by Ann Simas
“Pinky swear.”
“I checked on my little Hemmer patient today.”
“How was he?”
“According to his father, rambunctious as hell. I told him that’s the difference between boys and girls, at least from what I’ve noticed in my practice.”
“I think Etta and Ashley are only slightly less subdued that their brothers, so I’m not sure that’s true in the Hemmer household.”
“They were pretty good the other night.”
“Only because I offered them ice cream. Dotty told me she did that sometimes when they were off-the-charts wild.”
“Whatever works.” Natalie hesitated a moment. “Their father seems nice.”
“He is. I know it’s been difficult for him since Sherry died, but he’s making steady strides toward getting back to normal.”
“I can’t even imagine. How long were they married?”
“Six years.”
“They hardly even got started.”
“I know. It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“Incredibly. He made an appointment to bring the boys in to have their stitches removed.”
“Can they both have them out at the same time?”
“Probably, but if not, he can bring Trevor back later.” Natalie hesitated for the space of a heartbeat. “They’re cute kids.”
Andi knew her sister liked kids. It was one of the reasons she’d chosen a pediatrics specialty, but she suspected there was more to it than that. She took a leap. “It’s going to be a while before he’s ready,” she said gently.
“I know, Andi. I’m not in any hurry. I can wait and if it’s in the stars, it’ll happen.”
Andi let her mind peer ahead into the future. Stars didn’t have anything to do with it, but she did think Sherry would approve if Vaughn and Nat connected sometime down the road. “Hey, I forgot to tell you my news.”
“Oh, yeah, what?”
“I was invited to be a full partner in Orion’s Belt. I’m the creative genius.”
“Oh, Andi, that’s wonderful! Congratulations! I always knew you’d set the game app world on its ass.”
“I wish you’d told me,” Andi said, her tone facetious, “I might not have wasted so many hours worrying about how I was going to pay my rent.”
“I could have helped you!” Natalie replied, horrified.
“I’m kidding, Nat! Really, I only worried about how long I was going to have to eat Top Ramen.”
Her sister laughed. “Didn’t we all? Talk to you soon about the time and place.”
Andi put her phone away and saved what little she’d managed to accomplish on Bunnicula.
Brent stuck his head in and asked how her first full day as partner had gone.
Andi grinned. “Just like my last full day as not-partner.”
He grinned back and gave her a thumbs-up. “Good to hear.” He walked away whistling.
In the next instant, heavy Clem-smoke almost overpowered her. She got up and closed her door.
I did something bad, Andi, and I don’t know how to fix it.
“Clem, can you do me a favor and not say that every time you announce yourself? I’m doing my best to help you.”
I have no control over it, Andi. Someone with a lot more credentials than me is in charge of what comes out of my mouth first. After that, I seem to be able to say whatever I want.
“You still have a mouth?”
No, actually, I don’t, but I guess I’m not acclimated to my ethereal self yet, so I still think of myself as having one. I did some investigating and I can’t come up with anyone who might have hated Denise who also might have been around me and used their psychic powers on me to glean my secret thoughts.
If Andi didn’t know better, she’d think he’d been talking to Jack. “You’re a barrel of laughs, Clem.”
Denise used to think so. I could make her laugh over the silliest things. I miss that, you know?
Andi had no response for such an admission, so she asked, “What about some of the parents at the school who didn’t like Denise speaking out about the new curriculum?”
That’s easy. We took the kids out of public school and put them in charter school. That ended the battle pretty quickly.
Andi was taken aback. Denise had said the kids weren’t enrolled in private school, but beyond reading about her fundraising efforts for playground equipment and computers, Andi hadn’t paid much attention to the type of school. All she knew for sure was that it was elementary level. What else had she missed? “What about your neighbor, Davis MacLeary? I read an article that said Denise got pretty steamed over his infill proposal.”
That she did. She’s amazing, isn’t she? Davis just about shit a brick when Denise went up to the planning commission members and handed them a binder full of his screw-ups, including the big one with the city. It also had a whole section on how infill is bad for property owners.
“Is it possible he would retaliate?”
Oh, he already did that. He sued her for defamation, but the judge threw it out as a nuisance suit. Pissed ole Davis off something royal.
“And you don’t think that would be enough to make him come after Denise?” Andi demanded, incredulous.
You know, Andi, you’d better start doing your research. Davis MacLeary died awhile back. He blew his brains out.
Talk about instant deflation. “Did you at least find out who Dex Moran really is?”
Sorry, kid, I’m thinking I have to go straight to Hell to find out information like that.
Have a safe journey, Andi thought, but the Clem-smoke had already disappeared.
Chapter 18
Andi rushed home and booted up her laptop. By not seriously considering that Clem might not be the only one who wanted Denise dead, she’d lacked two crucial pieces to the ever-growing puzzle.
At this rate, taking two steps back for every step forward, Denise would be six feet under, or cremated, by the second week in February.
She searched obituaries first, and found confirmation of MacLeary’s demise. The cause of death, as Clem had stated, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He’d left behind a wife, Helen. She printed out the obituary and set it aside, to further check on his survivors. Perhaps one of them nurtured a personal vendetta against Denise.
Next, she made a Google search of Edgerton charter schools. Only three turned up. She dug deeper into the one closest to the Naylors neighborhood and discovered Denise was on the school’s board. That was quick. According to a school newsletter that was posted online, she currently chaired a silent auction to raise money for a ball field. That coincided with the other fundraising events Andi had read about for the Naylor kids’ school.
Disgusted with herself for missing yet more information, Andi pushed away from her desk and stalked to the living room.
What the hell was the matter with her, anyway?
Had she lost her usually organized, insightful, resourceful mind? If so, she should be immediately cast out of the Orion’s Belt partnership as the creative genius.
She moved over to the patio door and flung it open. She stepped outside, sucking in huge lungfuls of cold air, unmindful of the thirty-degree temperature or of leaving the door wide open behind her.
She’d been thrust into a new environment that had changed her world irrevocably. Even if she quit the Belt tomorrow, which, of course, she couldn’t now, the Smokie imprints would be with her until the day she died. She’d had her chance to cut and run after the business with Sherry had been resolved. She hadn’t taken it because she’d been sure she could take whatever the Smokies—and God—tossed at her next.
Had she overestimated her capacity to deal with talking to the dead and taking on their problems?
Did she have any chance of straightening herself out?
Was she on complete overload?
It wasn’t simply her exposure to the Smokies that had taken a toll on her. She’d tackled a new job, moved into a new apartment, bought a new car, revived a game app
that been diagnosed as terminal, met Jack, fallen in love with Jack, become a partner in a business when she had no head for business whatsoever.
Her brain scrambled for answers, but everything that floated to the top emerged like a Jumble puzzle. Nothing made any sense.
She tried to focus and couldn’t. Recently, something had clicked with her. What was it? Focus. Something to do with Father Riley. No, not with the priest himself, but something he’d told her to do. Look up St. Jerome Emiliani. That was it! When you’re stuck and you can’t see your way out of a dilemma, or even a way to skirt it, consider an alternative solution, even if it’s improbable.
Isn’t that why she was even further into the abyss of the unknown, because she’d heeded the saint’s century’s-old advice vis-à-vis whodunit?
Andi leaned her elbows on the deck rail. She clasped her hands together and pressed her forehead against her fists, murmuring a prayer, “Dear Father in Heaven, help me find the way back. I’m confused and lost. I’ve encountered so much this past year that’s new, and now I can’t seem to find my way through the maze that used to be my brain. Please guide me. Please let me see what needs to be seen. Help me figure out how to straighten the labyrinth in my muddled head. I’m pretty sure it’s fixable, but I need your help and guidance to do it. Thank you. Amen.”
She stayed like that for countless minutes, waiting for the calm to wash over her as it had on Sunday.
Sometime later, she heard, “Andi, what the hell are you doing up there with no coat on?”
She raised her head, almost in wonder. Jack. Of course, he would be part of the solution. Not all of God’s ways were mysterious, after all.
Andi called down to him. “Are you coming up, or should I jump?”
He laughed. “You probably would, you crazy woman. Unlock the door. I’m coming up.”
Moments later, she was in his arms.
“Jesus, Andi, you got a death wish or something? You’re a freaking icicle.”
“I can think of only one way to get warm.”
“If you think I’m coming in the shower with you, you’re nuts.”
Andi smiled and began unbuttoning his shirt, or tried to. Not only were her teeth chattering, but her frozen fingers weren’t working. “I wasn’t talking about a shower.”
“I know you weren’t. How long were you outside?” he asked, concerned.
“I’m not sure. What time is it?”
“Nearly seven.”
“An hour or so.”
He made a sound of disgust. “Come on. I was kidding about the shower, but I think you actually need one.” He helped her strip and ran the water to pre-heat it. “You’re so damned cold, it’ll hurt when the hot water hits your skin.” He studied her as if he were making a monumental decision. “I guess maybe I’d better come in with you and make sure you don’t fall over.”
Andi grabbed his head between her hands and pulled it down so she could reach his lips better. Kissing was difficult when your teeth were clacking against each other, but she managed a quick peck.
He quickly divested himself of his clothes, then stepped under the spray and pulled her in beside him. He switched places with her so the full force of the hot water blanketed her.
Andi squeaked from the prickles, but she soon began to warm and her chills subsided. She slid her arms around Jack’s waist and rested her cheek against his chest. There was no way she was in any condition to do it in the shower, but it was nice to know his johnson was happy to see her, regardless.
“What’s going on, Andi?”
“I had a little meltdown,” she admitted. “I thought I was past it on Sunday, when I looked up St. Jerome, but after Clem came to see me late this afternoon, I realized I’ve faltered in so many ways on this case. My lack of attention, or comprehension, or whatever is not only disgusting, but unforgivable.”
“Do you not know yet that you’re your own worst critic? How many times have I heard you berate yourself because of a simple coding error? Making mistakes is human. It happens to everyone.” He paused, then said, “Especially when they’re not trained in criminal investigation techniques.”
She pinched his butt in response.
He reached behind him and captured her hand. “I’m serious about you not being so hard on yourself.”
“But I can’t be making mistakes! I’m wasting time because I haven’t been paying close enough attention. If Denise is killed by the hitman, it’ll be my fault because I missed something.”
“Andi, look at me.”
When she didn’t, he put his finger under her chin and forced her head up. “For about the millionth time, babe, you’re not a cop, I am. No one expects you to figure out any of this. Your job, as I see it, was to pass the information Clem gave you to me so I could take the reins. Why can’t you accept that?”
Andi’s eyes burned with tears. “I don’t know,” she said miserably. “I feel like I’ve been entrusted with a sacred duty and I have to help see it to a successful end.”
He gathered her back into his arms. “We have time, sweetheart. Believe me, we do.” Several minutes later, he asked. “You ready to get out?”
“Yeah. I feel warm again.”
He helped her dry, then took her into the bedroom and helped her into her pajamas, a heavy chenille robe, and her slippers. Then he sat her down at the table and put the tea kettle on to boil.
She towel-dried her hair while she waited, then finger-combed it, watching as he made two hot toddies. “You’re a quick study.”
Jack grinned and set both mugs on the table. “I have to be to keep up with you.” He dragged a chair around so he could sit next to her. “Now, tell me what’s going on and don’t leave anything out.”
Andi spilled her guts without any further urging.
Jack listened intently, not interrupting.
When she’d finished, he took both her hands in his. “What’s really been lost, Andi? A few hours? A day at most? No irreparable damage has been done. Tomorrow is Clem’s birthday and Stacy has already doubled the patrols on Denise. There’ll also be two security people inside at all times. The Liquidator is not going to get her, all right? You have to keep the faith on that.”
Hadn’t she made the same promise to Denise? And hadn’t it felt right at the time? Faith and promises. She had to keep both. No matter what.
. . .
Andi awoke feeling like a new person. She credited Jack with being her magic restorative potion. Yes, he’d said the right words to soothe her worries, but more than that, he’d listened, without criticism or condemnation. Well, except for the me-cop-you-not mini lecture. Otherwise, most of the talking had been done by her and it had been cathartic.
She was ready to face the new day, including the idiosyncratic Clem and the renewed challenge of finding The Liquidator. Or his doppelgänger.
Plus, she was starving. Jack had offered to fix her something to eat the night before, but she’d declined in favor of hopping into bed with him. She didn’t feel like fixing breakfast, so she hit a fast-food drive-thru and pulled away with two breakfast sandwiches and a large coffee laced with cream and sugar.
After she ate, she deemed herself completely rejuvenated. Even her coding came out refreshed. Bunnicula took a new and unexpected turn, meeting up with zombies.
Andi hated zombies. Real or imagined, they weren’t her thing. They creeped her out, but her team at the Belt universally loved zombies. This was her gift to them, and she hoped they liked it, because after Bunnicula, these particular zombies, unlike their undead TV counterparts, would be toast.
Midmorning, the gentle essence of smoke wafted in. Andi’s fingers paused over the keyboard. She waited. Good morning, Miss Andi. You sure are pretty. My mommy’s pretty, too. Her name is Connie and I miss her. Me and my daddy and my big brother are all going to Heaven together, so we won’t be lonely. And then another voice spoke. Hi, Miss Andi. I’m Collin and my brother is Darren. I’m seven and he’s five. Our dog Scooter is coming with us
, too. Isn’t that great?
Tears dribbled down Andi’s cheeks unchecked. “Yes, it’s wonderful. Scooter would have missed you, otherwise.” She’d read in The Edge’s online newspaper about the SUV that had been hit by a semi truck experiencing a blowout on the Interstate. The driver and his two sons had perished; the mom had lived, but was on life support and her family reportedly was bickering over whether her DNR meant she would want to be unplugged.
And then a grownup voice spoke. Andi, don’t cry, sweetheart. We’re all together and once Connie’s family comes to understand her wishes, she’ll join us. You have such a way with children, Andi, and such a big heart. Some day, you’re going to make a great mother.
Their words were so poignant, and so sweet. Andi wanted to respond, but tears clogged her throat. Finally, she asked, “Would you like me to go and visit Connie?”
Thank you for offering, Andi, but the boys and I, we know she’s on her way to us. Right now, you have other matters that take priority.
Andi dissected his comment for a hidden meaning and decided he must know something. “Do you have information for me?”
Only this. Beware of that which you believe to be true, Andi, for everything is not as it seems.
“Yes, I’ve finally figured that out,” she said, “but can you point me in the direction of what it is that’s false?”
I wish I could, but the knowledge you need evades me. I knew Clem. Keep after him because he surely has the answer.
Chapter 19
Andi waited impatiently after that for Clem to produce himself and his noxious smoke. You’d think, considering it was his birthday, he’d at least like someone to wish him a happy deceased birthday.
As it turned out, he waited until she was ready to leave for the day before he arrived.
I did something bad, Andi, and I don’t know how to fix it.
Andi fervently wished that whomever had written the rule book for the troubled souls who passed on would grant them dispensation to vary their opening salvo.
With Sherry, the practice hadn’t irritated her. Every communication had begun with, This is not the way it’s supposed to happen, Andi. The words had radiated poignancy rather than grating on her like the roughest sandpaper.
