but my Uncle passed away a few years ago. I’m sure he couldn’t hear the phone ring over the flames and sinners screaming for mercy.”

Colton laughed a big hearty laugh again. “You’re funny. I like that, but Ian, buddy, you’re gonna have to cut the sir nonsense and call me Colton or Colt, my friends call me Colt.”

Ian was thrilled. “Sure thing, Colt.” Then the second dawning happened. “Uh, Colt, why do your boys use this pool? Surely you have one of you own.”

“Oh, yeah.” He smiled as he emptied the skimmer into a small trashcan. “But you know how kids are, afraid they’ll get caught skinny dippin’ by their Mom. Little rascals always jumped out of their clothes ever chance they got. Course as they got older they didn’t want Mamma to see their little pee pees, like she never diapered um or wiped their butts.”

Ian nodded, understanding.

“Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Herman always loved it when they came over and didn’t seem to mind that they’d get nekkid and bring their girl friends over late at night. They said it never bothered ‘em and made ‘em feel young again just knowing that youth was frolicking around the backyard. They were great people. We’re sure gonna miss ‘em”

“I only met her briefly, but she seemed nice and determined I buy this place. She just looked at me and said I was the one. Seemed in a hurry to go live with her daughter though. I’m sure I’ll hear from her soon, everything isn’t technically legal yet.”

Colt cocked his head to one side and squinted his right eye, a trademark gesture that had made him famous, “That’s a little odd.”

“I thought so myself, but she made me a deal I couldn’t refuse, especially once I got a look at the place.” Ian turned and gazed at what he still could not quite believe was his. “She left that afternoon, took her to the airport myself, and I moved what few things I had in that night.”

“Hmm…” he pondered. “Don’t mean to sound like a small town private eye, but you must have heard something wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Miss Elizabeth doesn’t have a daughter, or at least none that we know of. Tippy and I have lived next door to her and been like family for over fifteen years. Course she’s 92, and we were getting a little worried when on more and more occasions she’d talk about yesterday like she was there.”

“That is a little odd,” Ian thought, “but I know for a fact that I put her on a plane to Ohio.”

“Yeah, that’s were she told us she was going. Said she had found a little assisted living place where she could live out the rest of her time without having to worry about being a burden to any one.” Colt shook his head. “Tippy and me felt so bad about that. We always thought of her as family, and told her we wanted her to stay that we wanted to help take care of her.”

“But she said no?” Ian asked and Colt nodded in agreement.

“Said she had things she had to get done, and she needed to do them on her own, but she did promise she’d keep in touch and that