The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sadie.
The thought first crossed my mind when you screamed bloody murder that first
day we arrived. Remember, in the bathroom? You saw him then for the first time,
didn’t you?”
    “Yes, but at the time
you asked me if I had seen a mouse.”
    “I couldn’t very well
ask you if you’d seen a ghost. How would that have sounded? And then there was
the cigar smell—coming and going.”
    “Why didn’t you ever
say anything to me?” Danielle asked.
    “Oh right, Hey
Danielle, I think your house may be haunted .”
    “But when I first told
you, just now, you thought I was kidding.”
    Lily shrugged and said,
“Well it’s one thing to have a feeling about something that’s out of the
norm—and another to have someone come right out and confirm it. For a moment I
thought you were pulling my leg, but then I realized you weren’t kidding, and
it all sort of made sense to me.”
    “You know, you’ve met
him already,” Danielle said.
    “I have? What do you
mean?”
    “In your dreams. Dreams
are a way some spirits communicate with the living.”
    “Hmmm, I’m not sure how
I feel about that—Walt Marlow popping in and out of my dreams.”
    “You believe me?”
Danielle asked.
    “I rarely remember my
dreams. And if I do, I typically forget them shortly after waking up in the
mornings. Those dreams, the two with Walt Marlow, were quite vivid. Some parts
were a little blurry, but basically I can still remember them.” Lily glanced
around the room. “Is he still gone?”
    “He’s not here. At
least I can’t see him.”
    “He likes you, you
know,” Lily told her.
    “Well, I like him too.”
Danielle shrugged.
    “No, I mean he likes likes you,” Lily whispered. “It was obvious by the questions he asked me.”
    “Lily, the man is a
ghost.” Danielle scoffed.
    “I’m just saying,” Lily
shrugged. “Why is he here anyway? Is his spirit trapped or something?”
    “Trapped?”
    “Well, I figure when
people die they go somewhere. When Grandma came back to say goodbye to my
mother she was on her way somewhere . Walt Marlow died what, almost
ninety years ago, and he’s still here.”
    “Eighty eight but…”
    “Oh, that’s why you
wanted to prove he didn’t commit suicide! You did it for him!”
    “Yes, he couldn’t
believe he killed himself.”
    “You mean he didn’t
know?” Lily asked.
    “No. He couldn’t
remember what had happened. I’m pretty sure it was because he was knocked
unconscious before he was strangled.”
    “And he showed you
where he hid that necklace, didn’t he?” Lily asked.
    “Yes. I was worried we
were going to have more break-ins once Ian published his story and people knew
Walt may have taken the Missing Thorndike.”
    “Wait a minute…when you
first showed us the necklace you were so sure it was fake. I wondered why. He
told you the stones weren’t real, didn’t he?”
    “He thought they were
fake.”
    “Why?” Lily asked.
    Danielle paused a
moment, reluctant to break Walt’s confidence. “I really can’t say, Lily. I
promised him.”
    “You can’t tell me?”
    “It’s a long story, and
I promised Walt I would keep his confidence. Let me talk to him first. Please
understand. All I can say is he did believe they were fake. It came as quite a
surprised to discover they were real.”
    “Gee, I can imagine.
Especially considering they were hidden in his attic for a century. But I still
don’t understand…”
    “What, Lily?”
    “Why is he still here?”
    “I suppose he’s not
quite ready to leave yet. For one thing, he’d like to find out how the necklace
he stole—the one with the fake gems—turned out to be real.”
     The doorbell rang,
interrupting their conversation. “I think that’s Ian,” Lily said as she glanced
at the wall clock.
     “She took that rather
calmly,” Walt said when he appeared a few moments later, after Lily left the
room to answer the door. “Thank you for keeping my confidence, but you can tell
Lily about the