Ghostly Graveyard (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Book 17) Read Free

at all supportive of my plan. I put the rubber apron around my body and took my position behind the barrier. I glared at the first sixth grader as he lifted his pie plate into the air.
    “I’ll give you twenty dollars to miss,” I tried.
    The kid smiled an evil little grin and let the plate fly.
    I closed my eyes and prayed the pie would land harmlessly on the ground in front of me.
    It didn’t.
    The next kid in line couldn’t be more than five. I doubted she would be able to do the damage the older child had been able to inflict. I actually began to relax when pie number two hit me smack dab in the middle of the face.
    I cleared the whipped cream from my eyes and looked toward the sound of deep laughter. I couldn’t help but notice the very satisfied glance Duncan Wright sent in my direction. There was no doubt about it: The man had set me up, and before the night was over Zoe Donovan was going to enact her revenge.
     

Chapter 2
     
     
    It was a perfect night for the kickoff of the Haunted Hamlet festivities. The air was calm and moderately warm considering the time of year. The golden leaves that hung from the aspen trees glistened as they reflected off the white twinkle lights we’d strung everywhere. This year the haunted house was to be held in an abandoned building just outside of town. The deserted residence we’d chosen to use for the event was located next to the old Devil’s Den cemetery.
    The cemetery hadn’t been used in almost a century. After Ashton Montgomery redeveloped the area, he’d built a new cemetery up on the hill, and the land where the miners and their families were buried had fallen into a state of decay. A lot of the tombstones were still there, but many of the markers, which consisted of little more than two sticks nailed together, had long since vanished.
    Our plan for the event was to have parking in the vacant field on the far side of the cemetery. Visitors would then be led by the “ghost” of Isaac Wainwright through the cemetery toward the house, which had been decorated to frighten even the bravest souls among us. The haunted house was an event that was designed to appeal to older teens and adults, so the first tours hadn’t been scheduled until after dark, giving the atmosphere an extraspooky feel.
    “Boo!” someone shouted behind me.
    I jumped and screamed as I stepped out of my car.
    “You almost gave me a heart attack,” I complained to Levi.
    “It’s Halloween. You should expect to be scared.”
    “Maybe in the house or even in the graveyard, but not in the parking lot. Where’s Ellie?”
    “She’s not going to make it,” Levi told me.
    I frowned. “Really? I just spoke to her this afternoon and she said she was going to show after she finished at the pumpkin patch.”
    “She got a call and had to go out of town at the last minute.”
    “What happened?”
    “Do you remember her cousin Skye?”
    “Vaguely.” Skye was Ellie’s mother’s sister’s daughter. She was a couple of years older than Ellie and the two weren’t superclose, but Skye had visited Ashton Falls a few times when we were growing up.
    “Well, she was in a car accident. A bad one.”
    “Oh, no. Is she going to be okay?”
    “Ellie said they really don’t know. Skye is stable but still unconscious. I guess at this point it could go either way.”
    Poor Ellie. Skye lived in a small town about four hours away from Ashton Falls. Ellie was most likely still on the road if she was headed to the hospital. I knew Skye’s parents had both passed during the last couple of years, so even though Ellie hadn’t seen Skye in a while, I suppose she might be her closest relative next to Ellie’s mom, Rosie.
    “Did Ellie share her plans?” I asked.
    “She was going to pick up the baby and then head back.”
    “The baby?”
    “Apparently Skye had a baby since Ellie last spoke to her. Skye’s roommate called to ask Ellie if she could keep the baby until Skye recovers. Ellie said she didn’t