I've held to the theory that James was dead for a long time. Pretty much since we got our first look at him in Bella's flashback and he was acting like Drop Dead Fred while people were looking at Bella like you would look at a person who was talking to themselves. However, it wouldn't surprise me if he was the mysterious porch visitor. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if it was indeed Lynette visiting, who never really died either and has been spending two decades in a hospital in Boca Raton. This VN is a ridiculous soap opera and you pretty much need to embrace the madness.