The Ghost of Herbert Grezley Read online

  The Ghost of Herbert Grezley

  By Jennifer Robins

  Published by Astraea Press

  www.astraeapress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  THE GHOST OF HERBERT GREZLEY

  Copyright © 2011 JENNIFER ROBINS

  ISBN 978-1-936852-55-0

  Cover Art Designed by Elaina Lee

  Edited by Nia Plummer

  With my everlasting love of my daughter Kathleen, I dedicate this story with the memory of how much she loved Halloween and how much I miss her, especially at this time of year. Halloween was one of her favorite holidays. She went all out with dress-up parties and goodies for everyone. Kathleen passed away from lung cancer. Yes, she was a smoker.

  "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."

  ~ Ernest Hemingway

  Chapter One

  James Peterson had finished all his business and was about to leave town when he remembered a promise he’d made to lay flowers on a friend’s mother’s grave. Unable to make the trip to the gravesite due to severe arthritis, his buddy asked James to go for him. James, an older man himself, knew how important it was to honor a beloved relative. It was Halloween, and late, but he needed to fulfill his promise, so he went in the dark of night to the old cemetery. He wasn’t heard from again for several months, and when he did appear, he babbled incoherently about a ghost who held him prisoner and psychologically tortured him. His story took on some merit, as there had been past reports of a ghosts appearing in the old cemetery on Halloween. A reporter from the local newspaper jumped on the story, running a full front-page account of the man’s experience.

  * * * *

  October 30, 2011

  Three men dressed in orange caps and bright orange vests, rifles at their sides, made their way through the trees to the cabin they’d rented for the week. “We’ve been coming here every October for the past five years, and it never seems to change,” Brody told his hunting buddies, Nathan and Daniel.

  “There’s a good chance of snow from what I heard on the weather report,” Daniel, the youngest of the trio, announced. Clouds had gathered overhead, blocking the late afternoon sun from making its way to the western horizon. The aspen trees lining the trail they followed held the golden glow of the season.

  “Only two days left and no luck bagging a deer.” Nathan, the eldest of the three, gazed up at the Rocky Mountains, already covered at the top with snow. “This could be the first year we go home without any meat. We’ve covered every inch of land and haven’t come across a single deer.”

  “Frustrating,” Brody agreed. Dressed in a plaid flannel shirt and cowboy boots, he sported a short, dark beard to match his full, wavy hair.

  Nathan lagged behind a little until they spotted the cabin, and then he picked up the pace. A little overweight and shorter than the others, he still had a decent amount of energy for a man in his late fifties, and he made every effort to keep up. He huffed and puffed a little as he caught up to Brody. “Do you bums have to walk so fast? I have enough trouble on my feet without doing a marathon in the forest to keep up with the likes of you two.”

  “Shush up,” Daniel said. Six feet tall and a bit on the slim side, he was a handsome fellow with blue eyes and soft blond hair. “We’re almost to the cabin, and then you can rest all you want. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow we’ll be back out here before sunrise ahead of other hunters. Maybe then we can get something.”

  The three men piled into the cabin, exhausted and ready to unload their heavy equipment. Brody led the way into the kitchen where he flipped on the overhead light, pulled out a chair, and sat to remove his boots. “Man, my feet will never recover this time. These boots are too tight. They fit me okay last year; they must have shrunk.”

  “No, I think you’ve gained weight since last year and your feet are now fat,” Nathan said.

  “Don’t be stupid. Your feet can’t get fat.”

  “Forget the feet and fat, let’s get something to eat.” Daniel took off his jacket and hung it on a hook next to the door. “I’m starved.”

  “I’ll get the coffee started, and then we can think about food.” Brody rose from his chair and walked over to the sink while slipping out of his vest and cap. He set them on the counter and grabbed the coffeepot, holding it under the faucet to fill.

  “Sounds good to me,” Nathan replied while stripping out of his gear. “I could go for a nice hot cup of coffee.” He took off his boots after he made sure his slippers were ready on the floor next to him.

  The rich aroma of percolating coffee filled the cabin as the three men settled down at the table. Once their mugs were full to the brims, they immersed themselves in the pleasure of the steaming hot brew. “How about canned beans and hot dogs tonight?” Brody suggested.

  “We still have some cold cuts, too,” Nathan said. “I like the boiled ham.”

  “I’ll start with one of those Twinkies, or maybe some cookies.” Daniel opened the small refrigerator and looked inside. Supplies were getting slim now that they’d reached the last few days of their adventure. “Let’s see. There’s one more bag of potato chips, and we have a few cold sodas in here. I think we still have some apples, too. We’re in fair shape.”

  “It won’t take long to get these beans heated up.” Brody went to the counter to open a can. “You guys can have whatever you want; this is what I’m eating.”

  Soon all three sat down to a hot meal and wasted no time devouring it. With more coffee to wash it all down, they relaxed over conversation. “Anyone know exactly where this cemetery is? You know, there’s a story about a ghost coming out around this time of year.” Brody leaned his muscular body forward and placed his elbows on the table, cupping his hands in front of him. His sleeve slid up to reveal a tattoo of a heart and a red rose, a tribute to his sweet wife, Rose. “They say he only comes out on Halloween. Do you think it’s true?”

  “I’m not sure.” Nathan picked up his cup and sipped while watching the expressions on his friends’ faces. “There have been those who say they’ve seen him on All Souls’ Eve. Are we looking to investigate?”

  “Investigate what?” Daniel asked.

  “The cemetery. It’s not far from here. As long as we’ve wasted our time trying to bag a buck with no luck, we may as well venture over there and take a peek. Tomorrow is Halloween, and we’ve got the place until the day after.”

  “Don’t you think this is a little bizarre?” Daniel frowned. “I have better things to do than run around in a cemetery late at night, trying to scare myself.” He drank from his can of Pepsi and set it on the table. “I didn’t work so hard all these years in law school just to get freaked out about some ghost story.”

  “Hey, did you forget about the guy who came here for a vacation and visited the cemetery to find some old tombstone?” Brody asked them. “Seems he went there on Halloween and has never been the same since. Rumor has it, he witnessed a ghost who came out of one of the monuments and scared him near to death. It’s also said he remains a babbling idiot to this day. God only knows if he’ll ever recover.”

  “Yeah, my wife went crazy over that one. She still goes on about it to all her friends.” Nathan sat back, bringing his chair up
on its back legs, and snickered. “She definitely believes the story.”

  Daniel got up and walked over to the window. “From the sound of the wind out there, we could be getting some nasty weather. I’m not in favor of going out in a dark cemetery in the rain. If it’s bad out tomorrow night, you can count me out.”

  “We haven’t even made up our minds if we’re going to go yet, so keep your shirt on, son.” Nathan chuckled. “I’d kinda like to do a little graveyard tramping. It makes for variety in life. That is, if you youngsters aren’t afraid of the dark or worried about the spooks.” He broke out now with a more sinister laugh.

  Daniel peered through the window as if to assess what the next day would be like. The fall wind whipped around the cabin, making a morbid sound of gloom and doom. Not one star or a sign of the moon lit the sky, now covered with dark and threatening clouds. “I’d still like to try to take some venison home for the holidays, if the weather holds out. This year’s trip here has been worthless so far.”

  “How about a little poker before bed? Quarter bets,” Nathan coaxed. “Can’t do any hunting now, and besides, it looks like rain’s a-comin’. Or maybe even snow.”

  “No thanks,” Brody said as he took his cup to the sink. “I’m going to hit the sack so we can get up early tomorrow. I brought along my laptop—I’m gonna search the archives of the Gazette for an article I remember reading, about the cemetery and the ghost. It’s worth checking up on so we can figure out what we wanna do tomorrow night. I, for one, would like to pay the old soul a visit and see for myself.” He made a wooing sound and held his hands up like claws.

  Daniel laughed, but Nathan didn’t. “I wouldn’t be so sarcastic about this. I’ve heard about these things and it’s not funny.”

  Brody shrugged. “Okay, we won’t make fun of it. But I still want to research the story, and we can go from there. So good night, you guys.”

  He left the others as Nathan took out a deck of cards and began to shuffle it. In his room, a small nine-by-nine space at the end of the hallway, Brody sat on his bunk and took out his cell phone to call his wife. “Hi, Rose. I wanted to say good night and ask how the dogs were. Cindy wasn’t feeling too good when I talked to you last night.”

  “Hi, honey, I’m glad you called. I was wondering when I’d hear from you. Cindy seems to be okay now. She’s been her normal self all day.”

  “Good. For an old shepherd, she sure has been healthy up to now. But I guess we can expect anything at her age. Anyway, what’s the deal?”

  “I think she just had a little tummy ache,” Rose replied. “How are you boys doing? Did you get anything today?”

  “No, nothing, and the weather’s getting bad. It’ll probably rain tonight. We’re thinking about doing something else tomorrow. Do you remember an article that ran in the Gazette around a year ago, about a ghost in the old cemetery up here who comes out on Halloween?”

  “Yes, I remember that. It said a man went there late at night with a flashlight and had an encounter with a ghost, or so he said. The guy went off his rocker if I recall right.”

  “That’s what I remember also. Me and the guys are talking about paying a visit to the old cemetery tomorrow night.”

  “What?” Rose gasped. “Are you crazy? Why do you boys have to do such foolish things? Wasn’t the trip to the round-up ranch last year enough for you?”

  Brody rolled his eyes. “Now, don’t bring that up again. It was just because we didn’t know the land as much as we should have that we got lost. No one got hurt, and the cattle were all fine.”

  “Yeah, and late for delivery so the rancher had to take less money per head once it was all said and done. When are you guys going to grow up? You’re always off on some stupid adventure.”

  “Hey, I didn’t call you to get into an argument. I only wanted to say good night and ask you about the dog, and the article.”

  “Oh, fine. But I still think you—” She cleared her throat. ”—you men should try doing something more constructive with your time off. Like spending a few days of your vacations with your wives, for a change.”

  “Come on, Rose. We’ll be done here in two more days, and I don’t go back to work until Monday morning. We’ll have the whole weekend together for quality time. Good night, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  He folded his cell phone shut. Then he stripped down to his underwear and slipped under the blankets in his bunk, a foldout bed he’d brought with him. Not very comfortable, but good enough to catch a little shut-eye.

  The night wind outside his window howled eerily as he lay there, remembering the trip to the round-up ranch last year with a little grin on his face. Silly, how they’d missed the turnoff to the west where the trail forked just a few miles from the ranch. They’d ended up alongside a river, racing along at top speed. It had been a real disaster finding their way to the next marked area. It had taken a few days longer than planned, but oh, well. They’d made it back in one piece, and they’d had a great time.

  That trip had been one of many the three of them had taken on their annual vacations. It had started five years ago, when Daniel, who’d been going stir crazy in college, had suggested they venture out into the world to see new places and try some crazy things. Brody closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of adventures out West.

  * * * *

  After Rose hung up from her brief conversation with Brody, she turned to her visiting friend, Nathan’s wife Debra. “The guys are okay, but no luck hunting deer. Now they want to go ghost hunting instead.” She leaned forward to pick up her cup of hot chocolate from the coffee table. “Remember the story about the ghost in the old cemetery? You know … the one about how this creepy dead person comes out of his grave on Halloween?”

  “Yes, that awful story.” Debra shuddered. “His name was Herbert Grezley. I remember because it was spoken of so much at our church when it all happened. Everyone knows it was on the news often enough. Everybody heard about the ghost of Herbert Grezley. Deacon Jones was so adamant over the whole thing and preached to us not to be taken in by strange talk. So what are they going to do there?”

  “Go over to the cemetery tomorrow night and wander around like some big-shot investigators, I suppose. The place has had plenty of weirdo ghost hunters tromping around those graves for the past year, ever since the story came out. Don’t know what they think they’ll find. No one else came up with anything even resembling a ghost.”

  “Oh, let them go.” Debra threw up her hands. “At least they’re out of our hair for a while. I don’t know about you, but I like a little time out from Nathan. At least while he’s gone, I own the remote.”

  Rose snickered. “Aha, Brody’s the same way when it comes to watching television. What is it with men and the remote? It drives me crazy when he goes from one channel to the next ten in a blink of an eye. That’s why I have my own TV in the den. I can go in there and watch something for more than a few seconds.”

  “All kidding aside, I hope they won’t get into trouble again like last year.” Debra set her cup down on the coffee table. “I can just see it now when the cops pull up to the cemetery, catch them roaming around at night, arrest them and haul their sorry butts off to jail. I don’t need to be bailing Nathan out.” She yawned and got up from the sofa. “Well, it’s getting late, and I’m tired. The rummage sale at the church did me in.”

  “It was lovely having you over.” Rose stood as well and gave her friend a sisterly hug. “If you get lonely without Nathan, feel free to drop by again tomorrow.”

  “I’m sure I’ll miss him eventually.” Debra snickered. “But when you hear from them again, let me know. Nathan isn’t one to call me often, not unless he needs something. And there’s no point texting him. He never checks his cell phone, anyway. Sometimes I think he forgets he even owns one.”

  * * * *

  With a crash of thunder, streaks of lightning lit up his room. Brody sat upright, rubbing his eyes with both fists. “Great!” he
muttered as he threw his legs over the side of the cot and stood up. The next clap of thunder shook the whole cabin. He slipped into his jeans and grabbed his shirt on his way out the door, almost running into Nathan, who’d just stepped out from his room.

  “I see the storm woke you, too,” he said as he walked down the hallway next to Brody. “I guess nothing can disturb our young lawyer. He’s probably sound asleep in there.”

  But Daniel’s door opened. “I’m up. Who can sleep with that racket out there? What time is it?”

  “Don’t know,” Brody answered. “Didn’t look at my watch.”

  “It’s five after twelve,” Nathan said as they entered the kitchen.

  “We’re not going to be in any shape to head out early after being disturbed at this hour,” Brody grumbled, but was cut off with another loud bang of thunder. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee!” he yelled over the noise.

  The window over the sink lit up with the lightning stabbing the skies overhead. Brody filled the coffeepot with water and switched on the machine, just as the power went out. “What about a beer instead?” He sighed, then set the pot down on the counter and opened a drawer to retrieve a candle and matches.

  “Good thing we remembered those candles,” Nathan remarked. “Debra was the one who insisted we pack them. She’s a good wife … sometimes.” He chuckled.

  Brody placed a lighted candle in a jar and brought it to the table. “Want a beer, anyone? I’m gonna get me one.”

  “Yeah,” both men replied simultaneously. “I hope this storm don’t last too long,” Nathan added. “I’d like to get some sleep. I’m still bushed from all the exercise this afternoon. I’m not used to it.”