4 The Silent Ghost

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  “Yes?” she asked them.

  “Mrs. Browne,” Tanisha began, trying not to appear afraid of the dog. “I’m Tanisha Costello. We spoke this morning. This is my friend Kelly…Kelly White.” Kelly glanced at her but said nothing.

  At first, the woman at the door appeared puzzled, then her mouth pulled tight and her brows came together with displeasure. “Are you the same person who called here a little while ago?”

  “Yes,” Tanisha confirmed. “I know this seems like an intrusion.”

  “Seems? This is an intrusion.” The woman’s voice was harsh, causing the dog to shift and stiffen, waiting for a command to vanquish the visitors. “I told you I don’t know anything about the loft. I owned it. I lived in it. I sold it to you. End of story.” The woman sounded more agitated than annoyed.

  Tanisha wasn’t about to give up. “I recall something about you not living in it for several years before we bought it. That you leased it out to tenants.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Did any of your tenants have any unusual experiences while living there?”

  Mrs. Browne’s eyes shifted off to the side before she spoke. “How would I know? Now if you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of something.”

  “Please, Mrs. Brown,” pressed Tanisha. “I’m a freelance writer on a deadline and need to check out the history of that building as soon as possible. Kelly attends Harvard and is helping me.” Tanisha had a business card at the ready and handed it to the woman.

  Without receiving any command, the dog sat down, whimpered like a puppy, and thumped its tail. His owner looked down with surprise. “That’s odd. Hans doesn’t usually like strangers.”

  Tanisha, sensing that Mrs. Browne was letting down her guard, continued to plead her case, “Please, Mrs. Browne, we would just like to ask you a few questions. It won’t take long.”

  The woman looked at the two of them, then down at her dog, who was now acting like a welcome wagon. When she looked back up, she opened the door wide. “Oh, all right, come on in. But drop the Mrs. Browne. It reminds me of my mother-in-law. Call me Rhoda.”

  When they reached a spacious sunroom just off the kitchen, Rhoda invited them to take seats at the wicker and glass table in the center of the room. “Can I get you girls something to drink? I was about to have some tea.”

  Both declined and Rhoda went back into the kitchen to fetch her tea. Hans stayed behind, settling down on a large, thick doggy bed near the door.

  “Did you drop a dog treat when no one was looking?” Tanisha whispered to Kelly. “Or a tranquilizer?”

  “It’s Granny. I don’t see her, but I guarantee she’s around. Dogs go nuts for her.” Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Granny popped up next to Hans. “What a great dog,” the ghost said with enthusiasm. “We gotta get one of these as a buddy for Archie.”

  “I think Archie is fine the way things are,” Kelly responded.

  “Who’s Archie?” asked Tanisha.

  “My grandparents’ Scottish terrier. He and Granny are BFFs.”

  A minute later, Rhoda was back. She put a tall mug down on the glass table and took a seat across from them. The tea was aromatic with ginger.

  “This is such a lovely room, Rhoda,” commented Kelly. “I love all the baskets of hanging plants.”

  “Thank you. This room allows us to feel like we’re outside, except when it gets very cold.” She blew over the top of her tea to cool it. “So what do you need to know about the place?” She raised the mug to her lips and took a delicate sip.

  Tanisha dove right into her questions. “We know the building was converted into lofts in the 1990’s. Did you buy your loft then?”

  “No, I bought the loft in…” she started. “Let’s see, I think I bought it in 2001 or 2002. I was single and working in Boston at the time. It was only a few years old, but I believe I was the second owner.” She held up the index finger of her right hand. “No, I remember now. I was the third owner. I remember because I was suspicious at the time why such a great place had turned around so many times in so few years.”

  “Did you ever ask the Realtor why?”

  “Of course I did. I suspected something wasn’t sound about the place, but it passed inspection with flying colors. I even worried that one of the other owners was loud or difficult, but I questioned a few of them and they said the building was quiet and everyone pleasant. The Realtor told me it was just a coincidence. She said the first owner got a job transfer out of state and the second owner sold it when she got married. I was never able to confirm that but wanted the loft enough to take the Realtor’s word for it.”

  “Is that why you moved out?” Kelly asked. “Because you got married?”

  Rhoda started to say something, but stopped. A slight shake invaded her hands. She picked up the mug to steady them. “No,” she finally said. “I got married seven years ago, after I’d already moved out. After buying the loft, I lived in it for a couple of years, then,” Rhoda hesitated. She took another sip of tea. She seemed to grow more nervous as she spoke. “I fell ill. I had to leave the loft and my job and move back in with my mother. I always hoped I’d go back to the loft, so I leased the place out instead of selling it. Then I married Edward, and we hung on to it until this past year because the real estate market was so soft.”

  Tanisha and Kelly exchanged looks, both sure that Rhoda had something to tell them that was just below the surface. “So for about ten years it was leased?” asked Tanisha.

  “More like eight or nine. When I could find stable tenants, that is. None of them stayed very long and I was never sure why. It’s a great place in a super location. But that’s why I finally decided to sell it, even in this crappy real estate market. It was just too much trouble to keep it leased.”

  Granny floated over to the table. “Ask what made her sick.”

  “I’m very sorry to hear of your illness,” Kelly said with sincerity. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

  Rhoda shrugged. “I never found out exactly. I went from one doctor to another, had more tests than I knew existed. They found nothing. No cancer. No odd disease of any kind. I was finally diagnosed as bipolar. I left the loft and my job when the mood swings became so bad I feared for my life. I’ve been on medication since.”

  Kelly noted that Tanisha was being very quiet. “I’m very sorry to hear that,” she said again to Rhoda, “but I hope you’re a lot better now.”

  “I started getting better almost immediately after I was diagnosed. My mother is convinced it was the stress of my job that triggered it. She was probably right. I was in marketing and very ambitious, and spent a lot of time traveling.” She laughed. “It was impossible to keep a decent relationship going. I don’t think Edward and I would have met and married had I not made a major life change when I did.”

  Hans got up from his bed and wandered over to the table. He tried to nudge Granny, but his nose went right through her. “In a minute,” the ghost said to the animal. “I’m working here.”

  Rhoda reached out and petted the dog for a few seconds. He accepted it as second choice. “He really is very good around you girls. He’s usually not this social with company.”

  Kelly and Tanisha exchanged another quick look.

  “Isn’t that bipolar a kind of depression?” asked Granny. “Kind of like what Tanisha is going through?”

  Kelly moved her head as if she were loosening some tightness in her neck, but she was really letting Granny know she was on the track of something.

  After taking a big sip of her tea, Rhoda asked, “Have you talked to Russell Savage yet? He’s been in the building since the conversion. In fact, I think he was one of the developers.”

  Tanisha looked surprised. “Really? I didn’t know that. He’s never mentioned it when I’ve seen him.” She turned to Kelly to explain. “He lives in the top floor apartment, right above me. It’s the largest in the building and takes up the entire floor.”

  Rho
da gave Tanisha a big grin. “Russ still loving the ladies in the building? When I lived there, I think he was making it his mission to bed every one of us. Me included. I believe he even nailed a few of my tenants. At least that’s what Bernice Taylor on the second floor suggested when I ran into her when I was getting ready to sell the loft. My relationship with Russ ended once I left the building.”

  Tanisha raised an eyebrow at the news. “I see Russ in the building every now and then, but my hours are kind of odd.”

  “He had a hard time of it for a while,” Rhoda continued. “About the time the building was converted, his younger sister went missing. There were just the two of them. Their parents were both dead, and he looked out for her. I don’t think she was ever found, and I don’t think he ever got over it. He told me he hired all kinds of private detectives to search for her. He’s convinced she ran off with some lowlife she was dating at the time. He disapproved and they fought over it. Whenever we had a few drinks, he’d tell me over and over how it was his fault.”

  “How very sad,” commented Kelly. “What was his sister’s name? Do you remember?”

  “Let me see.” Rhoda closed her eyes a moment. “Ann. Audrey. I remember it starting with an A. Alice.” She opened her eyes and looked at them, pleased with remembering. “Yes, that’s it. Her name was Alice. Alice Savage.”

  Rhoda put down her mug and stretched out the fingers of both of her hands. “You know, I haven’t had the shakes in ages, but as soon as I got your call today, they started up again. How odd.”

  After telling Kelly and Tanisha as much as she could about the history of the loft, the neighborhood, and some of the longtime occupants of the building, Rhoda and Hans escorted them to the front door. Or rather, Rhoda escorted Kelly and Tanisha and Hans trotted alongside Granny.

  “Thank you so much for your help, Rhoda,” said Kelly.

  “I don’t know how much help I was, but it was surprisingly fun. I did so love that loft. Until I got ill, I had a wonderful time there.”

  After taking a few steps towards the car, Tanisha turned back around. “I almost forgot.” She dug around in her bag and retrieved the drawing of the ghost. She stepped back to the door and showed it to Rhoda. “Does this woman look familiar?”

  Rhoda looked at it a moment, then slipped on her reading glasses. “Where did you get this?”

  “It’s a drawing I did,” answered Kelly. She hesitated, then added, “I sketched it from a picture we found while researching the building. We were hoping it would give a clue as to some of the people and time frame.”

  “Do you know who this is?” pressed Tanisha, trying not to sound too eager.

  “She looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t say for sure. Many of us wore our hair this way back then.” Rhoda laughed. “It was the Rachel cut.”

  “The Rachel cut?” Tanisha looked at Kelly, who only shrugged.

  “You know the show Friends?”

  Both girls nodded.

  “Jennifer Aniston wore her hair like this on the show. It triggered a whole new hairstyle. Everyone was getting their hair styled this way, hoping to look like Rachel.”

  *

  “We need to talk to Russell,” commented Kelly once they were on their way back to Cambridge. “Do you think the ghost visits him, too?”

  Tanisha was very quiet. She kept both hands on the wheel and her face forward as she drove. She’d been stewing about something ever since they had left Rhoda’s. Granny had disappeared as soon as they hit the road home.

  “What’s wrong?” Kelly asked. “You’ve been in a bad mood since we left the Browne house.”

  “I’m such a fool,” was all Tanisha said and went back to glaring at the road like it was the root of her problem.

  “Was the hairstyle a clue? Did you figure something out about the ghost from it?”

  “No on the ghost, yes on me. I figured out that I’m a fool.” Tanisha curled her lip. “Russ is going to get more than questions, I can tell you that.”

  Kelly watched Tanisha until it dawned on her. “Oh my God, you slept with him, didn’t you? You slept with that Russell guy.”

  Tanisha pounded the steering wheel with one fist. “If I had known he’d slept his way through the building, I certainly would never have. He even used that sad sack line about his sister on me.” Again, she pounded the wheel. “He probably never even had a sister.”

  Kelly looked out the passenger side window, unsure of what to say to Tanisha to comfort her. Then another thought occurred to her. She turned back around. “Hey, wait a minute. If this guy was around during the conversion, he’d have to be at least in his forties about now. Right? Isn’t that a bit old for you?”

  “Russ is forty-seven. What of it?”

  “Ewwww, that’s the same age as my dad. Probably yours, too.”

  “My dad is fifty-three. Not even close.”

  “Close enough.” Kelly shook her head.

  “You haven’t met Russ. He’s cute and charming.” Tanisha pounded the wheel again. “And a liar.”

  “What did he lie about?”

  Tanisha contained her outrage long enough to think. She didn’t like the answer, but it didn’t dampen her anger. “Nothing, actually. But neither did he admit to sleeping with other people in the building.”

  “I’m sorry, but was confessing to that a requirement for dating you?”

  “I ended it with Zak to date Russ,” Tanisha shouted at the windshield. “I didn’t play the field, even though I could have.”

  “You still seeing this guy?”

  “Once in a while, but not like before. We were hot and heavy, but he’s been really busy lately.”

  Kelly groaned. “Face it, T, he’s a player. It happens to all of us at one time or another, so don’t beat yourself up over him. He’s not worth it.” Kelly braced herself as Tanisha steered the Mini Cooper around the pickup truck in front of them, barely missing its left bumper. “And slow down, would you. I don’t want to be a victim of your road rage.”

  Tanisha growled, then shook her head and turned to Kelly, her eyebrows raised. “Hey, you just called me T. Does that mean we’re finally friends?”

  “Considering all the stuff we’ve shared today, we’d better be friends by now.”

  Another mile down the road, Kelly said, “I ran into a guy in his forties this morning in front of your building. He was coming out as I was going in. I have to admit, he was super hot.” She described him to Tanisha.

  “That’s Russ.” She cast a look to her right. “Please don’t tell me he hit on you.”

  “Nah,” Kelly lied.

  When they returned to Kelly’s dorm, Tanisha placed a call to Russell Savage, but only connected with his voice mail. In as even a voice as she could muster, she left him a message saying she needed to speak with him about the building. Kelly was glad he wasn’t home because she didn’t want to be a spectator when Tanisha confronted him.

  As Kelly was getting out of the Mini Cooper, Tanisha cleared her throat. “Kelly, I have a favor to ask.”

  Kelly slung her bag over one shoulder and leaned into the car. “Sure. What?”

  “Considering how awful the ghost was last night, I really don’t want to be alone. Do you think you could stay over tonight? We also might be able make contact with her.”

  Kelly thought about the schoolwork waiting for her attention, but one look at her new friend’s face made up her mind. “Sure. How about I pick up a pizza on the way. There’s a great place just a block from your loft.”

  Tanisha beamed. “Angelo’s. I go there all the time. But I can order it for delivery.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll pick it up.”

  Chapter 9

  “Doesn’t it strike you funny,” Kelly said to Granny while they waited for Tanisha to buzz open the door, “that it’s Saturday night and I’m not out with my friends, but ghost hunting?”

  “Yeah,” answered Granny. “Seems like a step up to me.” When Kelly shot her a dirty look, Granny
added, “You can go out with your friends anytime. And, this way, you get pizza.” The ghost indicated the large square box in Kelly’s hands. “I love the smell of pizza.”

  “I can get pizza anytime, too.”

  “Maybe, but pizza and a crazy ghost? How often does that happen?”

  Kelly raised an eyebrow in Granny’s direction. “More often than is probably good for me.”

  “I hope you’re talking about the pizza.”

  Without answering Granny, Kelly hit the buzzer again.

  Granny hovered around the front door, peering in through the glass front. “She knew you were coming about now, didn’t she?”

  “Yes. In fact, I’m a bit late. The pizza wasn’t ready when I went to pick it up.” Again, Kelly rang the buzzer.

  Digging her phone out of her pocket, she placed a call to Tanisha. Before parting earlier, they had traded phone numbers. “It’s me, Kelly,” she said when she reached voice mail. “I’m downstairs. Call me or buzz me in or something.” Kelly paused, then added, “Please do not tell me you’ve forgotten about tonight.”

  “I’ll pop up there and see if she’s home,” offered Granny. “Maybe she’s in the shower or something.”

  “Good idea. If she’s not, maybe I can slip in when someone comes out and wait for her upstairs where it’s warmer.”

  Kelly didn’t have to wait long before someone came out of the building. It was Russell Savage again. He gave her a wide, bright smile of recognition. “You again. You sure you’re not stalking me?”

  Kelly felt another blush coming on. He was as handsome as any of the movie stars she’d met in Hollywood.

  “If your friend isn’t home,” he told her, “you can share that pizza with me. I’ll be back in about an hour. I’m on the top floor. Just knock.” He winked at her.

  Once inside, Kelly took a deep breath, easily understanding how Tanisha had been attracted to Russ in spite of the age difference.

  She was on the landing of the floor just below Tanisha’s when Granny popped up. “Quick,” the ghost told her with urgency. “It’s Tanisha.” Granny disappeared almost as soon as she appeared.