“Spirits don’t always have a good grasp on time, especially one as new as Marie.” Chris reminded her. “So what is this about?”
“Actually, Walt asked me to call you all here. He has a decision to make, and he would like your input.”
“Then why did you ask us to meet here?” Lily asked. “Instead of Marlow House?”
“Walt doesn’t want any of you to be inhibited by his presence. He wants your total honesty and sincere opinions. If he’s here when we have this discussion, he’s afraid some of you might be reluctant to say what you really think.”
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but she has piqued my curiosity,” Ian said.
They all looked to Danielle, waiting for her to explain why she had called them together.
Ten minutes later, Chris let out a low, long whistle at Danielle’s conclusion. He shook his head and muttered a few words under his breath.
“Damn, I’m not even sure how to comprehend this,” Ian said after Danielle was finished. “Much less give advice.”
“Exactly when did I cross over to the twilight zone?” the chief asked.
“Walt alive?” Heather murmured. “How interesting.”
“I think he should do it!” Lily blurted. “I adore Walt, and I would love to be able to see him more than in a dream hop. Although, I will admit I’ll miss those.”
Chris studied Danielle and asked in a serious voice, “How do you feel about this, Danielle?”
Nervously chewing her lower lip, Danielle shook her head. “To be honest, since Clint made the proposal, I’ve been tied up in knots.”
“Knots in a good way?” Lily asked.
With a snort, Danielle said, “When are knots ever a good thing? It’s not that I don’t want Walt to do this. In fact, I’m overwhelmed with the idea he could actually be given a second chance. That he could be part of all of our lives—not just the people in this room and not just at Marlow House. More than anything, I want him to do this, but I worry that there might be some unforeseen consequences we’re overlooking. Plus, it has to be his decision, not mine.”
“Yeah, and all the people not in this room would think he’s Clint,” Ian reminded her. “And Clint is not a particularly likeable fellow.”
Danielle nodded. “I know. And that bothers Walt, stepping into someone else’s life.”
“And that is exactly what he would be doing,” the chief said. “Frankly, if it were me, I would want to know everything I could about the guy.”
“Why do you say that?” Heather asked.
“We know he tried to steal Danielle’s portraits. What else has he done? Does Walt really want to have a second chance and then find himself dealing with whatever mess Clint might have left behind?” the chief explained.
“What mess?” Heather asked.
“That’s the problem,” the chief said. “We have no idea what it might be.”
Thirty-Two
When Danielle returned to her car to drive home, she found Eva Thorndike sitting in her passenger seat. The spirit had changed her chiffon ensemble for a royal blue afternoon tea dress, with long white gloves and a straw hat wrapped in a broad blue bow.
No one else could see the ghost. Heather and Chris had walked them all to the front door of the Glandon Foundation office and had said goodbye, but neither Heather nor Chris had walked outside, much less all the way to the street where Danielle had parked her car. And unlike the chief, Lily, and Ian, they were the only ones there who could have seen Eva, aside from Danielle.
Danielle sat in her car while Lily and Ian walked by and gave her a goodbye wave, totally oblivious to Eva’s presence. She watched as they got into their vehicle, and then the chief got into his before their two cars drove away. Danielle slipped her key in the ignition but didn’t turn it on. She looked over to Eva. For a brief moment she wondered if Eva was going to start tossing glitter inside her car. Fortunately, Eva’s glitter was like Walt’s cigar ashes, so it was more a random thought that just popped into her head as opposed to a real concern. What she was more curious about was Eva’s role in Clint’s offer.
“You told Clint about how he might move on,” Danielle said.
“I certainly did.” Eva smiled.
“Why?”
“Because it was the truth. And if someone didn’t tell him, he might do something foolish and this opportunity would slip by.”
“You think Walt should do this?” Danielle turned her back to the driver’s door and faced Eva.
“I think it’s Walt’s opportunity to finish his journey here. Of course, there is no guarantee, but the Universe is willing to give him this chance.”
“The Universe?” Danielle muttered under her breath.
“You see, Danielle, when we die, the most natural thing is for us to move on in our journey. But there is always that interim time—between death and that place after life, when a spirit may falter in confusion. It’s one reason there are people like you.”
“Like me?”
Eva smiled. “Of course. There is a reason you and Chris have this gift. Your purpose is to help those confused spirits you encounter along the way—help them to understand so they can continue their journey. I suppose you could consider yourself guides.”
“I never really thought of it quite like that before. But doesn’t that mean I didn’t do a very good job with Walt? Considering he hasn’t moved on?”
Eva pondered the question a moment and then smiled brightly. “I do love movies. If anything, my death has enabled me to watch every movie that has ever been shown in the Frederickport Theater.”
Danielle wasn’t sure why Eva had suddenly veered off into a new topic. Perhaps she’s changing the subject because she doesn’t want me to feel bad for my failure at guiding Walt?
“Have you ever seen Heaven Can Wait?” Eva asked.
Danielle frowned. “Umm…yes. It’s one of my favorite movies.”
“I just adore Warren Beatty.” Eva practically swooned but then straightened up and continued with her train of thought. “In the first part of the movie, after Beatty’s character dies and goes to Heaven, he insists he was not supposed to die. Of course, that overzealous angel who beamed him up—”
Eva paused a moment and laughed. “I also enjoy watching Star Trek when the local theater runs their Star Trek marathon.”
She then continued. “Anyway…while the overzealous angel is arguing that Beatty is wrong—he is supposed to be dead—the head angel intervenes, saying something to the effect that the degree to which someone persists—if they keep insisting they are right and won’t back down—then the probability that the person is indeed right increases exponentially. In Beatty’s character’s case, he was correct; he wasn’t supposed to be dead.”
“Are you saying that because Walt has persistently refused to move on for almost a century, it means he wasn’t supposed to die?” Danielle asked.
“In a way. Yes. Not in the same way as in the movie. Beatty’s character was clearly wrongly jerked out of his body by the angel. There was no overeager angel responsible for Walt’s premature demise.”
“I’m not really sure I understand what you’re getting at.”
“We all have a path to follow during our time on earth. A road we are on in our journey here. Because of free will, we can be interrupted at any time. It’s not just our own free will that can disrupt our journey, but the free will of another person who does something to jerk us from our path.”
“Like Walt’s brother-in-law murdering him?”
“Exactly. Some people like to think bad things happen for a reason—that they are preordained. But that’s not true. What’s critical are the lessons learned from those unfortunate circumstances and how we respond…but I digress…”
“Umm…I think I’m following you…I think…”
“Danielle, there are no guarantees we will be able to continue our life’s journey. Tomorrow you can walk outside your house and be run over by a careless driver. You might be at
the bank and get shot when someone decides to rob it. No guarantees. However, when a spirit persistently refuses to move on—when he stubbornly refuses to go—then perhaps his journey here on earth is not supposed to be over yet. Maybe there is something more he is supposed to do. Because of Walt’s persistence, he has been given this second chance.”
“But what about Clint and his life?”
“Clint has free will, Danielle. There is no guarantee he will honor his offer to Walt. He is free to change his mind at any time—right up until Walt’s spirit moves into his body.”
“What about Walt? What if he leaves Marlow House and then Clint reneges?”
“Like I said—no guarantees. And the only way Walt can do this is with Clint’s complete agreement. Should Walt do something reprehensible like that Tagg Billings character and steal another man’s life, the Universe would not be happy.”
“So what you are saying, if Walt does this, he needs to realize that if he gets to the hospital and his cousin has changed his mind, he won’t be able to return to Marlow House?”
“Nothing has changed in regards to the conditions of Walt being able to stay at Marlow House. When he leaves there as a spirit—for whatever reason—he will be unable to return there as a spirit. He will have a very short window before he has to move on—just enough time to get to the hospital and accept his cousin’s offer.”
“If Clint doesn’t change his mind,” Danielle grumbled.
“Everything we do—in life and after death—has consequences. Walt will need to understand he needs to live with—and I use that term loosely—his choice.”
Danielle sat there a moment in silence, absorbing everything Eva had just told her. Finally, she asked, “What about you, Eva?”
“Me?”
“You’ve been dead longer than Walt has, and you’re still here.”
“I suppose I haven’t finished here either.” Eva turned in the passenger seat and faced the windshield. “Now I have something I need you to do.”
“What’s that?”
“I need you to go to the cemetery and talk to Angela.”
“Angela?” Danielle gasped. “Why?”
“She wants to talk to you. I promised I’d bring you.”
“I didn’t even know you ever talked to her.”
Eva shrugged. “I tend to avoid the cemetery because of her. I hated how she took advantage of dear Walt and the part she played in his death. But she has paid dearly for her crimes, and…well…I thought in this instance it would be best if I saw her. And after I did, I realized the best thing for everyone would be for you to talk to her.”
“I have no idea why I would need to see Angela.”
“Of course you don’t, Danielle. And if you just keep sitting here, not turning on the engine, then we will never get you to the cemetery where you can find out!”
The entire day felt like a giant April Fool’s joke. Danielle drove to the cemetery and parked her car along the side of the street closest to Angela’s grave.
When Danielle opened her car door, Eva leaned back in her seat and looked as if she was about to take a nap. Danielle didn’t think ghosts actually did that. At least, she had never seen Walt nap.
“Aren’t you going to come with me?” Danielle asked after she stepped from the car, and Eva didn’t budge.
“No, Danielle. You don’t need me. And I imagine Angela would rather do this without me hovering.” Eva vanished.
“Seriously?” Danielle grumbled. She slammed the door shut and walked around to the sidewalk. If Eva hadn’t piqued her curiosity as for why Angela wanted to see her, she might be tempted to just go home.
A few moments later, just as Danielle turned onto the path leading to Angela’s grave, the spirit appeared.
“You came!” Angela said excitedly. “Eva promised she would get you to come. But I know how much she hates me. I was afraid—”
“What is this about?” Danielle studied Angela and realized she wasn’t wearing the dress from the portrait—nor a flapperish outfit—both of which were what Angela had typically worn during Danielle’s previous visits. Today, Angela wore a conservative dress suit circa 1925 with a burgundy cloche hat covering most of her blond curls.
“Please, please convince Walt to accept Clint’s offer.”
Danielle frowned. “You know about that?”
“Of course. Everyone does.”
“Everyone?” Danielle glanced around. She didn’t see any other spirits lingering nearby.
“This is Walt’s second chance at life—and if he takes it, I’ll get my second chance.”
“At life?”
Angela shook her head solemnly. “No. But I will finally be able to continue my journey—I will be able to leave this place!”
“How do you know that?” Danielle glanced back in the direction of her car, thinking of Eva. “And how did Eva know that?” she muttered under her breath. She had to have known; this is why she brought me here.
“It’s hard to explain,” Angela began. “But I’ve known for a while now that something was about to happen—I felt it. I sensed it. I just didn’t understand what exactly until I saw Eva and she explained it to me.”
“You just said everyone knew…but now you say Eva explained it to you? Did she explain it to them too? And who are they?” Danielle didn’t imagine Angela would have a clue as to what she was saying—she barely knew herself.
Angela laughed. “Eva typically knows before the rest of us. She has privileges because of her status.”
“Her status?”
Angela shook her head. “I’ve said too much. It’s best that those on the other side not have too clear a picture on what happens next. It will only confuse things for you. But I know you have influence over Walt. I know he wants to do this, or he wouldn’t have stayed for so long. And if he can just make a move in some direction—toward life or after-death—then my penance will come to an end. Please, Danielle. Tell Walt I am so sorry for what I did. For my part in his death. I did try to stop it, but it was too late. I was selfish. Please. Please ask him to forgive me.”
“Do you want him to forgive you, or move on?” Danielle asked.
Angela considered Danielle’s question for a moment. “I can’t really move on without his forgiveness—and neither can he.” Angela vanished.
Danielle stood alone in the cemetery. She glanced around.
“Angela?”
No answer.
“Umm…is that it?”
Still no answer.
“Angela?”
Perplexed, Danielle walked back to her car. Eva hadn’t returned, and Danielle hadn’t expected her to. Getting into the driver’s side of the vehicle, she rolled down the window and made no attempt to start the car. Leaning back in the seat, she closed her eyes and considered all that Eva and Angela had said. After a few minutes, Danielle lifted her head from the headrest and opened her eyes. Putting her key into the ignition, she turned on the engine and then pulled out into the street.
“Why can’t I be a normal person?” Danielle muttered. “Is there even such a thing as normal?”
Thirty-Three
When Danielle returned to Marlow House on Friday afternoon, she told Walt what had been discussed with their friends. Aside from Lily, no one had given Clint’s offer a green light. Nor was it red, more yellow. It was not that they wished to deny Walt life—but they were concerned what that would mean for Walt, stepping into a virtual stranger’s life, where he would be forced to suffer the consequences of Clint’s past actions—whatever they might be.
Danielle also told Walt about her visits with Eva and Angela. He found it interesting—and somewhat encouraging—that Eva seemed to be promoting this unorthodox move. As for Angela, his feelings on that matter surprised Danielle.
“To be honest, I think I forgave Angela months ago,” Walt told Danielle.
“You have?”
“I think getting to know you and Lily has made me understand her more.”
&nb
sp; Danielle frowned. “Certainly you aren’t comparing Lily and me to Angela?”
Walt laughed and waved his hand for a cigar. He and Danielle sat alone in the parlor, Danielle on the sofa and Walt on the chair facing her.
“Just the opposite. You see, you and Lily were raised in a different time. I never really considered what it was like to be a woman back then—what it was like for Angela. She didn’t have the same choices you and Lily do. Even your choice to stay single is not looked at in the same way as it was in my time.”
“Yet you are always trying to marry me off,” Danielle teased.
Walt smiled. “I suppose I am a product of my generation, as is Angela. Oh, I’m not suggesting she was right to marry me under false pretenses or to plot my murder. But in her own way, I suppose she felt she had no other choice. Women married back then, and their husbands took care of them. And should a wife be divorced and left without financial support—as I believe Angela feared could happen considering my attitude toward her brother—there would be few respectable options left to her.”
“But you were newlyweds. Surely she wasn’t worried about you leaving her then.”
Walt shrugged. “We fought a lot for newlyweds. And she knew the lengths I would take to disinherit her brother. And if I’m honest, I never really loved Angela. I married her because of my pride. She was the prettiest catch of the season and she wanted me, so I reeled her in.”
“Comparing her to a fish? Now that might be a bit misogynistic,” Danielle smirked.
“True. But the point is, neither Angela nor I married for the right reasons. Back then, I told myself I loved her. But I didn’t.”
“How do you know you didn’t? Maybe you did love her back then,” Danielle suggested.
Absently fidgeting with his cigar, Walt studied Danielle for a moment and then smiled. “Because, Danielle, back then I had no idea what true love was. I know now.”
Danielle stared at Walt, her complexion reddening. But she made no comment.
The Ghost and the Doppelganger Page 21