… what’s that?” I asked.

  Tammy and Annie moved closer as if that would help them hear the conversation on the other end of the line.

  “I’ve decided to tear the house down.”

  For a moment I thought I’d heard her incorrectly. “What? Why?” I was stunned.

  “I feel like that’s the only way to get rid of the bad spirits,” she said.

  “But when we left last night you seemed okay with things. Did you go back and something else happened?”

  “I haven’t gone back and I don’t intend to either. I just wanted to thank you for the help again and let you know that the problem will be solved.”

  The next thing I knew the call had ended. I stared at my phone, wondering if somehow this was a dream. No, it was all real. My stomach twisted into a knot at the thought of that beautiful old house torn down. It seemed like such a hasty decision. Especially after I had just told her things seemed fine. She hadn’t even given it another chance.

  “What was that all about?” Tammy asked.

  Annie sent the same question via text. I explained to them the conversation and what had happened the night before.

  “That is strange,” Tammy said.

  I shrugged. “I guess there’s nothing I can do to stop her.”

  “It doesn’t seem right.” Tammy shook her head and headed over to the book return to retrieve books.

  I started my day by putting books away and getting ready for patrons. As I moved down the stack I felt someone trailing behind me. When I glanced over my shoulder I realized that Tammy and Annie were there. Tammy didn’t know Annie was with her.

  “Is something wrong, y’all?” I asked.

  “I have an idea,” Tammy said, taking a book from me and placing it on the shelf.

  “What’s that?” I quirked an eyebrow.

  “Why don’t you offer to buy the house from this woman?” Tammy asked.

  I laughed. “Seriously?”

  “Why not?”

  My phone dinged. I think it’s a great idea.

  “Well, the place is haunted,” I said.

  “You said it seemed fine. Plus, the place you live now is haunted. So what’s the difference?”

  Tammy had another good point.

  “Could I really do that?” I smiled at the thought.

  “You can and you should,” Tammy said.

  I had to admit the idea made me happy. Owning my own historic house? It was so beautiful and I was already thinking about decorating that wonderful space.

  “What if she doesn’t want to sell?” I asked.

  “Why wouldn’t she? She just wants away from the place. I bet if you call her and ask she would be thrilled to sell the place to you. It’s a win-win situation for her. She gets it off her hands and makes some money in the process.”

  I placed more books on the shelf. “It is a
big decision. I would need some time to think it over.”

  I guessed I had thought about buying a house a few times. It would mean that I had officially decided to stay in Devil’s Moon. But hadn’t I already made that decision a long time again? I loved the library and my tour. And even more so, I loved Brannon. Just thinking of him now made the butterflies dance in my stomach. I was like a love-struck teenager around him. I supposed I had made my decision… I wanted to buy the house. I needed to call Katrina and ask. If she said no then I would be disappointed, but it wouldn’t be the first time and certainly not the last.

  “So what do you say?” Tammy wiggled her eyebrows.

  I smiled. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  We headed back over to the reference desk where I grabbed my cell phone.

  “Maybe I should made this call from my office,” I said.

  “Let us know what she says right away.” Tammy looked around as if she would see Annie.

  “Wish me luck,” I said over my shoulder.

  I hurried back to my office to place the call. Once sitting at my desk I released a deep breath and dialed the number. Katrina picked up on the second ring.

  “Did you have more information for me?” Katrina asked.

  I tapped my fingers against the desk “Actually, I have an idea.”

  “Yes?” Katrina asked.

  “What if you sold the house to me?” I rushed the words out.

  There was a silence. What was she thinking? This wasn’t a good sign.

  “Are you still there?” I asked.

  “I’m here. It’s just that I’m surprised. I didn’t think anyone would want to buy the place.”

  “Well, I kind of fell in love with the place right away.”

  “Oh, you fell for that too? I think that’s the way the evil lures people in. It happened to me too.”

  What did she mean? I hadn’t felt any evil there.

  “I don’t think it’s that at all,” I said.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let that happen to you or anyone else. The house has to be stopped. I’m sorry.”

  Silence filled the line again.

  “Hello?” I asked.

  There was no response. I looked at the phone. She’d hung up. Tears filled my eyes. I wasn’t sure why I was taking this so hard. Maybe Katrina was right. What if the evil was making me feel this way? That couldn’t be possible. It had been Tammy’s idea to buy the place. Speaking of Tammy, she had wanted me to tell her what happened with the call. I couldn’t bring myself to do that right now. Though only a few seconds passed before Tammy appeared at my door. She had a way of sensing when things were wrong.

  “Oh, it didn’t go well.” Tammy stepped into the room.

  She knew by the look on my face. I wasn’t smiling so much now. Maybe the house was why I had been in such a good mood earlier.

  “She wasn’t interested,” I said. “She thinks evil lives there and she is saving anyone from it by tearing the place down.”

  Tammy came over and hugged me. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested it at all. It’s all my fault.”

  “No.” I wiped away a tear. “Don’t say that. You had a great idea.”

  “Maybe she will change her mind,” Tammy said.

  “I don’t see how, but I guess anything is possible.” I pushed to my feet. “Okay, I have to get to work. It will take my mind off this.”

  “Good idea,” Tammy said. “Chin up. Things will work out.”

  Chapter 3

  Work had been busy all day so that had kept my mind off the house. Now I had the tour tonight so that would keep me busy. After that though I would probably succumb to my blues. I said goodbye to Annie, Jane Austen, and Tammy then headed out to the graveyard. Tammy was taking Jane Austen home with her tonight. We took turns taking her to our houses, but most of the time Jane liked to stay at the library with Annie. The cat would hide so that we couldn’t find her until the morning.

  Gravestones filled the front lawn of Bilson Library. Yes, patrons had to pass a graveyard to get to the library entrance. Tammy liked to tease me that there was an available space for when I went through the pearly gates. I liked the library, but I didn’t like it enough to spend all of eternity here. The names and dates on the headstones had faded ages ago.

  I crossed the street and headed down the sidewalk. Luckily, the graveyard wasn’t far from the library. It was staying light longer now as we headed toward spring. A hint of rain carried through the air. I peered up at the clouds in the distance. I hoped the rain held off until after the tour. I only had ten minutes until the tour started so I picked up my pace. My footsteps echoed against the buildings’ walls as I moved down the alleyway. I halfway expected to see Mrs. Clatterbuck tonight, since it had been almost a week since she’d made an appearance. She’d never let more than a week go by without confronting me about the tour.

  The owl hooted from the top of one of the old oak tree. He was always there, watching my every move. Maybe he had a deal with Mrs. Clatterbuck to keep an eye on me. They were probably a team. There was definitely an energy in the air tonight. The static from upcoming storms had a way of stirring up the spirits. An uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach and I wasn’t sure why.

  I stood by the gate and waited for the group to arrive. Tickets for my tour were available not only at the library, but also at the tavern next door. Oh, yeah, Tammy worked there too. She liked to keep busy. She was the hardest-working person I knew. Anyway, I gave a portion of profits to the tavern for selling tickets for me and also keeping the flashlights there too.

  The longer I stood there the more it felt as if someone was watching me. A rustling noise sounded from somewhere behind me.

  I spun around. “Mrs. Clatterbuck, is that you?”

  No one was back there. Not that I could see at least. I focused my attention on the alleyway again, although I glanced over my shoulder several times. The sound of voices carried down the pathway.

  There were two couples on the tour tonight. Though I liked when I had a bigger crowd because it helped pay my bills, I enjoyed a smaller group because it was easier to interact with them. After all, I was doing this because I loved it and it wasn’t really about the money, though that helped.

  I wasn’t sure why at that moment a flash of the house came back to me. Maybe it was best that Katrina hadn’t wanted to sell because then I really would have needed to make more money. I supposed that wasn’t a positive way to look at things though. Having goals and working hard was good for me.

  The group gathered around. They’d obviously expected rain because they wore coats and had umbrellas too. The two blonde women talked as if they’d been friends for years. Their dates acted as if this was the first time the guys had met.

  “Welcome to Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour. Tonight I will guide your through the haunted streets and buildings of town.” I passed out the flashlights.

  Once night set in it would be impossible to see where we were going in the graveyard with the flashlights. It was hard to navigate around the headstones in the light much less when night arrived. I’d walked into my fair share of stones in the past. Maybe that was why Mrs. Clatterbuck was angry with me.

  “We’ll start here in the graveyard and then make our way to the other buildings.” I flicked on my flashlight.

  “Is it safe here?” a dark-haired woman asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  As long as Mrs. Clatterbuck didn’t chase us away we’d be fine. We weaved around the headstones as I told stories about the lady in blue who had been spotted in the graveyard. I never shared the tales about Mrs. Clatterbuck. For some reason I was worried about how people would react. It was one thing to catch a glimpse of a ghost, but it was entirely different to have entire conversations with a ghost.

  We finished with the graveyard and headed toward the buildings in town. The group followed me as we walked along the sidewalk. First we stepped into the tavern. It was built in 1751 and had
originally served as a stagecoach stop. The building was made entirely of stone. The group held onto my every word as we walked through the crowded space.

  After the tavern we went to the bookstore, antique shop, coffee shop, and a couple restaurants. I’d given them a longer tour because the weather had held off. The clouds were creeping in now though. I told myself that it was purely coincidence that we’d ended up in front of Katrina’s house. Maybe it was my subconscious that made me go there. It had kind of been on our way back to the graveyard. The tour-goers must have noticed me staring at the place.

  “Is that place haunted?” one of the men asked.

  “Not that I know of,” I said.

  I didn’t want to make Katrina’s house part of the tour. Plus, technically I couldn’t say that it was haunted. I’d only heard the bang of a door. That didn’t guarantee that there was a haunting. Katrina said it was haunted, but I couldn’t take her word for it. Forcing myself away from the house, I guided the tour-goers down the sidewalk.

  I led the group back to the graveyard. “Thank you for coming to the Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour. I hope you had fun and tell your friends.”

  I gathered the flashlights and wasted no time getting away from the graveyard. I didn’t want to run into Mrs. Clatterbuck. Next I dropped off the flashlights at the tavern.

  “How did it go tonight?” Tammy asked as she poured bourbon into a glass. She was just as good at bartending as she was at hairstyling.