Wilmington, NC 03 - Murder On The Ghost Walk

help. Every instinct told me not to move her for fear I'd cause her to bleed even more than she had. But then I saw she'd stopped bleeding and the blood around the wound was drying. I knew what that meant: her heart wasn't pumping. I dashed out to my car, grabbed my purse from under the front seat, and plunged back into the darkening house. I looked at Mirabelle again to verify my eyes hadn't played tricks on me.
    She hadn't moved. The knife handle protruded between her shoulder blades. Nick couldn't be more than a few blocks away. I pulled out my cell phone and punched in his number. The phone rang twice. "Pick up, pick up!"
    At his crisp "Yost," I cried, "Nick, come back! Mirabelle's been stabbed! I think she's dead."
    "I'll be right there! Get out of that house! Now, Ashley! Wait for me outside."
    I gave Mirabelle one final glance. No one could be that still and not be dead. The house seemed watchful, as if eyes peered from every dark corner. The murderer could be here, hiding behind a row of crates, or inside one of the corner cupboards.
    I ran for the open door, kicking something across the floor that landed with a ping. A key. I picked it up and dropped it in my purse. Then I made tracks.
    In the few minutes I'd been inside, the sun had gone down and dusk was closing in. I waited nervously on the sidewalk, hugging myself and hopping from one foot to the other, trying to warm up. I felt so cold and shaky. Hurry, Nick, hurry! A blue and white Wilmington P.D. cruiser, siren screeching, skidded to a stop in a pile of leaves. Two uniformed officers got out and trotted up to me.
    "You Miss Wilkes?" one asked.
    "Yes."
    "We're supposed to meet Detective Yost here. You found a body?"
    "She's inside. I think she's dead. Somebody stabbed her!"
    "We'll check it out. Got an ambulance on the way."
    "Do you want me to show you where she is?"
    "No, ma'am, you stay right here. Just give us a general idea."
    "Dining room, behind some boxes. On your right through the hall. You can't miss it." They started off. "I mean you can't miss the dining room," I called after them. The dining room, not the body.
    When I turned around, Nick was jumping out of his car. A second cruiser roared up behind it.
    Nick paused long enough to touch my arm. "You OK ?"
    "I think so. Oh, Nick, it was awful. Someone stabbed her."
    He took me by the shoulders. "Ashley, sit down, here in the grass. Put your head between your knees. I'll be right out. Don't leave, Ashley. Do you hear me?"
    "Yes, Nick. I'll wait."
    He called to the second set of officers. "Cover the back."
    Already neighbors were coming out of their houses. The other two officers followed Nick into the house.
    I dropped onto the grass, hugging my purse to my chest. Up and down Orange Street people were gawking. A crowd gathered on the sidewalk. Hadn't there been enough excitement at Campbell House, they were probably asking each other.
    A couple in red baseball caps hurried around the corner and pushed their way to me. Someone sat down beside me. "Ashley, what's going on?" Muffie Warner asked breathlessly.
    I looked into her face. It was hard to focus. "Muffie?"
    "We're here, Ashley. Sherm and me. We live next door, remember? You OK ? Someone said there's been another murder." Her face glistened with greedy excitement.
    I looked up. Sherman was watching me carefully. He carried Muffie's camera. "We were out taking pictures," he explained.
    My voice trembled. "Oh, Muffie, Mirabelle's been stabbed. I think she's dead."
    "And you found her?"
    "Yes. It was awful. She's been murdered, too."
    "Did you . . . did you see anything? The murderer?" She took her camera from Sherman and focused it on the door to the house where police were wandering in and out. But it’s too dark for a good photograph, I thought foolishly.
    "There you are!" a woman cried shrilly.
    I looked up. Street lights had come on, still it was difficult to see.
    Melanie's blurry face leaned over me. "I've been looking all over for you. And calling you for hours." Her voice echoed as if we were in a tunnel.
    I tried to explain I'd had my purse and cell phone locked in my car all afternoon but the effort was just too great. Jon's face appeared over Melanie's shoulder.
    "Why are the police here?" Melanie demanded. "If we hadn't come in a police car ourselves, we'd never have gotten through."
    "A police car?" My head was spinning. Everything seemed to fade in and out. A drone like mad hornets filled my ears. Curious faces stared at me