me with a smile. “Good morning, Larue. How are you today?”
I wanted to say lousy, but I wouldn’t burden him with my problems. He knew my mother and I didn’t want any of this to get back to her.
“I’m doing great, Arthur.” I offered a big smile.
“Wonderful, so good to hear. You have a nice day,” he said as he placed the mail in my hand.
Staring back at me was the letter—another letter from her. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Finally, I remembered to acknowledge Arthur.
“Thank you. You have a great day too.” I waved.
He was so going to tell my mother that something was bothering me. I could expect a call later. I stared at the envelope, and for a split second contemplated not opening it, but realized that I had to know what it said. What more could she say? Why was she still writing to me? But until I knew her motives, I had to continue opening the letters. I didn’t believe that she was just having fun. What if I didn’t open the letter and this was the one time when she finally told me what exactly she wanted from me? I would always wonder if I didn’t read it. She couldn’t keep playing this cat-and-mouse game with me forever. Eventually she’d get sick of it.
I ripped the linen envelope open and, with that, the same rose scent floated up from the letter. I knew for sure that it was from her. My stomach flipped as I pulled the paper from the envelope, unfolded it, and took in a deep breath—the floral smell made my stomach turn.
I was sure the message would be more of the same that I’d come to expect from this woman. Why didn’t she show herself to me and stop being a chicken? If she had something to say, then she could say it to my face instead of sending letters as if it was 1898.
By now you should have received plenty of correspondence from me, so I hope I’ve made my point clear. No hard feelings. I’m sure you’ll find someone else eventually. Sorry if I came off harsh, but you have to know I am serious when I say stay away from Callahan. As long as you stay clear, this is the last letter you will receive from me. If I find out you are still harassing him, you’ll get a visit from me in person.
Best regards,
Ginger
Okay, she had officially arrived in the stalker category. Somebody needed to call the guys with the little nets to come and collect her.
The car horn honked, so I stuffed the letter in my bag and trudged my way down the porch. Only one more time, I reminded myself, and then I could put this investigation behind me.
Chapter Thirty-Three
As soon as we arrived at Jennie Blake’s home we began the final day of our investigation. As far as I was concerned, I’d seen enough. What more evidence did they need? But I supposed Matt had his own ideas of how he wanted to do the show. Far be it from me to interject my opinion.
Cooper and I made our way through the house. We’d become quite the investigative team and he was better than I’d expected. Mindy had stayed downstairs to help Matt. That was probably for the best. We eased into the bedroom where we’d originally met Heath, the old guy who used to live in the house. He still wouldn’t talk directly to me. I glanced around the room but saw nothing and felt no presence.
“Where does this door lead?” I asked as I twisted the doorknob.
Cooper stepped behind me, then followed as I stepped into the dark space. As soon as he’d joined me, the door slammed.
“What the hell?” I said as I pounded on my flashlight, but nothing happened. “My stupid light won’t work. I can’t see anything.”
Cooper fumbled with the doorknob. “The door is stuck.”
“Oh, great. Just what I need. I already can’t breathe. We’re going to die in here, then we can haunt this place. This is exactly what this evil spirit wanted, to kill me. Well, mission accomplished.”
“Larue, you need to calm down before you have a full-fledged panic attack.”
A scream pierced the air, bouncing off the old walls.
“Sounds as if someone is being murdered down there,” Cooper said nonchalantly.
“Maybe they are and we’re stuck up here in a closet. We look like idiots. Where’s the camera man? Excuse me, camera guy. Do you want