Haunting Danielle 27 The Ghost and the Mountain Man

by Bobbi Holmes

  Ginny turned to Danielle. “Yes, considering how madly in love he was with the woman.”

  “I think they were just good friends,” Danielle said. “They knew each other since they were children.”

  Ginny reached out and briefly touched Danielle’s wrist and said, “I seriously doubt that. The man named his yacht after the woman. No, he was passionately in love with Eva, everyone knew that, which might have been the downfall of his marriage, if his wife really did plot with her brother to murder him, which you seem to think, by some online articles I’ve read. Yet now, I like to imagine they are finally together.”

  Walt reached out and discreetly took one of Danielle’s hands in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “So why are you guys here?” Kelly interrupted.

  “We heard about the newspapers and were curious to see them,” Danielle said.

  “And I’m still curious. What was your family’s name who settled in Frederickport?” Walt asked Ginny.

  “My maternal grandmother was Franny Becker Sawyer. Her paternal grandfather, Wesley Becker, started the livery stable in Frederickport. The house I inherited from my cousin belonged to our Sawyer grandparents.”

  “Really?” Walt said. “Yes, the Beckers.”

  “You sound like you remember them,” Kelly teased.

  Walt smiled at Kelly. “You forget, I’ve done my own research on the area.”

  Ginny reached out and touched Walt’s arm. “I loved your book, by the way. I heard you have a second one coming out?”

  “My brother helped him get his agent,” Kelly told Ginny.

  “Yes, I’m very grateful for all Ian’s help,” Walt said.

  The next moment the front door of the museum opened, and in walked Joe and Brian.

  “Hey, guys,” Danielle greeted them.

  Kelly rushed to Joe’s side, kissed his cheek, and then took his arm, turning to face Ginny. “I want you to meet my fiancé, Joe Morelli. Joe, this is my friend I have been telling you about, Ginny Thomas. And Ginny, this is Brian Henderson, he’s one of Joe’s friends, and they work together.”

  Ginny stepped forward and shook Joe’s hand and then Brian’s. To Brian she said, “Kelly told me about your harrowing adventure.”

  “It was some adventure.” Brian chuckled, looking warily from Ginny to Kelly.

  “Of course, I heard what they said over the news, but I would love to hear more about it,” Ginny said.

  “Walt here was on the adventure too. You think you might put it in one of your future books, Walt?” Brian teased.

  Walt started to say something, but Kelly immediately cut him off. She began rambling about Brian and Ginny, noting all the things she thought they had in common. Brian abruptly interrupted her and said, “I hope you will excuse me for a minute, but I’ve been trying to get ahold of Walt since yesterday, and now that he’s here, I really need to talk to him about something.” Brian reached out and took hold of Walt’s arm, ushering him outside.

  “Why do I think you made that all up?” Walt said when the two men got outside.

  “What makes you say that?” Brian asked in faux innocence.

  Walt chuckled.

  “I had to get out of there,” Brian grumbled. “Kelly is trying to play matchmaker, and damn Joe is an accomplice. I expect more from him.”

  “Yes, but Joe doesn’t know about you and Heather, does he?” Walt asked.

  Brian looked at Walt a moment and then said, “Heather told me, you know. I can’t believe your cat has been spying on us.”

  Walt laughed. “Since Max only talks to ghosts and me, don’t worry about him spreading it around. I told Heather that Danielle and I promise not to say anything. It’s your business to keep it to yourself or share.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. Heather also mentioned the trigger-happy ghost is in Frederickport and knew your father.”

  “Apparently. That’s why Danielle and I stopped by the museum today. The woman Kelly is trying to hook you up with recently donated back issues of the Frederickport Press to the museum, going back to the first issue. We were hoping to find some clues in the old papers to help us figure out who the ghost is, or what my father might have been involved in back then.”

  “The ghost won’t just tell you who he is?” Brian asked.

  Walt shrugged. “He hasn’t so far. And it’s possible he’s moved on now that he’s finally realized he’s dead.”

  Brian laughed.

  Walt frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “I was trying to imagine myself having this conversation with Joe.”

  Twelve

  Brian and Walt were still standing out front of the museum, talking, when a couple walked up to them and asked if the museum was open. After Brian told them it was, they thanked him and then entered the building. A few minutes later Joe stepped outside.

  “You ready to leave?” Brian asked Joe.

  Joe glanced back to the museum and then looked at Brian. “I guess. Are you finished talking to Walt?”

  “Yeah, I think we’re done.” Brian flashed Walt a smile, said goodbye, and then started toward the car.

  “Later, Walt,” Joe muttered, reluctantly trailing behind Brian.

  When they reached the vehicle, Brian said, “I need to trust the people I work with.”

  Joe frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I’ll humor your girlfriend when she tries to play matchmaker, but I expect more from you,” Brian said as he unlocked the car.

  “I just—” Joe started.

  “Save it. Just please, give me the heads-up next time, would you? I’m too old for this nonsense.”

  “Kelly only wants to help,” Joe said as he got into the car.

  “Who said I needed help in my personal life?”

  Inside the museum, Danielle stood alone in the front lobby with Kelly while Ginny took the couple who had entered minutes before on a tour of the exhibits. Kelly walked to the front door and opened it a few inches, peeking outside. A moment later, she closed the door and returned to Danielle.

  “Terrific, Joe and Brian are leaving,” Kelly grumbled.

  “I assume they have to go back to work,” Danielle said.

  “What I wanted was to introduce Brian to Ginny. They would be perfect together.”

  “Well, you did introduce them,” Danielle reminded her.

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “They barely talked before Walt dragged Brian outside.”

  “Um, it was Brian who asked Walt to go outside,” Danielle reminded her.

  “Whatever…” Kelly shrugged. “No offense, but I wish you guys had come to the museum on another day.”

  Before Danielle could respond, Walt walked back into the museum.

  “Did Brian say anything about Ginny?” Kelly asked Walt.

  “Aside from the fact he wasn’t in the mood for matchmaking?” Walt asked.

  Kelly groaned. “So he knew?”

  “He’s not stupid,” Walt said.

  “I just wanted them to meet, she’s so nice, and Brian’s had such rotten luck with women. He’s totally given up on dating.”

  “Why do you say that?” Danielle asked.

  “Spending Saturday night with Heather? What does that tell you?” Kelly asked.

  Danielle and Walt exchanged quick glances. “Excuse me?” Danielle said.

  Kelly waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t mean anything like that.” She laughed at the idea and then said, “But Joe and I drove by Heather’s yesterday on the way to my brother’s, and I saw Brian in the front window.”

  “You’re certain it was Brian?” Walt asked.

  “Sure, we saw his car. Anyway, my point being, he’s obviously given up on dating. After all, when I asked him to double date with us last night, he insisted he wasn’t interested. Instead, he would rather hang out with Heather. I know it’s because you all had that bonding moment up in the mountains, and he sees her as his new pal. But really, there’s no future in that, and I ca
n’t imagine it thrills Heather, him hanging around,” Kelly said.

  “You accomplished what you set out to do,” Walt said.

  “What do you mean?” Kelly asked.

  “You introduced Brian to your friend,” he explained.

  “Yeah, right. That’s what your wife said,” Kelly grumbled.

  “They have met each other, and if Brian is interested, then it is up to him to make the next move. If you think about it, with matchmaking, all you can really do is introduce the couple. There is nothing you can do beyond that,” Walt said.

  “I suppose you’re right. If it’s meant to be, it will work out,” Kelly said. She glanced at her watch. “Well, I need to get going. Tell Ginny I’ll talk to her later.”

  After Kelly left the museum, Danielle asked Walt, “Do you really believe that? That Brian might be interested and consider pursuing Ginny?”

  Walt shook his head. “Not at all.”

  “I’m just wondering, when did she see Brian’s car parked at Heather’s?” Danielle asked.

  “Brian has been parking in the alley behind her house.”

  “Which means Kelly must have seen Brian in her window and then had Joe drive down the alley,” Danielle suggested.

  “Which means Joe saw Brian’s car parked there too. I wonder what he thinks about it.”

  “I doubt Joe has a clue what’s really going on,” Danielle said.

  “I agree.”

  Danielle glanced toward the exhibit area and said, “While you were outside, Ginny told me she donated some old photographs to the museum that you might be interested in. The exhibit isn’t finished, but they have some photos up. Since we’re already here, want to check them out?”

  Enlargements of vintage black-and-white photographs covered one side of a portable wall in the center walkway of the original exhibit section of the museum. According to the exhibit’s small placard, Ginny Thomas had donated the photographs from her family’s Frederickport collection.

  Ginny stood on the far side of the museum with the couple who had entered while Walt had been outside with Brian. Walt and Danielle stood by the new exhibit, looking over the photographs.

  “I don’t believe it,” Walt muttered, stepping closer to the largest photograph. Danielle moved closer; her attention focused on the people in the picture.

  “That’s your father,” Danielle whispered when she recognized one man in the photograph. Had she not read the dates posted with the display, she might have assumed Walt was the man in the picture. But when taken, Walt had only been three years old, assuming they had the correct date.

  “Yes. That was in front of the livery stable,” Walt said. He pointed to the two men with his father. “The one on the right is Bud. The other one is Teddy.”

  Danielle pulled out her cellphone.

  “What are you doing?” Walt asked.

  “I’m taking a picture of it, of course. That photo of your dad is going in our album.” She snapped several shots. Just as she was putting the phone back in her purse, Ginny walked up to them, while the couple she had been showing around remained at another exhibit on the other side of the room.

  “I was going to suggest you check out that photograph,” Ginny said. “I imagine you noticed the resemblance between one of the men in the picture and your husband.”

  “Yes. By the date, I assume the picture is of Alexander Marlow, Frederick’s son, and Walt Marlow’s father,” Danielle said.

  “It is.” Ginny now stood next to Walt and Danielle, looking up at the photograph. “When I first saw Walt Marlow’s portrait in the museum, it struck me how much he looked like his father in this picture. In fact, I double-checked the dates. At first, I wondered if they had been mislabeled, and it was Walt Marlow.” Ginny paused a moment and smiled at Walt. “The other Walt Marlow.”

  Walt flashed her a grin.

  “But since I knew that was Bud in the photograph, and considering he disappeared a few years later, then I knew he couldn’t have had his photograph taken with an adult Walt Marlow. And I have to say, I still can’t believe how much you look like them. That family resemblance is certainly strong with the Marlows,” Ginny said.

  “What do you mean, he disappeared?” Walt asked.

  Ginny turned from the photograph to face Walt. “The man to the right of Alexander Marlow was Bud Benson, my great-grandmother’s brother. According to the stories passed down in the family, he disappeared back in 1904. Just fell off the face of the earth.”

  “That was the year Alex and Anna Marlow died,” Danielle noted.

  “Yes. Ever since I moved back to Frederickport and started going through my cousin’s things, I’ve been sucked into family history and the history of Frederickport. In fact, that’s why I joined the Historical Society and volunteered to be a docent. I’ve visited Frederickport since I was a little girl. Recently, I read about how Alex Marlow and his wife, Anna, died in a house fire, along with the wife of one of Bud’s other friends. He’s also in that picture.” Ginny turned back to the photograph and pointed to Teddy’s picture.

  “His name was Ted Newsome. Actually, I suppose he’s sort of a shirttail relative. It was his house that burned down. So tragic, poor little Walt Marlow was just five when it happened. Left orphaned,” Ginny said.

  “What do you mean, a shirttail relative?” Walt asked.

  “I learned all this when working on our family tree and going through these old photos. My great-great-grandfather founded the livery stable in Frederickport back in 1871,” Ginny explained.

  “A year after Frederick Marlow founded the town,” Danielle noted. “And the same year he built Marlow House.”

  “Yes.” Ginny nodded. “I’m still working on the Becker family line, but I’m fairly certain August Becker Senior and his wife, that’s my great-great-grandfather’s parents, had ten children. Only two of them settled in Frederickport. One was my ancestor who started the livery here, Wesley Senior, and another was his brother, August Becker Junior.”

  “August Becker?” Walt muttered.

  “You’ve heard that name?” Ginny asked.

  “It sounds familiar,” Walt said.

  “From what I’ve learned, he was, like, twenty years older than his brother, Wesley. When August was a young man, he was the first in his family to head west, landed in California during the gold rush. In fact, that’s what brought him there. It’s where he made his fortune, and eventually he left California and settled in Frederickport. He and his wife had no children. His wife’s sister settled in Frederickport with her husband. He worked for the Marlow Shipping line, and they had one son. That’s the other man in the photograph, Ted Newsome.”

  “I see what you mean by shirttail relative,” Danielle muttered as she looked at the photograph.

  “Oh, and something interesting about August Becker’s wife,” Ginny said. “From what I learned, she was into the temperance movement. In fact, she might have been involved in what’s known as the Temperance War of 1874. But I’m still researching that.”

  “Temperance War?” Danielle frowned.

  “Really more of a riot, in Portland, from what I understand,” Ginny said.

  “You also mentioned the other man in the photo disappeared,” Walt said. “Do you know when?”

  Ginny smiled at Walt. “I’m surprised you’re so curious about him. I would think you’d be more interested in learning about Alex Marlow.”

  “It just sounded intriguing,” Walt said.

  “It’s that writer in you. Always looking for a new story, I bet.” Ginny said. She looked back at the photograph. “He went missing in 1904. According to family lore, he was an adventurer. A dreamer. He couldn’t seem to settle down in a job. His sister tried to get him to work at the livery, but of course, that was not exciting enough—according to the stories told.” Ginny nodded at the photograph. “Those three were close friends. Alex Marlow worked for his father, and Ted worked for the Marlow line too, like his father. That was until he married into money. A
nd according to the stories, he quit and tried one failed business venture after another—even after his wife became ill and disabled.”

  When Ginny noticed the couple she had been helping look her way, she excused herself and left Walt and Danielle alone at the exhibit.

  “Did you hear what she said?” Walt asked Danielle when Ginny was out of earshot. “Bud went missing in 1904.”

  “The same year your parents died.”

  Thirteen

  Still standing next to Walt, looking at the photograph, Danielle said, “I wonder what happened to Bud. Going missing sounds so ominous.”

  “And the same year my parents died,” Walt added.

  “Although it doesn’t mean it was ominous. It’s possible he moved and was lousy at keeping in touch with family.”

  “That’s true; they didn’t have your Facebook,” Walt teased.

  Danielle turned to Walt. “When Ginny mentioned that August guy, the one whose wife was involved with the temperance movement, you sounded like you recognized him.”

  “I did. But I never knew he was Ted’s uncle,” Walt said.

  “Did you know him well?” Danielle asked.

  “No. But I knew who he was,” Walt said. “And that he had money, but I wasn’t aware of where it came from. And I will confess, I’m having a problem imagining it’s true.”

  “Why?”

  Walt shrugged. “I can’t envision him as someone who left the convenience of the city to prospect for gold. That was a rugged way of life. But I suppose he was much younger then. When I knew him—although I never actually knew him—he didn’t seem like someone who would be comfortable camping. Plus, his wife was not the only one in the temperance movement; they both were. My grandfather couldn’t stand the man.”

  “Why? Because they supported the movement? I remember you weren’t too keen on it yourself.”

  Walt chuckled. “True. Yet that wasn’t the only reason my grandfather disliked the man. Zealous piety irritated Grandfather.”

  Danielle arched her brows. “Piety? And zealous at that?”

  “Yes. August Becker considered himself quite the man of God. The rest of us were going straight to hell. As I recall, Becker even had issues with the minister of his church. Supposedly, he once called the man a heathen.” Walt chuckled.