Daphne looked up as Eric left. Her eyes latched onto Stephanie, who was standing inside the cabin and looking out at her. Her expression was one of mild interest. As the others joined Daphne, she saw Stephanie float through what remained of the wall to join them.
“What is that?” Eric asked Chris and Craig.
“I don’t know,” said Chris, but Craig answered, “It’s an old well.”
“We need a crowbar or something.” Eric said, “I can’t lift it.”
Becky searched through the bag she brought, pulling out a crowbar. Eric took it from her and started prying at the boards. When he had two of them removed, he beckoned for the flashlight Becky held. He shone the light into the well but shook his head.
“Can’t see anything,” he said. “I need to remove more of the boards.” He worked on the cover until he had removed three boards. Becky took each one carefully in her gloved hands and set them aside. With a bigger area, he shone the light down again.
Six people gasped when they saw the suitcases that had been tossed carelessly into the shaft. The flashlight couldn’t penetrate all of the gloom, but Daphne thought she saw a flash of blonde hair. But she might have imagined it.
“We’ll need to get down there,” Eric said.
“No, we need to tell the sheriff,” Becky argued. “We need to preserve the crime scene, especially if Stephanie is really down there.”
“Maybe Stephanie can check?” Daphne suggested looking at Stephanie. “She can’t contaminate the scene, and it wouldn’t be hard for her to get down there and back up.”
Stephanie looked at Daphne and then looked down the well.
“It might be weird seeing your own body,” Daphne said, realizing what she was asking. “You may not want to look.”
Stephenie looked at the well and then back at Daphne. She shrugged and floated over and down the shaft. A few seconds later she was back. “There’s a body down there, its wearing my favorite dress. It’s half-buried in mud and water, but I think that’s my body. Two of my suitcases are there as well. One broke open so there are clothes scattered everywhere.”
Daphne relayed what Stephanie had said. They all stood in silence staring down into her last resting place. They had finally found Stephanie. It hadn’t taken them long. Daphne didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. All this time, everyone had thought her gone from the town, but in truth she was only a few yards from her home. Daphne could just make out the edge of the park beyond the tree line.
“Don’t touch anything.” Becky ordered, breaking everyone out of their own thoughts. “I’m getting the sheriff. This changes everything.”
As Becky left to get the sheriff, Debbie and Kevin arrived on the scene.
“What’s going on?” Kevin asked.
“We found Stephanie’s body,” Craig told him. “Becky had the idea to use metal detectors to search the area around the cabin. Daphne found the old well.”
“I’d forgotten about the well,” Kevin said while Debbie rubbed Chris’s arm in sympathy. “How do you know Stephanie’s body is down there?”
“You can see the suitcases using the flashlight and Daphne asked Stephanie’s ghost to go down and check. She said there is a skeleton down there and whoever it is is wearing the clothes she had on that day.”
Kevin stiffened, he and Debbie glared at Daphne. “Stephanie’s ghost?” He asked with such biting sarcasm Daphne winced.
“Yeah,” Craig said without a pause. He obviously hadn’t heard the anger or the sarcasm coming from his father. “Becky went to get the sheriff. It isn’t official until they bring the body up and confirm it.”
“At least now the sheriff will have to look into her murder,” Eric said, leveling a gaze at Kevin and then Debbie. “That’s all that really matters.”
Kevin walked over to the edge of the well and stared down. He turned around and threw a glance at Daphne before locking eyes with Eric. “You’re right. That’s all that really matters.” Kevin said. He crossed back and stood on the other side of Chris. “I’m sorry,” he said, placing his hand on his son’s shoulder. Debbie stood crying like her son, still gently stroking his arm.
“This proves you were right all along,” Eric said, raising his voice as he took his place by Daphne’s side.
“Yeah, but I wish I wasn’t,” Daphne replied. Chris never took his eyes off of the well but Debbie tore her eyes away to glare at Daphne. The animosity surprised her. Didn’t she realize that Chris could now heal and move on with his life? Sure he was in pain now, but he had been in pain for years, believing that the woman he loved had left him. Now he knew the truth. The truth was always better.
When the sheriff arrived he didn’t look happy, but resigned. He brought with him a few deputies, one of whom carried a length of climbing rope. They looped the rope around a nearby tree and lowered the sheriff down. Within a few minutes he was back up.
He stood and spoke to Eric, ignoring the rest of the group. “I think it’s Stephanie. We’ll need to do a positive ID, but the dress, what’s left of it, matches the description of what she was seen wearing that day. There are a couple suitcases down there too, one broke open. Looks like it had clothes in it. The suitcases match the description Nicole gave me.” He brushed his hand over his face, Daphne could see fatigue in the gesture. He also looked a little green. “I’m sorry.”
He stepped away from Eric before engaging the entire group. “This is now a crime scene. Everyone needs to leave from here. We’ll be taking statements later, Becky already gave me a summary of how the body was discovered.” The look he gave Daphne was either one of accusation or apology, she didn’t know which, maybe both.
It was getting dark, and Daphne was exhausted, emotionally and physically. She just wanted to eat something and go to bed. She glanced around for Stephanie, but could no longer see the ghost. Maybe now that her body had been found, she would find peace and be able to move on to whatever came next.
Debbie led them back to the house and fed them sandwiches. While they ate, everyone was silent and lost in their own thoughts. Eventually the silence was broken by Kevin.
“Maybe you and Daphne should go back to Palo Alto,” he said to his son.
“Dad, you heard the sheriff, he doesn’t want us to leave, not yet. He’ll need to get statements first.”
“Why? You didn’t have anything to do with either Stephanie’s death or Russ’s.” Debbie said. “I wish you hadn’t come home this weekend.”
“I’m glad I came, I’m glad Daphne came with me.” Chris said, his voice was louder than necessary. “Now I know the truth, or at least some of it. I know Stephanie didn’t leave me. I still want to know who killed her and why, but knowing what really happened to her is better than not knowing. Even though right now it is tearing me up inside.” His voice broke then. He laid what was left of his sandwich on the table and rose. Without another word he went up the stairs and when he was out of sight, they heard his door slam.
Daphne desperately wanted to get up and follow Chris, go to her own room and sleep, but she felt responsible for all the misery at the table. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused problems.” Daphne said. Neither Kevin nor Debbie looked at her.
Her words hung there in silence while Craig looked between his mother and father. “Don’t blame yourself Daphne,” Craig said. “Chris was right, it is better to know the truth. I’m not sure he ever would be able to trust again if he continued to believe that Stephanie had left him. He knew she loved him, her disappearance made him feel like he could never trust his feelings again. Now he can. It will take time, but he’ll heal.”
“Thanks.” Daphne said and then rose. She quietly left and made her way to her room. All she wanted was to disappear into sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Daphne awoke to loud voices. She lay in her bed with the sun shining through the window. Standing over her was a youn
g man. He looked familiar like someone she had met once but had forgotten. It didn’t help that his face was twisted in rage and hatred as he shouted at her.
“I already told you father, that I’m not coming back here to live. I hate it here. My home is in San Francisco, and nothing you can say or do will change my mind.”
“This is your town, your heritage, you can’t turn your back on Dunning’s Landing.”
“There is nothing for me here. There never has been, not since mom died. Everything I’ve ever wanted is in San Francisco, including Debbie.”
“Keith needs you here. He needs help running the mill.”
“Keith doesn’t need my help and you know it, you’re just saying that to make me feel guilty. Well, it isn’t going to work. Besides, once your dead, Keith is selling the mill.”
The uncontrollable anger of the man flashed through Daphne, the frailness of the body kept him from leaping out of bed and strangling his youngest son. Daphne could see that she was still in her room, but it was different. She was lying in a hospital bed. The age-spotted hands on the bedclothes were gnarled and curled with arthritis. The pain of the arthritis shot through her body as the man tightened his grip on the bedclothes. As the pain subsided, Daphne realized she was connected to Kevin’s father, Chris’s grandfather, and currently having an intense argument with a much younger Kevin.
“Over my dead body, I’m calling my lawyer, changing my will. You’re out and I’ll make sure Keith can never sell the mill!” The old man shouted at his son before collapsing into a fit of coughing. “Get that girl of yours in here to give me my pills, then you can both just get out.”
“Get your own pills. Debbie isn’t your nurse, she’s my girlfriend. She’s been waiting on you out of the goodness of her heart, but no more. You can go to hell.” Kevin stormed out of the room, calling for Debbie to get packed.
The old man closed his eyes, confident that his sons would do his bidding. Daphne could feel the intense dislike the man had for his sons as she heard his internal thoughts. They liked to argue and pretend like they had backbones, but neither of them had the guts to stand up to him. Nor the guts to turn their back on the money. No, they’d fall inline soon enough. Now where was that girl with his pain medications? He was about to yell for her but heard someone moving around. Ah, there she was.
“I need my pills, hurry it up!” He shouted at her. He opened his eyes to glare at her but only in time to see the pillow covering his face. He struggled and bucked for air, but his body was too weak to fight of his attacker. As his chest erupted in pain and the darkness started to close in, his last thought was to wonder which of his ungrateful sons had finally found enough backbone to kill him.
Daphne woke gasping for air. The pain in her lungs subsided as she felt the cool air fill them. He was dead, the old man, Kevin’s father. No, Daphne knew he was dead, had been dead since before Chris had been born, even before Kevin and Debbie had married. Had Kevin killed him? He’d been the last person to visit him, had been the last person to fight with him. Had he stayed behind in the room in order to smother his father? Chris hadn’t mentioned that his grandfather had been murdered.
Daphne threw off the covers and put on her robe and slippers to pace the room. The night before last she had woken up; unable to breathe. Had the old man’s ghost been trying to share his secret with her then? She glanced around the room, his spirit wasn’t there, and the room was warming up. So he had been there and he had shown her what had really caused his death. Had it been Kevin? Had he been the one to “find enough backbone” as the old man had believed? But Kevin hadn’t been the only one in the house at the time. His brother, Keith, had been there as had Debbie. The old man’s threats could have been enough to make either of his sons kill.
Is this why Kevin had been so adamant about believing that ghosts did not exist? Was he feeling guilty about murdering his father, afraid that the old man would come back and haunt him? That would be understandable. Even if Kevin hadn’t been the one to kill his father, she could believe that he would never want to have to see or hear him again. She wasn’t much of a fan of the horrible man, either.
Daphne grabbed a blanket off the bed and sat down on the window seat. She couldn’t go back to bed yet, she was too amped up with what she had just witnessed. Someone had murdered the man. Even though he had been a horrible, self-centered man, had he deserved to be murdered? Murdered by one of his sons. She didn’t know much about Kevin’s brother Keith. Chris had mentioned that he had died in a hunting accident. Maybe he had committed suicide. Another reason for Kevin to not want to believe that ghosts are real. So much death and pain. His comments about his mother said that he loved her. Did he also love is brother? Did his brother kill their father and he guessed it, or was he responsible for killing the man? So many deaths in this small town. So many murders. Daphne glanced outside and saw Stephanie’s ghost once again staring at Chris’s window. Another murder victim.
Putting on warm pants and a sweater, Daphne made her way silently down the stairs and through the kitchen. She didn’t want to wake anyone, but she desperately wanted a chance to talk to Stephanie again.
Stephanie stood silently just a few feet from the house. She shifted her attention to Daphne.
“Hello Stephanie.” Daphne greeted her. Stephanie only nodded her head. “You disappeared earlier, I thought maybe you had crossed over.”
She shook her head, “No, not yet. I want to say goodbye to Chris first. See him one last time.” She glanced up to his window and then back to Daphne. “I also wanted to check on my Mom. She’s been depressed for so long. First with Dad getting killed and now me. Can you tell her that I’m okay and that I want her to be happy?”
“I will. Have you seen your father yet?”
She shook her head. “I think he may have moved on already. I hope to see him, when I’m ready to go. I also wanted to tell you that I went back down into the well, to watch while they removed me and my things. There’s something you should know.”
“What?”
“The gifts I wrapped for Chris—they aren’t there. They dredged the well and even dug up some of the mud. I didn’t see the gifts.”
“You think that whoever killed you kept them?” Daphne asked. “I saw the gifts that you wrapped, Chris has the keychain. I saw it, it looks old, like he’s had it for a few years.”
“Chris did not kill me.” Stephanie said, there was no doubt in her tone. “He would never have hurt me.”
“What about Kevin, Chris’s dad? How did you get along with him?”
She shrugged. “Fine. He was always nice to me. Debbie too. Why?”
It was Daphne’s turn to shrug. “Just wondered who would have wanted you dead.”
She frowned. “Chris did say that he had argued with his father about me. Kevin was afraid that I would keep Chris from going to college. But Chris told him the plan. I was going to stay here and finish high school while Chris would go to Stanford and live in the dorms. Then after I graduated, I would join him, and we’d get an apartment together. I couldn’t afford to go to Stanford, but I could either work or go to a community college. Chris said that his dad was fine with that plan.”
Daphne asked, “Did you hear the conversation or did Chris just tell you that Kevin was ok with your solution?”
“Chris told me.”
Daphne considered this. Was it possible that Kevin had killed Stephanie to ensure that Chris went to school? That seemed unlikely, but she remembered his face as he argued with his father. Kevin had desperately wanted out of Dunning’s Landing. Wanted out enough that he was willing to sacrifice his inheritance. But no, that didn’t make sense. The Kevin she knew had moved back here. He also seemed to be happy. Although it was possible Kevin saw Stephanie as a roadblock to his son’s happiness, just as his father and tried to be one for him. Daphne shook her head, Kevin hadn’t been very nice to her since she adm
itted her ability to see ghosts, but she just didn’t see him as a murderer.
“Did Chris ever say anything to you about the death of his grandfather? If it was anything other than an accident?”
“Chris didn’t know the old man was murdered.” Stephanie said casually. “Not that I blame anyone for killing him, he’s a major jerk. He’s why I’m out here and not inside watching Chris sleep. He won’t let me inside. Tells me I’m a slut and that I’m no good.”
Daphne cursed, “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Tell you what?” Stephanie asked with a frown.
“About Chris’s grandfather being around and that he had been murdered.” Daphne said with some exasperation. She was starting to believe that Stephanie was a bit self-centered, or maybe being a ghost and unable to communicate with anyone would make self-centeredness inevitable.
She shrugged, “I didn’t think it mattered. Why would his murder have anything to do with me? He was killed years before I was born.”
“Did you ever consider that whoever killed the old man may have killed you or do you think Dunning’s Landing is big enough to hold multiple murderers?”
“I didn’t think about that, again why should I have? Russ murdered me.”
“No, I don’t think he did.” Daphne explained, trying to rein in her own temper. “Russ is dead too. He was murdered. Shot in the back.”
“Huh, I think he deserved more pain to die a more painful death. Especially after what he did to me.”
“He told me that he didn’t kill you. He admitted to choking you until you passed out, but that when he left, you were still alive.”
“That would explain the bag over my head.” Stephanie supplied.
“What bag?”
“There was a plastic bag over my the head of my body in the well. It looks like someone had used it to kill me and then left it on when they dumped my body.”
The Ghost Maker Page 15