JOHN

Okay, I’m not real good at keeping secrets from my wife. Never have been, probably never will be, especially when it even remotely concerns her. Riley and Colin used to have a thing back in the old days. It was like, I dunno, puppy love, a crush, whatever. I don’t like to think about it. There are a few brothers who I used to really believe I’d lose her to; Bud, Terry, Colin, Maximus and even Lachlan there for a while. Those guys used to somehow have a piece of her heart and I was never really sure she’d always come back to me.

Times are different now, better. We’re married and committed and that makes all the difference. Still don’t like the idea of her being alone with any of them, but at least now, they’re all married … except Terry, but he’s in love and Bud who’s, well, dead. Guess that makes him safe, huh?

But Colin? Riles still has a soft spot for the guy; still thinks he’s some kinda sweet lost soul just trying to do things right. Well, what Hando had to tell me the other night really got me kinda pissed off. It’s not like I don’t have my own pretty close friendship with Colin … it’s just that with him getting famous on the NASCAR tracks, we sorta lost touch, you know?

Hando says Col’s gone off the deep end, that he’s doing things that can destroy his career, his marriage and even his life. This isn’t sitting well for me. I should’ve known. Hell, Hando should’ve known. But with Colin traveling nine months of the year, it’s hard to keep track of him. Really hard.

Took me a few days but I finally figured out what I had to do … and that required talking with Riles. I waited until Nathan was down for the night and settled at the kitchen table with her. She was flipping through some food magazine and drinking tea. Tea, not coffee. Couldn’t hold it back.

“You pregnant?” I asked as I opened a beer and sat across from her.

“No. Besides, wouldn’t know for another week or so. Why?”

“No reason.”

She closed the magazine and leaned back, her face all sad. “John, if you’d rather we don’t have any more kids, I’ll understand. All you have to do is tell me.”

“Baby, we talked about this, ay? I just didn’t want it to happen ‘til all the construction’s done and we’re through the ski season, that’s all. Just like to see this be an easy pregnancy for you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t buy rubbers.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t know we’d need them … hey … listen. That’s not what I want to talk about right now. There’s a … uh … problem.”

“What problem?” Her eyes went wide.

“Nothing for you to worry about, but I gotta run out of town for a few days.”

“Where?” Now she was at full alert. “Why?”

“I’m going to Kansas City; I need to have a little talk with Colin.”

“Oh God! Is he okay?”

“Apparently not. He’s fine, but kinda … acting out.”

She blinked and huffed. “You talk like he’s Nathan’s age.”

“He’s acting like a two-year-old. I just want to see if I can get him to straighten up, shouldn’t take more than a day or two and I’ll be back.”

She stood, dumped out her tea in the sink and refilled her mug with coffee. “Hell John, it’s not like he’s drinking or doing drugs. It’s not like he’s cheating on Carrie.” She plopped into her chair and glared.

I didn’t say a word.

“Oh … my … God. Are you serious?”

“I’m gonna go see. Hando says it’s kinda fucked up. Maybe he’ll listen to me, maybe not.”

Riles sighed, rubbed her eyes. “Be gentle with him. I’m not sure he’s ever gotten over what happened with Nat.”

I nodded. She might be right. Having a woman walk out on you then slit her wrists could knock a guy a little off center. But things looked so good when he married Carrie. “Riley, he talked to you lately?”

Her head shook.

“I’ll just talk to him; I’m not gonna deck him or anything, just talk.”

“When do you leave?”

“First thing in the morning. And hey, call if one of the pregnancy tests in your drawer come up positive.” I kissed the top of her head. “And we’ll talk about why you bought pregnancy tests instead of rubbers when I get home. I gotta go talk to Antony, he’s gonna cover for me while I’m gone.”

“John,” she called from the kitchen and I grinned. “I have no explanation for the tests.”

“I do, but it’s fine. See you later.” I know she’s thinking I’m pissed but I’m not. We’ll get pregnant when we get pregnant. It’d be better if she’d wait until after the ski season and after my campaign, but life don’t always work out the way we’d like, ay?

KIM

I leaned back and settled in to the cushions of Emily’s sofa and popped open another beer. The telly was tuned to ESPN but for the past hour it had been nothing more than background noise. As I took a swig I caught sight of the empty bottles lined up neatly on the coffee table; were there really only four? I was feeling a bit numb and rather enjoying the sensation. I mean, what was there to celebrate, really?

Emily’s been gone for a week. We’ve only spoken on the phone twice and each time it ended in a fight. She told me that I’m being selfish and insensitive for not supporting her, and I told her that I wasn’t the one who walked out. She said I should have a little faith that she loves me, and I told her that taking a job in another state where we’ll only be able to see each other on weekends was a shitty way of showing someone you love them. She then told me that she wasn’t going to be able to make it home for the weekend like she promised and that’s when I hung up on her. That was two days ago and we haven’t spoken since.

I never realized how lonely I’d end up feeling without her. I thought we had something good going on between us, but maybe I wasn’t paying attention to what was really going on around us. I had that problem with Adriana … bloody hell, she’d been entertaining blokes in our own bed for months and I never caught on until I came home early and caught them red handed. Looking back, I can see how I missed the warning signs; and as I look back on my relationship with Emmie I can see the signs all over again.

She’s ambitious. I actually liked that about her from the start, but having lived and worked in New York for years, it no longer has the same allure it did in the beginning. Maybe I’m getting older, maybe I just like being surrounded by family and living a less complicated life. As I finished off my fifth beer I thought about how surprisingly good life in Vermont has been. Why can’t Emmie see all this? Is a life here with me such a horrible alternative? I mean, what do women really want, anyway? I make a good living here; I’m better than average looking, highly intelligent, dress with impeccable taste and drive an expensive car. Doesn’t that carry enough weight anymore?

Just then my cell phone went off and I grabbed for it on the corner of the coffee table sending a couple of bottles toppling to the floor in the process. I was expecting it to be Emmie, but groaned when I saw PonyGirl’s name pop up on the caller ID. I’ve told her that I’m seeing someone but she still calls on occasion; this sheila is nothing if not tenacious. I’ve never returned any of her calls but right now I can’t see any harm in talking to her for a few tics; maybe it’ll help to get my mind off Emmie for a bit.

EMILY

I never should have gone to New York.
           
I keep going over everything in my head and I still can’t believe that my application for a position with Trump Enterprises found its way into being chosen as a contestant for a stupid TV reality show! I went over the original job listing on the internet and nowhere was there any mention of it being tied in as a screening venue for The Apprentice. How could I have missed such a thing?

See, before leaving for New York, I discovered that the position wasn’t quite what I originally thought, but after the big fight with Kim and all the stupid things we said, well … I wasn’t about to admit that I’d made a monumental mistake. I could just imagine him laughing at me for being so unsophisticated and not realizing what I was getting myself into. I know that his nasty comments were fueled by his anger and disappointment, but I just couldn’t allow him to be right this time. I was so humiliated to begin with but decided that I’d give it a go anyway. I mean, there was always the chance that I’d come out the winner … or in the very least maybe use it as a springboard to securing a real job position, right? I have the education and hands-on training necessary and figured it would be a relatively easy challenge.

And then last night … I was the first contestant to get fired!

To be honest, I was a little relieved. I couldn’t believe I was surrounded by such a bunch of back stabbing phonies. Those people were more interested in furthering their acting careers than actually working for a national real estate mogul. I just wasn’t prepared to deal with a group of vapid, self centered, self-important snobs. And … want to know the real kicker? I was accused of not being a team player! Can you believe it? I’m the biggest team player on the face of the earth but it’s really hard to perform well when your team is made up of a bunch of self absorbed poseurs.

I had a lot of time to think as I drove home. There’s nothing wrong with living and working in Vermont; maybe I should just embrace my country-girl roots and build my life and career there. I knew Kim was still pretty mad, but when I tell him what I’ve learned about myself this past week, I think he may be able to forgive me. God, at least I hope he will. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to him. I know he can be a bit insufferable at times but I realize now how much I love him. I debated whether to call him and let him know I’m coming home for good, but I’m a little afraid he’ll still be pissed. I felt a bit safer having the element of surprise on my side.

I pulled into Stowe just after nine PM. My heart was beating hard as I again rehearsed what I was going to say. God, I missed him so much and I could hardly wait to see him. I’d kicked myself to death over my stupidity during the entire drive home and when I pulled up to my apartment I was relieved to see Kimmie’s Porsche sitting in my parking space. I parked on the street and checked my makeup in the rear view mirror before heading inside.

I heard loud music blaring as I made my way up the stairs; it was coming from my apartment. The front door was slightly ajar and I couldn’t understand what was going on. Was Kim having a party? I stepped inside and saw a bunch of empty beer bottles sitting on the coffee table, but the room itself was empty. The kitchen sink was full of more beer bottles and the trashcan was overflowing with fast food containers and yet more beer bottles. Then I noticed something draped over the arm of my sofa and I went closer to investigate; it looked like a saddle of all things, much smaller than a real saddle, made of velvet and leather with straps and ties and I had no idea what such a thing was doing in my apartment. Lying across it was what looked like a riding crop and I picked this up for a better look. That’s when heard someone moving around in my bedroom; I wasn’t sure what to expect at this point but as I walked down the hallway and pushed open the door, I certainly wasn’t expecting to find a stunningly attractive redhead standing at the foot of my bed, wearing a skintight black leather catsuit. A long swishing blond horses’ tail was attached to the backside and that’s when the realization hit me; this was the infamous Vermont PonyGirl! If that wasn’t enough of a shocker, there was Kim, obviously passed out drunk and lying naked on my bed!

I’m not quite sure what happened next. I’ve read stories of men and women who lose their minds and go berserk after experiencing a horrible loss or emotional shock, but all I knew was that I wanted them both out of my apartment. Without even thinking I struck PonyGirl with the riding crop.

“Get the hell out!”

“Oh shit! Kim, you didn’t tell me your girlfriend was coming home tonight.” She darted past me and ran down the hall and Kim just lay there, dead to the world.

“That goes for you too, Kim Barrett!” I hit him across the leg with the riding crop and he let out a yelp.

 “Bloody hell, Ashley. Give it a rest …”

“NOW!” I hit him again and the expression on his face as he looked at me would have been comical if I hadn’t been so angry and hurt. “How DARE you bring that slut into MY apartment, and in my own bed! I mean it … get the hell out!” I leaned across the bed to kill him, but Kim jumped off the other side, grabbed his jeans and managed to pull them on before I was able to make it over to hit him again.

“Emmie, it’s not what it looks like! I can explain!” He stepped closer but I didn’t want him anywhere near me.

“Get out! I never want to speak to you ever again, Kim Barrett! Oh my God … I can’t believe you did something like this!”

He reached for me but I hit him yet again, striking him across the shoulder with the riding crop and leaving a bright red welt. “Get out of my apartment!”

“Emmie, I can explain!”

I chased him into the living room, where PonyGirl/Ashley stood with a look of amusement on her face. I wanted to hit her too, but Kim was trying to hold me back from going after her.

“For your information, Lover Boy here was too drunk to get it up or do much of anything.”

Did she really think that my hearing that was going to make everything okay?

She grabbed her saddle from the couch and looked over at Kim. “Better luck next time, eh, cowboy?”

I lost it. “Get the hell out of my apartment!” I wanted to pummel her, but Kim was blocking my way so I hit him instead. “I hate you!” I was crying now and Kim tried to hug me but I pushed him away. “Get the fuck out!”

I lunged at him with the riding crop, and he darted out of my reach, making a dash for the front door. I slammed it shut after him and locked it, not caring that he was wearing nothing but a pair of faded jeans. I heard voices outside the door then everything grew quiet, save for the ringing in my ears, and I leaned back against the wall and sobbed. Oh my God … how the hell did something like this ever happen? How could he do this to me?

A knock on the door brought me back to the horrible moment.

“Emmie, can I please at least have the rest of my clothes?”

I went back to the bedroom and grabbed his shoes and shirt and the sheets off the bed. Marching back to the door I threw it open, but no one was there. Stepping out onto the landing I glanced over the railing and saw Kim talking to PonyGirl and tossed his clothes and bed sheets down to him.

“What about my riding crop?” PonyGirl called out. “Those things are expensive.”

I tossed the crop down to her, aiming for Kim’s head. I didn’t miss.

“You’ve got thirty seconds to get your sorry ass out of my parking space, Kim Barrett.”

He rubbed his head as he glanced up at me, a pleading look in his eyes, silently begging me to reconsider. I glanced at my watch.

“Twenty seconds.”

PonyGirl simply shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Kim looked up at me again.

“Emmie, please.”

“Ten seconds.”

Knowing that it was useless, he picked up his clothing and the sheets and went to his car.  He gave one final glance up at me before unlocking the door but I turned away and went inside, only to collapse against the door as it closed behind me. I heard the engine of Kim’s Porsche growl and the sound of tires squealing as he drove away. 

I never should have gone to New York.

DAISY

Bob came back to the pub today, was perched on his barstool when I came out of the storeroom. I drew a pint of draft for him, but the bar was hoppin’ and I didn’t have a lot of time to chat. The guy stayed for quite a while, just sittin’ and sippin’ his beer, watching the other customers. I’d glance over at him, just to make sure he was okay, and he seemed fine, happy to be where he was.

When the crowd thinned out a bit, I checked on him. “Bob, glad to see ya back. How’ve you been?”

He grinned, a big happy smile that lit up his face. “Fine now, little Daisy-chain. Just fine.” The jukebox clicked to Purple Haze and Bob went nuts. “Hendrix! Hendrix, man … no one could play guitar like Hendrix.”

Ah, a man after my own heart. I love Hendrix too, and we had a long chat about his music and what a tragedy it was that he died so young. That’s when Cory came in. Coming around to the back of the bar, he kissed my cheek. “Who ya talkin’ to, babe?”

“Bob. I told you about him.” I gestured to my new friend. “Bob, this is my boyfriend Cory.”

Bob grinned and nodded, but Cory just looked puzzled. “Where is he?”

“Right here,” I insisted.

Cory looked straight at Bob, but obviously couldn’t see him. That’s when I heard the laughter … that fucker Brian laughing from behind the bar. Cory just shook his head and said he’d see me later upstairs. I turned and stared at Bob.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” I groaned.

“Yep.”

“You’re not real, either.”

“Do I look like I’m not real?” he asked.

“Well, no. But …”

“Then I must be real.”

“Okay … just for the moment, let’s pretend you’re real,” I huffed. “So, why are you here? Why don’t you go to wherever you’re supposed to go?”

“Can’t, little Daisy-chain. I got unfinished business and need your help.”

Now, that surprised me. “Me? Why me?”

He just grinned, “Because you can.”

“Okay, okay, okay … still pretending you’re real here … how am I supposed to help you?”

His response absolutely floored me. “You can find out who murdered me.”

ANTONY

I left to walk my rounds at one-thirty AM just as my relief arrived. I particularly enjoy the late night rounds. Vermont is silent at night, although I occasionally hear the growl of a bear. John assured me that it is probably the ghost of a black bear who once lived here, but I assured him that what I have heard a living bear. I suppose it’s unlikely, such a wild animal so close to town but I am determined to leave the apparitions and spirits others see and hear, to them. Although once I did see something similar while riding through the deserts of Egypt; a strange figure in a turban who vanished before my eyes. It must have been an overexposure to the sun.

After my rounds I crawled into bed next to my beautiful Claudia.

“Anything?”

She always asks the same question and my answer is usually a confirmation that all was safe and secure at the Inn. But this time I simply chuckled. “Kim Barrett is sleeping in his little sports car.”

Claudia giggled, a sound I find endearing and slightly … stimulating. “Guess there’s trouble in paradise.”

“I suppose there is,” I rolled close and cupped an ample breast, nuzzling her neck to take in her delicious scent.

“Was he hurt? Does he need a nurse?”

“My dear Claudia … if a man has been pummeled by his woman and found sleeping alone in his cramped litter … he most surely deserves to be hurt. But he does not need a nurse. I need a nurse.”

“I see there’s some swelling, my love,” she sighed dramatically and slithered beneath the sheets, maneuvered between my opened thighs and proceeded to treat my swelling.

“Claudia?” I lifted the sheets and her face rose.

“Yes?”

“I nearly forgot, we are to dine with Pullo on Sunday evening at his farmhouse.”

“Okay.” She resumed her activity.

“Claudia?”

“Yes?”

I grasped her arms, brought her up and quickly pinned her beneath me. She laughed between gasps as I worked my way deep within her Elysium. “But your swelling?”

I grinned and kissed her madly. “If this does not reduce the swelling, you may return to your other ministrations. For now … for now …”

KIM

Okay, you can save your breath. I fucked up royal.

I pulled the Porsche around the corner and fished my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Emmie’s number. Of course she didn’t answer. I wanted to leave her a voicemail but knew she’d only delete it without listening. I finished dressing and tried to figure out what to do next.

Heading back to the Inn seemed like the best idea. I could get a room for the night and in the morning have a chat with Andy and Monna to see if I could use their spare bedroom again for a bit. I still had a lot of my clothes and things over there. I could negotiate with Emmie to pick up the rest of my stuff tomorrow. Maybe after a good night’s sleep she’d be calmed down enough to talk to me and we could straighten everything out.

How could everything have turned so bad so quickly? I never even saw it coming. So okay, talking to Ashley was a stupid move on my part but I’d been drinking and yeah, I’ll admit it … I was feeling sorry for myself. So sue me. I’m human. I passed out before she had even arrived and was just as surprised as Emmie to find her there. Well, yeah, I guess I did invite her over … I even gave her directions. But nothing happened! As Ashley said on her way out, I was too drunk to do much of anything. Doesn’t that count for something?

As my bloody luck would have it, the Inn was booked solid. The leaves are changing and everyone wants to enjoy an autumn in Vermont. It was too late to call Andy and Monna, so I just parked my Porsche in a dark corner of the Inn’s parking lot, deciding to camp it out for the night. It wasn’t the most comfortable arrangement and if I hadn’t been awakened at two AM by Antony tapping on my windshield with his flashlight, I might have actually slept all the way through until morning.

By six, I’d had enough of being crunched up like a pretzel and made my way into the office. Luckily I had a load of dry cleaning that I had forgotten to take home and I was able to shower in the employee locker room. By the time I was finished and dressed my hangover had kicked in full force and I headed over to the kitchen for a triple espresso.

A couple of housecleaning staffers were standing near the employee bulletin board and when I walked in they both giggled as they turned to look at me.

“Hey Mr. Barrett, how’s Emily taking getting fired?” one of them asked.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

“You know, from the TV show? I love watching The Apprentice. I didn’t know Emily was going to be a contestant. I thought she left the Inn for a real job. Too bad she ended up being the first to get fired, but that’s just good news for us. I hated to see her go.”

The other woman nodded and as they moved from the bulletin board I saw the front page of the Stowe Reporter pinned up with a picture of Emmie and the headline …

Local Girl First To Get Cut on Reality Show

I quickly read the article, feeling my gut churn and my headache fade; only to be replaced with a growing sense of anger as the realization sank in. Emmie left me to appear on a bloody reality show? She told me she was taking a position in the marketing division of Trump Enterprises! Why did she lie to me? Was there a side to her personality that I’d never seen before? Did I ever really know this woman at all?

I made my way to the office and fired up my laptop; Googled The Apprentice and sure enough, there was the story of the season’s first casualty. Bloody hell, I never even saw any of this coming. I searched for every article I could find and by the time I was finished, my headache was gone and my stomach churned from all the caffeine. I was about to head back into the kitchen for a bagel when I heard a key in the office door. Glancing up over the partition I was surprised to see that it was Emily.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

She turned to face me and I could tell that she’d probably spent most of the night crying; her eyes were puffy and her complexion was pale and I fought the urge to rush over and take her in my arms.

“I work here.”

Something snapped when I heard those words. “Well, there’ve been a few changes in your absence, love. Don’t take it too personally, but then again, I imagine you’re used to hearing this.”

I came out from my cubicle and slipped my hands into my pockets, giving her the coldest stare I could muster.

“You’re fired.”

EMILY

Oh my God. First I catch him in my bed about to have kinky sex with a horse fetish woman, and now I come into work only to have him fire me? Kim’s firing me?

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry again. I gave him a cold glare, turned and left, closing the door behind me. My blood was boiling and I felt the tears coming, but I wasn’t about to just stand out in the hallway blubbering for everyone to see. I realized that Kim had somehow found out about the TV show, although I have no idea how; the episode wasn’t set to air until next week. I had planned on telling him everything when I got home last night, but did any of that matter now?

There was only one person I could talk to who could help me, and that was Riley.

DAISY

Late morning; I groaned out of bed. Cory was already up and gone, so I headed down to the breakfast room. Bob weighed heavy on my mind. Sure, he’s an illusion, something my mind conjured up … but what if he wasn’t? What if he really needed my help? I spied Richie alone at a table

“Hey, Richie, mind if I join you?” I asked as I sat down next to him.

“Daisy! Want some coffee?” He signaled the waitress to come over.

“I got a problem I think you can help with.” He raised his eyebrows as he sipped his coffee. “Well, there’s this guy that’s been coming to the pub. And … well … he says he was murdered.”

Richie chuckled. “You seein’ ghosts, Daisy?”

I shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe. The point is that he wants me to find out who murdered him. He said he was a Fed, a narcotics agent back in the 70’s and was working undercover here in Vermont.”

“What’s his name?” he asked, sounding like he was humoring me.

“Bob Sawicki. Big guy, bushy dark hair …”

“Sawicki … yeah, I heard of him. He disappeared, in ’72, ’73, I think.”

“So, you heard of him?”

Richie nodded. “He was deep under, worked years to break a major ring filtering drugs through Vermont.” He looked around. “Come to think of it, Riles did tell me this place was a commune in the sixties and seventies. Robert Sawicki. Man, I thought that case was closed. The Feds said something about Sawicki following the Grateful Dead or something,” he chuckled.

“Uh. No. He’s not a Deadhead. Just dead. Hey Richie … just for a minute let’s imagine he really is a ghost and he really was murdered. Do you think you can help me figure it all out?”

Richie put down his coffee; he sighed and rubbed his chin. “You know Daisy, it ain’t like I don’t believe you … I mean, stranger things have happened, right? It’s just that I’m not planning on sticking around too long. Something like this can get real involved.” He grinned. “What you really need to do is go talk to the new Sheriff. It’s Ben’s job now, let him get his feet wet with something … benign. After all, the murder … if it was a murder … was committed over thirty years ago. Not like there’s any urgency, right?” Richie stood to leave. “Go talk to Ben. I don’t think he’s left for town yet. Maybe you can catch him.”

“Sure, okay. I’ll do that. Thanks.” I left and went searching for Ben but according to Tracy, he’d already left for town. Just my luck.

RILEY

I saw Richie and Daisy leave the breakfast room and waved, but they were both too preoccupied to notice me. Huh … when did I become invisible in my own Inn? Ah well, everyone has a life and in order for me to go on with mine today, I needed coffee.

I’d just run John to the airport and was feeling kinda guilty. He was right last night; I am trying to get off the caffeine. It was so tough with Nathan and I figured I should get a head start before I get pregnant this time. And yeah, yeah, I did buy pregnancy tests instead of rubbers, but it wasn’t on purpose. I swear.

I poured coffee from the big, ornate silver urn we have in the breakfast room and just sat down to review my already late to-do list when Emily rushed in and dropped into the seat across from me.

“Emily! I didn’t know you were visiting. What’s wrong honey? You look so upset.”

“I got fired.”

“What? From Trump? That’s terrible.” But I could hardly hide my pleasure. “Now you’ll come back.”

“I tried. I got fired again.” Tears streamed down her face.

“What are you talking about?” I handed her a wad of Kleenex I always carry in my pocket.

“I tried to come back to work but Kim fired me! It’s only because I caught him naked in my bed with a redhead and a saddle!”

“Okay,” I blinked. “Can you start this over, I’m really confused.”

The story she told made my hair stand on end. How many things could the idiot have done wrong? Kim might be one fantastic business mind, but he was sometimes as dumb as a stump. I sighed and stood to refill my cup. That’s when I noticed Andy at the doorway, his arms crossed and one hell of an Aussie scowl on his face. I shot up my finger.

“Andy, no scenes here at the Inn, you hear me.”

“No worries Moolay. I got my way of handling bloody morons. You okay love?”

Emily shrugged and Andy kissed her cheek before stomping off to the kitchen. One thing I learned a long time ago, it’s always best to let the brothers work out their issues without interference. Besides, how bad could it get? We have a Sheriff in residence and a nurse on staff. I had more important issues to deal with.

“Emily, you know I’m with you, right? But facts are facts. Kim is my manager and I have to back his decisions … but I guarantee you, you will have your job back in two weeks tops. I’m going to make sure Kim is begging for you to come back, I promise. But in the meantime, I want to keep you close.

“Gloria, the woman who replaced you as manager in the gift shop, just asked me for two weeks off. I talked her down to one because I just can’t manage without her that long. Here’s my proposal. You take over for Gloria for two weeks and I’ll make Kim’s life a living hell. Deal?”

Emily started to cry again. “Back to managing the gift shop?”

“Sweetheart, it’s just for two weeks. You’ll be doing me a favor and be able to keep paying your rent. Trust me, you’ll not only have your position back, you’ll have a decent raise and possibly a small promotion. What do ya say?”

She blinked, drew in a deep breath and reached out her hand. “Deal.”

I shook and stood. “Now, it’s time to go down and read Kim the riot act. I just may tear him a new asshole while I’m at it. But first, let’s go tell Gloria she can leave for her vacation.”

BEN

Five days on the job and it weren’t so bad as I thought. ‘Course it got easier when I started to look at it my way. Runnin’ this office ain’t much different from runnin’ a crew. Long as I know what I’m doin’ they all just follow orders and do like I say. Well, long as I look like I know what I’m doin’, that is. Sometimes it keeps me from sleepin’ good at night, knowing these people trust me. But at least I can use what I know to figure most things out.

Sheriff Mike had talked a lot with me before he left town. Told me about what was happenin’ and how he manages things. Ain’t like I’ll always do things the way he might, might just do them my way, but I ain’t ruling nothing out at this point. Things are fairly quiet but he did warm me about all the tourists and upcoming ski season. Warned me that it’ll start fast and end fast and keep me busy.

Already last night I had two young men, no older than Cory White, in my jail. Seemed they were drunk as skunks and trying to bust up Old Maulder’s. By ten this morning, they were out, paid the fines and damages and off to their hotel to sleep off their headaches.

For now, I gotta review all the shit about that Zoning Commission meeting coming up. Mike says I won’t need to be sayin’ much ‘til I catch onto everything. We’ll be voting in new members since Slade and Water are in prison. Biebe’s a sure bet, but I wanna make sure I got a good idea of the others considered. I wanna propose Kevin Boyer. Biebe thinks that might be a good idea but the man might not be interested. Just as I was about to get back into the notes Mike left for me, there was a knock at my door. Daisy stood waving through the window and I grinned. She walked in and sat. Damn, it was nice to see a friendly face.

“Miss Daisy, what are you doing in town this afternoon?”

“Well, I kinda need to talk to you. It’s … well … sheriff-type business.”

I stood and closed the door then sat in the chair beside her. “Everything okay at the Inn?”

“Well, yes … no … um. Ben, I need to tell you something and I need you to not think I’m totally nuts. Can you do that?”

Damn, she looked worried. I grinned and patted her hand, talked quietly. “Daisy, I’m a man who should be dead. I lived over a hundred damn years ago and I come from a moving picture show. I was an outlaw … and now I’m the fucking law.  Nothin’ you tell me can be crazier than that.”

She smiled but sighed. “Don’t bet on it. Ben, suppose I told you I know someone was murdered … and I think I’m supposed to find out who murdered him … and … I even know exactly where his body is buried.”

I leaned back. “Darlin’, how can you know this?”

“Um … well … he told me. Listen, I know you probably think I’m totally off my rocker, but I talked with Richie. He remembers stories about this guy. His name is Bob, well, Robert Sawicki and he was working for the FBI.”

I blinked.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigations. He was working under cover to break a drug ring in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when he simply disappeared. So, if Richie heard of this guy, that means he’s real. Here’s the kicker, Bob says his body is buried on the Inn property.”

“What did Roberts say?”

“He said I should talk to you.”

“And Biebe?”

“He’s out of town for a few days.”

I rubbed my eyes. Suddenly this sheriffing stuff ain’t so easy anymore. “Let’s give John a call.” I dialed his cell and told him the whole story.

After Biebe stopped laughing, he cleared his throat. “You’re the Sheriff, but I’ll tell you what I would do … if you wanna hear it.”

“Shoot.”

“First off, this whole ‘message from a ghost’ stuff might not hold water, so prepare to hear a lot more laughing.” He snorted and I rolled my eyes. “Here’s what you do, buddy. Call the FBI and tell them what you got. It might not even warrant an investigation, but the man did mysteriously disappear and Feds are like cops, they want answers when shit like that happens to their own. Do not let Daisy dig up the grave, make sure she leaves it for the investigator … if they even send one. Let her show you where she thinks it is and … shit … if it’s anywhere near the new construction, you’ll need to have Riley stop the work until the Fed’s take a look …if they even want to take a look, that is. It ain’t much help, but it’s a federal matter. It’s always best to let them handle it.”

“You’re right, it ain’t much help.”

“Call the FBI, Ben. Let me know how it goes.”

“Fine. When are you comin’ back?”