Town Haunts

by Cathy Spencer

  “Who summons me?” the figure trapped within the column said in a hoarse whisper. Anna’s eyes darted back to the circle.

  “We did,” Tiernay said in a commanding voice. “We are the friends of Sherman Mason.”

  “What do you want of me?” the spectre croaked, seeming to become more and more solid before their eyes. Anna could make out a seamless shroud encompassing the figure, covering it from head to foot.

  “You have upset and frightened people, Evelyn,” Tiernay said. “Sherman, who has run away, May, and Anna. If you promise to stop, we will help you. You spoke of revenge at our séance. Who are we to take your revenge upon?”

  From far away, the tinkling notes of music began to play, the same terrible melody that had haunted Anna’s dreams. She cringed. The figure seemed to hear the music, too. It extended its arms and began to revolve once again in the same bobbing waltz. Anna clasped her hand over her mouth, afraid that she was going to be sick. It’s not real, it’s not real, she told herself again and again.

  “I want revenge on everyone!” the ghost shrieked. Anna jumped. “Everyone who mocked me, everyone who wished me harm, everyone who laughed at my downfall. And, especially, on the monster who did this to me!” The apparition stopped right in front of Anna. Tremulous, bony fingers reached up to pluck the shroud from its head. Anna cried aloud as a tumble of white-blond hair fell down upon its shoulders while Evelyn’s lifeless blue eyes stared at her. Abruptly, the spectre’s head fell to one shoulder at a sick, twisted angle. It was too much for Anna. Instinct took hold of her and she sprinted away, trying to escape the horrific apparition.

  “Anna!” Steve hollered after her.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw the thing chasing her. Yelping, she veered around a stone cross and blundered into the dark. A low tombstone appeared out of nowhere, and Anna slammed, face-first, into the ground. Wiggling onto her back, she gasped, seeing the ghost gliding toward her. But Steve was right behind it, his flashlight trained upon the apparition.

  As if sensing the constable’s presence, the ghost stopped, turned, and pointed at him. As Anna watched in horror, Steve stumbled and catapulted headlong into a tree.

  There was shouting from the others. Greg came sprinting out of the gloom, closing in on the ghost. It waited, motionless except for its fluttering garment, raised its arm, and pointed at Greg. His feet flew out from under him, and he crashed into a heap on the ground.

  Anna jumped to her feet, her courage returning now that the others needed her. But where was Evelyn? Anna looked everywhere, her eyes darting around the tombstones, but the apparition had vanished. Turning back to her friends, she saw Tiernay dash up to Greg with Erna jogging behind her.

  Anna ran to Steve lying crumpled on the ground. He was unconscious, and as she caught up his flashlight and shone it in his face, she saw blood dripping down his forehead. Pulling a handful of tissues from her pocket, she cradled his head in her lap and pressed the wad against the wound. She felt for a pulse in his throat with her free hand, and felt it throbbing beneath her fingers. Thank heavens, he was still alive. She patted at his cheek.

  “Wake up, Steve!” she urged.

  He mumbled incoherently.

  “What?” she asked, bending closer. He was silent, but his eyes fluttered open.

  Tears of relief welled in her eyes. “How are you feeling?” she asked, stroking his cheek. He tried to sit up, but Anna pressed him back down again.

  “Whoa, don’t try to get up yet.”

  “What happened?” he asked, collapsing back into her arms and staring up at her.

  “You were chasing Evelyn’s ghost, but she knocked you down somehow. You were running so fast that you hit a tree.”

  Twenty feet away, Anna could hear Tiernay’s frantic voice calling, “Greg, wake up!” She turned and saw Tiernay rocking Greg in her arms. Erna was leaning over them, dialing her cell phone.

  “It’s a police and a medical emergency,” her friend said. Glancing over, Erna caught Anna’s eye. “Send two ambulances.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  An hour and a half later, there was a rap on the door, and Erna rose to answer it. Anna heard her say, “Come in, John,” and then her friend ushered the corporal into the living room. May was ensconced in the recliner with a blanket and a hot water bottle to ward off the cemetery chill, while Anna sat on the couch with Wendy at her feet.

  “May, Anna,” John said, acknowledging them in turn with a stiff nod. He removed his hat and tucked it under his arm.

  “Please take a seat,” Erna said, indicating the couch. “Can I get you a cup of tea?”

  “No thanks, Miss Dombrosky,” he said, removing a notebook from his back pocket and opening it. “I just had a coffee at the hospital while I was checking in on Steve and Greg.” He glanced at May and Anna before settling his gaze back on Erna. “Now, do you want to tell me what six supposedly sane people were doing running around the cemetery in the middle of the night?”

  His question was met by silence. Erna perched on the couch.

  “How is Steve doing, John?” she asked.

  “They’ve put ten stitches into his head.”

  “And how about Greg?” Anna asked.

  He turned his leaden gaze upon her. “He’s still not conscious.” She felt uncomfortable and looked away. “There doesn’t seem anything particularly wrong with him, except some bruising and abrasions. He just doesn’t wake up. His sister is still with him. The doctor told her that talking to Greg might help him regain consciousness.”

  Anna nodded and let out a deep breath. “It’s my fault, John. I got really spooked at Evelyn’s grave when her head collapsed over her shoulder, just the way it did when she haunted my front lawn Sunday night, so I ran. Evelyn chased me, and Steve and Greg chased Evelyn. Then she lifted her arm and shot some sort of invisible ray at them that knocked them down. Poor Steve slid into a tree and got hurt even worse. I don’t know what she did to Greg.”

  John paused, his face immobile, and plunked down upon the couch. “Okay, you want to take that from the top?”

  The three women interrupted each other over the next half hour as they tried to explain the events leading up to the cemetery ceremony. John listened patiently, jotting down notes and asking for clarification when necessary. When the friends had finished, he snapped the notebook shut and slid his pen into its binding.

  “To sum up, someone’s been playing tricks on May and Anna, and Sherman has disappeared. Is that about it?” he asked in an exasperated voice.

  “I think that the situation is a little more serious than that,” Erna murmured.

  “I’ll say. We’ve got two men in the hospital because of tonight’s little escapade.”

  “What about Sherman?” May asked from the recliner.

  John turned to her. “I would have expected more sense out of you, May. You just checked out of the hospital Sunday morning. It took two constables to haul you and your wheelchair out of the cemetery tonight. That’s a pretty big waste of the taxpayers’ money.”

  May’s face turned pink as she sputtered, “Yeah, well, I’m one of those taxpayers, and I’ve been paying my taxes for years, so don’t you talk to me like that, John Fox Child!”

  John stared at her for a long time before shaking his head. “Listen, May, Sherman told you that he was clearing out, so there doesn’t appear to be any foul play in his disappearance. As it so happens, we’ve been trying to talk to him ourselves, but we weren’t been able to find him, either at his house or at your apartment. Now we know why. We’ll try contacting his children ‒ maybe he’s staying with one of them.”

  “Will you call me if you find him?” May asked in a meek voice.

  John nodded and stood up. “Will do. Well, ladies, if you don’t have any further information, I’m going back to the station.”

  Erna rose to show him out. “I know that this all sounds foolish to you, but I think that there is malicious intent behind the events involving May and Anna, not
to mention the attacks upon Steven and Gregory tonight.”

  John paused at the entrance to the living room and sighed. “We’re a week away from Halloween. What happened to May and Anna might be some elaborate prank gone wrong. I’ll ask our people to keep their eyes open for anything unusual, but that’s about all I can do. As for Steve and Greg, people running around a cemetery in the dark are bound to get hurt.”

  “John,” Anna said, “what about Henry? Have the police found him yet?”

  “As a matter of fact, Henry walked into a Calgary police station yesterday morning to turn himself in. I was over telling Frank and Judy about it this evening, but I guess there hasn’t been time for word to spread around town yet. So, if you were thinking that these pranks were pulled by Henry, you can count him out. He’s been staying with a friend in Calgary all this time, and we’ve still got his car in the impound, so he can’t have driven back.”

  Anna’s face fell in disappointment. “Thanks. Just a thought.”

  John nodded. “You three try to stay out of trouble, will you? Good night.”

  “Night, John,” Anna and May replied as Erna followed him from the room.

  “We came off sounding like a bunch of idiots,” May said. “Looks like the police aren’t going to be of any use.”

  “Come on, Wendy,” Anna said, climbing to her feet. “It’s time to go home.”

  “What?” May asked in surprise as Anna and Wendy left the room. Erna returned a minute later to find her friend frowning. “Anna’s leaving,” May said.

  “What did you say to upset her?”

  “Nothing!”

  “Why is she leaving, then?”

  “She didn’t say.”

  Anna re-appeared in the doorway carrying Wendy’s dishes and the sack of dog kibble. The dog padded into the room to sit down beside the recliner.

  “Erna, thanks so much, but it’s time for me to go home,” she said. “John just put this whole thing into perspective for me. I’m a grown woman. I can’t hide out here forever.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?” Erna asked.

  “Don’t let what John said bother you,” May said. “Sure, we may look like fools for believing in ghosts, but what do we care? Better safe than sorry. You’d better stay here with us.”

  “May’s right. You’re too vulnerable at your house, whether there’s a ghost behind all this or not,” Erna added.

  “Look, I really don’t think that there’s a ghost,” Anna said. “And who’s to say where it’s safe or not. Don’t worry, I’ll lock my doors and windows and sleep in Ben’s room, in case anyone tries to wake me up with more fun and games on the front lawn.” May frowned as Anna turned to Erna. “I really appreciate you letting me stay here the past couple of days, but it’s time I went home.”

  Erna laid her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “Are you leaving because you’re embarrassed about what happened in the cemetery tonight?” she asked.

  Anna forced herself to meet Erna’s gaze. “If I had stayed in the circle like Tiernay told us, that ‘thing’ wouldn’t have chased me, and Steve and Greg wouldn’t be in the hospital. It’s time I started reacting more logically, wouldn’t you say?”

  “There was no shame in running, dear. You were deliberately singled out for special attention by the apparition. Anyone in your situation would have run.”

  “It sure scared me,” May said from her chair. “If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I would have collapsed.”

  Anna smiled. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, you two. And maybe you’re right. But if someone tries to scare me a third time, I just won’t let it happen.” They looked at her doubtfully. “Don’t worry, if I see another ghost, I won’t go near it. I saw what it did to Steve and Greg tonight.”

  Erna frowned. “Yes, I wish that we had an explanation for what happened to them. That worries me most of all.”

  Anna glanced at her watch. “Wow, it’s going on eleven! I’ve got work in the morning.” She kissed Erna’s cheek and hurried over to hug May. “Oops, almost forgot my overnight bag,” she said, snatching it up from where it rested beside the couch. She smiled at her friends. “Don’t look so worried. I’ll be just fine.”

  “Call us if anything happens,” Erna said as Anna left the room.

  “Will do,” Anna called from the front door. “Come on, Wendy, let’s go home!” The dog sprang up from the living room floor and trotted after her.

  When the door shut behind them, May said, “Better start praying.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When Anna pulled into her driveway, she let the car idle for a few moments, using her headlights to scan the front of the house. Everything seemed fine, so she turned off the engine and nudged the car door open. Wendy jumped over her lap to relieve herself on the lawn, while Anna gathered up their things and jogged to the front door. She unlocked it quickly, glancing over her shoulder as she did, and pushed the door open before calling for Wendy to come. The dog galloped up the yard and into the house, with Anna slamming and bolting the door behind them. After putting away the dog’s things, she walked reluctantly to her room. The bed was still unmade from Sunday night, but Steve had locked the window for her. Taking a moment to throw two days’ worth of dirty laundry into the clothes hamper, Anna grabbed a clean nightshirt from her bureau and changed out of her clothes in record time. Performing the sparest of evening ablutions, she left the bathroom light on to go next door to Ben’s room.

  The room looked as if Ben still lived there. His books were in the bookcase, his concert posters were tacked on the bulletin board over the desk, and a shabby teddy bear that had accompanied him on all their cross-country moves leaned against the headboard. Fortunately, the bed was made up with fresh linens, and Anna had only to set the alarm on the clock radio before crawling inside. Wendy sat in the doorway, confused by the change in sleeping arrangements.

  “Here, Wendy,” Anna said, patting the quilt beside her. “You always sleep on the bed when Ben’s home, anyway.” The dog loped into the room and sprang onto the bed beside her, turning around once before hunkering down. Anna switched off the bedside light, nestled under the covers, and stared into the darkness. She lay still for all of ten seconds before groping for the clock radio. It was too quiet, and she could hear the creepy music box tune in her head. If someone or something started playing it for real outside, she didn’t want to hear it. She hit the snooze button, and late night jazz from a Calgary FM station drifted out of the speaker. Anna sighed and settled down to sleep.

  She slept soundly and smiled when the alarm woke her in the morning. Nothing had disturbed her after all. She climbed out of bed and attended to the usual morning chores before saying goodbye to Wendy and leaving the house with time to spare. The clouds were tinted a soft gold and pink as she enjoyed a leisurely drive through the countryside. Traffic was sparse when she reached the city limits, and the lights were green all the way to the university. It was shaping up to be a wonderful day. At noon, she called Erna for news of the invalids in the hospital.

  “Steven went home this morning, and Gregory’s conscious and doing fine. They ran additional tests, but they couldn’t find anything wrong with him, so he’s being released this afternoon.”

  “I’m so glad to hear it. I was afraid that whatever had happened to him had damaged his brain.”

  “No. Just a minute, Anna.” There was talking in the background. “May wants to know if the ghost showed up last night.”

  “No, everything was fine. Didn’t see or hear a trace of it.”

  “I’m glad, dear. I had trouble sleeping last night for worrying about you.”

  “I’m sorry that you were worried about me, but nothing happened.”

  “She says she’s fine, May.”

  “By the way, I’m thinking about dropping by the Raes’ to talk to Greg after supper. I want to hear what happened to him in the cemetery.”

  “Good idea. If I weren’t looking after May, I’d come with you.
Give me a call when you get home and let us know what he says.”

  “Will do. Give May my best.”

  “Goodbye.”

  It was eight o’clock when Anna climbed into her car to drive over to the Raes’ house. The sky was clear, and the air was cool and fresh. Anna was cheered by the sight of light spilling from Jeff and Betty’s windows as she drove by their house. Many of the other houses she passed on the way through town also had on lights, as if everyone had decided to stay home that night. Even Greg and Tiernay’s barren front lawn looked cozy under a blanket of dry leaves that crunched as she made her way to the door. The drapes were drawn, but she could hear the murmur of conversation within, and only had to wait a few seconds before someone responded to her knock.

  “Anna,” Tiernay said, her face flinty as she gripped the door, “I had a feeling that we’d see you tonight. Come in.”

  “Thanks,” Anna said, skirting around her. “I wanted to see how Greg was doing.” The scent of sandalwood smoke drifted down the dark hallway as she followed Tiernay to the living room.

  “Anna’s here,” Tiernay announced, standing aside to let her guest enter. Anna blinked in the lights.

  “Anna!” Greg said. “Just the tonic I needed. Come and sit beside me, lovely lady.” He waved at her from his rocking chair next to the hearth, where a cozy fire burned. Dressed in a robe and pyjamas, he even had a blanket on his lap. “Tiernay’s playing nurse tonight.”

  “I’m not surprised. You just got home from the hospital.”