Ruth released a low whistle. “That is strange. Very creepy. I knew that place smelled evil.”
I scowled at her as if to say,Not in front of Hodges.Then I gave Mr. Hodges a big smile. “All of that is very interesting. You’ve lived in this town a long time, haven’t you?”
“I certainly have. Owned Blustery Books for twenty years.”
“Do you know anything else about the house?”
Alice pressed herself against the counter. “Anything you can tell us would be very helpful.”
“I do remember when the place was a B and B. I also remember when the owners left. A lot of gossip circulated. Some folks thought it was aRear Windowsituation, where the husband had killed his wife and ran off. But I tell you, I met that Mrs. Hudson, and what I can say about her is there’s no way that woman would’ve let a man kill her. She was fierce—fierce as they come. If anything was going to happen to one of them, it would’ve been Mr. Hudson.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Hodges, I’ve never heard you speak like that.”
His gaze dropped to the book. His lips puckered, and a tune whistled from his lips for a moment. “Well, Alice, I guess you’ve never asked me what I think about town gossip. There are a lot of things that’ve happened in this place. A lot of ghosts. A lot of history that made those spirits. Not all of it can be good.”
Alice slowly nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Does the name Molly Menzel mean anything to you?”
Hodges’s gaze shifted back to me. “Molly Menzel.” He chewed on the words. “Molly Menzel. Something familiar about it, but I can’t pinpoint what.”
“Oh, that’s the name of the woman they found,” Alice said mysteriously. “The spirit told Blissful.”
I rolled my eyes. I mean, really. Could Alice make me look a bigger idiot in front of Mr. Hodges?
Wait. Don’t answer that question.
“Is there anything else you can think of?” I kicked my toe gently against the counter wall as I sorted through all the details the book had given. “Does the book have anything else?”
“It lists a few more names and when they vanished from the home, but most of those occurrences were due to economic shifts. So it may simply have been that people weren’t able to afford it, so they simply abandoned it.”
“Something’s off about that place,” Ruth mused.
Hodges smiled. “I’ll make a copy of the page.”
I pulled my wallet from my coat. “Don’t bother. I’ll buy it. It might help in other cases.”
Hodges rang me up and bagged my purchase. “Here you go—The Haunted History of Haunted Hollow, Alabama.”
“Thank you.”
Hodges wagged a finger at me. “There’s one more thing.”
I hooked the bag on my wrist. “What’s that?”
He grabbed a pen from his shirt pocket and a business card. He jotted something down and slid it over the glossy counter to me. “If you need help sorting out the details, there’s one man I know who can help.”
I took the card. “What do you mean?”
“If you have other questions about the house and have run into a few hiccups or dead ends, he might be able to assist. He’s a private investigator.”
I frowned. “Why would I need him?”
Hodges motioned to Ruth and Alice. “From what they’re saying, you’ve got quite a bit on your hands. This man’s talents are a bit…unusual. If you need him, give him a call.”
“What do you mean by unusual?”
“You would just have to see.” Amusement sparked in Hodges’s eyes. I was about to ask him more when another customer entered and needed help finding a certain book.
