A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) Read online

  I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t try to kiss me goodnight.”

  After hurrying inside and locking the main door behind me, I watched out the little side window as Tammy walked down the sidewalk and reached her car. She’d parked it in front of my place this morning. With the killer on the loose, I didn’t like the idea of her out on her own. Tammy unlocked her car and slid in. She looked back and waved. I hoped she called me when she got home. It wasn’t unlike her to forget. I would be worried until the killer was caught.

  She pulled away and I watched until the lights of her car had faded. Good thing she didn’t have far to go. Who would walk her to her door?

  Tammy had just pulled away when something caught my attention. I looked over at the old oak tree in the front of the house. The branches swayed with the wind. Underneath the limbs was a figure. Was it the same shadow I’d seen at the graveyard? Had this spirit followed me home? Just as quickly as the shadow had appeared, it vanished right before my eyes. I knew that I had seen a ghost. But why?

  After hurrying up the stairs, I rushed through my door and locked it behind me. Once again a strange vibe fell over me. It felt as if someone was watching me. Was there someone in the house? I whipped around, but didn’t see anyone. Was it the same presence that I’d felt last night at the house? Something told me that it was.

  I had to find out who this spirit was. It had to be connected to the old house. I knew the rumors about the place, but I didn’t believe that the woman who had lived at the house had placed a curse on anyone.

  After grabbing a snack and then a shower, I headed straight for bed. I just needed a little downtime. Maybe everything would seem better in the morning. I climbed into bed and tried to forget about what had just happened.

  After only a couple minutes, a cold fell over the room. I pulled the covers up a little higher. Footsteps sounded in my hallway, but I chose to ignore them. I knew that if I got up to see what was making the noise that I would find nothing. The noise came from the hallway a couple more times before I finally drifted off to sleep.

  The room remained unseasonably cool for the whole night. It was as if something was waiting by the door for me.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning I decided to walk to work, but it wasn’t without trepidation. It was light out. A killer wouldn’t be out in the daylight murdering people, right? I couldn’t be afraid all the time.

  Brannon had called and tried to comfort me, but he wouldn’t say much about the case. Just that Sandra and Cady had been asked not to leave town.

  It was a short walk to work, and I soon approached the library. The large building loomed over me, as if saying, It’s about time you arrived. Thank goodness I had made it there early, but I was still filled with anxiety from the night before.

  I unlocked the door, but before I entered I turned to look over my shoulder. That strange feeling of being watched had followed me to work. I hadn’t seen the mysterious dark figure though. I hoped that I wouldn’t see it again. Although I did kind of want to know what it wanted and why it was coming around.

  I brushed off the strange feeling and entered the library. I glanced over at the area where Hank had been signing books yesterday. The thought of what had happened sent a chill down my spine. I turned on the lights and hurried over to the reference desk. Jane Austen rushed toward me, meowing as she walked along beside me.

  “Good morning, Jane. Are you ready for breakfast?” I asked.

  She meowed in response. I’d barely put my purse away when Mrs. Agnew stormed through the door. She glanced around for a second, and then spotted me. I was frozen on the spot. I thought about trying to hide for a second, but I knew she would find me.

  Mrs. Agnew focused her stare right on my face and marched toward me. I swallowed hard. For a second, I wondered if she was going to hit me with her big brown purse. A deep line furrowed her brow. Her brown hair was piled high on her head in an outdated style. The color matched her skirt and jacket.

  Once in front of me, she adjusted her purse strap and said, “What am I supposed to do about this, Ripley?”

  I was glad she hadn’t hit me with the purse… yet.

  Annie popped up beside her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Mrs. Agnew.

  What does she expect you to do? Did you do something, Ripley? the ghost wrote on the computer.

  I tried to focus my attention on Mrs. Agnew but it was tough with a ghost sending messages. I wished I could answer Annie right now, but Mrs. Agnew wouldn’t appreciate me not giving her my full attention. Annie paced back and forth in front of her and Mrs. Agnew didn’t even know it. She frowned though as if she felt something. It was probably the cool breeze that the ghost took with her everywhere she went. Annie was making me nervous though.

  I could tell that the ghost was becoming increasingly upset with Mrs. Agnew. A book flew off a nearby shelf and landed near Mrs. Agnew’s feet. She let out a little gasp as she peered down at the book and then back up at me. Did she think I had made the book do that? By the expression on her face, I thought she knew that I hadn’t.

  “How did that happen?” Her voice wavered.

  I shrugged. “Maybe it was the wind.”

  Of course there had been no wind and she knew that. I knew she’d heard the rumors about the library being haunted. Had she ever experienced anything here before?

  The library door opened and Brannon walked in. His muscular physique commanded attention. He looked from me to Mrs. Agnew. We watched him in silence until he flashed me a confused look. I was worried about what he’d come to tell me. Especially in front of Mrs. Agnew. She was probably mentally writing my termination letter.

  “Hello, ladies. Did I interrupt something?” His mouth twisted to one side revealing a lopsided grin.

  The news couldn’t be too bad if he was smiling. I looked to Mrs. Agnew so that she could answer him.

  “No, officer, you didn’t interrupt us,” she said in her sweetest voice.

  He looked at me as if he knew what I was going through at the moment. At least I was getting some sympathy.

  “What can we do for you, officer?” Mrs. Agnew asked in her sweet voice.

  “I came by to speak with Ms. Van Raden.” He motioned toward me.

  Mrs. Agnew raised an eyebrow and looked at me as if to say, See what you’ve done.

  “I can come back at another time if it is more convenient.” He studied her face as if wishing she would say no.

  “No, that won’t be necessary.” Mrs. Agnew stood a little straighter as she brushed imaginary lint from her sleeve. “But before you have a word with her, there is something I need to ask you.”

  He looked to her. “Of course, what can I do for you?”

  She narrowed her eyes and looked at Brannon. “Would you mind talking with me in private?”

  Brannon searched my eyes, attempting to relay his unspoken words. It wasn’t like they needed my permission.

  “You can use my office,” I said and pointed toward the hallway.

  Mrs. Agnew stuck her chin in the air. “That will be fine, thank you.”

  Brannon motioned for her to go first. She gave me a curt nod as she marched past. What was going on in her head? Probably she was still thinking of ways to fire me. The only reason she hadn’t fired me on the spot was because she didn’t have anyone else to take the job. Now I was beginning to figure out why. No one else would even want the job with everything that went on around here.

  Brannon and Mrs. Agnew walked away and at that moment I thought I spotted a shadow out of the corner of my eye. Recently I’d seen a shadow roaming the library. Annie insisted she’d never seen another ghost. I didn’t know what to think. More and more I was seeing more spirits and I thought it had something to do with the library. It was probably that cemetery out front. What kind of hidden stories were out there that I didn’t even know about?

  Annie still stood behind me. We watched as Brannon and Mrs. Agnew walked to the end of the hall
way and turned into my office. I didn’t like the way this was going.

  “What do you think they are talking about?” I whispered.

  “I am pretty sure they will be talking about you,” Tammy said.

  I jumped and clutched my chest. “When did you come in? Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to sneak up on me like that?”

  “Sorry,” Tammy said while giving me a suspicious look.

  “You’re right though. They probably are talking about me and I don’t like the idea of that one bit.”

  Tammy tossed her big red purse onto the counter. It matched her sweater. “Not much you can do about it though.”

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “You’re right. Why did she even hire me for the job?”

  Tammy frowned, but didn’t answer my question. She didn’t need to respond.

  “Yeah, I know. No one wants the job. I have to thank you for sticking it out and even being around to help me,” I said.

  “That’s what friends are for,” she said with a wink.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Brannon and Mrs. Agnew returned from my office. They walked in silence toward us. Neither one of them looked at me. My heart rate went up as I waited for one of them to say something. I hoped Brannon had told her I’d had nothing to do with what happened to Hank. She probably wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said. She might get rid of me after all. But would she really want to keep me around if she thought that I had murdered someone? She was probably just looking for a reason to give me a hard time.

  Mrs. Agnew quirked a bushy eyebrow and pursed her thin lips together. “Ripley, I will be in touch very soon. I’m sure the rest of the board members would like to speak with you.”

  I nodded. “Just let me know.”

  I was sure she would. What else could I say? I wasn’t looking forward to the future meeting that I would have with them. My gaze didn’t leave Mrs. Agnew until she walked out the door.

  When she was out the door, I released a deep breath. Thank goodness she was gone. I was safe for a little while. She would be back though and she would bring the entire board with her.

  I studied Brannon’s face as he watched me. Finally, he said, “I suppose you want to know what she said.”

  I couldn’t hold back my smile. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, she wanted to know if we suspected you of the murder.”

  My eyes widened and I was almost afraid to ask. “What did you tell her?”

  “Of course I told her that I knew you had nothing to do with it.”

  Whew. That was the answer that I had wanted to hear.

  “You looked relieved.” He smiled.

  “Well, I guess I was a little worried.” I picked at the edge of my shirt.

  “You didn’t think I really thought you did that, did you?” he asked, stepping closer and touching my arm.

  His touch was soft and caring.

  I looked down for a second. “No, but you know my mind thinks the worst sometimes.”

  The library door opened, grabbing my attention. For a second I thought Mrs. Agnew had returned, but then I spotted Sandra. She rushed in as if coming in from out of a hurricane. Did she always look that panicked? From what I’d seen, she did. What was she doing here today? I was surprised she hadn’t left town already. I knew the police had told her not to leave, but I hadn’t thought she’d follow their orders.

  Maybe she’d just come in to check out a book. No, that seemed unlikely after what had happened last night.

  Sandra first looked over at the area where Hank had been last night. Was she looking for Hank? Maybe she was having some kind of strange denial and refused to believe that he was dead.

  Jane hissed at Sandra as she walked by. Tammy picked up the cat and stepped back behind the counter, just in case things turned ugly with Sandra.

  When Sandra spotted us, she turned around and ran out the door. Brannon and I exchanged a look.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think she was expecting to see me,” Brannon’s body tensed.

  “I think you’re right about that,” I said.

  “If you’ll excuse me.” Brannon nodded and then sprinted off. “I’ll call you later,” he called over his shoulder.

  “Of course.”

  He was right. I knew by the look on Sandra’s face that she hadn’t expected to see him. She had turned around and run for the door in a split second. I hadn’t expected that to happen.

  I knew that Brannon was going to stop Sandra if he caught up with her. That would make her even more nervous. I wanted to know why she had come to the library. Like I said, I doubted she’d come to check out a book. I had a feeling she had wanted to speak with me. Now I had to know what she wanted to say. As soon as I got a chance, I would find her. Brannon probably wouldn’t be happy with that though.

  I released a deep breath and stared at the door as if I expected Brannon or Sandra to return. That door was full of surprises lately. I was almost afraid to see it open.

  As I stood there wondering what to do now, for some reason my eyes dropped to the floor. That was when I spotted a piece of paper. I knew that it hadn’t been there before. The only person who could have lost it would have been Sandra on her way out. I had cleaned the floor and would have seen it earlier. It hadn’t been there when Mrs. Agnew had been there.

  I reached down and picked up the paper. I recognized what it was right away. It was a ticket for last night’s ghost tour. What was Sandra doing with it? She hadn’t purchased a ticket for the tour. The two people who had purchased tickets for the tour and hadn’t used them were Hank and Cady. How had Sandra ended up with the ticket? She had to have gotten it from Hank or Cady. That was a scary thought. That meant she had to have been around Hank last night.

  Just then someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. I jumped and spun around.

  Tammy held her hands up. “Whoa. Are you okay?”

  I moved the paper in front of Tammy. “Look what I found.”

  She squinted, trying to see the ticket. “You’re moving it too fast. I can’t see what it is. What are you doing over here by the door? What is it?”

  “It’s a ticket for the tour. I think Sandra dropped it.”

  She stared. “And?”

  “There’s just one problem.” I waved the ticket again.

  “What’s that?” Tammy asked.

  “She didn’t buy a ticket for the tour last night.”

  Tammy’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?”

  “She took it from Hank.”

  Tammy swallowed hard and then asked, “Does that mean she killed him?”

  “Not really, but I have to ask her about it. I’ll be able to tell if she’s lying, right?” I shrugged and walked back to the desk. “I don’t know what to think. But I’d better figure it out soon before Mrs. Agnew fires me. She thinks I had something to do with Hank’s murder.”

  Tammy leaned against the counter. “You have to do something, Ripley. I don’t want another librarian here.”

  I glanced at the computer screen. No new librarians! Annie had left another message.

  “I don’t want another librarian here,” I said. “I promise I will do everything I can so that doesn’t happen.”

  Annie and Tammy stared at me as if I should have thought of a way out of this already. Now the pressure was really on me. I had to talk to everyone involved to see if I could find some kind of clues. I couldn’t just come out and ask people if they had murdered Hank.

  Chapter 9

  This was the first tour I’d given since the murder. It felt weird to go back there now, but I had to continue. After all, it was a graveyard. A thin mist of fog lingered around the edge of the cemetery. Stars were hidden by the fleecy gray clouds. The musty smell of earth surrounded me.

  I would never forget about finding Hank there. It would forever be at the front of my mind when I came here. Maybe no one would ev
en show up for my tours anymore. They would think that taking my tour would actually make them a part of the tour. I would have to add a new tagline to my brochure. Take the tour where you may end up a ghost too. That didn’t sound like something people would be anxious to sign up for.

  I stood at the entrance of the graveyard as I waited for the guests to arrive. It seemed spookier than usual. It was probably because of what had just happened. That would make anyone anxious.

  I spotted movement to my right and glanced over. The people for the tour had shown up and were headed my way. Relief fell over me when I realized I wasn’t totally out of business yet. By the glances around and the fidgeting, the people looked as if they were eager to get started too.

  “I was worried we didn’t have the right spot,” one of the women said in a loud voice.

  “This is the place. Welcome to Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour,” I said with a smile. “Tonight I will guide you through shadowy alleys, take you into darkened corridors and share with you ghostly tales from around town. Step back in time with me and be on the lookout for spirits from beyond. This town is not without its tragedies.”

  The group gathered around me and I was all set to start the tour. That was when I noticed someone else walking toward us. She stepped through the fog like a mysterious figure in the night. Sandra was staring as she headed my way. Her expression was emotionless with her dark eyes in a blank stare. She wore a dark coat and black scarf around her head which added to the spookiness factor. She’d already scared the group. That or they thought she was part of the show. I definitely hadn’t expected to see her. I couldn’t tell if she was going to attack me or what.

  When Sandra reached us, she stopped. “I am here for the tour.”

  Was she serious? Based on the scowl on her face I supposed she was.

  “Okay, well, here’s your flashlight.” I handed it to her.

  Sandra grabbed it from me and flicked it on. She shone the light right in my eyes. I threw my hand up to block the blinding glow. Finally she lowered the light, but she didn’t apologize. Probably because she wasn’t sorry. I wanted to ask her about the tour tickets, but I was also nervous to bring it up. I’d told Brannon about it, so I was sure he would look into it. As I led the group around to the tavern, I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye.