Ghost Town (16 page)

The man dropped his eyes to the floor. “Sorry, miss,” he grumbled. “Ain't used to bein' around folks. Suppose I lost my manners.”

“Well, maybe we should start with introductions, then. I'm Lissie. What's your name?”

When the man looked up again, his glare had softened,
but he still observed Lissie as if she had two heads. He didn't say anything for a while and Charlotte wondered if he had forgotten his name altogether.

“JT will do just fine,” he finally responded. Then, in an old-fashioned, courtly way, JT doffed his hat to Lissie and the girls.

Maeve broke away from the huddle and dropped into a curtsy. “Pleased to meet you, JT,” she quipped.

Charlotte couldn't help giggling. Maeve had probably picked up her etiquette skills from some old movie about Queen Victoria.

Mr. Ramsey finally released his death grip on the poker. “I'm Richard Ramsey,” he said to JT. “Sorry about the poker. You gave us quite a shock.”

“No bother. You folks must be hungry. I got an old kerosene stove stashed in the summer kitchen out back,” JT told them. “In fact, I rustled myself up some beef stew before the blizzard the other night. Like to keep the non-canned food out back so as not to attract any critters into the hotel here.”

Critters
, Maeve mouthed to Avery, who couldn't help smiling. Avery loved “critters.”

JT got up and gestured for them to follow. He led them through the kitchen and into the servant wing of the hotel. They hadn't ventured into this area yet, and everyone was surprised to find it quite homey.

“I moved my things—everything that wasn't destroyed in the blast, that is—here,” JT explained.

“The blast?” Avery asked.

“The mining explosion. My house was back there on
Cedar Street and almost everything was destroyed.”

JT gazed out the window. “Dry Gulch was a real nice town before the disaster,” he reflected. “But when I came back from Germany at the end of the war, it was deserted. Everyone was gone.”

“Why did you stay, then?” Lissie asked.

JT looked as if he was the one who'd seen a ghost. Charlotte wasn't sure if he had even heard the question, but finally he said, “I was waiting.”

The answer sent shivers up and down Charlotte's spine.

JT turned away and took up a flint to light the kerosene stove. From the ancient icebox, he removed a large pot.

“Beef stew,” Avery mouthed to Charlotte. She motioned for Maeve and Charlotte to lean in. “I don't care if this guy is a ghost . . . we're gonna get to eat REAL food!” she whispered.

“You're welcome to share when the stew heats up,” JT said, breaking down the partially frozen block of stew with a big, wooden spoon. “It's nothin' fancy, but it'll do.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Ramsey said. “The girls are very hungry, and a hot meal in our stomachs would certainly keep us warm this evening and cheer us up. We're all a little disappointed to be missing out on some of our trip.”

JT nodded at Mr. Ramsey and then his eyes settled again on Lissie.

The group decided to eat in front of the fire in the main part of the hotel. Charlotte, Avery, and Maeve gathered bowls and silverware as JT grabbed the stew pot with a big
potholder and disappeared through the service entrance of the hotel.

The smell of the stew was wonderful—rich and beefy and peppered with pungent herbs. Charlotte's stomach growled as JT ladled the stew into bowls and gestured for Lissie to pass them to the girls. Charlotte was happy to find that besides tender pieces of beef in a rich gravylike broth, the stew had chunks of onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots.

The group was silent as they devoured the rich, savory stew, their first hot meal in what seemed like forever. Charlotte couldn't help notice that between bites, JT was still observing Lissie very intently. What was that all about?
Maybe JT's fascinated with Lissie's eyes or something
, Charlotte thought. They were kind of a strange color—a bright yellow-brown—like a cat's eyes, almost. Charlotte's father had mentioned their unique color when they first met Lissie at the airport. Charlotte didn't care for the color . . . not one bit.

Finally, Maeve broke the silence. “Mr. . . . JT, were you ever married?

Charlotte stiffened. What was Maeve thinking? It was pretty rude to ask someone she barely knew such a personal question. Charlotte's eyes shifted quickly to the old man's face. Was he offended? It was hard to tell. JT didn't look up. He didn't even break the regular rhythm of his spoon moving from bowl to mouth. Charlotte was starting to think he hadn't even heard Maeve's question when he suddenly dropped the spoon into his bowl.

“Might have been,” he muttered, not even looking up.

“You mean you're not sure if you were married?” Maeve asked. Charlotte tapped her on the arm and made a “cut it out” sign.

JT didn't seem to notice. “It was so long ago, I sometimes wonder if it was all a dream,” he mused before picking up his spoon again.

Avery looked at Charlotte and rolled her eyes. Maeve looked like she was hoping with all her might JT would go on. After a minute of silence, Avery spoke up.

“We keep hearing these howling noises,” she said. Now that they knew it was probably not a ghost, she was curious to identify the mysterious sounds. “Do you know what it could be?” she asked JT.

JT looked up from his stew and scowled. “Don't pay no nevermind to that howling,” he said before slurping another bite. “It's the Wild West . . . what do you expect?”

Avery was shocked at his reaction. Maeve could pry into his personal life, but she couldn't ask a normal question about howling?! This guy was definitely
weird.

“I'll leave you now,” JT said as soon as his bowl was empty. “G'night.” And with that he disappeared into the darkness at the back of the hotel.

The group was silent. Charlotte was wondering if, like her, everyone else was afraid to say anything in case JT was listening in. Finally, she worked up the nerve to lean over and whisper in her father's ear. “Do you think he's crazy, Dad?” she asked.

Mr. Ramsey shook his head. “No, I think that he's just an old and very lonely man. Imagine living alone here in this desolate place for over sixty years.”

Charlotte nodded. “Did you notice how he kept staring at Lissie?” she asked in a low voice. “Why do you think he did that?”

Mr. Ramsey shrugged again. “I'm not sure. Lissie's eyes are kind of an interesting color.”

Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She was annoyed that her father mentioned Lissie's eyes. She couldn't help wondering . . . were Avery and Maeve right? Did her father actually have a crush on Lissie?

There were no animal charades that night. Perhaps it was because they were all comfortably full from stew or maybe it was the long day of exploring, but everyone was exhausted and fell asleep pretty much as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

Later, in the middle of the night, they were all startled awake by loud howls.

“What IS that?” Maeve asked.

“Not a ghost,” Avery said.

“Could it be a coyote?” Charlotte asked.

“It doesn't really sound like a coyote or a wolf,” Avery put her hand to her ear to listen harder.

“Maybe it's a mountain lion,” Lissie suggested.

Maeve covered her head with her blanket and scrunched into a ball. “Lions and tigers and bears . . . Get me out of this place!”

So what's the BSG plan for today?” Nik asked, as she sipped her hot chocolate.

Sam, Nik, Katani, and Isabel had ordered room service and were just finishing a scrumptious breakfast in front of the roaring fire.

“Whatever we do, it should be outside!” Isabel said. “It's gorgeous out there. The snow's so fluffy! Do you guys ski?” she asked.

“We haven't ever,” Sam replied. “But we're up for anything. We love to try new things.”

“There's tons to do at this place,” Katani, who'd been looking at the resort's activity brochure, reported. She tossed the pamphlet to Nik.

“Wow! You name it, they got it! Skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, dogsledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, et cetera, et cetera,” Nik read off.

“Everything sounds pretty athletic to me,” Katani said. “I'm not too good at sports. I'd love to go for a sleigh ride,
though. Look! It even says they hand out hot chocolate and blankets.”

“That sounds nice . . . all warm and cozy,” Sam said.

“And safe from embarrassing sports bloopers,” Katani added, nodding in agreement.

“But don't you want to get out there and run around?” Nik pleaded, looking longingly at the brochure.

In the end the girls just decided to bundle up and go exploring. With no real plan in mind, they ventured off into Big Sky Resort's winter wonderland.

“Look, there's the dogsled kennel,” Nik pointed out.

“Avery would love this,” Katani said with a laugh. “Maybe when they get here she'll go mushing!”

“IF they ever get here,” Isabel said softly.

Katani's face fell and she leaned over to give Isabel a quick hug. “I'm scared too, Iz. But they called and said they were okay. Maybe they'll be waiting for us in the suite when we get back.”

Isabel smiled weakly. “Maybe you're right. I hope so.”

Katani grabbed her sensitive friend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Those dogs are so cute!” Nik cooed.

“Avery will totally flip. She's such a dog person,” Katani informed them.

“We are, too!” Sam exclaimed. “We have three.”

“Three dogs, five horses, six cats, four ducks, three guineas, and one hamster,” Nik rattled off.

“Maeve has guinea pigs, too!” Isabel said. “They're so adorable and sweet.”

“Those dogs must be ten times the size of Marty,”
Katani exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and her hand closed over one of Marty's dog biscuits.

“Hi, girls,” one of the resort employees, who was hitching up the dogs, greeted them. “Pretty impressive dogs, aren't they? They're Siberian huskies.”

One of the dogs barked and Katani jumped back.

“Don't worry, the dogs are very friendly. They have gentle spirits, despite the barking. Is that a dog biscuit you have there? Go ahead and offer it to Juno—the lead dog— if you like. I promise he won't bite.”

Katani hesitated for a moment and then held out the biscuit. Juno gazed at her with piercing blue eyes, sniffed the biscuit, and took it gently from her hand.

A group of school kids on a field trip tromped by in snowshoes. Suddenly, one of the girls shrieked, “No WAY, it's Nik and Sam! Look guys . . . NIK AND SAM!”

Nik and Sam shot worried looks at Katani and Isabel. Right now the twins just wanted to be regular kids.

Soon the whole crowd started buzzing. Kids were craning their necks to catch a peek of the twins. Katani could see the neat line starting to break up and the whole group coming toward them.

Katani leaned closer to her new friends. “Okay,” she whispered. “Just smile and wave.” Katani steered the twins away. “Now MOVE!”

The girls smiled and offered friendly waves as Katani steadily pushed them away from the fan craziness.

“No eye contact,” Katani said firmly. “Don't look back and keep moving!”

The twins moved quickly away from the dogsledding
area and then speed-walked to the ski complex.

“Is anyone following us?” Sam asked.

Isabel glanced back. “No. We escaped.”

“Thanks, girls!” Nik cried, clearly relieved.

“Yeah, I just wasn't in the mood for an autograph signing session,” Sam agreed.

“Hey, wait up!” a voice rang out, and the four girls jumped, thinking the crowd had somehow caught up with them.

Katani whipped around and blushed when she saw Daniel and his posse.

Daniel looked fab with his bright blue and gray ski jumpsuit and goggles perched on his head.

“Where are your boards?” he asked. “I'll show you a run that'll knock your socks off.”

“We haven't decided if we want to board yet. We're still exploring what's out here,” Nik said.

“We might ski,” Sam added.

“Skiing? No way! Boarding is where it's at! You get this awesome floating sensation when you hit a patch of
sick pow
.”

“Huh?” Nik asked.

“
Sick pow
is great snow,” Daniel explained. “Come on. You'll love shredding downhill and going airborne.”

“Airborne?” Katani asked. She did
not
like the sound of that at all!

“Ask for Tronni at the snowboarding school. He'll set you up. He's the best instructor for
shreducation
. He'll get you started without looking like you're ‘rolling down the windows,' “ Daniel told them.

“Rolling down the windows?” Nik asked. Daniel sounded like he was speaking a foreign language.

“That's
snowcabulary
for waving your arms frantically as you're trying to get your balance,” Daniel said, demonstrating the move himself.

“What are we getting ourselves into?” Sam whispered to Katani. “I just want to balance on my own two feet!”

“Maybe after a few lessons you'll be able to run with the pros,” Daniel said with a wink as he headed off for the ski lift.

“That sounded like a challenge,” Sam said.

“I'm up for it.” Nik grinned, heading for the instructor's hut.

“Sounds like fun,” Isabel agreed.

“Sounds like I'll be in a cast by the end of the day.” Katani looked skeptical.

“Come on, Katani. You weren't sure about trying pool either and look how well that turned out,” Isabel reminded her.

“But pool didn't involve flying down a mountain at top speed,” Katani pointed out.