“Looks like we have another letter from the ‘good ole boy’ realtor.”

 Susan glanced over at the envelope, “Well, I’m not in the mood for any more of his innuendos right now. Let’s leave it for later.”

“Shall we go upstairs and see the rest?”

“Go ahead up, Justin. I’m going to check out the back room down here, first. I want to see if we’ll have an upstairs bedroom and downstairs office/studio combo or vice versa.” She sat the manila envelope from the SUV’s windshield on the table with the beige one, then she headed off.

                                           § § §

 The pair explored separately until the fading light had them returning to the front room. “I tried a couple of switches upstairs, but no light. I guess your ‘good ole boy’ realtor didn’t check to see that the power was up and running, as promised” he commented when he rejoined Susan downstairs.

“He’s not ‘my’ realtor--he was the owner’s choice. Let me find his number, then I’ll call him. At least Smith’s first note was on company letterhead.” Susan walked to the table, retrieved the note and turned to Justin. “Do you have your cell?”

“Always.” He unclipped the phone from his belt, crossed the room and handed it over.

 Taking the phone, Susan dialed the number and softly counted the rings as she waited for an answer. “One, two, three.”

 There was a flicker of light throughout the house. “What’s that?” he asked, looking uneasily around the room at the mysterious flashing lights.

“Four,” Susan counted as lights continued to flicker around them. “Five.”

 Once she spoke that last number, the lights clicked on and remained lit, just as the phone lost its connection. Glancing around the now brightly lit room, unable to shake the anxiety he felt, Justin walked across the room to a table lamp and tapped the bulb. “Huh, there must have been a loose fuse.”

“We lost the connection, but at least the power came on,” Susan remarked as she flipped the cellular phone closed.

“Now that we have electricity, what do you want for dinner?” Justin asked, while taking the phone from her outstretched hand. “I’ll go pick something up while you find us a place to crash for the night.”

“Sure, umm,” Susan tapped her lower lip while deciding what she wanted to eat, “I think I want a cheeseburger, onion rings and a chocolate shake.”