“Always.”
“Okay, Mr. Detective. Why are we here?”
He blinked, taken slightly aback by her challenge. He stared at her and she simply smiled at him and cocked her head to the side as if she was waiting.
“Okay,” he said at last. “Let’s see. It’s not already a special occasion so that implies that you have something you want to talk about, something more than just normal day-to-day stuff.”
“And what might that be?” she asked.
“You wouldn’t be smiling this much or have taken me someplace this nice if you were planning on leaving me.”
“Very good.”
“You’re also smiling too much for this to be bad news which implies that whatever you want to discuss has to be important, but not bad. In fact, given how much you’re smiling, you’re excited about this news.”
She didn’t say anything but her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
“The choice of a romantic restaurant is symbolic. This can’t be news like someone’s coming for a visit. It can’t be job related either. I’d say you were planning on springing a surprise vacation to Paris on me, but you would have done that at Christmas or waited for Valentine’s Day. No, whatever this is, you didn’t know at Christmas and it can’t wait to be told until Valentine’s Day, the obvious, romantic choice.”
Suddenly the truth hit him so hard he actually froze, unable to speak. He stared at her, barely breathing.
“I think you just figured it out,” she said softly.
“You mean?”
“Yes, Mark. We’re going to have a baby.”
5
At six o’clock on the dot Melissa and Veronica both showed up as promised. Melissa, a tall strawberry-blonde who looked like she’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine Cindy had met once before. She was part of a theater group that Geanie occasionally did volunteer work for. She was an aspiring actress and to Cindy’s way of thinking was one of the snootiest people she’d ever met.
Veronica, on the other hand, was a complete Goth. Geanie was wild, eccentric, with crazy taste in clothing and occasionally leaned toward the Goth look but Veronica was the whole package. Her face was pale, her hair black to match her nail polish. She was wearing a long, black velvet skirt and a black leather bustier. She had multiple ear piercings and even a nose ring. Cindy knew that Veronica and Geanie had been college roommates but she had never actually met her.
“So, you’re the new roommate,” Veronica said slowly, as though it would kill her to speak at a normal pace.
“And you’re the old one,” Cindy said, cringing and hoping that it hadn’t come out sounding catty.
If it had Veronica either didn’t notice or didn’t mind. She lifted her eyes and looked around. “Wow, this place is killer. Throw up some cobwebs, a coffin in the basement, and you’d have a fit lair for Dracula.”
“What do you think we plan to do for next Halloween?” Geanie asked brightly as she hugged Veronica. Veronica clearly wasn’t the hugging type but she seemed to tolerate it alright.
“One day, I’m going to have a place like this. Only bigger,” Melissa said.
Cindy was taken aback. It was quite possibly one of the rudest things the other girl could have said.
“Good luck with that,” Geanie said, her voice teasing as she hugged Veronica.
Cindy bit her tongue before she could say something snide. It was not her place to defend Geanie, or Joseph, or his house. It wasn’t her place to judge Geanie’s choice of bridesmaids either.
“Let’s adjourn to the study where we’ve got some work to do,” she said instead. “Joseph was kind enough to have Togo’s send some deli platters.”
Togo’s was by far the best sandwich shop in the area and Cindy had been thrilled with Joseph’s choice. She’d been even more thrilled with the fact that he’d come up with the idea on his own. She’d always known the man had great taste. After all, he was marrying Geanie.
“You’re the one that keeps finding dead bodies, aren’t you?” Veronica asked as Cindy lead the way to the study.
“Yeah, that would be me,” Cindy said, taken aback by the question.
“That must be so...killer.”
“It’s downright terrible, a nightmare, in fact,” Cindy said. “I wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone,” she added fervently.
“Chill. I’m just trying to put the name with the face. And I think it’s cool that you like solve mysteries and stuff.”
Cindy took a deep breath, regretting the fact that she’d strong-armed both women into coming over to help. She was starting to think she would have been a lot happier not having to deal with either of them until the bachelorette party.
“Thanks. I will admit that solving puzzles and riddles can be...exciting.” She hated to admit it, especially to Veronica, but it was true. Suddenly she was even more eager to get Gerald called back as she thought about it. Even though she had a lot to deal with in the here and now, solving the mystery of Paul was going to be satisfying, especially since there was no way it could get her killed.
They made it into the study. The deli platters were set up on one table. There were some mini sandwiches along with cold cuts and fresh bread to build their own. There was also a couple dozen cans of soda chilling in a large cooler and a tray of chocolate chip cookies and brownies.
“I’ve made a sign for the occasion,” Geanie said with a smirk. She showed it to them. It read No Boys Allowed.
Cindy laughed. “Well, that’s rather specific.”
“Just wanted to make sure everyone was clear on this point,” Geanie said with a laugh. She affixed it to the outside of the heavy wooden door before closing it. “There, now we won’t be disturbed and we can work in freedom and peace.”
They loaded up paper plates with food and sat down on the plush velvet couches to eat.
“I could get used to this,” Veronica said at one point, stroking the red velvet.
“Very old school. Classic. I like it,” Melissa said.
“I just think it’s comfy,” Geanie said around a mouthful of salami and cheese sandwich.
“And just think, in a few days, this will all be yours,” Veronica said.
“Must be nice to marry rich,” Melissa joked.
Cindy cringed inwardly as Geanie went completely still. She finished chewing and then very carefully said, “I would love Joseph and marry him even if he didn’t have a cent to his name.”
“Sure you would, but all this can’t hurt,” Veronica said.
Geanie turned pale. That was her angry look and Cindy was doubly regretting setting up this evening. “All of this,” Geanie said, waving her hand around the room, “doesn’t matter. It’s about how a man treats you, who he is as a person, what’s in his heart. Joseph loves me, he loves God, and he is the most compassionate, witty man I have ever met. I would fight for him and he for me. I always know exactly where I stand with him and I always know I can trust him. Love is about mutual respect and admiration, commitment, friendship, and a meeting of the heart, mind, and soul. It has nothing to do with stuff.”
It was beautifully and eloquently put and Cindy surreptitiously wiped a tear from her eye. She knew there had been some people who had given Geanie crap, intimated the same thing her so-called friends just had. But Cindy had seen the relationship between Geanie and Joseph from the very beginning and she knew that what the two of them had was real and special. It was the kind of relationship that every woman should strive for.
“Sorry,” Veronica muttered.
“Yeah,” Melissa said.
Cindy doubted very much whether either of them were sincere, but Geanie seemed more than willing to let it go. The other woman took a deep breath. Color returned to her cheeks and she picked her sandwich back up.
“Besides, Joseph is smoking hot,” she said.
They all laughed at that and just like that the tension was broken for which Cindy was immeasurably grateful.
“I do have to say,” she c
ommented as she picked up her own sandwich, “that if you guys ever do any remodeling, I have dibs on these couches.”
“No fair!” Veronica and Melissa echoed in chorus. That just led to more laughter and they chatted about the wedding and guys as they finished eating.
When they were all stuffed and lounging on the couches Melissa finally spoke up. “Okay, so what are these wedding favors and what do we have to do with them?”
“So glad you asked,” Geanie said, perking up. “There is some assembly required, obviously, and there are...quite a number of them.”
She stood up and led the way over to the massive table that housed the supplies. Geanie opened one of the smaller boxes and then one of the larger boxes and began to pull things out.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Veronica said, eyes bulging.
“That is certainly...unique,” Melissa said, clearly struggling for words.
Cindy smirked at the other women’s reactions. She, too, had been surprised when Geanie first laid out her idea to her. Fortunately now she could just look cool and calm in front of the others.
“Perfect, aren’t they?” Geanie gushed.
Melissa shook her head. “You really are taking this wedding to a whole other level. I don’t think in my wildest dreams I could ever come up with something like this.”
“It’s you, very you,” Veronica said with a shake of her head. She looked admiringly at Geanie.
“And the best part?” Geanie said. “Joseph has no idea.”
“Wow. How long do you think you’re going to be able to keep it a surprise?” Melissa asked.
“All the way until we get to the reception. I’m going to need some help getting all these placed when we set up the reception area.”
“At least that will probably take less time than it’s going to take to put all this together,” Melissa said.
“Don’t count on it,” Cindy said with a smirk. “You haven’t seen her plans for the table layouts.”
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Veronica asked.
“A wedding. A glorious, perfect wedding and the only one I will ever have,” Geanie said with a glowing smile.
Seeing the joy on her face made Cindy’s own heart flood with warmth. She was so happy for her and she was growing more excited to see how this whole wedding was going to come off.
“Royal Wedding,” Cindy said.
“Isn’t it just,” Melissa agreed, with the slightest tinge of jealousy in her voice.
Cindy couldn’t blame her. Underneath all the joy and love and pride, she was feeling a bit of that herself.
It was midnight and Mark couldn’t sleep. He kept glancing over at Traci who was sleeping peacefully, an angelic smile on her face. They were having a baby. The reality of that was still sinking in. Even still he marveled at all the changes that just that knowledge was bringing about.
He had always been protective of Traci but now he felt like he wanted to put her in a bubble where nothing could ever touch her let alone harm her. Something told him it was going to be even more intense when the baby arrived. He had to do everything in his power to protect them. Be eternally vigilant. Stop making stupid choices that could endanger any of them.
He sighed and flipped over on his side, wishing for a brief moment that he was religious. He would have appreciated being able to talk through and sort out the complicated feelings he was having with some supreme being who cared and listened. Perhaps for the first time in his life he truly understood those who embraced religion. He had always respected people like Cindy and Jeremiah, but deep down he’d never gotten it, thinking of religion as a crutch for those who needed it.
Now he realized he would give just about anything for something like that. He thought back over the past year and wondered how things might have been different if he had believed in something other than himself.
One thing Cindy and Jeremiah had done for him was to help open his eyes and show him just how complex faith and a relationship with God could be. Jeremiah killed bad people, Mark knew that. Until meeting Jeremiah he wouldn’t have thought someone like him could do that and then go right back to the synagogue and carry on with his rabbinical duties.
Cindy lived her faith as a real, living, breathing part of her life. It wasn’t just being in church on Sundays, singing some songs and reciting some prayers. She acted as though God played an active, integral part of her life. She was the walking epitome of the whole “work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends on God” thing. He believed absolutely that her faith had gotten her through situations that would have made other people crumble. He also wondered sometimes if she lived a seemingly charmed life, escaping death repeatedly, because of her relationship with God. Maybe God wanted Cindy alive and therefore nothing could touch her.
It was a lot to think about. Now that he was going to be a father and responsible for a tiny life he couldn’t help but think about it though. Maybe the meaning of life was realizing that you were responsible not just to someone else but for someone else.
That was him. A father-to-be. Responsible. He needed to start acting like it.
He got up and Buster lifted his head from where he was laying on the foot of the bed. The beagle wagged his tail twice before dropping his head back down. It seemed Mark was the only one having trouble sleeping.
He paced out into the living room, trying to clear his head. There was just so much to think about and so much to do. They were going to need to set up a nursery. Bye-bye guest room. Not that anyone visited much. Occasionally one of Traci’s relatives would come to visit. Although with her sister getting more and more involved with the coven she had joined she came around a lot less than she used to. He knew Traci was worried about her and felt like her sister was changing, slipping away from her.
It happened in families all the time. Maybe not as dramatically, but still. He took a deep breath and vowed that he’d never let that happen with their child. They would always be close.
His own father hadn’t been the warmest of men and Mark was determined to break that cycle. He wanted to be there for his kid, go to soccer games or ballet recitals or whatever it was they were into. He wanted to laugh and play together, take them to their first baseball game.
A lump formed in his throat. The first baseball game of the season had been a tradition with him and Paul. Paul was gone. Time to start a new tradition.
Time to do a lot of things different.
He sat down on the couch but didn’t turn on the television, not wanting to wake Traci. She was sleeping for two and he wanted her to get as much rest as she needed. He dropped his head into his hands and struggled to quiet his mind, wanting to just be able to relax enough so he could go back to bed and get some sleep.
He had just about achieved some semblance of calm when he heard his phone vibrating on the kitchen counter. He’d been so distracted he’d forgotten to take it into the bedroom earlier. He got up and went to retrieve it. It was dispatch calling.
“Mark here,” he said quietly.
“You wanted to be alerted if there was any sign of trouble up at the Coulter residence.”
“Yes, and?” Mark asked, tensing up instantly.
“The alarm system was tripped about three minutes ago.”
“Has the owner called in?”
“No. We’re trying to reach him.”
“Alright, send squad cars.”
“Already done.”
“Good. I’m on my way.”
He hung up and nearly dashed outside in his pajamas. He gritted his teeth and scurried back into the bedroom trying to grab clothes silently in the dark. He didn’t want to wake Traci, especially since she’d ask what was going on and he’d have to admit there was trouble at Joseph’s. He didn’t want her worrying.
He finally managed to grab what he needed and he dressed hurriedly in the living room before grabbing his phone, gun, badge and keys and dashing out the door.
Cindy was restless.
She tried to attribute it to sleeping in a bed that wasn’t hers, but it was more than that. Besides, she’d slept fine in this bed the night before. Of course, passed out was more akin to what had happened, she had been so exhausted.
Finally she got up. She threw on a cushy white robe that Joseph had supplied and which was hanging in her closet. Staying at his home was just like being at some really fancy hotel. There were slippers, too, but she was fine with just her socks.
She left her room, closing the door quietly behind her. She glanced at both Geanie and Jeremiah’s rooms, but there was no light coming from under either door. So much for someone else being up that she could talk to.
Maybe Joseph was. She headed down the hall, trying to remember where his room was. She was pretty sure it wasn’t located in the guest wing. She wasn’t sure it was even on the same floor. Maybe she’d get lucky and find him awake and prowling around just like her.
She hadn’t had a chance to call Gerald back and that was bothering her. She promised herself she would take care of that first thing in the morning. She rationalized it by telling herself that what was going on with Geanie and the potential attacks and everything to do with the wedding was more pressing than a cold case that had gone unsolved for who knew how long. It wasn’t like finding the answers would bring Paul back.
Still, she did feel bad. The sooner she could find answers the sooner hopefully Mark could get some closure with the whole thing. The need for closure was something she completely understood.
She headed down the grand staircase to the first floor, hoping to catch Joseph awake and prowling around the kitchen or living area. She didn’t see any lights on but the sky outside was clear and there was a full moon which was shining through the windows and providing more than enough light to find her way around.
None of the dogs appeared to be awake. Although she knew that Captain was sleeping in Jeremiah’s room and she suspected that one or more of Joseph’s prize poodles were in his room.
The kitchen was dark and empty and she hesitated there for a moment, thinking about making herself a sandwich. She was feeling rather hungry. Dinner had been hours before. Of course, if she could have slept like a normal person it wouldn’t be an issue.
For His Name's Sake (Psalm 23 Mysteries) Page 5
