by Rose Pressey
Luckily, that was when I saw people headed my way. I was so happy that they hadn’t given up on me and that people were still doing the tour.
“Welcome to Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour,” I said. “Tonight I will guide you around the streets and buildings of town.” I continued with my usual spiel. “Many sightings of ghosts have been reported in the town of Devil’s Moon. Follow along with me tonight while I take you to some of the most haunted spots.”
As I began my presentation they followed me down the alley and we headed toward the tavern right around the corner.
“The streets and buildings of town are extremely haunted,” I said. “Many sightings of ghosts have been reported in the town of Devil’s Moon. The spirits drift along the alleys and occupy the buildings, long after they should have moved to the hereafter.”
I had barely made it to the tavern door when I spotted Ruby just down the way. She was with a couple of people and it looked as if she was trying to give a tour also.
It looked as if she was really going to try to give me competition. If that was what she wanted, then I was all for that. I was confident that I could beat her at this. I had a better tour, so she could continue this all she wanted. It would do her no good.
I took the group around to all of the buildings and it was actually a good tour tonight. Especially considering that no one was murdered and I had no missing people. All in all that was a plus. Lately my tour had been nothing but bad luck.
Not long after the thought popped into my head, I spotted Ruby. She was standing across the street. Her stare was focused on me. Ruby didn’t turn and walk away when she saw me watching her. I was sure she wanted me to see her. It was as if she was taunting me. Apparently she thought she was going to intimidate me. I wasn’t about to let that happen.
I took the group to the cemetery. Surprisingly that worked out well too. The group left the tour looking as if they’d had a great time.
Chapter 12
The graveyard never got any less spooky. Branches swayed with the wind. The same owl hooted from high in the treetop. I rubbed my arms to fend off the chill.
That was when a shuffling noise sounded from somewhere behind me. I spun around, but no one was there. Sometimes the ghosts would make noises to catch my attention, but never appear. I focused my attention on the alleyway again, was someone else coming to see me? The same noise came from over my shoulder again. I whirled around and discovered this time that I really wasn’t alone.
Mrs. Clatterbuck stood behind me. She wore the same brown skirt and blazer with a high-necked shirt. Looped on her arm was her brown pocketbook. To me she seemed very much alive. I wasn’t the only one who had seen her either. Brannon had seen her too. I knew by the glare on her face that she was going to tell me the same thing she always did when she confronted me. I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for it tonight. I turned back around so that maybe she would go away. That didn’t work though.
“I will tell you again. You can’t disturb the dead. You should let them rest in peace.” Mrs. Clatterbuck moved around and stood in front of me now.
She wasn’t going to let me out of her sight.
“Mrs. Clatterbuck, I understand what you are saying, but I really can’t handle a lecture tonight.”
Her eyes narrowed. This made her even madder. I wished I could just ignore her, but she wouldn’t allow that to happen.
She placed her hands on her hips. “I told you to stay out of this cemetery and I mean it.”
I released a deep breath and then said, “Well, don’t worry about it, Mrs. Clatterbuck, if things don’t change soon it looks like I might not be doing the tour any longer. If so, then that means I’ll stay out of the graveyard.”
She stared at me. I’d never seen that kind of expression on her face before. It was as if she couldn’t believe what I’d just said.
“Well, I’m pleased that you finally see things my way. It is important that you stay out.”
I hadn’t said for sure that I’d stay out.
“Okay, I’m leaving now,” I said as I walked away from the graveyard.
I thought that would be the end of it, but apparently she wasn’t finished with me. Mrs. Clatterbuck followed me down the alleyway. She’d never done that before.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Why are you following me?” I hurried my steps.
“Why did you agree to stay away?” she asked.
So it hadn’t gone unnoticed for her that she had been asking for a long time. For a while I wondered if she even knew how to say anything else.
“I don’t have a tour. Someone stole it from me. You’ll probably have to tell her to stay out of the graveyard from now on.” I turned the corner and she continued with me.
I stopped in front of the tavern. Surely she wouldn’t follow me in there.
“Who is this woman?” she asked.
“I guess you will meet her soon enough,” I said. “Her name is Ruby. She kind of looks like me. So I guess you’ll know it’s her when she sets foot in the graveyard.”
“I want to meet her now. I want to warn her to stay away now.”
“I don’t know where she is,” I said.
That was when I noticed movement. It was Ruby. Should I really point her out to Mrs. Clatterbuck? I guessed I might as well. What did I have to lose? Ruby was right down the sidewalk. It wouldn’t be hard for Mrs. Clatterbuck to find her.
“There she is.” I pointed.
Mrs. Clatterbuck followed my pointing finger with her gaze. She stared for a moment and then headed in that direction. She sure hadn’t wasted any time going after her. I decided to watch. This could be interesting. Would Ruby be able to see her too? I hoped so. If she was going to take over my tour then she needed the full effect of it.
I watched as Mrs. Clatterbuck hurried down the sidewalk. She kind of floated actually. Her movements were much faster than a living person could ever manage. She rushed up behind Ruby and poked her on the shoulder. Ruby spun around. My vantage point was far away, but I could still tell by her reaction that she was scared. She stumbled back. The people with her looked around, but apparently they didn’t see Mrs. Clatterbuck. I knew that Ruby couldn’t see her either. This was kind of fun to watch. Should I feel bad about that? Yeah, I probably should.
I supposed I had seen enough. I turned to go into the tavern, but as soon as I turned Mrs. Clatterbuck was in front of me again.
I clutched my chest. “Oh, what are you doing? You were just over there.”
“I took care of her for you,” she said.
I thought I noticed a hint of a smile on her face. I hadn’t even known she was capable of that emotion.
“Thank you, Mrs. Clatterbuck,” I said with a bit of confusion. I wasn’t sure why she had done this.
“I don’t want anyone in that graveyard. Without you I would have had to deal with someone all over again.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
Chapter 13
After talking with Mrs. Clatterbuck, I headed in the tavern. I couldn’t wait to tell Tammy what a good night it had been. Brannon was going to meet me there in just a little while, so I would hang out, have a drink, and talk to Tammy. Maybe finally relax.
I stepped into the tavern and Tammy waved. I headed over and took a seat right in front of her.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.
“I think I’ll be adventurous tonight and go for a Diet Coke with a spritz of lime.”
“Wow, you are adventurous. Usually it’s just water with lemon.” Tammy grabbed a glass.
“What can I say? Nothing bad happened on the tour. Now if I can just keep that going I’ll be on a roll.”
Suddenly I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to see that Ruby was behind me.
“I see you had your tour tonight.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“I see you had yours.” I smirked.
I felt like this was a childish fight between a couple of second
-graders. Nevertheless, I would hope that she would leave soon.
“You can’t do this tour forever,” she said. “I will put you out of business. Mark my words.”
I was so furious. I stood up from the stool, looked her right in the eyes, and said, “You can’t do your tour forever. I will put you out of business. Mark my words.”
“You want to bet?” she asked.
“Watch me. You’ll be out of town in no time.”
I’d never been more serious. I was so mad that I stomped out of the tavern without saying another word. I couldn’t even look at her. I might end up getting in a fight if I did. I headed for home as quickly as possible. When I got there, I just plopped down on the couch. I released a deep breath. What could I do to calm down? I didn’t even want to read or watch TV. I just stared at the wall.
Ten minutes had passed. I’d stared at the wall blankly the entire time, fuming over what Ruby had said. At least I had calmed down a little bit, but I was still angry. No way would I let her put me out of business. She didn’t have that right.
My phone rang and Brannon’s number popped up on the screen. I hoped it wasn’t bad news after the fight. Ruby had ended up making my tour go from good to bad. I’d forgotten all about meeting Brannon there. I would have to call and have him meet me somewhere else.
When I answered, Brannon said, “I have some bad news. I need to talk to you right away. Can you get over here?”
“Where are you?” I said in a panic.
“I’m at the tavern. The woman doing the tours, she’s been murdered.”
“What?”
“The one who was doing the tours.”
I gasped. “Ruby? Are you kidding me? I just had a fight with her.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
I jumped up and rushed out the door, running for the tavern as fast as I could. My phone rang on the way, but I didn’t have time to stop and answer. Tammy was calling. I was sure she wanted to talk about the crazy thing that had just happened. I wondered what had happened to Ruby. It had to have happened minutes after I left. It had only taken me about five minutes to walk home. I’d only been there for a short time when Brannon called. It had to have happened right when I left the tavern.
When I reached the tavern, I saw the police cars with lights twirling. The coroner’s vehicle was parked by the door. The sight sent a shiver down my spine. Brannon made eye contact with me as soon as I walked up on the sidewalk.
He rushed over to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay. What happened?”
“We just found her in the back of the tavern. After talking with a few people they said they saw you arguing with her.”
My stomach dropped. What did that have to do with anything? “Do they think I killed her?”
“Well, of course, I don’t, but… you know.”
“No, I don’t know exactly. Just because I had an argument with her doesn’t mean that I killed her. I wasn’t even around.”
“I know, but the detectives want to talk to you anyway.”
This was crazy. I couldn’t believe it. Tammy rushed over to me while Brannon went back to talk to another officer. He told me to stay put.
“What happened?” I asked Tammy.
“I don’t know. She left the bar as soon as you did and then I heard a commotion out back. When the waiter went out there he found her. He said she had your poster in her hand. The one from the tour.”
My stomach sank. “You’re kidding me. Sounds like a setup to me.”
“Yeah, but who would do that?”
“I don’t know, perhaps the same person who killed the other woman, Ashley? But what connection would Ashley have had to this lady Ruby?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s all so confusing.”
Brannon wanted me to go with him to the police station, so of course I agreed. Though I doubted they would give me the option of saying no. I had nothing to hide, but one thing I knew for sure—I would probably stop the tour for the time being. Until all of this was settled, I just didn’t want to continue. I would take a break. However long I needed… days or a few months, whatever it took.
I got in the police car with Brannon. “Thanks for not making me sit in the back seat.”
“Rip, everything will be fine.”
The expression on his face said otherwise. The crease between his brows let me know he was worried. Therefore, I knew I should be worried. We drove toward the station in silence.
“You’re being awful quiet,” he said.
“Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I’m being questioned for murder,”I said.
“They’ll just ask you some questions and then let you go. I really know this will be okay, so don’t worry, all right?” He squeezed my hand.
I wanted to believe him, but this was serious. Someone had been murdered and I’d been arguing with her right before it happened. I was pretty sure a jury would frown upon that. “I haven’t even figured out the first murder. Now I have to figure out who killed Ruby.”
“Well, we know that’s not your job,” he said.
“Yeah, right,” I said.
We pulled up in front of the police station. Of course Brannon walked inside with me. The next thing I knew, I found myself in a small room with only a table and a couple chairs. I knew that one chair was for me, and the other was for the detective who would be grilling me for more information. I had nothing else to tell them. Was this when I was supposed to ask for a lawyer? I’d talk to them for a short time, then if I thought things weren’t going in my favor, I’d demand a lawyer.
The light flickered overhead. I wasn’t sure where Brannon was. He’d said he would be right back, but I had a feeling they were keeping him away. Did they think he was somehow involved with the murder? Did they think we had conspired together? They probably had all kinds of ideas. I tapped my fingers on the tabletop. I couldn’t calm my nerves. My legs shook and I shifted in the hard metal chair. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic and finding it difficult to breathe. If I didn’t get out of there soon I might lose my mind.
Soon the doorknob rattled and my anxiety spiked. A detective walked into the room. He wore a black suit instead of the Devil’s Moon Police Department uniform. Was he with the FBI? He smiled at me, but I wondered if it was sincere.
“Okay, we should start at the beginning.” He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down.
“The beginning? I had nothing to do with this.” I knew my voice wavered, which probably looked like suspicious behavior.
“Can you tell me how you know Ruby?”
“I really don’t know her. She showed up at my tour wanting a job. When I wouldn’t give her one, she started a tour of her own.”
“So you were mad at her?” he asked, staring me right in the eyes.
I didn’t know how to answer. Yes, I was mad at her, but that answer would sound as if I had a motive to kill her. I supposed he knew that I had been arguing with Ruby before she had been killed. That was the whole reason I was here in the first place.
“What was the fight about in the tavern before she was murdered?”
“It was about her doing the tour.”
“So what happened?” he asked.
The way his eyes bore into me make me nervous. I shifted in the seat. Of course this made me look guilty.
“We exchanged words and then I left. I went home.”
“Is there anyone who can verify that you were at home?”
“No, I live alone,” I said.
I was seriously considering telling him that I wanted to talk with Brannon. Though they didn’t want Brannon in here in the first place, so I doubted that would change now.
Sweat broke out on my forehead. Was he trying to get me to confess? I just wanted out of there. I wasn’t going to last much longer in this cramped space. What was Brannon doing? How long had I been in here? They couldn’t keep me in here forever. Wouldn’t Brannon come
and save me? I supposed if he thought I was guilty he wouldn’t save me. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized it had only been five minutes since I got here. It sure felt like a lot more time had passed.
“I bet you could get some surveillance video to show that I was walking past the business in town. That would prove I was where I said I was, right?” I asked with hope in my voice.
He had no idea how close to freakout mode I truly was.
“Where is Brannon?” I asked.
The detective ignored my question. I knew that he’d heard me. The fact that he didn’t answer made me even more nervous. The detective probably thought I had demanded to know Brannon’s whereabouts and that would be a no-no in his eyes. Maybe Brannon had left me there. No, I had to push that thought to the back of my mind. He would never do something like that. Would he?
The detective was writing. I inched forward just a bit to see if I could read what he was feverishly scribbling on the page. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make out exactly the words. More than likely he was writing down my account of the events. Or his version of my account. I had to know where Brannon had gone.
Again, I asked, “Where is Brannon? I’d like for him to come in the room with us.”
It was a slim chance that he would allow my request to happen.
The detective looked up at me with narrowed eyes. “He’s in the other room talking to a detective.”
“What? You mean discussing this case? He’s being interrogated as well?”
He nodded, but didn’t lift his head up to look at me as he continued to write. This was terrible. I felt awful for getting Brannon involved in this. But how was I to know this would happen? They had to know that there was a killer out there, and it wasn’t me. I had a suspicion that the person who killed Ruby was the same person who killed Ashley.
