Ghost Writer

Epilogue: Posthumous

Kate dropped the last of the Christmas presents under the tree and checked her watch. It was two thirty in the morning.

"Merry Christmas," Greg came up to her and kissed her on the cheek. He was busy putting together a bike for Sarah. The completed product now sat under the multi-colored lights of the tree and Kate felt tears spring to her eyes. Anna had bought the bike for Sarah, complete with matching helmet and reflectors. They were going to wrap it in its box and put it together but the tag on it said it was from Anna. Not wanting to confuse the six year old, Greg took it out of the box and assembled it.

"I'm going to bed, hun."

"Okay," Kate returned the peck on the cheek and watched her husband wearily climb the stairs. The TV was still on and she picked up the remote. The news alert caused her to turn the volume up instead of the TV off. A perfectly groomed news reporter was delivering some not so good news this early Christmas morning.

"Sources from the Wisconsin police department have confirmed that the body found in the cabin has been identified as bestselling writer Morton Rainey."

Kate sank down onto the couch and watched as a photograph of Mort flashed up on the screen.

"Police say that they found the writer sitting at his desk with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. On the desk, they found a completed manuscript which has been turned in to his publisher. New Haven Publishing Company has already agreed to publish the book, which is entitled 'Ghost Writer.'

"The suicide comes only a few months after the gruesome discovery of two bodies in the backyard of Rainey's New York cabin which was sold in early August. The two bodies were identified as Rainey's ex-wife, Amy Rainey and a real estate agent by the name of Ted Milner. No evidence was found to link Morton Rainey to the murders though the case was still under investigation."

Kate turned the TV off and sat back on the couch. She remembered the call that she had received from Mort the day after Anna's death. He had apologized profusely to her and told her how much Anna had meant to him during the brief time they had spent together. She could hear the grief in his voice and it only seemed to echo hers at the time.

As she sat there and listened to the quiet creaking of the house, Kate remembered back to that early spring day when Anna had first come out to the cabin to stay the summer. Kate had been baking cookies for Sarah's Brownie Troupe and Anna was eating the chocolate chips. If she listened carefully, Kate could still hear their voices drift into the living room from the kitchen.

"Are you working on a story, Anna?"

"Yeah, this place seems to have a lot of stories that need to be told."

"Anything in particular?"

"Well, there is this blonde ghost that wanders around the lake. I think she's looking for someone."

"Do you know how the story is going to end?"

"I think it's going to be a murder-suicide."

The End