“Your attic guest seems a little unstable. I think she just frightened your newest guest.” Walt told Danielle as she and Chris walked into the kitchen from the outside patio, Anna by their side.
Danielle glanced over at Walt as they made their way through the kitchen.
“When Anna opened the front door, she acted like she knew him. Called him Bobby,” Walt explained.
“Anna, have you tried one of Danielle’s chocolate drop cookies?” Chris called out to Anna, who seemed intent to tag along with Danielle back to the living room.
Anna paused a moment and flashed Chris a questioning frown.
Lifting the lid off one of the cake pans sitting on the kitchen counter, Chris picked up a cookie and offered it to Anna. “Really, you must, they’re amazing. They remind me of chocolate cake—but better.”
Glancing from Danielle, who was just walking out the doorway, and back to Chris, Anna let out a sigh and walked over to the counter.
“What is it?” she looked at the cookie in his hand. “You know I don’t want that.”
Chris returned the cookie to the plate and covered it with the lid. He glanced to the doorway through which Walt and Danielle had just exited. “What did you do, Anna?”
“I didn’t do anything. Richard is here, I want to go.” Anna started to turn around toward the door when Chris stopped her.
“Didn’t I tell you to be careful about what you say, because you won’t know if Walt Marlow is in the room.”
“Is he here now?” Anna looked around.
“Of course not. I certainly wouldn’t mention him if he was. But he could come back at any moment.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is then,” Anna said impatiently, anxious to go to the living room where she had left the new arrival.
“You weren’t alone when you answered the door and let Richard into the house. You obviously said something to make Walt suspicious, because he said something to Danielle just a moment ago.”
Anna glanced down sheepishly then looked up to Chris. “I’m sorry. I guess I got excited when I first saw him—I couldn’t help it.”
“And that’s one reason you shouldn’t be here. You’re too emotional. Too involved.”
“I just want to see him…see her.” Anna looked over to the door again.
“I’m beginning to wonder why I’m even here.” Chris let out a sigh and took a seat at the table.
“You can’t leave, Chris. I need you,” Anna begged.
“I’m not going anywhere. But if I cough—that means he’s in the room with us. So, whatever you do, don’t say anything you don’t want reported back to Danielle.”
“Okay, I promise. If you cough, I’ll be on my best behavior. Can I go now?”
“In a minute. You need to understand that when I’m not with you, you have to always assume he’s there watching you.”
“I’ll be more careful, I promise.”
Chris stood up. “I have one more question.”
“What’s that?”
“How did you come up with the name, Anna? Did you just pick it out of a hat or what?”
“It’s my middle name.”
“I thought your middle name was Ann.”
“Close enough. I just think Anna sounds more feminine than Ann.” Anna smiled.
By the time Anna made it back to the hallway, Danielle and Richard were no longer in the living room but halfway up the stairs, leading to the second floor. Anna assumed Danielle was showing him to his room. Instead of following them upstairs, she went back to the living room.
Danielle hated admitting Walt was right. There was something a little peculiar about her holiday guests. First, she assumed those coming to spend Christmas at Marlow House would be couples—maybe elderly couples who didn’t have family to spend Christmas with or young couples who preferred to not spend Christmas with family. She certainly never imagined young singles would make up the majority of her guest list. She also never imagined they would stay for so long—registering the weekend before Christmas and staying through New Year’s Eve.
One perk—something that seemed to annoy Walt—was that both male guests were pleasing to the eye. Maybe not to Walt’s eyes, but Danielle was fairly certain Lily would find Richard good looking. Not as hot as Chris, but frankly, who was?
Danielle found something peculiar—while Chris and Richard dressed nothing alike, how they dressed reminded her of her late husband, Lucas. Chris’ manner of dress reminded her of the Lucas during their early years together, before the financial success of their marketing company. Back then, Lucas wore casual yet trendy clothes. His clothes didn’t look as if they came off the discount rack, but neither were they pretentious.
Richard looked as if he shopped the same stores as Lucas had—after the marketing company started making money and Lucas started spending more than they made.
“So what brings you to Marlow House for Christmas?” Danielle found herself asking as she opened the door to the bedroom Richard would be staying in. “Will you be visiting family or friends in Frederickport?”
Pausing at the doorway, Richard smiled at Danielle. “No, I don’t have any family here. A friend of mine—Peter Morris—recommended Marlow House since I was coming to Frederickport.”
Danielle stared at Richard for a moment before asking, “Peter Morris? Not the same Peter Morris from Earthbound Spirits?”
“Yes, are you familiar with the organization?” He walked into the bedroom, glanced around, and set his suitcase on the floor next to the bed.
Danielle followed him into the room. “Yes, a little.”
Looking to Danielle, Richard’s smile broadened. “I’ve known Mr. Morris for several years; he’s a wonderful man, often misunderstood.”
“Yeah…well…perhaps you didn’t hear about the little issue the organization had regarding a deceased member’s will?” Danielle immediately regretted the comment. Learn to hold your tongue, Danielle. No reason to talk politics or religion with the guests, or to point out one of their friends should probably be behind bars.
“I assume you’re referring to Isabella Strickland? She was a friend of mine.”
Danielle hadn’t expected that. “You knew Isabella?”
“Yes. We first met when I joined Earthbound Spirits. We became close, back when she was still active with the group. But then she began having doubts—something that’s quite natural and part of the process.”
Chapter Nine
If the man at the car rental company was correct, Patricia should reach Frederickport by 6:30 p.m. According to the brochure, dinner was served from five to seven, so she hoped that meant she and Jessica could still get something to eat if she arrived before seven. While Jessica had recently eaten the last of the peanut butter sandwiches she had prepared for the trip, Patricia hadn’t had any food since they had left home. Home; it wasn’t exactly home anymore. They had no home.
With both of her hands on the steering wheel, Patricia glanced in the rear view mirror at her daughter, who sat in the back seat. It was dark in the car, so she couldn’t see anything.
“How are you doing back there, kiddo?” Patricia called back to Jessica.
“Are we almost there?”
“Pretty soon honey. You’ve been a really good girl on this trip.”
“I wish you would’ve let me sit up in the front seat with you.”
“I told you, it’s safer for you in the back seat.”
“Becky’s mom lets her sit in the front in their car.” Jessica squirmed in her seat, trying to loosen the seat belt.
“I guess Becky doesn’t have a mean mom like you do.” Patricia called back.
“Can I at least take my seat belt off?”
“What do you think?” Patricia spied the turnoff to Frederickport up ahead. They were almost there.
Walt was seriously considering using his ghostly powers to turn off Danielle’s Christmas carols—permanently. While her guests seem to be enjoying the festive tunes, he had b
een listening to holiday music since the first of the month. Fortunately, it was only playing in the living room, but unfortunately, that’s where everyone was sitting, and if he retreated to the parlor or library to escape the music, he would miss the action. Walt had discovered he rather enjoyed observing the guests. People often behaved in the most peculiar fashion when they didn’t know they were being observed. Walt wondered—Does this make me a voyeur?
Ian and Lily sat at a small table at the far side of the living room, playing cribbage—a game Walt had taught Lily. Anna and Richard sat in the two chairs facing the couch. Anna kept trying to engage Richard in conversation, yet he seemed preoccupied. Danielle sat with Chris on the sofa. Walt suspected Chris might be allergic to either Sadie or Max—or both, since the man always seemed to be coughing whenever Walt entered the room.
“Danielle, I noticed several Portland area phonebooks stacked up in the parlor, I wondered if they’re current,” Anna asked.
“No, I keep meaning to put them out to be recycled. But if you need a current phonebook for that area, there’s one in the library.”
“No, but I was wondering, can I have the old phonebooks?”
“Sure, I suppose so.”
“Your Christmas tree is beautiful,” Anna told her. “I can’t remember the last time I had a live tree.”
“We used to have artificial trees when I lived in California,” Danielle explained. “Down there, live trees just died too quick.”
“I love the smell of pine,” Anna said.
“Me too,” Danielle agreed.
“Your family?” Chris asked.
Danielle glanced to Chris. “My family what?”
“You said we used to have artificial trees—I wondered who you meant. Your parents?”
“No. My parents died a number of years ago—when I was still in college. I meant my husband and I.”
“You’re married?” Anna asked.
Danielle shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. “A widow.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Anna said. “How long’s it been?”
Before Danielle could reply, Lily turned abruptly from her cribbage game and looked at Danielle. “Oh my god, Dani. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about what today was. It’s the 20th, isn’t it?”
“What’s today?” Ian glanced from Lily to Dani.
“A year ago today, Dani’s husband was killed in the car accident,” Lily explained.
“I’m so sorry,” Anna apologized. “I shouldn’t have—”
The doorbell interrupted Anna’s apology, sparing Danielle from enduring the uncomfortable shift in the conversation. Sadie, who had been napping by Ian’s side, lifted her head and let out a short bark. Ian silenced her, telling her to stay. Danielle jumped up from the sofa and left to answer the door.
Walt followed Danielle into the hallway. “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked as they headed toward the front door.
Danielle glanced over to him and then looked back to the open doorway of the living room, where Lily and Ian remained with her guests. “I suppose a part of me wanted to see if I could do it,” she said in a whisper.
“Do what?” Walt frowned.
“Get into the Christmas spirit again. I used to love this time of year. But since my parents died, it’s been harder and harder—and then last year—”
“I’m sorry, Danielle.” Walt reached out to her, his hand passing through her wrist, yet not before she felt the briefest of contact. Danielle looked down at her wrist and then smiled sadly at Walt, before making her way to the front door and opening it.
Standing at the front door was a tall, slender woman and a young girl. Several suitcases sat next to them on the porch. The woman, her blonde hair pulled back into a careless bun and held in place with a clip, looked to be in her mid-forties, perhaps younger. Red edged her tired blue eyes, and had she put on makeup that morning, it had since faded away.
Danielle’s mother would have described her as pleasant looking, an expression she used when she felt a woman was neither homely nor a great beauty.
The girl by her side bore a remarkable resemblance to the mother—at least Danielle assumed it was the mother. However, the child was quite stunning, with bright blue eyes and raven-black hair, curling wildly to her shoulders. By the child’s mussed hair, it was obvious to Danielle the girl had recently been sleeping in the car.
“I’m hoping this is Marlow House. It’s so dark out, and I didn’t see a sign.” The woman then glanced to a piece of paper in her hand. “But it does seem to be the right address.”
“Yes, this is Marlow House. I’m afraid we don’t have a sign yet. You must be Patricia Morgan?” Danielle opened the door wider.
The woman picked up the suitcases by her side. “Yes, and this is my daughter, Jessica.”
“Welcome to Marlow House. I’m your host, Danielle Boatman.”
Just as Patricia and Jessica stepped into the house, Sadie came racing out from the living room to greet the new arrivals.
Jessica’s eyes widened when she spied the golden retriever charging in her direction. Instead of being afraid, she dropped to her knees and opened her arms while saying, “Oh! You have a dog!”
Without hesitation, Sadie accepted the child’s invitation and in the next moment covered her face with kisses while Jessica wrapped her arms around Sadie, resting her head against the furry face.
“Jessica loves dogs. I was going to ask if she was friendly…but I guess that answers my question,” Patricia said with a laugh.
“Sadie is the unofficial greeter around here.” Danielle grinned. “And yes, she’s friendly. We also have a cat, which is mentioned in the brochure. I figure it’s best to let people know upfront before they make a reservation, in case they have an allergy.”
“I…I must have overlooked that when I read your brochure.”
“Is there going to be a problem?” Danielle glanced from Patricia to the child who was still loving on Sadie.
“Dogs don’t bother me, but I’m allergic to cats.”
“Oh my, we usually mention Max when someone makes a reservation. If it helps, I don’t let Max in the upstairs guestrooms, where you’ll be staying.”
“I’ll be fine,” Patricia assured her. “As long as I don’t pet or hold the cat, I’m usually okay.”
“I’m really sorry about that,” Danielle apologized, showing Patricia and her daughter into the parlor to check in.
After showing Patricia and Jessica to their room, to leave their luggage and freshen up, she met them downstairs in the kitchen. The rest of the household had eaten dinner prior to Patricia and Jessica’s arrival. Instead of feeding the late comers in the dining room, Danielle felt the kitchen was a cozier setting.
Forty-five minutes later, Lily found the three in the kitchen, sitting together at the table. Danielle and Patricia each sipped a cup of eggnog, while Jessica finished up her dessert, a piece of homemade apple pie.
“I was wondering where you disappeared to,” Lily said when she walked into the kitchen.
Danielle stood up from the table. “Lily, I’d like you to meet our new guests, Patricia Morgan and her daughter Jessica.”
“Hello, nice to meet you both,” Lily greeted, her eyes settling on Jessica. “What grade are you in, Jessica?”
“Second.” Jessica smiled up at Lily, showing off a missing front tooth.
“No kidding? I teach second grade.” Lily took a seat at the table.
“Are you staying here for Christmas too?” Patricia asked.
“Currently, I’m living here,” Lily explained. She looked over to Jessica and added, “I suppose I should have said I used to be a second grade teacher. I had to take a leave for medical reasons, so, I’m currently not teaching. But I hope to get back to it someday.” Lily flashed Jessica a smile and gave her a wink.
“Patricia mentioned earlier that she’s allergic to cats, so, we need to make sure Max doesn’t sneak into her room, like she did Chris’.” Danielle told Lily.<
br />
“Chris?” Patricia asked.
“He’s another guest here,” Danielle explained. “He’s staying in the downstairs bedroom and that seems to be the only guestroom Max loves to invade.”
“I like cats. Where is he?” Jessica asked.
Danielle looked over to Jessica. “Last I noticed he was napping under the Christmas tree, which seems to be his new favorite place.”
“I want to see the Christmas tree! And the cat!” Jessica pushed her plate aside and got off the chair.
Lily glanced over to Patricia, a concerned frown on her face. “I hope your friend mentioned the cat to you. He promised he would.”
Patricia, who was still sitting down despite her daughter’s energetic attempt to pull her from the chair so she could see the Christmas tree and cat, looked over to Lily. “Friend?”
“Yes, the one who made your reservation for you. I told him Marlow House had both a cat and dog—something we always tell people before they check in. Well, technically, Sadie doesn’t live here, but this is her second home.”
“I still don’t understand what you’re talking about. What friend?”
“Mom, please, I want to see the Christmas tree and cat!” Jessica tugged on her mother’s arm.
“Shhh…in just a second, Jessica,” Patricia scolded, looking back to Lily.
“The person who made the reservation for you and paid for the room. He explained it was for you and your daughter, and when I told him about the animals he said that wasn’t a problem. I asked him to please check with you, I have friends who can’t even be in the same room with a cat. He promised he’d let you know, and if there was a problem, he’d call me back. I assumed that since we never heard from him again, there wasn’t a problem.”
“I don’t know about any of that.” Patricia shook her head. “I didn’t know the person who made my reservation.”
“What do you mean?” Danielle asked.
“I assumed you would know.” Patricia glanced from Danielle to Lily. “I won my trip here.”
“What do you mean you won your trip here?” Lily asked.
“Someone from Jessica’s school put our name in for some drawing—the prize was a holiday getaway here—to Marlow House. I assume whoever made the reservation was from Benevolent Charities.”
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