These Haunts Are Made For Walking (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 1) (4 page)

I relaxed a little. “Well, in that case, would you like to have a seat?” I motioned toward one of the chairs across the room. Brannon strode across the room and took a seat in front of the desk, stretching his long legs out in front of him. 

This was the first time I’d been in the office since accepting the job. It felt as if I was invading someone else’s space. The walls were painted a bland off-white and a large oak desk dominated the room. Disheveled stacks of papers covered every surface, including an ancient computer on the right side. I had my work cut out for me.

The large leather chair let out a swoosh as I sat down. “So, what can I do for you, officer?” I was using my professional librarian voice.

When he looked away for a brief second, I pinched my cheeks, thinking it might add a healthy glow to my face. I wasn’t sure if that trick ever worked and then reminded myself that I didn’t care either way. Men were at the bottom of my things-I-cared-about list. At least that was what I kept telling myself.

“Well, first, I wanted to come in and introduce myself.” His strong cheekbones became more pronounced with his smile.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you. That’s very thoughtful of you.” I played with a piece of paper on the desk, avoiding his gaze.

Did he read a lot? There weren’t many sexier things I could think of than a handsome police officer with bookworm tendencies. If he was into haunting then I didn’t know what I’d do. He’d said “first”… what was the second reason for his visit? Something told me it wasn’t as nice as the first one. I’d read somewhere that cops always started with the good news to soften you up before they hit you with the big whammy.

He looked around again and then over his shoulder as if checking to make sure no one was listening. “There was one other thing.”

And there we had it—the real reason he was here. “Yes?” I raised my eyebrows and offered a questioning gaze.

“I’m a member of the Mid-South Paranormal Investigators and we’ve wanted to get in here to investigate the library for years, but Mrs. Stanley wouldn’t allow it. We’re hoping that you will. I know you do the tour, which I’ve been meaning to take, by the way.” He folded his hands in his lap.

I had to force my mouth not to drop open.

“You’re a paranormal investigator?” I raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. “Yes, a ghost hunter.”

Not a chance.
Was he crazy? The library board wouldn’t like it at all. They’d already hinted at not liking my night job. Though the town already thought I was some kind of kook, so would it really matter? But if Mrs. Stanley had the nerve to tell the police no, then so would I.

“Officer Landon, I’ve heard the stories about Bilson Library being haunted. But to be honest with you, the library board would probably fire me if I started conducting investigations here. What if there really was a ghost and I stirred things up?”

He chuckled. “You and I both know it’s harmless, Ms. Van Raden.”

Having him call me Ms. Van Raden made me feel old. “Please, call me Ripley.” No way would I ask him to call me Rip.

A warm smile covered his face. “All right, Ripley.” I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue. “You can call me Brannon.” He didn’t take his gaze off me.

I knew he was trying to use some kind of psychological police tactics on me, but they wouldn’t work. No siree, Bob.

The office door was still open, giving me a good view of the hallway. Officer Landon’s back faced the door. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a woman move past the entrance. She was old and dressed in white, and the strange thing was, she appeared almost see-through. That was impossible, right? A ghost sighting already?

I blinked.

Brannon shifted in his seat and pulled my attention away from the hallway.

“Have you ever experienced anything in this building before?” he asked.

Looking for his shoulder one more time, I answered, “No, nothing at all.” I searched for a witty retort to lighten the conversation, but the figure behind the door had me completely distracted.

He leaned forward in the chair, showing his muscular forearms, and looked me in the eyes. “I bet I can convince you to do an investigation here.”

That sounded like a challenge.

“I’ll think about it,” I said reluctantly.

I couldn’t come straight out and tell him no while he stared at me with those blue eyes. I’d let him down gently later. Or try to let him down gently later. Or something.

He pushed to his feet. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, but I do hope you’ll say yes. Again, it was nice meeting you.”

“You, too.” I nodded.

“I’ll see myself out,” he said.

When he was halfway to the door he stopped and looked to his left at the portrait on the wall. He glanced back at me and said, “Mrs. Stanley sure is sweet.”

Were we talking about the same woman?

As I stood, I said, “I’ve heard many great stories about how kind and generous she is… well, except for the not letting you investigate the library part.”

I really had to learn when to stop talking.

He chuckled. “Yes, she was unrelenting in that respect.”

I stood beside Brannon as he studied the painting above the credenza. In the portrait, the former librarian wore an old-fashioned dress like the one Mrs. Clatterbuck had worn. The clothing seemed outdated. Maybe they sold them in bulk around here. Mrs. Stanley’s eyes seemed to move with me as I stepped back. Apparently, I had some big shoes to fill.

Instead of leaving, Brannon crossed the room and stood in front of the paintings on the opposite wall. I quickly closed the distance between us. A depiction of the library from the early 1900s hung next to another portrait. I stepped closer and looked at the golden engraved tag.

“Annie Gibson, the library’s first librarian,” Brannon said. “People claim to see her or feel her presence. That’s why I’m interested in collecting evidence. Who knows, maybe I can prove the myth.”

The ghost Tammy had joked about. It was tough to collect evidence of the paranormal, let alone prove that the ghost of Annie Gibson was haunting the library. The tall tale would make a good atmosphere for my ghost walk though. It would also help set the mood at Halloween time. I was already mentally planning Bilson Library’s Edgar Allen Poe party. “Maybe it’s better if you just let the legend live,” I said.

“I would if I could.” The corners of Brannon’s mouth curled.

“What do you mean?”

“The unexplained fascinates me and I’m looking for answers.” He spoke the words with an intense passion that I found completely sexy. “I know you feel the same way or you wouldn’t have a haunted walking tour.”

“I’ll let you know.” I moved away a couple steps.

“Well, I need to get back to work. Again, it was nice meeting you.” He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to me. “Call me if you need anything. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He tipped his hat.

He walked out the door and a riot of confused emotions stirred inside me. I felt sorry for him in a way. He seemed sweet, and there was no denying he was gorgeous, but could I upset the library board on my first day of work?

Before the thought had even left my mind, footsteps sounded from right behind me. I whipped around, thinking that someone had slipped up behind me. But I was still alone in the room.

It was the same noise I’d heard in the hallway. If there really was a ghost here I wouldn’t be able to say no to Brannon.

When I returned to the reference desk, my new furry friend was waiting on the counter for me, and Tammy was absentmindedly running her fingers across its back. I glanced around to see if the woman I’d seen walk by the office door was still in the library, but I didn’t spot her anywhere. The library seemed to be empty of patrons today. I’d have to come up with a scheme to drive up readership in this town.

“And who is this?” I asked as I picked up the cat.

“That’s Jane Austen. She decided to grace us with her presence last winter.” Tammy brushed cat hair from her sweater.

“Hello, Jane Austen, nice to meet you,” I said as I scratched her behind her ears.

Jane Austen meowed.

Tammy laughed. “She must like you. She’s picky about who she lets hold her.”

“Well, we met earlier in the hallway when she scared the heck out of me. It looks as if I need to pick up some kitty treats before work tomorrow.”

“She’s finicky about that too. She only likes the fish-flavored ones.” Tammy rubbed the cat’s head.

“Fish. Got it.” Jane Austen purred demurely as I sat her back on the counter.

“So what was that all about with Brannon?” Tammy asked. “I told you he was interested in you.”

“You could have warned me about how insanely good-looking he was before I made a fool out of myself by staring. I mean, I saw him last night, but up close he’s even better.”

She laughed. “I wanted to see the look on your face.”

“He wants to investigate the library for ghosts.” I scoffed.

“You should let him. Use it as an excuse to get to know him better.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to get to know him better and I don’t want to be fired on my first day. At least give me a week before they fire me.”

“You’re working as a haunted tour guide at night and this place is haunted. They have to know you will want to add this place to your tour.”

“Do you really think this place is haunted?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said.

“Why don’t
you
get to know Officer Landon better?” I smiled.

“Because I already have a honey, remember?” She beamed.

I shrugged. “I don’t want a honey.”

“You’re still in your hating-all-men phase. So Travis was a jerk. He’s not worth your time. Don’t worry. It’ll get better.”

My heart sank a little at her words, but I had to remember I didn’t need a honey like Travis. He was more like vinegar than honey.

Tammy must have noticed the look on my face. “I think Officer Landon likes you,” she said.

I picked up a stack of books. “It was probably my cardigan sweater that got him,” I said from over my shoulder as I walked away.

***

After checking off everything on my list of tasks for my first day, I busied myself straightening pens, adding more scratch paper and folding the newspapers. It was time to close the door for the evening. Thank goodness I didn’t have to answer any more questions about the refreshments. I couldn’t believe that little girl had lost her tooth while eating one of Tammy’s rock-hard cookies. It was probably time for a visit from the Tooth Fairy anyway—at least that was what I’d told Tammy to make her feel better. Maybe baking should be on my list of things to do tonight after I got home.

I moved along the romance aisle looking at books with titles like
Loved and Betrayed
and
Her Lost Love
. Another title caught my attention:
Cop’s Surrender
. Hmm. I shook off the thought. There was no time to think of Brannon Landon and his paranormal investigating.

Romance novels were currently my only romantic outlet. It had been four months since the breakup mêlée; I should be over Travis by now—the cheating cretin. He’d been supposed to be my one and only but instead he was my gone and phony.

I had always believed that my friend Carly wasn’t the tramp the rest of the town thought she was. She was just flirtatious, I’d told myself, but when she cheated with my fiancé, it was pretty much confirmed slut activity.

Travis had been my college sweetheart. We’d moved to California together and I’d assumed we would be together forever. But after an eight-year engagement, I now realized that he’d never wanted to marry me in the first place. That was the past and it was time to move on—but that was easier said than done.

I’d run out of ways to show my anger toward Travis. When shoving his picture through the paper shredder in front of his coworkers had failed to open his eyes to my disdain for him, I knew I had to break free. As long as I lived near him, I’d never heal from the distrust and hurt that he had left in my heart. Life would be better without him. He needed to make a life with Carly Reynolds and I needed a new start.

When I reached the end of the aisle, a cold chill whispered across my skin. The air around me had shifted. Again, I felt as if eyes were on me, watching me. My attention was drawn toward the ceiling at the top of one of the shelves. I let out a gasp.

A woman was floating above the books. And I could see right through her to the old wooden beams on the ceilings.

Her ghostly form was dressed in an ivory-colored Victorian lace dress. Her gray hair was pulled up high with little ringlets falling against her round cheeks. It was Annie Gibson. I recognized her face right away from her portrait. She’d been the woman I’d seen walk past the office door.

I closed my eyes and opened them again.

She was still there, staring at me. Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I’d finally come face to face with an apparition. If Brannon found out about this he would be even more persistent about investigating the building. But now I really wanted to add the building to my tour. I just didn’t want the board to find out.