3 The Ghost at the Farm

by SUE FINEMAN

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  An hour later, Julie anxiously looked out the window as Andy parked on the side street beside a big old house on Livingston Avenue. It was a beauty, painted a deep golden yellow with dark green trim and a white front porch. The big round room at the corner gave the house a sense of style she didn’t see in newer homes. The backyard between the house and a garage on the alley was closed in with a white picket fence. Pretty. Homey. Absolutely charming.

  “Since Livingston Avenue is such a busy street, everyone parks on the side street and goes in through the kitchen door.” Andy took her hand and they walked from the car to the gate in the fence and then to the back porch.

  He opened the door and she walked into the kitchen, where she was greeted by Andy’s parents. Hannah gave her a gentle hug and a warm smile. Andy’s mother had Charlie’s black hair and gray eyes. Donovan was a blond with white around the temples. His striking blue eyes had smile lines around them. Interesting. Andy, with his brown wavy hair and brown eyes, didn’t look much like either of his parents.

  “Something smells wonderful,” Julie said.

  “Meatloaf,” said Hannah. “I wasn’t sure how much you could use your left arm, so I made something easy to eat.”

  What a considerate lady, much like her son. “Sounds great. I’m not much of a cook.” She used her can opener and microwave more than her stove.

  While Andy and his father talked in the living room, Hannah showed her through the house. The round room she’d seen from outside was actually part of the living room. There was also a beautiful formal dining room with furniture that dated back to 1918, a book-lined study with an antique desk and leather chairs, a bedroom and bathroom, and another half-bath on the main floor. Upstairs, there were four big bedrooms and a computer room. The bedroom over the living room was a master suite with a round sitting area and a bathroom and dressing area.

  Just when Julie thought she’d seen everything, Hannah opened a door off the bedroom hallway and walked up to the attic level. A huge room was divided by a sofa to make a sitting room on one side and an exercise area on the other. There were also two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen on this level.

  “This is amazing.” The house had to be worth well over a million dollars, but she knew this woman would never sell her family home. “Andy said Andrew Jefferson built the house.”

  “Yes, he did, but we finished the attic after I inherited the house from my grandparents. Trevor lives up here. The kids call him Uncle Trevor, but he’s actually my ex-husband. He came to visit one day and never left. He helps Donovan work on the house. It’s a never-ending process in an old house like this.”

  At the risk of seeming snoopy, Julie asked, “How did Andrew Jefferson die?”

  “My great-grandfather murdered him, hit him in the head with a big piece of wood, then buried him in the basement.”

  Julie felt sick. She covered her mouth with her hand. Andy knew, and he… He became Andrew in the farmhouse. Andy walked in Andrew’s shoes, smelled supper cooking through Andrew’s nose. And kissed her with Andrew’s lips.

  “Are you all right, Julie?”

  She nodded, but she didn’t feel fine at all.

  Back downstairs, Hannah finished making dinner and put the food on the kitchen table. The kitchen was a beauty, with simple wood cabinets, a farmhouse sink, a big butcher block island, and a bay with a round table and eight chairs.

  Julie couldn’t help but compare this house to her parents’ new home. Although it was pretty and new, Mom’s house didn’t have the warmth and character of an old house like this one. Part of that was because of the way her mother had furnished it, and part was undoubtedly the people who owned the different homes. Hannah and Donovan Kane were as down-to-earth and easy to like as the house they lived in. Mom had always tried to fit in with people a peg up the social ladder. When Dad inherited the family farm, Mom had the financial means to live like she wanted, but Julie knew she’d never fit in with the socially prominent people in River Valley. Maybe she thought she’d be able to take that final step if she married her daughter off to a wealthy man like Brent Bosch, but Julie wouldn’t marry any man if it meant giving up her freedom.

  Charlie walked in as they were sitting down to eat. Without asking if he’d stay for dinner, Hannah took a plate out of the cabinet and he sat down at the table with them.

  As they ate, Andy said, “Hey, Charlie, remember that fortune teller at the fair?”

  “Yeah, what about her?”

  “She told me I was having dreams about a past life, and that I had issues to resolve in the past or I’d suffer the same fate.”

  Stunned, all Julie could do was listen and try to understand the unthinkable. Andrew was murdered. Would Andy be murdered, too?

  Charlie helped himself to more food. “She was yanking your chain, bro.”

  “She was right about the dreams.” Andy looked straight at his mother. “And the past life. I found Andrew Jefferson’s home. He lived on a farm outside the city, a few miles past Billy’s house.”

  Charlie groaned. “Don’t tell me that’s the farm you’re buying.”

  “That’s the one.”

  All the color had drained from Hannah’s face. Julie knew exactly how she felt. Sick. Scared. Worried about Andy.

  Andy rubbed his mother’s back. “Are you okay?”

  “Are you saying—”

  “I think I was Andrew Jefferson.”

  Donovan shook his head. “I don’t buy it. If there is such a thing as a past life, you wouldn’t remember it in this life.”

  Andy glanced at Julie. “Ask Julie what I did when I saw the farm the first time.”

  Everyone turned to Julie.

  “When we turned on the road to the farm, Andy knew exactly where we were going, because he’d seen it in a dream. But the weird part was when he walked inside as if he owned the place, hung a cap and jacket on the pegs by the back door—a cap and jacket he wasn’t wearing—and talked about how good the beans and cornbread that were cooking smelled. Only no one lives in the house now, and the stove was cold and dusty.” Julie shivered. “I had to call him back, and he didn’t know where he was. He didn’t remember anything.”

  The only person eating was Charlie, who was on his second helping. Julie picked at her food. It tasted good, but the conversation made her uneasy, almost as uneasy as the actual events. What would happen to Andy if he slipped into the past and she wasn’t there to pull him back? Would he die like Andrew Jefferson?

  “Charlie, if Andy starts acting funny tomorrow and answers to Andrew, call him back to the present.”

  Charlie swallowed. “Maybe I’ll just leave him there.”

  “No,” she said quickly. “Don’t leave him there.”

  Andy put his hand over hers. “He won’t.”

  Charlie opened his mouth to speak, and his father shook his head. “Don’t say it.”

  Charlie shrugged and shoveled in more food.

  “So, what’s the farm like?” Donovan asked.

  Andy’s face became animated. “It’s 160 acres, some planted in corn, with about a thousand feet on the other side of the county road, along the river. That part’s not planted.”

  “What about the house?” Hannah asked.

  “It’s filled with mold and termites. After I clean out the things the Jefferson family left in the attic, I was thinking about donating the house to the fire department for practice. Burning it would be easier than tearing it down.”

  Donovan nodded. “I’ll talk with the fire chief, see if that’s a viable option. What about the barn? There is a barn, isn’t there?”

  “It’s in fairly good shape. Right now the old man’s collie is living in the barn with her puppies.”

  Hannah smiled. “Billy’s kids would love one for Christmas.”

  “I’ll take one,” said Charlie. “Women love a guy with a puppy.”

  In spite of Susan’s experience with Andy’s brother, Charlie was growing on Julie. She’d
never date a man who played around as much as he did, but she no longer disliked him. Besides, Susan had a new man in her life.

  “What about the mother dog?” Hannah asked.

  “I promised the old man I’d keep her on the farm,” said Andy. “She looks like a purebred collie, and the pups look just like her. They have that tail action when they nurse. Happy little guys.”

  “She’s going to miss Mr. Bedford when he dies,” said Julie.

  Andy helped himself to another piece of meatloaf and smothered it in gravy. “He may need a hospice nurse soon.”

  “What’s wrong with him?” Hannah asked.

  “Bone cancer. That’s why I’m getting the farm for half-price. He has no family left, and he won’t be around long enough to spend the money.”

  Hannah brought a pie from the butcher block island to the table. She sliced it and put the pieces on plates, then added a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  Charlie said, “I’ll take three of those.”

  “You’ll have three when you start buying the groceries around here,” said Donovan.

  Charlie sighed. “They’re starving me, Julie.”

  She shook her head in wonder. “You ate twice as much as everyone else.”

  “But I’m a growing boy.”

  “You’re a human garbage disposal,” said Andy.

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “Hey, don’t call my dinner garbage.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, Mom.”

  Donovan pushed his dinner plate aside and took a piece of apple pie from Hannah. Speaking directly to Charlie, he asked, “If you get a puppy, does this mean you’re going to buy the dog food and pay the vet bills?”

  “That depends on how much Andy is paying me to work on the farm.”

  “Pay?” said Andy. “Who said anything about pay?”

  Hannah caught Julie’s eye and smiled. Apparently this bantering between the men in the Kane family was normal.

  Over dessert, the discussion turned to Brent Bosch. “He’ll see a judge tomorrow morning,” said Donovan. “He’ll probably get a slap on the hand, a fine, and a warning not to bother you any more, Julie. But if he’s as obsessed as I think he is, I’d be looking over my shoulder. You need to call the police and report it every time you see him following you.”

  “I intend to.” She’d do everything she could to get Brent off her back.

  “Well, hey,” said Charlie. “If you need a bodyguard…”

  “She has me,” Andy said.

  Julie shook her head and asked Hannah, “Is it always like this?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Mom, why don’t you come out to the farm with Julie tomorrow?” said Andy. “She’s bringing us lunch.”

  “I don’t need a baby-sitter, Andy.”

  “I’d love to see the farm,” said Hannah. “I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow morning, Julie. We’ll get some sandwiches for the guys and drive out together. Okay?”

  “Yes, okay.” Julie felt a warm sense of acceptance and concern in their obvious attempts to keep her safe from Brent.

  While Andy’s father and brother sat at the table talking with Julie, Andy helped his mother clean up the kitchen. There weren’t any leftovers to put away. There never were when Charlie invited himself to dinner.

  Andy stood with his mother at the sink, rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher. “What do you think about this past life business, Mom?”

  “It took me completely by surprise. I never would have named you after Andrew if I’d known—”

  “I don’t think my name has anything to do with it.” Andy loaded the dirty plates into the dishwasher before asking, “Do I look like him?”

  “I don’t know, honey. I only got a couple glimpses of him in visions. You have his hair and eye color, but a lot of people have brown hair and eyes. Except for your eyes, I always thought you looked a lot like Pop. He was a handsome young man, and so are you.”

  He washed the potato pan. “What else can you tell me about him?”

  “Not much. He seemed like such a compassionate, caring man.”

  “Did he have a limp?” Julie asked.

  Mom turned toward the table. “Yes, he did. He had something wrong with his foot, which is probably why he built houses instead of fighting in the war.”

  “Club foot,” said Donovan. “They can fix it today, but I don’t think they knew how in those days. The medical examiner noted it in the autopsy report.”

  “When Andy…” Everyone looked at Julie while she finished saying, “When he walked into the farmhouse, he limped.”

  Andy’s parents shared a wide-eyed look, and he knew they were starting to believe he’d become Andrew Jefferson for a brief time.

  Silence settled over the room until Charlie said, “I don’t buy all this woo-woo stuff.”

  “Don’t let him slip away tomorrow,” said Julie.

  “He’s not going anywhere,” Charlie said with conviction.

  But the worried look in Julie’s eyes said she wasn’t so sure.

  Andy wasn’t so sure either.

  Chapter Seven

  Andy rose long before dawn, peeked in on Julie, who was sleeping peacefully, and dressed in his most comfortable jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. His heart beat with excitement and apprehension as he filled a thermos with coffee and climbed into his car. Today he’d do the same farming chores Andrew Jefferson had done nearly a hundred years ago. He might even do those chores as Andrew.

  The pre-dawn chill crept into his bones on the way to Livingston Avenue, but it wasn’t just the cool air that made him shiver. It could be an interesting day; then again, it could be disastrous if he slipped into the past and couldn’t get back.

  Charlie stood waiting on the garage porch. As he slid into the front seat of Andy’s car, he asked, “Did you have breakfast?”

  “No, I thought we’d do the drive-through thing.”

  “I can’t believe we’re working on a farm today.” Charlie pulled on the seatbelt. “I’ve never even been on a farm except to pet the animals when we were little kids.”

  “Otis will show us what to do, and the only animals I saw on the farm were Cassie and her puppies.”

  Both men remained silent until Andy pulled into the Burger King drive-through and ordered their breakfast. They ate in the car, and by the time they finished, the sun peeked over the horizon, and Andy felt a little easier about going out to the farm.

  “Hey, Charlie, if I act a little funny or start limping out there—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. If you go away, I’m supposed to knock you on the head and bring you back.”

  “Who said anything about a knock on the head?”

  Charlie grinned. “Women are really into this paranormal stuff.”

  Andy shook his head. Leave it to Charlie. “You’re the one who needs a knock on the head. Everything is not about women.”

  “The hell it’s not, and if you don’t want my help, take me back home.”

  Andy’s brother may be a royal pain, but he’d always been there when Andy needed him. “I can’t do it without you, Charlie.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Charlie said on a sigh.

  As Andy pulled into the driveway at the farm, Charlie asked, “Did you bring lunch?”

  Andy shot him a look. “You just ate breakfast.”

  “That won’t hold me all day.” Charlie stepped out of the car and looked around. “Where’s the sexy tractor?”

  “In the barn, with the puppies.”

  While Charlie walked to the barn, Andy stared at the house, seeing it first as rundown as it now was, then seeing it as it had been in his dream, gleaming with a fresh coat of white paint and surrounded by well-tended flower beds. He fought the urge to go inside to the attic and dig around. The corn waited in the field, and that had to come first. Besides, he didn’t own the farm yet, and he couldn’t go snooping around the house without permission.

  Otis walked out from behind the barn and waved. Andy
waved back, grabbed the bag from the car, and walked over. “Breakfast,” he said, handing the bag to Otis. “Eat it before my brother sees it.”

  The old man’s face crinkled into a smile. “Thanks. I haven’t been to the grocery store lately. Too much walking for me.”

  “If you’ll make a list, I’ll shop tonight. I assume you’ll need puppy food soon.”

  “Yes, sir, I will.”

  Looking at Otis, at the dull pain in his eyes and the way his clothes hung on him, Andy knew he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself much longer. Mom would know how to go about getting the help he needed. Andy owed him for holding onto the farm and selling it for so little. He’d do whatever he could to ease the old man’s suffering.

  Minutes later, Charlie had the combine running in the corn field, Otis had driven the tractor back to the barn, and Andy fought to keep his mind in the here and now. He glanced at the house and felt himself standing by the back porch with his brother.

  “I tried to sign up, but they wouldn’t take me,” Andrew said.

  “They wouldn’t give me deferred status again,” said Matthew. “They said I had a brother to take care of the family farm, and they needed more men to fight the Germans.”

  “Damn! I’d hoped they wouldn’t take you. When do you have to go?”

  “I have to report for duty December second.”

  Andrew swallowed hard. He didn’t want his only brother to go fight a war on the other side of the world. Matthew had a wife and daughter, and he farmed the land that had been in their family for several generations. Andrew helped with the farming when he had time, but his heart wasn’t in it. He liked to build things, to see someone’s new house take shape. He was proud of his work, especially on this last house. It was a beauty, and so was the woman who owned it.

  “I should be finished with the house on Livingston Avenue by the end of November. I’ll take care of Betsy and Annie while you’re gone. I don’t know about the farming, though. If I can get another big house, I can make more working in town.”

  “It won’t hurt the land to lie fallow for a season.”

  Matthew sat on the steps of the back porch and unlaced his muddy boots. “I haven’t told Betsy yet. How am I going to tell her I have to go fight in a war and might never come back?”