Charon's Crossing

Jason smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. "Nothing," he said, kissing her knuckles.

"Nothing? Don't be silly, Jason. I have to do something."

"For instance?"

"Well... well, for instance, how am I going to sell this place? You just said yourself, it was going to be hard enough but now, if people know there's a ghost..."

"Kathryn, darling, just listen to yourself." Jason smiled tenderly and enfolded her hand in both of his. "You almost sound as if you believe in this local nonsense."

Matthew laughed.

"It isn't nonsense," Kathryn said stiffly.

"What should we call it, then? Superstition?"

"It isn't superstition, either. This ghost is—"

"Be careful of what you say, madam. He's not going

to believe you."

"This ghost is real," Kathryn blurted.

"To the locals, yes. But any intelligent person from outside will—"

"He's real, I tell you! I've—"

"Kathryn," Matthew warned, "tread carefully."

"You've what, darling?" Jason asked.

"I've... I've..."

Kathryn hesitated. Jason wasn't laughing anymore, or even smiling. He was looking at her with a cautionary gleam in his eye, and suddenly she thought of every movie she'd ever sat through where the unfortunate heroine tells the hero that she's seen something that clanks or rattles or goes "boo" in the dark.

"I've... I've spoken with several intelligent people about this ghost," she said. "And they believe in him, too."

Matthew gave a long, low whistle. "Good girl."

Jason laughed with relief. "Boy, for a minute there you really had me going. I was afraid you were going to insist you'd seen the spook yourself." He grinned. "I was already planning on the best way to whisk you off to the nearest shrink."

"Shrink?" Matthew said.

"Head doctor," Kathryn snapped. Damn, why did he have to be right?

"Yes," Jason said, patting her hand. "Could you have blamed me?"

"I suppose not," she said, withdrawing her hand from his and tucking it into her pocket.

"Poor darling," Jason said, "no wonder your nerves are shot." He looped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "What an awful thing to have had to deal with all on your own."

Matthew sighed, lifted his hand and carefully scrutinized his fingernails.

"Here comes the reassurance."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Jason put his knuckle under her chin and lifted her head. "I'd have told you there's not a thing to worry about."

Kathryn disengaged herself from his encircling arm.