Haunted Girl Walking

by Rose Pressey

  Annie Gibson wore her gray hair up in a twist with little ringlets that dangled on each side of her face. She had on an ivory-colored dress from the late 1800s. Annie had been the first librarian here and she had decided to stay around. I supposed to make sure that everything went well.

  Annie wasn’t the only ghost at the library, but she was the only one I considered a friend. I’d discovered a portal to the spirit world right here in the library. Fortunately for us, as of right now, the entrance was closed. No admission. No library cards given to the ghosts either. The air seemed light with no heaviness at all. I hoped that meant that the ghosts were staying away. I never knew when ghosts might pop up or in which room. They hid in many places around the library, like behind the stacks, under the reference desk, upstairs in one of the meeting rooms—naturally, that kept me on edge.

  Other than Annie, we also had another permanent resident at the library. Jane Austen the beautiful black cat had made the library her home. One day she’d shown up and now she never left. Although sometimes I took her home with me. But Annie and Jane preferred the library, mostly because they didn’t like the ghosts at my place.

  Yes, there were a few ghosts at my home as well. I was surrounded by them. I guessed that had something to do with the fact that I had bought an old Victorian that had once been a funeral home. But the place was beautiful, I thought, so it deserved a chance to return to its former glory and I’d fixed it up. Minus the dead bodies, of course. It had originally been a private residence before becoming the funeral home and I had just converted it back into a home for the living.

  My family didn’t quite understand why I had wanted the creepy place, but I’d seen a great opportunity and I’d taken it. So yes, to sum it all up, the library was haunted, I was a haunted tour guide, and I lived in an old haunted funeral home. Other than that, my life was perfectly normal. It all came down to the fact that I liked finding answers to the unknown. Life was a mystery and I was just trying to solve it

  Chapter 2

  Twenty minutes had passed and I still hadn’t heard from Brannon. Tammy gave me the look letting me know it was time for us to get to the scene and find out what was happening. Tammy and I hurried around getting everything closed up so that we could get out of there. Annie stood by the romance section surveying the new releases as if she was taking inventory.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Annie,” I said.

  Annie waved before focusing her attention on the titles again. I was surprised she didn’t notice Tammy and me rushing around the library. After giving Jane Austen dinner, I filled up her water dish. Next Tammy and I hurried out of the library. Oh, did I mention that a graveyard stood on the front lawn of the library? Yet another reason why the place was haunted, or at least that was what everyone thought. I was more concerned about the portal inside than the haunted graveyard outside.

  The faded gravestones only added to the dark and gothic feel of the building. The graveyard was one reason why Annie haunted the place—her grave was right there. She’d decided she might as well stick around. Tammy didn’t even like to set foot into the graveyard. It just wasn’t her thing. She always hurried past.

  The large Victorian Gothic-style building had a haunting beauty. A touch of sadness set in every time I saw the place, but that never kept me away. It almost lured people in as if it had a way of placing a trance on anyone who looked in its direction. The building loomed like a giant over the entire area with a tower in the center of the structure and a steeply-pitched roof adorned with ornamental gables.

  Tonight I had a haunted tour, but it was still an hour until it started. That gave Tammy and I time to check on Mr. Byrd. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Byrd. I hoped he was okay. Thank goodness it wasn’t dark yet either. Yes, I guided people for the tour around town in the dark, but Tammy hated walking around the haunted streets at night. It didn’t help that we were headed to one of the most haunted buildings in town. The antique shop was more than a little haunted and one of the stops on my tour.

  “Do you think enough time has passed and you can contact Brannon and ask what happened?” Tammy asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said around a sigh. “I’d feel bad texting when he’s busy. I don’t want to be a snoopy girlfriend.”

  Yet Tammy and I were headed straight for the site of the incident. I figured if I just happened to stop by that was less intrusive.

  “Brannon should know you’re worried about Mr. Byrd though. He knows you’re one of Mr. Byrd’s biggest fans,” Tammy said.

  “I am one of his biggest fans, but Brannon didn’t even know that I was aware that anything had happened at the antique shop. I was just eavesdropping.”

  “It’s tough being snoopy,” Tammy said.

  “You’re telling me,” I said.

  Tammy and I headed down the sidewalk to the historic section of town. The brick and stone buildings were old of course, with some dating back to the 1700s. We even had Revolutionary War heroes buried in the graveyard back behind the tavern. Old-fashioned style wooden streetlights lined the sidewalks with pots overflowing of purple and pink petunias adding pops of color around town.

  When we came around the corner to the antique shop, Tammy and I stopped in our tracks. The police presence was still there. Crime scene tape had blocked off the entrance to the area surrounding the antique shop. This wasn’t looking good. My stomach dropped, and it was hard to breathe.

  Tammy took me by the arm. “Try to remain calm. You don’t know what happened yet.”

  “I just don’t want to think something happened to Mr. Byrd. It’s just awful,” I said.

  We couldn’t get too close, but as we stood on the sidewalk glancing around, I made eye contact with Brannon. Of course, I was happy to see him, but also, I was worried that I was taking him away from important business.

  Brannon walked over to us. “Word spreads quickly.”

  “Please tell me that nothing happened to Mr. Byrd,” I said with panic in my voice.

  Brannon looked me in the eyes. “Mr. Byrd is fine. He’s shaken up, but he’s okay.”

  “Thank goodness. If it’s not him then who? What happened?” I asked.

  “It was a customer. We’re not sure what happened to her, but Mr. Byrd found the woman.”

  “That’s terrible. What did Mr. Byrd say happened?”

  “He said one minute she was fine and the next when he went back over to see if she needed help, she was lying right there on the floor. He called 911.”

  “Maybe she had a heart attack,” Tammy said.

  “It’s possible,” Brannon said.

  I sensed hesitation in his voice. Maybe he wasn’t giving us the whole story. He felt my stare on him too.

  “What are you not telling us?” I asked.

  “Ripley, this is an active investigation,” Brannon said.

  “So it was murder?” Tammy asked with wide eyes.

  “I didn’t say that,” Brannon said.

  “Yeah, but you hinted at it,” I said.

  “I will call you soon,” Brannon said.

  He was still trying to change the conversation.

  “Okay,” I said with hesitation.

  “I need to get back over there.” Brannon motioned.

  “All right, but is there anything I can do to help in the meantime?” I asked.

  Brannon looked around. “I’m not sure. Maybe Mr. Byrd would like it if you called him.”

  “Yes, maybe an encouraging word might help,” I said.

  Brannon headed back over to the other detectives leaving Tammy and me on the sidewalk.

  “It’s terrible what happened,” Tammy said. “But I have a feeling that Brannon definitely wasn’t telling us the whole story.”

  “He just can’t say anything right now. I’ll get all the details later.”

  “You’ll call me as soon as you find out?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  Given the circumstances, n
aturally quite a few people were standing around,. all of them wanting to know the details, just like Tammy and me.

  Chapter 3

  Tammy and I made our way around the crowd, but still Mr. Byrd was nowhere in sight.

  I stopped and placed my hands on my hips. “Do you see him anywhere?”

  “Nope. Maybe he went home. I’m sure it was a stressful situation for him,” Tammy said.

  “Yes, that’s probably the case. He just went home,” I said, trying to reassure myself. “Just to be sure we should look in the back and see if his car’s there.”

  Tammy pointed at the crime scene tape. “It doesn’t look as if we can get back there. The police probably escorted Mr. Byrd to his car.”

  “We can walk around the long way,” I said.

  Tammy didn’t look too thrilled about that idea. And I supposed it was getting late. Plus, I needed to get back over to the cemetery and start the tour.

  “Okay, I have his number, so I can call him, but I’ll wait until the morning. I want to give him some time to relax. Though I want him to know that we’re thinking of him.”

  “Of course,” Tammy said.

  Brannon was nowhere around, at least not that I saw. I assumed he was inside the building. If it was just a heart attack or something, then why was it taking them so long to wrap up this scene? To me that meant maybe they were in there looking for clues. I sent Brannon a text and let him know that I was headed to the cemetery.

  I’ll talk to you soon.

  He must be busy because usually he added a sweet touch to his message.

  As Tammy and I headed down the sidewalk, she said, “What’s taking them so long if it was only a death investigation?”

  Her question was part of the reason why we were best friends. We had the same thoughts a lot.

  “I think it’s more than that,” I said.

  “Me too,” she said. “I suppose we’ll get all the answers soon enough.”

  “I hope so,” I said, lacking confidence in my answer.

  Soon we reached the tavern. With the stone walls and old creaking hardwood floors, walking through the tavern was like strolling through bygone times. A parking lot was around back now in the spot where people used to hitch their horses before stopping in for a drink. A few things had changed, but most stayed the same. It amazed me just thinking about all the people who came through the doors.

  I walked inside with Tammy to retrieve the flashlights for tonight’s tour. I kept them in storage here for easy access since the tavern was right next to the cemetery. I also sold tickets for the tour at the tavern as well.

  We stepped over to the bar and Tammy grabbed the bag of flashlights from under the counter.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” I said. “She’s going to be on the tour tonight. I wonder if she bought a ticket.”

  “Who is she?” Tammy asked.

  “Oh, that’s right. You weren’t around when she came in.”

  “Who is she?” Tammy asked again.

  “Abigail Potter. She’s new in town. Let’s just say she’s gorgeous.”

  “And?” Tammy asked.

  “Well, she was flirting with Brannon.”

  Tammy raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Well, it won’t get her anywhere.”

  “No, it won’t, but I suppose I am a bit annoyed.”

  Tammy just laughed as she grabbed an apron and tied it around her small waist. “So this new person in town wants to take the haunted tour?”

  “Yes, and she’s joining the book club.”

  “Does she seem nice?” Tammy asked.

  “Actually, she did seem nice, so that’s good.”

  Tammy went over to the register to check the book. “It looks like you have five people on the tour tonight.”

  “I wonder if Abigail is one of those five?”

  Tammy closed the book. “Let me know as soon as you can how it works out.”

  I grabbed the bag of flashlights from the counter. “I’ll text you.”

  “Have fun!”

  I waved over my shoulder and stepped out into the night summer air. In the summertime the tour was later because it didn’t get dark until almost nine. And the darkness really set the mood for a great tour. Things were always scarier at night.

  The long alleyway stretched down to the opening that led into the graveyard. Devil’s Moon Cemetery had been here since the 1700s. There were rumors that there was a mass grave. People had reportedly died from a yellow fever epidemic, but I wasn’t positive about that.

  Even if I held the tours during the day, it would still be a spooky setting. My heels clicked against the cobblestone street. On one side was an old stone building and on the other was the tavern. It was like stepping back in time. I felt like if I looked over my shoulder I’d see Jack the Ripper. As a matter of fact, it sounded as if footsteps clicked against the pavement behind me. I glanced over my shoulder just to be on the safe side. No one was back there. Maybe I was only hearing echoes from my own steps.

  When I reached the end of the alleyway, I headed over to the black iron gate of the cemetery, surrounded by gnarly tall oaks and other trees. An owl made his home in the top branch of the oak near the gate. He was the gatekeeper, I supposed. Though he wasn’t the only one who thought he oversaw the graveyard.

  Mrs. Clatterbuck was the resident ghost in the graveyard. She didn’t like when I brought people around. It had been quite a while now since I’d started the tours and she still hadn’t given up on telling me to get out. I was used to her behavior now. I kind of sensed maybe she didn’t mind that I came around, but now she couldn’t give up the act and had to continue pretending as if she didn’t like me.

  Before becoming the ghostly caretaker of the graveyard, Mrs. Clatterbuck had lived in a little yellow clapboard house nearby. I thought for sure she still haunted that place too. Though the current residents never said anything about seeing her ghost. I’d seen her standing in the front window, glaring at me on more than one occasion. Every time I led a tour through the graveyard her beady eyes watched me.

  Mrs. Clatterbuck talked to me just like a regular person. She didn’t need the electronic devices. I figured it had something to do with the fact that she was so stubborn. If any ghost could talk without needing electricity, it would definitely be Mrs. Clatterbuck. I wasn’t the only one who had seen her either. Brannon had seen her as well. If given the opportunity she’d make herself known to anyone who came around the graveyard.

  Once at the gate, I reached into the tote bag and pulled out a flashlight. I clicked the button, but nothing happened. I should’ve checked the flashlights’ batteries before I left the tavern. I’d been distracted by what had happened at Mr. Byrd’s shop. I had to remember that his place wouldn’t be on my tour tonight. Tour-goers would be alarmed if they saw the crime scene tape.

  I tapped the side of the flashlight and thank goodness the white glow spilled from the tip. The owl hooted from the treetop just as people emerged down the alleyway. He was really good at perceiving when other people were around.

  “What are you doing here?” the female voice snapped from behind me.

  I spun around and found Mrs. Clatterbuck standing behind me. As usual Mrs. Clatterbuck wore a brown suit with clunky heels the same color, everything matched her brown hair, which she wore in a tight French twist. I guess being a ghost kept her from having those shoes sink in the damp earth as she roamed around the graveyard. A scowl formed on her face as she eyed me up and down. She clutched the brown pocketbook to her chest. I suppose she thought I’d knock it out of her hands.

  That had happened the first time we’d met, but not since. I’d been shocked to discover the contents of her purse. Mints, pennies, straps of paper and a tiny glass bottle. Where these real items or ghostly ones? I had no idea. Oddly, I’d been curious about what she kept in her bag, but it had honestly been an accident when she’d spilled the contents.

  “I don’t have time to talk right now, Mrs. Clatterbuck, I said. “I’m waiting for s
omeone.”

  I shouldn’t have said that considering how angry she got when I had people in the cemetery.

  “Are you looking for that woman?” she asked. “I hope I find her first because I want to tell her to get out of here.”

  “There was a woman in the graveyard?” I asked.

  “Yes, she just brazenly walked right across the graveyard.” Mrs. Clatterbuck tensed up.

  And I’d thought she could get any more uptight.

  “Was a ghost?” I asked.

  “I don’t know about that,” she said.

  Maybe someone had arrived for the tour and was lost.

  “Can you describe her?” I asked, peering out over the graveyard.

  Getting information out of Mrs. Clatterbuck was like pulling teeth. She only gave information when she saw fit.

  “I don’t know what she looked like. I only saw her for a moment.”

  It was odd that I hadn’t seen the woman when I’d walked up moments earlier.

  “Well, I need to get to work, so if you’ll excuse me.” I turned my attention back to watching the alleyway.

  However, I felt a presence still behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, Mrs. Clatterbuck was still staring at me.

  “Why are you watching me?” I asked.

  “I’m looking for the woman,” she said. “I want to tell her to get out of the graveyard.”

  “I can tell her that for you,” I said.

  “I don’t trust you.” Her thin eyebrows pinched together.

  “After all this time I’ve been coming to the graveyard and you don’t trust me? Haven’t I taken care of the graveyard and I made it better? Don’t I try to help you?”

  “If you want to help me then don’t come back here.”

  “I have to come back here. I want to take care of the graveyard,” I said.

  Mrs. Clatterbuck didn’t have a response. Finally, I’d left Mrs. Clatterbuck speechless. That was something I’d never thought would happen.

  “Well, if you want to stand there fine,” I said.