The Ghost of Christmas Secrets Read online

  “After we bought the marriage license, that night I came home and started shopping for dresses online. It arrived Saturday. I was holding my breath, worried it wouldn’t fit.”

  Smiling, he looked down at the dress and said, “It fits perfectly.”

  The landline began to ring.

  Danielle looked over at the phone sitting on the counter. “Must be B and B business.”

  “You go ahead and answer that. I’ll be right back.”

  Fifteen minutes later, when Walt returned to the kitchen, he found Danielle standing quietly by the kitchen counter, looking absently at the phone.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Danielle glanced up at him. “That was Chris’s uncle Loyd Glandon.”

  Walt arched his brow. “Don’t tell me, he called to make a reservation for Christmas?”

  Danielle nodded. “I really wanted to tell him we aren’t taking any reservations over the holidays.”

  “How long are they staying?”

  “They’re arriving December the twentieth, it’s a Tuesday, and leaving the twenty-seventh.” Danielle closed the reservation book. It sat on the counter by the phone.

  “They’re not staying for New Year’s?” Walt asked.

  “I guess not. I suppose I should tell Chris.”

  “Might be a good idea.”

  Later that morning Walt and Danielle were off to Astoria. Their first stop would be the jewelry store to see if the rings were finished.

  “I was thinking about your Packard last night,” Danielle told Walt as she steered her car north.

  “What about it?”

  “I’m not sure where we’re going to park it. We don’t have a garage, and it will destroy that car to leave it out in the rain. As it is, I wish I had some place to park my car.”

  “I’ll be honest; I haven’t thought that far ahead. I don’t imagine Ian will let me use his garage like George did.” Walt chuckled.

  Danielle glanced briefly to Walt and then looked back down the road. “You used to park your car across the street at the Hemmings’ house?”

  “Only after the carriage house burned down. I intended to rebuild it. George was nice enough to let me use his garage. I suppose Ben’s father wouldn’t have been able to steal the car if I hadn’t parked it along the side of Marlow House the night I was murdered, instead of taking it over to George’s like I normally did.”

  Danielle frowned. “Carriage house? What carriage house?”

  “The one that used to be behind the house. I converted it to a garage.”

  “You mean where the backyard is?” Danielle asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t even know anything had been back there.”

  Walt shrugged. “We cleaned the area up after the fire, with the intention of rebuilding. Over the years the grass and foliage took over. I guess I never mentioned the carriage house before, never saw a reason.”

  “I assume access was by way of the alley?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I did wonder why your Packard wasn’t rusted out if you’d left it out in the rain all the time.”

  “I suppose I need to rethink the Packard.”

  “Rethink how?” she asked.

  “Maybe you should just sell it,” he suggested.

  “Or maybe I should see about having a garage built where the carriage house used to stand—a two-car garage, for both our vehicles. If there’s room.”

  It was not quite eleven in the morning when Danielle pulled up in front of Aaron Michael’s jewelry store and parked her car. “I have to admit I’m excited to see what the rings look like.”

  Fifteen minutes later the two stood in front of the jewelry counter and watched as Aaron showed them the rings he had fashioned from the gold coins.

  “They’re beautiful!” Danielle reached out and picked up the smaller of the two rings. Holding the gold band up to her eyes, she examined it. In turn, Walt picked up his ring and looked at it.

  “So when are you two getting married?” Aaron asked.

  Danielle froze a moment and looked to Walt, who smiled at Aaron.

  “These aren’t wedding rings,” Walt explained.

  Aaron frowned. “I just assumed, since you had matching gold bands made—in your size—”

  “As you know, the rings were made out of the gold coins that belonged to my cousin, Walt Marlow, who shares my name.”

  Confused, Aaron nodded.

  “Danielle wanted me to have something from my cousin, especially since we share the same name, and I do bear a remarkable resemblance to the man. That’s why, after she decided to have a ring made for herself, she wanted to have one made for me.”

  “Oh my, that’s generous of her.” Aaron glanced from Walt to Danielle.

  Walt smiled. “I thought so.”

  “Well, you two go ahead and look these over and let me run to the back, and I’ll get the coins I didn’t use,” Aaron said before disappearing into a back room.

  “Where did you come up with that story?”

  Walt flashed her a mischievous grin. “Associating with you taught me a lot.”

  Danielle chuckled. “You brat.”

  “Plus, I’d like to be able to wear my ring now. I think the story I just told Mr. Michaels is one we can believably pass on to others without raising too much unwanted speculation.”

  They tried the gold bands on their right hands and then their left hands. Fortunately, the rings slipped easily onto the ring finger of either hand. Instead of wearing them out of the store, Danielle returned them to the velvet boxes Aaron had given them and slipped them into the small shopping bag, which she dropped into her purse. They both agreed they would officially slip the rings on their hands—their right hands—when they exchanged their vows.

  Giddy with excitement, Danielle stepped out on the sidewalk from the jewelry store and failed to see the couple walking down the sidewalk in their direction. Chattering away with Walt instead of paying attention to where she was going, she slammed into the man—it was Adam Nichols.

  Danielle came to an abrupt stop. “Adam?”

  Standing next to him was Melony Carmichael, who curiously looked both Walt and Danielle up and down while making no attempt to disguise her smirk-like smile. “Hello, Danielle…Walt.”

  Danielle smiled weakly at Melony. “Hello.”

  “Danielle?” Adam said with a frown, looking from her to Walt Marlow. “What are you guys doing here? You look like you’re on your way to church.”

  “Umm…I just had some errands to run, and I asked Walt to join me,” Danielle stammered.

  “You dress pretty sharp for errands,” he teased.

  Melony glanced from Danielle to the storefront then back to Danielle. “You picked up your ring! Can I see it?”

  Danielle stood mute for a moment, seemingly confused.

  “Oh, Lily told me,” Melony explained. “Can I see it? You picked it up, didn’t you?”

  “Umm…yeah…” Danielle stammered.

  “Hey, have you guys eaten yet? We were just on our way to have lunch. Why don’t you join us?” Adam asked.

  “Oh yes, please do!” Melony insisted.

  Before Walt and Danielle knew what had happened, they found themselves sitting in a small restaurant overlooking the ocean, with Adam and Melony.

  Reluctantly, Danielle pulled the jewelry bag from her purse. The moment she did, she remembered there were two boxes in the bag.

  “You had two rings made?” Melony asked, watching Danielle fumble with the ring boxes, as if trying to decide which one to hand her.

  After a moment, Danielle let out a sigh and handed Melony both boxes to look at. “I decided to have a ring made for Walt too. I wanted him to have something that once belonged to his namesake.”

  Melony flipped open one of the boxes, revealing the larger of the two rings.

  Adam peeked over her shoulder. “You made him a wedding band?”

  “It’s not a wedding band,” Danie
lle insisted. “It’s just a gold band.”

  Removing the ring from the velvet-lined box, Melony said, “It’s gorgeous.” She showed the ring to Adam, who only shrugged and turned his attention back to Danielle.

  “Hey, I found out what you can get for that Packard,” Adam told her.

  “I’m not sure I want to sell it.”

  “Fifty thousand.”

  “Fifty thousand?” Danielle stammered.

  “Yep. Of course, it depends on how good a shape it’s in. But I talked to a car guy I know, and he said he was pretty sure you could get fifty thousand for it. I swear, Danielle, you really do have the Midas touch.”

  “Fifty thousand?” Walt muttered. “I’d say that’s a pretty good return on the money.”

  Adam looked at Walt. “What do you mean?”

  “The car cost forty-five hundred,” Walt said.

  “How do you know that?” Melony asked.

  Danielle and Walt left first, claiming they had a few more errands to run, leaving Adam and Melony sitting alone at the restaurant.

  “There’s something going on between those two,” Melony said.

  “Noooo.” Adam shook his head. “No way.”

  Melony laughed. “Come on, Adam, can’t you see the way they look at each other? It’s like they’re a couple. And what’s with those gold wedding bands—matching bands.”

  “Danielle said they weren’t wedding bands.”

  “I don’t care what she said, but something is going on there.”

  “But he’s such a jerk!” Adam insisted.

  “You have to admit he’s been really nice lately. Maybe he just got off on the wrong foot. And ever since she brought him home from the hospital, they always seem to be together.”

  Eleven

  The robotic voice instructed Danielle to turn left.

  Walt, who held Danielle’s iPhone in his hand, looked at it and shook his head. “Who would’ve thought road maps would become obsolete.”

  The voice gave another instruction.

  “I wouldn’t say they’re obsolete, exactly. I suppose some people still use them.”

  “Maybe we should just get married at the county clerk’s office,” Walt suggested. “We already know where that building is.”

  “I’ll find the place. And didn’t we agree we didn’t want to get married by some impersonal county employee?”

  Walt looked out the side window. “We’re in a residential neighborhood. Are you sure your phone knows where it’s going? I haven’t seen any churches.”

  “I’m not looking for a church.”

  Walt turned to Danielle. “But I thought you said this guy is named Reverend Mike? I assumed he has a church.”

  Danielle laughed. “No. He was ordained online.”

  Walt frowned. “Online?”

  “Sure. A lot of people get ordained online so they can officiate at weddings. Remember, the chief performed Lily’s marriage.”

  “I just assumed it was because he was the police chief.”

  “No. Anyone can do it. In fact, it’s pretty common for couples who don’t have a church wedding to have a friend officiate the service.”

  A few moments later the robotic voice said, “Your destination is on your right…”

  Danielle pulled in front of the small cottage and parked. Instead of getting out of the car, she and Walt stared for a moment.

  “Are you sure we’re at the right place?” Walt asked.

  “I feel like I’ve stepped back in time—to the sixties. But yeah, it’s the address.”

  Colorful flowers didn’t just adorn the perimeter of the property, they covered the exterior of the blue cottage, painted in bright colors. Whoever had painted the flowers had been enthusiastic and imaginative, yet not particularly artistically inclined, considering the uneven petals and paint blotches that looked as if they were covering some prior mistake.

  “I guess this is the place,” Danielle said as she and Walt unhooked their seatbelts. “But I have to wonder how Astoria’s code enforcement missed this.”

  “Code enforcement?” Walt asked.

  Danielle shrugged and opened her car door. “I assume Astoria has a code enforcement, and I find it hard to believe they allow this.”

  Just as they reached the front gate leading to the walkway to the cottage’s entrance, a man came out the front door, waving his hand in greeting. He, like the house, looked as if he belonged in another era, considering his well-worn denim bell-bottoms, bare feet, tie-dyed shirt, a beaded headband, and long curly gray hair that fell to his waist. What he didn’t have was a beard or mustache, which surprised Danielle, considering the rest of his ensemble. He looked to be in his sixties, and Danielle wondered if he had been a hippy in his youth and had never grown out of it, or if he’d had some midlife crisis that had sent him back to relive a previous era.

  “Hello, hello, are you Danielle?” he greeted her, still waving his right hand as he walked down the walkway to meet them. Between two of his fingers on his right hand, he held what appeared to be a cigarette.

  “Yes, and this is Walt. Are you Reverend Mike?” Danielle asked when they reached him midway to the house.

  “Yes, I am. Wonderful to meet you, Walt and Danielle.” He started to shake Walt’s hand but realized what he was holding. He paused a moment, took a puff, and then offered some to Walt and Danielle. It was in that moment that Danielle realized the man was not holding a tobacco cigarette.

  “Umm…no, thanks…” Danielle said with a chuckle.

  Reverend Mike shrugged, stuck the joint between his lips, and then shook both of their hands before turning back to the house and waving for them to follow him.

  Trailing behind the aged hippy, Walt took a sniff and glanced to Danielle, taking note of the pungent odor. She shrugged in reply and smiled.

  Inside, the small house was surprisingly clean and tidy, while staying in theme with its exterior. The living room seating was comprised of several beanbag chairs, a fairly new faux-leather couch, and a vintage oak table with an antique Tiffany lamp. Hard rock music posters and a tapestry rug decorated the walls.

  Reverend Mike led them through the living room into what he referred to as his wedding room. To Danielle and Walt’s surprise, it looked like a mini-chapel. Its one window had been painted to resemble stained glass, adorned with cupids and angels. Danielle was fairly certain whoever had painted it was not responsible for the flowers on the exterior of the house, considering the better quality of the art. Two rows of wooden folding chairs led the way to the oak podium and provided an aisle for the bride.

  Standing on either side of the podium, waiting for the would-be bride and groom, were two women. The elder one wore a floor-length tie-die dress, with her gray hair flowing past her shoulders. The other woman was much younger, wearing leggings and a long pink blouse, her brown hair cut in a short bob. On one side of each woman was a faux marble column, and on each column sat a wicker basket filled with artificial flowers.

  “This is my wife and daughter,” Reverend Mike announced. “They’ll be your witnesses. You mentioned on the phone you would need witnesses. That’s twenty bucks extra. Each.”

  Danielle began to laugh. She couldn’t stop laughing, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing, considering she was driving. The laughter made her cry, and she was unable to wipe away the tears and keep both hands on the steering wheel.

  “This is not how I imagined my bride to behave after just exchanging vows.” Walt’s attempt at a serious tone missed its mark. “I have a hysterical bride.”

  “We just got married by a stoned hippy. I wonder if the marriage is legal if the officiant is high?”

  “You have to give the guy credit; he did try to share.”

  Danielle giggled. “I know. All through the ceremony he kept handing you the joint.”

  Imitating Reverend Mike, Walt altered his voice and held out his right hand, pretending he was holding a marijuana cigarette. “We are gathered here today…you sure yo
u don’t want a drag?…Do you take this woman…this is really good stuff…”

  Danielle started laughing again. “That was the most bizarre wedding ceremony I have ever been to.”

  “And it was ours.” Walt snickered.

  “Much more memorable than the county clerk.”

  “You are right about that,” Walt agreed with a chuckle.

  Danielle let out a sigh. “There is only one thing I regret.”

  “What’s that?” Walt asked.

  “I’m dying to tell Lily about it. Of course, she would be mad because she wasn’t there. But she would find it hilarious.”

  “You’ll eventually tell her. I suppose you could tell her now if you want.”

  Danielle shook her head. “No. For now, I would rather not.”

  “Are you hungry?” Walt asked.

  “Not really.”

  “I know we were going to go out to get something to eat after the ceremony, but I’m not hungry either,” Walt confessed. “That lunch filled me up.”

  “Which is saying something because you’re always hungry,” Danielle teased. “When we get home, we could grill a couple of steaks later and toss some baked potatoes in the oven.”

  “A romantic dinner for two?” Walt asked.

  “I’d like that. But what do you want to do now? You want to head home?”

  “Would you mind if we stop at that hat store we passed earlier?” he asked.

  “Hat store?” Danielle frowned.

  “To be honest, I feel strange going out without a hat. I’m not completely dressed.”

  “I never saw you wear a hat before.”

  Walt laughed. “From the first time I met you until Clint’s accident, the only place you ever saw me was inside the house. A gentleman doesn’t wear a hat indoors.”

  Danielle sat on a wooden stool in the corner of the quaint hat store and watched Walt try on one hat after another. The shop offered a variety of hats—beach hats, cowboy hats, baseball hats, and hats that Danielle suspected were worn more at costume parties. A number of hats Walt tried on fell into that category—headgear popular in the 1920s, such as flat caps, the panama, the derby, the straw boater—and the fedora. It was the fedora Walt seemed drawn to, and Danielle had to admit he wore it well. It looked sharp with his suit, and when he stood there adjusting the fedora on his head while looking in the nearby mirror, she had the whimsical thought that he had just stepped out of The Great Gatsby movie. She smiled at the thought.