good friends.
Stella had slugged him, and the ensuing chaos, along with an injury from a fire, had helped make her decision to leave Chicago for a few months. Doug had apologized later, but their romantic relationship was over.
“I wouldn’t say that I regret it. I was angry at the time. Now I see that Doug and I were never right for each other.”
“My biggest regret was that I never found anyone to share my life. I never had children.” He turned to her. “Don’t let that happen to you. I know you think you have all the time in the world. I’m proof that isn’t true.”
Stella looked away to wipe a tear from her eye. She hated when he talked like this—like a young man who’d had everything taken away from him too soon. There was nothing she could do to help him. His life was in the past. It pained her that he still grieved over it.
“Let’s go take a look around Barney Falk’s house before I have to go to town hall.” She got to her feet and wiped any dust from the rock off her dress pants. “I should’ve brought something else to wear.”
“But you weren’t expecting company that was going to run you all over town before your meeting?”
“That’s right.” She grinned back at him. “Let’s go.”
“Can we come back again sometime?”
“Of course. We could rent a canoe and paddle around the lake. That way you’d get to see everything up close. Maybe I could even push you in the water.”
Eric talked nonstop as they got into the Cherokee and drove up into the Sunset Beach community.
Barney Falk’s house was a pile of blackened rubble. A small backhoe was waiting to help in the investigation. Crime scene tape still surrounded the property. Officer Frank Schneider was standing guard at the site.
“Chief.” Officer Schneider acknowledged her as she got out of the Cherokee. Frank Schneider was average height and weight with brown hair and eyes. He liked to whistle. Stella had smiled many times when she’d heard him on the job. John said he was very musical. He belonged to several singing groups that appeared regularly in the area.
“Frank. I’m surprised to see you out here.” Stella stared at the property. “I thought they’d only have part-time officers out here.”
“We’ve got a few of them out with the flu,” he told her. “I can still answer calls if I need to. Personally, I don’t see anyone wanting to vandalize this place. You know what I mean?”
“I know. I think Chief Rogers is more worried about people getting hurt in the rubble. You know how everyone wants a picture.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I suppose someone crazy might want to climb up on the stuff and fall off. I don’t mind being out here anyway. Great view of the lake.”
While they were talking, Eric had floated across the land and disappeared into the pile of blackened wood and concrete. He came back toward the end of the driveway where Stella was talking to Officer Schneider.
“I don’t see anything,” Eric said. “If there’s a ghost out here, I don’t see him. I didn’t sense anyone else there, alive or dead.”
Stella smiled at Officer Schneider. “I guess I better go. I’m expecting to meet the state arson investigator in town. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, Chief. Hey, would you remind John that he said he’d send lunch out for me? I usually eat at the café. Don’t think I’ll be doing that today.”
“Sure.” Stella heard him whistling as she got back in the Cherokee.
“Do you really have ghostly senses?” she asked Eric when she was clear to talk to him without anyone else seeing her.
“Yes. How do you think I know when someone is coming up Firehouse Road?”
“I’ve noticed that. I guess I thought Hero was alerting you.”
“There have to be some perks to being dead.”
Stella drove to town hall and managed to find a parking space in front. “If you’re coming in with me, we have to set some guidelines.”
“Such as you not talking to me when other people
Stella had slugged him, and the ensuing chaos, along with an injury from a fire, had helped make her decision to leave Chicago for a few months. Doug had apologized later, but their romantic relationship was over.
“I wouldn’t say that I regret it. I was angry at the time. Now I see that Doug and I were never right for each other.”
“My biggest regret was that I never found anyone to share my life. I never had children.” He turned to her. “Don’t let that happen to you. I know you think you have all the time in the world. I’m proof that isn’t true.”
Stella looked away to wipe a tear from her eye. She hated when he talked like this—like a young man who’d had everything taken away from him too soon. There was nothing she could do to help him. His life was in the past. It pained her that he still grieved over it.
“Let’s go take a look around Barney Falk’s house before I have to go to town hall.” She got to her feet and wiped any dust from the rock off her dress pants. “I should’ve brought something else to wear.”
“But you weren’t expecting company that was going to run you all over town before your meeting?”
“That’s right.” She grinned back at him. “Let’s go.”
“Can we come back again sometime?”
“Of course. We could rent a canoe and paddle around the lake. That way you’d get to see everything up close. Maybe I could even push you in the water.”
Eric talked nonstop as they got into the Cherokee and drove up into the Sunset Beach community.
Barney Falk’s house was a pile of blackened rubble. A small backhoe was waiting to help in the investigation. Crime scene tape still surrounded the property. Officer Frank Schneider was standing guard at the site.
“Chief.” Officer Schneider acknowledged her as she got out of the Cherokee. Frank Schneider was average height and weight with brown hair and eyes. He liked to whistle. Stella had smiled many times when she’d heard him on the job. John said he was very musical. He belonged to several singing groups that appeared regularly in the area.
“Frank. I’m surprised to see you out here.” Stella stared at the property. “I thought they’d only have part-time officers out here.”
“We’ve got a few of them out with the flu,” he told her. “I can still answer calls if I need to. Personally, I don’t see anyone wanting to vandalize this place. You know what I mean?”
“I know. I think Chief Rogers is more worried about people getting hurt in the rubble. You know how everyone wants a picture.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I suppose someone crazy might want to climb up on the stuff and fall off. I don’t mind being out here anyway. Great view of the lake.”
While they were talking, Eric had floated across the land and disappeared into the pile of blackened wood and concrete. He came back toward the end of the driveway where Stella was talking to Officer Schneider.
“I don’t see anything,” Eric said. “If there’s a ghost out here, I don’t see him. I didn’t sense anyone else there, alive or dead.”
Stella smiled at Officer Schneider. “I guess I better go. I’m expecting to meet the state arson investigator in town. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, Chief. Hey, would you remind John that he said he’d send lunch out for me? I usually eat at the café. Don’t think I’ll be doing that today.”
“Sure.” Stella heard him whistling as she got back in the Cherokee.
“Do you really have ghostly senses?” she asked Eric when she was clear to talk to him without anyone else seeing her.
“Yes. How do you think I know when someone is coming up Firehouse Road?”
“I’ve noticed that. I guess I thought Hero was alerting you.”
“There have to be some perks to being dead.”
Stella drove to town hall and managed to find a parking space in front. “If you’re coming in with me, we have to set some guidelines.”
“Such as you not talking to me when other people
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