by Bobbi Holmes
The three neighbors chatted in the kitchen while Danielle made a pitcher of iced tea, Lily made lemonade, and Heather cut up lemons to garnish the drinks.
“You still drinking lemonade?” Lily teased Danielle.
“Um… yes…” Danielle flashed Lily a grin.
“But you could drink tea if you wanted?” Lily prodded. Lily had been so busy the last few days, she and Danielle hadn’t had a chance to talk.
Danielle shrugged. “Not sure.”
Heather stopped slicing lemons and looked from Lily to Danielle, a frown furrowing her brow. “What are you two talking about?”
“Iced tea and lemonade, of course.” Lily flashed Heather an innocent smile.
Heather narrowed her eyes and stared at Lily. “What did you mean, she could if she wanted?” Before Lily responded, Heather let out a gasp and said, “Oh my gawd, you think you might be pregnant!”
Danielle flashed Lily a scowl and said, “You never could keep a secret.”
Lily shrugged, and Heather squealed. “Oh, my gawd, when is it due?” Heather looked Danielle up and down. “You aren’t showing.”
“I don’t know if I am,” Danielle said. “So please don’t say anything. But I’m late, and I went off birth control.”
“Why don’t you take a home pregnancy test?” Heather asked.
“I will.”
“Oh, how fun, another baby!” Heather grinned.
“I might just be late,” Danielle said.
“Oh, come on, Dani. Walt’s mother practically told Walt you were pregnant,” Lily said.
Heather arched her brow. She looked from Lily to Danielle. “Excuse me?”
Danielle let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at Lily. She turned to Heather and said, “It was in a dream hop. Walt saw his parents, and his mother sort of implied we would be having a baby soon. But until I get a positive pregnancy test, I don’t want to tell anyone.”
“I bet Marie is over the moon,” Heather said.
“I have said nothing to Marie yet. So please, keep this between us,” Danielle urged.
While Adam and Melony had failed to tell Walt and Danielle about their engagement when they ran into them at Pier Café earlier that week, Melony finally told Danielle about the engagement on Friday when Danielle called to invite her to the barbecue.
“We haven’t told anyone yet,” Melony said during the phone call. “But I have an appointment to have the Winterborne ring sized tomorrow morning, so I’ll be wearing it, and I suppose your gathering would be a good time to announce our engagement.”
Keeping secrets on Beach Drive wasn’t easy with ghosts passing on bits of news they overheard to the mediums. When Melony told Danielle about the engagement, she did not know many of those coming to the barbecue already knew, thanks to Marie.
“I’m dying to see the Winterborne ring again,” Heather told Danielle before the others arrived.
“Remember, you don’t know,” Danielle reminded her.
“Didn’t I tell you and Lily even before Marie spilled the news?”
Danielle chuckled. “True.”
Walt and Chris returned to Marlow House just minutes before Ian arrived with Connor and Sadie. The chief showed up a few minutes later with his sons, Evan and Eddy Jr. Both boys immediately ran to the side yard to throw the ball for Hunny and Sadie.
By the time Kelly and Joe arrived, Melony and Adam were already there, standing on the back porch talking to everyone—except the MacDonald boys, who continued to toss the ball for the dogs. Adam had announced their engagement while Melony showed off her ring. It now fit perfectly.
Melony was just presenting her left hand to Lily for closer inspection when Joe and Kelly joined the group.
“What’s going on?” Kelly asked, looking curiously at the way her sister-in-law, Lily, held Melony’s hand.
“Adam and Mel are engaged,” Chris announced brightly.
“I confess, I can’t quite get over the fact Adam got over his aversion to matrimony,” Danielle whispered to Walt.
“It is amazing how that particular aversion can disappear when the right person shows up,” Walt whispered back.
“Congratulations,” Joe said, extending a hand to Adam. “Have you set a date?”
“Not yet,” Adam said. “Mel’s still getting used to the idea. I don’t want to scare her off.” He laughed.
Joe wrapped his arm around Kelly’s shoulder and pulled her close. “We plan to set the date when Kelly’s parents are here.”
“That’s the ring Danielle gave Adam,” Kelly said impulsively.
“It is,” Melony said with a smile, now looking at the ring on her hand.
“The Winterborne engagement ring…” Kelly murmured, still staring at Melony’s ring.
“Yes.” Melony looked up to Kelly. “Your ring, it was Joe’s grandmother’s, wasn’t it?” Melony reached out, and before Kelly could pull away, Melony took hold of her left hand, bringing Kelly’s ring closer for inspection.
From the sidelines, Danielle cringed. Kelly’s ring was truly horrendous, Danielle thought. Comparing the two rings almost seemed cruel from Danielle’s perspective. By the expression on Kelly’s face and the way she snatched back her hand, Danielle wondered if Kelly regretted drawing attention to her own ring.
“It’s a family heirloom,” Joe said, oblivious to Kelly’s reluctance to show off her ring.
Melony smiled sincerely at Joe. “I think that’s really sweet. Especially when there is family to pass the ring down to. In some ways, I feel the Winterborne ring is perfect for me.”
“It is gorgeous,” Heather said.
“Yes, it is. But I was thinking, Eloise Winterborne didn’t have any children to pass it on to, so it couldn’t remain an heirloom in her family,” Melony explained.
“It can become one in yours,” Joe suggested.
Melony turned her smile to Joe. “No. Adam and I don’t plan on having any kids. So, like Eloise, when that time comes, maybe I’ll pass it down like she did, to some unsuspecting stranger.”
“Hey, we aren’t even married yet, and you’re already killing me off and getting rid of the ring,” Adam teased.
Melony laughed and kissed Adam. They continued to chat for a few minutes longer; then Brian Henderson showed up for the party. After entering through the side gate, he walked toward the group.
“They invited Brian?” Kelly whispered to Joe.
“You know how Walt and Brian bonded after their little misadventure in the mountains,” Joe whispered back.
“I wonder who’s next,” Chris asked. He looked at Edward MacDonald. “What about it, Chief?”
The chief chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”
“What about you?” Chris asked Brian while handing him a beer.
“Before he gets married, he needs to start dating someone first,” Kelly said. “But how about you, Chris?”
Heather laughed. “Chris is having way too much fun playing the field these days.”
Chris frowned at Heather. “What do you know about it?”
“More than you think, Romeo.” Heather grinned.
“Maybe you’ll be next,” Chris teased Heather.
“I don’t think my current guy is the marriage type,” Heather said, sipping her beer.
“You’re dating someone?” Kelly asked.
Heather smiled at Kelly. “Yes. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”
“Will he be here tonight?” Kelly asked.
Heather shrugged. “I’m afraid not. He’s a little shy.”
“So you are seeing someone?” Chris muttered. “I thought so.”
“Do we know him?” Kelly asked.
Heather looked at Kelly and shrugged again. “I’m not sure. I haven’t asked him if he knows you or not.”
“So, what is this guy like?” Brian asked. He sipped his beer and watched Heather.
Heather turned to Brian and smiled. “He’s a little younger than me. I think that’s why he
’s so shy. A little intimidated.”
Brian grinned. “Interesting.”
“That’s a change for you,” Chris told Heather.
“What do you mean?” Heather frowned.
“You always seem to date older guys,” Chris said.
Heather shrugged. “Older guys are too set in their ways. I think I’m over it.”
“You’re over it?” Brian asked Heather when he found her alone in the kitchen twenty minutes later, refilling the iced tea pitcher.
“I lied.”
“You are a brat,” he told her.
“I think you’ve told me that before,” Heather said.
Brian laughed and stole a kiss before they returned outside with the others. They found their friends engaged in a new topic of conversation, the Marymoor property.
“Come on, Adam, who is the buyer?” Joe asked.
Adam frowned. “How did you even know I was the buyer’s agent?”
“Word gets around in Frederickport,” Joe said. “At least tell us, is it a local?”
“I can’t see a local buying that property,” Ian said.
“What’s really wrong with it?” Kelly asked. “I don’t get what the big deal is. I’ve driven by, and it’s a nice neighborhood. Great views. I’m surprised no one has built on it before now.”
“The city has owned it for years. At one time they planned to build a park on it. That was when they cleaned up the site after the fire. But one accident after another waylaid those plans. Over the years they tried to sell it. A few times it went in escrow, but the buyers always backed out during inspection,” MacDonald explained.
“Why?” Kelly asked. “What came up in the inspection?”
“It’s those pesky ghosts,” Joe said with a laugh.
“Seriously?” Kelly frowned.
Joe shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Ghosts sound more interesting than the truth.”
“What is the truth?” Kelly asked.
“Back when they were clearing the site, there were some accidents. That’s when the stories of the place being haunted or cursed began,” Joe explained. “And then later, when it went under contract a few times, the buyers always backed out after the inspection. Rumors started circulating that something happened during the inspection to make them back out of the deal.”
“What happened?” Kelly asked.
“I doubt anything happened other than the buyers deciding they didn’t want the property for some reason. But rumors over the years claim the prospective buyers saw paranormal activity on the property that scared them off. Nothing but overactive imaginations. It’s silly, really. After all, I’ve never heard any of the residents in that neighborhood complaining about unexplained occurrences.” Joe turned to Adam and added, “But just in case the place is haunted, maybe you’ll be lucky, and your buyer won’t be afraid of ghosts.”
Later that evening, after they had all finished dinner and sat by the fire talking, Adam received a call on his cellphone. He excused himself and went into the house to answer the call. When he hadn’t returned fifteen minutes later, Melony went inside, looking for him. She found Adam sitting at the kitchen table, slumped over with his forehead propped in the palms of his hands.
“Adam, is something wrong?” Melony asked, taking a seat at the table.
“That call, it was from Ian’s dad,” Adam explained.
“And?”
“He ordered his inspections. They can do them Monday. He told me if everything is okay, then he wants to close early—before he gets here. His house there is closing escrow next week, and he wants a simultaneous close so the proceeds from his house pay for the lot. I just hope he isn’t using all his equity to buy the property.”
Melony’s eyes widened. “Oh…”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she said, “Remember what Eddy told us, that’s when the other buyers backed out, after their inspection.”
“That’s only because the buyers attended theirs and probably experienced something like we did the other night.”
Eleven
On Monday morning, the inspector pulled up in front of the Marymoor property. He sat in his car for a moment, reviewing the paperwork on his clipboard. After a few minutes, he got out of the vehicle, carrying a small briefcase in one hand and the clipboard in the other. He approached the front gate.
“There’s another one,” Waylon told Molly as they watched the man approach. The two stood some distance from the front gate leading onto the property.
“I remember when this was a nice quiet street,” Molly grumbled.
“I did what you said. I haven’t done anything since that last couple was here. But they keep coming.”
Molly let out a deep sigh. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Waylon perked up. “Then I can do something?”
“Just don’t hurt him. You could have done real damage with that pipe, and I fear that would just get us in more trouble. I don’t want to give Randal any reason to come back.”
“Randal won’t find out. Anyway, it’s been a long time since he’s been here,” Waylon reminded her.
“Perhaps. But you hurt that man with a pipe, and Randal could show up early, and that could interfere with our plans,” Molly warned.
“Okay. I’ll just scare him off. I promise I won’t hurt him.”
The inspector approached the chain-link fence surrounding the property. Before entering the unlocked gate, he paused and glanced around. He had heard the bizarre stories, yet he told himself they were nothing but urban legend, the product of overactive imaginations. With a smile he entered the gate yet paused when he noticed a drop in temperature. After a moment, he headed toward the area where the buildings had once stood.
Intending to take soil samples, he noted the site looked undisturbed. Before coming over today, he had reviewed the photographs and other documents the city had on file for the property. Reaching the perimeter of the original foundation, he set the briefcase on the dirt by his shoes and looked for a moment at the clipboard. When doing so, he heard rustling on the ground and looked down.
At first, he thought he had set the briefcase on an unlevel spot and now it was about to fall over. But the briefcase wasn’t falling to the ground, it moved while remaining upright. He watched in stunned fascination as the briefcase moved away from him, heading back to the gate he had just entered.
Without thinking, he chased the briefcase, believing for a moment it must be the wind. But there was no wind, and when the briefcase reached the gate, it stopped moving, sitting on the edge of the property line.
With a frown, the inspector reached for the briefcase and picked it up. While trying to understand what had just happened, he convinced himself wind must have taken hold of the case. But when he tried walking back to the foundation site, something ripped the briefcase from his grip and hurled it from him, through the open gate and onto the dirt just outside the fence enclosure.
Stunned, he stared at the briefcase now sitting motionless on the dirt. He looked around. Anxiously licking his lips, his eyes darting from side to side, he exited the fenced area and picked up the briefcase.
“It had to be the wind,” he muttered to himself. But when he reentered the area, the briefcase again jerked from his grip. But this time, instead of flying through the open gate, it flew over the top of the fence, as if someone had just pitched it. Once again, the briefcase landed in the dirt.
Without another thought, he ran through the open gate, picked up the briefcase, and raced to his car.
“Looks like we’re going to save some money,” John Bartley told his wife when he walked into the kitchen late Monday afternoon.
“That would be nice, considering what we’re paying for the movers. I’m still having sticker shock,” she grumbled as she stood at the kitchen counter, sorting through her dry goods.
“We’re too old to pack up this house ourselves and move everything to Oregon. And we have the money,” he reminded her.
She g
lanced up and asked, “When did you say the movers will be here in the morning?”
“They’re supposed to be here by eight.”
“I hope I’m ready,” she muttered before asking, “What is this about us saving money?”
“I just got off the phone with the inspector I hired.” John took a seat at the breakfast bar, facing his wife.
June stopped what she was doing and looked at her husband. “When is he going to be done with the inspection?”
“It’s already done, although technically he didn’t do one.”
June frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“The inspector called, said before he went over there, he reviewed all the paperwork the city had on the property—such as reports on the cleanup after the fire, and soil tests taken over the years. When he started the inspection on the site, he said he could tell nothing had changed. The place has been locked up for years, no way for anyone to get on the property. Free from any illegal dumping.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying he isn’t going to do an inspection himself?”
John shook his head. “He said I could hire someone else if I wanted. But that he felt he would be taking advantage of me if he accepted money for an inspection when all the information is already on file with the city. In fact, he emailed copies of all the documents the city had on file. No charge.”
“He didn’t charge you anything?” June frowned at the idea.
“Nope. Craziest thing.” John shrugged.
“What about a perc test?” she asked.
“I was wrong earlier. We can hook up to the sewer, so we don’t need a perc test. Not having to put in a septic system will also save us some money.” John smiled.
“What now?”
“Now, I’m going to call Adam and tell him to wrap this thing up.”
June grinned. “I can’t wait to see our son’s and daughter’s expressions when we tell them we are Frederickport property owners!”