“I’m so sorry, Daniel.”
“Ah, well. We were not alone in our plight. We sold everything of value we owned and set out for Dublin in search of work.” Memories of that horrible time poured through him, along with the frustration and helplessness he’d suffered.
“My mother was a well-educated woman, and she was able to take a job in service to a well-to-do family who kindly offered to provide her with a room large enough that my brother and sister could stay with her. My brother became a chimney sweep, and in 1851, I crossed the Atlantic on a fool’s errand that cost me my life.”
He should’ve stayed, should’ve kept his family together and taken a job in Dublin himself. He’d been the man of the family then, and he’d made one poor decision after another. He’d failed his family, and now he haunted the godforsaken ruins of the town of Garretsville.
“When we talked earlier today—or I guess it would be yesterday now,” she said, glancing at her watch, “you mentioned a vow your death prevented you from keeping,” Meredith prompted.
“Hmm?” Lost in his misery, he’d forgotten where he was, who he was with, and why. “Aye, my vow. I had a very good friend who wished to travel to America to make his fortune mining precious metals. He suggested we pool our meager resources and become full partners in the venture. Charles reasoned we’d do better together than on our own. He had two uncles here who’d already met with success that way. After making their fortunes in Alaska, they sold their mining claims, and moved back east.”
He paused to glance at her. “They settled in New York for good and opened their own businesses using portions of the money they’d earned mining. His kin oft wrote to him, offering help with the necessary equipment and staking a claim once we arrived. They were already doing research on where we might find the most success.”
“So you ended up in Garretsville mining silver.” She nodded. “Did you die in an accident?”
“Aye, we ended up in Garretsville mining silver ore.” The familiar restless churning that always struck him when dredging up the past propelled him out of his chair. Daniel paced back and forth like a caged animal. In a manner of speaking, he had been caged, for he could not leave. “My death was no accident, Meredith MacCarthy, and make no mistake. Charles and I were robbed and murdered in cold blood.”
“Oh, Daniel,” Meredith cried. “You suffered a violent and traumatic death. Perhaps that’s what keeps you here and not a promise you couldn’t keep.” She gazed at him, her lovely eyes luminous, bathed as they were in the light of the lantern.
“No living person would hold a grudge against someone for a vow death prevented them from keeping,” she said.
“Hmph.”
“Is Charles also haunting Garretsville?”
He shook his head. With so many others who’d suffered the same fate remaining behind, why Charles had not was something he’d never understood. He envied his friend.
“Please sit back down, and tell me anything you can remember about your murderers, Daniel.”
Just then the saloon’s door creaked open, revealing the older couple who’d been coming to Garretsville every summer for years. His fellow ghosts paid the couple no mind, knowing by now the pair could do nothing for them.
Agitated with the raw agony of recalling his death, Daniel couldn’t bear the older couple’s intrusion. What business did they have coming here in the middle of the night? Sharing the tragedies his poor choices had wrought was bad enough. The interruption tipped him over the edge. If he stayed, he’d haunt—as in knocking over chairs and maybe even a table or two.
Without a word, he flashed himself to the mine where he and his best friend in all the world had toiled together to make their fortunes. If only he’d talked Charles into staying in Dublin, they both might’ve lived long and fulfilling lives. They’d both been ambitious and willing to work hard to achieve their goals. Surely they could have made something of themselves.
Daniel stood at the mouth of the small cave he and Charles had discovered by accident—the discovery that had ultimately led to their deaths. He looked to the night sky at the stars sparkling like millions of lit candles above him, and the silvery moon beginning its descent. Usually the sight calmed him and put things into perspective, but not tonight. Even now, even here, he couldn’t deny Meredith’s constant magnetic pull on his entire non-physical being.
Good Lord, he’d been rude to leave her as he had without a word of thanks or farewell. He needed to be careful not to anger the ghost whisperer. She might be his one and only chance to be free of this accursed place.
Damn. Meredith blew out a breath. Daniel had popped out of the picture the moment the door opened to reveal John and Judy. How much had the two heard? Why on earth were they here?
“Sorry, Meredith. We’re light sleepers. We heard you leave the cabin, and curiosity got the better of us.” Judy surveyed the saloon. “I know there are ghosts here. I can feel them. Can you see spirits? Can you communicate with them?” Judy whispered. “We heard you talking to someone. Who is Daniel?”
If she denied the truth, they’d think she was delusional. “Yes, I can both see and communicate with the dead. I’m a ghost whisperer. I help confused spirits move on, and that’s the real reason I’m here this summer.” Well that didn’t sound pretentious or preposterous. She cringed inwardly. “It’s a family thing,” she added.
“She can help us, John.” Judy pulled out a chair and sat down. “I know she can.”
“Help you?” Meredith glanced at Judy and then at John, who remained standing. “How?”
Judy practically bounced in her seat with eagerness. “My great-great-grandfather mined here in the mid-eighteen hundreds, and he brought his wife and three children with him. They opened a diner in town. My great-great-grandmother and the children managed the diner while Frederick worked their claim.” She lifted her chin. “Frederick Klein’s ghost is here. We’ve been coming to Garretsville all these years hoping to somehow contact him and help him move on.”
“What makes you so certain he’s here?” Meredith peered around at the many spirits carrying on in the saloon. Might one of them be Judy’s ancestor?
“Frederick’s daughter, my great-grandmother, kept journals,” Judy told her. “Ellen wrote about a gang of murderous thieves who preyed upon the prospectors here in Garretsville. When one of the claims began to produce significant amounts of silver ore, somehow the gang always found out. They must’ve kept watch after that, because when the claimholders set out for town to bring their silver to the assayer’s office, they were ambushed, robbed, and murdered.”
“I see.” Meredith frowned. Daniel and his partner had suffered the same fate as Judy’s ancestor, probably at the hands of the same outlaws. Worse, she suspected the three spirits who’d visited her were the ghosts of the murderers. If true, the poor souls who’d been killed by the trio were likely forced to relive the horror of their deaths every year on the day they were murdered. She needed to break the cycle. “Ellen believed her father haunted Garretsville?”
Judy nodded. “She wrote about items flying off the shelves, doors and drawers opening and closing on their own, things being knocked over, stuff like that. Most convincing though was that her mother swore over and over that her husband frequently appeared to her. She and her family believed Frederick was trying to tell his widow something, and that’s why he remained in Garretsville.”
John finally took a seat. “Can you help Judy contact the ghost?”
“I’ll do my best.” Meredith rose from the table. “Let’s get some sleep, and we’ll talk more after we’re rested.” The entire situation had turned into a snowball racing down a hill, growing larger by the minute. Not only did she need sleep, but she also needed time to think about how best to proceed. The time had come to consult with her family.
“Thank you, Meredith,” Judy said. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
“No problem.”
As she and the Schultes walked back
to the cabin, her thoughts went back to Daniel. She ached for the man whose life had been cut short. His reasons for not moving on were obvious. He’d probably vowed to send money home to his mother, or he’d promised to save enough to bring his family to the U.S. Perhaps if Meredith could find out what became of his mother and siblings, that might help him let go.
Their next encounter she’d take notes, get full names, dates, the parish and county of birth, and other pertinent information so she could do an ancestry search. She frowned. What if she dug up information that would torture him even more?
In that case, she’d keep the truth to herself and make up a plausible story about how his family had eventually overcome adversity and prospered. Daniel deserved peace after what he’d suffered, and she wanted to be the one to give him that gift. She no longer doubted he’d been the one whose plight had summoned her to Garretsville, and that meant she was the only one who could set him free.
He was the first ghost she’d ever met to affect her on a personal level. She found him and his story compelling. Oddly enough, she wanted to know more about him—who he’d been when living.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. More than likely her reaction to Daniel Cavanaugh had everything to do with loneliness coupled with the unusual circumstances leading her sisters to their husbands. Meredith was not like her sisters, and she needed to get her head on straight, out of the clouds, and back to reality—as strange as that reality might be.
Neither Grayce’s husband nor Regan’s had been dead when they’d met them. Daniel had been a ghost for far longer than he’d been alive. Besides, he’d already told her he wished for nothing more than to cross into the warm, beckoning light. She’d do her best to help him and all the other ghosties stuck in Garretsville, and then she’d go home and begin the fall semester, her savings account significantly diminished.
“The lights are on,” John said as they approached the cabin.
“They weren’t when you left?” Meredith asked.
“No.” Judy stepped up to the front porch. “We used the flashlight apps on our phones.”
“Great. That means Oliver knows we left.” Meredith muttered, following the couple inside.
Oliver sat at the kitchen table and glared at each of them in turn. “I can’t believe you three went …” He waved a hand in the air. “Exactly where did you go, and why didn’t you let me know?”
“You were asleep, and it’s after midnight. We didn’t want to wake you for a spur of the moment decision on our part,” John told him nodding his head toward her. “We followed Meredith to the saloon.”
Oliver’s gaze zeroed in on her. “Why would you go to the saloon alone in the middle of the night? Aren’t you the one who told me not all the dead are like Casper the Friendly Ghost?” he asked, throwing her warning back at her.
Heat filled her cheeks. “I went to the saloon because I promised the ghost from the gift shop that I’d meet him there.”
“Wait.” Oliver’s brow rose. “You can talk to them?”
She swallowed a few times. “Yes.” She glanced at each them in turn. “This is not something I admit freely to total strangers, but you three chose to come here because of the linger of ghosts, so—”
“What the hell is a linger of ghosts?” Oliver’s glare shifted to a look of confusion.
“It’s what we in the business of ghost whispering call a group of spirits haunting the same site.” She lifted her chin and sent her sisters a silent nod. “You know, like a flock of sheep, or a herd of horses.”
“Makes sense I guess,” Oliver said.
Judy and John jumped in then, explaining why they’d followed her and what they’d discovered. By the time they’d brought Oliver up to speed on everything, including how Judy’s ancestor had been murdered, Meredith could hardly keep her eyes open.
“We all need to be very careful,” she said. “The murderers Judy mentioned are also haunting Garretsville. Malicious spirits love to possess the unwary. They gain energy from fear, and those types always cause trouble of the worst kind.” She yawned. “Can we talk more about this later? I need sleep.”
“Sure, sure.” Oliver rose from his chair and stretched. “Just don’t leave me out in the future. I’d like to help.”
“Fine.” No way was she going to allow any of them to put themselves in harm’s way. She’d give Oliver made up tasks, and hopefully that would make him feel useful. The Schultes were a different story. Judy wanted to connect with her ancestor, and Meredith would facilitate that if possible.
“John, do you have more moonrise crystals? Oliver needs to protect his living space. We should also smudge the entire cabin every few days,” she said.
“Sure do. Place them around the perimeter of the loft, Oliver. Wait here. I’ll go get a handful.” John strode to the bedroom he and Judy shared.
Meredith dragged herself to bed. She needed to call her aunt and her dad. She was in over her head, and the time had come to seek help from the pros.
4
“Good morning to you, Meredith MacCarthy.” Daniel couldn’t take his ghostly eyes from Meredith as she dusted and arranged items on the shelves. How was it he could see when he no longer had physical eyes. For that matter, how was it possible for him to think when he had no physical brain? None of these questions had ever occurred to him before meeting Meredith. He hadn’t cared enough to ponder the mysteries of his existence until now. He simply … was.
“Good morning to you, Daniel Cavanaugh. Garretsville is open for business tomorrow, and I’m assigned to the gift shop. I’m a little nervous.” She flashed him a half-smile. “So what brings you here?”
“It’s you who drew me, and you’ve no reason to worry about tomorrow. You’ll do fine. I know this because you’re here to see that everything is in order today.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She glanced at him. You said you’re eager to move on, and I’ve thought of something that might help.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“I can research what became of your family. Knowing what happened to them might ease your mind enough that you’ll be able to let go.”
Such a kind and generous soul, and beautiful as well. If only he’d met her when he’d been alive. Foolish thinking that, for she would not have been born yet when he’d lived. Still, Meredith was the sort of woman he’d always dreamed of finding, beautiful, generous and intelligent. “You’d travel all the way to Ireland for me?”
“If the need arose, I would. I’m always happy to visit Ireland.” She straightened a pile of hats and cast him look over her shoulder. “However, I won’t need to go any farther than Missoula to find a coffee shop that has free Wi-Fi. I’ll do ancestry searches on the internet.”
He chose not to expose his ignorance about why-fie or whatever net she intended to use to trap bits of information—as if they were fish in the sea. “That would be grand.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She moved to the counter and took a pen out of the cup sitting beside the register. Then she tore a sheet of paper from the ledger where visitors left comments. “I’ll need the names and dates of birth for your father, mother, and siblings, along with the county and parish where they were born.”
For the next half hour, Daniel reveled in Meredith’s warmth and the pure light of life radiating from her. He gave her all the information he could, including the date and location of the church where his parents were wed. Reluctant to leave her, he cast his own mental net for reasons he could remain awhile longer.
“Daniel, when we met at the saloon, you disappeared when the Schultes arrived.”
“Aye, and I must apologize for leaving so abruptly. Speaking of my death is … disquieting. I feared my agitation at their sudden intrusion might spill over into a physical haunting.”
“I understand, and you’ve no need to apologize.”
He followed Meredith’s every move as she folded the piece of paper she’d used to take notes and slid it into
her back pocket. In his day, women hadn’t worn trousers. Seeing their legs, their rounded hips and derrières in such close fitting garments was far too provocative. Even in his ghostly state he found the way the fabric hugged Meredith’s form unsettling.
“Did you know a man named Frederick Klein? He lived here around the same time you did.”
“Aye, I knew Frederick, his wife Prudence, and their three children. Charles and I ate at the Klein’s diner every time we visited town. Prudence was an exceptionally good cook, and she could bake. That woman made the best pies and cakes I ever had the pleasure to taste—may my own dear mother forgive me for saying so. Fine people they were. Fred and Prudence always leant a hand when help was needed.” He gazed out the shop’s window, his thoughts once again drifting to the past.
“Is Frederick here in Garretsville?”
“He is.”
“Judy Schulte is his great-great-granddaughter. She would very much like to speak with him. She hopes to ease his mind about his family enough that he can pass on.”
“You’d think the dead could somehow recognize their own blood kin, would you not?” he mused. “There are so many mysteries I’ve not considered until recently.” He brought his attention back to the entrancing, vibrant woman before him. “Do you want me to have a word with Frederick regarding his granddaughter’s wish to communicate with him?”
“Would you?”
“I’d do anything to please you, Meredith MacCarthy, and that’s a fact.” The heat she radiated rose a few degrees, and color bloomed on her fair cheeks. She also bit her lower lip and turned away from him.
Had his flirtatious words pleased or offended her? What the bloody hell are you thinking, idiot? You’re dead, and even your bones have turned to dust by now. “I shall seek him out this very moment.”
Summoned in Time: A magical, ghostly, time travel romance... (The MacCarthy Sisters Book 3) Page 4