Basil cast an annoyed glance in her direction. “I’ll fix this. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll go downstairs and stand outside. I’ll wait for the police and I’ll complete the necessary paperwork, tell them it’s a false alarm. Once the coast is clear, we’ll kick Carl out of here. Seem fair?”

“Whatever you say,” Carl said, pumping Basil’s hand. “I owe you everything. Thank you for being a good guy. Thank you!”

Basil managed to extract his hand. “Everybody stay here until I get back.”

“Again, thank you,” Carl repeated.

“Enough already,” Basil said, and he set off toward the front of the store.

Carl went around shaking hands with everyone, introducing himself and learning their names. “I really appreciate your vote,” he told Amy. “It’s a good thing you’ve done for me tonight. You’re good people. I won’t forget it.”

“Uh, thanks?” Amy said, embarrassed.

An awkward silence ensued. Dining Rooms wasn’t the best place to kill time, and they all acknowledged the moment with forced smiles.

“Did anyone bring cards?” Ruth Anne joked.

“This whole night is ruined,” Trinity said.

A tinny snatch of music played from Amy’s pocket. She pulled out her cell phone and answered it. “Hello?”

“This is the Brecksville Police Department dispatcher. Did you call 911?”

“Yes, but—”

“And your address is 7414 River Park Drive?”

“It is, but we don’t need—”

“How do you get there?” the dispatcher asked.

“It depends which way you’re coming,” Amy said. “Don’t you guys know this? You take any exit along Cuyahoga and you get on the feeder road. There’s not an exit from the highway.”

“So they have to get on the feeder road?” the dispatcher asked.

“Yeah,” Amy said.

“I’ll let them know. If we have any more problems, can I reach you at this number?”

“Sure, but my battery’s getting low,” Amy said. “Also, you guys don’t need to come because—”

The dispatcher hung up.

“The bad news is that the cops are still coming,” Amy said. “The good news is that they’re lost.”

“This is turning into a long night,” Ruth Anne said. She turned to Matt. “Did you two find any ghosts?”

“Not unless you count Carl,” Trinity said.

Matt sat down heavily on one of the Scopperloit chairs.

“Tonight’s been all teasing and no pleasing,” he said. “Without a money shot, our reel is going to be all buildup and no payoff.”

Carl noticed that Matt was carrying a video camera. “Wait, you guys are ghost hunters? Like on A&E?”

“Would everyone stop talking about A&E?” Matt said. “There are other channels.”

“They want to be on Bravo,” Amy explained to Carl.

“With the Real Housewives,” Ruth Anne added helpfully.

“But ghosts only haunt houses,” Carl said. “Everybody knows that.”