Satisfied the panel was locked, Danielle was about to return upstairs when she noticed there seemed to be something different about the panel along the wall adjacent to the doorway into the closet. Turning to that section, she ran her hand along the panel, pressing it firmly. To her surprise it began to move. Startled, Danielle snatched her hands from the wall and jumped back, staring at the piece of paneling. Her eyes widened when she noticed it was ajar a good three inches. There appeared to be a space behind the wall.
Curious, Danielle placed her palms back on the panel and pressed. The next moment it flew open, revealing a hidden passageway.
“Walt!” Danielle called out, jumping back from the wall.
A moment later Walt came to the open doorway from their bedroom and looked down the stairs at Danielle.
“What is it?” he called out.
“Please get a flashlight and come down here!” she called back. “And hurry!’
Minutes later Walt rushed down the staircase, flashlight in hand. “What’s wrong?”
Glancing briefly over her shoulder at him as he hurried down the stairs, she said, “It’s another passageway.”
When Walt reached Danielle, he aimed the beam from the flashlight into the opening and they both peered inside. It looked like an elevator chute, but instead of an elevator, an iron ladder affixed to the back wall ran down the chute.
Leaning farther into the opening, Danielle reached out and touched one of the mud-covered ladder rungs. It was damp. Rubbing her fingers together, she looked at Walt, her eyes wide in concern. “It’s like the mud we found on the stairs. Did someone come up here? Was someone in our house? Where does this even lead?”
Walt gently pushed Danielle back from the opening and began climbing inside.
“Where are you going?” Danielle asked, her voice suddenly high pitched.
“I’m going to see where this thing goes.”
“You might fall,” she said.
“It looks pretty sturdy,” Walt said, climbing all the way into the opening. To free his hand, Walt willed the flashlight to hover over him, lighting his way. Danielle watched as Walt slowly descended the ladder. When he reached what she assumed to be the first floor, he stepped onto a small landing. A moment later he looked up at Danielle, the flashlight still hovering over his head, and gave her a little wave. “You might want to come see this.”
“Are there spiders?” she asked.
He grinned up to her. “I haven’t seen any webs so far.”
“Let me get my own flashlight. I’ll be right back.” The next moment Danielle ran up the stairs, back into their room, and snatched the flashlight from her nightstand. As she ran back into the staircase, she shut the door behind her without thought, and hurried down the stairs. She was more than halfway down the steps when the remaining lightbulb overhead flickered and went out, sending the stairwell into darkness.
“Drat,” she cursed, turning on her flashlight. Instead of dealing with the light fixture, she continued on her way to Walt.
After shoving the handle of her flashlight into the back pocket of her jeans, she entered the opening as Walt had done, and slowly made her way down the ladder. When she reached Walt, she was fairly certain they were somewhere on the first floor of Marlow House. She could either continue down the ladder or step off on the small shelf where Walt now stood. She joined Walt.
He pointed to a tiny hole in the wall to her right. She looked through it and could see clearly into the living room of Marlow House.
“That is just creepy,” she whispered.
He then pointed to the wall behind her, where there was another peephole. She looked through that and could see into the downstairs bedroom.
Taking hold of his own flashlight, Walt pointed it downward and said, “This must go to the basement.”
Stepping off the shelf and back onto the ladder, Walt continued downward, Danielle following him. When they finally reached the bottom of the chute, they discovered a door.
“Does that go into the basement?” Danielle asked, looking from the rustic door to Walt.
“We won’t know until we look,” he said.
Just as Walt reached for the glass doorknob, they heard a loud slamming sound. It echoed through the chute. Danielle glanced upwards.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Sounded like someone slamming a door,” he said.
Turning his attention back to the mystery door, Walt reached for its glass doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open. Instead of leading to the basement, it led to a second passage with two doors, one to the left and one directly in front of them.
Instead of swinging open as the doorway they had just gone through did, the door directly in front of them appeared to move from side to side, similar to the panel door leading into the hidden staircase.
Walt pressed against the door, sending it sliding to the right. To their surprise, they looked into the golden eyes of Max. The cat sat staring at them, his black tail twitching back and forth.
“Max!” Danielle yelped, then gave a little laugh. The cat jumped into her arms while Walt peered into the opening.
“We were right. It’s the basement,” Walt said.
Danielle set Max down. He began weaving in and out between her ankles.
Reaching down to pet Max, Danielle looked at Walt and said, “If this leads into the basement, where does that go?” Danielle pointed to the second door.
To their surprise, the door to the basement slammed shut. A crashing sound echoed through the passageway.
“I think I know what the other sound was we heard a minute ago,” Walt said.
“What?” Danielle asked.
“I’m fairly certain that first doorway we went through slammed close—like this one just did. Sounded the same, and it’s the same type of door.”
“I’m not overly concerned,” Danielle told him. “Considering your telekinetic powers, I doubt you’ll have a problem getting it open again. After all, you did pick up a tree.”
“It wasn’t a tree exactly,” Walt reminded her, “just a very large branch.”
Danielle turned her attention to the second door. “Where do you think that goes?”
“Let’s see,” Walt said, opening the second door, its weight noticeable as if made of heavy iron instead of wood. Using the beam from his flashlight to light the way, he walked through the now open doorway, Danielle following close behind him. They found themselves in a dark hallway with a dirt floor, its walls made of brick, and beams overhead supported the passage.
“Where does it go?” Danielle asked as she moved the beam from her flashlight along the walls, inspecting the area.
“I have absolutely no idea. I’ve heard of tunnels in Portland, but I’ve never heard of tunnels in Frederickport,” Walt said. He glanced down at the cat and said, “Stay with us, Max.”
Clutching his flashlight in one hand, Walt slowly made his way down the dark hall, Danielle right behind him, her flashlight zigzagging along the outer walls, looking for—she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. They went about ten feet when they reached another flight of stairs. It took them one floor below the basement to a long dark winding tunnel. Where it led, they had no idea.
The long-sleeved black crepe dress hugged Heather’s narrow waist while its full skirt, several layers of shredded fabric, flowed dramatically around her black boots with each step she took. She wore her long dark hair down and straight, a witch’s hat covering the crown of her head.
“Where’s Walt and Danielle?” Heather asked Chris. “We’re opening in a couple of minutes, and Walt isn’t in the library, and I haven’t seen Danielle.” The two stood in the downstairs bedroom by the open casket.
“I haven’t seen them,” Chris said, already dressed in his mummy costume.
“Has anyone seen Walt and Danielle?” Ian asked from the open doorway.
Heather turned to Ian and said, “I was just asking Chris the same question. I don’t think they’ve com
e back downstairs.”
“You two go ahead and take your posts. I’ll go upstairs and see what’s taking them so long,” Ian said.
Ian sprinted to the staircase and up the steps to the second floor.
“Ginny’s still not here,” Evan said with disappointment when he spied Ian.
“Sorry, bud. I’m sure she’ll show up. Have you seen Danielle and Walt?”
Evan shook his head. “No. Not since they went upstairs after we ate.”
“And you haven’t seen them come downstairs?” Ian asked.
Again Evan shook his head. “No.”
“I wonder if one of them got sick or something,” Ian muttered. Instead of continuing to the attic bedroom, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. First he called Danielle and then Walt. Neither one answered the phone.
With a sigh, Ian headed for the attic staircase. Once on the landing, he knocked on the door leading into the attic bedroom suite. There was no answer. He knocked again, this time louder. Still no answer. Gingerly he tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened it and peeked inside.
“Walt? Danielle?”
No reply.
Stepping into the room, he glanced around. Sitting on the dresser was Danielle’s cellphone. He spied Walt’s on the bed. Also on the bed was the costume he knew Danielle intended to wear this evening.
“Walt? Danielle?” he shouted.
Walking farther into the room, he noticed the door to the bathroom was open. He looked inside. No one was there. He peeked in the walk-in closet and then opened the door to the hidden staircase. Reaching his hand inside, he tried turning on the light. He soon discovered the light bulbs had gone out.
Pulling his iPhone from his pocket, he turned on the flashlight app and used it to illuminate the hidden staircase. Stepping inside, he yelled, “Walt, Danielle, you down here?”
No answer.
Using his phone to light the way, he made his way down the stairwell. There was no sign of Walt and Danielle. When he got to the landing behind the closet, he tested the door. It was locked.
“They obviously didn’t go in here,” Ian muttered.
He then sprinted up the stairs, back into the attic suite. After he left Walt and Danielle’s bedroom, he went back down the attic stairs, put the rope up—its sign still attached—barring entrance to the attic, and walked through all the rooms on the second floor. Still no sign of Walt and Danielle. When Ian reached the first-floor landing, Joanne greeted him.
“Where are Walt and Danielle? Melony just let the first group through, and Walt’s not in the library. Where are they?” Joanne asked.
Thirty-Five
“I think we should go back,” Danielle told Walt. She glanced at her watch. “We have to open up for the haunted house, and everyone is going to wonder where we are. This will obviously be here tomorrow, and I would rather check it out when someone knows where we are.”
“I was about to suggest the same thing,” Walt said.
They turned around and headed back up the stairs to the last doorway they had gone through. When they reached it, they found it closed. To their surprise, there was no doorknob on their side. Neither had noticed the lack of doorknob when going through the doorway minutes earlier, too curious about the dark hallway.
Danielle pushed on the door. It did not budge. She stepped back from it and looked at Walt. “I guess you’re going to have to open it.”
Walt stared at the metal door. Nothing happened.
“Are you going to open it?” Danielle asked.
“It won’t move. It’s locked.”
“Then I guess unlock it?” Danielle suggested.
“That only works when I’m familiar with the lock mechanism. I don’t know where it is or what to move. I tried focusing my energy along the entire length of the left side of the door—nothing.”
“At least we left breadcrumbs. Someone is certain to come,” Danielle said.
“Breadcrumbs? Where?” Walt asked.
“When they look for us, I’m sure Ian will check the hidden staircase; after all, it’s off our room. And then he’ll see the opening.”
“Did you forget that slamming sound we heard? Like I said earlier, that was probably the door closing. If it closed all the way, no one will know we’re down here,” Walt said grimly.
Danielle groaned.
Turning back down the dark tunnel, Walt aimed his flashlight beam into the darkness. “This must lead somewhere.”
Together, Walt and Danielle, with Max close at their heels, made their way down the stairs again to the tunnel-like hallway, looking for another way out. They had gone about twelve feet when Danielle spied what looked like a piece of paper along one wall. She walked to it, bent down, and picked it up. After looking at it, she handed it to Walt and said, “It’s a Bellemore Construction business card. It’s just like the one they gave me the other day.”
He glanced at it briefly and then handed it back to Danielle. “This must mean they’ve been down here.”
Danielle smiled. “And it means there is another way out.”
Walt aimed the flashlight into the darkness. “Then let’s find it.”
They continued down the dark corridor, the walls on either side made of brick. A few minutes later they both came to an abrupt stop when the beam from Danielle’s flashlight landed on another foreign object. This time it was not a piece of paper. It appeared to be a skeleton. Hesitantly they both approached the gruesome sight. It sat leaning against the wall, its legs outstretched as if he had just sat down to rest. They both assumed it had once been a he, considering the tattered clothes falling off the bones.
“Who was he?” Danielle murmured.
The next moment her question was answered when what appeared to be a man suddenly materialized before them. He wore the same clothes—yet not as tattered—as the poor skeleton sitting on the floor.
“Walt Marlow!” the man shouted exuberantly. “You came!” The ghost sounded giddy.
“Abe Fortune?” Walt stammered, looking the apparition up and down.
“I thought I was going to die in here!” Abe said. “But you found me! Thank god you found me! I’ve lost all track of time. I don’t even know how long I’ve been down here. Annabelle must be worried sick!”
“Oh my,” Danielle muttered, glancing from Abe to Walt.
Abe turned to Danielle and frowned. “Who are you?”
“I’m Danielle Marlow, Walt’s wife.”
Abe grinned and looked at Walt. “You eloped?”
“Actually, we did,” Walt said under his breath, glancing back to Danielle.
“Did you see some other men down here?” Danielle asked, thinking of the business card she had found.
“Oh yes, them,” Abe said angrily. “I’m not sure who they are, but they refused to talk to me. I’d been trying to find my way into Marlow House.” Abe turned to Walt and added, “So I could talk to you about the tunnel—the secret passageway. But I see you already knew about it.”
“What happened?” Walt asked.
“I couldn’t get the door to work, but they got it open, and I followed them. I didn’t see you, so I came back later. But two people were there. I knew I had to go back through the tunnel. Something is going on and you could be in danger.”
“One of the people you found in the hidden staircase, was it a woman with purple and green hair?” Danielle asked.
“Why yes. She was with a man,” Abe said.
Danielle turned to Walt and said, “Carla and her friend.”
“Can we get out of here now?” Abe asked. “I really need to go find Annabelle.”
“Why did you need to talk to me in the first place?” Walt asked.
“To explain about the secret passageway, of course. But since you’re here, obviously you know.”
“You got trapped down here, didn’t you?” Danielle asked.
“Yes. And I thought I was going to die,” Abe said.
“Are you thirsty?” Danielle asked.
“Are you hungry?” Danielle asked.
“I was. I think I was.” Abe frowned.
“But you aren’t now?” Danielle asked.
“No.” Abe shook his head.
“Haven’t you seen that?” Danielle asked, pointing to the skeleton a few feet away.
Abe glanced briefly at his former self and then shook his head in denial. “I don’t want to look at that.”
“Why?” Danielle asked softly.
“Because someone obviously got stuck in here and died. I don’t want to die like he did. I don’t want to look at it.”
“I think you tried to help him,” Danielle said gently. “You tried moving him into the hidden staircase so someone would find him and you would be rescued. Didn’t you? But I think he didn’t quite look like that. I don’t think he looked like a skeleton when he was in the staircase, and that woman with the purple and green hair and her friend saw him.”
Shaking his head again in denial, he turned his back to Danielle. He then heard a meow and looked down. Until that moment he hadn’t noticed the cat. Abe stared into Max’s golden eyes.
“Dead? You say I’m dead?” Abe shouted.
Walt glared at the cat. “Did you have to be so blunt, Max? Danielle was trying, in her own way, to break it to him gently.”
“I haven’t seen her. What do you mean she and Walt are missing?” Lily asked Ian. She sat alone in her living room, with Connor sleeping in the nearby nursery, Sadie curled up under the crib, and Hunny napping by her feet. She held the cellphone to her ear. Ian had just called her moments earlier. She listened as he explained Walt and Danielle’s mysterious disappearance.
The Ghost and the Halloween Haunt Page 22