Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery (12 page)

"True," Peyton agreed.

Maybe it was different for people who
died under circumstances that didn't allow them the chance to
easily move to the other side
. Like being murdered.

They went outside and stood under a tall,
thick tree that was blocking the sun.

"Bry's friend, Kirk, wants to meet you,"
Peyton told Lily in a welcome change of subject.

"Really?" Lily's face lit up. "When?"

"That will be up to you guys to decide. He
wants your number."

"Then give it to him," Lily uttered
anxiously.

"Okay." Peyton already had her number and
would text it to Bryant, once she found out where Vance had put her
cell phone.

"Can't way till Kirk calls," Lily said. "Do
you know what he looks like?"

Peyton flipped her hair back. "Sorry, we've
never met. But I'm sure Bry wouldn't set you up with someone who
was a total loser."

"Well that's a big relief!" Lily chuckled.
"If we hit it off, maybe the four of us could hang out
together?"

"Why not?" Peyton agreed. "I'm sure Bry
would be all for it." And they would still make sure to leave room
for some private time.

"Cool," Lily said. "Now let's just hope some
friendly ghost doesn't show up who would probably give those guys a
heart attack. Not to mention me!"

Peyton laughed, though it was hardly a
laughing matter. The truth was, while Caitlyn may not be a threat
to her, she could
still
feel it in her bones that there was
real danger in that house. Maybe not the type that Peyton could
explain in everyday language, but it was there nevertheless.

* * *

That evening, Peyton managed to locate her
cell phone. She waited till her mom and Vance went to bed before
texting Erica, not wanting to ever give up her iPhone again while
using it discreetly. She hoped her mother would back her up this
time should it come to that.

After a few exchanges, they switched to a
video call.

"Your text sounded intense," Erica said.

"With good reason," Peyton spoke lowly. "You
won't believe what I found out today about the girl in the bay and
my dreams--"

"Let me guess...she's not really a ghost
after all, but someone very human who spooked you for some
reason?"

"Yeah, if only." Peyton thought about
Caitlyn and wondered if she was watching her at that very moment.
"My friend Lily's grandmother had a very interesting story to tell
me about a horrific family crime that happened in this house half a
century ago--"

After she finished telling the story, Erica
said rather dramatically, "They don't even make horror flicks as
scary as this. If your house is truly haunted by a fifty-year-old
ghost who was murdered by her own father, then I'd say you've got
some
serious
problems, girlfriend."

"My problems pale compared to what Caitlyn
must have gone through," Peyton said considerately.

"And you're even on a first name basis with
the ghost girl now," Erica muttered. "Should I be jealous or
what?"

"Course not!" The last thing Peyton wanted
was for Erica to think she was in competition with
anyone--especially a ghost. "You'll
always
be my best
friend, as long as I remain yours. But Caitlyn's my friend, too--in
a weird way, since she's been dead for fifty years and we haven't
actually had like a real conversation. I just need to find out what
she wants with me. Whether I can give it to her is another
story."

"Maybe she's trying to warn you that you,
your mom, and stepdad aren't welcome in that house just like the
family in the
Amityville Horror
. If I were you, I wouldn't
wait around till Caitlyn turns into the teenage ghost from
hell."

"It's not like I have a choice." Peyton
sighed. "My parents seem to think this place is the answer to all
their problems. I doubt I could change that with my talk of ghosts
and a half a century old crime. Besides, I don't think Caitlyn
feels that I'm crowding her space. She just wants someone to...I
don't know, I guess keep her from going stir crazy after being
trapped in this house for so long."

"Whatever you say, Peyton," Erica said
skeptically. "Just promise me one thing: if it gets to be more than
you can handle, you'll get out of there before the house implodes
or something."

Peyton smiled, trying to see the humor in
it. "I promise."

"Good. Now, what's up with Bry...?"

Peyton told Erica about her highly
anticipated date with Bryant tomorrow, and listened as Erica spoke
animatedly about her latest crush.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Peyton was actually glad Vance had to work
late today so he couldn't give Bryant the third degree before they
went to the movie. Her mother was much more amicable.

"Your father used to take me to movies,"
Melody said as they stood in the foyer with Bryant. "It was so
romantic that sometimes I couldn't even remember anything about the
movie, but I could remember everything about the time we spent in
the theater."

Peyton blushed and was a bit shocked. The
thought of her parents making out in the theater was
unappealing.

She glanced at Bryant, who seemed
amused.

"Well, we'd better get going, Bry, don't you
think?"

"Yeah, it's about that time."

"Be careful out there," advised Melody. "And
try to have Peyton home by no later than midnight. Otherwise Vance
will probably blow a gasket."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Mom--"

"That's fine, Mrs. McIntyre," Bryant said.
"I'll get her back before the bewitching hour."

"Thank you," she said, a tiny smile playing
on her lips.

"Sorry about that," Peyton said.

Bryant shrugged. "Don't be. We've got plenty
of time to see the movie and even grab a bite after, if you're
game."

"I'm game," she said quickly. "I just didn't
want you to think my mom and stepfather's rules and regulations
were too much."

"I don't. Parents are parents. I really like
your mom. She's pretty cool." Bryant frowned. "Now your
stepdad...well, I guess he's like my dad--always wants to be in
charge."

"That definitely sounds like Vance, at least
lately," Peyton admitted. Luke didn't seem nearly as bossy, but
then she hadn't been around him very much.

At the car, Bryant opened the door for
Peyton, and said with a grin, "By the way, you look really nice
tonight--"

"Thanks," she told him, feeling good about
the compliment. "So do you. You smell nice, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She grinned.

"I had a little extra motivation going out
with you," Bryant admitted.

"Same here," Peyton told him as her heart
skipped a beat.

Peyton enjoyed the movie--a teen
comedy--more than she thought she would. It took her mind off other
more troubling things and was a chance to further bond with Bryant,
especially when he put his arm around her and they shared a few
kisses.

* * *

They went to a restaurant not far from the
theater afterward.

"I gave Kirk your friend's number," Bryant
said, chewing on a ranch fry. "He's pretty stoked about meeting
her."

"Lily feels the same way," Peyton assured
him.

"Enough about them," he said. "Right now I'd
rather enjoy our time together."

"I think we're doing that," she said
spiritedly.

"Yeah, I guess we are." He sipped his Coke
and looked at Peyton thoughtfully. "I've been asking around some
more about this mysterious girl in the bay--"

"You have?" Peyton wondered if he'd come up
with the same thing she had.

"A friend of a friend's half sister was
visiting that weekend. She supposedly took a dip in the bay and may
have been in there around the same time as you. I wouldn't put it
past her to have--"

"Stop!" Peyton raised her voice
unintentionally.

Bryant lifted a brow. "Excuse me?"

She hesitated.
I've got to come clean
with him and hope I don't live to regret it.

"It wasn't her that I saw, Bry."

"How can you be so sure?"

Peyton sucked in a deep breath.
Here goes
nothing.
"Because the girl in the bay was...
dead
--"

"Dead? You mean like she drowned?"

"Not exactly." Peyton cleared her throat.
"Um, the girl I saw has been dead for half a century--"

Bryant's head snapped back like she'd
punched him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a
ghost
!"

"A ghost...?"

"Afraid so," she said lamentably. "I know it
sounds off the wall, but it's true. Her name's Caitlyn St. Claire
and the bay isn't the only place I've seen her."

Bryant made a face. "You're telling me you
think you saw an
actual
ghost?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying. And I don't
think
I saw one, I
know
I did. Caitlyn St. Claire
lived in our house fifty years ago. She was shot to death by her
father, who also killed her mother and the caretaker before the
father killed himself."

"How do you
know
all this?" Bryant
asked skeptically.

Peyton explained how Frances Kramer told her
the tale, filling in the blanks of Peyton's dreams, what she found
in the attic, and Caitlyn's visits.

As Bryant digested this, Peyton wondered if
it also spelled the end of them. Or would it be the beginning,
where they could be totally honest about stuff and at least give
the other the benefit of the doubt, no matter how difficult.

"Oh, man, that's some story." Bryant bit
into his cheeseburger.

"It's more than just a story," Peyton said
tersely. "The house really does have some unsettled forces
occupying it."

"Okay, I can accept that your friend's
grandmother knew the people living in your house back in the 1960s.
But a fifty-year-old teenage ghost showing up practically anywhere
you are? C'mon, Peyton, even you have to admit that it sounds
pretty far out there."

It did, Peyton conceded, putting herself in
his shoes. But some true things were pretty far out there. She'd
hoped he, of all people in Shadow Bay, would at least be
open-minded enough to consider the possibility.

Maybe I misjudged him and how he feels about
me.

"Look, I'm not asking you to believe it,"
she told him, though wishing he did. "Not right now anyway. But I
know this is more than just my imagination. Lily's grandmother says
that other people who have lived in the house over the years have
reported seeing ghosts and other strange things, too."

Bryant chuckled sardonically. "That's all
just folklore, Peyton. To be honest, there have been times when I
passed by your house and would swear someone was watching me from
an upstairs window. But then I did a reality check. My dad and I
have been in and out of there a few times when working on the house
before you moved in, and I don't recall seeing any ghosts or other
supernatural forces."

"So does that mean they
weren't
there?" She sneered at him. "Maybe they chose not to appear to
you."

"And they chose
you
?" he asked
cynically. "What about your mother or stepfather? Are they seeing
this girl ghost, too?"

"No," Peyton admitted. Nor had they seen the
ghost of the caretaker as she had.

"Maybe there's a reason for that."

She blinked. "You mean like I'm losing
it?"

"No, of course not. There must be some other
explanation for what you're going through."

Peyton decided she should quit before
getting in any deeper. "Okay, just forget it," she said, as if he
could. "I shouldn't have brought this up."

"But you should bring up stuff that's on
your mind," he said. "I didn't mean to react like that. You just
caught me off guard, that's all. Who am I to say what you saw or
didn't see?"

Peyton felt a little better. At least he was
willing to suspend his disbelief, if only for now.

She moved her fries around the plate. Her
appetite had vanished. "I really don't know what it all means," she
confessed. "I guess I'll find out one way or the other."

Bryant reached across the table and touched
her hand. "If there really is something going on in that house,
whether it makes sense to me or not, I want to help you get to the
bottom of it."

"And just how do you plan to do that?"
This ought to be interesting.

He shrugged. "Maybe we can check the
library. There should be some old articles on this family, given
the nature of the crime in a small town. Might give you some clues
or insight into things Lily's grandmother might have
forgotten."

"You're right!" Peyton met his eyes.

"Good. How about tomorrow? I get off work at
noon. We can go then."

"That sounds great." As far as she was
concerned the time couldn't come soon enough to dig into this
further, particularly with Bryant's help.

"You ready to get out of here?" Bryant
smiled at her, making Peyton want to melt.

"Yeah, I guess." In truth, Peyton could have
stayed there for hours with him. That would have been better than
having to face her fears at home.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"What's your dad doing here?" Peyton asked
as they pulled up behind his car in the driveway.

"I think he said something about dropping in
when he got back from town to see if there was anything out of
order on the property."

"A bit late for that, don't you think?"

"Probably. But dad's used to operating on
his own hours. Hopefully he didn't wake anyone up."

"You want to come in for a few minutes?"
Peyton asked hopefully.

"Sure, why not? Can't say there's anyone at
home waiting for me to get back."

"True."

Peyton smiled, grateful to be able to extend
their time together and that Luke would be a distraction to her
mother and stepfather.