Ghost Who Came for Christmas

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Richard nodded. “I remember.”

  “I know there’s always a chance someone will break into my car at the airport—steal our things. If that happened, I didn’t want them to get this, so I brought this with me. I never really thought I would be bringing them out while I was here.”

  “What is it?” Chris asked.

  Patricia smiled. “Old photographs. Really the only thing I have left of my…our parents. After Mom died, and we were taken into foster care, her things—well, they pretty much disappeared. I really have no idea what happened to them. She didn’t have a lot. What she did have, it was gone.”

  “But they gave you the pictures?” Danielle asked.

  Patricia looked over to Danielle. “Not exactly. I went back to the apartment after I turned eighteen. Of course, everything had changed. There had been a number of tenants since we moved out, and the guy who owned the apartment had sold it a few years before I returned. But there was one tenant still living at the apartment—an older woman who had been a friend of my mother’s. She had the photographs, and she gave them to me.”

  “How did she happen to have them?” Danielle asked.

  “I guess when they were cleaning out the apartment, she went in and started looking around. She saw the old photographs—they had been tossed in the trash, and she recovered them. She hoped I’d come back someday so she could give them to me.”

  “Can I see?” Jessica asked.

  “Yes, we all can. I haven’t looked at these pictures for years. It was always so painful. But now…” Patricia flashed Richard a smile. She opened the manila envelope. Inside were a number of smaller envelopes, each labeled with brief handwritten notations indicating what photographs were inside. The one labeled Bobby and Patricia she handed to Richard. The envelope marked Mom and Dad’s Wedding and Honeymoon, she handed to Jessica. Curious, Danielle and Chris stood behind Richard, sneaking a look at his childhood photographs.

  Walt wasn’t particularly interested in looking through old pictures. He and his cigar vanished, retreating to Danielle’s bedroom upstairs, the door closed, and the television turned on with the volume low.

  “It’s me!” Richard exclaimed.

  Patricia glanced over and looked at the photograph he held. “That was taken about six months before Mom died.”

  “I have some pictures my parents—my adoptive parents—took of me when I was about that age. Must have been right after they got me. I have to be your brother! It looks just like the photos I have of me when I was that age!”

  “Why do you have pictures of Anna’s wedding?” Jessica asked. She sat cross legged on the floor, holding several photographs in her hand.

  “What are you talking about Jessica? Those are your grandparents’ wedding pictures. My mom and dad.”

  “No.” Jessica shook her head. “This is Anna!”

  “No honey,” Patricia grabbed a photograph out of her daughter’s hand. “This is…oh my goodness, it does look like Anna!” Patricia stared at the photograph a moment.

  “Let me see,” Danielle asked. Patricia handed her the picture, and then quickly flipped through the remaining wedding photographs. She shook her head in disbelief.

  “This is amazing,” Danielle said in awe. “Anna is a dead ringer for your mom.”

  Richard held a wedding picture in his hand, staring at it. “Do you realize, the dress she’s wearing in this picture is exactly like the dress Anna wore on Christmas night?”

  “Let me see,” Patricia said.

  As Patricia, Richard, Jessica, and Danielle poured over the wedding and honeymoon pictures, amazed at the startling likeness between the two women, Chris stood silently by the fireplace, watching.

  Danielle was about to say something to Chris when she looked up and realized he was not participating in the discussion—he was watching. By his expression, she knew he was not surprised at the uncanny likeness.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The clock struck midnight. Ian kissed Lily while Richard pressed a chaste kiss against his sister’s cheek and then Danielle’s. Chris was following suit, first giving Patricia a quick kiss, but when he got to Danielle, the kiss he initially intended for her cheek landed on her lips. He didn’t linger; he could feel Walt watching. It was officially 2015.

  Jessica had fallen asleep on the sofa. Not wanting to wake her, Chris offered to carry her upstairs.

  “She’s too heavy,” Patricia protested.

  “Don’t be silly, there’s no reason to wake her,” he insisted.

  Chris was halfway up the stairs when he began to regret his rash offer. The little girl was heavier than he had imagined, or perhaps he was just out of shape, he thought.

  “You need a little help there?” Walt asked with a chuckle. He walked alongside Chris as they made their way up the stairs.

  Chris flashed Walt a pained look. Walking ahead of them was Patricia, oblivious to Chris’ discomfort.

  After a few more steps, Walt let out a sigh and said, “I don’t want you to drop the poor child.”

  To Chris’ surprise, Jessica became light as an infant. For a brief moment he imagined he might drop her—the radical shift in weight had momentarily caused him to lose balance. But then he steadied himself and continued up the staircase with no difficulty. Glancing over to Walt, Chris understood what had just happened. The two men—one a spirit and one flesh and blood—carried the child together, up the stairs and to her room.

  “What’s going on Chris? Who is Anna?” Danielle demanded after everyone else had gone to bed. She found him in the parlor.

  Walt appeared. “I’d like to know the answer to that question too.”

  Chris let out a sigh and sat down at the parlor desk. “I thought you would’ve figured it out by now. Anna is Trudy Ann, Patricia and Richard’s birth mother.”

  “How is that even possible?” Danielle sat down and looked at Chris, waiting for his explanation.

  “I’m definitely confused.” Walt waved his hand for a cigar.

  “The first time I met Richard was at his parent’s funeral. I felt obligated to attend the funerals of all those who had died on the boating accident with my parents. That was my first mistake.”

  “First mistake?” Danielle asked.

  “Since her death, Trudy was unable to find peace. I couldn’t really blame her. Patricia bounced around from one foster home to the next, separated from the little brother she adored, and Richard ended up with the Winstons. Look up the definition of dysfunctional family in the dictionary and you’ll find a picture of the Winston family.”

  “Are you saying their mother’s spirit has been with them all these years?”

  “Yes.” Chris nodded. “She bounced between the two, watching them grow up, trying to get someone to help them. Trudy wanted to reunite her children. No one would listen of course, because no one could see or hear her.”

  “But you could.” Danielle said.

  “She came to the Winstons’ funeral with Richard. Of course, he had no idea his birth mother was by his side, like she so often was. When Trudy discovered I could see her—she wouldn’t let me rest.”

  “What do you mean?” Walt asked.

  “She began haunting me. Badgering me. Demanding I do something to help her children. She would barely let me sleep. I had no choice; I had to find some way to get them together.”

  “So what was the plan?” Danielle asked.

  “First, I hired a private detective to find out what I could about the two. I really couldn’t trust what Trudy told me, spirits are not always reliable.”

  “Exactly why did you look at me when you said that?” Walt asked with a scowl.

  “Is that when you learned about Richard’s involvement with Earthbound Spirits, or had Anna always known?” Danielle asked.

  “He wasn’t involved with them until after his parent’s death—after Trudy latched onto me. From what I can tell, he was devastated when he learned the truth about the adoption, how his parents had lied to him all
those years. He was vulnerable, looking for answers. Earthbound Spirits was there with answers, for a price.”

  “Was he really that upset to discover he was adopted?” Walt asked.

  Chris shook his head. “It was not the adoption, per se. But Trudy had seen what had gone on all those years, how the Winstons worked to erase his early memories. Remember, he was six years old when she died. He naturally remembered things, but for years they pounded into him that his memories were all his imagination.”

  “Like he was crazy,” Danielle murmured.

  “Yes. The way people want us to feel if we foolishly reveal we can see spirits,” Chris told her.

  “So you were behind Benevolent Charities, like I thought?” Danielle asked.

  “Yes, but not for the reasons you assumed. I learned Richard had reservations here, and I figured if I could get Patricia here for Christmas, it would be one way to get them together, at least under the same roof. So I created the phony charity and threw in the gifts as incentives so she’d come. I had learned Patricia lost her job and was on the verge of being evicted—which did happen—so I figured she couldn’t afford to pass up the trip.”

  “I’m not sure why you went through all this,” Danielle said. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to simply send them each an anonymous letter, let them know about each other? After all, it shouldn’t be too difficult to prove they’re related with a DNA test.”

  “Trust me, I offered to do that after Trudy first latched onto me. But Richard was in such a bad place, and the people he thought were his parents so betrayed him. Trudy was afraid if Patricia just showed up, he’d suspect her of just being there for his money, that she’d always known about him but had never tried to contact him. Trudy wanted to do something where they’d have a chance to get to know each other first.”

  “How was everyone able to see Anna? I don’t understand,” Danielle asked.

  “Well, that makes two of us. Trudy coming here was not part of the plan. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get Richard and Patricia to see they were siblings. I just figured I’d improvise. Figure out something.”

  “You didn’t know she was coming?” Danielle asked.

  “No. That wasn’t part of the plan. And when I first saw Anna, I didn’t recognize her as Trudy—not until I looked into her eyes. The woman we saw as Anna was an image of Trudy as a newlywed, not how she looked when she died.”

  Danielle looked at Walt. “Well, I suppose that answers one of our questions.”

  “What question was that?” Walt asked.

  “If a spirit could appear as a younger version of himself, or if you died at a really old age, whether your ghost self would always appear as an old man,” Danielle explained, reminding Walt of a conversation they once had.

  “That may explain how she appeared as a younger version of herself,” Walt began. “It still doesn’t explain how everyone could see her. And it wasn’t an illusion, she appeared as flesh and blood.”

  Chris stood up and walked across the room to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, he looked out into the dark night. “I’ve wondered how she did that. And when she disappeared, I wondered where she went.” He turned and faced Walt. “And she couldn’t see you.”

  “Me?” Walt asked.

  Chris nodded. “It’s always been my experience that spirits can see each other. It’s not like Danielle and me, where we can see spirits but Lily and the rest can’t. Yet, when Trudy was in this state—whatever state that might be—she couldn’t see or hear Walt.”

  “You really didn’t know she was leaving right after Christmas?” Danielle asked.

  “I had no idea. Frankly, I was surprised when she disappeared because Richard and Patricia still had not considered the possibility they were siblings. I just naturally assumed she would stick around until they did.”

  Danielle studied Chris for a moment and then asked, “Remember when Brian said he heard you and Anna arguing at the diner? Why did he really think you threatened her life?”

  Chris looked over at Danielle and smiled. “To be honest, I did say something about maybe I should just kill her. I understand why Brian misunderstood. But I was talking about killing someone who was already dead—who had taken on what appeared to be a flesh and blood body. Even then I wasn’t serious, at least not how it sounded.”

  “If you haven’t seen her since she disappeared, does that mean her spirit self has moved on?” Danielle asked.

  “That’s what I’m beginning to believe. If she just went back to how she was the last time I saw her at Dana Pointe, I would assume I could see her.”

  “Perhaps she has truly moved on,” Danielle suggested.

  Walt stood up and angrily asked, “I want to know; how did she do that? How did she become flesh and blood?” Walt disappeared.

  Danielle stared at where Walt had been standing right before he vanished. “Why is Walt so upset?”

  Chris smiled. “I think I know.”

  “Why?”

  “I think he would like to be able to do what Trudy did—to come back as a flesh and blood person, if only for a brief time.”

  “Why would he want that? What would be the point if he could only come back for a few days?”

  Chris reached out and grabbed Danielle’s right hand, gently squeezing her fingertips. He looked into her eyes. “For you, of course.”

  “Me?”

  “He may be a ghost, Danielle. But I think he’s in love with you.”

  “Good morning, Joanne! I haven’t seen you since last year!” Jessica greeted with a giggle.

  Joanne set the platter of biscuits on the table. “Has it been that long? I swear, it seems like just yesterday!” She winked at the child and handed her a fresh biscuit and then headed back to the kitchen to get the rest of the breakfast.

  Jessica giggled again. Tearing off a piece of the warm biscuit, she popped it in her mouth.

  “How are you feeling this morning, Richard?” Ian asked as he sat down at the table, joining the occupants of Marlow House for breakfast.

  “Much better, thank you. I can’t believe we go home tomorrow.” Richard grabbed a biscuit for himself and then passed the platter down the table. “In spite of my two nights in the hospital, I can honestly say this has been one of my best Christmases.”

  Patricia reached over and patted Richard’s hand. “I second that!”

  Joanne returned to the dining room with more platters of food and began passing them around the table.

  “Well, I’m going to miss you all,” Danielle told them. “I’ve really enjoyed sharing Christmas with all of you—it helped me not miss my own family quite as much.”

  “It feels like family around this table,” Lily said. Danielle flashed her a smile.

  “Do you fly back to Arizona in the morning?” Chris asked Patricia.

  Patricia looked over at Richard. “Should we tell them now?”

  “What?” Lily asked.

  “Richard’s going to need some help. It’ll be a while until he gets walking again. Jessica and I are going home with him.”

  “I’m sending someone to pick up her car at the airport,” Richard explained. “We’re going to be pretty busy these next few days, getting Jessica enrolled in school, getting them both settled in. And severing all ties with Earthbound Spirits. I already called my attorney.”

  “About your will?” Lily asked.

  “After that incident with Cleve, I realized I can’t be too careful. That last day in the hospital I called my attorney at his home. He faxed me some papers to sign, making sure Morris doesn’t get a penny of my money if something were to happen to me before I get my new will finalized.”

  Walt appeared in the room. He lounged casually against the buffet, listening.

  “I just want Richard safe!” Patricia said.

  Danielle grinned. “I’m happy for you both.”

  “I’m still trying to understand the uncanny resemblance between our mother and Anna,” Patricia said.


  “I think Anna was Grandma,” Jessica said with conviction.

  Patricia smiled at her daughter. “She definitely looked like Mom.”

  “And you never noticed the resemblance when Anna was here?” Lily asked.

  Patricia shook her head. “No. Mom went gray at a very young age. I think she was completely gray by the time she turned thirty-five. Her illness those last few months really aged her. Unfortunately, that’s how I tend to remember her.”

  Richard looked over at his sister. “I like to think Jessica is on to something.”

  “Maybe she is…” Patricia returned her brother’s smile.

  “What are your plans, Chris?” Richard asked a few moments later.

  Walt studied Chris. “Yes, what are your plans?”

  “At Danielle’s open house, I met one of her friends, Adam Nichols.”

  Lily raised her brows. “Adam?”

  “He mentioned he owned a property rental company in town, and Ian said that’s who he got his house through. So, I thought I’d go talk to him tomorrow, see what he has available.”

  “Weren’t you planning to check out tomorrow?” Lily asked, flashing Danielle a grin.

  Chris looked over to Danielle. “I was hoping Danielle would be willing to rent me a room until I can find something more permanent.”

  Walt stood up straight. “You’re staying here?”

  “I like Frederickport, it rather grows on you—especially the people.”

  “Gee Dani, you think you can rent Chris a room for a few more days?” Lily asked mischievously.

  “Certainly. We’d love to have you.” Danielle grinned.

  “Fine, but he moves back downstairs!” Walt said before he disappeared.

  Chapter Forty

  Bundled up in a quilt, Danielle sat in the swing in front of Marlow House. The toe of her right sneaker repeatedly pushed against the damp ground, keeping the swing in motion. It was chilly outside. Not surprising, considering it was New Year’s Day. Inside the house, the occupants watched football in the living room—all except Jessica, who was in the kitchen finishing her paint by numbers picture she had started several days earlier.