06 Hauntin' After Midnight Read online

  “Were you just here? You knocked on the door earlier?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I just got here.”

  Though I didn’t completely believe her, I wanted to move the conversation along. I wanted to know why she was here. I stared at her, waiting for her to explain, but she just stood there. Had she been crying? Her eyes looked red. Maybe she was upset she’d had a gun pointed at her when Brannon opened the door. Was something else wrong? She wasn’t talking so I knew something had to be amiss.

  “Is there something wrong?” I asked.

  Erin shook her head. “Well… yes, sort of. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

  She looked at Brannon and smiled. I assumed Brannon knew her because of the investigation. He acted as if he knew who she was.

  “Would you like to come inside?” I asked.

  “If it’s okay,” she said.

  Brannon and I stepped out of the way and allowed Erin to enter.

  “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “Would you like to have a seat? Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, I’m all right,” she said as she sat on the edge of the sofa.

  “So what happened? You look like something happened to you?” Brannon asked.

  “Well, yes, someone was following me.”

  “What do you mean?” Brannon asked. “Who is following you?”

  “I don’t know. It was a strange man.”

  “Where did he follow you from? Did he follow you back here?” Brannon pressed.

  “I’m not sure if he followed me all the way here.”

  “Where were you when he started following you?” Brannon asked again.

  “I’d just left the diner in town. I stopped there to get a late dinner, but anyway, when I left there was a man walking on the sidewalk behind me.”

  “What did this man look like?” Brannon sat on the chair next to the sofa

  “It was dark, so I couldn’t get a good look at him. He wore dark clothing and a hat.”

  That certainly didn’t give us much to go on.

  She kept her wide blue eyes on Brannon the whole time she spoke. I wasn’t sure if she was here to see me or him. Regardless, if someone had followed her, then Brannon had to check it out. Why would the killer have come for her too? Unless she knew something about the murder. Maybe she could explain more to us.

  “I’m just afraid to go back to my hotel.” She batted her eyelashes at Brannon.

  That was a bit odd.

  “I could take you back,” he said.

  “You would? That would be great,” she said.

  “Sure, it’s no problem.” Brannon pushed to his feet.

  “Ripley doesn’t mind?” Erin smiled.

  “I insist. You can’t walk by yourself. Not if someone was following you,” I said.

  I had my suspicions on whether she was telling the truth, but what would be her motive for lying?

  “If you don’t mind… I am tired, so I’d like to go back now.” Erin stood from the sofa and walked toward the door.

  As she passed Brannon she flashed him another charming smile. She didn’t seem that upset now. Brannon looked at me.

  I shrugged and said, “You have to go.”

  “I can come back after I drop her off,” Brannon said.

  “Well, you don’t have to. I’m probably just going to bed. I have to get up early.”

  He stared at me for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, but call me if you need me.”

  “You know I will.”

  I didn’t like the idea of having to call Brannon for something other than an emergency, but if it was serious I certainly would call. I figured I’d be safe for tonight. Brannon kissed me and then walked out the door with Erin. I had a strange feeling about this situation. I watched from the window as they walked down the front path, got into his car, and drove off.

  I supposed it was time for me to go to bed. As I crawled under the covers, I flopped from one side to the other. Thoughts about why Erin had shown up filled my mind. I guessed I had to take her word for it that someone had followed her. Like I said, if it was the truth then it was scary. I really hoped they found out who had been following her. I drifted off to sleep and dreamed of being stalked by a dark shadow. I knew it was just because I was thinking of what had happened to Erin, but it was terrifying just the same.

  ***

  The next morning Brannon called to let me know that he had taken Erin back safely and he felt bad for having to leave so soon. We made a date for later this evening so perhaps this time we wouldn’t be interrupted. After dressing for work I headed down the sidewalk. I’d made coffee at home this morning, so I didn’t stop at the coffee shop. I just headed straight for work—no pit stops. It was a beautiful sunny early spring morning. The stormy night before had passed and now it didn’t seem quite so scary in the light of day. I looked over my shoulder just to make sure that there wasn’t some strange man following me too. After all, there was a murderer out there somewhere.

  Once I reached the library I unlocked the door. I was the first one there this morning and I needed to hurry and get things prepared for the day. After turning on the lights and computers I busied myself putting books back onto the shelf. Since I was the only one there the room remained quiet. Well, it was the library so it was supposed to be quiet all the time, but there was always unavoidable noise when others were around. I enjoyed being in the building alone during the day. At night… not so much.

  Well, I was the only living person here at least. Annie had popped up to say hello, but I wasn’t sure where she had gone now. Jane Austen was sitting by the front window basking in the sunshine. As I shelved the books I felt a presence behind me. I spun around and was completely shocked to see that Melinda was standing there. She stood close… very close. Apparently not close enough though because she stepped forward, now just inches from my face. I backed away, but I bumped right into the shelf behind me, knocking some of the books off. She had me cornered and I had nowhere to go.

  “I came here to warn you again to leave me alone and you better not tell anyone about that note. Got it?” She poked me in the chest with her index finger.

  I had to admit I had a bit of a temper. It took a lot to set it off, but when it was turned on I couldn’t tolerate people acting up. So I reached out and nudged Melinda’s shoulder. Her expression let me know that she was shocked that I’d actually done something like that.

  She had poked me first so I had every right to do it back. I wasn’t going to stand around and let her do that. Though I would try not to let this situation escalate to a full-blown fight because I was pretty sure the board members would frown upon me skirmishing in the library, or anywhere else for that matter.

  “You need to back away,” I said. “Whatever the problem is I’m sure we can work this out without a physical confrontation.”

  “I just told you what I want. Now if you insist on telling someone about the note I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?”

  “Are you threatening me?” I asked.

  “If you don’t like what I have to say then don’t do something stupid.” She spun around and walked away.

  I took off after her. She was headed for the front doors. I guessed she was leaving after she had threatened me.

  “Hey, you can’t threaten me like that,” I said.

  She didn’t turn around and acknowledge me. Instead she just walked right out the door casually.

  Chapter 7

  As I sat at the desk in my office Brannon called. It was only a few minutes until I could leave for the evening.

  “Did you talk with Melinda?” I asked.

  “I went by her address and had a talk with her. She said she never came by the library and that she didn’t take your note. She said she wasn’t at the diner, and that she doesn’t know what you’re talking about,” Brannon said.

  I leaned back in my chair. �
�That doesn’t make sense. You believe me, right?”

  “Of course I believe you, Rip, and I don’t know why she’s not being truthful, but I’ll continue to look into the situation. I’m going to talk to her again.”

  I sighed. “Thanks. I just hope she stays away from me.”

  “If you talk to her again call me right away, because I’ll come immediately.”

  “Okay, I’ll do that.”

  When I hung up with Brannon I was even more confused than before I had talked to him. What was Melinda’s game anyway? She had certainly acted as if she knew what that note was all about. She knew she had taken it and now she was lying to Brannon, trying to cover herself. That told me she was guilty, but then again, I was suspicious of Erin too. Plus, I hadn’t even talked to Katrina’s boyfriend yet.

  I wrapped up my work at the library and then headed toward town. I was going to pick up a quick bite at the diner before the tour. Usually I brought something to snack on, but today I had forgotten. It wasn’t any wonder with everything else that was going on lately. I ordered a sandwich at the diner. As I waited I scanned the room for the waitress who had pointed out Melinda, but she wasn’t working. I’d have to come back some other time and ask her a few questions.

  ***

  It was almost the end of the tour. With a large group of people following me, I’d gone through the cemetery and all through town. They had hung onto my every word. We had seen a few shadowy mists at the antique store, and I figured it was a pretty good tour tonight.

  As I neared the cemetery, I spotted Brannon’s cruiser just down the street parked against the curb. He was standing on the sidewalk talking to Erin. What were they doing and what were they talking about? I wished I was closer so that I could hear their conversation. They hadn’t even noticed me. I continued talking to the group as they followed me down the sidewalk, but my focus was on Brannon and Erin. She laughed and touched Brannon’s arm, as if he had just told her the funniest joke in the world. Okay, I’d admit I was being a little bit jealous. Maybe I needed to stop watching them. Brannon was a great guy, and he was just helping her out. That was all. Nothing more.

  Nevertheless, my plan was to get rid of the tour group and then go back up to the street quickly so that maybe I could catch them before they left. Then I’d find out what was so funny. I wished I could just dump the group at the tavern. Why couldn’t I? We’d already toured the graveyard. We were coming up on the tavern so I might as well leave them now. Normally I liked to end where we started, but this was a special occasion. I would just tell the group that I needed to stop now. I’d drop off the flashlights and head down the sidewalk to Brannon.

  When I rushed inside the tavern Tammy wanted to know what my hurry was, but I didn’t want to explain because she would just tell me not to be jealous, which was exactly what I should do. Nevertheless, this was important, so I dashed out of the tavern and back onto the sidewalk. Unfortunately, Brannon was pulling away as I walked out. He drove in the opposite direction. Even worse, Erin was in the car with him. What the heck was going on with them? As I stood there feeling confused, a guy stepped out from behind a large oak tree across the street. He was watching Brannon’s car.

  It looked like it could possibly be the guy Erin had described who had been following her. So she’d been telling the truth after all. Now I had to know what this guy was up to. I studied him for a moment. Since he was too busy looking at the car he didn’t notice me watching him. He stepped out from behind the tree. He was tall at probably six foot with dark hair. He wore dark clothing. There was a vibe about him that just gave me the creeps.

  He took off down the sidewalk, so I wanted to know where he was going. Of course I decided to follow him. Maybe that was a bad idea since he could be dangerous. He could be the killer for all I knew. Nevertheless, I wanted to know who this was, and the only way to do that would be to follow him. It wasn’t like I could go up to him and say, “Excuse me, sir, but what’s your name and are you a killer?” Well, I supposed I could, but I didn’t think it would have the outcome that I was hoping for.

  Brannon would probably tell me this was a bad idea, but he was gone with Erin. Now I had to do what I had to do. I wished that I had someone with me. Tammy was still working so I was on my own.

  I hurried down the sidewalk so that I could catch up with the man. He wasn’t moving quickly. He kind of had a shuffle walk and he didn’t look over his shoulder to notice me back there either. I tried to stay at a good distance so that if he did turn around I could hide. How far would he walk? I didn’t know how long I could follow him. It was dark and the street lights were getting fewer and far between. Brannon’s car was long gone, so it wasn’t like the man was going to catch up with him.

  Suddenly he paused and knelt down to tie his shoe. I froze for a moment. What would I do? On my right was a tree so I dashed behind it. The trunk wasn’t that big, so I wasn’t sure how well I would be hidden. At least I was somewhat out of view so that if he did turn around he wouldn’t see me. He started walking again and then crossed to the other side of the street.

  I waited for a car to pass so that I could cross as well. He headed back in the opposite direction. What was he doing? I wasn’t sure, but I had to follow anyway. Maybe he knew I was back there all along and was just pretending like he didn’t see me. Maybe he was now taking me somewhere that I didn’t want to go. Nonetheless, at least we were going back to town. If I had to I could slip into the tavern where Tammy was. As a matter of fact, it looked as if that was where he was headed.

  He paused at the entrance for the tavern and I thought for sure he would look over his shoulder toward me. I stood next to the building, hoping that he wouldn’t notice. I tried to act casual in case he turned around. Instead he just walked into the tavern. I had to go in there after him.

  I rushed the rest of the way to the tavern and stepped inside. At first I didn’t spot him, but then when I looked toward the back of the room I noticed he was sitting at a table with his back facing me. I looked over at the bar and Tammy made eye contact right away. I pointed at the guy. She looked confused so I went over to her.

  “You look strange. What’s up?” she asked.

  “Do you see that guy over there?” I pointed with a tilt of my head.

  She glanced over. “Yeah…”

  “I was following him because I think he was following Erin, and, well, Brannon too. So I decided to see what he was up to.”

  “I’m so confused,” Tammy said, rubbing her temples. “Tell me everything slowly.”

  “Well, I spotted Erin and Brannon on the sidewalk talking,” I said.

  Tammy quirked an eyebrow.

  “I suppose she was telling him that someone was following her again because I spotted that guy and I was sure he was watching them. The weirdo was even hiding behind a tree. So I think he probably is the guy she said was following her earlier. I think he might be the killer.”

  Tammy shivered. “I can’t believe this guy might be the killer and now he’s here in the tavern.”

  “This is not good. We have to find out who he is,” I said.

  “And how do you suggest we do that?” she asked.

  “Have you waited on him yet?” I asked.

  “No,” she said.

  I watched the guy. He stared at the wall and acted generally all-around creepy. “Well, why don’t you go over there and if he orders a drink ask to see his ID?”

  “Oh, that’s good thinking,” she said. “You really are smart.”

  I laughed. “Thank you. I try.”

  She moved out from behind the bar and headed over to the guy’s table. I watched with anticipation. I wondered if he would object to having two waitresses? Yeah, that would probably look awkward. I would just let Tammy handle it.

  After talking to the guy Tammy rushed back over to the bar. She tried to act casual, although he wasn’t watching her so it didn’t matter. He seemed kind of clueless.

  “I got his name,” she said excit
edly.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “His name is Scott Lynnwood. I feel like a spy.” Tammy’s eyes were wide.

  “Okay, now I have to find out who Scott Lynnwood is,” I said.

  “How will you do that?” Tammy asked.

  “Good question. I don’t know.” I tapped my fingers against the counter. “What did he order?”

  “A beer,” Tammy said.

  “Can I take it to him?” I asked.

  Tammy moved behind the bar and grabbed a mug. “Oh, I don’t know, Rip. I might get in trouble.”

  “No one will know.” I gave her a pleading look.

  She sighed. “Okay, but hurry.”

  “Don’t worry, I can handle this.”

  Tammy poured the beer and placed it on the counter in front of me. “Don’t drop it.”

  I stared at the mug for a second and then picked it up. How hard could this be? I grasped the mug with both hands and headed across the room. Okay, it was a lot harder than I’d thought with my hands shaking. I needed to calm down. He had no clue what I was doing, so why was I worried? He would just think I was delivering a beer. No big deal. I glanced over my shoulder. Tammy was staring at me with a grimace on her face. I didn’t want to get her in trouble.

  Only a few more steps and I’d be at the table. Just keep it together, Rip, I told myself. The more steps I took the longer the trip seemed. My anxiety increased with each step. Then the worst thing happened. Somehow my foot caught on the floor and I stumbled forward. It was as if I’d stumbled over my own feet. By some miracle I managed to remain upright and the beer remained in the mug. It was a good thing because it would have landed on this guy’s back. I didn’t even look back to see Tammy’s stunned face. She had probably fainted.

  I set the mug down on the table in front of the guy and then just stood there staring at him. Finally he looked up at me. He didn’t act as if he knew me, so he apparently hadn’t seen me following him. I wanted to ask him why he was following Erin, but I would have to be more subtle.

  “Did you need me to pay for this now?” he asked.