Ghost Town Mystery (3 page)

“My grandchildren saw someone,” Grandfather replied. “A woman. By the time I got there, she was gone.”

“Was the woman walking toward the sunset?” asked Mrs. Harrington.

“Yes!” answered the Alden children at once.

“But then she disappeared,” added Benny.

“Right as the sun went down?” Mrs. Harrington prompted.

“Yeah,” said Benny. “How’d you know?”

Mrs. Harrington nodded sagely. “You children saw someone very special.”

“Who?” asked Jessie, her spine already tingling.

“Rose Payne.”

Grandfather’s eyebrows lifted. “Duncan Payne’s wife? But Rose Payne is long dead.”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Harrington. “But the ghost of Rose Payne is still here. Mr. Alden, you bought a ghost town that comes with its very own ghost!”

“A ghost!” Benny breathed.

“Cool,” said Corey in his loud voice. “A real, live ghost in a ghost town. Get it?” he asked Marianne as she poured water into his glass.

The pretty waitress simply ignored him. By now her mother had returned from the kitchen with a large tray. Mrs. Harrington and Marianne began setting plates in front of the diners.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts, Benny,” Grandfather said. “You know that.”

“But we
saw
this lady!” he insisted.

“You children saw a person,” Mr. Williams said, speaking for the first time. “It couldn’t have been a ghost.”

Deep inside, Henry knew his grandfather and Mr. Williams were right. But he, too, had seen the Lady in Gray. She had moved as if she were floating on air. And when they called Grandfather to come out of the dry goods store, she had vanished.

“If the lady was a real person, why didn’t she talk to us?” asked Jessie.

Mrs. Harrington nodded in agreement. “The children definitely saw the ghost of Rose Payne. That’s what she did during her last years — went down to the town and walked into the sunset. She never stopped waiting for her husband.”

“Romantic hogwash!” Mr. Williams said gruffly. “Mrs. Harrington, you’re filling these children’s heads with a ridiculous story.”

“It’s not a story!” Mrs. Harrington said, bristling. “I’ve lived on this mountain nearly all my life. I’ve seen the ghost of Rose Payne. I know it’s true.” She set Mr. Williams’s plate in front of him with a thump.

He poked at the sauce-covered lump on his plate. “What is this supposed to be?”

“Fried chicken with gravy,” the owner replied. “An old family recipe.” Then she and Marianne left to bring out the bread and a pitcher of water.

Victor Lacey stabbed tentatively at his dinner. “If this is chicken, I’ll eat my hat.”

Benny giggled at the thought of Mr. Lacey chewing his fishing hat. But after tasting the chicken, he gave up on the meat. The rest of dinner was just as awful. Mushy Brussels sprouts, burned rolls, salty mashed potatoes, and limp, watery spinach. It was the worst meal he had ever eaten.

“If there aren’t any ghosts, then who did we see?” Violet asked her grandfather.

James Alden shook his head. “I didn’t see your lady, so I can’t answer that. But we’ll visit Tincup more while we’re here. Maybe I’ll see her, too.”

The guests finished their dinners in silence.

“Not too many hearty appetites,” Mrs. Harrington remarked as she poured coffee for the men, and Marianne cleared away the dishes. “After a night of sleeping in this fresh country air, you’ll be ready for a big rancher’s breakfast.”

Jessie hoped it would be better than supper.

Marianne brought in dessert.

“Brownies!” Benny exclaimed. “I love brownies.” But not these. His was so hard, he couldn’t bite into it.

As Marianne took her plate, Jessie asked the young woman, “Do you believe in the ghost?”

Marianne looked around quickly. Several people were staring at her — Corey, Victor Lacey, and her mother. It was as if they were waiting for her answer.

“Yes,” Marianne whispered finally. “I do.”

Jessie didn’t know if she believed Marianne or not. Was the young woman simply saying she did because her mother was watching her? Mrs. Harrington certainly believed in the ghost, or at least she gave that impression.

Corey fiddled nervously with his fork. Then he asked Marianne, “Would you like to go on a walk with me after supper?”

“I can’t,” Marianne said briskly, not even glancing in his direction. “I have too much work to do.”

“How about when you’re finished?” Corey pressed. Jessie could tell he really liked the pretty girl.

But Marianne just shook her head and hustled away with the tray of dirty dishes.

Dinner over, the Aldens retired to their cabins. Before settling in for the night, the children met in Henry and Benny’s cabin to discuss the day’s events.

“I’m still hungry,” Benny moaned, sitting on his bunk.

“So am I,” Henry agreed. “That dinner was terrible.”

Violet nodded. “Mrs. Harrington doesn’t seem to be a very good cook. But she’s been running Eagles Nest a long time. She
should
be.”

“Maybe that’s why there aren’t very many people staying here,” Jessie concluded. “When people go on vacation, they expect nice, clean rooms and good food.”

“Don’t talk about food anymore,” Benny begged. “It makes my stomach growl. Let’s talk about the ghost.”

Always the voice of reason, Henry told him gently, “We know ghosts don’t really exist.”

“But if it wasn’t a ghost, then who was it?” Benny demanded.

“I don’t know,” Henry replied. “But we saw ... somebody.”

“Who? And why was she in Tincup?” asked Violet. “There’s absolutely nothing in that town except dust and tumbleweeds.”

Benny bunched his flat pillow so he could rest his head. “I like Tincup. I think it’s neat.”

“It is neat. But there’s no way anybody could live there.” Violet looked at her older sister. “What did you ask Marianne?”

“I wanted to know if she believed in the ghost,” Jessie replied. “Before she answered me, she kind of glanced around to see who was listening.”

“Who was listening?” asked Benny.

“Her mother was watching us,” Jessie replied. “And Mr. Lacey and Corey.”

“Corey likes Marianne,” Violet put in. She could see why. Marianne was so beautiful, with her jet-black hair and sky-blue eyes.

“I don’t think she likes
him
,” Jessie said. “Corey’s so loud. And his jokes are bad. But Marianne acted strange when I asked her about the ghost. Like she was afraid.”

“What would she have to be afraid of?” Henry wondered.

At that moment, a loud
clang
caused them all to jump.

“What was that!” Benny exclaimed.

“It came from the bathroom.” Henry went to investigate. He returned with a U-shaped pipe. “Don’t plan on using our sink tonight, Benny.”

Jessie recognized the pipe as the part that curved under the sink. She shook her head. “This place is a disaster! You guys can use our sink till Mrs. Harrington gets yours fixed.”

“If
she gets it fixed,” Henry said.

The next morning, the boys met Victor Lacey on their way to the dining hall. Benny carried the curved pipe.

“Did that fall out of your sink?” asked Mr. Lacey.

Henry nodded. “We’re going to tell Mrs. Harrington to call a plumber.”

“I can fix that in a jiffy. All I need is a wrench.” He left to fetch Mrs. Harrington’s toolbox. Then Mr. Lacey quickly fitted the pipe back under the sink. As he tested the water so it drained properly, he said, “Mrs. H needs a handyman. Repairmen in Beaverton are too far away.”

Benny was admiring the tools in the metal box. “I could be her handyman.” It sounded like a neat job, along with mayor, police chief, and fire chief of Tincup. Benny liked to be busy.

Henry noted the tools were caked with grease. No one had used them in a long time. Maybe not since Mr. Harrington had died. “Thanks,” he told Mr. Lacey. He also wondered how Mr. Lacey knew where to find the toolbox. How long had the man been staying here?

“No problem.” The sandy-haired man smiled. “Let’s go have that hearty rancher’s breakfast!”

“I’m starving!” Benny declared. He hoped there would be stacks of pancakes dripping with maple syrup, crispy bacon, eggs, and buttered toast with strawberry jam.

But when he and the other Aldens sat down at the big table, they saw only bowls of runny oatmeal. The tiny glasses of orange juice had seeds floating in them.

“This is a hearty rancher’s breakfast?” Violet whispered to Grandfather, who sat on the other side of her.

Grandfather never complained, but he smiled as he ate the soupy oatmeal. “If I lived on this ranch, I don’t know if I’d have enough strength to climb on my horse, much less ride the range!”

The children giggled. Grandfather could always make them laugh.

But Mr. Williams wasn’t amused. He tossed his spoon down in disgust and demanded more coffee.

Victor Lacey ate his cereal gamely. “I have something for you, Mr. Alden,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind a little business at breakfast.”

“Well, it was a
little
breakfast so a
little
business should go along with it just fine,” Grandfather joked as he took the envelope Victor handed him across the table.

The children waited anxiously as Grandfather slit the flap and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

James Alden’s eyebrows shot upward and he gave a low whistle.

“What is it?” Benny asked.

“Mr. Lacey is offering to buy my property,” Grandfather replied. To Victor he said, “This is a very generous offer. Much more than I paid for the land.”

Victor shrugged. “Since I’ve been out here, I’ve taken a fancy to the place. The land is worthless commercially, but I’d like to have it.”

Grandfather put the paper back in its envelope and slipped the envelope into his jacket pocket. “Let me think about it. I’m quite surprised.”

After breakfast, the children walked out with Grandfather.

“What was that all about?” Henry asked.

“I’m not sure,” said Grandfather.

“What did Mr. Lacey mean when he said the land is worthless?” asked Violet.

“He meant it’s not suitable for development,” Grandfather replied.

“Like for shopping centers and apartments,” Jessie added.

“Not only that, but he offered me a lot of money for it!” Grandfather shook his head in amazement.

“If the land is so worthless,” Violet wanted to know, “then why does Victor Lacey want it?”

“Good question,” said Grandfather. “Children, I think you have a new mystery to solve!”

“What are you going to do?” Benny asked Grandfather.

“Well, first I must call Jay Murphy, my friend who sold me the property, and see what he thinks about Mr. Lacey’s offer,” said Grandfather. “I’ve only owned the property a few weeks. But Jay had that land for years. He knows more about this area than I do.”

“There’s a phone in the dining hall,” Violet said.

James Alden glanced back at the log building. “Yes, it’s on the small table for the guests’ use. However, it’s too public. I’ll use the phone in my cabin.”

The children followed him inside. Grandfather’s cabin was as shabby as the others. A broken shade was tacked crookedly at the window. The carpet was stained and ripped.

Grandfather picked up the receiver and jiggled the connector button. “No dial tone,” he said, frowning.

“Ours was dead last night,” said Jessie. “When I tried to call for towels.”

At that moment, Marianne Harrington passed by the open door.

“Miss,” Grandfather called. “Our phone is dead.”

“They’re all dead,” Marianne replied. “It happens a lot up here.”

“But we didn’t have a storm last night,” said Henry. “What would cause the phone service to go out?”

Marianne merely shrugged and continued on her way.

“Now what?” Violet said.

Grandfather sighed. “I’ll have to drive into Beaverton. That’s the nearest town with a phone.”

“Would you buy us some food?” Benny asked. “I’m still hungry from breakfast!”

“I can top that. I’m still hungry from dinner last night,” Henry added.

“I’ll get some snacks and juices,” Grandfather promised.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Jessie asked.

Grandfather smiled. “You children stay here and enjoy this gorgeous day.” Then he climbed into his rental car and drove away.

The other guests were off on various pursuits. Victor Lacey and Robert Williams had gone fishing. Corey had strapped on a huge backpack and left on a long hike.

Except for Marianne and Mrs. Harrington, who were busy, the Alden children were alone at Eagles Nest.

“I wish we could take a hike, too,” said Violet. “The mountains are so beautiful.”

Just then Mrs. Harrington came out of the dining hall with a garbage can. She overheard Violet’s remark.

“You can go hiking,” the owner suggested. “There’s an easy trail just past the last cabin. It’s well marked. You’ll be perfectly safe.”

Excited, the kids changed into hiking boots and shorts. Marianne fixed them paper sack lunches with sandwiches, little bags of potato chips, apples, and bottles of water.