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

  Walt glanced over to the laptop screen. He could tell she had opened a new website. “What are you looking at now?”

  “I thought I’d play around with my account on Ancestry.com.”

  Walt frowned. “Play around, how?”

  “Ever since Aunt Brianna’s DNA results, I’ve been getting more interested in genealogy. I’ve been working on my family tree, adding ancestors when I find them.”

  “So how do you do that?” Walt asked.

  Danielle flashed him a smile, an idea popping into her head. “I know what we’ll do. Let’s see if we can find anything on you in here and then build your tree too.”

  “Me?” Walt smiled. “I doubt you’ll find anything on me in there.”

  Her eyes on the laptop, Danielle said, “You’d be surprised. Okay, what was your middle name again?”

  “Clint.”

  In Ancestry.com’s search menu, Danielle typed in Walt’s full name, along with the year of his birth and death, and then she clicked the search button.

  “Wow, a lot of stuff came up!” Danielle announced.

  Curious, Walt peered over her shoulder.

  Danielle pointed to the left side of the screen. “Here’s the list of categories to research. I like to start with family trees to see what might already be out there. Basically, we’re checking other member’s family trees, those who’ve set their trees to public.”

  “Are you suggesting I might already be included in a member’s family tree?”

  “It’s possible.”

  Walt shook his head. “I seriously doubt you’ll find me on anyone’s family tree. My great-grandfather was the only Marlow in our family to come to America, and I was the last one in his line.”

  “That may be true…but look! There you are!” Danielle clicked the link. Walt’s ancestor profile page flashed onto the display. “Look! It even has a picture of you!”

  Walt leaned toward the laptop screen and frowned. “How in the world did someone get that photograph of me and put it on the computer?”

  “I suspect one of your distant cousins uploaded it.”

  Cocking his head slightly, Walt studied the page with keen interest. “It must be. I remember that photograph. It was taken before Grandfather passed away. Now that I recall, he regularly exchanged photographs with his cousin in London.”

  “Let’s see what cousins you might have out there.”

  Danielle began clicking through the pages, starting with Walt and moving back one generation at a time. “Okay, it says your parents were Alexander Oliver Marlow and Anna Elizabeth Holland.”

  Walt nodded. “Correct.”

  Reading Walt’s parents’ birth and death dates, Danielle frowned. “Wow, you were pretty young when they died.” She clicked several links. “Whoever put this tree together doesn’t list anything for your mother, aside from her name and birth and death dates. But they have your father’s parents down. But that doesn’t surprise me. Whoever put this family tree together is obviously on the Marlow side of your family, since they call the tree Marlow Family Tree.”

  “There’s no photo of my mother, but there is one of my father.” Walt sounded disappointed.

  “Wow, you looked a lot like your father.”

  “I’ve heard the Marlow men tend to bear a striking resemblance to each other.”

  Danielle glanced at Walt. “Do you have any family photos stored somewhere in the house? I’ve never seen any.”

  “Hmmm, now that you mention it…” Walt thoughtfully considered the question. “I can’t recall seeing our photographs. Perhaps they were thrown out after I died?”

  “Were there a lot of photographs?” Danielle asked.

  “We obviously didn’t take photographs as often as you do now. Lily is always taking a picture of something. Just the other day I saw her taking a picture of her breakfast, and then she posted it on Facebook.” Walt shook his head and chuckled. “But I had a Brownie I made good use of, and Grandfather religiously saw to it we hired a photographer to take our annual portraits.”

  “I wonder where those pictures are now,” Danielle mused.

  “We kept them in photo albums in the library. But now that I think about it, I don’t recall seeing them there.”

  “I wonder…I always heard Aunt Brianna’s mother wouldn’t come inside Marlow House after you died, so I doubt she went through any of your photographs. Aunt Brianna was just a small child then, but later, I know she had people taking care of the house. It’s possible she had someone go through your personal effects—after all, your clothes were all gone—but knowing what I do about her, I don’t see her throwing something like family photographs away. Perhaps they’re down at the museum? They have some photos of your grandfather down there. Maybe Brianna donated your photo albums to the museum. I’ll have to check that out.”

  “I would like to see them again. But if they’re at the museum, I doubt that would be possible.”

  “Let me see if they have them first, and if they do, I’ll work something out. And who knows, we haven’t gone through all the old boxes in the attic and basement, so perhaps they’re there.”

  Danielle turned her attention back to the computer and Walt’s online family tree. “Your paternal grandparents were Frederick Wright Marlow and Sarah Ellen Oliver. Ahh, that’s where your father got his middle name.”

  “It was the custom; when naming a child, parents often gave the mother’s maiden name as the middle name.”

  “I rather like that custom. Your grandparents only had one child?”

  Walt nodded. “From what I understand, my grandmother lost several babies before she had my father.”

  “That’s sad.” Danielle sighed, still looking at the computer. “Here is your grandfather’s parents, Alexander Gabriel Marlow and Mary Ann Clint. Interesting, you got your great-grandmother’s maiden name, not your mother’s. Ahh, these were the first Marlows to come to America!”

  “Yes.” Walt nodded. “And an interesting fact, my great-grandfather was a twin—as was his wife. And it just so happened my great-grandmother’s twin sister married my great-grandfather’s twin brother.”

  “Seriously?” Danielle looked from the monitor to Walt.

  “Yes.”

  “Double cousins,” Danielle murmured. “I remember hearing once that if twins marry twins, like your great-grandparents did, their children, the cousins, are biologically siblings.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Walt shrugged. “But I got the feeling my grandfather was close to his cousin, even though they’d only met in person maybe twice in their lifetime. However, they did correspond regularly.”

  Danielle looked back on Walt’s great-grandparents’ pages. “It says here they had three children, but according to the dates, the only one who survived to adulthood was your grandfather. Is that correct? Maybe there were other children who just aren’t listed.”

  Walt shook his head. “No, that information is correct. Grandfather had a brother and sister; they both died during childhood. As you can see, my Marlow line was not terribly prolific.”

  Looking back at the computer, Danielle said, “This tree only goes back as far as your great-great-grandfather Walter Broadwater Marlow. The only children listed for him are the twins, your ancestor, and his brother, Charles Gabriel Marlow, and his wife, Jane Ann Clint. Do you know if there were more children?”

  “No. Their mother died giving birth to the twins. According to family legend, my great-great-grandfather was heartbroken. She was reportedly the love of his life and he never got over her death. He raised his sons with the help of a nanny.

  “The twin who stayed in London, their son Thomas, was the one who grandfather mentioned in the will. His son, also named Thomas, is the one who I briefly mentioned in my will. Like our branch of the family, they were not prolific.”

  While listening to Walt, Danielle clicked through the family tree. “This is interesting. The cousin Thomas, the younger one who you briefly had in the will, his grands
on moved to the United States. His name was Steven Giles Marlow; he was born in 1954. Looks like he died two years ago. Wow, look at these photos. That family resemblance is remarkable. You’re right. The Marlow men definitely look like each other.”

  “I had a cousin who moved to America?” Walt grinned at the thought.

  “It looks like he settled in California. According to this, he has a living son. But because the son’s still alive, his profile is set to private. So I can’t see his name or date of birth or any photographs that might have been added to his page.”

  “I’d love to know something about him,” Walt said wistfully. “Such an odd feeling to realize I have living relatives in the United States.”

  “Tell me about it,” Danielle grumbled under her breath. Since beginning her genealogical research, she hadn’t located any living cousins.

  “I wonder if he still lives in California, considering that’s where his parents settled?” Walt mused.

  “I just thought of something,” Danielle said excitedly. “If he was born in California, I can search birth certificates. Since I know his father’s name and his mother’s maiden name, and I have a general idea of when he might have been born, I may be able to find something.”

  Walt silently watched as Danielle typed away on her keyboard and then used the trackpad to move through the search results.

  “Holy cow!” Danielle said a little too loudly, considering her guests and Lily were sleeping.

  “What?”

  “The name of his son—Walter Clint Marlow. He has your name!”

  “I’ll be damned,” Walt muttered. “What else can you tell about him?”

  “Just that he’s around thirty-five years old now. But that’s all I can tell.”

  “Can’t you do an online search; find out more about him?” he asked.

  Danielle turned to Walt. “In effect, I already have. And nothing came up on him.”

  “What do you mean?” Walt frowned.

  “When I was researching your death, I did a lot of searches for Walt Marlow and nothing came up on him.” Danielle paused a moment and frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure I ever searched Walter, just Walt. And I know my searches never included your middle name.”

  Turning her attention back to the computer, Danielle closed the Ancestry.com page and opened a Google search. Typing “Walter Clint Marlow” in the search box, she then clicked the magnifying glass icon.

  Danielle grinned. “I found something!”

  After opening the webpage, Danielle and Walt stared at the monitor. It was a website for a California Realtor named Walter Clint Marlow. The website included a photograph.

  “Holy crap, Walt,” Danielle muttered. “He could be your twin!”

  THREE

  JULY 3, 2015

  Ian normally didn’t notice the monotonous ticking of the antique wall clock. Its persistent rhythm hammered dully, one beat after another, providing the only background sound aside from an occasional snore from the dog napping at his feet. The timepiece—along with the majority of the house’s furnishings—belonged to the owner of the rental house, Marie Nichols.

  After returning from Marlow House fifteen minutes earlier, Ian hadn’t bothered to turn on the television or music. Sitting alone in his living room, with his golden retriever, Sadie, Ian studied the gold ring in his hand, its diamond glistening each time he turned it ever so slightly, capturing bits of light from the overhead fixture.

  Settling back comfortably on the sofa, one leg casually propped over the opposing one, Ian let out a sigh and smiled, his focus still intent on the engagement ring.

  “How do you think Lily will like this, Sadie?” Ian asked aloud.

  Hearing her name, Sadie opened her eyes and lifted her head, looking up at her human, who continued to stare at the small object in his hand. Letting out a grunt, Sadie closed her eyes again and rested her chin back on her front paws.

  Glancing down at the grunting dog, Ian let out a snort and shook his head. “I hope that’s not a commentary on my choice.” Looking back to the ring, a thought crossed his mind—Maybe I’m doing this all wrong?

  Asking Lily to marry him while Fourth of July fireworks filled the night sky seemed like a romantic gesture to Ian Bartley. However, selecting a ring that Lily might not like—or one that didn’t fit—might diminish the gesture. He wondered if he should have simply proposed and then gone with Lily to pick out the ring.

  Headlights momentarily lit up the front window, distracting Ian. He looked up. Did someone just pull into the driveway? A few moments later the sound of a car door slamming confirmed his suspicions. Sadie, now fully awake, leapt up from her spot by Ian’s feet and dashed to the front door, her tail wagging.

  Hastily, Ian reached for the small ring box he had set on the coffee table ten minutes earlier. Carefully returning the ring to its velvet nest, he glanced around for someplace to stash the ring box. Before he settled on a hiding place, he heard the front door open. Without thought, he shoved the small box into his jeans’ pocket, making it bulge. Grabbing one of the sofa’s throw pillows, he tossed it across his right hip, concealing the pocket.

  “I didn’t expect to find you home,” his sister, Kelly, said as she entered the living room and tossed her purse on an empty chair. Sadie trailed by her side, tail wagging. Kelly had arrived that morning from her home in Portland. Tomorrow was Marlow House’s July Fourth party, which she planned to attend with her boyfriend, Joe Morelli.

  Still sitting on the couch, Ian glanced over his sister’s shoulder and asked, “Is Joe with you?”

  “No. I had him drop me off. I have a blog post I need to finish. Why are you home so early?” Kelly kicked off her shoes and sat down on a chair facing Ian. Sadie stood by Kelly’s side, persistently nosing her for attention. Absently, Kelly complied, scratching behind the dog’s ear as she looked to her brother.

  “After getting ready for the party, Lily was exhausted. She’s probably already in bed.”

  Kelly glanced over to the front window. The curtains were open, but it was dark outside. Across the street was Marlow House, where Ian’s girlfriend, Lily Miller, lived with Danielle Boatman. Together they ran a B and B.

  She looked back to Ian and said, “I have a question for you.” Repositioning herself on the chair to get comfortable, Kelly pulled her bare feet up into the chair, tucking them under her. Sadie plopped down on the floor, preparing to nap.

  “What’s that?” Ian rested his right arm over the throw pillow.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me Marlow House is haunted?”

  Taken aback by the unexpected question, Ian frowned at his sister. “What are you talking about?”

  Kelly laughed. “Well, maybe not really haunted, but the fact so many strange things happen there some people think it is. Why haven’t you ever mentioned it before?”

  Ian shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He then reconsidered his words and asked, “Is this about that blog someone’s doing on Marlow House?”

  “No. This is about other strange things that have happened to people who’ve visited Marlow House since Danielle and Lily moved in. Although, I imagine the blogger would love the stories.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Come on, Ian, seriously?” Kelly scoffed.

  “Where is this coming from?”

  “Joe and I went to Pier Café for dinner, and Brian Henderson was there. We asked him to join us. We started talking about the open house tomorrow, and one thing led to another, and they started telling me about all the strange stuff that’s gone on at Marlow House. Of course, Joe thinks there’s probably a logical explanation for everything that’s happened, but I got the feeling Brian thinks the place is haunted.”

  With a snort, Ian said, “I find it a little difficult to imagine Brian Henderson believes in ghosts.”

  “Maybe not ghosts exactly. But considering the stuff that’s ha
ppened over there…” Kelly shrugged.

  “What kind of stuff?”

  “Are you serious? Lily and you haven’t discussed this before?”

  “Discussed what? A lot has gone on since they moved in across the street, but as far as I know, ghosts have not been an issue.” Ian chuckled at the thought.

  “Wow. It’s just that Lily—being Lily—I can’t believe she hasn’t discussed this with you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? Lily being Lily?”

  “Hey, you know I love her. But she isn’t really someone to hold back.”

  “Wait a minute…” Ian frowned. “Joe told you what happened to Danielle when she was a kid, didn’t he?” Ian then grumbled under his breath, “Gossip.”

  “What are you talking about? What does Danielle’s childhood have to do with what’s gone on over at Marlow House?” Kelly frowned. “So, what did happen to Danielle when she was a kid, anyway?”

  “Are you saying Joe didn’t tell you Danielle claimed to be able to see ghosts?”

  Kelly bolted upright in her chair and placed her feet on the floor. “Danielle can see ghosts? And you never told me before?”

  Ian groaned. “No. I’m saying when she was a child she claimed to see them. But that was a long time ago, when she was a kid with an active imagination. Please do not say anything. It’s pretty embarrassing for her.”

  “Well…” Kelly shrugged and slumped back in the chair. “It’s a little disappointing to know she can’t see ghosts. That would put an entirely different spin on the story.”

  “On what story? What has Joe been telling you?”

  “It’s not just Joe, it’s Brian too. I guess there’ve been a series of unexplained things happening at Marlow House. Like people feeling like they’ve been punched, and no one is there.”

  “What people?” Ian demanded.

  “Brian for one. Joe too. But also, those two FBI agents.” Kelly paused a minute and looked critically at her brother. “Are you seriously saying Lily has never mentioned any of this to you?”