by Rose Pressey
The rain was coming down steadily now and my clothing was getting soaked. I could get dry clothes when I got home. Although I was sure Tammy was waiting at the tavern for me.
I pulled my sweater up closer around me and headed back across the graveyard. Wet leaves crunched under my feet. My hair was soaked and my clothes clung to my body. I weaved around the stones as I tried not to slip on the wet grass. It felt as if I wasn’t alone in the graveyard, but that wasn’t unusual in this place. With all the souls buried around me I knew that I truly wasn’t alone here. I finally reached the tombstone and shone my flashlight on the markings. The glow highlighted the name that I’d seen moments earlier. George Wise. I studied the markings.
I had to remember the name so that I could ask anyone if they knew this man. As I turned around to leave, someone grabbed my shoulder and I slipped, falling to my knees. I looked up, but no one was there. Needless to say, this freaked me out. I pushed to my feet on the slippery grass. It was time for me to get out of there for the evening. Clearly, something didn’t want me there tonight. I would leave for now, but it couldn’t keep me away for good. I wouldn’t let that happen.
I hurried across the wet grass as quickly as I could without falling. When I turned to look back to see if anything was following me, I clearly didn't pay attention to what was in front of me. I smashed into something hard and fell backward onto the ground. I released a loud groan. Brannon reached down to help me up.
“Ripley, are you okay? I didn’t mean to knock you down. Why were you running?”
I was still slightly dazed by what had happened. Finally, once on my feet, I said, “I’m fine.”
He pushed the wet hair from my eyes. “You want to tell me what you were running from?”
Did I want to? No, but I didn’t think I could lie my way out of this one.
I looked over my shoulder again. “I thought someone grabbed me. It could have been a tree branch.”
Brannon looked around. Yeah, the nearest tree was twenty feet away. That was why I knew I wouldn’t be able to lie my way out of this.
“Don’t think it was a tree,” he said.
He had me there. I didn’t know what it was but I had my suspicions. “Okay, the truth is I think something grabbed me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “As in a ghost?”
I nodded. “Yes, I assume a ghost because there was no one or nothing nearby that could have touched me. I fell to the ground because it startled me.”
“I clearly need to do another investigation here.”
He hadn’t mentioned ever doing an investigation here. He should have shared this info with me, but then again I hadn’t asked. Rain began to fall even harder now.
“We should get out of the rain,” he said as he touched my arm.
I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
In spite of the pounding rain, I couldn’t help but get one more look at the tombstone before I left. I glanced around. “I thought I saw a ghost sitting on that stone earlier tonight.”
He moved over next to me. “You’ve had quite an evening.”
“Do you know who this is?” I pointed at the stone.
He shook his head. “No, I wish I did. I’ve never heard the name before.”
I had hoped that he would have heard stories, but now it looked as if I would have to do a lot of research to find out who George Wise was.
“We need to get you out of the rain,” Brannon said again, touching my arm and leading me away from the gravestone.
“You never told me you investigated this graveyard,” I said as we trudged across the wet ground.
“You never asked,” he said with a smile.
Drops of rain flowed down his face and across his full lips.
“No, I suppose I didn’t. Did you get any good evidence?” I asked.
He grinned. “We got a few EVP.”
I’d always been fascinated by electronic voice phenomena, or EVP, as the professionals called it. “What did they say?”
“One was just ‘hello.’ The other one said ‘over here.’ And another one said ‘get out.’”
“I never like the ones that say ‘get out,’” I said.
“No, those are never good, are they?”
When we’d reached the entrance, I looked back over my shoulder one last time. I’d kind of expected to see the ghost of the man, or at the very least the mist that we’d witnessed earlier. Instead, I could have sworn I saw Mrs. Clatterbuck at the edge of the graveyard. She remained motionless as she watched us.
“I don’t think she should be out here in the rain. I know she doesn’t want me to do this tour, but tonight she should be inside where it is warm.”
“Who?” Brannon asked.
I motioned. “Mrs. Clatterbuck.”
When I looked again, she wasn’t there. Now I really was seeing things.
“I don’t see her,” he said.
“I was sure I saw Mrs. Clatterbuck on the far edge of the graveyard,” I said.
“She shouldn’t be out in this weather.” Brannon and I went out the main gate of the graveyard and around to the back side looking for Mrs. Clatterbuck. She wasn’t there. Now I looked delusional, as if I was seeing things all the time.
“I guess she could have gone back home before I looked back again,” I said.
Brannon nodded. “Yes, she probably did.”
Brannon and I moved around the sidewalk toward the main street.
“Well, thanks for the help,” I said when we reached the tavern.
I knew Tammy was waiting for me, but I had to go home and dry off first. I’d call her when I got there.
Brannon motioned for me to follow him. “Oh, no. I am walking you home after what happened tonight.”
“I hardly think the ghost will follow me home,” I said, looking over my shoulder. Little did he know that maybe the ghost would follow me home.
“It’s been known to happen,” he said.
Brannon and I hurried toward my house as the rain poured down. We rushed through the front gate up to the front porch. At least it was dry up there.
Brannon shook rain from his hair. “You know, you seem to attract ghosts. Is that why you really started this ghost tour?”
I smiled. “I don’t think I attract ghosts.”
He was perceptive. And he didn’t know the half of it. Which brought me back to the fact that I knew he really wanted to investigate the library.
He watched my face and for a moment I wondered if he wanted to kiss me. He didn’t move toward me though so I figured I was just imagining things. Did I want him to kiss me? I’d told myself that I wouldn’t get involved with anyone for quite some time. I wanted time for myself to think about what I really wanted in a relationship. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what Brannon’s lips would feel like against mine.
“Would you like to investigate the library?” I blurted out.
He looked genuinely surprised that I had asked. “What made you change your mind?”
I shrugged. “How much more trouble can I get in? There was already a death on my first day.”
He laughed. “You do have a point.”
“So is that a yes?”
He nodded. “I’d love to. When?”
“Any night this week,” I said.
He smiled. “It’s a deal.”
Before he got away I had to ask. “Is there any news on Marion?”
“I really can’t discuss the case,” he said.
I nodded. I hadn’t thought he could, but it didn’t hurt to ask.
Brannon ran his hands through his thick hair. “I heard Tammy call you Rip. That’s cute.” He studied my face.
“I’m not sure I think it’s cute, per se. But the nickname has stuck.”
“It’s kind of funny, don’t you think?”
I stared at him. “What’s kind of funny?”
“They call you R.I.P. and you walk people through graveyards.”
“You figured that out, huh? Makes me wonder
if I picked the career because of the name or if it was destiny.”
He laughed. “Well, either way you’re good at it.”
“You think so?” I asked.
“Yes, I think people fall in love with you from the moment they see you.” As Brannon watched me I felt anticipation thicken the air.
What was that supposed to mean? A little ball of need burst to life in the pit of my stomach.
“I don’t know about falling in love with me, but I hope people like the tour,” I looked down at my feet to hide the anxiety that I knew was written all over my face. Finally I peered up at him again.
His expression turned to genuine concern. “I know things have been crazy for you since your first day on the job.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s mostly because there’s a killer still out there.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked, “You don’t think I killed Marion, do you?”
He frowned. “Of course not.”
“The chief acts suspicious of me,” I said.
Brannon shook his head. “He’s suspicious of his own mother. Don’t worry about him.”
“It’s hard not to when I think that he could possibly take me to jail. Jail is not a place that I want to be.”
He smiled. “And I don’t want you there either.”
I chuckled. “Well, it’s nice to know that I’ve got you on my side.”
“I’d better let you get inside. I’ve taken up too much of your time already.”
Brannon stepped off the porch, looking back at me. He seemed unconcerned about the pouring rain. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I watched as he walked away. I’d barely stepped in the door when my phone rang.
When I picked up, Tammy said, “Where are you?”
“I had to come home because I got caught in the rain.”
“Well, are you alone?” she asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“I saw you walk by the tavern with the handsome officer.” She had a teasing tone.
“You saw me?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Then why are you calling?” I laughed.
“To tell you to get your butt over here.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I get into dry clothing.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said.
After hanging up, I rushed into my bedroom to find a new outfit. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a black sweater. This time I put on my rain boots and slipped out the door. With umbrella in hand as I walked toward the tavern, I glanced over my shoulder repeatedly. Every time I turned around it felt as if someone was behind me, but when I would look back no one would be there. I even thought I heard the echo of footsteps, but I was unable to see anything out of the ordinary. I hurried my steps, but the feeling stayed with me the entire trip. Thank goodness I finally reached the tavern. It was crowded when I walked through the door, but I spotted Tammy waiting for me at the bar.
She waved me over and I weaved my way through the crowd. After sitting on the stool next to her, I ordered a glass of white wine and proceeded to fill Tammy in on everything that had happened on the tour. I even told her I thought Brannon might have been thinking of kissing me.
“You should have kissed him,” she said.
I waved off the comment. “No way. What if he doesn’t like me in that way?”
She shrugged. “So what? At least you’ll have gotten a kiss out of it.”
I guess she had a point, but I wasn’t sure I had the nerve for that.
A woman approached Tammy and they started talking, giving my mind time to wander. The same band was back from the other night. Music bounced off the walls. I wasn’t really listening to them though. It was just background noise because I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts. Tammy was talking with a fellow co-worker, so I was basically staring blankly at my wine glass.
I turned around in my seat and scanned the crowd. Who was I looking for? Brannon wasn’t there. In the corner of the bar, I spotted Leslie. She was dancing with a dark-haired man. I couldn’t believe Leslie was actually dancing. She basically just shuffled around the library. I thought she didn’t have any other speed than slow.
Once the woman walked away from Tammy I poked in the side. “Look who it is.”
She followed my pointing finger. “Oh no. Time to leave.”
“Maybe she won’t see us. Besides, I doubt she’d come over and talk to us anyway.”
Before we had a chance to look away Leslie looked over and made eye contact with us. I was frozen on the spot. She stopped dancing and rushed over to a table, then grabbed her purse. The guy she’d been dancing with stood there looking a little lost. Leslie’s stare was still focused on us. Instead of coming over to talk, she stormed out of the tavern.
I released a pent-up breath. “I thought for sure she was coming over here to yell at us.”
Tammy shook her head. “Just be thankful that she didn’t.”
I couldn’t believe that the mere sight of us caused Leslie to race out of the place. I turned back around and took another drink of my wine.
After a couple seconds, Tammy asked, “Who do you think this ghost is?” she asked.
I took a sip of wine and then said, “I don’t know, but now I figure I have to find out.”
“Where will you start to do that?”
“I’m a librarian. Research is one of my strong points.”
Chapter Nineteen
Since the library was closed the next day, I figured I could spend part of the day doing research on the ghost I’d seen in the graveyard and following me around Devil’s Moon. At least I had a name and that would be a good start. If George Wise had lived in Devil’s Moon then someone had to know something about the man.
Going to the library while it was closed would give me a good chance to research and I hoped that Annie would leave me alone long enough to do just that. Though I didn’t have the heart to turn off my phone. I also needed to figure out who had used the computer on the day of Marion’s death.
Before heading to the library I did a little research online at home, but unfortunately I found nothing. Other than research at the library, I would ask the shop owners. They had been great about giving me any info they had about hauntings. But if this was a new ghost they might not know anything about him. Although George Wise had died a long time ago in 1929—why would he just be starting to haunt now? Had something happened recently to make him return to earth as a spirit? Was there a message he was trying to give me? He needed to text me like Annie.
I grabbed my purse and headed out the door for the library. It was a crisp, beautiful fall day with white fluffy clouds and a blue sky. There was just enough chill in the air to make the walk refreshing. Leaves scuttled across the sidewalk as I strolled along. Brannon popped into my mind and I wondered what he was doing. Did he suspect that I had something to do with Marion’s death? If so, he was really good at hiding it. I certainly hoped that he didn’t.
I thought back to the day of the murder and tried to place if I’d seen anyone on the computers, but I just couldn’t remember. I reached the library, unlocked the doors, and walked in. I flipped on a light because even though it was daylight it was still dim in there. My phone immediately dinged as soon as I’d reached the front desk. I hadn’t spotted Annie yet though. Jane Austen meowed and I rubbed her head. I pulled my phone out and looked at the screen.
I am glad you are here. Work to do.
“I’m not here to work, Annie,” I said looking around for her.
Moving behind the desk, I grabbed the food for Jane Austen and then poured water into her other bowl. When I turned around, Annie was behind me.
“Annie, you scared me.” I clutched my chest. I had had enough of the ghosts startling me lately.
My phone sent another alert. I’m sorry.
“It’s okay,” I said.
I immediately went over to start my research. First I would check the Devil’s Moon newspapers from the
1920s to see if I could get anything about George Wise’s death. There had to be some mention of him. Annie followed me and stood beside me as I sat. The computer screen lit up and there was a message from her.
What are you doing?
“I am looking for information about a man.”
Trying to find Marion’s murderer?
“Well, not exactly yet, but I’m working on it.”
Another message popped up on the computer screen.
What is the man’s name?
“His name was George Wise.” Turning my attention back to my research, I focused on trying to find out something about him. Then there was another message on the screen.
Name sounds familiar. I should know him.
“That would be wonderful if you did, Annie. I could use all the help I can get.”
I continued my search while Annie contemplated if she knew George. How would she have known him? She’d died many years before him. But could she have known him when he was young?
I felt Annie’s presence behind me. She was making me nervous by standing back there. Then my computer screen changed again.
“It’s kind of hard to work when you keep doing that,” I said.
I remember George Wise now.
I turned and looked at Annie. “Well? Who is he? How do you know him? How did he die? And what would he want with me? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
Okay, I had probably asked one too many questions and confused her. She just looked at me and then finally the computer screen changed again. I read the message.
I knew Georgie as a little boy when he came into the library with his mother. He was cute. And loved to read. Then later he worked here at the library for a while.
