Perilous by E. H. Reinhard

want to. It couldn’t have been cheap or even affordable. The original wood floors shone as if new. I wheeled our suitcases to the stairwell and parked them.
    Melissa took a seat at one of the chairs at the center island, and Callie did the same.
    “What’s up with Dad?” Melissa asked.
    I walked over. “I talked to him and Sandy yesterday. I told them Callie and I would be up Saturday morning. Were you guys going to come?”
    “We talked about it. I’m not sure one hundred percent yet, though. Jeff was talking like he had to work on Saturday. So we’ll see, I guess. Are they coming back down here with you guys?”
    “That’s the plan. He said that he and Sandy would head back with us on Monday. I figured we’ll all hang out Monday night and maybe go grab some dinner or something. Then Tuesday, we’re off,” I said.
    “Okay. Well, if they are coming for sure on Monday, I guess it’s not that big of a deal if we can make it up or not.”
    I rocked my head back and forth.
    “He’s been acting weird lately,” Melissa said.
    I tried to keep my eye rolling to a minimum. “How has he been acting weird, Mel?”
    “Don’t ask me all sarcastic like.”
    “Sorry. I’ll try again. How has he been acting weird?”
    “It’s like he is scared about getting older. I think he’s sensing his own mortality or something.”
    “Are you sure that’s not just you thinking that way?”
    “No. I asked Sandy. You know she would never come out and say that Dad is worried about something, but she kind of hinted to it.”
    “This is all pretty vague, Mel. I’m going to need an example.”
    “He was talking to me about a will a few weeks back.”
    I was quiet. I’d never heard my father ever mention anything about a will in his life. “I’ll try to talk to him and see what’s up.”
    “Yeah, good luck with that. He won’t tell you anything. You know how he is,” Melissa said.
    I saw her point. My father wasn’t one for long, drawn-out talks about feelings.
    “Well, what’s on the agenda for today, then?” Melissa asked.
    “Take a shower, change, and then I wanted to stop in at the old station and say hi to a few people. I figured I would just get it out of the way today.”
    She looked at Callie and smiled. “Does that sound like something you want to do on vacation?”
    “Um,” Callie said.
    “Why don’t you take the old 4Runner in the garage and go say hi to your buddies? Callie, Tommy, and I will find something more entertaining to do.”
    “Like?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. Mall and a movie or something?”
    “I’m fine with that if you are, Cal.”
    She smiled. “A mall and a movie does sound like a better time than sitting at a police station. Sorry.”
    “You don’t want to hear me and the guys rehash cases from years back?”
    Callie smiled. “I’ll let you give me the highlights later.”
    “All right.” I kissed Callie on the forehead. “I’m going to take the bags upstairs and change.”
    “Sounds good.”
    I carried everything up to the guest room and was cleaned up within fifteen minutes. When I walked back down, the two were in the same spot in the kitchen, talking. I walked behind Callie and rested my arms on her shoulders. “I guess I’m going to head down there. I should be back around six or seven.”
    “Later, babe.” She rubbed my arm.
    “We should be back around then, too. If we’re not and Jeff isn’t home, there is a key under the mat. We’ll plan on a later dinner. Maybe eight o’clock or so.”
    “You know that is about the most unsafe place in the world for a key to your house, right?”
    She waved away my comment. “Thanks for the tip, Johnny Law.”
    Callie laughed.
    I said my goodbyes and drove to downtown Milwaukee, to my old station. The place looked the same, as did most of the people. I chewed the fat with the guys I had worked with for almost two hours. I spent another half hour talking with my old captain, Ken Rhodes. He was doing well. My old