The Ghost Who Was Says I Do Page 26

  “I plan to have this talk with Brian too. I know he was there when you discussed it.”

  “You talked to the chief?” he asked.

  “Yes.” But Marie told me first, she thought. “I know you don’t understand or necessarily approve of Walt’s and my relationship. And I imagine you don’t understand how we married months ago, such a short time after his accident. But you don’t have to understand, and it really is my business. And I am asking you not to share this information, because frankly, most people won’t understand. I love Walt, and he loves me. That’s all that’s important.”

  “I just want you to be happy.”

  “I know you do, Joe. I appreciate that. And I am happy. I’m married to my soulmate.”

  On the way home from Marlow House, Brian stopped at the mini-mart to pick up a six-pack of beer. He would have had a couple more beers with his pizza, but if he was going to tie one on, he would rather do it at home, where he didn’t have to drive anywhere. And after a day like today, he needed to throw back a couple more beers.

  Just as he stepped into the mini-mart, he came face-to-face with Albert Hanson.

  “Officer Henderson!” Albert greeted him exuberantly.

  “You look happy. I understand the chief told you we’ve arrested someone for Claudia Dane’s murder.”

  “Yes, so tragic, poor woman. But I’m so glad to run into you before I leave town. I wanted to thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have my life back.”

  Brian frowned. “Umm…I don’t understand?”

  “Clint Marlow, he came by the motel this afternoon. He apologized for what he had done. He said he didn’t remember any of it, but he wanted to make it right. He gave me a check for the money I lost.”

  “He gave you a check?”

  Albert nodded. “You don’t know what this means to me. I was barely scraping by. I came up here to shame him, yet I didn’t even have the courage to see him. But he came to me after you told your boss about what he had done, and then your boss told him. So thank you, Officer Henderson!”

  Forty

  There were no guests scheduled to arrive at Marlow House in February, because wedding plans were underway. In less than two weeks Walt and Danielle would be surrounded by friends while exchanging their vows for the second time. Danielle and Lily were on their way to Astoria to pick up the wedding dress from the seamstress who had made the alterations.

  The wedding cake had already been ordered from Old Salts Bakery, which proved to be a story in itself. Danielle wanted to bake her double fudge chocolate cake, Walt’s favorite and a recipe that had been passed down in her family. While she loved many of the treats from Old Salts Bakery, she didn’t feel bakery cakes matched homemade. Walt didn’t want her baking her own wedding cake, believing this was a time she should be pampered, not cooking for others.

  A compromise was made when Old Salts Bakery agreed to use Danielle’s recipe. After all, Marlow House was a regular and faithful customer. They baked a practice cake and so loved the results that it was agreed the bakery would add Marlow House Double Fudge Chocolate Cake to their menu. While another person might have refused to share a family recipe with someone else—especially a bakery—Danielle loved the idea.

  She selected antique roses—cream and red—for her bouquets and arrangements. To keep in theme with Valentine’s Day, she chose red dresses for her bridesmaids, and instead of having them pay for their dresses, as was normally the custom, she purchased them. Walt chose a black and gray three-piece suit for the men, as opposed to a traditional tuxedo. Music would be provided by a guitarist they had found in Astoria. Food was being catered, with Joanne supervising the overall event on the wedding day.

  They were able to move past the recent unpleasant events and focus on the wedding since Dirk Thorpe had made a plea deal. They didn’t have to worry about rescheduling their calendar to accommodate a court trial. After consulting with his attorney, Dirk told the authorities his version of the story, which resulted in lesser charges.

  According to Dirk, he had run into Claudia at the pier, and she had pulled her gun on him, threatening to shoot him for blackmailing her. In wrestling the pistol from her hands, it went off, sending the bullet through her heart. Dirk insisted she was already dead when he pushed her off the pier, a version the coroner agreed with. Comparing his and Claudia’s bank statements substantiated his confession that he had blackmailed her—and as his wife had once noted, it proved Claudia had a motive to murder him, not that he had a motive to murder her. But as he had reminded his wife at the time, blackmail was still illegal—so was unlawfully disposing of a body.

  The seamstress helped Danielle into the vintage dress as Lily adjusted its hem. A moment later they stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the dressing room while Lily patiently buttoned up the back of the ecru silk and lace dress, gently tucking each of the countless tiny covered buttons into a lacy loop. When she was done, Lily readjusted the train as she stepped back to get a better look.

  “Oh my, you look utterly gorgeous in that!” Lily gushed.

  Smiling, Danielle looked down and ran her hands gently over the fabric and lace. “It is a beautiful dress.”

  “Dani, it’s not just the dress, it’s the dress on you! I can’t believe how well it fits you!”

  “It does look like the dress was made for her,” the seamstress agreed.

  Forty minutes later Danielle and Lily were on the road, heading back to Frederickport with Danielle’s wedding dress.

  “I still can’t believe you found the perfect dress at the first shop we looked at. I swear, Dani, I liked it even better today,” Lily told her. “Walt is going to see you in that dress and fall in love with you all over again.”

  Danielle grinned as she steered the car down the highway. “I know he’s going to like it. Walt’s a bit of a sucker for feminine dresses.”

  “Dani, this wedding is going to be perfect, I just know it.”

  Danielle let out a sigh and said, “Almost…”

  Lily glanced at Danielle and frowned. “Almost?”

  Danielle shrugged and smiled sadly, still looking ahead as she drove down the highway. “I wish my parents were here. I wish my dad was walking me down the aisle.”

  Turning in the seat to get a better look at Danielle, Lily said, “I imagine you felt this way when you married Lucas.”

  “Yeah. But this is different somehow,” Danielle said.

  “Different how?”

  “I loved Lucas, I really did. It’s true he hurt me, but I did forgive him. Yet, even if he hadn’t cheated on me, I feel this marriage is different.”

  “Different how?” Lily asked.

  “I don’t know…I just wish my parents could be there—to meet Walt—to get to know him and know how right he is for me. I wish Dad could walk me down the aisle. I’ve never trusted a man like I do Walt. And he’s not just the man I love, he’s my soulmate, my best friend…”

  “Hey! I thought I was your best friend?” Lily teased.

  Danielle flashed Lily a quick grin. “You know what I mean.”

  Lily nodded solemnly. “Yes, I do.”

  They drove in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Danielle asked, “So tell me, best—girlfriend—how are you feeling?”

  “Pregnant.” Lily laughed. “Fortunately, my morning sickness went away. I was worried it wouldn’t, considering Mom had it so long with Cory. The doctor says everything looks great, and after you and Walt come home from your honeymoon, I’ll announce my pregnancy.”

  “Why are you waiting that long?”

  Lily rolled her eyes as if it was a foolish question. “This is your moment, Dani. I don’t want to steal your spotlight.”

  “Don’t be silly. Anyway, you need to at least tell Kelly. For one thing, she keeps looking at me funny because of that pregnancy test she saw me buy. But, the main reason, she’s your sister now. You should tell her before you announce the news. I know she can be annoying sometimes, but she love
s her brother dearly, and, Lily, family is so very important. You never fully realize it until they’re gone.”

  Lily considered Danielle’s words a minute and then let out a sigh. “Kelly’s definitely not as annoying as Cheryl was, and considering you were able to overlook Cheryl’s quirks and miss her like you do, then I suppose I should start making more of an effort with Kelly. You’re right. Okay, I’ll tell her tonight.”

  That night Lily told Kelly she was going to be an aunt. The news put the world in a different perspective for Kelly, who was now able to look at Walt more favorably after realizing the conversation she had overheard outside the back door of Marlow House had truly been misunderstood. She was also tickled to know that while the pregnancy was a secret—until Danielle and Walt returned from their honeymoon—it was a secret she had not been excluded from.

  Time flew by as Walt and Danielle’s second wedding date approached. Days before the wedding, Lily hosted a bridal shower for Danielle, while Chris threw Walt a bachelor party. The night before the wedding, Walt hosted a rehearsal dinner for the wedding party.

  Danielle’s two bridesmaids were Heather and Melony, with Lily as the matron of honor. With Chris as Walt’s best man, and Ian officiating, Walt asked his agent to be one of his groomsmen. The two had grown close since first working together on Moon Runners. His choice for his second groomsman was Adam Nichols, which surprised no one more than Adam himself.

  Adam assumed the only reason Walt had asked him was because Melony was in the wedding and he had come to be close friends with Danielle. While he still had reservations about Walt, he couldn’t bring himself to decline, and he accepted Walt’s request. What Adam didn’t know, the primary reason Walt had asked him to be in the wedding was Adam’s grandmother. Walt knew how happy it would make Marie to see her grandson included in the wedding party.

  During the rehearsal, Evan MacDonald practiced his role as ring bearer while Sadie trotted down the staircase, the handle of the flower basket in her mouth, as she played the role of untraditional flower girl. Several attending the rehearsal dinner were amazed at how well Sadie performed, yet questioned if she could repeat the act during the actual wedding ceremony. Walt had no doubt she could.

  After everyone went home after the rehearsal dinner, Walt and Danielle decided not to sleep in the same room that night. While they were already man and wife, they felt sentimental about the quaint custom of the bride and groom not seeing each other on the day of the wedding until the bride walked down the aisle.

  Tucked into her cold bed on the second floor, Danielle decided sleeping apart was a stupid idea. Since she was utterly exhausted, she told herself she might as well tough it out. With a yawn, she rolled to one side, hugged a pillow to her chest, and fell fast asleep.

  “Hold still, there’s just a couple more,” Danielle’s mother said as she buttoned up the back of the wedding dress. “I know you’re anxious to walk down those stairs to get to Walt, but just hold on. You two have your entire life ahead of you.”

  Standing before a large mirror in her bedroom on the second floor of Marlow House, Danielle looked at her reflection as she wore her wedding dress. Behind her was her mother, smiling lovingly.

  “You look beautiful, dear,” her mother whispered.

  “I’m so happy, Mom. I love Walt so much.” Grinning broadly, she turned to her mother.

  “And he loves you, dear. I see the way he looks at you. I’m so happy for you both.”

  A knock came at the door.

  “Can I come in now?” came a male voice.

  Her mother grinned. “Your father, I swear. He can be so impatient sometimes!”

  “Come in, Dad!” Danielle called out.

  The next moment her bedroom door opened, and in walked Danielle’s father dressed in one of the three-piece black and gray suits Walt had picked out.

  “Oh, my baby girl, you look beautiful!” her father said, tears in his eyes. “Of course, you always look beautiful.”

  Danielle grinned at her father and gladly accepted his hug. Leaning closer, she rested her head on his shoulder, cherishing the embrace.

  “I love you, Danielle,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I love you too, Dad.”

  “Enough, you two! If you make Danielle cry and ruin her makeup…” Danielle’s mother scolded.

  With a chuckle, Danielle’s father released her from the hug, a wide grin on his face.

  “Before we go downstairs, there’s something I want to give you,” her father said, dipping his hand in his coat pocket. From his pocket he pulled out a gold heart locket, its delicate gold chain dangling from his hand. “This is for you, sweetheart.”

  “Oh, Dad!” Danielle took the locket in her hands and looked at it, turning it from side to side. “It’s beautiful.”

  “There’s nothing in the locket now, but later I thought you could put a wedding picture of you and Walt inside. I had the back engraved.”

  Turning the heart locket over in her hand to inspect the back, Danielle ran one finger over the single engraved letter: M. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  “When you look at this locket, I want you to remember how happy I am for you today—how much your mother and I love you. You and Walt are good together. I’ve always wanted you to have what your mother and I do. I think you’ll have that with Walt.”

  The alarm clock woke her. Danielle opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She was alone in her bed. The dream had felt so real, but it didn’t feel like a dream hop. In a hop she always knew it was a dream, while the one last night had felt too real. It left her both happy and sad. But today was her wedding day, so she refused to be sad. She also felt a little closer to her parents, as if they had actually visited her. Had it been a dream hop, that would have been the case. Perhaps it had been nothing but a regular dream, but she refused to allow that to diminish the joy it had given her.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, Danielle returned to bed and went over in her mind all that needed to be done today. She suspected Walt had already left. He was spending the morning with Ian and his agent.

  When she and Walt had said goodnight the previous evening, Walt had told her he wouldn’t see her again until she walked down the aisle—or more accurately, the staircase. He had moved his wedding clothes to the downstairs bedroom, where he intended to dress to avoid running into Danielle before the three-o’clock ceremony.

  A knock came at the door. “Danielle? Are you awake?”

  “Come in, Joanne,” Danielle called. She hadn’t bothered locking her bedroom door the previous night since there had been no guests in the house.

  The door opened and in walked Joanne carrying a tray of food.

  “What’s that?” Danielle asked brightly, sitting up in bed.

  “It’s your wedding day. Breakfast in bed!”

  “Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Danielle said not too convincingly as she eyed the eggs Benedict coming her way.

  Joanne laughed. “Actually, I didn’t. Walt made it.”

  “Walt?” Danielle said in surprise as she watched Joanne arrange the tray on her lap. Next to the plate on the tray was a freshly cut camellia.

  “He insisted his bride have breakfast in bed. I offered to make it, but he wanted to do it himself. I will say I’m rather impressed. He makes a mean hollandaise sauce.”

  Danielle picked up the camellia. “Where did he get the flower?”

  “I’m pretty sure he snagged it from your neighbor. The new neighbor.” Joanne chuckled. “He wanted a rose, but they aren’t blooming yet, and the florist won’t be delivering the flowers until noon.”

  Danielle set the flower back on the tray. “This one is lovely. Even if it is stolen.”

  Lily showed up an hour later with Heather and Melony. They brought fresh cinnamon rolls with them. Despite her delicious breakfast, Danielle didn’t have any problem finishing off her share of the sticky sweet rolls.

  While Joanne coordinated the placement of chairs dow
nstairs with the men from the wedding party, Eva and Marie joined the ladies upstairs and watched as they gave each other manicures, fixed each other’s hair, shared stories, laughed, and sipped mimosas.

  The morning quickly melted into the afternoon, and before she knew it, Danielle was once again standing before the mirror while Lily buttoned up her wedding dress. Just as Lily finished buttoning her dress, a knock came at the bedroom door.

  For a brief moment, Danielle thought of her dream the night before, and she had the whimsical notion it was her father knocking, as he had in the dream.

  “It’s Edward? Can I come in?” came the voice beyond the door.

  “Come in, Chief,” Danielle called out.

  The next moment Chief MacDonald walked into the room, wearing the same suit her father had worn in her dream. He would be standing in for her father today and would be walking her down the aisle.

  “You look gorgeous, Danielle. Walt is a lucky guy,” the chief said.

  “Thanks. I’m the lucky one.”

  “You look pretty sharp yourself, Chief,” Lily told him.

  MacDonald looked to Lily and smiled. “Maybe I’m the lucky one, upstairs with two gorgeous women. That dress looks outstanding on you, Lily.”

  Lily grinned. “Thanks, Chief.”

  MacDonald turned to Danielle and reached into his coat pocket. “Danielle, I have something for you.” He pulled out a gold heart locket; its chain dangled down from his fingers.

  Danielle’s eyes widened as she stared at the delicate piece of jewelry.

  “I don’t know if this is your style or not,” the chief explained. “But I saw this the other day in an antique shop, and I thought of you. After all, you’re getting married on Valentine’s Day, and it looks like something that would go with a vintage dress, like I heard you were wearing.” As he handed it to her, he turned it over, revealing the engraving on its back. “It was already engraved with an M, like it was made for you. I had to buy it. But if you don’t feel it goes with your dress, I won’t feel bad if you don’t want to wear it.”