Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery (13 page)

They heard chatter inside. It was coming
from the living room.

Peyton saw her mother, Vance, and Luke
having drinks. The men were smoking cigars.

"Has your dad always smoked cigars?" Peyton
whispered to Bryant.

"I think he used to smoke them sometimes
when he was a teenager, like his own dad, but I can't say I've ever
seen him with a cigar."

A look of shock crossed Bryant's face.

"I've never known Vance to smoke cigars
either," she said, equally surprised. "But since my mother has
recently started smoking cigarettes, what do I know? Guess it's
catching."

"Guess so." His lips twisted. "It's still
weird."

Peyton couldn't argue the point.

"How was the movie?" Melody asked, sitting
between the two men.

"Good," Peyton answered routinely.

"Yeah," followed Bryant.

"Are you hungry? There's food in the
oven."

"We already ate," Peyton told her.

"Luke's going to help me build a picnic
table for the backyard," Vance said, smoke filtering from his
nostrils.

"Should be a snap," Luke said.

"We thought we'd have a barbecue picnic for
Labor Day," announced Melody. "Invite the neighbors so we can get
to know them."

"Sounds great." Peyton could invite Lily and
her grandmother. And Bryant, of course.

She looked at Bryant and he met her eyes.
"Well, I guess I'd better go now."

"I'll walk you to the door," she said,
hiding her disappointment that he didn't want to stay longer.

Luke lifted his drink. "I'll be home in a
little while, Bryant."

"Don't hurry on my account," he responded
dryly. "I have some stuff to do before hitting the sack."

"Just remember to let the dog in," his
father said.

Peyton wondered if Bryant was upset with
Luke. "Are you okay?" she asked when they got to the door.

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if my dad is
just showing off to your stepdad with the cigars or if it's the
other way around."

"Probably a little of both."

"Probably."

"Thanks again for tonight, Bry...and for
listening to me talk about...well, you know--"

Bryant grinned. "Hey, I like spending time
with you, Peyton. As for the girl in the bay, I respect that you
told me what was going on. You're definitely not the typical boring
new girl in town, and that makes things a lot more interesting.
Let's just see if we can find out if this Caitlyn is the real deal,
and what her game is."

"Sounds good to me." Peyton met his eyes,
liking him more and more.

"Goodnight, Peyton."

"Night, Bry."

Bryant gave her a nice, sweet kiss that left
Peyton seeing stars. It seemed the perfect end to their date and
the night itself.

By the time she hit the bed, Peyton was sure
she had found true love for the first time in her sixteen years. It
was an experience she wanted to hold onto like her fluffy
pillow.

But she sensed that the dark forces hiding
in the house like carbon monoxide were standing in the way of their
burgeoning romance, even if Caitlyn herself may have been a ray of
light trying to get out.

* * *

Peyton tossed and turned in her sleep,
unaware that she was being watched with wonder by more than one
spirit sharing the space.

When she opened her eyes, Peyton found
herself standing in the hallway outside the study. She was still in
her nightgown and had no idea how she'd gotten there.

"Peyton..." She turned and saw the familiar
girl standing there. "I'm Caitlyn."

"We're friends?" Peyton asked, unsure.

"Yes." Caitlyn was also wearing a nightgown,
one that looked more dated.

"What are we doing here?"

"I want to show you a secret place."

"Where?" Peyton was curious.

"You'll see."

Caitlyn took her hand and led Peyton into
the study. They crossed the cold hardwood floor in their bare feet
and, moving past furniture, approached the bookcase. It was filled
with books, most which struck Peyton as very old and not belonging
to her family.

She watched as Caitlyn removed a book and
put her finger inside to the back of the shelf and stepped away.
Suddenly the bookcase moved and an opening appeared.

Peyton was startled.

"You want to go inside?" asked Caitlyn.

Peyton hesitated, sensing danger. "I don't
think so."

"Don't be afraid. It's just a play area and
a back way to the bay." Caitlyn held out her hand. "Come, I'll show
you."

Reluctantly Peyton took her hand, as if she
had no choice. They stepped through the opening and she immediately
felt a draft. A dingy smell permeated her nostrils and Peyton was
amazed to see a corridor of exposed beams, insulation, and
unfinished flooring. She wondered if this was supposed to be an
extra room or two when the house was originally built, but never
completed.

"How long have you known about this?" she
asked Caitlyn.

"For about two years. Trevor showed me."

"Trevor?"

"The caretaker, silly," laughed Caitlyn.
"Mama knows about it, too. Come on, let's go to the bay."

Peyton resisted, though not sure why. What
did she have to be afraid of? Certainly not Caitlyn, who said they
were friends and seemed harmless enough.

"We don't have to swim," Caitlyn promised.
"Not in our nightgowns. But the bay's so pretty in the wee hours of
the morning."

Peyton gazed at the girl.
I suppose it
wouldn't hurt to go look, but swimming's definitely out.
She
allowed her guard to drop and followed Caitlyn till they came to a
makeshift opening to the outside.

Hand in hand, they ambled across the damp
grass till they'd reached the edge of the bay. The moon shone
overhead like the sun, casting light on them and the water. A few
ripples rolled across it before disappearing into the night.

Suddenly Peyton remembered why she had been
uneasy about going to the bay. She had gone swimming in it and saw
a girl who tried to pull her under.

It was Caitlyn.

"Something wrong?" Peyton heard her say.

"Yes, I think so. This is
all
wrong."
Peyton tried to make sense of the situation. "I shouldn't be here.
And neither should you--not together anyway!"

Peyton turned to Caitlyn and saw that her
face had turned ashen. Then she watched as Caitlyn's nightgown
turned bright red at the chest and the redness began to spread over
the gown like a shadow.

Peyton screamed in horror.

She watched as Caitlyn laughed hysterically
and became a skeleton, reaching out to her with a bony arm and
hand.

Peyton screamed again and tried to run. But
skeletal fingers wrapped around her wrists and began to pull her
towards the bay. The sounds of laughter became almost deafening and
Peyton fought to break free of her hold, to no avail. She was sure
she would drown and no one would ever find her.

I can't let that happen. I just can't.

But what could she do to stop Caitlyn from
taking her to an early grave?

The moment Peyton's feet touched the cool
water, she felt pressure on her shoulders, pushing her down. She
gasped for air and thought she might pass out from sheer
fright.

There were strange noises that echoed in
Peyton's ears, mixing dangerously with her own ghastly moans.

* * *

Suddenly Peyton opened her eyes and closed
them to the bright light. When she forced her eyes open again, she
saw her mother's face.

"Wake up, honey," she whispered. "You were
having another nightmare..."

Only then did Peyton realize that she was no
longer in the bay with Caitlyn, who had tried to kill her, but in
bed--her bed--and was safe.

She pried her mouth open, sure that she
could taste the bay water.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Peyton said,
feeling like she was starting to sound like a broken record.

"You didn't," Melody said tenderly. "I
couldn't sleep very well and had gone to get a glass of water when
I heard you murmuring something about...the bay--"

"The bay?" Peyton was beginning to hate the
word and its implications.

"Was it the same dream?"

She sat up, meeting her mother's worried
eyes. "No, it was different, but just as scary."

Melody stroked Peyton's hair. "You want to
tell me about it?"

Peyton pondered the notion before deciding
against it. "Just a dream, Mom. I'm not cracking up."

"I never said you were. But clearly these
dreams are having an effect on you."

And with good reason, even if you don't
want to hear it.
"Did you know that there was a terrible crime
committed in this house fifty years ago?" Peyton watched her
reaction.

Melody raised a brow. "What?"

"An entire family was killed. Lily's
grandmother told me. Caitlyn was her best friend."

"What a sad thing."

"The father--Byron St. Claire--shot to death
Caitlyn, her mother, Rebecca; and their caretaker, Trevor; before
he killed himself."

Melody's brows drew together. "Why would
Lily's grandmother tell you such a horrible thing?"

Peyton debated how much she should reveal
about her conversation with Frances Kramer. She doubted her mother
would embrace the idea any more than before, even if Lily's
grandmother had accepted it as more than plausible.

"I showed her the photo I found of Caitlyn
and another girl. Turned out it was Lily's grandmother when she was
fifteen. It wasn't long after it was taken when the murder-suicide
took place."

Melody hugged her. "Oh, sweetheart, no
wonder you had a nightmare. That would cause anyone to have bad
dreams."

"Don't blame Lily's grandmother," Peyton
urged. "I asked her if she knew what happened to Caitlyn. I thought
if she was still alive, I could return the picture to her."

Peyton hoped her mother would just let it
go. Especially since her problem with ghosts and nightmares began
before Peyton ever confided in Francis Kramer.

Melody pulled back. "Well, now that you know
the truth, maybe you'll be able to put Caitlyn and her family
behind you, Peyton. As dreadful as it was, the crime happened a
long time ago. It has nothing to do with our family or living in
this house."

"How can you say that?" Peyton fluttered her
lashes. "Don't you see, we're somehow tied to what happened back
then."

"Only because we happen to live in the same
house." Her mother said matter-of-factly. "You're not being
possessed or anything silly like that. And neither am I, or your
stepfather. There is no supernatural connection here."

"So how do you explain what I've been going
through?"

"I can't--other than to say that you've
simply been going through a period of adjustment moving to a new
house in a different place. Maybe you had a sixth sense or
something about what went on, but that's all."

Peyton wished she could believe that. But
something inside told her this was as much about them as the St.
Claires. Caitlyn certainly seemed to be suggesting such in Peyton's
dreams. It was connecting the dots that made her worried about what
it all meant in the present.

Or even in the future, for that matter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Peyton stood in the study staring at the
bookcase as if hypnotized. It had definitely seen better days. She
could imagine the bookcase had been in the house for the last fifty
years, if not from the very beginning. But what about the secret
passageway? Was that simply a figment of her mind? Or was her dream
much more than a dream?

Even if there had been a secret passage back
then, Peyton was pretty sure it would have been sealed up a long
time ago.

But what if it hadn't? Maybe the passageway
held some answers.

"All I see is a bookcase," said Lily,
peering at it through bronze-rimmed glasses. "What am I supposed to
be looking for?"

Peyton regarded her friend, whom she'd
invited over this morning. She wanted a witness in case she ended
up trapped inside the walls of the house or was accosted by a
ghostly skeletal Caitlyn. Of course, there was also the distinct
possibility that Peyton would find nothing at all. She was willing
to take that risk.

"There might be a secret opening behind the
bookcase," she answered.

"Wow. Really?"

"Don't get too excited," warned Peyton. "Not
yet."

She tried to remember which shelf Caitlyn
had removed the book from in the dream.

It was that one.

Peyton removed a hardcover copy of a novel
by Charles Dickens and stuck her hand in the shelf, feeling for a
button or switch at the back of it. She found neither.

"What are you looking for in there?" Lily
asked.

"I'll know it when I find it."
If I
do.
Peyton was far from convinced she would.

She tried the shelf below. At first, Peyton
could feel nothing but a smooth surface. Then she felt something
protruding slightly from the back wall, something like a button.
She pressed her finger hard against it and heard a grinding
sound.

Stepping back, as though the bookcase would
swallow her whole, Peyton and Lily watched in amazement as it
opened.

There really is a secret passageway after
all! It's not something I invented in my mind.

"This is so cool," Lily marveled. "Like
something out of a gothic novel. How did you find out about
it?"

Peyton gazed at her sideways. "Would you
believe through a dream?"

Lily angled her face. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, strange as it may sound."

"To be honest, it doesn't really sound all
that strange--not after everything else you've told me about this
house and ghosts."

"Want to take a look inside?"

Lily snorted. "Eww. What if there are spider
webs in there with gargantuan spiders waiting for some human flesh
to feast on?"