@bekkasan : so you back-paddle when it comes to eventually relationships?? Aha! Mary and Damien will fall in love! Got you!
Aww yes, the strayers, I have disabled them through Register, first because of the routing faliures but second because I feel sorry for every stray appearing at the door!
My Sims got their two cats like this, too. Streuner (just stray in German ) was my first one and I immidiatly fell in love for him!!!! He looked so skinny and helpless when he was sleeping on the broken paper! I had to adopt him!!
I would adopt every little stray coming to the house so it´s better to stop them from appearing! you´ve mentioned TV: there are some programs here coming from the U.S. where people hunt for ghosts, they always use some strange equipment! It´s a bit funny to watch what they see on the equipment, cause I can´t see or hear anything at all when they say that there was something!
I hope it´s not too late in Florida, I´m sitting on my next chapter atm, I think it will be ready to post in 30 to 60 min!
Damien completes his business at the police station and town hall. He finds out the lead detective on the case is deceased but the partner is retired and still lives in town.
His next stop is the library. He looks through the newspaper archives and discovers several stories regarding the tragic boating accident and drowning death of Betty. Her husband survived the accident miraculously without a scratch. He reads an interview with Betty's oldest son who was quite distraught and accused the husband of causing the accident. He tells the journalist his mother would never have left her children out of her will. They had been a very close family before she met that man. Damien makes many notes and copies several of the articles. He determines the name of the insurance company from the accident report obtained from the police station. The corporate office is right here in Hidden Springs.
The next stop for him is the business office. He discovers a generous policy was taken out on Betty with her husband as beneficiary. The policy premiums were paid for by Betty’s corporation. The husband also purchased supplemental insurance on the boat and cars.
Damien makes a trip back to the town hall. The clerk provides a copy of the will for him to read as it had already been through probate. Betty left all her property and worldly goods to her husband. Damien puts the copy in his folder. He recalls Betty told him she had not had time to execute a new will since her marriage and her children were the beneficiaries of the will. He needs to chat with Betty.
A typical day in the life of a PI searching for clues and sifting through records to discover clues.
Damien enjoys the search, and his logical mind easily combines the pieces to solve the puzzle. He merely has to supply the proof or elicit a confession. That will be the hard part.
Last stop, the pet store.
Jamie plays with the cat before searching the lot for ghosts. He finds one of the ghosts out in the back yard. Instead of disappearing the ghost stays to chat. "My wife and I and our friend Elias were killed in a fire. Are you going to help solve our case?"
"Damien does the investigations but if he needs my help I will help. Have you talked with him yet?"
“No, but I will. I think he is working on Betty’s case first. You can’t start working on our case?”
“I'm here to help with the house and the ghost that is causing trouble. So, what can you tell me about the ghost in the attic?"
Daniel stutters and is not sure what to say. He thinks the ghost hunter is more astute than they initially thought.
"C'mon man. I'm talented at my job which is to find ghosts. I know someone else is in the house other than you five that are tied to the vessels. Tell me, who is in the attic?"
“I gotta go! I hear my wife calling me.” Daniel flashes away too nervous to attempt an answer. Jamie shrugs as he watches the ghost flash away. I guess I shouldn’t push so hard. He laughs. If you don’t ask, you don’t learn anything. I’ve learned the ghosts are nervous about our presence and our searching even if they want Damien’s help. They are here to help conceal the presence of the other one.
Jamie examines the memorial hidden among the rocks and trees at the back of the yard. There is no plaque, no inscription at all. An urn sits in the middle, but it is empty meaning no one is interred here. So why the memorial? Who is it for?
He turns and looks up at the house. It should be easy to climb down to the attic from the observation deck that was built on the upper level. He might wait until it is not slick with snow and ice. This is a winter resort town. He can buy climbing equipment to make it safer.
He checks the time and realizes he needs to leave for his appointment with the head of the science facility. He will have to go shopping later.
Damien enjoys picking out the necessities for the new cat. He quickly makes friends with Lia when he arrives home. Lia finds the box full of toys for her and snatches a mouse out with her claws. She chases and bats the mouse around the room. Damien watches her before sitting down in front of his computer to type and coordinate his thoughts and findings into the files he keeps on his computer.
Liam O'Dourke, Director of the Science department works in his office while waiting for his afternoon appointment to arrive. Jamie introduces himself to Liam. "I am Jamison McNeil, ghost hunter by trade. I’ve heard about the resurrection research being done on ghosts that started in Hidden Springs. I am most interested in it since my career involves ghosts."
Liam explains how the resurrection project works and that ghosts must fulfill certain criteria to be admitted into the program. "I've heard of your reputation, Mr. McNeil and most of the ghosts you come into contact would not satisfy the criteria. You hunt poltergeists, and they would not be eligible."
"Please call me, Jamie. It is true my work mainly involves poltergeists, but I do come into contact with other ghosts during my hunts. I don't capture them and if I can help them by sending them your way we would both benefit as well as the ghosts. If you cannot help them with your program, I have a friend who may be able to help. He can investigate why they remain tied to this world and hopefully resolve that problem."
"Oh, that is extremely interesting. He is willing to help ghosts? Admirable. I noticed you registered here in town to help out with any ghost cases. One of our prominent citizen’s homes has been besieged by spirits recently, and no ghost hunter has been able to clear the home. Would you be willing to try?
"I will get rid of the ghosts for them," Damien responds with absolute confidence.
Liam and Jamie shake hands. "I will be in touch with you about the details." Jamie gives his contact information to Liam.
"I see you are staying at Spring Manor. I heard someone bought it. Has anything interesting happened since you moved in?"
Jamie explains his friend Damien was fascinated by Mary Kendall's story and bought the manor. "I'm visiting and helping him with renovations and the ghosts. It is haunted. Several of the ghosts have made contact and want Damien to help them move on. Damien is a PI and very good at solving mysteries. He is a former police officer. One of the ghosts seems a bit shy and so far is unwilling to appear although it has played a few tricks."
Liam smiles and wishes them luck. "If the ghosts want to try the resurrection tell them to come to see me."
Jamie nods. "I'm not quite sure it would work for them. They are bound to a vessel and the house for some reason."
Liam looks intrigued. "I've heard some unusual stories recently. Maybe I could come by the house and meet the ghosts."
Jamie smiles and nods. "You would be welcome."
They shake hands, both of them satisfied with the conversation and the contact made.
Mary arrives to see Liam. She notices a familiar looking redhead leaving. She watches as he runs around to the front.
Jamie arrives back at the house to find Damien still working at his computer. He plays with Lia for a bit, and she seems to be settling into her new home perfectly. He notices Damien filled a food bowl for her in the kitchen and got the deluxe litter box and placed it out of the way in the tower. He also got a super cat tower that Lia will love to play on.
Damien finally folds up his laptop and Jamie walks over watching as Damien rubs his eyes and head. “Do you have a headache?”
“Eye strain from reading all day. Everything is coming along very well for Mary and Betty. I need to try and interview the partner of the lead detective and then I will go to the police and the judicial attorney with my findings. I know I have enough proof to reopen the case and charge the girls with murder. Justice will ultimately be served.”
Damien walks over to the bar and fixes a few drinks and they both sip on their drinks.
“I need further proof in Betty’s case. I have my suspicions as to what happened, but I must produce proof or the husband will get away with it. Most murders are not as perfect as they seem to be. I merely need to discover his mistake.”
Jamie raises his glass to Damien. “You are extremely thorough. I know you will find what is needed to prove Betty was murdered. I explored the house last night and there is another ghost here. I think the attic is where it feels most secure. I don’t want to use a sledgehammer to break walls in your house. I think I can drop down from the upper ledge and get in one of the broken windows. I just need some climbing equipment for safety. I will try to get that tomorrow."
"I read your notes again. I think Mary is the other ghost. It makes complete sense that it would be her haunting this house. She died a violent death, and you discovered her death was a murder. She had unfinished business with those who killed her.”
Damien looks up at Jamie his eyes shining. “You think it is her? That would be incredible. Once I was convinced ghosts were real, I had hopes that she might be here. But, she has not appeared to you or me. Does she not realize I am trying to help her?”
Jamie shakes his head looking at his old friend with concern. “Man, you’ve got it so bad. No wonder you don’t want a girlfriend, you are in love with a ghost. Yes, I think it is her. No one else has any reason to haunt this house except her based on the history of the house. I think the other ghosts have been put here to protect the house and Mary. That is the reason they are tied to the vessels and the vessels to the house. I hope that solving their unfinished business will allow the ties to break and they can move on if that is their choice. Mary is probably tied to the house.
Frowning at Jamie, Damien sputters and denies Jamie's claim. “Of course I am not in love with a ghost. I want justice for her. I knew the first time I heard her story something was wrong with it. If it is Mary here yes, I would love to meet her. I feel like I know her for some strange reason. Yes, I know it is weird, but I do. I want Mary to be at peace. It is sadly very obvious she has not been at peace over these many years.
Getting up from his chair, Jamie crosses the room and turns standing in front of the fireplace. He notices a water ghost gnome in the room. He grins and hopes Betty will report the conversation to Mary. Waving his hand around the room he exclaims, "So, explain to me why you are decorating the house in her favorite colors when I know you like deep blues and dark browns? You play her favorite beach music when I know you dig rock? You eat hamburgers and not your favorite cheesesteaks sandwiches for crying out loud. Damien! I know you. You are closer to me than my brother. Well, he's a little twerp and thankfully you are not! I don't want you to be hurt. She is an old ghost now and messed up from being murdered and being a ghost for so long. I expect when you solve her case she will move on, free from haunting this house at last. I came here to support you because I know you so well. I will protect you from yourself if need be.
Damien walks over to Jamie. He thinks about Jamie's words to him and searches his heart. "I understand what you are saying and your concern. Maybe I am a little in love with her. You saw her pictures I found in her university yearbook. She was so beautiful and so smart and yet so very shy and lonely. You could see it in her eyes. So very lonely. I've wanted to protect her since I heard the story and saw her pictures. I think it was fate that drew me to her story and ultimately into buying this house. I don't know what is in store for me or Mary. Fate knows, though. I believe I am where I am supposed to be. She can't hurt me as I only want the best for her and only she can decide that. Whatever she decides I will accept. I will help her in any way that I can. I believe you are where you are supposed to be as well. I'm glad you are by my side and making sure my eyes are open. They are open wide so don't worry about me. Let us help Mary. So, what do you think is the best way to draw her out?"
"I think you should try talking to her. She is not in the house right now." Jamie searches with his mind. "She is not on the property. Interesting that she is not tied to the property but the others are. I've taken a case in town tonight to rid a home of poltergeists. Other hunters have been unable to get rid of them. I hope she returns before I need to leave. I will let you know so you can prepare. You should play the music she likes softly and relax in here and tell her about yourself and the investigation that you have done. She will hear you and if she wants to approach you, she will."
@bekkasan : That was a great chapter!
Jamie is a very intelligent man (loved that the gosts first thought he wasn´t and discovered he was more astude than they thought! ) hehehe, so funny that Daniel pretended to hear his wife calling just to not tell about Mary!
He really is the best friend of Damien, he knows his friend so well and doesn´t make jokes about his crush on Mary!
Soooo, Damien is in love with Mary??? I hope that Betty tells Mary about the talk of the two men! I´m curious how Mary will react when she understands his feelings for her!
Cool, that Liam and Jamie want to work together! I think that Liam is happy about having a second view of why Mary is bound to the house! If only she could trust Damien and Jamie.
Hopefully she doesn´t misstrust Liam now after she had discovered that Jamie was at the science center! who loves Lia more? So sweet that both men love to have her in the house!
Oh wow! Jamie in leather! He looks great in black!
Great decoration of Liam´s office, it really looks "scientific".
Can´t wait to read more!
@AlexaKry Thanks so much for your comments! I reading them!
Thanks so much for PM'ing me about using the wrong name in that paragraph! Gosh, as many times as I read it correcting things I didn't catch that!
Yes, Jamie is smart and very good at his job and loves doing what he does. If a sim could whistle I would swear he was whistling while he works. Pics probably in the next update of him ghostbusting.
hehe, Daniel was funny. Such a timid ghost.
I think Damien is in love with her a little. The pictures he has of her really spoke to his heart. When Jamie confirmed that she is most likely to be the ghost in the house his heart skipped beats thinking about meeting her. I hope he is not disappointed! Mary is a handful! She's not the shy girl in those pics anymore.
We will have to see what happens when he meets the real deal.
I actually was going to post her part at Liam's office too...but the update was way too long already so had to cut it off. It will depend on work this week as to how much time I have to work on it. It is now too short to post so I'll need to add a few scenes to it. lol I have pics of things from the game already, so I just need to write up the next scenes.
Lia chose Jamie as her BFF. lol But, he did rescue her from being a stray. I was thrilled to be able to use the new pics of Jamie in his leathers. Yay! I'm happy you like them. He does have the helmet for his motorcycle.
I love ATS for deco and she remakes stuff so cool for our games. Sims can actually use the equipment as she used the potion table and alchemy as the base. I was going to put the science table in but ran out of room. I had to have that nerdy self-built game in as if Liam had built it. I finally had to lock the doors because townies kept wanting to come play with the tablet I put on the file cabinets. lol I kept having to evict (reset) them.
@bekkasan Lady! This story just keeps getting better and better! It's like, there's always some kind of suspense so it keeps me hungry for more!
"A Little in Love" is the title hmm? My first thought was that Mary might be falling a little in love with Liam. But I see that wasn't it. I like the other reason better.
I wonder who the retired partner is in town? I think I may have an idea... (Since I know this town so well. )
Yeeeeeah, Betty's death was totally planned by her husband to inherit her fortune and all that other stuff. I felt so sad reading her son's reaction to it all. I just can't imagine...
Gorgeous picture of Doo Peas Tower there.
Interesting that Daniel is asking to have their cases solved too...of course he asked the wrong guy. Boy, Damien and Jamie were the perfect guys to be led to this house weren't they?
Ah...so Daniel is afraid to reveal who the ghost in the attic is. Hmmmm... It would seem these ghosts are afraid of Mary. (When I honestly didn't think they were...)
“I gotta go! I hear my wife calling me.”
^LOL! That was awesome! But real cheesy Daniel.
Jamie's deduction is correct. I can't wait for him to get into that attic! Woop woop! Mary is not going to be very happy.
I've wondered about that memorial as well. I assumed it's Mary's, maybe put there long ago by a family member? I look forward to learning more.
Oh. My. Gosh. THIS picture!!
^*Swoon!* I was laying there thinking, "Man, Damien is one HOT sim! Oh yeah, you created him!"
D'aw look at that adorable kitty paw!
Cool that Liam has heard of Jamie. He really does have quite the reputation. I think it would be great if they worked together to help ghosts everywhere. Awesome conversation they had.
OMGosh Liam's office is perfection! I absolutely LOVE it! It speaks him! (Is that an arcade machine he has in there? )
Aww, we don't get to see Mary's appointment with Liam yet? Darn!
Yeah, Damien has taken a liking to Lia. So cute he got the best litter box for her.
“Eye strain from reading all day..."
^Gosh I feel that all too often Damien. It su'cks!
Jamie shakes his head looking at his old friend with concern. “Man, you’ve got it so bad. No wonder you don’t want a girlfriend, you are in love with a ghost.
^Hee hee! Leave it to your best buddy to lay out the truth!
Interesting...so all they need to do is solve the other ghost's cases and then Damien can get closer to Mary and closer to reviving her. I like this!
"I feel like I know her for some strange reason. Yes, I know it is weird, but I do."
^Damien, that's pretty much exactly what I said to my mom when I met my future husband. Those feelings = match made in Heaven. Don't deny it!
The little alien on Jamie's shirt. I hadn't noticed that until now. Truth be told I was checking out his chest hair peeking out from above.
He notices a water ghost gnome in the room. He grins and hopes Betty will report the conversation to Mary.
^Sneaky!
AH! Damien admits he's a little in love with her! He's such a sexy sweetheart!
Well now they know that Mary isn't tied to the property like they were thinking...
Good advice Jamie gave Damien at the end there on how to get Mary to approach him and maybe she'll talk to him. I just can't wait!
Wow. Just wow! I can't WAIT for the next part! Hurry please?
@emorrill Thanks so much for your comments. They put a smile on my face.
Nope, you are right the ghosts are not afraid of Mary, they are afraid for her at this point.
They have not learned the guys want to help her.
That is a sweet picture of Damien and the kitty! He is so very handsome!
Thanks for the compliment on Liam's office. It was fun setting it up and yes, that is the homemade pinball game. I can totally see Liam building that thing! He's like the perfect geek.
Yes, Jamie definitly knew his buddy has it bad for Mary and only a best friend could call him on it to make him think about it.
hehe, I love those xfiles patterns!
Entering the building, Mary floats through the walls and corridors until she reaches Liam's office. She slips into his office. He greets her with a smile and invites her to sit down. Liam is not one for social graces or wasting time, so he delves right into the matter.
"I've completed the research on your particular situation. As I informed you before, you do not seem to be bound by the rules that govern most ghosts. It seems as if you are, well to put it bluntly, already alive, except you have a corporeal form. The spirit world is apparently filled with contradictions and bending of the rules. Your case is very bent I'm afraid. The computer advises me if we attempt the initial treatment for you, it could cause the complete opposite effect and send you permanently back to the netherworld. I'm very sorry, but I am not willing to risk you."
Mary is stunned at Liam's words. Springing out of her chair, she gasps for breath. Her hopes and dreams for the future were completely tied to this project being able to restore her life. She clutches her chest as if she is in pain. She begins to weep inconsolably.
Liam looks dazed and startled and out of his depth. He jumps out of his chair and looks around as if trying to find someone to help him deal with the distraught ghost. He realizes he is completely on his own. He takes a deep breath and moves over to her side and squeezes her hand urging her to sit down. He pats her shoulder awkwardly mumbling "please stop crying, everything will work out, you will see, just please stop crying."
Even as upset as she is about the news Mary has to smile, although sadly, at Liam’s clumsy attempts to console her. She takes several calming breaths as Emmaline taught her to do when she feels panicky, grabs a tissue and blows her nose.
"I don't want to be a ghost forever! This was my last chance and now it is gone."
He pulls his chair around, so he is sitting closer to her. "Mary, I'm not giving up on this. I promise that somehow I will find a way to help you. I've learned today about someone else who is helping ghosts move on."
"I don't want to move on Liam! I want to live and have a life that was stolen from me. I want to stay awake on the first day of spring! I want to smell the flowers in the fields, run barefoot in the grass. I want to feel the sunshine on my face, travel to the islands, and swim in the warm waters. I want to love someone and have them love me as if I'm the only one in the world that matters. I want to have babies and listen to their cries and giggles. I want to hear their first words and watch them take their first steps. I want to hug them tight and make sure they know they are treasured. I want to grow old watching them grow and have the life they deserve. I want to hold the hand of my love as we both slow down in our elder years but our love is still strong and bold and worthy. I want to die surrounded by the family that our love made possible.” She looks over at Liam and with soft grace instead of anger tells him, “I want it all! Liam, I want it all! I don’t want to move on! I want it all!”
Liam is silent for several moments thinking about Mary's heartfelt words. "I can't make any guarantees Mary. Life is not always fair, and you got a raw deal. I will do the best that I can to figure out how to help you. I want to run some tests on you. Obviously I can't draw blood like I could on anyone else, but I did some work on one of my gadgets and I've used it to get samples from other ghosts. I can run it through my research machine and compare it to other ghosts and we will know how you compare to them. It should give me some data about where to go from here. I will come by the house in a few days."
"It would be better if I come to you don't you think?"
Liam shakes his head. "You must be the shy ghost that Jamison was talking about. Have you not tried meeting the new owner and his friend? Mary, the help you need might be right under your nose back at the house! They both know you are there, just not who you are, although I think Jamison who is a renowned hunter has a good idea who you are."
Mary looks startled and clenches her hands together tightly in her lap. “I will think about it. I’ve been running from people for so long. It was hard enough coming and talking with you."
Liam reaches out and pats her hands. "Relax Mary, I promise they want to help you." He walks her across the room and has her stand quietly while he tries collecting the sample. Liam is successful and labels the sample carefully and puts it away. He tells her he will run the tests, and it will take a few days to get the results. I will perform the comparisons and then start searching for another treatment. Mary thanks him for his efforts leaving the office before she starts crying again.
Mary stops by the local cemetery on her way home. She finds the grim reaper statue and rages at him. “I pleaded with you not to take my life. You did it anyway. Then somehow you and the Fates came up with this endless half-life for me. Why? Why? Why?” Unsurprisingly, she finds no solace in raging at the statue. She turns to go home. "Except it is not my home." She silently cries the entire way home.
Mary arrives home and finds Betty sitting in the rocker in her room. Betty is bouncing up and down with excitement and dripping more water than usual. “Get a grip, Betty! What has you in such high spirits?" Betty informs her all about the conversation she overheard between Damien and Jamie.
Mary is very surprised by the conversation. "Are you sure they were talking about me?"
"Yes, of course, they were talking about you, silly girl."
"I guess I've got a lot to think about. Did he really say he was half in love with me?", she asks wistfully. "Oh, that doesn't matter. He doesn't know me. This was an overly emotional day, but I'm not up for any more drama. I'm going to feed Sherlock and go to bed. Thank you Betty for letting me know what you heard. Goodnight."
Mary sits down in the rocking chair to think about all that Betty told her and her talk with Liam. Her chests starts to feel tight, and her throat is closing up. Unshed tears brim in her eyes. She jumps up out of the chair, shakes herself. "Stop this right now!", she stomps her foot mad at herself. She feeds Sherlock taking a moment to talk softly to him and watch him play.
Jamie joins Damien for supper before he leaves for his job. "She is back in the house. Upstairs in the attic. Great Mac N Cheese! You are turning into a fair cook."
Jamie reminds him to stay calm while talking to Mary. "She will be skittish, but I have a feeling she will hear what you say and want to talk to you. I wish I could stay and help you, but I promised to rid the poltergeists from that home. It is a prominent family in town, so I'm hoping for a big fat fee and a bonus since no one else was able to rid the ghosts." He grins at Damien and hurries out the door.
Mary changes and crawls in her bed. She lies in bed thinking about the day, and all the things Betty told her. Soft beach music starts playing downstairs. She hopes listening to the music will help lull her to sleep. Her mind sure doesn't want to stop playing the day back for her. She turns out the light and pulls the covers around her, closes her eyes, and tries to relax.
She hears that man talking to himself. She listens carefully.
Damien has turned the radio on, the beach music is playing softly in the background. He lights a fire to take the chill out of the air. He feels a little silly trying to talk to Mary likes this, but realizes nothing ventured nothing gained.
"Mary, I hope you can hear me. I'm going to light a fire and sit down and tell you what I've been doing since I first heard your story back in Riverview. I don't know if you are aware but you are admired by so many back home. A scholarship was started in your name for stud...awwww sh...!!" Damien curses as a fire starts from a spark to the woodpile next to the fireplace. He grabs the fire extinguisher and sprays the blaze.
Mary smells smoke and can hear the crackling from a fire downstairs. She knows that sound considering how many fires happened when she lit fires in that fireplace. She gets out of the bed and floats downstairs to make sure that man is putting the fire out. She does not want her house to burn down.
Damien is so busy putting out the fire he does not notice the ghost floating down into the room at first.
He hears a sharp exclamation and glances over. A ghost appears that he has not seen before. He continues working on getting the fire out and finally succeeds. He puts the fire extinguisher away and turns to the ghost.
"I can't believe you almost burned the house down!" yells Mary. She is a little overwhelmed at how handsome he is up close. She wants to throw her arms around him and find out if those lips are as kissable as they seem. Not really understanding why she has that desire, she ignores it and yells at him instead.
Damien's heart and adrenaline are racing from fighting the fire. Seeing a very beautiful ghost standing in front of him in extremely sexy lingerie certainly does not help him cool off. He thinks she looks amazingly beautiful standing there yelling at him.
"Hey, I've been working my a.. off to get this place fixed up and liveable since I bought it and moved in. The fireplaces are in terrible condition, and I've cleaned this one twice. I don't know why it caught fire tonight."
Mary realizes she should not have yelled at him. If her emotions had not been so off the charts already from her day she probably would have stayed upstairs. "I'm sorry, I should not have yelled at you. This fireplace is very dangerous and has caused many fires over the years." She starts to float back upstairs.
Damien reaches out to stop her. He pulls back from touching her though afraid he would scare her away. "Mary, please don't go."
"How do you know I'm Mary?" She looks at him curiously.
"I'd recognize you anywhere Mary. My name is Damien, Damien Nazario, the third to be exact. I've been trying to figure out what happened to you since I first read your story. I knew there was more to it than what was published. I know what those girls did to you and I can now prove it. Please sit down and talk with me."
Mary looks into Damien's eyes. She remembers what Betty, Liam and Emmaline have all told her. She nods, and lets him lead her over to the couch.
They sit on the couch, and Damien tells her his story. Mary listens as he describes how he started investigating and what he discovered. He tells her about the two women who are still alive and how their lives evolved and changed for the worse. He watches her face as he tells his story. He cannot seem to take his eyes off her.
She listens with wonder at how much he was able to find out with his investigation. "I can't thank you enough for sharing this with me."
"I've got one more interview to do and will add that to my report. I will then take the file to the chief of police and the local judicial attorney's office. I also plan to send a full copy to the local newspaper and television station to ensure the report does not receive the same treatment as your original report did."
Mary is happy justice will finally be done. She confirms the events of the night and how she died. "It was one of the coldest nights on record I found out later. I did not even have a coat on. It was mercifully swift." Damien reaches out and touches her hand. He feels a strong warmth pass from his hand to hers and back traveling up his arm into his chest. "I am so sorry you had to experience this and recall it to me."
Mary feels a wonderful warmth pass into her as Damien holds her hand. The warmth travels up her arm into her chest and her shivers stop for the first time since she returned after dying. She looks at Damien and their joined hands wondering what it all means. The emotional day takes its toll on Mary. She knows she is about to become a weeping mess. She does not want to fall apart in front of Damien. "I'm sorry, I can't talk anymore." She disappears.
Damien leaps out of his seat. "Mary! I'm so sorry. I did not mean to upset you. Mary! Mary?" Damien feels a cold caress on his cheek and a whisper in his ear. "You didn't. I need some time to process all you have told me. Thank you for telling me and helping me receive justice. I will find you tomorrow. I won't hide anymore."
Damien can't help but feel happy that he was able to meet Mary. It seems impossible since she died so many years ago. Other than her ghostly form she looks younger than him and so very, very beautiful.
Damien reaches up to touch his face where he felt her touch. He whispers, "goodnight Mary."
I mentioned either here or in the other thread, Mary took matters into her own hand at one point in my game totally changing the way something happened. This was it, Mary coming down during the fire. She was not supposed to meet Damien yet. I had something else planned. I could have used debug reset on her and stopped her, but when I thought about it I knew Mary was right. It was time to meet Damien. Sometimes our sims have better ideas than we do. I rewrote my outline and took a few more pictures. Hope you've enjoyed it!
FIRST! @bekkasan Eeeek! You know how I've anxiously waited for more of Mary's story.
I love that my love of associating songs with my stories is rubbing off on you.
First I have to say that I also love all the love you are giving geeky Liam O'Dourke right now. His convo and demeanor with Mary was just making me swoon!
Oh no..... He can't help her? Freaking risks! I had a feeling him saying that would make Mary break down.
Aww poor Liam, not knowing how to console her. I know it's hard for men to see a woman just up and cry in front of them, especially if they don't know them so well. It can feel very awkward. I think he was a real sweetie about it. And oh my gosh his face in that one picture! Perfect!
So that heartfelt declaration from Mary about everything she's ever wanted that's been stolen from her, just tugged at my heart. I was like, "Aww...we ALL want that sweetie. And you deserve it too!" I wanted to hug her.
Oh good! He encouraged her to get familiar with Damien and Jamie! Good boy Liam! Sometimes it takes an outside, trusted source to tell you to do something to get you to actually do it.
This picture is so cute! The joy of hope on both their faces.
I think I'd be yelling and cursing at the Grim Reaper statue as well.
Betty is bouncing up and down with excitement and dripping more water than usual.
^Hee hee hee! She's just DYING to dish the dirt!
I think Mary rather liked that Damien expressed being a little in love with her.
It's okay to cry sweetie...really it's the best medicine sometimes. {{{Hug}}}
The guys eating Mac n Cheese! Gosh I'd give anything for a bowl of that right now! It's one of my weakness foods...
Heading right on to Part 2! LOVING IT!
----
The TITLE! Yes! She finally meets him!!! *Squeal* Okay, I need to keep reading...
Aww, Damien talking to himself was really him talking to Mary.
A scholarship was started in your name for stud...awwww sh...!!"
^ Oh my gosh LOL! I know it's not funny for a fire to start outside the fireplace, but just the way that was worded! I totally would've reacted the same!
Ha ha! Her legs falling through the ceiling.
"I can't believe you almost burned the house down!" yells Mary. She is a little overwhelmed at how handsome he is up close.
^Yeeeeah baby!
She wants to throw her arms around him and find out if those lips are as kissable as they seem. Not really understanding why she has that desire, she ignores it and yells at him instead.
^Sexual tension! I knew it... (And I see those hearts. )
Seeing a very beautiful ghost standing in front of him in extremely sexy lingerie certainly does not help him cool off.
^Right!?
Yeah that's right! Argue back and defend yourself Damien!
Awwww! He says he'd recognize her anywhere.
Yay she's going to listen to him.
See Mary, he's just a great guy wanting to help solve a terrible case and it's an added bonus that he's hot!
Yes Damien YES! He's got this!
Them passing love I mean, warmth on to each other, I like that.
Oh my gosh his reaction here is cute too!
^Such a gentle, sweet man he is.
Aww his happy (and sexy) grin at the end there.
Loved your Author's Note there. I see. Yup, sometimes our sims surprise us with their opposite ideas. It's pretty amazing!
And speaking of amazing, these two updates! My goodness it was a JOY reading them and I'm SO excited she and Damien have finally met and made a connection. I'm always dying for more!
Wait...did I hear you say you wrote an Outline? *Pats shoulder* I'm so proud of you. It sure helps the writing along doesn't it? I like can't not write them out now (but sometimes I'll get away with it. )
@emorrill Thanks so much for your sweet comments. They put a smile on my face.
It is fun to add a song when I can find the perfect one. I thought this one was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.
Liam is like the perfect nerd. He musta' tripped 10 times while I was taking pictures, but I didn't capture one for the story.
He looks so young but I've always thought of him as a genius Doogie Howser style who skipped a bunch of grades and graduated and got his doctorate very young so I always make him head of the science facility.
I'm glad she tugged at your heart with her declaration.
hehe, sometimes my titles can be deceiving, but not this time.
haha, when I saw her legs coming thru the ceiling I freaked originally but snapped the picture anyway. I always knew I could reset but it really was the better way for them to meet.
yep, they were both feeling it. Wasn't just hot in the room from the fire.
The outline is definitely helping me keep track of what I want to add to the story and what I still need pictures of. I've revised it many times since I started it as the story has evolved.
@emorrill Thanks so much for your sweet comments. They put a smile on my face.
It is fun to add a song when I can find the perfect one. I thought this one was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Liam is like the perfect nerd. He musta' tripped 10 times while I was taking pictures, but I didn't capture one for the story.
He looks so young but I've always thought of him as a genius Doogie Howser style who skipped a bunch of grades and graduated and got his doctorate very young so I always make him head of the science facility.
I'm glad she tugged at your heart with her declaration.
hehe, sometimes my titles can be deceiving, but not this time.
haha, when I saw her legs coming thru the ceiling I freaked originally but snapped the picture anyway. I always knew I could reset but it really was the better way for them to meet.
yep, they were both feeling it. Wasn't just hot in the room from the fire. The outline is definitely helping me keep track of what I want to add to the story and what I still need pictures of. I've revised it many times since I started it as the story has evolved.
@bekkasan
Italics: Ooh I like that. I don't know if you recall me telling you how much of a crush I had on Doogie in my childhood days.
Bold: Yes! That! Cause I forget so much anymore these days and the outlines really help me remember what I wanted to add in and have happen. 👍
And if the game, or sim, decides to have something completely different happen, and I like it, I'll find a way to incorporate it in. That really gets the creative juices flowing! And sometimes...it leads you into an even better story than you planned.
Thanks for the reply comments. I'm glad I could put a smile on your face.
Edit: Yes, the song choice was pretty awesome and you should be proud.
@bekkasan I thought I've been away only for only a little while but I missed several updates!
Sounds like Betty is right about having been murdered. I hope her husband can still get caught .
I wonder why the other ghosts are trying to hide Mary. She, of course, wants to be hidden, but still. Or don't ghosts just like being asked questions about one another?
Kitty . A handsome man cuddling a cat is a pleasure to my eyes. That's a great picture!
Lovely: too redhead guys in the same room, and one of them is wearing black leather (nice to see he got warm biker clothes, lol ).
Sounds like Jamie has a tough job ahead if other ghost hunters have failed to chaise the ghosts from the house.
I'm sure the ghosts of Spring Manor will love to meet Liam.
Indeed, we are all wondering why Mary doesn't want to talk to Damien or let him know she's in the house...
Hehe, yes Damien, you are not in love with a ghost YET .
Or maybe he is. Jamie is making a good point .
It's hard to have private conversations in a house full of ghosts.
Oh no, Liam's got very bad news for Mary
Poor Mary. I hope there will be a way for her to get it all. She just wants a normal life.
Poor Liam not knowing how to console her. Happens to men quite often, lol .
Wow, Liam is going to visit Mary at the house! This way she'll have to meet Damien and Jamie.
Haha, of course Betty wanted to tell Mary everything about the conversation she was listening to .
So now Mary knows Damien is a little in love with her! I wonder what she thinks about that.
I hope Sherlock calmed Mary down.
Oh no, Damien is talking and Mary doesn't hear him .
That's a funny picture of the fire and Mary's legs coming down from the ceiling .
That's a huge fire. I'm glad he managed to put him off... And finally got a chance to see Mary!
They got hearts! Yay!
Mary does look pretty in her ghostly lingerie. I wonder if she feels awkward having her first conversation with Damien dressed like that .
I love how you described the warmth when holding hands .
@meerkattime Thanks so much for your lovely comments.
I hope all is well with you. I'm glad you found the updates and hope all the questions are being answered.
Yes, it is bad news. But he is going to keep trying and I'm sure Jamie and Damien will help too.
I think Mary melted a little when she heard he was half in love with her. What gal wouldn't?
I was so thrilled with the hearts since I had not planned the meeting that way.
hehe, that sexy lingerie came with her so you know who picked it. I picked the long johns!
I would have felt very awkward, but Damien didn't have any quilts to offer her to wrap up in. hehe, I was really amazed his eyes never drifted off her face. He was a gentleman! Well, once they sat down. He did look at her when they were talking at the fireplace.
Thank you!
Looks like I have some catching up to do! You’ve been busy, @bekkasan!
He might decide to capture her especially if he thinks she has caused all the damage around here...which she did.
I love that line! It’s also a great potential idea for another story—a ghost hunter meeting a ghost s/he is supposed to capture or encourage to move on, but can’t bring themselves to do, for any number of reasons.
You've portrayed Jamie's sensitivity to ghosts very well. It's more than detecting their presence, but a bit of their personalities/moods too. It seems he’ll be a great help to both Damien and Mary. Even if Mary is not ready to cooperate just yet.
Hmm, I wonder why the director is out today? It will be interesting to see what happens when Liam meets Jamie and realizes he and Damien are trying to help Mary too!
I was wondering about the chapter title and who Lia might turn out to be. She’s such a pretty kitty! I wonder how she’ll do in a house full of active spirits, since lore suggests cats are sensitive to such things. Maybe that’s partly why she turned up at Spring Manor?
***
Wow. Betty’s husband was absolutely evil! I am so glad Damien is willing to help her and the other ghosts, as well as being in a position to do so.
Jamie’s convo with Daniel was hilarious! But then,
They are here to help conceal the presence of the other one.
How clever of Jamie! I like how you’re showing Jamie’s intellect as more the intuitive kind, whereas Damien is more logic and evidence-driven, which suits them in their respective careers and makes them a great investigative duo. But the big question is... concealing Mary from what/whom? And what happens if/when the other ghosts have their cases solved before Mary’s and they move on, leaving none to hide her from whatever-it-is? So fun to ponder that! As well as contemplating that mysterious memorial and how it may fit in.
I love Liam’s office! And also Jamie’s leathers. And that was an interesting conversation they had, with Jamie being very forthcoming and Liam not revealing anything about Mary. Cool that Liam is also intrigued by the other ghosts and wants to meet them. Maybe learning some specifics about them might lead to some breakthrough discovery that can be used to help Mary.
AHHH! I loved Jamie’s conversation with Damien, especially knowing Betty’s gnome was there listening to the whole thing! If anything might encourage Mary to start trusting Damien a little, this may be it!
***
Oh no! How crushing it must be for Mary to know that Liam cannot safely proceed after she has pinned all her hopes on him!
Ugh! I hate to see Mary feeling so low. But there are still other options, and not just moving on, so there’s still hope!
Looking forward to seeing the results of Damien attempting to coax Mary from her attic room! And also seeing how Jamie fares with his ghosthunting job! I tend to play self-employed careers, but ghosthunting is one of the active professions I’ve always enjoyed.
***
Damien was doing such a good job setting the perfect mood to draw Mary out, so of course there’s a fire! I guess whatever works! (That was a great twist the game gave you!)
Mary looks pretty ticked off, but... they got the flying hearts! And she’s agreed to hear him out. Progress!
I loved how you described that sense of warmth Mary felt when Damien held her hand, and finally stopped her shivering after being so cold for so long.
Now just imagine how much warmer you would’ve felt if you went with your initial inclination to kiss him, Mary!
Aww. Damien looks so happy now that he has finally met her and she’s promised not to hide from him anymore.
Of course, that means more obstacles are imminent...
Damien reaches up to touch his face where he felt her touch. He whispers, "goodnight Mary."
A picture says more than thousand words....
I can´t add anything more as what is already said!
I love everything about the updates, especially the discription of Mary´s despair at Liam´s office and his try to calm her down and the first meeting of Damien and Mary, soooo romantic!
(For a mid century girl she is dressed very ... inapropriate to meet a stranger though! I hope she won´t get a break down if she realized how she looked! )
More, please!
@starguru Thanks so much for your comments! I sure enjoy reading them.
Lia was just too cute to let her stay a stray, and Jamie does have likes animals so that was perfect! I'm so loving having Pets back in my game that most of my stories will start having more in them.
I think it may take all three to help Mary. Yes, Liam was very good at keeping Mary's privacy and not spilling to Jamie.
Yes, the fire was not planned but it ended up being the perfect way for them to meet. I do like the unexpected things that can happen in the game that adds to the story.
lol, yes I was all up for her to kiss him! But that didn't really seem to be a Mary move no matter how tempted she was.
@AlexaKry Thanks so much for your comments. I do appreciate it!
hehe, poor Liam was not ready for that reaction!
yes, she was shockingly dressed! I'm assuming she found those in one of the suitcases left by the temporary renters at some point.
She's got long johns which I gave her, but I guess they were in the wash. Do ghosts' clothes get dirty? And if so how would you know?
Now wonder Mary is freezing in her sleep, she barely wears anything, Damien is such a gentleman not to look too much and not to say something about her outfit!
What I thought about the whole day now: how could Damien and Mary touch each other? Can you touch a ghost? My mind couldn´t get an answer.... still thinking about it.....
Mary Kendall, A Ghost Story
The Best There's Ever Been
Jamie arrives at the address that Liam sent him. The mansion is located on one of the prime pieces of real estate in Hidden Springs. A corner lot that has easy access to Veronaville Sound. He imagines the water sports they must enjoy in the warmer weather. The lady of the house, Catarina Vanderburg greets him imperiously as he arrives. "Must you arrive on that noisy machine?"
Jamie recognizes a pillar of the community when he sees one. He turns on his respectable charm. "Yes ma'am!" he exclaims. "The bike allows me to get where I need to go for my job quickly and efficiently. I can also get places where another vehicle would have difficulty managing, especially in this winter climate. It is actually a very efficient machine."
Catarina looks down her nose at his smiling face. He asks her about the ghosts before she can make any more comments about his bike.
"I understand you have been plagued by poltergeists and other hunters have been unable to get rid of them."
"Yes, the previous hunters were extremely incompetent at their jobs. Liam spoke highly of you. I hope you are as skilled as he claims."
He smiles cheerfully at her showing off the dimple in his cheek. "I will do my best, ma'am. Now if you will excuse me, I will get started as there is one in the yard just behind you."
Catarina shrieks and moves towards the house. She turns around as she hears the ghost hunter fire up his device and watches in dismay as a beam of light shoots out of the device. The poltergeist is directly in front of her.
"Ma'am perhaps you should leave for a few hours. I would hate having to exorcise one of these little buggers from you. They are going to hate me trying to capture them."
Catarina nods in agreement and shouts to Jamies as she hurries to her car. "I'll be at City Hall when you finish or give up like the others."
Jamie merely laughs. "Giving up is not in my vocabulary. I'm the best there's ever been!"
Jamie spends the next couple of hours finding and capturing poltergeists inside and outside the house. He relishes his job and whistles happily as each poltergeist puts up a bit of a fight. Several are quite tricky and dodge his beam, jumping from one object to the next trying to elude him. He perseveres and the outcome is exactly as he predicted. Ghosts zero, Jamie 6. He runs by City Hall and informs Mrs. Vanderburg that all is clear and she and her family can move back in the home. She asks him to come to her home tomorrow. He agrees to meet her in the afternoon.
Damien is up early feeling lighthearted and very optimistic. He prepares waffles for breakfast and sneaks a taste of the batter. He calls out, "Mary if you are up, please join me for breakfast."
Mary has been up for a few hours trying to do some research. She floats down into the kitchen in front of Damien. "Good morning! It sure feels great not to have to hide anymore or sneak down when you are away to eat." She smiles shyly up at him. She is amazed at how comfortable she feels around Damien. Especially since most of her human interactions end up with the human passing out from fright.
"Aha, so that is how all the leftovers in the fridge disappeared." Damien teases her with a big grin on his face.
She laughs, her eyes sparkling as she tells Damien. "No, that was Betty and the other ghosts. I always cook my own breakfast and left food for them. They were used to swiping it out of the refrigerator. I did use a couple of your strawberries and an egg once." She giggles. "I still need to ask Emmaline to go to the store for me and replace them and get some other things."
"I will be glad to pick up things for you when I go shopping. Just add them to the list on the fridge. Please feel free to use what you want. This has been your home for a long time, and I want you to be comfortable even with all the renovations going on."
They keep up the light conversation during breakfast as Damien does not want to frighten or distress her. Damien asks about Emmaline, and she explains she is one of the few people in town that accept and are not frightened of ghosts. "She is a witch, you see. A very good witch and has been incredibly helpful to me. I met her many years ago and she shops for me and helps me sell gems that I discover so I will have money to spend."
"I recently learned that supernaturals really exist. My friend Jamie has known and believed for years, but I thought he was making it all up. I had to apologize for giving him such a hard time."
"Hidden Springs doesn't have a large population of occults. I didn't believe either until I became one. Other towns do have more according to Emmaline. She moved here from Dragon Valley wanting to experience a proper winter she said. They have mild winters in Dragon Valley. She fell in love with winters and the town and stayed. I'm happy she stayed."
Mary helps Damien clean up the kitchen working together like they've been doing it for years. "Come sit down at my desk. I've got some time before my appointment." He places his arm around her waist and leads her into the other room. He moves one of the chairs in front of the desk, and his hand lingers on her waist as he politely helps her sit down. Mary loves the warmth she feels when Damien touches her. She is reluctant to have him let her go.
He takes Mary's file out of the safe. "I pretty much gave you the basics of what was in the file last night. If you want to read it, I will leave it here. If you think it will upset you I will lock it back up."
"No, I'd like to read it. I will try to read it clinically like I would any science or newspaper article. If there is anything I can add to it that will help with justice being served I would like to do that."
Damien shifts in his chair and opens his mouth and just as quickly shuts it. He picks up a pen and nervously plays with it shifting in his chair again. He looks down at the desk and back over at Mary. He fiddles with the file thumbing through the pages. She is watching him and looks puzzled and confused at his obvious nervousness. He clears his throat, puts the pen down, and looks her in the eyes. He dreads hearing the answer to his question. He feels he must ask it before he loses his heart any more to this brave woman sitting in front of him. "Look, here's the thing." He puts his hands through his hair as he tries to ask what is on his mind. "I don't want to upset you. Jamie tells me once unfinished business is finished a ghost can move on. I hope you don't mind me asking. Is that what you want? Do you want to move on?"
"Oh my, no! I don't want to move on at all. I want to live again! That is one of the reasons I was so troubled yesterday. I had been to see Dr. Liam O'Dourke, head of the science and research facility. He has a process that can bring ghosts back to life, resurrect them in other words. I heard about it on the radio when I came back this time. But I am not a candidate for his process because I am different from other ghosts. He is going to try to find a way to help me, but I fear he may not."
Damien feels a tremendous weight lift off his chest when she tells him she does not want to move on and wants to live again.
"What do you mean by 'came back this time' and how are you different from other ghosts?"
Mary explains to Damien how she is different. How she is pulled back to the netherworld the last day of winter and does not return until the following winter and has skipped many years as well.
"We should talk with Jamie about this. He might know something from his studies that he has done over the years. Perhaps we can get together with Dr. O'Dourke as well."
Mary was thrilled to hear his words. "You still want to help me? Even after getting the mystery solved?"
"Of course I want to help you, Mary! I'm very good at solving puzzles and mysteries. Jamie is the best hunter around because of his knowledge and he knows no fear which is scary, but that is Jamie. This doctor already has a way to resurrect ghosts so surely he can come up with an alternative for you with our help."
"I will gather up my research material, so you will have it available to you later today. Thank you so much, Damien! You've given me hope again."
Damien's phone begins ringing and Mary waves and floats up into her attic.
While Damien is on the phone, Jamie comes down for breakfast. After finishing breakfast, Jamie cleans up his mess and Damien is finally off the phone.
"So tell me how things went last night!"
Damien tells Jamie all about it including the fire fiasco and Mary sitting and talking with him before she got upset and left. He leaves out the part about the skimpy nightwear. "She is beautiful Jamie, so beautiful." He tells him about their conversation this morning as well. "You just missed her."
"I'm glad you got to meet and talk to her even if it didn't go exactly as planned. I agree we should try to assist her. I met Dr. O'Dourke and talked with him about the resurrection treatment that he has. If he says it will not work for Mary then I have to believe him. He has multiple degrees and has them all over his office walls. He has done the treatment many times with 100% success. We can try meeting with him once he has her test results back. I will do some research on her only being present during winter. Very strange and I've not heard of any ghosts like this before."
Damien heads out for his appointment. His interview is productive with the retired police officer. He admits he and the lead investigator were reminded of how well known Kerry's family was, not only in Hidden Springs but in the world. The death of Mary Kendall was deemed a horrible accident. They were advised not to compound it further by ruining the lives of four innocent girls who were traumatized by the death of their friend. The coroner called it an accidental death. The investigation did not proceed and was shut down and marked closed. He never even saw the lab reports that showed she did not have any alcohol in her system. The girls obviously lied about that so they must have lied about the circumstances. They both received bonuses for their timely closing of a very sad case. The bonus was paid by an outside source. Damien recorded the interview with his permission. The retired officer commented he was relieved to confess his own involvement in not fulfilling his duty to investigate the case thoroughly.
@bekkasan I had a feeling the haunting would be at the Vanderburg residence.
I hardly recognized Catarina there with the different hairstyle. If you didn't change it the game must have... She looks younger and prettier.
The way she scolded Jamie for riding a noisy motorcycle...yup, that's Catarina.
He smiles cheerfully at her showing off the dimple in his cheek. "I will do my best, ma'am. Now if you will excuse me, I will get started as there is one in the yard just behind you."
^That made me snicker.
I bet he looked adorable with the dimple in his cheek showing up.
You GO Jamie! Woo hoo! Nab those Poltergeists!
Aww, Damien waking up all chipper and making waffles for him and Mary. He's so cute!
I sure enjoyed their conversation together. It was especially nice learning a little about Emmaline's background.
So this whole paragraph:
Damien shifts in his chair and opens his mouth and just as quickly shuts it. He picks up a pen and nervously plays with it shifting in his chair again. He looks down at the desk and back over at Mary. He fiddles with the file thumbing through the pages. She is watching him and looks puzzled and confused at his obvious nervousness. He clears his throat, puts the pen down, and looks her in the eyes. He dreads hearing the answer to his question. He feels he must ask it before he loses his heart any more to this brave woman sitting in front of him. "Look, here's the thing." He puts his hands through his hair as he tries to ask what is on his mind. "I don't want to upset you. Jamie tells me once unfinished business is finished a ghost can move on. I hope you don't mind me asking. Is that what you want? Do you want to move on?"
Beautifully written! I mean I could just picture it all in my head, his hesitating cuteness, feeling so nervous in asking her if she wants to move on and praying with all his heart that she says No because he's fallen for her and doesn't want to lose her. I loved it!
And of course we all knew what her answer would be.
Yup, the three guys in all their areas of expertise should find a way to help her and I know they will!
"She is beautiful Jamie, so beautiful."
^Awwwwwww!
So, was the retired officer Damien interviewed Carl Abbot? I can't help asking.
Sounds like some friends in high places of Kerry's "world renowned family" found a way to cover up the truth of what really happened to Mary so Kerry wouldn't look bad and destroy the family reputation. Ugh...and the sad thing is, stuff like that really happens in the world. It's disgusting! And Damien agrees with me and that's why I'm SO glad he's on this case to crack it once and for all and bring justice to these horrible people!
Man he looks so sexy in that last picture! Mmmmm!!!
Fantastic chapter and as always I am hungry for more!
@emorrill Thanks so much for the comments! It was lovely to see them this morning.
I have not changed anything about Caterina. She is just as game made her. I have very little cc in this save as yet, especially hairs, and I would have put a cc hair on her since I like those better than EA hairs. I did fiddle with Raynaud when I saw him in town early in the save because he didn't look right.
I picture Jamie as being very charismatic and able to easily charm the likes of Catarina easily if he chooses to use his charm.
Thanks so much for the compliments on that paragraph. That is exactly what I was trying to convey! Glad it worked.
I dunno who Carl Abbot is? I choose not to have a sim portray the retired officer. There are only 3 EA sims in the police department, Sebastian is one, the other two I don't recall their names. I decided not to use an EA sim/townie because I might need them for other things later.
Damien does look sexy. I thank you for him!
@bekkasan : Great update!
"He smiles cheerfully at her showing off the dimple in his cheek." Jamie is quite the charmer, hm? He had a good answer to her complaint about his motorbike, but I somehow can relate to her a lot!
He is very convinced about his hunter abilities to say that he is the best! I hope nobody proves him the opposite!
So Damien and Mary are already in flirt modus? Their conversation while making the breakfast implies that heavily! She seems to like him more than she knows now!
"Mary loves the warmth she feels when Damien touches her." That´s sweet although I can´t understand how one can touch a ghost?
She is really lucky that three very competent and intelligent men try to help her to be alive again!
I wonder who paid the bonus for the policemen to not investigate further in the past??? Hopefully the case can be solved completely and all of the murderers and their coverers will be punished!
Finally! Damien wears a helmet and is dressed properly for a ride in winter! And he looks good in black, very good! I would recommend him to wear more black and stylish clothes and say goodbye to his elderly charmed style!
Furthermore I like the look of his hair in the last picture! The window behind him cuts away a bit of his spicked and spanned hairstyle and tousles the hair, this looks so much better on him!
I can´t wait for the solutions the 4 would come to to help Mary!
@AlexaKry hehe, yes, Jamie is a charmer. Surprisingly his bike doesn't make as much noise as I thought it would in the game.
Yes, Jamie is a very good hunter and he knows it! He has a very different personality from Damien.
Yes, Mary and Damien are both getting vibes from each other. Perhaps the Fates planned it this way? Not to be mean and cruel like she thinks.
Damien actually already had a helmet with his other winter outfit. I wish I could find a better helmet though.
He does look good in black but his favorite color is blue so I dress him in that most of the time.
hehe, he has helmet hair in that picture! I still don't have many of my cc hairs in that folder yet. I'm adding things slowly so I can be more organized about what I have and what I want to keep. He gets ea Ken doll hair until I get my short cc hairs added in that folder. I really prefer cc hair that has a real look to it rather than plastered to the head like poor Ken.
Thanks so much for your comments!
@bekkasan I'm not sure I like Catarina's attitude, but it suits her and Jamie is handling her well. He's so confident others have no other option than to believe in him too.
There we go, job well done! He better be rewarded generously!
Good morning Mary. I wonder if she's wearing a bit more clothes this time .
That's kind of Damien to do shopping for Mary in the future. Those two are starting to get famously along...
I wonder how Mary would have managed without Emmaline - fortunately she didn't have to, even though Emmaline is one of those weird people who like winter .
Must feel nice for Mary to be treated like a human being again and not having to hide! And for Damien to get help in the kitchen.
Damien is in love, that's sweet . What a relief for him to hear that Mary wants to stay in the world!
I wonder why Mary didn't tell him that he saw Jamie talking to Liam already.
Jamie doesn't tease Damien at all about his obvious crush on Mary - that's kind of him.
How unfair that Kerry's well-known family was the reason for them to finish the investigation on Mary's death so quickly . It happens in the real world though, sadly .
I love the picture of Damien on his bike and the rainbow behind him .
@meerkattime Thanks so much for your comments!
Yes, she is a bit of a snob. Jamie is very good at handling her type.
lol, yes, she dressed for breakfast.
They are getting along pretty well. We will have to see what happens.
It was very unfair what happened and yes sadly it does in RL too.
That was a very timely rainbow. I love how they occur so often except I've not seen any in my Dragon Valley save and that disappoints me.
Comments
Aww yes, the strayers, I have disabled them through Register, first because of the routing faliures but second because I feel sorry for every stray appearing at the door!
My Sims got their two cats like this, too. Streuner (just stray in German
I would adopt every little stray coming to the house so it´s better to stop them from appearing!
I hope it´s not too late in Florida, I´m sitting on my next chapter atm, I think it will be ready to post in 30 to 60 min!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/953447/streuner-a-cat-s-tale
A Little in Love
Damien completes his business at the police station and town hall. He finds out the lead detective on the case is deceased but the partner is retired and still lives in town.
His next stop is the library. He looks through the newspaper archives and discovers several stories regarding the tragic boating accident and drowning death of Betty. Her husband survived the accident miraculously without a scratch. He reads an interview with Betty's oldest son who was quite distraught and accused the husband of causing the accident. He tells the journalist his mother would never have left her children out of her will. They had been a very close family before she met that man. Damien makes many notes and copies several of the articles. He determines the name of the insurance company from the accident report obtained from the police station. The corporate office is right here in Hidden Springs.
The next stop for him is the business office. He discovers a generous policy was taken out on Betty with her husband as beneficiary. The policy premiums were paid for by Betty’s corporation. The husband also purchased supplemental insurance on the boat and cars.
Damien makes a trip back to the town hall. The clerk provides a copy of the will for him to read as it had already been through probate. Betty left all her property and worldly goods to her husband. Damien puts the copy in his folder. He recalls Betty told him she had not had time to execute a new will since her marriage and her children were the beneficiaries of the will. He needs to chat with Betty.
A typical day in the life of a PI searching for clues and sifting through records to discover clues.
Damien enjoys the search, and his logical mind easily combines the pieces to solve the puzzle. He merely has to supply the proof or elicit a confession. That will be the hard part.
Last stop, the pet store.
Jamie plays with the cat before searching the lot for ghosts. He finds one of the ghosts out in the back yard. Instead of disappearing the ghost stays to chat. "My wife and I and our friend Elias were killed in a fire. Are you going to help solve our case?"
"Damien does the investigations but if he needs my help I will help. Have you talked with him yet?"
“No, but I will. I think he is working on Betty’s case first. You can’t start working on our case?”
“I'm here to help with the house and the ghost that is causing trouble. So, what can you tell me about the ghost in the attic?"
Daniel stutters and is not sure what to say. He thinks the ghost hunter is more astute than they initially thought.
"C'mon man. I'm talented at my job which is to find ghosts. I know someone else is in the house other than you five that are tied to the vessels. Tell me, who is in the attic?"
“I gotta go! I hear my wife calling me.” Daniel flashes away too nervous to attempt an answer. Jamie shrugs as he watches the ghost flash away. I guess I shouldn’t push so hard. He laughs. If you don’t ask, you don’t learn anything. I’ve learned the ghosts are nervous about our presence and our searching even if they want Damien’s help. They are here to help conceal the presence of the other one.
Jamie examines the memorial hidden among the rocks and trees at the back of the yard. There is no plaque, no inscription at all. An urn sits in the middle, but it is empty meaning no one is interred here. So why the memorial? Who is it for?
He turns and looks up at the house. It should be easy to climb down to the attic from the observation deck that was built on the upper level. He might wait until it is not slick with snow and ice. This is a winter resort town. He can buy climbing equipment to make it safer.
He checks the time and realizes he needs to leave for his appointment with the head of the science facility. He will have to go shopping later.
Damien enjoys picking out the necessities for the new cat. He quickly makes friends with Lia when he arrives home. Lia finds the box full of toys for her and snatches a mouse out with her claws. She chases and bats the mouse around the room. Damien watches her before sitting down in front of his computer to type and coordinate his thoughts and findings into the files he keeps on his computer.
Liam O'Dourke, Director of the Science department works in his office while waiting for his afternoon appointment to arrive. Jamie introduces himself to Liam. "I am Jamison McNeil, ghost hunter by trade. I’ve heard about the resurrection research being done on ghosts that started in Hidden Springs. I am most interested in it since my career involves ghosts."
Liam explains how the resurrection project works and that ghosts must fulfill certain criteria to be admitted into the program. "I've heard of your reputation, Mr. McNeil and most of the ghosts you come into contact would not satisfy the criteria. You hunt poltergeists, and they would not be eligible."
"Please call me, Jamie. It is true my work mainly involves poltergeists, but I do come into contact with other ghosts during my hunts. I don't capture them and if I can help them by sending them your way we would both benefit as well as the ghosts. If you cannot help them with your program, I have a friend who may be able to help. He can investigate why they remain tied to this world and hopefully resolve that problem."
"Oh, that is extremely interesting. He is willing to help ghosts? Admirable. I noticed you registered here in town to help out with any ghost cases. One of our prominent citizen’s homes has been besieged by spirits recently, and no ghost hunter has been able to clear the home. Would you be willing to try?
"I will get rid of the ghosts for them," Damien responds with absolute confidence.
Liam and Jamie shake hands. "I will be in touch with you about the details." Jamie gives his contact information to Liam.
"I see you are staying at Spring Manor. I heard someone bought it. Has anything interesting happened since you moved in?"
Jamie explains his friend Damien was fascinated by Mary Kendall's story and bought the manor. "I'm visiting and helping him with renovations and the ghosts. It is haunted. Several of the ghosts have made contact and want Damien to help them move on. Damien is a PI and very good at solving mysteries. He is a former police officer. One of the ghosts seems a bit shy and so far is unwilling to appear although it has played a few tricks."
Liam smiles and wishes them luck. "If the ghosts want to try the resurrection tell them to come to see me."
Jamie nods. "I'm not quite sure it would work for them. They are bound to a vessel and the house for some reason."
Liam looks intrigued. "I've heard some unusual stories recently. Maybe I could come by the house and meet the ghosts."
Jamie smiles and nods. "You would be welcome."
They shake hands, both of them satisfied with the conversation and the contact made.
Mary arrives to see Liam. She notices a familiar looking redhead leaving. She watches as he runs around to the front.
Jamie arrives back at the house to find Damien still working at his computer. He plays with Lia for a bit, and she seems to be settling into her new home perfectly. He notices Damien filled a food bowl for her in the kitchen and got the deluxe litter box and placed it out of the way in the tower. He also got a super cat tower that Lia will love to play on.
Damien finally folds up his laptop and Jamie walks over watching as Damien rubs his eyes and head. “Do you have a headache?”
“Eye strain from reading all day. Everything is coming along very well for Mary and Betty. I need to try and interview the partner of the lead detective and then I will go to the police and the judicial attorney with my findings. I know I have enough proof to reopen the case and charge the girls with murder. Justice will ultimately be served.”
Damien walks over to the bar and fixes a few drinks and they both sip on their drinks.
“I need further proof in Betty’s case. I have my suspicions as to what happened, but I must produce proof or the husband will get away with it. Most murders are not as perfect as they seem to be. I merely need to discover his mistake.”
Jamie raises his glass to Damien. “You are extremely thorough. I know you will find what is needed to prove Betty was murdered. I explored the house last night and there is another ghost here. I think the attic is where it feels most secure. I don’t want to use a sledgehammer to break walls in your house. I think I can drop down from the upper ledge and get in one of the broken windows. I just need some climbing equipment for safety. I will try to get that tomorrow."
"I read your notes again. I think Mary is the other ghost. It makes complete sense that it would be her haunting this house. She died a violent death, and you discovered her death was a murder. She had unfinished business with those who killed her.”
Damien looks up at Jamie his eyes shining. “You think it is her? That would be incredible. Once I was convinced ghosts were real, I had hopes that she might be here. But, she has not appeared to you or me. Does she not realize I am trying to help her?”
Jamie shakes his head looking at his old friend with concern. “Man, you’ve got it so bad. No wonder you don’t want a girlfriend, you are in love with a ghost. Yes, I think it is her. No one else has any reason to haunt this house except her based on the history of the house. I think the other ghosts have been put here to protect the house and Mary. That is the reason they are tied to the vessels and the vessels to the house. I hope that solving their unfinished business will allow the ties to break and they can move on if that is their choice. Mary is probably tied to the house.
Frowning at Jamie, Damien sputters and denies Jamie's claim. “Of course I am not in love with a ghost. I want justice for her. I knew the first time I heard her story something was wrong with it. If it is Mary here yes, I would love to meet her. I feel like I know her for some strange reason. Yes, I know it is weird, but I do. I want Mary to be at peace. It is sadly very obvious she has not been at peace over these many years.
Getting up from his chair, Jamie crosses the room and turns standing in front of the fireplace. He notices a water ghost gnome in the room. He grins and hopes Betty will report the conversation to Mary. Waving his hand around the room he exclaims, "So, explain to me why you are decorating the house in her favorite colors when I know you like deep blues and dark browns? You play her favorite beach music when I know you dig rock? You eat hamburgers and not your favorite cheesesteaks sandwiches for crying out loud. Damien! I know you. You are closer to me than my brother. Well, he's a little twerp and thankfully you are not! I don't want you to be hurt. She is an old ghost now and messed up from being murdered and being a ghost for so long. I expect when you solve her case she will move on, free from haunting this house at last. I came here to support you because I know you so well. I will protect you from yourself if need be.
Damien walks over to Jamie. He thinks about Jamie's words to him and searches his heart. "I understand what you are saying and your concern. Maybe I am a little in love with her. You saw her pictures I found in her university yearbook. She was so beautiful and so smart and yet so very shy and lonely. You could see it in her eyes. So very lonely. I've wanted to protect her since I heard the story and saw her pictures. I think it was fate that drew me to her story and ultimately into buying this house. I don't know what is in store for me or Mary. Fate knows, though. I believe I am where I am supposed to be. She can't hurt me as I only want the best for her and only she can decide that. Whatever she decides I will accept. I will help her in any way that I can. I believe you are where you are supposed to be as well. I'm glad you are by my side and making sure my eyes are open. They are open wide so don't worry about me. Let us help Mary. So, what do you think is the best way to draw her out?"
"I think you should try talking to her. She is not in the house right now." Jamie searches with his mind. "She is not on the property. Interesting that she is not tied to the property but the others are. I've taken a case in town tonight to rid a home of poltergeists. Other hunters have been unable to get rid of them. I hope she returns before I need to leave. I will let you know so you can prepare. You should play the music she likes softly and relax in here and tell her about yourself and the investigation that you have done. She will hear you and if she wants to approach you, she will."
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
Jamie is a very intelligent man (loved that the gosts first thought he wasn´t and discovered he was more astude than they thought!
He really is the best friend of Damien, he knows his friend so well and doesn´t make jokes about his crush on Mary!
Soooo, Damien is in love with Mary??? I hope that Betty tells Mary about the talk of the two men! I´m curious how Mary will react when she understands his feelings for her!
Cool, that Liam and Jamie want to work together! I think that Liam is happy about having a second view of why Mary is bound to the house! If only she could trust Damien and Jamie.
Hopefully she doesn´t misstrust Liam now after she had discovered that Jamie was at the science center!
Oh wow! Jamie in leather! He looks great in black!
Great decoration of Liam´s office, it really looks "scientific".
Can´t wait to read more!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/953447/streuner-a-cat-s-tale
Thanks so much for PM'ing me about using the wrong name in that paragraph! Gosh, as many times as I read it correcting things I didn't catch that!
Yes, Jamie is smart and very good at his job and loves doing what he does. If a sim could whistle I would swear he was whistling while he works. Pics probably in the next update of him ghostbusting.
hehe, Daniel was funny. Such a timid ghost.
I think Damien is in love with her a little. The pictures he has of her really spoke to his heart. When Jamie confirmed that she is most likely to be the ghost in the house his heart skipped beats thinking about meeting her. I hope he is not disappointed! Mary is a handful!
We will have to see what happens when he meets the real deal.
I actually was going to post her part at Liam's office too...but the update was way too long already so had to cut it off. It will depend on work this week as to how much time I have to work on it. It is now too short to post so I'll need to add a few scenes to it. lol I have pics of things from the game already, so I just need to write up the next scenes.
Lia chose Jamie as her BFF. lol
I love ATS for deco and she remakes stuff so cool for our games. Sims can actually use the equipment as she used the potion table and alchemy as the base. I was going to put the science table in but ran out of room. I had to have that nerdy self-built game in as if Liam had built it. I finally had to lock the doors because townies kept wanting to come play with the tablet I put on the file cabinets. lol I kept having to evict (reset) them.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
"A Little in Love" is the title hmm?
I wonder who the retired partner is in town? I think I may have an idea...
Yeeeeeah, Betty's death was totally planned by her husband to inherit her fortune and all that other stuff.
Gorgeous picture of Doo Peas Tower there.
Interesting that Daniel is asking to have their cases solved too...of course he asked the wrong guy.
Ah...so Daniel is afraid to reveal who the ghost in the attic is. Hmmmm...
Jamie's deduction is correct.
I've wondered about that memorial as well. I assumed it's Mary's, maybe put there long ago by a family member? I look forward to learning more.
Oh. My. Gosh. THIS picture!!
^*Swoon!*
D'aw look at that adorable kitty paw!
Cool that Liam has heard of Jamie.
OMGosh Liam's office is perfection!
Aww, we don't get to see Mary's appointment with Liam yet? Darn!
Yeah, Damien has taken a liking to Lia.
Interesting...so all they need to do is solve the other ghost's cases and then Damien can get closer to Mary and closer to reviving her. I like this!
The little alien on Jamie's shirt.
AH! Damien admits he's a little in love with her!
Well now they know that Mary isn't tied to the property like they were thinking...
Good advice Jamie gave Damien at the end there on how to get Mary to approach him and maybe she'll talk to him. I just can't wait!
Wow. Just wow!
@emorrill Thanks so much for your comments. They put a smile on my face.
Nope, you are right the ghosts are not afraid of Mary, they are afraid for her at this point.
They have not learned the guys want to help her.
That is a sweet picture of Damien and the kitty! He is so very handsome!
Thanks for the compliment on Liam's office. It was fun setting it up and yes, that is the homemade pinball game. I can totally see Liam building that thing! He's like the perfect geek.
Yes, Jamie definitly knew his buddy has it bad for Mary and only a best friend could call him on it to make him think about it.
hehe, I love those xfiles patterns!
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
I Want It All
Entering the building, Mary floats through the walls and corridors until she reaches Liam's office. She slips into his office. He greets her with a smile and invites her to sit down. Liam is not one for social graces or wasting time, so he delves right into the matter.
"I've completed the research on your particular situation. As I informed you before, you do not seem to be bound by the rules that govern most ghosts. It seems as if you are, well to put it bluntly, already alive, except you have a corporeal form. The spirit world is apparently filled with contradictions and bending of the rules. Your case is very bent I'm afraid. The computer advises me if we attempt the initial treatment for you, it could cause the complete opposite effect and send you permanently back to the netherworld. I'm very sorry, but I am not willing to risk you."
Mary is stunned at Liam's words. Springing out of her chair, she gasps for breath. Her hopes and dreams for the future were completely tied to this project being able to restore her life. She clutches her chest as if she is in pain. She begins to weep inconsolably.
Liam looks dazed and startled and out of his depth. He jumps out of his chair and looks around as if trying to find someone to help him deal with the distraught ghost. He realizes he is completely on his own. He takes a deep breath and moves over to her side and squeezes her hand urging her to sit down. He pats her shoulder awkwardly mumbling "please stop crying, everything will work out, you will see, just please stop crying."
Even as upset as she is about the news Mary has to smile, although sadly, at Liam’s clumsy attempts to console her. She takes several calming breaths as Emmaline taught her to do when she feels panicky, grabs a tissue and blows her nose.
"I don't want to be a ghost forever! This was my last chance and now it is gone."
He pulls his chair around, so he is sitting closer to her. "Mary, I'm not giving up on this. I promise that somehow I will find a way to help you. I've learned today about someone else who is helping ghosts move on."
"I don't want to move on Liam! I want to live and have a life that was stolen from me. I want to stay awake on the first day of spring! I want to smell the flowers in the fields, run barefoot in the grass. I want to feel the sunshine on my face, travel to the islands, and swim in the warm waters. I want to love someone and have them love me as if I'm the only one in the world that matters. I want to have babies and listen to their cries and giggles. I want to hear their first words and watch them take their first steps. I want to hug them tight and make sure they know they are treasured. I want to grow old watching them grow and have the life they deserve. I want to hold the hand of my love as we both slow down in our elder years but our love is still strong and bold and worthy. I want to die surrounded by the family that our love made possible.” She looks over at Liam and with soft grace instead of anger tells him, “I want it all! Liam, I want it all! I don’t want to move on! I want it all!”
Liam is silent for several moments thinking about Mary's heartfelt words. "I can't make any guarantees Mary. Life is not always fair, and you got a raw deal. I will do the best that I can to figure out how to help you. I want to run some tests on you. Obviously I can't draw blood like I could on anyone else, but I did some work on one of my gadgets and I've used it to get samples from other ghosts. I can run it through my research machine and compare it to other ghosts and we will know how you compare to them. It should give me some data about where to go from here. I will come by the house in a few days."
"It would be better if I come to you don't you think?"
Liam shakes his head. "You must be the shy ghost that Jamison was talking about. Have you not tried meeting the new owner and his friend? Mary, the help you need might be right under your nose back at the house! They both know you are there, just not who you are, although I think Jamison who is a renowned hunter has a good idea who you are."
Mary looks startled and clenches her hands together tightly in her lap. “I will think about it. I’ve been running from people for so long. It was hard enough coming and talking with you."
Liam reaches out and pats her hands. "Relax Mary, I promise they want to help you." He walks her across the room and has her stand quietly while he tries collecting the sample. Liam is successful and labels the sample carefully and puts it away. He tells her he will run the tests, and it will take a few days to get the results. I will perform the comparisons and then start searching for another treatment. Mary thanks him for his efforts leaving the office before she starts crying again.
Mary stops by the local cemetery on her way home. She finds the grim reaper statue and rages at him. “I pleaded with you not to take my life. You did it anyway. Then somehow you and the Fates came up with this endless half-life for me. Why? Why? Why?” Unsurprisingly, she finds no solace in raging at the statue. She turns to go home. "Except it is not my home." She silently cries the entire way home.
Mary arrives home and finds Betty sitting in the rocker in her room. Betty is bouncing up and down with excitement and dripping more water than usual. “Get a grip, Betty! What has you in such high spirits?" Betty informs her all about the conversation she overheard between Damien and Jamie.
Mary is very surprised by the conversation. "Are you sure they were talking about me?"
"Yes, of course, they were talking about you, silly girl."
"I guess I've got a lot to think about. Did he really say he was half in love with me?", she asks wistfully. "Oh, that doesn't matter. He doesn't know me. This was an overly emotional day, but I'm not up for any more drama. I'm going to feed Sherlock and go to bed. Thank you Betty for letting me know what you heard. Goodnight."
Mary sits down in the rocking chair to think about all that Betty told her and her talk with Liam. Her chests starts to feel tight, and her throat is closing up. Unshed tears brim in her eyes. She jumps up out of the chair, shakes herself. "Stop this right now!", she stomps her foot mad at herself. She feeds Sherlock taking a moment to talk softly to him and watch him play.
Jamie joins Damien for supper before he leaves for his job. "She is back in the house. Upstairs in the attic. Great Mac N Cheese! You are turning into a fair cook."
Jamie reminds him to stay calm while talking to Mary. "She will be skittish, but I have a feeling she will hear what you say and want to talk to you. I wish I could stay and help you, but I promised to rid the poltergeists from that home. It is a prominent family in town, so I'm hoping for a big fat fee and a bonus since no one else was able to rid the ghosts." He grins at Damien and hurries out the door.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
Damien Meets Mary
Mary changes and crawls in her bed. She lies in bed thinking about the day, and all the things Betty told her. Soft beach music starts playing downstairs. She hopes listening to the music will help lull her to sleep. Her mind sure doesn't want to stop playing the day back for her. She turns out the light and pulls the covers around her, closes her eyes, and tries to relax.
She hears that man talking to himself. She listens carefully.
Damien has turned the radio on, the beach music is playing softly in the background. He lights a fire to take the chill out of the air. He feels a little silly trying to talk to Mary likes this, but realizes nothing ventured nothing gained.
"Mary, I hope you can hear me. I'm going to light a fire and sit down and tell you what I've been doing since I first heard your story back in Riverview. I don't know if you are aware but you are admired by so many back home. A scholarship was started in your name for stud...awwww sh...!!" Damien curses as a fire starts from a spark to the woodpile next to the fireplace. He grabs the fire extinguisher and sprays the blaze.
Mary smells smoke and can hear the crackling from a fire downstairs. She knows that sound considering how many fires happened when she lit fires in that fireplace. She gets out of the bed and floats downstairs to make sure that man is putting the fire out. She does not want her house to burn down.
Damien is so busy putting out the fire he does not notice the ghost floating down into the room at first.
He hears a sharp exclamation and glances over. A ghost appears that he has not seen before. He continues working on getting the fire out and finally succeeds. He puts the fire extinguisher away and turns to the ghost.
"I can't believe you almost burned the house down!" yells Mary. She is a little overwhelmed at how handsome he is up close. She wants to throw her arms around him and find out if those lips are as kissable as they seem. Not really understanding why she has that desire, she ignores it and yells at him instead.
Damien's heart and adrenaline are racing from fighting the fire. Seeing a very beautiful ghost standing in front of him in extremely sexy lingerie certainly does not help him cool off. He thinks she looks amazingly beautiful standing there yelling at him.
"Hey, I've been working my a.. off to get this place fixed up and liveable since I bought it and moved in. The fireplaces are in terrible condition, and I've cleaned this one twice. I don't know why it caught fire tonight."
Mary realizes she should not have yelled at him. If her emotions had not been so off the charts already from her day she probably would have stayed upstairs. "I'm sorry, I should not have yelled at you. This fireplace is very dangerous and has caused many fires over the years." She starts to float back upstairs.
Damien reaches out to stop her. He pulls back from touching her though afraid he would scare her away. "Mary, please don't go."
"How do you know I'm Mary?" She looks at him curiously.
"I'd recognize you anywhere Mary. My name is Damien, Damien Nazario, the third to be exact. I've been trying to figure out what happened to you since I first read your story. I knew there was more to it than what was published. I know what those girls did to you and I can now prove it. Please sit down and talk with me."
Mary looks into Damien's eyes. She remembers what Betty, Liam and Emmaline have all told her. She nods, and lets him lead her over to the couch.
They sit on the couch, and Damien tells her his story. Mary listens as he describes how he started investigating and what he discovered. He tells her about the two women who are still alive and how their lives evolved and changed for the worse. He watches her face as he tells his story. He cannot seem to take his eyes off her.
She listens with wonder at how much he was able to find out with his investigation. "I can't thank you enough for sharing this with me."
"I've got one more interview to do and will add that to my report. I will then take the file to the chief of police and the local judicial attorney's office. I also plan to send a full copy to the local newspaper and television station to ensure the report does not receive the same treatment as your original report did."
Mary is happy justice will finally be done. She confirms the events of the night and how she died. "It was one of the coldest nights on record I found out later. I did not even have a coat on. It was mercifully swift." Damien reaches out and touches her hand. He feels a strong warmth pass from his hand to hers and back traveling up his arm into his chest. "I am so sorry you had to experience this and recall it to me."
Mary feels a wonderful warmth pass into her as Damien holds her hand. The warmth travels up her arm into her chest and her shivers stop for the first time since she returned after dying. She looks at Damien and their joined hands wondering what it all means. The emotional day takes its toll on Mary. She knows she is about to become a weeping mess. She does not want to fall apart in front of Damien. "I'm sorry, I can't talk anymore." She disappears.
Damien leaps out of his seat. "Mary! I'm so sorry. I did not mean to upset you. Mary! Mary?" Damien feels a cold caress on his cheek and a whisper in his ear. "You didn't. I need some time to process all you have told me. Thank you for telling me and helping me receive justice. I will find you tomorrow. I won't hide anymore."
Damien can't help but feel happy that he was able to meet Mary. It seems impossible since she died so many years ago. Other than her ghostly form she looks younger than him and so very, very beautiful.
Damien reaches up to touch his face where he felt her touch. He whispers, "goodnight Mary."
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
I mentioned either here or in the other thread, Mary took matters into her own hand at one point in my game totally changing the way something happened. This was it, Mary coming down during the fire. She was not supposed to meet Damien yet. I had something else planned. I could have used debug reset on her and stopped her, but when I thought about it I knew Mary was right. It was time to meet Damien. Sometimes our sims have better ideas than we do.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
@bekkasan Eeeek! You know how I've anxiously waited for more of Mary's story.
I love that my love of associating songs with my stories is rubbing off on you.
First I have to say that I also love all the love you are giving geeky Liam O'Dourke right now.
Oh no.....
Aww poor Liam, not knowing how to console her.
So that heartfelt declaration from Mary about everything she's ever wanted that's been stolen from her, just tugged at my heart.
Oh good! He encouraged her to get familiar with Damien and Jamie! Good boy Liam!
This picture is so cute!
I think I'd be yelling and cursing at the Grim Reaper statue as well.
I think Mary rather liked that Damien expressed being a little in love with her.
It's okay to cry sweetie...really it's the best medicine sometimes. {{{Hug}}}
The guys eating Mac n Cheese!
Heading right on to Part 2! LOVING IT!
----
The TITLE!
Aww, Damien talking to himself was really him talking to Mary.
Ha ha! Her legs falling through the ceiling.
Yeah that's right! Argue back and defend yourself Damien!
Awwww! He says he'd recognize her anywhere.
Yay she's going to listen to him.
See Mary, he's just a great guy wanting to help solve a terrible case and it's an added bonus that he's hot!
Yes Damien YES!
Them passing love I mean, warmth on to each other, I like that.
Oh my gosh his reaction here is cute too!
^Such a gentle, sweet man he is.
Aww his happy (and sexy) grin at the end there.
Loved your Author's Note there. I see.
And speaking of amazing, these two updates!
Wait...did I hear you say you wrote an Outline?
@emorrill Thanks so much for your sweet comments. They put a smile on my face.
It is fun to add a song when I can find the perfect one. I thought this one was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.
Liam is like the perfect nerd. He musta' tripped 10 times while I was taking pictures, but I didn't capture one for the story.
He looks so young but I've always thought of him as a genius Doogie Howser style who skipped a bunch of grades and graduated and got his doctorate very young so I always make him head of the science facility.
I'm glad she tugged at your heart with her declaration.
hehe, sometimes my titles can be deceiving, but not this time.
haha, when I saw her legs coming thru the ceiling I freaked originally but snapped the picture anyway. I always knew I could reset but it really was the better way for them to meet.
yep, they were both feeling it. Wasn't just hot in the room from the fire.
The outline is definitely helping me keep track of what I want to add to the story and what I still need pictures of. I've revised it many times since I started it as the story has evolved.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
@bekkasan
Italics: Ooh I like that.
Bold: Yes! That!
And if the game, or sim, decides to have something completely different happen, and I like it, I'll find a way to incorporate it in.
Thanks for the reply comments. I'm glad I could put a smile on your face.
Edit: Yes, the song choice was pretty awesome and you should be proud.
Sounds like Betty is right about having been murdered. I hope her husband can still get caught
I wonder why the other ghosts are trying to hide Mary. She, of course, wants to be hidden, but still. Or don't ghosts just like being asked questions about one another?
Kitty
Lovely: too redhead guys in the same room, and one of them is wearing black leather (nice to see he got warm biker clothes, lol
Sounds like Jamie has a tough job ahead if other ghost hunters have failed to chaise the ghosts from the house.
I'm sure the ghosts of Spring Manor will love to meet Liam.
Indeed, we are all wondering why Mary doesn't want to talk to Damien or let him know she's in the house...
Hehe, yes Damien, you are not in love with a ghost YET
Or maybe he is. Jamie is making a good point
It's hard to have private conversations in a house full of ghosts.
Oh no, Liam's got very bad news for Mary
Poor Mary. I hope there will be a way for her to get it all. She just wants a normal life.
Poor Liam not knowing how to console her. Happens to men quite often, lol
Wow, Liam is going to visit Mary at the house! This way she'll have to meet Damien and Jamie.
Haha, of course Betty wanted to tell Mary everything about the conversation she was listening to
So now Mary knows Damien is a little in love with her! I wonder what she thinks about that.
I hope Sherlock calmed Mary down.
Oh no, Damien is talking and Mary doesn't hear him
That's a funny picture of the fire and Mary's legs coming down from the ceiling
That's a huge fire. I'm glad he managed to put him off... And finally got a chance to see Mary!
They got hearts! Yay!
Mary does look pretty in her ghostly lingerie. I wonder if she feels awkward having her first conversation with Damien dressed like that
I love how you described the warmth when holding hands
@meerkattime Thanks so much for your lovely comments.
I hope all is well with you. I'm glad you found the updates and hope all the questions are being answered.
Yes, it is bad news. But he is going to keep trying and I'm sure Jamie and Damien will help too.
I think Mary melted a little when she heard he was half in love with her.
I was so thrilled with the hearts since I had not planned the meeting that way.
hehe, that sexy lingerie came with her so you know who picked it.
I would have felt very awkward, but Damien didn't have any quilts to offer her to wrap up in. hehe, I was really amazed his eyes never drifted off her face. He was a gentleman! Well, once they sat down. He did look at her when they were talking at the fireplace.
Thank you!
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
You've portrayed Jamie's sensitivity to ghosts very well. It's more than detecting their presence, but a bit of their personalities/moods too. It seems he’ll be a great help to both Damien and Mary. Even if Mary is not ready to cooperate just yet.
Hmm, I wonder why the director is out today?
I was wondering about the chapter title and who Lia might turn out to be. She’s such a pretty kitty! I wonder how she’ll do in a house full of active spirits, since lore suggests cats are sensitive to such things. Maybe that’s partly why she turned up at Spring Manor?
***
Wow.
Jamie’s convo with Daniel was hilarious!
How clever of Jamie! I like how you’re showing Jamie’s intellect as more the intuitive kind, whereas Damien is more logic and evidence-driven, which suits them in their respective careers and makes them a great investigative duo. But the big question is... concealing Mary from what/whom? And what happens if/when the other ghosts have their cases solved before Mary’s and they move on, leaving none to hide her from whatever-it-is?
I love Liam’s office! And also Jamie’s leathers.
AHHH! I loved Jamie’s conversation with Damien, especially knowing Betty’s gnome was there listening to the whole thing!
***
Oh no! How crushing it must be for Mary to know that Liam cannot safely proceed after she has pinned all her hopes on him!
Ugh! I hate to see Mary feeling so low.
Looking forward to seeing the results of Damien attempting to coax Mary from her attic room! And also seeing how Jamie fares with his ghosthunting job! I tend to play self-employed careers, but ghosthunting is one of the active professions I’ve always enjoyed.
***
Damien was doing such a good job setting the perfect mood to draw Mary out, so of course there’s a fire!
Mary looks pretty ticked off, but... they got the flying hearts!
I loved how you described that sense of warmth Mary felt when Damien held her hand, and finally stopped her shivering after being so cold for so long.
Now just imagine how much warmer you would’ve felt if you went with your initial inclination to kiss him, Mary!
Aww. Damien looks so happy now that he has finally met her and she’s promised not to hide from him anymore.
Of course, that means more obstacles are imminent...
A picture says more than thousand words....
I can´t add anything more as what is already said!
I love everything about the updates, especially the discription of Mary´s despair at Liam´s office and his try to calm her down and the first meeting of Damien and Mary, soooo romantic!
(For a mid century girl she is dressed very ... inapropriate to meet a stranger though!
More, please!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/953447/streuner-a-cat-s-tale
@starguru Thanks so much for your comments!
Lia was just too cute to let her stay a stray, and Jamie does have likes animals so that was perfect! I'm so loving having Pets back in my game that most of my stories will start having more in them.
I think it may take all three to help Mary. Yes, Liam was very good at keeping Mary's privacy and not spilling to Jamie.
Yes, the fire was not planned but it ended up being the perfect way for them to meet. I do like the unexpected things that can happen in the game that adds to the story.
lol, yes I was all up for her to kiss him! But that didn't really seem to be a Mary move no matter how tempted she was.
@AlexaKry Thanks so much for your comments. I do appreciate it!
hehe, poor Liam was not ready for that reaction!
yes, she was shockingly dressed!
She's got long johns which I gave her, but I guess they were in the wash. Do ghosts' clothes get dirty? And if so how would you know?
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
Now wonder Mary is freezing in her sleep, she barely wears anything, Damien is such a gentleman not to look too much and not to say something about her outfit!
What I thought about the whole day now: how could Damien and Mary touch each other? Can you touch a ghost? My mind couldn´t get an answer.... still thinking about it.....
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/953447/streuner-a-cat-s-tale
The Best There's Ever Been
Jamie arrives at the address that Liam sent him. The mansion is located on one of the prime pieces of real estate in Hidden Springs. A corner lot that has easy access to Veronaville Sound. He imagines the water sports they must enjoy in the warmer weather. The lady of the house, Catarina Vanderburg greets him imperiously as he arrives. "Must you arrive on that noisy machine?"
Jamie recognizes a pillar of the community when he sees one. He turns on his respectable charm. "Yes ma'am!" he exclaims. "The bike allows me to get where I need to go for my job quickly and efficiently. I can also get places where another vehicle would have difficulty managing, especially in this winter climate. It is actually a very efficient machine."
Catarina looks down her nose at his smiling face. He asks her about the ghosts before she can make any more comments about his bike.
"I understand you have been plagued by poltergeists and other hunters have been unable to get rid of them."
"Yes, the previous hunters were extremely incompetent at their jobs. Liam spoke highly of you. I hope you are as skilled as he claims."
He smiles cheerfully at her showing off the dimple in his cheek. "I will do my best, ma'am. Now if you will excuse me, I will get started as there is one in the yard just behind you."
Catarina shrieks and moves towards the house. She turns around as she hears the ghost hunter fire up his device and watches in dismay as a beam of light shoots out of the device. The poltergeist is directly in front of her.
"Ma'am perhaps you should leave for a few hours. I would hate having to exorcise one of these little buggers from you. They are going to hate me trying to capture them."
Catarina nods in agreement and shouts to Jamies as she hurries to her car. "I'll be at City Hall when you finish or give up like the others."
Jamie merely laughs. "Giving up is not in my vocabulary. I'm the best there's ever been!"
Jamie spends the next couple of hours finding and capturing poltergeists inside and outside the house. He relishes his job and whistles happily as each poltergeist puts up a bit of a fight. Several are quite tricky and dodge his beam, jumping from one object to the next trying to elude him. He perseveres and the outcome is exactly as he predicted. Ghosts zero, Jamie 6. He runs by City Hall and informs Mrs. Vanderburg that all is clear and she and her family can move back in the home. She asks him to come to her home tomorrow. He agrees to meet her in the afternoon.
Damien is up early feeling lighthearted and very optimistic. He prepares waffles for breakfast and sneaks a taste of the batter. He calls out, "Mary if you are up, please join me for breakfast."
Mary has been up for a few hours trying to do some research. She floats down into the kitchen in front of Damien. "Good morning! It sure feels great not to have to hide anymore or sneak down when you are away to eat." She smiles shyly up at him. She is amazed at how comfortable she feels around Damien. Especially since most of her human interactions end up with the human passing out from fright.
"Aha, so that is how all the leftovers in the fridge disappeared." Damien teases her with a big grin on his face.
She laughs, her eyes sparkling as she tells Damien. "No, that was Betty and the other ghosts. I always cook my own breakfast and left food for them. They were used to swiping it out of the refrigerator. I did use a couple of your strawberries and an egg once." She giggles. "I still need to ask Emmaline to go to the store for me and replace them and get some other things."
"I will be glad to pick up things for you when I go shopping. Just add them to the list on the fridge. Please feel free to use what you want. This has been your home for a long time, and I want you to be comfortable even with all the renovations going on."
They keep up the light conversation during breakfast as Damien does not want to frighten or distress her. Damien asks about Emmaline, and she explains she is one of the few people in town that accept and are not frightened of ghosts. "She is a witch, you see. A very good witch and has been incredibly helpful to me. I met her many years ago and she shops for me and helps me sell gems that I discover so I will have money to spend."
"I recently learned that supernaturals really exist. My friend Jamie has known and believed for years, but I thought he was making it all up. I had to apologize for giving him such a hard time."
"Hidden Springs doesn't have a large population of occults. I didn't believe either until I became one. Other towns do have more according to Emmaline. She moved here from Dragon Valley wanting to experience a proper winter she said. They have mild winters in Dragon Valley. She fell in love with winters and the town and stayed. I'm happy she stayed."
Mary helps Damien clean up the kitchen working together like they've been doing it for years. "Come sit down at my desk. I've got some time before my appointment." He places his arm around her waist and leads her into the other room. He moves one of the chairs in front of the desk, and his hand lingers on her waist as he politely helps her sit down. Mary loves the warmth she feels when Damien touches her. She is reluctant to have him let her go.
He takes Mary's file out of the safe. "I pretty much gave you the basics of what was in the file last night. If you want to read it, I will leave it here. If you think it will upset you I will lock it back up."
"No, I'd like to read it. I will try to read it clinically like I would any science or newspaper article. If there is anything I can add to it that will help with justice being served I would like to do that."
Damien shifts in his chair and opens his mouth and just as quickly shuts it. He picks up a pen and nervously plays with it shifting in his chair again. He looks down at the desk and back over at Mary. He fiddles with the file thumbing through the pages. She is watching him and looks puzzled and confused at his obvious nervousness. He clears his throat, puts the pen down, and looks her in the eyes. He dreads hearing the answer to his question. He feels he must ask it before he loses his heart any more to this brave woman sitting in front of him. "Look, here's the thing." He puts his hands through his hair as he tries to ask what is on his mind. "I don't want to upset you. Jamie tells me once unfinished business is finished a ghost can move on. I hope you don't mind me asking. Is that what you want? Do you want to move on?"
"Oh my, no! I don't want to move on at all. I want to live again! That is one of the reasons I was so troubled yesterday. I had been to see Dr. Liam O'Dourke, head of the science and research facility. He has a process that can bring ghosts back to life, resurrect them in other words. I heard about it on the radio when I came back this time. But I am not a candidate for his process because I am different from other ghosts. He is going to try to find a way to help me, but I fear he may not."
Damien feels a tremendous weight lift off his chest when she tells him she does not want to move on and wants to live again.
"What do you mean by 'came back this time' and how are you different from other ghosts?"
Mary explains to Damien how she is different. How she is pulled back to the netherworld the last day of winter and does not return until the following winter and has skipped many years as well.
"We should talk with Jamie about this. He might know something from his studies that he has done over the years. Perhaps we can get together with Dr. O'Dourke as well."
Mary was thrilled to hear his words. "You still want to help me? Even after getting the mystery solved?"
"Of course I want to help you, Mary! I'm very good at solving puzzles and mysteries. Jamie is the best hunter around because of his knowledge and he knows no fear which is scary, but that is Jamie. This doctor already has a way to resurrect ghosts so surely he can come up with an alternative for you with our help."
"I will gather up my research material, so you will have it available to you later today. Thank you so much, Damien! You've given me hope again."
Damien's phone begins ringing and Mary waves and floats up into her attic.
While Damien is on the phone, Jamie comes down for breakfast. After finishing breakfast, Jamie cleans up his mess and Damien is finally off the phone.
"So tell me how things went last night!"
Damien tells Jamie all about it including the fire fiasco and Mary sitting and talking with him before she got upset and left. He leaves out the part about the skimpy nightwear. "She is beautiful Jamie, so beautiful." He tells him about their conversation this morning as well. "You just missed her."
"I'm glad you got to meet and talk to her even if it didn't go exactly as planned. I agree we should try to assist her. I met Dr. O'Dourke and talked with him about the resurrection treatment that he has. If he says it will not work for Mary then I have to believe him. He has multiple degrees and has them all over his office walls. He has done the treatment many times with 100% success. We can try meeting with him once he has her test results back. I will do some research on her only being present during winter. Very strange and I've not heard of any ghosts like this before."
Damien heads out for his appointment. His interview is productive with the retired police officer. He admits he and the lead investigator were reminded of how well known Kerry's family was, not only in Hidden Springs but in the world. The death of Mary Kendall was deemed a horrible accident. They were advised not to compound it further by ruining the lives of four innocent girls who were traumatized by the death of their friend. The coroner called it an accidental death. The investigation did not proceed and was shut down and marked closed. He never even saw the lab reports that showed she did not have any alcohol in her system. The girls obviously lied about that so they must have lied about the circumstances. They both received bonuses for their timely closing of a very sad case. The bonus was paid by an outside source. Damien recorded the interview with his permission. The retired officer commented he was relieved to confess his own involvement in not fulfilling his duty to investigate the case thoroughly.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
I hardly recognized Catarina there with the different hairstyle.
The way she scolded Jamie for riding a noisy motorcycle...yup, that's Catarina.
I bet he looked adorable with the dimple in his cheek showing up.
You GO Jamie! Woo hoo!
Aww, Damien waking up all chipper and making waffles for him and Mary.
I sure enjoyed their conversation together. It was especially nice learning a little about Emmaline's background.
So this whole paragraph: Beautifully written!
And of course we all knew what her answer would be.
Yup, the three guys in all their areas of expertise should find a way to help her and I know they will!
So, was the retired officer Damien interviewed Carl Abbot?
Sounds like some friends in high places of Kerry's "world renowned family" found a way to cover up the truth of what really happened to Mary so Kerry wouldn't look bad and destroy the family reputation.
Man he looks so sexy in that last picture!
Fantastic chapter and as always I am hungry for more!
@emorrill Thanks so much for the comments!
I have not changed anything about Caterina. She is just as game made her. I have very little cc in this save as yet, especially hairs, and I would have put a cc hair on her since I like those better than EA hairs.
I picture Jamie as being very charismatic and able to easily charm the likes of Catarina easily if he chooses to use his charm.
Thanks so much for the compliments on that paragraph. That is exactly what I was trying to convey! Glad it worked.
I dunno who Carl Abbot is? I choose not to have a sim portray the retired officer. There are only 3 EA sims in the police department, Sebastian is one, the other two I don't recall their names. I decided not to use an EA sim/townie because I might need them for other things later.
Damien does look sexy. I thank you for him!
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
"He smiles cheerfully at her showing off the dimple in his cheek." Jamie is quite the charmer, hm?
He is very convinced about his hunter abilities to say that he is the best! I hope nobody proves him the opposite!
So Damien and Mary are already in flirt modus? Their conversation while making the breakfast implies that heavily! She seems to like him more than she knows now!
"Mary loves the warmth she feels when Damien touches her." That´s sweet although I can´t understand how one can touch a ghost?
She is really lucky that three very competent and intelligent men try to help her to be alive again!
I wonder who paid the bonus for the policemen to not investigate further in the past??? Hopefully the case can be solved completely and all of the murderers and their coverers will be punished!
Finally! Damien wears a helmet and is dressed properly for a ride in winter! And he looks good in black, very good! I would recommend him to wear more black and stylish clothes and say goodbye to his elderly charmed style!
Furthermore I like the look of his hair in the last picture! The window behind him cuts away a bit of his spicked and spanned hairstyle and tousles the hair, this looks so much better on him!
I can´t wait for the solutions the 4 would come to to help Mary!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/953447/streuner-a-cat-s-tale
@AlexaKry hehe, yes, Jamie is a charmer. Surprisingly his bike doesn't make as much noise as I thought it would in the game.
Yes, Jamie is a very good hunter and he knows it!
Yes, Mary and Damien are both getting vibes from each other.
Damien actually already had a helmet with his other winter outfit. I wish I could find a better helmet though.
He does look good in black but his favorite color is blue so I dress him in that most of the time.
hehe, he has helmet hair in that picture! I still don't have many of my cc hairs in that folder yet. I'm adding things slowly so I can be more organized about what I have and what I want to keep. He gets ea Ken doll hair until I get my short cc hairs added in that folder. I really prefer cc hair that has a real look to it rather than plastered to the head like poor Ken.
Thanks so much for your comments!
The Cowboy and the Mermaid
There we go, job well done! He better be rewarded generously!
Good morning Mary. I wonder if she's wearing a bit more clothes this time
That's kind of Damien to do shopping for Mary in the future. Those two are starting to get famously along...
I wonder how Mary would have managed without Emmaline - fortunately she didn't have to, even though Emmaline is one of those weird people who like winter
Must feel nice for Mary to be treated like a human being again and not having to hide! And for Damien to get help in the kitchen.
Damien is in love, that's sweet
I wonder why Mary didn't tell him that he saw Jamie talking to Liam already.
Jamie doesn't tease Damien at all about his obvious crush on Mary - that's kind of him.
How unfair that Kerry's well-known family was the reason for them to finish the investigation on Mary's death so quickly
I love the picture of Damien on his bike and the rainbow behind him
@meerkattime Thanks so much for your comments!
Yes, she is a bit of a snob. Jamie is very good at handling her type.
lol, yes, she dressed for breakfast.
They are getting along pretty well. We will have to see what happens.
It was very unfair what happened and yes sadly it does in RL too.
That was a very timely rainbow. I love how they occur so often except I've not seen any in my Dragon Valley save and that disappoints me.
The Cowboy and the Mermaid