by Bobbi Holmes
“Unfortunately, no,” Chris said with a sigh.
“The Marymoor spirits are obviously confused, and by things they’ve said, I doubt they understand their reality,” Danielle said.
“That’s one thing I don’t get,” Lily said. “How does a ghost not realize they’re dead when people can’t see or hear them?”
“Ahh, Lily, you remember Cheryl. You helped her,” Danielle reminded her.
“I’m not sure how much I helped her. And yes, I remember. But I still don’t understand how she couldn’t figure it out herself. Practically no one could see her. She was walking through walls.” Lily shrugged.
Walt looked at Lily and chuckled. “How soon you forget.”
“What are you talking about?” Lily frowned.
Danielle laughed with Walt and looked to Lily. “He’s right. Remember how it was for you? Think back. You made it all the way from Palm Springs to here without a car, and you didn’t even find that odd back then.”
Lily stared at Danielle and then let out a sigh. She slumped back in the chair. “The truth is, I still don’t get how I did all that without finding it bizarre.”
“It just is what it is. You can question it all you want, but it’s how it all works,” Danielle said.
“Back to this Randal, does he haunt Marymoor?” Ian asked.
“It’s possible, but I have to wonder, why?” Danielle said. “Eva and Marie have the ability to move around like that, but they also have accepted their reality. I’m not sure why a clear-thinking spirit would go back to a site where the other spirits are obviously confused and unable to move on.”
“Maybe he goes back to try to help them move on,” Lily suggested.
“I’m not convinced he haunts the place, but when the other spirits were speaking about him, it wasn’t like they wanted him around,” Heather said. “It’s like he intimidated them.”
“I agree. I don’t believe they liked Randal,” Chris said.
“What about the other spirit, Sid?” Lily asked.
“I found two Sids—one a patient and another an orderly who worked there,” Walt said.
“We didn’t see Sid, so I have no idea if he was a patient or someone who worked there,” Heather said.
“What now?” Lily asked.
“I want to talk to Eva about this. In the meantime, I believe we’ve resolved your imaginary friend issue. That’s if things work out for us on Friday,” Walt said.
“I still can’t believe he’s actually my Rupert.” Lily sighed.
Kelly and Laura sat in Ian and Lily’s living room with their parents. Minutes earlier, the grandmothers had put Connor down for the night.
“I can’t believe how easy that boy is,” June said.
“He’s not always that easy,” Kelly said.
“He’s been an absolute doll since we’ve been here,” June said. “And I’ve never seen him jumping like you said he did.”
“What do you mean, jumping?” Laura asked.
“It’s just that one time I was here, I swear… oh, never mind…” Kelly stammered.
“She thought the boy was flying,” June said with a snort.
“Flying?” Tammy asked.
“He wasn’t flying. According to Lily, he was going through a phase where he was jumping in his crib. But seriously, when I saw him, I thought he was flying out of that thing,” Kelly said.
“Lily never mentioned that.” Tammy frowned. “When was this?”
“It was one time when Heather was babysitting, and I stopped by,” Kelly explained.
“I’m not comfortable with Heather babysitting Connor,” June said. “I don’t know why they even use her. From what I understand, Danielle is always willing to look after him, and they have you.”
“What about Connor’s jumping?” Tammy asked.
“He didn’t do it for long. I watched him after that, and he never did it again. Of course, I was careful, terrified he would hurt himself when I was babysitting,” Kelly said.
“After Kelly told me about it, I suggested she put pillows around the crib, just in case,” June said.
Tammy frowned.
“Connor Daniel Bartley,” Marie scolded when she materialized in his bedroom. She had left Connor to his grandmothers but decided to pop in and say goodnight. But instead of sleeping in his crib, he had climbed out and was now crawling toward Rupert, who sat in the cardboard box of toys, waving at the baby coming his way. When Rupert heard Marie’s voice, he looked her way sheepishly.
“Rupert?” Marie frowned at the boy ghost.
“We just wanted to play some more,” Rupert said.
“You promised,” Marie reminded him.
Rupert let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I was just lonely.”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll put Connor back in his crib, and then I’ll tell you both a story. Would you like that?”
“Yes!” Rupert said, climbing out of the box.
Marie picked up Connor and lifted him to the crib. Just as she was about to set him down on the mattress, she heard a gasp from the open bedroom door.
“Oh dear,” Marie muttered. She gently set Connor on the mattress as she looked to the open doorway, where Laura and Kelly stood.
“Is that what you were talking about?” Laura squeaked.
Kelly nodded.
Thirty-Five
Snowflakes floated down from the ceiling. The mediums looked upwards.
“What is it?” Lily asked.
“Eva’s on her way,” Danielle explained.
“Snowflakes or glitter?” Lily asked.
“Snowflakes,” Danielle said.
The next moment Eva materialized, and the snowflakes vanished. “Good, you’re all still here! Chris mentioned you were all getting together.”
“Danielle, tell Eva what Joe’s sister told you,” Heather suggested.
After Danielle relayed what Tori had told her, Eva said, “You can’t call them the Forgotten Women of Marymoor.”
“Why do you say that?” Danielle asked.
While the mediums conversed with Eva, Lily and Ian remained silent, waiting for someone to repeat Eva’s words.
“Your friend seems to base that label on the assumption no one knew they were sent to Marymoor. That’s not true. Some people were aware of it back then. When Marie and I saw Viola Hawke’s photograph at the museum in the Marymoor files, Marie didn’t recognize her face, but she did the name. Her father knew they had sent Viola to Marymoor. He told Marie.”
“Interesting. Someone told me she died in Paris,” Walt said.
“It’s possible news of her actual death came out after you died,” Eva suggested.
“True,” Walt agreed.
“What’s true?” Lily asked.
Danielle quickly filled in Lily and Ian.
“Having a family member committed was considered shameful and something commonly hidden. Especially in the families they came from—wealthy, influential members of society,” Walt explained.
“Sort of how a pregnant teenager was often sent to live with a relative in another state, when they were really off having a baby,” Heather said. “Most people never found out, but some did.”
“So Joe came from a wealthy family?” Lily asked.
“Which one was Joe’s ancestor?” Eva asked.
After Danielle told Eva, Eva said, “That name is familiar; I’m sure I knew her. Are you saying she was one of the women in those photographs?”
“Yes.” Danielle took out her phone and opened her photos app. A moment later, she showed Eva the picture of Joe’s ancestor.
Eva studied the photo for a moment and then said, “Yes! I remember now. I didn’t recognize her when I saw this picture in the museum. She’s much older in that photograph. She was just a girl when I knew her.”
“Was her family wealthy?” Danielle asked.
“Yes. When I knew her, she lived in Portland, but they vacationed in Frederickport.” Eva looked at Walt. “Don’t you remember her?”
Walt took the phone from Danielle and studied the woman’s photograph.
“I imagine she was just ten or eleven when we knew her,” Eva told Walt.
“I suspect she was in her early twenties when that photo was taken,” Danielle said. “According to Tori, she was just twenty-six when she died. I assume they took those photos within a few years of her death.”
“Remember, Walt, she had that cute little white dog. It rather liked you,” Eva reminded him.
Walt studied the photo a few minutes and then said, “Yes, I do remember her.” He handed the phone back to Danielle. “When Danielle told me about her discussion with Joe’s sister, I did a little research on the woman. I didn’t realize she was the little girl I once knew.”
“So Joe’s family was wealthy?” Lily said.
“Yes, at one time,” Walt said.
“What happened to their money?” Lily asked.
“The money came from her father’s side of the family,” Walt said. “And now that I think about it, I remember something about her telling us her mother had recently remarried.”
“Yes,” Eva said. “Her father had died when she was very young, leaving the mother a very wealthy widow. Like me, Caroline was an only child and would someday inherit a fortune.”
Danielle repeated what Eva said for Lily and Ian.
“What happened?” Lily asked.
“From what I discovered,” Walt said, “just months after her first child was born, her husband died, leaving her a widow. She died relatively young, and that child, a girl, was raised by her mother and stepfather. From what I read, by the time the girl came into her inheritance, there wasn’t much left. Apparently, the stepfather mismanaged the estate.”
“The stepfather had control of her money?” Heather asked.
“Apparently,” Walt said.
“And why was she at Marymoor?” Lily asked.
“After looking closer at some of those documents we copied, it appears she fell apart after her husband’s death,” Walt explained.
“Or her evil stepfather wanted her out of the way,” Heather suggested.
“Just because the man was bad with money does not make him evil,” Chris argued.
“According to one document,” Walt said, “Randal Snide, who was the head doctor at the sanatorium, evaluated her, and according to the records, that’s why she was institutionalized.”
“I thought Tori didn’t know why she was there?” Lily said.
“There were a lot of files in those boxes,” Danielle said. “I suspect she overlooked that one.”
Kelly and Laura left their parents to babysit Connor while they went to get frozen yogurt. Kelly drove.
“I wish our mothers had seen Connor jump like that,” Laura said.
“Tell me about it,” Kelly grumbled. “At first Mom believed me, but since they got here, and they haven’t seen Connor jumping, she’s convinced I imagined it.”
“It was pretty freaky. I swear, for a minute there, I seriously thought he was floating over the crib!” Laura said.
“I have to admit, I’m glad you saw it. I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined it.”
“Hey, can we drive by the Glandon Foundation office before we go to the yogurt store?” Laura asked.
Kelly glanced briefly at Laura and grinned. “Why?”
Laura returned her grin and shrugged. “Well, I didn’t notice Chris coming home from work yet.”
“You were watching?” Kelly teased.
Ignoring Kelly’s question, Laura said, “And if that poor guy is still working, I thought we could drop by and offer to pick him up a yogurt.”
“He really is hot. But Joe’s not crazy about him,” Kelly said.
Laura laughed. “I imagine most guys aren’t. Considering Chris’s looks and his money, I’d expect most guys to hate him!”
“Funny thing, he and Walt seem close. Which both Joe and I find odd, considering they used to date before she met Walt,” Kelly said.
“My sister told me Chris was Walt’s best man at their wedding,” Laura said.
“Yeah. That was weird.”
“So can we drive by?” Laura asked.
“You sure you just want to drive by,” Kelly teased.
Laura laughed.
A few minutes later, they turned down a street leading to the Glandon Foundation.
Laura noticed a street sign on a side street that said Beach Drive. “Hey, isn’t Beach Drive Lily’s street?”
“Yeah. That’s where the street ends. But there aren’t many houses on that stretch of Beach Drive.” Kelly turned down the street to the Glandon Foundation. A few moments later Kelly stopped in front of the foundation offices yet made no attempt to pull over and park.
“That’s Ian and Lily’s car,” Kelly said.
“What are they doing here? And there’s Walt’s Packard,” Laura said.
“They’re supposed to be at dinner in Astoria.”
Laura frowned. “Let’s get out of here. I sure am not going to ask Chris if he wants me to get him some yogurt. It looks like his car, and Heather’s here too.”
“Dang, the whole Beach Drive gang,” Kelly said before stepping on the accelerator.
No one had thought to turn the front porch light on for Ian and Lily when they got home on Wednesday night. As they pulled into the driveway, they noted the house seemed dark except for the dim glow of a lone table lamp in the living room.
“Are they all sitting in the dark?” Lily asked when they opened the front door a few minutes later. Sadie greeted them.
“It’s sure quiet,” Ian said as he walked inside. “They must have all gone back to Marlow House.”
“I hope not all of them,” Lily teased as she shut the door behind them.
They walked to the living room and found Laura sitting alone on the sofa, her feet propped up on the coffee table and her arms folded over her chest. She glared at Lily and Ian when they walked in the room, yet she did not greet them.
“Did everyone go back to Dani’s?” Lily asked as she tossed her purse on a chair.
“Kelly went home,” Laura said stoically, her arms still folded across her chest.
Lily frowned. “Is something wrong, Laura?”
Laura looked at Ian and said, “Can I talk to my sister alone, please?”
“Um… sure…” Ian and Lily exchanged glances. He turned and headed for the hallway.
“What’s wrong?” Lily asked as she sat down in a chair across from Laura.
“What is going on, Lily?” Laura asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Where did you go for dinner tonight?”
Lily didn’t answer immediately. After a moment, she mentioned a restaurant in Astoria.
“Really? How long did it take you to get there?”
“What is this about?”
“I saw you, Lily. What is going on? Why did you lie about going to Astoria for dinner?”
“You saw me where?”
“Where were you tonight?” Laura asked. “Because that’s where I saw you.”
Lily stared at her sister but said nothing.
After a moment, Laura cursed, uncrossed her arms, removed her feet from the coffee table, set them on the floor, and sat up straighter. “Kelly and I went out for frozen yogurt, and we drove by the Glandon Foundation. You were there when you said you were going to be in Astoria. I assume Danielle and Walt were there too since I saw the Packard.”
“Why were you driving by the Glandon Foundation? That’s not on the way to the yogurt store.”
Laura let out a frustrated grunt and said, “Stop changing the subject! What is going on, Lily? You used to tell me everything. Now I feel like Mom.”
Lily frowned. “What do you mean you feel like Mom?”
“How you and I used to keep things from her. But we always told each other. Come on, Lily, what is going on?”
“I assume Kelly saw us, too?” Lily asked.
“Yeah
.” Laura leaned back on the sofa and propped her feet back on the coffee table. “She told me you guys are always keeping secrets from her.”
“She said that?”
“Yeah. I know she bugs you sometimes, but I get her. And she’s not wrong. You guys are obviously doing something you don’t want us to know about.”
Lily let out a sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m your sister, you can tell me,” Laura said. “Oh, and I saw Connor do that jumping thing. Kelly didn’t imagine that either.”
“What do you mean you saw Connor doing a jumping thing?”
Laura told Lily what she had seen in Connor’s room earlier that night.
“I haven’t seen him do that in a long time,” Lily lied.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Lily asked, “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
“You mean about Connor? Yeah.”
“I meant about seeing us over at the Glandon Foundation.”
“No. I’m not a snitch,” Laura said.
“Did Kelly tell her parents?” Lily asked.
“She told me she wasn’t going to say anything to them. But it’s bugging her. What’s going on, Lily?”
Lily studied Laura for a few moments before answering. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “I need you to just trust me. I’ll tell you all about it in a few days. But for right now, please, just keep it to yourself, and ask Kelly to do the same. You will both find out why we were over there in a few days. I promise.”
To herself Lily said, I just hope Dani can come up with a good story to tell Laura and Kelly.
Thirty-Six
Lily eased Connor’s bedroom door open on Friday morning and looked in. She could see her son through the slats of the crib. He slept soundly, his breathing steady.
“Rupert,” Lily whispered, “it’s time to go. Dani is waiting in the driveway for us.” She turned and walked to the kitchen, leaving Connor’s bedroom door ajar. She found Ian in the kitchen, making coffee.
“Is Connor still sleeping?” Ian asked when Lily walked into the room.
“Yeah. Dani’s out in the driveway, waiting for me. She texted me a few minutes ago.”