“Stay here,” the officer said as he burst out the front doors.
Crystal hurried over to where I stood. She was shaking.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Do you think he can get in?”
“Did you lock the back door?”
“I’m not sure if it’s locked,” Crystal said.
I thought the door was locked, but now doubt set in. I decided to go to the back and check the door. Running down the hallway, I passed the stairs and went through to the back entrance. Crystal stayed up front. Annie appeared beside me, but didn’t send a message. She looked worried though. I probably had that same expression. Memories of yesterday flashed through my mind. Once at the door, I checked and it was locked, which was a huge relief. I’d take whatever good fortune I could get at the moment. I hoped that the police officer was back inside and the killer was nowhere around.
Maybe Crystal had just imagined seeing the maniac. After all, she was stressed. It wasn’t unimaginable to see something that wasn’t there.
As I neared the break room, the door was open. When I was close enough to see into the room, I thought I saw Melissa’s ghost in the corner by the water machine. Before I would have run the other way, but now I wanted to see if she had a message for me. Was she trying to lead me to the killer?
I stepped into the room and she pointed. When I opened my mouth to speak, she disappeared. As I peered down at the shelf, I spotted something black. It was poking out of Crystal’s bag that had fallen from the shelf. I glanced over my shoulder to see if I was still alone in the room. I didn’t want Crystal to think I was searching through her stuff. Now I was curious. What was the black fabric? I knew what it looked like, but I wanted to see for myself. If that meant I had to do a little snooping then so be it.
I had to hurry and get out of the library so that she wouldn’t catch me. Annie was still by the door.
“Annie, you have to tell me if you see Crystal.”
She nodded and stepped out into the hallway.
I pulled the bag up from the floor where it had fallen. I tugged on the black fabric and at that moment realized what it was. The black fabric was the cape that the killer had worn. The mask was there too. That meant one thing: Crystal was the killer. She had been right there with us all along. The thought sent a shiver down my spine and turned my stomach.
Movement sounded from behind me. I knew before I looked that Crystal was there. I turned around and she glared at me. Her face was red with rage. I knew that she was ready to attack. How was I going to get out of this situation? She had tricked the police officer into going outside to get rid of him. Now she was going to kill me.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Because you got in the way. If you hadn’t been snooping you probably would live.” Crystal’s lip curled in disgust.
“You killed Melissa and Krista. Why?” My mind raced. There had to be a way for me to get away from Crystal.
“Melissa wouldn’t leave Bryce alone. He was mine. We were dating and yet she wanted him too,” she said.
“I thought that he was Melissa’s boyfriend. I don’t understand,” I said.
“Bryce, that filthy scumbag, was dating both of us apparently, so I had to get her out of the way. And then the other girlfriend showed up, so of course I had to get rid of her too.” An evil smile spread across her face.
Her words sent a chill down my spine. Before I could ask another question she lunged forward. She grabbed me by the arms and threw me to the floor. My body landed hard against the cold tile.
Crystal was on top of me now and I pushed to get her away. She was a lot stronger than I’d realized. I tried to raise my leg up and kick her, but I was unable to with the position we were in. She had me right where she wanted me. I needed to get the upper hand. After struggling to push her to the right, I finally got my arms in just the right spot and was able to push her off. She fell backward from the force of my shove. As I tried to get up from the floor I stumbled.
Now that I had broken free, I had to get out of the room and to the front door. My only hope was to find the cop. I ran out the door and down the hallway. When I glanced back, Crystal was coming after me. That wasn’t the worst part though. She had found her knife.
This changed things totally. I ran as fast as I could. I’d never ran faster in my whole life. I couldn’t believe this was happening again. What was it with me and killer assistants? I must have a knack for hiring killers. Though technically I hadn’t hired the first one.
Somehow I made it out into the main part of the library. Unfortunately, the cop wasn’t there. I just had to make it to the front doors and then maybe I could escape Crystal. Annie was floating along beside me. Why hadn’t she warned me? That was when I remembered I didn’t have my phone with me. How could she have warned me? I glanced back. Crystal was dangerously close to catching me.
Finally, I reached the doors and wrapped my hands around the handles. When I pulled, nothing happened. The doors were locked. I knew they had been unlocked when the cop went out, so Crystal must have locked them.
At this point she was right behind me. She raised her knife over her head and stabbed forward. Light flickered off the shiny blade.
Chapter 26
When she stabbed, I lunged to the right. The knife slammed into the wood and stuck. This was my chance to get away. A wave of pulsing fury came over me. I wouldn’t let her do this to me. She charged at me, but I managed to push her with all the strength in my body. She fell back onto the floor with a groan. Before she got up, I rushed to unlock the doors. That wasn’t good enough though. I needed to get the knife before she got it back. With a shaky hand, I finally unlocked the door and then set my sights on grabbing the knife.
Before I even wrapped my hand around the hilt, someone called out to me.
“You’re not going to get away,” Jaden said.
When I looked over my shoulder, I saw that he was running in my direction. Rage filled his eyes. He’d looked like a meek and mild guy before, but that was the last way I would describe him now. Where was the cop? What had Crystal done to him? I ran across the library, up and down the stacks with both of them chasing me. I couldn’t keep up this pace for much longer. When I had the chance I ran toward the door. I just had to make it there so that I could get out. There were a lot more places to hide outside the library. Plus, maybe I could flag down someone to call for help.
Just as I reached the front doors and pulled out the knife, Brannon burst through and I felt backward. Thankfully I’d missed being knocked out. I’d never been happier to see him. I still had the huge knife in my hand. Jaden and Crystal stopped and stared at Brannon.
“Freeze. Don’t move,” he ordered. “Rip, are you okay?” he asked without looking at me. He kept his eyes focused on the two killers. His gun was drawn and aimed right at them.
Crystal and Jaden had worked on this together. That explained a lot. Now I understood how Crystal had been in different places when the victims had been murdered.
Not following Brannon’s command, Crystal and Jaden took off running across the library. I wasn’t sure where they thought they were going. The back door was locked. Unless Crystal had the key, she wouldn’t be able to get out. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had gotten a copy of the key. There were probably a lot of things I didn’t know that she had done. The library board would not be happy about me hiring her, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. I just needed to focus on staying alive.
Brannon took off after them with his gun still aimed at them. He instructed Crystal and Jaden to stop. Initially they ignored him, but once they reached the hallway they stopped and put their hands up. I supposed they realized they weren’t going to get away.
Just then, more officers rushed into the building. Brannon had gotten Jaden handcuffed, so the other officer moved on to Crystal. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this was all over now. I had managed to get up from the floor while still clutching th
e knife in my hand. My knuckles had turned white, I’d been holding it so tightly.
Brannon stepped over. “You can give me the knife now.”
I supposed I did look a little threatening standing there with the thing. I released the knife to him. “Sorry about that. I’m still a little wired, I suppose.”
“That’s understandable,” he said, putting his gun back in its holster.
The police were busy looking for evidence in the library. They had collected Crystal’s bag that had the costume. I wasn’t sure if she’d committed either of the murders or if she’d just been helping Jaden. One thing I knew, she had tried to kill me. I’d thought she’d been a friend, but I’d been wrong. The thought that she’d spent the night at my place sent a chill down my spine.
When I glanced to my left, I spotted the misty form materializing. I knew that it wasn’t Annie because she was standing next to me. Melissa appeared. She looked right at me and smiled. This was her way of thanking of me.
Just then, my phone alerted me to a message. I pulled it from my bag. Too bad I’d left my bag at the desk when all of this had happened. I could have used my phone to call the police when she had cornered me in the break room. That was neither here nor there now though.
I looked at the screen. There were a bunch of messages from Annie that I hadn’t been able to check. This one though was from Melissa. It just said, Thank you.
“You’re welcome,” I said with a smile. “And thank you.”
Without her help I might not be alive. Brannon looked at me and followed my stare. His eyes widened and I knew that he saw her too. At that moment, she disappeared. I hoped that she found peace now.
Brannon stepped over to me. “You did a really good thing.”
I smiled at him. “I had a little help.”
The officers escorted Crystal and Jaden out of the library in handcuffs. I hoped that I never laid eyes on them again. They glared at me as they walked out the door. Hate filled their eyes. They’d probably thought I wouldn’t put up a fight.
I had fought, and I’d won the battle too. It made me sick that I hadn’t discovered their intentions before Krista had been murdered.
My phone alerted me again. I glanced over at Annie. She pointed to let me know to check the message.
I tried to help you, but you couldn’t look at my messages. I was scared.
Her other messages were full of instructions like, Run, and Look out behind you. I could tell how frantic she had been just from the messages.
“It’s okay now, Annie, we don’t have to worry about them anymore.”
She attempted a half-hearted smile.
Just then Tammy burst through the door. Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she’d run all the way to the library. The police stopped her from coming any closer, so I rushed over to her.
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.” She waved her hands.
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I can’t believe that I hired another killer assistant.”
“Perhaps we need to reevaluate our hiring practices,” she said.
“The board members will probably take care of that for us.”
Tammy reached over and hugged me. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Do you know why they did this?”
“Where do I begin?”
***
The next evening, we went to the tavern for a little bit of a celebration. It was a celebration that we had survived. Mostly, it was just a time to reflect on what had happened.
I still felt bad that I hadn’t stopped what had happened before it had been too late for Krista. But there was no way that I could’ve known what would happen.
Brannon and Tammy sat at the table with me. Music played and people chatted around us, but luckily it was a little quieter than usual. We could still hear each other talk over the noise.
“So Crystal was dating Bryce too and when she found out Melissa was seeing him behind her back, I guess that made her snap. This Jaden guy had been following Melissa already. He had been doing all of this occult stuff and since Melissa was kind of into paranormal anyway, Crystal had convinced her that there was a demon at that haunted house that was after her. Somehow Melissa knew that you would be able to solve the crime. All she had to do was point you in the right direction,” Brannon said.
“Crystal went after Jaden to recruit him to help her commit the crime?” I asked.
Brannon nodded. “Yes, and when the ex-girlfriend Krista came onto the scene, well, Crystal wanted to eliminate her also.”
“Crystal certainly kept all of the secrets. I had no idea she was dating that guy Bryce. What about your ex-wife? Why was she talking to Jaden?” I took a drink of my Diet Coke.
Maybe it was none of my business, but I wanted to know.
“I think that was just be a coincidence. And I’m sorry about her showing up. I talked to her about that. She said it won’t happen again.”
I exchanged a look with Tammy. She was thinking the same as me. I wasn’t so sure that I believed what she’d told him.
“So the boyfriend Bryce wasn’t guilty?” Tammy asked.
Brannon took a drink and then placed his glass on the table. “No, he had no involvement whatsoever. He just happens to be a complete jerk.”
“Did you find out about this other group that Jaden was involved in?” I asked.
“The guys who took him into the house and tied him up?” Brannon said.
“So they were responsible?”
“Yes, they tied him up, but they had nothing to do with the murders as far as we can tell. That was all Crystal and Jaden. Apparently they had grown increasingly worried about Jaden. They thought he was taking the séance stuff too far.”
I bet they were surprised to learn that they had tied up the murder. I hope we can keep people from trespassing in Edgewood from now on.
“Did you find out who owns the home?”
“Yes, and they plan on restoring it someday,” Brannon said.
“I hope they do,” I said.
Tammy leaned back in the chair. “Well, I’m glad that everything is resolved now. There’s just one other thing,” Tammy said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We need to hire another assistant.”
I groaned. “Oh, don’t remind me. I can’t believe that Crystal and Jaden teamed up to get who they wanted.”
“Jaden wanted to be with Melissa and Crystal wanted to be with Bryce.” Tammy took a drink from her glass and then said, “They’re both seriously crazy.”
It felt good to be with my friends. Of course Brannon was possibly more than a friend. If our time together and kisses were any indication, then we were definitely headed in that direction. I wanted to spend more time with him, and by the way he looked at me, I thought he felt the same way. Melissa had been trying to tell me about Jaden and her suspicions of Crystal jealousy by highlighting the books and leaving them. I suspect she’d meant to leave the book that Mr. Byrd found, but had lost it along the way. If only Melissa hadn’t been afraid to tell the police about her suspicions sooner.
Just then my phone alerted me to a text. Now every time I heard that sound I became anxious.
“What is it?” Tammy asked.
“I have another text,” I said.
“Aren’t you going to see who it is?” Brannon asked.
I released a deep breath and said, “I’m afraid to see.”
“All the bad stuff is over now,” Tammy said. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”
For all I knew, it could be from Mrs. Agnew telling me I was fired. If she ever figured out how to text that would probably be the way she’d let me go. I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen.
Add me to your tour.
What was that supposed to mean? I didn’t recognize the number. Oh, no, not again. I peered around the tavern to see if I recognized anyone. Maybe someone was just playing a trick on me.
“You look like you saw a ghost,” Tammy said.
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“What does the text say?” Brannon leaned closer.
I hadn’t seen a ghost, but it was close enough. They stared at me, waiting for me to share the message. I placed the phone on the table and pushed it to the middle. They both leaned forward and looked at the screen.
After reading it, Tammy said, “What is that supposed to mean?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I think there’s another ghost in town.”
“Apparently the ghost wants to be added to your tour,” she said.
“I think we have all the ghosts we need in Devil’s Moon,” I said.
“Maybe you should change your phone number,” Tammy said.
I had definitely thought of it, but somehow I knew that the number didn’t matter. They’d find me as long as I had a device.
A strange sensation filled the air and it grew cooler. It felt as if someone was watching us. I looked to my right and noticed a man staring right at us. What made this even more concerning was the fact that he wasn’t completely solid. I could see through him and I knew that he was a ghost. I also figured that he was the one responsible for sending the text message.
Just then Brannon realized that I was staring at someone, so he looked over his shoulder.
“Do you see him too?” I asked.
Brannon nodded. “Yes, I see him. Is he the one who sent the text?”
I nodded. “Probably so. What do I do now?”
“You will probably have to add him to the tour,” Tammy said.
“I think he will come whether she invites him or not,” Brannon said.
When I looked back at the man he had disappeared. I hoped that was the last I saw of him, but something told me that he would probably return. Sooner rather than later. Yes, Devil’s Moon and I were still haunted.
The End
About the Author
Rose Pressey is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. The paranormal has always captured her interest. The thought of finding answers to the unexplained fascinates her.
Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 3) Page 18
