Haunting Danielle 28 The Ghost and the Birthday Boy

by Bobbi Holmes

  “I guess you weren’t too thrilled with their surprise?” Brian asked.

  “Your parents are great,” Joe said. “You aren’t happy they’re moving here?”

  Kelly studied Joe a moment and asked, “You’re okay with this?”

  Joe shrugged. “It’ll make holidays much easier. Both of our families will be here.”

  “If they already sold their house, does that mean they’ve already bought something in Frederickport?” Brian asked.

  Before Kelly could answer the question, her cellphone rang. She looked to see who was calling. With a sigh she said, “It’s Mom.” She answered the call and after a few moments hung up. Kelly set her cellphone on the table. She looked at Joe and asked, “After lunch, can you go with me, and I’ll drop you back at the station.”

  “Why?” Joe asked.

  Kelly glanced briefly at Brian. “You asked if they already bought a house. No. But they bought a piece of property, and Dad intends to build on it. Mom told me they’re going over to the lot and wondered if we could meet them there when we finish lunch.”

  “That’s terrific,” Brian said.

  “I imagine many people would not agree with you,” Kelly said with a snort.

  “What do you mean?” Joe asked.

  Kelly smiled at Joe. “My parents bought the Marymoor property.”

  “You aren’t serious?” Joe asked.

  “Oh, I am,” Kelly said.

  Brian reserved comment.

  “I’d love to go with you, but we have to get back to the office by two. We have a meeting. I hate to make you leave your parents to take me back so soon,” Joe told her.

  “I have an idea,” Brian suggested. Kelly and Joe looked at him. “I’ll follow you guys over there, and Joe can go back to the office with me, so you don’t have to leave right away.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Kelly said.

  Brian watched Joe get in the car with Kelly while he sat in the police car. Instead of turning on the ignition, he picked up his cellphone and placed a call, his eyes still focused on Kelly’s car.

  “Hey, catch any bad guys?” Heather Donovan asked when she answered her phone.

  “Not yet. Am I interrupting your work?” Brian asked. He watched as Kelly drove her car out into the street.

  “Sorta, but that’s okay. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to tell you something interesting,” Brian began.

  “Hey, I’m always up for interesting, what?”

  “Guess who bought the Marymoor property.”

  “Not a clue? The way you say that, I assume it’s someone I know?” Heather said.

  “Oh yeah. It’s Kelly and Ian’s parents.”

  “Shut up! You aren’t serious?” Heather blurted.

  “Kelly’s driving Joe over there right now to show them the property with her parents. I’m supposed to be following them over there so I can take Joe back to the office with me when they’re done.”

  “Did she know they were going to buy it?” Heather asked. “No way would Ian have let his parents buy that. Oh crap, I bet Lily is having fits!”

  “I don’t imagine Lily or Ian are happy about it, knowing what they do. Of course, Kelly seems to find the entire haunting thing amusing.”

  “From what I understand, it’s not a friendly haunting like Marlow House,” Heather said.

  “As I recall, Marlow House was not always so friendly. Walt slugged me once,” Brian reminded her.

  Heather laughed. “Yeah, and you deserved it. Well, you be careful over there. I doubt you’re an innocent.”

  When Brian arrived at the Marymoor property, Joe and Kelly were already out of the car and talking to Kelly’s parents, while Ian and Lily stood some distance away, talking amongst themselves. Brian could only imagine what they were thinking.

  He was about to take off his seatbelt when movement near the fence caught his attention. Someone had pushed the For Sale sign down, and at first, he assumed the breeze now moved the edges of the sign. There was only one problem, none of the leaves in the nearby tree moved. Narrowing his eyes, he watched in fascination as the sign lifted from the ground and began flying toward Kelly’s small group.

  Without thinking, Brian shouted, “Watch out!” But with his window up, no one heard him. The next moment the sign stopped in midair and made a U-turn, returning to its original spot. The four unsuspecting targets continued to chat amongst themselves, unaware of what had just happened. Brian glanced over to Lily and Ian, and by their expressions, he assumed they had witnessed the sign’s brief flight.

  Twenty-One

  By the time Brian got out of his car, Ian and Lily stood just a few feet away.

  “Did you see that?” Lily whispered, glancing over her shoulder at her in-laws, who remained oblivious to the recent attack and continued to chat with their daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law.

  “Yes. But they obviously didn’t.” Brian nodded over to the four people.

  “I was just about to yell out when it did a boomerang,” Ian said. “Holy crap, is this how it’s going to be?”

  “You need to get your parents to get rid of this place,” Lily said, taking hold of his hand.

  Ian looked at Brian. “This is the second time I’ve seen something like this here. The first one was a boulder. Almost hit my dad’s car. Then it just turned around, returned to where it had been.”

  “Nice,” Brian said dryly.

  “I assume you were at lunch when my sister told Joe about Mom and Dad buying the property. Is she really okay with it now? Did she say?” Ian asked.

  Brian shrugged and glanced briefly to Joe and Kelly and back to Ian. “From what she said, I don’t think she takes the haunting seriously.”

  “If they would just see something, maybe…” Lily didn’t finish her sentence. In the next moment, her in-laws and Joe turned and walked up to them.

  “Mom, Dad, do you remember Brian? He’s going to be Joe’s best man,” Kelly announced.

  “Really?” Lily said, flashing Brian a smile.

  John shook Brian’s hand, and the group exchanged small talk. Finally, June said, “Brian, come see the property with us.”

  “Unless he’s afraid of ghosts,” John said with a laugh.

  A few minutes later, the group approached the open gate leading onto the property. Kelly and her parents didn’t notice Lily, Ian, and Brian’s reluctance, nor the way the three glanced around warily. Kelly was too busy grilling her father on what type of house he planned to build, and what he intended to do with so much land.

  Ian’s parents were the first to walk through the gate. But once they did, June stopped a moment and shivered. “Does the weather always change so abruptly here?”

  “It’s like someone just turned the thermostat down,” Kelly said.

  Ian, Lily, and Brian again exchanged glances, each remaining vigilant for incoming missiles.

  Not long after Ian and Lily left with Ian’s parents, Walt went to Connor’s bedroom.

  “They’re finally gone,” Walt said from the open door. “June insisted on waiting for Kelly to join them.”

  Danielle, who remained sitting on the floor with Connor, nodded at Walt and then looked to the open closet. The ghost remained standing just inside, his eyes on Danielle.

  “You can come out now,” Danielle told him. “We can talk.”

  When the ghost stepped out of the closet, Walt blurted in surprise, “You’re just a boy.”

  The ghost stopped walking and frowned at Walt. “Who are you?”

  “This is Walt, my husband. And my name is Danielle. You haven’t told me your name yet.”

  The ghost frowned. “I’m not sure I should. But you promised to answer some questions for me.”

  “Okay, why don’t you sit in the rocking chair, and you can ask your questions, and then I’ll ask mine,” Danielle suggested.

  The ghost let out a sigh, walked to the rocking chair, and sat down. Walt took a seat on the floor with Danielle and Connor. He
entertained Connor by helping him move toy trucks around while silently listening to what the ghost was about to tell them.

  “I don’t understand why everyone can’t see me. But I sort of got used to it. At first, I thought they were just ignoring me. But why do you both see me?”

  “Connor sees you too,” Danielle reminded him.

  “Lily did too. But then they got mad and separated us,” he grumbled.

  “Connor’s mother is named Lily, but you said you didn’t mean her,” Danielle asked.

  The ghost shook his head. “No. She’s not my Lily. She’s way older than my Lily.”

  Walt looked up at him and asked, “What did you mean they separated you?”

  He shrugged. “Her parents never liked me. Neither did her sister. They liked me okay at first. But later, her mom locked me in a room and told Lily she had to stay away from me. I didn’t think Lily would let them do it. Lock me in the room like that. But she did. And then she never came to see me.”

  “How did you get out of the room?” Danielle asked.

  “They left it unlocked,” he explained. “I snuck out, overheard them. They were going to see Lily. I figured if I could just see her again. Talk to her. Maybe she would be my friend again, and I wouldn’t have to stay locked up.”

  “What happened?” Danielle asked gently.

  He shrugged. “They came here. They didn’t know I hid in the box. But Lily wasn’t here. Connor was.”

  “What box did you hide in?” Danielle asked.

  He pointed to a box in the corner. “That one.”

  Danielle stood up and walked to the corner. She looked in the box. “It has some old toys in it.”

  “They belonged to Lily,” the ghost explained. “I thought they were bringing Lily her toys. But they gave them to Connor. Where do you think Lily is? Do you think they locked her up in a room too?”

  When Lily returned home with Ian and his parents, Kelly was with them. Lily wanted to talk to Walt and Danielle and find out what they had learned, but they would get no privacy with Ian’s family. Not long after Walt and Danielle returned to Marlow House, Lily made an excuse to run across the street.

  “Stay here and keep an eye on Connor,” Lily whispered to her husband. Already her mother-in-law had snatched up the boy and sat with him on the sofa, while Kelly and John sat nearby, discussing the building plans for their house. If Lily could pry her son away from his grandmother and take him with her, she would.

  “That was quick,” Walt said when Lily walked into the back door of Marlow House. He sat at the kitchen table while Danielle stood at the counter, removing slices of bread from its package.

  “I’m making lunch. You want a sandwich?” Danielle asked.

  “No, thanks. I just want to know what you found out.” Lily took a seat at the table.

  Walt told Lily what they had learned while Danielle made lunch. Just as Walt finished his telling, she brought the sandwiches to the table.

  “Where did you get that box of toys?” Danielle asked. She handed Walt one of the plates and then sat down at the table across from him.

  “Are you talking about the cardboard box sitting in the corner of Connor’s room?” Lily asked.

  “Yeah. It looked like it had some old toys in it. I saw a Cabbage Patch doll in there,” Danielle said.

  “Those were some of my old toys. Mom and Dad brought them,” Lily explained.

  “Well, according to your ghost, he came in that box,” Danielle said.

  Lily frowned. “That makes no sense. And you say it’s a little boy?”

  “Yes. My guess, if he were alive, he would be around seven or eight. Did you know a boy who died around that age?” Danielle asked.

  “Do you think I know this ghost?” Lily asked.

  “Like I told you, he said he came here looking for Lily. Duh… you are Lily,” Danielle said before taking a bite of her sandwich.

  “And he did say the toys in the box belonged to his Lily,” Walt added.

  “He also said the Lily he’s looking for is a little girl,” Lily reminded them.

  Danielle shrugged. “It’s possible he’s someone you knew when you were a child.”

  “And he’s just now trying to find me?” Lily frowned.

  “Did you know of a boy who died around that age?” Danielle asked.

  Lily considered the question for a moment and then shook her head. “No. Not when I was a child. In fact, when I was in college, one of my friends, her little sister died of leukemia. She was only six. I remember thinking back then that I had never known a child who had died before. There was something so much more—tragic—about it. It really hit me hard back then. So no, I don’t believe I ever knew a little boy who died when I was a child. I’m sure I would remember that.”

  “If you’re right, then this is some screwy coincidence,” Walt said.

  “We need to help him move on,” Danielle said. “I doubt he understands he’s dead, considering what he said. His comments and reactions are typical of a spirit in that confused phase. Where they think they are still alive yet accept the fact some people can’t see or hear them, and they find nothing odd about moving through walls.”

  “I agree. I’m sure there is some family waiting for him. If not parents, grandparents,” Walt said.

  “Fortunately, I don’t feel you need to worry about Connor while he’s here,” Danielle said.

  “He wanted to disembowel Winnie,” Lily reminded her.

  “A little-boy stunt, not a serial killer in the making,” Danielle said.

  “But why is he here? How did he turn up with my toys?” Lily asked.

  They considered the various possibilities. Finally, Walt said, “Perhaps his spirit was lingering by one of the stops where your parents got gas at on their way up here. Maybe he heard them talking about how they were going to see Lily, and he thought that was his Lily, so he hitched a ride.”

  “Did he tell you his name?” Lily asked. “It really bothers me what you said about someone locking him in a room. How did he die? Did he have any obvious wounds?”

  Danielle shook her head. “He refused to tell us his name. Called us strangers. And there was nothing to indicate how he died. But if they locked him in a room, I suppose it’s possible he died of starvation. He is kind of thin.”

  “Oh no,” Lily groaned. “All I wanted was for this ghost to leave my little boy alone. But he’s just a little boy too. One people abused!”

  “He actually looked pretty healthy aside from being thin,” Danielle noted.

  Walt arched his brow. “Healthy for being dead?”

  Danielle shrugged.

  “You didn’t tell him he’s dead? It seems once you do, spirits typically adjust quickly and want to move on,” Lily said.

  “I was reluctant to tell him,” Danielle said. “Sometimes a spirit will just disappear after you tell them. But does that mean they’ve accepted their reality and moved on? I don’t know. Considering the age of this spirit, I don’t want to scare him away and risk him wandering around confused. Like you said, he is just a little boy.”

  Lily groaned again. “I don’t want that.”

  “If we can learn more about him, find out who he was, it’ll be easier to help guide him to his reality and get him to move on,” Danielle said.

  “I don’t think he’s going to tell us much. And if some adult locked him in a room for a long time, that might explain his distrust,” Walt said.

  Danielle looked to Walt. “Unfortunately, I have to agree with you.”

  “Perhaps we can get another child to help him open up. He seems to be quite comfortable with Connor,” Walt suggested. “I bet he’s told Connor his name already.”

  “I doubt Connor will be much help,” Lily said with a snort.

  “I wasn’t thinking of Connor,” Walt said. “I was thinking Evan.”

  “Evan?” Lily and Danielle said at the same time. They looked at Walt.

  “Isn’t he the obvious choice? I’m sure we
can come up with some excuse to bring Evan over to your house. He can talk to the spirit, play with him and Connor for a while. Gain his trust, get him to open up,” Walt said.

  “You think the chief will allow that?” Lily asked.

  “I think so. It’s too bad we can’t do it over here. But it seems our young ghost is hanging tight at your house,” Danielle said.

  Twenty-Two

  Glitter rained from the parlor’s ceiling. Danielle stopped talking, and both she and Walt looked up.

  Lily frowned. “What is it?”

  “Eva’s here,” Danielle explained.

  “Good, maybe she knows where Marie is,” Lily said.

  “I’m here!” Marie announced, a transparent vision of her former self appearing before them. It flickered for a moment before coming into focus, looking now like a living woman—at least, it did to Walt and Danielle. Lily still could not see or hear Marie. The next moment, Eva’s vision appeared next to Marie.

  “Marie is here, with Eva,” Danielle said.

  “Wonderful, you are all here. I wanted to talk to you about Marymoor,” Marie said.

  Danielle repeated what Marie said to Lily. Lily responded with a groan.

  Marie looked down at Lily with concern. She attempted to pat Lily’s back, yet only sent her hand through Lily’s right shoulder. Marie gave it another try, this time willing her energy to replicate what a pat on the shoulder might feel like. It did not have the desired effect. Instead of comforting Lily, it sent her jerking back in startled surprise.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, dear,” Marie muttered, taking back her hand.

  “What was that?” Lily asked.

  “I believe it was Marie’s misguided attempt at giving comfort,” Danielle explained.

  Lily looked to where she believed Marie stood and asked, “So you know about our ghost?”

  Marie frowned. “Which ghost is she talking about?”

  “The little boy over at her house,” Danielle explained.

  “There is a little-boy ghost at her house?” Eva asked in surprise.