Author Anon

“Is Belle still here?” asks Gavin.

“No. She left for class,” says Claire. “What’s going on?”

“Didn’t she tell you?”

“Not much. Just that her apartment was burglarized. I know she had gone to get her sketches back recently. She didn’t elaborate.”

“Claire, I need you to convince her to trust me and to work with me on this.”

“Why?”

Gavin looks at her in surprise. Then he smiles. “I thought you had chosen her as my girl. It’s hard to get to know a girl when she’s all prickly.”

“Belle is not prickly.”

“She is, with me. I think she may be in danger and I’d like to protect her.”

Claire looks at him suspiciously. “You never showed much interest in her before.”

“I was giving her time, but now she’s in trouble and I can’t just stand by. Can you do this for me?”

“I’ll try,” says Claire. “But you don’t understand Belle. She makes her own mind.”

“Help me to understand,” says Gavin, smiling.

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“Daddy, what are we going to do?” asks Leslie, frantically.

“I don’t know,” says Carl, impatiently. “But I’ve got more to worry about right now.”

“If we end up having to shut down the shop, William might ask us to return the money.”

“Not if you have your mom work on that.”

“Good morning, girls,” says Melanie, stepping into the office. “No one’s minding the front. How did your Grand Opening go?”

“It was great!” cries Carrie, enthusiastically.

“Yeah. Up until a certain point,” says Leslie.

“What do you mean?” asks Carrie.

“We had a little trouble with Belle Silverman,” says Leslie.

“What kind of trouble?”

They explain to her.

“You did what?! I thought you told me you made the designs yourself! How am I going to face William with that?”

“I did tell you that, mom. I’ll back you up on it. But I lied to you.”

“As if that makes it better. I already have enough trouble as it is.”

“What kind of trouble?” asks Carl.

“I’m being haunted by the ghost of Julia,” says Melanie.

The others laugh but Melanie turns a serious face to them. The laughter suddenly ceases.

“I’m serious,” says Melanie.

“Sorry,” they say.

“It just sounds ridiculous,” says Carrie.

“Either I’m seeing a ghost or someone is playing a trick on me. And I mean to find out.”

“We’ll help you with that,” says Leslie. “After all, we live there, too. But you’ll have to help us with William.”

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“Blanche, I have several names for you,” says Michael. “They are all competent and ethical. But I think it would be in your best interest to check them out yourself and decide who best fits you and your needs.”

“Thank you,” says Blanche. “I appreciate it. I knew I could count on you. Amanda is a very lucky girl to have you.”

Michael blushes. “I consider myself the lucky one.”

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Filed under: All That Glitters