Page 9 of Sugar Plum Serenade

He hadn’t yet reached the highway when his cell rang. The phone was in a holder on the dash, so it was easy to check out the caller. Hmm. The only time Colt ever called him was about business owner’s association crap. A problem, an election, a code violation. This close to Christmas everyone was swamped, so he couldn’t imagine why Colt would call.

There was only one way to find out. He punched the green button to answer. “What’s up?”

“Are you busy?” Colt asked.

“On my way to work.”

“Could you swing by before or maybe after…” There was a pause. Colt whispered in the background, but Tuck could make out a couple of words. Patient. And a disgusted fine. “Before work would be best,” Colt said when he returned his attention to Tuck. “If you can make it.”

“Sure. I’ll be right there.” He changed course and headed for the depot, which wasn’t much more than a block away, parking in the back near the railroad tracks to leave the premium street parking for paying customers. The back door was sure to be locked, so he walked around the building, down the sidewalk, and through the front door.

Quite a few customers browsed, flipping through albums, excited when they found what they were looking for, disappointed when they didn’t. Today it was Colt’s girlfriend, Anna, who ran the coffee bar. Benny would be in school this time of day. Anna looked Tuck’s way and her smile faded, then came back again a bit brighter than before. Maybe a bit too bright.

“Colt’s in the back,” she said. Which meant she knew he’d come in because his presence had been requested.

The back half of the depot was almost as large as the front, but it wasn’t nearly as interesting or as organized. The lights were dimmer; the floor and the walls were plainer; the doorways to offices or storage rooms were mostly closed. To be honest, it was kind of a mess back here. Tuck liked his own storerooms tidier than this. Even though he’d discovered early on that he wasn’t suited to the military, his time in the Army had drummed a sense of order into him, he supposed. That desire for order helped him run his business in ways he’d never expected.

Colt waited by an old depot bench that was in need of repair and a good sanding and coat of varnish. Three cases of bottled water had been stored on that bench.

Judging by the expression on the depot owner’s face, this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

“What’s up?”

Colt sighed. “I really don’t know how to say this. I don’t know where to start.”

“At the beginning?”

“People keep telling me that,” Colt mumbled. “Let me be clear. I don’t want to do this, but she won’t give me a moment’s peace until I do.”

“Anna?”

Colt looked to the side, shushed the air to his right, and then looked squarely at Tuck. “I see ghosts. Your grandmother is here.”