The Ghost from the Sea Read online

  In response, Lily excused herself from the conversation for a moment, and pulled Danielle to the side, out of earshot from the others. She asked in a whisper, “Did you see him again?”

  Danielle glanced over to the wreckage. “I assume you mean the ghost. No.”

  “I guess even if you did, it would be impossible to talk to him.”

  “Yeah, pretty much. I want to tell Walt about all this, see what he thinks.”

  “Okay. I’m going to stay here with Ian.”

  When Danielle returned to Marlow House, she raced through the front doorway, down the entry hall, and up the stairs, heading to the attic. She found Walt standing at the window, looking out through the spotting scope, while Max slept peacefully on the arm of the nearby sofa bed.

  Walt turned to face Danielle, who was now breathless from her run up the stairs. “What’s going on out there? I’ve been watching for the last hour. Never seen so many cars on this street. I tried to convince Max to go check out the commotion but his desire to nap won over helping me. I’m starting to think cats are useless.”

  From the sofa, Max lifted his head and looked at Walt. Yawning, he closed his eyes again and rested the right side of his face back on his front paws.

  “A ship washed up on the shore, a few houses down from Chris’ place.”

  “Ship?”

  “Or really big boat. At least what’s left of it.”

  “And its passengers, crew?”

  “Looks like they’ve been dead for years.” Danielle walked over to the sofa bed and sat down, sitting next to Max. She reached over and stroked his neck.

  “What do you mean dead for years?”

  “By the looks of the wreckage, it’s been out there for decades. No one knows where it came from. By all the barnacles on the hull, I almost think it had to have been underwater. Oh, and it came with a ghost.”

  Walt walked to Danielle. “You saw a ghost?”

  “Yep. Sitting on top of the thing, watching all the commotion.”

  “And you’re sure it was a ghost?”

  “No one else seemed to see him. And then he just vanished.”

  Walt sat down on the sofa arm, on the opposite end from where Max perched. “Perhaps it’s just your overactive imagination?”

  Danielle arched her brows at him. “Am I imagining you?”

  Walt smiled and then said, “Tell me about this ghost ship.”

  Danielle chuckled. “That’s just what I called it. Maybe we’re hanging out too much together.”

  “Perhaps.” Walt smiled softly. “So, tell me about this mysterious ghost ship.”

  “From what I overheard from the Coast Guard…”

  “The Coast Guard was there?”

  Danielle nodded. “Brian said something about them towing it out and sinking it, if they deem it a hazard. Although, it looks too big to tow. I heard one of the Coast Guard guys say it was a yacht. Or at least, once was.”

  “Sailing yacht?” Walt asked.

  “Hard to tell; it was only the hull, with a lower and upper deck and parts of the top of the boat was missing. I didn’t hear what they said about any of that.”

  “How big was this yacht?” Walt asked.

  “My guess, a couple hundred feet long. Oh, and according to Brian, they found the skeletal remains of the crew—or passengers—inside the hull. Which probably explains the ghost I saw. Makes me wonder if there’ll be more than just him.”

  “And they’ve no idea where it came from?”

  Danielle shook her head. “Not yet. At least, I didn’t hear anything to the contrary. But I imagine they’ll be able to easily figure out where it came from.”

  “It does seem as if you can find out anything with your computers.”

  “There’s probably some expert somewhere who knows who built the ship, or when a ship like that went missing. Plus, its name is visible on the hull. That should be an excellent clue.”

  “What’s the name of this mystery ship?”

  “Eva Aphrodite.”

  Walt stared at Danielle for a moment before asking, “What did you say?”

  “Eva Aphrodite. From what I recall from my Greek Mythology class, Aphrodite represented love and beauty, and was considered the goddess of the sea.”

  Walt stood up. “Yes, she was.” He walked back to the window and looked outside. While still looking out, he said, “Tell me more about this ghost you saw.”

  “Hard to tell his age—had he been alive. Not a kid or teenager—and not an old man. What I found most interesting, he was wearing a suit exactly like your dark blue pinstripe.”

  Walt turned to Danielle with a frown. “My dark blue pinstripe?”

  “Yes. Did you have a suit like that when you were alive?”

  Walt nodded. “Yes. Yes, I did.” He turned back to the window and looked out.

  “Which is why I suspect this new spirit came from your era. Unless he died while attending a 20s theme party.”

  “20s theme party?” Walt asked.

  “Sure. Like a 50s party where women wear poodle skirts and ponytails, and guys wear leather jackets and pompadours, or a 60s party with tied-dyed shirts and love beads.”

  Turning back to Danielle, Walt looked sincerely confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I’ve seen you watch Happy Days on television.”

  Walt frowned. He still did not comprehend.

  Danielle sighed and explained, “A theme party. Maybe the ghost went to a 1920s theme party where the women dressed up as flappers and men wore…well, dark blue pinstripe suits.”

  “You think that’s what happened?”

  “No. I’m just saying, if he isn’t from your era, that might explain his choice of clothing. Or maybe he just likes to dress retro.”

  “Retro?”

  Danielle sighed again. “Never mind.”

  Once again looking out the window, his hands resting on the windowsill, Walt said in a quiet voice, “Perhaps it would be best if the Coast Guard simply towed it back out to sea and let it sink.”

  “Why do you say that? Aren’t you curious about its history?”

  “Dredging up old history often does nothing more than stir up unpleasant memories, and for what purpose?”

  “I can’t imagine there’s anyone still around who’d be hurt by learning more about the ship. In fact, it’s entirely possible there are people out there still wondering what happened to a grandparent or parent. I just find the entire thing fascinating. I thought you would too.”

  Walt shrugged indifferently. “Ships have been sinking since man took to the sea.”

  “Well, you’re no fun.” Danielle stood up. “I think I’ll walk back down there, see if they’ve figured anything out.”

  Walt continued to stare out the window, withholding comment, and not bidding Danielle farewell as she made her way from the attic. A few minutes later, he watched as she walked down the street, back to the wreckage.

  “Well Max,” Walt said with a heavy sigh, when Danielle was no longer in view. “It looks as if the Eva Aphrodite has come home at last.”

  Lifting his chin from his paws, Max looked at Walt, silently blinking his golden eyes.

  “I can’t really explain,” Walt told Max. “Maybe later. But now…now I need to think about it.”

  Turning from the window, Walt walked toward the doorway, vanishing before he reached it. A moment later, he was downstairs in the parlor, peering out the window. A thorny rose bush, just outside the glass pane was severely overgrown and in need of pruning, obstructed some of his view. He was about to move to another window when a familiar face appeared on the other side of the glass, looking in at him. Walt took several abrupt steps back and the man moved from outside the glass, to inside the parlor, standing just a few feet from Walt. The two men stared into each other’s eyes.

  “Jack?” Walt said in surprised. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you.”

  “Walt, is that all you can say? How long has it
been?” Jack asked.

  Walt’s gaze swept over the apparition, noting the dark blue pinstripe suit. “Ninety-two years.”

  Jack walked past Walt and looked around the parlor. “It’s almost like I remember.” He paused at the desk and looked at the unfamiliar object sitting there. “What’s that?”

  “A laptop computer,” Walt explained.

  Jack frowned, and then moved on, continuing with his inspection of the room. He stopped at the flat screen television on the wall and pointed to it. “What’s that?”

  Walt smiled and said, “A television.” The next moment it turned on, its sound blaring as bloodied zombies marched across the screen. Jack jumped back from the television and Walt chuckled; the set turned off.

  Confused, Jack looked at Walt.

  “A lot has changed in the last 92 years,” Walt explained. “Are you here because of the Eva Aphrodite?”

  Jack took a seat on one of the chairs facing the sofa. He looked up at Walt. “So you know about that.”

  “I know it washed up on shore this morning. Or maybe last night.”

  “I wouldn’t say it washed up exactly.” Jack chuckled.

  “What do you have to do with it being here?”

  Jack raised his brows. “You don’t know?”

  Walt took a seat on the sofa. “How would I know?” With a wave of his hand a lit cigar appeared. He took a puff.

  Jack stared at the cigar, momentarily mesmerized. “How did you do that?”

  “How do you think?” Walt took another puff.

  “You aren’t alive, are you?” Jack asked.

  Walt laughed. “What did you think, that I’m well preserved for being over a hundred?”

  Jack shook his head. “It’s all bushwa. I feel like I don’t know from nothing anymore.”

  “Why did you come here, why now?”

  Jack stood up. “It’s hard to explain.” He glanced around the room. “Everything looked so different when I got here. I wasn’t expecting that. But I recognized Hemming’s house. Went there first. Was a big dog there. I swear, I could tell what it was thinking.”

  “Sadie,” Walt said.

  “Sadie?”

  “The dog. Her name is Sadie.”

  “Are you saying George is still there? He has a dog named Sadie?”

  Walt shook his head. “No. George Hemming has moved on. At least I assume he has. Someone else lives in George’s old house now. Hell, lots of people have lived there since George moved on.”

  “Where did George move on to? Is that where the rest of them went?”

  “Rest of who?” Walt asked.

  “Everyone from the Eva Aphrodite.”

  “I assume so. It’s been a long time, almost a hundred years. They all should have moved on by now.”

  “But you’re still here, why?”

  “That’s really none of your concern. Jack, it’s been a long time. I wish I could say I was glad to see you. But I’m not.”

  “I can’t believe you’re saying that Walt. We were friends. Best friends. I wasn’t sure if I’d find you here when I looked in the window. But there you were. I thought for a moment, maybe that’s why I was able to get here.”

  “Jack, you burned that bridge a long time ago. I’m over it now. Move on.”

  “Over it? You don’t care I died?”

  Walt laughed. “Jack, we’ve both been dead for years. I assume practically everyone I once knew is probably dead. Why should that bother me now?”

  “Considering everything, didn’t you at least feel bad at the time?” Jack asked.

  “Bad? You mean because you betrayed me?” Walt roared.

  “What are you talking about? I never betrayed you!”

  “Tell that to Sweeny!” Walt yelled back.

  The next moment the front door opened and they could hear voices and a dog bark. Sadie raced into the parlor, her tail wagging. Jack disappeared.

  Chapter Five

  Whoever was playing the xylophone, Danielle wanted them to stop. They kept repeating the same tune, over and over and over again.

  Finally opening her eyes, she blinked twice and yawned. She heard it again. Sitting up in her bed, Danielle sleepily reached for her phone, picking it up from the nightstand. Before answering, she looked to see who was calling. It was Adam Nichols. Reluctantly, she answered, letting her head drop back down to the pillow.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” She stared up at the ceiling.

  “It’s after eight. Don’t tell me you’re still asleep.”

  “Well, not now.”

  Adam laughed. “Sorry. But it’s my grandmother. She insisted I call you.”

  Still holding the cellphone to one ear, Danielle sat back up in the bed and rubbed sleep from her eyes. “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah. But she insisted I call you this morning, before she goes to the police.”

  Turning in the bed, Danielle sat up completely and put her feet on the floor. “What do you mean, before she goes to the police?”

  “It’s about that ship that washed up yesterday. I assume you know about it, since it was on your street. Grandma read about it in the paper.”

  “Adam, I need more information. I still don’t understand why your grandmother needs to talk to me, or the police for that matter. Why didn’t she just call me?”

  “She misplaced your phone number. Again.”

  “So what about the ship?”

  “She thinks she knows where it came from, and she wants you to know about it before she goes to the police.”

  Danielle got out of the bed. “Why’s that?”

  “Because, according to Grandma, the Eva Aphrodite belonged to Walt Marlow.”

  Danielle paused a moment and glanced up to the ceiling. “Eva Aphrodite?” she mumbled.

  “Yeah, according to the article in the paper they have no idea where the boat came from. Called it a wreckage of a yacht, but one clue is its name. The Eva Aphrodite.”

  “Eva Aphrodite,” Danielle repeated in a low whisper.

  “According to Grandma, that was the name of Walt Marlow’s yacht. Apparently, he named it after Eva Thorndike. I imagine you recall that name. By the way, you still have the Missing Thorndike, don’t you?”

  Instead of responding to Adam’s question, Danielle stood silently by the side of the bed. Again, she glanced up at the ceiling, expecting Walt to pop in at any moment.

  “Danielle, are you still there?”

  “Umm…yeah Adam. I was just thinking.”

  “Hey, I was just teasing about the Missing Thorndike. I know you still have it…you do still have it, don’t you?”

  “Umm…yeah. I haven’t found a buyer for it yet. It’s still at the bank,” she muttered, her gaze still on the ceiling. “When does your grandmother want to see me?”

  “She’s hoping you’ll come over this morning.”

  “Okay. Let me get dressed and then—”

  “Hey, don’t get dressed on my account. Want me to pick you up?” Adam snickered.

  “Cute Adam,” Danielle said dryly. “Tell her I’ll be there within an hour. Is that okay?”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “You’re going to be there?” she asked.

  “Stop making me feel unwanted,” Adam teased.

  Before getting dressed, Danielle slipped on her robe and went out into the hall to see if Lily was up. She found her in the bathroom, putting on her makeup.

  “Morning Dani!” Lily greeted when Danielle looked into the open bathroom doorway. “You slept in this morning.” Lily leaned closer to the mirror as she penciled liner over her eyebrows.

  “I’m going to Marie’s house this morning. I was hoping you’d go with me.”

  Lily turned from the mirror and faced Danielle. “Marie’s? What for?”

  “I’ll explain in the car.” Danielle gestured to the attic.

  “Hmm…” Lily glanced up at the ceiling. “Okay, sounds interesting. Umm…where is Walt, by the way?”

>   “The attic maybe. I haven’t seen him this morning.”

  “And Walt never said anything?” Lily asked as she snapped on her seatbelt. She sat in the passenger seat of the red Ford Flex, as Danielle backed the vehicle down the driveway.

  “Yesterday, when I told him about the wreckage, I mentioned its name. He said nothing.”

  “Maybe he didn’t make the connection? It has been almost a hundred years,” Lily suggested.

  “Oh come on. Like Walt isn’t going to remember the name of his yacht, one he named for the love of his life?”

  Lily stared at Marlow House as Danielle pulled out onto the street. “I just can’t figure out why he’d lie about something like this.”

  “He was interested when I first told him what had washed up on the beach. In fact, when I got to the attic he was watching all the commotion through his spotting scope and was trying to get Max to go see what was going on. But the moment I mention the name of the boat, he loses all interest—or so it seemed. Even said something about it not necessary to dredge up old memories.”

  “Well, there you have it. Something about Eva Aphrodite is too painful for him to think about. And didn’t you tell me they found human remains on board?”

  “According to Brian, they were skeletal remains which leads one to believe they’ve been on the boat since—since it obviously went missing.”

  “Those were probably people Walt knew.”

  “Then Lily, wouldn’t that make Walt more curious about the wreckage?”

  “Adam brought the cinnamon rolls. Wasn’t that sweet of him?” Marie explained as she set a place of pastries on the center of the kitchen table and passed napkins to Lily and Danielle.

  Danielle gazed longingly at the frosted rolls. “Not from Old Salts Bakery?”

  “Where else?” Adam said with a grin as he snatched one from the plate and took a bite. He sat at the kitchen table with Lily, Danielle, and his grandmother.

  Succumbing to temptation, Danielle took a roll. “My scale hates you,” she grumbled.

  Adam laughed and took another bite. “I think you can afford a few extra calories.”