Penned In - Lynn Cahoon Page 0,10
we didn’t tell you was the other story. Lyda got pregnant and delivered a baby girl in prison.”
“You mean she was pregnant when she came into the facility?” Felicia asked.
Glen shook his head. “Nope. She had relations with a guard. Consensual, at least that was the rumor. When she delivered the baby, someone told her she’d be able to keep it. To raise it inside these walls. But they lied. When the baby was three days old, they came for her. And Lyda threw a fit. She threatened to kill everyone if her baby wasn’t returned to her. Especially the guard who gotten her in that condition in the first place.”
“And the baby wasn’t returned.” Hope guessed.
“Right on the money. By that time, the baby was already with a new family. When the full moon came out that next week, the guard who’d fathered the child was found murdered. Stabbed.”
Bridget shook her head. “They couldn’t prove it was Lyda. She was in her cell all night long according to the cell records. But there weren’t cameras back then, so the jailer could have been bought off.”
“Okay, so that’s strange, but there must have been a lot of unexplained deaths in the time this place was open.” Ian stood. “And I agree with Felicia, we should have everyone together.”
“You haven’t heard the rest of the story. Every year on the night before Halloween, a light is seen going through the prison. I’ve seen it when I was locking up. They had to pay us triple time to work this shift. Everyone knows that Lyda’s ghost walks these halls this night. And I guess Pat got in her way. Or reminded her of the baby’s father.” Glen sipped his coffee. “And that’s the story of our most famous ghost.”
A bang sounded next to Matt and everyone around the table jumped. He leaned down and picked up a book. Grinning at everyone, he said, “Boo.”
“That wasn’t nice, Matt.” Hope slapped his arm. “You scared me.”
“Just sound effects for Glen’s ghost story.” Matt grinned.
Just then a scream echoed from the cell bank.
“Another sound effect?” Estebe asked.
“No, that was a real scream.” Marty jumped up, sloshing coffee on the table. “I just can’t tell where it came from.”
“We’ll divide into groups. I want all of you with one of us. I think the idea of waking the others has become mandatory.” Bridget stood and started pointing at people. “You two go with Marty – take the top floor of the cells. Glen, you take these two and take the middle row. The rest of you come with me. We’ll search the entire downstairs, starting with the cells.”
Matt pointed to the library. “Don’t you think you should keep someone with the body, I mean, Pat?”
Bridget turned to look at the closed door. “I don’t think he’s getting up to leave anytime soon, but you’re right. In case we’re all wrong and he’s not dead, someone should stay here.”
Matt, Angie and Estebe looked at each other. They were the group assigned to go with Bridget and since there were three of them, it made sense that the person staying behind should be from their group.
“I’ll stay. I brought it up. I’ll be on zombie watch.” Matt sank back onto the bench with a quick glance at the door. “But if I wind up dead, I think you should rename the restaurant in my honor and put up a plaque telling everyone what a hero I was.”
Angie patted him on the back. “Done. But you know the only reason I’d agree with something like that is the chance of you dying is slim to none. I love the County Seat, just as it is.”
Matt shuffled the cards. “Just go already. Now Glen’s story has me revisiting all my past relationships for bad deeds that someone might want to make me pay for.”
“You did dump that girl at the fair a couple of years ago. That was cruel.” Hope smiled at him while her group was leaving. When he glared back at her she giggled, and called back, “Just trying to help.”
Bridget motioned to Angie and Estebe to follow her and they went toward the main cell doors. “Watch your step. Some of the stone floors have settled and are uneven.”
“Understood.” Since Angie didn’t have a flashlight like Bridget and Estebe, she fell into the middle of the two. “How long have you worked here?”
“Since I got out of college. I was a drama major and had big Hollywood