The Ghost Maker

by Kara Lane Barstow

  “Are you alright, darling?” Ice asked. “The whole morning must have been terrifying.”

  “I’m alright. Just worn out,” Daphne assured her as she watched her sister prowl the room.

  Steven left and came back with a glass of iced tea for Daphne. “Here you go sweetheart, the caffeine will help.” Grateful, Daphne took the glass and downed half the contents.

  “Where are Dad and Chris?” Daphne asked her mom.

  “Your dad took Chris to visit his friend Mark who used to teach law at Stanford. Chris was telling your dad how he was considering changing his degree to law but wasn’t sure if he should specialize,” Ice explained. “Jason thought his friend might be able to help Chris decide. They should be back soon.”

  Chris was Daphne’s boyfriend. They had met only a few months ago, but they had been exclusive since the beginning. While Daphne had dated casually through high school and into college, Chris was her first real boyfriend. All of her previous relationships hadn’t lasted longer than a few weeks. Daphne nodded. “That was nice of him. I didn’t know Chris was interested in going into law.” Daphne felt a twinge of guilt that she didn’t know what Chris was interested in, had she not been paying attention? Although, to be fair to herself, Daphne knew that Chris had changed his degree at least three times in the past two years.

  Reg shrugged. “Jason cornered him this morning, and they got to talking. You know how your dad is. He helped Chris figure out that his desire to learn and his tendency to jump from one topic to another would be beneficial in specific careers. For example, writing. But with Jason’s help, Chris realized that going into law would make it possible for him to continue learning forever. Which appeals to him. Your father has a gift.”

  Daphne knew her father had this unusual ability to get people to see things about themselves that they’ve never seen before. While Jason was certainly outgoing, it was really his ability to listen and ask the right questions that enabled him to connect with others. He was a master at networking and at bringing people together to help one or both parties. “Yes he does, I’m glad Jason could help him. Maybe this is the right choice for him.”

  “You know, your dad would help you figure out what you want to do, if you gave him a chance,” Ice offered, rubbing her daughter’s arm. “I know he’d love to help you.”

  Daphne shrugged. “We’ve talked about it, and he’s suggested using my gift.”

  “Create a career out of seeing ghosts?” Ariana said, barely containing the sneer. “How would that work?”

  “That’s the problem, neither of us could figure out what.”

  “Well, you could become a writer and write about ghost stories,” Ice offered. “Or become a historian and learn about history from the source. Or help people remove ghosts from their homes. Or you could run ghost tours. Most of the big cities have them, your father and I have been on a few. They were interesting for the history, but in your case you would have a distinct advantage that would make yours so much better.!” Her excitement level rose with each new suggestion.

  You could become a detective and hunt down murderers.” Ariana offered. “After all, isn’t that what you supposedly did this morning?”

  Daphne stiffened at her sister’s tone and the barely veiled insult.

  “No, you can’t go into law enforcement,” Ice stated. “Please. I couldn’t handle the stress and the worry.”

  Steven chuckled, “I don’t know Ice, Daphne would have a significant advantage. Not many murder detectives have access to the victim.”

  “I wasn’t serious,” Ariana stated, giving her uncle a hard look. “Besides, there are no such thing as ghosts.”

  “Seriously?” Daphne demanded. “You can sit there and say that to me? You know I can see ghosts. You know that I’ve been able to see them since I was a kid. Just because you don’t believe, doesn’t make you right and me wrong.”

  Ariana snorted, “if you’re so confident that you’re right, why haven’t you told Chris the truth yet?”

  “Told me the truth about what?” Chris asked as he and Jason entered the room.

  Chapter Four

  Daphne groaned. Ariana was right in that she hadn’t told Chris her secret yet. She had been waiting for the right time, although, if she was honest with herself, she would have realized that she was not actively looking for the right time. With Chris, she could be a normal person. However, she was running out of time. It was very possible that at least one of the reporters had learned of how she was able to help find Miguel’s body. She wasn’t certain any reporter would risk reporting the ghost angle, but knew she didn’t want Chris to find out from someone else.

  “You might as well sit down. This could take awhile. Dad, you should probably hear it too.” Daphne said before telling them about her morning. Watching Chris’s expression go from confusion to surprise to horror. She wondered if the horror was for her ability or the murder of Miguel.

  “You can see and talk to ghosts?” Chris asked as he sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her. “For how long?”

  “For as long as I can remember,” Daphne explained, a little surprised and happy to hear the questions from Chris. She had expected his reaction to be more like Ariana’s; an adamant denial of the existence of ghosts. “I don’t always talk to them, or let them know that I can see them. The few times that I have haven’t been pleasant.”

  “Why?” Chris asked.

  “Because they wanted help, help I couldn’t give them. Most want to move on, but they’re stuck here because of unfinished business.”

  “Like Miguel,” Jason supplied. He had taken a seat on the arm of the couch so he could be close to his wife.

  Daphne nodded. “Yes, he needed to learn that he was a ghost and he needed his family and friends to know that he didn’t leave town, but that he was murdered.”

  “Did he move on once you told everyone what had really happened?” Reg asked.

  She turned to look at him. “I don’t know. I didn’t see his ghost after the connection, after I learned what Albert Ashe had done.”

  “You don’t seem surprised about what Daphne told you,” Brandon stated.

  Chris shrugged. “It explains so much.”

  “Like what?” Ariana asked.

  “Well, there have been times when Daphne and I would be somewhere and she’d act odd. I’d be watching her, but she’d be watching something or reacting to something, something I couldn’t see. Especially at the library.”

  Daphne nodded. “You’re right. There are several ghosts in the library. Mostly echoes of those who either worked or studied there. I didn’t realize I was that obvious.”

  Chris reached forward and took her hand. “Not obvious. I only started to notice as we spent more and more time together.”

  “So Chris knows your secret now,” Ariana said with some impatience. “But we should probably talk about the potential media fallout of the current situation.”

  “What kind of media fallout?” Chris asked.

  “Depending upon what the media reports, but we’ll likely see the LaVaigne name reflected poorly in this,” Jason stated.

  “How?” Chris persisted. “It wasn’t anyone here who committed murder.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Brandon agreed. “But we provided the killer with a great deal of cash so he could get out of town, fast.”

  “But you didn’t know that he had killed someone,” Chris argued. “Do you really think they’ll spin it so that it looks like you were involved?”

  “They won’t say anything directly; they wouldn’t want to risk getting sued,” Steven added. “But the implication will be there. It is too good an opportunity to pass up.”

  “Then there is Daphne and the spectacle she put on,” Ariana said. “If any of the reporters are able to get the workers to talk, it would add more spice to the story.”

 
“Ariana, don’t talk about your sister that way,” Ice said automatically before turning to Brandon. “Do you think the workers will talk?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. None of them liked Albert Ashe, so they may be glad we bought the vineyard, but they don’t owe us any allegiance. Tom is going to stop by here after he interviews them. He might be able to give us a feel for what they’re thinking about the whole situation.”

  Jason glanced at his watch. “It’s past lunch time and I’m hungry. How about we all eat while we wait for Tom?”

  Tom arrived as they were finishing their lunch. He accepted their offer to join them. He grabbed one of the sandwiches, eating it in two bites, before he was ready to talk.

  “Thanks, I haven’t had anything since breakfast,” he said. “I wanted to stop by and let you know what we’ve found out so far. I spoke with the coroner, he isn’t done with the autopsy yet, but he was able to give me some information on the cause of death. The first blow knocked him unconscious, but the killing blow came later. He did a number on Miguel. They’re putting the time of death late Monday evening, which matches what Daphne observed.”

  “You’re using what Daphne claimed to see as an eyewitness account?” Ariana asked incredulously.

  Tom and Brandon glared at her before Tom answered, “not officially, no, but I’m not going to ignore the information either. The timing also fits with the rush sale of the property.”

  Ariana shrugged. “What she claims to have seen cannot be used as evidence.”

  Tom sighed. “Yes, I know. But it paints a picture. Besides we’ve found plenty of evidence that Ashe killed Miguel.

  “Besides, we have plenty of evidence that Ashe killed Miguel. The guy wasn’t very bright. He wiped the flashlight mostly clean, but they found his fingerprints on the lens. There were also fingerprints on the wheelbarrow, the decking and the hammer and nails that were used to put the decking back in place once he positioned the body. We have enough to arrest him and likely enough to convict him. Once we find him.”

  “No luck yet?” Jason asked.

  “We have an APB out for him. We checked with his family in New Jersey, but they haven’t seen or heard from him for several weeks. We don’t think he’ll go there. I think its likely that he left the country. Mexico or South America would be my guess.”

  “Really?” Brandon asked. “Because from what I’ve seen and heard, he didn’t like Mexicans very much.”

  Tom shrugged. “I doubt he went to Canada, but we’re checking. I just think he’s likely to run and hide somewhere. A million dollars in cash will go further in Mexico than Canada or here in the States.”

  “What about the rest of the money from the sale,” Steven asked. “The sale went through and the money was transferred to his account.”

  “We’ve found the account, and its been frozen. He wasn’t able to touch it. If he tries to access it, we’ll get an idea of where he is at that time.”

  “What did the workers have to say?” Reg asked. “About Ashe and about what happened today? We’re a little worried about what they may say to the reporters. Especially about Daphne.”

  “Most of them hated Ashe, even before they found out that he had killed Miguel. If he hadn’t left town, they probably would have handed out their own justice.” Tom said. Then he sighed. “I don’t know if they’ll keep what happened today a secret. Most of them are thrilled that you bought the vineyard, but some are worried that they’ll lose their jobs since you already have your own crew.”

  Brandon nodded. “I knew it was a concern. Emilio mentioned it. It was what we were discussing when Daphne interrupted us. I’ll need to make sure they know that we have no plans to replace or dismiss any of them. This means that it is more than likely that some of them talked to the reporters.”

  “Probably,” Tom agreed. He glanced at Daphne and then back to Brandon. “I also got the impression that some of them were pretty spooked about what happened today.”

  “I can’t blame them,” Daphne said. “Between my stumbling out of the vineyard with torn clothes, gibbering about Miguel being dead and then stumbling around while I was connected to Miguel would have been enough to scare anybody.”

  “It was terrifying.” Brandon said. “But mostly because I was worried about you. I’ve never seen you channel a ghost before. This was new.”

  “Yes it was,” Daphne said, but at the same time, Tom disagreed.

  “I remember this happening before.” He said.

  “When?” Both Daphne and Brandon asked.

  “Remember when you were four or five and we were all staying at your parents’ house in San Francisco? We stayed there about a week, and every night we were there you would wake up screaming from a nightmare.”

  “I remember that,” Brandon said. “You would wake up claiming there was a fire and that you need to save the children.”

  Daphne frowned, she had a distant memory of running up a flight of stairs and having them collapse under her. She would fall and feel panic because she couldn’t reach the nursery and the screaming children.

  “I do remember some of that, why do you think it is the same?”

  “Because of the nanny. You kept talking about her and how she used to play with you. Only our parents never hired nannies. You only talked about the nanny when we were at that house, never when we were back here.” Brandon reminded her.

  Daphne nodded. “I remember the nanny, it wasn’t until I was much older that I realized she must have been a ghost. I had forgotten about the nightmares. You think she was the source?”

  “If the nanny tucked you in each night, she would likely have come in contact with you.” Tom added. “I remember Ariana did some research and discovered that the original house on the property had burnt down during the 1906 Earthquake. Three people died, two children and their nanny. Right?” He asked Ariana.

  She shrugged. “I remember doing research on the history of that house and found that a nanny and her charges had died. I didn’t do the research to prove Daphne was channeling a ghost.”

  “Whatever,” Tom said, dismissing her. “But I remember that every night you had that nightmare and you always woke up screaming only minutes after you were put to bed. Not enough time to fall asleep and dream.”

  Daphne nodded. “I remember the nanny did tuck me in at night, and feeling a slight chill. That’s what happened with Miguel. He grabbed my arm, I felt a cold chill where he touched me, just before the vision started. Usually I try to not get too close to ghosts, so it isn’t often that I am touched by one. I’ll have to be more careful in the future. Reliving someone’s death is not pleasant.”

  Tom rose. “I better get going, reports to file, evidence to gather. I’ll let you know if I learn anything new.”

  After Tom left and the lunch things cleared away, Reg suggested checking to see if any of the stations were broadcasting news on the murder. They got lucky on the first station.

  In full camera view stood a stunning woman in a muted red suit. Her dark blonde hair curled softly around sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin. Cold blue eyes bored into the camera. On the screen scrolled the headline, “Murder at the LaVaigne Vineyard”.

  “She’s hot,” Brandon interjected. Daphne rolled her eyes.

  “Earlier today the body of Miguel Sanchez was found on the property recently purchased by LaVaigne Vineyards. Miguel had worked there for several years where his father, Emilio, was foreman. The primary suspect in the murder is Albert Ashe, the previous owner of the property. Who, after receiving a significant amount of cash from Brandon LaVaigne, promptly disappeared. The police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Albert Ashe. Brandon LaVaigne has been questioned regarding the sale.”

  Daphne sighed. Their name had been mentioned and the mud thrown.

  “The way the body was found is the real mystery here. According to eye-witnesses, Daph
ne LaVaigne, the younger sister of current owner, Brandon LaVaigne, reportedly learned of the murder from the murdered boy himself. These witnesses told of Daphne channeling the ghost of Miguel Sanchez and describing the brutal attack. This reporter is curious if Ms. LaVaigne will be called upon as a witness when the attacker is caught.”

  Daphne groaned. So they had played the ghost angle.

  “Still think she’s hot?” Ariana asked her brother.

  “Definitely, and she’s given me an idea,” Brandon said as he pulled out his cell phone and left the room.

  Chapter Five

  They had flipped through the news reports on other stations before Brandon returned, finding that most of them mimicked the first, with the exception of the ghost angle. It seemed that only Deanna Landers had been brave or foolish enough to report it.

  “Ok, I’ve setup an interview with Ms. Landers for tomorrow afternoon at Ashe’s Vineyard,” he announced before dropping into one of the chairs.

  “You what!?” Ariana demanded. “Are you insane? Why would you open yourself up to an interview?”

  “Darling, do you have to hit on every pretty woman you see?” Ice added.

  “Why not?” He asked. Daphne wasn’t sure whether he was responding to his mother or his sister, but she knew he could have meant both. His next comment confirmed it. “First, to answer your question, mother, yes, I do, at least until I find someone who overshadows every other woman. As for the interview, dear sister, I am not insane, I’m brilliant and I’ll prove it.”

  It was Ariana’s turn to roll her eyes. “Oh, please, do tell how stepping into the line of fire is going to help.”

  “Ok, since you asked, by meeting with Ms. Landers, I can show her how dedicated this family is to finding Albert Ashe. I’ve asked Tom to also be in on the interview, to prove that we are working closely with the police on this matter. And,” he continued before Ariana could interrupt, “Emilio has agreed to be interviewed and enter his own plea.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea, to drag Emilio into an interview?” Jason asked. “He and his family are in mourning.”