"I understand that. But unless you use the information I give you, I am afraid my family will never have closure with this. Fourteen people died in the factory that day. Think of their loved ones."
"I am sorry, but I still don't understand how I can help you," Hannah said.
"No one knows who is responsible for the shooting. Sam has an alibi. But it was him. Unless you can identify him, no one will ever know."
"So you want me to go to the police and tell them a ghost told me the name of the killer? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
"No, what I am saying is that you will encounter Sam while you are here. That is when you must make it known."
"But how?"
The figure faded away, and, once again, Hannah was left behind, as bewildered as the first time the girl appeared to her.
She padded across the wooden floor and crept back into bed quietly. The last thing she needed right now was for Chad to wake up.
It was in the early morning hours that she was finally able to go back to sleep. Of course, when Chad woke her the next morning by nuzzling her neck, she did not want to wake up.
"Hey, there, I know this is vacation, and the mountain air is conducive for good sleep, but up and at 'em, baby."
"Ugh," she said in reply as she sat up and plopped back down again.
"You need coffee, coming right up," he said as he jumped out of bed and slipped a pair of shorts on.
He returned with a cup for both of them while she was in the bathroom. She looked at the dark circles under her eyes and groaned. Running a brush through her thick curls, she sighed. Damn it, why me? she asked for the hundredth time.
When she walked into the bedroom and saw Chad sitting on the bed with coffee, she spotted her cup on the nightstand and almost flew to it. She picked up the cup and sipped it gratefully.
"Why so tired, didn't you sleep well?" he asked.
"Not really," she replied noncommittally.
"I'm sorry. Should we postpone our theme park day?"
"No, I'll be fine after coffee and a hot shower."
"If you're sure," he said as he leaned over to kiss her. "Al and I are going to fix breakfast, so enjoy your coffee and join us in a bit."
"Thank you," she said as she sank back against the pillows.
She made it through breakfast and was ready to join the others on time. They spent the day at the park, and it was a full day. By the time they got back to the cabin, all she wanted to do was sleep.
"Last night, it was you, tonight it's me," she said teasingly as she settled under the covers.
"Oh, poor baby, come here," he said as he rubbed her back until she fell into a deep sleep. Luckily, she slept all night, with no visits from unwelcome ghosts. The next day, the group decided to go into Gatlinburg, which surprised Hannah. She had thought they would hang around the cabin.
Just for fun, she stopped in to have her fortune told at one of the shops. As the mysterious old woman read her tarot cards, she gasped.
"What is it? What do you see?" Hannah asked, half laughing.
"Oh, my dear, oh my," the woman said. She went on with, "I see that you are one of the special ones. You possess a great power. The spirits are comfortable with you. You could help many cross over, maybe even aid the authorities."
"No, I don't want to be that kind of special!" Hannah protested.
"Do not say that. It is a wondrous gift you possess."
"Can I stop it?" she asked in a near whisper.
"I see that this frightens you. Have you experienced this already?"
"Y-yes, and I hate it."
"Were you able to assist a spirit?" the woman asked.
"Y-yes, two of them, actually, and I solved a fifty-year-old murder case with the help of the victims' spirits, but I…my…boyfriend hates it, and so do I. It is dangerous."
"It is a shame, then, for you can be of great help to many. Please, try to embrace it and view it for what it is, a special gift."
Hannah thanked the woman and left the shop. Cassie was waiting for her outside. "How did that go?" she asked.
"Ugh, she thinks I should use this 'special' power of mine to help the authorities and the spirits who need closure to cross over. Like I am destined to be some kind of…what do they call it…ghost whisperer or something?"
"You know, you could write about all this."
"Come on, let's go meet the guys. Where are they?"
"They went to a leather shop. We are supposed to meet them at some café on this street. Oh, there it is."
They were in the cafe, enjoying lunch, when a broadcast came on the television set in the establishment. It was about the shooting at the factory. Chad and Alan listened intently as the news announcer stated that the authorities still believed the killer to be hiding in the mountains near Gatlinburg. They exchanged glances. Hannah groaned inwardly. Great! She would have to tell them about her ghostly visitor now.
Nervously, she looked over at Cassie, who was as white as a sheet.
"Uh…Chad…Alan…maybe we should…uh…go on back to the cabin," Hannah suggested.
Chad turned to her. "Are you okay?"
"No, not really. Please, let's just finish our meal and go."
With a puzzled look on his face, he agreed, "All right. I can ask for boxes to take the rest of the food with us. Maybe we should go back, if you aren't feeling well."
She was quiet on the ride back up the mountain. Of course, Chad and Alan assumed she wasn't feeling ill. Well, in a way she wasn't.
When they reached the cabin, with as much courage as she could muster, she said, "Please, sit down. I have something to tell the two of you. I have tried to ignore it, but it…she…refuses to go away."
The guys looked at each other. Finally, Alan said, "Take your time, Hannah. Does this have something to do with the news story we saw in the café?"
"Y-yes, it does."
Cassie spoke up. "Now, before she tells the story, you both have to promise us that you will not get mad. This is not Hannah's fault. Like she said, she has been trying to ignore it."
"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this all of sudden? A murder in the area, Hannah's lack of sleep, it all sounds just a little too familiar," Chad said with a tone of foreboding.
"Exactly my thoughts," Alan said. "I think we need to know what we are dealing with, right now!"
Cassie stood up and went to the kitchen. She returned with a glass of water for Hannah. She handed it to her and said in a comforting tone, "Take your time, Hannah."
Hannah took a sip of the cool water, letting it wet her suddenly dry mouth. She set the glass down and looked at each of her friends. She could tell the men were waiting to hear what she had to say. Cassie was fidgeting nervously, wringing her hands and looking away from Hannah.
Finally, she got up enough nerve to begin. "Well, since we have been here, I have been visited twice…by another ghost."
Chad looked at Alan. "Somehow, I just knew it."
"The murder we heard about today…well, the ghost is a young girl, probably in her twenties. She says she is one of fourteen people murdered in cold blood that day. She told me that the killer is truly here, in the area, and she told me his name."
Chapter Twelve
"Go on, honey, tell us everything," Chad said in a surprisingly gentle tone.
"She says he was fired recently. Apparently, he just walked into the shop, the part of the factory she worked in, and started shooting. This…Sam…he has an alibi, so he is not a suspect. She told me no other details, other than that the authorities are correct in assuming he is here, in the mountain area. She also said that I will encounter him, and when I do, I will know. She said I must turn him in. I asked her to leave me out of it, but she says I have a gift, and I should use it to help spirits like her and Robert and Roman. And then, today, when you were in the leather shop and Cassie was in some other shop, I saw a fortune teller."
"You did what?" Chad asked in disbelief.
"It was supposed to
be all in fun. The old woman read some cards, and she said the same thing, that I have a special gift, and it would be a shame not to use it to help the authorities and other spirits. She knew about Iowa."
Alan whistled. "Damn."
Cassie looked over at Alan and reached for his hand. She added, "Remember when I told you that the first night we were here, I heard something. I have been spooked ever since, especially after Hannah told me about the ghost. That really frightened me. I know she is telling the truth when she says she told the ghost to leave her alone. She knew you guys wouldn't approve."
"I even told her, the girl…the ghost…that," Hannah said.
Chad took Hannah's hand. "Well, if the ghost has come to you for help, then we must help her, but very carefully. We must be on guard. If you are to encounter this Sam character, I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks."
"Chad?" she asked in surprise.
"What, baby?"
"We can't just go to the police and tell them all this. They will lock me up in an insane asylum for sure."
Alan chuckled. "I know you, remember? Mental health is my line of work. You are not crazy. If you believe you spoke to a ghost, then you probably did, or at least you dreamed about it. I saw Roman Carrington's spirit with my own eyes."
"As we all did," Chad replied. "I don't really like this any more than you do, Hannah. But if you have this 'gift,' then you should use it for good. I have heard of law enforcement using people with a similar gift to aid in finding missing people. What I have a problem with is you putting yourself and Cassie or the rest of us in danger while pursuing your quest. In LeClaire, I felt you took some crazy risks. This is a very serious matter. You have to treat it as such. We are talking about a crazed, cold-blooded killer here."
Alan said, "If this Sam feels he was unjustly let go, he probably went there that day to get revenge on the people he thought wronged him. He went berserk and shot everyone. Now, he is hiding out."
"But why would he stay in the area? I would think he would want to get as far away from here as possible," Cassie asked.
"No one suspects him. He has an alibi, so once things have died down, he most likely intends to return to his life, with no one the wiser."
"If this is all true, what the ghost is trying to do is let someone know his true identity. Otherwise, he could easily get away with murder," Chad added.
"Exactly," Alan responded.
"I still don't know how I am supposed to know him. And what do I do if I realize it's him when I do meet him?" Hannah asked.
"For starters, you get help," Cassie said.
"I don't want you to be alone while we are here, that's for sure. Either Cassie, Alan or I will be with you at all times," Chad added.
They talked for several hours about the situation. Finally, Alan stood up. "I am getting hungry. How about we grill some steaks out on the deck, Chad?"
"Sounds good to me, and we can wrap some veggies in foil and add those." He looked over at Hannah. "Think you feel up to slicing some potatoes and veggies for us?"
"I can do that," Cassie said. "I think Hannah needs to sit and relax for a bit."
Hannah felt about as useless as a limp dishrag by that point. She wanted to join in the meal prep, and she wanted to have fun. What she didn't want to do was have conversations with spirits and chase after killers.
It was already Friday night. They were only staying until Sunday morning. That sure didn't leave much time to encounter the mysterious Sam.
The mystery in Iowa had been different; it was about two lovers, lost to each other. The murderer was now an old man. This…this Sam person was not old, the murders had nothing to do with love, and it frightened her. She had not been frightened in LeClaire, at least, not like this.
* * *
Chad was turning the steaks when a man approached the deck. Alan looked up from where he was icing down the beer and said, "Hello there."
"Hi, name's Jim. My family and I are in the cabin next door. I wondered if we could borrow some rope. I didn't really want to make a trip back to town on a Friday night."
"Rope?" Alan asked. "I'm not sure if we have any. I'll look around."
"The kids want a swing, so thought I'd put one up between two trees for them."
"Oh, I see. I'll go look in the garage."
"So, whereabouts you folks from?" Jim asked.
Chad looked at him before answering. "Indiana, and you, are you from around here?"
"Oh, we live not far from here, just taking a little break from the routine, you know."
"It sure is beautiful country to take a break in, I have to agree. I just wish we could stay longer," Chad said.
Alan returned and handed the man some rope he found in the garage of the cabin. "Will this do?" he asked.
Jim looked it over and said, "I think it will do just fine, thank you very much. Enjoy your stay." The man turned and headed toward the woods.
"Well, that was odd. Was his name really Jim, and is he really building a swing for his kids?" Alan asked when he was sure the man was out of earshot.
Chad rolled his eyes. "So, you think his name is Sam, and he wants the rope to tie someone up?"
"Never know," Alan replied as he took a swig of his beer.
The two friends chuckled and soon forgot the mysterious man. When dinner was ready, they told the girls to come out and join them on the deck for a late night supper by the hot tub.
When Hannah turned in that night, she sought comfort in Chad's arms as she prayed the ghost would not visit.
That was not the case. The girl woke Hannah near dawn. "He is here, Hannah. He is in the cabin next door. He goes by the name of Jim."
"Wh-what are you babbling about?" Hannah asked sleepily.
"Jim, he is using the name of Jim." By the time Hannah sat up and looked around, there was no sign of the girl in the room.
Damn it, she thought as she tried to roll over and go back to sleep. Jim, Sam, who in the hell cares what his name is?
Later that morning, Chad and Alan decided to head on into town to see what kind of local news they could dig up. They gave both girls strict orders to stay close to the cabin.
"Maybe one of us should stay here," Alan said.
"I think they'll be fine, really," Chad answered. "As long as they don't go off half-cocked in search of the mystery man, and I don't think they will do that. I don't want them to know about the man who came by last night. I want to report it to the authorities and get back up here."
Chad made a beeline for the local police station as soon as they got down the mountain. He told the officer on duty that he had reason to believe, from what he'd been told by a friend, that they may be overlooking a person of interest in the local shooting. He left out the fact that the information came from the ghost of one of the victims, of course.
"Whoa, hold on, buddy. Who told you that, and furthermore, who are you?"
Chad introduced himself and Alan again. The officer checked their identification and ran it through his computer. Finally, the officer sat down with them and took some notes. "You're a doctor, and you are a social worker," he said as he glanced from Chad to Alan. "Well, I guess you should be pretty reliable. So, you say this Sam fellow has a motive, but he also has an alibi. Why haven't the police over there checked out his alibi? I can assure you that I am pretty sure they have."
"There is more. Is there any way we can see a photo of this Sam fellow?" Alan asked. "We had a suspicious visitor last night at our cabin."
Now, the officer sat forward with interest. "Now, we're getting somewhere. You think this visitor may be the person we believe is hiding in the mountains. Tell me about this visit."
Chad and Alan relayed all the information to the officer. They answered his questions, leaving out no details.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'll send a couple of my men up there to check out this Jim person."
"A picture, if we could just see a photo, we could identify him," Chad said.
&n
bsp; "I will get one for you, but it will take a bit. Why don't you get back on up there? Didn't you say you left your girlfriends up there alone?"
"Yes, they won't leave the cabin."
"Not willingly," the officer said.
Chad and Alan looked at each other.
"I don't mean to alarm you, but with all you've just told me, I believe I'd be hightailing it back up that mountain. My men won't be far behind you."
* * *
The man watched as the car backed out and headed down the mountain. Now was the time. He'd been watching the cabin for several days. He'd thought he had it made with two young women alone there, but then those two had shown up.
He was in need of a shower and food. Roughing it in the mountains was not his idea of a good time. He'd managed to fool those two men the night before, by cleaning up in a stream, but he wanted a real, honest to goodness, steaming hot shower.
He stepped onto the deck. The hot tub looked inviting, but he had other ideas. He checked the door. Damned bitches had locked it. He took a pocketknife out of his pants pocket and jimmied it until it gave for him. Opening it quietly, he stepped inside the door, which led to the kitchen. Where were they? He looked down at the rope in his hand. Stupid boyfriends or husbands, whatever they were, had even supplied him with the rope. He laughed to himself.
Ah, the redhead was sitting in the room with the fireplace, reading. Perfect! He crept up behind her and placed his hand over her mouth. Whispering in her ear, he said, "Stay quiet, little one, and no one gets hurt. I am going to borrow your shower, and then you and your little blonde friend are going to fix me a meal. Got it?" Cassie nodded her head. He removed his hand and waited while she fought the urge to scream.
"Atta girl, now point me in the direction of the shower and get me a towel, now!"
Cassie got up on shaky legs and led him into her room. She pointed in the direction of the private bath and told him the towels were on the shelf.
"Just to make sure you don't get any ideas about running, I am going to have to tie you up, girlie." He came toward her with the rope. Cassie took a step back, but he was quick, and he grabbed her wrist, flung her around and sat her down hard on a chair. He tied her wrists and ankles with the rope and sneered at her as he went into the bathroom. He picked up a scarf that was on the counter and returned to the bedroom, gagging her so she couldn't scream.
Hannah's Horror: A Romantic Mystery Page 10
