Sally turned to see a mountain of a man with an eyepatch set down his book from the corner table, where he had been enjoying the peace and quiet of the previously empty room.
“Charlie, I’m surprised you haven’t carried her off to your bell tower,” Tub teased.
“She’s Cid Garrett’s girlfriend.”
“Saint Cid?” Tub asked. “Nah, he’s dating Ted.”
“He’s dating me and Ted,” Sally said, lifting an eyebrow. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, ma’am… Miss… Ms,” Tub stammered.
“About the sandwiches, are these tuna or chicken salad?”
“Chicken salad on all days but Friday,” Tub said.
“Good. I’m not fond of tuna,” Sally said. “I will eat tuna, but it will be under protest.” Sally collected her food and walked over to where Charlie was sitting and asked, “Mind if I sit with you?”
“How can you eat looking at me?” Charlie asked.
Sally set her tray down and lifted her shirt to show him her stomach. “I believe we belong to the same club.”
Charlie looked at the burn scars and asked, “How?”
“Exploding hut, you?”
“I was protecting a school for girls when the bomb went off. Fortunately, the girls had been delayed at the check point. Otherwise…”
“Cid’s not going to be pleased you already have his girl’s shirt half off, Staff Sergeant,” Tub said, putting his tray down.
“Well then, I better introduce myself. “I’m Charlie West. The rude staff call me half-baked Charlie.”
“Sally Wright. I’m here to try to get my PTSD back to manageable.”
“Dr. Myer will help you with that, and then you’ll be inducted into her infamous group called Battalion Babes.”
“Charlie, you know we’re not supposed to call them that,” Tub warned.
“You’re not, you’re staff.”
“You may as well be staff. You’re here all the time,” Tub said sitting down.
Sally adjusted the food on her tray.
Tub took his food off his tray and then took off Sally’s and set the trays on the table next to them. “Here, we dine in style. Real tableware and no trays.”
Sally blushed.
“Don’t be a bully,” Charlie said. “Sally, ignore him. He’s just mad Cid saw you first. How long have you been together?”
“Not long, but it’s serious.”
“Have you met the other man yet?” Tub asked.
“No. I think the Martins are out of town.”
“That’s right, Lazar said he and the family were going to be in Alsace, France for a while,” Tub said. “So you haven’t met Mrs. Martin yet?”
“No,” Sally said. She bit into her sandwich to avoid saying something stupid.
“Have you ever seen the Ice Queen poster?”
Sally nodded.
“That’s her.”
Sally swallowed hard.
“But’s she’s not an ice queen,” Charlie said, putting his uninjured hand on her arm. “She is a compassionate woman who can look beyond my half-roasted carcass and see me.”
“Forgive him, he’s got a crush,” Tub said.
“Whew! I’m starting to get worried. What if she doesn’t like me?”
“She’ll like you because Cid does. She’s probably worried that you won’t like her,” Charlie said.
“Tell us how you met Saint Cid,” Tub said, changing the subject.
“He works with my foster brother Carl.”
“Is Carl a ghost hunter?” Charlie asked.
“No, from Cid’s finishing contractor job. My foster brother is a contractor for the same renovation company. I was their onsite cook until I started having attacks. One after another. I decided that my existing meds weren’t helping.”
“This place can work miracles or Mia can…” Charlie said, his voice trailing off.
“Don’t mind him, he’s a fan. Speaking of fans, do you follow any sports?”
“Sorry, I spend my extra time reading,” Sally said. “I’m pretty boring.”
A bouncy redhead entered the dining hall. Tub got up and left the table.
“There he goes. I swear he hits on every pretty woman he sees.”
“He’s playing the odds,” Sally said. “If you talk to two people, your odds on connecting is considerably less than if you talk to a hundred people.”
Tub brought the woman over to the table. “Sally, she’s here to see you.”
“Me?”
“Sally, I’m Audrey Stavros. I work with Cid and Kiki…”
“Oh! You’re the researcher. Please have a seat. This is Charlie West, and Tub you’ve met.”
“Why are all the beautiful women taken?” Tub asked.
Audrey giggled. “You’re refreshing. This morning I was worried that I was becoming matronly.”
Sally finished her meal listening to Tub shower compliments on Audrey who continued to giggle. It was interesting to see this side of the woman Sally assumed was a serious asset of Cid’s.
Audrey had declined Tub’s offer of coffee. “Actually, I’d like to have some one-on-one time with you, Sally, if your schedule allows.”
“I’m free for an hour, and then I have the rest of the day off after two-thirty.”
Audrey stood up. “Mrs. Leighton said we could use one of the empty offices.”
Sally excused herself, cleared her space, picked up her and Tub’s tray, and left them in the return rack as she and Audrey left the dining room.
Audrey guided Sally to the office and closed the door after them. Audrey didn’t sit at the desk. She opted for one of the two chairs and set down her briefcase beside her.
Sally sat down.
Audrey noticed that Sally’s hands shook. Cid had warned her that Sally wasn’t to be pressed. Mrs. Leighton too had cautioned Audrey not to make sudden moves or outbursts.
“Sally, Cid and I have been working together for years with PEEPs. He committed to working with the team about the same time I did. We fight over who’s the redshirt.”
“Did he ask you to check on me?”
“Oh no. I’ve come to get your perspective on the possessed Kiki Pickles. Her boyfriend Alan is bringing her back to Chicago today to see Father Santos. He specializes in possessions.”
“But she’s not possessed now.”
“No, but we may have a rare opportunity. You see, according to Kiki, the ghost left memories we may be
