Skip to product information
1 of 1

Robeth Publishing, LLC

The Ghost and the Twins (eBook)

The Ghost and the Twins (eBook)

Regular price $5.99 USD
Regular price Sale price $5.99 USD
Sale Sold out

Book 33 in the Haunting Danielle Series

A Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

While the mediums of Beach Drive prepare for the anticipated arrival of the twins, their world is disrupted when a new police chief comes to the Frederickport Police Department, Brian’s ex-wife returns to town, and the antics of Marie’s ghost just might get Heather sent to prison.

Return to Frederickport, Oregon, in the 33rd Book in the Haunting Daniele series.


FAQS: HOW WILL I GET MY EBOOK?

Ebooks are delivered instantly by link in your confirmation email (and as a backup, also by email from our delivery partner, Bookfunnel).

FAQS: HOW DO I READ MY EBOOK?

You can read the ebooks on any ereader (Amazon, Kobo, Nook), your tablet, phone, computer, and/or in the free Bookfunnel app.

Read a Sample

The Ghost and the Twins

Chapter 1

Homer stood in the far corner of the ER patient room and watched the nurse hook the unconscious man up to monitors. When the nurse had inserted the IV minutes earlier, Homer looked away. He could never stomach the sight of needles puncturing flesh.

“How is he?” Flora asked from the open doorway. Flora, a plain-looking middle-aged woman was, in Homer’s opinion, responsible for this mess. If she had just completed the DNR, instead of the nurse wasting her time on the patient, he might be at the funeral home. After all, without medical intervention, how long could he last?

“The same. We hope to move him to his own hospital room within the hour. Did you contact the family?” the nurse asked.

“It’s just two nieces and a nephew. But no. I haven’t been able to reach them yet, but I left messages.”

“I don’t see any of them rushing to their dear uncle’s side,” Homer grumbled.

If Flora heard Homer’s comment, she didn’t respond.

The nurse turned from the monitors to the hospital bed and studied the unconscious patient, his breathing labored. “How long have you been his caretaker?”

“About six years. It was a few months after they diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s.”

“And he doesn’t have family in Frederickport? No one?”

Flora shook her head. “No. His one niece, Camilla, used to live here. She’s the one who arranged for me to take care of him.”

The nurse looked from her patient to Flora. “Does she visit often?”

Homer laughed at the question while Flora said, “To be honest, I only met her that one time when she hired me. Of course, we talk on the phone periodically. I’ve never met her brother or sister, but I have their numbers as contacts, and I have spoken to them on the phone.”

The nurse shrugged. “That’s sad. I’ve seen that happen many times before. Family members stop visiting when the Alzheimer’s patient no longer remembers them.”

“To be honest, they never visited, even back when he might have still remembered them. But the niece who hired me, her ex-husband used to come see him every week.”

“That’s nice.”

“I thought so. The niece, the one who hired me, she left town a couple of years before I met her. But her ex was fond of her uncle, and he’d visit him for a few hours each week, and they’d play cribbage. But after a year, well, the Alzheimer’s worsened, and he no longer understood how to play the game, and eventually he no longer recognized his cribbage partner. Unfortunately, visits after that upset Mr. Carter, so I suggested it be best if he stopped coming.”

“Does he still live in Frederickport?”

“Yes. In fact, he’s a police officer in town. Perhaps I should call him. He might know another way to contact the family.”

* * *
The only way Danielle could fit comfortably in the booth at Pier Café was to shove the table toward Brian and Heather’s side, giving her growing belly more room. She found it difficult to get comfortable no matter where she sat these days.

Instead of weaving her long brown hair into a fishtail braid that morning, Danielle had pulled her hair into a quick ponytail. She did not have the energy to fuss with her hair. These days, her normal wardrobe included stretch pants and oversized blouses or T-shirts. Next to her in the booth sat her husband, Walt, whose attire was far more put together than hers. Today he wore gray slacks and a gray and white striped dress shirt, its top button unfastened.

“Are you sure you’re only seven months pregnant?” Heather asked as she popped a french fry in her mouth. A few years younger than Danielle, and considerably younger than her boyfriend, Brian Henderson, Heather wore her long jet-black hair free, falling past her bare shoulders. Heather referred to the long dress she wore as a sundress, which Brian found amusing, considering its color matched her hair.

Danielle glanced down at her belly and then looked back at Heather with a sigh. “Almost eight months.”

“Twins usually come early,” Heather chirped. She grabbed another french fry.

Brian let out a snort and shook his head. “Are you picking on Danielle?”

Danielle chuckled. “Actually, I’m okay with them coming early, as long as they’re both healthy.”

“Well, if they come early, and you can’t get to the hospital in time, Brian can always help if he’s here,” Heather said.

Danielle arched her brows. “Brian?”

“Sure, he’s delivered babies before. Sometimes cops have to.”

Brian chuckled. “I doubt Danielle wants me to deliver her babies. I’m sure she’ll get to the hospital in time.”

Danielle cringed. “Yeah, um, that would be rather awkward.”

“Have you really had to deliver a baby when on the job?” Walt asked.

Brian nodded. “Twice.”

They chatted a few minutes more about Brian’s experiences delivering babies before shifting the conversation to their friend Lily and Lily’s pregnancy.

“I’m surprised Laura’s not sticking around until Lily has her baby. It’s only four more months,” Heather said. Laura, Lily’s sister, had been staying at Marlow House with Walt and Danielle across the street from Lily and Ian’s house.

Noticing Danielle’s cringe in response to Heather’s comment, Brian laughed before saying, “Is that houseguest beginning to smell like fish?”

Danielle shrugged. “It’s not that. But, well, it will be nice to have our house back, especially now. After all, Heather is right. These babies could come early. I’d rather we have everything set up—and no houseguest.”

Heather gave a nod. “True. And it’s not like she can stay with her sister. They have the house torn up with the addition.”

“Didn’t I hear something about Lily and Ian moving into Marlow House while they add onto their house?” Brian asked.

“We made the offer,” Walt said, “but they decided they really didn’t need to.”

“And I think Lily felt a little funny with Laura staying with us for so long. She mentioned how Walt and I need time alone before the babies arrive,” Danielle said.

“When does she leave for Europe?” Brian asked.

Danielle looked at Brian. “She flies to New York on Wednesday.”

“I still can’t believe Charlie Cramer was in town all that time, getting chummy with Laura.” Heather cringed at the thought.

“It about got her killed,” Danielle said.

Heather leaned forward, placed her elbows on the tabletop, and rested her chin on her right palm. “What really annoys me, right after they arrested Cramer, he confessed to the murders, but then his attorney got the confession tossed out. So instead of going straight to prison, he’s in a jail waiting for trial. If he hadn’t been in that jail, he probably wouldn’t have escaped, and he wouldn’t have come here and terrorized Danielle and Laura.”

“And he would still be alive,” Brian reminded her.

Heather smiled at him. “You always know how to make me feel better.” She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. Before Brian could respond, his cellphone rang. He picked up the cellphone and looked to see who was calling. He frowned and answered the phone. “Flora?”

Walt, Danielle, and Heather quietly ate their lunch while Brian talked on his cellphone. After Brian ended the call a few minutes later, he set the cellphone on the table.

“Is everything okay?” Heather asked.

“Remember when I told you about my friend Carter who has Alzheimer’s?” Brian asked. He then looked across the table to Walt and Danielle. “He’s also my ex-wife’s uncle. Carter and I go back a long way. In fact, I knew him before I met my second wife. He lives in Frederickport and has Alzheimer’s.” Brian looked back at Heather and said, “That was his caretaker. Carter had a heart attack, and he’s in the hospital. Flora’s been trying to get ahold of Camilla and her brother and sister.” Brian looked back at Walt and Danielle and added, “That’s the only family Carter has. When Flora couldn’t get ahold of them, she called me.”

“What does she want you to do? Does she think you can get ahold of Camilla?” Heather asked.

Brian shrugged. “She thought I might have another number for them. I don’t.”

“How’s he doing?” Walt asked.

“Not well. Flora says he may not make it through the night. I hate the idea of Carter dying alone.”

“Why don’t you go see him?” Heather said.

Brian considered Heather’s suggestion a moment before saying, “I think I should.” He looked back at Walt and Danielle. “Like I said, Carter and I go back a long way. He was always a character; I really liked him. After Camilla and I split, and she left town, I visited him once a week; we’d play cribbage.”

“But that pissed off his ex,” Heather told Walt and Danielle.

Brian flashed Heather a smile, looked back to Walt and Danielle and continued, “It did. Carter mentioned something to Camilla about our weekly cribbage games. Camilla called and reminded me Carter was her uncle, and I needed to find someone else to play cribbage with.”

“Why did she care?” Danielle asked.

“Carter doesn’t have family aside from my ex-wife and her brother and sister. He has some money and a house that’s paid for. I know he set up a trust back when Camilla and I were married, dividing the estate between Camilla and her two siblings, with her as the trustee. From what Flora has told me, Camilla hasn’t been back since she arranged for Carter’s care. Flora’s never met Camilla’s brother or sister. Carter wasn’t happy when she divorced me. He was the one who introduced us.”

“Camilla was worried Brian would end up inheriting her uncle’s estate,” Heather interjected.

Brian gave Heather’s comment a nod and looked back at Walt and Danielle. “That’s pretty much what Carter and I thought.”

“You discussed it with him?” Walt asked.

“Yes, when I told him about her phone call.”

“So you continued seeing him?” Danielle asked.

“Yes. On Camilla’s next phone call to her uncle, he brought up the subject. He reminded her we were friends before she ever met me. He told her he didn’t appreciate her interfering with his life. Camilla never called me again about it. I think she was afraid to. I imagine after that call she probably realized it wasn’t the smartest thing to say. Carter didn’t like to be told what to do.”

“I’m assuming the Alzheimer’s stopped the cribbage games?” Danielle asked.

Brian nodded. “A little over six years ago, I noticed there was a problem. I called Camilla. I thought she should know. Like I said, after our divorce, she had left town and never returned. Not even to visit her uncle. But she called him every week. I’ll give her that.” Brian picked up his iced tea and took a sip. “After I called her, she came back to town and arranged care for her uncle.”

“How long had she been gone at this point?” Danielle asked.

“About four years.” Brian set his glass of iced tea back on the table. “Anyway, before Camilla arrived, I convinced Carter to go to his doctor. A year later, Carter had no clue who I was.”

* * *
After lunch, Brian decided to visit Carter. Heather sat quietly in the passenger seat as Brian drove them to the hospital. She had offered to go with him. Brian had accepted the offer, rather liking the idea of a chance to talk to Carter again—through Heather—if he passed when they were at the hospital.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the second floor of the Frederickport Hospital. Before leaving Pier Café, Flora had called Brian a second time, telling him Camilla’s uncle had moved to room 210.

As Brian and Heather walked down the hallway toward room 210, Heather stopped abruptly when an elderly man exited the room. The fact he had moved through the door without opening it gave her pause.

Brian, preoccupied with his own thoughts, failed to notice Heather trailing behind him. Just as Heather caught up to him, the old man looked at Brian and shouted, “Brian, you came!”

The next moment, Brian walked through the old man and opened the door to room 210. The old man vanished.

View full details