The Ghost of Marlow House (Haunting Danielle Book 1)

by Bobbi Holmes

  Adam and Bill stared at Danielle. Blushing, she could only imagine what they were thinking. Hippy dippy, she thought. Yep, that is definitely what they are thinking about now—and I would have to agree with them.

  In her encounters with spirits, Danielle had learned that sometimes—if provoked—a spirit could be volatile. She would prefer not to test Walt, and she had no idea how he might respond if someone started discussing his reported suicide, especially since he was adamantly opposed to the idea.

  “Uhh…well sure. We won’t mention Marlow if you think it will…uhh…screw up your feng shui,” Adam promised. When Danielle turned to the doorway away from the men, Adam glanced at Bill and rolled his eyes.

  Bill snickered under his breath. Looking at Adam he mouthed: airhead.

  Danielle showed the men through the rest of the rooms on the first floor before heading upstairs.

  “What’s in there?” Bill asked when they passed the closed door leading to Danielle’s room.

  “Oh, that’s my room,” Danielle said, not offering to show them in.

  “Did you take the master bedroom?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, I believe it was.”

  “Does it have a fireplace? This room seems to be above the library,” Bill said.

  “Yes, it does have a fireplace.”

  “Can we see it?” Adam asked and then added, “We don’t care if you didn’t make your bed. Its just these old houses are so fascinating.”

  Danielle smiled weakly. I did say they could see the house…and they did bring those pictures over, she told herself.

  “Okay,” Danielle said reluctantly, wondering if Walt was still watching her television. When she opened the door she found Walt lounging on the bed with Sadie curled up on his lap, her body going through his as they watched The History Channel.

  “You have a dog?” Bill asked. Sadie lifted her head, looked at Bill and began to growl.

  “No…she’s Ian’s…I thought I’d left the door shut…” she muttered. “I’ve never heard her growl before.”

  “I had to let her in,” Walt explained. “She was scratching at the door. Who are your friends? I don’t think Sadie likes them. And why are you bringing men to your room anyway?”

  “Sadie, be nice. This is Marie Hemming’s grandson, Adam and his friend Bill.”

  “I don’t think Sadie knows my grandmother,” Adam chuckled. He glanced over at Bill and rolled his eyes.

  “You forgot to turn your television off,” Bill said, picking up the remote and turning off the set. In the next moment it went back on again. Bill frowned and turned it off again. It turned back on.

  “It’s broken.” Danielle grabbed the remote from Bill.

  “Well that’s the damnest thing,” Bill muttered. “Here, I bet you can turn it off directly on the TV…”

  “No!” Danielle grabbed his hand as he reached for the television. “Just leave it on. It’ll keep Sadie company.”

  • • • •

  “That woman should be blonde,” Adam laughed when he got into his car with Bill twenty minutes later.

  “No shit. We have to watch what we say so we don’t offend the house!”

  “How about we leave the television on, to keep her neighbor’s dog company.” Adam laughed.

  “I gave her my business card, but I’m not sure she’ll call me. I got the feeling she wanted to get us out of the house,” Bill said. “You don’t think your grandma said anything about me, do you? I know she doesn’t like me.”

  “Don’t be lame. When would they have talked about you? Until Boatman met you today, she didn’t even know you were alive.”

  “I know, but her friend remembered us.”

  “Looks like she and Ian have gotten real cozy,” Adam noted.

  “Wonder what he’s been able to find out.”

  “Not enough, considering he’s still sticking around.” Adam put the key in the ignition and started the engine.

  “So what now?” Bill asked.

  “Did you see any likely places?”

  “A few, but I think our best bet is the attic.” Bill looked out the car window and glanced up at the attic window of Marlow House as Adam pulled the car into the street.

  “That’s what I was thinking too.” Adam drove the car down the road, away from Marlow House.

  “If she doesn’t plan to do any major renovation, then I think we have a little time. What I’m afraid of is some crew going in there and knocking down walls.” Bill glanced over at Adam. “We’re certain they’re hidden? Not shoved in a shelf in the kitchen, or under a bathroom sink?”

  “According to Gloria, she did a complete inventory of the house after Boatman’s aunt died,” Adam said.

  “No mention of priceless jewelry?”

  “No.” Adam chuckled.

  “You don’t think she found it? And…well you know… kept it?”

  “Gloria? Hell no. I’ve known Gloria since junior high. Little miss goodie good.”

  “What about Joanne?” Bill asked.

  “You really think Joanne would still be cleaning houses if she stumbled across something that valuable?”

  “You never know. Maybe she figured it belonged to Brianna and she didn’t want to go to jail. And then after the old gal died, she took it, figured no one would know.”

  “I don’t think so.” Adam shook his head. “She would have taken off by now. She hasn’t.”

  “What about before the estate hired Joanne? One of the earlier housekeepers. That place has been vacant for years.”

  “I suppose that is always a possibility. But I have a gut feeling it’s stashed somewhere in that house.”

  “That’s what we hope. He could have put it anywhere, even sold it,” Bill said.

  “I don’t think he took it to sell. The guy was loaded. No, he wanted it for himself. And I can’t believe he would have kept it anywhere else other than Marlow House.”

  “It’ll be an interesting treasure hunt. But it would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if we had jumped right on this, and hadn’t taken Renton’s word for it that the new owner wasn’t arriving until a few more weeks. We could have been in and out of there already.”

  “Well, we didn’t. And if Boatman doesn’t want to hire you, then there is only one thing left for us to do.”

  “Break into the house?” Bill asked.

  “It’ll be easy enough. We’ll just have to do it when those two are gone for the day—and before they open for business. They’ll be too many people around after that. I don’t want anyone in the house when we go in.”

  “I’m glad that dog isn’t theirs. Otherwise we might have to deal with it when we break in.”

  “No shit. That dog didn’t seem to like you,” Adam laughed.

  “Didn’t seem too thrilled with you either.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Driving down the street toward Marlow House, Joanne Johnson noticed a man and woman standing by its front gate. She thought there was something familiar about the man, but she was too far away to see him clearly. Just as she pulled up in front of the house and parked, the man sprinted in front of her car before crossing the street. He didn’t seem to notice Joanne as he raced by the front of her car, yet she recognized him immediately, or at least she thought she did—Jon Altar. She glanced up at Marlow House and noticed the woman, a petite redhead, was still standing by the gate, waving goodbye to the man. Glancing back at him, Joanne watched as he went into the house across the street.

  That’s odd, Joanne thought as she turned off her engine and grabbed her purse from the passenger seat. Exiting the car she glanced up at Marlow House and noticed the redhead had just gone through the gate.

  By the time Joanne made it to the front door of Marlow House, the redhead had already gone inside. Standing at the door, she rang the bell. A few moments later a brunette answered the door.

  “Hello, can I help you?” Danielle greeted. Her fingers absently combed through her now curly hair, which had just moments
earlier been freed from its braid.

  “I’m Joanne Johnson. I’m here to see Danielle Boatman.”

  “Oh, hello!” Danielle beamed, opening the door wider. “I’m Danielle. Please come in.”

  “Thank you.” Joanne stepped through the doorway clutching her handbag. She glanced around as if she expected the entry to look different from the last time she had been at the house. It didn’t.

  “I guess I have you to thank for keeping this house in such wonderful condition,” Danielle said as she closed the door. At that moment Lily stepped out from the parlor to see who had arrived.

  “Lily, come,” Danielle said. “This is Joanne Johnson, the one who worked for my aunt all those years. Ms. Johnson, this is my friend Lily.”

  “Almost twenty-five years,” Joanne said as she nodded hello to Lily. “But please, call me Joanne.”

  “Nice to meet you, Joanne. I have to agree with Dani, the house looked great when we arrived.”

  “Thank you. I hope you found everything in order. I wanted to leave you something in the kitchen, a few groceries, so you’d have something when you arrived. But the icebox hasn’t worked for years.”

  “That’s okay. I suppose we have you to thank for the toilet paper—for that we definitely thank you.” Danielle laughed. “Let’s go into the parlor, it’s more comfortable.”

  “Parlor?” Joanne raised her brow as she followed Lily and Danielle into the small room. “You call it a parlor?”

  “Well, isn’t that what they used to call this room?” Danielle asked as she showed Joanne to the small sofa.

  “Yes, but I haven’t heard that term in years. It’s very quaint.” Joanne smiled.

  “I rather like the sound of parlor.” Danielle grinned. “I believe every bed and breakfast should have one.”

  “I heard you were thinking of turning Marlow House into a bed and breakfast.” Joanne sat on the sofa and glanced around. They hadn’t made any changes, except for an addition of a television on the far wall.

  “News sure travels fast in this town,” Danielle said.

  “Yes…yes it does. I was wondering, is Jon Altar staying in the house across the street? I must say I was a little surprised to see him here.”

  “I’m sorry, who?” Danielle asked.

  “Jon Altar, he was just leaving when I arrived.” Joanne turned to Lily and said, “You were talking to him at the front gate.”

  “You mean just a few minutes ago?” Lily asked.

  “Yes. Right when I drove up.”

  “That was Ian Bartley. He’s renting the house across the street.”

  “No, that can’t be right. Not unless he’s Jon Altar’s twin,” Joanne insisted.

  “Jon Altar, why is that name familiar?” Danielle asked.

  “He’s an author. Maybe you’ve read his work. I never have, but he interviewed me about Marlow House.”

  “About Marlow House? What did he want to know about Marlow House?” Danielle asked.

  Confused, Lily looked from Joanne to Danielle.

  “Apparently he’s writing a travel book about the Oregon coast, featuring some of the old houses and their history. He wanted to know about the house’s history. I was just surprised to see him again so soon. I had no idea he was renting a house here.”

  “There has to be some mistake,” Lily insisted. “You’re confusing Ian for this Jon. Ian’s a teacher, not a writer.”

  “I told you he wasn’t a teacher,” Walt said, appearing in the room.

  “If that wasn’t Jon Altar then it’s true what they say, we all have a double. And in this case they are both Cubs fans.”

  “Cubs fans?” Lily asked.

  “Why, yes. When Jon Altar interviewed me he was wearing a Cubs baseball hat just like your friend.”

  Lily and Danielle exchanged questioning glances.

  “Why would he lie about something like that?” Lily asked.

  “Like I said, I told you he wasn’t a teacher!” Walt reiterated. Danielle shot him a dirty look. She found him distracting, and the fact she was the only one in the room who could see or hear him, added to her annoyance. She wanted nothing more than to be able to tell him to be quiet so they could figure this thing out.

  “She did ask me not to discuss the book he was working on. I suppose I shouldn’t have said anything to you,” Joanne said.

  “She?” Danielle asked.

  “He was with a woman. She asked me not to discuss the book.”

  “Who was the woman?” Danielle asked.

  “He didn’t say exactly. I got the impression it was his wife.”

  “You’re saying he’s married?” Lily asked.

  “I can’t say for sure. But the way they acted, that was the general impression I got. You know, a husband and wife team.”

  “There has to be some mistake,” Lily muttered.

  “Do you smell that?” Joanne asked abruptly.

  Lily sniffed the air. “Yeah, cigar smoke. Smells just like the brand my grandpa smokes.”

  “It is the oddest thing,” Joanne said. “Every once in a while I get a whiff of that smell in this house. I’ve often imagined it was Walt Marlow smoking a cigar.”

  “See, I knew Joanne wasn’t completely ignoring me all these years.” Walt sounded pleased with himself. He took a seat on the sofa next to Joanne.

  “I imagine you’re wondering why I’m here!” Joanne realized she hadn’t stated her reason for the visit.

  “Yes, I suppose I did wonder. But I’ve been wanting to meet you,” Danielle said.

  “I found an extra set of keys to the house, and I figured I’d bring them to you rather than dropping them off at Mr. Renton’s office.” Joanne opened her purse and started looking for the keys.

  “You said you’ve been cleaning for my aunt for twenty-five years?”

  “Yes. But you know, in all that time I never met her. She never visited Marlow House. I always thought that was such a shame, this place going to waste. A few years back I thought I’d meet her because she ordered the new beds.”

  “I understand she was planning to come, but something came up,” Danielle said.

  “Yes. Her husband died.”

  “That’s right…I didn’t think about that, but that was about the time he got ill and passed away. I wonder why she didn’t come—after.”

  “I don’t think your aunt wanted to live in this big house all alone. Although we never met, we talked on the phone from time to time. She would call to check on the house, see if it needed any repairs.”

  “I wonder why she didn’t sell it,” Danielle said.

  “I got the impression she always intended to come back.” Finding the keys, Joanne pulled them from her purse, stood up and handed them to Danielle.

  “Yes, but it was never really her home. So, it’s not like she would actually be coming back.” Danielle took the keys from Joanne.

  “I suppose you’re right.” Joanne sighed.

  “I was wondering,” Danielle asked, holding the keys in her hand. “I’ll be needing a housekeeper—especially when we open for business. I don’t know if you’re taking any new jobs, or if you’ll be interested. But I’d like you to consider. The only problem, I’d need someone for more than one day a week.”

  “That sounds interesting,” Joanne said. “I’ve always had a soft spot for Marlow House. Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you. Do you have a phone?”

  “Yes. In fact we just had our landline hooked up.” Danielle walked to the small desk in the corner and opened a drawer. It was empty. “I really need to get some paper and pens to keep in here.” She closed the drawer.

  “Here, I’ve a pen and paper.” Joanne fished back in her purse again and found a slip of paper and pencil. She handed them to Danielle, who jotted down her name and phone number, before handing the paper and pencil back to Joanne.

  They chatted for about fifteen more minutes before Joanne told them she needed to be going. Lily and Danielle walked her to the front door, s
aid goodbye and watched her walk toward the front gate. Lily lingered at the open doorway after Joanne got into her car and drove away.

  “You coming in?” Danielle asked from the entry hall.

  “In a minute,” Lily sighed.

  “What’s wrong Lily?”

  “Do you think she was right? Is Ian really this Jon guy? Is he married?”

  “I don’t know. But I can’t see why he would hide something like that. And why keep some travel book a secret?”

  “He did seem pretty interested in this house,” Lily said.

  “I know, but why not just come out and tell us he’s writing a travel book and wants to include Marlow House? Heck, I’d love something like that—it would be great for business.”

  “You think he’s married?”

  “I don’t know. But Joanne admitted she was only speculating. Maybe the woman is his editor or something. And as far as we know Joanne may be wrong. Ian might just look like this Jon guy.”

  “And they’re both Cub fans?”

  Chapter Twenty

  In a long nightgown, with her back to the open doorway of the bedroom she was using, Lily pulled down the blankets and sheets of her bed.

  “How are you doing?” Danielle asked from the doorway. Lily turned to face her.

  “Fine, I guess.” Lily shrugged.

  “You’re going to bed already? It’s kind of early.”

  “I’m tired. It’s been a long day. I feel drained.” Lily got into the bed and pulled the covers over her.

  “I was getting ready to hook up my laptop, take my new Wi-Fi for a test run. Figured we could Google this Jon Altar character, see if we can find any pictures of him. If he’s an author, he must have some sort of web presence.”

  “You go ahead. You can tell me what you find in the morning. I don’t want to deal with this now.”

  “You really liked this guy, didn’t you?” Danielle walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress.

  “I just met him Tuesday.”

  “But you wanted to get to know him better?”

  “I guess…I mean, I really enjoyed spending time with him. I thought he liked me too.”