by Lee Hollis
“But you look exactly like—”
“Twin sister.”
“Ohhh...” Hayley moaned, still in shock. “But I don’t understand. Trudy never mentioned having a sister, let alone a twin sister.”
Tori nodded solemnly. “I know. She probably didn’t mention me because the truth is, we hadn’t been in contact for a while.”
“You two were estranged?”
“Yes, for a very long time,” Tori said sadly. “Too long. Because now...” Tori’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Hayley whispered.
Tori took a moment to regain her composure, wiped the tears from her eyes, and then held out her hand to Hayley. “What’s your name?”
“Hayley. Hayley Powell. I was a friend of your sister’s.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Hayley,” Tori said, shaking her hand. “Seeing me must have given you quite a scare.”
“Your showing up here has frightened half the town. Everyone is convinced they’re seeing ghosts.”
“I know, I’ve kept mostly to myself since I arrived, and didn’t even think about people mistaking me for Trudy.”
“Well, this certainly explains all the ghost sightings that have been reported recently.”
“Once I heard what happened, I had to come,” Tori said, her voice cracking from grief. “You see, we hadn’t spoken for so many years, and recently right after Trudy moved to Bar Harbor, she sent me a letter, an old-fashioned, pen-on-paper letter, if you can believe it, in this day and age. She got my address from an old high school friend, and she wrote about how she wanted to reconnect with me, forget all about what had driven us apart, forge a new, happier relationship. I cried all day after reading it. I had missed her so much for so many years.”
Hayley wanted to ask what had caused the rift in the first place, but decided it was probably none of her business.
“So you talked it out and patched things up?”
Tori stared down at the sidewalk. Leroy, panting, smiled up at her. She smiled back. But then, her mind returned to her sister and the smile withered and disappeared. She returned her gaze to Hayley. “No, we didn’t. We never had the chance because the next thing I heard was that she had passed away unexpectedly.”
“Oh, Tori...” Hayley whispered.
Tori held up a hand. “No, it’s okay. At least I know we were on the path to reconciliation. If she had died and we were still mad at each other, I’m not sure I could have handled that.”
Her tone was strong, but Hayley could tell Tori was breaking up inside. She felt terrible for her. So close to reuniting with her twin sister, but then tragedy had cruelly kept them from a truly happy ending.
“What brought you here to Bar Harbor?” Hayley asked.
“I want to know what happened to my sister. How she died was no accident. Trudy was always the meticulous, careful one. She never would have allowed something like that to happen. Someone obviously tampered with that propane tank, and she was overcome by those noxious, poisonous fumes before she had a chance to get out of that truck.”
Foul play.
At least Tori and Hayley were both on the same page.
Now if they could just find out who did it.
It suddenly made perfect sense why Mary Garber had spotted “Trudy’s ghost” outside her window because Tori wanted to investigate the scene of the crime.
“Does Ted know you’re in town?” Hayley asked.
“No,” Tori said, pausing before adding, “We’ve never met. I don’t believe Ted even knows I exist.”
Hayley’s eyes widened. “What?”
“When Trudy and I stopped talking, almost fifteen years ago now, Trudy refused to even admit she had a twin sister. She cut me out of her life and pretended she was basically an only child. To be fair, we both did. So I’m not sure she ever told Ted about me when they got married.”
“Perhaps when she reached out to you, she finally let him know about you...”
“Maybe, but I can’t be sure.”
Hayley was certain of one thing. If Ted didn’t know about Tori, he was about to be in for the surprise of his life.
Island Food & Spirits
BY
HAYLEY POWELL
About five years ago, after a hearty blueberry pancake breakfast at Jordan’s Restaurant, Liddy, Mona, and I piled into Mona’s truck, ‘90s rock blasting, and headed up to Levant to go apple picking at an orchard owned by an old friend of Mona’s family, Fred Malcolm. It was very late in the season, the last weekend of October, and so we knew this would be our last chance to stock up on some delicious apples for homemade muffins, apple sauce, and of course my favorite, chicken salad with fresh diced apples.
Once we hit the town limits of Levant, Mona pulled off the long, winding country road and pointed up to an old, faded, paint-chipped sign that was only being held up by one side with a rusted chain. I squinted to see the name on the sign, but sure enough I was able to make out “Malcolm Orchard.” At least we were in the right place.
Mona told us her father, Sid, who was an old Vietnam war buddy of Fred Malcolm’s, would bring her here to pick apples every fall and Fred was always kind enough to let her take home her entire haul. He had told her at the time she was welcome to come by anytime. Well, that was admittedly over twenty years ago, but Mona was reasonably confident that the invitation was still open.
Mona turned down another dusty dirt road that appeared as if it hadn’t been used in years because it was so overgrown with weeds. Lined on both sides of the road were towering apple trees so overgrown they created a tunnel effect as we slowly navigated the potholes and dead branches strewn everywhere.
I began to suspect the ominous “No Trespassing” sign we zipped past might be something we should pay attention to, but Mona dismissed me with a wave of her hand and told me to stop being such a worrywart. So I kept my mouth shut as we drove past a second, third, and fourth “No Trespassing” sign.
Mona hit the brakes and we squealed to a stop at the side of the road. “I guess this is as good a place as any to start!”
Mona hopped out of her pickup, grabbed her basket from the flatbed, and began picking fresh, juicy apples off the ground underneath the endless rows of towering trees. Liddy and I both shrugged and followed suit. I had to admit, we were going to go home with a huge haul, and we both excitedly started filling our reusable shopping bags, dumping the apples in the back of Mona’s truck, and then went about filling the bags up all over again.
After an hour, we had a huge pile of apples in Mona’s flatbed and were about to call it a day, when suddenly we were distracted by the sound of a motor chugging in the distance. We all turned to see—and I’m not making this up—a nun steering a four-wheeler with one hand while waving what looked like a stick at us with the other! We could see her mouth moving but couldn’t hear what she was saying because of the deafening roar of the motor of the four-wheeler approaching.
The three of us looked at each other, dumbfounded.
“Is there a Catholic church nearby?” Liddy asked.
When the four-wheeler was close enough for us to see the nun’s face, Mona started laughing and told us it was only Fred, dressed as a nun.
“Whatever floats your boat,” Liddy cracked.
“It’s almost Halloween,” Mona reminded her. “He’s probably dressed to go to a costume party!”
Mona started smiling and waving at Fred the nun, who was obviously not at all happy to see her. That’s when it dawned on me that he hadn’t seen Mona in twenty years and might not recognize or even remember her.
Mona was yelling, “Hi, Fred! It’s me! Mona Butler!”
Unfortunately he didn’t hear her over the loud motor of the four-wheeler. It was around that time that I noticed the stick he was holding was actually a rifle!
What happened next was a big blur. But it involved the angry nun firing off a couple of warning shots, and the three of us turning and hightailing into the thicket of
apple trees desperately in search of cover!
I whipped my head around to see the nun hop off the four-wheeler, brandishing the rifle, and chase after us. We managed to hide behind the trunk of a massive apple tree, holding hands, trying to stay as quiet as we possibly could, although I was convinced Liddy’s whimpering would give us away.
We heard Fred shout, “Come on out, or be ready to say your final prayers!”
We weren’t sure if Fred was self-aware enough to realize he was dressed as a nun as he shouted that warning.
We knew there was no escape, so with our hands held high in the air, we stepped out of hiding. Fred was close enough to get a good look at us, and growled, “This is private property! Didn’t you see the ‘No Trespassing’ signs?”
“Mona, say something!” I hissed.
But Mona was pretty much struck dumb at this point, a first in her life. We weren’t sure if she was more afraid of the loaded rifle pointed at her or her father’s war buddy dressed as a nun.
The one thought that crossed my mind was that not one person knew we were here because we decided to drive to Levant on a whim. And there were so many apple trees around, Fred could bury our bodies anywhere and no one would be the wiser!
The three of us just stood there, quaking, ready to drop to our knees and pray for a miracle when Fred looked straight at Mona for what felt like an eternity, then broke out into a big grin and said, “Little Mona Butler, is that you?”
“Little?” Liddy asked incredulously.
That snapped Mona out of her paralysis of fear and she swatted Liddy’s arm before turning back to Fred. “Yes, Fred!”
“Lordy, I didn’t recognize you!” Fred cried.
“I didn’t recognize you!” Mona replied, giving him the once-over.
Fred laughed. “Oh, this? The wife and I are on our way to the Masonic hall for the annual Halloween fund-raiser for the children’s hospital. We decided to shake things up this year and have me dress as the nun and her as the priest. Give the folks a good laugh!”
Fred dropped his rifle and gave Mona a big bear hug while Liddy and I lowered our hands, immensely relieved we were going to live to see another day.
Fred had us all come back to his house where his wife, Vera, served us apple cider and Fred and Mona reminisced about old times. Fred and Vera both could not have been nicer.
We were homeward bound about an hour later with a bounty of apples and a great story to tell.
On a side note, ever since that day, we always make a point to give Fred a call before we come to the Malcolms’ place to pick apples in order to avoid a repeat of our first meeting. And we always make sure to bring Fred and Vera a homemade treat from the apples we pick. This year I took them my favorite chicken salad and Fred made us some delicious Appletinis, and we all gave both a big thumbs-up!
APPLETINI
INGREDIENTS
1½ ounce vodka
1½ ounce apple pucker
½ ounce sweet and sour mix
Fill your shaker with ice and add all the ingredients. Shake until ingredients are well blended then pour into a chilled martini glass and enjoy!
HAYLEY’S FAVORITE CHICKEN SALAD
INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked chicken
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup diced apple
1 cup thinly sliced almonds
4 green onions sliced, white and green parts
2 celery stalks sliced
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add your chicken, apple, almonds, celery, dill, and parsley.
In another bowl, mix together your mayonnaise and Dijon mustard and add it to the chicken mixture and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.
I love this chicken salad on a nice fresh croissant but feel free to use your favorite roll or bread.
Chapter 34
Ted Lancaster stood in the doorway of his single-story house, face pale and his mouth agape, as if he too was seeing a ghost. He was speechless and couldn’t take his eyes off the woman standing next to Hayley.
“I don’t understand, Hayley, what’s happening?” Ted croaked.
“This is Tori. Trudy’s twin sister,” Hayley said slowly, gently, hoping to ease him into it.
Tori smiled and slowly offered her hand.
After a moment more of simply gawking at her, trying to comprehend her uncanny resemblance to his late wife, Ted finally took her hand. As they touched, he jolted upright, as if a light socket had just given him an electrical shock.
“Please, come in,” Ted said shakily, keeping his eyes fixed on Tori, fighting the urge to believe his wife had suddenly come back to life.
Tori nodded and entered the house first, fidgeting uncomfortably, knowing how awkward this moment had to be.
“I know this must come as a complete surprise to you, Ted...” Hayley said after Ted ushered her inside behind Tori and shut the door.
“No, Trudy did mention she had a twin when we first started dating, but she didn’t talk about her much because...” His voice trailed off.
“We hadn’t seen each other in so many years,” Tori said sadly.
“Yes,” Ted muttered.
After offering them something to drink, which they both politely declined, Ted led them into the living room to sit down and talk. Tori told Ted what she had already related to Hayley about Trudy recently reaching out to her, how a reunion was in the early planning stages, and how she felt compelled to come to Bar Harbor and find out for herself how and why her twin sister had died.
As she spoke, something dawned on Hayley. “Tori, I found a birthstone in the dirt outside the Garber house right after Mary claimed to have seen Trudy’s ghost.”
“It belongs to me. My parents gave it to me for my birthday, same as Trudy since we were obviously born on the same day.”
“Trudy was buried with hers,” Ted said, his bottom lip quivering.
Tori nodded solemnly. “The clasp of my necklace broke as I was poking around the Garber house looking for any clues near the area where Trudy died. The birthstone must have fallen to the ground. I didn’t even notice it was missing until I got back to my motel.”
Hayley turned to Ted, who continued studying Tori, completely discombobulated by this living, breathing, spitting image of his beloved wife. “Ted, Tori also believes Trudy’s death was no accident.”
“I think we all know Trudy well enough to know she would never, ever be so careless,” Tori emphatically stated.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Ted chimed in.
“That’s why I’ve come here. To uncover the truth,” Tori said, a renewed determination on her face.
There was a moment of silence before Ted finally spoke. “Tori, I’ve always been curious, ever since Trudy first mentioned you in passing...”
He was starting to lose his nerve so Tori decided to help him out. “What it was that drove us apart?”
Ted nodded slowly.
Tori took a deep breath. “Many years ago, back when we were teenagers in fact, even though Trudy and I were identical twins, we were very different people. In fact, we could not have been more opposite. Trudy was outgoing and popular and thrived in high school. I was withdrawn, shy, and according to the long list of therapists my parents hired to fix me, emotionally unstable. I don’t know what caused it, I just never fit in like Trudy did, never excelled at academics or athletics or anything. I just kept to myself and hoped high school would just be over soon.”
“This was in South Portland?” Hayley asked, remembering Trudy talking to her about growing up in that area.
“Yes. Toward the end of our senior year, a fire broke out in our high school. It nearly burned the whole place down before the fire department managed to arrive on the scene and put the blaze out. I had been alone in the library, it was after school hours, an
d because I was considered this kooky freak, a lot of people started blaming me for starting it. The kids began calling me Carrie and Firestarter.”
“Kids can be so cruel,” Hayley said.
Tori shrugged. “We were in Maine and Stephen King was a really big deal at the time so it kind of made sense, I guess. But I didn’t do it. I was deathly afraid of fire, ever since some kids at summer camp pushed me and I fell into a fire pit and burned my whole backside.”
“Was it just the kids at the high school or did the staff think you set the fire too?” Ted asked.
“Everybody assumed I did it. Troubled Tori. Psycho Tori. It was the easiest theory to believe. The principal questioned me, the police questioned me, but the more I denied it, the more people just thought I was lying. The pressure got so bad I had a mental breakdown and my parents finally had to take me out of school and enroll me in a facility dedicated to helping disturbed children. I was stuck there until the winter after my graduation.”
Hayley leaned forward. “Did they ever find out who it was who did start the fire?”
Tori shook her head. “No, but there was a gang of kids seen hanging around the hallways after school that day, and I saw one flicking a lighter as they passed by the library. But there was never any proof. I think they let everyone believe I did it to cover up their own culpability.” Tori paused, gazed glumly at the floor, and murmured, “Anyway, after I became a pariah, Trudy distanced herself from me as much as she could. In a way, I don’t blame her. It was self-preservation. She didn’t want my sordid reputation rubbing off on her and ruining her future.”
Hayley and Ted exchanged glances. They both pitied this poor woman, but Ted’s mind appeared to wander for a second before he suddenly sat up straight. “That’s so strange.”
Hayley snapped to attention. “What is, Ted?”
“Well, Trudy literally told me the same story about the high school fire recently, out of the blue, like just a few days before she died.”