feel worse served no purpose. “Oliver, will you promise not to actively seek out any more dead people?”
“Hell, yes.” He shuddered. “I’m over it.”
She knew his type. Odds were he’d get over being over it soon enough, hence the buddy system where he was concerned.
Meredith hurried through dinner as her meeting time with Daniel approached. “Great frozen pizza,” she teased. “Thanks, Oliver.”
He still seemed subdued, but mostly back to normal. He’d also decided to stay on for the summer now that he knew the ghosts who’d attacked him would soon be banished. More than likely, Oliver wanted to witness how she and her family rid Garretsville of the hostile elements.
“It’s your turn to fix dinner tomorrow,” Oliver reminded her.
“Yes, and I’ve already planned a tasty, home-cooked meal.” Meredith took her plate to the kitchen sink. “Judy, I asked, and our friendly ghost confirmed your ancestor is here. I’m going to meet with Daniel now, and I should have news for you when I return.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Judy asked, her expression hopeful. “You mentioned the buddy system.”
“No, that’s okay. I know how to take care of myself.” To be honest, she didn’t want to share her time with Daniel with anyone else, especially not while he unburdened himself about what had happened to him. “I’ll be fine.”
Grabbing her jean jacket from the pegs by the door, Meredith headed outside to climb the hill to the scenic overlook. The western horizon blazed orange, pale yellow and a hazy blue as the sun began its descent. The air carried the combined scents of their recently baked pizzas and the evergreen trees surrounding the cabin.
Not one but two phantoms awaited her on the platform. Having a third joining them should not cause her stomach to drop with disappointment, but it did. “Hello, she said, slightly out of breath from the climb. “I’m guessing this is Frederick Klein.”
“It is.” Daniel gestured toward her. “This is Meredith MacCarthy, the lassie I told you about.”
Frederick removed his ghostly hat and bobbed his head. “Daniel says my great-great-granddaughter is here, and … she wishes to speak with me. Is this … true?”
“Yes. Her name is Judy Schulte. Are you willing to meet her?”
“Very much so, miss. I’ve been … waiting … so … very … long.” His gaze drifted off beyond her toward the wilderness, and his form faded a little in the process.
“I’ll bring Judy and her husband to the saloon after I’m finished visiting with Daniel. There we can sit and talk. Will that suit you, Mr. Klein?”
The apparition nodded. “I’ll wait there for you.”
With that he disappeared altogether, leaving her alone with Daniel. Meredith sank down to sit on the wooden platform. Daniel joined her, and his chill blended with the dropping temperature of the evening. “Do you know the names of the men who robbed and killed you?”
“Nay. We were ambushed as we headed into town to the assayer’s office. One of them held us at gunpoint. The other two approached from behind us and slit our throats. The three did not bother to introduce themselves before killing us and stealing our gold.”
He shot up and began to pace. Pebbles rolled across the sandy ground in front of him as if trying to escape his wrath. “I relive the horror every year.”
“I cannot imagine how awful that must be.” She frowned. “Did you say they stole your gold? I thought you mined silver ore.”
“We did, until Charles and I discovered a wee cave on our claim, barely a hole in the side of a hill obscured by brush, just large enough for a man to crawl into. There we found rich veins of gold running through the quartz interior. We’d already extracted a fortune and taken it to the assayer’s by the time of our murder.” He clenched his ghostly jaw and stopped pacing.
“Charles and I had a substantial fortune in the bank.” Daniel plowed his fingers through his hair and stared off into the distance. “We’d struck it rich, Meredith, and I was on the cusp of achieving everything I’d dreamed of. Then my life was stolen from me.”
A dust devil formed around Daniel’s legs, the tiny whirlwind picking up twigs, dry leaves and sand. The debris flew around him—no doubt a manifestation of his churning emotions—yet he didn’t seem to notice.
Her heart went out to him, and she wished she could somehow make the rage and the hurt go away. “What did you hope to achieve? Did