1 The Ghost in the Basement

by SUE FINEMAN

  Donovan didn’t have much to say to his brother, and Hannah realized they were years apart in age. His brother had to be at least ten or fifteen years older than Donovan. Pop said Donovan came along a few years after his brothers, but she hadn’t realized it was this many years later.

  Kevin emptied his stocking and held up the coin. “Is this real?”

  “Yes, it’s real. If you want to sell it, you’ll want to take it to a coin dealer to get the best price.”

  “Hey, this is great. I need money for college.” He glanced at Billy and back to Hannah. “Next time you see Santa, would you thank him for me?”

  “Sure. Where are you going to school?”

  “I applied to Ohio State in Columbus, but I’d rather go to the campus here in River Valley. They have the pre-law program I need to get into.”

  “Go for it,” said Hannah. “If you want to stay here for a few days while you check it out, that’s fine. You’re always welcome here. Just let us know when you’re coming.” She thought about offering to let him stay while he attended classes, since they had plenty of room, but she wanted to talk with Donovan before she said anything.

  Hannah went to check on the turkey and Louise followed her into the kitchen. “You don’t have to give us these coins, Hannah. It’s generous, but—”

  “I know how hard it is to work your way through college. A few hundred dollars would have been like a small fortune to me.”

  “I remember.” Louise sighed. “Brendan and I both worked our way through, and it took forever to pay off the student loans. Kevin is a good student, but not quite good enough to get a scholarship. I suppose he’ll need a car, too.”

  “Is he a good mechanic?”

  “No, but Patrick is. That kid can fix anything.”

  “They can have my grandfather’s old Buick. I took it out once and it died on me. Donovan and his friends say it’ll cost too much to repair it, but if the boys scour the junk yards, they might find the right parts at a reasonable price. I was going to send it to the junk yard, but if they want it, they’re welcome to it.”

  Louise called the two older boys into the kitchen and told them about the car. Hannah handed them the keys. “If you can make it run, it’s yours.”

  “Awesome!” said Patrick.

  The boys were still tinkering with the car when Rogan and Carrie and their daughter, Robin, arrived. Robin was nineteen, a freshman in college. She was a cutie, with long, curly, strawberry blond hair. Rogan was a police officer in Columbus, and Carrie worked for the city.

  Billy was the youngest of the cousins. He was a happy kid today. Once things calmed down some, Hannah would install the new software on his computer and show him how to use it. But not today. Today was for the Kane family to reconnect.

  “Charming old house,” said Carrie.

  “Yes, it is,” said Hannah. “You’re welcome to explore. We’re still getting it in shape. We have most of the new plumbing in, but we have to replace Pop’s bathroom and tear out the old bathroom upstairs. We’re turning that space into a computer room. I have a lot more wallpaper to replace and the outside needs to be painted next year. And we plan to build a garage.” Grandpa had an old single-car garage off the side street when Hannah was a little girl, but it was too close to the street, and they had to tear it out to make room for the new city sewer lines. There was so much work left to do on the old house, but they’d accomplished a lot since they moved in last October.

  “Hannah, how long until dinner?” Donovan asked.

  She knew he wanted some help putting together his new exercise equipment. “At least an hour.”

  “We’ll be in the attic.”

  Louise and Carrie walked through the house and returned to the kitchen. Louise munched on a radish. “This is a great house, Hannah. Who lives in the attic?”

  “My ex-husband, Trevor Ames.”

  Louise burst out laughing and nearly choked. “I love it! Donovan should have locked his wife in the attic. Maybe she wouldn’t have run up all those bills. Brendan said Donovan had over a hundred thousand in credit card debt. My husband said if I ever did that, he’d shoot me. I’m sorry she died, but I’m not sorry Donovan is rid of her. Maggie was a shrew, a spoiled brat who never grew up.”

  “He still owes on her medical bills,” said Hannah. “I’d pay them off if he’d let me. With all the treasures we found in the house, I can well afford it.”

  Louise waved a carrot stick. “It’s a pride thing.”

  “I know, but it isn’t his fault he owes that much.”

  Carrie asked, “If I’m stepping out of line here, just say so, but I’m curious. Are you two getting married?”

  “Donovan still has issues with Maggie. I’m not sure he’s ready to marry again.”

  “Honey, he’ll always have issues with Maggie,” said Louise. “We all had issues with Maggie. She thought she was better than the rest of the family, and I, for one, resented it. She didn’t speak to any of us unless she absolutely had to, and forget helping Connie in the kitchen. It was beneath her. She wouldn’t even help Donovan with the baby. All she did was sit around looking pretty.”

  Hannah could hear Rogan’s loud laugh all over the house. Carrie rolled her eyes. “I wish to God I could tone him down a few decibels. The older he gets, the louder he gets.”

  Robin came in. “Mom, did you look at the house? It’s awesome. There’s like a whole apartment in the attic.”

  “Trevor lives up there right now,” said Hannah. “I’m beginning to think he’s planning to stay forever.”

  “Who’s Trevor?” asked Robin.

  “A friend.”

  Louise started laughing and infected Hannah. “Okay, Trevor is my ex-husband. He came to visit several weeks ago and stayed.”

  Robin laughed a little. “I can’t believe Uncle Donovan lets… I mean… ”

  “I know what you mean. Donovan and I talked about taking the bed out of the attic and giving him a coffin to sleep in, but he’s not a bad guy, and he needed a place to stay until he got back on his feet. He’s working at the television station now, and he’s done a lot of the work on the house.”

  The boys came in grinning. They had Grandpa’s car running. Hannah signed over the title. “It’s all yours.”

  Christmas dinner was a noisy affair, with the boys excited about the car and Billy going on and on about his new computer and skateboard. Donovan’s brothers seemed happy with their gold coins, Pop smiled a lot. And Hannah fell in love with the whole family.

  Rogan said, “We’ll put all three of our coins in—”

  “Oh, no we won’t,” said Carrie. “This one was in my stocking, and Robin needs a computer for school.”

  “Trevor gave me his old laptop,” said Hannah. “If that’ll do, you’re welcome to it. I can use Billy’s until I figure out what I need. If that’s okay with Billy, that is.”

  “Okay,” he said around a mouthful of food. They needed to work on his table manners, but not today.

  Donovan helped Hannah bring the dessert from the kitchen. With a pie in each hand, he stopped her for a kiss.

  Louise grabbed a pie and walked back to the table, saying, “They’re in there smooching.”

  Hannah gazed into Donovan’s eyes. “I like your brothers, but I’m glad you’re not like them.” She hoped he understood what she was saying. She was no more like Maggie than he was like Rogan.

  He leaned in close and whispered, “I want to take you upstairs and—”

  She rubbed her cheek against his and whispered, “After everyone leaves.”

  Rogan called, “Hey, we’re starving for pie out here.”

  Pop came in and grabbed a pie.

  Donovan cocked his head. “Are you sure I’m related to him?”

  Pop laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  Trevor came in through the kitchen door. “The boss sent me home with Billy’s present.” He stepped aside and an adorable collie, about half-grown, walked into the room. “He’s been keepi
ng it for me. I know there’s no fence yet, but I’ll put in a temporary dog run and fence in the backyard next spring, after we get the garage up.”

  Hannah crouched down to pet the dog, and his tail swished happily. “Billy is going to love you.”

  She looked up at Trevor. “Did you eat?”

  “No.”

  “Go give Billy his present while I fill a plate for you. Donovan will introduce you to everyone.”

  Hannah carried Trevor’s plate and a pie into the dining room. Billy had his chair pushed back from the table, and one very enthusiastic overgrown puppy was washing the turkey off his new master’s face. As she slid Trevor’s plate in front of him, she whispered, “Thank you.”

  He smiled and dug in. There were times when she looked at Trevor and knew he’d become a better person since their divorce.

  “The dog is housebroken and had all his shots,” said Trevor.

  “What’s his name?” asked Billy.

  “They’ve been calling him Laddie. He asked Santa for a kid of his own for Christmas, and it looks like he got what he wanted.”

  “This is the best Christmas ever,” said Billy, and everyone smiled.

  “It kinda makes up for last year, doesn’t it, Billy?” said Pop.

  “Yeah.” Billy slipped Laddie a bite of pie crust, and everyone pretended not to notice.

  Hannah gazed into Donovan’s eyes.

  Yes, it was the best Christmas ever.

  Hannah had a fleeting thought of Monique and then of Maggie. What would Donovan’s family think of her if they knew she was Maggie’s half-sister?

  <>

  Hannah replaced the old chairs in the sitting area of her bedroom with the green velvet settee and the chairs and ottomans Donovan and Pop had given her for Christmas. She loved the way they looked in the room she’d finished wallpapering last week. She still had a little work to do in the new master bathroom, and Pop’s bathroom still had to be replaced, but the work was all getting done, one room at a time.

  Donovan went to work with a sledge hammer in the old bathroom upstairs. Hannah knew he wanted to get it torn out before he went back to work, so Pop could finish the room, but the entire bathroom had been tiled at one time, and it was hard work tearing out all that old ceramic tile. The house shook with every hit of the sledge hammer.

  Andrew had given his approval on the work in the master bathroom. Hannah wondered what he and Charity thought about the other changes they were making in the house. He died many years ago, but Hannah still thought of this house as his and Charity’s.

  While Donovan worked in the old bathroom, Hannah read more of the diary. One page was especially interesting, and she ran upstairs to find Donovan. “Donovan, listen to this:

  “Sonny and I went over to check the progress on the new house today. I really like this new builder, Andrew Jefferson. He seems to know what he’s doing and he’s very kind to Sonny. I’m so relieved. I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

  “There’s confirmation of Andrew’s last name.”

  “Yes, it is. I’m skipping the pages about Charity’s social life.

  “Cal has been gone a month, but he came home today. A whole month with no pain, no yelling and throwing things, no straps to Sonny’s backside, no trying to please Cal, just blessed peace. He hasn’t hit me yet, but he will. He always does. He’s already threatened to take the strap to Sonny. I wish he’d go away and never come back.

  “Andrew saw Cal hit me today. He was furious, but Cal told him to mind his own business. Andrew warned him not to ever do it again, but Cal threatened to fire him. I hope he doesn’t fire him. He’s doing a good job and he’s such a nice man. Sonny looks up to him.”

  She looked up. “This is several weeks later. Apparently Cal is gone again.

  “I am with child again. I write to Cal about the house, as he asked, but I haven’t told him about the baby. He’ll know soon enough when he comes home. He’s due back in early November and the baby is due the first week of December. I cry when I think of the babies I’ve lost because of Cal’s cruelty. It’s a wonder I didn’t lose Sonny, too.

  “Andrew said he’s worried about Cal hitting me again when he gets home. He said he has something special planned for the house, a special staircase off the bedrooms, so Sonny and I can get out quickly if Cal gets in a rage. He’s such a clever, considerate man.

  “The house is truly beautiful. Andrew is doing a wonderful job. Sonny helps him every day. I’m sure he’s just in the way, but Andrew makes him feel needed. He’s learning so much this summer. Andrew is more of a father to him than Cal has ever been. I married the wrong man. I should have married a man like Andrew Jefferson.

  “I’ll type these pages on the computer and print them out for the file. I wish I could turn in the visions, too, but they’d think I was out of my mind.” She sighed. “Poor Andrew. If we can’t find his family, we’ll bury him beside Charity.”

  Donovan nodded. “Sonny would’ve liked that, Hannah.”

  “I think Charity would, too. She loved him, Donovan. She was married to someone else, but she loved Andrew.”

  “That’s why she’s still here in the house. She wouldn’t leave without him, and he couldn’t leave until someone found his body.”

  Was that the reason? They’d found the body, but Andrew was still here in the house.

  <>

  Although there was an arrest warrant out for Cordelli, he still hadn’t been picked up. Every time Hannah left the house, even to take the garbage out, she half expected him to come after her again. Donovan didn’t want her going anywhere by herself, but she hated being confined. She took her cell phone and her pepper spray with her everywhere she went, just in case, but she didn’t see him.

  While the men worked on Pop’s new bathroom, she said, “I have some errands to run. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  Donovan came running out. “No, Hannah, don’t go alone.”

  “Donovan, I’m not going to let that sleazebag control my life. I have things to do. I have my phone, and I’ll be fine.”

  Before he could argue, she ducked out the door and drove to the bank. After transferring money from her savings to her checking account, she drove to the hospital. At the risk of making Donovan angry, she intended to lift the financial burden from his shoulders.

  She walked into the financial office and asked to speak with someone about her sister’s outstanding bill. The balance was in the six-figure range, a hefty amount that had to be hard to pay on a cop’s salary, especially with the interest they added every month. It wouldn’t be so bad if he was paying this much on a mortgage and building equity, or on student loans, as Hannah had done for several years. Her loans reminded her of college. Donovan’s bills reminded him of a failed marriage and his mother-in-law’s spitefulness.

  Every month when those bills came, Donovan moped around the house for days. Pop had sold his house to help his youngest son, because he loved him, and Hannah was paying the hospital bill for the same reason.

  Because she loved him.

  He’d understand, wouldn’t he?

  <>

  On the last day of the year, one of the local television stations had an interview with Constantine Cordelli. Donovan was out running, so Pop watched the interview with Hannah.

  Cordelli, freshly shaven and without his smelly cigar, talked with a reporter about his predicament. He blamed his fall from grace on Hannah and her mother. “Hannah Taylor and Monique Maxwell, her mother, are both liars and prostitutes. You can’t believe anything they say. Monique is a scam artist from way back, and she taught Hannah everything she knows.”

  “I’ll kill him,” Hannah muttered.

  “Are you saying they manufactured evidence against you?” the reporter asked.

  “Absolutely. This is all political, and Judge Harvey is involved. He’d do anything to see my uncle run out of River Valley, and to do that, they have to discredit me. You just watch. As soon as Harvey ruins my family, he’ll run for mayor. It�
��s all about city politics.”

  It was all so outlandish, even the reporter seemed not to believe him. “The guy should have gone to South America while he had the chance,” said Pop.

  “But they took pictures of you, Mr. Cordelli. You offered to trade Miss Taylor’s diaries for sex.”

  “I don’t know how they altered the video, but that’s not the way it happened.”

  “What about this one?” The reporter played another video, this time with another woman, a suspect in her husband’s murder. The video was fuzzy, obviously taken from a distance.

  “That wasn’t me,” he said firmly. “I would never make a deal with a suspect in a criminal investigation.”

  “Yeah, right,” said Pop.

  “What do you know about Monique Maxwell?”

  “She was married to Charlie Taylor at one time, but she played around so much, nobody knew for sure if he was Hannah’s father.” Cordelli went on and on about Monique’s criminal and sexual activities over the years, reading off her rap sheet. “Hannah was twelve when Charlie died, and Monique started teaching the kid the ropes.”

  “Has Hannah Taylor ever been arrested?”

  “No, but she should have been. She’s no better than her mother, and Donovan Kane has no business serving on the police force in River Valley as long as he’s associated with those two. It’s a conflict of interest.”

  Going after Hannah was unnecessarily cruel. She didn’t deserve to be hurt this way, especially after what Monique had pulled. Hannah was a strong woman, but Pop wasn’t sure she knew how to fight off this kind of attack.

  The interview had barely ended when the phone started to ring. Hannah walked back to the kitchen and let it ring. She knew who it was. The house would be surrounded by reporters again, and this time it wouldn’t be because of a body in the basement. Cordelli had tarred her with the same brush as her mother. Monique was everything he said and more, but Hannah wasn’t like Monique, and she resented being talked about as if she were.

  The phone stopped ringing and started again. She took it off the hook and listened to it screech. If she talked with anyone at that moment, she’d end up screeching herself.