The Ghost of Valentine Past (9 page)

T
he moment Danielle uttered “Lucas
,” the apparition vanished. She remained standing, staring into the now empty corner.

“That was him!” Walt said. “That's the other spirit who was in the house today!”

Chris looked at Danielle. “What did you call him?”

Frowning, Walt looked from the now empty corner to Danielle. “You said Lucas. Why did you call him Lucas?”

“That's who it was,” Danielle whispered.

“Are you saying the second spirit is the ghost of your dead husband?” Chris asked incredulously.

Danielle nodded.

“That's impossible. Danielle's husband has been dead over a year now. She never saw him after he died. Why would he show up here now?” Walt asked.

Danielle glanced from Chris to Walt. “He looked…he sounded…just like Lucas.”

“It doesn't work that way, Danielle. Once a spirit moves on, he can't just come back,” Walt told her.

Turning from the corner, Danielle looked at Walt. “What about my Christmas dream? Was that nothing more than something you orchestrated? My parents…Cheryl…it was just an ordinary dream?”

“It wasn't an ordinary dream.” Walt's voice softened, his eyes focused on Danielle's face. “But visiting a dream after a spirit moves on…is not the same thing as staying on this plane, as I am…as those other spirits are doing…the ones you and Chris see.”

“What makes you so certain about that?” Chris asked.

Walt looked from Danielle to Chris, “What do you mean?”

“How do you know a spirit can't come back after it's moved on?”

“It's just something I feel,” Walt told him.

“But you don't know for certain,” Danielle said.

“As certain as I can be,” Walt insisted.

“Okay, let's say you're right. Maybe a spirit can't come back after it's moved on. But how do you know Danielle's husband moved on? Maybe he never did. And now he's here.” Chris looked around. “But where did he go?”

“That doesn't make sense. Danielle didn't see him at his funeral, he never showed up at the house they shared. It sounds to me like he moved on. I think this spirit just looks like her husband.”

“It was Lucas.” Danielle sat back down on the sofa. “But where did he go?”

Walt paced the room. “I want to know what he has to do with Peter Morris' death.”

“Maybe he has nothing to do with Morris,” Chris suggested. “It could all be a coincidence.”

“This is so strange,” Danielle muttered. Holding her hands on her lap, she looked down and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking up. “Why would he show himself now? And where did he go?”

“Maybe he wants to talk to you alone,” Chris suggested.

“Absolutely not!” Walt said.

Chris frowned at Walt. “Why not? And since when have you started monitoring Danielle's paranormal associations?”

“If it is Danielle's husband, he needs to beat it! But I'm not convinced it's him.”

Danielle stood up. “Maybe Walt's right—it isn't Lucas. I mean, why would he be here now, after all this time? If he had something to say to me, why didn't he come before?”

“He died in a car accident, didn't he?” Chris asked.

Danielle walked to the corner and looked at where the apparition had been standing. “Yes. Right before Christmas.”

“Did you ever go to the site of the accident?” Chris asked.

Danielle reached out to where Lucas had been standing just moments ago. There was nothing there. She turned back to Chris. “Yes. Well, I drove down the street once. But, I couldn't get myself to stop the car and get out.”

“It's always possible his spirit lingered there,” Chris suggested.

“But wouldn't I have seen him when I drove down the street?” Danielle asked.

“Not necessarily. I remember this one spirit. He haunted a movie theatre at the beach. People would tell stories of their popcorn flying out of their hands in the middle of the show, or how someone would knock a soda out of their hands, yet no one would be there. I decided to check it out, and sure enough, the theatre was being haunted.”

“What does this have to do with Danielle's husband?” Walt asked.

“It turned out the guy had been murdered in the alley behind the theatre. After his death, he ran into the building and never left. He wasn't murdered in the theatre, but that's the place he haunted.”

“What happened to him?” Danielle asked.

“I helped him understand what had happened, and once he realized he was dead, came to grips with his murder, he moved on,” Chris explained.

“You're a regular do-gooder,” Walt muttered.

Ignoring Walt, Danielle said, “Sometimes that's all it takes for them to move on…to realize they're no longer alive.”

Chris looked over at Walt. “Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes they hang on and on, like that uninvited house guest.”

“If it was Lucas, where did he go? Why is he here?” Danielle asked.

“He might have left when he saw us here. I'd think after not seeing you for more than a year, he doesn't want an audience,” Chris suggested.

“I'm going to my room.” Danielle started for the door. Sadie lifted her head and looked around. She had slept through Lucas' brief appearance and had no idea another spirit, other than Walt, had just been in the room.

“You shouldn't be alone,” Walt said. He started to follow her.

Danielle turned to him. “No. You stay here. I want to know why Lucas is here. And Chris is probably right. I doubt he'll come if either of you are with me.”

“Danielle, you don't want to do this,” Walt insisted.

“Walt, let her go,” Chris told him.

A few moments later, after Danielle had left the room, Walt directed his attention to Chris. “Why would you encourage this?”

“Don't you think Danielle deserves closure? This could give it to her.”

“Closure? Her husband's been dead for over a year now. She's just fine. Let dead husbands lie,” Walt said.

“Danielle's not just fine. Don't you think it's been eating at her, not having a chance to confront her husband? She probably feels guilty for being angry with him.”

“She has no reason to feel guilty.”

“I know that. But he left her in limbo. And then when she starts dating again, it's with Joe Morelli and—”

“Morelli was all wrong for Danielle.”

“I don't disagree. Both men basically betrayed her. Her husband by having an affair and Morelli by not believing in her when she needed his support.”

“What's your point?”

“Unless she works this out, she's never going to feel confident enough to trust a man again.”

“Danielle trusts me,” Walt snapped.

“I'm speaking about a living, breathing man.”

Walt lifted his brows. “You?”

“I understand Danielle, in a way Morelli never could.”

“I understand her too,” Walt insisted.

“I hate to be the one to point this out, but you're a ghost, Walt.”

“I loathe that term.” Walt turned from Chris and walked to the window. He stared out at the side yard.

“Don't you want Danielle to fall in love someday, with a man she can marry—have children with?”

Walt gazed out the window, his back to Chris. “Danielle's always telling me things have changed since I was alive, that a woman doesn't need marriage and children to be fulfilled.”

“You don't have to necessarily need something to want it.”

“You think she wants that?” Walt asked.

“She might, if she found a man she could trust.”

“Do you think you're that man? Are you saying you want to marry Danielle?”

“I haven't known Danielle that long, but I'd like to get to know her better. I've never really considered getting married before.” Chris sat on the sofa. Sadie stood up and rested her chin on his knee while Chris absently stroked her ears.

“You say you want to get to know her better, but you never considered getting married. Are you saying your intentions are to enter into some casual
relationship
with her—no different from the current Valentine's Day guests? Use her and then what?”

“Settle down, Walt. I know we have this generation thing going on, but really, get off your soap box.”

“Generation thing? I happen to be younger than you!”

“Just because I happen to be older than you were when you died, does not mean I'm older than you now. Anyway, I was referring to the era you lived in. And when I said I never considered marriage before, what I actually meant—I never imagined I could date a woman and feel confident she wasn't with me for my money. I don't worry about that with Danielle.”

“You want to marry Danielle because she has money and isn't particularly interested in yours?”

“That's not what I meant. I'm interested in Danielle—because of who she is. But when I say I'm interested in her, I mean I want to get to know her better—go out with her. And someday, if things would progress with us, I could see her as someone I could consider marrying. I wouldn't be afraid she wanted me for my money. And you have to admit, we've a lot in common.”

“What, that you both see ghosts?”

“I thought you loathed that term.”

“Only when someone applies it to me.”

“I think it gives us something unique in common—something we can't share with anyone else.”

“Danielle discusses her abilities with Lily—and with Chief MacDonald.”

“Yes, but not in the same way she can with me. Lily or MacDonald will never really truly understand all that Danielle's had to deal with because of this thing we share.”

“I wonder…if you were unable to see spirits…how would you react to Danielle? In the same way Joe Morelli did?

“I suppose I could say the same about Danielle. But the fact is, for both of us, our ability to see and communicate with spirits has shaped us into who we are, what we've become.”

“What happens if you and Danielle get closer, and then you decide she's not the one—maybe you fall in love with someone else.”

“Walt, there're no guarantees in life. Have you really been dead for so long that you don't remember what it was like to want to get to know a woman better?”

“Those types of feelings don't necessarily die with your body,” Walt said, his voice almost a whisper.

“I want to get to know Danielle better—I understand there's no guarantee either of us will want more than friendship after we do. Yet, there is one thing I am fairly certain about, as long as she carries around the baggage of her marriage, I don't see anyone getting too close to her. And as long as you…”

When Chris failed to finish his sentence, Walt asked, “As long as I what?”

“I know Joe Morelli is still interested in Danielle. Considering they've a brief history, I imagine some might see him as my competition, but I don't. But the same can't be said about you.”

“Are you saying you, see me as competition?”

“I see how you look at her, Walt.”

“Chris, I'm not a fool. I know there's no future for Danielle and me. I won't interfere if something develops between you two. I didn't interfere when she went out with Morelli. But don't expect me to simply move on. I'm staying here.” Walt vanished.

Sadie jumped up and let out a bark. She looked around and then raced from the library. Chris could hear the golden retriever running up the stairs. He guessed the dog was headed for the attic, where she would probably find Walt.

“
W
here is Bella
?” Walt asked Max when he got to the attic.

Max let out a high pitch meow.

“Sleeping where?”

Max yawned.

“As long as you didn't do something to her.”

Max rolled over on his side.

“Yes, the police are finally gone. I just wish I was downstairs last night, when Morris was here.”

Max meowed.

“Morris is the man who was killed. The body the police took out of here.”

Just as Sadie raced into the attic, Walt asked Max, “What do you mean you saw Arlene go downstairs around the time Morris was killed?”

O
utside
, tree limbs swayed in the afternoon breeze, scraping against the exterior of Marlow House in a steady and repetitive rhythm. Danielle sat silently on the edge of her mattress, her back straight and hands folded in her lap. She listened to the tree limbs hitting the house as she waited. Twenty minutes had passed since she had come upstairs, and still he had not shown himself again.

Danielle stood up and walked to the window. She wondered briefly if it was going to rain again. Looking outside, she spied David Hilton's car pull up in front of the house. Turning from the window, she headed for her bedroom door.

When Danielle reached the first floor, she greeted David and Arlene, who had just let themselves into the house. Guests of Marlow House were given both a key to their room and to the front door. The locksmith made periodic visits to Marlow House to rekey the door. With Morris' murder, Danielle was anxious to call the locksmith, although she suspected the killer had entered through an unlocked door.

Arlene stood outside the parlor, peeking in. “I don't know how you can ever go into that room again.”

“I'll feel much better when the police catch the killer.” Danielle closed the parlor door. She stood with Arlene and David in the entry hall.

Turning away from the now closed door, Arlene faced Danielle. “Do they have any leads?”

“I believe they found something that might help them.”

“What was that?” David asked.

“They didn't tell me exactly,” Danielle lied.

“I can't imagine what that could be,” Arlene said. “We were all in the house when the police arrived, and I sure didn't see anything—aside from Chris standing over the body.”

“Chris had no reason to kill Peter Morris,” Danielle insisted.

“Well, I certainly hope you're right, since he's staying here.”

“Actually, I'm moving out tonight.”

Arlene startled from Chris' sudden appearance. He walked toward them, from the direction of the library.

“Tonight? Why?” Danielle asked.

“The house will be officially mine by the end of the day. I have the key. It's fully furnished, so all I need to do is toss a set of sheets in the washing machine, and I'll be set.”

“Chris, none of us got any sleep last night. Why don't you plan on moving in the morning after you've had some rest,” Danielle suggested.

“Don't rush out on our account,” David told him. “Arlene really didn't mean anything. We know you didn't have anything to do with that man's death. If the police thought you were involved someway, I don't believe they would've let you go already.”

“Thanks, David. I appreciate that.” Chris flashed him a smile and glanced over to Arlene, who looked sheepishly to the floor.

“I want you to know, David,” Danielle began. “I realize this is not the Valentine's Day weekend you two planned. Not by a long shot. And if you want to leave early, I'll refund your money—even for last night.”

“I appreciate the offer,” David told her. “But Arlene and I already discussed this, and we decided to stay.”

Their conversation was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Danielle answered the door. It was Adam Nichols.

“I hope you don't mind, I dropped by without calling. I wanted to see Chris.” Adam peeked over her shoulder and saw Chris standing in the hallway. He noticed another couple standing near him, but couldn't see their faces.

“Sure, come in.” Danielle stepped aside and opened the door wider.

The moment Adam stepped through the doorway, Arlene turned and looked in his direction. He paused a moment, his dark eyes wide in surprise as he glanced from Arlene to the man by her side. “Arlene?”

So this is her boyfriend?
Adam thought. He'd caught a brief glimpse of the man at the restaurant, but not a clear view of his face. He was rather ordinary looking and slightly overweight. He was obviously older than Arlene, but Adam didn't think by more than a few years. Adam surmised the man's thinning hair and extra weight added several years to his appearance.

“Adam…” Arlene stammered. She immediately reached out to David and took his hand.

“You know each other?” Danielle asked as she closed the door.

“We had some mutual acquaintances,” Adam explained. “It's nice seeing you again, Arlene.”

“You too.” Arlene squeezed David's hand.

“Are you staying here?” Adam asked.

“Yes…yes we are. Adam, this is David…my…my boyfriend. David, this is Adam Nichols.”

With a frown, Adam looked from Danielle to Arlene. “Were you here last night when Peter Morris was murdered?”

“You know about that?” Arlene asked.

“Yes. Strange you didn't mention it,” Adam said.

“Mention it?” Danielle asked.

“Arlene and I bumped into each other this morning, before breakfast.”

“I just figured we weren't supposed to discuss the case,” Arlene explained, flashing Adam a pleading expression.

“Well…it's nice seeing you again. Nice to meet you David.”

“If you'll excuse us, we're going to head up to our room,” David explained. “We didn't get much sleep last night, and I'm exhausted.”

A
fter Danielle led
Adam and Chris into the library a few minutes later, she closed the door behind her and turned to Adam.

“Okay, what is the deal with you and Arlene?” Danielle asked.

“What do you mean?” Adam asked.

“Come on Adam, the looks you two were giving each other. There has to be some story there.”

“Danielle, you're sounding an awful lot like Lily right now,” Chris chided.

“Why, because Lily tends to ask what everyone is thinking?”

“It really is nothing,” Adam insisted. “I was just surprised to see her staying here, that's all. I knew her back when I was going out with Isabella.”

Danielle paused a moment, considering Adam's statement. Cocking her head to one side, she asked, “Was she a member of Earthbound Spirits?”

“Why would you think that?” Adam asked.

“You said it was when you were dating Isabella.”

“No, she was not a member. Arlene would be the last person in the world to hook up with an organization like Earthbound Spirits.”

“Why do you say that?” Chris asked.

“She just wouldn't do it, that's all. So, what do you know about the guy she's with? What's he like?”

“Ah ha! So, there is something between you!” Danielle teased.

“Don't mind her,” Chris said with a laugh. “She's sleep deprived and doesn't realize how she sounds.”

Danielle scowled. “How do I sound?”

“Nosy,” Adam and Chris said at the same time.

Danielle waved her hand dismissively, went to the sofa, and sat down. “In all fairness, Adam was the one asking questions about the boyfriend.”

Adam walked over to the sofa and sat down in a chair facing Danielle. “And? You haven't told me anything about him yet.”

Danielle started to say something and then paused, looking quizzically at Adam. “Why are you here anyway?”

“To see Chris, remember?”

“I suppose I should leave and let you talk to him, before you two start accusing me of being nosy, again.” Danielle started to stand up.

“Oh sit down,” Adam scoffed.

Danielle sat back down and smiled. “I found out something interesting about her boyfriend from Chief MacDonald.” She looked at Chris. “I haven't even told you yet.”

“What's that?” Chris said.

“You know his last name is Hilton. I guess his grandmother was Helen Hilton.”

“Helen Hilton?” Adam said in surprise.

Danielle looked at Adam. “You know her?”

“If it's the same Helen Hilton who left her estate to Earthbound Spirits, then yeah; I know who she is. The lawsuit was big news back then. Family lost. Morris won.”

“Apparently David is the youngest grandson.”

“Doesn't that make him a prime suspect?” Chris asked.

“That lawsuit was a number of years ago,” Danielle explained. “You were here last night. David was in his room when you found the body. Whoever killed Morris had to have gotten some blood on them, considering the number they did on Morris. As far as I know, the cops didn't find any bloody clothes. If they had, I don't believe they would've let David leave. I think it's just a bizarre coincidence. If he had the patience to wait that long to kill the man, I'd assume he wouldn't plan to murder him under the same roof where he was staying.”

“This morning he never mentioned the connection to Morris,” Chris noted.

“No. And apparently, he didn't offer the information to the cops when they interviewed him. The chief told me he ran background checks on the guests, and that's what they came up with.”

“How did he explain that to the cops?” Chris asked.

“I have no idea.”

“What did they find out about Arlene?” Adam asked.

“Arlene?” Danielle shrugged. “The chief didn't mention anything, aside from the fact she's David's girlfriend.”

“Not sure how I feel about him staying here now,” Chris said.

“Why? You think David's dangerous?”

“He's the only one staying at Marlow House with a real motive to kill Morris.”

“If he came here to kill Morris, I'd assume he would've taken my offer to leave early. After all, no one would have thought anything suspicious about them leaving, under the circumstances. Why stay longer if he came here to kill Morris?”

“You certainly seem calm about all this,” Chris noted.

Danielle shrugged. “I just don't feel him being here has anything to do with Morris' death.”

The three were silent for a few moments, when Chris let out a sigh and looked at Adam. “So, what did you need to talk to me about? Everything okay with the house?”

Adam picked up the manila folder from his lap and opened it. “I called the title company right before I came over here, and the house is officially yours. But that's not why I'm here. I brought over a purchase contract for the Gusarov Estate, for you to look over, if you decide to make an offer. I assume you'd want to look at the property first.”

“I've driven by it, and I think it would work.” Chris put his hand out to Adam.

Standing up briefly, Adam handed Chris the contract.

“But don't you want to look at it?” Adam asked.

“Not particularly. It's not as if I intend to live in it. And from what Danielle tells me about the property, I believe it'll be perfect for what I need.”

Chris walked over to the desk and sat down with the purchase contract, reading it over.

Adam smiled over at Danielle. “You know, if you ever decide to close up the bed and breakfast, I think we'd make a great real estate team.”

A
dam was just
about to climb into his car when he heard a woman call out, “Adam, wait!” He looked up to see Arlene running toward him, from the direction of Marlow House's front entry.

“Arlene…” Adam stood on the sidewalk next to his car.

“I wanted to talk to you before you left…alone.”

“Yeah, I imagine you do.”

“What did you tell them?”

“You mean Danielle and Chris?”

Arlene nodded.

“I didn't tell them anything, aside from the fact we used to know each other.”

Arlene sighed in relief.

“But they do know who your boyfriend is. Is he really your boyfriend?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh come on Arlene, Helen Hilton's grandson? Really? What are the chances of you two getting together?”

“Maybe we just have a lot in common.”

“Yeah, I bet you do. But you need to know, the cops have done a background check on both of you. They know David is Helen Hilton's grandson. And if they figure out your connection to Earthbound Spirits, I've a feeling you'll be pushed up to the top of the suspect list.”