Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks (13 page)

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Agnes.”

I froze in my tracks and whirled, only to have Eleanor run headlong into me. We both ran into the wall and it opened behind us, propelling us both into a passageway. The wall closed behind us. “Oh, great. Not again!” I wailed.

“Again?” Eleanor said.

“Yes. I was in here earlier when you were all talking about me in the library.” Except that we’re on the second floor, not the first.

Eleanor now clung to my arm. “Oh, it wasn’t all me, and for the record, I don’t think you’re nuts. I sure hope you don’t see any dead people now.”

“How can I when the lights are all out? I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”

“How ever are we going to get out of here?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“Can’t you call one of those dead people to help us?”

“I thought you didn’t want to see any dead people.”

“I don’t, but if it will get us out of here, I’m game.”

I gingerly touched the wall and made my way to where I thought was the way out, or as best as I could recollect. When I took a few more steps, lights turned on and we were at a staircase like the one we had climbed down the other day.

“I think this leads to the cemetery,” I said.

“Cemetery?” Eleanor whined. “I don’t want to be wandering around in a cemetery in the dead of night.”

“How about we don’t use words like
dead
.”

“Fine with me, but why can’t we just figure out how to get back into the room where this pathway had led the other day. You know the room we found the suitcase in?”

I took a step in that direction and the lights went out. “Oh, my. I really don’t think they want us to go that way.”

“They?”

“Or whoever just cut the lights on and then off.”

“Well, it could be a sensor,” Eleanor suggested.

“Oh, good point, El.”

“So what should we do now?”

“I guess we’ll have to be tromping around in that cemetery since we can’t find our way to get back inside from here.”

I led the way and we carefully descended the stairs, taking hold of the handrail. “I don’t suppose you have a cell phone in your nightgown, Eleanor?”

“No, and you?”

“We really need to buy nightgowns with pockets,” I said with a chuckle.

“At least you haven’t lost your wit, Agnes.”

“No, not at all, but believe me, I didn’t expect for these things to happen.”

“Nope, I suppose not.” Eleanor pointed ahead of me. “Look, it’s another door.”

I made my way there and opened the door that was thankfully unlocked. I walked through with Eleanor closely behind me. It was cold and damp on the other side, and once the door closed behind us, I realized we were in the cemetery. I tried to open the door again, but it was now locked.

“Remember, there was a lever,” Eleanor reminded me.

I felt for the handle, and when yanked it down, it came off in my hands. “Yup, El. There was a handle, but now I must have broken it off somehow.”

Eleanor gasped. “What now?”

I stared at the full moon overhead. “We can find our way back to the mansion since the moon is so full tonight.”

Eleanor took the lead this time and we strolled through the cemetery, careful not to disturb any headstones, or rouse any ghosts. So far, I was collecting ghosts like savings stamps.

We pushed the iron fence open and soon were following the road that led back to the mansion. Headlights came at us, swerving slightly before they slammed on their brakes and backed up.

The interior light came on and we were staring at Curt and Curtis Hill, Rosa Lee Hill’s boys and Michigan Militia members. “What on earth?” Curtis asked from the driver’s seat. “What are you two doing out here?”

“Now that’s a story with no easy answer,” I said. “I don’t suppose you boys could give us a ride back to the Butler Mansion?”

“We sure can, but why are you staying there? Isn’t that place haunted or something?”

“Or something,” I agreed. “We’re staying there to ready it for a Halloween opening. It’s opening as a bed and breakfast.”

Curt hopped in the back so that Eleanor and I could ride up front. “Where are you boys coming from?” I asked.

“Like you said, Miss Agnes, that’s a question with no easy answer.”

I nodded in the darkness. “I’m willing to keep your whereabouts to ourselves if you don’t tell your ma about this one.”

“That’s a deal. Mum’s the word.”

Of course, I hadn’t known these boys to be rule breakers since they were quite young, but it’s hard to keep boys on the right path when they are teenagers. Rosa Lee Hill wasn’t just their mother, but a good friend of ours, even though we hadn’t seen her all that much lately.

Curtis yanked his wheel sharply and came up the driveway fast. When he slammed on his brakes, Eleanor and I about toppled over.

“I hope you have the keys, Miss Agnes.”

“Actually, I was hoping you boys could get us inside.”

“Yeah,” Eleanor said. “Don’t you know how to pick a lock?”

“Now, Eleanor.”

“We sure can, but are you sure you have permission to be here? I’d rather not face the sheriff in the middle of the night.”

I thought about that for a moment and said, “Yes, I’m positive. Open the door and you two can go about your business.”

Curtis pulled out a small box from his back pocket and removed two metal bars. I held the box for him while he inserted the metal picks into the lock and worked them until we heard a click. I handed him back the box and waved to the Hill boys as they took their leave.

Once they left, I closed the door and Eleanor and I slumped down into chairs in the drawing room, a room I’d call the living room. “I’m sure glad those Hill boys don’t ask many questions,” I said.

“You got that one right. I can’t help but wonder what they were doing out and about this time of night.”

“Well, I suppose we don’t need to be concerned about that since we have our own troubles.” I half expected Eleanor to drill me about the whole ‘seeing ghosts’ thing, but she yawned and I suggested we go on back to bed. I had forgotten all about the picture frame I had kicked under a chair and I retrieved it before retiring upstairs to our respective rooms. I slid the frame into a drawer and snuggled into bed, falling fast asleep within minutes.

Chapter Eleven

After I woke up and showered, I donned a pair of gray slacks with a short-sleeved sweater with a high neckline that zipped up in the back. As I slipped my feet into flats, Eleanor rushed through the door, her face bright and cheerful.

I surveyed Eleanor’s clothing with raised brow. She wore denim pants and a black t-shirt with a huge goofy faced jack-o’-lantern in the center.

“Looks like you’re ready for Halloween, Eleanor.”

“Yes, and it looks like you’re not.”

“Yes, well, we do have more investigating to do. I had planned to pay the coroner a visit. I wonder if we can weasel out of him the cause of Katherine’s death.”

“Doubtful, but we can give it a shot. Maybe we should pick up Martha first. She’s good at swaying men.”

“True, but the coroner won’t just hand out information like that. There are privacy issues and a police investigation.”

“True, but never underestimate the power of Martha’s effect on men. How else would she be able to entice so many?’

“Beats me, but you’re right about that. She obviously has her talents.”

* * *

Mr. Wilson and Millicent arrived right before we left, just as the cleaning guys,  Gary and Larry, showed up. They pushed a wheelchair to the passenger side of their van, and Robert propelled his body from the van to the wheelchair with ease. I was quite impressed with his upper body strength. They nodded in greeting as Eleanor and I stood on the porch. Gary helped pull the wheelchair up the few steps to the porch, where they greeted Millicent with wide smiles as they entered the mansion with their cleaning supplies.

I waited until they were long gone before I asked Millicent, “So what did you find out about the microfiche? Does the library in town have any?”

“Oh, no, but as it turns out, Connie Mathews has acquired quite the collection of old newspapers. She’s a history buff of sorts.”

“Connie Mathews? I’m not sure I even know who she is,” I said.

“She’s worked at the sheriff’s department in years past, but she’s been retired for quite some time.” Millicent handed me a slip of paper with an address in Oscoda scrawled on it.

Once we were settled in the car, Eleanor asked, “So where are we going, really?”

“Well, we could go ask Martha to pay a visit to the coroner.”

“We could, but shouldn’t we accompany her?”

“Could do that, but you see, I think … err … Martha will have better luck without us.”

Eleanor folded her arms across her chest. “No fair.” She choked out the words. “I wanted to go.”

Well, I suppose I should go into more detail than I did last night. “You see,” I began just as Caroline appeared in the back seat.

“Go ahead, Agnes,” Caroline’s hollowed voice split the uncomfortable silence. “Tell her all about me. I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Would you stop it, Caroline? I’m trying to tell her, okay?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “Caroline? I thought you were seeing Katherine’s ghost.”

“Actually, no. You see, ever since my accident, a ghost has attached itself to me. Her name is Caroline.”

Eleanor scratched her head. “Are you sure? Seems more likely that you’d see Katherine’s ghost.”

“Nope, I’ve been seeing Caroline. She’s the one I’ve been talking to. At first, she wouldn’t talk to me, but now she won’t shut up. I don’t think she knows how she died. I believe she died in the 30s.”

“What makes you think that?” Eleanor asked. “Did she tell you that?”

“Not exactly, but she did scrawl on my windshield when it was all fogged up.”

“I see, but is there any other reason you think she’s from the 30s?”

“Caroline wears clothing from the 30s, although it looks transparent, like her.”

“Just like the clothing that was in that suitcase?”

“Yes, and I strongly suspect that she is connected to the Butler Mansion in some way.”

“So where are we off to?”

“I’d like to check out what this Connie has hidden in her house. If she had old newspapers, I’d sure like to go through them.”

“What would they have to do with Katherine’s murder?”

“Nothing as far as I know, but I think it’s only fair that I find out who Caroline really is since she insists on being my traveling companion.”

“I what?” Caroline huffed. “I have better things to do, you know.” Her face lit up in a soft glow. “I know! I’ll keep an eye on those men at the mansion. I just don’t trust those cleaners.”

Before I could say anything, Caroline was off in a puff of smoke.

I glanced back at Eleanor. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Katherine as far as I know, but I’ll check in with Martha about the coroner after we see what Connie has to say about the old newspapers.”

“Why not check out the state library? I’m sure we can find microfiche files somewhere.”

“Possibly, but why go to all that trouble when we might be able to locate them closer to home?”

“Fine, but I’d rather focus on one investigation, not two. I don’t see how finding out who your ghost is has anything to do with Katherine’s death.”

“Unless, of course, Caroline’s death is related to the mansion. We saw a ghost the other day, if you recall, and I’ve seen the ghost of a man, too; what if one of those ghosts caused Katherine’s death?”

Eleanor leaned back. “Wow, this is one humdinger of a case. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

I gave Martha a quick call to ask her to see what she could get out of the coroner, Walter Smitty, reminding her to turn on the charm. As if she wouldn’t, since it’s sort of how Martha rolls.

“Where are we headed now?” Eleanor asked.

“Oscoda, Evergreen Avenue.”

Eleanor pulled out a tube of red lipstick, amply smearing it on her lips. “Stop somewhere so I can get a pop. I’m thirsty.”

I nodded in agreement since I was thirsty myself. When I made it to US 23, I drove the ten minutes it took to get from the Butler Mansion to East Tawas. We made a quick stop at the Bay Party Store. When we walked through the doors, the fragrance of pop and alcohol hit my nostrils. I’m sure routine spills can and do happen and every time I come here, it’s all I smell.

Inside was tight quarters, but we meandered our way to the cooler and each of us came back to the counter with a diet pop.

Behind the register was a young man—or I thought it was a man. He was dressed in a skeleton costume and I couldn’t stop myself from making a remark about it. “Are you expecting trick or treater’s soon?”

He glanced up from the register. “Huh?”

“She means the costume,” Eleanor said.

“We won’t be open when that fiasco begins, fortunately, but the boss loves Halloween and not only does he allow us to dress up, but he’s having a huge bash at his house that we’re all invited to.”

Eleanor picked up an orange flashlight from a bucket full of them. “I’ll take one of these. We’re staying out at the Butler Mansion and you just never know when I’ll be left in the dark again.”

We had his attention now as his face lit up. “Is it true what they say about that place— that it’s haunted?”

“Yup,” Eleanor said. “That place is chock full of ghosts—a real haunted mansion.”

“How about that. I’ve heard the stories, but I had no idea.”

“They’re opening up as a bed and breakfast today, on Halloween of all days.”

“No way. I’ll have to check it out.”

“Don’t forget,” Eleanor said. “The actress, Sara Knoxville, owns the place.”

“You mean the one that was in a movie about a bridesmaid?” he asked. “She had a great nude scene in that movie.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’d keep that to yourself if you get the chance to meet her. Saying something like that to her might make her a little nervous.”

“Oh, okay. Gotcha. That’ll be ten bucks.”

“Ten dollars for two pops and a flashlight?”

“Well, it’s not Walmart,” he said with a grin.

Eleanor and I trounced back to the car and when we piled back in, I said, “Eleanor, it might be a good idea if we keep the haunted mansion thing to ourselves. It might hurt business at the Butler Mansion.”