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It was a pretty normal so far. Alison had woken up in time for the Captain’s daily run, learned that he still hadn’t beaten his record then complained about it, and Pat told him that he definitely would beat it one day which made the Captain cheer up. Alison then went to turn book pages, have a surprise talk with Julian about Groundhog Day, a movie he surprisingly saw and enjoyed, and finally played a game of chess with Robin before going out grocery shopping. When she came back, she ate a quick lunch, then decided to clean the library, something she had been pushing back for quite a while now.
She was doing that when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. Figuring out that it could be someone who didn’t know about the Gate House burning, Alison decided to pick up.
«- Hello, Alison Cooper speaking.
- Yes, hi! My name is Martin Grace and I am an historian. Well, a student to become one.
- Alright, and how can I help you?», Alison asked. She was getting curious as to which ghost this person wanted to know about. Because of course a history student wouldn’t call if they didn’t have questions about one of her ghosts.
«- Right, uh, so I called you because I am doing my final’s paper on someone who apparently stayed at your house for a while during the Second World War. I wanted to know if you maybe still had of their belongings with you.
- Well, it’s possible. We have a lot of stuff everywhere, especially in the attic. Whose stuff do I need to find?
- Captain James Theodore Bates. He was the commanding officer during the war, and died only one year after at that same House he served in.»
Alison hummed. So it was the Captain this person wanted to know. «Interesting. Maybe I could learn more about his life? He never opens up.», thought the Cooper, who completely missed the end of the second sentence.
«- Well, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you come here and stay a few days? We have plenty room, and it would give you the time to search for material for your paper.
- Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your intimacy.
- Yeah it’s no worries. We’ve got plenty rooms here, so you wouldn’t bother us.
- Well, uh, in that case, would it be ok for me to come towards the end of may?»
The obvious anxiousness in the person’s voice made Alison smile, recalling her own days as a student. Thinking a bit, she then replied to Martin.
«- Yes it should be fine. I can discuss the exact dates with my husbands and call you back later if it would help.
- Yes definitely! Thank you so much! I must get going now, but thank you for your time and help!
- It’s nothing much don’t worry! I’ll call you back later this week. Goodbye.
- Goodbye and again thank you so much!»
Alison chuckled as she put her phone down. «Well this promises to be interesting», she thought. Truth was, it was a rare occurrence to have someone asking things about one of her ghosts, the only exception being Humphrey.
Looking around, she remembered what she was previously doing, and started ordering the books on the now clean shelves. At diner, she would tell Mike about the phone call, and they would settle for a date. And tomorrow she would call back Martin to give them the date. And would forget to tell the ghosts about someone coming.