Haunting Danielle 27 The Ghost and the Mountain Man Bobbi Holmes (best pdf ebook reader for android .TXT) 📖

one was Emily’s mother, and the other was Ginny’s mother. From what I understand, Ginny’s mother left the area when she married, and her sister stayed in Frederickport. Emily had one sibling, a brother. He died years ago. When I spoke to Emily at her funeral, she told me her cousin Ginny was an only child. Growing up, Ginny spent summers in Frederickport, visiting her grandmother and cousin. When the grandmother died, Emily and her husband purchased the grandmother’s house from the estate.”

“I just assumed the house passed down in the family,” Danielle said.

“No. Emily’s parents had a house in Frederickport, but they both died before Emily’s grandmother. Emily was just a young bride at the time. From what I recall, they still owed a great deal on the house, had bills, and there really wasn’t much for Emily to inherit. Emily’s husband did well, and when the grandmother passed, they bought out the cousin’s share—since the house went to both Emily and her cousin. But frankly, I doubt the cousin was happy about it. But she has the house now, so I suppose it all worked out.”

“I don’t understand?” Danielle frowned. “If the grandmother left the house to both of them, why did Ginny let her cousin buy her out of her share if she didn’t want to sell?”

“It was a stipulation in the grandmother’s will. She wanted to be fair, I suppose. But she couldn’t divide the house. Of course, they could sell it and divide the profits. But she understood Emily was sentimental about the property, so she left a stipulation in the will that the house went to both granddaughters, but Emily had the option to buy out her cousin’s share at full market value. And if Emily didn’t want to buy the house, her cousin then had that option.”

“You said Ginny wasn’t happy about it. Did she want to buy out Emily’s share?” Danielle asked.

Marie shrugged. “I assume so. At least, from what Emily said. Which was why she left the house to her cousin. I think she felt a little guilty about it.”

“So what about this family legend?” Walt asked.

Marie laughed. “Oh that! My, I wandered off topic, didn’t I? It’s just something a friend once told me. Her daughter had been friends with Emily, and once Emily confided in her daughter that her great-uncle had been an explorer who brought home treasures but had disappeared after being kidnapped by pirates.”

Walt arched a brow. “Pirates kidnapped Bud?”

Marie chuckled. “I seriously doubt it. But my friend overheard the girls and felt Emily’s mother needed to know about her daughter’s outrageous story telling. The very next day, her mother marched Emily back over to her house, and the poor girl had to apologize and confess that she had made the entire thing up. My friend regretted telling the mother.”

“How embarrassing, for everyone,” Danielle said.

“But it didn’t end there. Years later, when Emily had a teenage daughter, Adam told me a story about Bill’s nephew—who lived next door to Emily. It was practically identical to what Emily had told her friend, but this time, it was Caitlin telling the story to Bill’s nephew.”

“Did they ever say what kind of treasure?” Danielle asked.

Marie shook her head. “No. But I got a little curious, did a little more investigating, and discovered Emily’s grandmother did in fact have an uncle who went missing.”

Eighteen

Tears streamed down the young boy’s face while hiccup sobs replaced the rebellious tantrum cries that had filled the foyer just minutes earlier. His grandmother’s right hand clutched one of his hands tightly as she led him up the staircase, giving him no opportunity to further protest.

Begrudgingly, he followed her to the second floor. Glancing back over his shoulder, he looked down to the now closed front door where his mother had departed just minutes earlier, leaving him even after he had begged her to stay.

“Don’t drag your feet, Walt,” his grandmother scolded when they reached the second-floor landing. He sniffled and used his free hand to dry his nose on his shirt’s cuff. Exhausted from the rigorous fit of tears, he entered his bedroom, his hand still gripped firmly by his grandmother. Once again, he had lost the battle. All he could do now was retreat, take a nap, and maybe his mother would come home earlier today, and they could start fresh.

His grandmother released his hand, abruptly grabbed him around the waist, and lifted his feet off the floor, setting him on the edge of his bed. She placed one hand on his right shoulder while the other hand tipped his chin upwards until his eyes looked into hers.

With her right hand, she removed the cotton handkerchief she always kept in her apron pocket and wiped away the remaining tears.

“Love, you are making yourself sick. And you are breaking your poor mother’s heart,” his grandmother said in a kind voice.

“I just wanted her to stay with me,” he whimpered. “She’s always gone.”

“And she wanted to stay with you. But sometimes we have obligations, and we don’t get to do what we want.” She shoved the handkerchief back in her pocket and then rustled his mop of dark babyish boy curls with one hand.

He looked up into his grandmother’s face, his big blue eyes filled with unshed tears. “Then why did she go again?”

Leaning over him, she let out a weary sigh, swept the boy up into her arms, and hugged him while resting one cheek against the top of his head. “You are not a baby anymore, Walt,” she said in a whisper. “You need to start acting like a big boy and stop with these tantrums. I don’t even want to think what your papa or grandfather would say if they had been here and witnessed your tantrum.”

“Are you going to tell them?” Walt whispered back.

After letting out another sigh, she said, “No, it will be our secret. And I’m sure your mama won’t be saying anything to them either.