The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt Read online

  Walt glanced quickly over his shoulder to the open doorway to the entry hall. Knowing Joanne was on the first floor cleaning, and not wanting her to overhear him seemingly talking to himself, he willed the door closed and then locked it.

  “I heard you retained some of your gifts when you returned to the other side,” Annabelle said.

  “Yes. My wife calls it telekinesis.” Walt closed the book he was holding and set it on the side table. He looked at Annabelle.

  “I’ve never been able to do that,” Annabelle said as she took a seat on the chair facing him.

  “Why are you here again?” Walt asked. “I told you I don’t know what happened to your husband.”

  “I have so little time. Tomorrow is Halloween, and after that, I’ll have to return to the cemetery.”

  “Why don’t you move on?” Walt asked.

  “Because I can’t move on without Abe. When we married, we promised we would be together forever.”

  Walt was tempted to ask, “And how has that worked out so far?” But he could remember what it felt like to be a spirit in conflict, and Annabelle looked rather pitiful sitting there as if she were about to cry.

  “We’ve experienced unexpected paranormal activity in the last week,” Walt said.

  “I imagine you have.” A faint smile turned Annabelle’s lips.

  “We’ve had someone pouring tea, another playing with one of the props in the kitchen, and someone opening doors and showing our guests what appears to be a dead body, which then vanishes.”

  “It is Halloween,” Annabelle reminded him. “What better time to play tricks? It’s all very harmless, but I’ve no appetite for silly games. I just want to know what happened to Abe.”

  “But if you move on, certainly you will see your Abe again. Considering how long it’s been, he’s obviously dead by now. Wouldn’t your questions be answered if you simply moved on?”

  Annabelle’s smile vanished. “He hasn’t moved on. I know he hasn’t.”

  “How do you know?” Walt asked.

  “I feel it. Abe and I were always so connected. That’s why I was so desperate to find him. I knew something was wrong. It’s why I can’t move on. Not until we are together again.”

  Walt studied Annabelle a moment, thinking how she didn’t consider they might not have been as close as she had imagined. Perhaps he, like Pearl’s grandfather, had simply gone away to start a new life. Or another alternative, he had been murdered for some reason, and like Danielle’s first husband, Lucas, his confused spirit had been trapped somewhere.

  “What do you want from me?” Walt asked.

  “I want you to help me find Abe. He’s here somewhere; I can feel it. He has always been here.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Adam Nichols sat in a booth at Pier Café, waiting for Melony Carmichael to arrive with Angeline Michaels, Pete Rogers’s sister-in-law. He had never met the woman before, but he had heard about her. According to his grandmother, there had been a scandalous legal fight over the estate of Pete’s late wife—Charlotte—some thirty years earlier.

  Knowing what they all knew now, the wrong person had won back then. The estate should have gone to Angeline, not Pete. But that was all water under the bridge, and Angeline, who had done well managing her portion of her parents’ estate, seemed content knowing Pete was now locked up and his estate depleted, with most of the money going to Melony.

  Angeline had reached out to Melony after Pete’s arrest and had seemed remarkably supportive, especially considering Melony’s father had been instrumental in cheating Angeline out of the inheritance.

  The reason for meeting today was to discuss Frederickport real estate. Angeline had stayed away from Frederickport since her sister’s death, finding it too painful running into her brother-in-law around town. But now that he was locked up and the house he had once lived in sold, she felt it time to come home again.

  Adam was just glancing up from his menu when Melony walked into the diner with an attractive older woman, who he assumed was Angeline Michaels. She went by her maiden name, and according to Mel, she had never been married. She had short dark hair with gray tinges along her temples, and a slim body wearing denim slacks, and a shirt with a black tailored jacket. Her stride when walking toward his booth bespoke confidence and a no-nonsense attitude—or perhaps it was just what Mel had told him about the woman that put those thoughts in his head.

  “Hey, Adam,” Melony said cheerfully when she reached his booth. She made introductions, Adam stood and shook Angeline’s hand, and then the three sat together in the booth.

  They were there a short time when Carla showed up at their table, asking if any of them wanted anything to drink while looking at their menus. After they told her what they would like, instead of going for the beverages, Carla asked, “Have any of you been to the Marlow House Haunted House yet?”

  “Mel has been helping sell tickets,” Adam told her.

  Carla flashed Melony a smile and said, “That’s right, I saw you there.” She looked back at Adam and asked, “Have you gone through it yet?”

  “No. I’m going to skip. Haunted houses really aren’t my thing,” Adam said.

  “He’s just a chicken,” Melony teased.

  “In defense of Adam, I’m not fond of haunted houses myself. Some creepy things used to happen in the old house I grew up in. These days I prefer new—more modern houses,” Angeline said, flashing a smile to Adam.

  “Carla, this is Angeline Michaels. She grew up in Frederickport,” Melony introduced her.

  “Really?” Carla frowned. “I don’t remember seeing you before.”

  “I haven’t been back for years. But I’m hoping, if Adam here can find me the right property, to make Frederickport my home again.” Angeline smiled at Carla.

  “Welcome back. But you’re not going to the haunted house?” Carla asked.

  Angeline shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “I have to ask, Adam, did you know about the secret staircase?” Carla asked.

  “What secret staircase?” Adam frowned.

  “At Marlow House, of course. Danielle asked me not to say anything—she didn’t want me to spoil the fun for the others. But if you aren’t going to the haunted house anyway, and Melony obviously knows all about it, I don’t think Danielle would care. So, did you know?”

  “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Adam said.

  “Danielle set up this really creepy thing on the second floor. Actually, there were a few of them. I’m pretty impressed. Anyway, this was off one of the bedrooms on the second floor. When we walked into the room, bats flew across the ceiling, and there was this skeleton sitting at the desk. But what really got our attention, the closet door opened—like it opened on its own. If that was not creepy enough, the back wall of the closet slid open, revealing a hidden staircase leading to the attic.”

  “You’re kidding me?” Adam frowned.

  Carla flashed a curious look to Melony. “You didn’t tell him about it?” She then looked back to Adam and said, “But the really creepy thing, we stepped into the hidden passage, and what do you think we saw?”

  “I have no idea,” Adam muttered.

  “A dead body! Of course it wasn’t really a dead body. But it sure looked real.”

  “Who was playing the dead body?” Adam asked. He glanced briefly to Melony, who only shrugged, as if she had no idea what Carla was talking about.

  “I’d never seen him before. But I don’t think it was a real person. Some sort of bizarrely realistic dummy—I think it was made of wax. Had to be. Like one of those wax sculptures you see at the wax museum and you think it’s going to come to life at any minute. It had to be something like that, because his eyes—really eerie—just stared ahead, never blinking. And he didn’t breathe.”

  “Did you touch it?” Angeline asked. “I would have been compelled to touch it.”

  “No. It was too creepy.” Carla shivered. “But it was one impressive
haunted house. Of course, considering Danielle’s money, she can afford the best Halloween decorations.”

  After Carla left the table to retrieve their drinks, Adam looked at Melony and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about a hidden staircase?”

  Melony shrugged. “That is the first I’ve heard of it. But maybe she’s confused. The staircase to the attic is tucked in the corner on the second floor; maybe she’s talking about that one.”

  “You haven’t seen this so-called wax body?” Angeline asked.

  Melony picked up her menu and said, “First I’ve heard of it.”

  “I grew up down the street from Marlow House, and I have never been inside. When we were children we’d dare our friends to climb the fence and run up to ring the bell,” Angeline told them.

  “We used to do the same thing,” Adam said with a laugh.

  Angeline set her menu on the table and looked from Adam to Melony. “My sister, Charlotte, used to swear she would see someone standing in the attic window. She insisted it was Walt Marlow. The Ghost of Marlow House, that’s what she would call him.”

  “There is a Walt Marlow who lives there now,” Melony said. “And he looks eerily like the one who died in that attic.

  Angeline nodded. “Yes. I’ve read all about him. In fact, I’m a fan of his book. He’s quite talented. Does he really look that much like the portrait? I’ve seen pictures, but I know those things can be doctored.”

  “Yeah, it’s more than a likeness. I swear they could be twins. According to Danielle, a few generations back in the Marlow line, a set of identical twins married another set of identical twins. The Marlow who died in the house descends from one of the couples, and the Walt Marlow who lives there now descends from the other. Danielle believes that’s a contributing factor to the remarkable likeness,” Adam explained.

  The next moment Carla brought their drinks and took their order.

  After Carla left the table again, Melony looked at Angeline and asked, “Was your sister a great tease, or do you think she believed she saw Walt Marlow’s ghost?”

  “Charlotte was a dear sweet thing—but jokester, no. She had an overactive imagination—and was also high strung. Not a terrific combination. When we were children, late at night she would insist she heard voices in our room. Actually one voice—a man’s voice. He was calling out to Annabelle.”

  “Annabelle?” Melony frowned.

  “My father told her it was mother’s wind chimes hanging outside our window. He took them down once, but she kept insisting she could still hear it. Father told her she was imagining things and put the wind chimes back. Of course, this was when she was fairly young, not a teenager. When she was older, she used to laugh about how silly and over imaginative she had been as a small child.”

  Carla was just bringing Adam’s table their food when Joe and Brian walked into Pier Café and took a booth at the far end of the diner. Moments after they arrived, Kelly joined them.

  “So what exciting things have you two been up to today?” Kelly asked as she sat down, giving Joe a quick kiss on his cheek and tossing her purse on the bench seat with her.

  “I’ve been catching up on paperwork, and Brian has been looking for a missing kid,” Joe said.

  Kelly’s eyes widened as she looked from Joe and Brian. “Who’s missing?”

  “Technically speaking, we really don’t know if she’s missing—and it’s unofficial business,” Brian explained.

  “I don’t understand.” Kelly frowned.

  “Evan met a little girl who supposedly moved to Beach Drive,” Brian began. “He asked her to help him be a ghost at the haunted house.”

  “You don’t mean Ginny?” Kelly asked.

  “You know her?” Brian asked.

  “Evan introduced her to us when we were going through the haunted house,” Joe explained. “After they both jumped out and scared us. I thought I mentioned that to you.”

  “What do you mean she’s missing?” Kelly asked.

  “It’s just that she doesn’t live where they thought she lived, and they want to find out where she’s from.”

  “Can’t they just ask her? I thought she’s been helping at the haunted house?” Kelly asked.

  “She didn’t show up last night. And when Danielle went to introduce herself to Ginny’s aunt and uncle this morning, they claimed they had no idea who Danielle was talking about.”

  “Oh, how embarrassing.” Kelly cringed. “I can see how that can happen. When I was in high school, I got a phone call from someone who said she was Jim’s mother. I was dating Jim at the time. But it was actually Tim’s mother, one of my close friends. She was asking me for dinner. It wasn’t until the very end of the phone conversation that I realized who I was really talking to. I would have absolutely died had I showed up at Jim’s house for dinner!”

  “Not sure it was a matter of Danielle misunderstanding the girl,” Brian said.

  “I’m sure she’s okay. Kids love to play those kinds of tricks on adults,” Joe said.

  The next moment Carla showed up to take their drink order. Like she had with Adam’s table, one of her first questions was, “Have you been to the haunted house yet?”

  “We went Saturday night,” Kelly told her. “It was fun. Pretty sophisticated haunted house, if you ask me.”

  Carla looked at Brian. “How did you like it?”

  Brian shook his head. “I’m not going. Haunted houses really are not my thing.”

  “You and Adam Nichols,” Carla said with a laugh.

  “What do you mean?” Brian asked.

  “He doesn’t want to go either. But you really should. Well worth the money. I hope they do it again next year,” Carla said.

  “It’s a good setting for a haunted house,” Brian muttered. “It’s a natural.”

  Carla turned to Kelly and said, “What did you think about the dead body in the hidden staircase? Did it freak you out, or did you already know about the staircase? I can’t stop thinking about it. I just couldn’t believe when the wall in the closet moved!”

  “What hidden staircase?” Kelly asked.

  “Yeah, I’d like to know that too,” Joe said.

  “Oh, come on, didn’t you see it?” Carla asked. “I thought you went through on Saturday?”

  “This is the first I’m hearing of it. Are you saying there’s a real hidden staircase at Marlow House? You know there are two staircases. The one coming up from the first floor, and then the one from the second floor to the attic. You don’t mean one of those?” Kelly asked.

  “No. There are three staircases. There’s a hidden passage behind one of the bedroom closets. That staircase leads up to the attic. I’m really surprised you didn’t know about it.”

  “Which bedroom?” Joe asked.

  After Carla described the room, Joe said, “Danielle’s old bedroom.”

  Brian chuckled and said, “That must have made it pretty convenient when Walt was living alone in the attic and Danielle’s room was on the second floor.”

  Carla’s eyes widened at the thought. “Oh, you’re right!” She began to giggle.

  Twenty-Nine

  Danielle walked into the library on Monday afternoon and found Walt sitting alone on the sofa, book in hand, staring blankly ahead. He heard her enter the room and looked her way.

  “You don’t look like you’re getting much reading done,” she said, now standing by the sofa.

  “Annabelle was just here,” he told her.

  Danielle arched her brows. “And?”

  “She wants help finding out what happened to Abe. When I was searching online, I never found anything to indicate he started a new life somewhere else, at least not under his real name. If his spirit was still lingering somewhere near Frederickport, I would expect it to be fairly easy for him to find her. But then I remember what you told me about Lucas, and how his spirit was trapped in a building for a year because he didn’t understand he was dead. I was in this house for almost a century not truly comprehen
ding my reality. I just don’t know how else I can help her.”

  “Which would explain why she’s normally confined to the cemetery,” Danielle suggested.

  “How so?”

  “Some force is obviously keeping Annabelle here, preventing her from moving on. Maybe she could if she really wanted to, but something is urging her to stay. If she’s meant to be reunited with Abe, and he needs to find her, the cemetery is the best place for her. It’s where spirits often go before moving on. Remember, the only reason Maisy Faye ever met Angela was because she’d gone to the cemetery during her confused state. And Maisy Faye’s body was not even there yet,” Danielle reminded him.

  “It would be nice if we could discuss this with Eva and Marie, get their perspective,” Walt said with a sigh.

  “While I understand Eva and Marie aren’t supposed to interfere with other spirits on Halloween, I don’t believe we aren’t supposed to talk to them.”

  “Eva often takes things to the extreme,” Walt noted.

  “Why don’t we drop in and see Adam? You up for a little car ride?” Danielle asked.

  “Adam? What for?” Walt asked.

  “If Marie isn’t here, there is a good chance she’s hanging out with Adam. Let’s see if we can find her. We just want to talk to her. It’s not like we’re asking her to levitate anything.”

  “I thought the chief was going to drop Evan off after school,” he reminded her.

  “We should be back before then. But even if we aren’t, Joanne will still be here. We can stop at the police station first, so we can let the chief know where we’re going.”

  “You could just call him,” Walt suggested.

  “I’d rather stop by.”

  “I haven’t found Ginny. But I suppose the good news, I couldn’t find any missing person report with her description,” the chief told Walt and Danielle after they arrived at his office thirty minutes later.