The Haunting of the Mountain (Mountain Men of Whispering Winds #9)

6. Stone

Chapter 6

Stone

What am I doing?

I damn near mauled Kyla down there. It was like someone else— something else—took over. I couldn’t control myself. And after what happened to her? I’m an idiot, and she’s been awfully quiet since we left the basement.

“That was fast.” The librarian says. “It usually takes people half an hour just to figure out how to use the machines.” She holds up a thick book in front of her. “Got your book though.”

“Great,” Kyla says in a tone that has me worried.

My hands clench and unclench. I really mucked things up.

“Sorry the Whispering Winds history wasn’t available. It’s due back next week though.”

“I won’t be here,” Kyla says, my heart sinking into my gut.

It’s not like I didn’t already know that. Kyla is like any other tourist in this town, ephemeral. Just passing through.

“I’m only here for a few days. I’m making a podcast with my friend.”

“Wait,” the librarian says, something like recognition flitting across her features. “You’re not Kyla, are you? From Paranormal Partners?”

Kyla seems to lighten up. “I am.”

“I love your podcast!” the librarian squeals. “I’m Sam by the way. I’m so glad you’re here because I have to say, this town is a little strange. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. I’ve only been here a few months but I can’t help but feel like there are some secrets I haven’t been let in on.”

I chuckle. “Been here most of my life and I feel the same.”

Each time I come back to town, I feel like an outsider. There’s always something new. Faces, events, or buildings. The only thing that hasn’t changed much is the mountain.

“Speaking of strange,” Kyla says. “What’s up with the janitor? I want to thank him for giving me this.” She shoves the book onto the counter, and Sam looks at it. “But at the same time… I don’t.”

“Janitor?” Sam asks. “We don’t have a janitor. We have a cleaning crew that comes in after the library closes.”

Kyla glances at me, and I can see the color draining from her face before she turns back around. “Then who gave me this book? He had blue coveralls… Vernon . His name was Vernon. I saw it on his name tag.”

“Ohhhhh,” Samantha says before laughing. “You met Arthur.”

Kyla and I stare blankly at her for a few moments, waiting for her to elaborate.

“He’s a local actor. I met him a few weeks ago, but apparently, he loves dressing up as local figures each Halloween. Vernon used to work here many years ago. And from what I’ve heard, or well, experienced from Arthur’s rendition, he was quite the character.” She leans in, and in a hushed tone. “Arthur really gets into the character. Accents and mannerisms and all that. A real method actor. I can understand why you might’ve been put off by him.”

Kyla seems to settle, but I’m a little on edge. If I see Arthur, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Act all you want but cornering my girl in the basement like that…

I bite the inside of my mouth. The last thing I need to do is make a scene. I’ve already made Kyla uncomfortable.

“Why Vernon?” Kyla asks. “Seems like an odd choice to be for Halloween.”

“Well,” Sam begins. “I don’t know all of the details, but there were some rumors surrounding him. Maybe Stone could shed some light on them. You’ve been in Whispering Winds longer than me.”

I click my tongue. “Afraid I can’t be of much help. Must’ve been before my time because I haven’t heard anything about him.”

Sam nods. “You should ask Arthur. I think I spotted him over by the apple cider table. The one thing I do know,” she says, leaning in, “is that Vernon died in the fire. Back when this was still a church. He’s buried in the cemetery if you want to check out his grave.”

“I might,” Kyla says. “I haven’t done any EVP sessions yet.”

Samantha almost jumps with glee. “I’ve never done one in my life.”

“They’re pretty boring. A lot of talking to nothing.”

They continue chatting about random paranormal stuff that I only vaguely understand. I don’t mind though. I love seeing Kyla in her element. After dusting off my library card, we head out.

“I want to thank Arthur for lending me his book,” Kyla says as we walk toward the exit. “Do you think you could drop it off for me when I’m gone?”

I try to mask the surge of emotion rushing through me, but it’s hard. I don’t want to think about Kyla not being here.

“I can do that.”

“Thanks,” Kyla says, squeezing my hand.

It’s a small gesture but for a brief moment, everything feels okay.

“There,” Kyla says, pointing to the man in the coveralls, talking with a group of people congregating at the cider table.

“Wait,” Kyla says. “No. Nonono,” she mutters to herself as she grabs my hand and drags me away from the table and toward the exit.

By the time we’re outside, Kyla is a nervous wreck.

“What is it?”

“Holy shit,” she says, pacing around and muttering incoherently to herself as other patrons moved around us and into the library.

I grab her by the arm and guide her down a path that leads into one of the gardens at the side of the library.

“What is it?”

It takes a few moments for her to regain her breath. “That wasn’t the man I saw. The man who gave me this.” She shakes the book in front of me.

“Are you sure?”

“There’s no way I could forget him. The way he made me feel. Something was off about him.”

“Maybe Arthur isn’t the only one dressing up as the janitor.”

Kyla shakes her head, glancing at the ground and then back up at me. “Maybe,” she says, but I’m not convinced she believes that.

She lets out a deep sigh. “I don’t know. I need to see if my camera lasted long enough to get him on film.”

“Do you want to head back home?”

“Not yet,” she says almost instantly. “I think I should see his grave. Try to get an EVP. This is the weirdest thing that has happened to me since I’ve been here. Maybe ever. I need to gather as much evidence as I can.”

“Whatever you need,” I say. “Let me know how I can help.”

Kyla stares at me. There’s an intensity in her gaze that I’ve never seen before. She’s not uncertain or scared or wary or anything like the person I saw inside the library. She’s a force of nature.

“Are you ready to find a ghost?”

I smile. “As ready as anyone can be.”

Kyla wasn’t wrong about EVPs. It’s a lot of talking to nothing. I don’t mind though. We could do this all day and I’d be happy because it means I get to spend time with her. It’s a damn privilege to see her in her element.

“Did you give me this book, Vernon?” Kyla asks, waiting a few seconds for a spectral response. “Were you in the basement of the library? Well, the church. Did you drain my camera’s battery?”

More silence.

I lean against a tree, watching Kyla as she wanders around in circles next to Vernon’s grave. Can’t say I’ve spent much time in graveyards, but this one is beautiful with the old-growth trees and well-maintained pathways. Fall is in full effect, and I swear there’s cinnamon in the air, carried by the gentle breeze.

I’d always thought nothing beats being on the mountain, but I have to say, being here with Kyla makes a pretty damn good case.

“I bet you’re having a blast,” Kyla says sarcastically. “Standing around in an old graveyard on a beautiful weekend, listening to a crazy person talk to ghosts.”

I snort. “If you’re crazy, I’m insane.”

Kyla shakes her head. “Thanks, again.”

“Need to stop thanking me, Kyla. There’s no place I’d rather be than right here with you.”

It might be the chilly air. Could be my imagination. But I can’t help but notice Kyla’s red cheeks deepen in color.

“I’m not lying,” I say, pushing off from the tree. “I’ve kicked plenty of my nephew’s friends out of my cabin over the years. You’re the first one I’ve wanted…” I swallow hard. A single word reverberating in my head. Keep, keep, keep. “The first one I’ve wanted to stay.”

“I guess I should be honored.”

No, sweet girl. You should be mine.

“No,” I say, the words catching in my throat as I stare at her. Angelic. Gorgeous. So fucking beautiful. It’s painful looking at her because my time left with her is growing smaller every second that passes. I won’t have the privilege to look at her. The honor.

“Well, I’m glad you agreed to help me. And I promise, I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

That’s the last thing I want. I want you in my hair. Tangled. Entwined. In the thick of it with no way to escape. I want you. I… fuck me. I sigh because all I’m doing is torturing myself.

“One last question and we can head out. Do you still want to see the lumber mill? I guess we can head to the grist mill if that would be less of a hike.”

“We can do both,” I say. “I don’t mind.”

Kyla smiles and it lights my body up. Can’t get enough of that smile.

“Okay,” she says, game face back on as she turns back around and heads toward the grave. She places her hand on the gravestone and says, “Show yourself, Vernon.”

Her voice is forceful. There’s an edge to it that I’ve never heard before. And my arms prickle with goosebumps.

“You’ve done it once, and I want you to do it again. Vernon, SHOW YOURSELF TO ME.”

She pauses for a few moments before turning back to me with a deep sigh. “Worth a try,” she says. “I know you’re not supposed to antagonize spirits but— OHMYGOD!” she screeches, pointing over my shoulder as the color drains from her face again.

“Howdy,” a man says from behind me as I turn. “Lookin’ fer ghosts?”

He’s standing in front of the large, scraggly oak. The kind of tree that’s been around about as long as the town. And from the look of the guy, I think he might be just as old. He’s scraggly and slender, and the coveralls seem to be wearing him and not the other way around. With a hook nose, sallow cheeks, pale complexion, and hair like gray, clumped spaghetti, I’m beginning to understand why Kyla was so shaken earlier.

I position myself in front of Kyla as I square my body to him, my chest rising and falling rapidly as adrenaline races through me.

“Easy,” the man says. “Didn’t mean no harm. Been listenin’ to you up there.” He jerks his head to the side, gesturing to the tree. “Interesting stuff, ghost huntin’.”

Kyla pops her head out from behind me. “Did you give me this?” She waves the book.

“‘Course I did.”

“How did you know I needed it?”

He sucks at his teeth and then takes a step forward, but then I do too. He stops, raising his hand in front of him.

“I come to the library during downtime. Heard you talkin’ at the counter. Knew there was a spare copy in the basement.”

“So you’re not Vernon the dead janitor.”

He laughs but even his laugh is unsettling. “Vernon the groundskeeper. I knew ‘em. Sad story.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Kyla whispers.

I don’t respond, I react, grabbing her by the hand and heading back the way we came.

“Good luck,” the groundskeeper shouts at us. “And be careful. The great harvest is comin’.”

When we finally make it out, Kyla asks me, “What the hell is he talking about?”

I snort. “I have no fucking clue.”

The drive back to the cabin is quiet, Kyla nose-deep in her new books, but I’ve been hanging onto each hmm , ah, and laugh. Sometimes, she’ll share interesting facts or ask me a clarifying question. I’ve lived my entire life in Whispering Winds but Kyla is teaching me a thing or two about this place.

“Have you ever met Leo?”

“He lives on the mountain?”

“Seems that way from the author bio.”

“It’s possible. I’ve run into my fair share of men on the mountain. I know most, but some stick to themselves.”

Kyla chews her bottom lip as she tends to do when mulling something over. “It might be interesting to interview him for the podcast at some point. ”

“Thinking of coming back here again?”

She looks up from the book, glancing briefly out the window before turning to me. “I think so. I doubt someone who lives that far up on the mountain has an internet connection.”

I smile. “You’d be surprised. The satellite internet was a game changer for my business. Don’t need to rely on Wes for my scheduling anymore.”

“Think you could find some time in that schedule for me?”

“Anytime you want.”

Kyla smiles at me and my heart flutters along with my stomach. Never had butterflies before. Never been so smitten with anyone before. But I’m realizing there have been a lot of firsts with Kyla.

And for the first time, I’m feeling a little hopeful, tapping my thumbs against the steering wheel as the radio plays softly in the background. My girl’s coming back.

We’re not far from my cabin. It’s early afternoon but it’s already becoming dark. The wind is picking up, laden with the familiar scent of an impending storm.

Kyla laughs softly and I chance a look at her. I’ve been stealing glances the entire way up the mountain. Thankfully she’s enthralled or else she might notice that I’m paying more attention to her than the road. I can’t help myself. It’s been hell from the moment she slid into the passenger seat of my truck, smelling like heaven, looking like it too in her tight jeans and oversized sweater that hangs right across her shoulders. And right now it’s hanging dangerously low. I never thought watching someone read could be so damn sexy.

“What do you know about the Whispering Wendigo?”

“It’s a tall tale to keep kids from sneaking out at night.”

I keep it short and simple because it’s the truth. Plenty of my clients assume the mountain is overrun with all sorts of wild things. The truth is always boring, and I’ve done my best to temper expectations.

“Haven’t had any encounters?”

I shake my head. “Afraid not. Nothing apart from run-of-the-mill mountain critters. And even then, I don’t mind ‘em much. It’s the humans you have to look out for.”

Kyla bites her bottom lip and I wonder what it would feel like to take it into my mouth. Feel that softness. Taste her.

“Animals tend to keep to themselves. You follow basic rules and procedures and you should be fine. Humans are unpredictable.”

“Creepy too. I still can’t shake that groundskeeper.”

The steering wheel creaks and moans as my knuckles whiten.

“There’s always a few oddballs in every town. Whispering Winds is no different.”

“Do you believe the sightings?” Kyla asks a few moments later.

“Of the wendigo?”

“Mhmm.”

I think for a moment, considering it. “I believe that the people saw something. But I’m not convinced it’s what they think it is. The mountain can do strange things to a person’s head, especially when you’re alone. Lost. Hungry. Cold. A body under that much stress? I can understand it.”

“Did you see the photograph?”

She taps at the page in her book. I glance and then nod.

“Back when I was a teen. Kids used to pass it around all the time. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t spook me the first time.”

Kyla smiles. “But you’re not convinced.”

“Afraid not. I’ve been on this mountain long enough. If something like that was hiding, I’d have seen it. Or smelled it,” I add chuckling.

“Does it really smell that bad?”

“Couldn’t tell you.” I pause for a few moments. “You seem more interested in these animals than ghosts.”

“I am. Nell’s the ghost girl.”

“And you’re the cryptid cutie?”

Kyla snorts and I cringe. Jesus, what the hell was that? But when that small snort turns into a full-body laugh, I want to run into the forest and beg the wendigo to end my misery.

“That caught me off guard, but I kinda like it. The Ghost Girl and the Cryptid Cutie.” She glances down at her book, and then back at me, a wide grin still on her face.

I can’t help but feel red-hot embarrassment spreading all over my body. And for the rest of the ride, I keep my mouth shut. Cutie. Fuck me.