Griffith Tavern (Taryn's Camera Book 2) Read online

  There actually was a Griffith Tavern. It was located between Georgetown and Cynthiana in Kentucky. I saw it in person several times. By the time I discovered it, it was in poor condition. Unfortunately, it has since been torn down. I do not know its story. I simply borrowed its name and some details of its exterior (I was never inside).

  Stage coach inns, of course, are real. I did extensive research on them before writing the story. Many contained both taverns and inns which is what I made Griffith Tavern out to be.

  The inspiration for the actual story came from two places. When I was a child my mom and I drove to Indianapolis to visit family one Christmas. It was cold and snowy and we got down to a snail’s pace on the interstate. Bored, and a little scared of the bad weather, I asked my mom to tell me a story. I liked it when she made one up on the spot. From the interstate we could see several farmhouses off in the distance. They all had their lights on and looked inviting. So, my mom started making up this story about us getting stranded on the interstate, walking to one of the farmhouses, and seeking shelter. The story took a turn in a different direction when our new hosts poisoned our hot chocolate and locked us in a bedroom. Next door, we could hear people scratching on the walls. They were also locked in their room.

  That was the seed for the main part of this story. However, a second story kind of finished it out. While doing research on Haunted Estill County several people told me about a woman who used to take in oil workers as boarders. She apparently killed some of her boarders and threw their bodies in a sinkhole. Later, another person told me that wasn’t the real story, that the woman had an affair with a slave and when her husband came back and found a mixed racial child HE turned and killed the man and the woman. Still, the sinkhole story stayed with me.

  Special Thanks

  Of course, I have to thank my mother for this story. Without her input it wouldn’t have been possible. I’d also like to thank Tammy Rose for telling me the first story about the boarding house woman and the sinkhole.

  There were many people along the way who offered a lot of encouragement. Steve Young of Pickers Paradise in Irvine, Kentucky and his wife Connie are not only some of the nicest people I’ve met but are also extremely supportive. They’ve held a book signing for me and continue to keep my books in stock.

  I received lots of support online in the writing of this story. Some of those folks include: Carrie Shields, Lauren McCord, Mandy Reichert, Cheryl McHauer, Tori VG, Carla Tenorio, and Rebecca Powell.

  Special thanks also go out to Anne and Fletcher Gabbard. Without them and their hospitality, I couldn’t have finished this book.

  As always, I have to thank Ashley Kirk and the late Jim. There’s nothing the three of us liked doing better than driving around and finding old houses to explore. One of my fondest memories is of being pregnant with my first child and Jim and I trying to figure out if we could hoist me in through a window of an abandoned mansion without hurting anything.

  Sneak Peek at Dark Hollow Road: Book 3 in Taryn’s Camera

  Prologue

  As the radio blared George Strait’s “Check Yes Or No” Cheyenne stood in front of the full-length mirror, gazing at herself as she adjusted her tank top and shorts. She was glad she’d used the self-tanner from Bath & Body Works, even if it did make her a little orange. Orange was better than white. She needed to get to the tanning bed, and soon. She’d already straightened her hair and now it hung down to her waist in a long sheet of molasses, not like the frizzy mess it usually was. Her eyes, encircled with liner and dazzling with glitter eye shadow from Maybelline, stood out from her pale face. Still watching herself, she sat down on the laminate bedroom floor amidst the rejected piles of clothes and tugged on her red leather cowboy boots, a Christmas present from last year. She continue to hum with the radio as the song changed from George to Jason Aldean.

  School was out–for good, too. With graduation being three days ago this would be her first official weekend as a free woman. Sure, college was starting in the fall but that was months away. She had the whole summer to hang out, enjoy herself, not have to listen to anyone’s rules. She didn’t even have to go to college in the fall if she wanted; she could take some time off and just earn herself some money. She’d thought about that.

  But tonight…tonight was what mattered.

  There were three hundred people in Cheyenne’s high school and every one of them would be at Chris Hinkle’s party. Or, at least, everyone who mattered. Like Evan. Nobody cared what they did out on that farm. Some of the kids were even talking about skinny dipping, even though the creek would be freezing. Then there was the booze. She had free clearance to stay out all night, if she wanted to. She didn’t even have that at prom. But she was an adult now. Today was her birthday and eighteen couldn’t have fallen at a better time.

  A gaggle of giggles echoed down the hall and soon the bedroom door was filled with a handful of teenage girls, each one prettier and younger than the other. “Have you seen my straightener?” Krissy, a leggy redhead, demanded with a pout.

  “It’s in the bathroom,” Cheyenne said absently. She stood up, turned around, and looked at her backside in the mirror again. It was important to make sure you looked good from all angles. She was almost ready. Being May, it was still a little too cool for her top so she grabbed a jacket, just in case. Her blood was pumping, the anticipation of the night almost more than she could take.

  In just about half an hour she’d be sipping on a Bud, dancing around the bonfire, talking to Evan. In just about half an hour she’d be starting her brand new life.

  And, by the end of the night, she’d be dead.

  About the Author

  Rebecca Patrick-Howard is the author of several books including the first book in her paranormal mystery trilogy Windwood Farm. She lives in eastern Kentucky with her husband and two children.

  Rebecca’s other books include:

  Windwood Farm (Book 1 in Taryn’s Camera)

  Dark Hollow Road (Book 2 in Taryn’s Camera)

  Four Months of Terror

  A Summer of Fear

  Haunted Estill County

  More Tales from Haunted Estill County

  Coping with Grief: The Anti-Guide to Infant Loss

  Visit her website at www.rebeccaphoward.net to sign up for her newsletter to receive free books, special offers, and news.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20