Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery (2 page)

"Hey."

Bryant grinned and Peyton couldn't help but
blush.

Luke started to speak again. "Anyway, as I
was saying, we've been doing what we could to get the place ready
for you."

"Looks like you've done a great job," Vance
said.

"Wish I could take credit for everything,
but I can't. The last owners were responsible for most of the
renovations. My part, with some help from Bryant, has mainly been
seeing to the grounds and doing some minor repairs on the exterior
and interior."

"Think I'll go out for some fresh air,"
Peyton said. She hoped Bryant might get the hint and follow.

She sat on a cedar glider and waited for
maybe thirty seconds before Bryant stepped out onto the porch.

Peyton smiled brightly. "Hi," she said
again.

He grinned. "Mind if I sit?"

She scooted over a bit in response, nerves
giving way to enthusiasm.

Bryant joined her on the glider. "So you're
from California, huh?"

"Yup," Peyton said proudly.

"What city?"

"San Diego."

"I've never been there before."

"I'll bet you'd like it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Year round gorgeous weather, the beach,
ocean, laidback lifestyle, fun things to do; oh and did I mention
the beach?"

Bryant laughed. "I think so. I get the
picture. You're probably right, that would be a cool place to live.
Not to say that Shadow Bay doesn't have some good things going for
it."

Peyton wrinkled her nose. "Like what?"

"Me, for one." He chuckled, sticking his
chest out.

She couldn't argue the point. "What
else?"

"Lots of things. Tennis, sailing, hiking,
swimming in the bay, dances, plays, concerts--you name it."

Peyton had to admit it sounded like fun,
starting off with getting to know him. "Okay, so maybe I shouldn't
prejudge without giving the place a try."

"Exactly."

"Guess I just wish I'd had more say in
moving here."

"Did your dad get a job transfer or
what?"

"More like
what
. He got a better job.
And Vance is my
stepfather
." Peyton wanted to make that
perfectly clear. "My dad died three years ago."

Bryant cocked a brow. "Oh, sorry."

That's what everyone always said. No one was
sorrier than she was. Especially since this had pretty much ruined
her life.

She changed the subject. "So how long has
your father worked here?"

"About a year. We moved to Shadow Bay from
Minneapolis, two hundred miles away. After my parents divorced,
they sold the house and went their separate ways. I decided I was
better off staying with my dad till I graduate next year."

"From Shadow Bay High?" Peyton hoped he
would say yes.

"Yeah."

"I'll be going there in the fall." She was
suddenly excited about it.

"As a junior...?"

Peyton hesitated, as if it was a bad thing
to be a year behind him. "Yeah, afraid so."

"It's cool." Bryant laughed. "I'm seventeen
and had fun being a junior last year. You will, too."

"I'll take your word for it." Peyton found
herself laughing with him. Already she liked Bryant Neville.

"Anyone ever call you Bry?"

"Never. But you can if you want."

"Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "Why not? At least if I heard
the name from behind, I'd know it was you."

"True." Peyton grinned.

The door opened and Luke came out. He smiled
at Peyton before nodding at his son.

"Gotta go," Bryant said, getting to his
feet.

Peyton stood also, wishing they could have
talked longer. "Nice meeting you, Bry."

He smiled crookedly. "You, too. See you
around."

You can count on that.

Peyton wondered if he had a girlfriend. Or
was he single like her, waiting for that special person to enter
his life?

* * *

That night Peyton used her iPhone to video
call her best friend, Erica Reed.

"Miss me?" Peyton asked, gazing at Erica's
attractive caramel face bordered by thick, curly brown hair.

"What do you think?" Erica asked. "It's just
not the same here without you, Peyton."

"Same here." She was lying on her bed
staring at the ceiling.

"So what's it like there anyway?"

"Kind of creepy--at least the house is,"
Peyton said, though not sure why it made her uneasy other than the
girl who wasn't really there.

"You mean like
Amityville Horror
type
creepiness?"

"Don't remind me." Peyton gazed at shadows
on the wall. "It's not
that
bad really, but definitely not a
place I'd want to live for the rest of my life."

"Have you met any of the neighbors yet?"

Peyton sat up, folding her legs beneath her.
"As a matter of fact, I met the caretaker and his
very
good
looking son, Bryant."

"Oh really? Tell me more--"

Peyton refrained from getting too carried
away after only one meeting, but couldn't hold back her enthusiasm
over wanting to get to know Bryant better.

"Sounds interesting," Erica said. "Send me a
video of him and I'll give you my honest assessment."

"I'll do that," Peyton promised. She was
sure Erica would agree that he was definitely a hottie.

Erica warned Peyton against getting her
hopes up about Bryant till she knew his full story and if he was
open to dating the new girl in town.

Peyton was more than willing to see how
things went with Bryant before getting too excited. She had a
feeling, though, that he was just as much taken by her as she was
by him. Only time would tell if that was true and, if so, what they
would do about it.

* * *

Caitlyn watched as Peyton slept soundly.
Even in the darkness, she could see her clearly as though a ray of
light were shining down. So pretty and sleeping like an angel.

Moving forward, Caitlyn touched her cheek.
Or tried to, but her hand went right through. Peyton reacted as if
someone had disturbed her, frowning before she rolled over and into
a fetal position.

Caitlyn floated to the other side of the bed
for another look at the girl who had moved into her house and
bedroom. She knew Peyton had taken a liking to the caretaker's son.
Caitlyn liked him, too, but he was not hers to have.

She only wanted to be released from her
captivity and Peyton would be the one to make that happen.

Caitlyn tried again unsuccessfully to touch
Peyton. She jumped as if feeling her touch.

It was starting to happen, Caitlyn knew
instinctively. A surge of joy mixed with despair crept through her.
Already she felt a kindred spirit with the girl who came to Shadow
Bay--with good reason. Peyton Delaney would give Caitlyn back the
life she had longed to reclaim and, in the process, Peyton's own
life would be saved from the real danger she faced.

CHAPTER THREE

Peyton stood barefoot outside as the
shutters rattled and tree branches banged against the house in the
howling wind. It was eerily dark and rain pelted her like daggers,
soaking Peyton's nightgown. She sensed danger all around her as if
being pursued by hungry wolves.

Though her feet felt like they were stuck in
quicksand, Peyton managed to lift them and move toward the
house.

She put her hand to the cold, wet, doorknob,
twisting till it opened.

Peyton felt like she was sleepwalking across
the plank flooring and past antique furnishings that were
unfamiliar to her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, almost
afraid to go up, as if something or someone were preventing
her.

Then she heard voices. A man and woman were
arguing heatedly. It sounded like her mother and stepfather. And
yet it didn't. Peyton felt compelled to investigate, even if part
of her was reluctant to do so.

Reaching the second floor, Peyton moved
almost zombie-like down the long hallway. The combative voices were
nonstop and louder as she drew near the bedroom.

The door was only slightly ajar. Light
filtered out and onto Peyton. She tried to peek through the slit,
but couldn't see anything. After taking a deep breath, she pushed
the door open.

Standing at the foot of the bed was a man
Peyton didn't recognize. He was around her stepfather's height and
build, wearing what looked to be outdated clothing.

The man turned her way and Peyton saw his
menacing dark eyes. But it was as if he never saw her. She gazed at
the bed. A woman was lying there, partially wrapped in a blanket.
Fear distorted her face like a grotesque mask. Peyton thought she
bore a strong resemblance to her mother, yet was somehow
different.

"Mom? Is that you?"

The woman reacted, looking through
frightened eyes, but said nothing.

From her periphery, Peyton became aware of
someone else in the room. Another man, half-dressed, was standing
there.

Peyton didn't pretend to be clueless to the
scenario before her. Obviously two men were interested in one
woman. The mystery was why were all three in her parents'
bedroom?

She faced the other man and Peyton saw that
he now held a shotgun, as though it had appeared out of thin air.
And it was pointed at the man wearing only pants.

She shuddered when the sound of a gun going
off echoed throughout the room. He was shot in the chest and
literally lifted into the air and flung against the wall like a
mannequin.

The man now aimed the shotgun at the woman.
Panic stricken, as if this would somehow mean the death of her
mother, Peyton screamed and lunged at the man. Only she seemed to
be moving in painfully slow motion and, before reaching him, the
gun went off.

Peyton, heart pounding, turned toward the
bed, terrified of what she might see...

* * *

There was something heavy holding Peyton
down preventing her from breaking free. Through the sound of her
screams, she heard her name being called:

"Peyton, Peyton, honey, wake up..."

Forcing her eyes open, she looked into her
mother's worried face.

"Mom--" Peyton's throat felt dry and her
body was drenched with perspiration.

"Yes, it's me, sweetheart."

She looked beyond her mother and saw
Vance.

"That must've been one bad nightmare, girl,"
he said. "Your wailing was enough to raise the dead."

"Nightmare?" Peyton was still trying to come
to grips with reality.

"That's all it was," Melody said soothingly.
"First night in a new house jitters."

Peyton sighed, sitting up. Just a stupid
dream. She was relieved and embarrassed at the same time. It was a
dream unlike any she'd ever had before.

And one she hoped to never have again.

"Sorry. Guess I was really spooked." The
images were still as vivid in her head as if Peyton were watching
in person.

Melody kissed her cheek. "The good thing is,
now that you've gotten it out of your system, you'll probably sleep
like a baby from here on out."

Peyton smiled at the thought, masking the
uneasy feeling that there was something more to the sinister
dream.

When alone again, Peyton could imagine Vance
actually shooting her mother and another man for whatever reason
and getting away with it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Peyton woke up to sunshine flooding her
room. She had all but forgotten the nightmare that had paralyzed
her with fear and total helplessness. She washed her face and got
ready for a morning jog.

Downstairs, she found her mother in the
kitchen making breakfast.

"You're up," Melody said.

"Yeah." Peyton yawned.

"No more bad dreams?"

"Not that I can remember."

"That's good to hear. Not sure any of us
could take many more nights like that." Her mother's brow furrowed.
"Whatever was going on, it really spooked you."

Peyton grabbed a piece of toast and bit off
a corner. "I dreamt about someone shooting a woman who looked a lot
like you in this
very
house. A man was shot, too, but it
wasn't Vance."

Melody cocked a brow. "Oh, dear. That's
awful." She filled her mug with coffee. "At least it wasn't
real."

Thank goodness for that
. Peyton went
to the refrigerator and took out a fruit drink. "Where's Vance?"
She had noted from her window that his car was gone.

"He went to the office to meet the people
he'll be working with."

Peyton gulped down some of the tangerine
drink. "Won't you be lonely here without your friends? I know I
will!"

Not counting Bry, who may turn out to be
more than a friend, if things went her way
.

"That's what texting, instant messaging,
e-mail, snail mail and the phone are for. Besides, I have my web
design business, Vance, and you to keep me company. And I'm sure
I'll find friends among our neighbors as well."

"Too bad dad can't be here with us." Peyton
immediately regretted her words. Wishing for something that would
never happen wasn't very smart or healthy.

"He is here with us, honey," Melody
insisted. "We can't see him, but your father's spirit will always
be here watching over us like a loving and devoted angel who wants
our lives to move forward."

"I know."

Peyton realized there was no turning back
the hands of time, as much as she may have wanted to. Her mother
was entitled to be happy, even if it had to be with someone other
than Peyton's father.

In the meantime, Peyton had to focus on
finding her own happiness in Shadow Bay.

Bryant Neville came to mind.

* * *

Peyton jogged along the sidewalk at a
leisurely pace. She saw the cottage where Bryant and Luke lived. No
sign of Bryant or his dog. She was disappointed and hoped to bump
into them on the way back.

Peyton had just rounded the block when she
spotted Bryant walking his dog. Excitement coursed through her and
she decided that maybe they wanted some company.