2 The Haunted Fixer-Upper

by Rose Pressey

  I eased over to the room and paused before I entered. With my hand on the knob, I listened for another sound. If that door opened on its own, I’d probably jump out of my skin.

  When no noise sounded from the other side of the door, I braced myself, let out a deep breath, and then eased it open slightly. I poked my head in a little and looked around. The space looked exactly as it had the last time I’d been in the room. No living person was there. But had the ghost been in the room? I had no idea what I would see. Would the ghost be there? Would she try to communicate with me like the other ghost at the last house? No, I couldn’t get that lucky. I was disappointed and relieved all at the same time.

  “What are you trying to tell me?” I asked.

  Like I really thought I’d get an answer. No answer came. Who was this ghost? With the loud steps, I wondered if it could really be Amber.

  “You have to let me know who you are,” I said as I looked around the room.

  Large windows lined the walls, giving me a good view of outside. That was when I was reminded that someone could be out there watching and waiting for me. I had to get out of there before the man in the woods returned. I didn’t want to have to follow him again, but I would if he reappeared. Yeah, I was just asking for trouble.

  I moved over to the closet to take a quick peek before I left. It seemed as if this spirit was trying to tell me something and I had to help her out a little and at least look around for whatever clue she might be trying to lead me to. I pulled open the door and dust flew into my face.

  Just then footsteps sounded from behind me. I whirled around but saw nothing. Someone or something was definitely playing tricks with me. I hoped they were having fun because I wasn’t finding it all that humorous.

  Without wasting another minute, I hurried out of the room and closed the door behind me. My search wasn’t over though. No way. I had to check the other rooms just in case someone might be in there. I knew no living person was in the house, but in order to be a good investigator you had to check all possibilities. I moved from room to room, but just as I suspected, I saw no one, not even a ghost. I even checked the closets just to be sure. I was thankful that I hadn’t found a mouse. But the sound I’d heard was definitely not the sound of a critter, unless the critter was wearing heavy boots.

  I went back downstairs to check the rest of the house and then I’d clean up the powder. I couldn’t wait to upload the photos to my computer so that I could study the footprints. What type of shoe was it? Would I be able to tell from the pictures? I wished I’d had a path all along the house and then I would have known where the ghost had gone. I needed answers and this was one step in the right direction. Or should I say a few footprints in the right direction?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Stan was supposed to be at the house later this morning. I’d use that opportunity to question him about Amber. In the meantime, I needed to go to the library and research the house and talk to the locals. Maybe I’d talk with the town historian, Evelyn. That was asking for trouble, I knew, but I had to take that chance. Not that she’d tell me anything though. She was too worried about what paint colors I’d pick. If I told her I thought the house was haunted she’d probably want me to get out right away. Just like she’d wanted Gordon out of the houses he’d bought.

  Before my visit to the library, I decided to go for breakfast at the little diner I’d seen in town since I hadn’t been able to eat my cereal. Right now I needed a little comfort food. I could really go for a stack of blueberry pancakes anyway and if I did a little sleuthing along the way, well, that would make it even better. Reed had taken off bright and early to pick up supplies. I still hadn’t told him about my secret meeting last night. I’d put it off as long as possible.

  Lacey and my mother had agreed to meet me at the diner. I knew my mother would love gossiping with the locals and when I’d told her of my plans, she jumped at the opportunity. Lacey would just go along for the ride. I owed her one for entertaining my mother.

  As I drove down the street I spotted the familiar white car following a little distance behind me. Was that Amanda again? Why was she following me? I decided to make a left and see if she followed me. When I navigated around the turn, I looked back in the rear-view mirror. The white car had turned down the street too. I made out the fact that it was a woman following me and this time she was wearing a hat. Whoever she was. This woman was definitely following me though and I wasn’t comfortable with the situation. I had to get to the bottom of this and find out what she wanted.

  How long would she follow me? Where should I drive to now to get away from her? I figured I could go back to the cabin. If she followed me all the way there, then I’d ask her what the heck she wanted. If she had enough nerve to follow me there, then she deserved to be confronted.

  I pushed on the gas and took the immediate next turn. There was one big problem: I was new to this town and no idea where I was going. I could have turned down a dead-end street for all I knew. My hands had a death grip on the steering wheel and sweat beaded on my forehead. When I looked in the read-view mirror I let out a sigh of relief.

  The car had continued on and hadn’t followed me. I’d gotten a look at the driver though. The person behind the wheel had looked a lot like Evelyn wearing a big ugly hat with an even bigger feather. Did she think it was Kentucky Derby day? Was the woman that obsessed with preserving the property? Was it a coincidence that she and Amanda had the same car? Was it a coincidence that Amanda had ended up behind me twice and then Evelyn? It was a small town, but something told me that wasn’t a coincidence. Who could I ask about Amanda and Evelyn? Someone had to have information about them. If I signed some kind of contract promising not to do anything bad would Evelyn leave me alone?

  Had Evelyn followed Gordon too? I’d think if she followed me, then she’d had to follow him too. After all, he had bought three historic homes. That was three times the crazy for her. Would that be motive enough for her to kill him? She was a petite woman though. How could she have overpowered Gordon? She looked like a sweet little old lady on the outside, but looks could be deceiving.

  The neon sign flashed in the window of the diner announcing that it was open twenty-four hours. It looked like a retro diner made out of chrome with awnings over the windows. A place a lot of people would call a “greasy spoon.” I pulled into the parking lot, but had to circle several times before I found a parking space. I hopped out and locked the car before moving across the lot and into the diner.

  Forks and spoons stopped mid-air. All eyes were on me. I’d thought maybe I could blend in with the locals, but obviously I was an outsider and they knew it. Did they know I was with Reed? And did they think he’d murdered Gordon?

  The diner was full of the breakfast crowd, so I took the only available booth in the corner of the room. The smell of bacon and grease lingered in the air. I slipped into the seat and prayed that everyone would stop focusing their attention on me and go back to their eggs and bacon. I grabbed the menu and attempted to hide my face with it. With any luck, Lacey and Mama would show up soon. I didn’t like being alone with all eyes on me.

  Within seconds, the waitress was beside my table, staring down at me expectantly. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she smiled from ear to ear. Her blue eyes sparkled in the morning sunshine. She actually reminded me of sunshine with her wide, white smile.

  “I’m Carrie.” She continued looking at me, but something told me she wasn’t waiting for my breakfast order.

  “I’m Alabama Hargrove,” I offered with a smile.

  She stuck out her delicate hand and I shook it.

  “You’re new in town. You bought the McKeeley Plantation, right?” She pointed at me with her pencil.

  I nodded and glanced around, looking for my partners in crime. Where they heck were they when I needed them? Customers were pretending not to watch me, but they were stealing glances at every opportunity. This could be a very awkward meal. Would they watc
h every bite I took too?

  “Yes, I did buy the house,” I said quietly.

  If she knew that I’d purchased the house, then she also knew that Reed was being questioned for the murder of Gordon Millerton. It was hard to keep things a secret in small towns.

  Carrie looked around. “Don’t pay no mind to the busybodies in here. They act like they’ve never seen a stranger before. You’re a resident of Cobb County now, so you’re not a stranger any more, they’d better get used to it.”

  “Thank you. They have been a little curious.” I glanced around and grimaced at the faces staring back at me.

  She smiled again. That was my way of being polite.

  Carrie pulled out her pad of paper and poised her pencil over it. “What can I get for you?”

  Normally I would have waited for Lacey and Mama, but I needed something to do to look normal. Sitting there without eating wouldn’t help my dilemma.

  “I’ll have the blueberry pancakes please. And orange juice.” I handed her the menu.

  Was it too early to start drinking something stronger than the juice? I needed it.

  “I’ll be right back with your juice.” She grabbed my menu and bounced off.

  She was nice and seemed friendly. I needed that right now. But what would I do while I waited for my food? I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Mama’s number. It rang once and went straight to her voice mail. I waited while a recorded voice took entirely too long to tell me to leave a message. I clicked off before the beep. There was no point in leaving a message. Next, I tried Lacey’s number, but it rang and rang. Where in the heck were they? I was left with the same problem. What would I do while waiting for them to show up?

  Maybe I’d get a paper to read, although that would require getting back up and walking across the restaurant, giving the patrons another chance to watch me. But what would I do if I didn’t get up? Twiddle my thumbs? It was awkward sitting there and doing nothing, so I decided to endure the torture and go retrieve a paper.

  I took in a deep breath and steeled myself for the walk across the floor. Maybe if I moved slowly no one would notice. I eased from the booth and pushed to my feet. Immediately everyone looked my way… so much for moving slowly. I stepped across the room and tried to smile at a few staring faces. They nodded back, but they didn’t smile. At least I was acknowledged. That was something, I guessed. It was better than if they’d flipped me off. The walls seemed to be closing in on me. The loud chatter and clinking dishes amplified in my mind. I hoped a panic attack was coming.

  The newspaper stand was outside in front of the diner. Would they think I was bolting from the restaurant? Carrie looked up and I pointed toward the newspaper stand. She smiled and nodded. I stepped outside into the spring air and let out a deep breath of relief. One half of the torture was over. Now I just needed to get my paper and hurry back to my table. I wouldn’t move slowly this time. The sooner I got back to the table the sooner I would get the attention off me.

  After rummaging through my gigantic purse for a few coins, I slipped change into the machine and pulled the lever. As I grabbed the paper from the stand, I felt a presence behind me. I hugged the paper to my chest and turned around. He was the last person I’d wanted to see.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Stan stood behind me. “Good morning, Alabama. How are you?”

  His eyes melted right through me. Why did he make my skin crawl so much? It didn’t help that he was so tall and towered over me. His hair was slicked back away from his face. He wore a worn-out T-shirt, jeans with holes, and boots.

  “Good morning,” I mumbled.

  I turned and headed back toward the door. I wanted to ask him about Amber, but not when I was alone with him. He gave me the creeps too much for that kind of confrontation.

  “The diner sure is crowded this morning,” he said as he followed closely behind.

  He smelled like old aftershave and sweat. Not a good combination.

  “Uh-huh,” I responded as I pushed through the door.

  I knew where this conversation was headed. He followed me though the door. Heads turned again, but this time people threw up their hands in a wave at Stan. I was glad to see that other people liked him because I sure didn’t enjoy his presence.

  “Do you mind if I sit with you?” he asked.

  “There aren’t any other tables?” Hiding the irritation in my tone was impossible.

  “I don’t believe there are.” He projected his voice, trying to let me know he had the upper hand.

  Okay, I hated being rude to people, really I did, but sometimes it was necessary. You just couldn’t avoid it all the time. Why suffer through an agonizing meal with him when I could just say no and be left alone to enjoy my breakfast with twenty or so people watching me. Such was life. It wasn’t always pretty and sometimes you had to hear the word no. This was one of those days for Stan. I’d ask him about Amber on my way out. That way if he got angry, I’d have Lacey and Mama as back-up. That was if they ever arrived. It was just like my mother to be fashionably late.

  “No,” I said, barely glancing over at him. “I have a lot of thinking to do about the house and I need time alone. Plus, I’m expecting more people so there won’t be room. There are spaces at the counter for you to eat, now if you’ll please excuse me.”

  I hurried my steps and didn’t look back at Stan. He was either following me or standing with his mouth wide open in the same spot where I’d shot him down. Had anyone heard me be so blunt with him? Okay, there was no way that I hadn’t come off as rude, but he hadn’t exactly been Mr. Congeniality, so he should be used to that treatment. Did I feel guilty for being rude? Yeah, I couldn’t avoid that, but nonetheless, it didn’t stop me from doing it.

  Just as I’d sit back down and opened the paper to the front page, Carrie approached with my plate of pancakes. Blueberries and their accompanying syrup dripped down the sides of the fluffy cakes. I still hadn’t glanced back over at Stan. I assumed by now he’d at least closed his mouth and taken a seat at the counter.

  She placed the plate down in front of me. “I see you know Stan.” She didn’t glance over at him.

  It was as if she didn’t want to make eye contact with him. Apparently she knew him too. I happened to glance in his direction and caught him staring at us. He looked none too happy either. His eyes narrowed as he glared at us.

  “He’s helping us work on the house.” I gave a quick look again.

  Yeah, he was still staring. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like I could confide in Carrie. Something told me she hadn’t had a good experience with Stan either.

  “There’s just something about the guy that gives me the creeps,” I said.

  She cast a glance to her left and right to see who might be listening, but she never looked at Stan.

  “Well, you didn’t hear this from me.” She leaned a little closer.

  “Of course not.” I sat up a little straighter.

  I didn’t want to miss this. Whatever she had to say had to be good.

  “He’s not exactly a nice guy.” She twisted the end of her apron nervously.

  I frowned. That wasn’t exactly news.

  She quirked a brow. “He was arrested before, you know.”

  My eyes widened. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  Now this was news that I needed to hear. Had Reed hired a convicted felon to work on the house with us? What had he been thinking? Did he know Stan’s status? Surely the answer to that question was no. Reed wouldn’t do something like that. I had to know more.

  “What was he arrested for?” I leaned in closer.

  “Manslaughter. Or attempted murder, I don’t remember exactly,” she said.

  It was as if she’d punched me in the stomach. She looked me straight in the eyes and didn’t blink. I swallowed hard. That hadn’t been the news I was expecting.

  “He never went to trial though. Not sufficient evidence, I guess.” She shrugged.

  Stan had been fighting with Go
rdon the day before his murder. And he had been accused of trying to kill someone in the past. What more did the police need? Arrest him now. There was no way I would let him continue working on the house. And Reed was going to hear about this from me.

  I looked over at Stan again and a man was standing beside him this time. They were laughing and the man patted Stan on the back. They seemed awfully friendly. One good thing though, they weren’t looking at us. Every time he watched me a chill ran along my spine.

  “He seems to have a lot of friends. I’d think a lot of people wouldn’t want to be that friendly with him if he’d been accused of murder.” I played with my fork, contemplating what Carrie was telling me.

  “His dad was the mayor. He practically owns this town. He gets away with whatever he wants. He can do no wrong and people love him. I just don’t understand it.” She shook her head.

  “You don’t seem to be one of those people who love him,” I said.

  She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Far from it.”

  I wanted to ask what had happened between them, but I figured maybe I had better wait. She seemed pretty mad by the look of her red face. There was one question I had to ask though.

  “Who did he try to kill?” I asked.

  “He tried to kill one of his customers.”

  It was even more shocking than I had thought. That was the same situation that he’d been in with Gordon. He had been one of Stan’s customers. It seemed as if when Stan wasn’t happy with the way something went he tried to kill off the person.

  Why weren’t police checking on Stan? Was it because of his father? That had to be the case and now Reed was going to take the rap. Over my dead body would I let that happen. That was when it hit me. I was one of Stan’s customers too now. If I fired him or made him unhappy would he try to kill me too? This had just taken a very serious turn. Now our lives were in jeopardy. What would I do? And to think I’d probably just pissed him off by not letting him eat breakfast with me. Was there a killer amongst us? All signs were pointing to yes.