The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt

by Anna J. McIntyre

  “I’m thinking it’s probably kids—hyped up with Halloween and the haunted house. Look at the mischief they used to do at Presley House,” Brian said. “Now with Presley House gone, they’re turning to Marlow House.”

  “We had a very nice group tonight,” Danielle argued. “It wasn’t just teenagers. We had a lot of families and businesspeople in town. Sure, there were some teens, but they were all respectful.”

  “Someone broke into your house and started throwing things around,” Brian argued.

  Danielle took a deep breath. “Yes…”

  “And I suspect it’s the same person who broke in across the street,” Brian argued.

  After Brian left, Walt and Danielle locked the front door and went upstairs to their bedroom.

  “If we want to find out who broke into our house, it’s just going to muddle things with Brian thinking this has something to do with Connor’s stuffed animal,” Danielle said with a groan as she slipped off her robe and tossed it over a chair.

  “We can talk to the chief in the morning,” Walt suggested. “If he knows Marie is the one who moved that stuffed animal, maybe he can do something to steer his people away from trying to tie the two together.”

  “I’ll have to call him,” Danielle said. “He told me he wasn’t working this weekend.”

  Danielle left to use the bathroom and returned a few minutes later. Walt was already in bed waiting for her. When she reached the side of the bed, he lifted the top corner of the blanket so she could crawl in.

  Just as Walt reached over to turn off the table lamp, Danielle said, “I have an idea.”

  “It always terrifies me when you say those words,” Walt teased.

  “Oh hush.” Danielle giggled. “But I have an idea to get Joe and Kelly to stop worrying about that stuffed animal, and for the police to realize it’s not connected to what happened here.”

  “Go on,” Walt urged.

  “Lily needs to confess,” Danielle said.

  “What do you mean?” Walt frowned down at her.

  “Think about it. It was the first time Lily has left Connor with anyone. She was naturally nervous. So maybe she went over there to check on him. Not wanting Kelly and Joe to know what a nervous Nelly she was being, she slipped in the back door, using her key. When she heard Connor crying, she snuck into the nursery. Seeing the stuffed animal on the chair, she used it to calm him down, and when she left, she forgot to put it back. So when they told her about the stuffed animal being in the crib, she felt foolish, and instead of fessing up, she said nothing.”

  “It makes me sound like an idiot,” Lily said the next morning after Danielle made the suggestion.

  Walt and Danielle sat with Lily and Ian in the Bartley living room, drinking coffee. Baby Connor sat on his mother’s lap, nursing while a baby blanket concealed Lily’s breasts.

  “Not an idiot, exactly,” Ian argued.

  Lily rolled her eyes and said, “Then you tell them you snuck over here and gave Connor his stuffed animal. Anyway, I’m kind of annoyed with your sister for not letting him have it in the first place, and to lock Sadie in the office! What was that all about?”

  “My sister was just being overcautious,” Ian said. “She’s never been around babies much.”

  Lily let out a sigh and looked down at her son. Leaning over, she kissed the top of his bald head and then said, “I suppose I shouldn’t fault her for being too cautious.”

  “I tell you what, let me be the fall guy,” Ian said.

  Lily looked at Ian. “Seriously?”

  Ian shrugged. “Yeah, she is my sister, and if she has to be annoyed at one of us for sneaking over here, it’s probably best it be me and not you.”

  “True,” Lily said with a nod. “She loves you. She will forgive you.”

  “She loves you too,” Ian argued.

  “Okay, now that we have that settled, we need to figure out who broke into Marlow House last night,” Danielle said.

  After leaving the Bartleys’, Walt and Danielle walked to their garage to get the Packard so they could drive to the MacDonald residence. When they arrived, the boys had just woken up and were eating cereal in front of the television, watching cartoons. The chief guided Walt and Danielle to his study so they could talk in private.

  “Yes, I heard about what happened last night. Joe just called. So it was Ian who snuck in the house?” the chief asked.

  “Actually it was Marie,” Walt said. Danielle then went on to tell the chief what had happened the previous night.

  “We wanted you to know the cases weren’t connected,” Walt explained. “Which is why Danielle came up with that story. You know how good she is about fabricating alternate stories.” He gave her a wink and she in turn rolled her eyes at him.

  “The way Brian was talking, I got the feeling he was starting to side with Pearl, that the haunted house was a bad idea,” Danielle said. “But if we could just figure out who broke in last night…”

  The chief let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve this gut feeling whatever was going on in your house last night was similar to what was going on across the street in Connor’s nursery.”

  “What are you talking about? Marie wasn’t even there when someone broke the vase and tipped over the chairs,” Danielle argued.

  MacDonald let out another sigh and said, “Last night when we were going home, I almost ran over a man. Evan shouted for me to stop.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, that must have scared you.”

  “I didn’t even see him,” the chief said.

  “Why do people always walk around on dark streets during Halloween?” Danielle asked. “A good way to get run over.”

  “No. I mean I didn’t see him at all. It was like there was no one there,” the chief clarified.

  “So Evan thought there was someone in the street, but there wasn’t?” Danielle asked.

  The chief shook his head. “No. I suspect he was there. He walked toward Marlow House and disappeared. I didn’t see him. But Evan did.”

  Fourteen

  Max strolled down the hallway like a miniature panther on patrol duty. Walt had explained how someone had broken in the previous night to cause mischief. Tipping over chairs and knocking a vase off a table—it didn’t seem like such a bad thing to Max. Actually, it sounded like a good time. However, Max didn’t like strangers on his turf. And he certainly didn’t like anyone messing with his Danielle.

  Walt and Danielle had left for the morning, and Max wasn’t sure when they planned to return. Until they did, it was his job to keep an eye on things. With his tail swishing like a silky black flag, he made his way into the kitchen, intending to slip out the pet door and patrol the perimeter of the property. He was just a few feet from the back door when a male voice startled him.

  “Hello, Max.”

  Max’s back immediately arched, the black fur standing on end as the feline slowly turned toward the unwelcome intruder.

  “It’s been a long time,” the intruder said. “You’re getting fat. Becoming lazy in your old age? Although, as I recall, all you ever did was sleep.”

  Max responded with a hiss.

  The intruder laughed. “Oh, come on. What kind of greeting is that for an old friend?”

  The cat snarled and backed up.

  “Oh, you’re a scaredy-cat now?” The intruder laughed. “I must say, you’re hurting my feelings. I thought we were friends.”

  No longer hissing or growling, Max sat down, staring at the intruder with his golden eyes while his back remained hunched and his tail swished nervously.

  “Where is she, Max? Where is Danielle? I need to see her.”

  Max stared but made no sound.

  “Oh, she’s with him, is she? I heard he’s magically come to life. How is that even possible?”

  Max growled.

  “Married? Death just isn’t fair, is it? Rules are different for everyone. Although, now that I think about it, life was that way. Differen
t rules for different people. Always seemed whatever deck I ended up with was short a few cards.”

  Max growled again.

  “Don’t be so rude, Max. I just want to talk to her.”

  Max stared at him.

  The intruder frowned. “Of course not. Why would I do something silly like that? That’s something a cat does. Are you sure you aren’t responsible and just trying to blame me?”

  Abruptly Max turned and raced out the pet door, sending it swinging back and forth.

  “Nice to see you again too!” he called after Max and then muttered, “Stupid cat. You were always useless.”

  The intruder turned from the back door and headed for the hallway, looking for a good hiding spot to hang out in until Danielle returned.

  While Max hid in the side yard near the garage, waiting for Walt and Danielle to get home, up the street Chris had just stepped out on his front porch to grab his morning newspaper. He had overslept—something he had intended to do considering how late he got home the previous evening (which was actually the morning, if he wanted to get technical about it).

  While picking up the newspaper, Chris noticed his new neighbors driving away. Parked in front of the house was a pickup truck. Two men in work clothes carried building supplies from the back of the truck up to the Crawfords’ front porch. Chris assumed his new neighbors were having some work done to the house.

  Ten minutes later Chris had just settled in his living room recliner with a cup of coffee and the newspaper when a text message came over his phone. Setting his coffee on the end table, he picked up his phone and read the message. It was from Danielle, reminding him of his promise to take them all to lunch. Chris chuckled and then sent a response.

  Pearl Cove’s hostess sat them at a booth overlooking the ocean. Danielle always preferred these booths earlier in the day, when the late afternoon sun wasn’t yet blaring in the window. Sitting to her right was Walt, and to her left Lily, with baby Conner on Lily’s lap, and next to them Ian. On the other side of Walt sat Heather and Chris.

  “My sister is annoyed with me,” Ian announced. “Since I didn’t trust her enough that I had to sneak over to the house and check on Connor.”

  “Better you than me,” Lily teased, giving Connor a gentle bump in her arms to keep him quiet, yet the pacifier he eagerly sucked seemed to be doing the trick.

  “I still can’t believe she locked poor Sadie in the office,” Heather said.

  “At least they’re no longer obsessing over the idea someone broke into your house,” Chris pointed out.

  “No, it’s just Marlow House we need to worry about,” Danielle grumbled. She then told them what the chief had said about Evan seeing a ghost the previous night.

  “So maybe it wasn’t an actual person who’d come to the haunted house and came back to cause mischief?” Ian said.

  “I still say someone could have hidden somewhere and just didn’t leave when we locked up,” Chris added.

  Danielle shook her head. “No. Lily and I were pretty careful about monitoring who came in and left.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Lily said hesitantly. “That last group of teenagers, one of them could have slipped back in after they left. That’s when I used the bathroom.”

  “I think Lily has a point. Plus, even if Evan saw some spirit last night—well, it is Halloween,” Heather said. “And spirits wandering around like that typically haven’t harnessed enough energy to tip over chairs and break things.”

  “But Marie does,” Ian argued.

  Heather shrugged. “She is an exception. Like Walt.”

  “Like me how?” Walt asked Heather.

  Heather looked over at Walt. “I don’t know any other ghost who has come back over to this side. Traditional reincarnation doesn’t count.”

  “What did you mean it is Halloween?” Lily asked Heather.

  “Traditionally, Halloween is the time of year spirits try to communicate with the living,” Heather explained.

  “Technically speaking, it isn’t Halloween yet,” Ian reminded her.

  “I don’t think it’s a particular day as much as a season. Maybe even the entire month. Remember Harvey,” Heather reminded them.

  “I would rather not,” Danielle groaned.

  “Yes, that’s right. Harvey would go to Presley House every October,” Lily recalled.

  “Thankfully, Harvey has moved on. There hasn’t been a reporting of a haunting over there since the fire,” Danielle said.

  “So what does Harvey have to do with any of this?” Ian asked.

  “He doesn’t,” Danielle said. “It’s just that some believe that during this time of year, earthbound spirits can more easily contact the living.”

  Lily giggled.

  Danielle glanced to her friend and frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “Calling them earthbound spirits—like the name of that crazy cult,” Lily explained.

  “The cult obviously had it wrong,” Danielle said. “To them all living people were earthbound spirits. Their spirits trapped in their bodies and doomed to keep returning until they learned whatever it was they needed to learn before moving on. But when I use the term—to me an earthbound spirit is someone like Eva and Marie—or how Darlene and Angela were. But Angela and Darlene, like Harvey, are no longer earthbound spirits. They have moved on, to wherever our next leg of the journey is.”

  “Maybe you should start your own church?” Ian teased.

  Danielle flashed Ian an eye roll. “Funny.”

  “Hey, I heard it’s a good way to raise money,” Heather said.

  “Would that make Dani our high priestess?” Lily asked.

  “Oh, shut up,” Danielle scoffed.

  “Are you following me?” Chris asked Walt and Danielle a few minutes after their Packard parked behind his car, and they got out of the vehicle. The three had recently left Pearl Cove after lunch and were now standing in front of Chris’s house.

  “I asked Walt to stop so we could introduce ourselves to Ginny’s aunt and uncle. I just figure the little girl spent a lot of time at our house last night, and I think we really should touch base with her aunt and uncle, especially since she plans to come back tonight,” Danielle explained.

  Chris glanced over to the neighbor’s house and then back to Walt and Danielle. “Not sure they’re home. I saw them leave this morning. Doesn’t look like their car is back.”

  “I see the Bellemore brothers are doing work for them.” Danielle nodded to the truck parked next door.

  Chris glanced briefly to the vehicle. “Yeah, I guess so. That was there when the neighbors drove off this morning.”

  “So they all left?” Walt asked.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I just saw their car drive away. I suppose one of them might be home,” Chris said.

  Danielle looked over at Walt. “Let’s walk over and see.” She looked back at Chris and asked, “What’s their name again?”

  “Crawford. I don’t remember the first names,” Chris told her.

  Walt and Danielle walked hand in hand over to the Crawfords’ house. A few minutes later the pair stood on the old front porch, waiting for someone to answer the doorbell. When no one answered, they rang again.

  Finally, the front door inched open. Answering it was Chester Bellemore.

  “Hello, Mr. Bellemore? We met the other day when you stopped by our house. I’m Danielle Marlow.”

  The man smiled and opened the door wider. “Yes, what can I do for you?”

  “First I would like to introduce my husband, Walt Marlow.”

  Chester shook Walt’s hand, looking him up and down. “Wow, you really do look exactly like your ancestor. I saw the portrait when we visited the museum.”

  “Actually, he isn’t an ancestor, more a distant cousin,” Walt explained.

  Chester arched his brow. “Really? Wow. The resemblance is unreal.”

  “We’re here to see the Crawfords. Is Mr. or Mrs. Crawford at home?” Danielle aske
d.

  Chester shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, they had to take off to Portland. Some emergency came up. They won’t be back until late Sunday. That’s why my brother and I are going to be burning the night oil here, trying to get as much of the work done as possible before they come back.”

  “Oh my, an emergency? I hope everything is okay,” Danielle said.

  Chester shrugged. “I don’t think anyone died or anything. Just something they had to take care of.”

  When Danielle returned to the Packard a few minutes later, she told Walt, “I think Evan is going to miss having Ginny help him tonight.”

  “He did say they should be back Sunday. The haunted house is running through Tuesday,” Walt reminded her.

  “True. And in the meantime, we need to figure out how to prevent another visit from late night pranksters. If we don’t, then Pearl Huckabee is going to relish telling us ‘I told you so.’”

  Fifteen

  Parked in the alleyway leading to the garage, the engine running, Walt sat in the driver’s side of the Packard and pressed the garage door opener.

  Walt watched as the door slowly opened. “That thing is rather convenient.”

  “Aww, yes, the modern conveniences of my time,” Danielle said.

  “Technically speaking, the automatic garage door opener is more from my time—my first time around, that is—than yours,” Walt said.

  “How so?” Danielle asked as Walt drove slowly into the garage.

  “When we were having the garage built and you were talking about garage door openers, I googled it.”

  Danielle grinned. “Googled it? And what did you find.”

  Walt parked the car and turned off the ignition. “The automatic garage door opener was invented the year after I was killed. 1926. Although they didn’t become popular until after World War II.”

  “Interesting,” Danielle murmured. “You are a wealth of information.”

  Walt pushed the garage remote again, closing the door. “Me and Wikipedia.”