A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) (15 page)

He set the lid back on the box. “I suppose, or maybe it’s just a box with some equipment in it.”

I didn’t answer because I wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Brannon stood up and released a deep breath. “Well, I guess now we know.”

I stepped over beside him and rubbed his arm. “You would have always wondered if you hadn’t tried it.”    

“I guess we should get out of here,” Brannon said.

Before I had a chance to answer, a rumble echoed throughout the room. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but it sounded like someone was trying to get inside the house. The door was open though. They wouldn’t have to rattle the door.

Brannon ran across the room to the foyer. I dashed after him, but stopped when I got there and realized that the door was now closed. He went over and opened the door. I peeked over his shoulder as he peered out onto the porch. As far as I could tell, no one was around.

“What do you think that was?” I asked.

Brannon looked back at me. “I’m not sure. More haunting noises, I suppose.”

I wondered if his box had captured the ghost after all. I was ready to get out of there. As if he’d read my mind, Brannon said, “I’ll get the box.”

I folded my arms in front of my waist. “I’ll wait right here.”

Brannon disappeared around the corner while I stayed on alert for any other paranormal encounters. 

Finally Brannon appeared around the corner with the box in his arms. I was beginning to worry that the spirit had attacked him. I stepped out onto the porch and Brannon placed the box on the porch. He pulled the door shut and then grabbed the box. We hurried down the stairs. While he placed the box in the trunk, I slipped into his car. When I looked up at the house, I thought I saw that shadow at the window. But in the blink of an eye it was gone. Brannon jumped behind the wheel, but I didn’t tell him about what I’d seen. It was time for us to put this house behind us.

Brannon dropped me off at my place so that he could go to work. He kissed me goodbye and said he would call later. At least we had tried to get rid of the ghost. Only time would tell if we had been successful.

I waved goodbye to Brannon from the window. For the time being it felt as if I was alone in my apartment. That was something that I hadn’t felt for quite some time. I just hoped that it stayed that way.

The next morning, I decided to go to the bed-and-breakfast where Cady and Sandra were staying. How long could the police convince them to stay in town? I was surprised that they hadn’t taken off by now. That had to mean they were innocent, right? What would have been their motive for murder? Cady seemed cranky, but that was hardly a reason for murder. If cranky people always committed murder there would be a lot more homicides to report.

The place was on the other side of town, tucked away by the park. I parked down the street and headed toward the house.

When I reached the front of the house, I stopped. What would I do now? I supposed I could go to the door and ask to speak with Cady. What would I ask?
Did you murder Hank?
That wasn’t a great idea.

The house was a three-story white Victorian with a porch that wrapped around the front of the house. I made my way down the sidewalk a little more. If Cady or Sandra saw me out there they wouldn’t think I was just taking a casual stroll on a beautiful Sunday morning. I couldn’t walk around outside for much longer.

As I turned to walk back in the other direction, a woman called out, “Ripley, is that you?”

When I looked to my left I spotted Gail. She was waving at me as she walked down the front path toward the sidewalk. Now I had been spotted. I couldn’t act as if I hadn’t seen her because I was looking right at her. Maybe this would be a good thing though.

Talking with her might be a good thing. Maybe she could give me some inside scoop.

“Good morning, Gail,” I said as she approached.

She had a blue floral apron tied around her waist. Underneath that she wore jeans and a white T-shirt. She brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes. A dusting of what I assumed was flour dotted her cheeks and her hands.

“I looked out the kitchen window and who do I see? Little Ripley. After last night I just had to come get you. It was a surprise to see you show up with the police at my door.”

“I’m really sorry about that.”

She waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been meaning to come by the library since you got back, but this place is keeping me busy.” She motioned over her shoulder.

“The place looks great,” I said.

“Are you just out taking a walk?” She looked up and down the street to see if I was with anyone.

I’d go with her idea. “Yes, I was just enjoying the weather.” Of course she had to know that I didn’t live anywhere near here.

She reached out and grabbed my arm. “You must come in for breakfast. I’ve made a mess of biscuits and someone has to eat them. I don’t know why I make so much. My guests certainly don’t eat them. I hope it’s not because they taste bad.”

I glanced over my shoulder.

“You don’t have anywhere else to go this morning, do you?” she asked as she pulled on my arm.

“No, I don’t suppose I do.”

What would Cady and Sandra say when they saw me at the breakfast table?

We entered the house. As soon as I walked into the foyer I looked to the parlor on the left. Nobody was in there.

“Before last night I hadn’t been in this house since we poked around back in high school,” I said.

“I put in a lot of work here,” Gail said.

I touched the polished stair banister. “I see that.” She had period furniture in the parlor.

“We can go into the dining room if you’d like.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

So far there was no sign of Cady or Sandra. Maybe they really had taken off. If I didn’t see them soon I would ask.

When I reached the dining room, Cady was already standing by the buffet table, making a cup of tea. She must have felt our presence, because she quickly turned around. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed together.

“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.

She forced a smile on her face. “It’s nice to see you.”

I knew she really didn’t mean that.

“You can have a seat anywhere you like.” Gail pointed toward the long wood table in the center of the room. “I’ll go get breakfast.”

“Do you need any help?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay in the room alone with Cady by the way Cady was looking at me.

“Oh, no, I’m fine, thank you. Just make yourself comfortable. I invited you as a guest and I don’t want you to do any work.”

I smiled. “Thank you again.”

I really didn’t want Gail to treat me as a guest, but I knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. As soon as Gail left the room, I looked over at Cady. An awkward silence settled over the room. I knew that she wouldn’t say anything and I wasn’t sure what I should say. After all, I had come there to talk with her.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to Hank,” I said.

She glared at me but didn’t answer. She took her cup and sat down at the table. I moved closer to the table. Before I had a chance to think of anything else to say, Gail returned with a tray full of food.

Gail smiled. “I hope you like strawberries and French toast.”

“I love it. Thanks.” I sat at the end of the table with Gail at the other end.

Cady was on the other side of the table. She tried to act like she wasn’t watching me, but I saw her look at me out of the corner of my eye. Gail placed French toast on our plates.

I grabbed the pitcher of orange juice. “Would you like juice?”

Cady mumbled, “No, thanks.”

Footsteps sounded from the hallway and then Sandra appeared at the dining room entrance. Sandra was still dressed in her pink pajamas. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Obviously she hadn’t expected to see me for breakfast.

“Ripley, I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said.

I forced a smile on my face. “I’m here for breakfast.”

She gave me a funny look and said, “Well, I guess that’s nice.” She pulled out a chair and sat across from Cady.

Cady stared at Sandra and wrinkled her nose up. I could tell by the look that she didn’t like her.

Gail certainly had her hands full with these two. I stared at my plate wishing I’d never gotten into this awkward situation.

“Would you like syrup?” Gail gestured toward the container.

Apparently she hadn’t noticed the awkward silence between her guests. Did she know that these women were possible murder suspects? She had to know because it was the talk of town. The police had to have been by to talk with them on more than one occasion. I would have to get her alone later and ask what she’d heard. I wondered if either of the women had said anything to her about it. Had Gail talked to the police?

Sandra grabbed a napkin and stuffed it into the neck of her shirt. “Are you a guest here now?” she asked, staring at me.

I glanced at Gail. “No, I just ran into Gail and she invited me for breakfast.”

Cady eyed at me as she shoved the food into her mouth. I knew she was suspicious. I pushed the food around on my plate. Should I take this opportunity to ask about the investigation? I could act as if I didn’t suspect the women at all.

After taking a bite and swallowing, I said, “Have the police given you any updates on the investigation?”

The women froze with forks midair. Had they discussed this amongst themselves?

“I haven’t heard anything,” Cady said in a snippy voice.

“How long do you have to stay here?” I asked.

By the way that Cady glared at me I knew she didn’t appreciate my questions.

“I plan on leaving soon,” she said.

I wondered if Brannon knew this. I would have to tell him. Of course he probably wouldn’t appreciate the fact that I’d gotten involved.

Gail pushed to her feet. “Can I get you anything else?”

I placed my napkin on my mostly empty plate. “No, it was delicious. Thank you.” I grabbed the plate. “Let me help you.”

Sandra rushed over and took the plate from my hand. “No, I will help her.” Sandra followed Gail into the kitchen, leaving me alone once again with Cady.

Cady’s cell phone rang and she jumped to her feet as if she was being rescued from a burning building. I would love to hear what she was talking about. Possibly I could sneak into the hallway and listen in. As soon as she stepped out of the room, I eased over to the door. When I peeked out into the hallway, I didn’t see her.

Gail popped out from behind the kitchen door. “Would you like more coffee?”

I moved away from the dining room’s entrance, since it looked as if I was trying to escape. “No, I’m good. Thank you.” I would have to forget about listening in on the call.

Gail smiled at me. “I’ll be right back.”

Since I couldn’t see Cady anyway, I moved away from the door and back over to the window. I wasn’t doing much with this visit. I was just wasting my time. As I stood at the window looking out at the rose bushes, a hand wrapped around my shoulder. I jumped and almost fell backward when I spun around.

Sandra stared at me, almost not even blinking. “Oh, did I scare you?”

Since she was standing so close that I could smell the syrup on her breath, I moved back a couple steps. My body was now pressed against the window. How had I not heard her sneak up on me? She moved like a cat.

“Just a little.” I pinched my index finger and thumb together as an example of how much. Of course when I said a little I really meant she creeped me out to the extreme.

Sandra frowned. “I didn’t mean to scare you last night. I was just curious about the ghosts.”

“You said you see the ghosts. What do you see?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Just shadows following you. I thought it might be Hank.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a feeling, I guess.”

A feeling or wishful thinking? I still thought she was in denial about his death.

Without saying another word, Sandra bounced out of the room like her behavior was totally normal. I had to ask Gail about her. I’d just turned to look out at the roses again when Gail came back into the dining room.

“Thank you again for inviting me in,” I said. “Your roses are beautiful.”

Gail walked over and stood beside me. “They’re beautiful, but a lot of work.”

I turned to Gail and asked, “How long have Cady and Sandra been staying here?”

Gail blew the hair out of her eyes again. “It seems like forever and a day.”

I bit back a laugh. “Is something wrong?”

She blew out a deep breath. “It’s just that Sandra creeps up behind me. It’s unnerving and it makes me drop things.”

“She did the same thing to me just now,” I said.

“Cady is quiet. That’s a little unsettling too, but I don’t like the way Sandra sneaks up on me.” Gail untied her apron and took it off.

I stared at her for a second and then asked, “I have to ask, do you know why they’re staying here?”

Her expression turned serious. “Yes, I’m aware. Hank was staying here too… until, you know. But Sandra checked in after that. I need the money.”

I frowned. “I understand. I guess I’d better go. Thanks again for breakfast.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” Gail said.

As I turned to leave, I paused and said, “Would you mind if I take a look at the rest of the house before I go?”

A huge smile spread across her face. “I would love to show you, but I have a call to make. You’re welcome to show yourself around.”

Even better. This would give me a chance to snoop around and see if I could listen in to any phone calls.

“I don’t mind at all.” I waved and headed out of the dining room.