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“Ahhh!” Gertrude screamed.
Calvin jumped, rapping his head on the low ceiling over the couch. “What?” he cried, rubbing his head.
She stood up, and two cats slid off her lap in opposite directions. “I can’t stand this anymore!”
“Stand what?”
She stared at him. “This camper! I can’t stay cooped up in this thing for one more second!”
Calvin sighed. “Oh, that. Gertrude, this isn’t that much smaller than your trailer was, and if you consider how much space of your trailer was unusable, well then, maybe this is even a bit big—”
“It’s not about big or small, Calvin.”
“No? Then what’s it about?”
“This camper isn’t home. At home, I had my chair and my television, and I could take a bath whenever I wanted.”
“You can shower here.”
“I know I can shower here. I didn’t say anything about showering. I said I wanted to take a bath. Baths are the key to civilization.”
Calvin snorted. “Sometimes you don’t make any sense.”
“Ahhh!” she cried again. She started for the door. “You don’t have to come with me. I have to get out of here. I’ll hitchhike.”
“I doubt anyone will pick you up.”
She paused at the door. That wasn’t how he was supposed to respond to her threat of hitchhiking. He was supposed to be mortified and jump up to keep her from endangering herself. She turned to face him. “Let me buy you dinner.”
He guffawed. “With what?”
“I have a little money left.”
“Then you should save it. I don’t see you having any income coming in any time soon.”
“Maybe Natia will be so overcome with gratitude when I catch her husband’s killer that she’ll write me a check.”
“Maybe. But I wouldn’t spend that money yet.”
“Oh come on.” She was going to have to beg. She could not sit in this camper for the rest of the night. It would kill her. “Please, Calvin. I’ve got to go somewhere.”
“There’s nowhere to go. You’ve told the deputies what you know about Greenlaw’s death, and they’re looking into it. All you can do is wait to hear back ... unless you’ve thought of a way to proceed with your Bullock ghost investigation.”
She groaned. She had no idea what her next move there was. “Maybe we should interview some more people who’ve claimed to see the Bullock ghost.”
“That’s a great idea. Where are you going to find these people?”
Good question. “I wish the Bullock served dinner. It would give us a reason to go there.”
“I know. Maybe we can go there for breakfast.”
If being trapped in this camper didn’t kill her first. “Well, let’s go find a different place to eat supper. I know you’re hungry. I haven’t seen you eat in hours.”
“I am hungry. But I also feel obligated to keep you out of trouble. I’m not sure how much more this sheriff’s department is going to put up with.”
“I won’t investigate the murder. I’ll focus only on Bullock. I’ll just ask the people we encounter if they’ve encountered him.”
Calvin grunted and got up. “Fine. Give me a minute to freshen up.”
“Yippee!” She sprang out of the camper like an orange-haired clown out of a tipped over jack-in-the-box. Five steps later, she’d tossed her walker into the back of the truck and climbed into the front. Then she sat impatiently waiting for Calvin to catch up.
He did eventually, and they enjoyed a peaceful ride back into town.
“So did you have a restaurant in mind?”
“There’s that place right across from the Bullock.”
“Mustang Sally’s?”
“If you say so.”
“They’ve got TVs there. Might help you get your television fix.”
“I’m just happy to get out of that camper.”
“Don’t be too happy. We haven’t found a parking spot yet.”
Finding a spot wasn’t nearly as exciting as Calvin had feared it would be, and soon he was handing her walker back to her.
She took it and started toward the restaurant.
“Thanks for waiting.”
This was an odd thing to say, as she hadn’t waited at all. She had to use the bathroom.
He caught up to her. “Did you know this used to be a car dealership?”
She looked up at the oddly shaped building. “I did not know that.” All she could think about was the bathroom, which is why, when they got to their table, she didn’t even sit. “I’ll be right back. Order me a 7UP, will you?” She didn’t wait for an answer.
After taking care of business, she stepped up to the sink to wash her hands. Someone stepped up alongside her and gave her a smile so friendly it almost scared her. Normally, she would have run away, but she remembered her mission. “Have you ever seen the ghost of Bullock?”
The woman tipped her head back and laughed at the ceiling. Gertrude smelled beer. “No, I can’t say as I have ever seen him, but my grandmother did.” She turned and leaned back on the sink.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, it’s family legend, and I believe it. Apparently, she was about to step out for the day, and a man whispered into her ear, “Have a beautiful day.”
Gertrude waited for more. “And that’s it?”
“That was enough! Scared the tar outta her!”
“And how did she know it was Bullock?”
The woman nodded sagely. “She knew.”
Gertrude tossed her paper towel into the trash. “All right, then. Thanks for the story.”
“Absolutely!”
Gertrude headed back to the table happy to see her drink had already arrived. She took a long drink and almost choked. “Oh yuck!”
“What’s wrong?”
She set the glass down. “That’s not 7UP!”
Calvin rolled his eyes. “It’s Sprite.”
Gertrude tried to shake the taste out of her mouth. “That’s the last time I leave you in charge of my drink order.”
“Here comes the waitress,” Calvin said under his breath. “Behave yourself, please.”
The waitress greeted them and asked what they wanted to eat.
“I’ll have a hot dog,” Gertrude said. “Extra onions, please.”
“Is that enough?” Calvin looked concerned.
It would have to be. She wasn’t sure she had enough money to pay for this. She nodded. “It’ll be plenty.”
Calvin ordered his breaded steak tips and fries, and she considered leaping across the table and strangling him. Good thing the menu hadn’t offered lobster. He would have ordered that too.
“I’ll get that right out to you,” the cheery waitress said.
“Hang on a sec,” Gertrude said. “Have you ever encountered the ghost of Bullock?”