THREE
Phoebe stepped out of the mausoleum and looked around. She had been so sure Cole would be here. He had told her that cemeteries were the one place he could be safe from the bounty hunters that had been tracking him. It made it difficult for them to find him. He had once told her it was the second safest place he knew.
There were only a few people at this time of day; they were scattered around the cemetery visiting graves. But Cole was not among them. She had been sure he would be here but he was nowhere to be found. As she turned to walk back to her car she nearly collided with a man entering another mausoleum.
"Oh, excuse me," she said, stepping to one side.
"No problem," said the man. He looked at her for a moment. "Visiting someone special?"
"What? Oh, yeah, sort of. Actually I was looking for someone I thought might be here."
"A boyfriend?"
"Something like that. We had an argument and he stormed off. I thought I might find him here. But he doesn't seem to be here."
"My name is Stephen Parker," said the man. "This is a strange place to look for someone."
"Phoebe, Phoebe Halliwell. Well, his father is buried here. I thought he might have come here to think."
"I can relate," said Stephen, looking into the mausoleum. "I do the same thing."
"You have a loved one buried here?"
"Something like that. My fiancée and I had an argument. I was a youth counselor and coached little league baseball. I was in a hurry to get to a game and threw some socks on the floor instead of in the hamper. We got into an argument over it and it just sort of escalated into this huge fight."
"Sounds like Cole and me. Oh, Cole, that's my boyfriend. We argued over him leaving the toilet seat up. Then I found out it wasn't even him. It was my brother-in-law."
"I see. Well, I stormed off too and went to the game because I was late. Unfortunately before the game was over she died. We never had the chance to make up. For me to tell her how sorry I was for what had happened."
"I'm sorry," said Phoebe. "That must be awful."
"It was such a stupid argument. Over nothing really. I never got the chance to tell her how sorry I was and how much I loved her. Over a stupid pair of socks. It's crazy what people fight over. When there are so many more important things in the world."
"You're right," Phoebe said sadly. "We both said some pretty hurtful things. When I think about it now it was so stupid. It should never have happened."
"Find your Cole," said Stephen in earnest. "Find him right away. Make things right. Don't let what happened to me happen to you. You came to look for him so you must care about him a great deal. Don't let another minute go by without setting things right."
"I will, thanks," said Phoebe. "And you know what happened with you wasn't your fault. I'm sure your fiancée knew how much you loved her. And how sorry you were about the fight."
"I appreciate that," said Stephen. "I just wish I could tell her so. But I guess it's too late for that now. Well, I'm sure you need to be finding Cole. I won't keep you. It was nice meeting you, Phoebe Halliwell. I hope things work out for you."
"Thanks, Stephen," said Phoebe.
The man entered the mausoleum and Phoebe turned and headed for her car. As she was just about to unlock the car door Cole walked up to her.
"Come to accuse me of something else?" Cole asked, anger evident in his voice.
"Cole, I'm sorry," said Phoebe. "Leo left the seat up. I'm sorry about the argument and about accusing you like I did. It was very stupid. I love you and I should have realized you wouldn't lie to me."
"I guess we both got a bit carried away," Cole admitted, his anger abating. "I love you too and you're right. It was a stupid argument. I'm sorry for what I said about your grandmother. That wasn't fair. Can we just forget about it?"
"Of course," said Phoebe. "Consider if forgotten. I met a really nice guy by the mausoleum. We had a nice chat and he made me realize what a stupid argument you and I had. He had the saddest story to tell."
"Talking to strangers now?" Cole's grin was sardonic. "So, what is my competitions' name?"
"He's no competition," said Phoebe, playfully poking Cole in the ribs. "His name is Stephen Parker and he was really nice."
"Excuse me," said a young woman who was walking by at that moment. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but did I hear you say you knew Steve?"
"Yes," said Phoebe. "A really nice guy. Do you know him?"
"I did," said the woman, sadness in her voice. "He was my fiancée. He died about three years ago after we had this terrible fight. I come by to visit his grave every year on the anniversary of his death. It makes me feel closer to him."
Phoebe's eyes widened and her breath caught. If this woman was telling the truth she had just talked with a ghost.