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

aside and stepped out into the sunshine. I gasped when I saw we were standing in the Butler’s family cemetery. “Well, I’ll be. I sure never expected the pathway to lead to the cemetery.”
    “Me, either,” Eleanor said. “But it must have been there for a reason. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to leave the comforts of the mansion to be out here in the graveyard?”
    “Someone with something to hide, like their comings and goings.”
    “Well, whoever that was had to have been one the original owners because that pathway had to have been put in long ago.”
    “Exactly. It also means that anyone could come into the mansion undetected and leave without anyone knowing.”
    “Aggie, do you think that whoever killed Katherine might have used this passageway to escape after they murdered her?”
    “Not sure, but it makes perfect sense. I can’t help but wonder who knows that much about the mansion to perpetrate the crime.”
    “So, not only do we need to find out more about who Katherine really is, but the history about the mansion, and hopefully we’ll find out who might have wanted the poor girl dead.”
    “At this point, we don’t know all that much about her other than she was readying the mansion for the bed and breakfast opening,” I mused.
    “With Sara Knoxville coming to town, we might get some answers.”
    “Not so sure about that, though. She’s only inherited the mansion since her father met his demise, but I suppose there’s no reason to think negative just yet.”
    Eleanor and I made our way back into the mansion and brushed our clothes off the best we could, concealing the opening again. Also the sheet I had worn was tossed in a nearby chair. The ghost floated alongside us as we made our way down the stairs.
    When I stepped back on the first floor, Andrew stared me down. There was a beautiful blonde standing next to him with a puzzled look on her face. “Hello, there,” I greeted them.
    Andrew knocked the dust from my shoulder. “What on earth have you two been up to? You both look like you’ve been cleaning the chimney.”
    “We’ve been looking for clues.”
    “Where? Under the beds? Or in the cellar?”
    “We thought we saw something strange.”
    “Like what?”
    “Not really sure, but Eleanor seems to think this place is haunted, if you can believe that.”
    “You thought that, too, Aggie.”
    “I’m really not positive what I saw, but if it was a ghost, it sure disappeared when we followed it upstairs.”
    Sara grinned, fanning her delicate face with her hand. “That sounds cool! I wish I could see a ghost firsthand.”
    “Be careful what you wish for,” I said, nodding to the ghost hovering close by.
    Andrew’s brow shot up. “Whatever are you looking at, Agnes?”
    “Nothing, but it looks like this place could still use a little dusting.”
    “I’ll hire a cleaning crew right away,” Sara said as she was about to make a call.
    “Actually, we better get the go-ahead from Sheriff Peterson before we go into a cleaning phase. I’m not at all sure if they’re done with this crime scene yet.”
    “Oh,” Andrew said. “Then why are you two here?”
    “We wanted to check for clues about Katherine’s untimely death.”
    Sara bit her fist. “Oh, that’s so awful. I still can’t believe so many people have died on the grounds.”
    “Do tell.”
    Before Sara could respond, Eleanor asked, “Like recently or in the past?”
    “Both, but perhaps we could discuss that at a later date, because the sheriff over there doesn’t look too pleased that we’re here.”
    Sure enough, Sheriff Peterson’s frame filled the doorway, his nostril’s flaring like a bull about to charge. “Why are you all here? Didn’t you see the police tape?”
    Sara sauntered over on her sky-high heels. Her ruby red lips parted and she smiled up at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, sheriff. I just flew into town and had to come here straightaway. It’s just dreadful what happened to