These Haunts Are Made For Walking (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

extended for as far as my eyes could see.
    Seeing all those words lining the walls made me do a little happy dance on the inside. In the center of the room was a grand oak balustrade staircase, polished and gleaming proudly in the warm rays of sunshine that shone in from the massive front windows.
    The upstairs housed more books, the conference room, and the children’s reading room. I’d been in the library many times over the years, but its beauty still amazed me. Ornamented stained glass lined the upper part of the windows, casting hints of yellow, blue, and red around the room.
    I hadn’t noticed when I first walked in, but a large banner adorned the wall behind the counter. “Welcome, Ripley Van Raden” had been written out in blue marker. I’d never had my name on a banner before.
    “I don’t know what to say. That’s incredibly thoughtful of you,” I said.
    “We just thought it would be nice to give you a warm welcome, right, Leslie?” Tammy asked.
    A slender blonde stood behind the reference desk. Her eyebrows knitted together above her brown eyes, and her gaze was fixed on the computer screen.
    “Leslie, she’s here,” Tammy prodded.
    Leslie continued pounding at the computer’s keyboard with her index fingers as if she hadn’t heard a word Tammy said. After a second, she glanced up, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. She looked at me and said, “Oh, sorry. I just needed to finish that.” Leslie moved around the counter, stretching her hand out toward me. “Nice to meet you.”
    Leslie seemed perfectly normal to me. I wasn’t sure what Tammy had been talking about.
    “I’m glad we’ll be working together,” I said with a smile.
    “Me too, me too…” Her words trailed off. Maybe it was my imagination, but there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. “Well, I have to get ready to read to the precious angels.”
    “Leslie, you really need to keep your excitement down. Remember, we’re in a library.” Tammy held her index finger up to her lips.
    Leslie rolled her eyes and spun around to stomp off. She only made it a couple steps before she stumbled and fell to the ground. Since there was nothing in front of her to trip over, she was either having a bad day or she was the clumsiest person I’d ever met, bless her heart.
    I glanced at Tammy, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say she had warned me.
    After Leslie left, Tammy shook her head. “I can’t believe she reads to the kiddos. They seem to love her though. Go figure.”
    “She must have a way with them.” I smiled.
    A tray with a mountain of chocolate chip cookies rested atop the counter. Next to the cookies was a pot of coffee with cups lined up beside it. Well, what I guessed was supposed to be coffee. It looked more like sea water after an oil tanker spill.
    “We’ve been offering coffee and sweets in the hopes that we can attract more patrons.”
    “Oh, really?” I lifted my brow as I studied the cloudy liquid. “No offense, but that stuff will chase customers away.”
    Tammy frowned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve never been good at making coffee.”
    I gave her a sympathetic grin.
    “Do you remember where the office is?” Tammy asked.
    “I think I remember.” I glanced around, trying not to let on to my cluelessness.
    I was almost positive I knew where the office was, but walking back through the aisles of bookshelves, I felt my anxiety mounting again. At least I had the books for comfort. I hadn’t had a chance when I came for the interview to look over the library as thoroughly as I’d wanted. I couldn’t wait to inspect every inch of the place. I had always felt at home surrounded by books. Oddly enough, now I almost felt as if eyes watched me as I moved through the stacks. I glanced over my shoulder, but not a soul was in sight. It was the same feeling I’d had in the old graveyard.
    Old-fashioned golden overhead lights guided my path down the long hallway. A black streak flashed in front of my