Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5)

by James J Cudney

  “I'm too tired to argue with you. I don't suppose you thought to ask your little priest friend for the name of his brother's dentist, did you?” April mumbled incoherently for the next thirty seconds.

  “If you're done complaining, I'll answer your question. But you have to offer me something in return. It's only fair.”

  “Why don't you come to my office and repeat that statement, Kellan. I'll show you how I treat those who….” April finished her declaration with a slew of unthinkable and unrepeatable tactics, then we bantered for a few more minutes about the changes in our relationship over the months.

  When all the dust settled, I provided the name of the dentist. “He's out of practice, but his son took over. Nana D goes to him, and I remember her saying the guy's father had been the only dentist in Wharton County in the 1960s. There's a strong possibility that he kept the records.” If he didn't, I was certain the military maintained pristine archives of all its discharged members. On the flip side, it might not be as easy to convince them to release Ian O'Malley's dental records without a warrant or solid evidence that the skeleton belonged to the man. Luckily, when April's secretary called the dentist, he still had his father's records and was willing to assist that night.

  “Since you've been such a help, I'll share one confidential item.” April revealed they'd found half of a key buried with the remains. “It's one of those large, old-fashioned skeleton keys, no pun intended.”

  “Only half?”

  “I just received the report from the lab. I planned to tell you about it later. I believe you need both halves to create the full key. Perhaps this key might open—”

  “My basement. April, where's the other half?” My entire body tensed at the news. I didn't understand why, but I had a gut feeling the key would access the mysterious door in my house.

  April advised she would send someone to hand-deliver a duplicate of the half-key while she met with the dentist to review all the records. She'd used a molding process to be sure the copy would function and wanted to get it to me as soon as possible. “I know nothing about the missing half. I thought you might solve that conundrum, Dr. Watson.”

  “Yeah, so, you got that backward. You're Dr. Watson and I'm—”

  “In need of a massive whooping,” April warned, finishing my thought with a chuckle.

  While April worked with her staff to finish the mold of the key and review all the records with the dentist, I took Emma to the Pick-Me-Up Diner for dinner. As she ate in the corner booth, with Calliope watching over her, I caught up with Eleanor. I wanted to tell her everything Father Elijah had revealed, but it would be better to have concrete proof before spreading any rumors.

  Assuming we received confirmation that the skeleton belonged to Ian O'Malley, a huge part of me theorized that Prudence must've killed Ian. Had she been hiding out and scaring people in the only house she'd ever known for the last fifty years? Previous inhabitants had left as soon as weird things began to transpire. I'd been the only person to renovate the house, which could've infuriated the woman to the umpteenth degree, leaving her with no place to live afterward. Was it possible for a depressed or psychotic elderly woman to inflict such damage over fifty years, or was she also dead and haunting me as a ghost? I didn't have any solid evidence in either direction, only a string of inexplicable events and indistinguishable relationships. My only hope remained with getting access to the basement and communicating with Madam Zenya, who'd suggested a séance the following week.

  On the way home, one of Wharton County's freshmen cops, Officer Flatman, contacted me to arrange dropping off the copy of the half-key April had located with the skeleton. I collected Ulan and brought him and Emma to the cottage. I directed them to finish their homework, clean up, and not answer the door for anyone but me. While I had expected no trouble in my current home, it was important to visit the new house to see if the key fit the door.

  By sunset, I stood outside The Old Grey Place listening to wild animals growling and snarling in the nearby mountains. I wandered around the property with a flashlight, double-checking that I'd missed no other entrances into the basement. Although there were several uneven parts of the terrain, I couldn't be one-hundred percent certain about what lurked beneath us. The whistling wind and other strange noises left me with goosebumps. Officer Flatman's squad car pulled up, and I met him at the front door. He couldn't stay, as he had to check out an accident further down the road, so I bid him goodbye and rushed inside. Although I discovered that the copy of the half-key fit my basement door, it wouldn't open without both of its components. While it wasn't the best news, it was better to have part of the key than none.

  Before heading back to the cottage, I left a voicemail for Bartleby to step up his campaign to locate the other half. April called to verify that she'd convinced the dentist to work throughout the night to compare Ian O'Malley's and Prudence Grey's records with those from the skeleton. She promised to update me as soon as possible. Although I had an early morning to launch the Fall Festival, I struggled to fall asleep easily. Nightmares about the stalker, ghosts, and murderers thrashed me in the dark bedroom as I tossed and turned. When I awoke in the morning, there was a lengthy text message waiting for me.

  April: Based on several missing molars and previous dental work, we are 90% confident that the skeleton belongs to Ian O'Malley. The forensic experts need to run more conclusive tests, but I will notify Father Elijah and Minnie O'Malley about our discovery. Thank you for telling me everything you learned. Now, we just need to determine what other secrets Lloyd Nickels has been keeping.

  April: P.S. Hope you slept well. I thought about sneaking into your bed to tell you in person. Since someone already broke into your house and the kids might've caught me—not to mention Nana D and her shotgun—discretion and safety seemed the more ideal solution. XOXO

  Chapter 8

  Nana D delivered the first speech to kick off the Fall Festival that morning, then introduced my mother and me to regale the town with all the major events we'd planned. The Halloween-themed spectacular would take place for two weeks and offer dozens of elaborate and fun activities at Danby Landing. Some would also occur in the county's famed Wellington Park and on the main street near the cable car system that transported students from North to South Campus.

  At Danby Landing, the haunted house would open nightly for several hours of scary tours, and the traditional Victorian horse-drawn coach would operate daily from noon until midnight. Madam Zenya would provide fifteen-minute psychic readings during the day and hold group séances at dusk. All the shops along Main Street had extended their evening hours and would issue prizes for the best and most original trick-or-treating costumes. Even the local movie theater planned to air several famous Halloween-themed films each night. We would hold a Wellington Park picnic on the last day of the Fall Festival. Skilled artists could proudly show off their bespoke Halloween creations, and chefs and bakers would offer artisanal foods, delectable desserts, and refreshing beverages. Everything had to be made with local ingredients and contain shades of autumn colors: red, orange, brown, green, yellow, and black. After today's speeches ended, a parade would initiate the rest of the event, enabling various Wharton County school bands to entertain citizens on the march across the Finnulia River Bridge.

  Once turning over the podium to Belinda to discuss the parade route, I shuffled backstage. Emma had been sitting at a small table with Nana D, slurping a bowl of maple-flavored oatmeal with freshly picked apple chunks, while I gave my speech. She approached from behind, tapped my arm, and asked me to turn around with my eyes closed. I conformed, and when she instructed me to open them, two pieces of orange, white, and yellow candy corn stuck to her canine teeth. “Boo! I'm a ferocious vampire who's gonna bite you, Daddy,” she mumbled, catching one as it fell out of her mouth.

  “Come here, you sweet little devil girl.” I picked her up and ate the candy corn she shoved in my mouth. “I'll take you and Ulan on the haunted hayride later today
. Grandma and Grandpa will bring you to the tent with all the parlor games.” Ulan was hanging out with Augie that morning, but we'd planned to meet midafternoon somewhere at the festival's events at Danby Landing. Augie wanted to hang with us, since April would work all day. Who could blame him?

  My parents swanned backstage and collected Emma. My mother promised not to let her win too many prizes. I pictured a car full of oversized stuffed pumpkins, hissing black cats, and talking scarecrows to cart home. My father winked at Emma, whispering something in her ear and pointing at me, then grabbed her other hand. The three of them strolled across the temporary yellow brick road the town had laid between the stage and the picnic area in Wellington Park. A resounding chorus of “We're off to see the Wizard” accompanied them through patches of newly planted giant pansies, ornamental cabbages, flowering lettuces, and colorful crotons. One of the more admirable parts of our town's civic center was how they'd convinced affluent families to donate money strictly for decorating the park during the Fall Festival—a perfect autumnal backdrop for the day's events.

  When I turned around to locate Nana D, she was sneaking gulps of spiked apple cider. “Want some, brilliant one?” She hiccupped while handing me a hidden flask from the fabric of her costume, a traditional witch's garb with a pointy black hat, broom, and flowing red velvet cape.

  “Getting in the mood before noon?” I expected her to screech like the voice on my phone, but she refrained from embarrassing us both further. “No, thanks. I'm meeting Bartleby soon.”

  “I'll join you. I haven't seen that crusty chameleon in a while.” She screwed the lid on the flask and buried her dirty little secret somewhere beneath her right arm and wand.

  As we strolled toward the central fountain, Nana D inquired, “What's going on with the renovations? You know I'll miss you, brilliant one.”

  Nicky had promised he'd finish before the following weekend, certain he only needed a few more days to fix the second round of damage caused by the vandal. “We're planning to move after Halloween, assuming Hampton can assure me I shouldn't harbor any concerns about Prudence Grey's potential claim to the house, should she still be alive.” My brother had demanded a few days to research my homeownership predicament, thus forcing me to live in suspense.

  “Hopefully, Bartleby gives you the other half of the key today, so you can confirm how the vandal has been getting in and out. If not, you'll break down the door and get your answers. One step at a time.” Nana D stopped to catch her breath and embrace me. “We'll solve this. I promise.”

  “I'm baffled about Ian's presence in the library. I also can't determine a reason Prudence would've killed him. I need to speak with Hiram, Father Elijah, and Minnie.” I paused for Nana D to rest on a nearby bench, as she'd been on her feet all morning and could use the temporary respite.

  Nana D tossed the witch's hat on her lap. “Minnie was distraught this morning. I didn't talk to her, but Father Elijah promised he's protecting his sister-in-law. What do you know so far?”

  “Connor only provided brief updates. Ian O'Malley flew home after his discharge from the army. He must've returned to Braxton but before greeting his family, he visited the library.” A plethora of ideas danced on the surface of my mind about why he'd gone there, but nothing truly made sense. “I'm stuck on Ian and Damien sharing DNA. Could Ian and Elijah be Prudence's brothers or distant cousins?”

  “To my knowledge, Prudence was an only child. I don't remember any other siblings during our school years, but someone could've had an extramarital affair.” Nana D proposed inviting Minnie for breakfast the following day, where we could casually inquire about her and her late husband's past.

  “How about the O'Malley brothers? Did Ian or Father Elijah have other siblings?” I had a list of questions for Bartleby, but if Nana D could confirm basic information, I wouldn't waste the man's time.

  “No, just the two of them. Their father was a military man. He died in the Korean War in the fifties, which is why Ian joined the army right out of high school. He loved his father a great deal and was devastated by the loss. Their mother raised them on her own but didn't have a lot of money. Father Elijah only buried the woman last year. She was just shy of a hundred-years old. God bless her.” Nana D reminded me she'd planned to live even longer than that.

  “I'm hoping April will know if Lloyd Nickels saw Ian O'Malley in the library on the day of the fire. Somehow, Ian must've crossed paths with Prudence. Either way, I'll also call Lloyd tomorrow.” As I finished speaking, Nana D pointed to the fountain in the distance, where Bartleby had just arrived.

  We sauntered over and exchanged a few introductory comments before jumping into the main topic. When I inquired whether Bartleby knew anything about the identification of the skeletal remains, he shook his head. “Now that I'm not mayor anymore, I don't have any special privileges. Last I heard, they assumed it belonged to Prudence but hadn't confirmed it. Anything you can offer, Your Honor?”

  Nana D wagged her finger at him and blurted, “Nothing I can share. Lemme see that other half of the key, Bartleby.” Several kids in adorable Disney costumes rushed by, giggling and kicking up piles of crunchy leaves and acorns. The crisp, inviting scents of nature filled the surrounding air, comforting us when the fears about the real-life goblins and villains wouldn't desist.

  “I don't have it. I'll get it tomorrow from Hiram.” Bartleby took the other half of the key I'd stored in my pocket—I'd been hopeful we could combine the parts together today. “There are two identical halves, and when pressed together, they form a solid iron key. A clever tongue-and-groove system ensures they connect as one piece, unless forced apart with severe pressure.”

  “How do you plan to convince the man to part with it?” Why was Bartleby stalling?

  “That old codger doesn't know what he has. I remember seeing it in his study. Hiram keeps a drawer in his office that's filled with old junk. He collects gadgets and gizmos like he collects wives.” Bartleby rested his hefty body on the fountain's marble edge, inspecting my half of the key.

  “Are you planning to ask him for it or just steal it?” Nana D inquired, sliding her glasses down the bridge of her nose, so she could judge his response.

  “Does it matter? Hiram and I have breakfast scheduled. I plan to ask him for a copy of his family tree for my research on Braxton's founding families. When he leaves the study to get it, I might do a little snooping.” Bartleby inhaled deeply and coughed a few times before revealing that he knew which key it was by the shape and color. He'd seen the lock on my basement door the other day. “I remember this one had an orb on the end with the Garibaldi crest. The larger piece is what you need. Had I been able to get in your house sooner, Kellan, I might've realized Hiram had part of the key. I told you I knew Prudence Garibaldi when she was a teenager. We'd been friends for years but once she married Hiram, we lost touch. Alas, I'm only as useful as those around me allow me to be.”

  Bartleby explained that the key would open the basement door from the kitchen side, but there was a manual locking device on the other side, near the stairs leading down to the basement. Whoever had been coming and going in the house must've been able to unlock it from the basement side. If I'd truly seen someone wandering through my house the day I'd awoken from the nightmare, they'd undoubtedly rambled upstairs while I'd been sleeping. The vandal must've watched me on the couch as I wrestled around, fighting off the mysterious ghostly demon. Then, he or she rushed out of the room once I'd woken up. The creep had conveniently left the basement door open for his or her quick return, shuffled through the hall, and pulled the door shut. I'd thought I heard him or her opening and closing the door, but I'd heard it being closed and locked from the basement side. Unless it truly was a ghost.

  I couldn't understand how the two parts of the key had separated fifty years ago. They'd found one with Ian's skeleton, and one was theoretically in Hiram Grey's possession. Had Ian somehow gotten hold of the other key, or had Prudence been carrying it when she enc
ountered and killed him in the library basement? “I'm supposed to meet with Madam Zenya next week to discuss the ghostly visitor and vandal in my house. We need to open that door to validate whether I still need her help.”

  Bartleby had important plans the following day and couldn't meet. He'd let me know when he gained possession of the key, and we'd schedule a time to inspect the basement. He pleaded, “May I keep this half of the key? I want to do a little research on it when I get home.”

  “Of course. Can you share anything you've learned about the Garibaldi family?” I wasn't thrilled about waiting to access the basement, particularly if the vandal hiding down there planned to cause any additional damage or tried to frighten me again.

  “Let's discuss it when I get the key. I suspect Prudence has a secret family member. I found something else out, but I don't want to speak incorrectly and need Hiram to confirm my suspicions.” Bartleby waved goodbye and ambled toward the main picnic area. “Time for some grub. I live to eat at this point in my life. You never know when the end might come. We're no spring chickens, Seraphina.”

  Nana D and I exchanged curious glances. “Perhaps Prudence does have another family member no one knows much about. Have we just found the O'Malley DNA connection?” Bartleby was a bit of an obstructionist, despite offering to help. He took a long time to produce results. Was he trustworthy?

  * * *

  As the sun descended, bringing a conclusion to our entertaining day, Emma, Ulan, and I decided to head home. When everyone begged to make a pit stop at the restroom, I navigated toward the spooky corn maze to watch people run around in circles with no sense of direction. I knew the secret ways in and out as well as what happened if you veered too close to the coffin. Having gone on the original walkthroughs with the designer, I planned to frighten some friends, maybe Myriam too. While roaming through the labyrinth, confident someone followed me but unsuccessful at luring out the reprobate, I noticed Lloyd Nickels chatting with his apprentice. I attempted to shadow them in the maze. Despite knowing every twist and turn, I found myself utterly alone and lost on a dark and winding trail. When I reached the coffin, the animatronic cadaver jumped up and screeched at me in a deep, booming voice.