by Bobbi Holmes
“Hi, Chief,” Danielle said when he reached their side. “Where are the boys?”
“Inside checking out the house. But I have a feeling they’ll be out here in a minute.” He exchanged a quick handshake and greeting with Walt and then said, “But I wanted to tell you both, I talked to the coroner this afternoon and asked him when we might get the final results back on Birdie’s autopsy. He said next week, but unofficially he told me she did have a medical issue that could have definitely affected her behavior.”
“What kind of medical issue?” Danielle asked.
“Birdie had a tumor pressing on a section of her brain called the amygdala. It’s the region that controls emotion and behavior.”
“And that could have turned her into a killer?” Danielle asked.
“I can’t say for sure, but from what he told me, there is a definite possibility,” MacDonald said.
“This has taught me one thing,” Walt said.
“What’s that?” the chief asked.
“We had Eva and Marie keeping an eye on everyone, but when they were alone in their rooms, they normally didn’t go in with them,” Walt said. “But they should have.”
“How would that have mattered?” the chief asked.
“Birdie didn’t need that cane. I can’t imagine she used it when walking around alone in her room,” Walt pointed out. “If we knew that earlier, maybe we could have prevented all this.”
“True,” Danielle agreed with a sigh. She then added, “If nothing else, I think Birdie’s medical condition might help Seraphina come to terms with all this. She’s been so conflicted since this all began.”
“It might impact what type of settlement the families receive against the estate,” the chief suggested, “if they can prove Birdie had some physical reason beyond her control that contributed to her actions.”
“Chris told me earlier, that’s pretty much settled,” Danielle said. “Phoebe didn’t have any family, so there was no one to sue the estate. Chase just had a brother, whom he wasn’t close to. Birdie’s lawyers—who are now Seraphina’s lawyers—already made an offer to Chase’s brother and Bentley’s parents—a very generous offer—and they already accepted. Seraphina ends up with the balance of the estate, which is still a fortune.”
“Do you think she’ll decide to back Moon Runners like her grandmother wanted to?” the chief asked.
Walt shook his head. “I would be surprised. With all that’s happened, I can’t imagine she’d want to come back here.”
“Not even for Chris?” the chief asked.
Danielle shrugged. “I know they talk on the phone, but not sure there’s a future there for them. They each have very different lives, and I think right now, Seraphina is just trying to sort out hers.”
The party at Chris’s had been fun, but all Danielle wanted to do now was go to bed and sleep in until noon. She was exhausted. Danielle fell asleep within ten minutes of her head hitting the pillow. Unfortunately, not long after dozing off, she found herself sitting in Marlow House’s dining room with Birdie, Chase, Phoebe, Randy, Teddy, and Bentley.
“Ummm, hello?” Danielle said uneasily, looking around at the others sitting at the table. “I have to assume this is a dream hop?”
“Is that what this is called?” Phoebe asked.
“It’s what I call it.” Yep, Danielle thought to herself, definitely a dream hop. Has its own unique feel.
“I wanted to thank you,” Birdie said. “I know now why I did those horrible things. Thank you for finding out for me.”
Randy reached over and patted Birdie’s hand. “I knew there had to be a reason. It wasn’t like you.”
“I don’t know if I did much,” Danielle said. “I suspect they would’ve found it even if I hadn’t asked the chief to look into it. But I do have one more question for Birdie.”
“I’ll try to answer it,” Birdie said.
“Why did you want to come to Frederickport in the first place? Were you…well…did you want them here so you could kill them?”
“Oh, heavens no!” Birdie cried. “I just wanted to spend some time with my granddaughter. And I couldn’t figure out anyway to get her to take a trip with me. But things got out of control.”
“You could say that again,” Chase grumbled. “But considering my last doctor’s checkup, I was on borrowed time anyway.”
“I’m still annoyed,” Phoebe said. “But I understand it was not Birdie’s fault. And I suppose I have some blame in all this, considering my actions.”
“I certainly didn’t want to check out this early,” Bentley said, “but at least my back isn’t killing me anymore. That’s something.”
“Do you know how Polly is doing?” Teddy asked. “I might try one of these dream things with her, but I’d like to know what I’ll be getting into.”
Danielle looked to Teddy. “All I know is her brother is working on some sort of diminished capacity defense.”
“Polly is the one thing I feel pretty guilty about,” Phoebe said.
“Because she killed me?” Teddy asked.
“I feel guilty she’s now facing prison,” Phoebe said. “I should have lied and said nothing happened.”
“We were both foolish,” Teddy muttered.
“Where is Barry, by the way?” Danielle said.
“He didn’t want to come with us. He’s just thrilled to finally have moved over to the other side,” Phoebe said. “He’d been stuck on your side since after his death. Thing about Barry, once he’s done with something, he likes to move on.”
“I think we should let Danielle get back to her sleep,” Birdie said and then looked at Danielle. “I wanted to thank you for everything, and the others wanted to say goodbye, since they didn’t get a chance to, after I was hit by the car.”
As Danielle drifted from dream hop to sleep and Walt slept soundly by her side, a car pulled up in front of Marlow House for a moment and stopped, its engine still running. Overhead a moon broke the late night’s darkness.
“That’s it?” the woman asked the car’s driver.
“Yes. And now we need to figure out how to get Walt Marlow to tell us what he knows.”
The Ghost of a Memory
Return to Marlow House in
The Ghost of a Memory
Haunting Danielle, Book 25
* * *
Past and present collide when a secret from the 1920s wreaks havoc on Marlow House.
* * *
Walt struggles to remember what he may have forgotten before it’s too late.
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Haunting Danielle Series
by Bobbi Holmes
The Ghost of Marlow House, Book 1
The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds, Book 2
The Ghost Who Wasn’t, Book 3
The Ghost Who Wanted Revenge, Book 4
The Ghost of Halloween Past, Book 5
The Ghost Who Came for Christmas, Book 6
The Ghost of Valentine Past, Book 7
The Ghost from the Sea, Book 8
The Ghost and the Mystery Writer, Book 9
The Ghost and the Muse, Book 10
The Ghost Who Stayed Home, Book 11
The Ghost and the Leprechaun, Book 12
The Ghost Who Lied, Book 13
The Ghost and the Bride, Book 14
The Ghost and Little Marie, Book 15
The Ghost and the Doppelganger, Book 16
The Ghost of Second Chances, Book 17
The Ghost Who Dream Hopped, Book 18
The Ghost of Christmas Secrets, Book 19
The Ghost Who Was Says I Do, Book 20
The Ghost and the Baby, Book 21
The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt, Book 22
The Ghost and the Christmas Spirit, Book 23
The Ghost and the Silver Scream, Book 24
The Ghost of a Memory, Book 25
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Most are available in audiobook.
Bobbi Holmes
Also known as Anna J. McIntyre
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Sundered Hearts
After Sundown
While Snowbound
Sugar Rush
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The Coulson Series
by Anna J. McIntyre
Coulson’s Wife
Coulson’s Crucible
Coulson’s Lessons
Coulson’s Secret
Coulson’s Reckoning
* * *
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Also by Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes
Havasu Palms, A Hostile Takeover
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