They saved the parlor for last. When they stepped into the room, Kelly glanced around, trying to figure out what spooky thing was supposed to happen. Motion from the coffee table caught her attention. She elbowed Joe and nodded toward the table. Slowly, they both approached it and looked down.
Sitting on the table was a silver tea set. They watched in amazement as the teapot seemingly lifted up off the table of its own accord and then began pouring tea into one of the cups.
“How do they do that?” Kelly stammered.
Joe reached out and moved one hand over the tea set, yet did not detect any wires. Just as he moved his hand back, a sinister laugh broke the silence, and to their surprise a young man materialized, sitting on the sofa, his hand holding the teapot.
He looked up at Joe and Kelly and asked in a low whisper, “Would you like a cup?”
Again he laughed—this time more of a cackle. He became transparent before completely disappearing, the teapot slamming back onto the table, almost tipping over, sending tea splashing.
Kelly had already let out a scream and grabbed for Joe’s hand. But they stood there a moment, and finally they both began to laugh.
“A hologram?” Kelly asked.
Joe shook his head. “I don’t know. But I have to give it to Danielle, that was one hell of a good trick.”
Joe and Kelly found Danielle on the front porch talking to Melony. Who they couldn’t see was Marie. She stood by Danielle’s side, listening to the conversation.
“How did you like it?” Danielle asked cheerfully.
“Impressive,” Joe said. “If I didn’t know better, I would swear your husband was the ghost of Marlow House.”
“How did he do that with the book?” Kelly asked.
Danielle stifled a grin. At the last minute it had been decided Walt and Marie could do a few of their tricks—just to spice things up a bit.
“I really don’t know,” Danielle lied. “He dabbles in magic, but will never tell me how he does a trick.”
“The one that was really impressive was in the parlor,” Joe said.
Danielle frowned and cocked her head, trying to remember what they had set up in the parlor.
“I haven’t been through the entire house yet,” Melony said. “What was it?”
“I don’t want to ruin it for you,” Kelly said.
“Come on, tell me,” Melony begged.
“Yes, please do. I confess, I can’t remember what we set up in the parlor,” Danielle lied.
“Yeah, right,” Joe scoffed, not believing Danielle had forgotten. He looked at Melony and said, “Just be prepared for a ghost to appear before your eyes and offer you a cup of tea.”
“And then just disappear and practically dump tea all over. I have to know, how did you get the teapot to do that? It was like an invisible hand was moving it. But we figure the ghost had to be some sort of hologram.”
Danielle and Marie exchanged quick glances.
“Oh dear, it looks as if Eva was right. Some spirits showed up to give you a little extra help,” Marie said.
Seventeen
“My sister is going to be driving me nuts trying to get me to reveal the parlor trick,” Ian said with a groan after Danielle told the small group about the mystery ghost’s shenanigans.
“Cute,” Danielle said with a chuckle. “Nice play on words.”
They sat in the living room, Walt, Danielle, Ian, Chris, Heather, Marie and Eva. The chief had picked up his sons twenty minutes earlier, and Melony had just left. They rehashed the events of the evening, focusing primarily on what Joe and Kelly had witnessed. They compared notes, wondering if there had been any other unusual paranormal activity reported.
“I suppose we should thank whoever it was,” Walt said dryly. “Sounds like it was more impressive than my floating book trick.”
Danielle thought about the silver tea set and shook her head. “Last time I saw that, it was on the buffet.”
“Saw what?” Heather asked.
“The tea set. How did it get into the parlor?” Danielle asked.
“We know how. I’m just surprised one of us didn’t see it floating from the buffet into the parlor,” Marie said.
“Whoever it was even filled it with tea,” Danielle added.
“Helpful in its own way,” Eva mused. “It certainly left an impression with your friends.”
“I’d like to know who this helpful spirit is,” Danielle said. “And is he just here for Halloween mischief or some other purpose? Harvey seemed to think we’d be having some visiting spirits who want something from us.”
“You want me to stay?” Chris asked.
“I’d offer, but Lily might kill me.” Ian stood up. “Plus, chances are I won’t see the ghost, so what help would that be?”
“Sounds like Joe and Kelly saw it,” Danielle reminded him.
“True. But I’m out of here before Lily calls a search team,” Ian said as he headed to the door.
They all told Ian an additional goodbye, and Danielle conveyed Eva and Marie’s words, since he couldn’t hear them.
After Ian left, Chris asked again, “Do you want me to stay?”
“I think we’re good,” Danielle said. “Marie promised she would stick around and keep an eye out for any mischief makers.”
“Since Marie has already volunteered to stay,” Eva began, “and watch to see who might pop up after you go to bed, I think I would like to take a visit down to the cemetery and ask around. See if anyone knows anything.”
“Harvey seemed to,” Danielle reminded her.
Walt looked over at Max, who sat on the windowsill looking outside, his tail swishing back and forth.
“Max,” Walt called out. The cat turned to look at him.
“I’d like you to sleep on the second-floor landing—watch to see who goes into any of the bedrooms, or if anyone tries to come up the attic stairs,” Walt told him.
A guard cat and the ghost of an elderly woman as our protectors, Danielle told herself, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“Before everyone leaves, let’s give the house, beginning in the basement and moving to the attic, a thorough search,” Chris suggested. “If we all go into a different room, it will be more difficult for a spirit to hide. Not impossible, but more difficult.”
They searched the basement and then all the rooms on the first floor. Not a ghost or person was to be found. They went through all the rooms—with each of them taking a different one to search. Danielle went through her old bedroom on the second floor. She would have looked into the hidden staircase, but the door to that was locked from the other side. Although their attic bedroom suite had been locked, Walt still looked through it. While there, he checked the hidden staircase but found nothing out of order and the door to Danielle’s old bedroom closet still locked.
Satisfied the house had been thoroughly searched, Eva said her goodbyes and disappeared, heading to the Frederickport Cemetery. Eva wondered if the tea-pouring ghost might have returned to the cemetery—assuming that was where he was from.
Not long after Eva vanished, Heather and Chris said their goodbyes, with Chris offering to walk Heather home. After the pair left, Walt locked the front door. Walt and Danielle then headed to the attic, Max on their heels. Marie stayed downstairs, patrolling the rooms. After going up to the second floor, Max went to his lookout spot and settled down for the evening, leaving Walt and Danielle to continue on their way up to their attic bedroom suite.
“I have to admit I feel a little better having Marie here,” Danielle said as she crawled into bed.
“She does have the advantage of moving through walls,” Walt said. “That was one skill I wasn’t able to take with me. Also helpful when you’re trying to corral a ghost.”
Danielle chuckled and snuggled down next to Walt as he pulled the covers over them both and pulled her closer to him.
“Aside from a few party-crashing ghosts, the haunted house seems to be a hit,” Danielle said.
Walt kissed her head. “Yes, it does. But I’m glad we’re only doing this for five days. It gets a little tedious sitting pretending to read a book while keeping it floating in midair.”
“You are a sport,” Danielle whispered, giving Walt a little snuggle. Exhausted, both Danielle and Walt fell asleep within minutes.
If Danielle had bothered to look at the clock, she would know it was almost three in the morning. She hadn’t bothered, because she was asleep. As she rolled over, her body gave her a little nudge, telling her she needed to get up and use the bathroom. Sleepily she opened her eyes, the room dark save for a night-light illuminating the way to the bathroom. Closing her eyes again, she groaned, delaying the trip, reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed.
In the next moment a bright light hit her face and moved to another part of the room. Her eyes flew open and she spied what looked like a flashlight peeking out of the doorway from the hidden staircase. Its beam zigzagged around the room and then went dark. Several moments later she heard what sounded like the door to the hidden staircase closing.
Grabbing Walt’s hand, she shook him awake, her heart racing.
“What is it?” Walt grumbled, sitting up in the bed.
She pointed toward the door leading to the hidden staircase. “Someone is in there!”
“A ghost?” Walt asked.
“I don’t think so,” Danielle whispered. “Ghosts don’t normally use flashlights.”
Walt jumped out of bed. Danielle wanted to shout at him to come back, but he was moving too quickly, and she was afraid if she shouted, it would just warn whoever was in the house. She reminded herself that Walt had the advantage of his telekinetic gifts.
In the next moment Walt turned on the lights to the staircase and threw open the door. He looked inside, but no one was there.
“They must have gone out the closet in your old room,” Walt said.
Now by Walt’s side, Danielle looked into the empty stairwell. The overhead light brightly illuminated the narrow space. To their surprise, Marie appeared, coming through the closet from Danielle’s old bedroom.
“What are you two doing in here? Ghost hunting?” Marie asked. The illusion of her body floated up the stairwell until she was eye level with Walt and Danielle.
“Marie, someone was just in here. They must have left through the closet. Didn’t you see them?” Danielle asked anxiously.
“No, dear. I came in through the closet in your old bedroom. There was no one there. I was out in the hallway chatting with Max—who, by the way, said he hasn’t seen anything all evening, when I heard some noise coming from your old bedroom, and when I entered the room, I realized the noise was coming from the closet. There was no one in the closet, so I just popped in here, and I saw you two.”
“But someone was just in here,” Danielle insisted. “That’s the only way they could have gone out, through the closet in my old bedroom!”
“Then I suppose we have some mischievous ghost,” Marie suggested.
Danielle shook her head and walked into the stairwell, glancing around. “A ghost with a flashlight? You didn’t see a flashlight floating around in my room, did you?”
“I believe I would have mentioned that to you,” Marie said patiently.
Walt stepped into the space and looked around. “Maybe you were dreaming,” he suggested.
“Dreaming? I wasn’t dreaming. I was awake. I was just getting ready to get up to go to the bathroom when light hit me in the eyes!”
“If someone was in here, it had to be a ghost, because whoever it was didn’t leave through the bedroom, I promise you that. And the only ones I know who can go through walls are ghosts,” Marie said.
“Yes, Marie. But they can’t take their flashlights with them,” Danielle reminded her.
“Marie,” Walt began, “when you heard something in Danielle’s old bedroom, was her closet door open or shut?”
“It was shut,” Marie told him.
“And when you entered the closet, was the door to the stairwell open or shut?” he asked.
As Walt asked Marie the questions, Danielle made her way down the stairwell to the second floor.
“It was shut,” Marie said.
“And still locked,” Danielle called out, looking up the stairwell at her husband and Marie.
The one room not included in the haunted house was the master suite in the attic. They had locked their bedroom door prior to opening for the haunted house, to prevent guests from wandering where they were not welcome. With both the attic and the closet entry locked, there was no way for one of their guests to stumble on the hidden staircase.
Walt started walking down the steps toward Danielle. “If this wasn’t a dream, then I say it has to be the mischief of a ghost. Perhaps there is some ghostly light trick we aren’t aware of.”
“You really need to clean the mud off your shoes before you tromp through the house,” Marie said.
Walt and Danielle looked to Marie, who had now floated down to where they stood by the door leading to Danielle’s old closet.
“What are you talking about?” Danielle asked.
Marie pointed to one of the steps. There were two muddy shoe prints.
“How did those get there?” Danielle asked.
“Obviously Walt stepped in mud,” Marie suggested.
With a frown Walt walked over to the muddy footprint and set his bare foot near it. The shoe print was at least one size larger than Walt’s shoe size.
After taking a closer look, Danielle could see faint footprints leading from the second floor up the steps to the hidden doorway in their bedroom. It looked as if the mud had gradually worn off the shoes before reaching the attic entrance.
Eighteen
Danielle went to her bedroom and retrieved her cellphone from the nightstand. When she returned to the hidden stairwell, phone in hand, Walt asked, “Are you calling the police?” He now stood on the landing outside their bedroom in the stairwell, while Marie floated by his side.
“Police? No, they’re the last people I want to call. Even if it was an intruder and not a spirit, the chief doesn’t know about the hidden staircase, and I really don’t want him to find out this way—me calling to report another break-in.” Danielle looked down at the footprints, gently nudging Walt to one side so she could get a better view.
It appeared to be one set of prints, coming up from the landing on the second floor and ending at the hidden panel leading into the attic bedroom. Yet there were no visible prints going back down—it was as if whoever had come up the stairs had left through the attic bedroom. Danielle knew that was impossible, considering she and Walt had been in the bedroom all the time—and when not in the bedroom attic, they were in the hidden stairwell. That was, of course, assuming whoever had shined a light in her eyes was the one responsible for the shoe prints.
She looked down at the print closest to the attic bedroom entry. Barely visible, it looked as if the shoe responsible for leaving the mark had scuffed off most of the mud before reaching that point. Leaning down, she aimed the camera of her phone at the print and snapped a picture. She then continued down the stairwell, snapping a picture of each print. They became progressively darker as she made her way down the stairs. When she reached the last one, she leaned down and touched the mud. It felt damp.
“I think this is fresh,” Danielle said. “It’s damp.”
“We are on the Oregon coast, dear,” Marie said. “Everything is damp.”
“No. Not like that. Someone just made this.”
“I’m not sure who. I didn’t see anyone,” Marie insisted. She had followed Walt down the stairs as he trailed behind Danielle. The three now stood at the bottom of the staircase just outside the closet of Danielle’s old bedroom. Walt looked at the hidden panel, and the next moment it unlocked and slid open, revealing the bedroom closet. It was dark inside, and he could see the closet door to the bedroom was still closed. They heard a faint meow. Walt looked at the closet, and the nex
t moment its door opened, and in walked Max, coming from the direction of Danielle’s old bedroom.
“Did you see anything?” Walt asked the cat.
Max stared at Walt.
“See, I told you,” Marie said.
“Why don’t we go downstairs and discuss this,” Walt suggested. “I’m hungry.”
“Hungry?” Danielle asked. “What time is it?”
“Does it have to be a special time for chocolate cake?” Walt asked.
“No, that’s just for alcohol,” Marie chirped.
“If I’m not mistaken, there are still a couple of pieces of your double fudge cake left,” Walt reminded her. “I think we should eat them before Chris comes back tomorrow.”
When they walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, Walt turned on the overhead light, and Danielle picked up a dishtowel and tossed it over the mock severed head in the jar.
Marie frowned. “Why did you do that?”
“Don’t ask,” Danielle said, grabbing a carton of milk from the refrigerator.
While Danielle filled two glasses with milk, Walt plated the last two pieces of cake. He carried them to the table while Danielle brought the milk. Marie joined them at the table.
“If it was a living person, wouldn’t Marie or Max have seen them?” Walt asked before taking his first bite of cake.
“I would assume so. There is no other way out of that stairwell unless whoever it was went through one of the walls.” Danielle speared a bite of cake on the end of her fork.
“If it was someone from my side, then this opens up an entire new range of possibilities,” Marie mused. “Ghosts who can leave behind footprints. Ghosts who create beams of light—or possibly find some way to move an object, like a flashlight, through a solid surface.”
“The light does not surprise me,” Walt said. “Manipulating electricity seems to be one of the first skills a spirit can master. Would it be such a jump to imagine they might be able to harness light, which is a form of energy. And then there is Eva’s glitter.”
The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt Page 11
