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him.
    Ted reached out and started to tickle her.  She could have protested, but it felt so good to laugh uncontrollably.  He stopped when she got the hiccups and the baby started kicking her.  She grabbed Ted’s hand and placed it on her stomach so he could feel his son move within her.
    “That’s cool,” Ted said, wrapping his arms around his wife.  “I love you, with or without a grapefruit.”
     

     
     

    Chapter Three
     
    Cid looked down at the IOU that Mia left and blushed.  Was it the promise of baked goods or the hearts and flowers doodled all over the paper that touched him?  He knew Mia had to be seriously craving sweets to cross his threshold.  Had he been ignoring her?  Ever since Marta Steensen stepped into his life, he had been a bit preoccupied.  He had been working on getting his general contractor licenses for the city of Chicago as well as each thriving community in northern Illinois.  Being a paranormal investigator didn’t pay much.  Ted let Cid live free-of-charge over the PEEPs office, and he did share a few patents with Ted.  But he couldn’t ask Ted for money to go on dates with the statuesque code inspector. That was just asking too much.  Although, he suspected that Ted and Mia would do so without a thought.  But they had a little one on the way, and Cid was a grown man capable of earning a living.
    Burt’s selfish attitude tonight was the final straw.  The investigation had been chaotic and tense.  Mia wasn’t there to joke with Ted.  That always seemed to put the group at ease.  Burt’s joy over not having Mia around was way over-the-top.  His disregard for injured Audrey was the tipping point.  Cid’s quitting was an impulse, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt he did the right thing.
    “Domino,” Murphy’s voice echoed through the room.
    “Whoa!” Cid said as he turned around to see the farmer standing in his doorway.  “Domino?” he questioned.
    “You quit, Dave quit, Mike’s quitting.”
    “Domino effect.  I was the first to fall.  Sorry, Murphy, but Burt’s been riding me a lot lately, and I’ve had enough.”
    “Where’s Mia?” Murphy asked.
    “Ted called her.  Burt left him alone to mind the house, so Mia drove the truck over to be with him.”
    “Dangerous.”
    “Ted will make sure she’s safe.”
    “Mia will make sure Ted is safe,” Murphy countered.
    Cid laughed.  “You’re right.  Mia takes care of us all, doesn’t she?”
    Murphy nodded.  “Dave’s in the house.  Doesn’t know where to put his things.”
    “Whoa, Dave moved out of Burt’s house?”
    “Ted said he could stay here.  Mike brought us home.”
    Murphy was starting to fade.  The effort of having a regular conversation with Cid was draining the ghost’s energy.
    “First, you stop talking, you’re fading away.  Second, I’ll get the boy settled in.  Tomorrow, we need to sit down and figure out what we are going to do about the kerfuffle I caused.”
    Murphy smiled and disappeared.
    Cid walked out of his apartment using the exterior stairs.  He saw Mike standing by his car talking on the phone.  Not wanting to intrude, he nodded at the senior investigator as he passed him.
    “Wait a moment,” Mike said, lowering the phone.  “Mind if I come in and bend your ear?”
    “I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee after I help Dave settle in.  I’m thinking a midnight feast is in order.”
    “I’m in,” Mike said.  “I’m also going to stay the night.  Mia said I could use their room.”
    Cid left him to his phone call and greeted Maggie who was dancing by the door.  “Hello, I understand we have a new roomie?”
    “Are you really talking to the dog?” Dave said from his perch on the staircase.
    “I find Maggie a very good conversationalist.  She understands bacon and bacon,” Cid joked.
    Each time the word bacon was mentioned, Maggie danced around.
    “I could use some bacon.  And a beer.  Lots of beer.  Burt has lousy