Ophie's Ghosts

For days, Ophie continues sneaking cookies to Clara in the attic, but Clara continues avoiding her. Meanwhile, she worries about what happened to Clara and ponders the question of who might have killed her.

One day, Ophie asks Cook about Clara. Cook reiterates that Clara disappeared when the Virginia cousins last visited and that Mrs. Caruthers’s health worsened thereafter. A woman in a nightdress appears in the kitchen, interrupting their conversation. She introduces herself as Edwina, Richard’s friend. Ophie again worries that someone in the house—resident or visitor—might have murdered Clara.

In the attic alone, Clara worries that everyone has forgotten her. The attic itself hopes that someone will come to Clara’s rescue, too, so that she won’t experience more pain than she already has.

As Mrs. Caruthers’s health improves, she expects more attention from Ophie. Ophie is restless sitting by her bed, as she is eager to find Clara again. One day, while Mrs. Caruthers is napping, Ophie sneaks back to the attic and encounters Clara, who suddenly remembers how she died. Clara relates that she was “getting ready for a party [when] someone attacked [her]” in the attic (187). However, she can’t remember who it was. Thinking of all the injustice in the world, Ophie feels angry that someone would hurt Clara.

Mama angrily calls for Ophie, interrupting her and Clara’s exchange. She scolds Ophie for shirking her responsibilities to Mrs. Caruthers, who has been calling for her. She also warns Ophie not to jeopardize their jobs. As Ophie forlornly descends the attic stairs, Clara reassures her, and Colin gives her an encouraging word down in the hall.

Mama doesn’t talk to Ophie for the rest of the day. Ophie worries about their relationship, but she doesn’t want to stop searching for Clara’s murderer. Back at the house that evening, she sees the ghost of Aunt Rose’s husband in the garden again. She engages him in conversation, and he tells her about his life, suffering, and death. He hasn’t moved on because he is waiting for Rose, and he believes that she’ll join him soon.

After the ghost leaves, Ophie muses on Clara’s and Daddy’s deaths. She can’t understand why Daddy didn’t linger. When she notices that Aunt Rose’s husband left flowers on the walk, she realizes how powerful ghosts might really be.

The ghost of Aunt Rose’s husband typically lingers in the garden behind Rose’s house, tending the flowers and fruits that his wife liked best. He misses Rose and often meditates on her memory, hoping that they will reunite soon.

Back at Daffodil Manor, Ophie is more attentive to Mrs. Caruthers than usual. Meanwhile, she wonders how many ghosts haunt particular people they knew. She thinks that Clara might be following Richard around because she wants him to die and join her. Mrs. Caruthers wakes up and tasks Ophie with fetching a book from the library. There, Ophie runs into Edward Caruthers’s ghost. He is looking for his daughter, Isabel. Ophie remembers seeing the little girl ghost, so she leads them to each other. Then, they both pass on. Colin appears and commends Ophie for helping the two ghosts.

Back at home that night, Ophie and Aunt Rose talk in the garden. Rose tells Ophie more about her ghost encounters. She says that Ophie can keep conversing with ghosts if she wants to, but she warns the girl to “be cautious around them” (216).

The next day, Richard barges into Mrs. Caruthers’s room while Ophie is present. He announces that the Virginia cousins, including Mrs. Caruthers’s sister Agatha, will be visiting. They allude to the fact that their last visit was around the time of Clara’s disappearance. Ophie wonders if one of the cousins may have killed her.

In the week preceding the cousins’ arrival, Ophie’s work increases. Richard has repeatedly invited her and Mama to stay at Daffodil Manor because of the uptick in preparations, but Mama consistently declines.

One day, the Carutherses hire two new helpers, an older woman (Gladys) and a younger girl (Penelope). Ophie doesn’t like Penelope, who is rude and demanding, but she does her best to get along with her new coworker. Meanwhile, she makes a list of murder suspects and plans to ask Clara about the cousins’ last visit.

On the trolley home that afternoon, Ophie is visited by Aunt Rose’s ghost and realizes that Rose has died. When they return home, she sees that the ghost of Rose’s husband is gone.

Aunt Rose’s house feels sad after the woman’s death. The house fears that the other inhabitants won’t take care of it the way Rose did.

The undertaker comes for Aunt Rose’s body. Afterward, Mama packs up her and Rose’s belongings. However, when Mama goes to retrieve their stash of savings, she finds that it is gone. Aunt Helen says that she used it to pay the undertaker, but Ophie suspects that she pocketed it. Mama tries to remain calm and announces that she and Ophie will be moving into Daffodil Manor. Ophie is hopeful that this new arrangement will give her more time to investigate Clara’s murder.

On the trolley the next morning, Ophie converses with the ghost of a man who was hit by the car and helps him move on. Mama hears her talking and warns her to stop being foolish.

Cook excitedly welcomes Ophie and Mama when they announce their decision to move in. Ophie clarifies that it wasn’t a choice but the result of her aunt’s death. Cook reassures Ophie and encourages her to grieve as much as she needs to. Afterward, Cook leads her to her new room. Colin appears and reveals that the room once belonged to Clara. He warns her to be careful, as something bad might happen soon. Ophie demands to know what he knows about Clara’s death, but he disappears without answering her.