The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt

by Anna J. McIntyre

  “On one hand, I keep telling myself it’s pretty farfetched to imagine she’s a ghost, considering you and Eddy so clearly saw and heard her. After all, the most rational explanation, she’s staying with someone else in Frederickport. But then I remember, why did Chris think he saw her with the Crawfords over at their house? Is there something sinister going on? Does Chris need glasses? Or was only Chris capable of seeing her?”

  “Hopefully Ginny will show up today and shed light on this mystery.” The chief paused a moment and glanced at his watch. “I have to leave in about ten minutes to pick Evan up at school. I was going to drop him off at your house. You want me to bring him by later?”

  “That’s one reason we stopped by. Walt and I are on our way over to Adam’s office. We’re hoping to run into Marie and see if she can help us.”

  “I thought she couldn’t?”

  “We’re thinking maybe she can brainstorm the Annabelle thing—also with Ginny. Maybe Marie has seen her at the cemetery. I know she and Eva aren’t supposed to intervene with other spirits on Halloween. But, gee, we don’t even know if Ginny is a spirit or not. And with Annabelle, I’m hoping Marie can at least suggest something that might help. But as for Evan, go ahead and drop him by the house. We won’t be long, and Joanne is there. I already told Joanne to expect him.”

  “Before you bring him over, since we may not be there when he arrives, please explain to him what has been going on. And if he sees something frightening, remind him that Eva promised a spirit is not capable of hurting a human—at least not an innocent, which describes Evan,” Walt said.

  “I will. And I will probably just stay with Evan until you get back,” the chief said.

  When Walt and Danielle walked into Adam’s front office that afternoon, they both glanced around, on the lookout for Marie. But the only one sitting in the front office was Adam’s assistant, Leslie, who sat at her desk and greeted them when they walked in.

  “I was wondering if Adam is here?” Danielle asked Leslie.

  “Yes, but he’s with a client right now,” Leslie told her. “But if it’s important, I can tell him you’re here.”

  Danielle flashed Walt a disappointed glance and then looked back to Leslie. “No, that’s okay. We just stopped to say hi.”

  As Walt and Danielle turned from Leslie’s desk, a female voice called out, “Walt! Danielle!”

  They turned to the voice and found Melony walking toward them from the direction of Adam’s office.

  “I saw you coming in,” Melony said as she walked toward the pair.

  “Hi, Melony. We just stopped by to say hi to Adam—and harass him for not coming to the haunted house. But if he’s with a client, we’ll come by later,” Danielle said.

  “No, come on in. I have someone I would like you to meet,” Melony urged.

  A few minutes later Walt and Danielle were being introduced to Angeline Michaels. To Danielle’s disappointment, there was no sign of Marie.

  “So what is this about a secret staircase?” Adam asked Danielle after introductions and pleasantries were exchanged.

  “Who told you?” Danielle asked. She already suspected the answer.

  “We went to Pier Café for lunch,” Melony answered for Adam. “You know, none of the people leaving the haunted house ever mentioned it to me. What, did you swear them to silence before leaving?”

  “Why is it I never knew about a secret staircase before now?” Adam asked.

  “It wouldn’t be a secret, then, would it?” Danielle said with a smile.

  “Not a secret now. Not with Carla knowing,” Adam snorted.

  “We felt it was for a good cause. What better time to reveal the existence of a secret staircase than a haunted house?” Danielle lied.

  “Has the fundraiser been a success?” Adam asked.

  “Yes. And while it’s been fun, I have to admit I’ll be glad when we’re done.” Danielle looked at Melony and said, “We really appreciate all your help. Especially since it can’t be particularly fun for you, sitting outside in the cold.”

  Melony shrugged. “It hasn’t been that bad. I’ve dressed warm. I’ve seen people I haven’t seen since I moved back. Like old home week.”

  “And you’re moving back to Frederickport?” Walt asked Angeline.

  “Yes, I hope so. If Adam here can find me the right property. And I want to say, Mr. Marlow, I truly enjoyed Moon Runners.”

  “Thank you. But please call me Walt.”

  “And you, please call me Angeline. I hope, Walt, Moon Runners won’t be your only book.”

  “Walt’s working on his next one.” Danielle spoke up. “But I’m afraid the haunted house has put that on hold.”

  “Have you found any good prospects?” Walt asked.

  “A few properties look promising,” Angeline said. “I would love to live on Beach Drive again, but unfortunately nothing is currently for sale.”

  “I imagine your childhood home was sold before you started looking,” Danielle said.

  “Oh, I would never buy that house,” Angeline said with a shake of her head. “The house I grew up in burned down not long after my sister died. Pete had that house built. I could never live in it. Of course, even if it was the original house, I would never live in such an old place.” She paused and said, “No offense to you. I know Marlow House is one of the oldest houses in Frederickport—and it is beautiful. At least, from what I see from the outside. But personally, I prefer something a little newer, more modern.”

  “I learned your family bought that house from Walt Marlow,” Danielle said. She glanced at Walt and then back to Angeline and said, “The other Walt Marlow. Was it your grandparents who bought it, or your parents?”

  “It was my grandparents. When my parents first married, they rented a little house in town, but then my grandmother passed away and they moved into the house with my grandfather. Not sure if it was to take care of him as much as to keep him company—plus it gave them a place to live rent-free,” Angeline explained.

  “Walt Marlow grew up with his grandfather too,” Danielle noted.

  “I loved my grandfather, but he could be such a fussy man!” Angeline chuckled again. “I have never seen a man who could worry like him! But he was also very loving. He spoiled my sister and me shamelessly, but at the same time he fretted whenever we stepped out of the house and insisted on accompanying us everywhere. My mother used to have to step in and ask him to give us a little space. I suppose today one might misinterpret his behavior as something suspect, but it was all very innocent. He was such a kind, loving man. But he worried so much. If he weren’t already dead, my sister’s death would have killed him. I can’t even imagine what he would have done to Rogers!”

  “By any chance, do you know anything about the people who lived in that house before your grandparents bought it?” Danielle asked impulsively.

  “I heard one of Frederick Marlow’s employees lived in the house. That was years before I was born.”

  Thirty

  “Dad, you don’t need to stay. I’m not a baby. Anyway, Joanne is here,” Evan told the chief after Joanne let them in the house and then went back upstairs to finish her vacuuming.

  The chief glanced toward the stairs, and when he was confident the housekeeper was out of earshot, he led Evan to the parlor and sat down with him.

  “As it is, I feel a little uncomfortable letting you even come over here—considering there seems to be several ghosts playing mischief. I told you what happened upstairs.”

  “I can’t believe there’s a hidden staircase. How awesome! I hope Walt will show it to me,” Evan said excitedly.

  “And what if you saw what looked like a dead body?” his father asked. “It would be pretty scary for you. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

  Evan shrugged. “Even if it was real, dead bodies can’t hurt you. If I thought it was real, I would look for its ghost. It might need my help to move on. Eva said that’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s why I have this gift
—that’s what Eva calls it. I’m supposed to use the gift to help spirits move on. They can get confused after they die, and they don’t understand. I have to help them.”

  “And that doesn’t scare you?”

  Evan wrinkled his nose. “It used to. But it doesn’t anymore. Not now. Now I know that when you become a ghost, you don’t really change who you are. In horror movies ghosts are evil and scary. But they would only be that way if they were evil and scary when they were alive. And if I have to run into someone like that, I would rather it be their ghost. Because Eva told me a ghost can’t really hurt someone like me, not like a living person could.”

  The chief looked down at his young son and sighed. “You sure are a brave boy.”

  Evan grinned up at his father. “I want to be brave like you.”

  The chief gave Evan a hug and then said, “Okay. I’ll go. Walt and Danielle should be back soon. But remember what I told you about Ginny. If she comes, see what you can find out. And one more thing…”

  Evan frowned. “What?”

  “If Ginny shows up, Danielle told me to tell you, don’t come out and ask her if she’s a ghost.”

  “Why not?”

  The chief chuckled. “Well, if she isn’t a ghost, just imagine how that question would sound to her.”

  Evan giggled. “Yeah, I didn’t think about that. She would think I was a real weirdo.”

  Ten minutes later Evan stood at the living room window, watching as his father drove away. He was about to turn around when a smiling face looked in at him. It was Ginny. Grinning, Evan pointed toward the front door and then dashed from the room to let her in the house.

  “Where have you been?” Evan asked the moment he threw open the front door. “We were worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry. Something came up yesterday, and I couldn’t make it. Is Danielle here?” Ginny peeked into the house.

  “No, but they’re going to be here soon. I was just getting ready to go in the kitchen. Joanne said I could have some cookies. You want some? I know she wouldn’t care.”

  “Sure. That sounds good.” She stepped into the house.

  Five minutes later, the two sat alone at the kitchen table. Ginny looked down at the cookie Evan had set on the napkin before her. She reached out and broke off a piece, fiddling with it as she waited for Evan to sit down.

  “This morning Danielle went over to meet your aunt and uncle, and they said they didn’t know you,” Evan told her.

  Ginny set her cookie piece on the napkin and looked up to Evan. “Who did she talk to?”

  “My dad said their last name was Crawford. Next door to Chris’s house.”

  Ginny smiled. “The Crawfords aren’t my aunt and uncle.”

  “They aren’t? So you don’t live with your aunt and uncle?” he asked.

  “I didn’t say that. I just said the Crawfords aren’t my aunt and uncle.”

  “You don’t live at the house next door to Chris?” he asked.

  With a sigh Ginny slumped back in her chair and said, “It’s complicated.”

  “I know my dad and Danielle want to meet your aunt and uncle.”

  Ginny looked up to him and frowned. “Why?”

  Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. My dad always wants to meet my friend’s parents. And I think Danielle wanted to meet them because you’ve been helping here.”

  “But they aren’t my parents.” Ginny picked up the piece of cookie she had abandoned a moment earlier, but instead of eating it, she crumbled it.

  “They are sorta like your parents now.”

  Tossing the crumbs on the napkin, she looked up to Evan. “I suppose they are like my parents since they didn’t want me any more than my parents did.”

  Evan wasn’t sure what to say. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Evan eating a cookie and Ginny looking at the cookie crumbs. Finally, Evan asked, “Are they mean to you?”

  Ginny looked up. “Who?”

  “Your aunt and uncle.”

  She shrugged. “They don’t hit me. But they don’t want me. No one ever did.”

  “Oh, Virginia dear, we love you,” the elderly ghost said when she suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Evan’s eyes widened, but he didn’t scream. The woman looked so familiar all he could do was stare.

  “Hello, Evan. Do you recognize me?” she asked, the lines around her friendly eyes crinkling.

  A moment later recognition dawned. “Grandma Kat!” Evan blurted.

  Baby Connor had just fallen asleep. In the next room his father worked on his current article. When Lily walked into her husband’s office, he looked up at her and smiled.

  “Did he finally fall asleep?” he asked.

  “Yes. He has been fed, changed, and he should sleep for at least an hour. I’m going to run across the street and visit with Dani a little. Text me if you need me.”

  “I’m sure we will be fine,” he told her as she leaned down to give him a parting kiss.

  Just as Lily crossed the street, she heard a woman calling for her. “Mrs. Bartley!”

  Looking to her right, she spied Pearl rushing in her direction. She paused a moment on the sidewalk, Sadie by her side on a leash, waiting for Pearl to reach her.

  “Yes, Mrs. Huckabee?” Lily asked a moment later.

  “Do you know when your friend is going to remove those dreadful headstones from her backyard?”

  “I imagine when the haunted house is over.”

  “And exactly when will that be? You have no idea what a nightmare it is for me to look outside my bedroom and see all those headstones. It’s like I’m living in a cemetery!”

  Lily resisted the temptation to point out the irony in the crotchety neighbor’s statement. Around town people had been referring to Pearl’s property as Beach Drive Cemetery because of the dead bodies that had been buried in the backyard for over fifty years. Instead Lily smiled sweetly and said, “Tomorrow is Halloween, and the last night of the haunted house tours. So I imagine Dani and Walt will be putting their yard back to normal. Now, unless there is something else, I really must be going.”

  Instead of a response or a parting goodbye, Pearl turned abruptly and scurried back to her house. With a shake of her head over Pearl’s rudeness, Lily continued up the street. She paused a moment to inspect the padlock on Marlow House’s side gate. It was unlocked. With a smile, Lily opened the gate and entered the yard, heading for the kitchen door.

  With Joanne’s car parked in front of the house, Lily didn’t feel as if she was invading Walt and Danielle’s privacy by just walking in the kitchen door without knocking. Marlow House would always be her home away from home, and she didn’t imagine, with Joanne in the house, Walt and Danielle would be doing anything crazy in the kitchen.

  Once in the backyard, Lily spied Max sitting in a nearby tree, looking down at them. Lily gave Sadie a pat. “You stay out here with Max. I suspect Joanne is cleaning the house and won’t want you getting underfoot.”

  As soon as Lily walked in the kitchen, she latched the pet door to keep Max and Sadie outside. But then she stopped abruptly when realizing it wasn’t Danielle or Walt at the table, nor Joanne, but Evan MacDonald with an elderly woman and a little girl. The three turned to look at her.

  “Hi, Lily,” Evan cheerfully greeted her. “Did you bring Sadie?”

  Shutting the door behind her, Lily smiled at Evan and then glanced briefly at the two strangers. “Hi, Evan. Yes, but she needs to stay outside. Is Dani here?”

  “She’s supposed to be here pretty soon. Come meet my grandma. You already know Ginny.”

  Lily walked up to the table and looked from Ginny to the older woman. “Nice to meet you, Evan’s grandma.” She looked to Ginny and said, “I didn’t recognize you without your sheet on.”

  “Hi, Lily.” Ginny grinned.

  “You know, Dani has been looking for you,” Lily said.

  “I told her,” Evan said.

  Lily looked to the elderly woman and smiled. “I didn’t know Evan’s
grandmother was in town. I’m Lily Bartley. I live across the street.”

  “Nice to meet you, dear. My name is Katherine, but you can call me Kat.”

  “I assume you’re the chief’s mother-in-law?” Lily asked, recalling all the times the boys had spent time with their mother’s parents.

  “Oh, no, dear, I am Edward’s grandmother,” the woman told her.

  “Really? So you’re actually Evan’s great-grandma,” Lily asked.

  “I haven’t seen her since I was really little,” Evan told her.

  “If you don’t mind, dear,” Kat said, standing up. “Evan and Ginny were going to give me a little tour of the house. I’ve always wanted to see it.”

  “You aren’t going to stick around for the haunted house?” Lily asked.

  “No. I spend enough time with ghosts.”

  Lily wasn’t sure how to respond to the comment, so she said nothing and just smiled as the three left the kitchen. Glancing around the room, Lily spied two napkins sitting on the table. Cookie crumbs littered one napkin while a smashed cookie covered the other. Deciding to make herself useful while she waited for Danielle’s return, Lily removed the napkins with the crumbs, tossed them in the trash, and wiped down the table.

  Helping herself to some of Danielle’s cookies from under the covered cake plate, she took them with a fresh napkin and sat down at the table. Just as she took the first bite, Danielle and Walt walked in the back door.

  “Drat, you caught me pilfering your cookie jar,” Lily said as she took a second bite.

  Danielle laughed and tossed her purse on the kitchen counter. “I don’t even have a cookie jar.”

  “Cookie plate?” Lily suggested, taking another bite.

  “Afternoon, Lily. You know you’re always welcome, as long as you leave me some,” Walt said as he snatched a cookie for himself and joined Lily at the table.

  “Oh, by the way, Ginny is back, so I guess you can find out where she really lives,” Lily told her.

  Danielle had just removed a glass from the overhead counter. She paused and faced Lily. “Ginny is here? Where is she?”