Charon's Crossing

"If you're flyin' home Friday, we have a problem."

"What do you mean, we have a problem?"

"I can't possibly get out to Charon's Crossin' until next week, the soonest."

Kathryn put down her glass. "I distinctly told Amos Carter I'd be here just for the week."

"Well, Amos never told me."

"I don't believe this! The whole reason for this visit was to find out what repairs the house needs and now—"

"I don't need to come by your house to tell you that."

Kathryn blinked. "You don't?"

"No. I don't."

"Olive spoke to you, then?"

"Your father spoke to me, before his death. He asked me to come over, check things, tell him what I thought." Hiram smiled. "He was a nice man, your father. And he had great plans for that house."

"Expensive plans, I'll bet. What did you tell him?"

"That it was sad

, the condition of Charon's Crossin'. But that it was repairable, dependin' on what he wished to spend." He smiled gently. "Sad to say, he didn't have the money to do very much."

"A situation that runs in the family," Kathryn said crisply. "Not that I have any great plans for the place. I just want to do whatever needs doing so that Olive can sell it."

Hiram nodded. "Well, there's a long enough list of things to fix. The wallboard needs replacin' in some of the rooms. The wainscotin', too, in the entry and in the dinin' room, as well as the moldin'. Roof needs patchin' before the rains come. And it might be a good idea to shore up a couple of beams in the cellar. But the biggest problem is the hot-water heater."

Kathryn sighed. "Don't I know it. Well, the next owner can deal with that."

The old man shook his head. "Maybe. And maybe not."

"Look, I know an outdated heater will take away from the value of the house, but—"

"I'm not talkin' value. I'm tellin' you that old heater is a cranky son of a gun and you'd best fix it, or..."

"Or what?"

"Who knows? The best that could happen would be for it to quit for good."

"And the worst?"

Hiram sighed. "Fire. Explosion. Anythin' is possible."

Kathryn felt like burying her head in her hands. She'd been wrong thinking of Charon's Crossing as an albatross. It was an anchor, and if she weren't careful, it would pull her down and drown her in debt.

"Look, Hiram," she said, "maybe I didn't make myself clear. I don't have any money to waste on Charon's Crossing."

"And I won't ask you to waste any. Once I do a thorough check of the heatin' system, I'll tell you what your choices are."

"Oh. I didn't... I thought you meant you were going to have to replace the entire system."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I cannot tell until I take a closer look, which I can do in a week's time." The old man smiled. "You can stand right by my side, sayin' 'yes, Hiram, do that' or 'no, Hiram, let that stay as it is.' How's that sound?"

"It sounds fine... except I won't be here in a week's time."