Gem of a Ghost: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery (21 page)

twenty-
f
ive

“Emma, snap out of
it,” yelled Granny, popping in by her side. The ghost looked around the cell, taking stock of the other ghosts standing around watching. “Make Addy stop,” she snapped at them. When the ghosts of the Molly Maguires did nothing but look on, Granny scowled, “Men! Worthless in life
and
in death.”

Granny started blowing into Emma’s face while she snarled at the ghost in the ring. “Let her go, Addy. Emma never harmed you. She’s the only real friend you have on this earth.”

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Betty Lou said in a worried voice and disappeared.

Emma started coming out of her fog. “No.” She pushed away from Quinn. “Tell Betty Lou no ambulance. I’m fine.” She turned to Granny, letting the worried ghost see she was back to herself.

Seeing Emma had returned to her senses, Quinn ran out. Emma could hear him calling out that she wouldn’t need medical care. He asked Betty Lou to bring down some water instead.

When he returned to the cell a second later, Emma was staring at the wall where she’d seen Edward. Quinn watched in silence, never out of reach should she need him. Granny stood by the far wall, keeping an eye on Alexander Campbell and his men.

Emma stretched out her hand again toward the wall. Edward’s ghost reached to take it. This time it was Emma speaking, not Addy through her. “Come on, Addy,” Emma said, coaxing the ghost in the diamond. “Here’s your chance to be free. Take Edward’s hand.”

“No!” Addy shouted in defiance. “It’s not time.”

Without warning, Emma cried out in pain and looked down. The front of her sweater, the spot over Lainey’s ring, was scorched, the heat burning into her flesh.

She started pulling on the chain around her neck. “The ring,” she yelled to Quinn. “Help me get it out.”

Granny danced from foot to foot. “Help her,” she shouted at Quinn, even though he couldn’t hear her.

Quinn jumped to Emma’s aid again. Staring down at her chest, he first thought it was blood, then watched as the burned area grew like a match had been held under the fabric. As Emma pulled on the chain, trying to free it, Quinn grabbed the hem of her sweater and yanked it over her head, getting the chain and ring caught.

“Wait a minute,” Emma told Quinn as she became tangled in her garment. When he stopped pulling, Emma freed one arm. Moving the chain to the hand of the free arm, she kept it away from her skin while she cleared her other arm. The chain was also warm but not hot. Her sweater was ruined. So was the tee shirt under it and the bra. The small patch of skin between her breasts was stinging, but luckily the layers of fabric had kept it from being seriously injured.

She pulled the chain over her head and held it aloft, glaring at the ring. “There was no need to do that, Addy.”

A fuzzy stream of light oozed from the ring, and soon Addy materialized in front of Emma. Her face was smooth and peaceful as she looked at Edward with a loving smile. “I will be back, Edward. I promise.”

He held out his hand again, his young face eager and pleading. “Come with me now, Addy. We’ve waited so long.”

Addy took his hand but didn’t move to go with him. “I’ve hurt a lot of people,” she confessed. She turned to look at the other ghosts. “Innocent people. But now I have the chance to help one of them.”

“No one helped us, Addy,” Campbell reminded her. “Not you, not Edward, not me or the others. Go with Edward now, and be free of the bonds of the living.”

Quinn, still clutching Emma’s sweater, sensed the drama he couldn’t hear. He took a few steps back, hoping to see even a glimmer of the spirits. “What’s going on, Emma?”

“The ghosts are having a discussion,” Emma explained. “They want Addy to go with Edward. She wants to stay to finish something.”

“Is it the ghost of Edward Kelly you’re talking about?” The question came from Betty Lou. She had returned unnoticed. She stood at the doorway to the cell holding a bottle of water. Her face was twisted in concentration in the hope of seeing and hearing the spirits she knew existed. “He spent a lot of time in this cell before he was hanged.”

Emma turned to the young man. “Are you the ghost of Edward Kelly?”

He nodded. “Aye, I am. And standing yon with Mr. Campbell are Tom Fisher and Yellow Jack.”

Emma turned to the three ghosts standing near Granny and gave them a polite nod before advising Betty Lou and Quinn of what Edward had said.

Betty Lou bobbled a bit. Quinn stepped to her side, but she waved him off and leaned against the thick doorway for support. “I always knew some of the Molly Maguires were still here.”

Quinn turned back to Emma. “Edward Kelly and Addy Ames were sweethearts.”

Emma had surmised as much from the way the two young ghosts behaved with each other. “But who did you marry, Addy? Who beat you?”

“That would have been Ronald Dowd,” Quinn answered for the ghost.

Addy shuddered at the name and became agitated. She dropped Edward’s hand and floated to stand in front of Emma. “The girl is still in mortal danger.”

“What girl?”

Addy pointed at the ring dangling at the end of the gold chain.

“You mean Lainey?” asked Emma.

Addy nodded. “Yes.”

Protective anger bubbled to the top of Emma’s emotions. “Leave Lainey alone.”

“The danger is not from me.” Addy started to fade.

“Stay, Addy,” Emma pleaded. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Turning around, Emma saw Alexander Campbell was also starting to fade. His friends were already gone. Campbell floated over to Betty Lou. “Thank you, dear lady, for keeping our memory alive.” He glanced at Emma. “Please tell Mrs. McBride what I said.”

Emma shook her head to clear it. She didn’t want to play interpreter just now. Addy had just announced Lainey’s life was still in danger. That’s all Emma wanted to deal with, but the stern look on Campbell’s face made her take a deep breath and stop a moment.

“Betty Lou,” she said to the museum owner in a rush of words, “Mr. Campbell wants me to thank you for the museum and for keeping the memory of him and the men who died with him alive.”

The ghost of Alexander Campbell bowed slightly before Betty Lou McBride and took his leave.

“Oh my!” said Betty Lou. She opened the water and took a big drink of it.

With urgency, Emma turned her attention back to Addy. She and Edward were standing face to face. “Come back to me when you can, Addy,” Edward said. “I’ll be here.” Then he disappeared into the wall.

Addy returned to stand before Emma, her image fading more by the second. She pointed at Quinn. “He can help you.” Then she vanished into a stream of smoke that was sucked into the stone of Lainey’s ring.

Granny floated over and stared at the ring. “In all my days, I’ve never seen anything like that. Gives me the willies.” The ghost rubbed her arms against a chill she couldn’t feel.

Quinn was just as amazed. “Did I just see smoke going into that ring or out of it?”

Emma looked down at the ring. “You saw that?”

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the large diamond. “I did.”

“The smoke was going into the ring, Quinn. It was the ghost of Addy Ames returning to her haunting place. She won’t go off with Edward until Lainey’s safe. Lainey is the young woman who owns this ring. Addy tried to kill her before.”

“And now she’s worried about her safety?”

“Seems so.”

Quinn started to touch the ring, then stopped and looked up at Emma, his eyes brimming with excitement. “May I?”

Emma handed him the ring. He rolled it in his fingers, feeling the cut of the facets as he searched for the life within it. He looked up at Emma. “Is this the Dowd diamond?”

Betty Lou shook off the excitement of having a ghost address her and stepped forward. “The Dowd diamond? You mean it’s real?”

Emma took the ring back from Quinn. Putting the chain over her head, she tucked the ring back inside her burned tee shirt.

“You sure that’s wise?” Quinn asked, holding up her scorched sweater as an exhibit to back his concern.

“I don’t think she’s going to try to hurt me again.” Emma held out her hand for the sweater. “It’s cold in here.” Quinn handed it back to her.

“It was a lot colder a minute ago,” Betty Lou observed. “When the ghosts were here it was absolutely freezing in this cell, like a deep freeze. You didn’t feel that?”

Emma shook her head. “Usually I do, but not this time.”

Quinn cocked his head and gave Emma a lopsided grin. “Then again, your clothes were on fire.”

Emma pulled at the front of her sweater. There was a blackened hole between her breasts, but for now it would have to do. Anxious to reach Lainey, she reached into her jeans pocket for her cell phone.

“Darn it. My cell’s back at the hotel, recharging. I forgot to take it with me this morning.” She started for the door. “We have to go back to the hotel. I have to call Lainey to make sure she’s okay.”

Quinn pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out to her. “Here, use mine.”

“Cell phones don’t work down here,” Betty Lou told them. “They don’t work well anywhere inside the jail, and not at all down here.”

After the three of them were back upstairs, Emma thanked Betty Lou for showing her around. “It’s been a great deal of help.”

“No, Emma, thank
you
. I can’t tell you what today has meant to me.” Betty Lou gave Emma a quick hug. “Now go help that Lainey girl so Addy can come back.” She turned to Quinn and gave him an affectionate embrace. “You know the history of this place and of the Dowds better than I do. You help Emma.”

Outside the jail, Emma called the phone at her cabin in Julian. Her mother answered. “Mother, it’s me. Is Lainey all right?”

“Yes, dear, she’s fine. Why?”

“Addy just told me that Lainey’s still in danger. She didn’t say how or why, but the danger isn’t coming from Addy any longer. Maybe it’s Lin. I’m not sure how Addy knows that unless she overheard it, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“She’s over at Susan’s right now. I’ll go right on over, and we’ll not let the child out of our sight.”

“Thank you. Where’s Dad?”

“He and Glen went into town to get something—a tool Glen needs, I think. Did Addy go home?”

“Yes and no. She’s home, but she won’t leave the ring. I don’t know the whole story yet, but I should soon.” She looked at Quinn, who was waiting patiently by her side. As soon as she was off the phone, she was going to wring every scrap of information out of him she could, starting with how he knew Addy’s name and the story behind the Dowd diamond.

As soon as she said goodbye to her mother, Emma stared expectantly at Quinn. “So, what’s the story with Addy Ames, Edward Kelly, and Ronald Dowd? And don’t spare any details.”

Quinn started down Broadway. “Come on,” he said. “I want to show you something, but first we need to go back to the hotel. We can trade information along the way.”

Emma looked down at her ruined sweater. She wanted to change it but was antsy to learn more. “I’m okay wearing this for now. Let’s just go.”

He turned. “I’m not worried about your sweater, I’m worried about the burn under it. We need to get you some first aid before we go traipsing off. Burns can be nasty business and get infected easily.”

“Oh, and my cell phone,” Emma remembered. “I do need that. If anything happens, my mother will call that number, not yours.”

twenty-six

A knock sounded at
Emma’s hotel door. She opened it to find Quinn holding a small paper bag aloft in one hand and two plastic bags in the other. “I have antiseptic ointment and bandages.”

“What’s that?” She pointed at the plastic bags. “Kind of big for a small burn, or are you planning surgery?”

He came in and put all the bags on the table. From one plastic bag he pulled out four bottles of Snapple. “I picked up some sandwiches for lunch and a few bottles of tea.” He put the bag with the sandwiches in the mini fridge, along with two bottles of the tea. He twisted the top off one of the bottles left on the table and handed it Emma. “Hope you like green tea.”

After she took the bottle of tea, he asked, “Now, how’s that burn?”

“It’s blistered a bit, but it’s not bad. My clothing took the brunt of the heat. I cleaned the site off with soap and water and dried it with a clean towel.” Emma had stripped to her waist and was
wearing
a short cotton robe over the top of her jeans. She took a drink from her bottle. It was refreshing and welcomed by her dry throat.

Quinn twisted the top off his own bottle of tea and took a long drink. “Let me have a look at it.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I am a doctor, Emma.”

She laughed lightly. “Somehow, Quinn, I don’t think a PhD qualifies you to give medical advice.”

“No, but I’ve learned a lot about field medicine on digs, especially the simple things like cuts, burns, and sprains. I can even reset a dislocated shoulder or temporarily set a broken bone. You have to know that stuff when you’re working in remote places.”

She considered him a moment, then put down her tea and opened her robe, revealing the burn but keeping the breasts on either side of it covered. “It’s nearly dead-center.”

Putting down his tea, he washed his hands, then pulled Emma closer to a light to examine the wound. Emma flinched slightly when he touched her.

Quinn looked up. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Emma shook her head and looked away. His touch didn’t hurt her, it disturbed her. While Quinn grabbed the medical supplies and started tearing into the packaging, Emma studied the grain on the door to her room, trying to concentrate on anything except the fact that Quinn Keenan was touching her chest. It didn’t matter that he was applying first aid; his close proximity in such an intimate manner sent shimmers of arousal through her. And she wasn’t the only one sensing it. As Quinn applied ointment to Emma’s wound, then covered it with a gauze bandage, folding it small enough to fit between her breasts comfortably and still cover the burn, his fingers took on a slight tremor of awkwardness. Next he applied strips of surgical tape. Emma was glad he was doing it. She could have done it on her own, but it would have been difficult to do it right. She was also having a love-hate relationship with the way it was making her feel.

“That’s going to hurt for a few days,” he told her when he was done. He fiddled with putting the cap on the ointment, studying it as if it were a difficult puzzle. Neither of them looked at each other, trying to ignore the charge in the air. “It shouldn’t become infected if you keep it clean and bandaged. If you need me to help change the bandage, just let me know. I’ll be happy to help.”

“I just bet he would,” snapped a disembodied voice.

Ignoring Granny’s comment and presence, Emma closed her robe and tightened the belt. “Thank you, Dr. Keenan.”

“My pleasure.” He put away the supplies and washed his hands again. “You’re a lot cuter than the guys I’m used to patching up.”

“No women on those digs?”

“Them, too.” He picked up his tea, still not looking at her. “Where’s the Dowd diamond?”

“Here.” Emma went to the nightstand by the bed and retrieved the ring. She handed it to him. “I didn’t know it had a name until today.”

“If it’s the same stone.”

“That’s not the original setting. The jeweler I spoke with said the original setting was Victorian. His friend bought it from someone here in Pennsylvania in the early sixties. Every wearer has died of suicide since, except for my daughter’s friend Lainey.”

Emma took her bottle of tea to the loveseat and sat down. Quinn joined her.

Granny materialized next to the window, her arms crossed and wearing her signature scowl. “Does he have to sit so close to you?”

Emma shot Granny a scowl of her own but was thankful the ghost was chaperoning.

On the walk back to the inn from the jail, she’d given Quinn a quick rundown of how she had become involved, of Lainey’s suicide attempts, and even of Summer’s death. He’d stopped their progress several times to question her and listen with interest before continuing.

“Oh, I just thought of something.” Emma popped off the loveseat and retrieved her cell phone from its charger. She also grabbed her purse and dug around inside until she located the business card for Sachman & Sons. She started punching in the numbers.

“Who are you calling?”

“The jeweler who gave me the history of that ring.”

When someone answered, Emma asked to speak to Isaac Sachman and gave her name. After a short wait, Mr. Sachman came on the phone.

“I see you got my message,” the old man said immediately.

Emma was surprised. “Your message? No, I didn’t.” She looked down at her cell to see she had two voicemails waiting. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sachman. I went out and left my phone behind. I was actually calling you for something else.”

“If it is about the ring, then it is the same topic.”

Emma put the phone on speaker. “I’m here with a friend of mine, Dr. Quinn Keenan. We’re in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, where Addy was from. I just found out the stone has a name—the Dowd diamond. Did you know that?”

Isaac Sachman gave off a low, gravelly chuckle. “I just found out the exact same thing, my dear. That is why I called. Seems the fates are determined we get to the bottom of this mystery.”

Mr. Sachman cleared his throat. There was a short quiet period.

“Are you all right, Mr. Sachman?” Emma asked.

“I’m fine, Emma. I just needed a sip of water.” There was another short pause before he continued. “After we spoke, the matter of this ring continued to bother me, so I called the widow of my friend Jonas, the jeweler who purchased the original ring in Pennsylvania. She told me all of Jonas’s records were still stored in their garage, so I sent one of my sons over to look through them, specifically to locate sales and purchases made from the late fifties through the sixties. As I recall, Jonas was a meticulous record keeper. My son found the information and brought it back to me to look over.”

“So you can confirm that the stone I showed you is, in fact, the Dowd diamond?”

“Absolutely. I also found something even more curious.”

Quinn and Emma leaned toward the phone, eager to hear the news and thankful to have a diversion from their mutual attraction. Granny floated close by, her own ears keen for news.

“It seems I know the man who sold it to Jonas back in the early sixties,” Isaac Sachman continued. “His name is Linwood Reid, the controversial financier.”

“Linwood Reid?” Even saying it out loud, Emma couldn’t believe it. She glanced up at Granny, who looked just as surprised. “Are you sure, Mr. Sachman?”

“According to Jonas’s records, he bought the ring from Mr. Reid in the mid-sixties. Which is very odd, because I distinctly remember him being with Mrs. Naiman when she bought the ring from me for her husband. I’m sure he never mentioned a previous connection to it at that time.”

“Did you know him before then?”

“Mr. Reid was an occasional customer who recommended our store to Mrs. Naiman and particularly that ring. I assisted them myself and remember him saying he’d seen it in the store and knew it would be perfect for Max. Of course it could be a different Linwood Reid, but it is such an uncommon name, is it not?”

“Yes, it is,” Emma agreed. She handed Quinn the phone and began pacing the room as her mind spun like a Tilt-A-Whirl with surprise and possibilities.

Granny paced alongside her. “That’s the skunk who hired Jamal.”

“Linwood,” Quinn said, holding the phone but staring at the wall as he dug through the knowledge stored in his brain. “Linwood,” he repeated. “Linwood was a family name of the Dowd family, the family who originally owned that stone.”

Emma whipped around. “Are you sure, Quinn?”

“Positive. Linwood Dowd was Ronald Dowd’s father—Addy’s father-in-law. According to local stories, he purchased the diamond in Europe for his bride, Ronald’s mother. Ronald also had a brother named Linwood.”

“But how is it,” Emma asked, “that Linwood Reid knew where that ring was so many years after he sold it?”

The aged jeweler provided an explanation. “He could have contacted Jonas and inquired about it. Sometimes when people are forced to sell off family heirlooms, they keep track of them in the hope of one day buying them back. Few do, of course.”

Emma ran a hand through her hair. “I wonder if he knew the ring was haunted?”

“That ring being cursed is a longtime legend around these parts,” added Quinn.

Emma stared at him. “You mean people have known for years the ring was haunted?”

“Maybe not haunted, but for generations locals passed along stories about the ring being cursed, though most thought it was just a story, and today most believe the existence of the ring itself was fabricated to account for all the tragedy surrounding the Dowd family.”

Emma picked up the ring and examined it. It remained cool to the touch. “Makes you wonder if Addy was a victim of that tragedy or the cause.”

Sachman’s voice came through the cell phone like that of an unseen spirit. “I hope my information was helpful, Emma.”

Coming closer to the cell phone, she said, “Very helpful, Mr. Sachman. Thank you.”

After the call with Isaac Sachman ended, Emma turned to Quinn armed with new questions. “Do you think Linwood Reid knew the ring was haunted and used it to murder Max Naiman? Lainey did tell me he was seeing her mother prior to her parents rededicating themselves.”

Emma blew out a gust of air and continued before Quinn could make a comment. “Now I’m wondering if Joanna knew about the ring, but my gut is saying she didn’t. She is nervous about Linwood, though; something is not right there.”

Granny had her own theory. “Maybe the skunk also used the ring to try to kill off Lainey. He’s after her money, isn’t he?”

“That’s right, Granny.”

Quinn looked to the spot where Emma directed her comment, but saw nothing. “Is your rabbit back?” He flashed Emma a grin.

Granny hovered around Quinn, her hands on her hips, her face pinched with disapproval. “I ain’t no darn rabbit, Indiana.”

“Yes, Granny is back, and she’d prefer you not to call her a rabbit. Not even a famous one.” Emma perched on the arm of the loveseat. “But she just pointed out another possibility. Maybe Linwood also used the ring to try to kill Lainey. He definitely wants her out of the way, and he’s been trying to get his hands on her inheritance.”

“Murder by haunted ring.” Quinn rolled the concept around on his tongue. “If so, it’s a brilliant crime. Think about it. How are the police supposed to make a charge like that stick? Then again, according to the stuff I’ve read about Linwood Reid, he’s a genuine piece of work.”

Emma tightened her grip on the ring, willing Addy to tell them more. “Quinn, did you know Linwood Reid was connected to the Dowd family?”

“Not exactly, though I did know he hailed from Pennsylvania.” He stood up and stretched. “To be honest, my curiosity in the family didn’t extend beyond the burning of the Dowd mansion. After that, I believe they left Mauch Chunk for good.”

“When I read up on this town,” Emma said, trying to sweep away her confusion, “I read about the two Packer mansions, but I don’t recall anything about a Dowd mansion.”

“It burned to the ground in the early 1900s. The fire was supposedly set by Ronald’s third wife, Virginia Dowd.”

“Tell me about the Dowds, Quinn. What do you know about the connection between them, Addy, and Edward Kelly?”

Quinn went to the window and looked out. He was silent a few moments.

“Is he thinking or sleeping?” Granny asked.

Emma shot her a look letting her know to be still.

“After the jail, I wanted to show you something.” He turned around and leaned against the windowsill. “I still do. It’s the perfect place to tell you Addy’s story, or at least what I know of it.” He shoved off and headed for the door. “Get dressed. I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll take the sandwiches and make a picnic of it.”