The Haunting of Lockwood Estates | Nancy Drew x Supernatural Crossover 01

Chapter 8 - Nancy

Dot hurriedly mops up the coffee spill and delivers someone else an order of steak fries, looking happy to leave the conversation.

"You heard wrong," Diner Woman states, "It was the opposite. Maid killed owner, owner haunts maid until her dying day."

"No I did not hear it wrong, Layla," Bernie declares, angrily slurping coffee. "My facts are as straight as my spine after I went to the chiropractor last week!"

'Straight as my spine after I went to the chiropractor.' That's a fun one I'll have to remember.

Their voices rise high enough that we have garnered attention from most of the restaurant. Even one of the chefs pokes her head out of the window with a disgusted look on her face. "You two are both wrong. Sherman killed Caroline, and then himself because they were in a relationship and Caroline threatened to tell the missus."

"What kind of crackpot story are you selling?" Layla exclaims. "That is not what happened!"

"Well, then explain how they both died the same day, hm?"

Layla splutters a moment before shamefully returning to her chicken-fried steak.

The chef points at me with a spatula and winks. "That's the official legend, since you seemed to have wanted to know. May have gotten more than you bargained for though, hm?"

I give a little laugh. "Thank you."

Bernie nods at me. "Caroline Walker's ghost haunts the grounds and gets revenge on those who seek to further humiliate her. That's how all those deaths have happened."

"Or Sherman's ghost," Layla mutters darkly, taking a sip of her tea.

"Sherman's the owner of the manor?" I check.

"He was," Bernie says, "Like two hundred years ago."

"Caroline What's-her-face was the maid," Layla adds. "One of them, at least."

"'Walker,'" Bernie corrects.

"Is there somewhere I can find out more about this legend?" I ask, pulling out my notebook, "It's... for school."

"If you're that interested, you might go to the local museum," Bernie suggests. "It's on Front Street."

"Front Street, huh?"

"That's right."

Dot sets my platter of fish and chips in front of me. "An author also recently came into town," she says lightly, "He's writing a book on the estate. He might know more too."

"Where can I find him?"

She pauses, and pulls out her notebook and scribbles down a number. "He came in about a month ago and annoyed us all to hell. Been planning out the book for a while but needed to be in town to gather more 'knowledge' or 'evidence' or what-have-you." She slides the paper over to me, labeled with the name "Edward Velasquez." "Give him a call."

"Thank you, I will." I smile up at her.

A month ago, huh?

Layla huffs. "You ask me, he's the reason the ghost is killin' again," she mutters darkly.

"Why is that?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"Ask him why," she says, smacking cash on the table and getting up. "If he's got any spine left in him, he'll tell ya." She cocks an eyebrow before striding out of the diner.

I watch her for a few seconds, then turn back to my meal. Bernie and Dot are now determinedly avoiding my gaze.

The conversation has clearly run its course, so I pocket the number and pick up my fork.