“Yeah.” Baxter nodded. “I grew up here. This park was my home. It’s my father’s legacy, and now…” He buried his face in his hands, looking as if he didn’t have a friend in the world.
Ten set a hand on Baxter’s arm. “Have you seen your father since his death?”
“I haven’t seen him, but he’s haunting me. I swear he won’t be satisfied until the park goes down in flames for the second time.” Baxter’s dark eyes were on Tennyson.
Ronan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was it possible Kotter Brighthouse had a vendetta to settle with his son? Is that what his spirit was asking Ten and Everly to help him with? “Explain how he’s haunting you? When did this start?” Ronan exchanged an uneasy look with Tennyson.
“When he died, my mother told me my dad would always be around. That he would cheer my successes and be there for me when I failed. She said this to me after the funeral. I remember asking for him to make himself known, to flutter a piece of paper to the floor or to knock on my closet door. I never got any sort ofmessage from him. When I started college, I put that nonsense away. People would always say that my dad would be so proud of this or that, but I’d stopped believing their bullshit.”
As Baxter finished talking, Everly walked up to Ronan and took the empty seat next to him.
“Uh, sorry, little girl. I shouldn’t have said a bad word.” Brighthouse looked at Ronan as if to ask for forgiveness.
“My dad says that word all the time.” Everly rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, I graduated with my MBA from Boston University. It had always been my dream to reopen the park. To walk in my father’s shoes and restore the Brighthouse name to its original sparkle. My unofficial major at BU was in networking. I made friends with everyone. Learned to golf, play tennis, to attract a crowd. When I graduated, I went to all of those people and asked for startup money. It took a few years, after my father died, but here we are.” He spread his arms wide.
“You’ve hit it out of the park if the huge crowds are any indication, but where does your father come into the story?” Jude asked.
“After I’d secured the funding, I hired workmen to come in and clean up the park. To inspect the rides and see what was salvageable. Rumors of the park being haunted started getting back to me within the first week of people being on the job. There are a couple of reports of people seeing his ghost every year, but I always assumed they were nonsense. Everyone knows the story of what happened to my father, so I assumed it was a load of superstitious bullshit.” Brighthouse turned to Everly and shrugged. “Sorry, kid.”
Everly grinned but stayed quiet.
“It wasn’t until work started on the new Ferris wheel that I realized the rumors weren’t baseless gossip but might be true. The old cars were no longer safe, and after what happened with my father, I wanted enclosed gondolas so nothing like that ever happened again. Several workers reported seeing my father’s death as if they were watching a movie. Others heard his screams. One guy, who I have to tell you has a drinking problem, said he heard my father saying my name.”
“How did the workers know the spirit was your father?” Ronan wore a dubious look. He knew spirits existed and that they communicated with those on the other side, but Ronan also knew people wanted to be a part of the action and weren’t above faking a haunting for attention.
“The red-and-white striped vest. He wore them every day in the park. It was so popular that we sold vests in the concession shops, and kids dressed up like Kotter Brighthouse for Halloween.” Brighthouse took a deep breath. “This year, the hauntings have really ramped up. The workmen have been scared. Some toughed it out, but others quit on the spot. I’m afraid that if other people experience my father’s spirit, it will drive guests away, and the park will flop.”
“To be honest, you’re likely to get more people through the gates if it becomes known that this park is haunted.” Ronan turned to Ten, who was nodding.
“Tell me about your experiences with your father’s spirit.”
“I’ve heard him ask for help.” Brighthouse shook his head. “I haven’t heard my father’s voice in ten years, but I recognized it straightaway. I knew what the people working in the park were experiencing wasn’t a prank, that this really was my father speaking to me from beyond the grave.”
“Everly and I experienced the same thing,” Ten began. “We heard him ask for help, and then we saw him fall.”
“You saw my father’s death?” Brighthouse’s mouth dropped open in obvious shock. “I-I don’t know how to apologize to you.”
“It’s okay,” Everly said with a shrug of her own. “I’ve seen things worse than that.”
“But you’re so little.”
“I’m tiny but mighty.” Everly offered a smile. “My daddies and Uncle Cope help with my gift. I don’t always understand what I see or hear, and they make it easier for me to…”
“Digest?” Ten offered.
“Yeah,” Everly agreed. “When your father appeared on the Ferris wheel, he wasn’t trying to scare me. I think he really needs help, but he didn’t say what kind of help.”
“I got that feeling too,” Ten said.
“What do we do now?” Brighthouse asked, looking between Ten and Ronan.
Ronan knew Ten wanted to spend as much time as he could with River and his family while they were here. Maybe Cope could step in and give a helping hand.
“Why don’t we head up to your office, and we’ll see if I can reach out to Kotter. Is there anyone else aside from yourself that could help us attract his attention?”
“Dad was head over heels in love with my mother. I could ask her to join us.”
