Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks Read Online Free PDF

thought it was empty, but as I ran my fingers along the back, I felt the ridge of a handle of a suitcase. I removed it and put it on the bed. “Looks like the sheriff missed something.”
    I tried to open the suitcase, but it was locked. I pounded on it in frustration, and the ghost put her hand through it and then it snapped open. Eleanor backed up a tad. “How did you do that?”
    “Beats me, but at least we can check it out now.”
    I moved the contents to the side that were mostly clothing, but underneath were envelopes addressed to Katherine Clark, so I figured we were onto something.
    I handed Eleanor the envelopes and she said, “Should we really be going through Katherine’s personal effects? It feels kinda intrusive.”
    “Probably not, but we really need to find a clue or two if we’re going to figure out who might have murdered Katherine.” I took the mail from Eleanor and went to put in back in the suitcase. “Perhaps you’re right. We should take the suitcase to the sheriff’s department.”
    “No need to get hasty, Agnes. I just meant it seems wrong, not that I wasn’t willing to take a look-see. Then you can take it to the sheriff.”
    I handed the mail back to Eleanor, who carefully tucked it inside her purse. “Anything of interest besides the mail?”
    “Nope.”
    Eleanor came over and fingered the fabric on the inside of the suitcase. “No hidden compartments.”
    “Why would you think there’d be a hidden compartment in a suitcase?”
    “Good point. We should check out the inside of the closet instead.”
    Before I could say anything, Eleanor was face first in the closet, slapping her palms on the walls, her round bottom nearly in my face.
    “Eleanor, please. You’re not going to find anything in there.” I stared at the bookshelf next to the closet and began to pull books out. Suddenly, the entire closet rolled to the side. Poor Eleanor barely had time to move out of the way before it disappeared into the wall. We both stared, wide-eyed, at a door behind the closet and before I gave it much thought, I opened it. On the other side was an opening that led to a hidden passageway.
    I stared at the cobwebs with little enthusiasm. “This sure looks interesting, but being surrounded by spiders—not so much.”
    “Since when are you afraid of a little adventure? And those are probably only cobwebs.”
    “Oh? So you’re not worried about meeting up with a gigantic spider?”
    “Nope. Because you’re going to check it out—not me.”
    I reared back. “What? Why me? My name isn’t Indiana Jones.”
    “Because you’re younger, dear.”
    “Yes, but old enough to know better than to be walking down some corridor where I might break something. Who knows the condition of the inside, or what else might be in there?”
    “I suppose, but it’s worth the challenge, isn’t it? You might discover treasure down there.”
    “Or meet my maker, which I’m so not ready to do just yet.”
    I looked for the ghost for emotional support, but she was already headed through the opening. I had to follow, but I really hated to be covered with cobwebs so I yanked a sheet off the bed and threw it over my head, gathering it beneath my chin.
    “Good thinking, Aggie,” Eleanor said.
    With the light from my iPhone, I led the way inside. The floor beneath our feet was wood, and clumps of hair were gathered in the corners. “This looks like animal hair,” I observed.
    “I sure hope not from rats,” Eleanor said.
    At some point, I lost sight of the ghost and then I felt a breeze blow on me from above. I stared upward, but I figured it must have come from the ductwork so I continued. Before we knew it, there was a set of stairs to descend, which made sense since we were on the second floor.
    I jumped when the ghost glided toward me with a smile on her face. She then turned around and led us deeper down the hallway. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and once we neared it, I shoved hanging vines