Well, here I am, far away from home in a town, or city really, in a warm place with ocean views and large beaches. I have made friends with a waitress at the restaurant where I was eating breakfast, a very pleasant young woman with a contagious smile. Maybe I should stay away from her. But, maybe she can help me. She is making sense in the short conversation we have had. She has now gone back to the kitchen, then she called the other waitress into the kitchen too.

Soon she came back to sit with me again. “Okay,” she said, “it’s all set. I have taken a few days off to help you find yourself again. And don’t argue with me either. Besides, maybe we can help each other.” “You really shouldn’t have done that,” I told her, “perhaps you won’t even like having me around, then what?” “Then I will slap you a few times until you change,” she said smiling, “so, what is on the agenda for today? Where are you staying?”

“Well, I just got here and haven’t found a hotel yet,” I said. She just looked at me. “Steve, we can’t be friends unless we are honest with each other,” she said, “there is no way you just arrived since no planes have come in yet, or boats either. And where is your luggage? In your pocket maybe?” “Okay, I have been here for a while,” I said, “and my luggage is in my pocket. I need to buy some clothes, because I only have what I’m wearing.”

“Great!” she said excitedly, “I love shopping!” I finished eating and off we went to do some shopping. “This place looks a bit expensive,” I said. “It is, but I want to see if my dress is still here,” she said with a big smile, “I am slowly saving for it. If someone buys it before me, I’ll scream.” “Please don’t scream while we’re in the store though,” I said, “I embarrass easily.” She giggled. “Yes, it’s still here,” she said, still excited, “I’ll try it on to show you.”

It did fit her perfectly and she was so radiant wearing that dress. She handed it back, reluctantly, to the woman helping us. “Now, to find you some clothes,” she said. She walked away and I told the woman we would take the dress, but don’t say anything. She smiled and walked off with the dress. “If you would prefer a cheaper store,” she said, “we have to drive to the other side of the city. Even then, you won’t save that much.” “This store will be fine,” I said.

She quickly picked out some clothes for me and I went over to pay for everything. “You know,” she said, “it’s not a good idea to carry so much cash around with you. This is where thieves hang out to steal from the rich tourists. You still haven’t told me where you work. The only thing I know is you’re married.” So I filled her in on a few things, about my marriage, our two daughters and that I was the head of a large private investigator team. That got her real excited and she asked how much I usually charge.

“That depends on the case,” I said, “how difficult it is, how many people we will need to use, if it is dangerous, you know, lots of different things. And if people can’t afford to pay, then we work for free. We have a financial backer that helps with cases like that.” She went completely silent after I said all that, and she even lost her smile, frowning for the first time. But it didn’t last long and she then drove me to her house, a large, old house that was in immaculate condition.

Inside it was furnished mainly with antique furniture, it was like stepping back in time. It was her grandmother’s house which she left to Celestine in her will and she has been living there for 3 months now. As we walked through the dining room, I spotted what looked like a diary on the table. “Ooo, a diary,” I said, “can I take a look?” “What? Oh no you don’t,” she said, “that is private.” Then she frowned again.

“That’s the third time it has happened,” she said, “I know I put it away in that drawer and 3 times now it has been on the table when I get home from work. I’m worried Steve, I think someone is watching me. There are ghosts in this house.” “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?” I asked. “I never did,” she said, “but I do now. I have seen them 3 times now and last night they talked to me and told me this house belongs to them and they don’t want humans living here, so they told me to leave, or else. They didn’t say what would happen if I didn’t move out though.”

She then told me of seeing things flying around at night, strange noises, and now 2 ghosts that have male voices and they glow in the dark. I stopped her at that point and asked if I could hold her hand. She wanted to know why, so I told her it would create a “bubble” over us so we could talk without being heard. I also told her about 2 women in our organization who are inventors and they came up with this one to help us when on a case.

She trusted me then and she continued telling me things. I asked if there was anything valuable in the house that somebody might want. She couldn’t think of anything, except maybe it had to do with the riddle. Apparently her grandmother left a riddle for her too and if she solved it, then she would find something interesting. That could mean anything, but my guess is, that’s what someone wants. I asked her where she saw these ghosts and she said only in her bedroom, so, off we went to look around her bedroom.

There was an old ceiling light right above her bed, so I looked up and sure enough, there it was. I stood on the bed, reached up and pulled out a tiny camera. Celestine was horrified to know that someone had a camera right over her bed. I found two other cameras, or projectors really, which is how the ghosts appeared where they did. “They’re not real ghosts?” she asked. “You sound disappointed,” I said. “Well, I am, sort of,” she said, “although, I am glad they are not real ghosts, but it also means there are real people in here watching me. That’s even more scary.”

“Well, you do not need to worry about anyone with me staying here,” I said, “I can take care of intruders.” “But you’re just one man,” she said, “maybe there’s a whole bunch of those ghost men.” “Trust me,” I said, smiling, “please.” “I do trust you Steve,” she said, “otherwise I would not let you stay here with me. There is just something about you that tells me I can trust you. However, you need to call your wife, that is an order!”

Actually, Jennifer knows where I am already, she knew when I left, but we did it this way as a bit of a test for our team to see if they can use their investigative skills to find me. Meanwhile, I get some time alone to think, without the daily stress and pressure. Celestine then gave me a phone that belonged to her brother who had lived in New York City, until he was shot and killed 2 weeks ago. That way my team couldn’t trace my whereabouts.

Might work, so I called Jennifer. Tracy answered, as our rules state for all incoming calls. I told her to get off the phone once I was connected to Jennifer. “This is kind of mean,” said Jennifer giggling, “but the team is really working hard on this.” I then filled her in on what is happening here.

“I don’t like that Steve,” she said, “for one thing, you are supposed to be relaxing, not working on a case. And it sounds like it could be dangerous.” “Keep talking Steve,” said Tracy to herself, “I know this is just a test for us and I’m going to find you, you sneaky male ghost!”

To Be Continued. ©2025 Steve McLeod.