2 The Haunted Fixer-Upper

by Rose Pressey

After a night of much-needed rain, the sun now buttered the landscape. I paced the length of the front yard a few times, then stopped beside the fragrant rose bush. A colorful splash of scarlet stood out against the vivid green of the grass and trees. I bend down to take a whiff, but as I looked up, I couldn’t help but glance over toward the woods. I’d felt the eyes on me. It was different from the feeling inside the house though. I knew someone had been watching me.

  The same strange eyes stared back at me. This man had been watching me on practically every visit since I’d first come to the house. What did he want from me? This time I had to say something, so I looked him right in the eyes.

  “Hey. Hey, you. What you doing over there?” My voice carried across the yard.

  Would Reed hear me and come outside to see what I was yelling about? The man didn’t move, flinch or lunge toward me. It was as if he was frozen or in a trance.

  I continued to call out to the man. “What do you want?”

  I moved a couple of footsteps closer and that was when he took off in a sprint back into the woods. In that split second, I knew that I had to do something. I didn’t know what had come over me, or why I made the decision to run after him, but I did. I ran after the man. What was I thinking? Did I have a secret desire to be murdered? No, I just did stupid things repeatedly. And this ranked up there as one of the dumbest things I’d ever done.

  My mind was going a million miles a minute as I ran across the yard toward the wooded area at the edge of our property. The spring air hit me in the face as my feet pounded across the ground. When I reached the trees, I saw that he had darted to the left, so I took off after him in the same direction. As I made my way through the thick branches, I made sure to look below, watching every step so that I wouldn’t fall. The last thing I needed was to trip over something and break my leg.

  The faster I moved, the faster his legs went. I continued after this guy, but I was out of breath and panting. A couple times he glanced over his shoulder. A look of fear covered his face, as if he was the animal and I was the hunter. He knew I was following him.

  I thought he would’ve turned around and confronted me right then and there. But maybe he thought I was a killer, although the thought had crossed my mind that he was taking me somewhere to kill me, luring me into his trap. Taking me far away from Reed, where no one would hear my screams. My fear of bugs was the least of my worries at the moment.

  The shadows from the pines surrounded me, making me feel cutoff from the world. Would I ever find my way out of there? A pain seared in my side and I didn’t think I could run any longer. My pace was definitely slowing down. Clearly, skipping visits to the gym had not been the best decision. Up ahead, a little bit of a clearing came into view. The man ran through to the open space. He looked back again to see if I was still trailing him. Unfortunately, I was crazy enough to still be following him. He must have wondered what kind of lunatic woman was chasing him. I ran a few more steps until a large black dog appeared at the edge of the opening. The man ran past the dog, but the hound remained in the same spot, guarding the area. He barked and growled as if he’d rip my limbs off in one bite, so I froze on the spot.

  There was nothing left for me to do at the moment. I couldn’t get past Fido to track down the man. My mission was officially over. I turned around and headed back, praying I wouldn’t forget my way. Every few seconds I glanced over my shoulder to see if the dog or the stranger was following me. The more I headed back toward the house, the faster I moved. Now that I thought back on my actions, I realized how incredibly stupid I had been. Sure I’d thought it at first, but now I realized just how lucky I was that something bad hadn’t happened.

  I’d just I stepped back to the edge of the property when the roar of an engine caught my attention. I turned around and let out a groan. I recognized the car. It was the historical society drill sergeant. Her scowl was visible from all the way at the end of the drive.

  When her car came to a halt in front of the house, Stan moved down the steps toward her. Neither one saw me watching them. Evelyn stepped out from her car and stomped over to where he stood. Maybe I was imagining things, but I guessed that she wasn’t happy. Did she know Stan? Maybe he’d done work on other historic properties.

  After Evelyn said a few words, Stan looked around the property, then he spoke. What was he looking for? Were they searching for me? The conversation seemed a bit heated, but the tension wasn’t coming from the hot-headed Stan. No it was coming from the hotheaded Evelyn. They were alike in a way, both had anger issues.

  Why was she even here? What had I done now? And what had Stan told her? After a minute, Evelyn stomped back to her car and sped off. Stan stood there for a second, ran his hand through his hair, then glanced around again. I ducked behind a tree. Was he looking for me? Where was Reed? My heart pounded in my ears. Please don’t let him find me hiding behind this tree. After a few seconds, I eased out from behind the tree for a peep. I fully expected to see Stan standing there. Luckily for me, he was not. He’d hopped in his truck and was pulling out of the driveway. Even though I wanted the house to be renovated, I was glad to see him go. Unfortunately, he’d probably return.

  I hurried back across the yard. I wanted to get back inside before he decided to return. But just as I made it to the door, the sound of a car caught my attention again. Damn. I spun around expecting to see Stan. It was much worse than that though. Evelyn Arlington had returned and was stomping her way toward me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Evelyn demanded as she pointed toward the columns across the front porch.

  “What do you mean?” I glanced over my shoulder, then looked back at her. “We’re just repairing the columns on the porch.”

  Her face turned crimson. “They have the wrong design on them now. They are supposed to have a scroll at the top and the bottom.”

  My mouth probably dropped. “But they have a scroll pattern at the bottom. The one at the top was damaged so we removed them.”

  Reed stepped out onto the porch and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He probably thought I was going to pounce on the woman. I knew how to control my temper better than that. She was the one who needed anger management classes.

  “That is completely unacceptable. I will shut down your work here unless you have that corrected immediately.” She wiggled her finger at me.

  I looked at Reed. “Can she do that?”

  He nodded. “If she has connections at the zoning board she can.”

  I frowned. “Would she do that?”

  “I’d say by the scowl on her face right now, yes, with one hundred percent certainty.” Reed flashed his sweetest smile at Evelyn. “We’ll make sure to take care of it.”

  “Just make sure that you do,” she spat.

  If looks could kill we’d be on the ground in two seconds with a knife sticking out of us. It looked like she was willing death on me with her beady eyes. Evelyn stomped back to her car and slammed the door. She pulled out and sped away, the wheels throwing up gravel in her wake. Her tires screeched as she pulled out onto the highway.

  “She is such a pleasant woman.” Reed snorted.

  “You got that right.”

  “What happened to Stan?” Reed asked.

  “I was about to ask you the same question. I saw him talking to Evelyn. Their conversation seemed heated. Then he took off.”

  “Maybe he went for supplies.” Reed picked up a brick that had fallen to the ground.

  Why was Reed making excuses for this guy? He’d never done that for anyone in the past. He had always scolded me for doing the same thing.

  “By the way, you left your cell phone inside and it was ringing like crazy. Your mother and Lacey are on their way here.” He tossed the brick on top of the pile of other trash he was collecting.

  “Do we have time to leave?” I crossed my fingers for luck.

  He chuckled. “She’d just find you.”

  “Don’t you t
hink they’ll get lost trying to find their way here?” I asked around a laugh.

  Reed looked away. “I gave them directions and told them to call if they had any problems.”

  I shook my head. “Why would you do such a thing?”

  “You want to see Lacey, right? And you know you love your mother,” he said.

  How could I say no to anything he said when he flashed that gorgeous smile at me?

  “Of course I love her. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t annoy me.” I crossed my arms in front my stomach.

  I’d barely finished the sentence when the rental car screeched through the gate and down the driveway. I wasn’t surprised to see my mother behind the wheel. A look of horror was spread across Lacey’s face, like she was on a monster of a roller-coaster ride. My mom bounded out of the car and flounced up the steps.

  “I just can’t wait to see the house.” She brushed past us with barely a glance. “I’m going to go in.” She already had her hand on the doorknob.

  “Just be careful, Mama. There’s a mess in there and a lot of ways to get hurt.”

  “Don’t you talk to me like I’m a two-year-old.” She waved her finger at me.

  I rolled my eyes… behind her back of course. There were certain limits on behavior in front of your mother and I’d just met my sassing quota for the day.

  When we entered the foyer my mother placed her hands on her ample hips and said, “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. This place is something else, but just look at the mess. Don’t you worry though. We’ll get it fixed up real nice now that I’m here.”

  Lacey giggled from somewhere behind me. She was putting distance between herself and the action. Call me crazy, but I think she was getting pleasure out of this. There was no way I would allow my mother to pick out any of the décor for the renovation. I’d end up with gold lamé curtains.

  “Whoa, the ghost of a woman is standing in the corner of that room.” Lacey pointed toward the parlor on our right.

  “Who is she?” I asked with excitement.

  Finally maybe I’d get answers.

  “She won’t talk to me. All she’ll say is that she was murdered,” Lacey said.

  “What does she look like?” I asked as I moved closer to the parlor room entrance.

  “She has dark hair and a white dress. I’d say based on her style that she’s from the early nineties.”

  Reed walked over to where we stood. “You can’t be serious. Is every house you buy haunted? Are you a ghost magnet now?”

  I scoffed. “No, just this house and the other one. The first two houses I’ve bought.” I held up two fingers.

  “The only two houses you’ve ever bought!”

  I stared for a beat, then said, “Touché.”

  Mama waved her hands. “You all and your talk of ghosts. I don’t believe it. I’m going upstairs to look.”

  “Just please be careful,” I called after her.

  “I’ll go watch her,” Lacey said as she followed her up the steps.

  I placed my hands on my hips and glared at Reed. “Are we going to have this whole skeptic conversation again?”

  He held his hands up. “Of course not. I’d better get back to work before I get in anymore trouble.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.” I grinned.

  I took off up the stairs to see what trouble my mother was getting into now. When I reached the top of the stairs and didn’t see them I knew that meant trouble. It was like when a small child was quiet you knew they were doing something they shouldn’t.

  “Where are you all?” I called out.

  “We’re in the bedroom on the right,” Lacey said.

  I entered the room on the right and found Lacey and my mother going through a small notebook.

  “What did you find? I asked.

  “Don’t you look around this place at all?” Mama placed her hands on her hips.

  “I found this notebook.” Lacey handed the navy blue book to me.

  “What is it?” I turned open the cover.

  There were appointments and to-do lists written in a pretty cursive handwritten script. “Just looks like someone’s old planner,” I said.

  “There’s a name on the inside cover.” Lacey pointed.

  I flipped back to the cover and spotted the name Amber Gaines.

  “Do you know who that is?” Lacey asked.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “That’s the name of the ghost.”

  I glanced over at Lacey. “She told you that?”

  My mother scoffed. Just what I needed, another skeptic.

  “She didn’t tell me for certain. She just gave me her initials. Those were the initials.” She tapped the page.

  “Interesting,” I said softly.

  Who was Amber Gaines? I had to find out. I leafed through a few pages, then stopped with my fingers frozen. The name written on the page practically reached out and slapped me across the face.

  “What is it?” Mama asked when she noticed my expression.

  “The name.” I pointed. “Stan.”

  Amber had had an appointment with Stan on January 24, 1995. He was probably about eighteen back then. This revelation sent chills down my spine.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After another long day of work on the house, Reed and I were headed back to the cabin. My mother and Lacey were headed back to the hotel to shower and nap before meeting me later. I had special plans for us.

  “I think I should say something to your cousin about what her husband said about the police station.”

  “You know, Alabama, he’s accused her of cheating many times,” he said with a hint of wariness.

  “He has?” I asked.

  I hadn’t thought about that. It would make sense that he’d made up the story. Maybe he really was the killer.

  I paused for a moment, then said, “Well, that may be the case, but I should still ask her about it.”

  “I think you should leave it to the police.” He navigated around a turn, then glanced at me.

  “Will you still say that I should leave it to the police when you’re staring at metal bars?” I frowned.

  “I have a lawyer, you know,” he said with a crisp nod.

  “Yeah, but what is he doing to help you?” I asked.

  “I trust that he will help. He’s been friends with my uncle for years.” His voice was upbeat, but I knew that was because of increased effort on his part.

  “You are too trusting.” I looked in the rear-view mirror. “Plus, I think someone is following us.”

  “What?” He glanced in the mirror. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

  “I didn’t know anyone was following us until now. It’s that white car behind us.” I turned around for a better look.

  “What makes you think they’re following us?” His gaze darted from the road to the rear-view mirror and back.

  “Well, the car has taken every turn that we have. I know it’s not a coincidence.” My shoulders tensed and my stomach twisted into a knot.

  “Can you see who is driving the car?” he asked.

  “No, they’re not close enough.” I didn’t even want to look in the mirror again. I just wanted the car to go away. I’d had enough of stalkers during the last incident.

  Reed blew out a breath as he steered the car around a turn. I hated to put more on his shoulders, but he needed to know. My eyes might have been playing tricks on me, but the person in the car looked like Reed’s ex-girlfriend. Why would she follow us? This was getting stranger by the second.

  When we neared the turn for Lou’s place, the car turned off behind us. Whoever was following us knew we’d be turning soon and wanted to get out of sight before passing us. If it was Reed’s ex-girlfriend, I hoped she had just been curious when she’d accidentally spotted us and decided to follow us. Anything other than that was creepy and stalker-ish.

  As for the other topic of his cousin, well, I’d drop the subject for now. I’d confront M
elody on my own and Reed would be none the wiser. Of course Melody might mention it to him, but I’d worry about that later. If I got good information out of her it wouldn’t matter. I also needed to talk with her husband to get his side of the story.

  Maybe I could speak with some people who knew Melody and her husband also. Not family though. I needed someone who wouldn’t be biased. Then there was the ghost at the plantation. The handwriting with Stan’s name flashed in my mind again. I had to ask him if he knew Amber, but the last thing I wanted to do was speak to that man.

  Once we reached the cabin, Reed unlocked the door and stepped to the side so that I could enter. As I stepped forward, he grabbed my hand.

  Reed moved closer and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. “We’ll go talk with her soon, okay?”

  I smiled. “Okay, that sounds good.”

  I’d be talking with her sooner than he realized.

  There was something else bothering me too. How would I find out for sure who was haunting the house? How did Stan know the owner of the appointment book, Amber Gaines? And for some reason the ghost wouldn’t talk to Lacey. If we got more activity out of the ghost, Lacey might be able to get more information from her. My paranormal investigating crew was back in Kentucky though. So that ruled out help from them. The only way was to find people to help me here. Or maybe I could investigate the house on my own—just me, Lacey and my mother. Nope. I’d better find a local paranormal team. My thoughts were so muddled and going a million miles an hour.

  With Reed in the bedroom, I pulled out my laptop and connected to the wifi. I was shocked that there was even a connection way out there in the sticks. I did a Google search and found the number for a local paranormal investigating team. I desperately needed their equipment. I picked up my phone and punched in the number.

  When the man said hello, I said, “My name is Alabama Hargrove and I have some unusual activity at a home that I just purchased. Am I speaking with Harper Bishop?”

  “Yes. Where do you live?”

  “Well, the house isn’t habitable right now, but it’s the McKeeley Plantation on Highway Four.”

  There was a pause, followed by what I assumed was a hand covering the receiver of the phone. Whispering that wasn’t discernible came from the other end of the line. What were they discussing?