The Curse Оf Hollister House

Paisley took to the piano like a duck takes to water. From the first hour, I realized she was a natural. Not only was she able to hear the music, but she seemed to have an ability to sense which keys would create which tones and how those tones would work together to create a melody. She wouldn’t need many lessons before she would be ready to move onto more advanced techniques.

“Really being able to read music and to understand all the various symbols might seem sort of boring, and it might seem easier to memorize the keystrokes of whichever song you are trying to play, but it will be important as you become more advanced, so I am going to send a couple of books home with you. I want you to study them, and when you come back on Wednesday, I’m going to quiz you on the first couple of chapters.”

“Don’t worry.” Paisley grinned. “I’ll work hard and learn everything you teach me.”

I was sure she would. I recognized the same passion in her I’d felt when I’d first been introduced to the piano.

“Will the same time work on Wednesday?” I asked.

“We get out early this Wednesday for teacher planning, so I can come at two if you want.”

“That would work well.” I remembered that Wednesday was Gracie’s bingo night, so maybe I’d invite Cass to grab some dinner or something. I hadn’t spoken to him since our encounter yesterday, and I didn’t want to let too much time pass in case things had gotten awkward between us. We would be volunteering at the shelter together again tomorrow, which would give me the opportunity to ask him about Wednesday. “Are things getting back to normal now that school has reopened?”

Paisley shrugged. “I guess. Everyone is talking about what happened to Tracy and wondering if the killer is still around and if one of us might be next.”

“I bet it is frightening not to know for sure if the sheriff has the real killer in custody.”

She nodded. “Some of the kids think the man in the jail is the killer, but a lot of us think they have the wrong person. Tracy didn’t even know the man in the campground. Why would he kill her?”

“Sometimes, killings are random, and the victim doesn’t know the killer.”

“Do you think the man in the jail is the one who killed Tracy?”

“Not really,” I answered honestly. “Do you get a ride to and from school?”

She nodded. “My friend, Anna’s mom drives me. The principal sent out a letter telling all the parents that it might not be safe to let their children walk until everything is sorted out for sure. It’s really scary to think the killer might still be out there.”

“Yes, it is,” I agreed.

“There are even extra adults monitoring the hallways between classes, and no one is allowed to leave the school grounds without a parent picking them up.”

“Haven’t you always needed a parent to pick you up if you are going to leave early?”

“No. It used to be a parent could send a note that allowed their kid to get out early and walk home, but not anymore. Now a parent has to come into the office and sign you out.”

I figured that was a good policy whether there was a killer lurking about or not.

“Anna said that her older sister, Emma, told her that some of the kids at the middle school think the killer is this creepy guy who hangs out in the field behind the school during lunch break.”

“Creepy guy?” I asked, suddenly becoming a whole lot more alert.

“Emma told Anna that this guy hangs out wearing a big coat, waiting for some of the kids who sneak away to talk to him. Emma and Anna’s dad told them that he was probably selling drugs and not to go anywhere near him.”

“Has anyone told Deputy Wylander about this man?”

Paisley shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Emma and Anna’s dad talked to the principal in our school, but there wasn’t anything he could do because he was far enough away from our school, so he wasn’t violating any trespassing rules and no one would admit that he’d tried to sell them drugs or did anything wrong. He just sits there on a rock and watches the kids. Creepy, right?”

“Very creepy. I’ll be sure to mention it to Deputy Wylander when I see him. It seems like this man might be a real suspect.” I reached down and picked up Alastair, who’d come wandering over. “Do any of the kids ever go talk to him?”

“I don’t know. Emma might because she goes to that school.”

“Did Emma say if Tracy ever went over to talk to this man?”

Paisley hesitated.

“It could be important,” I prompted.

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

“Tracy is dead. Nothing you say will get her in trouble. What do you know?”

“I don’t know if Tracy talked to the creepy guy in the field, but Emma told Anna and me that Tracy and some of her friends did sneak off campus during lunch to vape. She said they met up with some boys from the high school.”

The high school was only a block from the middle school, so I could see how that could happen.

“Do you know the names of any of these boys?”

“No. Emma didn’t say.”

I supposed I could tell Cass what Paisley had told me and then let him take care of talking to Emma and her parents, but I didn’t want to get Emma in any sort of trouble. That wouldn’t be fair to Paisley, who’d told me what she had as a friend. Maybe I’d try to get Paisley to point Emma out to me and try to talk to her alone myself. Of course, if I did that, I might be the one to come off looking like the creepy adult who was stalking my ten-year-old neighbor’s friends. No, better to tell Cass and let him handle it.

“What is Alastair doing?” Paisley asked.

I turned around to find him pawing at a box. “It looks like he is trying to get at something inside.”

Paisley crossed the room and knelt down next to the box. “The label says, ‘Halloween Decorations.’”

I smiled. “Maybe Alastair thinks it is time we decorated. Halloween will be here before you know it.”

I picked up the box of Christmas decorations on top and set it aside, and then pushed the one with Halloween decorations inside to the center of the room. I opened the lid and pulled out the items on top.

“Cool skeleton,” Paisley said. “Can we hang it up?”

“I don’t see why not. I think there are some orange lights, fall garlands, and rubber bats in here as well. We may as well do it up right.” I continued to dig in and unpack the box onto the floor. “Oh look, my old Inspector Gadget costume.”

“Who’s Inspector Gadget?”

“A character from a kids’ cartoon from the eighties. Basically, he was this klutzy cop or private eye, or maybe he was a spy. Anyway, he was a klutzy guy who had all these cool gadgets that would eventually help him catch the bad guy.”

“What kind of gadgets?”

“Weird stuff like a hat that doubled as a helicopter, or mechanical hands with all sorts of attachments. He had a coat that was also a parachute and pants with jet rockets. That sort of thing.”

Paisley giggled. “It sounds ridiculous.”

“It was, but it was also fun.” I set the costume aside. Alastair pounced on it and began to howl. “Sorry, buddy, but the inspector had a dog, not a cat. I think the bad guy was the one who had a cat.” I turned to Paisley. “Let’s get this stuff downstairs and find a place for it. I think Gracie has some pumpkin-scented candles, and I seem to remember a Halloween wreath for the door. I’ll ask her if she still has it.” I bent down and started gathering the decorations I’d selected to bring with me. “Oh, and we’ll need jack-o’-lanterns before the big night. There used to be a pumpkin patch just down the mountain. Maybe we can go there on Saturday to pick some out.”

Paisley’s face widened in a smile. “Really? That would be so fun.”

“Talk to your grandmother about it, and if it is okay with her, consider it a date. We’ll go after my volunteer gig at the Harvest Festival.”