4 The Silent Ghost

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  “Why not? I cold-call leads on stories all the time. Nothing to it.” While they waited for the call to be answered, both of them watched the spirit hovering a few feet away. Granny had posted herself as a guard, keeping the unhappy ghost away from Tanisha.

  “It’s voice mail,” she said to Kelly. “Hi,” Tanisha spoke into the phone when the tone sounded, “My name is Tanisha Costello. I bought the loft in Cambridge earlier this year from you and wanted to ask you a few questions about it. Nothing major. I just thought you could help me with some history on the place.” She left her number.

  “Hopefully,” she said, putting her phone down, “that’s the right Rhoda Saatela, and she’ll be willing to have a little chat.”

  Tanisha walked away from the desk and paced, continuing to shake off the depression the ghost had layered on like thick icing. “You think maybe Saatela sold the place because of the ghost?”

  “There’s a thought.” Kelly held the drawing up, looking between it and its subject, comparing and making a few changes. “Even if she couldn’t see or hear it, she might have felt negative vibes in the loft.”

  “This ghost still trying to drain you?” Granny asked Tanisha. Kelly relayed Granny’s question to her.

  “Not as much, Granny,” Tanisha answered. “But boy, I’m whipped. Every time it happens, I feel like I can hardly move.”

  “Well, this is sort of what your ghost-friend looks like.” Kelly held out the hasty drawing for inspection.

  Tanisha came back to the desk and took the notepad. “Wow, you’re pretty good at this. Maybe you have a career ahead of you as a sketch artist for the police.”

  “Very funny,” Kelly shot back.

  On the pad Kelly had sketched a young woman wearing jeans and a snug light-colored t-shirt with a slightly bare midriff. On her feet were hiking boots. Her hair was shoulder-length, straight, and layered.

  Tanisha glanced up from the drawing to the hazy blob, but saw no resemblance. “And her age?”

  “Hard to say, but if I had to guess, twenty-something, and I think her hair is light to medium brown.”

  “You know, she looks sort of familiar, but living around here, with so many students in the area, I see tons of girls this age. And jeans and a t-shirt—that style has been pretty generic for the past few decades.”

  Kelly nodded in agreement. “True, but the hair is sleek and modern. I mean, it’s not teased or flipped on the ends or anything like that. And look at her jeans. They aren’t skinny jeans. They’re much looser than what we wear today. And see here?” Kelly pointed to a dark spot on the leg of the jeans just above the knee. “That’s a rip or hole.”

  Tanisha looked confused. “So she’s fairly contemporary but not too much so?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I guess that blows the idea that I might know her.” Again, Tanisha looked back and forth between the drawing and the hazy figure. “So this is what she was wearing when she died?”

  “I think so. At least my mom says ghosts wear what they last had on.”

  “But she’s not talking?”

  Kelly shook her head. “Not yet.”

  Tanisha started to ask another question when her phone rang. She answered it. “It’s Rhoda Saatela,” she hissed to Kelly with a hand over the mouthpiece.

  “Hi,” Tanisha said into the phone, infusing her voice with an energy she didn’t feel. “Thank you so much for calling back. I just have a few questions for you about the history of the loft and the building here and was hoping you could help.” Tanisha listened, then looked at Kelly and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, no,” said Granny, after catching the gesture. “She does it, too. Must be contagious.”

  Kelly shot Granny a scowl and put a finger to her lips, letting Granny know to be quiet. The other ghost seemed to have disappeared.

  “Why?” asked the cranky spirit. “You’re the only one who can hear me.”

  “Yes, I know I might be able to ask the title company to run some sort of report, but they’re not open today. I really need some information this weekend.”

  Tanisha listened again, then said, “Look, here’s the thing, I understand this building has a unique history and I’m a writer. I thought it might make for a good human interest story. I’m interviewing other owners in the building, too.”

  She paused again, but this time it was much longer. Kelly didn’t know if the other person was giving Tanisha a rundown on the place or giving her an earful for calling out of the blue.

  Finally, Tanisha said, “I understand, Mrs. Browne. Yes. You have a nice day, too.”

  When she finished the call, Tanisha went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. She held it up to Kelly, asking by gesture if she wanted one. Kelly nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Before she got there, Tanisha tossed the bottle to her and got another out for herself.

  “My news nose tells me she knows something.” Tanisha twisted the top off the water bottle and took a drink.

  “About the building or about the ghost?”

  “I’m not sure, but she sounded nervous when I asked about the building. Almost like she wanted to help, then decided not to for some reason.” She looked around, but the only spirit she saw was Granny. “The other ghost is gone, right? I don’t see her or feel her.”

  “Yes,” answered Kelly. “She took off while you were on the phone.”

  Tanisha continued sipping water while thinking. A minute later, she put the water bottle down on the counter with a determined thud and headed for the closet. “Feel like a road trip?”

  “To where?” Kelly asked after taking a drink of water.

  “Weston, where else?”

  Tanisha returned to the sofa, sat down, and started pulling on a pair of short boots. “I’ve interviewed enough people in my short career to know Rhoda Saatela knows something important. I think with a little personal nudge, she’ll talk.” Once her boots were in place, she went to the laptop and hit a few buttons. The printer on the desk came to life and spit out a piece of paper, which Tanisha grabbed.

  “So you’re just going to go out there, without an invitation, and start grilling her?”

  Tanisha grabbed a light jacket from an antique coatrack by the door. “Isn’t that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?”

  “I wanna go,” said Granny, levitating with excitement.

  “Listen, Kelly, what’s the worst that could happen?”

  Kelly shrugged.

  “She’ll either say yes or no.” Tanisha returned to the kitchen counter to retrieve her bag and the keys she’d left next to it. She slipped the phone into a side pocket of the bag. “If she says no and I get pushy, maybe she’ll threaten to call the cops or turn the family dog on us, if they have one. But that’s about it.”

  “What about her family?”

  Tanisha smiled. She had a lovely smile, though her eyes drooped with exhaustion. “That big silent period just now on the phone?” Tanisha slipped into her jacket. “She was talking to someone. I think it was her husband. I heard him say he’d probably be back after suppertime. And she said not to worry, she had stuff to do around the house and would just heat something up for herself.” Tanisha flashed Kelly another smile. “That woman is going to be home alone, and that’s a perfect time to convince her to talk.”

  “Go on, Kelly,” Granny urged. “T needs backup.”

  Kelly wasn’t so sure.

  “In or out, Whitecastle?” Tanisha dangled the car keys in front of Kelly and shook them. “If not, I’ll drop you off at your dorm on my way out of town.” She picked up Kelly’s drawing. “Mind if I take this?”

  Before Kelly could answer, Granny sidled up to her and whispered, “What would Emma do?”

  Chapter 7

  It only took a few minutes to drive from Tanisha’s place to Kelly’s dorm. Halfway there, Kelly said, “Okay, I’m in if you let me shower and put on clean clothes before we go.”

  “How long is that going to tak
e?” Tanisha glanced over at her. “You one of those girly-girls that takes forever to get ready?”

  “Come on, I’m pretty sweaty from my run.” Kelly grinned at her. “But today I’ll cut you a special deal. Fifteen minutes tops.”

  True to her word, Kelly was back at Tanisha’s Mini Cooper in just under fifteen minutes, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a sea green sweater. In one hand was a jacket and in the other her backpack. Her long hair was clipped up off her shoulders. Her face was makeup free. Kelly removed the clip and let her hair fall free. She squirmed in her seat. “I’m still wet and soapy in some spots.”

  Tanisha laughed and started the car.

  As soon as she was buckled up and they were on their way, Kelly dug into her backpack and pulled out some fruit. “I brought along a couple of apples and bananas. That bagel isn’t going to last long.”

  “You didn’t need to do that,” said Tanisha, glancing over. “I’m sure there are plenty of Dunkin Donuts along the way.”

  “Not exactly healthy.”

  Tanisha shot another look at Kelly Whitecastle. “And if I light up a cigarette, you going to picket for a smoke-free car?”

  “You don’t smoke. If you did, I’d have smelled it by now.”

  “Don’t give me a reason to start.”

  “Apple or banana?” Kelly held one of each up.

  “Apple,” answered Tanisha. “Bananas are too phallic.” Kelly held out an apple, which Tanisha grabbed with her right hand. In short order she took a big bite. It was delicious.

  “Don’t worry,” Kelly told her. “I rinsed it before I left.”

  “Sure it doesn’t need to be rolled around in antiseptic hand gel, too?”

  “Go ahead and laugh,” Kelly told her as she peeled a banana. “It wasn’t me huffing and puffing the other night after leaving Gabby’s. I take care of myself.”

  “Your mother teach you that? I’ve seen photos of her. She’s beautiful.”

  “Mom exercises almost every day and watches her diet, but she’s not a fanatic about it. Both of her parents are in great shape, and Grandpa is a retired surgeon. So eating right and exercising runs in the family. My dad takes care of himself, too. Guess that comes from being on TV.”

  Kelly held up the banana so Tanisha could see it and took a big, almost obscene bite of it. Tanisha laughed so hard, she nearly choked on her apple. “Now if I was a gossip-rag reporter, I’d be snapping off photos of that and selling them to the highest bidder.”

  They ate in silence as they traveled along Route 20, finishing up just before Watertown. While she waited for Kelly to clean up, Tanisha had plugged Rhoda Saatela’s address into her GPS. “So where’s Granny?” Tanisha asked as they drove along the route mapped out for them.

  Kelly was staring out the window. The further they got from busy Boston, the more charming and quaint the area became. As much as she missed California, she liked New England and the changing seasons and lush foliage of the spring, summer, and fall months. She didn’t even mind the snow and cold. “She’ll pop up when she feels like it. Ghosts need to disappear and recharge every now and then. They materialize by drawing on the heat energy around them,” she explained. “That’s why it gets so cold when they’re around. When that’s used up, they have to go away for a while.” Kelly looked over at Tanisha and smiled. “Trust me, she wouldn’t miss interrogating the Saatela woman for anything, even if she can’t do it personally.”

  “Does she help your mother with stuff like this?”

  “All the time. Granny considers Mom and herself some sort of paranormal private investigation team. My mother has gotten into some scrapes in the past few years while investigating ghosts. She has a habit of stirring up the past and antagonizing the living.”

  “You think that’s what we’re doing?”

  “Guess we’ll see.” Kelly went back to looking out the window. “Mom says we have nothing to fear from ghosts, just from the people who made them that way.”

  The comment brought Tanisha up short. “I hadn’t thought about that angle. You think the ghost in my loft was murdered?”

  Again Kelly turned to her companion. “I have no idea, but it’s something to consider. My mother has met a few that have been murdered. Or that ghost could just be trying to tell you something she wants you to pass along to someone else. Most of the spirits Mom encounters are like that.”

  “Tell me, Whitecastle, when Harvard’s behind you, you going into the family business?”

  “And which business is that? Being on TV, or in film like my Granddad George?”

  “I was thinking more the medium business, like your mother. A mother-daughter act could be big.”

  Kelly shifted in her seat so she could face Tanisha. “First of all, it’s no act. We’re not circus freaks.” She flicked her long hair back over her shoulder in irritation.

  “Calm down. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that your mother is building a nice, respectable career out of her skills, so why not you?”

  Kelly straightened and looked out the windshield. “That’s never crossed my mind. Maybe because I’m so new at it.” Her future was something she’d thought about but hadn’t made any decisions about yet. “I’m not sure what I want to do after college. Some of my friends know exactly what they want and have since high school. I envy that. Sometimes I think about law school. I’ve talked to Phil about it a few times. That’s my mom’s boyfriend.”

  “He’s an attorney?”

  “Yeah and easier to talk to than my own dad. He was very up front about the pros and cons of practicing law. My father seems kind of ambivalent about what I decide to do. He’s told me if I want to get into TV, he’d help, but I don’t think that’s the direction I want. I want to do something that’s mine and mine alone. If I’m successful, I don’t want people to think it’s just because I’m a Whitecastle. If I do anything in show business, a lot of people will think it was handed to me.”

  Tanisha gave a quiet nod. “I know what you mean.”

  “My grandfather used me in a couple of movies during high school.”

  “You were in a George Whitecastle film?” Tanisha sounded truly impressed.

  “Yes, including his last Oscar win about five years ago.”

  “I saw that movie!”

  “I had a few lines, but mostly I was part of the crowd that orbited around the two stars. Some of Granddad’s closest colleagues knew who I was, but most of the crew and actors did not. I was billed as Kelly White and not given any special privileges, which is what I wanted. I did one more movie after that, then told him I didn’t like acting. I think he was both pleased and disappointed.” Kelly grew very quiet before adding, “That movie turned out to be his last.”

  “I’m sorry, Kelly. I heard your grandfather had cancer.”

  Kelly swiped a hand across her face and nodded.

  Tanisha glanced at Kelly. “Guess it’s my turn to tell you a secret.”

  Kelly laughed. “Instead of a cone of silence, this can be a car of silence.”

  “Fair enough.” Tanisha stopped for a light, taking the time to arrange her thoughts. “My dream is to be a novelist.”

  “Like your father?”

  “Yes, but not crime fiction. I want to write novels about women’s issues and race issues and socioeconomic influences. I want my readers to pay attention to what’s important while I entertain them. I want to turn characters and situations inside out to the point that I make people laugh and cry at the same time.”

  “So why don’t you? You obviously have the passion for it.”

  “For the same reason you shy away from show business. I don’t want a publisher to take me on because I’m Gino Costello’s daughter.”

  “There have been a lot of kids of famous writers who have gone on to have writing careers.”

  “True, but there are always snotty comments about nepotism over talent, especially in the beginning. And mostly they’re true. Some have real talent, and others don’t, bu
t none had to go through the long and grueling process of finding an agent and a publisher like most novelists.” She paused. “I even have a novel that’s almost complete.”

  “Have you told your father?”

  “No, because he’ll come in on his white horse—like he did with the loft—and try to force it on his publisher. I’m thinking about querying several agents under a pen name, just to see what happens.”

  Kelly gave her an encouraging smile. “I say, do it. What have you got to lose?”

  “The way I look at it, just my pride.”

  A few minutes later, Tanisha pulled into a long driveway edged on both sides by golden-leafed trees. The end of the drive blossomed into a roundabout in front of a sprawling gray stone and white Cape Cod-style house with a manicured lawn and sharply trimmed shrubs. Tanisha pulled up just past the front door and turned off the engine. “It’s show time. You ready for this?”

  Kelly studied the lovely home a moment, then, without looking at Tanisha, nodded and opened the car door.

  Chapter 8

  They were not pleased to hear the barking of a large dog on the other side of the front door when they rang the bell.

  “Remember that remark I made back in the loft about her turning the dog on us?” Tanisha whispered to Kelly. “I was just kidding then.”

  “Or maybe it was a premonition,” Kelly whispered back.

  A woman dressed in jeans and an oversized man’s white shirt worn open over a pale yellow turtleneck opened the front door. Hanging from a beaded chain around her neck were a pair of reading glasses. On her feet were Keds. In spite of her casual attire, she wore a thick gold necklace and impressive diamond stud earrings. Her makeup was perfect and her shoulder-length honey blonde hair was held back from her face with a headband. She appeared to be in her late forties. By her side was a large, growling Doberman. She had a firm grip on his collar.

  “Quiet,” she ordered the dog. The black and tan animal immediately stopped barking, but did not let down its guard. It stood as straight and alert as a career military man, ready to defend its mistress at the first sign of trouble.