“She didn’t say that in so many words.”
“She doesn’t have to,” Tammy said with a wave of her hand.
“Now she’ll probably go to the police. Heck, she probably already talked to them. No wonder they’re questioning me so much. She told him that I killed Tabatha.”
“Everything will be just fine,” I said.
I told her that, but I a hint of doubt nagged at the back of my mind. There was no way I could tell Tammy that though.
“We should get out of here,” Tammy said.
“I’m not feeling comfortable being around her.”
“I understand,” I said. “That’s fine.
I placed my napkin on the table and grabbed my bag. Tammy and I stood from the table. I accidently bumped the table with my hip and almost toppled over the delicate china cups. My clumsiness and this place didn’t match.
“I’m definitely going to need that hamburger now,” Tammy said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll go straight there.”
After paying for our tea and sandwiches, Tammy and I headed for the door. I glanced over at the table and realized that the women were gone. That was odd. Why had they left so soon? I thought they were meeting to have lunch. Maybe they decided they didn’t want to be around Tammy and me. Either way, it was probably for the best.
I wanted to find Penelope’s friends. Surely they could shed more light on Penelope. I would keep probing. Tammy and I got into the car. As I buckled my seatbelt, I looked out across the way and spotted the black Mustang. I noticed the women watching us. Why were they staring at us? This was creeping me out.
“Okay, don’t look right away, but Penelope and her friends are in a nearby car and they’re staring at us.”
Tammy fastened her seatbelt. “What? Which car and when can I look? Are they still watching us?”
“They’re still watching us and it’s starting to creep me out,” I said. “The Mustang over there.”
“Well, we should just go over and ask them why they’re staring. I want to confront her about accusing me of being a murderer.”
“I don’t like it at all,” Tammy said as she pounded the side of the seat.
Wow, she really was on edge. I usually didn’t see Tammy have that much of a temper. I think we should just let it go for now,” I said.
“I don’t want to let it go. I’m going to confront them.” Tammy started to open the car door.
I tried to stop her, but she was determined. Luckily, just then Penelope pulled away and drove off. The opportunity for the confrontation was gone.
Tammy got back into the car and closed the door. “She’s lucky she drove away because I was going to tell her off.”
“You have to remember that maybe she’s the killer and you shouldn’t confront the killer.”
Tammy released a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. I lost my mind there for a second.”
“It’s understandable.” I started the car.
Would Penelope just be waiting around the corner of us?
I pulled away from the curb and headed down the street for the hamburger place. It had certainly been a strange afternoon. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I spotted the black car. Penelope was following us. I couldn’t tell Tammy not right now because it had upset her too much. I was hoping that it was just a coincidence that Penelope was back there now.
If she wanted to follow us to the restaurant then fine. Maybe I would just call Brannon and have him come and talk to her. After all, if she followed us then that could be considered harassing us. This really started me thinking that she was the killer. That sent a chill down my spine. She could be coming to kill us. Surely not at the restaurant. What if she showed up in the middle of the night at our homes? Breaking in and committing the deed?
When I pulled up at the restaurant, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Penelope approached but then drove on past without even looking over. I released a deep breath. Maybe it really had just been a coincidence. Tammy hadn’t noticed, thank goodness. I wanted to keep it that way.
“Well, here we are,” I said, trying to sound casual so that she wouldn’t notice the stress in my voice.
Tammy had a way of picking up on this stuff.
She glanced over at me. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, I guess I feel lightheaded from needing food.”
Tammy smiled. “Me too, me too.”
We got out and headed for the entrance. I looked around for any sign of Penelope. I didn’t spot her, but I noticed someone else. It had been out of the corner of my eye, but I’d definitely seen her. I’d noticed the cloak, which was a bit out of place considering it wasn’t that cold outside. It was fall, not the middle of winter. Seeing her like that sent a shiver down my spine.
This had been the weirdest day. Well, other than when I discovered Tabatha murdered, but something about seeing that cloaked woman really gave me the heebie-jeebies. Tammy hadn’t noticed the cloaked woman either. Therefore, I didn’t mention it. She was stressed enough already.
The strange feeling stayed with me as we entered the restaurant. It would probably take me a bit to calm down and forget about all this stressfulness. I hoped the hamburger would help ease my anxiety. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if either one of the women had entered. Thank goodness they had stayed away. The fear started to ease a little bit now that I was distracted by the menu. The other people all around helped too.
I quickly sent Brannon a text to let him know what happened. I knew he’d be upset that I had talked to Penelope, but I’d tell him it was just a coincidence. That was a tiny lie, but I had to do it to work toward solving the murder. I also told him about seeing the strange lady in the cloak. Which naturally upset him. He said he’d look into that as well.
Chapter 23
When Brannon walked through the library doors, I spotted the glass bottle he held in his hands and immediately I knew this was another one of his paranormal contraptions. His latest invention. As wacky as they sounded sometimes, I couldn’t criticism because sometimes they actually worked. Not all the time, but on occasion, something actually happened. Every little bit helped when trying to get rid of spirits.
Brannon walked up to the reference desk and placed the clear glass bottle on the counter. “What do you think?”
“I think it looks like a jar with wire around it. What do you have there?” I pointed.
“This right here…” He motioned with a sweeping gesture of his hand as if he were on a game show and highlighting the prize. “Is what will finally get rid of the ghost for us.”
I wanted to believe him, but it was almost too good to be true. Nothing had gotten rid of the stubborn spirit.
“Well, will it take away a bad ghost because she is a bad one? Dare I say she’s a demon. Or close to it,” I said.
“I guarantee it’ll get rid of the ghost.” Brannon stood a bit taller.
“That’s a big guarantee,” I said.
Regardless, I was willing to give the thing a shot.
“I’ll stand by my work,” he said.
“Okay, tell me what this thing is all about,” I said, pointing at the bottle.