“Why was that?” Danielle asked.
With a sigh, Faye set her tea on its saucer, holding it with both hands. She looked over to Danielle. “I was hasty in selling the property. My father had died unexpectedly. He fell at work.” Faye shook her head. “Foolish man. He had no business going up and down those stairs each day, considering his bad leg. At the time…well, I was young. I didn’t want to keep living in my father’s house. I wanted my own home. And when I realized I had not thought it through, I tried to cancel the sale. But they wouldn’t have it. I know it was her. I don’t think he even wanted the house.”
“The couple who bought it?” Danielle asked.
Faye nodded. “I can’t recall their last name. It was so long ago. They had two little girls. She was a bit of a shrew, as I recall. He was a traveling salesman, gone a lot. I remember once when they came over to look at the house shortly before the sale was to close, and I got the feeling he just wanted out of there. He was planning to leave on another business trip, but she made it perfectly clear she expected to be moved into the house before he took off again.” Faye paused and took a sip of tea.
“I suppose they might have felt they couldn’t afford to cancel the sale,” Danielle suggested.
“I offered to pay them for the inconvenience. It was a good amount, as I recall. And it wasn’t as if there weren’t other houses for sale in the area. And it was my home. She wouldn’t even consider it. After I offered to pay them something, he was very interested. For a while there, I thought he was going to get her to agree to cancel the purchase.”
“I believe those were the grandparents of our new neighbor,” Walt said. “The woman who bought your old house.”
“Yes, that’s what I understand. Norman made another offer on the house a while back, but they seemed obsessed about keeping it in the family. Something about those rosebushes.”
“What about the rosebushes?” Danielle asked. “I mean, do you know anything about them? The bushes in the backyard look dead, but Pearl refuses to take them out, says they belonged to her grandmother.”
“The woman was very active in the local garden club back then. I remember once hearing how she cultivated some new rose. Of course, we never ran in the same circles, so it’s just what I heard around town.”
“How soon after they moved in did her husband leave her?” Danielle asked.
“Oh, you heard about that?” Faye asked with a smile.
“Yes. Someone mentioned it.”
“Within that first year. Molly Shannon did some cleaning for the funeral home. She also cleaned Marlow House.”
“Molly Shannon?” Walt asked.
“Yes. From what I always understood, the owners of Marlow House back then paid Molly to clean once a week. I ran into Molly at the funeral home a couple of months after I moved out and asked her about the new owners. I wondered if she ever saw them when she came over here to clean. She told me that a few weeks after they moved in, she heard a lot of fighting over there, in the backyard. She looked outside and saw both of them shouting at each other while their little girls stood on the porch and cried. She thought it was awful them fighting in front of the children like that.”
“Was that when he left her?” Danielle asked.
“All I know, a few weeks later when Molly came over to clean Marlow House, she saw the two little girls playing in the front yard alone. She asked them how they were doing, and one of the little girls told her their father had died.”
“Died?” Danielle asked.
“I asked Leo about it. After all, we were the only funeral home in town. He told me he heard a different story, that the man had left his wife. Some even said he had another family in Washington.”
“Faye, by any chance do you remember what Molly looked like?” Walt asked.
“Yes, of course. She was a short little thing, rather plump. I remember she had the frizziest red hair and a freckled face. Not particularly attractive, but she always seemed so happy. Always singing. I found her songs quite amusing. Why do you ask?”
Twenty-Three
The remainder of the week proved uneventful. When Sunday rolled around again, Marlow House seemed so quiet. All the raffle guests had checked out the previous day. Joanne had finished cleaning the house that morning and had left for home twenty minutes earlier. Walt was upstairs working on his new book, and Danielle was downstairs in the kitchen with Max and Sadie, who napped nearby. She sat at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of hot tea while pondering the events of the last week and wondering who—if anyone—was buried in the backyard of Pearl’s house.
Sadie broke the silence when she jumped up suddenly and gave a woof, her tail wagging. She ran to the pet door and rushed outside, only to return a moment later when the door opened and in walked Lily.
“Welcome home. Looks like someone is happy to see you,” Danielle said as she watched Sadie dance around Lily’s feet in greeting.
Lily laughed, petting the dog as she walked into the house, closing the door behind her. On the other side of the kitchen Max lifted his head sleepily from where he had been napping and looked at Lily. After a bored yawn, he put his head down again, closed his eyes, and continued with his early afternoon nap.
“It is always good to be welcomed,” Lily said cheerfully.
“There is more tea in the pot,” Danielle offered, not standing up. “It’s herbal. No caffeine.”
“Sounds good. But I do miss my caffeine.” Lily walked to the cabinet and helped herself to a clean cup.
“When did you get home?” Danielle asked as she watched Lily walk from the counter to the table with her cup.
“About fifteen minutes ago. Ian took the luggage in the house and went to go take a nap. He’s exhausted. We didn’t get much sleep last night. I told him I’d come visit with you a while and get Sadie.” Lily started to sit down at the table when Danielle stopped her.
“Don’t sit down!”
“Why?” Lily looked down at the empty chair. “Is Marie or Eva sitting there?”
Danielle laughed. “No. They aren’t here. I just wanted to look at you. Your baby bump, it’s really showing!”
Grinning, Lily reached down with her free hand and patted her belly. “I know. I’m about four months now, and in a couple of weeks I’m scheduled for the ultrasound. Hopefully I’ll be able to find out if it’s a boy or girl.” Lily sat down.
Danielle picked up the teapot and began filling Lily’s cup. “Walt thinks it’s so strange how you’ll get to know if the baby is a boy or girl months before it’s born.”
“Where is Walt?”
Now finished filling the cup, Danielle set the pot back on the table and leaned back in the chair. Before answering the question, she glanced up briefly to the ceiling and then looked back to Lily. “He’s upstairs working on his new book. He didn’t get much work done this last week with a full house. Which we need to consider before we do this again.”
“So how did it work out?” Lily asked.
“It was an interesting week,” Danielle said with a chuckle before taking a sip of tea. “But tell me first, how was your trip?”
“It was nice, but we didn’t think the baby shower through very well.”
Danielle frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They gave me a huge baby shower. I saw people I haven’t seen in ages. Family and friends. I got a ton of stuff. I don’t think I have anything left to buy.”
“Why do you say you didn’t think it through?” Danielle asked.
“We couldn’t bring everything back with us. Not flying.”
“So what did you do?” Danielle asked.
“My parents are coming for a visit before the baby is born and bringing everything with them. I swear, they’re going to have to rent a U-Haul.”
“You don’t sound very happy about it.”
Lily shrugged. “I love my folks, but I was just looking forward to some quiet time before the baby arrives. You know, after school ends and I get my classroom cleaned out. Just comin
g home and taking my time fixing up the nursery. Enjoying my last nights of real sleep. Although, I imagine that will be more difficult to do as I get bigger. Even now it’s not comfortable sleeping on my stomach.” Lily let out a sigh and then asked, “Now tell me, was the raffle a success? Did you make a lot of money for the art department?”
“That part was a success. Even if I were running this as a B and B and donating my profits, it wouldn’t even be half of what they raised. I figure if we keep doing this, what it’s actually costing us is less than what I was already donating each year. This way, a lot more money goes to charity.”
Lily lifted her cup in a brief salute. “Well, good for you!”
The kitchen door opened unexpectedly and in walked Heather Donovan. She wore a dark green jogging suit, running shoes, and her black hair was fastened atop her head in a messy knot. In her hand she carried a large paper to-go sack.
“Lily, you’re back!” Heather greeted her as she walked in the kitchen, closing the door behind her. Sadie jumped up from where she had been under the table and greeted Heather.
“Got back about twenty minutes ago,” Lily said. “Danielle was just about to tell me about her raffle guests.”
“Did she tell you about the dead body next door?” Heather asked as she tossed the sack on the table and took a seat.
Danielle glanced questioningly at the paper bag.
“Dead body?” Lily squeaked.
Momentarily ignoring Lily’s question, Heather looked at Danielle and said, “I brought tacos from Beach Taco. Thought you might be hungry. And I didn’t want to eat alone.” She looked at Lily and added, “There is plenty for everyone. Even Walt and Ian. Where are they?” Heather glanced around as if one of the men might instantly appear.
“Dead body?” Lily repeated.
“Oh yeah. Next door. Buried under the roses.” Now sitting at the table, Heather pulled out a wrapped taco and handed it to Danielle. “So where are Walt and Ian?”
Danielle accepted the taco and said, “Walt’s working in the attic, and Ian is taking a nap.”
“Dead body?” Lily shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Both Heather and Danielle froze a moment and looked at Lily, who was clearly agitated and impatient for Heather to explain.
“We only assume there is a dead body under the roses,” Danielle explained as she unwrapped her taco.
“And why is that?” Lily demanded, ignoring the taco Heather had just set before her on the table.
“The hand came from her yard, so we have to assume the rest of the body is there,” Danielle said.
“Hand? What hand?” Lily asked.
“Not a hand exactly. It was the skeletal remains of a hand,” Danielle corrected. She looked at Heather and said, “Thanks for the tacos.”
Picking up her teacup and then slamming it on the table, splashing tea all over, Lily shouted, “Stop torturing a pregnant woman! It is not good for the baby! What dead body?”
“It all started when a bird flew over our yard and dropped a hand—well, the skeletal remains of a hand—into a piece of cake one of our guests was eating at the time,” Danielle began.
“A bird?” Lily stammered, her eyes wide.
Danielle continued with her story, catching Lily up on recent events.
“So you really think the rest of the body is there?” Lily asked when Danielle finished the story.
“Or maybe whoever stole the rosebush put it there,” Heather suggested.
Lily cringed. “Well, that is just a creepy thought. So why hasn’t the police department gone over Pearl’s backyard?”
“The chief needs a warrant since she refuses to let him on her property. I talked to him the other day, and he told me the judge refused to give him one. The judge seems to think the bird could have picked that up anywhere, and he told the chief he wasn’t about to start issuing warrants for the entire neighborhood, considering the age of the bones. If whoever the bones belonged to had died more recently, the judge would be more inclined to issue the warrant.”
“That’s just stupid,” Lily grumbled.
Danielle shrugged. “I don’t think the chief is too concerned about it. Joe’s brother-in-law, Craig, has already been hired to clean up Pearl’s yard. The chief had Joe tell Craig about the bones, asking him to be on the lookout when he is working in this area. Of course, Joe doesn’t know Max saw the bird take the bones from Pearl’s yard. From what I understand, Craig is supposed to start over at Pearl’s sometime this week.”
“Who do you think the bones belonged to?” Lily asked.
“I think it could be Pearl’s grandfather,” Danielle suggested.
Heather nodded. “I agree. After what you told me about him.”
“Too bad we just can’t ask Pearl about her grandfather. Just because he left her grandmother, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t in her life when she was growing up. If he was, then chances are those aren’t his bones,” Lily suggested.
“Yeah, well, good luck with that conversation,” Heather said with a snort.
Danielle set her cup on the table and smiled up at Heather and Lily. “Or we could talk to her cousin who lives in town.”
“You mean Ruby? I thought you already did,” Heather said.
“No, not Ruby. From what she told me, I don’t think she would know anything. I was thinking of our suspected rosebush thief. Pearl’s cousin. He lives next to Presley House. Or where Presley House once stood.”
Lily looked to Danielle and asked, “What do you hope to find out by talking to Pearl’s cousin?”
“We could go over there under the pretense of looking at the Presley House property.” Danielle glanced to Heather and back to Lily. “After all, Heather used to own the property. And when we’re there, figure out some way to initiate a conversation with the guy.”
“I thought you told me the other day he was out of town?” Heather asked.
“According to the chief, he’s back now. Brian went over and talked to him. But of course the guy denied knowing anything about a rosebush. And he doesn’t have a black truck, or even any rosebushes in his yard, so it didn’t go anywhere. But if we could figure out some way to initiate a conversation about how he used to own the house next door to us, maybe we can get him to talk about his family. We could save a lot of time if we can rule out the grandfather. He might know where Pearl’s grandfather ended up after he left his family.”
“You mean, like in the backyard next door?” Heather asked.
Twenty-Four
Walt looked up from his computer when Danielle walked into the room carrying a paper sack. He stopped typing and smiled in her direction.
“Lily and Ian are back,” she told him as she walked into the attic apartment.
“Glad they made it back safely, but I guess this means they’ve picked up Sadie?”
“Lily is downstairs, but Ian’s at their house taking a nap. Heather’s downstairs too. The three of us are going to walk over to Presley House. We’re taking Sadie with us.” Danielle set the sack on the desk. “Oh, and this is for you.”
“What is it?” Walt asked.
“Tacos. Heather brought them.”
Walt opened up the sack and looked inside. “That was nice of her.” He then paused a moment and looked back to Danielle. “Presley House? You do know it isn’t there anymore.”
Danielle flashed him a grin. “We’re kind of hoping we might run into Pearl’s cousin. His house is right next door.”
Walt turned in his desk chair to face her. “Why do you want to do that?”
“We told Lily about the bones—and we’re trying to figure out who they belong to. Heather and I think it could be Pearl’s grandfather. Maybe he really didn’t leave his wife all those years ago. Maybe she killed him and planted his body with the rosebushes.”
“You don’t think her great-grandson is going to know if she killed him or not, do you?” Walt frowned.
“Of course not. But just because Pearl’s grandparents divorced,
it doesn’t mean he dropped out of his kids’ lives forever. I figure if Pearl’s cousin remembers stories about his grandfather after his grandparents broke up, then it probably isn’t his body in the backyard.”
“Assuming there is a body—or the rest of the skeleton over there,” Walt reminded her.
“Heather suggested the cousin might be the one who put the bones in the hole after taking the rosebush.”
“And you want to go talk to him?”
Danielle shrugged. “We don’t really think he put them there. But you know Heather…”
Walt started to stand up. “Maybe I should go with you.”
“No.” Danielle reached out and placed one hand on Walt’s shoulder, gently pushing him back in the chair. “You keep writing. We will be fine, and we have Sadie with us.” She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
“Sadie isn’t exactly a guard dog,” Walt reminded her.
“Maybe we should stop at Chris’s and borrow Hunny?” Danielle joked.
“Hunny looks ferocious, but that would be like taking an unloaded gun with you.”
“I don’t know about that. I have a feeling she would rise to the occasion if we were threatened. But I really don’t think we need her.” Danielle gave Walt another quick kiss.
“If those bones weren’t as old as Brian says, I might disagree. Enjoy your walk and stay out of trouble.”
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Heather asked while Lily hooked the leash on Sadie’s collar. They stood in the kitchen waiting for Danielle to return from the attic.
“Why wouldn’t I be up to it?” Lily asked. “And after sitting on my butt all morning, first in the airport, then the plane and then the car, I could use a walk. And when the sun is shining this time of year, it’s best to enjoy it before it disappears behind some rain cloud.”
Heather looked at Lily’s protruding belly and shrugged. “It just might be a little too much, considering your condition.”
“I’m pregnant, not disabled,” Lily snapped.
“You guys ready to go?” Danielle asked as she walked into the kitchen the next moment.
The Ghost and the Baby Page 15