The R was nice, very nice. John Redman ordered room service and exercised in front of the TV until it arrived. The bellhop was a little perturbed by the bruised and swollen faced man who took the trolley from him and gave him a $5 tip for the fright.

The phone rang and John answered it in between bites of his club sandwich

'Hello?'

'Are you okay?'

'yes Chief.' John answered

'Really ok?'

John sighed. 'Please Bill, I am ok.'

Chief Bill didn't complain about the use of his first name. He just sounded tired.

'I'm sorry John, my headaches aren't going away and we got a report that you were pretty banged up. You know your Ma would give me hell if…'

John grinned. Ma was capable of giving anyone hell. 'I tried to call her.'

The chief was silent on the line for a moment. 'She's probably on the gaming floor somewhere.' he said, sadly. 'We lose one problem, we gain another. Still. Maybe it's time you gave up whatever it is you're doing and come on back. I could use all the help I can get.'

John's ears pricked up. 'Is it bad?'

'They want our license John. If we don't play ball, they want to go after us.'

'Who? The mob guys?'

John could hear Chief Bill breathing, he felt the concern in his voice. 'I don't know John. I don't know. I gotta get back out there. That rooms yours until you want to leave. Give it a few days to heal up and then head on back. I don't want your Ma seeing you messed up.'

'Thanks Chief. What about that guy I spoke to you about…?'

"John we've done what we can. He's been moved to a different housing unit and I got a lawyer running over his case…'

'That's swell, but look, can you get a message to him?'

'Jesus in a jumpsuit John, I'm not your goddam secretary. Hold the line and I'll transfer you to Precious Flower, she'll pass on whatever you need

'Thankyou Chief.' John said, meaning both words. "Hey, before you go..'

'What, John?'

John smiled. 'I'm proud to have you as my Chief, Bill Williams.'

The Chief harrumphed and hung up. The phone clicked and Precious Flower answered in her usual slow drawl. 'Yas John.'

'Hi Precious' John said, smiling.

'Just tell me what you want to write, John' Precious said, shutting him down. There was no pleasing the woman.

'I need you to get a message to…'

'Yas John, I know. I was listening.'

John grinned. She listened in all the time. 'Ok. I need him to be on the lookout for a young guy, his name is Lewis. His fath…his mama's name is Red and she did me a good turn. I ask him to extend the same care. He'll know what I mean.'

'Is thet all?' Precious drawled.

'Yes Precious, that's all. Nice talking with you.'

'Always a pleasure' precious said and hung up.

---

'Will you be checking out today?' asked the concierge, rather hopefully.

'Not with crazy prices like these!' John exclaimed. 'I may stay a month!'

The concierge made a desperate effort to look pleased at the news.

John laughed. 'Don't worry, I just need to recover from my last bout.'

'Oh. You're a boxer.' said the concierge, brightening considerably. 'Oh my, you must have had a tremendous fight.' Not to mention considerable funds to afford the Penthouse. Evidently pleased that his high rolling guest wasn't a drug dealer or pimp, the Concierge was positively beaming.

John was not about to dispel any misapprehension that would cheer the man up. 'More like a mixed martial arts sort of thing. Bit of wrestling. Got cut and had to retire hurt.'

'Well.' said the concierge. 'Whilst you're convalescing, what can we do to keep you entertained? One assumes you wish to maintain a low public profile.'

John nodded. 'Until I return to a normal colour.'

'Quite. Perhaps you'd care to accept a complementary day spa session?'

John thought about spending the day under a hot towel and realised it would also keep him neatly out of sight. 'Sure. Let's give it a whirl.'

---

Johns pores were thoroughly cleaned. He had been steamed, wiped, waxed, manicured, pedicured and felt closer to Red and her girlfriends than he had ever felt in his life.

'I feel pretty' he said aloud, evoking a smile from the perfectly coiffured salon attendant.

'We try not to tell the men how good this stuff is, keep it for the girls' she confided.

John nodded. 'This is definitely the life. I could get used to this.'

The girl smiled back at him and brought over a bowl of guacamole.

'Where are the corn chips?' john asked, suddenly hungry. The attendant shook her head. 'This is for your face.'

John grimaced at the waste of a good avocado and lay back while she trowelled Mexican Dip onto the safe parts of his face, leaving a gap around in his cheek.

'This will help with the swelling. If you don't mind my asking, were you in an accident?'

'Sort of.'

She finished applying the mask and sat back to look at him. John felt like a Nachos platter.

'Ok, we'll just put some cooling bags over your eyes and leave you to rest for a few minutes.' John watched in alarm as she brought two soggy looking teabags over on a plate and dangled them above his forehead. 'Just close your eyes now.' She said.

---

John awoke from a dreamless sleep to feel a tugging against his skin. 'Stop it coyote, you crazy mutt.' he said, laughing as it tickled.

"I beg your pardon?' demanded the attendant. She removed the tea bags from his eyes so she could treat him to a glower.

'Sorry about that, I think I dozed off there. I was dreaming that my old…puppy…was licking my face.' john said, feeling a little awkward. 'Blame it on the salsa.'

The attendant didn't look any less unhappy, but she seemed to accept the explanation. 'That's ok. People fall asleep in here all the time. At least you didn't have a nightmare.'

John raised an eyebrow. 'People have nightmares? In here?'

The attendant nodded. 'Oh you'd be surprised what goes on in a day spa. Plenty of women come in when they're feeling down or blue.'

'I take it they off-load on you?'

She smiled sadly. 'Comes with the territory. That's why they call it beauty therapy.'

John laughed and winced. Her hand shot out and touched his cheek. 'I'm so sorry.' She said, feeling guilty at having made him laugh. John smiled. 'I needed that. Thanks.' She was close to him, picking away at the final pieces of facemask to reveal smooth brown skin and a thin pink line on his cheek. 'That rest seems to have done you the world of good. If I hadn't seen you when you came in, I'd swear…'

'You know' he said. 'I just had a crazy idea. Have dinner with me.'

She stood and quickly withdrew to a safer distance and adopted a professional tone. 'I'm sorry, we…'

'John. John Redman' he said, inserting himself into her sentence. 'If you're going to say no, at least use my name.'

She paused, smiling. "Well…John Redman, as I was saying, the hotel frowns on patrons and…'

John slapped his thigh. 'They already disapprove the hell out of me anyway. What's to lose?'

'My job' she said, flatly.

'Ah.' He said.

She lifted her eyes to meet his. 'But you might meet me at a restaurant.'

---

'Good night sir!' the Concierge called as John walked through the foyer towards the glass exit doors. John grinned. He had purchased aviator sunglasses and a blazer at the hotel stores and was feeling decidedly preppy. He had oiled his hair back and reined it in with a leather cord threaded with turquoise. He ought to look hot.

He stepped into the waiting cab and tipped the doorman, who closed the door and gave a tip of his hat.

Ten minutes later, John was opposite his date, across a checked table cloth held in place by a wicker wrapped bottle draped in melted wax.

'This is very romantic' she said. 'Oh. My name's Cassandra. Cassie for short.'

John reached out a hand and shook her hand, enveloping it his own for a moment and allowing it to linger.

'You sure are frisky, mister.' She said, laughing.

John could feel it too; something infectious. He felt unusually happy, as if his senses had been sharpened. Maybe the anaesthetic had been messing with his head. Everything seemed more colourful, richer; louder. He released her hand and apologised.

'I'm sorry, Cassie. This is just…I don't know. Kind of 'pleasant' I suppose you'd call it.'

She took a sip of her wine. 'Pleasant? That's a strange thing to say.'

John nodded. 'Normal is very strange for me.'

She was watching him from behind the protective cover of her wineglass. He seemed continually poised, as if ready to jump up at any moment. She felt a sense of danger and excitement. His nostrils flared out with each breath.

'How's this working out for you?' he asked, breaking in on her thoughts.

Cassie blinked. 'I. Ah. Would you like to come back to my place?'

'Absolutely!' John exclaimed, but then looked around the restaurant. 'But you know, this place looks nice. Let's eat first.'

Cassie shook her head in amazement at her own words, but John was already scanning the menu. 'I'm ravenous' he said. 'What have they got here that's got meat in it?'

---

They walked along with avenue after the meal, arm in arm. Cassie was wearing John's Jacket in the cool night air. John felt strangely contended. The urgency that had fuelled him for the last few weeks seemed to have abated.

'This is my stop' Cassie said. She opened the white picket fence and walked a pace inside. John stopped at the gate. Cassie raised an eyebrow. 'You won't come inside?'

John smiled. 'It's been a great night Cassie.'

She held out his jacket to him. He took it and slipped it back on. The cool air made her shiver.

'Well, John Redman. I guess I'll see you around.' She stepped back through the gate and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, watching his eyes. When they didn't move, she frowned, turned and walked back to her porch. John waited while she unlocked her front door and entered the house, giving him one last look over her shoulder as she shut the door. When it closed shut, John let out a sigh.

'Ha!' said Owl from the tree above the fence. John looked up at him. 'Hello Owl' he said.

'Ha!' said owl again. 'What was that?'

John looked around, the street was empty, so no one would mind if he talked to a tree branch. The lights in the house came on as Cassie moved from room to room.

Owl blinked slowly at John. 'John my boy, don't play coy with your ancestors.'

John grinned. He liked Owl, but seldom had the opportunity to speak. Sometimes, seeing Owl could be very bad, but this didn't seem like one of those times. 'Not following you Owl, care to spell it out?'

Owl hooted. 'You sure are a funny one. What gives with the hottie? You lost your nerve?'

'Hey' John called back. 'I'm just trying to have a normal night. You know; like Regular Folks.'

Owl hooted again. 'You crack me up John Redman. Our tribe does not chicken out.'

The lights in one corner of the house blinked on. John could see movement from between the slats of the window shutters.

'You know my motto on this subject?' Owl enquired.

'No. Do tell' John replied.

Owl deigned to move his head in John's direction. 'Smoke'em if you got'em son, life's too short.' Owl's head shot back to a different angle, spying a possible meal. 'I gotta run John, but take my advice. You've had a rough time. Live a little.' He flapped his wings and jumped from the branch, arcing upwards and then dropped in a furious rustling of leaf and wing to seize an unfortunate rodent scurrying amongst the leaves. Owl looked back with a mouthful of mouse and tipped him a wink.

The shutter on the house had moved, casting a silhouette into the garden. Cassie stood in the window, wearing a night dress. Somehow she was looking right at him. She reached up to the throat of the night dress and released a button. It slid to the floor as she turned into the light. John gulped. A moment later, the front door swung open. 'Ah what the hell' John Redman said and pushed the picket gate aside.

---

Cassie was woken by the sounds of someone in her kitchen. There was no awkward moment of coming to realise what she had done and then the pang of regret when the bed next to her was unoccupied. Nor was there the following comfort of privacy. Her guest was still here all right, and going through her shit.

She quickly fastened a bathrobe around her and hurried out to the kitchen.

He had pans on the stove boiling water and seemed to be flipping something in a frypan.

'Morning' he called out cheerfully.

Cassie sat on a stool next to the mid kitchen island and watched in amazement as a cup of coffee was poured from a dazzling height, forming up perfectly to the brim without a drop spilt. A plate quickly assembled in front of her bearing eggs, mushrooms and other things she hadn't realised she had in the fridge. Within seconds, he was sat in front of her, reading the paper and wolfing down his eggs from a matching plate. When she remained motionless for a few seconds, John shook the paper and looked over at her. 'Eat!' he said, waving a fork at her. Cassie was stung into action and quickly forked eggs into her mouth.

'Not bad' she allowed. 'Where'd the spread come from? I didn't hear you come back in?' – 'let alone go out', she thought to herself.

John munched and smiled. 'There's toast. Want some?'

'Sure' Cassie said nodding. 'You can't still have been hungry?'

'Ravenous.' he said, buttering to slices of toast and putting them on a side plate. 'That spa thing did the trick. Thought you might be a little hungry too…' he said, giving her a less than chaste smile.

Cassie almost blushed. He was right though; she was hungry. And a little sensitive in certain places. John caught her look. 'I have some ointment for that' he offered.

Cassie laughed. John laughed too, but said: 'No, I'm serious, my uncle Whitefeather made me up a jar of this killer saddle sore cream.'

'So I never asked you, what is it you do?' Cassie said, finishing her eggs.

John considered it for a moment. 'Truthfully? It's a bit of everything. I work for my Tribe's casino as a…well…sort of dogsbody I guess. Sort of a trouble-shooter.' He grinned widely at the thought. 'Maybe trouble-almost-shooter is more accurate.'

'That sounds exciting!' Cassie enthused. 'Oh. Except you get beat up.'

John nodded. 'That's one of the perks. On the bright side, they put me up in nice hotels to recover.'

Cassie beamed back at him and snuggled around her cup of coffee. "So are you going to disappear now, Mr Redman?' she said and immediately felt awful. It was a subject she hadn't meant to bring up.

John looked askance. 'Ah…no. I got word from on high, you might say, to take a day or two off, but I'll have to get on the road sooner or later.'

Cassie couldn't help but frown. John reached out a hand and took hers. "What do you do for fun around here?'

---

The lake was bordered by lawns and sculpted woodlands. The last of the forests had dwindled to a clump of trees providing shelter to the open air BBQ area. It was free from the errant pieces of trash that would signify regular usage by an uncaring public.

'Pretty' John murmured as he stepped between the trees.

'Isn't it?' Cassie said, stopping beside him. 'I used to come here a lot as a kid.'

John looked around the park. It was empty, save one lone figure walking their dog.

'I'm surprised there aren't more people here.' He wondered aloud.

Cassie shrugged. 'It's got a story attached to it.'

'Ah.' said John. 'Now I'm definitely interested.' He hunkered down on a tree root.

Cassie sat beside him, gathering her skirt up to keep it above the ground. 'Huh?'

'One of the other things I do. I collect 'stories'. Tell me the story of why people don't come to the lake.'

Cassie shivered, as if a cloud had drifted in front of the sun and it had grown cold. 'Cripes John, why don't we just talk about something else?'

A hooting noise floated out from the trees. 'What was that?' Cassie said abruptly.

John pricked up his ears. He closed his eyes and listened. Water was lapping gently against the shore. Insects were buzzing in the grasses. The high, far-away sound of laughter.

'People died here. Young people' he said softly.

Cassie drew in a sharp breath. 'How did you…'

John held up his hand and he stood. He walked down onto the soft slope where the water lapped on black earth and stopped. 'There' he said, pointing. 'They gathered together at the edge of the lake.'

Cassie stood up and walked over to him. 'John, you're scaring me.'

John's eyes traversed across the water and around the lake. He stooped to taste the water.

'John, wait.' Cassie said, reaching for him. John cupped his palm and took a sip of the water. He spat it out fiercely.

'I could have told you.' admonished Cassie, 'It went brackish a while back. They think the salt came up through the water table.'

John shook his head. 'Tears. They're tears.' Cassie gasped. She turned around and ran away from him. 'Hey Cassie!' he called out as she ran. 'Aw crap' he muttered and set off after her.

Despite having the advantage of length of stride, Cassie was running at a breakneck pace and John had to remember how to run properly to bring down game. He adopted a long loping stride that caught her when her energy gave way. As he reached her, he could hear her wracking sobs coming out with each harshly drawn breath.

'Shit Cassie, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…' he tried to get a hold of her and draw her upright but she pushed him away, still doubled over and holding her knees. 'I just…I just…need…to…get …my…breath…back' she panted.

John sat down cross legged in the grass and waited for her to calm.

Cassie looked at him a little sheepishly. 'I'm sorry John. You must think I'm crazy.'

John shook his head. 'Not at all. I went a little John Edwards on you and you got spooked. My bad.'

Cassie laughed. John put out a hand and pulled her to sit beside him.

'No John, that's not it. I guess it's just a story I didn't want to share with you, or anyone for that matter.'

John looked at her thoughtfully. 'I really didn't mean to...'

Cassie put her hand up to his lips. 'I haven't told anyone this for, for forever it seems.' Cassie gathered herself in, settling into the grass. 'It's an old ghost I never laid to rest.'

'Ah. That's why you brought me.' John said sagely.

Cassie looked at him with an amused smile. 'Come again?'

John straightened up in his sitting posture and tried to look wise. 'Deputy Medicine Man at your service. Old family tradition. Spook removal a specialty.'

Cassie laughed.

'Who ya gonna call?' John said, deadpan.

Cassie stopped laughing and looked at him. He seemed sincere, in a smart-alecky sort of way. She sighed. 'Ok, here goes. A while back, a bunch of kids got drowned here. Big local tragedy. Local kids, local families'

John nodded. 'That accounts for Owl being around.'

Cassie looked puzzled. 'Owl?'

John nodded. 'He turned up last night, and again just before. He made that noise.' John mimicked the mournful hooting.

'What's that got to do with anything?' Cassie said, almost angry.

John raised his hands, palm out. 'For my tribe, Owl represents Ancestors. Sometimes, he also represents Death. If Owls poking about, it means someone isn't happy being dead and needs to communicate.'

Cassie blanched white. 'Fuck you John, or whatever your name is.'

'Hey!' John shot back. 'What's got into you?'

Cassie's lips were pressed together in a furious line. John waved a hand in front of her face. 'Hey Cassie, it's me, the guy you had eggs with, ok? Listen, if you don't want to talk about this, we don't have to. My offer to try and help put your ghosts to rest is genuine. You might not believe in that sort of thing, but my people do. I didn't mean to offend you.'

Cassie doubled over and cried again. John moved to her and put an arm around her, holding her until the sobs finished. 'Shit.' He said to himself. 'What have I done?'

Cassie looked up, her face tear streaked. 'I'm really sorry John, its just so many people tried to get me to tell that story, mostly reporters. I thought maybe you had slipped under my radar.' John gave her a squeeze.

'My mom.' Cassie said, trembling, then the dam holding back the old story burst asunder and she spoke without tremor.

'My mom, she was a teacher, elementary school and sometimes preschool. One day, she took her class to the lake.'

John could feel the ancestors drawing near. The water at the edge of the lake shimmered and sparkled. John acknowledged them and turned back to Cassie.

'Go on.' He said.