“This is karma,” Chris muttered to himself. “Serves me right for being such an insensitive jackass.” Of course, Chris was being overly harsh on himself. There were numerous times he had gone out of his way to do the right thing and help a spirit who had reached out. Yet it was those times that he was less than enthusiastic in helping that now plagued him, considering his current state of being.
He had spent Monday afternoon and evening vying for Heather’s attention. While he knew she was unable to see him as she had Walt, he knew she had caught glimpses of his presence, which was why he spent a good portion of the day leaping out at her, jumping in her tracks and shouting as loud as possible. He figured if she noticed him, she would then understand it was a sign to go see Walt. Walt needed to tell Heather about what Danielle had told him in the dream hop, and Heather needed to make another anonymous tip.
When Chris’s outrageous antics provided no results, he decided his only course of action was to approach the one person whom he could communicate with: Evan MacDonald. Chris figured he could at least get Evan to call Heather on the telephone and give her the message. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find Evan. He was not at his aunt’s house and he was not at school. The only remaining option, Walt would need to visit Heather or Evan in a dream hop—which was what he did.
On Monday night, after Chris returned to Marlow House without Heather, Walt waited for the evening to move on so he could leap into Heather’s or Evan’s dream. He tried Heather first, and it proved a success.
EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, Heather waited for Joanne’s car to drive away. While she had convinced Joanne Danielle had given her a key and permission to use her Wi-Fi, she felt uncomfortable going to Marlow House while the housekeeper was there. Plus, it would be impossible to hold a conversation with Walt Marlow while Joanne was in the house.
Walt Marlow—Heather smiled at the thought. She had to admit, he was much better looking than his portrait. She wondered what it was like for Danielle to have a resident ghost. He was vastly different from the ghost of Presley House—who visited just once a year and who was so immersed in issues that he proved not only unstable, but dangerous to have around. But since Presley House was no more, it had burned to the ground, she assumed Harvey had either moved on or had found somewhere else to haunt. In either case, Heather wouldn’t mind having a resident ghost—providing he was more like Walt and nothing like Harvey.
Heather sat on her front porch, Bella on her lap, an empty coffee mug sitting next to her, waiting for Joanne to leave Marlow House. She had been sitting on the porch for thirty minutes now. Just as Heather was about to get up and refill her cup, Joanne’s car drove by.
“About time,” Heather muttered. Tossing Bella into the house, Heather headed to Marlow House, its house key in her pocket.
“Did you call Brian Henderson?” Walt asked Heather the moment she walked into Marlow House.
“So that really was you in my dream?” Heather asked, closing the door behind her. She glanced around. “Is Chris here?”
“No. He’s down at the police station. So did you call him?”
Before Heather could answer the question, Sadie raced into the room, tail wagging. Dropping to her knees, Heather greeted an exuberant Sadie and then glanced up at Walt. “I haven’t yet. I wasn’t sure that was really you in my dream last night—or just a dream.”
“You’re wasting time!” Walt said impatiently. “Their lives are in danger.”
“Hey, I’m sorry.” Heather stood up and gently pushed Sadie away. “I really didn’t want to call in a tip and find out I had dreamed it up.”
“Fine,” Walt said with an impatient sigh, Sadie now sitting by his side. “But do it now.”
Absently twirling one of her braids, she said, “I’m not sure where I can make the call.”
“Where did you make it before?”
“At the pier. But I had to move the security camera, and I’m sure they know by now where that call came from. Even Frederickport isn’t that backwards when it comes to tracing phone calls. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they have someone keeping an eye on that phone.”
“Then use your own phone,” Walt suggested.
Heather rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Don’t you know anything about cellphones?” She paused a moment and then shrugged. “Never mind, silly question. I obviously don’t want them tracing the call back to me.”
“Use the phone here,” Walt suggested.
“Here? But they’ll be able to trace it.”
“So? No one is here.”
“I am.”
“No one knows you’re here. Leave out the back door if you don’t want anyone to see you. As it is half of the people on this street were on that plane.”
“Well, not half…but you have a point.”
“Heather, we’re wasting time. Please. Call.”
BRIAN STARED at the drawing of a man Agent Thomas had handed him minutes earlier. Sitting behind the chief’s desk, he glanced up from the drawing to the agents now sitting on the two chairs facing him.
“Do you recognize the man?” Wilson asked.
Standing up, Brian leaned across the desk and handed the drawing back to Thomas. “No. If I’ve ever seen him before, I don’t remember him.”
Standing beside the desk, Chris leaned over to look at the picture as it was being passed around. “That was the guy arguing with the pilot!” Chris told deaf ears. “From what they were saying, I think he was the one responsible for my fall.”
Accepting the drawing back from Brian, Thomas glanced at it briefly before setting it on his lap. “Simmons says he’s the one who paid him to call in the false report. Claims he didn’t know him. Paid him in cash.”
“Do you trust it’s a good likeness?” Brian asked.
“Looks damn good to me,” Chris muttered, annoyed that no one could see or hear him.
“After Simmons finished with the artist and he looked at the drawing, he swore it looked just like the man who paid him. But so far we haven’t come up with anything on the guy’s identity.”
“We’re watching the Shafer property, and hopefully the kidnappers will be back there to check on the plane,” Wilson said. “Unfortunately, with the good weather they’ve been having in Seligman, it’s going to be difficult to keep the off-road vehicles out of the area, and someone is bound to see that jet and start talking. Not every day you see a jet like that parked in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, it’s partially concealed under the Quonset hut.”
“I was hoping we’d be closer to finding them,” Brian said with a sigh. “I’ve been talking to the family members all morning.”
“How are they holding up?” Thomas asked.
“As to be expected. But I did tell them we no longer believe the plane went down, which was comforting.” Brian leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table. “Of course, they all know now that their love ones have been kidnaped, so that gives them something else to worry about.”
“We’ve been taking a closer look at all of them,” Wilson noted.
“Are you serious?” Chris snapped. “None of my friends had anything to do with this. Would you focus on finding the real culprits and get us all home!”
“You don’t think one of the hostages has ties to the kidnappers, do you?” Brian asked. “I know all those people; there is no way anyone would be involved.”
“Maybe you’re too close to the situation,” Wilson suggested.
“I’ve had my issues with Danielle Boatman, and there was a time I wouldn’t have been opposed to locking her up, but there is no way she’d be involved in hijacking a plane for profit. The same goes for Lily Miller. And I would trust the chief or Joe with my life.”
“Considering Danielle just gave my foundation a considerable chunk of her inheritance, I seriously doubt she’d be involved,” Chris scoffed. “Idiots.”
“What about the Bartleys?” Wilson asked.
“Ian? Kelly? Sheesh…” Annoyed, Chris paced the room.
“I know Ian got pretty close to both the Missing Thorndike and the gold coins found in his house, and he didn’t seem interested in claiming ownership of either one.”
“But did he really have a case?” Wilson asked. “Maybe he figures it’s time for him to get his share.”
“Ian was the only one who knew the Thorndikes left the necklace to Marlow,” Brian explained. “He had a good reason to believe the necklace was hidden in the house. He had ample opportunity to find it, and when Danielle did find it and thought it was fake, Ian was the one to insist it was real and urged her to take it to a jeweler to have it appraised. If Ian was so mercenary, that would have been his chance to get his hands on the necklace, when Danielle thought the stones were just paste. No, I don’t see Ian being part of this—his sister either.”
“That leaves MacDonald’s girlfriend,” Thomas said.
Brian shook his head. “I don’t think so. Carol Ann is a nice woman who takes care of people for a living. The passengers are the victims here. I don’t believe for a minute any of them are involved.”
“For once you and I agree on something,” Chris told Brian—who, of course, could not hear him.
The conversation was interrupted when the phone rang. Moments after answering it, Brian raised his hand frantically and waved the agents over to his desk to listen.
“Would you repeat what you said,” Brian told the caller as he held the phone out so they could all listen.
“I know where the kidnapped victims are—from the hijacked plane,” came the raspy voice.
“Where?” Brian asked.
“They’re being held in a warehouse in or near Lake Havasu City, Arizona.”
“Who is this?” Brian asked.
“Just someone who doesn’t want to see anyone else get hurt. When you find them, have an ambulance ready. Chris Glandon fell on the day of the hijacking, and he has been unconscious since then. You need to move fast so he doesn’t die—and so no one else gets hurt.”
“Where in Lake Havasu City?” Brian asked.
“I’m not sure. But not too far from the London Bridge. I don’t think there is any electricity hooked up in the warehouse where they’re keeping them—but I could be wrong about that.”
“Why should I believe you?” Brian asked.
“I was right about the airplane, wasn’t I?” The call ended. Hanging up the phone, Brian looked from Wilson to Thomas.
“Was that the same person who called in about the plane?” Thomas asked.
Brian nodded. “I’m pretty sure. Sounded just like her. Where do we even start to look?”
“There’s one place we need to check first,” Thomas said as he removed his phone from his pocket.
“Where?” Brian frowned.
Wilson looked at his partner and nodded. He then looked back to Brian. “When we were looking into the owner of the Seligman property, we discovered that wasn’t the only property his son left him.”
“Shafer inherited property in Lake Havasu City?” Brian asked.
Wilson nodded. “Not in the city exactly, but an area they call Donkey Acres, on the outskirts of town.”
THIRTY
The snowbirds had begun heading home several months earlier; many had crossed paths with the party-hardy spring breakers, who had more recently said their goodbyes. Lake Havasu was now gearing up for its next big holiday, Memorial Day, which was just weeks away. That was when jet skiers, boaters, and water sports enthusiasts would be showing up. Many had already arrived, clogging the Channel with their boats and paddleboards while enjoying the last remnants of the spring-summer.
Sky was noticing the shift in the weather. It had been April when they had taken off from Oregon, and the plan had been to be out of Havasu before May’s arrival. Although they had only been in town for a little over a week, he already noticed the spike in temperature. In a few days the captives might find the afternoon heat unbearable in the warehouse. But that was not going to be his problem. By then he planned to be back in Washington.
Sky pulled the car up to the trailer and got out. Slamming the door shut, he hurried inside, where he found Andy and Clay.
“It’s over,” Sky announced.
Clay stood up from the table. “What are you talking about?”
“They found the plane,” Sky told them.
“Are you sure?” Andy asked.
“Positive. It’s only a matter of time before they come here.” He looked at Andy. “You know what you have to do.”
“How much time do we have?” Andy asked.
“We should have been gone yesterday.” Absently he combed his gloved hand through his hair and then paused. He looked down at his leathered palm. “Great. We’ve been careful not to leave fingerprints, and here I am practically yanking out my hair and leaving my DNA all over the place.”
Andy stood up. “If it’s really over, then let’s get it done before the police come driving up.”
CAROL ANN CHECKED Chris’s vitals. He hadn’t shown any improvement.
Leaning over his still body, she whispered in his ear, “Come on, Chris, you can’t die. Please wake up. Please.”
After taking a deep breath, Carol Ann exhaled slowly and turned from his bed. She walked to the door and grabbed the doorknob, trying to turn it. But it wouldn’t budge. It was locked. Returning to Chris’s bedside, she sat down on a nearby chair. Through the thin walls she heard a car engine turn on. The engine revved, and then she heard the vehicle barrel down the drive, away from the trailer.
WHEN THEY TURNED onto South McCulloch Boulevard, Sky slowed the car. Coming in his direction were four Lake Havasu Police vehicles. After they passed, he glanced in his rearview mirror and watched as they turned off South McCulloch Boulevard and headed in the direction from where he had just come.
Sky had one stop to make before heading out of town, the vacation house he had rented two weeks earlier. He didn’t want to chance parking James Shafer’s car anywhere near the rental, should the police start looking for it. His plan was to leave it in the Safeway parking lot and walk to the rental house.
The rental—which they had obtained online through a private party—had the necessary Internet for the transaction—a transaction that had never taken place. In its garage their getaway car waited. It had been purchased when Sky had visited two weeks earlier, when checking out the Seligman airstrip and the Havasu site. He had flown in then, which had saved considerable traveling time, but he didn’t want to risk flying when leaving Havasu, should something go wrong—which it had. He didn’t want the police to start checking out the local airport.
The getaway vehicle had been purchased from a private party two weeks earlier. Sky intended to dump it in California and take a bus the rest of the way home. The last thing he wanted to do was show up back home driving a car with Arizona plates. He had expected they would be incredibly rich when this was all over—but instead, they were out about ten thousand dollars. Sky was not happy.
“I SURVIVED my out-of-body experience. Chris will too. I sincerely believe that,” Lily whispered to Danielle as she stared up at the ceiling. Sunlight slipping through random spots in the poorly insulated building provided dim lighting. The two friends lay side by side on the concrete, each pillowing their heads on towels Carol Ann had talked the kidnappers into giving them.
“I hope you’re right, Lily. But the thing that bothers me, you had real doctors looking after you. I know Carol Ann is trying, but she isn’t a doctor, and she doesn’t have any medical supplies aside from basic first aid.”
They were both quiet for a few minutes when Lily asked in a hushed voice, “Do you think any of us are really going to get out of here alive?”
Before Danielle had a chance to answer the question, Percival’s face appeared overhead—floating in the air a few feet over hers. He smiled down and said in his English accent, “Good’day. I believe your incarceration is about to come to an end.”
Startled, Danielle sat up abruptly. No longer hovering ov
er Danielle, Percival now sat by her side while laughing heartily. “I wish I could do that with everyone!”
“Is everything okay, Danielle, Lily?” the chief called out after hearing the startled gasp come from their direction.
Lily sat up and looked at Danielle. “What’s going on?”
“We’re fine,” Danielle called out to the chief. She then whispered to Lily, “Percival’s here.”
Lily glanced around. “Where?”
Danielle pointed to the empty spot next to her and then asked Percival, “What did you mean just now?”
“I’m talking about the automobiles surrounding your little prison.”
Danielle frowned. “What automobiles?”
“And your kidnappers, they ran right over me. If I wasn’t already dead, I surely would be now.”
“What are you talking about?” Danielle asked.
“Your kidnappers took off in a hurry. And now there’s a number of bobbies milling about.”
“What do you mean bobbies milling about?” Danielle frowned.
“What are you two talking about?” Lily asked.
“I’m not sure. Percival said something about bobbies—”
“Are you talking about police?” Lily interrupted excitedly. “Are there police here?”
Danielle didn’t need to answer the question. In the next moment the door to the warehouse burst open and a number of Lake Havasu police officers, each wearing riot gear, flooded inside. At least, Lily thought it looked like riot gear.
Everyone started talking at once—the hostages jumped to their feet—chains rattled—Kelly began to cry, and Danielle wanted to. In the midst of the commotion Percival silently slipped away, returning to the bridge he normally haunted.
After the officers secured the crime scene, Carol Ann was reunited with her friends and Chris was whisked off to the hospital. The hospital was where they all eventually went after their initial interview with the police. There they were interrogated again, but this time by agents from the FBI.
The Ghost Who Stayed Home Page 19