by Maria Geraci
Betty provided her with a few old black and white snapshots of the original building that could prove helpful if the piece ever made it to print, as well as some more recent photos.
“These are really good,” Allie said, studying one photo in particular. It was a candid shot of Viola and Gus along with another couple playing cards. They were sitting in the building’s back porch with the gulf in the background. The blues from the water and the bright sky were muted causing the viewer to focus on the subjects’ faces. Both couples looked happy and somehow younger than what Allie knew them to be.
She stuffed the photos in her leather tote, next to her story notes, and promised to mail a waiver for their use.
“Good luck,” Betty said. “Sounds like you’re going to need it.”
*~*~*
“Sorry that wasn’t more helpful,” Mimi said. She slipped a key into the van’s ignition. “Any more ideas?”
“I think I’m fresh out of those.”
“In that case, I need to go by Doc Morrison’s office to pick up an immunization form so Cameron can play soccer.”
Doc Morrison was Whispering Bay’s only medical doctor. Most of the town’s population drove to nearby Panama City or Destin for their medical care, but there was a staunchly loyal core of the community who wouldn’t dream of going to anyone but Doc Morrison. Including the Grant family. To Allie’s surprise there was a new and familiar name on the office door.
Dr. Nathanial Miller, MD, Family Practice.
Holy Cow. Nate Miller, another blast from the past. Allie had gone to high school with Nate. She knew he’d gone to medical school but she had no idea he’d moved back home to practice.
The waiting room was packed with a mixture of senior citizens, children, and everything else in between. Mimi went to the front desk to get the paperwork she needed. They were about to leave with the forms when Allie came up with an idea. She pulled out a business card, scribbled on the back of it, and handed it through the little glass window to the receptionist. “Would you mind giving this to Dr. Miller? I went to high school with him and I’d like to pick his brain about something.”
The receptionist stared at the card for a few seconds then smiled politely. “Sure.”
“What was that all about?” Mimi asked once they were back in the car.
Allie shrugged. “Just a long shot.”
Ten minutes later, she got a call from Nate Miller. He was about to break for lunch and wanted to get together to talk over old times. They agreed to meet at The Bistro by the Beach. She’d no sooner hung up on Nate that her cell phone rang again.
“You’re popular,” Mimi joked.
Allie glanced at her phone screen. The number was blocked.
“Hello,” she said tentatively.
“Is this Allison Grant?” asked a gravelly voice.
Allie’s heart did a somersault. It was the voice from the Sunshine Ghost Society recording.
“Yes, this is she.”
“Phoebe Van Cleave, here. President and current top investigator for the Sunshine Ghost Society.”
“Van Cleave?”
“Roger’s little sister. He’s already filled me in on your ghost. Please tell me you haven’t been foolish enough to have contacted any other agencies.”
“You’re the only one. So far,” Allie admitted.
“Excellent!” Phoebe’s voice dropped. “Are you alone? Can you talk freely?”
Allie glanced at Mimi who was looking at her with a what’s going on face.
“Yes, I can speak freely.”
“Because it’s imperative that you keep this between us,” Phoebe said. “Lots of kooks out there. Yes, siree. But here at the Sunshine Ghost Society we’re strictly one hundred percent legit. If this ghost is a fake, we’ll know right away and that’s what you want, right? To know if this is a legitimate haunting? Or are you one of those journalists who don’t care if the story is for real? One of those hacks who’ll print anything for a nickel?”
“Of course I want to know if this for real.”
“Don’t get all huffy. I was just testing you. If you’re a legitimate journalist then the Sunshine Ghost Society is who you’re looking for. You won’t find anyone better than us.”
There was something about this Phoebe Van Cleave that Allie didn’t like. Of course, it was probably the threatening know-it-all tone to her voice. But Phoebe seemed eager to investigate. Other agencies might not be available. Plus, there was the time factor to consider. As in, Allie didn’t have a lot of that.
“Is there a fee involved?”
“No fee,” Phoebe said quickly. “We receive our payment in knowing that we’ve helped someone from the other side make contact. It’s what we live for.”
“Okay,” Allie said. “I guess that sounds all right. So what happens now? I have permission to stay inside the building tonight but it’s scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow? That doesn’t give us much time.”
“I know. I’m sorry for the short notice but it couldn’t be helped. I only found out about this ghost yesterday,” Allie said.
“The thing is my top crew is going to be over in Destin this evening. We’re going to try to make contact with the Dolphin Ghost.”
“The what?” Could animals come back as ghosts, too? According to the Wikipedia definition, then yes, they could.
“Surely you’ve heard of him? He’s the guy who jumped off the harbor a few years ago and drowned? He’s been seen swimming with a pack of dolphins. Don’t tell me this your first ghost investigation,” Phoebe added suspiciously.
“Oh, that Dolphin Ghost, well, of course I’ve heard of him,” Allie lied. Good Grief. This took the old adage ‘fake it till you make it’ to a whole other level. “So, back to my ghost—”
“My team is already on it. Don’t worry, if there’s a ghost inside that old senior center, we’ll find out. Expect to hear from me soon. Phoebe Van Cleave, over and out.”
Mimi dropped her off at The Bistro. Allie got a table in the back and was about to sit down when Nate Miller walked in. Even though it had been twelve years she’d have recognized him anywhere. In high school he was tall and gangly and wore wire rimmed glasses. He was still on the thin side, but the glasses were designer and his shaggy brown hair was cut short, emphasizing a surprisingly strong jaw. He’d also filled out in the shoulders.
They hugged awkwardly then laughed about it.
“You look great,” he said.
“Thanks, so do you.”
“You haven’t changed a day since high school.”
Allie winced. “Ouch.”
“Hey, that’s a compliment.” He smiled and an appealing set of twin dimples came on display. Did he have those back in high school?
They ordered sandwiches at the counter and sat at a table facing the water. Frida brought them their drinks. “I had a crush on you, you know,” Nate said to Allie.
She struggled to keep the diet coke from squirting out her nose. “No you didn’t!”
“Senior year AP chemistry class. You probably don’t remember I sat across from you.”
“Of course I remember.” The truth was, she didn’t. But it wasn’t because she hadn’t liked Nate. AP Chemistry had been the class she’d shared with Tom. Matt Damon could have sat across from her and she wouldn’t have remembered him either.
“You had the longest pair of legs I’d ever seen. I almost flunked out first semester because of them.” He said it without the slightest hint of flirtation, as if he were reciting the menu.
Allie laughed, thoroughly charmed by the adult Nate.
“I tried everything I could to get your attention but you only had eyes for—” He stopped himself.
“Tom Donalan,” she said with a sigh.
“That would be the guy.”
Did everyone know about her mega crush on Tom back in high school? Probably, she thought glumly.
“So, Nate, are you married? Seeing anyone?”
> “Not married. At least, not yet. But I’m hoping to rectify that soon.” He told her about his girlfriend, Jessica, whom he had met while he was in med school at FSU. She had studied law and was now a practicing attorney in Miami.
“That’s a woozy of a long distance relationship,” Allie said.
“I think an engagement ring will convince her to move up here.”
“You’re not interested in moving to the big city?”
“No, I’ve always wanted to come back home and practice family medicine. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“Whispering Bay is lucky to have you.” Allie put down her sandwich. Running into Nate seemed almost too good to be true. She decided to follow her instincts. “Would you be willing to do an interview? For a potential article? The future of health care in Florida and the lure of returning to your roots to practice medicine, that sort of thing? You know, life as a small town doctor.”
“Don’t you think…I’d be a little boring?”
“Not at all.” She smiled. Nate Miller was technically single, handsome, and intelligent. Not to mention he was a doctor. He was like catnip to ninety-nine percent of the female population. But what made him really attractive was that he didn’t seem to have a clue. Allie hoped his girlfriend knew how lucky she was.
“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked.
“Not exactly.” She told Nate all about her ghost story and how she’d tried to find out if anyone had died in the senior center. “So, what I’m looking for is any evidence that someone might have had a heart attack or a stroke inside the building. I know it sounds ghoulish, but according to my research, ghosts tend to haunt places that held deep meaning to them, and a life threatening event sounds pretty deep to me.”
“And you want me to go through Doc Morrison’s records to see if I can verify that?”
“I would never ask you to go through records. That would be too time consuming. But I thought maybe you could ask Dr. Morrison if he remembers anything that would fit that description.”
He shook his head. “Even if he was willing to share that information with me, I couldn’t relay that on to you. HIPPA violation and all that.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Well, there went that idea.
The door to The Bistro opened. Nate glanced up. He stuck a finger inside his shirt collar to loosen his tie, like it was too tight all of a sudden.
Allie turned to see Lauren Handy, or rather, Lauren Donalan, standing at the food counter. Lauren’s gaze drifted through the small dining room. She spotted them and froze, but quickly recovered her surprise and waved, leaving Allie no choice but to wave back.
“Looks like a high school reunion,” Nate said. He wrapped up what was left of his sandwich and stood. “I hate to run, but I got to go. Sorry I can’t help with your research but I enjoyed catching up. Maybe we can do it again before you leave town.” He took her business card and promised he’d think about doing an interview.
Allie noticed that Nate didn’t stop to speak to Lauren on his way out the restaurant. It wasn’t that he particularly snubbed her, but he didn’t take the time to stop and say a simple hello, either. Maybe they hadn’t interacted all that much in high school. Or maybe he was in a big hurry to get back to his patients.
Allie took a few bites of her sandwich, willing herself to stay calm. Not that she was nervous at the thought of running into Lauren, she just didn’t know what she’d say to her if she—
“Hi, Allie.” Lauren’s soft voice cut through her thoughts. “I’d heard you were back in town. It’s good to see you again.”
“Hi there, yourself.” So much for not knowing what to say to Lauren Donalan!
Lauren looked different from the way Allie remembered her in high school. Gone was her signature long Barbie hair. Instead, she sported a jaw length cut with side swept bangs. Not many women could get away with hair that short, but on Lauren it looked terrific. It made her blue eyes bigger and her pink lips plumper and everything else about her seemed more intense. Despite having had a baby she still looked like she could fit into her cheerleading outfit, but today she looked like she’d stepped straight out of a sixties fashion magazine. She wore a bright yellow unbuttoned raincoat over an orange shift with tiny purple flowers. Lauren also wore galoshes, which was a little weird because it was probably about eighty degrees and sunny outside. Allie had never seen anyone but little kids wear galoshes. The whole thing should look ridiculous. But it didn’t. Not on Lauren.
“You look great,” Allie said, still a little in awe.
“Thanks!” Lauren held back the edges of her raincoat to give Allie a better look. “I just got this at an estate sale a few weeks ago. I was going to sell it, but I couldn’t resist.” There was a shy excitement to her voice that instantly won Allie over. “You look great, too. But then, you always did.”
It was just like high school all over again. She wished she could dislike Lauren. But she couldn’t. The whole thing seemed unfair somehow.
“Thanks,” Allie said, searching for something to say. “So, you own the shop next door?”
“I’m renting for now, but yeah, the shop is mine.”
“Congratulations.” And then because it would seem strange not to mention it, she said, “I was sorry to hear about you and Tom getting a divorce.”
“It was hard on Henry, but Tom is a great dad.” She fidgeted with the hem of her raincoat. “He’s made everything a lot easier by following us back here to Whispering Bay.”
“You didn’t like Atlanta?”
“Oh, I liked it enough. But it wasn’t home, you know?” She seemed pensive for a few seconds, then brightened. “Cameron is a sweetheart. You must be really proud of him.”
At the mention of her nephew, Allie smiled. “I hear he’s in the same class as your son.”
“And the same soccer team,” Lauren said. “I was relieved when Henry made a friend. Moving is always hard on kids.”
Allie nodded, not sure what else to say.
“So are you back home permanently?” Lauren asked.
“Work assignment,” Allie said. “Tampa is home. For now.”
“What kind of work assignment?”
Allie shrugged. “Just following up on a lead.” For some reason, she didn’t want to get into the ghost thing with Lauren. She didn’t know what Lauren’s attitude might be toward the paranormal, and on the chance that she agreed with Tom’s opinion, Allie didn’t want the former Mrs. Donalan thinking she was a quack.
“I’d love to stay and talk but I really need to get back to the shop.” Lauren hesitated, then rushed out her next words. “Maybe you’d like to come next door to see it?”
“Sure,” Allie said. Lauren stared back at her expectantly. “You mean, as in right now?”
“There’s no time like the present. You can pick out anything you want. On me.”
“Oh, well, thanks, that’s really generous, but I have a lot of work to do on this article I’m writing…and Mimi should be back here any minute to pick me up.” Nothing against Lauren and her shop, but it all sounded a little too cozy for Allie. She wasn’t about to be BFFs with Tom’s ex.
Lauren nodded, like she had expected to be turned down, but she still had the good manners to look disappointed. “Promise me you’ll stop by before you leave town. There’s something I’d love to show you.”
Allie wasn’t into vintage clothing. Nor could she afford it. And she wasn’t about to take a freebie. But Lauren had been nice and she didn’t want to seem rude. “Thanks. Maybe I will,” she lied.
Lauren went to the counter to pick up her order and waved goodbye on her way out the door. “Don’t forget your umbrella. It’s going to rain tonight!”
Allie glanced out the window and frowned. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Where was Lauren getting her information from?
She’d just finished her lunch when her cell phone pinged. It was a text message from Tom. Wait. How had he gotten her number?
Then Allie remembered they’d exchanged phone numbers after he’d promised to let her spend the night at the senior center. For logistical purposes, he’d said.
I’ll pick you up at eight p.m. Read the text.
Pick me up? She texted back.
You’re not thinking of driving, are you? Did you fix your suspended license?
No, darn it. But she didn’t want to admit that to him.
It’s a beautiful night. I plan to walk.
It’s going to rain.
What are you, the weather channel? What she really wanted to ask was if he’d been talking to his kooky ex-wife. Nope. Not gonna go there.
Tom ignored the weather channel dig. Who do you think is going to let you into the senior center? Or have you managed to swipe a key?
Ha! Don’t give me any ideas.
She waited a few minutes to see his response, but none came. Allie was about to put her cell phone back in her purse when her phone pinged again.
What ideas would you like me to give you?
She stared at the tiny phone screen. Was Tom Donalan flirting with her? She really shouldn’t answer. But then, she couldn’t very well ignore him, could she? Before she had a chance to fashion a response, he texted her again.
Cold front coming in after the rain. Dress warm. I’ll bring extra blankets.
Okay, this she could certainly answer. Thanks, but I’ll bring my own blankets.
He texted back: Extra blankets are for ME.
Allie almost dropped her cell. For you?
You didn’t think I was going to let you stay the night alone?
Her fingers flew faster than she would have thought humanly possible. I’ll be perfectly fine.
Yeah, but the company’s insurance won’t allow it. Either I stay the night or the deal is off.
That’s ridiculous. I don’t need a babysitter.
Afraid to be alone with me?
What? No!
I’m not afraid of you. She texted.
Good. He texted back. Because I’m not afraid of you either.
