The Ghost Who Wasn't (Haunting Danielle Book 3) (12 page)

D
anielle sat
with Sadie on the sidewalk a few feet from the parked police car and wondered if Walt and Lily were worrying about her. She had expected Lily to show up by now. Danielle looked down at her lap where Sadie rested her chin. The dog clung to her side, as if she instinctively knew she’d just been saved from grave danger.

In the police car, the man who’d tried to steal Sadie sat in the back seat in handcuffs, while Joe and Brian talked to another officer. Danielle gently stroked Sadie’s fur and glanced toward the cemetery. She could see Angela sitting atop one of the headstones watching, and next to her was the redheaded woman who’d been her savior.

The woman looked at Danielle and smiled. It was then that Danielle saw it. It was the smile. Danielle knew who the woman was—or who she had been. It was Isabella Strickland. She recognized her from the Facebook profile picture. She had so many questions for Isabella, but they would have to wait until the police officers left the cemetery.

Glancing over toward the huddle of officers, Danielle stood up when she saw Joe coming in her direction.

“We found his van parked on the other side of the cemetery,” Joe told Danielle when he reached her side. “There were three dog crates in the back. One with a black lab and another with a pit bull. I’m pretty sure they’re stolen. Someone reported a black lab stolen earlier today over at Astoria. The third crate was empty. Probably for Sadie.”

“What are you going to do? Are you taking him in?”

“Yes. We have more than enough to charge him with. He won’t be making bail tonight. He doesn’t have a permit for the gun, which isn’t surprising because with his priors he wouldn’t be able to get one.”

“Priors, do they include dog fighting?”

“Yes. He’s not from Frederickport, but we’re working with the officers where he lives. They’re searching his place right now. “

“I don’t understand people like that. Terrifies me to think what could have happened to Sadie.” Danielle looked down at the golden retriever sitting at her side. She stroked Sadie’s head.

“I still don’t understand how you ended up here tonight.”

“I told you. I got home and Sadie wasn’t there. I went looking for her and ended up here.”

“How do you think Sadie got out?”

“I have guests staying at Marlow House. They must have let her out. But, it’s not like Sadie to wander off.”

“She might have gone looking for Ian. Dogs are like that.” Joe reached down and gave Sadie a pat. “How did you happen to stop at the cemetery to look for her?”

“I don’t know…” Danielle tried to come up with a logical explanation. “Figured she likes to chase squirrels sometimes, she loves wooded areas and the cemetery has lots of interesting smells for a dog.”

“You might want to point out to her some of the no dog allowed signs posted throughout the cemetery,” he teased.

“I will. I’ll have a little talk with her,” Danielle said in mock seriousness. She glanced over at the police car and noticed Brian talking to the prisoner through the car window.

“So you’ll stop by the station tomorrow?” Joe asked.

“Yes, I promise. Thanks for not making me go tonight.” Danielle looked back to the police car and noticed Brian walking in their direction.

“Ms. Boatman, our prisoner insists you aren’t the one who hit him over the head with a rock. He says someone was with you,” Brian said when he reached them.

“Just me and Sadie,” Danielle said.

“According to the prisoner he heard you talking to someone.”

“I pretended to talk to someone. I didn’t want him to know I was alone.”

“How is it exactly you managed to hit him when he was holding a gun on you?” Brian asked.

“I got him to believe someone was with me. He got nervous and when he turned his back for a moment, I managed to hit him with a rock I had in my hand. He never saw it coming,” Danielle lied. “I’m sure he won’t admit that. He’s not going to want his friends to know an unarmed woman got the best of him.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Brian mumbled, yet he didn’t sound convinced.

“If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll put Sadie in my car until we’re ready to go. Will it be much longer?”

“No, about ten more minutes. But if you want to leave now, that shouldn’t be a problem. I think we have everything from you,” Joe said.

“I’ll wait until you leave, just in case you need to ask me anything else.” The truth was, Danielle wanted to talk to Isabella after the police left.

Danielle’s car was parked a hundred yards or so down the street from the police car. When she opened the back seat to let Sadie in, she was surprised to find Lily sitting in the car. Sadie barreled into the back seat and greeted Lily, her dog body easily walking through what appeared to be Lily’s body. Danielle glanced up the street at Joe and Brian. The two cops were talking with each other and weren’t looking in her direction. She slipped in the car and closed the door.

“I’m so happy to see Sadie is all right!” Lily said. “Oh my god, Walt was beside himself!”

“What are the Stewarts doing?”

“They’re still in their room. Walt’s in the hallway keeping an eye on them, in case they decide to go anywhere or snoop around the house.”

“So he’s no longer in their room? I figured Walt would realize I’d rescinded the ban on spying on them in their room, considering everything.”

“Oh, he understands that. But they were getting—well all honeymoony—and Walt didn’t want to watch. So what happened?”

“I’ll explain everything when I get home. But I need you to go back to Marlow House, and tell Walt Sadie’s okay.”

“When are you coming home?”

“After I talk to Isabella Strickland. I found her. Or should I say, she found me.”

“Isabella is here?”

“She’s dead, Lily. Her spirit is in the cemetery. She’s the one who helped me get Sadie.” Danielle glanced up and saw Joe walking in her direction. “I can’t explain any more. Joe is coming this way.”

“Drat. I’d like to stay and talk to Isabella. Please find out what she knows about me.” Joe was almost to the car. “But I understand. Walt and I will keep an eye on the Stewarts,” Lily said as she disappeared.

Danielle opened the car door and stepped out, leaving Sadie in the back seat.

“Animal Services just picked up the two dogs,” Joe told Danielle when he reached her car. “The tow truck’s hooking up the van right now. They’ll be taking it to impound.”

“I hope they throw the book at him.”

“You’re probably anxious to get home. It’s been a long day,” Joe said as he opened the driver’s door for Danielle.

“It has been a little crazier than most,” Danielle said dryly. She glanced over at the cemetery and could see Isabella watching her. Reluctantly she got into the driver’s seat and sat down. Joe shut the car door and leaned down, looking through the open window at Danielle.

“I’m really sorry about Lily. I really liked her. I know you wanted that to be her today. I wish it was.”

“I don’t want to get into that now Joe.”

“Fair enough. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay.” Danielle grabbed her purse off the passenger seat and pretended to rummage for her car keys. Joe gave her a goodbye nod and turned, walking back up the street. Danielle watched as Joe got in the police car with Brian and the prisoner. She gave them a quick wave as they drove by her car, heading back to the police station.

The sun would be setting within the hour. Danielle hoped her business in the cemetery could be resolved before then. She got back out of the car. Before closing the door, she gave Sadie a little whistle. The golden retriever leaped over the back of the seat and out of the car on the driver’s side. Danielle slammed the car door shut. Together Danielle and Sadie walked to Isabella Strickland.

“You came back, thank you!” Isabella said when Danielle returned.

“No, thank you for helping us,” Danielle countered. She glanced over to the headstone where Angela had been sitting. She was nowhere to be seen.

Danielle looked back to Isabella and said, “You’re Isabella Strickland, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?” Isabella asked in genuine surprise.

Silently, Danielle studied Isabella. On closer inspection, she realized there were a number of similarities between her and Lily. The two women were shorter than she was, and Danielle was not a tall woman. They shared a similar body type—busty yet petite—small sexy packages. They each had red hair, yet Isabella wore hers short while Lily’s was a riot of curls falling down her back—or at least it had been until someone had cut Lily’s hair.

Danielle hadn’t noticed a resemblance between Lily and Isabella when she’d looked at the Facebook profile picture. That picture had enabled Danielle to recognize Isabella. However, while looking at her in person—if one could call looking at a ghost in person—Isabella did look a little like Lily. It wasn’t the eyes or forehead. Their foreheads were nothing alike. There was something about the nose and mouth, which explained to Danielle why Joe believed Lily was Isabella. She doubted he would have made that mistake had Lily’s head not been bandaged.

“I recognized you by your picture in the paper. Your uncle has my friend Lily—he’s telling everyone she’s you.”

“She’s alive, then?” Isabella asked.

“Yes. But in a coma.”

“I’m so relieved!”

“You know about my friend Lily, don’t you?” Danielle asked.

“I thought they killed her. But after they dumped her body, I could see she was still alive. But just barely. I knew she would die if someone didn’t find her right away.”

“What happened to Lily? What happened at the rest stop?”

“I can explain that later, but now you have to help me.”

“Help you how?”

“I’m dead,” Isabella explained.

“Yes, I sort of figured that out.”

“Angela told me you can see people like us. People like me.”

“Not always. I don’t really know how it works.”

“I’ve been trying to find someone who can help me. I’ve found a few like me, but they’re of no help. Other people I ran into, like that man who had your dog, he couldn’t see me. Considering what kind of person he was, I’m glad.”

“So did you also see the people who brought my dog here?” Danielle asked.

“No, I’m afraid not. Will you help me?”

“What do you need?”

“I need to show you where they put my body. It can’t stay where they put it. I’m not comfortable there.”

“Where is your body?”

“Come, I’ll show you.” Isabella motioned for Danielle to follow her through the cemetery.

“It’s going to be dark soon.” Danielle glanced around uneasily. “Umm…okay…”

“I thought about having you take the police to it when they were here, but I didn’t think that would work.”

“You want your body found so you can have a proper burial?” Danielle asked as she and Sadie followed Isabella through the trees, walking toward the older section of the cemetery.

“That and I want my friends to know I’m dead. Everyone believes I just took off. But, I’ve been here all along. And if my uncle is telling everyone your friend is me, then everyone thinks I’m still alive.”

“Your body is here at the cemetery?” Danielle asked.

“Yes.”

“I suppose that’s fitting,” Danielle muttered under her breath.

I
sabella led
Danielle to a stone crypt. By its appearance, Danielle guessed it was as old as the cemetery. There was still enough light out to make out the crypt’s inscription. Danielle took a closer look.

“This is a Marlow family crypt,” Danielle said in surprise.

“Yes. Frederick Marlow and his wife are in there. He founded this town, you know. Their son and daughter-in-law are in there too. And me. But I don’t belong in there.”

“By the size of this crypt I wonder why Walt Marlow’s body isn’t in here. It’s buried over by Angela’s grave. You met Angela.”

“Yes, I know who she is. She told me. I don’t know why Walt isn’t in the family crypt, but I certainly don’t belong here. And since there isn’t anyone left in the Marlow family, no one will be opening it for future burials so if we don’t do something, no one will ever find me.”

“I’m not too thrilled about opening a grave at nightfall. Maybe I should just call in a tip to the police.”

“No, that won’t work,” Isabella insisted. “Think about it. They’ll assume it’s a prank call and no one is going to just open the crypt on the basis of an anonymous call. Especially if you say it’s me. Everyone thinks I’m alive. In a coma, but alive.”

“You have a point,” Danielle begrudgingly admitted. “Who put you in there?”

“I’m not really sure. I just remember waking up—although I wasn’t really asleep. I was dead. But I didn’t realize it at the time. So I went looking for my car. I can explain all that later.”

“Okay, so we get it open, then what?” Danielle asked.

“Then you make your anonymous call—tell them you saw someone opening the crypt. When they come to check, they’ll find me.”

“I don’t want to sound gross, but aren’t you a little concerned about animals at night? I’d hate for some stray dogs to…umm…drag you off before the cops arrive.”

“Let me worry about that. I’ll keep the animals away. It seems I’m very good with animals since I died. I’m the one who led the dog to your friend at the rest stop.”

“You did? Are you saying you were already dead when they dumped her there?”

“Yes. I told you I never left, at least not my body. I’d been dead for days—driving around with the people who had my car. That’s who hurt your friend. I was afraid if I left her there, she’d die. I tried to warn her.”

“Warn her?” Danielle asked.

“When she pulled into the rest stop she was all alone. They wanted her car. I knew what they were going to do. I tried to warn her. She was using the bathroom and I pounded on the door, told her to call 911—that she was in danger. But she couldn’t hear me.”

“Because you were already dead.”

“Yes. After they attacked her and left her in the desert, I stuck around, waiting for someone to pull into the rest stop. But when people did, no one could hear me. That is, until someone came with a dog.”

“The dog could see you, couldn’t he?”

“Yes! And he seemed to understand me—and I could understand him! Like with your dog, Sadie. It’s different when you’re dead. I don’t ever remember being able to—well talk to dogs like I can now.”

“So, you led the dog to Lily?”

“Yes. And he led his people to her,” Isabella said with a smile.

“Why did they have your car? You said you’d been dead for a while.”

“We can go into that later. Please, let’s get me out of here!”

Reluctantly, Danielle turned her attention back to the Marlow family crypt.

“I’m going to need a crowbar or something to help get this open,” Danielle said as she surveyed the situation.

“I can help you. Together we should be able to open it.”

Danielle turned to look at Isabella. “That’s right. You picked up that rock and hit the man with it. You’ve obviously learned to harness your energy. I didn’t consider that possibility.”

“Harness my energy?” Isabella frowned.

“Some spirits—not all—learn to harness their energy—which enables them to move objects. I don’t think Angela can do it. At least she said she couldn’t.”

“I couldn’t do it before tonight. When I picked up the rock to hit the man, I forgot I hadn’t been able to pick anything up since…well since I died. But, it worked. I can try opening the crypt by myself.”

“Umm…you know… I could head on home and call the police with that tip while you open the crypt,” Danielle suggested with a hopeful smile.

“Please don’t leave me alone,” Isabella pleaded. “I’m not sure I can do this myself. I know I picked up the rock, but it doesn’t mean I can move anything again.”

Danielle took a deep breath and gave Isabella a nod. “Okay, I’ll stay and help you. If you hadn’t helped me, I would have lost Sadie and possibly my life. It’s the least I can do.”

Danielle walked Sadie a short distance from the crypt and told her to sit. Obediently, Sadie sat. “I want you to stay right there Sadie,” Danielle told the golden retriever. Sadie let out a whimper and lay down. She rested her chin on her front paws as she watched Danielle.

Isabella’s first attempt at opening the crypt wasn’t as successful as her rock hurling. The stone door opened several inches before Isabella went flying into the crypt, landing her inside. To Danielle it looked as if Isabella had just disappeared.

“Isabella, where did you go?” Danielle asked, looking around the crypt.

“It’s so creepy in there!” Isabella said with a shudder as she stepped out from inside the stone structure.

“You moved it a little bit,” Danielle observed. “Here, let me give it a try.”

Using her shoulder, Danielle gave the stone door a firm push, as she planted her feet against one of the stone pillars. It refused to budge. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, she took a rest, trying to catch her breath.

“Here, let me try again, by myself,” Isabella suggested.

Danielle stood back and watched as Isabella laid her palms flat against the stone door and deliberately pushed it to one side.
You really don’t need to push it with your hands; your hands are only an illusion
, Danielle thought.
But if it helps you move it…

Miraculously, the door began to open, revealing the crypt’s interior. When the opening was about three feet wide, Isabella stopped pushing and stepped back by Danielle.

The sun was beginning to set, sending a shaft of late afternoon sunlight cutting through the trees and into the crypt, illuminating its interior. Danielle watched as Isabella entered the stone mausoleum. Silently, Isabella harnessed her energy, using it to move her body, which had been pushed into a far corner. She moved it closer to the now open doorway and with it, the scent of decaying flesh.

The silence of the cemetery was deafening. In the distance, Danielle could hear the faint sound of breakers crashing on the beach. A wave of déjà vu washed over her—bringing back the memory of finding Cheryl’s body at the beach shack. Since she was a child, Danielle had become accustomed to encountering wayward spirits, those ghostly creatures who’d reached out to her as they stumbled through the darkness searching for the light. She’d accepted the spirits that only she could see—it was natural to her now. What was not natural or easy for her was encountering the evidence of their death—decaying bodies and rotting flesh.

A second wave hit Danielle, this one of nausea. She stepped back from the crypt, closing her eyes for a moment. The silence was broken when Sadie let out a bark. Danielle looked to Sadie, who was now standing at attention, barking at something behind Danielle.

“Danielle what are you….what the hell?” It was Joe Morelli. He stood at the now open crypt, a flashlight in his hand. The beam of his flashlight hit the bare foot of Isabella Strickland’s lifeless body.

“Joe…” Danielle groaned.
Just how am I going to explain this?

“Who are you here with?” Joe demanded.

“Just Sadie…”

“Sit down,” he ordered.

“Excuse me?”

“I want you to sit down by Sadie, and don’t move!” he said angrily.

Silently, Danielle sat next to Sadie and watched as Joe investigated the body at the crypt’s doorway. Getting on the phone, he called for reinforcements, while shining the flashlight into the now opened tomb.

When he got off the phone, he turned to Danielle. “I was worried about you. I drove by Marlow House on my way home and noticed your car wasn’t there yet. I was afraid you might have had car trouble, so I swung back over here and found your car parked where we left you. I tried calling your phone. But it seems you left it in your car. I heard it ringing.”

“So, you found me,” Danielle smiled weakly.

“Do you know who it is?” Joe asked, pointing his flashlight toward the body.

Before answering, Danielle glanced around. Isabella was nowhere to be seen.

“No,” Danielle lied. She couldn’t tell Joe the truth. As far as Joe knew, she had never met Isabella Strickland, which had been the truth, until today.

“How did this get opened?” Joe asked.

“I think the more important question is, who put the body in there?” Danielle said.

“I went through this way earlier this evening. I would have noticed had it been open.”

“I opened it.” Danielle remembered her hands had been all over the door while trying to push it open.

“You opened it? Why?”

“It was partially open,” Danielle lied. “I was curious.”

D
anielle wondered
if she was ever going to make it home. This had to be the longest Saturday in her life. She sat with Sadie and watched as several officers from the coroner’s office, moved the body from the crypt. Once again, she felt the wave of déjà vu. Many of the same responders here tonight were on the scene when she had found Cheryl’s body.

“It’s Isabella Strickland,” Danielle heard one of them say.

“That’s impossible,” Joe said. “I just saw her today.”

“Does this necklace look familiar?” one of them said.

Danielle heard Joe say, “That’s Isabella’s necklace. I recognize it from the picture Susan Mitchell showed us. Isabella had it custom made before she disappeared. Does she have a bracelet on?”

“No,” someone said.

“It had a matching bracelet,” Joe said.

“This is Isabella, I’d know that tattoo anywhere,” someone said.

“I don’t understand,” Joe mumbled.

Silently, Danielle listened to the scene unfold. Sitting next to Sadie, she rested her chin on denim clad knees as she wrapped her arms around her bent limbs and closed her eyes. It was the sound of boots crushing gravel that alerted her to someone approaching. She opened her eyes and found Joe staring down at her.

“If this is Isabella Strickland, then who was that I saw this afternoon?” Joe asked.

“Lily. Are you going to get her now?” Danielle asked in a weary voice.

“Do you know whose crypt this is?” Joe asked.

“According to the inscription, Walt Marlow’s grandparents and parents.”

“You knew Isabella was in there, didn’t you?”

“How in the world would I know that, Joe?” Danielle asked.

“I don’t know. But you knew. Who put her there, Danielle?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never met Isabella Strickland in my life.”
Okay, so that is not entirely accurate
, Danielle told herself.

Danielle heard another set of footsteps approach. She looked up to see the chief.

“Joe, we’re going over to the Gusarov Estate,” the chief announced. “I want you to go with us.”

“I want to go too,” Danielle said, jumping to her feet.

The chief turned to Danielle, his expression unfriendly. “You go home Ms. Boatman. You’ve caused enough trouble today. Just make sure you get to the station in the morning by nine a.m.”

“No. That’s my best friend they have up there. You can’t expect me to just go home!”

“What makes you so certain it’s Lily?” the chief asked. “Just because we’ve found Isabella Strickland’s body, doesn’t mean that young woman up at the Gusarov’s is your friend.”

“I saw her.”

“Yeah, well Joe thought he saw Isabella too,” the chief grumbled.

“Let her go, Chief,” Joe said.