by J. J. Cook
Stella had taken the tourist boat around the lake when she’d first arrived. The boat captain had talked about how the lake had been created by a nearby dam project. The water had covered the original town of Sweet Pepper. He told stories about a church that couldn’t be moved, and hearing its bells tolling during dark nights.
Stella took Eric to the public access area. He vanished from the Cherokee and was at the shoreline before she could even open the door.
“When I was a kid,” he said when she’d reached him, “I used to come down here every day. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed it. Thanks for bringing me here.”
Stella sat down on a large rock while Eric ran up and down the shoreline, scaring away lake gulls. The breeze was strong coming down from the mountains, but no wind touched his clothes or hair. She wondered what it was like for him to attend his own memorial and have another chance to see his hometown.
She got an idea as he explored. Maybe he could help her with Barney’s death. When he’d finished enjoying the shoreline, he came back and sat beside her.
“Do you think you could talk to other ghosts?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried. Why? Do you have a ghost you need to talk to?”
“I was thinking about Barney Falk. We’re right out here. Maybe you could talk to him and find out what happened.”
A gust of wind caught at the dress cap she wore and would have blown it to the rocky beach as it was swept from her hair, but Eric caught it—solid when he wanted to be—and handed it back to her. It only took a moment for the wind to blow the strands of her red hair loose around her face.
“I could try.” He grinned at her. “You should always wear your hair down, Stella. The sun makes it look like it’s on fire.”
When she’d been a child, she’d received such remarks on a regular basis. It had been years since anyone had remarked on the deep red of her hair.
To cover her embarrassment at having her hair likened to fire, she laughed. “I guess I shouldn’t do it too often. Somebody on the fire brigade might douse it with a hose.”
His blue eyes stared off at the lake. “Do you have any regrets about your life so far?”
“Not really.”
“Not even that your relationship with Doug got messed up?”
Doug had been the deciding factor in Stella coming to Sweet Pepper. He’d been her longtime boyfriend back in Chicago. They’d discussed getting married from time to time. That had been before she’d found him in bed with one of her 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 are there.”
“Yes. It might be better if you don’t talk to me unless we’re alone.”
“Unless I have something important to say that pertains to the conversation.”
“Yes!” Stella considered it. “Maybe. I’m not sure. Let’s see how it goes. Thank you.”
“You don’t understand how much it means to me to be out in the world again, even if I’m dead. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to see a sunset again, and attend practice sessions with you at the firehouse.”
She was glad to hear it, even though she wasn’t really sure how it was going to work. “Great. Let’s go in.”
Sandy Selvy was the town clerk. She greeted Stella at the door with information. “The arson investigator is in Chief Rogers’s office. Her name is Gail Hubbard. She seems very nice.”
Stella thanked her. Sandy was another good friend—she’d been Stella’s mother’s friend in school too. Sandy squeezed Stella’s shoulder and smiled before she smoothed down her matching pink skirt and sweater.
“I’m sure it’s gonna be fine!” Sandy winked, her beehive hairdo reminiscent of the 1950s.
“This is nice,” Eric remarked as he glided down the hall to Chief Rogers’s office. “You should have an office here too. You’re the fire chief after all.”
“Shh.” Stella shushed him.
“What? We’re alone.”
“In a building full of people.”
“
I think you and I have interpreted the rules differently. When we get home tonight, we’re going to have to sort them out.”
Chief Rogers’s door was open when Stella reached his office. He got up and greeted her, introducing her to the state arson investigator.
“Chief Griffin.” Gail Hubbard shook her hand. She was a tall, large woman, probably in her early fifties, with ultra-short brown hair. She had a plain face, bordering on homely, except for her beautiful hazel eyes. “I’ve heard many good things about you.”
Stella smiled and said the right words as she sat next to Gail. In previous cases, Stella’s requests for an arson investigator had been met with icy silence. It seemed the death of a former state representative changed that policy.
“Now that we have the pleasantries over,” Chief Rogers began, “I think we should address the issues.”
Gail got to her feet. “Is there another room where Chief Griffin and I could meet?”
Don Rogers looked unpleasantly surprised by this request. “I can close the door, if that would help.”
“No. You misunderstand. Chief Griffin and I will be investigating this fire. We will report to you on our findings after the investigation is over. No reason to take up your time with our meetings. I don’t know much about catching speeders, and you don’t understand about fires.”
Rapidly put in his place, Chief Rogers took them to the conference room. “If you need anything, ladies, ask our town clerk. Have a good day.”
Gail thanked him and closed the door to the conference room. “Whew! I thought his eyes were gonna bug out when I explained that we didn’t need him. These small-town cops are all the same.”
Stella was amazed at her attitude. She still wasn’t sure if she could trust her—especially after her conversation with Brad. But she liked Gail’s approach.
“I went over to the site of the Falk fire this morning and took a few pictures.” Gail spread the photos out on the large, polished wood table. “Have you been over there since the fire?”
“I was there earlier today. You can tell the fire burned hot after the explosion,” Stella said. “There’s almost nothing left.”
“Explosion?” Gail arched a dark brow. “I haven’t heard anything about an explosion. Fill me in, Stella.”
Stella went through the entire fire call, including getting Barney Falk out of the house. She liked the way Gail paid attention to what she had to say. She’d missed that in her dealings with other professionals since she got to Sweet Pepper.
Eric looked at the photos too. “You should start having one of the fire brigade videotape your calls. That way you’ll have evidence of everything you do.”
It was a good idea, but a clear violation of the guidelines they’d agreed on. Stella pretended she hadn’t heard him.
“All right. We’ll have to bear that in mind while we tear through this pile of debris.” Gail frowned as she put the photos away. “I’ve heard that your fire brigade had some difficulties reaching Falk’s house and others in that community.”
“Not since they repaired the road into the area. It was previously rutted gravel. It was hard to get the trucks into. We had no difficulties with that yesterday.”
“And what about the water issue?”
“She knows everything, doesn’t she?” Eric asked. “I don’t trust her.”
Strike two. Stella was not only going to write down the guidelines when they got home, she was going to have him read them aloud.
“The only water issue was at the back of the house.” Stella showed her on the map. “There are steep drop-offs from the houses along the lake. We got our pumper back there, but we weren’t prepared for a fire of that size. We couldn’t get the engine in back, so we ran out of water well before the fire was over. I’ve asked the town to consider purchasing a fireboat. There are hundreds of houses along the edge of the lake. Some of them aren’t accessible by decent roads at all. A boat could draw all the water from the lake that we’d need, and could get to these areas.”
Gail smiled. “No wonder I’ve heard such great things about you, Stella. You have a good head on your shoulders. I think it would be an excellent idea for the town to invest in a fireboat. If you need any help convincing them, let me know.”
Stella thanked her. If she could get this kind of cooperation going with the police department, things would run a lot more smoothly during emergencies.
“It’s already late in the day, and it gets dark early now.” Gail took a look at her watch. “Let’s get out there first thing tomorrow, shall we? Have you thought about getting some training for arson investigation and becoming certified?”
“I have,” Stella admitted. “Right now the fire brigade is shorthanded. I can’t make the six-week commitment to be in Nashville every day for the training. I hope to accomplish that later.”
“Good enough.” Gail got to her feet and shook Stella’s hand again. “See you in the morning. It was very nice meeting you.”
As Stella was leaving the building after Gail’s departure, Chief Rogers stopped her. “Do you have anything to share with me regarding the fire that killed Barney Falk?”
She noticed that he’d waited until Gail was gone. “No. Not really. We’ll begin the on-site investigation tomorrow. I’ll let you know if we find anything important.”
He wasn’t happy with that assessment, but there wasn’t much he could say. Fire investigations were her purview. It would be like her butting into his investigation of a robbery.
“If nothing else, she put him in his place,” Eric remarked as they walked out of town hall.
“Yeah, well, she doesn’t have to work with him every day.”
“You’re right. It was nice working with Walt when I was fire chief. We understood each other.”
Stella was about to read him the riot act in regard to their agreement about when and where to speak when councilman Nay Albert stopped her. He had a big grin on his pocked face. His greasy black hair was combed over the bald spot on his head.
“Chief Griffin. Have I got a fireboat for you!”
Chapter 12
It was hard not to look at Eric to see how he felt about taking on a boat from Nay Albert. Stella had never had run-ins with this council member as she had with Bob Floyd. But there was something shifty about him that she didn’t care for.
Lucky for her, John was on his way into town hall. Still waiting for Stella’s response to his offer, Nay dragged him into the discussion.
“You know I’ve had that old wooden boat in my storage building for years,” Nay said to John and Stella. “I had her in dry dock. She was checked out thoroughly before I put her away. She’s older, but she’s got the strength and weight you’re gonna need to hold a water cannon.”
John had a bewildered look on his tired face. He’d gone right from the rescue last night to work, to the memorial, and back to work. He was finally done with a double shift and badly in need of sleep.
“What are we talking about?” he asked.
“Councilman Albert has a boat for the fire brigade,” Stella explained.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” John said. “Is it free?”
Nay put his hands in his pockets. “Not exactly free, but a fair price for the town to pay for a boat. An aluminum boat will never hold up to what you’re planning to do. There aren’t a lot of boats out on the market like the one I’m offering you.”
“I don’t know,” John said. “Chief? How does our budget look?”
“We’re pretty tight until July,” Stella explained.
“Hey!” Nay stopped them. “The town council will pay for the boat out of emergency funding. I’ll help see to that. I’m not saying you all have to come up with the money right away.”
John yawned. “We’ll have to take a look at it.”
“Okay. I’m free for a couple of hours.” Nay smiled at them with expectant eyes.
Stella had absolutely no experience with boats except for having worked as a firefighter on one f
or a few weeks. She didn’t feel qualified to make a decision.
“Maybe later,” she said. “John, could you be there?”
“Sure. Just not right now. Sorry.”
“That’s fine.” Nay approved the decision. “How about I meet you two out at my farm about six tonight?”
John nodded. “Sounds good. See you then.”
Nay ducked back out of town hall with a wave. Stella was alone with John. “Do you know anything about boats?”
“I know how to drive one, and ski behind one.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. I have a friend who sells boats. I’ll ask him to come out with us. Right now, I’ve gotta get some sleep.”
Stella understood. She was amazed he could keep up with his usual double police shifts and be available so often when they needed him for fire calls.
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
She got into the Cherokee with Eric at her side. “I have to get home and take off this uniform.”
“That works for me.” He grinned at her.
They’d had a few issues with Eric respecting her personal space. Mostly he joked about it now, but rarely came into the bedroom when she was dressing. It hadn’t been that way at first. She’d worked it out, as she had when she’d been the first woman firefighter at her station in Chicago.
“Ha-ha. What did you think about the boat offer?”
“I don’t know much about boats. I know a lot about Nay Albert. I’m betting he’s charging the town an arm and a leg for a boat you’re going to have to put tons of work into before you can use it.”
She started the Cherokee and pulled out into the slow-moving traffic going down Main Street. “That’s kind of what I was thinking. I guess we’ll take a look at it anyway.”
“Firehouse first?”
“Stopping at the firehouse will give you a chance to see the new place.” She realized he hadn’t been there since the old building he’d built had been destroyed. “After that, I have to find people who don’t normally contribute pepper recipes for the festival contest. I’ll understand if you want to stay at the cabin.”
