“Ahh, to give us an idea of what to get him for Christmas?”
Loyd scowled. “Are you an idiot, Simon?”
“Obviously you think I am,” Simon snapped. “So why do you want Chris to give us a tour if it’s not to help us figure out what to get him?”
“Because I’d like to see the properties. When we’re done with this, those properties will belong to us, and I’d like to see what he’s spent our money on.”
“Morning, Walt, are my uncles up yet?” Chris asked when he walked in the back door with Hunny by his side.
“I believe so. I heard Simon this morning, and I assume he’s in his brother’s room since I haven’t seen him since he came downstairs.”
Hunny, her tail and butt wiggling in excitement, went to greet Walt, who put down the newspaper to give the pit bull his full attention. Chris walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup before returning to the table with Walt.
“It was an interesting night last night,” Walt said. “Not sure your uncles knew what to make of Heather.”
“I’m surprised you noticed.” Chris sipped his coffee.
Walt looked inquisitively at Chris. “Why wouldn’t I notice?”
Chris shrugged. “I guess I just thought you and Danielle were in your own little world last night.”
Walt set his cup down and studied Chris. “Are you okay with this?”
“You mean you and Danielle?” he asked.
Walt nodded.
“And if I wasn’t?”
“I’d feel bad for you.”
Chris chuckled. “No, I’m okay, Walt.” Chris sipped his coffee and then asked, “But this grand experiment of yours and Danielle’s—is it working out? Are we talking long term?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Chris laughed.
“What’s funny?”
“That’s pretty much what you said when you were a ghost—you weren’t going anywhere.”
Walt shrugged and took another drink of coffee. He then asked, “So tell me, you and Heather, I mean…”
Chris stared at Walt. “Are you asking me if we’re a couple?”
“Natural assumption, considering you are together a lot. And I know it’s something your uncles are thinking about.”
Chris laughed. “No. Not at all. I have to admit I like Heather, which surprises me. She grows on you—sort of like you, Walt.”
“It’s my charming personality.”
Chris paused a moment and frowned. He then looked at Walt and asked, “Did you just say a moment ago that my uncles think Heather and I are a couple?”
“I got that idea.”
Chris grinned. “That’s kind of funny. I confess I sort of wanted to give them that impression.”
“Why?”
Chris shrugged. “Keep them occupied. They’re somewhat annoying and intrusive. But they are family.”
“They are also the same men who took you to court to steal your inheritance,” Walt reminded him.
“I understand that, but I can’t see what it will hurt giving them a second chance. They were my father’s brothers, and while I know he had issues with them, he still loved them. I’m sure by the time they’re ready to leave, I’ll know if they sincerely regret what they tried to do, or if they’re simply trying to manipulate me for some reason.”
“Good morning,” Danielle greeted them when she came into the kitchen a moment later. “Chris, you’re up early.” She went to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee. Hunny immediately got up from where she had been lying under the table and went to greet Danielle, her tail wagging. Danielle set her cup on the counter and gave Hunny a welcoming pat.
“I thought I’d come over and help you with breakfast. I know Joanne’s off, and it is my fault you have guests this week,” Chris told her.
“And you also want breakfast,” Walt added.
Chris chuckled. “That too.”
Danielle walked to the table with her coffee and looked at Walt. “I already told Chris he was welcome to come over and have breakfast with his uncles while they’re here.”
Hunny followed Danielle and plopped down by Walt, resting her chin on his shoe. He looked down. Good girl. In response to Walt’s silent message, she wagged her tail.
“So what do you want me to do?” Chris asked.
Standing next to the table, coffee cup in hand, Danielle flashed Chris a grin and said, “The dishes when we’re done.”
Before Chris could respond, Noah Bishop entered the kitchen. “Is that coffee I smell?”
Hunny started to get up to check out the new person, but Walt stopped her by conveying, Just stay where you are.
Hunny looked up at Walt. I just want to see what he smells like and say hello.
Walt silently responded with, Let him see you first—let him come to you if he wants to. Remember what I told you; people are often intimidated by your appearance.
With sad eyes Hunny conveyed, It’s not my fault.
“Help yourself,” Danielle said before taking a seat at the table. “I’ll be starting breakfast in a few minutes. Will your wife be joining us this morning?”
“No. Like I said, she’s not a breakfast person and prefers sleeping in.”
“Noah, this is our neighbor Chris, Chris Johnson,” Danielle said as Noah walked toward the table. He stopped abruptly when he spied the pit bull looking up at him.
Danielle, who was now looking at Chris, failed to see Noah staring at the dog. She continued with her introductions. “Chris, this is one of our guests, Noah Bishop.”
“The dog is friendly,” Walt interjected, noticing the man’s reaction. Hunny began wagging her tail, and Noah visibly relaxed.
Chris stood briefly and shook Noah’s hand while saying, “I met him and his wife briefly when they were taking a walk. Nice to see you again, Noah. And Walt is right, Hunny is friendly.” Chris sat back down.
Reluctantly Noah petted the dog and was greeted with several sloppy kisses and more vigorous tail wagging.
Danielle motioned to the empty chair at the table for Noah to sit down. He accepted the invitation.
Noah turned his attention to Chris and asked, “So how long have you lived in Frederickport?”
“It’s been two years now. I first came here like you—a guest at Marlow House for Christmas,” Chris said with a grin.
“And you decided to stay? This is a charming little town, but I imagine it would be difficult to find a job,” Noah noted.
“I was lucky, I managed to find a job with a nonprofit that opened up not long after I arrived.”
Small talk continued, and when Danielle finished her coffee ten minutes later, she excused herself to go start breakfast. Both Chris and Walt offered to help, but she told them to remain seated, she had everything under control. Fact was, she really didn’t want their help, but when it came to cleaning up after breakfast, she was prepared to accept their offer.
Walt sat quietly at the kitchen table, drinking his second cup of coffee, listening to Noah interrogate Chris—at least it sounded like an interrogation. The man could certainly ask the questions, yet he couldn’t remember Noah being that inquisitive when they had first met.
Glancing over to the oven, Walt watched as Danielle removed a pan of freshly baked biscuits while sizzling bacon on the stove demanded her attention. He wanted to help, but he knew she preferred to do it herself, because when working alone in the kitchen, she typically moved quickly and decisively in her tasks, which meant if some well-intentioned person barged in to help, it could easily result in a collision and broken dishes—he had seen it happen.
However, it would be possible to stay out of her way and still help her, such as removing those biscuits from the oven or turning the bacon, without ever leaving the table. Suddenly a TV show popped into his head—Bewitched. He chuckled to himself over the thought. In that moment Walt felt like Samantha.
Walt remembered Danielle once comparing him to Samantha when he was changing
the sheets on a bed. He had no idea what she was talking about at the time, yet later Danielle found the old reruns on a cable channel so he could watch the vintage television show. When watching Bewitched, he wondered why Samantha often didn’t use her witchcraft, but instead did things the hard way. In that moment he had the answer to his question.
His mind no longer pondering old sitcoms, Walt turned his attention to Chris and Noah. Just as he tuned back in to their conversation, Marie appeared, sitting in the empty chair. Noah lurched as if surprised, but then continued with his conversation with Chris as if nothing had happened.
“For a moment there I thought that man could see me,” Marie noted. Walt glanced at her but said nothing.
Ignoring Marie, Danielle said, “Chris, why don’t you go check on your uncles? Let them know breakfast is about ready. When I came downstairs, I saw them going into the library.”
Noah stood at the same time as Chris and said, “I’ll go check on my wife, see if she’s up yet.”
“Let her know if she’s changed her mind about having breakfast, we have plenty,” Danielle told him as she removed slices of bacon from the pan.
“Thank you, I will.”
“I’m going to take Hunny home first, and then I’ll be right back,” Chris told her.
After Chris and Noah left the kitchen, Walt said, “I have to agree with Marie. For a moment there I thought Noah saw her.”
“Thought the man was about to jump out of his skin—but then nothing.” Marie shrugged.
“Maybe he did see Marie,” Danielle suggested.
“Are you serious?” Walt asked.
Walking to the table, she wiped her hands off on her apron. “I believe everyone has some psychic abilities; take, for example, how everyone could smell your cigars.”
“So you’re suggesting he may have caught a glimpse of Marie, like Heather used to see me before her abilities got stronger?” he asked.
Danielle nodded. “Exactly.”
Marie glanced over to the door leading to the hallway. “If that’s the case, I wonder what the poor man is thinking now.”
Danielle shrugged.
Marie looked back to Danielle and asked, “What’s that man’s name again?”
“Noah, Noah Bishop,” Danielle told her.
Marie pondered the name a moment and then shook her head. “No, that’s not it.”
“What’s not it?” Walt asked.
“I don’t recognize the name, but there is something familiar about that man. I can’t quite place it, but definitely familiar.”
Twenty
Yellowed teeth absently chewed the unlit cigar, which hung crooked from the side of Loyd’s mouth. He stared fascinated at the life-sized portrait. Pointing at the painting with his cane, he used his other hand to remove the cigar from his mouth and then said to his brother, “I don’t get it. Why does she have a portrait of Marlow?”
Standing next to Loyd, Simon studied the second portrait. “I wonder who she’s supposed to be.”
Eva Thorndike stood in the corner of the library, watching. She had warned Chris not to give his uncles a second chance; no good would come of it. She had learned that lesson the hard way with her husband. Some people were simply born evil, and there was no redeeming them. Eva felt protective of Chris. It wasn’t just that he had looks to rival Rudolph Valentino, but he was such an adorably sweet man. Much like Walt, she thought. Yet she wouldn’t share that observation with either man.
When alive she had never harbored romantic feelings for Walt. She had always considered him a beloved brother—a younger brother. Her feelings toward Chris were not remotely sisterly. However, she wasn’t foolish enough to imagine a future with him; after all, she was dead. And unlike Walt, her only doppelgänger she was aware of was a fictional character created by an illustrator. Just because she would never have a chance with Chris, like Walt was getting with Danielle, it didn’t prevent Eva from watching over him.
“Good morning, Uncle Simon, Uncle Loyd. Are you ready for breakfast?” Chris asked as he walked into the library. He spied Eva on the sofa and flashed her a smile.
“Boy,” Loyd said gruffly, pointing to the painting again with his cane, “why does she have a painting of Marlow?”
Walking to his uncles’ side, Chris looked at the paintings and said, “I guess Danielle didn’t give you a tour of the house when you arrived.”
“She offered, we weren’t interested, but she pointed out where the rooms were,” Simon explained.
“If you had taken the tour, she would have explained that is Walt Marlow.”
“We already know that,” Loyd snapped. “We don’t need a tour to see what’s before our eyes. We’ve already met the man.”
Chris chuckled. “No, Uncle Loyd. The man in the painting is not the Walt Marlow you met.” But actually he is, Chris thought to himself.
“Are you speaking in riddles, boy?” Loyd asked.
“No. You see, this house was built by Frederick Marlow, who left it to his grandson, Walt Marlow. That’s the man in the portrait. He was killed in 1925—in fact, he was murdered in this house.”
“Then explain that man we met,” Loyd demanded.
“He’s a distant cousin, who was named after the Walt Marlow in the portrait. They bear an uncanny resemblance. Danielle believes one reason for the likeness—one of their great-grandparents along the line were double cousins of identical twins.”
“What’s the deal with the Walt Marlow we met and your friend Danielle? Are they fooling around?” Loyd asked.
Chris frowned. “I don’t really think that’s any of our business.”
“Oh pshaw! Didn’t you used to have your sights set on that girl?” Loyd asked.
Chris arched his brow at his eldest uncle. “Is that what your private investigator told you?”
“We were just worried about you. Your parents would never forgive us if we stood by and allowed someone to take advantage of you,” Simon told him.
“With all due respect, I don’t think it’s anyone’s business who I’m interested in,” Chris said wearily. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown-up. And I’ve been handling my life most capably since the last time I saw you both. Danielle is a good friend. And yes, it’s true that we dated briefly, but we’re just friends now, and that’s okay with both of us. As for Walt, I consider him a friend too. Now, why don’t we all go in to breakfast. I imagine they’re waiting for us.”
“I’m sorry to have to say this, but I don’t like your uncles,” Eva told Chris.
By the time they arrived in the dining room, Loyd had returned his gnawed cigar to his pocket. Already sitting at the dining room table were Walt and Noah, along with Marie, yet not everyone could see her. Marie had taken a seat at the end of the table. Danielle had set cups of coffee, a bowl of fruit, a basket of biscuits, and honey on the table. She had gone back to the kitchen to retrieve the rest of the breakfast food.
The head of the table was vacant, but next to it sat Walt, with Noah sitting next to him, and the seats across the table were empty. Simon took the seat directly across from Noah. Chris assumed Loyd would take one of the seats next to his other uncle, but instead, he sat at the head of the table.
“That’s Danielle’s seat,” Marie called out in protest, but Loyd couldn’t hear her. She glanced at Walt, who shrugged in reply. Marie then looked to Chris, who acted if he was about to say something to his uncle, yet resisted the temptation.
When Danielle returned with the rest of the food, she set the plates on the table and sat down next to Noah, without saying anything to Loyd about where he was sitting.
“That’s awful presumptuous of the man,” Marie grumbled. “Considering his age, he really should know better.”
“This food looks delicious,” Noah said. “It’s too bad my wife has to miss this.”
“I don’t think I’ve met your wife yet.” Simon picked up a cup of coffee.
“I’m sure you will,” Noah said while placing his
napkin on his lap.
Conversation came to a halt as the platters of food made their way around the table and everyone—except for Marie—filled their breakfast plates. Noah was just pouring cream into his coffee when Eva materialized and asked, “What have I missed?” For once she hadn’t arrived in a hail of glitter.
“Eva, come, you can sit with me. The chair is already pulled out,” Marie offered.
“Watch out, Noah!” Simon shouted. All heads turned to Noah, who had just overfilled his coffee with cream.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” Noah grabbed his napkin and tried mopping up the spill.
“It’s okay. Accidents happen.” Danielle passed him a couple of extra napkins.
“I think you startled him!” Marie told Eva.
“Don’t be ridiculous. He can’t see me,” Eva said.
The two ghosts looked to Noah, who had just picked up a slice of bacon from his plate and was about to take a bite.
“I don’t know about that,” Marie said. Now curious, the ghost stood up and started walking toward Noah, taking the quickest route, straight down and through the table. She stopped in front of Noah, standing in the center of the table, the lower half of her body hidden under the tabletop. Marie leaned closer to Noah, their noses practically touching. He continued to eat.
“I told you he couldn’t see you,” Eva said.
Danielle, who sat next to Noah, cleared her throat, catching Marie’s attention. Marie looked to Danielle and noted the young woman’s stern expression.
Marie let out a sigh and said, “I’m sorry, Danielle, I was just curious, but I suppose I must have imagined his reaction.” She returned to her seat, while all the time Noah continued to eat.
A moment later, Loyd looked at Walt and said, “I saw that portrait in the library. I thought it was you.”
“It is an incredible likeness,” Walt noted as he drizzled honey on his muffin.
The Ghost of Christmas Secrets Page 13
