A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) by Rose Pressey

tell you.” I looked down at my shoes.
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    “I took Hank Key to the Helmwood house before I started the tour. He was supposed to take the tour tonight with his assistant, but they never showed up.”
    When Brannon didn’t say anything I looked up at him. He was staring at me. “Where did you last see them?”
    “I left the house and they were leaving too.” 
    “You know that place is dangerous, right?”
    I shifted from one foot to the other. “Yes, I know.”
    I couldn’t tell him about what had happened to Hank at the house. Not yet. Besides, it had nothing to do with his murder.
    Brannon placed his hand on my arm and steered me to the side just a little. Was he going to lecture me about going to the house and didn’t want anyone to hear?
    He glanced around to see if anyone was listening. “There are signs of trauma to his body. This doesn’t look like an accident.”
    My heart sped up. “You mean he was murdered?”
    “I can’t say that, but I can say it doesn’t look like an accident,” Brannon said.
    I took that to mean that Hank had been murdered. Chills ran down my spine. Hank had been murdered just steps away. Was the killer still around?  
    “Thanks for telling me everything. I’ll be back in just a few.” Brannon touched my arm and flashed a tiny smile.
    Now I felt bad for not sharing everything that had happened. 
    As Brannon walked away, someone screeched out my name. When I whipped around, I spotted Tammy running toward me. I hurried over to meet her halfway. I was more than happy to put distance between me and the body. Thank goodness she was here because I didn’t want to be alone during this situation.
    Tammy hugged me. “I just heard the news and I was freaking out.”
    “I can’t believe this happened. It’s the author.” I wrapped my arms in front of my waist for warmth.
    We looked over at the scene in silence. When I turned back and looked toward the alleyway, I spotted Cady running toward the police. Her face was filled with panic. Did she know that Hank was dead? A police officer stopped her from coming any closer.
    Cady waved her arms through the air. “I demand to know what happened.”
    The officer held her back, but she continued to try to push through. This was not going to end well. Where had she been? Why wasn’t she with Hank? I wanted to ask her right now, but I figured the police wouldn’t appreciate me getting involved in their case. The way that Cady was staring at me was getting weird and making me nervous. I just wanted to get away from her. She looked as if she was angry with me. What had I done?
    Cady and I made eye contact. She lunged forward again, but the police officer kept her back. It looked as if she wanted to reach me. I stepped back, not that it would matter if she got around the officer.
    “I’m watching you, Ripley Van Raden,” Cady yelled out.
    Tammy and I exchanged a look of shock. 
    “What is wrong with you?” Tammy blurted out to Cady.
    Cady placed her hands on her hips. “What is wrong with me? I’m not the one who murdered someone.”
    My eyes widened. “You’re not accusing me, are you?”
    “That’s exactly what I’m doing.” She glared at me.
    “Don’t you talk to my best friend like that.” Tammy shook her fist at Cady.
    This was getting out of control quickly. The officer directed Cady away from us and over to a police cruiser that had pulled down the alleyway.
    I released a deep breath. “Thank goodness he took her away.”
    “She’s still watching us though.” Tammy gestured.
    “She can watch all she wants, but I had nothing to do with his murder.”
    I didn’t feel as if I should even have to deny it. Why would I murder Hank? Or anyone for that matter? It was strange that she would accuse me. Was it just because I had been the one to find the body? There had been other people with me. I guessed I had been at the library and one of the last people to see him alive. But then again,