The Ghost and the Bride Read online

  Seven

  By the time Saturday evening rolled around, guests from the previous week had checked out, and new ones had checked in. Danielle was upstairs in her bedroom, changing her clothes, when Lily knocked on her door. She had slipped on a summer shift and white cardigan sweater.

  “Almost ready?” Lily asked when Danielle let her into the bedroom a few minutes later.

  “Just about. I need to comb out my hair.” Danielle moved back to her dresser and looked into the mirror. She had unfastened her hair from its braid and intended to wear it down for the evening. But first, she needed to calm its waves, which wouldn’t have been there had she not been wearing a braid all day.

  Taking a seat on the end of the bed, Lily watched Danielle comb her hair. “Chris is downstairs with Ian in the parlor. I’m pretty sure Walt’s with them.”

  “I feel a little guilty about Walt,” Danielle said as she set her brush on the dresser and then turned to face Lily.

  Lily frowned. “Why?”

  “If it wasn’t for Walt, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving Marlow House when there are guests staying here. He’s kind of like having a private security guard living on the premises.”

  “Ahh, so that’s why you aren’t anxious for me to move on,” Walt teased when he appeared the next moment.

  “Walt!” Danielle yipped, startled by his appearance. “I hate when you sneak up like that.”

  “The next time I’ll be sure to rattle some chains.”

  “Hey, Walt,” Lily greeted him. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was there.

  “And you know that’s not why I’m not anxious for you to move on. Of course, I have to admit…it is a nice perk!” Danielle grinned.

  “You go have fun at little Marie’s. And don’t forget to take the photographs. There are a few of Marie’s parents in there I’m sure she’ll enjoy. I’ll keep an eye on our guests.”

  Marie Nichols enjoyed entertaining, providing she didn’t have to cook. Fortunately for her, her grandson, Adam, had picked up sandwiches and salads at the local deli and dessert at Old Salts Bakery to serve her company. Her guest list included three couples: Adam and Melony, Lily and Ian, and Danielle and Chris. Although, technically speaking, Chris and Danielle had moved more to the buddy category than romantic couple, while the status of Melony and Adam was undetermined.

  Melony’s divorce had been finalized and she no longer went by Melony Jacobs, but had reclaimed her maiden name, Melony Carmichael. This evening, with all the wedding talk, gun-shy Adam preferred to view their relationship as that of dear old friends, for fear his grandmother would manage to push him down the aisle when he wasn’t looking.

  With her guests sitting on patio chairs on the back porch, each with a plate of food, Marie took her place on a rocking chair in the middle of the group so she could hear all that was being said. The rocking chair had once belonged to her friend Emma Jackson, who had passed away several months earlier. Emma’s grandson had brought the chair over to her not long after his grandmother had died, explaining Emma would have wanted Marie to have it.

  “Glad to see you’re using Emma’s chair,” Danielle told Marie when she realized what the older woman was sitting on.

  “I’ll confess, I thought it was silly to have a rocking chair outside on the porch, but now I’m wondering why I didn’t get one before!” Marie rocked back in the chair and smiled.

  “Adam was telling me about Emma,” Melony interjected. “When he said her husband’s name was Emmett, I thought that was kind of funny. Sort of like a Robert marrying a Roberta.”

  “Or like Jack and Jackie Kennedy,” Lily added.

  Melony flashed Lily a grin.

  Abruptly changing the subject, Marie asked, “I suppose you all heard about Joyce Pruitt’s youngest, Shane?”

  “I imagine the entire town has heard by now,” Adam said as he popped a potato chip in his mouth.

  Lily looked at Melony. “You’re the only criminal attorney in Frederickport. You think they’ll be calling you?”

  “I heard he already signed a confession,” Chris said.

  “I don’t think he could afford Melony,” Adam added.

  Marie rocked forward in her chair and reached out, giving Melony a little pat on her knee. “Considering how close Melony is with Adam, I imagine it would be some sort of conflict of interest if she were to take him as a client.” Rocking back in her chair, Marie took back her hand and proceeded to nibble on the last bit of her sandwich.

  Melony grinned at Adam and suppressed a giggle when she noticed his uneasy expression. Leaning closer to Adam, she whispered, “Don’t worry, I’m no more anxious to get married than you are. I just finished untying a knot, and I’m not about to tie another one anytime soon—if ever again.”

  Adam frowned at Melony. He wasn’t sure if her sentiment made him feel comforted or like crap.

  After they exhausted their discussion on Shane Pruitt, Danielle said, “When everyone is finished eating, I would like to bring out the photographs I got from the museum. Maybe we can look at them inside, where the light is better.”

  “I’m so happy you were able to get them,” Marie said. “I wish I could say it surprised me that the museum accepted stolen property.”

  “In all fairness to the museum, Marie, Renton did show them a receipt from Aunt Brianna,” Danielle reminded her.

  “With a forged signature! Mighty careless of them, if you ask me,” Marie clucked.

  “What I don’t understand, why would Clarence risk his career for a mere pittance?” Melony asked.

  “I think we’ve all learned Clarence Renton was ready to grab anything that wasn’t nailed down,” Ian said.

  Their discussions on Renton soon shifted to a more current topic, Ian and Lily’s wedding.

  “I’m surprised you aren’t getting married in a church,” Marie told Lily. “Is your mother okay with that?”

  “To be honest, Marie, my parents were never big on organized religion,” Lily told her. “Mom believes in God, but she calls it a higher power. We always celebrated Christmas, but I think it was more about the spirit of giving as opposed to religion.”

  “My father was raised Catholic,” Ian said. “But when he married Mom—a protestant whose views aren’t much different from Lily’s mom, he stopped going to church. Sometimes Kelly and I would go to church with our grandparents, but it was pretty sporadic.”

  “Who’s going to officiate the ceremony?” Marie asked.

  Danielle grinned. “I thought I told you, the chief!”

  Marie frowned. “Surely you don’t mean Edward?”

  Lily laughed. “Yep. Ian and I were talking to the chief about the wedding, and he jokingly offered to marry us. I guess he got ordained online—he did it so he could officiate for a friend of his a while back. He was only joking, but we thought it was a good idea, and Ian talked him into it.”

  Marie frowned. “I didn’t know Edward was a minister.”

  “Grandma, he’s not a real minister,” Adam said.

  “Then how can he legally marry Ian and Lily?” Marie asked.

  “It’ll be legal,” Danielle assured Marie.

  “I’d like a wedding on the beach,” Melony said.

  Marie patted Melony’s knee again. “I think that would be nice, dear. We could plan a lovely beach wedding!”

  Adam scowled at Melony. “I thought you said you didn’t want to get married again?”

  “I didn’t say that exactly,” Melony said with a mischievous grin. “But you have to admit getting married on the beach would be romantic.”

  “Well, I’m getting married in Marlow House,” Lily said. “Which is one reason I’m excited to look through the photographs again. There were two weddings at Marlow House, and Dani has pictures of both of them. Already they’ve given me some decorating ideas. And the wedding dresses!” Lily let out a sigh. “What I would give to have one of those dresses to wear!”

  “Is mean old Danielle refusing to let you wea
r one?” Adam asked. Danielle pitched a wadded-up napkin at Adam. He caught it mid toss and chuckled.

  “It’s because they’re missing,” Chris answered. “Danielle looked all over Marlow House for them, and they’re gone. She even asked down at the museum.”

  “According to Aunt Brianna, there were three wedding dresses stored in a trunk. But the trunk is missing.” It wasn’t a complete lie, Danielle thought. There had been three wedding dresses stored in a trunk. However, it was Walt who had told her of their existence, not Aunt Brianna.

  “Three wedding dresses…in a trunk?” Melony asked with a frown.

  “Yes. All worn at Marlow weddings,” Lily told her.

  “Do you know who the dresses belonged to?” Melony asked.

  “One was worn by Walt’s grandmother, another by his mother, and the third by his wife,” Danielle explained.

  “Did you say you have photographs of the wedding dresses?” Melony asked.

  “Yes, in the house. I’ll show you when we go in to look at the pictures,” Danielle told her.

  “Yes…I’d like that,” Melony murmured.

  Thirty minutes later the group had moved indoors to the living room, where there was better lighting for viewing the vintage photographs. Melony took special interest in the wedding portraits of the three Marlow brides. With Danielle’s permission, she carefully removed the three photographs from their respective albums and moved closer to the lighting, where she inspected each one.

  Watching Melony take special interest in the bridal photographs, Chris elbowed Adam and with a snicker said, “Looks like Mel is getting into the bridal spirit. I bet if you talk nice to Ian and Lily, you guys can turn this into a double wedding.”

  “She’s only doing that to annoy me,” Adam whispered to Chris while he curiously watched Melony. She did seem particularly interested in the old photographs, but Adam didn’t think it had anything to do with a sudden desire to walk down the aisle. He wondered what her interest was. In the next moment he had his answer.

  “I know where your wedding dresses are,” Melony said abruptly, setting the photos on the table as she looked to Danielle.

  “You do? Where?” Danielle asked.

  “In my mother’s garage,” Melony said, still standing by the end table with the lamp she had been using a moment before.

  “What do you mean your mother’s garage?” Adam asked.

  Melony turned to Adam. “Remember that storage unit I had to clean out that had files from Dad and Clarence’s law firm in it? There was also a trunk with three wedding dresses. I had never seen them before, and there was no paperwork. Nothing in the trunk to say where the dresses were from, just the dresses themselves. I had the trunk delivered to my house and put it in the garage until I could figure out where they came from. I guess now I know.”

  “Are you sure they’re the Marlow wedding dresses?” Lily asked.

  Melony nodded. “Yes. And they are absolutely lovely; I examined each one. The trunk is cedar lined, so they were well preserved. To be honest, I was rather excited to find such an exquisite treasure.”

  “Why?” Adam frowned. “What are you going to do with three wedding dresses?”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “Really, Adam? You can’t see how something like that would be an unexpected treasure?”

  Adam shrugged. “Your gold coins were an unexpected treasure. Old wedding dresses, not so much.”

  Melony laughed at Adam and joined Danielle in an eye roll. She then turned her attention to Lily. “Since the dresses obviously belong to Danielle, you might want to see if she’ll let you wear one to your wedding. One looked your size.”

  Jumping to her feet with a squeal, Lily hugged Melony.

  “Hey, I didn’t say you could wear one yet,” Danielle teased.

  Still excited, Lily waved dismissively to Danielle. “Oh pooh, you’ll let me wear one. I know you too well.”

  Danielle looked to Melony. “Mel, are you sure about this? Is it possible they belong to someone else?”

  Melony smiled at Danielle. “No, they’re definitely the same dresses from the photographs. And considering Renton’s past behavior, I’ve no doubt he removed them from Marlow House without your aunt’s permission.”

  Eight

  On Sunday afternoon, Adam called Bill Jones and asked him if he would help him for about an hour. He needed to borrow Bill’s truck. He also needed some of Bill’s muscle. They met at Melony’s house—the same house that had once belonged to her mother. The garage door was already open when they arrived, with Melony standing inside, waiting.

  The cedar-lined trunk proved to be heavier than they had imagined it would be. Together Bill and Adam wrestled with the trunk, with the help of Melony, before shoving it into the back of the truck.

  “If you expect to lug this up the walkway to Marlow House, I think we need to swing by my place and pick up a handcart,” Bill suggested.

  When they arrived at Marlow House thirty minutes later, Danielle greeted them at the door.

  “Where do you want us to put this thing?” Bill asked. “It weighs a freaking ton.” He stood on the front porch with Adam, holding the handcart carrying the old trunk.

  “I plan to put it in the attic,” Danielle began.

  “Hey, I’m not lugging this monster up two flights of stairs,” Bill grumbled.

  “No, I don’t expect you to.” Danielle smiled. “Could you just push it to the stairs, and I’ll take it from there.”

  “How do you intend to get it up to the attic?” Adam asked as they wheeled the cart into the house and down the entry hall to the staircase.

  “Chris and Ian said they would help later,” Danielle lied.

  “Good luck with that,” Bill grumbled.

  When they reached the base of the stairs, Adam turned to Danielle and said, “We can leave the handcart and pick it up later.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. Go ahead and take it,” Danielle said.

  “Are you sure?” Adam frowned.

  “Yeah, no reason for you to have to come back later. I just really appreciate you guys bringing it over.” Danielle smiled. She tucked her hand in her pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill she had put there before Adam and Bill had arrived.

  After Bill dislodged the trunk from the handcart, Danielle pressed the twenty into the palm of his hand. Surprised, he looked at the money a moment before glancing up. “Umm…hey, thanks. But you don’t have to pay me.”

  “I know,” Danielle said. “But I really appreciate you taking the time to bring this over. Lily is going to be so excited.”

  Bill shrugged and shoved the money into his pocket. “Well, thanks.”

  “What about me?” Adam asked with a pout, putting out a hand. “I took the time too.”

  Danielle glanced at Adam’s open palm. She gave it a friendly slap with her right hand and then looked up in his face and smiled. “And I do appreciate it, Adam. But I wouldn’t want to get Marie mad at you for taking money from me.”

  Adam laughed. “Yeah, there is that. But you owe me a beer. Where is Lily, anyway?” Adam asked as he glanced around. “The way she talked last night, I thought she couldn’t wait to see these dresses.”

  “I know it killed her not to stick around to see them, but she had to go with Ian to Portland today.” Danielle walked Adam and Bill to the front door.

  “Where are all your guests?” Adam asked as Danielle opened the front door for them.

  “Off seeing the sights.”

  “I guess you’ll have to wait until Ian comes back to move the trunk.”

  “No hurry. Thanks again, Adam, Bill.” After exchanging a few more words with the two men, Danielle shut the door and then peeked out the window, watching them walk down the front walkway.

  “I suppose you want me to move it now?” Walt asked when he appeared in the entry hall the next moment.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, Walt. I’d rather do it before anyone comes back.”

  “I can unders
tand that.” Walt chuckled. “It might be a little startling to walk in on a trunk floating up the stairs.” In the next moment, the trunk did just that. It floated up the stairwell to the second floor and then continued on its way to the attic.

  “Still the ditzy broad. Thinks she can move that damn thing without a handcart,” Bill grumbled as he put the handcart onto the bed of the truck.

  “You made twenty bucks,” Adam reminded him.

  Bill shrugged and walked over to the driver’s side of the cab.

  “Hey, I’ll be right back,” Adam said as Bill opened the truck door.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to tell Danielle that if Ian and Chris need any help moving the trunk, to call me up, and I’ll help them. No way will they get the trunk up the stairs with just the two of them.”

  “They might with the handcart,” Bill said.

  “Then maybe we should take it up now. Get it done with.”

  “What’s with you, Adam? Turning all Boy Scout with this broad. Is there something going on between you two?”

  “No,” Adam scoffed. “I told you. Danielle is just a friend.”

  With a snort, Bill got into his truck and slammed the door shut.

  Adam peered through the open passenger window in the truck cab and looked at Bill, who had just shoved a key into the ignition. “I take it this means you don’t want to take the trunk up to the attic?”

  “You catch on quick, Nichols.”

  “Fine. Hold on. Let me go tell Danielle she can call me if they need help.”

  “Okay. But hurry. I want to get something to eat!”

  Turning from the truck, Adam jogged back up the walkway to the front door of Marlow House.

  Instead of knocking, he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He called out to Danielle as he walked into the house. Heading down the hallway, he assumed he would find her in one of the rooms on the first floor.

  Danielle stepped out from the kitchen at the same moment Adam came in sight of the staircase and noticed the trunk was missing.