Gone Ghost
Coffee and Ghosts: Episode 4
I STAND OUTSIDE THE DOOR to the Springside Long-term Care Facility, my hands clutching an insulated carafe of the best Kona blend. I have a ghost to catch, one who is picky and prickly. Even with the most expensive beans, I might not be able to tempt it from its haunting.
The melancholy ghosts are the hardest to catch.
My business partner, Malcolm Armand, stands next to me. In the canvas bag we use as a field kit, he carries a collection of thermoses. They jangle as he halts, a hand on my shoulder to keep me in place. His brow wears a worried frown, and his lips are pursed.
“Malcolm?” I say. “What—?”
“Where is everyone?”
Through the glass double doors, I can see the woman who works the reception desk, but no one else. Above us, the sun is doin
