Soul Mates

by Donald Hanley

  “Peter,” he greeted me in surprise. He was wearing his uniform and carrying his gun belt and Stetson. “You’re up early.”

  “Uh, yeah, something woke me up, I guess. I got kolaches,” I told him, holding up the box.

  “The breakfast of champions,” he said wryly. He followed me into the kitchen and got the coffee going. “How did you sleep?”

  “It could have been better,” I admitted truthfully. I got myself a glass of milk and shifted two of the kolaches onto a paper napkin. “You don’t usually leave this early,” I observed. “Is something going on?”

  “No, I just want to get a head start on things. Agent Prescott’s coming over to the station this morning to discuss his case.” He sat across the table from me and took a kolache of his own.

  “So you and he are going to be pretty busy all day, then?” I asked, trying to keep the hopeful note out of my voice.

  “Hard to say. It depends on exactly what he needs from us. How about you? Do you have any plans?”

  Other than trying to keep Dara as far away as possible from Lilith and Prescott? I thought bleakly. “No, nothing specific,” I said out loud.

  “Well, you might think about running down to the storage place and getting some boxes.”

  “Boxes?”

  “For packing.”

  “Oh, right,” I sighed.

  “Feeling a little overwhelmed?” he smiled sympathetically.

  “A bit, yeah.” Although not for the reasons he thought. Packing was the last thing on my mind right now.

  “Just take it a step at a time,” he said, getting up as the coffee machine started beeping insistently. “A journey of a thousand miles and all that.”

  Takes about twelve hours in a 5.0-liter V8 Ford Mustang, I thought, although admittedly my version of that old aphorism didn’t have quite the same motivational impact. “Melissa hasn’t sent me the list yet,” I told him.

  My phone clearly had a direct connection to the cosmic forces currently controlling my life. As soon as I said that, it pinged to announce the arrival of a new message from Melissa. To my intense relief, all it said was Good morning!

  Good morning, I responded. I debated if I should say something about her last two texts but I decided that my best strategy was pretending they never happened. Maybe she wouldn’t remember sending them.

  Ping. Did you get my texts last night?

  “Oh God,” I muttered.

  “Problem?” Dad asked, returning with his coffee mug.

  “No,” I sighed. “Just ... girl stuff.”

  “Ah. Well, I should probably offer some fatherly advice here but frankly, I’ve been married to your mother for twenty years and I still don’t understand her. Don’t tell her I said that.”

  “That’s okay, Dad,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Glad to hear it. Was the morning paper outside?”

  “I didn’t notice it when we – I mean, when I came in.”

  “I’ll go check.” Dad headed for the door while I tried to come up with a reply to Melissa that wouldn’t embarrass at least one of us. The longer I waited, though, the worse it was going to be.

  Yes, I texted finally. They weren’t what I expected.

  Good. Smile emoticon. I wouldn’t want you to forget about me.

  That’s not possible.

  You’re so sweet. I have bad news, though.

  Oh? Bad news for her might actually be good news for me.

  I won’t be adding to your collection today.

  “Thank God,” I breathed. Before I could send her a token expression of dismay, though, she sent me another text.

  But at least I figured out a way to stay cool at work. This message came with a winking emoticon and an attachment. I opened the file with a sense of foreboding and then promptly forgot how to exhale.

  The photo was an over-the-shoulder selfie in her bedroom mirror, once again showing her entire backside from head to toe. This time, though, she was wearing a silky camisole and sheer stockings held up by a lacy garter belt, all in white. That was it. Nothing else.

  “I found it on the sidewalk,” Dad groused, shaking out the paper as he reentered the kitchen. “Jimmy needs to work on his arm strength.”

  I bobbled my phone in my panicked attempt to shut off the display before Dad saw anything I wouldn’t be able to explain, nearly dropping it on the floor before I got it safely tucked away in my pocket. Dad glanced at me curiously as he took his seat.

  “Are you okay, Peter?” he asked. “You look a bit flushed.”

  “I’m fine!” I insisted. I jammed another kolache in my mouth to give myself an excuse not to talk for a while and then I started choking when it went the wrong way. I sputtered through a swallow of milk while Dad looked on in alarm. “I’m fine,” I wheezed, coughing and hacking into my napkin.

  “If you say so,” he said doubtfully. He waited until he was sure he didn’t need to Heimlich me before opening the paper.

  Ping. I closed my eyes as I gathered enough willpower to pull out my phone again. I kept it hidden under the table as I read Melissa’s new message. No comment?

  Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that, I replied truthfully. Was that the surprise you were talking about?

  No, silly. You’ll see that tonight after dinner. These are just for fun.

  You don’t have to keep sending me pictures.

  Don’t you like them? Frowny emoticon.

  Oh God, I thought. Melissa didn’t take rejection well. No, they’re great! I assured her. I just don’t want you to get in trouble.

  Don’t worry, no one else will see them. Ping. Unless you’re showing them to someone. Angry emoticon.

  No, I’d never do that!

  See that you don’t. I need to finish getting ready for work. TTYL. Heart emoticon, kiss emoticon, hug emoticon.

  “Everything okay, Peter?” Dad asked, watching me over the top of the paper. “You look worried.”

  “No, it’s fine, really,” I said in what I hoped was a positive and reassuring manner. “Melissa and I were just getting some things sorted out.”

  “I see.” He studied me for a moment and then went back to his paper while I tried to figure out what was going wrong.

  Dara was supposed to stop making Melissa do stuff like this, I fretted anxiously. Did she forget? Did she change her mind? Is it going to get worse? I needed to talk to Daraxandriel but if I woke her up, Lilith would start on her again and undo everything I accomplished last night. I had to wait until she got up on her own. All I could do was hope that Melissa would be too busy to send any more photos today. Maybe it just takes time for Dara’s spell to wear off.

  Ping.

  “Oh God,” I muttered. Dad lowered his paper again.

  “It doesn’t sound like everything’s okay,” he observed.

  “It is, honestly. I just have too much on my mind to deal with her right now.” I glanced at my phone and blinked in surprise. This text wasn’t from Melissa. It was from Mrs. Kendricks. Call me when you’re up.

  I stared at the screen, trying to discern whether something had gone horribly wrong or if she just wanted to update me on her progress. She didn’t say ASAP, I told myself. It can’t be anything serious. I can wait until Dad leaves. I couldn’t avoid a nagging feeling of doubt in the back of my mind, though.

  “You know, it’ll be a lot faster if you just call Melissa and actually talk to her,” Dad said. “Texting isn’t the most efficient way to have a conversation with someone.”

  “Huh? Oh, no, it’s not her. It’s –” I stalled. As far as he knew, my only contact with Mrs. Kendricks was through Susie’s so-called library club, the front for the local coven. I had no reason to be talking to her, especially this early in the morning. “– someone else,” I finished awkwardly.

  “Ah.” He waited but I didn’t really feel up to creating a plausible lie right now. He finally gave up and went back to his paper, reaching for his coffee. He froze with it halfway to his l
ips when Susie walked into the kitchen and I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.

  “Uh, Susie,” I asked carefully, “what are you wearing?”

  “Clothes.” She sounded annoyed about it, too. Her outfit wasn’t one of her usual sundresses, either. She had on an actual button-up blouse and a denim skirt and she even wore socks and sneakers, something she never did out of PE class. I was almost willing to bet she was wearing underwear, too.

  “What’s the occasion? Another date with Cameron?”

  “Not until Saturday,” she grumped. “He can’t drive and his mother works all week.” She looked down at herself with distaste. “Lilith says boys like mystery so I have to stay covered up.”

  Uh-oh. “I’m not sure you should be taking fashion advice from Lilith,” I told her. “She has a different, um, perspective on these things.” I couldn’t come right out and warn her about demonic influences in front of Dad.

  “Lilith says she has a lot of experience with boys.” Susie opened the fridge and scowled at its contents.

  “I’m sure she does but you’re not necessarily ready for that kind of experience. Right, Dad?” I nodded encouragingly, hoping to get some parental support for my argument.

  “Well, I don’t know, Peter,” he said thoughtfully. “I mean, if Lilith is being such a positive influence on her ...” He eyed Susie’s new wardrobe with a hopeful expression.

  Clearly I wasn’t going to get any help from that quarter. I tried a different tack. “What I meant was, Lilith comes from a completely different background.” She’s a demon, Susie! I wanted to yell. “She might not know what’s appropriate for you.”

  “Lilith says I shouldn’t listen to you anymore,” Susie retorted. “She says you don’t understand what I’m going through right now.”

  “What?” I asked, taken aback. Oh my God, it’s worse than I thought.

  “Lilith says that I should stop doing what you tell me and think for myself,” Susie went on. “She says I’m my own woman with my own goals and desires.” She closed the fridge without taking anything and looked around the kitchen. Her eyes fell on the donut box. “Are those vegan?” She took a glazed donut without waiting for a response and walked out while I was still trying to formulate a convincing counter-argument.

  “But – but – Susie!” I called. “Lilith’s just trying to – I mean, she doesn’t have –” I let my voice trail off. There was nothing I could tell her that would make a difference, not with Dad sitting right here. I heard Susie’s door open and close and I slumped back in my chair. “That’s just great,” I muttered.

  “Don’t worry about it, Peter,” Dad assured me. “Susie needs to find her own way. Although this way is a step in the right direction,” he mused approvingly.

  “Right,” I sighed gloomily. I’d underestimated Lilith’s powers of persuasion. Susie was a lost cause for now. All I could do was hope she wouldn’t actually turn against us when the time came. Maybe Mrs. Kendricks can talk some sense into her, I thought, feeling a tiny flicker of hope. I’d better call her.

  “I’m, uh, going to take my shower,” I told Dad, pushing my chair back from the table. “Are you heading out soon?”

  “As soon as I finish my coffee,” he said, raising his mug to illustrate the point. “I’ll probably be gone before you’re done.”

  “Yeah, probably. Well, good luck.” Dad looked at me with a puzzled expression. “With Agent’s Prescott’s case, I mean.”

  “Ah. Well, I’m not holding out much hope,” he said with a shrug, “but you never know. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a witness who knows where Lily Cantrell is.”

  She’s asleep in my bed, I thought, but all I said was, “Maybe. See you later, Dad.” I turned away and came face-to-face with Olivia. “Gah!”

  “Are you all right, Peter?” Dad asked worriedly.

  “I’m fine! I just, uh, stubbed, my toe,” I assured him hastily, despite the fact that I was wearing shoes and there was nothing around me to trip over. “See you later!” I ushered Olivia back into the hallway, which probably looked really strange to Dad. “What are you doing?” I hissed at her as soon as I was out of sight.

  “I want my panties back!” she insisted. She still clutched her nightgown in both fists.

  “I don’t have them! They evaporated or something.” I continued down the hall but she stuck right with me.

  “But what am I going to do?” she moaned. “I can’t go around like this forever!”

  “What you want me to do? I can’t conjure up ghost clothes.”

  “But –”

  “Look, what do you think’s going to happen if I accidentally see something I shouldn’t?”

  Olivia looked aghast. “You’ll be overwhelmed with lust!” She gripped her nightgown even tighter.

  “Olivia,” I sighed, “I’ve seen more naked women in the last month than most porn stars and I haven’t ravished a single one of them.” Yet, Little Peter added, but I ignored him. “Besides, I couldn’t do anything to you even if I wanted to.” She looked at me quizzically. “Hold out your hand.” She hesitated, as if she thought this was some sort of trick to look up her nightgown, but she finally complied. I reached out to grab it and my hand passed right through it. All I felt was a waft of chilly air. “See? I can’t even touch you.”

  “Oh.” She looked down at her hand like she was seeing it for the first time. “You can’t hurt me at all, can you?”

  “No one can,” I told her. “You’re perfectly safe.”

  “I guess you’re right,” she said quietly. She slowly unlocked her fingers from her nightgown and clasped them together nervously. “No peeking, though, okay?”

  “Scout’s honor,” I told her, making the sign. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, like that’s worth anything, Mr. Panty Collector Merit Badge guy. So what are we going to do now?” She looked around the hallway doubtfully. “It’s daytime now, isn’t it? How come Dara’s still asleep?”

  “We were up all night. With any luck, she’ll stay that way for a while.” I listened at my door and then eased it open, peeking through the crack. Dara and Lilith were tangled together on the bed with their clothing scattered across the floor, as usual.

  “What are you doing?” Olivia hissed in shock. “They’re naked!” I felt goosebumps on my arm as she tried to pull me away.

  “I’m just making sure they’re asleep. It’s not like I haven’t seen them before.”

  “That doesn’t make it right!”

  “I’ll keep my lust in check, I promise.” I carefully closed the door and continued down the hall with Olivia on my heels.

  “It’s still not right, looking at naked girls all the time,” she grumbled “So now what?”

  “So now I need to call Mrs. Kendricks.” I walked into the bathroom but Olivia stopped outside. “Are you coming in?”

  “What?” She looked shocked. “No!”

  “Don’t worry, I’m just making a phone call.”

  “In the bathroom?”

  “It’s just so Dad doesn’t overhear. He thinks I’m taking a shower.” She seemed unconvinced by my explanation and I rolled my eyes. “Look, in or out? She probably has some news about you.”

  “In, I guess.” She sidled into the room, eyeing me uneasily, and she gasped when I closed and locked the door behind her. “What are you doing?” she squeaked nervously.

  “I’m just making sure nobody walks in on us.” I pulled up Mrs. Kendricks’ number on my phone and hit the call button, turning on the speakerphone so Olivia could hear as well. The ringing echoed in the small space and I hastily turned the volume down.

  “Good morning, Peter,” Mrs. Kendricks said when she answered. “I didn’t expect you to be up so early. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “No, I was up already. What’s going on? Oh, Olivia’s with me,” I warned her.

  “Well, good morning to you, Olivia. How are you feeling?”

  Olivia blinked in surpri
se at being addressed. “Oh, uh, fine, thanks,” she stammered.

  I waited for Mrs. Kendricks to respond but all I heard was traffic noises in the background. “Did you hear her?” I asked.

  “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. What did she say?”

  “She said she’s fine.”

  “Does she feel any different from yesterday?”

  I looked at Olivia, who shook her head. “She says no. She can move things now, though, and she’s not as transparent.” I wondered if I should mention Olivia driving my car but I decided no one really needed to know about that.

  “Hmm.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that I’m not sure what that means. I’m surprised she’s progressed so quickly. Her bond to your Philosopher’s Stone must be very strong.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “It may make what I have in mind a bit more challenging.”

  “Have you figured out how to free her?” I asked eagerly. Olivia leaned in close to hear her answer.

  “I think so.” Olivia clapped her hands excitedly and bounced on her toes in complete silence. “But we don’t have much time.” Olivia stopped in mid-bounce, staring at the phone in dismay.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Ryan’s already out looking for the demon who took Olivia’s soul. If he figures out that that’s Lilith – or worse, if he finds Dara – well, there’s no telling what might happen.”

  “But he already met both of them last night,” I argued. “He didn’t recognize either of them as demons.”

  “No, but he’s suspicious. He has a familiar watching your house just in case.”

  “A familiar? You mean a cat?”

  “I told you!” Olivia berated me, poking an icy finger into my side.

  “He picked one up at the local shelter yesterday and bound it to his service before he went over to your place. If you see an unfamiliar cat in the area, that’s probably it.”

  “I saw it last night,” I told her, feeling another knot form in my stomach. “And Olivia saw one inside the library.”

  “There’s a cat in the library?” Mrs. Kendricks echoed incredulously. “Are you sure?”

  Olivia nodded vigorously. “She’s sure. It’s not yours?”