Ghost Who Came for Christmas

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Instead of starting across the street and heading for Marlow House, Kelly decided to let Morris go in first.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Danielle was rushing from the library to the parlor when she heard the doorbell. “I’ll get it!” she called out, although she doubted anyone else heard the bell. Everyone, but Jessica and Joanne, was in the library, laughing and discussing drink recipes, while Chris and Ian tried to outdo each other by creating the most outrageous holiday cocktail. Jessica was in the kitchen with Joanne, helping her set out the food.

  Dressed in black leggings, an oversized Christmas sweater just hideous enough to be considered a fashion statement instead of blunder, and red and green ribbons wound throughout her braided hair, Danielle cheerfully threw open the front door. Her exuberant, “Merry Christmas!” quickly fizzled when she came face to face with Peter Morris.

  “Mr. Morris…what a surprise.” Danielle stammered. Instead of opening the door wider, she clung to its edge as if she was preparing to slam it shut at any moment.

  “Afternoon, Ms. Boatman,” Peter smiled, showing off his straight white teeth. “I hope I’m not intruding, but I stopped by to see one of my friends, Richard Winston.”

  “Oh…certainly. Richard mentioned you were friends.” Danielle stepped aside and opened the door wider, motioning for him to enter.

  Peter sniffed the air. The scent of pine mingled with freshly baked bread and simmering stews filled the hallway. He glanced around, but only he and Danielle stood in the entry, yet he could hear voices coming from the direction of the library, and Christmas carols drifted out from the living room.

  “Am I interrupting a party or something?” Peter asked.

  “We’re having an open house, but the guests—other than those staying here—haven’t started arriving yet.” Danielle closed the front door and pointed to the parlor. “Why don’t you wait in the parlor, and I’ll go get Richard for you.”

  Peter followed Danielle into the cozy room. “I’m so sorry to intrude on you like this.”

  “That’s fine.” Danielle forced a smile and ducked out of the room, leaving Peter alone, sitting on the sofa. Alone, if you didn’t count Marlow House’s resident ghost.

  “What are you doing here?” Walt asked.

  Peter crossed and re-crossed his legs, and glanced at his wristwatch.

  “I don’t believe you’re on Danielle’s guest list. I know who you are. You’re that charlatan who was here before, trying to talk Lily out of suing DCL for their part in her abduction.” Walt took a seat across from the sofa and glared at Peter. He waved his hand and a lit cigar appeared. He took a puff.

  Peter wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air. Waving his hand in front of his face, he glanced around the room. In the next moment the door opened and a young blonde walked in.

  Walt looked over at Anna and watched as she shut the door behind her and walked toward Peter, her face unsmiling.

  Peter stood up. “Hello.” When Anna did not respond, he frowned, noting her angry glare. “Do we know each other?”

  “I know who you are,” she spat.

  “You seem a little angry. I’m here to see Richard. Are you a guest here?”

  “Danielle went to get Richard; he went upstairs to his room. He’ll be a few minutes. But I think you should leave before then.”

  Peter frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

  “You’re just trying to take advantage of that boy!”

  Peter smiled. “Boy? He’s practically old enough to be your father.”

  “That doesn’t make him any less naive!”

  “I really have no idea who you are, or what your problem is, but my business with Richard is none of your concern.”

  “I’m making it my business! You go, and you leave him alone! Stop filling his head with nonsense!”

  Peter started to say something and then paused. After a moment he asked, “Is there something going on between you two?”

  Before Anna could answer, Danielle opened the door.

  “Richard will be down in a moment. He spilled something on his pants and is changing his clothes,” Danielle explained.

  Without a word, Anna rushed out the door, pushing by Danielle.

  “Who was that young woman?” Peter asked after Anna ran off.

  Danielle stepped into the parlor. “She’s one of our guests.”

  “Is she here with anyone?” Peter asked.

  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “A husband or boyfriend perhaps?”

  Before she considered her words, Danielle asked, “Isn’t she just a little young for you?”

  Peter chuckled. “No, I wasn’t interested in her personally. I just got the impression she and Richard might be…well, intimately involved.”

  “I don’t know anything about that. I really have no idea if anything—romantic—has blossomed. But, if it has, it’s really none of my business.” Or yours.

  “I’ll say one thing about Anna, she showed good sense when it comes to this charlatan,” Walt called out.

  Until she heard Walt’s voice, Danielle hadn’t noticed Walt sitting on the chair across from Peter. She glanced at him and then looked at Peter.

  “Did Anna say something to make you think she and him were…involved?” Danielle asked.

  “She seemed a bit—territorial. But then, I imagine you frequently encounter that yourself.”

  Danielle frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “Men who wish to stake their claim on you—try to keep others away.”

  “Umm…no, can’t say that’s really been an issue.” Danielle suppressed her grin.

  “Are you forgetting Joe?” Walt asked.

  “I find that hard to believe, Ms. Boatman. Not only are you quite attractive—if you don’t mind me saying so—you’re a wealthy young woman, it makes you quite vulnerable to those who wish to take advantage of you.”

  “Fortunately, that hasn’t been an issue.”

  “Sadly, you may not even be aware it’s happening. I’d like you to know if you ever need anything—support, counseling—I’m here for you. And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea—I would think of you as a daughter.”

  “I confess Mr. Morris, I feel just a little uncomfortable with your organization, ever since that issue with Isabella’s will.”

  “I understand. But please believe me, you have my word we sincerely thought the will she’d given us was her most current one. We had no reason to believe the will Stoddard found wasn’t a fake.”

  “I understand Clarence Renton issued both wills—and with him being a member of Earthbound Spirits, I’d assume he would have informed you Stoddard’s will was legitimate.”

  “Danielle, do you really want to get into this with him? I don’t trust this man,” Walt warned.

  “Unfortunately, Clarence was overzealous—which is not uncommon with those who’ve just discovered the truth. I certainly understand your issues with Clarence, he did some very bad things during his time here. But, he had reformed. And I believe in this instance he felt he was doing the right thing, but it was wrong. When we submitted Isabella’s will to probate, I sincerely believed Stoddard’s will was fake, especially since Darlene told the courts Stoddard claimed the will he found was counterfeit.”

  “Yes, but Darlene was blackmailed to say that,” Danielle reminded.

  “That has never been proven, and it was only a theory based on some unsavory photographs found in Darlene’s home. If she was being blackmailed, I had no knowledge of it. And if she was, it could very well have been Christiansen or Haston.”

  Danielle studied Peter. “And they’re both dead now.”

  “Yes, yes they are.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, my guests will be arriving soon. Richard should be down any moment.”

  After Danielle left the parlor, Peter pulled out his cellphone and placed a call, while Walt silently listened.

  “Yes, I’m at Marlow House now,�
�� Peter said into the phone. “I’m waiting on Richard, he’s upstairs, supposedly changing his clothes. I don’t feel good about this at all…and I think he’s gotten personally involved with one of the guests, which might explain why he hasn’t called…Boatman? She’s hostile toward us. I’m disappointed. Sending Richard here doesn’t seem to have done any good. In fact, it may have hurt us if he’s gotten involved with this other woman...no…she obviously knows about us and she definitely is not a friend of Earthbound Spirits…we may have to get rid of her before it’s too late.”

  Peter quickly ended his phone call when Richard walked into the room. “Richard!” Peter cheerfully greeted, giving him a quick exuberant hug. The moment he hugged Richard, he could feel the younger man tense.

  When the two men parted, Peter sat back down on the couch, and to Walt’s annoyance, Richard decided to sit on the chair he was using.

  “There is another chair!” Walt quickly stood up and moved to the empty seat and sat down.

  “You haven’t called.” Peter said.

  “I’m sorry,” Richard looked down at his folded hands. They fidgeted nervously in his lap. “I’ve been pretty busy.”

  “By Ms. Boatman’s attitude toward Earthbound Spirits, I suspect you haven’t been spending your time helping her find the truth.”

  “I did speak to her, but she’s not very receptive.” Richard looked up from his hands.

  “You were supposed to call me, arrange for me to be invited to the open house. As it is, I had to crash the party—certainly not how I like doing these things.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Morris. Sincerely. It’s just—well, things have been a little strange for me here.”

  “Strange? How?”

  Richard shook his head. “Old memories. Things I haven’t thought about in years.”

  “We talked about memories, Richard. They are pointless. You need to let them go.”

  Richard nodded. “Yes, I know that.”

  “Have you made friends with any of the other guests?”

  “Don’t tell him Richard!” Walt cried out. “He’s up to no good!”

  “Yes, all of them actually. They’re really very nice.”

  “I met one—a young blonde woman. She came in here while I was waiting for you.”

  “You must mean Anna.” Richard suggested.

  “So, you two have become close?”

  Richard shrugged. “She’s nice, maybe a little bossy.”

  Peter leaned back in the couch and crossed his legs again. “So tell me a little about her.”

  “Not much to say, really. She just showed up here without a reservation, all the rooms were already taken. So, Danielle put her in the attic.”

  Peter glanced briefly to the ceiling. “The attic?”

  “I know, it sounds funny when I say it.” Richard laughed. “I get the feeling she doesn’t have any family and didn’t want to be alone for Christmas. I can understand that.”

  “Have you forgotten, we don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s nothing but a commercial holiday to generate money for large corporations, and it perpetuates harmful myths—myths which prevent people from discovering the truth.”

  “Yes, I know that.” Richard nodded. “I just meant I can understand how someone—someone who hasn’t found the truth—might be extra lonely around Christmas.”

  “Why did she come here?”

  “She told us she saw Danielle’s ad promoting an old fashioned Christmas, and she just knew she had to come.”

  “Did Ms. Boatman just take her off the street? I told you, someone like Ms. Boatman is more vulnerable to these types of people. Which is why we need to help her.”

  “What do you mean these types of people?”

  “Those who try to exploit women like Ms. Boatman—play on their sympathy.”

  Richard shook his head. “No, Anna isn’t like that. All I said is that she showed up without a reservation. Not that she was trying to get a room for free. I know Anna paid for her room—paid in cash through New Year’s, I heard Danielle tell Lily that.”

  “You seem rather defensive over this Anna, Richard.”

  “She’s just been very nice, that’s all. We’ve had some fun together.”

  “Fun?”

  “Not with just Anna, the entire group.”

  “I’m disappointed that you seemed to have forgotten your reason for coming to Marlow House.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Perched atop a stack of boxes in the far corner of the attic, Max watched and waited. With tail swishing and whiskers twitching, his golden eyes focused on the intended target. Before the day was over, he vowed, he would take down the trespassing rodent.

  Since Danielle had turned the attic over to a guest, the area had been off limits for him and Sadie, and also for Walt. Yet, the woman had left the door ajar when she went downstairs, and that’s when he spied the interloper.

  At first it was just the flash of a long tail, peeking out from the end of the sofa and disappearing. Max saw it when he peered into the open doorway. The moment Max crept into the room, the body attached to the tail dashed from the sofa and ran across the attic floor, diving behind a dresser adjacent to the pile of boxes from which he now perched.

  Time ticked away and Max didn’t know how long he had been waiting for the rodent to show himself again. Yawning, he decided it was time for a quick nap. The sofa bed the woman had been using was still made out into a bed. Someone had spread a quilted comforter over the mattress and linens. Max thought it looked rather inviting. Leaping down from the boxes, he strolled over to the sofa bed and jumped up onto the mattress.

  He could sleep on the pillows piled at the head of the bed, yet the suitcase sitting on the center of the mattress looked more inviting. Persistently nosing the suitcase, Max wedged it open just enough for him to slip inside. He discovered it was empty. There were no clothes to use as a makeshift mattress. Max didn’t care. The dark space was a perfect place to nap.

  Downstairs, the guests had already started arriving. Peter was no longer in the parlor, but had joined Richard in the living room, where the two men mingled with the other guests.

  Joe had just arrived and stood with Danielle in the hallway, looking into the living room.

  “You invited Peter Morris?” Joe asked.

  “Of course I didn’t. He’s friends with one of my guests, and I couldn’t very well toss him out on the curb,” Danielle told him.

  “Sure you could.” Joe made no attempt to walk toward the living room, or to the library, where Danielle had told him the bar was set up. “Let me guess, that guy who was checking in the last time I was here, he’s pals with Morris.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so negative, Joe. It’s Christmas.”

  “You know how I feel about you taking in strangers off the street. You’ve already had a few who proved to be dangerous.”

  “I can handle myself, Joe. Anyway, it’s not Chris. And I don’t think it’s so much that Richard and Morris are friends, but Richard is a member of Earthbound Spirits—like Isabella was.”

  “Richard? I take that’s your guest who invited Morris?”

  “Not sure if he invited Morris or if Morris crashed my party. Richard is actually a sweet guy; I just think he’s looking for something and at the moment, he believes Earthbound Spirits is his answer.”

  Joe shook his head. “I wonder why they’re here. I didn’t think Christmas was their thing.”

  “Not to sound full of myself—but I think I’m the reason Morris showed up.” Danielle chuckled.

  Narrowing his eyes, Joe studied Danielle. “He’s trying to recruit you?”

  Danielle shrugged. “That’s my guess.” She added with a dramatic sigh, “Yes, being that I’m a vulnerable naive heiress—prime for the con.”

  When Joe didn’t laugh, Danielle rolled her eyes again and gave his arm a smack with the back of her hand. “I forgot, you actually believe I am a vulnerable naive heiress.”

  “I just t
hink—”

  “Oh save it Joe, and go get some spiked eggnog. Lighten up and enjoy Christmas. Don’t worry about Morris, I have him handled.”

  “It’s not just Morris or this Richard. I think you have other guests you need to be worried about.”

  “Gee, which one? Maybe Jessica? I know seven year olds can be terrifying.”

  “That guy who checked in the last time I was here.”

  “Chris?” Danielle laughed after Joe nodded the affirmative. “Oh, brother, Joe. Chris has been nothing but a gentleman. He’s been generous and kind with the other guests—even took them all out for lunch.”

  “He also threatened to kill one of your other guests.” Looking from the hallway into the living room, he didn’t see Chris—or the blonde who had been threatened.

  Danielle frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “I didn’t hear it, but Brian did.”

  Danielle laughed. “Well, that explains it. Brian has been known to jump to the wildest conclusions. But I have to ask, just which guest did Chris supposedly threaten?”

  “You have a young blonde woman staying here?”

  “Yes, Anna. But I seriously can’t imagine in what alternate universe Brian could come to the conclusion that Chris would threaten Anna.” Although…Walt did seem to think there was something between those two.

  “It was in Lucy’s Diner on Monday. Brian was coming out of the restroom and overheard them arguing. He said something about wanting her dead. But you would have to ask Brian; I don’t know what the exact words were.”

  “Did Brian say anything to them?”

  “Yes, but the woman—Anna you called her?—she got in Brian’s face and defended the man.”

  “Well, there you have it. Brian obviously misunderstood the conversation.”

  “But—”

  “Go Joe,” Danielle gave Joe a nudge toward the library. “Lighten up and have some Christmas cheer. I think I heard the doorbell.”