“Can Heddy see ghosts, too?” asked Phil.
“No, just me,” Fran answered, “but she’s gotten quite adept at sensing their presence.”
“Same with Phil here,” Emma told her.
Fran glanced at Howard, who was on his back by the fireplace, exposing his belly to Granny. “Speaking of which, there’s one here now entertaining Howard. Did she hitch a ride with you folks? Because I don’t recognize her.”
“Yes,” Emma said, “that’s Granny, my great-great-great grandmother.” Emma turned to Granny. “Granny, this is Fran. She can see and hear you.”
“So I gather.” Granny waved to Fran. “My pleasure.”
“Tell me about Mazie,” Emma said to Fran. “She said you came to her after she died.”
Fran took a deep breath. “A few days after I heard that poor Mazie drowned, I went down to the pond. Something was nagging at me, like unfinished business, so I went down there and sure enough, there the poor child was, or at least her spirit, not quite sure of what to do next. I helped her cross over.” Fran’s downturned mouth turned up slightly at the edges. “Now she visits me and her family from time to time.” The sadness returned again. “She was such a sweet child. Bright as a new penny. So very tragic.”
Heddy came in holding a silver tray with five mugs of steaming, thick hot chocolate that gave off the homey scent of cinnamon and nutmeg. She put the tray down on the coffee table and handed each of them a heavy, colorful mug, then took a seat next to Fran.
“So,” Fran said after they’d all taken several sips of their delicious hot chocolate and praised Heddy for the same, “how are the Browns of Misty Hollow? Are you teaming up to do a book about them?”
• CHAPTER TWELVE •
EMMA held her warm mug with her right hand and cupped the bottom of it with her left. She glanced at Gino and Phil in turn, but before she could say anything, Gino answered. “I asked Phil and Emma to help me research a crime novel with a ghostly side plot. Our daughters are best buds, so they agreed to help me with the research. None of us knew anything about the history of Misty Hollow before now.”
Heddy stared at Gino a long time before finally saying, “But you yourself don’t believe in spirits, do you, Gino?” He chuckled nervously and shifted in his seat. He’d taken a large armchair next to the sofa Phil and Emma occupied. “I don’t have the gift that Emma and Fran share,” Heddy continued, “but I can tell a nonbeliever when I see one.” She said it with a sly smile.
“Let’s just say,” Gino said with a wink in her direction, “that I’m here with an open mind and a powerful curiosity.”
“That’s a start,” Heddy said. “When we lose our curiosity, our mind dies, open or closed.”
Emma brought Fran and Heddy up-to-date on the Browns and their request. When she finished, Fran said with wide-eyed wonder, “Wow, Emma, you are the real deal. I’ve been to Misty Hollow many times, but I’ve only been able to see and speak to Blaine, and that hasn’t always been the best connection. I grew up here and the haunting of that property has always been local legend, especially the old farmhouse.”
“I’ve only seen and spoken to Blaine and Abigail myself,” Emma told her. “The other spirits just appear like hazy outlines.”
“Yes, that’s kind of what I see of them, too,” Fran confirmed. “They’re like shadows that you catch out of the corner of your eye as they pass.”
“So you’re from here?” Phil asked Fran.
“Not originally,” Fran said. “But my family moved here from Vermont when I was only five so it’s like I was born in the area.”
“Did Blaine tell you about the missing children?” Emma asked before taking another sip of her delicious chocolate, feeling its warmth down to her toes.
“Yes, he did,” Fran said.
She set her mug down on a nearby small table and got up, going to a short bookcase crammed with old books. Bending down, she ran a finger across the faded spines of the books until she located the one she wanted. She plucked it from the shelf and retook her seat.
“The missing Brown children have been part of the local color as long as I can remember. Every child growing up here in the last hundred years is sure they’ve seen Chester and Clarissa Brown. At Halloween, groups of teens go into the woods trying to conjure them up. Of course, they are all sure they do.” She winked at Emma. “Some parents use Chester and Clarissa as cautionary tales for their children. You know, things like don’t talk to strangers or you might end up like the Brown twins.”
“Or,” added Heddy, “be good or the Brown twins will get you.”
“I don’t like that one bit,” Granny said with a scowl. “I don’t like scaring children with boogeymen, especially spirits. We’re generally a friendly bunch.”
Fran turned to Granny, who was still next to Howard, much to the delight of the old dog. “I totally agree, Granny. All the ones I’ve met have been nice enough, even the cranky ones, and people shouldn’t use fear to control their children.”
She paged through the old book on her lap. “This is the history of Whitefield and it has a few paragraphs about the Browns and about Misty Hollow being haunted.” She handed the book across to Emma.
“Have you ever tried to find the twins?” Emma asked. Her eyes scanned the text Fran pointed out. It reported that many people have seen the children over the decades since their disappearance.
Fran nodded and stretched her short legs out in front of her. “I didn’t come into my medium gifts until about twenty or so years ago. I think they were always there, but I wasn’t sure what they were or how to use them until then. Once I realized what I had, I did try to search for them in the woods where people claimed they saw them.”
“Fran has seen other spirits though,” Heddy said with pride.
“That I did,” Fran confirmed. “Several over the years, but none were the missing Brown children.”
“So Blaine asked you to help find them, too?” Phil asked.
“Over the years,” Fran explained, “I’d looked for them on my own, more out of curiosity, but found nothing. I would walk in the woods by the old farmhouse off and on and even stumbled upon the old well and graveyard, but again nothing. Then one day I made contact with the young man I came to know as Blaine Brown. I asked him if the children had ever made it over to the other side and he told me they hadn’t and asked me to find them. I kept looking but have never been able to find them.” She seemed sad admitting to the last part.
“What about that well?” Phil asked. “I saw it this morning, along with the old graveyard. It’s all locked up, but maybe they fell down it.”
Fran shook her head. “I have a copy of an old newspaper from that time and there’s an account on how they lowered someone with a lantern down into the well after the children disappeared and found nothing.” She sighed and hugged her mug to her thick torso. “I honestly don’t think Chester and Clarissa are anywhere near the town or the farm.”
“Do you know of any other mediums who have tried to contact them?” Emma asked.
“After the Brown family sold the property, it became a bed-and-breakfast,” Fran said. “It was cute and the owners did well. Sometimes they even used a haunted theme to sell rooms or staged ghost-sighting weekends.” She scoffed, like a bulldog clearing its throat. “People from out of town flocked to those, and again people claimed they saw the children, but it was all in their minds. If the guests sensed any spirits at all, it was other members of the Brown family, but they always claimed it was the kids.”
Emma turned the information around in her head, then turned to Gino, who had been sipping his chocolate while soaking up the conversation. “Gino, if this were one of your whodunits, how would you proceed on a cold case?”
Gino flashed his grin around the room. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Everyone laughed, including Granny. “I can see where T g
ets her snappy sense of humor,” the ghost said.
“Are there accounts by the family of where and when the children were last seen?” Gino asked.
Fran nodded. “Yes, I have a bound edition of copies of the local newspaper from back then. It covers nearly ten years or so. The paper was just one page long and came out weekly, but there are some stories about the Browns in it.”
“We start there and look at everything in those papers,” Gino told them with enthusiasm. “You never know when something might provide a clue.”
“And Emma can question Blaine and Abigail more about it,” Phil added. “Especially Abigail since she was there at that time.”
Granny moved in closer to the group. “Now we’re cooking with gas.”
Emma turned to Fran and Heddy. “I’d like you ladies to help, too, since you know the area and the history.”
“That’s Fran’s department,” Heddy said. “I haven’t been here that long and I’m not a history buff.”
Fran beamed with excitement. “I’d love to work with you, Emma.” She reached over and clutched Heddy’s hand. “How exciting is this, sweetheart? I’m actually going to work with Emma Whitecastle!”
Heddy smiled at her then looked at Emma. “She hasn’t said so, but Fran’s a huge fan and never misses your show.”
Fran blushed and giggled. “And maybe I can learn more about spirits from you, Emma.”
Granny drifted over to Fran. “Emma’s a great mentor, but she gets a bit uppity and bossy at times. Just ignore it. I do.”
Fran broke out into loud laughter while Emma narrowed her eyes at Granny.
Gino, totally lost by the exchange, sent a raised eyebrow in Phil’s direction. Phil leaned toward him. “You’ll get used to that. It’s like being at a party where only a couple of people speak your language, so you have to wait until someone translates. But I’m guessing Granny just said something sassy and unflattering about Emma. Maybe later, after a drink or two, we can get Emma to tell us about it.”
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN •
“ANY word yet from Vanessa?” Emma asked Gino as she watched him looking at messages on his phone. He’d been checking quite often, his brow furrowed with worry each time.
He shook his head. “Not a word.” He put the phone on the table. “But she always makes me cool my heels for a day or so before she deigns to answer my messages. It doesn’t seem to occur to her that I might worry.”
They had just finished dinner and were enjoying some brandy. Emma had heated up the stews Marta had made earlier, and they had eaten it from big bowls in front of the fire, along with slices of crusty bread. Soon Fran would be joining them to see if they could contact the Browns about more information on Chester and Clarissa. Granny had just come in to report that at least Blaine would be popping in later.
Emma watched Granny, wondering if she should ask the ghost to try to contact Vanessa Costello just to make sure she was okay. Granny seemed to like Gino, so Emma didn’t think she’d mind.
“What are you looking at?” Granny asked, noticing Emma studying her.
Instead of responding, Emma stacked the empty stew bowls and utensils on the tray she’d used to carry them earlier and rose to take them into the kitchen.
“Let me help you, darling,” Phil said, putting his glass down on the table.
“Yes,” added Gino starting to get up. “You got the grub on the table, let us guys clean up. After all, you are my guests.”
“No,” Emma protested, “you both sit still. There’s only a few dishes. I’ll pop them in the dishwasher and put the food away. It won’t take but a few minutes.” As she walked out of the room, she caught Granny’s eyes, indicating for her to follow.
“I have a favor to ask you, Granny,” Emma said as she rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.
“I’m all ears,” the ghost said.
“Gino is worried sick about Vanessa. Do you think you could try to locate her? Not to spy,” she quickly added, “but to report back if she’s okay or not.” Emma dished the remaining beef and vegetable stews into separate lidded containers and put them in the refrigerator. Marta had made enough of both to last them two more meals. They would have Marta’s pie when Fran arrived.
“I don’t know if I can get a bead on her,” Granny answered, “but I’d be happy to try. I can see how concerned he is, not that I think she’s worth it.”
“Be nice, Granny,” Emma lightly scolded. She set the stew pots in the sink and added dish soap to soak them.
Granny sniffed with displeasure. “I just don’t trust the woman and she treats Gino awful. No wonder T doesn’t like her.”
“That’s really none of our business. I just want to give Gino some peace of mind.”
“Yeah, it would be good for him to go to bed tonight knowing she’s safe.”
Granny had just popped out when the doorbell rang. Emma called to the men that she’d answer it, thinking it would be Fran.
“I see it’s raining again,” Emma said as she took Fran’s wet coat and hung it on the coat tree by the front door.
“Steady but not hard,” Fran answered, as she took off her boots and set them next to three other pairs lined up in the foyer.
“You don’t have to do that, if you don’t want,” Emma told her.
“It’s a good New England habit in bad weather,” Fran replied with a grin. “And it makes us keep our socks darned. At least that’s what my grandmother always said.”
Fran stepped deeper into the foyer of the large house. “This is so nice.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“Not since it was a B&B, and then only twice.” She glanced into the formal living room and across the hall into the dining room. “I attended one of the ghost nights out of curiosity and the other time a friend and her husband from out of town stayed here and I visited them. I know the property better than the house, having walked all over it and the woods around it while looking for the Brown children. One of the best locations in the entire county.”
“Phil and I are quite smitten with it ourselves. It’s a huge house. We’re thinking it might be fun to rent for a family vacation.”
Emma showed Fran into the den. Both men got up when the women entered and shook hands with Fran. “Where’s Heddy?” Gino asked.
“She tutors every Monday night at a local school. She’s quite active in the adult reading program.” Fran said the words with great pride.
“I am very impressed with how active and dedicated you ladies are to education at all levels,” Phil told her. “My aunt Susan has volunteered for years with a program for challenged children in our area. You would hit it off famously.”
“I agree,” Emma added with a smile. “Maybe you’d like to visit us for a weekend in Julian. That’s where Phil grew up and where Granny is from.”
“Julian, California?” Fran asked, her face bright with excitement. “Heddy and I wanted to visit it when we were in San Diego a few years back on vacation, but we ran out of time.”
“Then before we leave,” Emma said, “let’s exchange e-mails and telephone numbers and talk about a date for a visit. I might even talk Milo and Tracy into coming down at the same time.”
Fran’s eyes got wider. “Milo? You mean Milo Ravenscroft? I remember reading somewhere that you two were close.”
Again, Emma nodded. “Milo mentored me when I first started speaking with spirits.”
“And he’s married to Emma’s best friend,” Gino added. When Emma glanced over at him in surprise, he tacked on with a wink, “You see, I pay attention.”
Phil laughed. “We could make a party of it. You come, too, Gino, and maybe the girls. We have plenty of room for everyone between Emma’s house and mine.”
“Okay,” Fran said, fanning herself with her hand, “now I’m all aflutter with anticipation.”
>
“Speaking of the girls,” Gino said, holding his phone aloft. “I just got a text from T. They will be here on Thursday night for the weekend.” He continued looking at his phone, studying it.
“I’m so glad,” Emma said, her words full of happiness at the thought of seeing Kelly and Tanisha. “And Marta will be back by then. She wouldn’t want to miss them.”
“Is that Mrs. Costello?” Fran asked.
“Marta is Gino’s housekeeper,” Emma explained. “She’s currently visiting a friend in Connecticut and is quite fond of our daughters.”
“I’m afraid my wife isn’t here right now,” Gino told Fran as he pocketed his phone. “Would you like a drink, Fran? We’re having brandy, but we also have wine, beer, and scotch.”
“A brandy would be nice on a cold wet night like this,” Fran told him. “Thank you.”
“Come take a seat, Fran,” Emma said, showing her to a seat next to where Gino had been sitting. “I think this would be a good place. We can sit two on a side.”
She picked up the photo album from the table and opened it to the page with the Brown family in front of the big farmhouse, where they were currently gathered. “This is a history of Misty Hollow,” she explained to Fran. “This is a photo of the Browns right before the two children went missing.”
Fran immediately pointed to Chester and Clarissa. “Here they are.” When the others looked at her with surprise, she explained, “I’ve seen this photo before in old historical records. In one that talks about their disappearance and the haunting of this house, the children are circled to identify them.” She flipped through the photos that showed the various stages of renovation of the house and property. “What a great album to have on hand for guests, but there’s no mention here of the place being haunted. The last owner really tried to capitalized on that. I guess the current one doesn’t want to or doesn’t believe it.”
“He certainly never mentioned it to me,” Gino said. “And neither did my friend who recommended this place. He and his family stayed here a week last year.”
The Ghosts of Misty Hollow Page 13