The Ghost in the Garden

The doorbell rings.

“Welcome to the Cloverville Detective Agency,” you say as you open the door. “Come on in.”

In walks an old man. He nervously twists his hat in his hands and glances around the office. He is silent.

Suddenly, you recognize him as Giorgio Cuoco, owner of Mama Vitale’s Italian Bistro, although he looks nothing like you remembered. He has lost so much weight that his skin seems to sag, and the twinkle in his eyes has dulled with sadness. The man before you now seems but a shell of the prosperous businessman you once knew.

You realize that the last time you saw Mr. Cuoco was at his wife’s funeral last January. Since their only child, Toni, had just deployed overseas, Mr. Cuoco had to scale back operations at Mama Vitale’s until he could hire help. Then, the pandemic hit, and the bistro was completely shuttered until Toni finally returned home last week.

“Mr. Cuoco?” you say gently. “Is everything okay?”

He whispers something so softly that you can barely hear, but the words are unmistakable.

“I’ve seen a ghost.”