Ghost Moon

“She’s home. She runs Katie-oke at O’Hara’s.”

“I can’t wait to see her,” Kelsey said. “Katie was younger, of course, but we took a sailing class together, and I knew Sean fairly well. She was such a cute little ragamuffin, running around with him all the time!”

“Actually,” Liam said, glancing at his watch, “you can see her right now, if you’d like. Have you eaten? I can take you to O’Hara’s for some dinner and old-home night.”

She hesitated. Liam wondered if her current life involved a boyfriend, a lover or even a husband. She wasn’t wearing a ring but still he wondered if there had been a husband who was gone now. Maybe he was pushing too far too fast. It just seemed so normal and right that she was here.

“Sorry, no pressure,” he told her.

She shook her head. “No, no…I was just looking around—before I panicked when I heard you at the door. This house is going to take…wow. A lot!”

“Were you really going to do much tonight?” he asked.

“Probably not. Um, why not? I had a sandwich, but I’d love to see O’Hara’s.” She smiled again. There were the dimples he remembered.

“Hey, by the way, how did you get here?” he asked her.

“I have a rental car. I drove down from Miami,” she said. “The car is around on the side—that’s where we always parked. I guess Cutter hasn’t had a car for a while?”

“Not in years. He never left the house.”

“How odd—he traveled the globe, and then he became a hermit,” she said.

“He was a fascinating old fellow,” Liam said. “Brilliant. A real-life Indiana Jones.”

“Hmm. I think most of my friends thought of him more as Uncle Fester, I’m afraid. Or Dr. Frankenstein, creating monsters out of his collections of strange things,” Kelsey said.

“Well, you have friends here who cared about him. Shall we go?”

She hesitated, frowning. “Liam—you said you were in the criminal investigation unit. Why was Cutter’s death investigated as a crime?”

“It wasn’t. I chose to come out—old times,” he said with a shrug.

“I see. Thanks.”

When they left the house, she turned one key in its lock. “I think you ought to be locking both locks,” he said. “In fact, I don’t think you should actually be staying here.”

She looked at him with amusement. “I grew up in the house. I’m not afraid of the mummy or the coffin—or even the shrunken head.”

“Kelsey, I came out here tonight because the house was broken into twice. The first time, a pack of kids came in. The second time, two local lowlifes were looking for something to steal. That’s why I told Joe Richter to get a locksmith out here and change the locks. The lowlifes said that the door was open when they got here, but I knew that it had been locked the night before. I’m not sure I feel good about this place,” Liam said carefully.

She offered him her dimpled smile once again. “Well, obviously, there had been a key out there somewhere. The locks are brand-new. Honestly, most thieves wouldn’t break into this place. It’s supposed to house evil spirits, or something of the like. There’s so much to be done here. It’s ridiculous to own a house and go rent a room. Trust me, I’ll be fine. The house likes me, honest!” she said teasingly. “Actually, though, it was a long trip. I’d love a good Guinness—and my dad always said that O’Hara’s kept the cleanest taps in the state.”

She was a grown woman, and maybe, Liam thought, his unease was unfounded. “Okay, then. Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

He saw that Bartholomew was standing at the edge of the porch and seemed thoughtful. He prayed the ghost wouldn’t start talking to him, distract him and make him appear crazy.

No such luck.

As he walked to his car, slightly behind Kelsey, Bartholomew fell into step beside him.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

You don’t like what?

The words were on the tip of Liam’s tongue. Somehow, he refrained from saying them aloud.

Bartholomew followed them to the car. He’d known the ghost for some time now; it still unnerved Liam when he simply misted through doors. The physiology was intriguing. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t want to believe in ghosts. Bartholomew could sit on a chair, but he misted, blended, faded—whatever!—right through doors. He loved boats, hated the water. He’d been around nearly two hundred years, and he knew the answers to many questions, but he didn’t know a great deal that Liam felt a ghost should know. It was a different existence, Bartholomew believed. He didn’t know every ghost—just as Liam didn’t know every living, breathing human. Ghosts were still the essence of people. They were good, bad, clever, dedicated, lost…greedy, generous, loyal, traitorous. That’s the way it was. But most of the time, they stayed behind because of a passion or a need. A passion for revenge, or justice—to save the life of a loved one or to right a terrible wrong.

Liam liked Bartholomew. But he wasn’t sure he wanted him around right now.

As he pulled the car around the circular drive, he caught a glimpse of the ghost in the rearview mirror.

Bartholomew was staring solemnly at the house, his gaze intent. He was searching for something.

Liam paused and stared up at the house himself.

He thought of the other night. The house seemed to have a life of its own. Beneath the moonlight, constantly shadowed by clouds, it seemed to breathe, and to watch, and to wait.

“What is it?” Kelsey asked him.

“Nothing.” He paused, his foot on the brake. “You’re sure you want to come back here, stay here alone?” he asked.

“It’s my house now,” she said quietly, staring at it. “With all that it holds!” she added, and smiled.

O’Hara’s was charming, and it hadn’t changed a bit—at least, not in Kelsey’s memory.

They entered a large open area with high-top tables scattered toward the rear; the space allowed for dancing and was right in front of a stage area that could be set for karaoke or live music. Tonight, rock music was playing, but Kelsey saw a sign that advertised “Katie-oke” four nights a week. If “Katie-oke” was going on that night, it either hadn’t started or Katie was taking a break.

“There,” Liam said.

“I see.”

She had wondered if she would recognize anyone; in the time she had been gone, many people must have come through Key West—and possibly moved on. It could be a city that was warm, like a true neighborhood, yet it was also a city of transients. And most of her friends had been young when she had seen them last, and surely they had changed.

It was easy to see that David Beckett was there, seated at a far booth on the restaurant side, to the left of the dance area. He resembled Liam, or Liam resembled him. He was a tall man with a face made of rugged angles, striking eyes. Katie had grown up beautifully, her red hair having darkened to a gorgeous hue. Sean was easy to recognize, as well—he was a far more masculine version of Katie, and though Katie was definitely feminine, with fine features, they both resembled their uncle, Jamie O’Hara. Kelsey didn’t recognize the young woman with Sean, but they were obviously together. She thought she recognized the woman with a tray standing by the table, and even the others who were there: another young couple who looked like flower children. His hair was as curly and long as hers was, and they both wore wire-rimmed glasses.

As they neared the table, unseen, Kelsey heard the last man at the table talking. He was very long and lean, but had a rich voice.

One that she thought she knew.

“They should really just bulldoze that house—let a major-league hotelier come in and put up one of the mega hotels—well, you know, a within-limits mega hotel,” he said, slipping an arm around the waitress who hovered by the table. “No more than two stories, of course—you can’t ruin the horizon.”

“Jonas,” Katie O’Hara argued, “don’t be silly. That’s an historic house. Why would anyone want to destroy it?”

“Well, please. Who would want to keep it?” Jonas asked.

Liam, his hand at the small of Kelsey’s back, cleared his throat.

“Actually, Kelsey hasn’t decided what she’s doing with it yet.”

It was almost funny, the way the eight people at or near the table swung around to stare at them.

It was Katie who gasped, then leaped off her bar stool with pleasure. “Kelsey! Oh, my God. You came home. How wonderful to see you!”

Her eyes were sparkling, and her words were sincere. She came forward, offering a hug, and Kelsey was glad to accept it. She drew away. “I’m Katie. I’m sorry—you might not have recognized me. Katie O’Hara.”

“Of course, Katie, I remember you well, and thank you for the greeting,” Kelsey said. By then, the men at the table were standing.

“Let’s see who you remember, and who you don’t,” Liam said. “My cousin, David. You can’t miss Sean O’Hara. And I don’t know if you ever met Vanessa, though she’s been down now and again over the years. And these are our friends Ted and Jaden. And Clarinda, and Jonas.”

David and Sean greeted her like a long-lost kid sister, Vanessa was charming but reserved, and Jaden and Ted were as loving as any good flower children might be. Clarinda welcomed her, and Jonas quickly apologized. “Wow, I’m sorry. I mean, it is my opinion, but—” He broke off and grimaced. “You remember me, don’t you? We had a house just across from you near the wharf. I still have it. It’s called the Salvage Inn now. I run it as a bed-and-breakfast.”

Kelsey grinned. “Yes, of course I remember you. You groaned anytime I was over at your house with either of my folks.”

“Okay, well, I’m afraid I have a few years on you. You were a pest back then.”

“Not that much of a pest,” David Beckett said, “I remember really liking you. I can’t believe that you’re an adult now.”

Kelsey seldom flushed, but she did so. David Beckett had an amazing sense of class and kindness.

Like Liam.

But her mother had always said that their grandfather, Craig Beckett, was one of the most honorable men she had ever known. He had taught his progeny well, she thought.

She needed to take a step back; this did feel like old-home week. And she wasn’t staying. She had started life over again, and she was comfortable where she was. She loved her work, her neighborhood, and she wasn’t sure why she had come, other than guilt and a sense of debt, and she was very afraid of falling back into…she didn’t know what. Maybe the oddity of belonging to the house and being Cutter Merlin’s granddaughter.

“Thank you, David. And Jonas, it’s really okay—I wasn’t so fond of you back then, either,” she said, and the group laughed.

“Have a seat—I’ll get you a Guinness,” Liam said.

“Oh, wait! I’m supposedly working,” Clarinda said.

“It’s all right—I know the owner,” Liam said laughing. He headed straight back behind the bar to pour the beer himself.

“We’re right across from you,” Clarinda told Kelsey. “I live with Jonas, and if you need anything at all, we’re really close.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, honest. Now I’ll be glad if you stop by,” Jonas said. He made a face. “And I’ve got rooms if you want out of the old place.”

“Actually, I loved living there,” she said.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Katie put in. “Liam said it’s in pretty bad shape. Although I’ll be happy to come over and help you put things in order, if you like.”

“That would be great,” Kelsey said. Could she really ask someone else to sweep up spiderwebs and dust with her?

“I would absolutely adore getting into that house!” Jaden said. “That’s what Ted and I do. Well, not exactly. We own a place called Sunken Treasures. Most of what we do is restoration of things that divers bring up. Salvage restoration. But I worked at an auction house for a while before Ted and I opened our own place, so I’m pretty good at assessing the value of old treasures.”

“That’s great to know,” Kelsey said.

Liam returned with two pints of Guinness, setting one in front of her. She thanked him, and Ted said, “Well, you do have an army here for help, if you want it. I must admit, I’m fascinated by the prospect of getting into the house, too.”

“We could have a clean-the-house day,” Liam said.

“Do you all have a conception of just how bad the house is?” Kelsey asked.

“Oh, hey, well, it doesn’t take a lot of talent to get entangled in spiderwebs,” Katie told her.

“There’s still a barbecue out back, isn’t there?” Jonas asked.

“Oh, Lord, if there is, God knows what’s in it,” Kelsey told him.

“We have an old portable barbecue somewhere,” Sean said. “Why don’t we dig it out? I mean—if you want an army trampling over on Saturday. I’m thinking Saturday would be the best day?” He looked at Katie and the others. “Katie, you don’t start until nine or ten on Saturday night, Clarinda can come in late, and Ted and Jaden can close early. Liam, you take Saturday off, don’t you?”

“Unless someone calls in with a real problem,” Liam said.

The pretty blonde at Sean’s side—Vanessa—cleared her throat. “Excuse me—we’ve all just invited ourselves over, you realize.”

Kelsey laughed. “It sounds great. Sean, you can bring the barbecue, but I’ll supply the food. If you’re cleaning the house for me, the least I can do is supply the barbecue.”

“It’s not that bad. The weather should hold,” Liam said. “We can clean—then wash all the spiderwebs off by taking a dip. The water is a little cool right now, but not that bad.”

“Hey…I’ve got to get started,” Katie said. “We have a group of coeds looking at the suggestion books, and I’m not sure they’ll like the choices.”

Kelsey glanced over to the stage area. She smiled, as well—it looked as if the cast of a college comedy had just walked in. They were beautiful people; three girls who were blonde and slim and wearing tiny shorts and belly-baring ripped-up tees had come in with two young men who looked like linebackers—young ones. They still had baby faces.

Katie slid behind her computer, politely salvaging her songbooks and apparently telling the crew that she probably had what they wanted right on the computer; they just needed to name their songs. She made an announcement using the microphone.

“This is O’Hara’s, and it’s Katie-oke here, four nights a week. Sometimes, it’s actually Clarinda-oke, but it’s all the same fun. O’Hara’s offers twenty-five beers from the cleanest taps you’ll find from here to Canada, so enjoy—responsibly, please.” Katie said the last with a hopeful but ironic twist in her tone. Key West and responsible drinking weren’t really known for going hand in hand. Luckily, partygoers usually stayed within walking distance of the bars on Duval, while a lot of the major-chain hotels farther around the island sent shuttles to drop off and pick up their guests in the Old Town area.

Katie started the music. The college crew whooped and hollered and began dancing energetically to the music.

“It really wasn’t that long ago, but I don’t ever remember being quite so young,” Liam said, his grin wry as he seemed to echo her thoughts.

“It’s a good-looking group, and they seem friendly and ready to have fun,” Kelsey told him.

Liam nodded. “Cheerleaders,” he said solemnly. “You can tell.”

“A bit too happy for me,” Jaden said. She yawned. “Ted, feel like calling it a night?”

Ted nodded. “We’re still working on a lot of treasure recently brought up from that film shoot.” He shuddered. “Ugh. We’ll tell you all about it at the barbecue, Kelsey.” He stared at Vanessa. “It was bad. Very, very bad.”

“Hey!” she protested. “We did capture a pair of truly deranged murderers.”

“That’s true,” Jaden said happily.

“Oh! I did hear about that!” Kelsey said. She stared at Liam. She had been so caught up in her own situation, she had forgotten that she had seen their names online, and one night on the news. Sean O’Hara and the Becketts had gotten involved with a film crew, recreating the situation in which two people had been brutally murdered on an uninhabited island. A documentary would air sometime the following year.

“And it’s over,” Vanessa said with a shudder. “Next week, I’m filming dolphins for a public-service feature. I’m much happier!”

“That sounds great,” Kelsey said.

“Okay, we’re really out of here,” Jaden said. “It’s wonderful to meet you,” she told Kelsey. “And thanks for letting us get in the place on Saturday.”

“My pleasure. If anyone is allergic to dust, they’re in trouble,” Kelsey warned as Ted and Jaden left.

It was a warm group, and she was apparently accepted.

Sean and Vanessa decided to brave the bouncing coeds and dance; Liam looked at Kelsey. “Want to try it?”

Dance. He was asking her to dance. Just dance. And yet…

“Do you remember grade school? Mrs. Miller insisted we have something like a cotillion!” she said, grinning.

“We can probably still manage.”

Clarinda was busy taking drink orders at another table; Jonas and David were deep in conversation. She still hesitated.

It was a dance, just a dance. She wasn’t being sucked back into this actually being her home.

“Sure,” she said with a shrug.

By the time they reached the floor, however, Katie was singing at the request of the coeds—she was doing a Shakira number, and Liam told her, “Salsa!”

“Oh, Lord!” she said.

“You’ve been gone too long. We have a major-league Cuban influence down here—everybody salsas. You’ll be fine!”

Oddly enough, it all kicked in. Maybe it was like riding a bike.

Liam knew what he doing. She remembered in ballroom dance, her job was to follow. He led well. And it was fun, exhilarating. She didn’t remember the last time she had been out like this.

By the end of the number, they had the floor. The bouncing coeds came over and hugged them enthusiastically, then decided to drip their inebriated adoration on Katie.

It was too easy to have too much fun. To feel his hands on hers, and his arms around her, and feel as if time had evaporated. They’d never taken a step past friendship, but then, they’d still been so young…

“This has been wonderful,” she said. “I think, though, Liam, if you don’t mind, I should get back home.”

“Hey, I can take you,” Jonas said. “I’m a stone’s throw from you.”

“Clarinda is still working,” David pointed out.

“I’m fine taking Kelsey home,” Liam said. “I want to walk around the place a bit, too.”

“The new locks are on, right?” David asked.

“Yes. I just want to take a walk around the place,” Liam repeated.

“Sure, but, Kelsey, don’t forget—the Salvage Inn, right across from you. Clarinda and I are in room one—it’s the left half of the house. Our breakfast chef and server are in at five-thirty in the morning, and we have a bartender at the tiki bar until two a.m., so if you’re ever nervous at all, someone is there. And, of course, don’t hesitate to wake us up!” He rose.

“Thanks,” Kelsey said. “That’s really nice. Especially since I was such a pain in the ass as a kid!”

He laughed. “Hey, David, tell Clarinda I’ll be back. I’m just going to go home and check on the B and B for a few minutes. Make sure we don’t have any calamities going on.”

“Will do,” David said.

When they walked out to Liam’s car, the coeds decided that they were all best friends, too. Kelsey endured a round of hugs from the cheerful cheerleaders and their bruiser dates.

At the cars, they waved good-night to Jonas.

Liam turned down Simonton rather than Duval, knowing that Duval would be filled with jaywalkers. It was seldom an easy street to traverse—except maybe at five in the morning.

But the backstreets could be quiet and pretty. There were so many fine Victorian houses, since the great age for Key West—when the city had boasted one of the highest per-capita incomes in the country during the age of wreckers—had occurred when building had been seen as artistry. There were bungalows, shotgun houses and many a grand dame in Old Town.

“Have you missed the place?” Liam asked her. He had apparently been watching her as she surveyed their surroundings.

“Of course, I’ve missed it. I mean, I think—unless a place were absolutely terrible—you’d miss it if you’d basically grown up there,” Kelsey told him.

“But you like where you live now,” he said.

“Yes.”

“And you’re in Hollywood,” he said.

“Yes, but it’s not as…All right, well it can be plastic, but my neighborhood is great. My dad worked at UCLA, and so I went to UCLA, and they have a great school of art and animation.”

“I’ve seen your column. But you do gaming, too?”

“I don’t. My partner, Avery, does.”

“Ah.”

When they pulled in front of a house, he turned off the car’s engine and sat staring up at it for several moments.

“My grandfather was not some kind of evil wizard who cursed the house and set a dozen demons loose in it,” she said, surprised that she sounded so resentful.

He flashed her a smile. “I wasn’t afraid of demons. I’m afraid of real people breaking in to steal things and not caring much if they take a human life in order to do so.”

“Liam, honestly, if there was some kind of really terrible thief who knew about the strange treasures that might be found here, they could have easily broken in while my grandfather was alive. He was an old man living alone.”

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