The Ghost from the Sea Read online

  Danielle laughed. “Well, according to Chris, when he gets back from Chicago, he’s buying a car in Portland, which means I won’t have to pick him up at the airport.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Lily studied Danielle a moment before asking, “So what’s up with you two?”

  Danielle shrugged nonchalantly and sipped her coffee before asking, “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. How long is this good-buddy act gunna go on? You two have known each other for almost three months now. The guy is hot, and I can tell he’s attracted to you. I mean, you two haven’t even kissed…” Lily paused a moment and stared at Danielle. Her eyes widened. With a gasp she said, “You guys have kissed! Haven’t you? And you didn’t tell me!”

  Danielle briefly glanced up to the ceiling. In a whisper she said, “Quiet, it’s not a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal? I want details,” Lily teased. She noticed Danielle’s gaze flash up to the ceiling again. “Ahh…Walt. You don’t want him to know. Hmm…interesting…”

  Danielle shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “It’s not that.”

  “Not what?” Lily asked smugly.

  “Like I said, it was no big deal. I just don’t see the point in saying anything to Walt and having to endure his commentary on the subject.”

  “If it’s not a big deal, then why the secrecy?”

  “Can we take this conversation outside?” Danielle suggested.

  Lily stood up. “I suppose so. Looks like that’s the only way I’ll get any details.”

  Five minutes later, Lily sat with Danielle on the porch swing in front of Marlow House. Before going outside, each woman had slipped on a light jacket.

  Cradling the warm coffee mug in her hands, Danielle looked down into the cup. “Like I said, it really isn’t a big deal. It happened so quick, and was over in a second.”

  “Well, that sounds exciting,” Lily quipped dryly. “I expected something more from Chris.”

  “It was at the airport, right when he was about to go through security. He was saying goodbye, and then all of a sudden he grabs me, gives me a kiss, looks at me a moment without saying anything, and then rushed through security.”

  “That was it?”

  “Well…” Danielle looked off into space and smiled softly. “It might have been brief and sudden…but it was nice. I rather liked it.”

  “Hmm…interesting.”

  Danielle looked to Lily and frowned. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  “These days it seems like everyone kisses before the first date. But look at you. How many times did you go out with Joe Morelli? He never kissed you once. And look at Chris; he’s been hanging around you for three months now, stayed under the same roof as you for most of that time and even bought a house on our street. And what, you’ve only kissed once?”

  “Are you trying to make me feel like a prude or what?”

  “Just the opposite. I’m starting to feel a bit like a ho,” Lily said glumly.

  “Ho?” Danielle laughed. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, if I find a guy attractive, and we’re going out, I sure as heck won’t wait three months to kiss him. Even if I have to be the one to instigate it. But look at you; these guys obviously adore you. Yet it’s almost like they placed you on some pedestal.”

  “You’re being silly. Anyway, Joe no longer adores me. He and Kelly seem to be going strong.”

  Lily sighed. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “What’s wrong? You don’t like Kelly with Joe?”

  “It just feels weird when we do the double date thing with them. Ever since all that stuff between you and Joe, how he treated you.”

  “Joe’s not a bad guy. I consider him a friend. I think he and Kelly are good together. What does Ian think?”

  “Ian likes Joe okay; as long as he makes his sister happy.” Lily shrugged. “But between you and me, he calls Joe the Clueless Boy Scout.”

  The nickname made Danielle laugh; she choked on her coffee. Once she regained her normal breathing she said, “That does kinda fit. He didn’t tell Kelly that; did he?”

  “No way!” Lily started to laugh but stopped when she noticed two police cars drive by. Putting her foot down to stop the swing, she stood up and stepped toward the road, looking down the street.

  “They’re stopping near Chris’ house,” Lily told Danielle.

  “Holy crap, what’s that?” Lily exclaimed when they reached the sidewalk just beyond Chris’s house and looked out to the ocean.

  “Looks like a shipwreck,” Danielle muttered. She was relieved to discover the four police cars, now parked near Chris’s house, were obviously not here because of a break in at his property. The real reason seemed far more interesting to Danielle.

  Together, Danielle and Lily stepped off the sidewalk and made their way down the beach, heading to the wreckage where the police officers gathered around.

  Heather greeted them before they reached the officers. “I found it during my morning jog!”

  Lily and Danielle stared at the battered hull. “What is it?” Lily asked.

  “Obviously it’s a shipwreck,” Heather snapped.

  Lily let out a sigh. “Yeah, I see that. But I mean, where did it come from?”

  “No one knows. It just showed up on the beach like that. It almost looks like someone just dropped it there. The sand between the wreckage and ocean doesn’t even look as if it’s been disturbed,” Heather explained.

  “I imagine the tide washed out evidence of tracks,” Danielle suggested.

  “No,” Heather said emphatically. “Brian and Joe are totally confused.”

  “Joe and Brian are always confused,” Lily muttered under her breath.

  Ignoring the exchange, Danielle stared at the mysterious wreckage. Motion on the front of the hull caught her attention. Silently, she walked toward it, leaving Lily and Heather behind her, talking amongst themselves. After walking some ten feet she paused; her eyes widened in surprise. Standing atop the wreckage, looking down at the police officers on the beach, was a man dressed in vintage clothing of the 1920s.

  Chapter Three

  Danielle continued to stare at the apparition atop the wreckage when she heard someone shout out, “I guess I can’t blame this one on you.”

  She looked to the right and saw Brian Henderson walking in her direction, a cocky grin on his face. He boasted a full head of shortly cropped gray hair and stocky build. Danielle guessed Brian was only a few years younger than her father—if her father were still alive.

  Dressed in his Frederickport police uniform and wearing a baseball cap with the department’s insignia on its front panel, Brian stopped when he reached Danielle, and then glanced over at the wreckage. “It’s something, isn’t it?”

  “Any idea where it came from?” She tucked her fingertips into the back pockets of her jeans as she kept an eye on the apparition. The morning breeze loosened strands of her dark hair from her once neat fishtail braid, sending them whipping into her eyes. Removing one hand from a pocket, she brushed back the hair, tucking it behind one ear.

  Brian shook his head. “Not a clue. We’re waiting for someone from the Coast Guard to show up, and we have a call in to the coroner’s office.”

  “Coroner’s office?” Danielle’s gaze darted briefly to Brian and then back to the apparent ghost, who remained standing atop the wreckage, watching the people on the beach.

  Lowering his voice, Brian said, “Joe managed to get into the lower cabin through an opening. He found skeletal remains inside.”

  Danielle frowned. “Isn’t that dangerous? Shouldn’t he have waited for the Coast Guard or someone?”

  Brian shrugged. “He was careful. It’s not going anywhere.”

  After a few moments of silence, Danielle said, “By the looks of that ship I’d say its passengers have been dead a long time.”

  “By the look of the passengers, I’d have to agree with you.”

  Danielle glanced back at Heather, who sto
od a distance away, chatting with Lily. “Heather didn’t say anything to us about finding remains.”

  “We didn’t say anything to Heather.”

  Danielle studied Brian for a moment. She thought his expression seemed friendlier than normal. “Why tell me?”

  Brian shrugged. “I imagine it’ll be in the paper. Anyway, figure the chief will tell you when you see him.” Brian nodded toward Chris’ house. “So why isn’t your friend out here checking this out?”

  Danielle glanced briefly in the direction of Brian’s gaze. “You mean Chris?”

  “Obviously.”

  “He’s in Chicago on business.”

  “Business? I didn’t know he had a job.”

  Danielle smiled. “He’s busy giving away a couple of million, or something like that.”

  “Of course he is,” Brian muttered under his breath. He looked back at the wreckage.

  “Any idea where the ship might have originated?” she asked.

  “We called the local historical society, and they’re sending someone who’s familiar with the Marlow line.”

  “You think it’s one of theirs?” Danielle asked.

  “Not really, but at least it’s someone local who knows a little about maritime history.”

  “Any idea how you’re going to get rid of it?” The moment Danielle asked the question the apparition on the ship vanished.

  “We may not,” Brian told her.

  “Are you saying you might just leave it there? On the beach?”

  “If the Coast Guard feels it’s a hazard, they might drag it off and sink it. If not look at the Peter Iredale.”

  “You’re talking about the old sailboat at Fort Stevens State Park?”

  Brian nodded. “What’s left of it.”

  Danielle glanced from Brian to the wreckage. “I’ve never been there—just seen the pictures.”

  “Not that far from here.”

  “Does that mean this will turn into some tourist attraction?”

  Brian shrugged. “I imagine it would be good for your business.”

  “I suppose. But is that thing safe? Kids start climbing around on it. Doesn’t seem very safe to me.”

  “Let’s see what the Coast Guard says.” Brian paused a moment when he noticed new arrivals walking from the direction of the street to the wreckage. “Looks like someone from the coroner’s office is here. Talk to you later.”

  Danielle gave Brian a parting nod and watched him walk away. The next moment she heard Heather shout out a goodbye, and when she turned around Lily was walking toward her.

  “I thought she was never going to shut up,” Lily said under her breath.

  “And weren’t you just saying you missed her?”

  “I’m over it.”

  Danielle smiled at Lily, noting the way her rusty colored hair seemed far curlier than it had been when they were inside less than an hour earlier. It had grown considerably since it had been cut short in the fall, and now reached past her shoulders, falling midway down her back where it curled wildly. Danielle always felt tall standing next to petite Lily—and Danielle was not a particularly tall woman. At one time, Danielle had been envious of Lily’s full bust line, especially considering Lily’s otherwise trim figure. Yet, Danielle had come to accept her own body—even with the extra fifteen pounds she was unable to lose.

  Danielle glanced down the beach and watched Heather jog in the direction of the pier. “What did she say about the ship?”

  “Just how she found it this morning when she was jogging. Did you know Heather jogs an hour every morning?”

  “She never did when she was staying with us.”

  “I guess it’s her new thing. Anyway, she’s all concerned about the bad vibes this is going to bring our neighborhood.”

  Danielle frowned. “Bad vibes?”

  “According to Heather, the ship probably sunk with people on board who are now restless spirits and they will undoubtedly disrupt the harmony along this stretch of beach…and blah blah blah. Ever since her experience with Harvey, Heather imagines herself to be some sort of expert on spirits. I keep waiting for her to publish that book she says she’s writing, but I’m beginning to think she’s one of those people who talks more about writing than actually does it.”

  “She may have a point about the spirits,” Danielle whispered. “At least one of them.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Lily studied Danielle. “What do you mean? Do you see something?”

  “Not now, but I did. There was a man standing on top of the ship…or at least what’s left of it.”

  “What do you mean a man?”

  “A man. Well, not a man man. A man like Walt.”

  “You’re talking about a ghost?” Lily asked.

  “I assume so. I certainly don’t think it was a flesh and blood man. He was just standing there, watching all the activity. And then when I looked again, he was gone.”

  “Standing where?”

  Danielle pointed to the far right of the wreckage. “On the very top, over there.”

  Lily cringed. “That’s creepy.”

  “According to Brian, they found skeletal remains on board.”

  Lily stared at the ship and the activity of the responders gathering around its hull. “I suppose that’s to be expected. But where did the ship come from? It had to have been somewhere.”

  “I’m not an expert, but it looks like it’s been under water. Look at all that crap covering its hull.”

  “If that’s true, Dani, how did it float to the surface and end up here? We haven’t even had any storms lately.”

  “An earthquake perhaps,” Danielle suggested.

  “I don’t know. Wouldn’t we have felt something?” Lily asked.

  “Who knows where it drifted in from. Maybe that ghost ship has been sailing all over the ocean.”

  “Maybe it’s not even that old. After all, the salt air—not to mention the salt water—can do a lot of damage,” Lily suggested. “Who knows, maybe those bones they found on board are from recent victims.”

  “I don’t think so. You forget the spirit I saw. I have to assume he came with the ship.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “If his clothes are any indication of his era, my guess is, he’s from the twenties.”

  “That’s rather specific. Why do you say that?”

  Danielle looked at Lily. “Because he was wearing a suit exactly like one Walt has.”

  Lily frowned. “I can’t imagine it’s exactly like Walt’s.”

  “It darn sure looked like it. That dark blue pinstripe one he likes to wear.”

  “Can’t say I remember that particular suit. It’s been a while since I actually saw Walt, aside from in a dream hop. What does Brian say about it?”

  “Not much, really. Said they called the Coast Guard and the coroner’s office.”

  “I was watching him talk to you, seemed awful friendly.” Lily chuckled.

  “Yeah, I have to agree with you. He has been pretty friendly lately.”

  “So what’s up with that?” Lily asked.

  Danielle shrugged. “Who knows? Let’s take a closer look.”

  Cautiously, the two approached the ship. Police tape, already circling the wreckage, prevented them from getting too close. As they walked the perimeter of the corded off area, the yellow tape draped along the sand gently fluttered, held down by strategically placed rocks.

  When they reached the front of the ship, Danielle looked up, using one palm to shield her eyes from the sun. Squinting, she pointed toward the ship’s bow and said, “I see its name.”

  Lily looked up to where Danielle pointed. Lily tried to make out the faded letters. “va Aphrodite? What does that mean”

  Danielle shook her head. “No, I think it says Eva Aphrodite.”

  Flashlight in hand, the coroner followed Joe through the lower deck of the wreckage. Behind them was the coroner’s assistant. When they reached the first evidence of remains, they
paused, kneeling down by what appeared to be a pile of bones.

  “There’s more over there,” Joe explained, pointing his flashlight to the left.

  With a gloved hand, the coroner reached out and picked up a skull. Gently turning it in his hand from side to side, the light of the flashlight illuminated the object. The coroner paused a moment, briefly tucking the end of the flashlight under his chin to free up a hand. While one hand held the skull, the other brushed over the side of it, examining a foreign object protruding from the skull’s base.

  After silently examining it for a moment, the coroner announced, “Whoever he was, he didn’t drown.”

  “What are you saying?” Joe asked.

  “This is a bullet.”

  Joe leaned closer. “Murder?”

  “It looks like it.” He handed the skull to his assistant. “Let’s have a look at the others.”

  Together the three made their way through the lower deck, examining the skeletal remains of those who had been either passengers or crew of the ship. When they were finished, they counted seven skulls. Yet it was possible there were more in other parts of the hull; they couldn’t do a more thorough search without bringing in additional lighting.

  With his flashlight back in his hand, the coroner stood up and looked at Joe. “I don’t know what the hell happened here, but every one of them was murdered. Whoever did it, shot each one in the head.”

  “Where’s the rest of them? I don’t think we found enough human bones to make an entire skeleton, much less account for seven people.”

  “I assume they’ve decomposed, especially considering the condition of the skulls. But I’m going to need some help on this one.”

  Chapter Four

  The crowd surrounding the mysterious wreckage had grown considerably since Danielle and Lily had first shown up on the scene, an hour earlier. Ian arrived before Lily got around to calling him. A reporter from the Frederickport Press was busy taking photographs and asking questions. Danielle guessed most of her neighbors were now on the beach, along with numerous townspeople.

  Lily and Ian were busy talking to one of the local business owners when Danielle interrupted them. “I’m going back to the house.”