Ghost: Books of the Dead - Fantasy Best Seller and Supernatural Teen Book: (Ghost, Occult, Supernatural, Occult and Supernatural) (20 page)

Grace thought of asking the question differently. “Do you know where they are now?”

“No, not particularly,” he recollected. “They left a long time back, and it is not possible to keep track.” Mr. Joseph had hardly finished what he was saying when Samantha came in with a glass of water.

 “Sorry it took me so long,” she said. “You were talking with father and I didn’t want to interrupt, here you go.”

She handed Grace the water, but Grace couldn’t drink it right away. The word
father
rang in her ears. Samantha was his daughter, and Grace couldn’t believe it. She looked from father to daughter and found traces of similarity that she missed before. Grace was foolish to miss it in the first place and felt stupid about that. She was clearly surprised.

“Are you done with the questions?” Samantha asked when Grace sat there silent.

Grace was brought back to reality with the question. “I am sorry. I am just … it’s nothing.”

Grace sipped the water. She was genuinely at a loss for words. There were things she thought before that didn’t make any sense. Now, she was rethinking everything about the situation.

“What were you asking my father? You can continue,” she told her. “He is good today, so you might as well ask him whatever you want to know.”

“Ah, yes, I was just asking him about a few old residents of this town.” Grace still had no intentions of revealing who she was asking about, but Samantha was persistent.

“Who do you want to know about?” she questioned her.

Mr. Joseph didn’t say anything and Grace didn’t want to either, but she had to. “It was the Keatons. I read about them and was just curious,” Grace said very casually. She hoped that Samantha couldn’t sense her urgency.

“What about them,” she asked?

“You know them,” Grace rebutted? “I mean, they were part of the school where Mr. Joseph worked as the librarian. There were some news articles circulating about them in this town, so I was looking into it.” At this stage, Grace’s interest was at its peak and she emphasized the true importance what she said.

“So, you are interested in the Keatons? It is about them?”

Grace sensed a hint of irritation and anger in her tone, but couldn’t make out the reason behind it.
Why would asking about the Keatons possibly irritate Samantha
? It was beyond Grace’s comprehension, and Mr. Joseph was starting to look ill at ease.

“No, it is not about them,” she lied. “Listen, is it wrong if I ask about them?” Grace couldn’t contain herself anymore and probably should have maintained her discretion.

“Wrong? What would possibly be wrong? However, if you were being a bit attentive, then you could see that my father is not at ease,” Samantha said. Her tone was still laced with anger.

Grace was a foreigner in the town and didn’t want to get into a disagreement with one of the locals. Mr. Kourim had already warned her about the troubles she could get into if she was not careful. Plus, she was in there home and not exactly on equal footing.

“Listen, I don’t mean to offend anyone, not Mr. Joseph or you or any of the town folk. I just wanted to know about them, because I read somewhere that they were in the news. I only wanted to confirm it; that is all.”

Grace was getting tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. Yet, she was able to control herself. Mr. Joseph kept his silence and had his eyes cast down all the while. He never looked up once or said anything to stop a seemingly brewing disagreement. Yet, when Samantha was about to say something, Mr. Joseph held up his tired hand to interrupt.

“Actually, there are people who come here to ask us about the Keatons,” he said softly. “So we are always being disturbed about it. It’s not your fault.”

“Father,” Samantha shouted out! “What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?” She turned to Grace, “You need to go now.”

Grace was dumbfounded for the second time today.
What would have caused such an outrage from Samantha?
Clearly, she wanted to hide something about the Keatons.
Grace was left astonished. “Ma’am…” she could only manage to say.

“Excuse me, father is not well. He is just not in the right state to speak. He has to go lie down.” She turned back to leave and took her father by his hand. Her grip was tight, maybe a little too tight, because Grace definitely saw him cringe.

“Samantha, Ma’am…” Grace called out.

She didn’t look back anymore. Instead, she continued walking straight ahead. Grace just sat there and recalled everything that took place in front of her moments ago. It was a few minutes later when Grace heard a bedroom door shut loudly. She was worried and felt impulsive.

Was Mr. Joseph in trouble? What possible harm can his own daughter bring upon him?

The thought troubled her, but she didn’t know what to do about it. She wanted to go and take a look, but that would be intruding. She felt miserable for bringing so much trouble on Mr. Joseph, and decided to have a talk with Mr. Kourim after returning back. Grace heard the faint sound of Samantha screaming, and it was apparent that she was angry with her father. Perhaps she was mad at him for revealing that people visited them and asked about the Keatons. Grace kept thinking about that as she waited for Samantha to return. Fifteen minutes later, Samantha came marching back to the sitting area.  Grace stood up and wanted to say something, but she was stopped by a reproachful hand.

 “I want you to leave and I have nothing to say,” Samantha told her.

“Ma’am, I am not going to leave until I make sure that Mr. Joseph is all right.” Grace had to be certain he wasn’t being mistreated and she was firm when she said those lines.

“What did you say?” Samantha asked furiously.

“Is Mr. Joseph all right? That is what I asked.” Grace repeated herself, this time more firmly.

Something must have gone through Samantha’s head because she visibly calmed down. She took a deep breath and said, “Father is fine. He just speaks almost all the time out of turn. Nobody comes here to ask anything and almost all the time, we keep to ourselves,” she explained, although Grace didn’t ask her about the last part.

“I didn’t ask you about that, ma’am. I just wanted to know about your father.”

Samantha looked nervous and lit a cigarette. She puffed it a few times. There was obviously something that she was thinking and Grace wasn’t fooled.

“I know,” the daughter began, “but my father, he acts so different sometimes…”

Grace cut her off and said, “You already said that, but I don’t think he was out of line. What you did was just uncalled for.” Grace was getting angrier with every minute that passed.

“I don’t have to answer you, and I have nothing to learn from you about how to take care of my father. You are new in this town, so I am warning you; don’t poke your nose into things that don't concern you.” Samantha was so furious that she was shivering a little.

“Are you threatening me?” Grace challenged.

“You are a stupid girl,” Samantha shot back. “You think that I am threatening you? I’m only telling you what’s true. You are not welcome here in this town, do you understand? So just leave while you can.” Samantha stopped her tirade, and then muttered something else underneath her breath. “We were fine until you came. Why did you have to come here?”

Grace doubted that Mr. Joseph was the only sick person in the house. The daughter didn’t look too fine, as well. Grace had suffered enough verbal abuse and was ready to get back on the scooter and put this place behind her. She made straight for the door and left the house while Samantha was still muttering things to herself. She walked towards where her scooter was parked and put the key in the ignition. She decided to visit the local library, as Miss Gable suggested earlier.

Grace started the scooter and drove her way towards the library. She had taken down the address and had memorized the route. Yet on her way, the incident at Mr. Joseph’s house troubled her. She was so distracted by it that she missed one of the streets she was supposed to turn on. One side of her wanted to give up. She was feeling tired and exhausted, but Grace reminded herself that it was only a matter of a few days. Plus, she would soon be heading back to the college campus with proof and evidence. It was only that fact that kept her going.

Grace stopped to ask for directions. She finally reached the library, but she wanted to throw up all the while. The town library was a strange building, like none other she had ever seen. It was small and quaint, and looked more like a house than a civic building. Grace didn’t inform Mr. Kourim about her visit there, but maybe she should have told him. She was a new visitor to the town, and the security at the front door stopped her immediately. She had her identification card with her, but the name she had used so far was different. She was worried about being found out, but the security guard didn’t ask to see her ID. She used her false name again and announced her purpose of the visit. Luckily, the guard believed what she said.

“I heard a reporter was in town,” was the only thing he said and allowed her in. Grace walked a few steps and saw a receptionist sitting behind the desk. He was reading a book to himself.

“Hello, I am June,” Grace introduced herself.

The man behind the desk looked up from what he was doing and said, “Hello, you are a visitor. Would you like to be a member?”

“Not at this time,” Grace politely answered. “I am a visitor here but I’m here for a reason. I’m reporting about this town, the people and stuff like that, so I need to go through some of the town records.” Grace hoped that she would be allowed inside, but he stopped her.

“Wait,” he said, “Do you have an identification card or something? I need to check.”

Grace was at a fix. “I don’t think that I can show you that. I left it back in the city,” Grace meekly said.

“That’s not how it works here; I need some sort of verifiable proof. You understand, these are strange times we live in,” he apologized.

Grace had to gain access somehow. She needed the information desperately and knew that what she needed lay inside the library. It was probably in the room with the forgotten pages of the newspaper records. When the man behind the desk dismissed her and turned back to his work, Grace decided to try a different approach.

“Hello again, I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Steve, but like I said, I don’t think that I can help you with your request. So, I am really sorry,” he said.

Steve didn’t look much older than Grace, maybe a couple of years her senior, so she addressed him by his name. “Steve, I was at the local school yesterday and had a look around. I visited their library and toured the school. I met Mrs. West and Miss Gable, and they were the ones who suggested that I stop by. They assured me that this library would be able to help me find out more about this town.’ Grace didn’t add anything further and waited for him to respond.

“They let you in the school?” Steve questioned and he looked strangely surprised.

“Yes, they did,” she confirmed, “well not initially though. Do you happen to know Mr. Kourim? Well, he assisted me in getting around town. I went with him to the school and apparently he’s well known there. I told them the purpose of my visit and they allowed me in.”

“Of course, I know Mr. Kourim. I meet him in the park most often and we have quite a good acquaintance. But you know him?” He looked at her suspiciously. “How? Mr. Kourim never mentioned you.”

“You sound like he never helped a soul,” Grace mockingly said. Inside her mind, she thanked her lucky stars that she happened to knock on Mr. Kourim’s door instead of someone else’s. Otherwise, she would have never managed to come this far.

“Mr. Kourim is one of the nicest and kindest people in this town, and he’s respected and liked. He actively participates in all developmental works, and does a lot for the betterment of the town. He is the one who practically put us on the map, but how is he related to you? I am sorry,” Steve begged, “but I am having a hard time believing your story because he never mentioned you.”

“Our acquaintance is fairly new, but he is indeed helpful.”

 “I need to contact him to make sure about this,” Steve said and dialed a number on the desk phone.

Luckily, Mr. Kourim answered. Grace could hear his voice from the other end and he confirmed the story about knowing Grace. She saw a change in reaction on Steve’s face almost immediately. He muttered something, which Grace failed to hear, but she didn’t care what it was. By this time, she was confident that she’d be let inside the reading and lending room of the library. Grace was indebted to Mr. Kourim and she made a mental note to be truthful towards him from now on.

I will tell him everything on my way back
, Grace reminded herself.

“So it is true,” Steve reluctantly admitted. “Well, then you can go inside, but you need to sign in here.”

He handed her a notebook. Grace was just about to write her real name, but corrected herself in time. She signed her false name as quickly and casually as possible because Steve’s glance never left her.

“There you go,” said Grace, “so now can I be allowed inside? I won’t take up much time.”

Steve only nodded his head.

 “Oh, and thank you,” Grace added with a cheeky smile.

It was just a way of covering up her nervousness. She couldn’t believe her luck that the plan had actually worked. Steve called someone over the phone and within a few minutes time a slim, intelligent-looking woman appeared.

“This is Mrs. Aldman and she is the assistant librarian here. She will help you around. I hope you find what you are looking for.” Steve waved her towards the entrance.

“Hello, I am June and I'm looking for the sections where the old newspaper records about the town are kept, so can you guide me?”

“Sure, you can just follow me.”

Mrs. Aldman took Grace to the private entrance in the rear of the library. There was a long, winding staircase to the library reading room. There were pictures of important landmarks and items hanging on either side of the wall. Grace took them all in while going up. After a short climb, they pushed open the door and entered the reading hall. An elderly man was sitting at the desk straight in front of the door, and he didn’t look up when they entered. Grace assumed he was the head librarian and indeed she was correct. Mrs. Aldman didn’t bother to introduce Grace to him. She did explain who he was in a low whisper.