The Deadly Match

by Kishan Paul

  Nothing could be further from the truth.

  David Spencer Dimarchi’s imprint was left on the lives he touched, not on the things constructed under his name. Like her, those individuals he affected were better because he graced their lives.

  A cool breeze whipped her hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and rubbed her finger over his birth and death dates.

  “Happy birthday.” Her throat tightened. She cleared it and sat cross-legged, leaning her back against his stone, allowing him to support her the way he had in the past.

  As birthdays went, David never enjoyed grandiose acts. Balloons, birthday cakes, or having people sing to him on his special day did nothing for him. What he enjoyed was spending time with the people he cared about, so she came prepared to offer him just that.

  Ally worked the zipper of Nasif’s old leather bag. The seams had frayed, and the edges worn with time, but it and the items it carried were valuable, reminders of the people she’d lost, people she never wanted to forget. She reached inside and pulled out several of its contents, laying them beside her. In the stash were two bound photo albums. The thinner one of her wedding, and the heavier one of family, packed full of images of their lives with her and David. She ran a hand over the spine of the bigger album and cracked it open. And found him.

  Pages of his joy, his humor, his quiet strength radiating through the images. Of all those qualities, it was his confidence that had made her say yes to him. His confidence wasn’t only about himself and the future they’d have together, but about her. He saw things in her, things she couldn’t see in herself, and shared those thoughts not only through his words, but in the way he smiled and looked at her. Through the pictures, she remembered so many instances in her life where it was his belief in her that silenced her voices of doubt and empowered her to believe she was strong and capable.

  “You don’t have to worry about me anymore.” She smiled and patted her hand against the green grass separating her from him. The corners of her mouth dipped. “No matter what happens. I’ll be okay.”

  A breeze made the card she pulled out flutter. She grabbed it before it flew away and inspected the images on the front. “Jayden made this for you.”

  Hand drawn on the cover of cream cardstock, her son depicted three people with the words “Happy Birthday” scribbled in a mix of capital and lower-case letters. The bodies as well as the letters on the card were created in a wide array of colors. “He got a new box of scented markers the other day, so he had to use every color to create this masterpiece.” She ran her finger over the stick figure images of a man with green eyes and a woman with brown, each holding the hand of the young boy who stood between them. “Your parents say he reminds them of you when you were little. I hope they’re right. The world needs more people like you.”

  She placed the card against David’s tombstone, positioning a rock on top so the wind wouldn’t steal his gift before reaching for the second album, placing it in her lap. Ally cracked it open, remembering their wedding day, making sure he got the time he deserved.

  Hours later, all the albums inspected, memories revisited, and the tears spent, she still leaned against his tombstone and people-watched. There was something unifying about seeing them in their various stages of grief. It made her feel less alone in hers. Unlike the tears shed by those around her, hers had been happy, ones where she smiled and laughed at memories of her husband, something she had never been able to do before.

  Ally heard their voices and footsteps before she saw them. She rested the back of her head on the marble and glanced over as her brother and sister approached, taking in the bright yellow mylar with a smiling face flying high behind them. “You know he hates balloons.”

  Rey shrugged and tied it to one of the round marble balls on either side of David’s tombstone. “Well, he’s dead and we’re alive, so he really doesn’t get a choice in the decision.”

  Ally shook her head and scooted over before her sister’s butt wound up in her lap. “When he was alive, you told him he didn’t have a choice because he married into our family, and now that he’s dead—”

  “He always had a choice,” Rey interrupted as she made herself comfortable beside her and patted the wedding album. “It was always you.”

  Ally savored the truth in her sister’s words.

  “Even if he did care, it’s not like Rey would have listened.” Her big brother wiped the marble bench clean with his handkerchief before seating himself upon it. “Who you need to feel sorry for is Parker. The poor man has to wake up every day reminded of his choice.”

  “Shut up and leave my husband out of it,” Rey snapped and rested her head on Ally’s shoulder. “He tells me all the time how lucky he is to be married to me.”

  “Of course, he does,” Bhai grinned. “I’m just not sure if he’s saying it to avoid your wrath or if he’s actually convinced himself it’s true.”

  “You’re such an asshole…” And suddenly they were kids again.

  Ally watched the two while they bickered. In some ways they were the same as before her disappearance, and in so many other ways, they were different. At first, she couldn’t put her finger on what was different. They made the same comments, showered her with insults and love like before, but it wasn’t the same. It took this visit for her to realize what it was.

  In the years without her, they’d moved on, creating lives and memories that didn’t include her. They’d learned not to need her. Her sister no longer sought her out to share secrets or ask for advice. Her brother didn’t ask her opinion on how to handle their parents or his family. The distance had even impacted her relationship with her parents. Their conversations had become more about Jayden and Razaa and about superficial matters. She didn’t resent any of them for their behaviors; after all, she’d disappeared on them twice, and a part of her knew they didn’t trust she wouldn’t leave them again.

  It had nothing to do with a lack of love for her. Rey and Bhai wouldn’t have put their lives on hold to hang out with her at David’s grave if that had been an issue. Her brother dropped everything to arrange her medical transport back to the States from Mumbai and watched over her the entire flight. And when they landed, the rest of her family met them at the tarmac. They’d stepped in, enveloping not only her but Razaa, Jayden, and even Lee with their love.

  “Aww, so sweet. Jay made him a card.”

  Her heart swelled at Rey’s attempt to include her in the conversation. Ally glanced at the image Jayden drew of him and his American grandparents. “He wanted David to know he was taking good care of his parents.”

  “Is it weird having them around so much?”

  She stared at the image of Jayden holding David’s parents’ hands. “I thought it would be, but actually, they’ve been a godsend. Mom and Dad are great with him. Better than I am. I can’t imagine life without them.” She pressed a hand on the earth beneath her. “It’s nice seeing pieces of him around me.”

  Of all the people she’d reached out to, calling her late husband’s parents had been the hardest. She wasn’t sure how they’d receive the news their dead daughter-in-law was not only alive but had two boys, and she had prepared for the worst. But their joy, the sheer pleasure in their voices at the knowledge she still lived hadn’t been something she’d anticipated. When they heard about Jayden and his condition, the two retired teachers from St. Paul, Minnesota, packed up their van and drove across country to help. Even Theresa, David’s sister, managed to make time to come by and visit when she could.

  Gratitude was the word of the year for her, and she was grateful. The past year had been hard, but having both sets of families by her side made the journey smoother. Jayden and Razaa found themselves spoiled by two sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom had voluntarily enlisted in Jayden’s army. While her youngest drank up the attention, it overwhelmed her oldest, but he took it in stride.

  Each member took their roles seriously, collaborating and making s
ure at least one was always present at the medical visits. David’s mother had special shirts in deep blue made. And for the blood transfusions, the spinal taps, the donor drives, a member of the family was in attendance dressed in their “blue Jay” shirts. They cheered, told jokes, watched YouTube videos with him, prayed, and cried.

  When the perfect match finally materialized and it became clear the transplant was a go, all of them—including the spouses and children—stopped their lives and showed up on the day of the procedure. The end result was a waiting room filled with Jayden’s army of blue.

  “Sonya and I and the girls were talking this morning about flying out to your orchard and spending time with him before the summer’s over.”

  “You should. He’d love that.” Ally grinned. “I would too.”

  “He would have had a great time here.”

  She nodded at Rey. “Once his immune system is strong enough to risk airplanes, I’ll bring him up.”

  Her voice trailed off when she noticed Bhai’s gaze fixed behind her. His smile faded to a look of curiosity. Ally turned and surveyed the nicely dressed African-American gentleman who stood on the sidewalk behind her smiling at them.

  “Alisha Dimarchi?” His attention shifted between her and Rey until she climbed to her feet. Emotions she couldn’t read flashed across his face, but it was his eyes she noticed. They were kind. The deep brown orbs filled with tears he blinked away. “Hi, I’m Kyle.” His voice came out hoarse.

  The nervous energy filling him made him rock on the heels of his black dress shoes and rub his palms together. She found herself wanting to touch him, to put him at ease. “I’m sorry to bother you right now when you’re here celebrating your late husband’s birthday.”

  His confession had her second-guessing her initial impression that he was harmless. Ally scanned the area behind him for threats as he continued.

  “But I was told this was the best time to meet you.”

  “Told by whom?” Rey asked, standing beside her.

  Kyle opened his mouth and shut it. He stared at his feet and sucked in a lungful of air while Ally surveyed him. His slacks and dress shirt fit him well, and she noticed no bulges of a weapon on him. He opened his hands as if hoping to find the words hidden between them and finally met her gaze. One of the tears he’d tried to fight off slipped down his cheek. Kyle swiped it away with his sleeve. “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous right now.”

  “You’re nervous? Considering you know who we are, and we have no clue who—”

  Ally grabbed Rey’s arm to silence her before she pushed any further. Her gut didn’t scream danger. If anything, he appeared overwhelmed, terrified of meeting her. “Hi, Kyle. How can I help you?”

  “You already have.” He grabbed her offered palm between both of his giant ones. Emotion now streaked a trail along his cheeks. “Your late husband is the reason I’m alive.”

  His grip on her tightened. She nodded her understanding, pride filling her chest. David loved his work as a surgeon. So many lives were saved because of him and the work he did in the OR.

  “I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time. So, when they said you would be here today and that I should come, I came.”

  She hadn’t reached out to the hospital. They were not even aware she was alive much less in town. Ally kept her voice calm and tried to go through the questions flooding her head one by one. “Who told you I would be here?”

  “I don’t remember his name, but he worked for an agency called ALPS. He told me to find the pretty woman wearing a coral-colored shirt and denim shorts.” He laughed. “I didn’t even know what color coral was. I just spent the last couple minutes in the car googling it before I came over.”

  Instead of helping, his mention of Eddie’s team only multiplied her confusion. “Eddie sent you?”

  His face brightened. “Yes, that’s his name. Sorry, I know I’m babbling.” He placed her hand against his chest. “I am the person who received your late husband’s heart.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  STICKY NOTES

  “What the fuck am I doing?” Eddie mumbled. The same question played on repeat since he arrived in Philly the day before and today during the entire drive to the cemetery. He didn’t realize he’d said this one out loud until the man in his earpiece responded to it.

  “Is that a rhetorical question, or you want me to answer that one for you?”

  He didn’t bother replying to Raz, nor did he bother answering the question that prompted the kid’s smart-ass response. Instead, he leaned forward, pressed his palms against the dusty stone wall, and gazed out the thin slits at the activity several yards away.

  Breaking in to a mausoleum and spying on innocents while they paid their respects to their dead was a new low—even for him. One that Raz had no problem reminding him of—often. The pitiful part he didn’t bother sharing with the kid was he’d been in the same dusty crypt with the same corpse spying on the same person four years earlier.

  During his initial break-in, only one set of bones occupied the crypt the size of a small bedroom. Since then, the population of deceased inhabitants had doubled. It appeared Harold, the dead man whose bust sat in the center of the space had gone and found himself a woman, Lynn, to keep him company during their eternal rest. Aside from Harold’s new girl, there were other changes. The previous lock he’d picked had been replaced with a more durable expensive version.

  Eddie enjoyed the challenge. It delayed him a few extra minutes more than the first had. Extra surveillance cameras installed around the perimeter provided a better view of individuals trespassing on the garden of the dead. It would have been a challenge to shut down had he not called Raz for help.

  It wasn’t Harold’s warmth that made him return. The building had the best view of the small crowd of four at David’s tomb across the field.

  Correction.

  Crowd of six.

  Ally’s parents made their way down the paved walkway toward the grave. Their timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

  When Eddie got the flight alert for her Philly trip and the timeliness of it, he understood her purpose for the visit and began formulating this meeting. Bringing the heart recipient to meet her on David’s birthday and on her first visit to the grave since she’d gone in hiding seemed like a good idea. He managed to convince himself it was purely coincidental that he’d scheduled his pitch for the DOJ contract a few days from now. Along with that coincidence was the fact he’d come early because of course pitching for a big government contract like the one he wanted meant he had to get his ass to the States earlier to prep. He’d told himself a lot of other bullshit as well, which was why he stood in a room with dead people, peering out a dusty window at David’s heart recipient with Alisha and her family.

  Her back to the mausoleum, she faced Kyle, a muscular middle-aged, African-American male of six-one and approximately two hundred pounds. Eddie had wondered how a heart recipient dressed when meeting the family of the organ donor who saved his life. Now he knew. In slacks, a white dress shirt, and tie. Apparently, recipients dressed like they were going to a job interview. Except what they had to offer was not a resume but gratitude.

  Gratitude Alisha deserved to hear. But now, only able to glimpse her backside, he was having second thoughts. Nervous tension turned to irritation. His scowl deepened. “Can you get a visual on her face?”

  “I can but won’t. If you want to know, you should walk over there and see for yourself. I hear walking is good for aging joints.”

  Eddie’s pulse kicked up. “I can write you off this contract at any time.”

  “Try it.” Raz’s laugh deepened his scowl. The man was a cramp in his ass, but his arrogance was justified. Eddie needed him. Not only because he was the only member of the team who was a US citizen, and therefore able to assist with this mission, but also because Raz and Eddie were, for the same reasons, the only representatives of ALPS who would be pitching their contract to the DOJ next week. A pitch th
at involved convincing a very suspicious US government to trust his team of covert operatives to meet their international tactical needs. A challenging task considering most of the members of the team were Pakistani nationals.

  He pulled out his cell and used the camera to get a better view of the scene playing out a few yards away. Kyle stretched his arms wide, an invitation she accepted by stepping up to him. When he grabbed her hand and placed her open palm against his chest, Eddie’s own chest tightened. He didn’t need to hear their words or see her face to understand what was happening.

  The two stood there, frozen in time, both enjoying the feel of the heart pulsing inside him. Both aware the price of Kyle’s life was a cost Alisha had struggled for years to pay. When she rested her cheek against her hand that still pressed against David’s heart, Eddie zoomed in on the upturn of her lips and the tears streaking her cheeks. This was why he’d come. Seeing that smile right where it belonged was worth the possible jail time.

  After all the shit she’d gone through, she now could sleep in peace, knowing things were going to be okay. He zoomed in further. Those brandy-colored orbs were even more intense now that the dark circles beneath them had faded. The tightness not only in her face but also her shoulders from the last time they’d met had vanished. She looked the best he’d ever seen her.

  If he was one of those idiots who tapped into his feelings, he’d have to admit her happiness had been his focus for a long while. Good thing he wasn’t one of those. No, he was just an idiot who was going to get his ass tossed in jail for breaking in to a room inhabited by dead people; jail time that would erase any chance of that DOJ contract.

  “You did well, Boss.” The whispered affirmation reminding him he wasn’t the only spectator in this bittersweet reunion.