A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) (3 page)

“My life flashed before my eyes for a second,” I said.

Tammy blew the hair out of her eyes. “Her crazy was showing and she needed to tuck it back in.”

“Well, it’s a whole lot to tuck.”

Tammy looked out across the library. “Maybe the rest of the evening will be uneventful.”

I sighed. “I hope so. It couldn’t get any worse, right?”

Tammy shrugged. “Never say never.”

I was just glad the current situation had ended without a fight.

“Would you please stop pushing me?” the woman in front of Sandra snapped.

Uh-oh. More trouble was on the horizon. I’d spoken too soon. 

Sandra rolled her eyes. “I didn’t push you.”

“You most certainly did push me,” the woman retorted. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

Tammy and I exchanged a look. I can only imagine that the scene looked like it was out of control. I suppose that was because it was out of control. Soon people would be throwing punches and throwing chairs. If they touched the books I would freak out.

I started to move closer to the bickering women. I wasn’t sure what I would do though. Sandra looked like she could flick me out of her way as if she was swatting a fly. Before I even reached the women, things escalated from squabbling to a full-fledged boxing match. Or more like a hair-pulling slapping match.

“Ladies, please,” I yelled.

Hank jumped up and tried to come between the women. Sandra accidentally elbowed him in the mouth. So now he was down for the count. Tammy jumped in the middle of the women, but quickly moved out of the way when she was slapped.

“I am not dealing with this.” Tammy pulled out her cell phone. “I’m calling the police.”

This was going to have to involve the police. Just like Tammy, I didn’t want to get in the middle of a punch.

Cady was standing far back watching the action like she was at a sporting event. All she needed was a bucket of popcorn.

Finally a police officer entered the library and I released a sigh of relief. Maybe now things would settle down. No one seemed to listen to me. I’d expected to see Brannon and was a little disappointed that he wasn’t the responding officer.

“Just don’t hurt any of the books,” I called out.

Of course I didn’t want anyone to get hurt either. After this scene, I was ready to kick everyone out of the library. I didn’t think anyone could blame me if I did.

“Let go of my hair,” the woman yelled at Sandra.

The officer hurried over to the two women and yanked them apart. They had been pulling each other’s hair. Their faces were red and they were still clawing at each other.

If the head of the library board came in right now I would definitely lose my job. This was the library and people were supposed to be quiet, for heaven’s sakes. Had they completely lost their minds? The officer guided the woman out the main door of the library.

“Take your hands off me,” Sandra screeched on her way out.

She glared at me as if this was somehow my fault. Hank had returned to signing books as if nothing had ever happened. I guessed the show must go on.

Chapter 4

“Thank goodness that is over.” Tammy brushed her hair out of her eyes.

Annie sent me a text.
I agree. That was terrifying
. 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Tammy touched her face where she’d been slapped. “I’m fine. They were strong.”

Cady finally came over. “Hank is almost finished and we’ll be leaving.”

“I’m sorry for what happened,” I said.

“I told you she would do something. Sandra is nothing but trouble.” Cady shook her head and walked away.

I picked up a couple chairs that had been toppled over. I knew the library board would get wind of this. I just hoped I didn’t lose my job. No one else might want the job, but I did. What would Annie do without me?

Once everyone had cleared out of the library, Hank walked over as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Anything interesting in town?” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

His assistant just shrugged her shoulders. She had her tote bag packed and was looking at the door longingly. I knew she couldn’t wait to get out of Devil’s Moon.

“Well, if you’re looking for something to eat, we have a really great little diner. There are some nice shops in town too,” I said.

Hank folded his arms in front of his chest. “I was looking for something a little more unique. Maybe off the beaten path.”

I cleared my throat. “I do offer a haunted tour through town.” I wasn’t sure if he was into that kind of thing. Hank wrote mysteries so he might like the spookiness though.

His face lit up. “Really? That sounds interesting.”

I couldn’t tell by his expression, but I thought he was being sincere. “I just take a small group of people to different locations around town and tell them the haunted history of each place.”

“When is this?” Hank asked.

I looked at the clock. “In about an hour and a half.”

“Do I need to purchase a ticket?”

I waved my hand. “Oh, you don’t have to pay. I’d love to have you take the tour.”

“No, I insist on paying. Do I need to buy the tickets at the tour?” he asked. 

I gestured over my shoulder. “Actually, I have some tickets with me.”

“We’ll take two.” He looked to Cady.

She scowled, but didn’t say no either.

After grabbing a couple tickets from my purse, I handed them to Hank. He gave the tickets to Cady and said, “Cady, can you pay her?”

Cady sighed and marched toward the door. “I don’t have enough cash in my bag. I’ll get it from the car. I’ll be right back,” she said over her shoulder.

Once she’d walked out the door, Hank said, “There was this old house I spotted in town. What do you know about it?”

“Which old house is that?” I asked. “There are a lot of them in town.”

“It’s just as you’re heading out of town on this road. It’s covered by trees and brush.”

My eyes widened. “The Helmwood House.”

“So you do know the place?” Excitement filled his voice.

“I think everyone in town knows the place,” I said.

Just then Cady marched back in. She shoved a few crumpled bills toward me.

“Thank you,” I said.

“So tell me more about the house,” Hank said.

Cady sighed. “Are you talking about that house again?”

He ignored her and asked, “What can you tell me about it?”

“Helmwood House hasn’t been lived in for a long time. There are rumors about the place.” I laughed, but the memory of that strange presence came back.

He stood a little straighter. “What kind of rumors?”

I looked around as if someone would hear me. “So the story goes a witch used to live there. Anyone who goes to the house will be cursed.”

“Really?” He quirked an eyebrow. “So who’s been cursed?”

I laughed again. “I hope no one, because I was just at the house. So far nothing has happened to me.”

Hank pointed at me. “We should go there now.”

I gestured toward my chest. “We? As in you and me?”

“Sure, why not?” He smiled.

Cady stepped forward and threw her hands up. “I’m afraid that’s not a good idea.”

Her reaction didn’t go over well with Hank. He glared at her and stepped around her.

I looked at the clock again. “Well, I do have the ghost tour. But I guess if it’s a quick trip we could go now.”

I wondered what Brannon would say if I took the author there. It was a dangerous place and I knew he didn’t like the idea of me going there alone. But he wouldn’t have to know anything about it. He hadn’t known about my other trip, so what was one more time? Somehow I’d known I’d end up back at that house. We would be in and out without anyone knowing.

“You’re interested in old houses or hauntings?” I asked.

“I thought it might give me inspiration for my next book. What do you say?”

I glanced around for Tammy. She was walking toward us, so I knew I had to wrap up this conversation.

Hank clapped his hands together. “Great. Should we meet you there?”

I smiled. “Great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Cady and I will see you soon,” he said.

Cady stood there with her arms crossed in front of her chest. I knew by her stance that she wasn’t pleased with our plans. I wasn’t entirely sure why. What did she care if he went? Was it because she didn’t want to go? I was sure Hank wouldn’t make her if she didn’t want to.

Cady tapped at her phone’s screen. “Okay, we need to get food before this big adventure.”

Hank stuck out his hand. “Thank you again for the book signing.”

Tammy had walked up.

“It was our pleasure,” I said.

Hank and Cady left. It had been a whirlwind the whole time they’d been here.

“Did he mention the fight?” Tammy asked.

I shook my head. “Not a word. Thank goodness. Now just to make sure Mrs. Agnew doesn’t find out.”

“I’m off to work. Do you want to come with me?” Tammy asked.

Apparently she hadn’t overheard my conversation with Hank. She wouldn’t be happy if she discovered our plans.

“I have a few other things to do before the tour, but I’ll see you soon,” I said.

Her eyebrow rose. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

Once Tammy had walked out the door, I peeked around the corner. “Annie, where are you? You’ve been hiding all day.”

Just then Annie appeared. She looked as clear as any living person. Her ghostly form was dressed in an ivory-colored Victorian lace dress. Her gray hair was pulled up high, with little ringlets falling against her round cheeks.

I had my phone in my hand when she sent a text.

Are they gone?

“Yes, everyone is gone now,” I said.

I heard your plans. You shouldn’t go.

“I’ll just show him around. It will be fine.”

I placed more water in Jane’s dish and filled her other dish with food. She jumped down from the chair where she’d been sleeping and inspected the dish.

“You ladies have a nice evening. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I brushed off her concern. Annie would see that everything was fine and stop worrying so much.

It was time to close up the library for the evening. I hadn’t been this stressed since the time we’d had a crime scene at the library. Of course that was worse than now, but this was stressful too. I shut off the lights and said goodbye to Annie. I knew she was happy to have the peace and quiet.

My work day wasn’t over when I locked the library’s doors. I still had to do my haunted tour around town. I looked forward to it though, so even though I was tired I was up for the tour. In a way it was relaxing and I never tired of telling the stories about haunted Devil’s Moon. I was always trying to collect new stories. Almost everyone in town had a story. It was my job to share those stories. Maybe I’d collect a couple new ones tonight.

I stepped out into the evening air. It was chilly, so I pulled my sweater a little closer to my body. The house was within walking distance of the library, but it still was a good distance. Night was coming quickly over Devil’s Moon. I hoped we got out of there before it was completely black out.

I pulled up in front of the house, still unsure if this was a good idea. It was too late to turn back now though because Hank was already there and had spotted me.

I shoved my car into park and cut the engine. Hank and Cady stood outside his car. She had that same frown on her face, letting me know she still thought this was a bad idea. I was almost ready to agree with her. I got out of the car and walked over to join them.

“Glad you made it.” Hank smiled.

“Are you ready to go inside?” I gestured.

He could have just gone in without me, but I supposed since I was the official guide for everything creepy in town, he thought I was needed to lead him though the old place. I didn’t even know much about the house other than what Tammy had told me. That was all rumor as far as I knew.

“We should get this over with,” Cady said, motioning for us to follow her up the stairs.

I guessed she wasn’t afraid to go in the house after all. She just wanted to get out of Devil’s Moon. 

“We should look around outside first.” Hank peered up at the house.

Cady had already almost made it to the front door. She released a sigh and then walked back down the stairs.

“I guess there’s not much to look at out here,” I offered, trying to help her out.

Hank stepped around to the side of the porch and I followed him. Cady stayed back at the porch.

“I’ll wait here,” she said.

We made our way through the tall grass at the side of the house. I watched every step for holes in the ground, snakes, or booby traps. The scent from the nearby pine tree drifted across the wind. The branches rustled and for a moment I thought something might be hiding behind the limbs. It was probably a stray cat. The last rays of sunset filtered through a thin layer of clouds.

“Has all the paranormal activity been inside or are there things that happen on the property as well?” Hank paused at the side of the house.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard any mention of things outside.” I wrapped my arms around myself to fight off the chill.

“Interesting.” He peered up at the tall house. “It sure is rundown.”

I placed my hands above my eyes, shielding them from the setting sun. “Yes, it needs work.”

“Any plans for fixing it up?” he asked.

“Not that I know of. I’m not sure who even owns this place.”

“Maybe I’ll buy the place and fix it up.” He laughed.

I looked over at him, but he didn’t look at me. Was he being serious?

“I didn’t know your ex-wife lives in Devil’s Moon.” I hoped I wasn’t getting too personal.

He groaned. “Yes, she moved here recently. I think she’s dating someone from here. I don’t ask many questions. I didn’t want to come, but Cady insisted that we should. No offense. It’s just that I didn’t want to run into my ex. I like Devil’s Moon.”

That was odd. Cady had acted as if she didn’t want to be in Devil’s Moon. So why would she encourage Hank to come here?

“That’s okay. I understand,” I said.

He pointed toward the front of the house. “Okay, well, I guess we should take a look inside before Cady gets too impatient with me.”

It was already too late for that.

I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

I walked back around the house and he followed me. Cady was on her cell phone when we reached the front again.

As soon as Cady spotted us, she hung up. “Are you ready now?” she asked in a frustrated tone.

Hank ignored her. She climbed the stairs and Hank and I followed her. When Cady reached the door she paused and stepped out of the way. Apparently she wasn’t brave enough to be the first to go inside.

Hank stepped forward and opened the door. He poked his head in. “Is anyone home?” he called out.

Of course there was no answer. He stepped in and then held the door for us. We stood in the foyer. What should we do now? Did they want a tour of the place? My skin prickled when I thought about my last visit. I didn’t know if it was me just being paranoid or if the spirit was hiding somewhere watching us. 

“So where do we start?” Hank asked.

Shadows formed out of the corners of my eyes. When I turned to look, nothing was there. Making out the full details of my surroundings was impossible with the dim light. I rubbed my arms to fight off the chill. The broken windows allowed the elements the freedom to do what it pleased inside the house.  That added to the creepy feeling. A musty smell hung in the air.

“I suppose we can look in the parlor here on the left.” I peeked toward the room to see if the ghost was already waiting for us.

“After you.” He motioned for me to go first.

I wasn’t sure why, but my uneasiness about being here was much worse than when I’d been there alone. I pushed through the feeling and moved into the parlor. The faster we toured the place the faster I could get out of there. We stood in the middle of the room and I knew they were expecting me to tell them about the place.

I wished I had more stories to tell them, but I honestly didn’t. I supposed I could make up stories, but that wouldn’t be right.

“This is the parlor.” My storytelling skills were lacking tonight. I hoped this didn’t carry over into my tour.

Cady gave me a look to say,
Well, that’s obvious.

“There have been footsteps reported in the house. Basically in every room,” I said.

“Have you heard footsteps while here?” Hank asked.

I looked at him. “As a matter of fact, I have.”

His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Really? How long ago was that?”

“Earlier today,” I said.

Cady’s eyes widened and her mouth opened.

“You were here today already?” Hank asked.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, but it was a quick visit.”

“Well, why didn’t you say something? I wouldn’t have had you come back here again this evening.” He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth.

I waved my hand. “That’s okay. I didn’t mind coming back.”

I wasn’t sure if I would share the story about seeing the ghost upstairs. Would he believe me? Hearing footsteps or bangs was one thing, but seeing an actual ghost? That would be hard for anyone to believe.

“We can step over to the dining room if you’d like.” I pointed across the foyer.

The room was almost a mirror image of the one we currently stood in, with a fireplace on the far wall, peeling wallpaper and dirty hardwood floors. Underneath the layers of dust lay what had once been a gorgeous room. Ornate trim edged the top and bottom of the walls and around the fireplace mantel.  

Hank motioned again for me to go first. “Lead the way.”

We’d just stepped into the room when we heard footsteps. Hank and Cady paused.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

I tried to act calm, but my face probably showed my trepidation. “Yes,” I whispered.

“Was that what you heard earlier today?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes, that was what I heard.”

“We should go check it out.” Hank eased over to the room’s entrance.

“I don’t know if that is such a good idea.” Cady glanced toward the window as if planning her escape route.

It looked as if she was ready to run out of the place. She really would freak out if she saw what I’d seen this morning.

We moved out into the foyer and paused. The sound came again, filling the house with an impenetrable darkness that swirled in the air.

“It’s coming from upstairs,” he said. “We should go up there.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Are you coming, Cady?” Hank asked.

She stared for a second. “I guess it’s better than staying down here by myself.”

He chuckled. “You’ll be fine. There’s nothing here that will hurt us.”

She snorted. “That’s what you think.”

Cady glared at me when I looked back at her. I wasn’t sure why she was giving me that look. What had I done? Did she think that I should have told Hank to stay away from the house? It wasn’t my place to tell him he couldn’t come. He would have whether I did or not.

We eased up the stairs. They squeaked under each step. Hank and Cady followed closely behind me. When I reached the top, I paused. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Would the ghost be up there again? They followed me a little way down the hallway.

“Do you hear the footsteps again?” Hank asked.

“I haven’t heard anything else.” My gaze darted from left to right at rapid speed.

Just then as if on cue the footsteps sounded. Hank held his index finger to his lips. He motioned to the door on the right. I nodded. He was right, it did sound as if that was the room the footsteps had come from. He eased over to the door and placed his hand on the knob. He nodded and motioned that he was going to open it. Cady looked nervous, but she hadn’t run. She was tougher than she’d let on.

Hank eased the door open. The hinges creaked as he slowly pushed the door. He tiptoed inside the room and I followed him. Cady stood by the door. At least the ghost wasn’t in there waiting for us. Sure, I should want to see ghosts for research purposes, but tonight I would pass.

“Okay, there is nothing here. That is enough of the spookiness for the night. Can we go now?” Cady asked, clearly agitated.

“What? We still have the ghost tour to do.” He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. A cold fell over the room at that moment.

Hank paused. “Do you feel that?”

Cady’s eyes widened.

I nodded. “Yes, I do feel it.”

The chill in the air grew to a bitter cold within seconds. In the corner of the room a black shadow appeared. My eyes widened and I pointed. Hank looked over and stepped back, almost stumbling. Cady looked as if she might faint. I would have expected her to run away, but I was sure she was frozen on the spot, unable to move.

The shadow started out small, but it grew quickly. Now it reached from the floor to almost the ceiling. It took on more of a human shape, but it never had a face or any other features. Hank and I stared at the shadow, when all of a sudden it flew forward. It raced right toward Hank. When it was mere inches away it swooped right inside his body. Black fell over Hank as if he was covered with a sheer black curtain.

The black mass had now taken over Hank’s body. I didn’t know what to do.

“Hank, are you okay?” I asked.

Cady’s sweater caught on the doorknob and she almost fell face first onto the dirty hardwood floor. She yanked on her sweater an
d
finally was able to move. She raced into the room. She paused in front of Hank. “What happened? What did you do?”

I placed my hands on my hips. “What did
I
do? I didn’t make the ghost fly into him.”

Cady fell silent. What could she say? Hank was still standing there staring at the wall blankly. The next thing I knew, he had tumbled to the ground. I knelt down beside him.

I shook Hank. “We need to call an ambulance.”

Before I had a chance to pull out my phone, the black mass flew from Hank’s body. We watched as it disappeared through the wall. Hank came to and sat up on the floor.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He shook his head. “What happened?”

“The black shadow attacked you.” I helped him sit up.

I didn’t want to tell him that I was sure the black mass had taken over his body. For a moment he’d been possessed by this thing. Had it been an evil spirit? He pushed to his feet. Thank goodness he seemed to be fine.

“Do you need to see a doctor?” I asked. 

“No, I’ll be fine.” Hank waved his hands.

Cady came over and placed her hand on Hank’s arm. “Look what you did. He should have never come here.”

“Cady, everything is fine now,” Hank repeated.

“You passed out.” She flashed a stern look my way.

“It was just a second.” He wiped his forehead.

“We should get out of here,” I said, motioning toward the door.

Cady glared at me as Hank stumbled toward the door. After steadying himself by holding onto the wall, Hank he stepped out into the hallway. I peeked out to see if the shadow was there too. Was the same thing I’d encountered this morning? It hadn’t been violent like that with me. Thank goodness. I would think twice before coming to this house again. I had been around a lot of haunted places, but nothing like this had ever happened.

“I hope you’re happy,” Cady said.

Her comment didn’t even deserve a response from me
.
I doubted there was anything that I could say that would make her happy. She had already made up her mind that this was my fault. There would be no way to convince her otherwise.

I followed the two of them down the stairs. After the initial wobbly feet
,
Hank seemed to be doing fine after the attack.  

Hank and Cady didn’t stop when they reached the bottom of the stairs. They just headed straight for the front door and out onto the porch. I followed right behind them. I’d seen enough of this house for the day. Cady and Hank headed down the porch steps and over to his car.