by Rose Pressey
Not the answer I had hoped for.
Chapter 24
Brannon rolled the car up to the curb in front of the library. The building wasn’t on fire. At least not that I saw. No smoke billowing up from the rooftop or flames shooting from the windows. So far, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was just as I’d left it.
“Stay here and I’ll go check it out,” Brannon said as he jumped out of the car.
Yeah, right. Like I could just sit here with Annie and Jane Austen in there. They needed me. Once Brannon was on the sidewalk, I hopped out of the car and ran up the path behind him.
“Rip, you should stay in the car. We don’t know what’s going on in there,” Brannon said from over his shoulder as he raced toward the front doors.
“I realize that, but I have to know if Jane Austen and Annie are all right. I can’t wait for you to come back out and tell me. Plus, what if you need help?” I asked.
“I can handle myself,” he said.
Nevertheless, it would make me feel better if I came along just in case. Once we neared the door I stopped in my tracks.
Brannon paused too. He noticed what I saw at the same time. The doors were slightly ajar.
“Did you leave the doors open?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No way. I remember locking them.”
“Maybe Tammy came back for something.”
“She never does that,” I said. “Plus, Annie was obviously upset.”
“You have to stay out here, Rip. I don’t want you to get hurt if someone is in there.”
I nodded, but I had no idea how I would stay out here. I wanted to get in there and find out what was happening inside. My phone wasn’t picking up a signal right now and I couldn’t check the cameras. I had to stay put for now. I didn’t want to be arrested.
Brannon moved up the library steps with his gun drawn. Was it that serious? We didn’t have money at the library. Why would anyone break in? Brannon eased the door open more and then disappeared inside. I stood there all alone wondering what was happening inside. I peered over at the cemetery. All was quiet. Eerily quiet. Even the tree branches didn’t move. There was no wind. What was taking so long in there? I had to check it out. I wanted to know if everyone was all right.
I looked around the front of the library and then realized that the windows were broken. Just two of them. I thought for sure somebody would have to have thrown something to break them because they were too high above the ground to reach.
I couldn’t wait much longer to get an update from Brannon. I moved a couple of steps up, hoping that he would come out soon. But I had to get a look inside. I stood in front of the open doors. There was no sound coming from inside the building.
Where were Jane Austen and Annie? That was it. I couldn’t wait any longer. I stepped closer to the door. I listened for a moment longer. When I didn’t hear Brannon, I grabbed the door and opened it just a bit more. I was afraid of what I would find. I peeked inside the building. Brannon looked right at me. He was walking across the library.
I hoped that Brannon didn’t think that I was the intruder.
“Rip, what are you doing in here?” Brannon asked as he hurried over to me.
“I couldn’t wait any longer,” I said, scanning the open space to my right.
“It’s only been a minute,” he said.
“A minute right now seems like an eternity. Besides, it’s too late now. I’m already in here.”
Everything looked fine from my current vantage point.
“The windows are broken,” I said, pointing to the right.
Brannon and I stepped over to the windows. Just as I’d suspected, the glass was shattered on the floor inside the building. That meant someone had broken the windows from outside. Why only two broken windows? Had something scared them away before they had a chance to break the others? This made me angry. How dared they damage the library? Thank goodness none of the books were damaged.
“Wait, did you look upstairs yet?” I asked.
“No, I was just ready to when you walked in the door. Are you going to stay here while I go look?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
“All right, come on. Let’s go up there and have a look around,” Brannon said, motioning for me to follow him.
Brannon and I walked back downstairs and stood by the reference desk. Annie and Jane Austen were still nowhere in sight.
“Does anything look out of place to you?” Brannon asked.
“Nothing seems to be missing,” I said as I pushed the hair out of my eyes.
“You might want to check all around and make sure you don’t notice anything unusual.”
“Why would someone break in? Did they want to steal something?” I asked.
“It doesn’t look as if they wanted anything. Or maybe they thought they’d take something of value but then found nothing.”
“What about the computers?” I pointed.
“I guess they didn’t want them,” Brannon said.
“That’s what makes this so weird. Annie? Are you here?” I called out.
I checked my phone’s screen waiting for a response. Sadly, she didn’t answer. This made me sick to my stomach.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she will answer soon,” Brannon said.
Sirens sounded from outside.
“Sounds as if your backup is here,” I said.
“I already had backup,” he said with a wink.
The cars came to a halt in front of the library. Police lights cast a blue glow over the entire front of the building. At least they’d cut the sirens when they arrived. No need to call even more attention to the situation. Sadly, there was nothing they could do now. Multiple police officers rushed inside the library. Brannon updated them on the situation. How fast would the library board find out about this latest incident? Word spread quickly in Devil’s Moon. I knew I’d have explaining to do in the morning. Though I had no answers really. I had no idea who had done this or why. Something told me that wouldn’t be a good enough explanation for them though.
“The officers will scour the area for any other clues,” Brannon said.
“I sure hope they find something. The library board won’t be happy with me,” I said, blowing the hair out of my eyes.
“If you’d like I can talk to them. I’ll let them know that there was nothing you could do to prevent something like this.”
I attempted a smile. “I suppose that might help some. Thank you, Brannon.”
Did I have the best boyfriend or what? He was a sweetheart.
“Now what do we do?” I asked.
“We need to check the video. I know you didn’t see anything on the alert you got on your phone, but maybe we missed something. I think it’s worth taking another look,” Brannon said.
Brannon and I walked down the hallway toward my office. It felt as if someone was watching us. That sent a chill down my spine. I unlocked the door and we hurried inside to my desk. I hoped this video showed something. The thought that this could be spirit activity had crossed my mind. I pulled up the app and waited. Brannon leaned closer and peered over my shoulder at the screen.
“Come on,” I said, impatiently.
After a few more seconds, the desired screen appeared. I scanned the video from right before I’d received the text from Annie to the time when Brannon and I arrived. Brannon and I looked through the whole thing and never spotted a person. I supposed we didn’t know if someone had actually come into the library. I desperately needed to speak with Annie.
“Nothing’s there,” I said around a sigh. “Other than seeing the braking glass fly through the air.”
“Maybe we can catch something outside from some of the nearby cameras,” he said.
“I hope that’s the case.” I shut off the camera. “Maybe if we go back out to the main area Annie will appear and talk to us. Plus, I need to find Jane Austen.”
Just as we headed for the door, a noise came
from the hallway. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was time for me to get out of here for the night. I gathered Jane Austen in her carrier to take her home with me. Annie was nowhere in sight. I figured she’d taken off and wouldn’t come back until tomorrow.
I locked the door and checked it three times to make sure it was secure.
“Officer Matthews will stay around for tonight to make sure nothing happens,” Brannon said.
“I’ll get the windows fixed first thing in the morning,” I said.
The police car was parked right out front, which would with any luck keep people away. The library board wouldn’t like this. There was nothing I could do about it though. It wasn’t as if this was my fault, though I sensed that they would probably blame me. I slipped into the passenger seat of Brannon’s cruiser again and rested my head against the back of the seat. I let out a deep breath and stared at the library. I thought for sure I saw someone peeking out from the tree by the cemetery.
I had to tell Brannon about this before the person had a chance to get away. I’d heard that perpetrators sometimes liked to come back to the scene of the crime to see the police in action. The person seemed to be watching me from behind the tree. I couldn’t make out who it was though. I jumped out from the car and hurried over to Brannon as he stood with the other officer.
“What’s wrong, Rip?” he asked.
I looked over my shoulder at the tree. “Someone was over there.”
Brannon took off to look for the person. A low fog had settled over the area. A chill drifted through the air. With each passing second my anxiety grew. Should I go help him? No, definitely a bad idea. He would totally not approve of that. Had the person I saw just been a ghost from the graveyard? That was possible. It certainly wasn’t uncommon to see something like that around here. Though with a killer lurking around I couldn’t be sure. After a few minutes Brannon returned. He was alone. No sign of an apprehended killer. Thank goodness Brannon was safe.
“No one was there,” he said. “You’re probably just stressed. I should take you home.”
I signed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
A short time later Brannon parked out front of my house again. I released a deep breath.
“I’m going to drive by the library again and make sure everything is all right,” Brannon said.
“I guess I’ll try to get some sleep. I have to get up soon for work.”
“Don’t worry about the library. It was just someone wanting to vandalize something. We’ll find out who did this,” Brannon said.
I had faith in him for most things, but it seemed almost impossible that we’d find the person responsible for this. After I got out of the car with Jane Austen Brannon walked me up to the front door. I kissed him goodbye.
“Make sure to lock the door,” Brannon said.
“I always do,” I said with a smile.
I knew he was worried about me, but I knew to lock the door. No need to tell me. I walked inside and closed the door. Brannon stood there to listen to me locking the door. He was really taking this seriously. After I locked it, he walked away. I watched from the window as he pulled away from the curb. I hoped that I’d be able to get some sleep tonight. When I turned around to walk into the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks. I released Jane Austen from her carrier. She took off in a streak toward the kitchen. I suppose she remembered that was where I kept her food and water dishes.
“Hold on just a second, Jane, I have to add water and food,” I called out as I walked into the living room and toward the back of the house.
“I’m glad you brought Jane Austen.”
I clutched my chest. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Chapter 25
“Annie, what are you doing here?” I asked.
My phone alerted me to a text message. At the same time my television flickered on all by itself. I pulled the phone from my pocket.
I was too scared to stay at the library tonight.
“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to stay there if Jane Austen wasn’t staying there too,” I said. “I’m sorry, Annie.”
No need to apologize. It’s not your fault.
I’d had overnight guests before, but entertaining a ghost was uncharted territory for me. It wasn’t as if I could offer her refreshments. Nor could I tell her to take a seat.
“Well, make yourself comfortable, Annie,” I said.
I placed my bag down on the dining room table. Annie stood in the same spot looking around the room. It was weird having Annie at my house.
“So how did you get here? I mean, how does all that work?” I asked.
I just thought about it really hard and then next thing I knew I was right here in your living room. She waved her hand for demonstration.
“Interesting,” I said.
Jane Austen roamed around the room sniffing everything. She was probably trying to ascertain if I’d had another cat in the house.
Annie’s message came through as a voice on the television. You just go about your business. Don’t mind me.
I smiled. “I guess I’ll fix a snack.”
Act as if I’m not here.
How could I do that? Annie the ghost was in my living room. And she was talking to me through the television. I stepped into the kitchen. I’d forgotten to go to the grocery store. It looked as if I’d be making a stop at the coffee shop in the morning. I needed to talk with Dana anyway. I stood in front of the pantry, trying to locate a snack. I felt a presence in the kitchen with me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I realized that Annie was right behind me.
Am I standing too close? I’m standing too close. Sorry. It’s just that I’m still scared.
I turned around to face Annie. She had moved across the kitchen and now stood by the door.
“It’s okay, Annie. You shouldn’t be scared. What was it that scared you the most? Just that the windows were broken?” I asked.
A man came into the library and acted as if he was looking for something.
“I wish I knew who it was. Plus, I wish I knew why he did it.”
Do you think he will come back?
I was torn on what to say. I didn’t want to make her even more scared. However, it was a possibility that the person could return.
“I sure hope that he doesn’t come back. Brannon thinks it was just someone wanting to vandalize. They just get a kick out of messing up stuff.”
That is abhorrent. Who would carry out such behavior?
“Someone who has a screw loose, I suppose,” I said as I grabbed a bag of trail mix.
I sat on the sofa with Annie right beside me. Jane Austen lounged on the coffee table in front of us napping. Every once in a while, she would sway her tail back and forth. I knew she was listening. After finishing the last bite of my snack, I yawned.
You really should get some sleep.
“I guess I should since it won’t be long until it will be time to get back to the library.” I pushed to my feet.
I didn’t mean to keep you up late.
“It’s all right. I would have stayed up anyway after what happened at the library,” I said, as I stretched.
I didn’t tell Annie that the library hadn’t been the only incident tonight. Where would Annie go when I went to bed? I supposed she’d do the same thing as when I was awake.
Good night, Rip.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” I waved.
Jane Austen jumped up and followed me up the stairs. I knew she wanted to sleep in the bed with me. I liked having her there too.
*
The next morning, I’d dressed and was ready to head out when a knock sounded at the door. Right away nervousness came over me. I hoped it wasn’t bad news. I peeked out the window and saw that Brannon was here. He hadn’t told me he was stopping by this early. Now I really was worried. Annie was nowhere in sight. I assumed she had already gone back to the library. I hurried over and answered the door.
“Hey, babe.” He leaned down
and kissed me.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“I have a list of cars that match the one from last night. I thought I’d give those to you because I know you love research.”
“Wow, how many are there?”
“Lucky for us not that many,” Brannon said. “Fifty.”
“What?” I said, louder than I’d intended. “That’s not many? How long will it take me to figure this out? I have to hurry before someone else is killed. Like me.”
“We can drop Jane Austen off at the library and then head over to the coffee shop to discuss this,” Brannon said.
“I guess we have a bit of time before the library opens. Just let me get Jane Austen in the carrier.”
Jane Austen wasn’t a fan of this part of traveling. Neither was I for that matter. We loaded her up in the car and drove over to the library. Brannon and I left Jane Austen inside the upstairs conference room in the library until I came back. She had her bed, food, water, and sunshine from the window, so she was happy. Annie hadn’t made an appearance. I was worried about her.
Brannon and I headed back to the coffee shop. The man was supposed to be at the library at eight-thirty to start repairing the windows. Brannon parked the car along the curb, and we walked inside the coffee shop. Dana was behind the counter. A smile slipped across her face as soon as she saw us. She was busy with customers though, so I wasn’t sure I’d get a chance to talk with her this morning. Maybe I’d have to come back later when things weren’t quite so busy.
Brannon and I picked up our coffee and pastries and sat at a table at the back of the room. I pulled off a piece of my chocolate croissant and popped it into my mouth.
“Here’s the list,” Brannon said as he slipped the paper across the table to me.
I was thankful for the list, but not looking forward to tracking down these people. Where would I even start?
Chapter 26
“Did you try that number you told me about? Harrison was the name. Plus, you forgot to give me the phone,” Brannon said.
