The Mystery of Hollow Inn

  The Mystery of Hollow Inn

  Samantha Wolf Mysteries Book #1

  TARA ELLIS

  ISBN: 1494441020

  ISBN-13: 978-1494441029

  The Mystery of Hollow Inn

  Copyright © 2013 Tara Ellis

  3nd Edition October 2015

  Cover Design© Melchelle Designs

  http://melchelledesigns.com/

  Cover Models: Breanna Dahl and Janae Dahl

  Photographer: Tara Ellis Photography

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  The is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.

  To all of the wonderful stories I read as a child that inspired me to create my own, mystery-filled world

  The Samantha Wolf Mysteries

  1 The Mystery of Hollow Inn

  2 The Secret of Camp Whispering Pines

  3 The Beach House Mystery

  4 The Heiress of Covington Ranch

  Find these titles at Tara’s author page!

  www.amazon.com/author/taraellis

  CONTENTS

  The Samantha Wolf Mysteries

  CONTENTS

  1 HOLLOW INN

  2 THE LEGEND

  3 VOICES FROM THE PAST

  4 A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

  5 SECRETS

  6 FLORENCE LAKE

  7 THE JOURNAL

  8 A POEM

  9 CABIN IN THE WOODS

  10 CLUES

  11 A CONFESSION

  12 GOLD MINE

  13 DISCOVERY

  14 NARROW ESCAPE

  15 THE INHERITANCE

  16 GOING HOME

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  1

  HOLLOW INN

  Sam and Ally step from the bus into the hot summer day and look at the surrounding countryside. “The Rocky Mountains are even bigger than I remember,” Sam observes, gazing at the Montana hills with her pale green eyes. The tall twelve-year-old pulls her brown, shoulder length hair back from her round face.

  The last time her parents had brought her to Montana was years ago for a family reunion, but that was at a lake miles from here. She’s never been this deep in the mountains, or in this part of the state.

  She turns to her best friend Ally, who’s setting their luggage near a bench in front of the small bus depot. Sam is excited to have her along. They’ve been planning their trip for the past three months. It took a lot of begging, pleading, and promises, but eventually their parents had said yes.

  “The scenery is the only good thing I can say about the bus ride,” Ally answers. “I can’t wait until we get to the inn.” Running her fingers through her short, unruly red hair, she stretches dramatically before flattening the wrinkles in her shirt. The spunky pre-teen stands a couple of inches shorter than Sam. The freckles that run across the bridge of her nose, combined with her blue eyes, give away her Irish heritage.

  Pulling a phone out of her back pocket, Ally turns in circles, holding it up to the sky. “One bar,” she announces with disdain. Typing furiously, she quickly sends out messages to her parents and friends, as if the end of the world were looming. They had been warned about the lack of cell and computer service out here.

  Sam smiles at her friend, remembering how Ally had been so eager to make the ten hour trek just this morning. “Oh, don’t complain. There are worse things than not having your phone and the trip really wasn’t that bad. But I think that a long swim in the lake Aunt Beth told me about sounds wonderful right now!” The heat of the day is starting to fade, but it’s still warm enough to cause sweat to bead at the base of her neck.

  “Excuse me.”

  Sam turns quickly to face a handsome young man of about seventeen. He’s wearing a dark tank top over bared muscular shoulders, and thick blonde hair outlines his lean features.

  “Yes?” she asks uncertainly.

  “You must be Samantha Wolf and Alyson Parker?” Cringing at their formal names, the two girls nod simultaneously and he flashes a warm smile. “Hi, my name is Ted Baker,” he says, as he turns and begins gathering up their bags.

  Sam steps out of his way and notices the Hollow Inn logo on the front of his shirt. “Nice to meet you, Ted,” she says politely. “Please just call us Sam and Ally. Everybody does.”

  “Sure,” he agrees, walking around them. “Your Aunt Beth really wanted to come herself, but there was a little problem at the inn this afternoon.”

  “What kind of problem?” Sam asks. “Is everything okay?”

  Ignoring the question, Ted places their bags into the back of an old station wagon idling nearby and opens the rear doors for them. Ally climbs into the air-conditioned vehicle eagerly, but Sam hesitates. She’s tempted to call her aunt and confirm the change in plans. Unfortunately, her number is scribbled in a notebook that is packed away in the back of the car and she doesn’t want to make Ted feel uncomfortable. Her phone might not even work.

  “Hey Ted! How are things at the inn? I heard about the…mishap.”

  Spinning around, Sam discovers that the voice belongs to an older man that runs the depot. He had greeted the bus driver and welcomed everyone when they arrived. Any question about Ted’s intentions evaporates, but the comment seems ominous.

  “It’s just fine, Mr. Harrison. We’ve got to run. Have a good evening.”

  The dismissal is clear, but Mr. Harrison lingers, meeting Sam’s gaze.

  “Come on Sam, your aunt and uncle are waiting,” Ted insists.

  Breaking away from the steady gaze of Mr. Harrison, Sam is rewarded by another charming smile from Ted. Settling into the back seat next to Ally, she isn’t convinced of the sincerity behind it. “So what happened?” she presses, looking at his reflection in the rear view mirror.

  “Oh, it’s nothing serious, but I’d better let Mrs. Clark explain it to you herself.”

  The two girls exchange a look as they fasten their seat belts, but refrain from asking more questions about it. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to tell them.

  “So what’s your job at the inn, Ted?” Ally inquires as the car pulls away from the depot. The change of topic seems to make him relax and he leans back in his seat.

  “I take care of all the odd jobs around the resort,” he answers pleasantly. “I guess you could call me the handyman if you wanted to give me a title.”

  “How many people are working there now?” Sam asks. “I didn’t think my aunt and uncle had hired the full staff yet.”

  “No, you’re right, they haven’t. There are plenty of people available for the jobs around here, but unfortunately a lot of the folks in these hills tend to be superstitious. We’ve talked enough about jobs, though. I hear you’re from the west coast. What’s it like?”

  “Yeah, we’re from Washington State,” Sam confirms, noting his reluctance to talk about the inn once again. “We live in a really small, quiet town near the ocean. During the summer it’s full of tourists and the traffic is a mess. When Aunt Beth invited us here for a visit, we just jumped at the chance. I’ve only seen pictures of the house, but it looks like a mansion!”

  “It is a mansion, actually,” Ted explains. “A very old one. It was built over a hundred years ago. The Hollows have always owned it. It’s only been since your Uncle Bill bought the place two years ago that it’s been used as an inn.” It’s obvious Ted knows a lot of the local history and enjoys explaining it. “I don’t mean to sound negative,” he continues. “But I’m no
t so sure that it will work out for them.”

  “Why do you say that?” Ally asks. They turn onto a narrow country road and head up into the woods, leaving the small town behind.

  “Because…” he trails off, glancing up into the rear view mirror and then looking quickly away. He seems to come to a decision. “Because of the Hollow Legend,” he states matter-of-factly.

  Sam leans forward from the back seat eagerly. “Ooh, a legend? Is that what you meant by people being superstitious?” Sam is nearly bouncing in the seat with anticipation, and forces herself to be still. Ted is like a timid rabbit. She can tell it won’t take much to scare him away from the topic.

  “Yeah, that’s what fuels all the stories. I guess I just assumed that your aunt had already told you about it. Everyone around here knows the story. But I’ve already said too much, Sam. She must not have wanted to worry you about it. Please don’t let her know I told you. I haven’t had this job for too long and I would hate to mess it up. I need it for the whole summer.”

  “Don’t worry, Ted,” Sam says quickly, feeling a little guilty now. It really seems like he respects her aunt and uncle. “Aunt Beth isn’t like that. I’m sure that the only reason she hasn’t told me about it is because she doesn’t believe it. If she thought it was important, she would have said something. She and Uncle Bill are so excited about this place, it would take a lot more than a silly legend to make them worry.”

  The paved road gives way to loose gravel and Ted slows the car slightly. Rolling down the window, he produces a bag of sunflower seeds from the glove compartment and turns to face the girls. “Want some?” When Sam and Ally both shake their heads, he shrugs and tosses a handful in his mouth.

  The air blowing in through the open window is surprisingly cool. Sam rolls down her own window, breathing in the fresh air tinged with the smell of warm cedar. Pulling some stray hairs across her forehead, she gazes happily at the beautiful scenery rushing past. These woods are different than the ones back home. The trees are bigger and the forest appears denser. Instead of moss hanging off the branches, sweet smelling pine needles cover the dry ground.

  Sighing, she leans contently against the door. It’s great to be out of school. She hasn’t seen her aunt and uncle in almost three years and has been dreaming about this adventure for weeks. Some of her friends don’t understand how she can be excited about spending so much time away from her computer and instant messaging. To be honest, her parents only allowed her to have a smart phone since her twelfth birthday, six months ago, and she finds all the drama associated with it stressful.

  Ally seems to thrive in the whole social media thing, but Sam often finds herself wishing she could just shut it off, without the fear of everyone thinking she’s weird. She can’t think of a better vacation than being tucked away deep in the woods without any pressure to text everyone all the time. Now, to top it all off, there’s even a legend! Grinning, she turns to Ally and finds her friend frowning at her phone.

  “It’s gone,” Ally says pathetically. “There’s NO signal at all, Sam! OMG, I don’t know if I can do this.”

  For a moment, Sam thinks she actually sees tears threatening in her friend’s eyes, but then Ally tosses the phone on the seat and crosses her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t need it, Sam. I don’t care. Chelsie was like, being all stupid anyways. And then Crystal was all agreeing with her and Matt was even posting snaps of their conversation! Can you believe that? He got like, twenty likes in five minutes and tagged me in it!”

  Sam silently studies her friend, trying to decide if she is joking or not. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Ted is methodically eating his sunflower seeds, but Sam suspects he is listening carefully to their ridiculous conversation.

  Ally then turns to Sam with a flourish and stares back at her for a full minute before they both start laughing.

  “Maybe Ted can drive us into town tomorrow so you can intervene and prevent the world from falling apart,” Sam suggests.

  They both laugh even harder.

  “No, I think I’ll go along with the whole ‘I didn’t have a choice’ option instead and go hide at your aunt’s inn. Even if there is some big mystery we aren’t allowed to talk about and a spooky legend!” Ally directs the last part to Ted, and when he looks at her, she smiles expectantly.

  Ted turns back to the road and drives in silence for a few minutes.

  “Oh come on, Ted,” Sam pleads. “I won’t tell Aunt Beth. Don’t you think we should know about it if we’re going to be staying there?”

  “In these woods,” he says solemnly, gesturing at the trees surrounding them, “the Hollow Legend is more than just superstition.” He glances in the rear view mirror to gaze at the girl seated behind him. The serious look on her face reminds him of the woman who gave him this summer job.

  Leaning towards Ally, Sam speaks to her softly. “Aunt Beth did seem distracted this morning when I called her from home before we left. She isn’t the sort of person to tell people her problems, but I could tell by her voice that something was wrong. I think Ted knows what it is.” She thinks of the old mansion, set deep in the woods. A quiver of anticipation crawls down her spine.

  “I guess I might as well tell you that it’s the legend that keeps people from working for your uncle.” Ted continues, unaware of the whispered conversation between the two girls. “Now, after the…uh, accidents, the stories are starting to turn customers away from Hollow Inn, too.”

  “Well now you have to tell us what the legend is,” Ally complains.

  “Then you can’t let on that you know about it,” he says, switching on the headlights to push back the gathering darkness. When both Sam and Ally nod eagerly, he clears his throat and the girls settle back in anticipation of the story to come.

  2

  THE LEGEND

  “Okay, so generations ago a gold miner built a mansion for his beautiful bride-to-be,” Ted begins. “He thought she should have only the best. His name was Shawn Hollow. The inn was named after him.” He pauses long enough to point out a lake far down in a valley below them. The setting sun reflects off the water and rests on the outstretched limbs of the trees lining the shore.

  “That’s Florence Lake,” Ted explains. “Old Shawn named it after his wife. The inn is on the far end, up that side of the mountain. You can see the lake from there. You’ll find that a lot of the landmarks on the Hollow Estate are named after family members, especially their children. Well, all except for their youngest son. Nothing is named for him. There were four boys, altogether.”

  A question hangs between Sam and Ally. Why had the youngest boy been left out? They soon had the answer.

  “Joseph Hollow,” Ted announces like a carnival barker. “That’s whose ghost is supposedly haunting Hollow Inn, and-”

  “A ghost!” Sam interrupts. “You can’t be serious!”

  “There are no such things as ghosts,” Ally declares, looking to Sam for confirmation, while nervously biting at her fingernails.

  “I know. It sounds crazy.” Ted throws the empty sunflower seed wrapper onto the passenger seat. “I thought the same thing when I came to work here. But not anymore.”

  Sam waits for a punch line, but none is offered. She laughs half-heartedly at the suggestion that Ted might actually believe a ghost roams the halls of Hollow Inn. “And now what do you think?” she jeers.

  “Well, I don’t really believe in all of the haunting that’s supposedly happening, but there are some strange things going on,” Ted points out. “For instance, sounds that seem to be coming from the walls bother people during the night. A lady who was staying there claimed she was awakened by someone calling her name. When she looked around the room and saw the window open, she thought maybe she’d just heard the wind. But the same thing happened the next night. Only that time, she swore she saw a dark figure looming over her in the moonlight. Needless to say, she left the next morning. Stories like that spread like wildfire around here.”

  �€
œHow do you know that she really saw anything?” Sam asks. “She probably heard the rumors too, and let her imagination get the better of her.”

  “Maybe,” Ted agrees. “But the strange thing is that the room she stayed in was the late Joseph Hollow’s bedroom. You can laugh, but I’ve heard some weird things around the place myself. It’s not just the sounds, though. The real reason your aunt couldn’t come get you, Sam, is because of the vandalism.”

  “What!” Sam exclaims.

  “Yeah, it’s really hurt business. The whispers of a ghost might actually lure some customers in, but the other stuff is definitely running them off. It’s senseless stuff. Bushes are cut or pulled up, windows broken, tires on guest cars are slashed and their belongings are disturbed. Nothing too serious, but enough to keep the rumors flying and make people afraid to stay at the inn. I didn’t want to talk about it in front of Mr. Harrison. Your aunt asked me not to say anything to you, either. She doesn’t want to scare you.”

  “Well, I think it does sound pretty spooky,” Ally says quietly. The idea of ghosts doesn’t do anything to brighten her outlook on their trip, especially since she can’t even call for help. Reaching instinctively for her phone, she looks at Sam, and then at the suddenly threatening woods, before sitting back farther in the seat. Pressing her lips together, Ally shoves the unusable phone deep into her pocket.

  Sam pats her friend on the shoulder and tries to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m not going to worry about it, Ally. This all seems like a common story for an old house. As for the vandalism, it’s probably the local kids trying to scare people. I hope something is done about it soon, though. I couldn’t stand to see Aunt Beth and Uncle Bill lose everything they’ve put into fixing up the old place.”