by Rose Pressey
I arrived at the small brick house and parked right out front. I jumped out and hurried for the door, still nervous about what I would say. I had the book in my arms. I thought about shoving it back at Christine when she opened the door, but I couldn’t do that. I had to find out answers first. Maybe she hadn’t sent the book at all. I supposed I could mail it back to her if she refused to take it. That was if she had sent it to me. I rang the doorbell, but unfortunately, there was no answer. I rang again, but still no answer.
This was incredibly frustrating, but I wouldn’t give up yet. I would leave now, but I would come back. She couldn’t hide away forever. Maybe I would have someone else come and ask her about the book, since obviously she knew who I was.
I turned around to head back to my car and spotted a red vehicle driving slowly down the road. A woman was looking over at me when we made eye contact. She looked away and then punched the gas and took off down the street.
That was really weird, but was she Christine? I jumped in my car and cranked the engine.
What happened? Annie asked in her text message.
“She didn’t answer the door, but I think that red car that just drove by slowly might have been her. I’m going to go after it,” I said.
Just be careful. Annie sent another text.
With Annie’s texts being read out loud it was as if I was having a conversation with her, although her voice did seem a bit computerized.
I pulled away from the curb and hurried down the road to catch up with the red car. Finally, I spotted it as the car made a right turn, but it was so far ahead I wasn’t sure if I would be able to catch up.
You’re driving awfully fast. Just be careful, Annie said.
The red light was up ahead. It had caught her, so if I could just get around a few cars in front of me I would be right behind the woman. What I would do then, I had no idea. I’d follow her until she finally stopped. If she was an innocent person, she would think I was crazy and probably call the police.
Brannon would want to know why I was tailing random people. He would want to know why I didn’t just let him ask Christine the questions. He had enough to deal with regarding the other investigations. Why should I ask him to look into this little matter of a demonic haunting?
Finally, I reached the car. The light turned green and she took off. She sped down the road, way over the speed limit. I knew she was trying to get away from me, but I didn’t know if she thought I was just some crazy stalker or if she knew who I was. When she turned right, I got stuck behind another car, and I knew there was no way I would be able to catch up with her. It was too dangerous and I didn’t want to drive recklessly. Well, more recklessly. I would just have to go back to the house to find her at a different time.
***
Standing by the mystery section at the library, my arms were full of books when I heard my name called out. When I spun around, I spotted Brannon headed toward me. He wore his uniform and had a serious expression on his face. Needless to say, after the attack I was nervous and anxious. Every little sound sent me over the edge.
“Is everything okay?” If he told me someone else had been murdered I didn’t know what I would do. “Is everyone okay?”
He grabbed the books from my hands. “Everyone is fine.”
I released a deep breath. “Thank goodness. You had me worried.”
“Where do you want these?” he asked.
“You can place them on the shelf over there.” I pointed.
I walked with Brannon over to the shelf and started taking the books off the stack in his hands one by one, then placing them on the shelf. “So tell me why you’re here. I know something’s up.”
“I could just stop by to see you.”
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s the case this time,” I said.
“Okay, you’re right… It’s about John and the lie detector test that he took,” Brannon said.
“You said he passed the lie detector test,” I said.
“Well, yes, we thought he had, but upon further review of the test there were a couple of questions that he might not have been truthful about.”
Something seemed fishy about that. “I thought once you passed that was it.”
“Not always,” Brannon said.
“Okay, so how can I help with this?”
His expression worried me. It looked as if he wanted to ask me something, but then again, as if he didn’t want to.
“There’s something wrong?” I asked as we walked back over to the counter. “You should just go ahead and ask me.”
This was really making me worried. He touched the book on the counter next to him, as if he didn’t want to make eye contact with me. That was unlike Brannon.
“There was one thing I wanted to ask you.”
“Okay, what’s that?” I asked.
“Would you be willing to help the police? You could ask John questions. Maybe you can get him to admit to something.”
“You want me to go undercover? I’m trying to get a confession out of him? Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”
“We would be nearby the entire time. Look, I know this is a lot to ask. I’d rather that you not do it, but I told my boss that I’d ask you.”
I stared at him for a moment. I weighed the pros and cons in my mind. I did want to find the killer, so that was a pro. But what if John was the killer and he came after me? That would definitely be a con. I knew Brannon didn’t really want me to do it, but…
I sighed. “I guess I can give it a try. Just don’t be disappointed when I don’t produce any results.”
He stared at me, stunned. “Are you sure, Rip? You know you don’t have to.”
I nodded. “I realize that. I want to do it.”
“Okay, so we will set up here in the library if that’s okay?”
I waited until Monica walked by before continuing. “Mrs. Agnew will flip her lid if she finds out the police are operating a sting here in the library.”
“Well, she’ll never find out. And it’s not exactly a sting,” he said with a smile.
“You forget this is a small town,” I said. “But anyway, tell me what I need to do.”
“Give John a call and have him meet you here at the library.”
“What time should I have him meet me?” I asked.
“I suppose that’s up to you two.”
“Okay, I’ll give him a call.” I grabbed my bag and pulled out his number.
Brannon watched as I pushed the numbers. Now I was really getting nervous. John answered on the second ring. Part of me had hoped that he wouldn’t answer. Then it wouldn’t be my fault that I hadn’t gone through with this. I could say at least I’d tried. Was I really doing this?
“John, this is Ripley Van Raden. With the haunted tour.”
“Did you find any clues?” he asked immediately.
I hated to disappoint him. I wasn’t even sure what to tell him. “Not exactly, but I wondered if you could meet me at the library. We can discuss what we do know and maybe come up with something more,” I said.
“Yeah. I suppose that would be fine. What time should I be there? I can come right now,” he said.
“Well, I have to finish work. How about after we close?” I asked.
“I’ve never been in a library after it’s closed before.”
“Um, okay, well, can you come?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”
We hung up, and I looked at Brannon. “It’s all set.”
“Great work, Rip.”
“Glad I could help.”
Now I had to wait and worry about what would happen.
“I’ll be back with the detectives about an hour before closing so we can set up. Plus, we don’t want him to arrive early and catch us.”
I said goodbye to Brannon and went back to work. He would be back soon and this plan would go down. I wanted to take my mind off what was about to happen.
***
The next thing I knew, it was clo
sing time and John would be here any minute. At least the time had passed quickly. The police were setting up in the other room. They had a ton of equipment that would allow them to monitor the situation. This felt so sneaky. Maybe because it was.
“We’re all set, Rip. Do you remember the secret phrase in case you feel you need out of there?”
“Cookie Monster?” I asked.
Brannon laughed and shook his head. “Yes, I don’t know why you picked that phrase, but nevertheless, that’s the word.” Brannon looked at the time. “We’d better get in there before he arrives.”
Brannon leaned down and kissed me. A few of the other officers made kissing noises. Honestly? What were they, twelve years old? I smirked at them as Brannon walked toward the stairway leading upstairs. I knew they would tease him about dating me, but he didn’t seem to mind.
The officers had barely cleared the area when John walked through the door. He tossed his hand up in a wave. That made me feel even guiltier for what I was about to do. I had to act as if everything was completely normal. It was just another day.
“How’s it going?” John asked.
“Great,” I managed. “Just let me lock the doors and then we can go upstairs and sit at the tables in one of the conference rooms.”
He gave me a confused look. I knew he was wondering why we couldn’t just talk down here. I couldn’t tell him it was because the police had set up to listen to our conversation.
Luckily, he didn’t ask me to explain.
“Come on up. It’s nice up here.” I motioned toward the staircase.
Okay, the more I talked the more suspicious I sounded. It was as if I was luring him into the spider’s web. I was sure the detectives were holding their breath, praying that I wouldn’t mess this up. John and I climbed the stairs and traveled down the hallway to the last room on the right. I opened the door with the key and motioned for John to go on in. I glanced over my shoulder. It made me feel better to know that Brannon was just across the way behind the next door. When I stepped into the room, John gave me another strange look. Was he suspicious? Panic started to settle in my stomach. If I wasn’t careful I would surely blow this.
“You can have a seat here.” I gestured.
He pulled out one of the metal chairs and sat down. I scooted a chair around to the other side and sat across from him at the table. Now that we were facing each other, I really wondered why I had agreed to this.
He leaned back in the chair. “So what have you found out?”
Maybe it was just me, but John seemed a little too casual about this. As he stared at me for an answer, I realized I wasn’t quite sure what I should say. Brannon hadn’t told me that I had to keep anything a secret.
“Oh, I found shoeprints behind the antique shop.”
His expression remained stoic. He stared at me without speaking. I frowned. Why was he looking at me that way? What was he thinking?
Finally, he said, “Really? Did you tell the police?”
I shifted in the chair. “Police?” I was surprised that I hadn’t blurted out, No, they’re not on the other side of the wall. “Yes, I did tell them, but actually I found it after they had searched the area.”
He frowned. “So it doesn’t belong to the person who killed Ashley?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I saw a person dressed all in black back there. Actually, it was right after I talked with you last.”
“Interesting,” he said as he continued to study my face.
I guessed I had to get to the point of this visit. “So the police talked with you,” I said.
His gaze was still fixed on me. “Yes, I’ve talked with them several times. I think they think I’m involved in this. What do you think?”
My eyes widened. Why was he throwing the question back to me?
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, trying to sound casual. “They’re just doing their job, trying to find the killer.”
I shifted in the chair again. I was starting to feel uncomfortable with his staring. Should I mention Cookie Monster now? I’d give it a little more time before I panicked.
Spooky footfalls echoed off the walls. It was a noise I’d become familiar with recently. I was almost sure it wouldn’t be Brannon. He wouldn’t stop the interview yet. I hadn’t expected to hear it right now though.
“What is that? Is someone else here?” John asked with an irritated tone.
He jumped up and hurried over to the door. This wasn’t part of the plan. Would the cops storm out from the other room now?
“Who’s here?” he asked as he rushed out into the hallway.
I had to get this under control before everything was ruined. I wasn’t even finished talking with him right now. I hadn’t gotten the information the police needed. Running out the door, I hurried after him.
Once in the hallway, he spun around and glared at me. “Tell me who’s in here.”
“John, it’s the spirit that haunts the library. No living person is here.”
He stared for a moment and then a slow smile spread across his face. No matter the expression, it still didn’t seem quite that friendly.
He chuckled. “I guess I panicked a little bit.”
Yes, and I wasn’t sure why he had acted so alarmed that someone else was in the building with us. Did he want to be alone with me? I was ready to call for the Cookie Monster.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to help the police. I was kind of sure it was because this guy had nothing to tell, but the way he had panicked made me wonder what exactly was going on with him.
“I have to go,” he said as he hurried down the hallway.
I rushed after him. “Why are you leaving so soon? We haven’t finished discussing the case.”
“I just remembered something else I have to do. I’ll call you soon,” he said as he rushed toward the door.
He pulled on the handle, forgetting that I had already locked the door. He was like a caged animal, tugging to get out the door.
“I have to unlock it,” I said.
Why was he so panicked? I pulled out the key and unlocked the door.
“Thanks for everything. I’ll be in touch.”
With that he rushed out the door. I watched as he hurried down the path and to the sidewalk. Within a minute, he was completely out of sight. That was weird. Maybe the ghost had spooked him. Yeah, that must be it.
I stared after him for a moment, wondering if he would return. Finally I turned around and went back inside.
Brannon touched my arms. “It’s okay, you tried your best. That’s all they wanted you to do.”
I was glad to see the police leave. Apparently I wasn’t cut out for being a part of a sting operation. For some reason I couldn’t shake the sensation that I was being watched. The ghost must have followed us downstairs. As a matter of fact I thought the ghost went everywhere I went.
Chapter 15
The next day I went back to the house to see if I could catch Christine there this time. A red car was in the driveway, so I figured that it was really her I had followed. I didn’t want to let her get away this time. But as soon as I reached the door and rang the doorbell, the sound of a car starting caught my attention. When I looked over at the driveway, Christine was inside the car. She was already backing out of the driveway.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Not this time,” I yelled as I ran for my car.
I jumped in my car like I was some kind of stunt person for a movie. Immediately I cranked the engine and punched the gas. She was speeding of course, so that meant I had to as well. I had to be able to outsmart her this time so that I wouldn’t lose her. There was some reason why she didn’t want to talk to me.
I stayed back a good distance as I followed her into town. As much as I could, I attempted to hide my car behind another vehicle. I wondered if she thought she had lost me now.
Up ahead she pulled into the Home Depot parking lot. For a moment, I lost sight of her car. Thank goodness when I went into the store’s parking spot, I found he
r car and a parking spot up toward the front right next to her car. I whipped into the spot and hurried out of the car. Based on the way I raced toward the front door the other customers probably thought I was crazy. Maybe they thought they were missing out on a great Black Friday-type sale. I had to hurry though. If I lost sight of her it would be hard to find her when she was in the big store.
More than a few strange looks were cast my way when I stepped into the store. The smell of fresh-cut wood and paint hit me when I walked through the automatic door. Air conditioning blasted me in the face. I frantically looked around, but unfortunately didn’t see her. Now I would have to search up and down every aisle and hope that I didn’t miss her. There was no time to stop and ask anyone if they’d seen her. With so many people in the store I was sure they hadn’t even noticed her walk in.
I could have her paged. Yeah, that probably wouldn’t work. It wasn’t like she would actually come to the front for me. Attention, customers, would the woman being chased by the other woman please report to customer service?
I rushed down the front section of the store, looking down each aisle. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in any of them. I paused and released a discouraged breath. Now there was only one place left I could think of to check—the garden section.
As I hurried in that direction, an older woman bumped her cart into my leg. She was so small that the cart practically swallowed her up in comparison.
“Oh, dear, I’m terribly sorry. Are you okay?”
I paused for a moment while the pain faded. As she studied my face I tried to hide the grimace.
When I caught my breath, I said, “I’m fine.”
Though the burning in my shin was still there, I forced a smile.
“Good. I’m glad you’re not injured. You have to be careful. These stores can be dangerous.”
Well, she was the one who’d run into me, but whatever.
“Since you’re okay, do you think you could help me find the shower heads?” Her hands were still wrapped around the handle of the cart. She could use that thing as a deadly weapon if I refused.
“Um, well, I don’t actually…”
She gave me this sad look, as if her puppy had just died. How could I say no to that? Maybe I could show her the right direction and then an employee could step in to help. That was what I got for wearing orange in here.
