Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery (4 page)

* * *

Peyton awakened the next morning to some
pounding that seemed to be coming from the roof. She grunted and
climbed out of bed as more sleep would have been hard to come
by.

After dressing, Peyton went downstairs.
Vance had already gone to work and her mother was in a downstairs
office, designing a website or something.

"What's all that noise out there?" she
asked.

"Morning, honey," Melody said over her
shoulder. "Luke found some loose tiles on the roof that he's
replacing. Sorry if he woke you."

"I wasn't asleep," Peyton lied.

Melody swiveled around in her desk chair.
"Are you feeling okay after yesterday?"

Peyton shrugged. "Guess I'd feel better if
they found the girl."

"We all would."

"I know what I saw, Mom, even if I can't
explain how she disappeared."

"I believe you saw something out there,
Peyton," she sympathized. "Maybe it was a local girl just playing a
prank on the new kid in town. Or maybe you got confused when you
were pulled under by debris or seaweed."

Peyton rolled her eyes resentfully. The
image of that impassive face staring at her under the water still
gave her chills. The girl was definitely not to be confused with
some seaweed or debris.

"What's to eat?" she said, changing the
subject.

"There are some hash browns in the oven and
sausage on the stove."

Peyton sneered. "Sorry I asked. I think I'll
spare my arteries and just have cereal."

Her mother smiled tenderly. "Whatever you
want is fine, as long as you eat something to start your day."

"I will," she promised.

When Peyton went outside half an hour later,
Luke was still working on the roof. He stopped when he saw her, as
if she were somehow intruding on his territory.

"Mornin', Peyton."

"Hi, Luke."

"I hope your Mother isn't going crazy in
there with the noise?"

What about me?
"Mom's so busy working
on her computer, I don't think she even noticed," Peyton tried to
say with a straight face.

Luke wiped sweat from his brow and smiled.
It reminded Peyton of Bryant's smile, giving her the courage to ask
about him.

"Is Bryant around?"

"He took the dog for a walk."

"Well, I'd better let you get back to it,"
she said.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Peyton sauntered away. She took a short cut
across freshly mowed grass to the cottage behind their house. It
looked like it had been recently renovated. There were two cars
parked in the drive. She wondered which one belonged to Bryant,
guessing it was the Honda Civic.

Peyton could envision him taking her on a
date in it. But first they had to get past the getting to know one
another stage.

She was about to take another step in that
direction.

* * *

Peyton crossed the lawn till she reached the
street. She hoped Bryant didn't think she was a stalker or
anything. She wasn't used to going after guys, but since he was her
only friend right now in Shadow Bay who just happened to be really
hot, she had no choice.

Peyton spotted Bryant and Hugh not far from
their house. They were moving slowly and she could easily catch up
to them.

"Hey, you two," she called out a few steps
behind them.

Bryant turned around and yanked the leash to
make the dog stop. "Hey, Peyton. How's it going?"

"Good." Feeling a little awkward, she knelt
down to pet his companion. "Hi, Hugh."

The dog licked her face. Normally she would
have found it gross, but Peyton figured she was earning brownie
points with his owner.

"Looks like you've got a friend for life,"
chuckled Bryant. "Hugh doesn't kiss up to just anyone."

"I've always been good with animals." Peyton
played with the dog a moment longer, then stood, meeting Bryant's
steady gaze. "So where are you headed?"

"Thought I'd take him to the park to run
around."

"Mind if I tag along?" She didn't want to
seem desperate, but enjoyed the company. His, in particular.

"What do you think, Hugh? Should she or
shouldn't she?" The dog barked his approval. Bryant grinned. "Looks
like you've got his permission--and mine."

"Cool." Peyton smiled. "Your dad's fixing
the roof at our house."

"Yeah, I know. That's what caretaker's do--a
little bit of everything and a lot of nothing."

Peyton detected resentment in his tone. "Has
he been doing that type of work for long?"

"Only since we moved here. He used to be a
contractor. But after my parents split up, he quit that job and
seems content to just get by."

"Maybe your dad needs time to figure out
what he wants to do," she suggested. "Or get over the divorce."

"Yeah maybe." Bryant shrugged. "Or maybe he
wants to feel sorry for himself for the rest of his life."

Peyton twisted her lips. "I guess I'm kind
of speaking from experience. My life has been totally out of whack
ever since my dad died. I've moved on, but part of me just can't
let go. Your dad's probably going through sort of the same thing.
Can you understand that?"

Bryant nodded. "When you put it that way."
He paused. "Do you think that might have something to do with what
happened at the bay?"

Peyton looked at him wide-eyed. "Does
everyone
know about that?"

He smiled crookedly. "Sorry, this is a small
town. Word travels fast. People love to gossip."

"I never said I saw my father in the water,"
she said defensively.
Good thing, because that would've been way
too scary.

"I know. But maybe the thing with your dad
and not being able to let go made you have some kind of illusion in
the form of a girl."

Peyton sneered. "Thanks for the
psychoanalysis."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Just a
thought, like yours about what my dad might be dealing with."

Peyton thought it was clever how he used her
own words so effectively against her. Maybe she should drop the
subject. The worst thing would be for Bryant to think she had gone
off the deep end.

"Whatever you heard, Bry, there
was
a
real
girl in that water--as close to me as you are now--and
it wasn't some weird manifestation of my dad coming back to
life."

Bryant met her eyes. "So who do you think it
was?"

"My mom thinks it might've been a local girl
playing a trick on me because I'm new in town."

"That's some trick, Peyton."

"Yeah, sure." She sighed. "I can describe
the girl I saw. Maybe you know her..."

"Maybe I do."

Peyton concentrated on the girl, as if back
in the bay face to face with her. Though unnerving, she made
herself focus on the details.

Bryant listened intently as Peyton recounted
what the girl looked like.

"Hmmm...Can't say she rings a bell."

"Figures." Peyton fluttered her lashes
disappointedly.

"Hey, that doesn't mean I don't believe
you," he said quickly. "It's just that I don't know that many girls
in the neighborhood. I could ask around..."

"Would you?" Peyton looked up hopefully.
"Maybe she's missing...and still down there."

Bryant frowned. "This girl really freaked
you out, didn't she?"

"You would've been freaked, too, if you'd
seen her!"

"You're probably right if she looked
anything like you described." He tugged the leash to keep Hugh from
trying to break free. "Maybe together we can get to the bottom of
this."

Peyton sighed, wondering if Bryant really
believed her. If so, he might be the only one, making him even more
special.

On the way back home, Peyton gained the
courage to ask what had been on her mind, aside from her own trials
and tribulations.

"So, do you have a girlfriend, Bry?"
Please say no.

"Nope." Bryant brushed against her. "I was
seeing a girl for a little while, but it didn't work out." He
paused. "She met a guy who had what I didn't, I guess."

Peyton couldn't imagine this other guy being
more of a catch than Bryant. Not in her book anyway.

"What about you?" he asked. "Did you leave
someone special behind in San Diego?"

"Only my best friend, Erica," she said.
"Most of the guys in San Diego are into surfing, partying, and
hanging out with each other."

"Their loss," Bryant said. "You don't need
guys like that."

Peyton blushed. "You're right, I don't."
Especially when she was with a guy who made her forget all
others.

CHAPTER SIX

As Peyton entered the house, she heard
laughter coming from the living room. She looked in and saw her
mother and Luke seated on the sofa. They were drinking coffee like
old pals.

They both looked up on cue and stopped
talking as if they'd been conspiring.

Peyton's mother smiled sweetly. "Honey,
you're back."

"Yeah."

Frowning, Luke stood. "Guess I'd better get
going."

Melody got to her feet. "Thanks so much,
Luke, for taking care of the roof."

"No problem. That's what you pay me
for."

Peyton watched the two and, for some reason,
felt uncomfortable with Luke being in the house without Vance's
presence. It was as though her mother had a secret tryst or
something with Luke. Of course, that made no sense since they
weren't exactly hiding from anyone right here in the living
room.

Peyton chided herself for thinking like a
jealous daughter with no rationale, especially since she wasn't
even comfortable with Vance as her stepfather.

But the man was her mother's husband, like
it or not. And Luke was just the caretaker.

He also happened to be the father of the guy
Peyton was quickly falling for. Meaning she had to trust her mother
like she did herself and not jump to the wrong conclusions.

* * *

That afternoon Peyton helped with household
chores, her least favorite thing to do. Since they were still
getting settled in, it had to be done.

During a break in the action, Peyton was
surprised when her mother lit up a cigarette.

"Mom, what are you doing?" She stared in
disbelief.

Melody sucked in nicotine and blew out a
perfect ring of smoke. "Smoking a cigarette," she said, stating the
obvious.

"Since when? You
hate
people who
smoke and, as you put it, 'slowly kill themselves and those around
them.'"

Melody shrugged. "Well, maybe I was
exaggerating just a bit, Peyton. I see nothing wrong with an
occasional smoke to calm one's nerves."

Peyton was taken aback. "But your nerves are
always calm. Even when dad died, you never lost it. Not really. And
I didn't see you light up then."

She took another puff. "I was putting on an
act because I knew you needed me to be strong. I'm sorry if I've
disappointed you, but I'm a grown woman and I like to smoke
sometimes. I'll try not to when you're around."

"Try not to what?" Peyton heard the voice
from across the room. She turned and saw Vance approaching. He eyed
Melody. "You're smoking!"

"So sue me!" Melody took a deep drag, glared
at him and then Peyton, and stormed out of the room.

Vance frowned. "What the hell was that
about, Peyton?"

"I have no idea. Maybe you should ask
her."

"She doesn't exactly seem in the mood to
talk."

Peyton curled her lip. "Neither am I."

She ran to her room.
What was happening
around here? First a strange girl in the bay attacks me. Now my
mother's suddenly a smoker who may have a crush on Bryant's dad.
What's next?

Peyton could only wonder if the house had
anything to do with it.

* * *

Caitlyn could plainly see as clear as the
nose on her face that it was starting to happen all over again. She
watched without being seen as things began to crumble for the
family now living in their home. She felt sorry for Peyton, but
happy for herself that Peyton had come to help her, even if unaware
of it at the moment.

There were clear dangers, though, that
threatened to get in the way. Her father would not like Caitlyn
using Peyton to come to her rescue. He would be as angry as before
and try to stop them any way he could.

She would have to summon up every ounce of
courage and strength to fight him. Just as he would try to enforce
his will upon her with the same vehemence Caitlyn's father showed
towards her mother and the caretaker.

Should Caitlyn fail, they would all be
doomed for eternity.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next day, Peyton was lying on her bed
listening to music when her mother knocked on the door and opened
it.

"There's someone here to see you," Melody
told her without indicating who it was.

Peyton assumed it was Bryant. After all, she
hadn't met anyone else yet. Her pulse raced with excitement.

"I'll be right there," she said.

She hopped up, glancing at her reflection in
the mirror.
Maybe I should change clothes or put on some makeup.
No, Bry seems to like me the way I am, just as I like him for being
totally down to earth
.

Peyton moved away from the mirror.
Unbeknownst to her was the reflection of Caitlyn, mimicking as if
she were Peyton, before disappearing.

* * *

When she got to the living room, Peyton was
surprised to find that her visitor was a girl around her age. She
was seated on the loveseat talking to Peyton's mother.

"Peyton, this is Lily Kramer. She's here
visiting her grandmother for the summer."

"Hi." Peyton smiled, masking her
disappointment that it wasn't Bryant.

Lily stood. She was very nearly Peyton's
height, with pale skin and blunt cut short red hair.

"Nana told me there was someone new on the
block I should meet," she said with a Southern accent.