Authors: Sandra Cox
“That’s right. A flying vase. We appreciate you letting us— I mean, I appreciate you letting me look around.”
She looked at me strangely. Not that I blamed her. With each passing day, Liam had become more real to me. It was as natural to be with him as it was to breathe. I no longer considered him ectoplasm, just Liam. Someone who’d become a part of my life.
“What a lovely shawl.” I pointed at a black silk wrap with red cabbage roses on it, faded but still beautiful. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would distract her from my strange comment.
“It is, isn’t it? The Baumgartner family donated it. It came all the way from Paris.”
“It’s very pretty.” My pulse quickened. The wall to the right of the silk wrap was lined with old pictures. What were they called, daguerreotypes? Tintypes?
Ethel noticed my interest. “Feel free to look around. If you need me, I’ll be at my desk.” She hobbled to an antique desk and pulled out a book with a lurid cover. I choked on a snort. She and Aileen might not dress alike, but they were kindred spirits in their reading material.
I meandered around the room, studying the pictures. There were hundreds of them, with no rhyme or reason. In the later pictures, film had replaced plates. On the far wall, photos in color were creeping in. I ignored them and studied the older pictures.
“Caitlin.”
Something about the timbre of Liam’s voice had me hurrying to his side.
“What is it?”
“Did you say something, dear?” Ethel glanced up.
“I talk to myself. Sorry I bothered you.” I really had to stop that.
She nodded and went back to her book.
If Liam noticed my gaff, he paid no attention, his focus on a six-and-a-half by eight-and-a-half picture in front of him.
“Oh, it’s you and your family,” I breathed. There could be no mistake. A beautiful woman sat beside a handsome man. Liam stood behind and to the side of their mother, and Anna behind and to the side of their father. Even with the stiff pose, I could see the twinkle in Liam’s eyes. His twin looked just like him, only petite and feminine. Their eyes were shaped like their mother’s and they had her dark hair, but the sensuous mouths belonged to their father.
There were three more: one of his parents, one of Anna, and one of Liam, his hand on his horse’s neck. I lingered the longest on the photo of Liam. It reminded me of the night we’d driven to the ocean and he’d told me he loved to ride.
I had to have that picture. I dug into my purse, pulled out my phone, and snapped pictures. I took three of Liam with his horse to make sure I got at least one good one.
“Ahem.”
My pulse jumped as Ethel cleared her throat. I’d been so engrossed I’d never noticed her approach.
“I hope you don’t mind.” I slipped my phone back in my purse.
“For the book?”
Ah, Aileen had been a busy bee. “Yes.” And for my bedside table.
“Just be sure to mention they were taken at the library, dear.”
“I will.”
She hobbled off again, and I went back to studying the portraits.
There was one more picture taken in front of a little white church with a tall steeple. A group of people stood in front of it. The women held picnic baskets. I leaned closer to study it. Most stared at the camera, except Anna, who gazed up at a handsome young man, her face filled with adoration. “William?” I asked under my breath. Another boy stared at Anna.
Liam nodded, his gaze fixed on the picture.
“Who’s that?”
“Who?”
“The young boy staring at your sister.”
“Oh, that’s Ezra Ames. He was always under foot. He wasn’t quite right, but harmless.”
I wonder…
“Amazing. You’ve done your homework. How did you recognize the star-crossed lovers? At least that’s what Aileen and I think. Just look at the way she looks at him. Aileen promised not to tell. We wanted to see if you could pick them out.” Ethel nodded her approval.
I didn’t need to answer, just nod as she kept up a running commentary. She followed my involuntary glance to Liam’s picture.
“The brother. Handsome as sin, wasn’t he?”
“Oh yes.”
Liam reddened, poofed to the other side of the room, and hung out near the ceiling.
“And quite the ladies’ man if the legends are to be believed.”
“Oh really?” Acid spurted in my tummy. I curled my toes to keep from tapping them. Geesh. Jealous of women from a bygone era.
Get over it, Caitlin.
“But a good lad all in all.”
She glanced at the picture taken at the church picnic, Anna and William in the front row. “I’m assuming that’s her young man there, but I have no documentation to back it up.”
“I think you’re right.” My heart melted as I gazed at the picture. Even given its age, you could still see the love for him in her eyes.
I would reunite them. That was a promise.
Determined, I turned to Ethel and held out my hand. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful. I need to check records of births and deaths. I guess I’ll try the courthouse.”
“Try the vital statistics office at the town hall, dear. Ask for Mary, I’ll let her know you’re coming.” Her thin fingers clasped mine in a surprisingly strong grip.
I said good-bye and made a dash for my car. The door opened a nanosecond before I got there.
“Thank you.” I didn’t bother to remind the ladies’ man it was a bit over the top for a car door to open by itself. Opening doors for women was as natural to him as breathing.
We headed for the town hall. While not beautiful, the building had a quiet dignity about it not found in modern structures.
I parked, then pulled the list out of my pocket. “We’re down to six: Bobby Johnson, Johnny William Smith, Ezekiel Daniels, Harley Snow, and Ulys Horntrop.”
“What do you hope to find here?” Liam studied the building, his look pensive.
“I’m not sure, just hoping to narrow the list. Maybe a marriage that we weren’t aware of, births, the same as before.”
“Okay, let’s go in.”
We walked in the door and looked at the listing of agencies and room numbers. I studied it till I found Vital Statistics. “One floor up.”
We took the stairs, then turned left. On the right, Vital Statistics was painted on the glass door.
A bell tinkled as I pushed through. A young woman, who didn’t look much older than me, spoke around a mouthful of gum. “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Mary.” I approached the counter.
“That would be me.” She popped her gum.
“Oh, hello.” Up until now, the women I’d met had been on the other side of seventy.
“You must be Caitlin.” She studied me with open interest.
“That’s right.”
“What records would you like to see?”
I pulled out my list of names and handed it to her.
“Keep in mind Ruby Falls didn’t start keeping records till 1878.” She blew a large bubble.
“Oh.” My tummy turned over.
“I could probably help you with Ezekiel Daniels.” Mary leaned on the counter and studied the list.
“Really?”
“Yes, he was my great, great, great uncle and a Baptist minister.”
Liam shook his head in disbelief. “Who’d have thought Ezekiel would become a man of the cloth.”
“You don’t say. I’m assuming he married.”
“Actually, no.”
“No?” A chill crawled down my spine.
“It was such a sad story. He’d fallen in love later in life. They were going to be married, but she caught scarlet fever and died.”
The air went out of my lungs in a whoosh. Well, that let Ezekiel off the hook
.
“How sad.”
“It is, isn’t it, and terribly romantic.” She studied the list. “The handwriting is amazing.”
“Calligraphy.”
“Cool. I’ve been thinking about trying it. Just have a seat, this may take a while.”
My sandals clip-clopping, I walked over to the wooden bench and sank down. Liam drifted beside me. Wound up, he talked continuously. I made do with a discreet nod or an “Um-hum,” through my teeth.
Mary came back a half hour later. “The only records I could find were on Ulys Horntrop. He married a twenty five-year-old girl when he was fifty and produced three children.” She shook her head. “Old geezer.”
I agreed and held out my hand for the list. “Thanks a bunch.”
“Just make sure I get a copy of the book,” she called as I walked out.
I forced my grimace into a noncommittal smile.
“Well, we’re down to four.”
“Maybe,” he acknowledged.
“We’re missing something, aren’t we?” I slid into the car as he opened the door, then slammed it.
“I think so, but I have no idea what.” He glided in through the closed passenger window.
I started the car. “Do you want to swing by and see William?”
His face lit up. “Very much. Thank you.”
“I don’t want another run-in with the nosy neighbor or with the men in that dark alley. How about if I park the next block over? I’ll walk slowly in front of the house to the end of the block and back. It won’t give you much time, but at least you’ll have a few minutes together.”
“I’ll make do.”
I parked a block away. A black lab started barking from the fenced-in backyard as I stepped out of the car. Liam materialized in front of it.
Whimpering, it ran to the other side of the yard, its tail between its legs. Leaves rustled as a nearby squirrel leaned down from a leafy oak and chattered at the cowering dog. Liam came floating back. The lab stayed where it was.
“Neat trick. You’re handy to have around.”
“I’d like to see your human beaux do that.” He whistled a jaunty tune.
“Beaux?” Enlightenment dawned. “Oh, you mean boyfriends? I don’t have any boyfriends. I occasionally go out with Clayton. And I’ve been out a couple of times with Patrick.”
“Clayton is an arse.”
A giggle escaped. “You’re right about that.”
“Then why do you go out with him?” He glided beside me, his thumbs tucked into his waistband and his outlined defined.
“Habit, I guess.”
“It’s a habit you should break.”
“Probably. Look we’re here. See you soon.”
“Soon.”
Poof.
He disappeared.
“Now you see him, now you don’t.”
I continued at a sedate pace. The homes on the block were filled with flowers. I stopped and admired each one. I even complimented a woman who was on her knees digging industriously in the dirt around her roses.
I turned back at the end of the block, afraid if I went any farther I’d yank Liam out like a puppet on a string. I halted in front of William’s house and watched a hummingbird stick his long beak into an azalea. When the tiny bird had drunk his fill, he flew away. I meandered to the car.
The door opened. “Well that’s timing.”
Liam didn’t respond. His features drawn, he looked haggard.
“Liam?”
“William isn’t doing well. He’s not caught in the vortex of grief that Anna is, but he carries a heavy load of depression. He feels trapped, like there’s no way out.” Liam looked at me. His eyes grew intense and his color came back. “I told him you’d figure this out, that you would save him and Anna.”
And lose you.
Our glances held. The same thought reflected in his eyes that I knew was in my own. My heart ached. It was a physical pain, as if it had cracked a little on the inside.
What would I do without him?
I love you, Liam.
I bit my lip to keep from uttering the words. How had it happened? How had I allowed myself to fall in love with a ghost? I’d never been in love before, had no idea how deeply feelings ran, both hurtful and joyful. And Liam loved me too. I knew it, sensed it with every fiber of my being.
I cleared my throat. “Well then, we’d better work on getting you into the light.”
He nodded. I slid into the seat. He closed the door and glided in through the closed window on the passenger side.
Neither of us talked as I merged into traffic. It must have been my preoccupation that caused me to miss the stop sign. Moments later, a siren whooped and lights flashed from a police car.
“Crap.” I pulled over. “Dad’s going to kill me.”
I reached for my license and got my registration out of the glove compartment before I rolled down my window.
“Ms. King.”
Surprise jolted me. “Officer Atwell.”
“You’ve got a different car.” He grimaced as he looked at my bug.
What was it with guys and pink cars?
“The other was my mom’s. Mine was in the shop.” I gave the dashboard a loving pat.
“You look quite chic behind the wheel,” he said gallantly.
He didn’t look half bad himself. If I hadn’t just discovered I was in love with a ghost, I would have been distracted by the long clean lines of him beneath his crisply pressed uniform.
“I didn’t realize you were in town. I owe you a cup of coffee, remember?” He leaned his arms on the edge of the window.
“I’m afraid I lost your number.” It seemed kinder to say than I’d forgotten all about him. If Liam hadn’t dropped into my life, I would have called him.
He looked at his wristwatch. “I’ll be off duty in a half hour. How about that coffee?”
“I wish I could, but I’ve got to be getting back.”
“Can I call you?”
“Does getting a ticket hinge on my answer?”
“No. But you do need to pay more attention, although that overgrown bush does partially hide the stop sign.” He gestured toward a large bright-leafed pachysandra.
“It does, doesn’t it?” I brightened.
He leaned in closer. “Are you sure you can’t stick around till I get off work?” He had a persuasive smile.
“I wish I could,” I prevaricated. I couldn’t deal with more testosterone right now, never mind that I had fallen in love with a ghost.
“That’s twice now you’ve turned down a cup of coffee. Are you involved with someone?”
I took a deep breath. “Yes, I am.”
“Caitlin,” Liam whispered. His face held both triumph and sorrow.
“Can I call you? I know you just said you were involved, but a little healthy competition won’t hurt whoever you’re seeing. And if I can’t win you away, I have no problem being friends with a beautiful woman.”
My stomach muscles tightened. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. “We live more than two hours apart.”