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

by Rose Pressey

  My mother paced across the floor. “Are you getting that ghost out of here?”

  I peeked down the hallway. “I’m pretty sure it is gone now. See, there’s no cold air now. That means it’s gone.”

  My mother quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s what it means?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I don’t like the idea of this woman following you. What does she want?” my father asked.

  “To talk about books?” I said. “I suppose I should tell the police about her.”

  My father nodded. “Yes, you should.”

  I pulled out my phone and dialed the police. After I told them what had happened, the dispatcher said they’d be over right away. What would Brannon say if he found out I hadn’t called him?

  My mother and father kept walking back and forth and looking out the window waiting for the police.

  “What is taking them so long?” my mother asked.

  I hadn’t called Brannon because I wasn’t sure I was ready for him to meet my parents. He would think I was bringing him home for dinner. I would wait and see how things went with him before I brought him home.

  Headlights appeared in the driveway.

  “They’re here,” my father said.

  After a couple seconds, I spotted who was walking up the path toward the front door. Brannon was going to meet my parents now whether I liked it or not.

  “Oh, no,” I mumbled under my breath.

  “Is something wrong?” my mother asked.

  “No, no, not at all.”

  My father opened the door. I tried to hide behind the door, but Brannon stepped inside the foyer.

  When Brannon spotted me his eyes widened. “Rip, what are you doing here?”

  “I placed the call. These are my parents.” I gestured toward my parents.

  My mom and dad eyed Brannon up and down.

  Brannon nodded. “Nice to meet you. What happened?”

  I explained what had happened and Brannon stepped out to have a look around. My parents and I peered out into the dark night from the windows. After a couple minutes, Brannon stepped back inside. I hurried away from the window to act as if I hadn’t been watching.

  “She’s not out there now, but I’ll go by the bed-and-breakfast and have a talk with her,” Brannon said.

  I hated to have him do that, but it was for the best.

  I wasn’t sure if I should tell Brannon about the other visitor we’d had at my parents’ house. After all, he would probably be in a hurry to talk with Sandra. Before I had a chance to think about it any longer, the cold fell over the room again. His eyes widened and I noticed he was watching the space behind me. I knew without turning around what he’d seen.

  “Did you see something?” I asked, waiting for him to confirm what I already knew.

  He nodded. “I saw a shadow.”

  “I thought you said it had gone away,” my mother screeched.

  “You have a ghost here?” Brannon asked. He looked at my parents and then to me.

  “Apparently it’s the same one that’s been following me. It followed me here tonight.” Of course I didn’t know which ghost it was.

  Brannon frowned.

  I waved my hand. “I told them that it will go away as soon as I leave.”

  “And I told my daughter that that didn’t make me feel any better to know that this ghost is following her around,” my mother said with worry in her voice.

  “Would you like to come with me to visit with Sandra?” Brannon asked.

  I thought he was just asking because he knew my parents were upset by the ghost.

  “If it makes you feel better, ma’am, I can take a look around your house. I’m not only a police officer, I deal with the paranormal too.”

  “Like a Ghostbuster?” my father asked in all seriousness.

  I placed my head in my hands.

  Brannon smiled. “Yes, I guess somewhat like that.”

  My mother waved her hand. “Please have a look around.”

  Brannon walked around the house. I hoped he didn’t look in the last bedroom down the hallway. That had been my bedroom and my parents still had the place set up like a shrine for me.

  After a few seconds, he reappeared down the hallway. “I don’t see anything. Like your daughter said, I think that the ghost will be gone when she leaves. And don’t worry, I’m in the process of getting rid of the ghost so that it won’t be hanging around her.”

  My mother smiled. “I like this guy, Rip.”

  Even more embarrassment. “I have to help my mother clean up the kitchen.” I didn’t want to leave her with a mess.

  She waved off my comment. “You go on and get rid of the ghost. It’s more important. I will be fine.” I smiled. “Please come back and see us sometime, officer. You can come for dinner.”

  Brannon smiled. “I’d love that as long as Rip wouldn’t mind.”

  “Of course I’d love it,” I said.

  It would be interesting to say the least.

  I left my car in my parents’ driveway and hopped in the cruiser with Brannon. I was nervous about going to see Sandra. It would probably make her mad to know that I had ratted her out. But what other choice did I have?

  “Are you doing okay? You’re quiet,” Brannon said as he drove down the street.

  I snapped to attention. “Oh, yes. I was just thinking about Sandra. She’ll probably be mad when she finds out that I called the police.”

  He turned right at the light. “Maybe she will, but it has to be done. We can’t let her get away with this.”

  I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. “I know you’re right, but still…”

  Soon we pulled up to the bed-and-breakfast. Brannon cut the lights and the ignition. “Are you ready for this?” he asked. “You can stay in the car if you’d like.”

  I looked up at the house. “I’m ready.”

  I opened the car door and climbed out.

  “You know Cady is staying here too?”

  ‘Wow, that’s awkward,’ I said.

  Brannon and I walked up the path to the front door. There was a light on in the living room. I hoped that Gail wasn’t too startled when she saw Brannon standing at her front door.

  A few seconds after Brannon rang the bell, Gail Sylvia answered the door. Her eyes were wide and she just stared at us for a second without speaking. She probably thought we were there to either arrest Cady or Sandra. I hadn’t see Gail since I’d returned to Devil’s Moon. She used to live next door to my parents until she bought this big old house and fixed it up.

  “Good evening. Ripley, it’s nice to see you again. Is there something wrong?” she asked.

  “Good evening, Ms. White. Everything is fine, but we would like to speak with one of your guests.”

  “Only one of my guests is here right now. Sandra is upstairs.” She gestured toward the staircase behind her.

  Well, that worked out perfectly. I hadn’t thought about what we would do if she hadn’t been there.

  “Good,” Brannon said, “that’s exactly who we want to talk with.”

  I knew that Sandra would be surprised and angry to see us there. I wondered if she would have an even stronger reaction. Would she run away or possibly get violent? She was so soft-spoken, I just didn’t see her doing anything like that… or even murdering Hank. But she had been spying on me. Plus she had been pretty rough with the woman at the library and Melissa.

  Gail stepped back and opened the door wider. She motioned for us to enter. “Please come in.”

  Brannon and I stepped into the house. The room was filled with silence.

  Gail watched us for a minute, and then said, “I’ll just go get Sandra for you.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Brannon said in his sweetest Southern accent.

  Gail disappeared up the stairs.

  “I hate that we have to put her through this,” I whispered.

  “We’ll try to keep it brief and get out of here as quickly as possible.�
�

  I still couldn’t believe that Brannon had asked me to accompany him to question Sandra. I guessed it wouldn’t be as easy for her to lie her way out of it if she was confronted with me face to face.

  After a couple more seconds, Gail appeared down the stairs. Sandra emerged coming down behind Gail. Sandra wouldn’t look over at us as she came down the stairs. Tension hung in the air.

  “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Gail attempted a little smile and then walked out of the room.

  Sandra walked over toward us and finally looked at us. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Where were you tonight?” Brannon asked.

  “I’ve been here,” she said.

  “Where were you about an hour ago?”

  Sandra looked down at her bare feet. “I was here,” she said with an irritated tone in her voice.

  Brannon stared at her for a moment. The tension grew even though I didn’t think that was possible.

  “Sandra, Ms. Van Raden saw you at her parents’ home. Her parents saw you as well. Did you follow her?”

  She looked away.

  “You know that’s illegal?” Brannon pushed.

  “I was just trying to help her,” Sandra said.

  Brannon frowned. “Help her with what?”

  This I had to hear.

  “I know the ghosts have been hanging around her. I was just trying to make sure she was safe.”

  Brannon looked at me. That was an odd explanation. “You saw ghosts following her?” Brannon asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, almost every time I’ve seen her. You see, I have psychic abilities. That’s not something I usually tell people.”

  Brannon nodded. “Well, we are dealing with the spirits that have been following her, and while I know you were trying to help, I have to ask you to stop.”

  If she was telling the truth then I felt bad for calling the police, but how was I supposed to know? She shouldn’t follow people like that. It was unnerving to say the least.

  “Can you tell me anything about the ghosts following me?” I asked. I couldn’t believe she had seen more than one.

  “There was a male and a female, but I couldn’t make out much more than that.”

  Sandra didn’t say anything else. She turned and walked out of the room toward the kitchen.

  “Wow. That was strange,” I said.

  “She isn’t very cooperative,” Brannon said.

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  “That’s up to you.”

  I released a deep breath. “I don’t think she’ll do it again. We’ll just leave it at that. Do you really think she’s seen the ghosts?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I suppose. I don’t know why she would make up something like that.”

  Just then Gail came into the room. “Is everything okay? Sandra came into the kitchen, but when I spoke to her she didn’t answer.”

  “I think she’s just upset right now because we asked her about coming around Ripley’s parents’ home.”

  Gail nodded. “I see. So did she answer everything you needed?”

  Brannon nodded. “I think we got all the answers we’re going to get today. Thank you for allowing us to come in and talk with her.”

  “It’s no problem,” she said.

  “Thank you again, Gail,” I said.

  She smiled. Brannon and I walked out the door and onto the porch. Cady was standing there, as if she had been waiting for us.

  “Good evening, officer. Hello, Ripley.”

  I forced a smile onto my face. What was she up to?

  “How are you this evening?” Brannon asked.

  “So you were here to speak with Sandra?”

  “Did you need something?” Brannon asked without answering her question.

  Cady shrugged. “I just know she is weird. I overheard what you all said to her tonight. Maybe I should have mentioned this before, but I am almost sure I saw her spying on us the night of Hank’s murder when we went by the old house.”

  I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to bring the topic of the old house up again.

  Brannon eyed Cady. “Where did you see Sandra?”

  “She was by the trees at the end of the driveway. We were getting ready to leave, so I didn’t say anything.”

  “You should have said something the other ten times I’ve spoken with you since his murder.”

  I knew by Brannon’s tone that he was clearly angry with Cady. “Like I said, I didn’t think it was important.”

  I didn’t think that I believed her.

  Just then before any of us said anything else, noise sounded from the right and we spotted Sandra. She ran across the grass and disappeared around a tree. Brannon took off down the porch after her.

  “I wonder if she overheard us?” Cady asked.

  I shrugged. “Probably. Maybe she was just upset.”

  We watched, but it was hard to see where they had disappeared to. After a couple minutes, Brannon returned. Sandra wasn’t with him.

  “I don’t know where she went to.” He ran his hand through his hair. “She’ll probably be back in a bit. We won’t wait for her though. I think she probably just overheard what Cady said.”

  That was what I had thought too.

  “Do you want me to call you if she comes back?” Cady asked.

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” Brannon said.

  Cady shrugged. “Okay, well, nice talking to you.”

  If Cady thought Sandra was strange, then she was too. Why did she act that way? Cady strolled to the door. She seemed happy about making Sandra upset.

  When she was inside, Brannon said, “Are you ready to leave?”

  I nodded. “More than ready.”

  While I walked down the steps, I looked over to where Sandra had run. She was still nowhere in sight. Brannon opened the car door for me and I slipped in. He came around and climbed behind the wheel.

  After starting the ignition, he said, “What do you think of what Cady said? Did you see Sandra at that house?”

  I shook my head. “No, I never saw her. I wonder if Cady is being honest?”

  “That’s a good question. It’s hard to tell. No one is being honest. It’s been a tough case. I’m confident we’re close to finding the killer though.”

  We pulled out of the driveway. Instead of turning toward my parents’ home, he pulled down the street in the opposite direction.

  “I just thought we’d drive down and see if Sandra is around.”

  “You’re worried about her, aren’t you?” I asked.

  He shrugged but kept his hands on the wheel. “Like I said, these women are hard to read. I’m usually better than this at reading people.”

  “Can you read me?” I asked.

  He glanced over at me. “Sometimes.”

  I wondered if he meant that in a good way or a bad way.

  “What about me? Can you read me?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I think so. You’re gentle, but firm. Smart and inquisitive. Underneath your manliness is an innocence that brings out charm. Other than that, you’re a closed book. .”

  Brannon glanced over at me wide-eyed. “Well, I did ask, didn’t I?”

  Chapter 17

  I was relaxing in my favorite chair when a knock sounded on the door. Of course my nerves kicked in as soon as I heard the sound. Who was at my door? I eased up and tiptoed across the floor in my socks. I didn’t want whoever was at the door to hear me on the other side. That way I could pretend I wasn’t home. I slipped up to the door and leaned close. Now I realized that I would have to ask who was at my door, so my being quiet was pointless.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “It’s Brannon. Can I come in?”

  I unlocked the door. He looked handsome in his jeans and t-shirt. Although the expression on his face told me that he was a little frazzled.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I think I have a way to get rid of the ghosts that have been
following you.”

  I frowned. “The ghosts? Which ones?” I hoped he wasn’t talking about Annie.

  He nodded. “You said there was a ghost hanging around here and the library. Don’t worry, I won’t go after Annie.”

  “Oh yeah, right.”

  He motioned. “Do you mind if I come inside?”

  I stepped out of the way and gestured for him to enter. “Sure, come in.”

  “I know this might sound crazy, but I really think I’m on to something,” he said when he stepped into the hallway. As he stood there he just studied my face for a second.

  “You’re beginning to freak me out a little. What’s going on?” I asked.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. Maybe it would be better if I just go ahead and bring the thing in.”

  My eyes widened. “Bring what in? Do you have a ghost or something?”

  He chuckled. “Not yet.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Wait right here. I’ll be right back.” Brannon hurried out the door.

  Of course there was no way I was going to wait right there for him. I rushed out the door and down the steps after him. When I reached the front entrance, I paused at the door to watch. Brannon was at his car. He reached in the trunk and pulled out a big wooden box. If he had some kind of animal in there I wasn’t sure I wanted him to bring it inside. There was probably something in my lease about that. I sure didn’t want to get evicted. He climbed up the porch steps with the box in his arms. He could barely see around the thing, it was so big.

  “Can I help you carry that?” I asked.

  “No, I’m good,” Brannon said as he hoisted the thing with ease.

  I rushed inside and up the steps, all the while glancing back to make sure Brannon didn’t miss a step and fall. Not that I would have been able to help if he did. He hurried back into my apartment with the box, moving through the hall and into the living room. He placed the large box on the floor. I stood next to him and we stared down at it.

  After a couple seconds, I asked, “What is it?”

  He glanced over at me with a grin. “That is a paranormal box.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

  “A paranormal box or a ghost box. I’m not sure what to call it exactly.”

  Wow, now I really had heard it all.