The Doppelganger Who Came to Dinner

The Doppelganger Who Came to Dinner

The attorney, for my grandmother, Martha Mayhew, smiled at me as he read: “To Althea Mayhew I leave Mayhew Manor, with the provision she remain there for at least two years.” I sat there staring at the attorney as if he had two heads: “I have a good job here in New York City; I am not sure I want to give that up in favor of an old plantation house that has no indoor plumbing.” The attorney quietly said: “Althea, at least go to Georgia, fix it up, then sell it. It is your inheritance; use it wisely.” I thanked him for his time, then returned to my office on the 81st floor of the Empire State Building. I spoke to my employer: “I have a month’s vacation saved, and I need to take it. My grandmother passed away and left me an old plantation.” My employer assured me my position would be there when I returned. The evening sun set over my Manhattan apartment like a red rubber ball. I packed everything I would need for a month. I loaded my rental car and drove south toward Georgia. Traffic across the George Washington Bridge was not overly congested; it was three o’clock in the morning. The drive was fourteen hours. I stopped at the Hotel Bostwick; tomorrow I planned on going out to the plantation. I wanted to see it in the daylight, explore the inside. I drove out on Highway 83; the plantation was a sight I would never forget. I parked my rental car, sat there staring at a house that was falling, and another house that was a fixer-upper. My rational mind raced: what was I going to do with this white elephant? I sighed, turned off the car, and strode toward the large white pillared house. The wooden steps creaked as I stepped on them. I strode around the wrap-around porch, noting that the bottom windows were boarded up. The brick foundation was solid, but it needed a great deal of work; more than a month. I had a crazy idea: I could turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. The attorney gave me a key which would open the front door. I opened the door and strode in. Dust and cobwebs added to my unease. I found a large grand piano in a corner, covered in dust. The walls of the rooms were intact. I loved the winding staircase, with a fancy carved newel post. I pulled out my cell phone and called an electrician to replace the old wiring. I located several items Grandma Mayhew described: a large portrait of a woman, whom she thought I resembled. I then went up the stairs to the master bedroom; I stopped at the door. The bed was a large wooden affair with a canopy, bright red sheets, and a comforter. It looked inviting. I found a door to the attic; it creaked like the rest of the house. I discovered several trunks. I opened the first one I came to; there was a beautiful silk dress from the turn of the twentieth

century. Also, there was a cameo brooch and a small painting of a young woman with ash blond hair and blue eyes. Those blue eyes were identical in shape to mine, the ash blond hair the same color as my own. I remember grandmother informing me I resembled her mother, Althea. I gently closed the trunk and returned to the first floor.

I returned the next day, waiting for the electrician who was late. We strode into the house. As I explained what I thought required his immediate attention, he concurred. He began work immediately; by the end of the week, I had lights. I began to bring in items I brought with me; I decided to use the master bedroom. The water pipes leaked, and I called a plumber whom the electrician recommended. I began by painting the living room a light blue.

The first night I slept in the master bedroom, the old house creaked and moaned. Suddenly an apparition appeared in the corner; I thought she was my doppelganger. She had long hair and somehow seemed familiar. She disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. I thought I was having a crazy dream. I brought my lap top computer with me; I began by looking up the word doppelganger; “Doppelganger is a supernatural double of a LIVING PERSON especially one that haunts the doubled person. It is perceived as a bad luck omen.” That sentence came back to haunt me once again. The apparition appeared, dressed in a silky dress, her ash-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. I wondered just what that was supposed to signify. Once again, the apparition disappeared. This haunting was becoming old very quickly. I was not superstitious by nature, until my third night at the plantation. The doppelganger appeared once again; she motioned me to follow her. I had no intention of following her anywhere. She gave my arm a pinch; I arose and followed her out the door. She strode toward the dilapidated old house, then pushed me. I stumbled and fell; it felt as if I broke my right arm. I struggled to get up. I wondered why the doppelganger wanted to hurt me or worse. I trudged back to the house and questioned my sanity. I drove myself to a small emergency clinic in Bostwick that was open twenty-four-seven. The right arm was broken in three places. The sunrise was like a huge red ball of fire. My first thought was to go to the library in Bostwick; I wanted more information on the Mayhew Plantation. Obviously, the doppelganger did not want me there. The library was a small one I just hoped they had the information I needed. The librarian was helpful; yes, there was a book written about the old Mayhew plantation. An albumen portrait stood out to me immediately: it was Althea Thurston Mayhew, my great-grandmother. I looked at the librarian, who stared at me as if I had risen from the dead. I found a newspaper story written in 1906 about Althea Thurston- Mathews’ disappearance. The article stated that her body was never found; shortly after her disappearance, her husband, John Mayhew, jumped out of the master bedroom window. Their only child was Martha Mayhew, my grandmother.

I returned to the old plantation and decided to stay, but first I wanted to know what happened to Althea. The possibilities were endless. I thought once again about how the doppelganger led me to the old plantation house, but why? I strode over to the old house and began looking around. I stared at the building and thought: ‘If I were John Mayhew, where would I hide the body of my dead wife? Why would I kill the woman? I ran back to the newer house, clambered up the stairs into the attic. I quickly opened the trunk, where I saw that beautiful blue silk dress. I carefully removed the dresses from the trunk. My fingers struck a false bottom in the trunk; I opened it, and there I found Althea’s diary. I could not stop myself; I began to read. The first parts were daily life in 1906. I paged through to near the end. One page stood out: ‘I think John is having an affair with someone. He barely touches me any longer. I will write more tomorrow.’ I turned the page the next sentence began; ‘ I know John is having an affair, I think he is trying to kill me. I am sending Martha away to New York City where she will stay with my sister Ann. She can not stay here. John is not himself...I am afraid.’ The diary ended there but I did find a bottle with a metallic gray substance. I returned downstairs where my laptop computer sat: what I discovered gave me ‘goosebumps’; that metallic substance was arsenic. There was only one conclusion John Mayhew murdered Althea, but what had he done with the body? My teapot began to whistle, and I could smell my dinner. I set the table when a cold draft appeared out of nowhere. The other chair moved; no one was in it. The doppelganger? She appeared after she was seated. Once again she motioned me to follow her; what choice did I have? She went out the front door, down the steps to the back of the house. Her finger pointed to something underneath the house...it was a small wedding band. Apparently, when John Mayhew buried her, it was under the house. The ring was the proof. The following morning I called the sheriff’s office and explained what I found. The sheriff listened in disbelief: “Let me get this straight: this murder took place in 1906, and you claim the body is under your house... lady, are you some sort of crackpot? All right, I will send over a deputy.” Five days later after digging up several areas, they found the skeletal remains of Althea Thurston-Mayhew. I never told the sheriff that a doppelganger came to dinner.