by Rose Pressey
Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. It was easier to just say yes.
“Remind me not to check out any books,” he said.
“Oh no, this isn’t typically something that’s around the library. It’s completely safe there.”
“Right,” he said as if he didn’t believe a word I said.
“Anyway, my friend was trying to help me with it. He wanted to help me to get rid of it. To get it to move on shall we say? And now he’s gone missing. Plus, I can’t get in touch with Brannon.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll call you soon,” he said.
“Yes, I suppose,” I said.
“As for your friend, maybe this was just not too much for him to handle,” the officer said.
“But that’s the thing, this is what he does. He’s a demonologist.”
“A demonologist?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, he gets rid of demons and bad stuff.”
“Okay then,” he said. “It sure is hot in here, isn’t it?”
“That’s the demon,” I said.
“Right,” he said. “Well, there’s not much we can do to find your friend. I mean, he’s an adult and if he wants to take off, then that’s certainly within his right.”
“What if he doesn’t come back? What if I can’t find him?”
“Then obviously you can give us a call and we’ll file a missing report. Have you checked with his family?”
“No, I suppose I need to go to his house and see if he’s there.”
“Yes, that’s probably a good idea. You should start with that and you’ll probably find him. Just don’t be too mad at him for leaving. I mean, this is kind of scary stuff. How do you live here and deal with this?”
“It’s not easy, let me tell you,” I said. “But this isn’t an all the time kind of thing. This is a one off, Okay, maybe not a one-off. It happens a bit, but I don’t have to deal with it all the time.”
“It’s a good thing,” he said. “I don’t think I would be able to handle this every day.”
The lights flickered and more footsteps came from upstairs. Once again more flickering lights until now it was completely dark up there. Only upstairs, though. Thank goodness for that.
“Are you sure he’s not up there?” The officer shone his light up the staircase.
“Well, I haven’t exactly checked. Maybe you could go take a look?”
I didn’t want to tell him that I had been locked in the closet up there earlier. Maybe I should have told him so that I could prepare him. But he was the professional and he was used to doing scary stuff.
“I’ll take a look,” he said.
I nodded and watched as he eased up the staircase. Halfway up, the lights came back on and he glanced back at me. Maybe he wanted me to tell him it wasn’t necessary that he check upstairs. Nevertheless, he disappeared, but the sound of his footsteps carried from upstairs as he walked across the floor above me. So far there were no more bangs. Maybe the demon realized that this was a police officer and that it shouldn’t mess with him. Yeah, right. Like the demon actually cared about that.
Nevertheless, I held my breath waiting for something bad to happen. I suppose Porter could be upstairs and had been so involved with getting rid of the demon that he hadn’t heard me call out to him. I hoped that was the case. I listened as the officer walked around and then a few minutes later he came back downstairs with no Porter in sight. Just as I had feared.
“No one is up there. No man and no demons,” he said.
At least he had heard the sounds and knew I wasn’t making this up.
“Do you have somewhere you can go tonight until this is resolved?” he asked.
“Yes, I can stay somewhere else, but I still want to find Brannon.”
“I can give a call to the station and see if we can locate him. I’ll tell him to give you a call.”
“That would be great, thank you,” I said.
His radio crackled and a woman’s voice announced he was needed.
“I need to go to the scene of this accident. I’m sure Detective Landon will call you soon.”
“Thank you again,” I said.
It seemed like he was in a hurry to leave my house. I didn’t think it was because of the accident either. I’d heard the woman say it was just a fender bender. Maybe it was more than that, but I just felt as if he wanted to get out of this house. I couldn’t say that I blamed him. I was kind of ready to get out of here too. What would I do with no Porter and no Brannon around? I was on my own. Funny because earlier I’d said I could handle this all on my own, but now I was starting to think that wasn’t the case. I needed help. Everyone needed assistance occasionally, right? There was no shame in asking for help.
I decided to get in the car and drive over to the tavern to check on Tammy. Then possibly I’d see if I could locate Porter and Brannon. I put on my shoes and coat, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. I glanced over my shoulder one time before locking the door. Nothing was in sight. No sounds of the demon, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there watching me, just waiting for a chance to make another appearance.
I closed the door behind me and locked it, hoping that the demon wasn’t waiting outside for me. After all, that was where I’d seen it first. There was really no way to get away from it and eventually the thing would pop back up again. I just had to be prepared for it. Unfortunately, there was no way to ever be prepared for something like that.
I hurried to the car, the entire time on edge hoping the demon wouldn’t make an appearance. Thank goodness I slipped behind the wheel with no further incident. How long would that last? I had no idea.
I shoved the key into the ignition, started the car, and pulled away from the curb. I couldn’t wait to get to tavern. At least the drive wasn’t far. Normally I loved to walk around town but with everything happening, I just couldn’t risk it. Now I confined to this car instead of being out enjoying Devil’s Moon and all it had to offer. Okay, it offered its share of spookiness, but it was a beautiful place just the same.
The sky had unleashed now, and the rain was steadily falling. Drops lashed against the windshield as if Mother Nature was angry with me. Clouds had moved in and thunder rumbled in the distance. Thank goodness I wasn’t out walking in this. With the windshield wipers on high, they tried to beat the water away with little luck. The downpour came down even faster now, making it hard to see the road in front of me.
Oddly enough, it seemed as if every streetlight that I went past turned off just as I approached. When I glanced in the mirror, the light would turn on again. Was I having that effect on them or was there something else following me that was doing that? The latter thought sent a shiver down my spine.
I glanced in the rearview mirror to see if maybe I had an unwanted passenger in the back seat. Thank goodness there was nothing back there. At least not that I saw. What if it was just waiting for the perfect time to make an appearance?
Chapter 23
I’d almost made it to the tavern now with no other incidents. Sure, the streetlights were still going off, but I had made it without seeing an unwanted guest in the back seat. I parked the car a good distance away from the tavern along the street. I told myself that the tavern was crowded and that was probably why Tammy hadn’t answered my call. That thought made me feel somewhat better. I was sure that once I stepped inside, she would be behind the bar, frantically pouring drinks. Now I just needed to find Brannon and Porter.
I headed down the sidewalk, but oddly I felt as if someone was watching me. I glanced over my shoulder. No one was there. I quickened my step, but the feeling remained and now I thought someone was behind me. Just as I turned to check, I realized someone was there. The person reached out and grabbed me.
I wished I knew who this person’s identity, but the person wore a mask. A scary mask. The same clown mask. Was that necessary? As if dragging me away wasn’t scary enough, now I had to look at that horrifying sight.
“Where are you
taking me?” I yelled.
Of course, I received no answer. What had I expected? That the person would tell me they were taking me right over to this nice restaurant for a lovely dinner. That wasn’t likely to happen, telling me where I was going or the dinner at the nice restaurant. I kicked and tried to break free, but the person kept a tight hold on me. The person wasn’t that much taller than me, though, Not much taller, or necessarily stronger, for that matter. With a bit more fighting, I might get away. Was this a man or a woman? I couldn’t tell. The person pulled me away, moving past my car. It was dark now, so apparently no one saw this kidnapping scene.
Again, I asked, “Where are we going?”
No response. I tried to scream but immediately a cloth was shoved into my mouth. Then out came the duct tape. Seriously? I was being kidnapped right in the middle of town and not one single person saw this? Are you kidding me right now? Did they think this was some sort of prank and would just ignore it? I really thought that people in Devil’s Moon were nosier than that. When it came to something I did, they were all over that, but let me get kidnapped and nobody saw a thing.
The next thing I knew my hands were tied behind my back. Now I was gagged and my hands were bound. At least I could see where we were going. I’d spoken too soon. A scarf was tied around my eyes, blocking my view of everything. A squeaking noise sounded. What was that noise? The person pushed me forward, tipping me over into something.
A trunk of a car. Oh no. This was a very bad thing. One of the worst things that could happen. Now that they had me in the trunk of the car, they’d take me somewhere and dispose of me. No one would ever see me again. My remains would never be found. I would always be missing. Sure, they’d put up missing person posters around town, and maybe I’d be in the paper, but it would be to no avail. They’d never find me. Wasn’t I the optimist today? It was understandable, though, considering my current situation. All right. I had to remain calm and figure my way out of this.
Since I couldn’t use my hands, I had to find another way out of this. At least they had failed to tie my legs together. I could use them to try to kick the top of the trunk and get it to release. It was probably pointless. Nope. No negative thoughts. I had to give it a try. How badly would it look if I was found and I had no injuries consistent with putting up a fight.
Giving up wasn’t an option. That wasn’t me. No way. I would keep fighting as long as there was a breath left in me. I used all my strength and kicked up again. Nothing happened and it was a lot harder kicking than I’d thought. I was surprised at how much I used my arms in the kicking process. I thought it was all the legs, but it wasn’t. All right, remain calm, I reminded myself again. That was easier said than done. The only way I would figure out how to get out of this trunk was to stay calm.
I kicked again and nothing happened. Well, nothing other than I had a pain in my leg now. That was all I needed, a broken bone. Though where I was headed that probably didn’t matter if I had a broken bone. I’d probably have a lot of broken bones and far worse. Maybe I should just give up. It was probably pointless to even try anymore. I should accept my fate. Hello? This was Ripley Van Raden. I never gave up. Giving up this time would be no different. How I would get out of here? I hadn’t worked that out yet, but I wasn’t going to stop trying. No negative thoughts from this point forward.
We had been driving for quite a while now. What state we were even in? Was it still Kentucky or Tennessee? I had no idea. Maybe we were just driving in circles. Maybe they’d keep me in this trunk forever, waiting for me to die. I’d suffocate in here. I was beginning to think I couldn’t breathe. Maybe that really was their plan.
The thought had barely slipped from my mind when the car came to a stop. Had we just stopped at a red light? No, this was too long of a pause to just be a red light. The engine cutoff. My heart beat faster. This was it. Now I’d finally find out where they had taken me. Even though I still had the blindfold on, surely, they’d take it off soon and I’d see where they’d taken me. Before they got rid of me, I just had to know where we were. I wished I had a way of finding out who’d done this. If they would take the scarf out of my mouth, maybe then I could ask them why they were doing this. Did it have something to do with the murder? Would I be the second victim? Maybe there were more victims than Josh. Maybe there had been more, and I would be the third or fourth victim. I just had no way of knowing. That fear of the unknown was truly terrifying.
After the car door opened and closed, the sound of footsteps echoed as the person rounded the side of the car. They stopped in front of the trunk, shoved a key into the lock, and then the trunk clicked open. I knew because there was light coming from the open lid. They yanked me from the back, and I wobbled to stand upright. I still had a bit of pain in my leg from where I had kicked.
They guided me somewhere now. I was still blindfolded and gagged so I had no way of knowing where they were taking me. I mumbled again, hoping that they’d take the gag away, but it didn’t affect the kidnapper. That came as no surprise. If they would do something like this in the first place, then they would have absolutely no remorse and desire to take the gag off.
The person directed me rather roughly by holding on to my arm. I just hoped they didn’t have me walk right into a wall or something. A short distance later, the person tapped on my leg to get me to move up. Again and again, until I assumed I was standing on something, a platform maybe? Who knew? On the edge of something? Maybe they were going to toss me over. All right, now I was starting to panic at all the racing thoughts in my mind.
A squeaking like maybe a door opening came and then I was walked more. Then all of a sudden, I was shoved down onto a chair. My heart beat faster and I wondered if the end was near. Thoughts of Brannon raced through my mind. I hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to him. Maybe he was here too. I hadn’t thought of that until now. I hadn’t talked to him. Plus, I’d gotten that mysterious call. Then nothing after that. Maybe they had kidnapped him too.
Soon the person stood beside me. I sensed the person’s presence. The next thing I knew the person reached up and started to untie the scarf from around my eyes. It was off now. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the dimly lit room. I looked around. There was no sign of Brannon, much to my disappointment.
I recognized the room after a couple of seconds. Mrs. Glass’ house. We had driven all the way to Nashville. I knew we had driven a long way. Why was I here? I tried to look back to see who was standing behind me. I wanted to get the identity of my attacker. The person was just out of eyesight.
“Why am I here?” I attempted to ask, but all that came out were mumbled words.
I hoped that the person would soon remove the gag from my mouth, and I would be able to speak clearly once again. I wiggled my arms, trying to break free. My attacker laughed. It was a female laugh. Now I knew my kidnapper was a woman.
Chapter 24
Footsteps clicked on the floor as the person moved around me. Soon she stood in front of me.
“I should have known it was you,” I said.
Kendra smiled, all done up pretty with her makeup and hair just like she was ready to report on the news. The reporter had kidnapped me. I knew I didn’t like her for a reason.
“What do you want?” I asked.
Kendra stood there with her arms crossed in front of her, smiling at me with an evil glare in her eyes.
“I’ll tell you when I’m ready for you to know, not when you demand it from me. You think you’re so clever.” She chuckled.
“Well, I’ve managed to avoid you this long, so I guess I’m not exactly a dummy,” I said.
“But not smart enough because look where you are,” she said.
“Yes, look where I am,” I said smugly.
I wondered if she was working together with Mrs. Glass.
“Where’s Mrs. Glass?” I asked. “How did you get into her house?”
“Don’t you worry about where she is,” she said.
“Did you hurt her?”
I asked.
“She’s fine,” she said. “She said that you have the vase and the book.”
I just stared at her. The vase that was sent to the museum?
“And you have the conjuring book?” she added.
I couldn’t believe she was asking about that. I figured no one even knew about that book other than me, Brannon, and Tammy. Had I told anyone else? Well, of course, Mrs. Glass knew, but she hadn’t realized exactly what the book was for.
“You attacked me at the graveyard,” I said. You wore that stupid mask then too.”
“That wasn’t me. One of my associates.”
“Who?” I demanded.
“None of your business,” she said.
“What do you know about that book?” I asked. “And why do you want it?”
“You’re not asking me questions. I’m asking you questions. Do we have an understanding?”
Just then Kendra pulled out a knife from behind her. A long shiny knife could do a lot of damage. I didn’t want to find out how much damage.
“I want the vase and the book,” she said as she moved closer.
“I don’t have the vase or the book on me,” I said.
That was the truth, but would she believe me?
“Where are they?” she asked suspiciously.
“The vase is at the museum.”
That had slipped out before I really thought about the consequences. I wished I hadn’t told her. I didn’t want her to go to the museum and confront Sidney.
“The book is at my house,” I said.
I didn’t care if she knew about that because no one was at my house. Well, at least I thought no one was there. Could Porter still be there? Speaking of Porter, had she kidnapped him too? What about Brannon? He hadn’t answered calls. Maybe she really had gotten him too. How had she pulled off something like kidnapping two men? A police officer nonetheless.
I had to get away from her, but how? I was tied to a chair. I wiggled my wrists just a bit to see how tight she’d gotten them. Not too bad. Maybe if I worked on them a bit. She was watching me like a hawk though.
