surrounded her eyes and mouth, a set of thick
glasses rested on her nose.
“ Who are you now?” Ross eyed
the strange woman sitting beside him.
“ Gladys Jean Meyers.” She
stared at her reflection in the window. “I’m a Professor of
Supernatural Studies at the University of Moffett. You met me three
years ago at a mythology seminar at Greensville,
Tennessee.”
“ Okay, that’s an easy cover
story.” Ross frowned. “I hope I’m wrong about this, I hope it’s
just a series of coincidences and bad luck.”
“ If that’s all it turns out
to be, then I’ve just wasted a little time putting on this face.”
She smiled. “But I’ve got a funny feeling about this case. It might
prove to be very interesting.”
The cell phone buzzed on
the dashboard. Roscoe leaned forward and pressed a button. “Hi,
this is Ross.”
“ Robo,” a soft sultry voice
drifted through the speaker. “How far out are you? Mom wants to
know if we should wait for dinner.”
“ No, you guys go ahead. We
stopped and picked up a burger.” He glanced at a passing road sign.
“We should be at your place within the hour.”
“ That’s great, Robo. We
can’t wait to see you.” Excitement crept into Gloria’s voice. “Be
sure to save some room for desert. Mom made your
favorite.”
“ Really, she made a
Mississippi Mud Cake for me. Your mom’s a sweetie. We’ll be there
in an hour. Bye Gloria.” Ross’s eyes twinkled with
delight.
“ Bye, Robo. I’ll be waiting
for you on the porch.” She severed the connection.
“ You’ve got a crush on that
girl.” Gladys adjusted her glasses. “That’s why you wanted me to
come. You’re in love with her.”
“ Don’t be so melodramatic.
She’s a good friend, has been for years. We went to school
together.” He averted her eyes. “A lot of bad things have happened
at that old house. I don’t want anything to happen to her or her
mother.”
“ Don’t worry, Robo.” She
used Gloria’s pet name. “I won’t let anything happen to
them.”
Ross shook his head.
“Please don’t call me that.”
A golden disk hung in the
sky as Ross parked the van in front of the old two story house on
St. Martins Street. Stacks and boxes of building material littered
the yard. A lithe blonde haired figure jumped from a lawn chair on
the porch and ran to the driver’s side.
“ Robo.” A wide joyful smile
split the young woman’s face. Her small hands tapped on the window.
“It’s been too long.”
Ross returned her smile and
rolled the window down. Two arms circled his neck. Gloria stood on
her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’m surprised you
asked to come here, but I’m so happy to see you.”
“ Gloria,” Ross changed the
subject quickly. “This is professor Gladys Meyers. She’s a friend
of mine. Her field of study is supernatural science.”
“ Hello, Professor.” Gloria
removed her arms from Ross’s neck and stepped back from the door.
“I’m pleased to meet you.”
“ Just call me Gladys.” She
leaned forward to see out the window. “It’s my pleasure to meet
you.”
“ Give me a minute to get out
of this tin can.” He glanced at the granite staircase. “You don’t
have a ramp.”
“ Drive to the south side of
the porch. Pull in real close, and the ramp should lower you enough
so you can just roll right inside.” Gloria ran to the side of the
house, moving debris. “We have five carpenters working on this old
place, the house stood empty for so long it needs a lot of
work.”
“ Don’t worry, I’ll make it.”
He eased the van forward.
“ She seems like a nice young
woman. I can see why you’re so smitten.” Gladys teased.
“ You don’t have to keep
rubbing it in.” Ross circled the stacks of building material and
pulled the van close to the porch.
Gloria and her mother
waited on the porch giving him directions. “Pull forward a little
bit,” she shouted. “That’s good. Your lift should let you drive
right onto
glasses rested on her nose.
“ Who are you now?” Ross eyed
the strange woman sitting beside him.
“ Gladys Jean Meyers.” She
stared at her reflection in the window. “I’m a Professor of
Supernatural Studies at the University of Moffett. You met me three
years ago at a mythology seminar at Greensville,
Tennessee.”
“ Okay, that’s an easy cover
story.” Ross frowned. “I hope I’m wrong about this, I hope it’s
just a series of coincidences and bad luck.”
“ If that’s all it turns out
to be, then I’ve just wasted a little time putting on this face.”
She smiled. “But I’ve got a funny feeling about this case. It might
prove to be very interesting.”
The cell phone buzzed on
the dashboard. Roscoe leaned forward and pressed a button. “Hi,
this is Ross.”
“ Robo,” a soft sultry voice
drifted through the speaker. “How far out are you? Mom wants to
know if we should wait for dinner.”
“ No, you guys go ahead. We
stopped and picked up a burger.” He glanced at a passing road sign.
“We should be at your place within the hour.”
“ That’s great, Robo. We
can’t wait to see you.” Excitement crept into Gloria’s voice. “Be
sure to save some room for desert. Mom made your
favorite.”
“ Really, she made a
Mississippi Mud Cake for me. Your mom’s a sweetie. We’ll be there
in an hour. Bye Gloria.” Ross’s eyes twinkled with
delight.
“ Bye, Robo. I’ll be waiting
for you on the porch.” She severed the connection.
“ You’ve got a crush on that
girl.” Gladys adjusted her glasses. “That’s why you wanted me to
come. You’re in love with her.”
“ Don’t be so melodramatic.
She’s a good friend, has been for years. We went to school
together.” He averted her eyes. “A lot of bad things have happened
at that old house. I don’t want anything to happen to her or her
mother.”
“ Don’t worry, Robo.” She
used Gloria’s pet name. “I won’t let anything happen to
them.”
Ross shook his head.
“Please don’t call me that.”
A golden disk hung in the
sky as Ross parked the van in front of the old two story house on
St. Martins Street. Stacks and boxes of building material littered
the yard. A lithe blonde haired figure jumped from a lawn chair on
the porch and ran to the driver’s side.
“ Robo.” A wide joyful smile
split the young woman’s face. Her small hands tapped on the window.
“It’s been too long.”
Ross returned her smile and
rolled the window down. Two arms circled his neck. Gloria stood on
her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’m surprised you
asked to come here, but I’m so happy to see you.”
“ Gloria,” Ross changed the
subject quickly. “This is professor Gladys Meyers. She’s a friend
of mine. Her field of study is supernatural science.”
“ Hello, Professor.” Gloria
removed her arms from Ross’s neck and stepped back from the door.
“I’m pleased to meet you.”
“ Just call me Gladys.” She
leaned forward to see out the window. “It’s my pleasure to meet
you.”
“ Give me a minute to get out
of this tin can.” He glanced at the granite staircase. “You don’t
have a ramp.”
“ Drive to the south side of
the porch. Pull in real close, and the ramp should lower you enough
so you can just roll right inside.” Gloria ran to the side of the
house, moving debris. “We have five carpenters working on this old
place, the house stood empty for so long it needs a lot of
work.”
“ Don’t worry, I’ll make it.”
He eased the van forward.
“ She seems like a nice young
woman. I can see why you’re so smitten.” Gladys teased.
“ You don’t have to keep
rubbing it in.” Ross circled the stacks of building material and
pulled the van close to the porch.
Gloria and her mother
waited on the porch giving him directions. “Pull forward a little
bit,” she shouted. “That’s good. Your lift should let you drive
right onto
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