Chapter 31: Pool Party

The next morning, Ed awoke in his plush bedroom.

He rose, showered, and dressed. Then he left for the family room.

Ellen sat looking at her laptop. She put it aside as Ed approached her. She stood, and they hugged.

“Mmm, you learn fast.”

“I try.”

After they released, Ed fetched himself a coffee. They sat beside each other on the sofa.

“What’s on your schedule for today, Ed?” asked Ellen.

“I must get my last paycheck from the liquidators.”

“I can arrange for the SUV, with a detail?”

“No. I’m fine to drive in my car. I don’t think there’s anyone after me right now.”

“Okay, but be careful. Keep aware of your surroundings.”

“I will. So, what’s on your schedule, dear?”

“I’m preparing for your sister’s visit tomorrow. I must check on our attorney, too.”

“Cool.”

After a few minutes, Ed stood and walked outside. His car was waiting for him.

The henchman checked with his various contacts to track down this ‘medicine man’.

He learned the Duwamish nation had a medicine man. There were accounts of him talking with spirits, rescuing people, and finding the remains of a deceased person.

“Aha, so he was the one who discovered the body in the lake. It made sense,” thought the henchman.

Further inquiries yielded the name Ed Tanner. That was where the trail went cold. The name wasn’t a Duwamish name. It made no sense to him.

The henchman kept digging for information. He knew failure wasn’t an option. Failure got you killed.

Ed drove to his old workplace, unaware of all the green lights on his journey.

He found an ideal parking spot, although he wouldn’t need it for long. He exited his car and walked up the steps to his workplace.

The liquidators had prepared tables just inside the front door. Ed joined a line and didn’t wait too long.

He gave his name to a typical lawyer/HR person. They looked him up and pulled out some paperwork.

Ed signed to confirm he had no company property to return. Then they handed him his last paycheck. That was it. No letter of recommendation or good luck in his next job.

Ed walked outside, past several former co-workers. He wondered which of them he’d need to re-hire.

“I’d best take this paycheck to the bank while it’s still good,” he thought.

Ed left his former workplace for the last time and drove to the bank.

The henchman researched Ed Tanner and got a home address and a work address. He was closing in on his prey.

He drove by the apartment complex.

It took twenty minutes to learn that Ed had already moved out. The unit was vacant. Strike one!

Next, he drove to the work address. Again, he discovered the business had just closed. A few former employees were going inside to get their last paychecks.

There was no sign of the elusive Ed Tanner. Strike two! This Ed Tanner was extraordinarily lucky. Rarely did it take such an effort to find someone.

Finally, the henchman drove off. He’d have to try another approach. He couldn’t tell his boss that he’d failed. Such actions would get him killed.

Perhaps he’d pick up a lead at the Duwamish nation. Hopefully, someone would give or sell him the information he needed.

Ed returned home. He passed the main gate, waving to the security guard.

Soon, he pulled up in front of the main entrance and went inside.

Ellen was in the family room, talking with her assistant.

“Oh hello, dear! Did everything go as expected?” she asked.

“Yes. I took the last paycheck to my bank before it bounced. In some of these situations, it’s a race against your former co-workers before the funds run out.”

“I hope not. This is my assistant, Grace. We were planning the party for tomorrow.”

“Excellent!”

Soon, Grace left them alone.

“My attorney will be here on Monday. I’d like you to prepare a plan for restarting the business. I want it to go as smoothly as possible,” said Ellen.

“Will do. That’ll give me something to do this weekend.”

“Good. Can I get the contact info for Washta? I want to talk with her.”

Ed took out his phone and shared Washta’s number.

“Thanks. Did you prefer something specific for dinner?” she asked.

“Is it possible to stay home but have sushi?”

“Of course. Let me make a call.”

Ellen picked up the phone and placed an order.

“Done. We’ve a couple of hours before dinner.”

Ed smiled. He approached Ellen, and they embraced.

By the shore of Lake Sammamish, the ghost of a dead villain appeared.

“What am I doing here?” he thought. “Oh wait! I’m dead.”

The ghost floated close to the spot where Officer Ouray and the divers found a body. He floated above the water, wondering how he got there.

Soon, he left the lake. He went to the Seattle area, floating above the buildings.

Then a building caught his eye. It was a greenhouse, where he’d previously hidden some diamonds. Later, when he’d returned, the diamonds were gone. This was why his boss had killed him.

The ghost descended and floated in through the roof of the greenhouse. It was currently quiet, so he floated over to the very flowerbed where he’d hidden the diamonds.

At once, another ghost appeared.

“Hey! What are you doing here? This is my greenhouse!”

“Who are you?” asked the villain.

“I was the gardener here.”

“I once hid something in this flowerbed. You wouldn’t know anything about that?”

“Yes. I had my friends remove it. It was hurting my flowers.”

“Do you know where these friends are? I’d like to meet them.”

“Not exactly. I met a ghost called Conner near police headquarters. He introduced me to his friend Ed, but I don’t know where to find Ed.”

Now the villain had two names: Conner and Ed. One was a ghost.

“Thank you for the information.” With nothing more to see, he left.

That evening at the mansion, Ed and Ellen had sushi for dinner.

“This is amazing! Do you have a sushi chef on staff?” asked Ed.

“I don’t know. I retain a catering service, and they handle the details. They either ordered in or brought in a chef for this evening.”

“Wow! I really like this.”

“I’ll include this into our rotation of favorite cuisines,” she said.

Ed’s phone rang, interrupting their meal. Ed looked at Ellen.

“Hello?”

“Ed, this is Officer Ouray. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Sure, let me put this on speaker. Ellen’s here with me.”

“I called to update you both. The body in the lake belonged to a thief. He was affiliated with local organized crime.”

“Okay. The spirit said they sensed much evil in the body, so that makes sense.”

“As for the bar, we’re still working to get a warrant. I’ll let you know when we have news.”

“The ghost of a former police detective confirmed the location of the body. I’m pretty confident you’ll find it where she told me it was.”

“If you say it’s there, I trust you. All your leads are good. Anyway, that’s all I have.”

“Officer Ouray, this is Ellen. Will you be at the gathering next week?” asked Ellen.

“Of course I will. A tribal police officer is like a community police officer, except my community is the tribe. A gathering is the best way for me to meet our community.”

“Okay. See you there.”

The call ended. Ed put away his phone, and they continued their meal.

The next morning, Ed awoke in his plush bedroom.

He got up and showered and dressed. Then he left for the family room.

Ellen met him there. They hugged.

“I get my two favorite things each morning. A hug and a coffee!” said Ed.

“Hey, those are my favorites too!”

“That’s what makes us so compatible, dear. When is my sister arriving?”

“Around noon. All will be ready.”

“Awesome! We have time for more hugs.”

Unfortunately, Conner arrived.

“Oops! Sorry, I guess I interrupted you.” He said.

“Ellen, Conner has arrived,” said Ed. “What’s up, Conner? It’s early.”

“I got news from that ghost at the greenhouse. You remember the one where you found the diamonds?”

“I remember him. Cranky sort. What news?”

“He said another ghost visited his greenhouse. He was one of the two thieves who hid the diamonds there.”

“Are you saying one of those thieves is now dead?”

“Yes. And he’s looking for you, so you best lie low.”

“If I understand things, I’m hard to miss if you’re a ghost. And besides, he can’t harm me.”