A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) (18 page)

I sat on my sofa and stared at the wall as if that would somehow make me figure out this whole mess. I closed my eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

I didn’t know if I drifted off to sleep or if I was awake, but the ghost was there. She appeared as if a living person right in front of me.

When I opened my eyes, the ghost was gone. I still felt the cold that had surrounded her though. I knew that she had been there. Just then it hit me where I’d seen the name Corabeth. It had been on one of the tombstones in the small graveyard in front of the library. The last name had faded from the stone, but the epitaph was still visible.
Once your eyes have been opened, you can’t un-know or un-see.

I had two mysteries on my hands. I didn’t know if they were related or not. As I sat there trying to figure out what to do, it hit me. I had to confront the ex-wife. Maybe not directly confront her, but I had to at least pay her a visit.

I knew she worked at the tea shop in town. Now that I thought of it, that was the card I had found in Cady’s planner. The shop was new and had just opened. I would go in and ask Melissa what she thought about the investigation. I knew she would remember me from the diner. I didn’t know if she would give me any info though. It was doubtful that she would admit she had Hank’s scarf. I had to at least give it a try.

After leaving a message and telling Brannon I had to go out for a while, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. He would have to wait to get the phone. This was urgent. I didn’t want to walk even though it wasn’t that far. The more I thought about the dangers of walking alone, the less I wanted to take that risk.

As I climbed in my car and looked in the rear-view mirror, I spotted him. The ghost was in the back seat of my car and he’d finally revealed himself to me.

It was the ghost of Hank.

I let out a gasp. When I turned around, he was gone. I looked in the mirror again, but he wasn’t there either. Had I imagined it? No, I wasn’t still dreaming.

My phone dinged and I jumped. I grabbed the phone to get the text. The word ‘stabbed’ showed up on my screen. I knew that wasn’t a coincidence. What did his message mean? Had he been stabbed? 

“Hank, are you there?” I called out.

There was no answer and he didn’t appear again. I looked around, but didn’t see him outside of the car either. I did spot a shadow go behind a tree again. Was that him? Or someone else sneaking around? I was glad that I was in my car.

I started the engine and pulled away from the curb. Whoever was behind the tree wouldn’t be able to get to me now. I made it to downtown and finally found a spot to park. It was a short walk to the tea shop, which made me nervous, but I had to do it anyway.

The crisp evening air whirled around me. Leaves had fallen and scurried across the sidewalk as if they were keeping pace with me. I glanced over my shoulder, hoping that Sandra wouldn’t appear. I was also looking for the shadow. A few people waved as I passed by and I threw my hand up in return.

The shop was just up ahead. The sign that hung above the little shop came into view. I picked up my pace, as the more I walked, the more my anxiety increased. I figured my mind was just playing tricks on me.

I looked back again and I thought for sure that I spotted Sandra. See, now I was seeing things.

I reached the shop and hurried in. With all the worrying about someone following me, I hadn’t even had the chance to worry about what Melissa might say to me. I wasn’t even sure she was working. If she wasn’t, I could also try to find out something from her co-workers. Had she been working on the night of the murder? Surely that was something the police had already found out. Usually it would be the people closest to the victim who they would concentrate on first.

I stepped into the shop. A couple of women were seated at a table. The shop had little white tables with white iron chairs around them. The counter was on the right where you could order. It was like a combination deli and tea shop.

The women looked over at me and smiled. I grinned and moved further into the shop. So far I didn’t see Melissa or any other employees. The walls were painted pink with floral pictures on the walls.

I walked up to the counter and perused the menu. I hadn’t had dinner yet, so maybe I would get a sandwich and tea. They had every tea I could imagine, even sweet iced tea, although it was a little too cool outside for that right now. A nice cup of warm tea would be good, plus maybe it would help ease my anxiety too.

Finally I decided on a warm turkey sandwich and a cup of orange tea. I waited at the counter and was just about to turn around to leave when I spotted an employee step out from the back room. She spotted me and smiled. Of course I was disappointed that it wasn’t Melissa. I should have figured there was a good chance she wouldn’t be here. I would have to ask this woman if Melissa was working.

“Hi, may I help you?” the young brunette asked with a smile.

I placed my order and watched as she prepared my sandwich. This was my chance to ask about Melissa.

“Excuse me,” I said.

She looked up at me. “Yes?”  

“Is Melissa Key working?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

She stared for a second and then nodded. “Yes, she’s in the back. I can get her for you if you’d like.”

Even though I was nervous, I said, “That would be great. Thank you.”

I paid her for the sandwich and tea and took my tray over to a table by the door. Just in case I needed to make a quick getaway. I sat down and took a sip of tea. It warmed me instantly.

After taking a bite of the sandwich, I spotted Melissa appear from the back. She glanced around the room and then her eyes fell on me. Her eyes narrowed. She moved over from behind the counter and headed my way. I swallowed hard. It wasn’t too late for me to get up and leave. No, I had to suck it up and be tough.

When she approached I said, “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Do I know you?” she asked.

“My name is Ripley Van Raden. I work at the library.”

She frowned. “Oh, yes. I saw you at the diner too. Are you here to ask questions about my ex-husband?”

For a moment the words wouldn’t form. Finally, I managed to say, “Do you know who may have killed him?”

“I don’t know,” she snapped. “The only reason Hank came to town to do that book signing is to stick it in my face. It wasn’t enough that he was abusive to me when we were married.”

My eyes widened. “He abused you?”

“It’s not something I want to talk about.” She stuck her head up a little higher.  

“You wanted to talk with him that night at the library. So did you see him when he was here,” I said.

That was practically like I had asked her if she’d murdered him. I knew she could read my mind. I could tell by the way she looked at me. If we hadn’t been in a public place she might have come over the table after me. I wouldn’t have gone down without a fight though. She might underestimate my ability to fight her off.

“Obviously I didn’t talk with him. And I am glad that I didn’t.”

Apparently they didn’t have the best of relationships.

“Do you have any idea who may have done this to him?” I was hoping she would give me a clue why she would have killed him.

“I don’t know. He probably has a lot of enemies. I heard that he had a fan who was following him around. The police will probably arrest her soon.”

I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Sure, Sandra had acted strangely, but she hadn’t been the one wearing Hank’s scarf. I really needed to ask Melissa about the scarf, but I doubted at this point she would tell me the truth. I knew she was already sick of talking to me and just wanted to get away from me.

“If you’ll excuse me I have to get back to work.”

I nodded. “Sure. It was nice meeting you.”

She stared for a second and then turned around and walked away without answering. I hadn’t made a friend. I watched her walk away. Thank goodness she didn’t turn around and look at me or attack me. That was all pluses for me.

The women who had been at the table on the other side of the room walked out. The other employee was in the back with Melissa. She was probably telling her about me. I was all alone in the room. That was when I figured that maybe I should take a look around. Melissa might have worn the scarf to work. After all, she had worn it the other day at the diner. Although even if I spotted it I didn’t know what I would do.

My curiosity was getting the better of me. I pushed to my feet and took my tray over to the trash. I dumped the trash and placed the cup and plate in the designated spot. Still no one was around. There was an area with restrooms, so I took off in that direction. I figured I wouldn’t be able to get in the back area if Melissa and the employee were both back there. At least I could take a look.

When I reached the restroom, I realized there was another door in the hallway that led to the employee area where Melissa was. Now if I could just get back there.

The front door opened and about five customers filed in. Melissa and the employee both stepped out from the back to help the people.

My heart thumped in my chest, but there was no time for second-guessing. I didn’t have much time, so I had to move quickly. While the women were at the front of the shop helping the customers, I would slip in the back and have a look around.

I opened the door and immediately came into the kitchen area. I glanced around, trying to figure out which way to go. Where would the office be? It had to be at the back.

I rushed toward the back with adrenaline coursing through my veins. The door was open and I spotted several little lockers and a desk on the right. There was a coat rack at the left. It was the first thing I saw. The scarf was hanging right there. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. Though I supposed she figured there was no one to hide it from. As far as she knew, no one had ever seen Hank wearing the scarf. Although Cady the assistant would have seen him, right? But had she seen Melissa wearing it? I assumed Cady had seen Melissa wearing it because they’d been together. I still didn’t know why they had been talking to each other.

Just then the cell phone on the desk rang. I slipped over and glanced down at it. Speak of the devil. Cady’s number appeared. Did I have the nerve to answer the call? It was the only way I would get to the bottom of this. How long would Melissa be occupied with the customers? I hoped they had complicated orders.

I inched closer to the desk and peered at the phone. If I was going to answer it, I had to do it now. I reached down and picked up the phone.

“Hello,” I said.

Had I just tried to disguise my voice? If this wasn’t so scary, I would have laughed at how ridiculous I sounded.

“Hey, it’s Cady.”

Well, since her name appeared on the phone I’d figured out that part. I still wanted to know why they were talking to each other. Why was Hank’s ex talking to his assistant?

“I’ve been thinking about everything and I just can’t do this anymore. I won’t go to the police, so please just let me go. No one will ever know what you did to Hank. Please don’t tell them that I started working for him to ruin his life, but he was a good man. I didn’t know I would enjoy working for him. You hired me and I took the job. I pretended not to know you like you asked me. I even pretended to hate being in Devil’s Moon, so we both have our secrets. You killed him and I’ll keep your secret until the day I die.” She rushed her words.

It seemed as if she was freaking out. I couldn’t believe what she’d just told me. I wished I had recorded her so that Brannon could have heard. I still couldn’t prove what they had done.

Cady was silent for a second, and then she said, “Say something. You are freaking me out, Melissa.”

She was freaking out? Melissa had killed her own husband. That should have made Cady freak out a long time ago.

I couldn’t say anything, so I just hung up the phone. I tossed it back onto the desk as if it would bite me. I didn’t want anything to do with these sick individuals. 

It was time for me to get out of there. As I turned toward the door, I looked over and spotted the scarf. It was hidden behind the coat. I walked over and took the scarf out from behind the coat. It was strange to know that I was touching the same scarf that Hank had been wearing when Melissa had murdered him. I shoved the scarf back behind the coat. I had to get out of there. Being that close to a murderer was terrifying.

The phone rang again and I glanced over. Cady’s number appeared on the screen again. There was no way I was picking it up again. Melissa would be back at any second, so I marched over to the door.

Footsteps sounded from the kitchen.

I knew it. I had waited too long. How would I get out of there? I glanced around. There was nowhere to hide. Not unless I hid behind the desk, but how long would that last? If Melissa came over to the desk she would see me right away. I was beginning to panic and not think straight. My heart pounded and my stomach was twisted into knots.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Brannon’s number. Before he answered, the footsteps grew closer. I knew that Melissa would appear in the room at any second. I didn’t have time to talk to Brannon. I would just have to deal with her. I would have to confront her and then run out as soon as I could get away from her.