If you’ve ever wanted to write a mystery, here’s your chance. Put on your deerstalker and use today’s photo prompt to write a mystery with me part 4. Read the latest additions below and then add your inspiration in the comments. To read last week’s installment, click here. Now I’m adding the next part of the story. Anyone can contribute. By the end of the month, we’ll have a mystery!

His face had a desperate, pleading look, and his hair stuck out like it hadn’t been washed in all these weeks that he’d supposedly been dead. The distant voice called again, with an urgent tone. “Jer, get over here! The plane will be here soon.”

Jer tugged my arm and quickly led me down the wrought-iron steps. He motioned with his free hand for me to keep my steps quiet. We hurried down three flights into a cold, drafty room. A mouse scurried along the far wall, and the hairs on my arms stood up. “What’s going on?” I whispered. Jer flipped off the light switch on the wall. Like most girls from here, I’d once had a crush on Jer, but now I was completely freaked out and could only hope that he wasn’t the one going crazy.

“Quick. There’s a tunnel in the corner. Please. Help me escape!” He said in a hushed tone. 

“Everybody thinks you’re dead. Where are you going?” I shivered in the dark, again hearing the urgent voice upstairs.

Jer gently but quickly pulled my arm, apparently toward the tunnel. He whispered, “The coroner. He set it up. Says flying us out of the country is the only way to live again. New identities, new location. But I don’t want to go. Not like that. People need to know the truth. He’s gonna hurt more people. I have to get out and warn them.” 

My toes bumped into the brick wall and I choked down a scream. Jer released my arm and sayid he’d find the hatch to the tunnel. I listened to noisy footsteps clamoring down the stairs, my heart rate picking up again. “Why’s the coroner faking your death?”

“Cuz he knows that I know about his side job in the drug circle. He needs me dead. And now I think he brainwashed Dad. And just so you know, the coroner knows you’re onto him too. Said he’s seen you and your camera snooping around and you’re next on his list. Heard him with my own ears. Got it!” Next to my shoulder, I felt Jer move and I heard a rusty squeak sound, like an old door creaking open. The steps on the wrought-iron stairs got louder and closer. Faster. Jer says, “It’ll be a long crawl, but we gotta go. It’s the only way.” 

He tugged me toward the sound of the squeaky door and as I ducked down, light filled the room. 

Mr. Dunham’s voice, with the same energy he always announced football games, shouted, “Jer! Who- What’s going on? Doc! You better get down here!”

Jer slammed the door shut and the darkness swallowed us.

“Get on your knees,” he said.

“Wait a minute. You have to lock the door or block it or something or they’ll just come after us.”

“I-I don’t know if it locks from this side.”

Brilliant. We couldn’t die in this hole.

“Stand behind the door.” I flattened against the opposite wall. “Your dad’ll see me first. When he opens it, smash him.”

“You want me to attack my dad?”

“Or you can watch him murder me.” It came out as a scream. “You’re bigger. You have to.”

The rusty door squealed open, and Mr. Dunham stood in the frame, shining his light in my face. “I know you, don’t–“

I grabbed Mr.Dunham’s wrist, and Jer threw his weight against the door, slamming his father between the metal door and the frame.

As Mr. Dunham sank to the ground, I snatched up his light and listened.

“Where are you?” a voice called. “Where’s Jer?”

I whispered, “We can go know, but we can’t close the door and risk alerting Dr. Teak.”

“And leave my dad?”

I clenched my teeth. “Then I’m going. Where does this lead?’

“Under the road and into the woods somewhere.”

I stooped into the low tunnel and in a second, Jer followed me.

The crawl wasn’t as long as Jer said or my adrenaline gave me speed. The end of the tunnel was blocked by a mass of bushes that I shoved myself through, the tiny branches tearing at my leggings.

As we clambered to our feet, with no sound of anyone behind us, I said, “Do you know exactly where we are?”

The woods were dark, the sunset only a red trace along the hills.

“I only know we’re across the road from the factory.”

“Then I think I know where we are.” I broke into a run. “We can’t go back to my car. But we can head to the Haunted Hollows. It can’t be far. There’ll be a ton of people since it’s Halloween, and someone should be working security.”

Something crashed into bushes behind us.

We sprinted into the night.