3 The Ghost at the Farm Read online

  He handed her his handkerchief and put his arm around her shoulders. “Sick bastard.”

  Donovan came out carrying a glass of water and pushed it into her hands. She rinsed her mouth and spit it into the flowers.

  Brent’s attorney looked stunned. “I had no idea Brent was this sick.”

  Julie turned on him. “Surely you’re not going to get him off because he’s sick. He was going to lock me up in that place, and nobody would have known what happened to me.” She wiped her mouth. “I need to get away from here.”

  “It’s your house,” Cole said. “Brent put it in your name.”

  “My name?” she said a little louder than she intended. “He hijacked my mail and changed my name on it to Julianne Bosch. He recorded the house in the name of Julianne Bosch.” She screamed, “My. Name. Is. Not. Julianne Bosch. I didn’t marry him. I’d never marry a man as cruel as Brent Bosch.” Tears streamed down her cheeks and she quietly added, “I don’t want the damn house. I don’t ever want to see it again. I just want the things he took from my apartment.”

  Donovan hugged her. “The officer will help me pack up your things.” He looked over at Andy. “Get her out of here. Take her home.”

  “The rocking chair in that room was my grandmother’s. Please don’t leave it here.”

  “Anything else?” Donovan asked.

  “I don’t know. Look for personal things—pictures, Grandpa’s horse carving, jewelry—anything personal.”

  “Okay.”

  She sat quietly in Andy’s car, shivering not from the cold, but from what she’d just seen. If she’d gone with Brent that night at the bar, he might have locked her in that red room.

  She’d always liked that color of red.

  Until now.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Andy crawled into bed with Julie that night, not for sex, but for comfort. They’d both had a bad day. Thank God they’d found Brent’s secret room before he had a chance to use it. If he’d locked her in that place, she might never have found a way out.

  Julie, still mostly asleep, rolled into his arms and whispered his name.

  “It’s all right, honey. You’re safe here.” That night at the bar, he thought he was helping her get away from a bully. But Brent Bosch wasn’t just a bully; he was a dangerous lunatic, and she should be afraid of him.

  Julie sighed and relaxed in his arms. He kissed her forehead and let her sleep.

  He tried to find some parallels between what was happening in his life now and what had happened in Andrew’s life in the past. Those issues the gypsy fortune teller talked about were still hanging out there, unidentified and unresolved. Would someone kill him like Cal had killed Andrew? Who hated him enough to do that?

  The obvious answer was Brent. In the past, Cal thought Andrew was having an affair with Charity. In the present, Andy had been having an affair with Julie, but the circumstances were different. Julie wasn’t married to Brent, although he thought she belonged to him. If that sick bastard was ever released from the hospital, if someone told him Andy and Julie were together, he might try to kill them both.

  The less obvious answer to who might want to kill him was Byron. The architectural community in the city was a small one, and once word got out what Byron had done, he wouldn’t get another job as an architect or designer in River Valley. The short time Andy had known him, he’d never taken responsibility for anything that had gone wrong in his life, which meant he’d blame the man who caught him stealing. He’d blame Andy.

  Andy pulled the covers over Julie’s shoulder and saw Paulina in the hayloft.

  Andrew nudged Paulina’s shoulder. “You’d better go inside before your father comes looking for you.”

  She groaned. “Someday I want to sleep all night with you, Andrew. I want to wake up in the morning with you beside me.”

  “I know. I want that, too, but—”

  “But my father won’t allow it. You can’t help it if you have a crippled foot. It isn’t as if you can’t work. Carpenters make a good living, don’t they?”

  “He wants a son-in-law who can farm, Paulina. I like living in the country, but I hate farming. Matthew works hard, but some years he doesn’t make enough to pay for seed and taxes. I make more building houses.”

  Someone walked into the barn, and Andrew put his hand over Paulina’s mouth to quiet her. Her father was so protective, it was hard to tell what he’d do if he found them together again.

  Julie rolled away from Andy, pulling him out of his vision. Did Paulina’s father know she was pregnant before Andrew disappeared? No, probably not. If he had, he might have let them marry.

  Andrew’s love affair with Paulina was in the past. Julie was in the present. Andy rolled toward Julie, curled his body around hers, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be another busy day, and he needed to sleep.

  His last thoughts were of the astonished look in Julie’s green eyes when she saw that locked room in Brent’s house.

  <>

  The blustery fall day wasn’t the best time to be moving, but Julie didn’t complain. At least it wasn’t raining. While the men in Andy’s family carried her furniture out to the pickup, she scrubbed the bathroom and kitchen and vacuumed the carpets. She didn’t have much furniture, so it only took two trips to get everything moved. By ten that morning, everything was out, and she finished up by mopping the kitchen floor.

  The landlord came by and she handed him her key. “I hope you can rent it quickly.”

  “I have someone coming by to see it this afternoon.” He walked through the apartment with her. “You did a good job cleaning.”

  “Does that mean I get my cleaning deposit back?”

  “Under the circumstances, yes. Did you find the rest of your stuff?”

  “Yes, I did.” She didn’t tell him where she’d found it. He didn’t need to know. She’d told no one about that house.

  “I have everything now,” she told him. Including her freedom.

  Julie loaded the vacuum cleaner and mop in the back of her car and drove out to the farm. Andy and Charlie were busy with the furniture, and she didn’t want to leave Otis alone too long. And the puppies needed to be fed.

  Cassie ran out to the car to greet her, wagging her tail. Since the day of the bath, Cassie had really warmed up to her. Julie herded the puppies out to the fenced enclosure on the grass and refilled their water dish. Then she mixed their puppy food and put the dish inside the fence. They dug right in, tails wagging happily. At least they didn’t walk in the dish this time.

  When the puppies finished eating, she walked back to the trailer to see Otis. He was sleeping peacefully in her grandfather’s recliner, and she didn’t want to wake him. Knowing he probably hadn’t eaten anything today, she put the coffee on and made scrambled eggs and toast. By the time she finished, he was awake.

  “Hey, Julie. Glad to see you. Did you feed the puppies?”

  “Yes, I did, and now I’m feeding you. Did you eat anything today?”

  “I had a piece of that melon when I took my pills this morning.”

  “That’s not enough.” She handed him a cup of coffee. “Do you need help getting to the bathroom?”

  “No, I can manage on my own as long as I take my pain pills. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. My bones didn’t want to cooperate.”

  He could get to the bathroom, but he needed help getting out of bed, and he couldn’t fix himself anything to eat. “Otis, it’s time to move to Hannah and Donovan’s house. Hannah rented one of those fancy hospital beds, the ones where you push a button to bring you up.”

  “That was nice of her. You sure you don’t want me to go to a nursing home?”

  “Where would you rather be?”

  “I hate nursing homes. My wife was in one for a few weeks before she died. Awful place. The people were okay, but there wasn’t enough of them to take care of the patients. Somebody was always crying or calling for help.”

  He sipped his coffee and s
et the cup beside the chair. Instead of asking him to move to the table for breakfast, Julie put scrambled eggs on a piece of toast and handed it to him. “Nobody wants you to go to a nursing home, Otis.”

  He ate his breakfast before saying, “Okay, I’ll go when they’re ready for me. It ain’t right to make you come out here all the time to take care of me.”

  “I don’t mind,” she said gently. “You’re good company.”

  “So are you,” he said on a sigh. “Could you give me one of those pills?”

  She handed him a pill and he swallowed it down with coffee.

  “Would you like more eggs and toast?”

  “No, thanks. That was good, but I’m full.”

  While Otis napped in the chair, Julie called Andy. “It’s time,” she said, knowing he’d understand what she meant.

  “I’ll tell Mom. Wait for me, honey. I’ll bring the pickup for his chair. The puppies can ride with me if you’ll take Otis and Cassie.”

  “Sure.”

  <>

  An hour later, while Otis watched from a chair beside the barn, Andy and Billy loaded the old recliner on the back of Trevor’s pickup and tucked the suitcase in beside it. Then they loaded the trunks from the attic.

  Billy held the two male puppies up so Otis could say goodbye to them. “The boys are naming them Fred and Barney, and Charlie is going to call his Wilma. I promise you we’ll take good care of them.”

  The old man’s face creased into a smile. “I know you will.”

  Otis looked around for the last time. “I’ve never lived anywhere else but here on the farm.” He glanced at Julie. “I don’t mind leaving now with Andrew taking over.”

  Julie’s throat was so full she could barely swallow. She took his arm and they walked out to her car. Then she called Cassie. “Come on, girl. You’re coming, too.”

  Andy helped Otis into the car. “Go on,” he said to Julie. “I’ll get the puppies and the dog food.”

  “I’m sure we forgot something.”

  “If we did, we’ll send Charlie for it.”

  Andy gave her a quick hug and Julie started the engine. Cassie put her head on Otis’s shoulder as they drove away. She’d probably never lived anywhere else either.

  As they drove into the city, Otis asked, “What’s Andy naming his puppy?”

  “Sadie Belle,” Julie replied. “It was the name of Andrew’s dog.”

  “I remember my grandmother telling me about Sadie Belle, how gentle she was with the little girl. It’s a good name. Right, Cassie?”

  Cassie woofed, and Julie wondered what Andy would do with two big dogs in a condo that didn’t allow pets. Or maybe he planned to live with his parents.

  Hannah and Donovan were nice people, but she didn’t want to stay in their home any longer than necessary.

  <>

  Over the next three weeks, the days passed quickly. Julie slept in her own room while Andy slept in the room across the hall. While he was at work, she helped Hannah with the cooking and housework, spent time with Otis, played the piano, and helped housebreak puppies. Cassie helped, too.

  Julie found two big residential lots in good neighborhoods for Billy’s kids and slowly returned to work as a real estate agent. Without Brent there to interfere, her former clients started to come back, and she listed two homes. Her business might come to a screeching halt if Brent was released, but she refused to let him ruin the rest of her life.

  Charlie brought corn stalks and pumpkins from the farm to dress the front porch for Halloween. He sold a load of pumpkins and took the rest to the food bank. And he helped Andy and Donovan put a new roof on the barn.

  The old farmhouse stood rotting from the inside out. Andy salvaged the gas lights, the kitchen stove, Andrew’s iron bed, and the mantel from the living room fireplace.

  At dinner one night, Donovan asked Andy, “What are you going to do with the house?”

  “Hire someone to tear it down. Burning it would kill the maple trees.”

  Donovan nodded. “I know someone who’ll do it for you.”

  “For how much?”

  Julie sat quietly and watched Otis’s eyes as he followed the conversation. They were talking about tearing down his home, the house he grew up in. They all knew the house had to come down one way or another, but this couldn’t be easy for him to hear.

  At a lull in the conversation, Julie asked, “Do you have a plan for a new house?”

  “I have three plans. The smallest one is a lot like the old house. The biggest one is a country mansion similar to Billy and Kayla’s house. And the other is somewhere between.”

  “That old house is kinda small,” said Otis. “If you’re planning to have a family someday, you’ll want a bigger house.”

  “I know. The stairs are too steep and narrow, there’s only one bathroom, and Andrew used to listen to his brother making love with his wife in the next room.”

  “We had three generations living there at one time, and we were tripping over each other. The walls were so thin, you could hear everything anybody else did. Arguments weren’t private, although you didn’t dare mention them in my grandfather’s presence or he’d box your ears. No insulation. I never could get warm in the winter, and it was too hot to sleep upstairs in the summer. The kitchen was the best room in the house.”

  “Yes, it was,” said Andy, and everyone grew quiet.

  Cassie barked and then Charlie came inside with Wilma. The puppy had grown so much she looked like a different dog. Julie walked Sadie Belle and Cassie often, but she knew Cassie missed the farm. She was a country dog through and through. Julie looked up at Charlie and asked, “Next time you go out to the farm, would you take Cassie with you?”

  “Sure.”

  Otis put his hand on Cassie’s head. “She’s overdue for a good run, aren’t you, girl?”

  Cassie woofed, and Julie smiled. The puppies were cute and playful, but she’d bonded with Cassie.

  Charlie grabbed a plate from the cabinet and sat between his parents. “What are we having?”

  “We ate it all,” Donovan replied. “Isn’t there food in your refrigerator?”

  “Hell, no,” said Andy. “Why should he buy food when he can eat here for free?”

  Hannah passed the food, and Charlie filled his plate. “I wouldn’t want my little boy to go hungry.”

  Charlie grinned. “She loves me.”

  Julie saw the smile of contentment on Hannah’s face and thought about her own parents. She hadn’t spoken with them in weeks, and although she didn’t especially want to speak with her mother now, she’d have to call her soon.

  <>

  Brent walked into the doctor’s office and sat down. In every session, he tried to tell the doctor what he wanted to hear. They’d tried him on a couple different meds, then took him off everything. He was allowed to mingle with other patients now, and there was a strange bunch of them in this place. One man kept picking at his arm. He was a hirsute man with lots of black hair growing on his arms, but one arm was picked clean. Another man walked around muttering to himself all day. At least they were harmless.

  The doctor opened the file on his desk. “How are you today, Brent?”

  “Fine. I’d like to go home. Would you tell the judge I’ve learned my lesson?”

  “And what is that?”

  “Not to move Julie’s things without telling her first. Not to hurt her.” He scooted forward in his chair. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, and I didn’t mean to upset her. From now on, I’ll be more considerate.”

  He’d never been as bored as he was in this place. The sanitarium his mother sent him to when he was a teenager was a classier place. If he ever had to go into a hospital again, he’d go there. It was expensive, but he could afford it. His mother had been a patient there herself at one time. She heard voices for most of her adult life. Brent didn’t hear voices, so why was he here? He didn’t do anything wrong. Julie cut her arm because of Andy Kane, so why wasn’t the mayor’s brat here?


  Julie had accused him of stealing her stuff, but he didn’t steal anything. He put her things in the new house, in her special room, so she’d feel at home there. He had to convince the doctor to tell the judge to release him, so he and Julie could get married.

  “Brent, your father is coming to see you on Sunday.”

  “Is he bringing Julie?”

  “Do you want her to come?”

  “Of course I want her to come. I miss her.”

  “The judge ordered you to stay away from her.”

  “But he didn’t order her to stay away from me.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you.”

  Brent shook his head. “She was angry with me before, but I’m sure she’s over that now. She loves me. We’re getting married soon. Her mother is planning the wedding.”

  The doctor cocked his head. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Olivia is excited about the wedding. She knows I can buy her daughter everything she ever wanted.”

  “She just wants the things you took from her apartment.”

  “She’ll have them after we marry. They’re all in her room at the new house.”

  The doctor leaned back in his chair. “The hidden room with the red walls?”

  Gaping in disbelief, Brent asked, “How do you know about the room?”

  “The judge sent Julie there to get her things. She has them now, and she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

  Brent came out of his chair and lunged at the doctor, and the big attendant, the one the patients called “Grunt,” locked his arm around Brent’s neck and pulled him back. Enraged, Brent fought back, twisting and jabbing Grunt’s eyes. As soon as he got loose, Brent floored the man with a karate kick and then kicked him in the throat. Grunt gurgled, but didn’t move.

  Two more attendants and a nurse ran into the room. He felt the prick of the needle and in seconds, the room swirled and Brent felt himself slipping into blackness.

  <>

  Julie went up to her room to call her parents that evening, but before she could dial, Donovan tapped on the open door. “We need to talk.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “This is about Brent Bosch.” He sat on the bed beside her. “This afternoon, the doctor at the state hospital told Brent you’d found the locked room, and Brent went crazy. He tried to attack the doctor. One of the attendants tried to subdue him, and Brent fought back. Julie, Brent killed the attendant.”