Page 25 of Halloween Haunting
Grace’s eyes went wide. She almost laughed, almost blurted that it was impossible, because psychics obviously didn’t exist.
“The department would pay you the salary of a consultant,” Bryant continued, his thumbsliterallytwiddling in front of him.
“I-I don’t –”
Caroline’s hand found her shoulder, giving her a firm squeeze. “Think about this, Grace. Holiday Hollow might’ve just become your home, but you don’t want a murderer running loose, do you?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, none of us do,” she teased. “But just think about the good you could do for everyone who lives here. Sam’s death has haunted this town for ten years.Ten years,Grace. And you have the chance to solve it – maybe in justdays.”
Olivia pressed a hand to her chest. “What an honor that must be. To repay the town that has homed you in your time of need, by ridding it of an old evil.”
“Forget honor,” Caroline blurted. “You were a PIs assistant, weren’t you?”
Grace flinched. “S-Sure, but –”
“You couldn't be more perfect for the job!”
No matter how reluctant Grace might’ve been to help the police department in finding their costumed killer, she couldn’t imagine saying no to any of their pleading faces. Being paid as a consultant was a good plus, though she hadn’t expected to get a job for a few more months. It was the theme of the job that drove an unmistakable fear through her. Working for the Private Investigator was an exciting time of her life, even if the only crime solving she ever did was when her boss went over the proceedings of the day. It wasn’t like she was doing the detective work herself – unless filing paperwork, collecting payments, and sorting through countless boxes of evidence was known as detective work.
Listening to his stories was fun. Considering being a heroine within them was even more exciting.Actuallybeing the heroine? That was enough to make Gracealmostvomit.
But as she lifted her head to Bryant’s expectant stare, there was only thing she could really respond with.
“Sure,” she blurted. “Whatever you say. What’s the worst that can happen, right?”
If only her future self was capable of answering.
13
It was the Eve of Halloween when Grace was on her first stake out. Night fell quickly on Holiday Hollow, with the tall trees eliminating any chance of watching the setting sun. After the events of Tommy Briggs’ killer costume party, Grace was picked up the following evening by Bryant, whose familiar police car stood out like a sore thumb among the rest of the vehicles within the small town. They hadn’t exchanged too many words during the ride, besides that they were going to see a source named Clint.
Grace glanced over at her companion. Both of his hands firmly gripped the wheel, the pressure so obvious that even Grace could see his knuckles taking on a pale white hue. Along Bryant’s jaw, the muscles tightened and released before quickly growing tense again. Storm clouds seemed to linger in his eyes as he was lost in thought, driving with the air of a still, unmoving statue.
And as she watched him then, a familiar question rose to the surface.Who is Bryant Paulsen?The mysterious man was her next-door neighbor, but the only things she seemed to know about him was his interest in guitars, his previous marriage ending in a divorce, and his job as a Sheriff’s Deputy. They weredistinctly different things, but Grace found that she had been craving more. Ever since he showed up, carrying her out of the mansion as she was overcome with the despair of the vision she had been plagued in, Grace only wanted to learn what transpired in his mind. She ached to ask him questions, but so much held her back. Was it odd to ask the supernatural if they were…supernatural?
When did her stares, her wonderings, become unsettling? Become rude?
Bryant released a weighted sigh as he flicked on his turn signal and drove the car into a packed parking lot. Families piled out of their cars and children eagerly sprinted toward the exciting event of the evening: Holiday Hollow’s very own haunted house. He parked the cop car near the entrance, earning a few pointed stares from the curious passerbys.
“A haunted house?” Grace shot him a look. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I thought you knew that Holiday Hollow was about…well, the holidays.”
“Wellyeah, but –”
“Halloween is a holiday, isn’t it?”
Grace opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it. “I suppose you’ve got a point.”
She gazed out the window another time. The haunted house was tall and rickety, as though it had come straight from the eighteenth century. Angular ceilings were lined with stone shingles, with rectangular and narrow windows, the curtains drawn to show ominous shadows dancing from within. Bats curled out of the fireplace the longer she watched, their chirping almost pleasant, till there was an entire tunnel of them, and the creatures were funneling themselves into the darkened sky above, almost blocking out the entire moon.
“Only Holiday Hollow would have a source to a crime in a haunted house,” Grace mumbled.
Bryant turned the car off and eyed her, the corner of his lip curling upward. “Don’t worry. It’s not like you’ll be going in there on your own. I’ll be with you for every step of the way.”
Though the words were only meant as a reassurance, Grace found herself jerking her head in the opposite direction, her cheeks flaming with a growing blush.Stupid,she thought to herself.Just embarrass yourselfagainin front of your crush. Are you insane?When she gathered her senses and turned back to him, Bryant watched her with that unnerving intensity once more, his dark eyes slowly narrowing.
