The Ghost Maker

by Kara Lane Barstow

  “I didn’t drag him into anything, I asked and he agreed,” Brandon defended himself.

  “In order to keep his job,” Ariana stated.

  “No, I made sure he understood that I didn’t expect him to be part of the interview. In fact, I didn’t even ask him to join. I called to see how he was doing, and to let him know about the interview so that he wasn’t taken by surprise. He offered to be interviewed as well.”

  “But what do you hope to accomplish with the interview?” Steven asked.

  “Ms. Landers’ report made it seem like this was just a business arrangement between us and Albert Ashe. I want the record to show that our interest is in the vineyard and the people who work there. When I spoke to Ms. Landers, I explained how I’d been trying to buy the vineyard ever since Albert inherited, how I had been a customer and a friend of Frank Ashe before he died. I told her how poorly managed the vineyard had been under Albert’s watch and how I was thinking of Frank and his workers when I agreed to the purchase. She liked the human interest side and she liked the idea of a one-on-one with Tom.”

  “What’s in it for her?” Reg asked. “Unless they catch Albert Ashe, there is nothing new to the story, nothing to boost ratings. Not saying you aren’t attractive enough to pull in some viewers, those who watch the news don’t usually watch for the human interest alone.”

  “That’s true, I had to bargain with her to get her to agree to the interviews. I thought offering Tom was enough, but she wanted something else.”

  The apologetic glance Brandon cast her had Daphne’s inner alarm going off. “What else did you promise?” she asked him, dreading his answer.

  “You.” Brandon said. “She wants to interview you about your gift and what happened at Ashe Vineyard today.”

  “Brandon!” Both Ariana and Ice shouted at him.

  “How could you do this to your sister?” Jason asked.

  Brandon ignored them and held Daphne’s gaze. “Look, she said she only wanted the opportunity to talk to you about your gift. She admitted to interviewing several of the workers and their observations intrigued her. She’s interested in hearing about it from you. She wants to air the interview, but she’s agreed to keep it off the record if you aren’t comfortable with her going live with it.”

  “She’s a reporter,” Ariana spat. “She can’t be trusted. Just because you find her attractive doesn’t mean she’ll succumb to your charms in order to protect Daphne and the family.”

  “Well I think you’re wrong. I believe she can be trusted,” Brandon argued back. “Like I said, she interviewed several of the workers, but she didn’t use any of those interviewed in her story. She could have. She decided not to because she was afraid they would get fired if she did.”

  “She just wants to talk?” Daphne asked.

  “No, she wants to do an interview and include it in a follow-up report, but she said that she won’t if you are too uncomfortable with it being aired.” Brandon said. “I’m asking that you do it because I believe the interviews with Tom, Emilio and myself would benefit the winery.”

  “She’s a pretty nice person,” Chris added, flushing when all eyes swiveled to him.

  “You know her?” Ice asked.

  Chris nodded. “Not really well, I only met her a couple times. Her cameraman is, or at least was, Eric Wells. I knew him from home, I used to date his sister. They’re dating, Eric and the reporter, Deanna Landers, or at least they were a about five years ago. His sister, Stephanie, said that Eric liked working with her because she had integrity, something not all reporters have.”

  Brandon beamed at Chris before turning back to Daphne. “So what do you think?”

  Daphne didn’t answer right away, but turned to Chris. “Will you come with me? Maybe speak to your friend Eric, to see if this is on the up and up.”

  Chris shrugged. “I guess. Eric and I aren’t good friends. But if he knows her true intentions, he’ll be honest about them.”

  “Ok, I’ll do it,” Daphne told Brandon.

  The next afternoon, Daphne found herself once more standing in Ashe Vineyard. This time the place was empty, except for Brandon, Chris, Tom, Emilio and Steven. She searched for Miguel’s ghost, unsure of whether or not she wanted to see him again. She had hoped that he had moved on, now that the truth was known about his murder. However, she also wanted one last chance to talk to him, maybe even serve as an interpreter between Miguel and his father.

  Emilio approached her, taking her hand in both of his. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you thank you for all that you did yesterday.”

  She smiled at him, putting her free hand on top of his. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry it wasn’t a happy ending. If you or your family need anything, you know you only have to ask.”

  He smiled. “I know. Your brother has already made that clear. I’m very grateful that he’s in charge now. The vineyard will prosper again, as it did under Frank Ashe.”

  “He’ll take care of you and this place. You can trust him.”

  “I know.” He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Is Miguel here? Have you seen him?”

  Daphne squeezed his hand while shaking her head. “No, I was looking, but I haven’t seen him. It is likely he’s moved on now. Now that everyone knows the truth.”

  The older man nodded. “Good. I hope he can be at peace.”

  When the news van pulled into view, Daphne felt her nerves grow taught and her belly fill with dread. She was glad she had stuck to a light breakfast of toast and coffee. Anything heavier would have had her stomach roiling.

  The stunning blonde exited from the van, smoothing out her skirt and adjusting her jacket before walking over to their group. Today, she wore a dark pink suit with matching heels. Even her lipstick color matched. Daphne could hear Brandon suck in his breath before he advanced to meet her. She sucked in her own breath when she saw the cameraman coming up behind her.

  He was tall, easily 6’4”, as he was at least two inches taller than Brandon and Chris, who were both 6’2”. Dark blue jeans showed off his long, lean legs. His black hair shone blue in the sun, it cascaded around a face that promised to break hearts. The grass green color of his sweater enhanced his green eyes, while the cut of the sweater revealed his muscular build. Daphne fought to control her reaction, which was made harder by the intensity of his stare. She knew she was blushing, so she forced her eyes away to watch Brandon flirt with Deanna Landers.

  Brandon stopped flirting long enough to introduce Deanna to Tom and Emilio. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris approach the cameraman. She strained to listen to their conversation, but she didn’t want either man to know.

  “Chris,” Eric said with some surprise after Chris had caught his attention. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m a friend of Daphne’s.” Chris explained. “We go to Stanford together.”

  “Oh, I see.” Eric said. “How have you been? How’s school?”

  “School is good,” Chris replied. “How are your mom and Stephanie?”

  Chris’s tone caught Daphne’s attention. She looked over at him, surprised by the sadness in his expression. He sounded hopeful, angry, and concerned.

  Eric didn’t answer right away, so Daphne stole a glance at him, too. She didn’t know Eric as well as she did Chris, but she gauged his expression as sorrowful. “We haven’t heard from Stephanie since she left town with Russ.”

  Chris frowned. “Really? She hasn’t called your mom? Not once?”

  Eric shook his head.

  “But, that doesn’t make any sense. They were close. I can’t believe she hasn’t called her. What does your mom think?”

  Eric shrugged. “She believes that Stephanie is too embarrassed to call or that Russ won’t let her call.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” He paused, then continued
. “Are you going to Pamela’s retirement party?”

  Chris shook his head. “No, I wasn’t planning on it. Why? Are you going?”

  “I am,” Eric said. “Driving home Friday morning and then spending a few days with my mom.”

  “Do you think Stephanie and Russ may go?” Chris asked the question casually, but Daphne heard the tightness in his tone.

  “We’re hoping they do, after all Pamela is Russ’s aunt. If he was going to come back for anyone, it would be her.”

  Chris nodded.

  “Eric,” called Deanna, “we’re setting up over here with the vineyard behind us.”

  “Later,” Eric said, before positioning himself and the camera for the shot.

  Daphne watched Chris, who stood staring off into space. She had hoped he would have asked Eric about Deanna’s motivation, but the news Eric had delivered to him seemed to preoccupy him. She walked over to join him. “Are you alright?”

  Chris started, then gave Daphne a small smile. “Yeah, just catching up on gossip from home.”

  “Who’s Stephanie?”

  “Oh, you heard some of it?” He asked. Daphne nodded. “She’s Eric’s sister and my ex-girlfriend. We dated through high school.”

  “Why did you break up?”

  “She was a year behind me, and I was going off to college. She decided to get together with her previous boyfriend. Should we go watch?” he asked, nodding toward the other group.

  Sensing that he was done talking about home, she walked with him to hear the tail end of Emilio’s interview.

  “I’m very grateful to the LaVaigne family. Not only did they find me the truth about what happened to my son, but they’re handling the arrangements for his funeral.”

  “Do you think they’re doing this out of guilt or for another reason?” Deanna asked.

  Emilio shook his head and responded with some heat. “No guilt. Only Albert Ashe has a reason to feel guilt. The LaVaigne’s have nothing to be guilty for, they are kind people who were also victims of a horrible man.”

  Deanna shifted her attention to Brandon. “Mr. LaVaigne, as I understand it Albert Ashe contacted you in a rush to sell the property after he presumably murdered Miguel Sanchez. But at that time you had no idea that Miguel Sanchez was missing much less dead?”

  “Correct.”

  “What were you thinking when he contacted you in a rush to sell?” Deanna asked.

  “I assumed that he realized he was in over his head. The few times that I had spoken with him, I knew that he lacked experience and knowledge, which is why I offered to buy the property months ago,” Brandon stated. “If I had any inkling that his desire to sell was because he had murdered one of his workers, I would not have given him the means to leave.”

  “I understand that you were the one who called Detective Martinez as soon as you realized that Albert Ashe was fleeing more than just a failed crop?”

  “Yes. I’ve known Detective Martinez for years. His father is my foreman. I knew he’d take the case and make it a priority because he would want to see justice for Miguel.”

  As Deanna wrapped up the interview with Brandon, Tom stepped away from the group to take a phone call. Deanna cast glances at Tom as she moved Brandon into position. Daphne could see Tom getting more and more agitated as the call continued. She watched Deanna abandon all pretense as she moved closer to where Tom stood. Daphne knew she was hoping for some juicy information. When Tom hung up, Deanna quickly took a step backwards while Brandon smirked at her.

  Tom first approached Emilio and whispered something to the old man. Emilio closed his eyes and then grasped Tom’s hands. Without another word, he walked to his truck and drove away. Then Tom approached Brandon and whispered something to him. His smirk turned into a frown as he glanced toward Daphne. She felt a chill as she wondered if the call in some way affected her. Brandon motioned her to come over.

  “What’s wrong?” Daphne asked when she reached them. Deanna had also joined them, much to Tom’s disapproval considering the frown he sent her.

  “There’s no sense keeping it from her,” Brandon spoke up. “She’s going to learn about it soon enough.”

  “Keep what from me?” Daphne asked.

  Tom shook his head. “Not from you, from Ms. Landers here. And you’re right.”

  “Besides, she is doing us a favor by conducting these interviews.” Brandon continued. “I think giving her a few minutes head start and an exclusive with the detective in charge will pay off.”

  “What?” Deanna asked as she reached out and grabbed Tom’s arm in her zeal.

  Tom gently released her grip before he told her. “Albert Ashe has been found. Or his body has been. He was beaten to death in Mexico.”

  “Hold on, hold on,” Deanna exclaimed, motioning for Eric to come forward. “I want to get this on the air.”

  Tom glanced at Brandon who only nodded back at him. Tom shrugged and took his position in front of the camera, next to Deanna. Brandon and Daphne moved off to the side and out of camera range.

  Brandon whispered to Daphne, “This may mean she won’t interview you.”

  “I’d be fine with that,” Daphne whispered back before they turned their attention to Tom.

  “Detective Martinez,” Deanna started, “I understand that the suspected murderer Albert Ashe has been located.”

  “Yes, I was just notified that the body of Albert Ashe has been found in the small town of Paredones. The police there are looking into his death, but they believe he was killed in a drunken brawl that he started with several patrons of a local bar.”

  “What does that mean for your investigation?”

  “Albert Ashe was our primary suspect in the murder of Miguel Sanchez. If he was found alive in Mexico, he would have requested his extradition. As it stands now, the case is likely to be closed. That’s all I have for now.”

  “Thank you, Detective,” Deanna said before turning to her cameraman. “Let’s get going.”

  He nodded.

  “So you don’t want to interview Daphne?” Brandon asked. Daphne groaned. She wished he had left it alone.

  Before responding, Deanna glanced at Eric. When he shook his head, she turned back to Brandon. “No, maybe some other time. We should get this to the station.” She moved closer to Brandon and put out her hand. “Thank you for the interviews and for the opportunity to meet you.” She practically purred when Brandon took her hand. Daphne rolled her eyes before noticing that Eric was frowning at Deanna’s back.

  Eric waved to Chris. “See you at the retirement party?” Eric asked.

  Chris nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

  They watched the news van drive away.

  Brandon turned to Tom. “So what didn’t you say during the interview?”

  Tom grinned. “You know me pretty well. Yeah, I did hold a few things back.”

  “Like what?” Daphne asked as Chris joined them.

  “The authorities have concluded that Albert Ashe arrived in Mexico within hours after he got the original one million in cash. They don’t know why he chose the town he did, but he’d been there the whole time.” He took a deep breath. “The thing is, several members of Miguel’s family live there. The police think it’s a possible that this was a revenge killing.”

  Tom turned to Daphne. “Do you think the ghost of Albert Ashe will visit you?”

  Daphne felt a wave of fear wash over her. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility. “I..I don’t know. Why would he?”

  “If he knew you identified him as Miguel’s killer?” Tom asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it is a possibility. I have no idea if that’s something he could learn after the fact.”

  “You think Emilio called his family and told them about Ashe and about how he was identified as Miguel’s killer?” Brandon asked.


  Tom nodded. “Its a possibility, albeit, a long shot because I doubt Emilio or anyone here knew where Ashe had gone.”

  “Are the police saying that it was a relative of Miguel’s getting revenge?” Daphne asked.

  Tom shook his head. “They only believe it is a possibility. They’ve learned that Albert Ashe wasn’t making friends in the town. Turns out every night he would go to the same bar, get drunk and then loudly complain about Mexicans.”

  “I knew he was an idiot.” Brandon said.

  Tom nodded in agreement but put his hand on Daphne’s shoulder. “Just take some precautions, if he knows you’re the one who identified him, he may make a visit.”

  Daphne shivered but nodded, even though she had no idea what precautions she could take.

  Chapter Six

  The ride back to Palo Alto was quiet, both Daphne and Chris lost in their own thoughts. Daphne pulled out her phone to run searches on ways to protect oneself from ghosts. There was a surprising amount of information on the topic, but she wondered how much of it was true. One article recommended laying salt across all the access points of a room. Another stated that spraying water on the ghost would interrupt their electromagnetic charge. Still another suggested holy water and a crucifix. She imagined that this might work on a ghost who was religious when he was alive. She wondered if Albert Ashe had been religious and if there was anyway she could find out.

  As Chris transferred from I-680 to I-880, he broke the silence. “Daphne, what are you doing for winter break? Once finals are over?”

  “Sleep,” She stated.

  He laughed. “Yeah, I hear ya. The next couple weeks are going to be brutal. But I was wondering, are you doing anything else, anything with your family?”

  “No, Thanksgiving is our main holiday together. Mom and Dad are leaving for Europe at the end of the week and won’t be back until sometime in January. Christmas time is a slow time for Brandon, so he takes off with friends and goes skiing for most of December. It’s the opposite for Ariana, she’s usually slammed at Christmas time. Why?”