Ghost of Halloween Past

by McIntyre, Anna J

  “Fortunate for me, they have the murder weapon that killed Haston, and Christiansen’s fingerprints were all over it.”

  Adam picked up the newspaper and glanced at it for a moment, then looked up to Danielle. “According to the newspaper, they don’t know if the gun they found shot Haston.”

  “I imagine they didn’t know when they wrote that article. But I spoke to Joe this morning, and he told me it was. Looks like Chuck killed his partner in crime and planned to hide out in Canada, but then had his misfortunate accident.”

  Adam shook his head and tossed the paper back on the desk. “I never cared much for Chuck and thought Haston was kind of a weenie.”

  “Tsk tsk, to speak ill of the dead.” Danielle teased.

  “You don’t seem too heartbroken over their deaths.”

  “Considering the fact they tried to frame me for Stoddard’s murder, Chuck tried to kill me—and they both were involved with hiring that hitman to kill Joe and me, not to mention they were involved with abducting Lily... no, I am not particularly crying over their death. Anyway, I don’t believe death is the final frontier.”

  “Understandable.”

  “Anyway…” Danielle leaned forward. “I had some errands to do this morning and I thought I’d stop by and ask you when your grandmother is going to be back in town. You mentioned the other day she was going to be gone until Wednesday.”

  “Does this have something to do with what you were asking me about the other day, Presley House?”

  “Yes. I’m just very curious about the house and its history. Like I told you, according to Ben, your grandmother probably knew the family who originally live in that house. I just figured the story of Presley House—considering locals have been saying it was haunted for years—might be interesting for my guests.”

  “Ahh, sort of a tourist attraction?” Adam smiled.

  “I suppose…not that I intend to be a nuisance to the neighborhood. But, it wouldn’t hurt to have colorful stories to share with our guests.”

  “Clever idea. If you’re free to take a drive in about…” Adam paused and glanced at his watch. “…twenty minutes, I’m heading out to meet my grandmother at a diner about half an hour from here.”

  “What is she doing there?”

  “The woman who took her to Portland is dropping her off there, instead of coming all the way in to Frederickport. She has to be at Salem this afternoon, so I told her I’d pick Grandma up, to save her some time. If you want to drive with me, keep me company, I’m sure Grandma would love seeing you. We’ll be having something to eat at the diner before we head back.”

  “Sure. Sounds great. Let me call Lily and tell her where I’ll be going.”

  “It was really sweet of you to keep Adam company this morning.” Marie eyed Danielle and Adam, visions of matchmaking danced in her head. The three sat at a booth in the diner. Marie was already at the restaurant when they had first arrived. The moment Marie had seen them walk through the doorway together she had scooted over in her bench seat, making it impossible for either one to sit on her side of the table. Determined, she made sure they sat next to each other.

  “When Danielle mentioned she wanted to talk to you, I suggested she drive out with me today,” Adam explained.

  Marie leaned forward and patted Danielle’s right hand. “Sure she did.”

  Danielle smiled and glanced over at Adam, who looked in her direction. He rolled his eyes.

  Marie picked up a menu from the table and opened it up. “You will never believe what I heard on the radio. Chuck Christiansen is dead. I didn’t get the details; it was just a quick news flash.”

  “Danielle can tell you all about that,” Adam said as he picked up his menu.

  Twenty minutes later, after the server took their order, brought their food, and Danielle told Marie about her and Lily’s discovery at Pilgrim’s Point, Danielle broached the subject of the original owners of Presley House.

  “I remember the Presley boys. Those three were always getting into trouble. My father told me to stay away from them. Of course, I never wanted anything to do with them, anyway.”

  Danielle set her iced tea glass on the table and looked at Marie. “Those three? There were three brothers? I thought there was just a set of twins?”

  “I meant the twins and Harvey Crump.”

  Danielle felt her heart race at the mention of Harvey. “Harvey Crump? Who was he?”

  “Local boy, same age as the twins. They were friends for as long as I can remember. Harvey lived with his uncle—the town drunk. I remember my mother saying if she were Mrs. Presley she wouldn’t allow her boys to associate with someone like Harvey.”

  “Was Harvey a bad boy?” Danielle asked.

  Marie pondered the question for a moment before answering. “To be perfectly honest, I’d say the twins were just as bad, if not worse. All three of them got into their share of mischief over the years—some say they were responsible for the fire on Main Street, took out a number of the local businesses.”

  “You mean the fire that burned down the newspaper office?”

  Marie nodded. “Yes. Those three boys were caught about a week earlier, setting some fires along the beach. Burning up things they’d taken from people’s back porches, like wooden chairs. And at the time of the fire downtown, some claimed to have seen the boys hanging around, not far from where the fire was set. Of course they couldn't prove anything, and then Harvey was killed.”

  “Harvey was killed? How?”

  “Most say his uncle did it. Especially since, they found the uncle’s body a short time later. Jumped off a bridge.”

  “Nice family,” Adam muttered as he took as sip of coffee.

  “He was killed by his uncle?” Danielle couldn’t imagine such a thing.

  “That’s what they say. Harvey’s body was washed up on the beach a few days after the fire. His head was bashed in. Authorities figured whoever did it, dumped his body into the ocean to get rid of it, but the ocean apparently had a different idea.”

  “Did they say why the uncle did it?” Danielle asked.

  “Some say he was probably drunk, heard about the fire, lost his temper. Probably didn’t mean to kill him. Then after he realized what he had done, took his own life.”

  Danielle shook her head. “How tragic…so what happen to the Presley boys after that? They weren’t investigated for the fire?”

  “I have my suspicions.” Marie finished her orange juice and then set the glass on the table. “I imagine after they found poor Harvey’s body the Presley boys were quick to blame him. And since the boy was dead, the local authorities didn’t pursue the matter.”

  “Do you know what time of year this all happened?” Danielle asked.

  Marie shook her head. “No. I can’t remember.”

  “Do you remember when the Presley family moved from the area?”

  “A couple of years later.” Marie pushed her now empty plate to the end of the table. “Although, now that I think about it, those two boys seemed to be a little more…difficult…after Harvey died.”

  “Difficult how?”

  “Their trouble making escalated. I recall my mother once mentioning how they seemed very—angry.”

  “If they practically burned down half the town, I’d say they were already angry,” Adam quipped.

  “No Adam, that’s not what I mean. As you know, young boys often do stupid things because they are young and immature.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes and glared at his grandmother. “What do you mean as I know?”

  Danielle laughed and patted Adam’s shoulder. “Aww come on, you know exactly what she means.”

  Marie continued. “But later, their motives for doing certain things seemed more…spiteful, angry. They got into some very public rows with their father, which my parent’s witnessed. And then one day, they just upped and left town.”

  “You think they moved away because they were having such problems with the twins?” Danielle asked.


  “That’s what my parents assumed.”

  “Any idea why they never sold the house? Why it’s been vacant for all these years?”

  “No. I was never friends with the boys, so I never kept track of them. My parents didn’t particularly like the twins’ parents so they didn’t keep in touch with them either.”

  “Do you remember any of their names?” Danielle asked.

  “You mean the twins?” Marie asked.

  “And their parents. I might want to do a little Internet search, see what comes up. It would help if I knew their names.”

  Before leaving the diner to return to Frederickport, Danielle excused herself to visit the restroom. A few minutes later, she stood at the sink to wash her hands when her purse slipped out of her grasp and fell to the floor, scattering the purse’s contents all over the bathroom floor.

  Cursing, Danielle quickly got to her knees and gathered her belongings, shoving them back into the purse.

  “So gross,” she muttered a few moments later, as she re-washed her hands.

  Ten minutes later, after Danielle had returned to Adam and Marie, a woman entered the now empty restroom. She walked into the first stall and closed the door behind her, locking it. Just as she was about to sit down, she glanced at the floor and noticed something sticking out from under one of her shoes.

  Lifting her foot, she looked to the floor: a credit card. Reaching down, she picked up the credit card and inspected it. The name on the card read, Danielle Boatman. Smiling, the woman tucked the credit card into her back pocket.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Danielle sat at the parlor desk, logging onto her laptop computer. Just as she pulled up the page for Google search, Max jumped up on the desk and proceeded to walk on the keyboard. Gently, Danielle pushed him away from the computer. Undeterred, he persistently attempted to stake claim to the open laptop, only to be pushed back again.

  “Why do cats always do that?” Lily asked as she walked into the room carrying two mugs of green tea. One she set on the desk. She kept the second mug for herself and sat down on a chair. “I have a friend whose cat always does that.”

  “Next time Walt hops into one of your dreams, ask him to ask Max why he does that,” Danielle suggested with a chuckle.

  “Hmmm, maybe I will.” Lily took a sip of tea. “Did you find anything yet?”

  “No. I just logged in.”

  “So Harvey wasn't one of the twins, after all.”

  Danielle kept her gaze on the laptop’s screen. “Apparently not… oh this is interesting.”

  “What did you find?”

  “I decided to start with the local newspaper website. Under its About section, it gives a little history of the newspaper, such as who started it. It also mentions the fire and how all the past issues were lost.”

  “I wonder if Marie was right and those boys were responsible for the fire.” Lily sipped her tea.

  “I don’t know, but according to the website, the newspaper office burned down a week before Halloween.”

  “Does it say anything about who they think started the fire?”

  “No. Nothing.” Danielle looked up at Lily. “But if Marie is right, and Harvey was killed right after the fire, that puts his death around Halloween.”

  “Which may explain why he shows up every year at this time.”

  “I want to know, why does he haunt Presley House? Why Presley House?”

  “I might suggest you just ask him. But considering he gave you that creepy dream, I don’t think that would be such a terrific idea.”

  “If I can figure out why he’s haunting Presley House—what he’s looking for—then maybe he’ll move on and I won’t have to worry about him trying another dream hop.”

  “Do all the Internet searches you want, but promise me you won’t go back over to Presley House.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t go back over there—at least not until the chief comes back from vacation.”

  “Why would that make a difference?”

  “For one thing, if I go back over there now, the way the local cops are keeping an eye on that place, I would just get myself arrested again. And with the chief in Hawaii, I’d probably end up spending his vacation in jail. No thanks.”

  “I’m glad to hear you aren't going back over there.”

  “I will eventually, Lily. First, I intend to find out all I can about Harvey and the Presleys. And the next time I go back to the house, I’m going with the chief.”

  “What are you searching for now?” Lily stood up and walked around the desk, looking over Danielle’s shoulder.

  “Seeing what I can find about Harvey’s death.”

  “You know how Marie told you people felt his Uncle didn’t mean to kill him—which is why he then took his own life.”

  Danielle glanced over her shoulder at Lily. “Yeah, what about it?”

  “If he didn’t mean to kill his nephew and he was so distraught, why did he bother dumping Harvey’s body in the ocean before he jumped off that bridge?”

  Danielle shrugged. “I have no idea. Marie said he was the town drunk. Maybe he was drunk when he did it, and when he sobered up couldn’t face what he had done.”

  Before Lily could respond her cellphone began to ring. She picked it up from where she had set it earlier, on the coffee table by the parlor sofa.

  “It’s Ian,” Lily said as she answered the phone and then walked into the hallway.

  When Lily returned to the parlor ten minutes later she asked, “Dani, I have a huge favor to ask you. Can I borrow your car?”

  “Sure, why?” Danielle looked up from the computer.

  “I need to drive over to Astoria for Ian. He left a zip drive at Emma’s on Sunday that he needs for his meeting. I have to pick it up, and then bring it back here and upload it to his Dropbox so he can access the information before his meeting.”

  “I don’t suppose Emma could do it for him,” Danielle teased.

  “She is a pretty amazing woman for her age, but using a computer, I don’t think so.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  “No, you stay here and see what you can find out about Presley House. But I might take Sadie with me. She loves car drives and Emma is fond of her.”

  “Okay. Say hi to Emma for me.”

  Danielle sat on the parlor sofa, Max curled up on her lap, sleeping. Absently stroking the feline’s neck, Danielle played back in her mind all that she had learned about Harvey Crump while searching the Internet.

  It wasn’t until Lily left that Danielle realized waiting for the chief to return from Hawaii, before she went to see Harvey again would not be an option. Unless of course, she planned to wait until next October. When she told Lily she had no intention of going to Presley House alone, she failed to consider Harvey’s past history. Each year, he showed up at Presley House early October, and he left right after Halloween.

  “What was I thinking?” Danielle berated herself. “Duhh…he will be gone by the time the chief comes home.”

  Danielle might feel better knowing Harvey was leaving in three days, if she believed his mischief would end with his departure, which she didn’t. All it really meant, it would be difficult for her to track him down should she need to find him again. There was no guarantee he couldn’t dream hop from wherever he spent the rest of his time. She would prefer to settle the matter now, instead of waiting for his return next October. Even if he stayed out of her dreams over the next year, it wouldn't alleviate her anxiety over worrying about Harvey’s return and what he might do when he showed up again.

  “Did you learn anything interesting?” Walt asked when he appeared in the parlor.

  Danielle looked up from the sofa. Walt stood by the bookshelf, cigar in hand.

  “I found some articles on Harvey’s death.”

  “So, was he murdered by his uncle?”

  “Nothing was ever proved one way or the other. But, the police seemed to believe he did it.”

  �
�Because of the fire?” Walt sat down on the chair facing Danielle. Max continued to sleep on her lap.

  “The articles didn’t say anything about the fire. But they did say the uncle killed himself the day before Harvey’s body washed up on the beach.”

  “I thought Marie said something about the boys being under suspicion for starting the fire.”

  “She did, but there was nothing in the paper about it. Yet, there were a couple references to interviews the police made during their investigation. According to Harvey’s neighbors, he and his uncle seemed to get along, and neighbors never heard them fighting, even when the uncle was on a drinking binge. If anything, the uncle seemed rather indulgent of his nephew. As if the boy could do no wrong.”

  Walt rolled the unlit cigar between his fingertips, his expression thoughtful. “If there was no mention of the fire and the neighbors claimed the two never fought, why did the police peg the uncle for the murder?”

  “The neighbors’ interviews weren’t the only ones cited by the newspaper. According to one article, Harvey’s best friends—the Presley twins—claimed the uncle used to beat Harvey when he was drunk. According to the twins, the uncle had a violent temper.”

  “I have seen good men turn irrationally violent after consuming too much booze.”

  Danielle shrugged. “Perhaps. But the Presley family seems a little odd to me.”

  “Odd how?”

  “I have to wonder how they got their money. I asked Marie about that this afternoon. I know he used to work for the Thorndikes, but that was before he was married. According to Marie, when he returned to town with his family, he never had a job. I guess Marie’s mother once asked Mrs. Presley what her husband did for a living, and according to Mrs. Presley, her husband didn’t have to work, he had come into a significant family inheritance.”

  “Perhaps he did. It would explain why he didn’t work.” Walt popped the unlit cigar into his mouth.

  “I don’t know who he could have inherited money from. He didn’t have any family.”