Walk this Way, Haunt this Way (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 4) Read online

“When was this?” I asked.

  I wondered if anyone saw me and though I was talking to myself. I moved back to my office so I could talk in private. Annie followed me.

  It was this morning.

  “Why are you just now telling me?” I asked.

  I didn’t know it was important until I overheard Tammy say that Alex had been murdered.

  “What did Monica say to him?” I asked. Apparently Annie thought it was worthwhile to share.

  She wanted him to make her the star of a documentary.

  “Are you serious?”

  That’s what she said.

  “I must find her and ask.” I headed out of my office and toward the reference desk.

  Monica was at the computer. Tammy spotted me and headed over. I was on a mission to talk with Monica. She turned around and scowled when she saw me.

  “Is something wrong?” Tammy asked with concern in her voice.

  “Other than Rip found another dead guy?” Monica said.

  Tammy narrowed her eyes.

  “Monica, did you talk with Alex this morning?” I asked.

  Her face reddened. “Um, it was a brief conversation.” So she wasn’t going to deny it. “How did you know?” she asked.

  “Did you ask him to make you the star of a documentary?” I asked.

  Even Jane Austen was staring, at her waiting for the answer.

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then what was the conversation about?”

  She fidgeted. “I just wanted to know when the documentary would be out so that I can get a copy.”

  Needless to say I was suspicious. Annie could have heard the conversation wrong, but I doubted that. A few people came to check out books, so my questioning would have to end for now.

  Tammy pulled me to the side. “Tell me what happened.”

  I went through the entire horrible scene.

  “They have no idea who did it?” she asked.

  I cast a glance at Monica. “Maybe she had killed Alex when he’d refused to put her in his documentary. Without proof it was all just speculation.”

  “Some people will do horrible things if they want something bad enough.”

  The rest of the day went by in a blur. Thank goodness it was time to go home.

  “How about I come over?” Tammy asked as we closed down everything for the day.

  “I’d like that a lot.” I didn’t want to be alone tonight.

  “I’ll be over soon with food,” Tammy said as she looped her purse over her shoulder.

  Monica had left as soon as possible when it was time to close. I’d asked Annie again, but she was confident about what she’d overheard. I locked the library doors and headed for home. As I neared the tavern, I spotted Heath and Jeanette on the sidewalk engrossed in conversation. So they hadn’t left town. I wondered if the police had talked with them yet. Surely they had. I slowed down so that I could watch what they did next. I didn’t see the van parked anywhere. Maybe the police had taken the van for evidence.

  They talked for a moment longer and then got into a black sedan parked nearby. They drove away. I’d have to tell Brannon about this.

  Finally I made it home. Thank goodness I hadn’t seen the shadow again. I couldn’t get over the fact that a killer had descended on Devil’s Moon again.

  I’d settled onto the sofa when my doorbell rang. I answered the door. Tammy had a pizza in her hand.

  “Thank goodness. I’m starving.”

  Tammy stepped through the door. “Pepperoni and mushroom. Your favorite.”

  “I’ll get the drinks and napkins.”

  Tammy had already turned on the TV when I came back from the kitchen. Mean Girls was playing. Tammy loved this movie. I grabbed a slice and plopped down on the sofa. It was a comfort food kind of night.

  “You know”—I pointed with my slice of pizza—“Monica isn’t unlike Regina George.”

  Tammy finished her bite and then said, “Sadly, you’re right.”

  I tried to watch the movie, but my mind was on murder. Also I felt guilty about cancelling tonight’s tour. I supposed everyone would understand why I would want to take the evening off. I’d be back at it tomorrow.

  Tammy was laughing, which brought me back to reality. When the doorbell rang we stopped and looked at each other.

  “Are you expecting anyone tonight?”

  I placed my slice back in the box. “No.”

  Tammy and I eased over to the door. I peeked out and saw Brannon. He had a panicked look on his face. I’d never seen him look that way before.

  “It’s Brannon,” I whispered.

  “You should open the door.” Tammy gestured.

  “Right.” I unlocked the chain and then the deadbolt. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

  When I opened the door, Brannon hurried in the door and shut it behind him. He wasn’t in uniform. Instead he wore jeans and a plaid long-sleeved shirt.

  “Is something wrong? Don’t tell me someone else was murdered?” I asked.

  Brannon ran his hand through his hair. “No, nothing like that.” Oddly, he was quiet. He peeked into the living room and spotted Tammy and the pizza. “Am I disturbing you all?”

  “We were just having pizza. Do you want some?” I asked.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Well, you should come in instead of standing out here.” I pulled on his arm.

  Brannon followed me into the room. He seemed a bit hesitant though, like he didn’t know quite what to do with himself. He was definitely acting strange. He took a seat next to the sofa and I took my spot on the sofa.

  “Are you sure you don’t want pizza? It’s pepperoni and mushroom.” I smiled.

  “No, I ate earlier.”

  I supposed he still had the investigation on his mind. That had to be draining. Speaking of the investigation, I’d forgotten to tell him that I’d seen Heath and Jeanette. How could I have forgotten that?

  Brannon looked at me as if he was getting ready to speak, but then he stopped.

  Tammy pushed to her feet and grabbed her purse. “You know, I completely forgot something that I had to do. Nice seeing you, Brannon.”

  “You too, Tammy.” Brannon tossed his hand up.

  I followed her toward the door. “What did you forget?”

  When we reached the door she whispered, “I didn’t forget anything. I just want to leave you two alone. He obviously has something on his mind. Maybe he’s going to ask you to marry him.”

  A surge of panic ran through me. “I hardly know him.”

  “Calm down. I was just joking. Call me later,” she said as she opened the door.

  “Be careful,” I said as I watched her walk down the stairs.

  As I turned to go back to the living room something caught my attention. It was a shadow and it had moved across the room right behind where Brannon was sitting. He didn’t move, so clearly he hadn’t seen it. I had hoped that the ghosts had left me alone while was at home, but it looked as if one had found me. The thing sent a shiver down my spine. I eased into the room and looked around. Brannon was looking at the TV as if wondering what the heck we were watching.

  Brannon frowned. “Sorry if I made Tammy leave.”

  I peeked into the kitchen. “Um, she had to go anyway.”

  “Are you looking for something?”

  The shadow was nowhere in sight. “I guess I thought I saw something.”

  Worry lines creased Brannon’s face. His body was tense.

  I moved back over to him. “Okay, something’s wrong.”

  He pushed to his feet. “Here’s the thing… I think a ghost is attached to me.”

  “What makes you say that?” I asked.

  “I keep seeing this black shadow.”

  I supposed this was a first for him. After all this time of researching the paranormal he’d never had a spirit attach to him.

  “Did you see something just now?” he asked. I touched Brannon’s arm and he turned to me. “This thing just se
ems different. It seems dark.”

  I had to admit I had gotten that same feeling. “Maybe you should see a psychic.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “A psychic could maybe tell you who the spirit is and what they want. Then you could get it to move on.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “I can set something up,” I said.

  Brannon hugged me. “Thank you, Ripley.”

  “So when did you notice this thing?” I asked.

  “Yesterday. I may have picked it up on the tour.”

  Oh, wow. Now I felt guilty.

  “Last night I had the recorder on when we did the tour. I got an EVP.”

  EVP stood for electronic voice phenomenon. Spirits could communicate with the living through electric devices. I’d never seen one who had the powers like Annie though. The other spirits had to wait until the tape was reviewed before their message was heard. Even then I theorized that only a small part of their messages even came through. I wish I knew what made Annie so much different from the others. Tammy and Brannon suggested that maybe it wasn’t Annie, but was in fact me. I was the one who could actually receive her messages. I may never know the true answer.

  “Really? What did it say?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “It spooks me out too much to say. Maybe I can tell you later.”

  Now this was really scaring me. If Brannon was afraid, then I was in trouble. He was one of the toughest people I’d ever met other than my Grandpa James.

  Just then the shadow zipped by again. I spotted it out of the corner of my eye in the kitchen.

  “Did you see that?” I asked.

  He nodded as he eased over toward the kitchen door. Now I was kind of scared to stay here tonight. But I supposed I had dealt with this in the past.

  Brannon ran his hand through his hair. “I should leave and take this thing with me.”

  Now I would worry about Brannon when he left my place. I worried about everyone though; it was just my nature.

  Chapter 7

  Devil’s Moon had gone all out when decorating the downtown streets. There were intricately detailed streetlights that lit my way during the tours. Every season brought different flowers to the pretty pots along the sidewalks. Just the other day they’d been filled with purple and yellow pansies for the coming spring. The old buildings added a charm to modern life. I was just glad they’d never been torn down to make way for the new. The beautiful surroundings made my walk to work every morning a pleasant one. I stopped in Dana’s coffee shop for a skinny cinnamon dolce latte, but I resisted making a detour to Katherine’s cupcake shop.

  After my stroll through town, I made it to the library. There was a lot of work to be done today. At least if I was working I could get my mind off what had happened.

  Brannon had finally calmed down from the strange experience he’d had with the shadow. Luckily, I hadn’t seen the shadow since last night. I’d called him early this morning to check on him and he seemed in much better spirits. Maybe the ghost had gone away.

  Monica was being surprisingly nice and helpful this morning. Tammy walked through the door and tossed her hand up when she spotted me. I was glad that she was here and I had someone to talk to.

  “How did it go last night?” Tammy asked when she placed her purse under the desk.

  I rubbed the cat’s head. “Would you believe that a shadow followed Brannon to my house?”

  “Actually, yes, I would believe it.”

  “Yeah, I suppose that’s not shocking news. Anyway, I guess he’s okay now. I just don’t know who the spirit was, but I hope it’s moved on now.”

  “Did you find out anything else about the murder?”

  “Not really. I suppose we have some suspects though. The obvious choices are Heath and Jeanette. They knew him the best.”

  “We can’t leave Monica out.”

  Tammy and I glanced over at Monica. She must have felt our stares. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. As usual the smile seemed forced.

  Tammy motioned at me to check out the guy who’d just entered the library. He was about six foot with short chestnut hair. His good looks stood out right away with his high cheekbones and big brown eyes. He was dressed stylishly in gray slacks and a black button-down shirt. Tammy released a low whistle. Annie sent a text.

  He’s a tall glass of water.

  Annie had heard that expression from Tammy. Monica left her cart of books and hurried over. The man walked up to the counter. Everyone just stared at him.

  Finally I said, “May I help you?”

  He flashed his gorgeous smile at us. The women remained silent.

  “I’m looking for Ripley Van Raden.”

  Monica released a small groan.

  “I’m Ripley,” I said.

  I’d never seen this man before.

  “My name is Patrick Greystone.” He glanced at the ladies. “Could I speak with you privately?”

  That was an odd request from a stranger. I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with that. Nevertheless, I agreed.

  “We can talk in my office. It’s right down the hall.” I pointed and Patrick started down the hall. “If I don’t come out soon call Brannon,” I whispered to Tammy.

  “He’s too handsome to be dangerous.”

  “There are plenty of handsome crazies,” I said.

  When I reached the end of the hall, Patrick was waiting in front of the door for me.

  “I assumed this is your office since your name is on the door.” He pointed.

  “This is me.” I shoved the key into the lock. I opened the door and ushered Patrick into my office. “Would you like to have a seat?” I pointed at the leather chair in front of my desk.

  At least my office was neat. I’d managed to finally get things organized for the first time since I’d arrived at Bilson Library. The only things on my desk were a few files and my favorite notepad. Everything else was in its designated place. My desk was a beautiful cherry wood and had a matching credenza that was placed against the left wall.

  “Thanks.” He sat in the leather chair in front of my desk.

  I walked around and sat at the chair behind my desk. “So what can I do for you?”

  “I heard you’re a paranormal investigator.”

  “I have the haunted tour, but I don’t consider myself an investigator. I’ve done a little bit of investigating.”

  He leaned back in the chair. “Oh, I was really hoping you could help me.”

  “What’s the problem?” I asked.

  “The place I just inherited is haunted.”

  “Really? Where is this place?”

  “The place is in Bloomfield. Big place built in 1891. It used to be an asylum.”

  “Wow. That sounds amazing. I suppose I could have my boyfriend check it out. He’s a part-time paranormal investigator. His name is Brannon Landon.”

  “Hm. I don’t know. I don’t really know him.” Patrick crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “You don’t know me,” I said.

  “True, but I’ve heard good things about you.” He flashed that dazzling smile again. “I’d rather if you came alone.”

  Something about this wasn’t sitting well with me. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Maybe that answer would appease him without me actually agreeing to investigate the house. If he wanted the place checked out he’d have to take Brannon and I or nothing at all. There was no way I wanted to go alone.

  “Brannon Landon? That name sounds familiar.”

  “He’s with the Devil’s Moon Police Department,” I said.

  “Maybe I’m thinking of someone else. Can I borrow paper and a pen? I’ll write down the address for you.”

  I handed Patrick a scratchpad and pen.

  “When do you think you can come by?” he asked as he jotted down the address. “That’s if you decide to do it, of course.”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll have to let you know.”

 
He handed the pad back to me and placed the pen in his shirt pocket. I opened my mouth to ask for it back, but then decided he could just keep the thing.

  He pushed to his feet. “I hope you’ll seriously consider coming by. I really need your help.”

  “What exactly do you want me to do?” I didn’t want to sound rude, but I wasn’t experienced in getting rid of spirits, if that was what he thought.

  He stopped at the door. “Just think about it, okay?”

  Chapter 8

  After stepping out of my office, I walked up to the reference desk.

  Tammy handed me a letter. “This was in the return slot. It has your name on it.”

  I took the letter. “I wonder what it is.”

  I unsealed the envelope. It wasn’t unusual to get strange letters in the return slot. Sometimes it was simply a note stating the patron would pay late fees later. Not too long ago Tammy had found a love letter in there.

  “What does it say?” Tammy asked from over my shoulder.

  Annie popped up and had the same question.

  My face drained when I read the letter. “This isn’t good.” I turned to face Tammy and Annie.

  “You’re scaring me, Rip. What does it say?”

  “The letter wants me to check the mystery section.”

  Tammy quirked an eyebrow. “Should we call the police?”

  “Okay, it’s not exactly an emergency, but this is weird. It says there’s a clue in one of the books. This is from the killer.”

  Tammy took the letter. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, no, but I guess it’s a gut feeling. Read for yourself.” I motioned.

  I didn’t know for sure it was from the killer rather than a random person, but sometimes I just had feelings about things. This was one of those times. Sure, it didn’t explicitly say it was from the killer, but who else would leave something like this? There was only one option, right? I suppose I had to find out for sure. Just going on my feelings alone wouldn’t be good enough. The police wouldn’t just take my word for it, although I knew Brannon would believe me.

  You should give the letter to the police. Annie sent a text.

  “Not until I find the clue,” I said.

  “Let’s go.” Tammy handed the letter back to me.