Ian sat on the living room fireplace hearth in Marlow House, hunched over with his right palm cupping his forehead. Danielle and Walt had just explained what had happened in the nursery the night before and earlier that day with Heather. Since Lily had failed to answer her phone when running errands, she and Ian didn’t know about the unexplained paranormal activity taking place in Marlow House’s nursery until now.
“I don’t know how I’m going to fix this with my sister,” Ian groaned. “I understand why she’s upset. She already feels all of us have been keeping secrets from her. That she’s not included in what’s going on.” Ian looked up at his friends, who all sat quietly watching him. “And she’s not wrong.”
“Perhaps it’s time to tell her the truth,” Danielle suggested.
“Are you serious?” Ian stood up and began pacing. “If I do that, she’ll tell Joe, and the last thing I want to do is cause problems in her marriage.”
“I understand where you’re coming from,” Heather said. “After all, you were kind of a jerk when Lily told you. You even dumped her.”
Ian stopped pacing and turned to Heather. He cringed at the memory. “Which is why I’m aware of the problems this truth can cause my sister.”
“Ian,” Walt began, “it’s already causing her troubles.”
“Walt’s right,” Chris agreed. “You’ve always been close with your sister. It’s clear she idolizes you, so when she feels left out or excluded from your friend group, she’ll naturally get jealous.”
“But what do I do?” Ian asked.
“You have to tell her something,” Lily said.
“Like what?” Ian asked.
Lily shrugged. “I had a similar problem with my sister after she witnessed certain things over at your parents’ property. I didn’t tell her everything, but enough to move past it.”
“The difference, Laura isn’t married to Joe,” Ian reminded her. “I know my sister. She doesn’t believe you should keep secrets in a marriage. She’ll feel compelled to tell Joe, and he’ll refuse to believe her, which will only cause more problems. He’ll probably convince her we’re all in on some elaborate practical joke.”
“Ian has a point. Joe is one of my closest friends, but he will have a difficult time wrapping his head around this,” Brian said.
Walt nodded in agreement. “Yes. He quickly found his logical explanation for what just happened in the nursery.”
“Something like this was bound to happen,” Heather said.
Ian looked at Heather. “Why do you say that?”
“You hang out with a bunch of mediums. Your son’s favorite babysitter is a ghost, and you have to admit, Beach Drive seems to attract not only mediums, but an inordinate amount of paranormal activity,” Heather said.
Flower petals fell from the ceiling. The mediums looked up.
“Eva, is Marie with you?” Danielle called out.
“Yes, dear. I’m right here.” The next moment, Marie appeared in the middle of the living room, followed by Eva Thorndike, the spirit of a silent screen star with an uncanny resemblance to the Gibson Girl. Once Eva’s vision appeared, the flower petals vanished.
“Gamma Marie!” Connor called out. He stood up and toddled over to Marie.
Marie reached down and picked up Connor. “I was at the diner, and I overheard Kelly talking about what happened in the nursery when she was here with June, and I no longer believe Kelly threw the stuffed animal. Not the way she was talking to Adam and Melony. Which is why I brought Eva with me to talk to you.”
“Yes, Marie. We already know Kelly wasn’t involved.” Danielle then explained what had happened earlier.
Lily, who stood quietly next to her husband, watching her son float around the room, finally spoke up. “You guys, I think Ian and I should go home and let all of you discuss this. I want to talk alone with Ian, anyway.”
Brian stood. “I’m going too. I worked late last night, and I haven’t slept since I got off work. Going home to crash.”
* * *
Lily and Ian had taken Connor and Sadie and headed back across the street to their house. Brian had kissed Heather goodbye, telling her he’d call later after he woke up, and took off. The twins stirred after the non-mediums left, again hungry.
A few minutes later, Danielle sat on the sofa with Walt and the twins, while Chris and Heather sat in the recliners across from them, and the two spirits sat in imaginary chairs nearby. While Danielle nursed the infants, Walt recounted all the unusual paranormal activities that had been happening over the last twenty-four hours.
“And it’s only been happening in the nursery?” Eva asked.
“There was the knocking on our bedroom wall. But technically speaking, that was coming from the closet in the nursery,” Danielle said.
“And none of you saw anything?” Eva asked.
“Only flying stuffed animals and chairs that rock on their own,” Walt said.
“Also, that flying bookend,” Heather reminded him. “If that thing hit me, I’d probably be on Eva and Marie’s side by now.”
“You didn’t see it coming?” Eva asked.
Heather shook her head. “No. I saw the stuffed animals flying at me, and just knocked them away with my arm. No big deal. But I only got a glimpse of the bookend from the corner of my eye, and I think that’s just because it stopped. Hung there in midair for a moment a couple of inches away from my head. That’s when I noticed it in my peripheral vision. And then it fell to the ground.”
“Either the spirit just wanted to scare you, or—”
“The Universe intervened,” Heather finished for Eva.
Eva nodded in agreement.
“Eva and I have discussed the situation, and we think it best if we spend some time in the nursery, see if we can figure out who is doing this and why,” Marie said.
Danielle let out a sigh. “That would be wonderful.” She looked down at her nursing babies.
“While I don’t believe Addison and Jack are in any danger sleeping in the nursery, I can understand if you don’t feel comfortable having them sleeping in there while we figure this thing out,” Eva said.
“Walt and I already talked about moving the portable cribs in our bedroom until we resolve whatever it is,” Danielle said.
“Marie and I will pop up to the nursery and have a look now.” Eva disappeared, and Marie followed her.
“I hope we figure this thing out soon,” Danielle grumbled.
Outside, a woman walked by the living room window.
“Someone’s coming to the front door,” Heather said.
While Walt left to answer the door, Heather helped Danielle with the babies, who had finished nursing. When Walt returned to the living room a few minutes later, carrying a large grocery bag, Danielle and Heather were busy changing the babies’ diapers on the sofa. Walt wasn’t alone. Millie Samson from the museum stood by his side, holding a small package wrapped in pink and blue gift-wrapping paper.
“Millie,” Danielle greeted her while she picked up the freshly diapered baby.
“Millie has brought us some food,” Walt told Danielle.
“It’s just a little something you can have for dinner or toss in the freezer and save for another night. I figure the last thing you want to think about is what to cook for dinner, and you need to keep up your strength.” Millie moved closer to the sofa to see the babies. “Oh my, they are so adorable.” She then handed Danielle the small package. “I also brought you this.”
Danielle took the package from Millie. “How sweet.”
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to put this in the kitchen,” Walt said before leaving the room. Chris and Heather exchanged greetings with Millie while she took a seat on the now empty rocker, and Heather remained sitting on the sofa, holding Jack while Danielle held Addison.
They exchanged pleasantries. Millie asked questions about the babies, and a few minutes later, Walt returned from the kitchen, taking a seat on the sofa between Heather and Danielle. He took Addison from Danielle so she could unwrap the gift Millie had brought. Everyone watched as Danielle unwrapped Millie’s gift. A few minutes later, she held up two crocheted infant baby bonnets, one in pink yarn, the other in blue.
“These are adorable. Did you make these?” Danielle asked Millie.
“Yes. I usually like to make a baby blanket, but since there are two babies, I thought the bonnets might be nice instead.”
“I love them. Thank you so much. Yours is the first homemade gift we’ve received. I’m going to cherish them.” Danielle neatly folded the bonnets and placed them back in the gift box.
“I’ve a quilting friend who’s known for making baby quilts for baby showers. But when one of her nieces had twins, she gave her something else. The niece was hurt, but I imagine making two quilts is a lot of work,” Millie said.
“Now that I think about it, I do have something homemade for the twins, a quilt. Although it wasn’t actually made for them.” Danielle then told Millie about the handcrafted quilt Lily had purchased at the estate sale.
“Oh, I’d love to see it.”
Walt stood. “I’ll get it.” He quickly left the room before Millie asked to go see the nursery.
* * *
“Anything happen?” Walt asked when he stepped into the nursery and found Marie sitting in one rocker, and Eva in the other one.
“No. It’s been quiet,” Marie said.
“We’ve been trying to start a conversation with whoever—or whatever it is—but I wonder if they have already moved on,” Eva said.
“I just came up to grab the quilt Lily gave us. Millie Samson is downstairs,” Walt explained.
* * *
Millie only stayed for about thirty minutes. After she left, Heather asked Walt if Eva and Marie had made any progress in the nursery. He told her what Eva had said.
Chris stood. “I’m going to take Hunny and head home. Want me to help you move the portable cribs upstairs to your room before I go?”
Walt flashed Chris a smile. “I can do it myself.”
Chris chuckled. “That’s right. Sometimes I forget.”
Heather stood. “I need to get home to Bella.”
“We really appreciate all your help. Also, thanks for the cinnamon rolls,” Danielle said. “And for the lunch.”
Heather kissed the babies on their foreheads before leaving with Chris and Hunny. A few minutes later, after they heard the front door shut, Walt and Danielle sat quietly on the sofa, each holding a baby.
Finally, Danielle looked at Walt and said, “Wow, it’s quiet in here.”
Walt grinned at Danielle. “Won’t be if one of these starts crying.”
Danielle glanced down at the baby in her arms and then looked over at the one in Walt’s arms. Addison and Jack were almost asleep. “You know, Heather is right. At this age, all they do is poop, eat, and sleep.”
Walt chuckled and then looked over at the portable cribs. After showing the twin quilt to Millie, they had draped it over the side of one crib. “Should we put them down?”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
Walt gently laid the sleeping baby on the sofa, intending to stand up before picking him up to place him in the portable crib, while Danielle remained sitting on the sofa, holding Addison.
Danielle looked up over at the cribs and froze. “Oh crap. Walt, look.”
Instead of picking up Jack from the sofa, Walt glanced over at the portable cribs. The twins quilt was no longer hanging over the side of one crib. Instead, it floated above them.