“Birdie Adair?” the chief asked. “No kidding.”
“You’ve heard of her?” Danielle asked.
“Who hasn’t?” the chief said.
“I know nothing about her other than she has money and is backing the film.” Danielle looked at Walt and asked, “Do you know anything about her?”
Walt shrugged. “Not really.”
“All I know is that her parents were wealthy—not as rich as Chris’s. But old money,” the chief explained. “But like Chris she was an only child, inherited everything. From what I recall, she was married twice, had only one daughter, but they’re all gone now. Her daughter died years ago when she was fairly young, drugs. Her last husband died a couple of months ago.”
“Her husband died? Can you tell us what he looked like?” Danielle asked.
“I doubt he’s your ghost. For one thing, he was well into his seventies. He’d had a heart condition for years. Didn’t you say your ghost was in his twenties?”
Danielle let out a sigh. “It was worth a shot.”
THREE
Heather’s calico, Bella, would be celebrating her fourth birthday in a couple of months. Compared to Max, she was a petite feline, about half his size. Despite her small stature, she didn’t feel inferior or inadequate. While Max thought himself a panther, Bella was a courageous lioness. At the moment she stealthily stalked her prey.
Crouched behind the sofa, she peered out into the dimly lit space. The sofa concealing her from her victim was the only piece of furniture in the room. She assumed Hunny had arrived when she had been napping in one of the rooms down the hall. But now the dog was sleeping, curled up on the floor next to the front of the sofa, unaware of the imminent danger.
Bella could hear the music playing from another room in the house, yet her focus was on the hapless canine. Stretching one front paw out from behind her hiding place, careful not to wake Hunny, Bella took her first step…and then a second.
CHRIS AND HEATHER made their way down the long corridor to one of the rooms that hadn’t been converted to office space. Chris reached the open doorway leading to his would-be bedroom and stopped abruptly, grabbing Heather’s wrist, bringing her to a silent stop with him. Startled at the gesture, Heather looked at Chris, who nodded into the room.
Together the pair stood silently just outside the open doorway, looking in at Bella, who was creeping around the sofa while Hunny slept. They watched as the cat effortlessly jumped onto the sofa and made her way closer to where the dog slept nearby on the floor.
Chris watched as Bella positioned herself on the edge of the sofa cushion, preparing to pounce down on the unassuming sleeping dog. While he found it amusing, Heather did not.
“Bella!” Heather called out as the cat prepared to leap on her prey.
Startled by her human’s unexpected shout, Bella’s leap did not go as she had imagined. Her four paws went out wildly in all directions, making her look as if she were trying to hold onto some imaginary platform. Below, the dog jumped up and managed to avoid her assault.
When the cat landed on the floor, she darted from the room while the pit bull started barking.
Chris walked into the bedroom, gave his thigh a pat, and the dog immediately quieted and went to his side, happily licking Chris’s hand.
“That cat is going to get herself killed,” Heather said as she walked into the room.
“Hunny won’t hurt her,” Chris said, giving his dog another pat.
“I can’t say I’d blame her if she did. Bella is always tormenting her.”
Chris walked to the sofa and plopped down, resting his right arm along the back cushions, while Hunny curled up by his feet. He glanced around the room. “You think I should leave this couch in here?”
“You might as well,” Heather said with a shrug. She glanced at her watch and then looked at Chris. “They should be here in about fifteen minutes with the bed. What wall do you want it on?”
Chris pointed to the far wall.
“You know, you and Hunny could have stayed with us,” Heather said.
“I appreciate the offer. But I figure Hunny and Bella spend enough time together during the day. They need a break in the evenings.”
Heather joined Chris on the sofa. “You’re probably right. But I did think it would be fun to see Pearl’s expression, just as she thought Hunny was leaving Marlow House, only to discover she was staying with her other neighbor.”
Leaning back in the sofa, Chris propped one ankle over an opposing knee. “I don’t know about that. She doesn’t seem to have a problem with Hunny anymore. I actually caught her talking baby talk to her through the fence.”
“Pfft…she was probably trying to coax her over so she could do something evil. You keep Hunny away from that crazy neighbor of ours.”
“By the way, we saw a ghost this morning.”
“Umm, the way you say that, I have to assume it was not Marie or Eva,” Heather said.
“No. It wasn’t.” Chris went on to tell Heather about the strange encounter with the mystery ghost.
“Well, that is just creepy,” Heather said when Chris finished the telling. “And you have no idea who he was?”
“No. But if you happen to run into a strange ghost in the neighborhood, see what you can find out.”
“Wonderful,” Heather grumbled.
Glittering snow began falling from the ceiling, halting their conversation. It vanished as it hit the floor.
Heather, Chris and Hunny nonchalantly glanced upwards. If any of the three found snow falling from the ceiling an unusual occurrence, they didn’t show it.
With a sigh Heather said, “I guess it’s better than glitter.”
“And you always say you hate it when they pop in unannounced. I’d say this could be considered an announcement.” Chris watched the snow swirl in front of them, taking on the form of a woman’s silhouette.
Heather shrugged, her eyes focused on the emerging apparition. “True. Marie does it all the time. I swear, one of these days she is going to give me a heart attack the way she just appears unannounced. Disappearing snow is a nice touch.”
In the next breath the spirit of Eva Thorndike materialized. Onetime silent screen star and childhood friend of Walt Marlow during his first life, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Charles Dana Gibson’s drawing the Gibson Girl.
“I came to see Chris’s new home!” Eva announced.
“You have been here before—a million times,” Heather said dryly.
“True, but it was never Chris’s home before.” Eva glanced around. She looked back to the sofa and frowned. “Surely you don’t plan to sleep on that thing, do you?”
“I ordered a bed for him,” Heather told her. She glanced at her watch and then looked back to Eva. “It should be here soon.”
Eva waved her hands dramatically, and all evidence of snow vanished. A chair appeared, and she sat down.
“Are Walt and Danielle ready for their guests? I’m so excited!” Eva squealed. “Being among my people again!”
“Technically speaking, only one is an actor,” Chris told her. “I think.”
Eva shrugged. “They’re all in the business. If I had lived long enough to be in talkies, I would have been famous.”