The Ghost Who Lied (Haunting Danielle Book 13) Read online

  THE GHOST WHO LIED

  BOBBI HOLMES

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Haunting Danielle Newsletter

  Haunting Danielle Series

  Bobbi Holmes

  Unlocked Hearts Series

  The Coulson Series

  Also by Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

  The Ghost Who Lied

  (Haunting Danielle, Book 13)

  A Novel

  By Bobbi Holmes

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey

  Copyright © 2017 Bobbi Holmes

  Robeth Publishing, LLC

  All Rights Reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction.

  Any resemblance to places or actual persons,

  living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  www.robeth.com

  To all the dogs and cats who’ve been in my life over the years. You didn’t just provide unconditional love, you inspired me—helping me bring Sadie, Max, Hunny, and Belle to the world of Haunting Danielle.

  ONE

  JULY 1, 2015

  If he grew weary of property management, perhaps he should consider a career as a private detective. Adam Nichols chuckled at the thought, and then he remembered the private investigator who had been murdered in Frederickport not that long ago—shot by his own client. Of course, in that instance the PI had turned hit man, which was not a career path he would want to venture down. Adam wasn’t overly fond of firearms. Fortunately, today’s mission didn’t involve guns, and he was confident no one was going to get killed.

  Hands on hips, he stood in the center of the room, surveying his work. Smiling in satisfaction, Adam congratulated himself on the superb job of concealing the cameras. This wasn’t his first foray into espionage. He had installed his first hidden security camera over a year ago in his office. That ended up saving Danielle Boatman’s butt when it had captured her attorney attempting to plant evidence.

  The second time was a favor he had done for an old friend, Jason Baker. Jason wanted a way to keep an eye on his restaurant employees when he wasn’t there. If they weren’t doing their work, he wanted to know. What they ended up capturing, within an hour of installing the cameras, was evidence of an attempted murder.

  Adam’s cellphone began to ring. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he looked at it. It was his assistant, Leslie.

  “Yeah,” Adam answered the phone.

  “You told me to call you when she picked up the key,” Leslie told him.

  “When was she there?” he asked.

  “She just walked out the door.”

  “Did she say when she was going to the house?” Adam asked.

  “I did just what you told me to do. I gave her the key and then asked when she was going over there.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said she had to pick up something first, but then she was going right over there.”

  “Perfect,” he muttered.

  “What’s going on, Adam?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted to make sure she got the job done. I might have someone who wants to look at the property tomorrow.”

  After the phone call ended, Adam used the app on the cellphone to test the cameras. Satisfied they were working correctly, he turned off the phone, slipped it back in his pocket, and locked up the house.

  Adam arrived back at his office ten minutes later. As he breezed through the receptionist area, he told Leslie, “I don’t want to be disturbed; hold my calls.”

  Leslie glanced up from her desk, only to see Adam hurry by and disappear down the hall to his office. “What’s with you today?” she muttered after he was out of earshot.

  Once alone in his office, he shut and locked the door. Taking a seat at his desk, he grabbed hold of his mouse and moved it. His computer was already on. The screen lit up. Smiling, Adam activated the software for the security cameras. It was possible to monitor the cameras with his phone, yet today he preferred to use the larger screen for a better view. A moment later, the interior of the rental house was live streamed onto his computer monitor.

  “Good, she isn’t there yet,” Adam muttered. He watched and waited.

  It was taking her longer to arrive than he had anticipated.

  “She obviously did more than just pick something up,” he grumbled. Adam glanced to the clock. He had been sitting at the computer for over thirty minutes. Growing restless, he reached for his cellphone. But then he noticed motion on the monitor. Someone was coming in the front door of the rental house.

  “It’s about time.” Adam abandoned his cellphone. He leaned toward the computer monitor and watched.

  “What the…?” Adam frowned. “I don’t think so.”

  He continued to watch. Minutes ticked away.

  “Where are you going now?” he mumbled. His gaze never left the screen.

  Minutes later, he began to chuckle. “Well, I’ll be damned. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.”

  DANIELLE THOUGHT she was alone in the parlor. Pulling the blinds to one side, she peeked outside. It looked as if someone was on the porch swing. Focused on trying to see who it was, she was not prepared when a male voice whispered boo into her left ear.

  Letting out a screech in surprise, she turned abruptly to the source and found herself staring into the twinkling blue eyes of Walt Marlow.

  “Dang you, Walt, I hate when you do that.” Danielle stomped one foot in protest.

  “Do what?” Glancing down, he was momentarily grateful he didn’t have any mortal feet for her to stomp.

  “Stop acting like a ghost, you brat.”

  “You know I hate that word.” He didn’t seem particularly upset. Walt leaned to the window, trying to see what Danielle had been watching.

  “Don’t act like a ghost, and I won’t call you one.”

  “Why are you spying on Lily?” he asked, still looking out the window.

  “Is that who it is?” Danielle peeked out the window again, her head next to Walt’s.

  “I was in the attic when I saw her coming across the street from Ian’s.”

  “I wondered who it was.” Danielle turned with Walt into the room. “I thought it might be one of our guests. Is Ian with her?”

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t see anyone else when she was crossing the street.” Walt walked over to the sofa and sat down. He watched as Danielle went to the door leading to the hallway. She shut it.

  “I really don’t need one of our guests to hear me talking to myself,” she whispered when she returned from the now closed door and took a
seat on the sofa next to Walt.

  “You aren’t alone,” he reminded her with a smile.

  “So tell me, why the boo?” she asked.

  Walt shrugged. “No reason. I’m just in a good mood.”

  “Any special reason for the good mood?”

  Walt let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back comfortably on the sofa. Outstretching his legs, he crossed them at the ankle. “I suppose I’m looking forward to the open house.”

  Danielle grinned. “I seem to remember a time you opposed the idea of turning this place into a B and B. Now you’re looking forward to the party?”

  “Mostly, I’m looking forward to seeing you all dolled up and wearing the Missing Thorndike.”

  Danielle blushed. Standing up, she said, “You’re funny, Walt. I think I’ll go see what Lily is up to.”

  Still sitting on the sofa, Walt watched Danielle leave the room. “Ahh, run away, Danielle,” he whispered to himself. “I’m just a spirit, nothing to be afraid of.” He let out another sigh and smiled wistfully.

  ACROSS THE STREET, the sun disappeared behind the houses. Beyond the houses, the fiery ball sank into the Pacific Ocean. Lily watched from her place on the porch swing, using one foot to keep the swing gently swaying back and forth.

  When she heard the front door open and close, she glanced over to see who was coming. It was Danielle.

  “Hey, Lily, are you home for the night?” Danielle asked when she reached her.

  Putting her foot down to pause the swing, Lily held it motionless for a moment, giving Danielle time to sit down next to her. Once she was seated, Lily pushed the toe of her shoe against the ground and sent the swing back in motion.

  “Yeah. Ian had some work to finish up. I thought I’d come on home.”

  The two friends sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the motion of the swing while watching the last evidence of the sun disappear.

  “Dani, I think I have a problem.”

  Danielle glanced to Lily. “What sort of problem?”

  “I’m in love with Ian.”

  Danielle chuckled. “Well, duhh, like we all didn’t know that already? So why is it a problem now?”

  “He’s been so sweet lately. Oh, he’s always sweet. But I think…I have this gut feeling he’s going to ask me to marry him.”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to marry Ian?”

  “No! I want to marry him. I can’t imagine marrying anyone else.”

  “Have you been talking about marriage?”

  “Not really. We sort of talk around it. I mean, we talk about what we want to do next year or the year after that. Like we both know we intend to stay together. But we’ve never actually talked marriage per se. Although, Ian did ask me a while back if I wanted kids, which led to a long conversation on how we wanted to raise our children.”

  Danielle smiled. “Sounds to me you’ve already been talking marriage. But I don’t see what the problem is.”

  Lily put her foot down and stopped the swing. She turned to Danielle. “I need to tell Ian about Walt. About everything.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “I don’t know how we can have a future together if one of us is keeping secrets. And this is a huge secret.”

  Danielle let out a sigh. With her right foot, she put the swing back in motion. “I suppose I understand. I told Lucas for that very reason. Of course, my secret is that I can see ghosts. Yours is that we’ve been living with one for the last year.”

  “That and all the other ghosts who’ve showed up since we’ve moved in.”

  “How do you intend to tell him?” Danielle asked.

  “That’s the problem, I can’t.”

  “Why can’t you?”

  “Because Ian doesn’t believe in ghosts.”

  Danielle started to laugh. “Most people don’t believe in the beginning. Look how long it took the chief to realize his grandmother really had been talking to his grandfather’s spirit.”

  “It’s not like that, Dani. A while back Ian and I were watching a TV show about a medium. I figured it was a good opening to bring up the subject. But Ian went all ballistic.”

  Danielle frowned. “What do you mean ballistic?”

  “He’s done some articles on supposed hauntings and mediums.”

  Danielle arched her brow. “Supposed?”

  “After he researched the stories, he discovered they were hoaxes. He’s now convinced they’re all frauds. He really has a thing about it.”

  “But he knows about my history—what happened when I was a child?” Danielle asked.

  “Sure. We even talked about it that night. He’s convinced what happened to you back then was nothing but a child’s overactive imagination. In fact, he praised your parents for sending you to a psychologist back then. He said that’s exactly what he would have done in their place.”

  “I suppose it’s harder for some people to believe.”

  “But, Dani, what am I going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. I understand why you don’t want to continue to keep the secret. But at the same time, if you do tell him, you need to find some way to convince him. Maybe we can get Walt to help?”

  “Maybe…” Lily leaned back in the swing. “But let’s wait until after the open house, okay? You have enough on your mind right now. And frankly, I don’t want to deal with this when Kelly is here.”

  “She’s coming for the party?”

  “Yeah. She’ll be here Friday morning and is staying for the weekend.”

  “You’re probably right. It would be best to tell Ian when he doesn’t have his sister staying with him, and when we don’t have a house full of people.”

  “It will also give me a few more days to figure out how I’m going to tell Ian. Or more accurately, how to convince him I’m not crazy.”

  “Don’t be silly, Lily. We all know you’re crazy,” Danielle teased.

  TWO

  Moonlight lit up the darkened corridors of Marlow House. Inside, most of the occupants had already fallen asleep. Making his nightly rounds, Walt Marlow moved through the rooms on the lower floor before starting on the second floor, where most of the bedrooms were located. He paused by Danielle’s room. He could see light coming from under the closed bedroom door.

  Walt moved through the wall leading to Danielle’s room. He found her sitting on the bed, her laptop computer propped open on her lap. By her clothes—plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt—and the damp dark hair piled haphazardly atop her head—he could tell she had recently showered and washed her hair and was ready for bed.

  Looking up to Walt, Danielle smiled. He wore a gray three-piece suit, sans the jacket and tie, the sleeves of his white shirt pushed casually to his elbows. “Evening, Walt,” she said in a whisper.

  “You appear to be the only one up. All the other rooms are dark.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.” Danielle scooted over to one side of the bed, making room for Walt. He accepted her silent invitation.

  Once on the bed, Walt kicked off his shoes. They disappeared before reaching the floor. He rested against the pillows stacked in front of the headboard while Danielle sat next to him, working on her laptop.

  She glanced from her computer to Walt. “Lily plans to tell Ian about you.”

  Walt arched his brow. “She does? That will be interesting.”

  “Or should I say, she wants to.” Danielle then went on to recount her recent conversation with Lily.

  “I suppose it would be better to wait until after the open house to broach that particular subject. Observing Ian this past year, I have no idea how he might react. And I tend to agree with Lily. I don’t think he’ll be as accepting of the information as she was.” Walt glanced to the laptop. “So what are you doing on the computer?”

  “I was reading that blog.” Danielle shook her head in disgust.

  “I assume you’re talking about the Mystery of Marlow House?”

  “I wish I could figure out who
this clown is. It’s bugging me.”

  “Anything in particular this time?”

  “He’s been blogging all week about the curse of the Missing Thorndike.” In the telling, Danielle gave special emphasis to the curse of the Missing Thorndike, making it sound like a radio announcer promoting an upcoming horror flick.

  “Obviously, he’s going for the sensational.”

  “Or she. It could be a woman. But I agree with you, whoever it is, is trying to stir up controversy to attract fans to the webpage. And I bet whoever it is will show up on Saturday. I’d be surprised if the blogger wasn’t there last year. The pictures taken then—the ones he posted online—I don’t recognize them. They aren’t photos we took. But they could have been taken by anyone.”

  “Don’t let it bother you.”

  Danielle shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. And if I was being honest, there was a time in my marketing career when I might actually promote something like this for the extra exposure.”