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

by James J Cudney

  “Didn't anyone recognize you?”

  “I wore my headdress, as I always do in public. I've learned how to always be careful and never trust those around you. People can be deceitful,” she cautioned. Constance, as Madam Zenya, had grown close with Bartleby who'd fondly recalled his time as a child when he'd been friends with Prudence. “I accompanied him one day to see my former house, and that's when I felt her presence. I didn't know it at the time, but Prudence was alive and living nearby.”

  “Who played all those tricks on me and left those messages at my house?”

  “I won't argue about it, Kellan, but Hiram had no right to sell you my family's home. My sister was responsible for all the damages.” Constance rested a hand on my knee, assuring me she was confident we could work out an arrangement for the future.

  “Was Prudence living inside the house all this time?” I was certain Bartleby had known the truth all along, but I couldn't figure out why he'd left her there, rather than help reintroduce her to society.

  “No. From what I could gather when talking to my sister, after the library fire in 1968, she suffered a major breakdown. Prudence's mind blocked out the last year of her life, and she traveled to Africa to find our parents. She believed they were still alive and used money my parents had kept in the house to survive for some time. She'd been out of the country for decades. At some point, with the help of people she met in Africa, she regained some of her faculties and returned to Braxton.”

  “That must be why people felt a presence in the house.” I shared Lara's story with Constance, and she agreed. “Prudence has lived a difficult life.”

  “I'll never know where she's been most of this time, but she was using the underground tunnels to get around whenever she was back in Braxton. I don't think she ever remembered she had a baby. Her mind was stuck in 1968 before she married Hiram and our parents died. The world looked different to her than it did for others.” Constance sobbed quietly, reflecting on the past and all her loss.

  I gave her space, then continued. “How did you ever find Prudence again?”

  “Bartleby and I grew close, and I felt I could trust him. When I told him who I was, he accompanied me to the lighthouse, and that's when we found Prue living there. He'd bought the place years ago. We pieced together the history and helped my sister reclaim her identity and acclimate to modern society. We tried to heal her, but when you bought our house, things fell apart again.”

  At first, Constance let Prudence try to frighten me from moving into the house. They'd developed a plan to confront Hiram with everything and had been close to pulling it off. Unfortunately, they hadn't expected him to sell the house as his path to escaping the secrets of the past. Hiram soon suspected Madam Zenya's real identity. “The day of Ian O'Malley's funeral, Prudence dressed as me to visit Hiram and Elijah. I think Prudence must've given herself away at St. Mary's, and Hiram followed her to the haunted hayrides.”

  “Did Hiram kill Prudence? Were you there?”

  Constance shook her head. “No, I was here, lying low until Prudence returned. When I'd woken up and discovered she wasn't yet back, I knew something was wrong. I'd given her my phone, but she never picked up my calls.” Constance indicated that Prudence had never seen who killed Ian O'Malley. She'd been locked inside the room in the library basement by Lloyd Nickels and witnessed Ian enter the space and try to unlock the door. Someone in a cloak had hit Ian on the head with a large piece of wood after starting a fire. Ian had briefly woken up, opened Prudence's door, and then passed out. Prudence couldn't save him and escaped through the tunnels. Constance's story matched Father Elijah's.

  “Whom do you suspect?”

  “Hiram is guilty, or he hired someone. That's who attacked Prudence at the haunted hayride.”

  “Don't forget… someone also attacked Bartleby in the basement. That couldn't have been Hiram because he was at the hospital after the hayride incident.” I wasn't entirely sure of the timeline.

  Constance shrugged. “If Hiram's behind it all, his lackey is in hiding until his boss awakens.”

  “If Hiram awakens,” I reminded her. If Constance told the truth, the likely suspect was Raelynn. She'd returned to Braxton shortly after Madam Zenya had, when Hiram had gotten suspicious. He must've contacted Raelynn, assuming she was the only other person who'd known his secret about the sisters. “Could it be Raelynn?” Then again, why had Minnie been running away from the horse stables?

  “It's possible. She is a strong woman, and I don't believe she's suffering from Alzheimer's. I think it was all a ruse to provide access without suspicion.”

  Except, if that were true, Hope wouldn't have told me about the grudge her mother had against someone in Braxton. Unless she'd been unaware of all the history. “I think we're missing part of the story. Do you think Father Elijah could be involved in a cover-up?”

  “I've never met the man. I only know what Prudence and Bartleby told me about him. If Prudence loved him, Father Elijah is a good man. You must investigate that part of it,” she noted, then hinted it was time for me to return. “Bartleby waits for you in his car after you cross the river. He'll bring you back to the house. I trust you will make up an excuse. Perhaps you went to the basement, dropped your phone, and exited out the backdoor. You must keep my secret for a little while longer.”

  “Two questions.”

  “Make them quick. We don't want anyone to question why Bartleby is waiting in his car on the other side of the river. I'll be in touch to discuss what needs to happen next.”

  She was one pushy psychic, especially given she'd forced me to wander through the underground tunnels and find a way home. “One, how do I get in touch with you? Two, how am I supposed to escape from this island in the middle of the river?”

  “You've lived here for almost thirty years. Haven't you ever taken a canoe across the river? Don't tell me you're one of those lazy men who has to drive across the bridge?”

  “You expect me to row my way back? It's dark outside by now.”

  “I would not have pegged you for a chicken, Kellan.”

  “Fine, and finding you again?” If I never saw another seventy-something woman in my life, it wouldn't be soon enough. It must be a punishment for something I did in a former life. Wait! Now Eleanor had me talking just like her. Ugh!

  “I'll contact you. For now, I must stay in hiding. The world thinks I'm dead. It might be better if the truth stays buried. Hiram's machinations could be over soon.” She directed me to follow her up a small staircase that deposited me at the lighthouse base, through a trapdoor in the floor. “I'm an old, sick woman, Kellan. I have little time to live. Now that my sister is gone, I wish only to meet Damien and tell him how awful Hiram is. From that point on, I leave the rest to whatever God has in store for me.”

  Her mention of God reminded me of a key secret that hadn't yet been communicated to anyone else. “Damien needs to know that Elijah O'Malley is his father.”

  “I agree but suspect there is a lot more going on than we know.” Madam Zenya ushered me away from the lighthouse and pointed to the place where Bartleby waited.

  As I trampled through a field covered in bushes, sand, and colorful vegetation, I recalled the conversation between Finnigan and Hiram at the church. Hiram had changed his will to ensure his inheritance would go to his eldest child. If that wasn't Damien, then it belonged to his immediate younger brother, Xavier, who'd been working in Europe for months. April had confirmed the man hadn't stepped foot in the United States for three years. I needed to speak with his daughter, Carla, a former student of mine, to find out what she knew. Had Xavier tried to kill his father to collect the money?

  Upon reaching the dark and murky water, I looked back at the lighthouse as the sun finished setting in the background. For the first time in my entire life, I saw the scene much differently. As a child, the lighthouse loomed larger than anything I'd known. Now, it was a mere hiding spot for a family who'd been lost for half a century. What would've beco
me of the Garibaldis if Hiram had stayed away?

  Thankful that I'd been adamant about my morning workouts, I located the canoe just a few feet from shore. After pushing it into some shallow water, I sat with my legs stretched in front, knees slightly bent, and collected the two oars. Moments later, I'd shoved myself away from the lighthouse and rowed across the gentle river. I wasn't afraid of what lurked beneath the surface as much as I was of being caught on the other side. If April or Connor knew what I'd just done, they might throw me in the hole underneath the Memorial Library wing and let the construction bury me alive forever.

  The wind helped push me across the remaining distance until the front edge of the canoe landed against the sandy banks of the main shoreline. A car was parked in the lot, and there was a man sitting in the driver's seat. Was that Bartleby? I couldn't imagine who else might be lurking, unless the killer had discovered the secret entrance into the lighthouse and wanted to do away with me before anyone else knew about it.

  I inched my way up the riverbank until the canoe was permanently wedged in the sand. I cautiously stepped out, cursing myself over the clothes I'd ruined. If I'd known my evening would include trudging through a dirty cave, climbing out of a dingy basement, and rowing across a windy river, I would've dressed differently. When the beam from the lighthouse crossed over the parking lot, I realized the car was a Cadillac. Was I about to come face to face with my stalker?

  “That you, Kellan?”

  “Bartleby?” My whisper was so faint I thought it was only a voice inside my head.

  I scaled the sand, lost a shoe in something sticky, and ran toward Bartleby's car. He unlocked the door, rolled up his window, and started the ignition. “I first thought I'd be thanking you for bringing me home. But now, I want to know exactly why you've been stalking and harassing me for weeks.”

  “I should've realized you'd figure it out soon enough. I'm sorry for all the covert drama and secrecy. I didn't know if I could trust you, and then, when someone hit me in the basement… I worried it might've been you.” Bartleby instinctively rubbed the back of his head before driving away.

  “Constance relayed the entire story to me. I hope this doesn't seem insensitive, but does she ever take off that headdress? In the pictures at her booth, she's always wearing it.”

  “Madam Zenya prefers to keep her public and private personalities separated. Few people know much about her outside the talents she possesses and the readings she's done for others.”

  I grumbled in a tremulous voice. “There are two things I don't understand.”

  Bartleby stopped at the next red light and faced me. “Just two things?”

  “Touché. I'll clarify my statement.” I grabbed a tissue from the console and wiped a few drops of mud from my hands. “One, if you knew there wasn't a ghost in my house, and you had a way into the basement through this secret passage and my front door, why did you make a big deal about the key?”

  Before pulling away, Bartleby snickered. The glow from the rising moon cast a shadow across his face that reminded me of the villain in my recurring nightmare. “I thought you might have been making things up or playing pranks on your construction crew. I had originally been supportive of the renovations on the library before I realized the tunnels connected to your house and discovered Prudence and Constance were still alive. That's why I had to delay your access, at least until the Garibaldi sisters had gotten revenge on Hiram Grey.”

  “Seriously?” I wasn't sure whether to believe the man. As our former mayor, he'd made several shady decisions on multiple occasions. I decided not to fully trust the man before I could be certain he was telling the truth. Until he dropped me off, and I was no longer in potential danger, I would play along. “Two, what about the fire in my house? It could've destroyed the place.”

  “Prudence was rarely lucid. She could only think about stopping someone from taking away her house. She lived in the lighthouse, traveled the tunnels, and snuck into the Garibaldi home infrequently. Until you began the renovations. She thought by starting the fire, it would scare you. I got there just in time to put it out and force her back into the basement. You almost discovered us that day.”

  We drove the rest of the way home in silence. He dropped me off a block from my house, and I walked up the meandering Dead End Lane. As I reached the top of the hill, I saw the flashing red lights in front of my house. Officer Flatman must've called for back-up when I hadn't returned from the basement. If he'd found only my phone, he'd freaked out. I increased my pace and jogged to the front pathway. It wasn't just any car with flashing red lights. It was April's official sheriff's car in my driveway. An unknown officer was posted outside the front door and called for April as soon as I reached him.

  April rushed outside. “What is going on? You had me scared someone had kidnapped you.” She immediately pulled me into a passionate kiss and then slapped me on the cheek.

  Nana D exited the house as it occurred, huffing the entire time. “I need not see that. My stomach was already a teensy bit upset about the news my grandson had gone missing. Do you want me to barf right here and now?” She threw a hand up in my direction when I attempted to speak.

  Ulan shuffled up the front walkway with Emma and Baxter at his side. Emma handed the leash to Ulan and ran into my arms. “Did you get lost, Daddy? Everyone kept telling me you took a walk and would be home soon. We went to find you, but it took forever. That was one long walk.”

  After shrugging at Emma, I pressed a hand to my face and stared at April. “Umm, you hit me.”

  April chuckled. “I hardly touched you.”

  Augie's head poked out the front window. “That's her way of saying you're special. I used to get that all the time, but once you two began acting nutty for one another, it stopped. What's going on?”

  Ulan laughed. “They remind me of the monkeys back in Africa. When the male monkey is interested in the female monkey, he—”

  April stomped her foot on the ground. “I will issue a few orders right now. If anyone defies me,” she paused and pointed at Nana D and me, “I'll lock you in prison tonight. I don't care if you have the title of mayor or are just an incorrigible snoop who needs to be taught a serious lesson.”

  “I had no control over what happened to me tonight. She—”

  “I said shut it.” April directed Augie to drive Ulan and Emma to the cottage at Danby Landing. She sent Flatman, who eyed me gleefully as if he loved seeing April put me in my place, to the basement to ensure no one got in or out tonight. “Mayor, Little Ayrwick, follow me into the kitchen.”

  I would have to argue about the nickname soon. She'd promised never to use it again, but under the current conditions, it inclined me to assume the word accidentally slipped out. “We'll discuss that sobriquet another time, thank you very much.” I waggled my nose, then rolled my eyes at her back.

  “Officer Flatman tells me he checked downstairs only to find you'd disappeared, and your phone covered in dirt on the ground. It worried me, mostly since we're supposed to be enjoying a quiet dinner right now. At a lovely restaurant in the downtown district. Not crawling through mud and swimming in the river, from what you smell and look like. It quickly became obvious our dinner plans would not happen.” April paced the floor, her eyes bulging and lips moving more quickly than I could follow.

  “If I could just explain—”

  “That's when Emma called me to say her friend's mom dropped her off, but no one was home,” Nana D interrupted, shaking a finger at me in disapproval. “I checked with Ulan who hadn't heard from you and was under the impression you would be there to greet Emma and cart her over to the main farmhouse because you had an important dinner to attend. I didn't know your little dinner was a date with the sheriff, brilliant one.”

  “Does anyone care whether I'm hurt or—”

  “So, that's when Ulan called Augie to see if he knew where I was, hoping I might have a clue. He'd remotely checked your phone and saw that you'd entered an appointment titled,
Dinner with the Sexy Sheriff. While flattering, it's also highly alarming you'd say that and put it on a calendar for other people to read.” April threw her hands to the top of her head and massaged her own temples.

  “I didn't need to hear that either. What kind of sick games are you two playing with one another?” Nana D pounded the floor toward the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. After chugging a few mouthfuls and tossing water on my face to cool me down, she glared. “I heard on the police radio there was an incident at this address, so I picked up Emma and drove as fast as I could.”

  “Which, by the way, exceeded the speed limit by thirteen miles per hour, according to an officer who said he saw a crazed red-headed woman shifting lanes without signaling.”

  Nana D hardly ever drove anymore. She had a chauffeur, but he had most evenings off unless there was a county or town event scheduled. I asked, “Are you two tag-teaming me here?”

  “Quiet,” April and Nana D shouted in unison, before turning to one another upon realizing they'd found a new commonality between them: blasting and torturing me.

  “I was worried about my grandson, Sheriff. I'll donate to the Police Activity League to compensate for my minor infraction.” She sheepishly smiled and chugged more water.

  “I can overlook it just this one time, Mayor,” April retorted, before grabbing a chair and sitting backward to face me. “We all ended up here, worried about you, and now you come strolling in as if nothing even happened. Go on, explain yourself. We've only been waiting hours.”

  I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth. While I wasn't angry, the whole situation had unnerved me. “Listen up! Apparently, I will always be cursed by the women in my life. Whether it's my insufferable nana,” I barked, turning to the short elderly woman who began twisting her red braid like an innocent schoolgirl. “Or the woman I admit to finding sexy but who also needs to learn how to pay attention and stop shooting off her trap sometimes,” I groaned, ensuring April knew I meant her and no one else. “Or the crazy lunatic psychic medium who insisted I trudge through the dirty tunnels beneath my basement to explain why she and her sister had been haunting my house for the last month.”