by Rose Pressey
The tavern was just one of the many charming buildings in town. Made out of stone, it had been around since the mid-1700s. First, it had been used as a stagecoach stop with even Revolutionary War soldiers stopping in for visits. Now the place was the hub of social activities in Devil’s Moon. An alleyway next to the building led to the back area where the Devil’s Moon Cemetery was located. That was where I started my haunted tours.
On the other side of the tavern was the old county jail. It was no longer in use as a jail, but some of the former inmates might have stayed around thinking they were still locked up. I’d once seen a ghost out in front of the old jail, and I wondered if it was the spirit of someone who had spent time behind those bars.
I hopped out of the car and hurried into the tavern. Hardly anyone was around the dimly lit space. It was still early, though. A few patrons sat at the bar and a few couples had gathered at the tables at the back of the room. So far, there was no sign of Tammy. She was probably in the back storage room.
I glanced to my left into the extra space that was typically used when the tavern was extremely busy, like on the weekends. Darkness filled that room right now. Though it felt as if someone might be watching me. That nervous feeling when a ghost was around crept over me. I’d seen a ghost or two in that area in the past, so now every time I came in here, I always looked that way to see if one of them was watching back. This time it appeared all clear, but I still had that eerie sensation. Although, it had been kind of quiet around here lately. The ghosts must have taken a break.
Chapter 2
When my phone rang, I checked the number and saw that Brannon was calling. Normally while in the tavern I wouldn’t be able to take a call because it was too loud. With hardly anyone around and no music in the background, that sure wasn’t the case tonight. Where was everyone?
After answering the call, Brannon said, “I have a bit of bad news, Rip.”
“Oh, no. I hope nothing happened to the museum,” I said.
I had text Sidney not long ago and everything seemed perfectly fine. She said she’d had several people call about the tour. A promising start, I hoped. Especially for a Sunday. What could have changed in the last twenty minutes?
“It’s not the museum, Rip. It’s happened again.” His voice dripped with dread.
“What happened again?” My stomach sank.
I thought I knew what he was talking about, but I hoped it would be something far less horrible. My heart rate spiked as I braced myself for the news.
“They found a body outside the library,” Brannon said.
I felt like the room started to spin. What little noise that had been around me in the tavern now seemed muted. Was I about to faint? I rushed over to the bar so that I could sit down for this news.
“They found a body at the library? Where?” My voice trembled.
I couldn’t believe this was happening again. This wasn’t the first time a body had been found at the library. The only difference was this time I hadn’t been the one to find the person.
“Outside on the sidewalk. We’re not sure what happened yet.”
“I don’t know what to say. What do you think happened? When did this happen?” I tried to steady my beating heart back to a normal speed.
“Well, we’ll know more about that soon, but I think it’s fairly recent, like within the past twenty minutes.”
“How did you find out about this? Did you find the person or another officer?” I asked.
My questions came out in rapid-fire. I hated to bombard him, but I was still in shock.
“Someone driving by just happened to look over and see someone lying on the sidewalk,” Brannon said.
I glanced around. Still no sign of Tammy. And with a murder victim just a short distance away, immediately I started to worry. Had the killer come into the tavern and attacked Tammy? Okay, I hadn’t been informed that this had been a murder, but of course, my mind went to the worst scenario.
“Was it a heart attack?” I asked as I walked toward the back of the tavern.
“Not a heart attack,” he said. “The person had been shot.”
“I knew it,” I said louder than I’d intended. “The person was murdered.”
A few people looked at me with concerned expressions. Brannon probably wouldn’t like me starting a panic, so I had to lower my voice.
“Needless to say, I won’t be able to go out to dinner tonight. I am so sorry, Rip. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to take you.”
“We can go at a different time. The restaurant will always be there. No big deal,” I said.
“Yes, but I…”
“But you what?” I asked.
He sighed. “You’re right. We can do it another time. Listen, I have to go, but I will call you soon. I’ll stop by okay? Where are you?”
“I’m at the tavern. I’m going to talk to Tammy.” She had just stepped out from the back room. I waved at her, relieved that she hadn’t been murdered. “But I’m going home right after this.”
“All right. But be safe out there. Call me as soon as you arrive home,” Brannon said.
After ending the call, his ominous words played over in my head. Was there a killer out there walking around right now? Would they find another victim soon?
“Hey, I didn’t know you were here. How long have you been here? Tammy asked as she stepped behind the bar.
“Just a couple minutes.” I said, trying to hide the worry in my voice.
She frowned. “What’s wrong? I can tell by the look on your face that something’s wrong.”
I’d thought about not telling her, but she would know soon enough. The entire town of Devil’s Moon would know. It didn’t help that the person had been found near the library. It seemed as if I’d brought a black cloud with me when I’d returned to town a year ago to take over as head librarian. Honestly, I wasn’t bad luck, but it sure seemed that way.
“They found a body close to the library.” I rushed the words as if that would make them hurt less.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh. What happened?”
I shook my head. “The person was shot.”
“Another murder in Devil’s Moon? Things had been so quiet lately. I hoped it would stay that way. Who was it?”
“Brannon didn’t say. I guess he’ll tell me more later when he stops by.”
“So they don’t have the killer?” Tammy asked.
I sighed. “No, but I hope they catch the person soon.”
“That means the killer could be anywhere. The killer could be in here.” Tammy looked around at the few people in the tavern.
I glanced over at the couples at the back of the room. “I doubt it’s the lovebirds.”
They were too busy staring at each other to know anyone was even watching them.
“I guess,” Tammy said reluctantly as she shifted her gaze to the men at the end of the bar.
“And Mr. Wilson and Mr. Greenbelt? They’ve probably been in here for hours, right?”
“True,” she said with a nod.
I hoped that I had eased her fears just a bit. Now what would I do to calm myself down?
“I think the person had only been deceased for a few minutes before Brannon got the call. That means that anyone in here isn’t guilty.”
“Except for you,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “You did just get here a couple of minutes ago.”
I glared at her. “Will you stop?”
“In all seriousness, I hope a stranger doesn’t walk into this tavern tonight, ‘cause I’ll be suspicious.” She waved at Mr. Wilson who had just signaled for another beer.
Tammy was always suspicious. I suppose that made her safer, though. She’d be able to keep her eye out for the killer.
“I should get home,” I said as I pushed to my feet.
“Are you sure you have to go right now? I’ll be worried about you,” Tammy said.
“I’ve got my car, so I don’t have to walk. It’ll just take a couple
minutes to get home. You have to stay here all night, though. I’ll be worried about you. Are you here alone?”
“It’s just me,” she said around a frown.
“Maybe I should stay.”
“No, no.” She waved her hand. “You’ve had a long day and there are people all around. If I need you, I’ll call.”
“If you’re sure, but I’ll text to check on you, so check your phone,” I warned with a point of my finger.
“I promise I will,” she said, holding her hand up.
After hugging Tammy, I headed out of the tavern with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I really should stay behind to make sure she was okay. Nevertheless, I knew she would push for me to get lost. Plus, the owner didn’t like for me to work at the bar either because I tended to have slippery fingers. I dropped the glasses a lot. Basically, anytime I touched one. They’d discussed giving me plastic cups. It was one thing to drop a book, but completely different to drop a glass.
Making my way to my car, I looked around at the darkened street. Not many people were out at this time of night on a Sunday. Blue lights in the distance lit up the night sky. I knew they came from the library. Maybe I should go over there and make sure Brannon was all right. No, he was a detective and was completely capable of taking care of himself. I should just stay out of it and go home. I fought the urge to head to the library and instead pointed my car in the direction of home.
A couple minutes later, I pulled up in front of my Victorian beauty and got out of the car. A chill filled the air as I walked up the path to the front porch. The covered porch ran the full length of the front of the house. Columns, gables, spindles, and a slate roof all added to the amazing façade.
Once in front of the door, I unlocked it and stepped inside, flipping on the light switch by the entrance immediately. Light flooded the room. No ghosts. I loved the house but walking around in the dark in this place wasn’t much fun. I mean, after all, it had been a funeral home and lingered around. It was undeniably spooky. I often felt someone was watching me. Whether I was making dinner in the kitchen or sitting on the living room sofa reading a book. However, as long as I left the spirits alone, they left me alone. We had an agreement, I suppose.
To my right was a parlor that I used as basically my reading room. A library if you will. Books that I had collected over the years filled up the wall of shelves in the room. A pair of brown leather chairs that my parents had given me for Christmas sat in front of the fireplace. To the left of the foyer was a mirror parlor that I used as the TV room. It looked just like the library room.
I’d decorated that space with a comfy beige sofa, a couple of cream-colored upholstered chairs, and an off-white coffee table to make a nice conversation area. The TV was fixed on the wall above the fireplace. Brannon and I liked to veg out in this room and catch up on our favorite shows.
I placed my purse down on the table in the foyer and headed across the living room toward the kitchen. I needed a snack. Maybe something involving chocolate. Did I still have any of those cookies?
I’d only made it halfway across the room when my phone rang. I hoped Brannon was calling to let me know that everything had worked out okay. Maybe the person had survived. Okay, it probably wasn’t true, but wishful thinking never hurt. I checked the screen. The call was listed as unknown. I contemplated not answering but it could be something important, so I accepted the call.
“Did you get the vase?” the man asked.
His voice was almost a whisper. I was taken off guard by his question, but then finally it registered after a couple of seconds what he meant.
“Oh, you sent the vase to the museum. Who is this?” I asked.
“You received it?” he said.
“Yes, we got it. Thank you, but I’m not sure who this is. Is the vase haunted? Is that why you sent it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Hello?” I said.
Still, there was no response. I checked the phone and saw that the call had dropped. I couldn’t call back because his number was unknown. What an odd call. Maybe he’d call back. I was curious to know why he had sent the vase.
The mystery call was still on my mind as I headed toward the kitchen. Who was that man and how had he found my number? My kitchen had been recently remodeled thanks to help from Brannon and my father. New stainless-steel appliances, white subway tile backsplash, white marble countertops, and white tile floor gave a retro vibe with a modern touch. It wasn’t Victorian, but I thought it worked well with the house. Reaching the pantry, I was thankful when I spotted the chocolate chip cookies. I’d just pulled one out of the bag when the sound of footsteps above me caught my attention. Uh-oh.
I assumed one of my ghostly visitors was moving around upstairs. Nevertheless, every time that happened, I couldn’t help but wonder if the person was of the living world or from the great beyond. That meant I needed to go up and check. I took a cookie with me as I headed across the living room. I mean, yes, this was spooky, but also, I really wanted that chocolate chip cookie.
Once in the foyer, I peered up the staircase, just in case I caught a glimpse of a ghost. Nothing or no one was there so I made the trip up the staircase, down the hallway, and to my bedroom. The door was closed. I’d left it open this morning.
I really hoped it was a ghost. I’d much prefer to deal with the dead then the living. Feeling a bit of an adrenaline rush, I eased the door open and peeked inside the room. No sign of a spirit or a living person. Just to be on the safe side, I looked under the bed and in the closet. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’d gone through this same scenario. Sometimes I’d actually seen a spirit, but most times I found nothing.
After leaving my bedroom, I went across the hall and checked the other rooms. Nothing there either, so I headed back downstairs, thinking that I would have one more cookie. Hey, they were small, so it was okay. Once at the bottom of the stairs, I peeked into the library room. No one was there either. I released a deep breath, relieved that it was just a ghost. I chuckled. Just a ghost. Most people would be terrified of that, but I’d gotten so used to it by now that it was kind of normal.
Chapter 3
A while later I’d been on the sofa reading a mystery and decided to grab another cookie. No sooner had I pulled the cookie out of the bag when the doorbell rang. Brannon had a key but most times he refused to just come in when I was here. It was a quirk of his, I suppose. I’d have to have another talk with him about it. He said he didn’t want to scare me by just coming in. I thought he could just open the door and yell, “Hey, honey, I’m home.”
I figured it was Brannon at the door, but he hadn’t text me to let me know he was on his way. Who else could it be? Everyone I knew always called to let me know they were on the way. I peeked out the front door window and saw Brannon standing in front of the door. Whew. I was glad it was him. I suppose I was truly on edge after what had happened right out front of the library. I opened the door wide and Brannon stepped inside. He leaned down and kissed me. He smelled like that peppermint gum he loved so much.
“I figured you’d call first and let me know you were on the way,” I said.
“I tried to call but for some reason, it wouldn’t go through. I even tried to send a text.” Brannon took off his jacket and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall by the door.
“That’s odd.” I gave him another hug. “I’m glad you’re here now though.”
“I was worried about you,” he said before kissing me.
After several seconds of being lost in the moment, I broke free and gazed into his eyes.
“About me? I was worried about you.” I motioned for him to follow me to the kitchen. “Let me get you some hot chocolate. Can you tell me more about what happened?”
The look on his face said that this wasn’t good news. “All we have right now is a gunshot victim. We’re trying to establish where the shot came from.”
“Do you have an identity on the victim yet?” I aske
d.
I know I’d been around Brannon for quite a while if I was using words like identity and victim.
“His name was Josh Mooney.”
“Was he from Devil’s Moon?” I asked.
“His address was listed as Nashville,” Brannon said.
I stopped in my tracks. “Nashville? That’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”
“Well, the thought crossed my mind that you had just been there, but I think it’s a coincidence.”
“I suppose,” I said, taking a cup from the cabinet.
Brannon knew by the tone of my voice that I wasn’t convinced. But why would someone from Nashville come to the library? To speak with me? That would be the only reason someone from Nashville would be coming to the library at that hour, right? I guess I was just jumping to conclusions.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he added.
I handed him a cup of hot chocolate. “Well, on another note, I got a call about the vase.”
Brannon took a sip of the hot chocolate. “The vase?”
“The one I told you about. The vase was delivered, and we don’t know who sent it, remember?”
“Oh, really? You got a call? Did someone tell you that they sent it?” Brannon asked.
“Not exactly,” I said. “The called was cut off, I guess. I never found out what the man meant. I assumed he sent it because he asked if I received it.”
“Did you try calling him back?” Brannon asked.
“The number was listed as unknown.”
“That’s odd. I suppose he’ll call back, though.” Brannon sat at the table.
“I really want to know more about it if it’s haunted,” I said.
“If a ghost shows up you might find out that way,” Brannon said around a laugh.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it,” I said, leaning against the counter. “How about something to eat?”
“Sounds great,” he said. “But I’m assuming, if I know you, that you don’t have much of a selection of food.”
