Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery (16 page)

Bryant cocked a brow. "What are you talking
about?"

All turned to see Luke and Melody chatting
animatedly near the picnic table, seemingly caught up in their own
world.

Peyton found herself immediately looking
around for Vance, as though her mother was carrying on a love
affair with Luke right out in the open. Just like Rebecca was with
Trevor fifty years ago. Peyton spotted her stepfather talking with
Lily's grandmother and another neighbor, but Vance seemed more
fixed on Melody and Luke.

"Dad probably has the hots for every
attractive woman in Shadow Bay," Bryant said with a shrug. "But
with Mrs. McIntyre, it's
strictly
professional--with maybe a
little mutual friendship thrown in for good measure."

Kirk gave him a dubious look. "Yeah, right.
If you say so, dude."

"They're definitely
not
having an
affair," Peyton said sharply. "My mother's not like that!"

"I'm just fooling around," Kirk said.
"Didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm glad your parents made Labor Day
something fun for a change," Bryant said to Peyton, shifting the
subject.

"So am I," seconded Lily. "Even if it'll
make going back to Atlanta that much harder."

"I'll miss you," Peyton told her.

"Me, too."

"Glad we can all agree on something," joked
Kirk, putting his arm around Lily's waist.

"Hey, let's go swimming in the bay," she
suggested to everyone. "I wore my suit under my clothes, just in
case."

"That's a great idea," Kirk said. "I have my
suit in the car."

Bryant looked down at Peyton. "I'm game. How
about you?"

Peyton bit her lip. Though she now knew more
about the girl in the bay than she cared to and no longer believed
that Caitlyn had meant her any harm, the thought of going in that
water again anytime soon made Peyton uncomfortable.

"I don't really feel like swimming," she
said simply. "Maybe you guys should just go without me."

Bryant lowered his brows thoughtfully. "I
won't let anything happen to you in the bay, if that's what you're
worried about. I promise."

"It isn't," she lied. Caitlyn's pale,
lifeless face flashed in Peyton's mind, followed by Caitlyn's
skeletal remains forcing her into the water.

Lily seemed to read her mind. She released
Kirk's hold and locked arms with Peyton, wresting her away from
Bryant.

"Don't be afraid," she whispered after they
had distanced themselves a bit. "Caitlyn wouldn't dare think about
showing her face in the water with the three of us in there,
too."

"I suppose not," Peyton muttered, knowing
she shouldn't let paranoia keep her from having fun with
friends.

"Then say you'll come," pleaded Lily. "I'm
not exactly ashamed of my body, but I'd feel a
lot
more
comfortable displaying it if you did the same."

Before Peyton could respond, Bryant and Kirk
joined them and were waiting for an answer. She didn't want to
disappoint them or herself. "Okay, okay, you guys win. I'll go put
on my bikini and meet you at the bay."

"I'll go with Peyton and we'll meet you two
there," Lily said.

"Cool," Kirk said.

Bryant kissed her and smiled. "See you
shortly."

Peyton relished the lingering effects of the
kiss as they walked away.

Her fears of going into the water were
quelled right away, as there was no sighting of Caitlyn or any
other dead person. Soon Peyton was comfortably practicing her swim
strokes with confidence and playing in the bay with her
friends.

Labor Day was turning out to be pretty good
after all, and, as far as Peyton was concerned, Shadow Bay just
might turn out to be a nice place to live when all was said and
done.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

Frances Kramer entered the house that she
hadn't set foot in for nearly half a century. She had said she
needed to use the bathroom, but really just wanted to see for
herself if her long ago best friend would actually appear to her,
as Caitlyn had to Peyton and perhaps others over the years.

And what if she does? What then?

What do I say to someone I have avoided for
so long out of fear and utter foolishness?

Frances walked across the hardwood floor,
hearing it squeaking just like when she was a girl.

She found herself moving towards the study,
remembering how she once played in there with Caitlyn, using the
secret passageway for fun and games. Maybe her energy would draw
Caitlyn there. Then perhaps Frances could learn if she had achieved
her objectives in showing herself to Peyton and would leave the
poor girl alone once and for all.

Or was there a darker motive to her ghostly
visits?

* * *

Caitlyn watched with curiosity as the
woman--whom she imagined to be in her sixties--walked into the
study, as if lost. She followed her, assuming she had come in from
the picnic to use the bathroom or maybe wash her hands of barbecue
sauce. Yet something told Caitlyn the woman was not lost and seemed
to know exactly where she was going.

She saw the woman walk to the bookcase,
surveying it with interest. What was she doing? Had she been given
permission to borrow a book?

The woman, who wore glasses and looked
vaguely familiar to Caitlyn in a distant way, pulled a book from
the shelf. Then she put her hand inside, as if searching for
something.

The secret door.

Caitlyn's eyes widened in disbelief. How did
she know about it?

Just then, as though sensing her, Caitlyn
watched the woman drop the book and swivel around. She stared,
mouth agape, as if able to see Caitlyn.

But that wasn't possible. Only those she was
connected to in some special way could see the ghost Caitlyn had
become.

"Caitlyn..." The voice had a coarse texture
to it, but still rang with recognition. "Is that really you?" She
drew in a steadying breath. "It's me, Frances Hobson, your best
friend. Actually, I'm now Frances Kramer--"

Caitlyn put her hands to her mouth with
incredulity.
Fran, is it really you?
She tried to look
beyond the elderly woman before her and see Frances for who she
once was--young and energetic.

"Peyton told me she'd seen you and I needed
to see for myself..." Frances moved closer, seemingly unafraid.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Caitlyn...and your mother.
And I'm equally sorry that it's taken me so long to come back here.
I guess I was afraid, maybe more of myself than confronting
you."

Caitlyn wanted to speak to her, having so
much to say. But she couldn't. She wasn't quite strong enough to
use her voice. Yet she had to communicate. She squeezed her eyes
shut and concentrated till she felt a surge of energy. She pointed
at the floor.

Frances looked down and saw words seeming to
form right out of the wood itself.

"It's not your fault what happened, Fran, or
mine. I've missed you, more than I can say. But you have to get out
of here. It's not safe for you in this house."

Frances looked at her with consternation.
"What are you saying, Caitlyn? Are the McIntyres in danger, too? Or
just me?"

Caitlyn wanted to say more, but sensed
him
coming. It terrified her, so she did what came natural
while looking fondly at her best friend.

* * *

Frances lifted a brow with amazement as
Caitlyn vanished, as did the ominous words she'd written.

Before she could even begin to digest the
meaning of it all, Frances found herself staring into the face of
Vance McIntyre.

"What was that about us being in some sort
of danger?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" She feigned innocence.

"I thought I heard you ask someone if the
McIntyres were in danger." Vance gazed at her stoically. "Who were
you talking to?"

Frances had to say something other than
she'd been talking to a ghost.

She smiled crookedly. "Oh don't mind me. I
tend to ramble to myself. When I said you were in danger, I meant
of being hooked on this wonderful old house, given that the
previous occupants left so abruptly before we could get to know
them."

"I see." Vance scanned the study as if
looking for someone who may be hiding. He turned back to Frances.
"So what are you doing in here anyway?"

Frances picked up the book she dropped on
the floor and put it back on the shelf. "I went to powder my nose
and then, remembering this study from many years ago, thought I
might take a peek for old times' sake. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," he said warmly. "Feel free to
come by anytime you like, Frances."

"Thank you, Vance, I will." Frances was sure
she had overstayed her welcome. "Well, I'd better go see if the
kids have gotten back from swimming yet. The bay is so beautiful at
this time of year."

"Yes, it is." Vance smiled at her.

"After Frances left the room, his smile
turned into a dark scowl. Vance looked around the room again,
searching for someone he didn't expect to find.

* * *

"I saw her--I saw Caitlyn!" Lily's
grandmother told a stunned Peyton, as they sat on her front
porch.

Peyton's eyes widened. "When...?
Where...?"

"In the study," Frances replied.

"Really?" Lily leaned forward from a
rocker.

Lily's grandmother nodded. "I thought if
Caitlyn would show up anywhere, it would be there. But, truthfully,
when it happened, I was in a state of shock."

"Did she say anything?" Peyton asked. "I
mean, or communicate in her own way?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, she did," Frances
said. "Words were carved into the floorboards. It was
incredible..." She sighed, frowning. "Caitlyn warned me to get out
of the house. Said it wasn't safe for me to be there."

Peyton's heart skipped a beat. "Was she
saying something bad was going to happen?"

Lily's grandmother pursed her lips
thoughtfully. "That's just it--I'm not quite sure if she meant I
wasn't welcome because of what happened there in the past or that
there was present danger to be concerned with."

"That sounds pretty ambiguous to me," Lily
said. "I feel sort of left out not seeing the ghost of Caitlyn for
myself."

"Well, it's not exactly something I'd
recommend as an adventure," Peyton indicated.

Frances concurred. "Spirits don't present
themselves simply for our amusement. They come when they're in a
state of unrest or have a message they wish to convey.
Unfortunately, it's not always a clear message. In any event,
before I could try and get more out of my dear old friend, Vance
came into the room and she left."

Peyton flinched. "Like Caitlyn was afraid of
my stepfather?"

"Not necessarily. Could be he scared her off
simply because she didn't wish to be seen by him. Or she may have
been called away by another spirit."

"So should I be worried or not?" Peyton had
hoped that this whole thing just might go away once she'd learned
more about Caitlyn's fate fifty years ago.

Frances rubbed the back of her hand. "I
think you should be careful, dear," she said. "But I wouldn't read
too much into this. When you get right down to it, ghosts are
usually harmless in their ability to actually hurt people in the
living world. If Caitlyn has reason to fear someone, such as her
father--or even your stepfather--it's because she's trapped in a
past life and may not be able to differentiate that time from
now."

"So you're safe, Peyton," Lily said happily.
"Whew! I don't even want to think about something unearthly
happening to my best friend in Shadow Bay."

"That makes two of us," Peyton assured her,
breathing a sigh of relief for the time being.

"Promise me we'll stay friends once I return
home."

"I promise." Peyton hugged her. "Between
texting and video chats, there's no reason for us to lose
touch."

Peyton liked Lily and meant every word she'd
said. After all, she had kept her long distance friendship with
Erica alive through those very means, in spite of Vance's efforts
to the contrary.

"Cool," Lily said with a big smile.

Peyton smiled back, turning to Lily's
grandmother, whose eyes twinkled.

Her mind drifted back to Caitlyn, and Peyton
had an uneasy feeling that her spirit was trying to deliver an
ominous message.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The rain showed no sign of letting up as
Peyton stood outside the house getting soaked. Strangely, she did
not feel cold from the wetness penetrating her nightgown. Though
her legs felt heavy, Peyton managed to lift her bare feet and move
them slowly toward the house.

A flash of lightning momentarily broke
through the darkness, illuminating a bedroom window upstairs, and
was quickly followed by the booming sound of thunder. For a split
second Peyton thought she saw the silhouette of a girl standing
there, but dismissed it as a trick of nature.

After all, why would some girl be in her
bedroom?

When she entered the house, Peyton heard
what sounded like a heated exchange of words coming from upstairs.
As though spellbound, she headed in that direction, her heart
pounding louder and louder with each step.

She stopped outside her mother and
stepfather's room, listening for a moment to them arguing.

Peyton pushed open the door and entered.

The quarreling came to an abrupt halt as if
on command. Peyton suddenly found herself the center of attention.
She looked at the bed and saw her mother sitting up, semi covered
by the blanket, with a look of stark terror in her eyes that sent a
shiver through Peyton.

She looked now at her stepfather, who stood
at the foot of the bed. Vance's face was contorted with fury. He
was holding a shotgun, one that looked all too familiar to Peyton,
though she couldn't quite remember where she had seen it
before.