by Rose Pressey
“No, young lady, I didn’t attack you. It was someone else. I scared them away when I yelled out.”
I sat up and rubbed my head. “Who was it?”
“I don’t know. I was far away and didn’t get a good look.” He pointed. “I live across the way in that little house. I called the police. They should be here soon. Though it does take them a while since we are a bit out of town.”
Oh, no. He had called the police? Now Brannon would know that I had been here. He would be upset. I pushed to my feet, wobbling just a little on my unsteady legs.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” the man asked.
“Yes, thank you for helping me.”
A shiver ran down my spine when I thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t come along to help me. The attacker probably would have murdered me. It had to be the person who had killed Ashley. That was when the sirens sounded.
“We should walk over to my car,” I said.
“Let me help you,” he said, taking my arm. “The ground is a little uneven.”
The police cars pulled up just as we reached my car. I spotted Brannon right away. Worry covered his face.
He jumped out of his car and raced over to me. “Rip, what happened?”
“Someone attacked her,” the man answered for me.
Brannon looked at the man with a frown.
“My name is Fred Parker. I live over the way in that little white house. I saw it happen and ran over to her.”
“Thank you,” Brannon said.
“Not a problem. Take care of yourself, young lady.” Fred walked away to speak with the other officers.
“What were you doing here?” Brannon asked, taking me in his arms.
“It’s a long story, but I discovered that the man from the diary used to work here at this train station.”
“You can tell me all about it back in town.” Brannon guided me toward the cars.
I looked back at the building where I’d been attacked. The feeling that someone was out there stayed with me.
Chapter 19
Trees surrounded me. Darkness cloaked the sky. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten here. I paused and looked around, trying to find a clue to my location. After nothing came to me, I walked a bit more. What if I went deeper into the woods and never found my way out? Yet I couldn’t stay in one spot either. That would do no good. With the next step I noticed a clearing just through the branches.
I hurried over there and fought my way out into the clearing. I soon realized that I knew exactly where I was, but still had no idea how I’d gotten there. I was at the cemetery where Sarah was buried. On just the other side of the wooded area was the foundation for Sarah’s house. It was certainly no coincidence that I was here. As far as I knew I was completely alone out here.
A chill traveled down my spine. In spite of not seeing another living person, the sensation of being watched crept over me. Maybe someone really was watching me from the woods.
Since I was on the other side of the stone wall that enclosed the area, I headed toward the outer edge of the graveyard. I’d almost made it over there when my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and looked at the screen. Brannon was calling.
“Rip, where are you?” he asked when I answered.
Did he know I was here?
“Why do you ask?” I said.
I didn’t even really sound like myself. My voice sounded different.
“I have been at your door for fifteen minutes. You wouldn’t answer the door or your phone.”
This was the first time I’d heard my phone ring. I hesitated for a moment, trying to wrap my mind around the situation. I had to tell him where I was because to be honest I was scared. Since I didn’t see my car, I had no idea how I’d gotten here. This was most concerning. Had I walked all the way here?
“Rip, are you still there?” Brannon asked with concern in his voice.
“I’m here.”
“Where are you?” he asked again.
“I’m at the graveyard,” I said.
“Devil’s Moon?” he asked.
“No, the other one.”
“What are you doing there?”
I stood by the stone crumbling wall of the graveyard. “To be honest, I’m not really sure why I’m here or how I got here.” I knew that sounded crazy.
“I will come and get you,” Brannon said.
I was so glad to hear him say that. “Will you talk to me until you get here?” I asked.
I knew that made me sound like a big baby. Right now I needed him. I felt alone and vulnerable like I’d never felt before.
“Of course I will stay with you until I get…”
Silence.
“Hello? Brannon?”
There was no answer. When I looked at the phone I realized that the call had been lost. There was also no service on the phone. I could walk back over to the area where the phone had worked, but did I really want to? Of course I had to. I released a deep breath and headed over to where the phone had worked. No matter though because it still didn’t work.
Giving up on getting the call again, I walked toward the front of the cemetery to wait for Brannon. When I glanced to the right, I spotted her. A woman dressed in a long white gown appeared through the branches. She wasn’t looking my way and I wasn’t sure that she knew I was watching her.
“Hello,” I called out.
The woman didn’t look my way. If she heard me she was ignoring me. I didn’t think she’d heard me though. I moved toward the woods to call out to her again.
“Hello, are you lost?” I said.
The woman didn’t look back as she moved slowly away from me. I stepped into the woods again. I called out yet again, but she didn’t look back at me. I wasn’t going to follow her forever. If she didn’t want my help then that was her choice. She never turned around to look at me. She had to know I was back there. The underbrush crunched under my feet with each step.
The next thing I knew, the woman had disappeared. I ran forward to see where she had gone. I stepped forward, looking to the left and then to the right. She was nowhere in sight.
I felt the need to find her, even though I knew it was probably the wrong thing to do. I walked forward, moving further into the wooded area. I had to know who she was, though more and more I thought I knew who she was. The woman wasn’t a part of the living world any longer. She was of the ghost world now. It was Sarah from the diary.
Was she here to give me a message? If so, then why was she running away from me? Maybe she was luring me to someplace.
If that was the case then why was I going? I had to stop before it was too late. No matter what my mind was telling me, I still walked. The further I walked, the thicker the vegetation grew. The trees were denser and it was growing darker too. When I stopped to look around, I realized that I was totally lost. I had made turns so often that I couldn’t remember which led me back to the graveyard. Brannon would be waiting for me. I pulled out my cell phone, but there was no service. I would have to find my way out on my own.
I wasn’t sure how long I had walked. I was growing extremely tired and thirsty. It looked as if I might be spending the night in this wooded area. I hadn’t even known it was that big. I’d thought I would have no problem finding my way out of there.
I walked a little further. I hadn’t seen the ghostly woman for a long time. I wondered if her sole purpose was to lure me into the wooded area. Maybe there was never any other message she was trying to give me. Just then I heard my name called out. It was Brannon.
He wasn’t close, I could tell that for sure. But he was here and that was definitely a start. He was looking for me. What if he thought I’d left and then stopped looking for me? I’d eventually find my way out of there, right? I looked at my phone, but there was still no service. Brannon continued to call out for me. I couldn’t tell if I was getting any closer to him. As I took the next step, I lost my footing and slipped. Immediately I fell to the ground. Now my fa
ce was smashed into dead leaves and dirt.
I groaned and attempted to move. Pain radiated through my shoulder and my leg. Now my situation had grown even direr. Animals would soon come to nibble on my body thinking I was dead. I pushed through the pain and managed to get to my knees. Brannon called out again. I had to get to him before he left me here. Grimacing at the sharp pain in my leg and shoulder, I pushed my way up. I brushed the leaves and dirt from my face and my clothing. I was running out of time. I forced my legs to go further and finally the edge of the woods came into view.
I still didn’t know if this was anywhere near where I was supposed to be, but it was better than being lost in the woods. I ran out from the trees and stopped to catch my breath. I spotted Brannon’s car parked to the right. The graveyard was just behind that. I couldn’t believe that I had found my way out and that Brannon hadn’t left me there. I sensed someone behind me. I looked to my right. Brannon was standing slightly to my right.
“I thought you’d left,” he said as he hurried over to me.
“I was worried that you would leave me here.”
“I would never leave you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “What happened? You’re dirty.”
“I was lost in the woods.”
He frowned. “The wooded area isn’t even that large. How did you get lost?”
That was a good question. “I’m not exactly sure,” I said.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, taking my hand in his.
We walked over to the car. He opened the door and I got in to the passenger seat. I leaned my head back on the headrest and released a deep breath. I was so glad to be safe with Brannon.
Chapter 20
I had gotten a dress to wear for the tour. It was old-fashioned and something that looked straight out of the late 1800s. I figured I could carry a lantern with me and add to the ambience of my tour, but so far, I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to actually wear the dress. However, today was different. I decided to wear the dress, but it wasn’t even time for a tour. I was going to work at the library. Somehow I knew this was wrong, but yet I couldn’t stop myself. I had to wear the dress.
I slipped into the light fabric, buttoned up the collar all the way to the top, and then pulled my hair up into a bun. I was morphing into Annie. I headed out toward the library, proud of my new fashion statement. Yet somehow I realized it wasn’t quite the right attire for this day and age. When I stepped through the library door, I wasn’t expecting the reaction I got from Tammy. She dropped her books. They fell onto the floor and her mouth dropped open.
She rushed over to me. “What are you doing?”
“Coming to work,” I said.
“No, what are you wearing?” she said.
I spun around. “Do you like it?”
“No, I don’t,” she said.
I frowned. “What do you mean? You don’t like it? I thought it was pretty.”
“Yes, pretty if you’re going to be on the set of Little House on the Prairie. For working at the library? No. What has gotten into you lately?” she said.
I released the sigh. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I just wanted to wear the dress.”
I moved over to the reference desk and started to work immediately. Yes, I got a few strange looks from the patrons as well.
Why would you want to wear a stuffy thing like that? Annie asked. Trust me, it’s not pleasant.
I didn’t know what to say. I took the diary out of my bag and placed it next to me so that I could keep an eye on it.
“You’ve been carrying that thing around too much,” Tammy said. She reached and grabbed the book from the counter.
“No! What do you think you’re doing?” I yanked it out of her hands. “You can’t have that.”
“Okay, your attachment to the book is beginning to get creepy. It’s matching this dress that you’re wearing.”
“The color is hideous, huh?” I touched the fabric. “Maybe it’s not the right style, but it was a great dress in its day, I’m sure.” I clutched the book in my arms. “I think I’ll just go to my office.”
Tammy was probably right though. I did have an unhealthy obsession with this book, not wanting to let it out of my sight. My attachment to it was downright creepy.
One more time I should try to go to the address of Christine, the woman who’d had this book before me. Part of me wanted to get rid of the book and then part didn’t want to. It was as if I was being protective of it, and I knew this was a bad thing. Objects like this could have things attached to it, and then those things could attach to a person. Things would start out innocently enough, like someone wearing a strange dress to the library, and then it would escalate into a full-blown possession.
I definitely didn’t want that to happen. I meant to go home and change at some point during the day, but wouldn’t you know it, we were so busy that I never got the chance and I surely got more than a few questions about my costume. “Are you having a special event at the library celebrating The Little House on the Prairie?”
I should have just said yes so that I wouldn’t get so many strange looks when I told them no. Thank heavens for small favors because Mrs. Agnew never came in. Thank goodness Tammy had brought me a change of clothes and I could change out of this dress. I was feeling lost, sad and lonely. Yes, this was definitely something trying to take over my mind and I had to figure it out before it was too late. Monica was calling me Laura Ingalls now. She didn’t quite get the concept that I was her superior. But I didn’t have time to worry about that right now. I’d deal with her later.
“Rip, you have a call on line one.” Tammy gestured with a tilt of her head while she grabbed a stack of books.
I picked up the phone. “This is Ripley Van Raden, how may I help you?”
“The Adventures of Spottsville,” the female voice said.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
My question was met with silence.
“Hello?” I asked.
Still there was nothing. I looked over at the phone and realized the light was gone. Either the call had been lost or the person had hung up. What was that supposed to mean? It kind of sounded like a title for a book. I’d never heard of it though. Just because I was the head librarian didn’t mean I knew every single book.
Tammy came back over to the reference desk and asked, “Is something wrong? You’re staring at the wall blankly.”
I looked over at her. “I just got the strangest call.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“The woman just said The Adventures of Spottsville.”
“It’s a book,” Tammy said. “I read it. It’s really good. What’s so strange about that?”
“Well, that was all she said, and then the phone either cut off or she hung up,” I said.
“Maybe she was just asking if the book was here.”
I collected my stack of papers. “Yeah, I suppose that was it. You said I had a call. Did the person ask for me?”
“Yes, she just asked to speak to you. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.” Tammy smiled. “You’re just worried right now. Everything will be fine.”
Tammy was a worrier. If she was telling me everything would be fine, then I must be in bad shape. As I walked back down the hall toward my office, I couldn’t stop wondering about the call. There was just something about the woman’s voice. It sounded angry or urgent. I couldn’t tell which, but she was definitely trying to convey a message to me. Why had she asked for me by name?
Instead of going to my office, I turned around and headed back out into the library. I headed down the fiction aisle. I hoped the book was there. I wasn’t even going to tell Tammy what I was up to. She would just think I was crazy for going to look up this book. Was there a reason this person wanted me to look for this book? I stopped midway down the aisle. I peered at the shelf in front of me and spotted the book’s spine right away. My eyes had landed right on it.
I glanced around to see if
anyone was looking. I was alone in the aisle. I reached out and pulled the book from the shelf. I flipped open the cover. Nothing seemed out of place. Was there something written in the book that was supposed to be a clue in there for me? Maybe I needed to read the book. If I checked it out, Tammy would know what I was up to. Oh, well. I would just tell her I was curious about the book now. That was the truth. I carried the book back over to the desk so that I could check it out.
When I got the book back to my office, I flipped through the pages. A piece of paper fell to my desk. It wasn’t uncommon for people to leave things in books—receipts, food wrappers, or old mail. This was different though. It was a handwritten note.
Meet me at Devil’s Moon Cemetery at nine tonight.
Right away I knew this was meant for me. Why would someone leave a note referencing the cemetery if it wasn’t for me? That explained the strange phone call. The person hadn’t wanted to ask about the book. They’d wanted me to find the note.
Should I meet the person? It was a crazy request considering they hadn’t even listed their name and there was a murderer somewhere out there. I could tell Brannon and he could go with me. I didn’t want to rely on him for every little thing that popped up, but I guessed with a killer on the loose it was important for me not to do stupid things, like meet strangers who left me notes. Maybe Tammy would go with me. That way I wouldn’t have to bother Brannon, but I wouldn’t have to go alone.
Tammy wouldn’t be happy that I’d brought her into a scary situation. What were friends for though?
I’d left the door to my office open. Movement caught my attention. Tammy was standing in front of the door.
“Are you still thinking about that phone call?” She leaned against the door frame.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I’ve known you a long time, Rip.”
I sighed. “Well, there really was something to that call.”
“What’s that?” Tammy stepped into my office and sat down in front of my desk.
“When I pulled that book off the shelf there was a piece of paper in it.”
