by Bobbi Holmes
“He was taking a shower,” Kelly explained when she stepped into the entry hall.
“Oh. I tried calling him a little while ago, and he didn’t answer.” Lily closed the front door.
“He was probably in the shower,” Kelly said. “I came over to see how you’re all doing, and if you’d read the Mystery of Marlow House blog today.”
“I can’t say I have. Dani’s in the kitchen. Want some coffee and a cinnamon roll?”
“I’d love some.” Kelly followed Lily down the hall toward the kitchen. “Where are your guests?”
“They checked out last night. Imagine that?” Lily said with a snort.
“Ahhh…because of what happened yesterday?”
Lily shrugged and led the way into the kitchen.
Danielle was sitting alone at the table with a cup of coffee and half-eaten cinnamon roll. “Morning, Kelly. Is Ian with you?”
“He’s taking a shower,” Lily answered for her and then pointed to the table, suggesting Kelly take a seat while she got her a cup of coffee and roll.
By the time Lily returned to the table, Kelly was already telling them about the blog post.
“That is strange,” Danielle said after she finished.
“I’m going to tell Joe about it. After all, if that poor woman was murdered, then maybe the blogger had something to do with it,” Kelly suggested.
“I can’t believe we’re even entertaining the idea Agatha’s death was murder. But if there was no way for her to get where she was found without someone helping her get there, then something definitely isn’t right,” Lily observed.
“If someone did push Agatha down those stairs,” Danielle said as she tore her remaining piece of cinnamon roll in two, “it was probably someone from her family—they had the motive. And if that’s true, I seriously don’t see one of them informing a blogger of their intentions.”
“I suppose so. But it does seem suspicious,” Kelly said with a sigh. Picking up her cinnamon roll, Kelly glanced over at Lily, watching as she drank her coffee and stared blankly at the back door. Setting her roll back down on its napkin, Kelly cleared her throat and said, “So Ian didn’t come back over here last night?”
Startled back to the moment, Lily blinked and looked at Kelly. “Ian? No, he didn’t. Didn’t he go out to dinner with you guys last night?”
Kelly shook her head and then took a bite of her roll. After she swallowed, she said, “He told me he planned to come back here and see you.”
Lily frowned. “Well, he didn’t.”
“I know. That’s what he said this morning. Said something about going to bed early.”
Lily let out a sigh. “It was an insane day yesterday. But I kind of figured he would have called me by now. Is he okay?”
Kelly swallowed nervously. She wasn’t sure how to answer that question. After all, her brother had ignored Lily’s phone call that morning. “Okay?”
“Yeah, he seemed a little…I don’t know…distant yesterday.”
“You mean after they found Agatha?” Kelly asked.
Lily shook her head. “No. Even before that. I swear, I kept catching him looking at me with the oddest expression.”
“Love?” Kelly managed to squeak out, although she had a horrible feeling she was the cause of her brother’s odd behavior, and she didn’t think love had anything to do with it. Had the conversation she had instigated about Lily—raising questions on why Lily had avoided certain conversations—caused Ian to give the relationship a second thought?
“More like there was a Post-it note stuck to my forehead that said idiot and he was trying to figure out if he agreed with the note or should tell me to take it off.”
Danielle let out a snort and popped the remaining piece of roll in her mouth.
“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Kelly said impulsively. “With the kid sister staying with him this weekend, it is kind of hard to get some alone time. Why don’t you go over now while I’m here?”
Ten minutes later, Danielle sat alone at the table with Kelly. Lily had taken the suggestion and left for Ian’s house.
Danielle eyed Kelly critically as the younger woman finished her coffee. “Is something going on with your brother? Is there someone else?”
Startled, Kelly looked up at Danielle. “Someone else? You mean is Ian seeing someone else?”
“Well, I know Lily isn’t. And Ian is the one who’s acting distant. So yeah, I suppose that might be one conclusion.”
Kelly shook her head, “No. It’s not anything like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Trouble in paradise?” Walt asked when he appeared the next moment. “Sadie certainly has never mentioned another woman.”
Danielle glanced briefly at Walt, who stood by the counter, unseen by Kelly.
“I’m afraid it might have been something I said,” Kelly confessed.
“Something you said? Like what?”
“It’s about the Marlow House stories—you know, how it’s haunted,” Kelly said guiltily.
“Is she suggesting people know about me?” Walt asked.
“Where did you hear that?” Danielle frowned.
“I’m not saying it’s really haunted, just all the speculation about the strange things that people have experienced here.”
“What kind of strange things?” Danielle asked.
“You know, like how Brian Henderson felt like someone hit him, and he landed on the floor.”
Danielle frowned. “What does this have to do with Lily and Ian?”
“For one thing, Lily never mentioned it to him. He didn’t know it happened. I just thought it was odd she wouldn’t tell Ian something like that.”
“Did Brian tell you that story?” Danielle asked.
“Yeah. And some other stuff, like that guest you had recently, she claimed the books went flying off the shelf in the library. Ian didn’t know anything about that. I just thought it was odd Lily never mentioned it to him before.”
“Good lord, Ian’s little sister is certainly a chatty little thing, isn’t she?” Walt scoffed.
When Kelly wasn’t looking, Danielle flashed Walt a dirty look.
“Don’t give me that face,” Walt said defensively. “I’m not the one who knocked the books off the shelf in the library, and when I slugged Brian, he deserved it.”
TWELVE
Ian sat on the foot of his bed, staring at the engagement ring in his hand. If someone would have asked him last week what he would be doing on Sunday, it wouldn’t be this—sitting alone in his room, looking at the ring he thought would be on Lily’s left hand by now. He was no longer sure the ring would ever go on Lily’s hand. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Nothing made sense.
Ian’s alter ego, Jon Altar, would normally be all over a story like this. Wineglasses floating through the air. Punchy ghosts who occasionally slugged an annoying trespasser. Books mysteriously flying off shelves. However, Jon Alter’s angle wouldn’t be some paranormal made-for-Halloween tale. His expertise was more exposé. Ian didn’t believe in ghosts. Oh, he believed in conmen and hucksters who made people believe they were seeing things that weren’t there, but ghosts? No way.
According to Adam Nichols, Danielle had installed security cameras. That would explain how she knew Adam and Bill had broken into the house. The fact Lily never mentioned the cameras troubled him.
While he had to admit, when he first saw those wineglasses floating through the air, it jarred his senses. Yet now that he had time to digest it, Ian was certain it had all been rigged. But why? Was this obviously fabricated ghost hoax just some prank, or was something else going on?
He refused to believe Lily—his Lily—could be involved in anything unethical. Whatever was going on, there had to be a good reason for it. He just didn’t understand why she hadn’t confided in him.
In the midst of his internal battle, Ian failed to notice his bedroom door open. It wasn’t until he heard a soft feminine voice say, “Ian?” did he r
ealize he was no longer alone.
Looking up at the doorway, he saw Lily standing there, staring curiously at him. It was then he realized he was still holding the engagement ring. Without thought, he released hold of the ring and snatched it in the grip of his palm, concealing it from view.
Tilting her head ever so slightly, Lily walked into the room. “What are you holding?”
“Nothing,” he stammered. “Did Kelly tell you to come in?”
“Kelly? Kelly’s over at Marlow House with Dani.” Lily walked to the bed, standing over Ian.
As Ian looked up at Lily, he shoved his hand into his pocket, depositing the ring. “She is?”
“What did you put in your pocket?”
“Nothing,” he lied.
“Don’t be silly.” Lily grinned. “You put something in there.”
Ian stood up, his expression solemn. “Let’s go out to the living room. We need to talk.”
Curious, Lily nodded. Together they silently walked to the living room. Ian took a seat on the recliner while Lily sat on the sofa. Sadie, who was already in the living room, walked over to Ian and curled up by his feet.
“Okay, what’s wrong, Ian? You’ve been acting a little strange the last couple of days. What’s going on?”
“Why didn’t you tell me Danielle installed security cameras throughout Marlow House?”
Lily frowned. “Security cameras?”
“Adam told me—”
Before Ian could finish his explanation, Lily began to laugh. “Oh, that! I remember Dani told me Adam was convinced she had security cameras in the house because she figured out he was the one who broke in.”
“You mean there are no cameras?”
Lily giggled. “No. You’re welcome to check for yourself. And just think about it, Ian, if there were security cameras in the house, I doubt the police chief would still be wondering how Agatha Pine got upstairs by herself. You don’t think Danielle would be turning over that kind of video surveillance if she had it?”
“How did Danielle know what shirt Bill wore that day?”
Lily shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Dani.”
“What about the books flying off the shelf in Marlow House? Why didn’t you ever tell me about that?”
Lily blinked several times. “Books?”
“Yes. In the library. A guest claimed books went flying off the shelf.”
Lily shrugged. “Well, I never saw it.”
“But she claimed it happened?” he asked.
“Yeah. So?” Lily frowned.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about it?” he asked.
Lily shrugged again. “I don’t know. I…I guess I never thought about it.”
“What about Brian Henderson getting slugged in the entry hall and flying across the room?”
“He didn’t actually fly across the room,” Lily scoffed.
“But you saw it?”
“He stumbled, yeah. Fell on the floor. Sorta like the time Cheryl did. You were there then. Remember?” Lily asked.
“And you didn’t think it was odd? From what I understand, lots of strange things happen at Marlow House—like people imagining they’re being pushed or punched, books flying off shelves, the scent of cigar smoke coming and going—and you’ve never mentioned it before.”
Lily frowned. “Ian, what is this about? And we’ve talked about that cigar smell before. Some houses smell funny. That’s not a big deal. What is going on?”
“Last night, I decided not to go out to dinner with my sister.”
“I know. She told me. Said you wanted to go to bed early.” Lily move restlessly in her seat.
“I lied to her. I didn’t go to bed early. I went over to Marlow House.”
“What do you mean you went to Marlow House? I was there. I didn’t see you.”
“I went to the back door. It was dark outside, but the kitchen was lit up. You were in there with Chris and Danielle.”
“Why didn’t you come in? I don’t understand.”
“I was going to.” Ian stood up. He started pacing the room.
“What stopped you?”
Ian turned to Lily and stopped pacing. “I was about to come in when I saw something strange.”
“Strange?”
“There were two wineglasses sitting on the counter and…they floated across the room. All by themselves. All the way to the table.”
Lily swallowed nervously. “You saw that?”
“Yes. And then I heard someone come into the yard, so I hid in the bushes. It was Heather. I watched her go into the house. And then I saw something else. Now it was a wine bottle and a glass floating across the room. The trick got better. The bottle poured itself—just like someone invisible was holding it—filling up Heather’s glass. She accepted the wine like it was the most natural thing in the world.”
Lily groaned and leaned back on the sofa. “You saw all that?”
Ian nodded. “Tell me. What the hell is going on over there?”
Sitting back up on the sofa, Lily took a deep breath and licked her lips. She looked up at Ian and smiled weakly. “I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I figured you’d never believe me anyway, so I just kept it to myself. Actually, now that you’ve seen for yourself, it makes everything a lot easier. Kind of a relief, really, now that I think about it.” Lily let out a sigh and sat back on the sofa and smiled.
“Are you going to tell me or just sit there?” Ian snapped.
“I’m sorry, I thought you probably figured it out already. Isn’t it obvious? Marlow House is haunted.”
Unsmiling, Ian stared at Lily. “Seriously? That’s what you want to tell me?”
“Well, it’s the truth,” Lily insisted.
“Lily, I really am not in the mood for jokes. Just tell me what’s really going on.”
“I just did.”
“Damn it, Lily, I’m not kidding. This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny. I’m telling you the truth.”
Angry, Ian stood up and shook his head. “I thought we had something special. You obviously think it’s all some joke. If you have such a difficult time with the truth, there is a real problem with our relationship.”
Lily stood up abruptly. “Ian, what does Marlow House being haunted have to do with you and me? Are you mad because I kept it from you? I’m sorry, but I didn’t think you would believe me.”
“Ya think?” he snapped.
“Then why are you mad?” she practically shouted.
“Come on, Lily, there are no such things as ghosts. I know something’s going on over at Marlow House, I saw it with my own eyes. But it sure as hell is not a ghost. I don’t know why you just don’t tell me the truth.”
“Ian, you admitted you saw the wineglasses float across the room. It was Walt. He carried the glasses to the table, but you couldn’t see him. Only Danielle, Chris, and Heather can see him.”
“Oh really? They can see ghosts, but you can’t? I didn’t see Walt—I am assuming you mean Walt Marlow—so I suppose I can’t see ghosts either. Why is it they can? Explain it to me.”
“I don’t know!” Exasperated, Lily plopped down on the sofa again. “Why are you so angry? I don’t know why they can see ghosts. Evan can see ghosts too.”
Ian frowned. Turning from Lily for a moment, he muttered, “Evan…that’s right. He said something about seeing Walt.”
“See! I told you.”
Turning to Lily again, he shouted, “Damn, Lily. Whatever you guys are up to, why drag a child into it?”
Lily stood back up again. “Just what do you think we’re trying to do?”
“I have no idea. But the fact you keep lying to me doesn’t make me feel better.”
“I’m not lying to you!”
“Are you sticking to this ghost story?” Ian asked.
“It’s the truth.”
“Then I think you should leave.”
Startled, Lily asked in a whisper, “Leave?”
“I’ve ne
ver made it a secret that women who play games are a major turnoff. That was one thing that attracted me to you. Your honesty. But now…” Ian shook his head wearily.
Tears filled Lily’s eyes. “I am telling the truth.”
“Just go, Lily.”
Lily stepped toward Ian, but he put his hand out, stopping her.
“I’m not big on prolonging the agony. When something is over, it’s over. I don’t intend to tell my sister why we broke up—”
“You’re breaking up with me?” Lily squeaked.
“Unless you can explain why you insist on lying, yes.”
“But I’m telling the truth. Marlow House is haunted.”
“Like I said, I don’t intend to tell my sister why we broke up. It is no one’s business.”
“Ian, I can understand if you don’t believe Marlow House is haunted. But I’m surprised you accuse me of lying. If I believe in something that you don’t believe in, that is hardly the same thing as lying. An atheist might not believe in God, but he doesn’t call a believer a liar.”
“You forget what I saw in the kitchen last night,” Ian reminded her.
Lily frowned. “You mean when Walt poured the wine?”
“Granted, it looked like the bottle was pouring itself from where I was standing outside. But I imagine from where you were sitting in the kitchen, you had to have been privy to whatever the trick was.”
“Ian…that doesn’t make sense…”
“You need to leave, Lily. Please. Now.”
WALT HAD JUST STEPPED out of the kitchen when Lily came running through the front doorway, heading straight to the staircase. Curious, he followed her upstairs, where she ran into her bedroom, slammed the door shut, and threw herself onto her bed. Walt stood over Lily and watched as she broke into uncontrollable sobs.
The next moment, Walt was again standing in the kitchen with Danielle and Kelly, who sat at the table. Kelly was recounting a story Joe had told her, regarding the FBI agents.
Ignoring the fact Kelly was speaking, Walt leaned down to Danielle and said, “You need to get Kelly to go home. Lily needs you.”
Danielle glanced over to Walt, frowning slightly in confusion.
“She just came in the front door, went to her room. At the moment she’s crying. Something’s wrong.”