Hector "Jesse" de Silva is the ghost that occupies Susannah's room at her home in Carmel, California. Jesse lived in the house in the 1850s when it was owned by his father, who was a rancher. Jesse is Hispanic so he also speaks Spanish, in addition to English.
Jesse's death is a historical mystery. He was on his way to his wedding ceremony when he went missing. Everyone assumes he was killed, but doesn't really know what happened to him. Susannah believes Jesse is stuck in her room and on Earth because he has unresolved issues about his death. She is trying to help him work through these issues throughout the novel.
When Jesse's skeleton is found in the backyard, Jesse disappears. Suze thinks this is because the mystery of his death is solved, but she later finds out that Maria convinced Jack to exorcise Jesse, so Jesse is sent to the afterworld.
