Bring Home the Murder by Theresa M.; Jarvela Read Free Book Online Page A

part of the chapter referred to witnesses. Some witnesses stated they experienced a drop in temperature when a ghost presented itself. More than one described smells dispersing in the air around them. A chill traveled her spine. She closed the book and dropped it to the floor.
    When Meggie reached toward the bedside lamp to switch it off, the light began to flicker then went out. She drew her hand back and wondered if the cord had worked its way out of the socket. She folded the covers back and lowered her feet to the floor. Her hands followed the lamp cord to the wall socket where she found nothing amiss.
    Molly had not mentioned any electrical problems to her. Meggie felt her way down the bed toward the overhead light switch. Before she reached the switch, the bathroom light came on. Something squeaked from inside that room. Vanity door? Hair lifted on the nape of her neck. She crept closer and peeked into the bathroom.
    The room stood empty but the noticeable scent of Old Spice cologne infused the air. Meggie’s eyes swept over the room. Her legs felt weak. The ceiling light flickered, then the room went black.
    Meggie turned and stumbled back toward the bed. She jumped in, slid under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. Her heart thumped. A creak near the bedroom window. Another at the end of the bed. The bedside light flashed on.
    Meggie lifted her head slowly and peeked over the covers. Footsteps shuffled and the bedroom door quietly closed.

 
    Chapter 7
    I n the middle of the week, Meggie drove into town determined to search out information. Too many unexplainable events had happened since she arrived at the farm. Too many events to ignore.
    Pine Lake Library was housed in one of the earlier brick buildings in Pine Lake. It sat across the street and two blocks down from the Legion Club. Meggie pulled the door open and quietly closed it behind her.
    Maud Nelson, the librarian, sat behind a desk near the checkout counter and tucked a gray hair into the bun at the back of her head. She stood up, smoothed her dress down and carried a short stack of books through a door directly behind the counter.
    Meggie waited at the checkout area and glanced around the library. The building appeared deserted except for a young woman who slumped in a chair near the back of the room and paged through a magazine.
    When Maud returned from the storeroom she moved aside a stack of DVDs on the counter in front of her and clasped her hands together. “Hello, Meggie. How are you?”
    â€œI’m fine. Who wouldn’t be on a nice day like today?” Meggie shifted her weight from one foot to the other and settled her purse over her shoulder.
    â€œHow can I help you?” Maud’s right eye twitched. “I wouldn’t think you had much time to read these days.” She leaned over the counter. “Francis Johnson stopped in the other day and told me you were housesitting a hobby farm near Bluff.”
    â€œNews travels fast, doesn’t it?” Meggie knew Maud Nelson liked to keep the small town grapevine swinging. “Actually, I’m looking for information on a person who disappeared several years ago from the Bluff area. It might be a long shot, but I know in the past this library stored old newspapers in the back room. The library in Bluff is closed for renovation so I couldn’t check there.”
    â€œDo you have a date in mind?”
    Meggie shook her head. “I really don’t know the exact date but I believe he went missing about eight or nine years ago.”
    Maud glanced around the room, leaned over the counter for a second time and whispered, “You don’t mean Fred Jackson? He went missing about the same time as Amelia Schmidt.”
    â€œYes. Fred Jackson.” Meggie blinked. “Who’s Amelia Schmidt?”
    Maud smirked and kept her voice low. “Some believe Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Schmidt ran off together.” She straightened up and waved her