The Ghost and the Bride Read online

  “Rupert?” Kelly frowned. “Who is Rupert?”

  “Lily’s imaginary friend. Oh my, she hasn’t told you about him?” Laura shook her head and said with a giggle, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, poor Rupert. To be forgotten by the princess.”

  After they arrived in Frederickport several hours later, Kelly pulled into her brother’s driveway and parked the car. As Ian got his parents settled into one of his guest rooms, Kelly walked Laura across the street. Just as they stepped onto the sidewalk in front of Marlow House, a police car drove up and stopped. Motor still running, the officer sat in the car and rolled down the side window.

  Both young women turned to the police car. Kelly smiled and stepped closer to the vehicle. Leaning over, she peered through the open window. Sitting in the driver’s seat was Sergeant Joe Morelli.

  “Hey, Joe, great timing!” Kelly greeted him.

  “I was wondering if you were here yet. Just thought I’d drive by and see,” Joe said with a grin, his hands still clutching the steering wheel.

  Curious, Laura stepped up to the police car, next to Kelly, and looked in the window.

  “Can you come in?” Kelly asked Joe.

  “Sorry, I’m on the way to the station, but I’ll give you a call when I get off,” Joe promised.

  Kelly looked to Laura and then motioned to Joe. “This is my boyfriend, Joe Morelli. Joe, this is Lily’s sister, Laura.”

  “Nice to meet you—” Joe began, only to be cut off by Laura, who started to laugh.

  “Are you serious? Joe Morelli?” Laura choked out, still laughing.

  Kelly frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “Joe Morelli? Officer Joseph Morelli, I presume?” Laura said, still giggling.

  “Actually, it’s Sergeant Morelli. What’s so funny?” Kelly asked defensively.

  “Obviously you don’t read Stephanie Plum.”

  “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t get what’s so funny.”

  “Damn, Laura, did you have to go and try to make my future sister-in-law feel stupid?” Lily asked twenty minutes later when she took Laura to the room she would be staying in on the second floor.

  “Oh, come on, you have to admit it’s funny. Surely you guys have mentioned it before?” Laura asked as she tossed her suitcase onto her bed.

  “Actually, no. I thought about it briefly when I first met him, but I didn’t say anything. For one thing, Joe is nothing like the character in Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.”

  “Are you serious?” Laura asked, opening her suitcase. “They’re both cops. Obviously both Italian, and both are hot. How can you not find that hilarious?”

  “For one thing, Joe is seriously nothing like the character in Evanovich’s series. Trust me. Kelly’s Joe is pretty straightlaced and a habitual rule follower. From what I recall of Evanovich’s character, he’s something of a scoundrel.”

  Laura shrugged and removed some items from her suitcase. “I still think it’s funny.”

  “You might be interested to know Joe and Dani dated for a few weeks right after we moved in.”

  Stuffing the clothing she had removed from the suitcase into an open dresser drawer, she then turned to Lily and arched her brow. “Really? What happened? Did Kelly steal him from Dani?”

  With a snort, Lily said, “Hardly. They’d stopped dating long before Kelly and Joe even met.”

  “So what happened between Dani and Joe? He is pretty hot. And if you say he’s a straightlaced rule follower, that’s probably a good thing, considering the antics of the other Joe Morelli.”

  “One problem, he arrested Dani for murder.”

  “Oh…” Laura muttered, absently pushing the drawer closed. “That sort of thing does tend to put a damper on romance.”

  By five o’clock on Friday evening, all the wedding guests staying on Beach Drive had arrived. Walt lounged casually by the fireplace in the living room, Ian’s golden retriever curled up by his feet. He tried to sort out the who’s who of the wedding guests. It was fairly chaotic at Marlow House, with most of the people gathering in the living room, a few in the hallway nearby, and everyone seemed to be talking at once.

  Walt immediately recognized Lily’s parents. They had stayed at Marlow House back when Lily was in the hospital. It was fairly easy to figure out who was Lily’s sister. The two siblings bore an uncanny resemblance to each other.

  The other young woman was obviously the cousin. He knew that immediately because he saw her taking luggage into the downstairs bedroom. Danielle had mentioned the cousin and her husband would be staying in that room. He assumed the bearded man was the cousin’s husband, since she hovered close to his side and seemed quite attentive of his needs.

  The second older couple was obviously Ian’s parents, a handsome pair. Walt had always thought Kelly bore a strong resemblance to her older brother, Ian. Yet now, seeing them with their parents, he could see the resemblance between Kelly and her mother, and the striking resemblance between Ian and his father. In fact, Walt suspected if he were to look at a photograph of the elder Bartley at the same age as Ian is now, they would probably look identical. While Kelly resembled her mother, there was still a bit of her father in her features, which Walt assume accounted for the similarities he had noticed before between brother and sister.

  Who Walt wasn’t sure about were the two young men standing next to each other at the other side of the room, near the doorway leading to the hallway.

  The man on the right wore a brown T-shirt and khakis and looked as if he had gotten out of bed without combing his hair. Walt guessed he was in his late thirties. The blond man standing next to him appeared to be much younger, maybe in his mid-twenties. If Walt were to hazard a guess, the blond younger man was Lily’s brother.

  When Danielle meandered to his side several minutes later, he nodded toward the pair and asked, “I’m assuming the blond man is Lily’s brother?”

  Danielle looked to the pair and said under her breath, taking care not to move her lips, “Yes.”

  “Who is the other man? I think I’ve accounted for all the rest,” Walt asked.

  Danielle looked at the man in question and frowned. Lifting the glass of iced tea she had been holding to her lips—to conceal her mouth—she whispered, “I’m not sure. Maybe Lily’s brother brought a friend? They haven’t introduced him to me.”

  “When they do, you might loan the palooka a comb,” Walt suggested.

  When Lily joined their side a few minutes later, Danielle nodded over to the two men and whispered, “Who’s that guy by the doorway?”

  Lily looked to where Danielle was pointing and then frowned. She turned back to Danielle and said, “Seriously? You don’t recognize my brother? I saw you two talking in the hallway not ten minutes ago.”

  “Of course I know your brother. I’m talking about the guy standing next to him,” Danielle whispered.

  Looking back to her brother, Lily frowned again. “Who are you talking about?”

  Before Danielle could reply, Ian walked into the room and asked for everyone’s attention. When all eyes were on him and the room quiet, he announced he had made a reservation at Pearl Cove for dinner and urged everyone to get ready, as they would need to leave in thirty minutes.

  When Ian finished his announcement, Danielle looked back to the doorway where the man in question had been standing. He was no longer there.

  “Okay, now tell me who you were talking about,” Lily asked Danielle.

  “He was standing over there a few minutes ago.” Danielle pointed toward the doorway. “He was near your brother.”

  Lily shrugged. “Sorry, I’m not sure who you mean. The only new guys here would be Ian’s and my fathers—and you know who they are. You also know my brother. That just leaves Pamela’s husband. He’s the one with the beard.”

  Danielle shook her head. “No. This guy was clean shaven. He was standing right over there. Where your brother was standing.” Lily’s brother had left the room right after Ian had made the dinner announc
ement.

  Lily shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve no clue who you’re talking about. But I need to change my clothes if we’re going to make the reservation.” Flashing Danielle a parting smile, she rushed from the room.

  Several minutes later, alone in the living room with Walt, Danielle stared blankly at the spot where the mystery man had been standing.

  “Don’t you think you should go get ready?” Walt asked Danielle. “You are going to dinner with them, aren’t you?”

  Danielle sighed. “Yes. But this is driving me crazy. Who was that guy? Was it just some dude who wondered in off the street, and no one bothered saying anything? Like, hey, who are you, buddy?”

  “The only problem with that scenario, when he was standing there, Lily didn’t see him,” Walt reminded her.

  “I know.” Danielle groaned.

  “And you know what that normally means?” Walt asked.

  Danielle groaned again. “You know, when I heard how Shane is doing at the psych ward, how he seems at peace, my first thought was relief. Because that probably means Agatha has moved on. And if that’s true, then it means we won’t have to deal with her again. But now…”

  “Now, maybe we have another spirit to contend with?” Walt suggested.

  Danielle glanced to Walt and nodded. “You think he’s a ghost too?”

  Waving his hand, a cigar appeared. He took a puff and then leisurely exhaled while looking across the room to where the mystery man had been standing. Narrowing his eyes, he said, “When you and I can see a person who Lily can’t, it normally means it’s some sort of spirit. I wonder who he is.”

  “And why is he here?” Danielle asked.

  Eleven

  Family, friends, and future in-laws surrounded Lily for most of the evening, making it impossible for Danielle to have an opportunity to discuss the man—or spirit—who had been standing by Lily’s brother earlier that evening.

  Chris Johnson, whom Ian had asked to be one of his groomsmen, met the wedding party at Pearl Cove, taking a seat next to Danielle. Danielle wanted to tell Chris about the mystery man, yet like with Lily, she never had an opportunity to talk to him in private.

  After dinner, Chris went directly home; he needed to take his dog out, plus most of Lily’s and Ian’s family members were exhausted from the day’s travel. When they returned to Marlow House, Kent immediately retired to the downstairs bedroom he and Pamela had been given. Lily’s parents went to their room, while Lily’s sister said good night and went to her assigned room. Lily’s brother, Cory, who was bunking in the hideaway bed in the attic, had no idea his roommate was Marlow House’s resident ghost. Not ready to turn in for the night, Cory decided to take a walk down to the pier.

  Another family member not ready to turn in was Pamela, who ended up alone in Lily’s bedroom with the bride-to-be. It was the first time the cousins had an opportunity to talk alone. Unfortunately, this also meant Danielle would have to forestall her discussion with Lily regarding the mystery man.

  Much taller than her cousin, Pamela stood just under five feet nine inches. Willow thin, with virtually no bustline, she wore her silky black hair cut into a short bob, reminding Lily of a flapper. Pamela’s hair had been to her waist the last time Lily had seen her. That was weeks after Kent’s accident and shortly before Danielle and Lily had moved to Frederickport.

  The cousins stood by Lily’s open closet door as Lily showed off the vintage gown she would be wearing.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Pamela gushed, reverently brushing her fingertips over the silk embroidery.

  “It was Walt Marlow’s grandmother’s wedding dress,” Lily explained as she carefully hung the gown back in her closet. “She obviously didn’t get married in this house, that was before Marlow House was even built. But of the three Marlow wedding dresses, this is my favorite.”

  “Walt Marlow, he’s the one in the giant portrait in the library?” Pamela asked.

  “Yes. His grandfather founded Frederickport,” Lily explained as she closed the closet.

  Pamela took a seat on the chair in the bedroom, while Lily sat on the end of her bed.

  “I’m so glad I was able to come,” Pamela said with a smile. “When I first received your letter, I really didn’t think I’d be able to make it. And then Kent insisted.”

  “How is Kent doing?” Lily asked.

  Pamela’s smile faded. She let out a sigh and leaned back in the chair. “He’s so different. He’s changed so much.”

  “I was a little shocked to see the beard. Of course, I would have recognized him with or without the beard. I was just surprised he grew one. I remember at your engagement party he teased about how you made him include I will never grow a beard in his wedding vows.”

  “He doesn’t even remember that. When he was in the hospital, he got so frustrated having to shave every day. His beard has always grown so fast. That’s why we always joked about it. I’ve never liked beards, and he’s always been one of those guys who could grow a full beard in a week if he wanted to. Shaving never seemed to bother him so much. Or at least, he never complained about it. But one day I went to visit him at the hospital and noticed he hadn’t shaved yet, and he told me he didn’t intend to. He was just going to let it grow.”

  Lily shrugged. “Well, I suppose with everything else he was dealing with, the surgeries, physical therapy, having to stay at the hospital, I guess we can’t begrudge him a beard. Anyway, beards are kind of in these days.”

  “Maybe. But I hate kissing a man with a beard,” Pamela grumbled. “Of course, that’s not an issue these days.”

  “You two, still not…”

  Pamela shook her head. “And as for kisses, he hasn’t kissed me since the accident. Oh, I’ve kissed him—on his forehead, cheek, lips. But he has never kissed me back. It’s always been passive on his side.”

  “Because of his memory?” Lily asked.

  “It’s been over a year now. Even if he doesn’t remember the time before the car accident, shouldn’t he by now at least feel something towards me? Something? It was so good before the accident.” Tears filled Pamela’s eyes.

  Lily looked sadly at her cousin. “I’m sorry.”

  With a sniffle, Pamela used the heel of one hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Lily. I don’t mean to be a downer. This is your time right now. I don’t want to mess it up.”

  “Hey, you aren’t messing anything up. I’m always here for you. If you ever need to talk. I’m just sorry I haven’t made more of an effort this past year to keep in touch.”

  Pamela shook her head. “You had your own issues this last year. It was horrible when I thought you’d died in that car accident. Basically losing Kent in a car accident—and then you.”

  “You didn’t lose either of us.”

  “Maybe not. But Kent isn’t the same. And it’s not just the memory. It’s like he’s a different man.”

  Across the street from Marlow House, Kelly and Ian were in the living room, while their parents had retired for the night. Sadie napped by Ian’s feet.

  Kelly glanced briefly at the dog. “Why did you leave Sadie at Marlow House tonight?”

  “Because Pearl Cove doesn’t allow dogs,” he told her.

  “Ha-ha, funny.” She obviously did not find his answer amusing. “I’m serious. Why didn’t you just bring her back here and leave her at your house when we went to the restaurant?”

  Ian shrugged. “What’s the big deal? Sadie likes Marlow House. Danielle doesn’t mind.”

  “I don’t know. It’s just a little weird. Mom thought so too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mom just thought it was kind of rude of you to leave your dog across the street when you could have just brought her back home. Either way, she was going to be alone. It just seemed kinda presumptuous of you to leave Sadie at Danielle’s when no one is there.”

  Ian arched his brow. “Presumptuous?”

  Kelly shrugged. “Mom’s word, not mine.”r />
  “The dog door,” Ian told her. It wasn’t the true reason. Walt was the reason, but he couldn’t tell his sister.

  “Oh, I didn’t think of that.”

  “If Sadie needs to go out, Danielle has a dog door, and the yard is fenced.”

  “Maybe you should put in a dog door,” Kelly suggested.

  “Why? Danielle has a perfectly good one. Who needs two dog doors? Plus, that would mean I’d have to fence my yard.”

  “Whatever.” They were silent for a few minutes; then Kelly asked another question. “Why didn’t you ask Joe to be in your wedding?”

  “Joe? We’re having a small wedding. Anything more than two groomsmen and a best man would be too much.”

  “I just don’t understand why you asked Chris. He’s a nice guy and everything, but you’ve known Joe for longer, and he is dating your sister.”

  Ian frowned. Leaning back in his recliner, he looked to Kelly, who lounged on the sofa, her shoes off and her feet up on the couch cushion. “Joe’s a nice guy, Kel, but we’re not particularly close.”

  “If he was still dating Danielle, would you have asked him?” Kelly asked.

  “What kind of question is that?”

  Kelly shrugged. “Well, Danielle is dating Chris. So I just figured that’s why you really asked him, since Lily and Danielle are so close.”

  “Technically speaking, I don’t think Chris and Danielle are dating,” Ian corrected. “At least not anymore.”

  “How can you say that? They sat together tonight at the restaurant. They were certainly dating when we got hijacked.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe they were back then. But according to Lily, they’ve cooled it. I think Chris would like a relationship, but I don’t think Danielle is interested that way.”

  “I like Danielle. But she obviously has issues. First, she lets a great guy like Joe get away—for which I’m eternally grateful—but now she’s putting her nose up over Chris?”