~ DEATH IS JUST THE BEGINNING ~
 JM Dragon 2003

© 2003 by JM Dragon
Email: jmdragon@jmdragon.net

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Love/Sex:..This story features strongly implied consensual relationship between adult women. If this bothers you, is illegal in the State, Province or Country you live or if you are  under the age of 18, find something else to read. There are loads of general stories out there.

Language:..Some strong language.

Violence:..Some violence in this story.

Hurt/Comfort:..There are scenes of heartache to be dealt with by the characters.

Dedication:..This story could have been my final one, but isn’t. Thank you to all those readers who offered genuine support and continue to read, not only my stories, but others too, we all appreciate your wonderful feedback. This story is simply for you.

Acknowlegement: My beta readers, Alice, Packer and Mel thank you as always, special thanks to T and Ephany for reading over the final draft as a double check.

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Part Two

The future…

“Why did we have to sleep next to this tree it’s so…so uncomfortable!” Violet snorted as she systematically edged around the base of the tree trying to find a comfortable spot that didn’t have the largest boulder in town underneath her rear.

“Do you ever stop moaning?”

“Me! Me? She says that to me, after all her ranting and raving, which I might add, has led us to this rather terrible situation. Why couldn’t you have let sleeping dogs lie?”

“Well, pardon me for being slightly inquisitive about who wanted one of us dead.” This woman exasperated Milly more so than she had been before. The fact that they were ghosts and apparently not in the right time frame, didn’t make matters any easier.

“Hey now, don’t you go blaming me. You’re the one who works for a government agency.”

“Of course, now it’s my fault again! What exactly do you do for a living?”

Violet shrugged her shoulders muttering quietly under her breath. “I didn’t quite catch that, care to speak a little louder.”

“I’m a freelance photographer!” Her voice rose so sharply Milly felt her eardrums vibrating.

“No need to shout. You could wake the dead.”

“Yeah I know and look who heard.” Violet responded sarcastically, she was fed up with Miss. high and bloody mighty. Who did she think she was anyway, royalty?

“Who did you last work for and when?”

Violet gave Packer a look that sank invisible daggers into her back. “Who gave you the right to be detective?”

“Just answer the question, please, it might be important.” Milly wondered why it was that someone had wanted to kill them. It couldn’t be anything to do with her because how would they have known she would be in the car. Therefore, it had to be something this woman had done and the only way to know would be to find out how?

“What difference would that make now? Anyway, it was an insignificant job, nothing to write home about?”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

Rolling her eyes heaven ward she wondered if anyone heard her silent plea to be taken back into line for her new life…obviously not!

“I went to France to take some family photographs. It took two days, as you can see I arrived back safe and sound.”

“You went to France! How? Who authorised it? The Germans have overrun the place!” Milly couldn’t believe it and this woman implied it was nothing to write home about! Was she crazy? The place was overrun with the enemy!

“I’m not the one on trial here, Packer, you’re speaking to me as if I am.”

“It’s nineteen forty-two, we are at war with the Germans who are taking over every country in Europe including France and you call that a jaunt. I call it suicide or…”

Violet was annoyed. Packer’s ‘or’ had intonations she didn’t like and the suspicious glare she was being given made matters worse. “Oh, I get it. You are wondering if I’m a spy for the Germans and that was how I could go into France. You don’t have much faith in your fellow man or should I say woman, do you?”

“Do you blame me? I’m in this state because of you and that’s the only truth I know at the moment.” Milly wiped her brow, not that she was perspiring because she wasn’t and never likely to again. What a bloody mess this all was and she didn’t know what to do. They weren’t even in Snagglenook or at least the Snagglenook she recalled, giving rise to the next question…where exactly were they?

“Are you a spy for the enemy?”

“No! For your information, I have dual nationality. My mother was French, my father English. I went over to take the wedding photos of a cousin. Does that satisfy you!”

The words shot back at Milly and she felt guilty for a few short moments then shrugged the sensation away. It might still be the key to the truth.

“Can you prove it?”

Blinking rapidly, startled at the audacity of the woman, Violet stood up striding away from the tree and the offensive comments.

“Can you?” Milly shouted at the retreating back.

Spinning around Violet glared at her. Who did she think she was anyway! “If I could find my belongings then yes, I could prove it. So, tell me Ms. Clever Clogs, how do you propose we do that?”

Pursing her lips, Milly ruefully accepted she had asked for that comment. The brunette had been adamant and didn’t, at any time, appear to be flustered. Anyway, what did she have to lose now by admitting to helping the other side? “I think we should go into town and find out exactly where we are and how we get back to Snagglenook. It’s where the accident happened after all and obviously where the murderer plotted and acted to tamper with your brakes.”

Sighing heavily, Violet wondered if it could be a real simple explanation that her brakes had failed and the Custodian had been wrong with his version of their deaths. She could hope anyway, that way this woman would be out of her hair for good, the sooner the better!

“Let’s go, what have we got to lose. Anyway, I’m fascinated by that music, it’s really quite catchy. Wonder who Elvis Presley is?”

Milly caught up with her as they walked in silence towards the outskirts of town again, this time, wandering down the vaguely familiar, yet alien, main street.

* * * * *

Snagglenook Cemetery 1962

Charlie smiled at the wonderful array of flowers that blended well with the white marble headstone that stood with pride over Millicent’s grave. She’d tended the grave punctually every two weeks ever since her lover had been laid to rest here…twenty years ago. Normally she would have come on the anniversary of her death but she’d had an odd call from someone in London and had gone there instead.

They’d indicated that they had new information regarding the accident that had killed the one person she had ever loved and strangely enough, had never replaced in her life, which hadn’t been easy to do anyway in this quiet country village. People, she suspected, had always privately pointed the finger and assumed things, though she had never been subjected to any open scandal about her life with Millicent. Most people around respected her and left it at that, it was her personal business.

The person who had called her was a private detective who had been employed by a relative of the woman who had been buried alongside Millicent, Violet Reed. They had refused to indicate who was their employer, but it was clear that the person involved was having no expense spared to find out what had happened to her. The meeting had been strange, to say the least.

London two weeks earlier in a cafe…

Charise Bootle didn’t like London. She had spent her life as a country girl in small towns and was happy to keep her life in the backwater, as some called it. She didn’t even have TV as yet. Anyway, the reception was poor in their village. However, she did love the radio and had taken to some of the new stations with their rock and roll music. It often amused her to think what Millicent would have made of Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard, not to mention the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Though she might have warmed to Frank Sinatra and some of the other balladeers. She was still smiling about that when a bird-like woman who looked like she hadn’t had a square meal in her life touched her on the shoulder.

“Yes?”

“Are you Charise Bootle?” Bright intelligent brown eyes snared her green ones and Charlie felt like she was being catalogued.

“Yes, I am. Are you Detective Sullivan?” Charlie wasn’t intimidated by the look; she had had worse. She’d lived with Millicent long enough to build a hardened shell over her sensitive nature. Millicent, for all she loved her, had been harsh at times in the way she went about life. She had always wanted to know reasons for everything, even the smallest of things.

“Yes, that’s me. Thanks for coming here, I wasn’t sure that you would.”

The thin woman sat down in the chair opposite Charlie. To the detective’s eye, the woman sitting in the chair gave could only be described as …gigantic, definitely generously proportioned in every department. Given her stature, Prudence Sullivan thought that if she had ever been part of the British Olympic shot put team, she would have given those Russians a run for their money.

Charlie smiled slowly, knowing immediately that she had put the other woman on edge by her size. She was six foot three and the only daughter of a farmer with five sons. Her mother had been a tall woman too but she had become tall and broad like the rest of the family. Sometimes she wondered why Millicent had fallen for her but she had and that brought its own bittersweet memories now.

“You said you had information that I might be interested in regarding Millicent Packer’s death.”

“I have, at least…”Prudence hadn’t been in the family business long and her father hadn’t been sure, at all, this was the right profession for her; a gumshoe. She had insisted and it was the sixties, where women were exercising their own freedom from the trappings of a husband and six kids.

“At least? You are doubtful? I don’t like London, Detective and especially today. I could be somewhere more important.”

Prudence saw the flash of disappointment and sadness reflect in the expressive green ones and she wondered if she had been right to contact this woman, her information was sketchy at best.

“I’ve been checking the records the local policeman made at the time of the accident. He had some entries that should have been checked further but weren’t.”

“And this is relevant how?”

“The entries were about anomalies he found at the scene of the crash and weren’t followed through.”

“There was an inquest, Detective, surely they would have considered those points and had them investigated if they thought it relevant.” This was pointless. She had wasted her time coming here except for one thing, someone could claim the body of the woman who had died with Millicent.

“The inquest didn’t see all the notes.”

“What! How does that happen?”

“Someone removed the relevant pages prior to the inquest and they were not considered.”

Prudence removed a notebook and a battered file from the rucksack she had brought with her. “Look at this.”

Charlie quickly scanned the pages she was given and didn’t see anything amiss.

“Do you see it?”

“See what?”

“Look at this.” Prudence brought out another set of papers and placed them on the table as she stood up. “I’ll get us another coffee, how do you take it?”

“I’d prefer tea, milk and three sugars please.” Charlie didn’t see the surprise on the Detective’s face as she said three sugars.

Flicking over the pages, she didn’t see anything wrong or anything which indicated something had been taken out. She wasn’t the brightest spark in the matchbox admittedly, but she didn’t see any problem here.

Five minutes later the Detective came back laden with the tea and her own black coffee. “You really have a sweet tooth.”

Charlie looked up and smiled, it was a smile that you never forgot, one of those innocent enjoyment smiles that touched everyone, even the most insensitive. “Yes, in coffee I have five sugars.”

“My goodness! Is that why you are so…” Prudence trailed off as she saw a flicker of hurt in the green eyes.

“I enjoy my treats, Detective.” The tone was cold and unfriendly.

“I didn’t mean…that is, I wish I could put on weight. People call me the sparrow, I never put an ounce of spare flesh on.”

“Forget it, I have read the notes again and can’t find a problem.” Charlie announced once again passing the papers back to the embarrassed and way too impressionable woman who didn’t look like the detective type.

Quickly taking the papers, Prudence found the entry she needed on one set and another in the official papers. “Here read this…no, let me.”

Pointing to a particular paragraph. “…the car skidded into the tree in torrential rain conditions, both parties died immediately on impact.”

“That’s what they said at the inquest, I was there!”

“Yeah, I know, I know, but listen, please.” Seeing the large woman nod her head she carried on. “…the car skidded into a tree in torrential rain conditions though it is unknown at this time why the speed was this excessive. The brakes may have been at fault, both parties died immediately on impact.”

“And your point would be?” there was nothing significant in that statement, none at all.

“It’s the point about the car being in excessive speed. Most would ignore it as driving too fast but in the notes I’ve seen from the police officer at the time, he expressed that it was more to do with tampering than speeding.”

Mulling over the information Charlie sighed, this told her nothing of interest. Why had she come here, especially now! “Where does it say that?”

“It doesn’t there, but I have notes that I copied from his files.”

Standing up Charlie stood over the woman like a giant, “if you don’t mind, I’ll go home now.”

Prudence stood up and felt like a Barbie doll in front of this woman, she was huge! “Please, will you consider that it’s a possibility that your friend died in less than accidental terms?”

“Good day, Detective.” Charlie walked out of the coffee shop. What a waste of time…

“You know, that if I thought for one moment, Millicent, that it wasn’t an accident, I would hunt down whoever had done this to you and I would see justice done, as I know you would have wanted it. I hope you are sleeping peacefully, love, and that the next life is peaceful and kind to you.”

Turning away she felt once more that something hadn’t been resolved. It had been profound for years but never more so than now. Maybe she was just tired, she had been up since five, time for dinner and an early night.

* * * * *

Sullivan Private Detective Agency – London…

“But, Dad!”

“No but Dad me, Pru. If you can’t convince someone who was close to the woman to give you any help and information, how can I leave you with this case? I’ll assign it to George. He’s nearly finished with the Carlton divorce case and I’m sure he will love a mystery after being a peeping tom for the past three months.”

“No! You can’t do that, Dad. I can do this, I promise. Let me have another chance, please?”

Pulling at his short moustache, Joseph Sullivan mulled over her plea. He had yet to take a hard stand towards his daughter. Martha always said he was too soft where she was concerned and that was probably true. Being the only daughter and having three elder brothers who were all six feet tall minimum, Prudence had taken after her mother in stature, standing little more than five feet two. When she had failed the height restriction to join the police force, she had tried the armed forces but to no avail. Her height had simply stopped her being able to do what she wanted.

Jack and Philip, his twin elder sons, had joined the military for a time and George, the younger son by three years, had followed his father into the police. When he had retired from the service, he found it impossible to stay home and decided to start his own detective agency. He’d been a good policeman and the authorities had welcomed him into that profession, which was often troubled with seedy characters. It hadn’t been long before all three sons had elected to give up their careers and join the family business. Though no one had expected Pru to want to do so, since she had an independent spirit that had refused his help several times in the early days.

Eventually, the boredom of a secretary’s job finally broke her and she agreed to join the business, initially taking care of the paperwork although she soon used her feminine guile on some of the cases. That had been a major advantage in securing some of the work, especially in the divorce cases. This case was different in many ways. It was twenty years old and other than the ramblings of an old relative of one of the women killed in the ‘accident’, there wasn’t much to go on. However, the client had indicated the contract was potentially lucrative in the future if they came back with some solid evidence, one-way or the other. That was enough for him to take it on and allow Pru a chance. What harm could it do…but if she couldn’t even get through the first hurdle!

“What do you plan to do next?”

Pru grinned. Her dad was wavering and once he did that, she was sure to get her own way. “I’m going to the village where the accident happened and where both women lived. Perhaps I’ll find someone who will talk about the situation. You know these old villages, they always have one busybody or two.”

Glancing at the calendar on the wall he contemplated the date and then in a deliberately harsh tone followed by a wink he replied, “you have seven days, Prudence, after that, I want results or your brother takes over, no argument.”

A bubble of laughter crept out of her as she flung her arms around her father hugging him tight. “I love you, Dad, you won’t regret it, I promise.”

As he watched her leave the office like an excited schoolgirl, he shook his head ruefully. Yep, Martha was right, Pru could twist him around her little finger.

* * * * *

“We’ve walked these streets a dozen times, Packer and it’s the same conclusion…this is Snagglenook but not as we knew it.”

“Yes, the sign says that but how and why?”

Violet wondered if this woman ever took things on sight and didn’t always ask that three-letter word? “Do you ever trust anything you see?”

“Of course, why do you ask?” Violet had to laugh, there it was, that word again.

“What are you laughing at?” Milly was annoyed at this woman’s lack of curiosity over their situation. Hmm…unless…she already knew the answers and refused to tell!

“You, I’m laughing at you.”

“I take exception to that, Violet. Just because I want the truth.”

“Its getting tired, Packer.”

“What do you mean?” Milly placed a restraining hand on Violet’s arm to stop her moving away towards the pub.

“I mean, I’m fed up with you moaning about the truth and all that goes with it. Bottom line, Packer, is we are dead. Look at us, arguing about stuff we can’t do anything about; or can we?” Holding up her arms, then putting one out, as someone walked by, only to have them walk right through it.

Milly watched the woman as she jumped in front of people pulling scary faces with no one noticing, very like being in a different dimension and unable to communicate. “I know we’re dead.” She replied solemnly.

“I don’t know about you, but even if we found the truth, what happens next? Do we go straight back up there, do we stay here like this or what?”

The frustration of the situation was evident as Violet turned away and began to walk back towards the pub. It might not hold anything for them but at least it was familiar to her.

“I don’t know, Violet, I wish I did.” Watching the brunette walk away, Milly realised that she might have been acting rather too harshly towards her. After all they were both dead. It must prey on the other woman’s mind too, even if she appeared nonchalant about it. “Want to come with me to the cottage?”

Violet stopped in her tracks. She had initially said, after their first walk around the town, that they should go to Packer’s home but she had been against it for some reason.  Now, she wants to go and with me! The woman was weird beyond anything she knew. “Why now?” she closed her eyes briefly as she realised what she had said. It must be catching, that three letter word.

“It’s the only way to know for sure.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to see where you lived?”

“Things change, are you coming?”

“Yes, of course I am…a thanks.” Violet smiled shyly at Packer and was rewarded by a smile back, which had to be a first.

* * * * *

Up there…

The Custodian strode down the line as he would normally, except he wasn’t his normal self not by a long shot. He had finally heard that his senior had assumed he’d informed the two women about the visitation back to the land of the living and it’s restrictions and possibilities. He hadn’t, of course. It had been a quick decision, far quicker than many. Usually, it was many years later, than the twenty that had elapsed, when the verdict came back to send someone back.

Twenty wasn’t so bad. People were still alive who could shed light on the situation and the perpetrators who had been instrumental in the deadly task to eliminate them still lived in Snagglenook. They say things change very little in small communities and that was the truth, fortunately for the two women.

That didn’t detract from the fact that the two ‘ghosts’ or spirits, as he would call them, were on their own down there. They didn’t even know how to ask to be brought back and he couldn’t go down there to tell them. Now it was all up to them and luck, they would need it!

I wonder how many years it will be before they get back here…hopefully when he was on vacation in three hundred years time.

* * * * *

“This is Snagglenook.” Milly said it so softly Violet wasn’t sure if she blew out a breath or spoke.

“Did you say something?”

“This is Snagglenook.”

“How do you know?” Violet saw a cottage. It had roses all around the low walls and the ivy crept in an unassuming way all over the brickwork. The thatch on the roof had seen better days but wasn’t too bad; it looked like most of the village cottages in this area.

“It hasn’t changed, the cottage I mean. It looks like it did when I left, but more beautiful.”

Violet heard the wistful tone and felt sad for the woman who gazed transfixed at the oak door.

“Shall we go inside?” As she spoke, a car drove up and scared them both at its speed and…shape. What was that? It looked like an ugly bug?

A woman stepped out of the car looking around the lane and then opened the creaking gate. “It hasn’t changed. Charlie always said she would fix it.”

“Be quiet, let’s see who lives here.”

The woman, who was shorter than Violet and that was saying something, knocked on the brass lion’s head doorknocker then waited for it to be answered.

After what seemed liked hours, but was in fact less than a minute, the door slowly opened and a very large woman appeared at the door. Violet had never seen anyone of that built before…no, that was wrong, she had, but this was like larger than life.

“My God, she’s big! Can you believe she would fit in that small cottage?”

“She looks wonderful.” Milly whispered lost as she drank in the presence of her lover who had aged that was true but she had done so gracefully.

“Hello, Miss Bootle. Look, I’m sorry for bothering you again, but it’s important.” Prudence Sullivan smiled at the woman who looked shocked at her appearance.

“Why are you here?” Violet chuckled silently as she heard that word and wondered if it could be eradicated from the English vocabulary.

“I need your help, I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot earlier but I was hoping…”

Violet grinned. Didn’t she know that one. then turned to Packer. What she saw there amazed her. The woman was close to tears…no tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks. Why?

“Are you okay?”

“Yes I am.”

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m not!”

“You could have fooled me, anyone you know?”

Milly wiped away the tears while her eyes remained glued to the giant woman at the door. “Yes, I know one of them, she was very special to me.”

“Oh, at last, a break through. I wonder if she knows anything?”

“How could she!” the words explosive.

“Hey, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I was only asking.”

“Enough, she’s speaking!”

“Why are you here?” Charlie was surprised with the arrival of the detective at her door. She had wrongly assumed, it would appear, the episode was over.

“I need your help.”

“How?”

Prudence was shuffling on the doorstep like a child unable to articulate properly what they wanted to say. “I have seven days and this one is half over, to find solid evidence, one way or the other, about your friend and her companion. Will you help me lay this case to rest?”

Charlie mulled over the comment. She wanted it laid to rest…she really did. It had haunted her for twenty years and until now, she had assumed it would until the day she died. Then she would find out for herself when she met up with Milly in the next life. Now she was being given a chance to find out the truth and move on. Not that she had far to move, but perhaps that niggling worry that something wasn’t right would finally be laid to rest, she owed it to Millicent.

“Come inside, I’ll make us tea.”

Violet moved forward expecting to go inside when the taller woman restrained her, “not now.”

“Not now? Why?” Vi turned puzzled eyes to the woman at her side and saw a variety of emotions flicker over her face, the greatest, one of sadness. “Want to tell me?”

“I can’t!” The reply was a cry from the heart, something she hadn’t anticipated from this woman.

“I hate to say this but the way you hung onto her every word, you would think you loved her.” Vi smiled at her comment, little realising the truth of the matter.

“I do.” The words issued so solemnly it could be like a prayer in church.

“You do? Is that Charlie?”

“Yes, that’s Charlie and she’s as beautiful now as she was then.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think we need to find out the year.”

“It’s nineteen forty-two, we both know that.”

“It was when we died, but I don’t think so now. I think we have moved into the future.”

Violet closed her eyes wondering if things could get any worse. Here she was with a woman who didn’t like her and was a lesbian to boot! Not that she cared; it wasn’t her cup of tea though. Not that she had ever had a lover…time hadn’t been on her side. To top that and it took some topping…they had been transported into the future. How the heck were they supposed to find out what happened to them now?

“God, give me strength.”

“Yes, I second that.”

“What shall we do now?”

“We find out the year and go from there.”

Violet shook her head. Why couldn’t they have just accepted things and gone onto a new life; being here was far too complicated. “Don’t you think maybe your…friend might know something?”

“She might, now is not the time.” Milly didn’t want to go into the house and spy on her old love. If this was a new girlfriend, she couldn’t cope with that, not now. Not after all she had been through already. The odd thing was, it felt as if they had only been gone hours, when in fact years had passed by. Perhaps Violet was right. How could they ever hope to accomplish what they set out to do if this wasn’t even their era? Exactly how far had they gone forward in the future and why?

* * * * *

“You have a beautiful home.” Prudence said as she followed the much larger woman into the sitting room of the cottage. It was in pastel shades but the furniture was all in a cherry wood highly polished with beeswax. The smell was marvellous and so natural.

“Thank you. Now, how can I help you?” Charlie felt weary of this woman and she hadn’t even started a conversation yet. The simple matter was that Millicent and Violet had a car accident on a terrible rainy evening. There had never been any suggestion of anything else, to her knowledge, not even from PC Blood and she’d talked to him at length at the time.

“I came here to find out the truth and I wondered if you could point me in the right direction.”

“You have nothing to convince anyone that there was anything amiss when my friend died. Why rake up old hurt and sadness?”

“I don’t mean to inflict any more hurt on people because most will have forgotten the accident and moved on. However, if there is a possibility of foul play, surely you, of all people, would want to know.”

Walking over to the fireplace, which she dwarfed by her size, “I would naturally want justice to be served, if that was the case. However, I don’t see you finding anything wrong. In a village this size people talk, Detective, and although I’m not one of the older families here, I have lived in the village for over twenty two years and would have heard any rumblings.”

“Maybe you haven’t because it affects you.”

“Are you implying that I had a hand in my lo…friend’s death? That is preposterous!”

“No! No, of course I don’t think that. Don’t you see? Because you were so close to Millicent Packer, you wouldn’t hear any of the gossip. That’s how things usually work out.”

Charlie pursed her lips as she considered the validity of that point. “You could be right. How do you want me to help you?”

“We could start at where the accident happened and go over the report.”

“You want me to help you do that?” the thought was both exciting and daunting. She had never delved into the ‘why’s and where for’s’ since the inquest. It had been too painful at the time and then over the years she had simply tried to remember the happy times, rather than the sad, in their short time together. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been as many as she would have liked with the onset of war and being separated most of the week. However, the few she had, were as precious to her as the jewels were in the Queen’s crown.

“I’d welcome your help, if you can spare the time.” Pru felt safe when she was near this woman. It was probably her size, perhaps there was something more…an intangible element that she was unable to decipher.

“I work over at the Manor house every day, I’m the lower farm manager. I usually arrive home by three in the afternoon, if that will help?”

“Great! I can do some leg work and research. Together I know we can piece it together.” Prudence held out her hand to confirm the situation. As the large hand engulfed hers she felt that safety net surround her again and it made her feel good, really good. Things were looking up. Her dad might yet have to eat his hat by suggesting her brother George could do better.

“I’ll leave you my notes, shall I? I’m sure you don’t want to go to the site of the accident now. We can meet tomorrow afternoon…”

“No, that’s okay, we will go now. No time like the present. You never know what’s coming round the corner, do you.” As she said the words she realised the absolute truth in that. Milly hadn’t known, had she, otherwise she would have stopped it. Her deceased lover had always been a force to be reckoned with, even though deep down her heart was as vulnerable as the rest.

“You lead the way, Ms. Bootle.”

“My name is Charlie.”

“Mine’s Prudence or Pru, whichever you prefer.”

Charlie picked up her jacket draped over the easy chair and let them out of the house. This was surely turning out to be one very strange day.
 

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Continued in Part 3