Free A Ghost at Stallion's Gate by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

niece, close female relative she never had.”
    “And he knows of me through you, how?”
    “He met you, when you stood with me in the reception line at the benefit performance I gave this last winter. His name is Seamus O’Kelley. He was quite taken with you. Later he took me aside and told me you were a keeper. Ever since, he asks about you. According to him, you possess the Celtic blood memory talent for communicating with the past. I’ve dare not tell him how true his insight is.” Alex smiled.
    “And how is it that he knows Rosario?”
    “They are old friends. Ask Rosario about Seamus’s dad, Connor O’Kelley, I bet she’ll blush.”
    “No way. Alex, you mean Rosario and Connor knew each other intimately?”
    “I did not say that. But I suspect it.”
    “Oooh I can hardly wait to grill Rosario.”  I giggled with delight knowing I now had an ace up my sleeve to use on her when she got too interested in a personal aspect of my life.
    “Whatever you do, don’t get me into trouble with her. Promise you will never let her know you learned this from me,” Alex said.
    “Hmm, okay. But I’ll keep the promise in exchange for a favor, right now.” I hoped my dare would get an eager reaction from Alex, and it did.
    His dark eyes gleamed with mischief. “As you wish.”
    “Right now, go with me over to Stallion’s Gate. I want to look at something.”
    Alex did not hesitate. “I’ll pay the tab on the way out.” He got up, pulled out my chair and we left. In ten minutes we pulled into the gravel drive at Stallion’s Gate.
     
    Chapter 14
    We stood in front of the mansion. I handed Alex a makeshift map I had drawn of the estate’s grounds. “We’re not going inside,” I explained. “I want you to use this map to lead us out in back, I’ll explain as we go along.”
    Alex looked at the map. “If we’re going to traipse about the grounds in the darkness, we need some flashlights. I’ve got some in the back of my car.” He turned around and opened the trunk of his car. After rummaging in a backpack, he handed me a flashlight. “Here, shine your light on the ground in front of us. I need my flashlight to spotlight the map.” He looked down at the map and asked, “Where to?”
    Using the map as a guide, I pointed to the area behind the stables and instructed, “Out in back of there. Let’s start over here to the left of the mansion and go around the back. I’m pretty sure there’s a flagstone path out to the stables. I saw a path the other day when I was here with Josh.” I took Alex’s arm. “While we walk, I’ll explain why we are doing this.”
    Even in the dark of night with only our two flashlights breaking through the darkness, I could see his face. He was excited and so was I.
    “An explanation is a good idea,” Alex said.
    And so I gave him a rundown of what I had found out this afternoon. “Marla Devereux was in a heavy court case about the time she went missing. She had been awarded a small fortune of money from the person called Empress Tatiana, a woman whose real name was far less glamorous. Her name was Gertrude Straub. Anyway, I got to wondering if Marla actually disappeared or if she may have decided to leave town and begin her life anew. Or, if Gertrude figured the court awarded fortune was the business breaker she could not afford and murdered Marla to prevent paying it out. Anyway, add to this a horse named Rory who seems to think he is too red in color and he misses having carrots.” I ended my explanation abruptly, satisfied that I had given a complete picture of the conundrum.
    Alex stopped just as abruptly and said to me, “And we are out here stumbling around in the dark for what reason?”
    “For Rory. I need to see where his stable is and the pasture behind it.” I took a step to continue our exploration, but I did not get very far. Alex would not budge.
    “Rory who?” Alex insisted on knowing.
    “Rory is the horse, a Clydesdale, that pulled Marla in her