Кэти Дэйли - The Curse Of Hollister House

“So someone actually built a house on top of peoples’ graves?”

“No, silly.” I playfully swatted at Brady’s shoulder. “The remains of those who’d been buried on the land were moved to another location. Now, back to our fundraiser. I think once you see the interior, you are going to love this place as much as I do.” I leaned forward and really put my weight into dragging this tall man, who had to weigh double what I did, the rest of the way down the walk.

“Okay, wait.” Brady froze at the threshold to the front door. “Are you actually telling me that you want to hold our shelter fundraiser in a house built on land that was previously used to house a cemetery?”

I nodded.

“Are you crazy?”

“Do you want a state of the art training facility?”

“Well, yes.”

“And do you want to have a place to offer permanent housing for elderly and hard to place dogs and cats?”

“You know that I do.”

“And if you were the sort who was willing to pay, say twenty bucks, to walk through a haunted house, would you be more likely to fork over the big bucks to walk through the cafeteria at the high school or a real house that folks already say is haunted?”

Both Brady’s brows shot up. “You think people will pay twenty bucks to walk through a haunted house?”

“I think they will pay twenty bucks to walk through this haunted house.” I took in a long breath, held it, and then exhaled. “Look. I’m not thrilled that the guy who built this house more than a century ago built his home on land that should have been preserved as hallowed ground. And I’m not happy that the remains of those buried on that same plot of land a century before were moved. But things were looked at differently back then and not using this house as a fundraiser isn’t going to undo any of that. It makes no sense to pass on the opportunity to raise the money we need to expand our ability to help homeless pets in the area.”

Brady took a step back. He looked up at the tall structure in front of him. “Are you sure it is safe? As you just pointed out, this house is over a century old, and I know it hasn’t been lived in for decades.”

“I promise you that it will be safe once Tony and his band of elves get done with the place. Mike has even arranged for the county inspector to give it the green light before we begin decorating for the event.”

Mike Thomas was my brother and a local police officer.

“And you think people will actually come from as far away as Billings to see the place?”

“I think droves of people will come out to see the place once Haunted America airs.”

Brady turned and looked at me. “ Haunted America ?”

“TV show. Super popular. I know a guy who knows a guy who made the arrangements.”

Brady froze. When he did not speak or move for more than fifteen seconds, I was afraid I’d shorted out the poor guy’s brain.

“Look,” I continued in my most persuasive voice. “I know this is a little out of the box for a fundraiser, but it is October, and everyone is into the spooky vibe. The plans we discussed for the expansion to the shelter are huge, which means that even with the large donation Tony has already made, we still need a huge fundraiser to afford to do them. A kiddie carnival or pet parade is not going to cut it. We need to go big, and a real haunted house which will be featured on Haunted America just about the same time our haunted house opens is exactly the sort of fundraiser that is going to get us to where we need to be. So what do you think? Are you going to go big or are you going to be the guy who passed up the chance to do something amazing?”

Brady hesitated.

“Come on, Brady. Take a chance. For the animals. For the town.”

“Okay. I’m really not sure about this, but I guess we’re going to go big.” Brady put his hand on the doorknob. He gave it a twist and pushed the door open. I was glad I’d come by and unlocked it earlier or our dramatic moment might have been ruined. He took a step into the entry and froze. His mouth dropped open as he looked around at the large space. “Are you sure it isn’t going to cost more to make this place usable than we are going to make in ticket sales?”

“I’m sure. Do you want to see the second story?”

Seconds after I asked my question, there was a crash overhead.

“Uh, thanks, but I think I’m good.” Brady took a step back toward the still open door. “You’ve never steered me wrong in the past, and I have no reason to think you would steer me wrong now, so I guess I’ll get busy on a press release letting everyone know that the White Eagle Animal Shelter is going to throw one heck of a fundraiser this year.”

Books by Kathi Daley

Come for the murder, stay for the romance

Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

Halloween Hijinks

The Trouble With Turkeys

Christmas Crazy

Cupid’s Curse

Big Bunny Bump-off

Beach Blanket Barbie

Maui Madness

Derby Divas

Haunted Hamlet

Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

Christmas Cozy

Alaskan Alliance

Matrimony Meltdown

Soul Surrender

Heavenly Honeymoon

Hopscotch Homicide

Ghostly Graveyard

Santa Sleuth

Shamrock Shenanigans

Kitten Kaboodle

Costume Catastrophe

Candy Cane Caper

Holiday Hangover

Easter Escapade

Camp Carter

Trick or Treason

Reindeer Roundup

Hippity Hoppity Homicide

Firework Fiasco

Henderson House

Holiday Hostage

Lunacy Lake

Celtic Christmas – December 2019

Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings

Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery:

Pumpkins in Paradise

Snowmen in Paradise

Bikinis in Paradise

Christmas in Paradise

Puppies in Paradise

Halloween in Paradise

Treasure in Paradise

Fireworks in Paradise

Beaches in Paradise

Thanksgiving in Paradise – October 2019

Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

Romeow and Juliet

The Mad Catter

Grimm’s Furry Tail

Much Ado About Felines

Legend of Tabby Hollow

Cat of Christmas Past

A Tale of Two Tabbies

The Great Catsby

Count Catula

The Cat of Christmas Present

A Winter’s Tail

The Taming of the Tabby

Frankencat

The Cat of Christmas Future

Farewell to Felines

A Whisker in Time

The Catsgiving Feast

A Whale of a Tail

The Catnap Before Christmas – November 2019

Writers’ Retreat Mystery:

First Case

Second Look

Third Strike

Fourth Victim

Fifth Night

Sixth Cabin

Seventh Chapter

Eighth Witness

Ninth Grave

Rescue Alaska Mystery:

Finding Justice

Finding Answers

Finding Courage

Finding Christmas

Finding Shelter – Early 2020

A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

The Christmas Letter

The Valentine Mystery

The Mother’s Day Mishap

The Halloween House

The Thanksgiving Trip

The Saint Paddy’s Promise

The Halloween Haunting – September 2019

The Inn at Holiday Bay:

Boxes in the Basement

Letters in the Library

Message in the Mantel

Answers in the Attic

Haunting in the Hallway

Pilgrim in the Parlor – October 2019

Note in the Nutcracker – December 2019

A Cat in the Attic Mystery:

The Curse of Hollister House

The Mystery Before Christmas – November 2019

The Hathaway Sisters:

Harper

Harlow

Hayden – Early 2020

Haunting by the Sea:

Homecoming by the Sea