Charon's Crossing

"Do you hear me, Kathryn? It's Amos."

Matthew spoke from just behind her. "Go on," he said. "Go up and talk to the old man."

She swung around. "But where will you be?" she started to ask, but the answer was self-evident.

He wouldn't be anywhere, for he was already gone.

* * *

She had left the sarong in the house, but at least she and Matthew had brought a bath towel down to the cove with them. She draped it around her shoulders, tugged the ends together, and made her way up the path to where the men waited.

Amos greeted her with an outstretched hand.

"Kathryn. It's good to see you again."

"Yes," she said, smiling politely as they shook hands, "it's good to see you, too."

"I'm truly sorry I had to be gone so long, but—"

"A family emergency. I heard."

"My aunt took seriously ill. She's all that remains of the Carters, you see, and—"

"Amos. I'm pleased you're back but as you can tell, I wasn't expecting company. So—"

"Are you alone, then?"

"Of course."

The two elderly men exchanged quick glances. Hiram cleared his throat.

"We thought you were talkin' with somebody, down on the beach."

Kathryn's smile stiffened. "You thought wrong."

"Rollin' around in the sand," Hiram said, his words resonating with disapproval, "as if you were—"

"What Hiram means," Amos said quickly, "is that you didn't seem to be alone."

Kathryn knew she was coloring, but she wasn't about to give an inch of ground. "Is that what you came here for? To stand up here and watch me?"

"You shouldn't be out here, all by yourself," Hiram said brusquely. "I said that from the beginnin'. All the stories about his house..."

"Why, Hiram," she said sweetly, "what's the matter? Are you suggesting I might have been cavorting on the beach with a ghost?"

Hiram started to answer but Amos put his hand on his arm.

"Your young man hasn't come back to stay with you, has he, Kathryn?"

"My young...?" Kathryn laughed sharply. "I don't believe this. What do you people do, keep a list of what I do and who I do it with? No, Amos, you needn't call out the morals squad. My 'young man' is safely back in the States."

"But you'll be joining him in Miami, as he told Ted Nash?"

"This is incredible! Who's Ted Nash?"

"The pilot who flew him out."

Kathryn smiled grimly and started for the house.