“I just had to get it,” Sandy shrugged. As if to explain it, Sandy said, “They’re building a house on the site next week. Someone else will live there by the end of the month.”
“Sandy, this is filthy money,” Pete said. “And very bad karma.”
Biting her lip, Sandy nodded.
“And so unlike you,” Pete said.
“I’ve been thinking about helping kids that are, right now, in the position I was in,” Sandy said. “It’s something Jill’s mom, Anjelika, said to me. And after seeing the baby yesterday, I felt I should go ahead and do it.”
Nervous, Sandy glanced at his face to see his reaction. Pete laughed.
“That’s the Sandy I know,” Pete said.
He helped her carry the jars into the studio. Sandy locked them in a secure filing cabinet in the back.
“I’m in,” Pete said. “In on your thing.”
“To help kids involved child pornography and prostitution?” Sandy asked.
“Whatever you need, I’m in,” Pete said. “I know Molly will want to do your books. I bet Aden would be in. Jill and the girls will want to help. This is a great idea Sandy.”
“I’m too scared to ask them,” Sandy said.
They heard the bell indicating a client was at the door to the salon.
“Don’t tell, okay?” Sandy asked.
“Not a word,” Pete said. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“I’m sorry for a lot of things,” Sandy said. “Do you think Aden is a little cat-like?”
“A cat?” Pete asked.
“Never mind,” Sandy said.
“Sandy?” Pete said.
Sandy turned around to look at him.
“You have a smudge of dirt right…” Pete pointed to her left cheek.
“Thanks,” Sandy said.
Wiping the dirt from her face, Sandy went out to start her day.
~~~~~~~~
Friday afternoon — 2:46 P.M.
“Right this way,” the uniformed officer said to Delphie.
He led her into the Coroner’s office.
“The Coroner will be right with you,” he said. “You can sit there.”
Delphie nodded. She felt pretty stupid. While Seth had asked her to help with his investigation, she was sure the Coroner would think she was some creep. She blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. A police station wasn’t a place for a woman named after a flower who wore flowing gauze dresses. She was about to leave when Seth O’Malley came into the office.
“Oh great,” Seth said. “They told me you were here. The Coroner is downstairs doing the autopsies. I’ll take you.”
“She’s doing all of them?” Delphie asked.
“Everyone is doing one or two,” Seth said.
“What?”
“I didn’t tell you?” Seth asked.
“Tell me what?”
“There were six bodies,” Seth said. “Each body seems to have been placed one at a time. Except the two that were together. Those are the oldest. Coroner estimates they were killed in 1972.”
“So many,” Delphie said.
“And Delphie, you should know that this is the third stash of six bodies we’ve found. The other sites were exactly the same. Bodies laid out together. Buried one at a time over decades.”
“So many souls,” Delphie said. Realizing she had just said something flakey, Delphie blushed. She added, “I mean, that’s a lot of work for everyone.”
Seth’s eyes scanned her face. He smiled at her.
“Don’t be intimidated, Delphie,” Seth said. “The Coroner is very forward thinking. She said she was excited to meet you.”
Standing at the door to an autopsy room, Seth stopped to look at Delphie.
“Plus, we need all the help we can get. I told her you were willing to help out. Of course, I had to do a background check on you, Chastity Bell.” Seth winked at her. “But you check out.”
Delphie gave her most sincere nod and Seth laughed.
“You let me know if it’s too much. This is pretty gruesome work.”
“What do you want me to do?” Delphie asked.
“Help us identify the bodies,” Seth said. “If you can.”
“If I identify the bodies, I make a contract to follow this until it’s resolved.”
“A contract?” Seth said.
“With the soul. That’s how it works,” Delphie said. “Will you let me follow this all the way through?”
“Of course.” Seth touched her arm. “And I will protect you as much as I can. No one will know you’re helping us.”
Delphie nodded.
“You let me know when you’ve had enough?”
Delphie nodded.
Seth moved forward through the doors. She heard him greet the people inside. For a moment, her fear kept her on the other side of the door. Stepping through the door, she would be agreeing to help them determine who killed all these people. This would be the biggest project she’d taken on since Celia died. Maybe the biggest project she’d ever taken on. Sam thought it was a great idea. But Sam would.
Delphie blinked.
She would do this thing. She would use her gift for the benefit of victims like herself. She would have to be brave. Luckily, she had Sam, Jacob, and everyone else to support her. Plus, Valerie was coming home for the weekend. Delphie smiled at how great her life was now.
She heard Seth call her name and stepped into the next phase of her life.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and FOUR
Complete
Friday afternoon — 3:15 P.M.
No matter what Seth said, this lady coroner thought Delphie was a nut. Not that Delphie blamed her. Delphie thought of herself as little nutty. She smiled at her own joke. So far, the coroner wanted her to stay out of the way on a stool in a small corner of the autopsy room.
“Miss.. uh…” the coroner started.
“Please call me, Delphie. Short for Delphinium.”
“How did you get that name?” the coroner asked.
“My best friend gave it to me when my birth name felt foreign and my use name was toxic,” Delphie said.
“Your birth name?” The coroner lifted the heart from inside the body in front of her. She set the heart on a scale.
“Chastity Bell,” Delphie said.
“Your use name?” The coroner made a note of the weight and returned to the body.
“The Oracle Taber,” Delphie said.
“I see what you mean,” the coroner smiled at Delphie.
At least she was trying to be nice.
“Is it helpful to know more about me? I live on Race Street. I grew up in Leadville. My boyfriend is Sam Lipson. I’ve known him since childhood. He was my best friend’s husband. My best friend is Celia Marlowe. She died almost ten years ago. I haven’t worked as much since I had a stroke a couple of weeks ago. And yes, Valerie Lipson lives with me when she’s in town. And yes, you’d like her. She’s coming home for the weekend tonight.”
The coroner blushed.
“Or maybe you want to know a little about you?” Delphie asked. “Your cat, Princess Fifi the incredible, was taken by your ex-husband,” Delphie said. “He shaves her hair down and calls her Morris so you won’t realize it’s Fifi.”
“Princess Fifi?” the coroner’s eye became slits. “Where are my…”
“Your keys are in your lab coat pocket,” Delphie said.
“I thought so too but they aren’t,” the coroner said. “I’ve looked through every coat in the building.”
“Not the one behind your door in your office,” Delphie said. “Shall we get them?”
“Go get them.” The coroner stuck out her chin in defiance.
“How about if I go and you can get to work?” Seth O’Malley asked.
The coroner continued working on the body in front of her until Seth came back with the keys. She nodded to Seth.
“You saw them when you were in my office,” the coroner said.
“No,” Delphie sa
id. “I could tell you other things about you but I bet you don’t want your personal life spread all over the morgue.”
The coroner grit her teeth. She opened her mouth to say something then thought decided not to.
“Can we get started?” Seth asked. “I’d like to catch this guy. If Delphie can help, why do you care?”
“You can start with the other sets of bodies,” the coroner said. “We’ve only identified three of the eighteen bodies we’ve found. We can’t figure out what they have in common.”
“They’re children,” Delphie said.
“I thought that too,” the coroner said. “But they aren’t. Some of them are at least twenty.”
“They’re run-aways. Street kids, I think they’re called,” Delphie said. “They seem to be connected to some teen runaway agency. Uh. Urban something.”
“Urban Peak?” the coroner asked. “Does the killer work there?”
Delphie shook her head back and forth.
“I’m sorry but you have to find all the bodies before you find the killer,” Delphie said. “That’s just how this is going to go.”
“How what is going to go?” the coroner asked.
“This investigation,” Delphie said.
“All the bodies?” Seth asked. “Eighteen bodies aren’t enough?”
“It’s definitely enough but that’s not all of them,” Delphie said.
“Oh,” Seth said. “We’ll find…”
“Yes, all of them,” Delphie said.
“Does he work at Urban Peak?” the coroner repeated.
“I don’t think so,” Delphie said. “But I can’t see him well… yet. Right now, I need to bring some peace to a few families. Do I have your permission to do that?”
“Knock yourself out,” the coroner said.
The coroner pointed to one of her assistants and he led Delphie to an area of body lockers. Fascinated by the process, Seth trailed after Delphie.
“Do you mind taking notes, Seth?” Delphie asked. “I don’t want to hold onto the information. If you take notes or we record it, I can tell you everything. I’ll never remember what I said.”
“I’ll take notes,” Seth said. “Was her cat really called Princess Fifi the incredible?”
“It was a pure bred white Persian cat,” Delphie said. “A total diva. I’m going to start with this one.”
“That’s not one of the bodies,” Seth said. “That body was found…”
“You need to find the others,” Delphie said.
“What others?”
“There are five other bodies waiting for you,” Delphie said. “Buried in the same pattern as under my chapel.”
“Good God, Delphinium,” Seth said. “How many bodies are we going to find?”
“A lot,” Delphie said. “This person has been killing lost children for decades.”
“I’m going to…” Seth said.
“Go ahead,” Delphie said.
“I’ll send in a patrolman,” Seth said.
“Don’t worry, I can record into my phone,” Delphie said.
Delphie took out a brand new Blackberry.
“You’re using your cell phone? A Blackberry?”
“Jacob gave it to me a while ago,” Delphie said. “Sandy taught me how to use it when I thought I was dead. She said dead people needed fancy gadgets. I never figured out why. But she seemed to know what dead people needed, so I believed her.”
Seth smiled at his Goddaughter’s manipulation.
“She’s a good girl,” Delphie said.
“You’re all right here?” Seth asked.
Delphie nodded. She gave him a little wave when he left the room. Taking out her reading glasses, Delphie pushed button after button on her phone until it started to record. Smiling at herself, she set to work identifying the bodies.
~~~~~~~~
Friday evening — 6:15 P.M.
“I’m home! I’m home! I’m home!” Valerie said. “I’m home! I’m home! I’m home!”
Driving his Bronco, Mike turned onto Race Street. He pressed the button and the Castle gate opened.
“You’ve been saying that since we landed,” Mike laughed.
Valerie jumped out of the car.
“I’m so so so happy,” Valerie spun in circles.
Scooter came around the corner from the garden. He gave a sharp bark and took off toward Valerie. Sarah hurled around the corner and quickly passed Scooter to greet Valerie first. Buster followed the other dogs. Sarah and Scooter barked and jumped with joy at seeing Valerie. Buster stopped to say hello to Mike before joining Sarah and Scooter. Valerie and the dogs danced in the sheer bliss of each other’s presence.
Hearing the dogs, Jill looked out to see what was going on.
“Valerie and Mike are here!” Jill yelled.
Katy ran out of the open door to join the dance. Valerie picked up Katy and spun her around. Jill ran out to greet Mike. Sandy, Honey, Noelle and Nash came out to join in. Trying for calm, the men - Aden, Jacob, MJ and Sam - sauntered over to say hello.
They heard a sharp whistle and Valerie squealed. Delphie was standing at the door holding a chocolate chip cheesecake. Valerie set Katy down to run across the concrete into Delphie’s arms.
The family was complete.
~~~~~~~~
Friday night — 9:15 P.M.
“The lawyer said you called,” Aden said. He reached out for his soup bowl. “I’ll take it.”
Taking his soup bowl from her, he went into the kitchen. She followed him in with the rest of him the plates.
“I gave him a spreadsheet of all the money I spent while you were in prison,” Sandy said. “I included everything I spent as well as what Sam and Delphie spent.”
“Good,” Aden said.
Aden began rinsing off the dinner dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.
“He came by and I signed the forms,” Sandy said. “We have a joint account now.”
“Good,” Aden said again.
Sandy began rearranging what Aden put in the dishwasher.
“The account is for the kids,” Sandy said.
“Sure,” Aden said. “Is that necessary?”
“You put them in wrong,” Sandy said. “Do you want a full accounting?”
“Of the dishwasher?” Aden asked. “How is there a right way to load the dishwasher?”
“There is a right way to get the most dishes clean,” Sandy said. “An accounting of what I spend. Jill showed me a program that would help me.”
“No, I don’t need an accounting. Whatever you need to spend is all right with me,” Aden said. “Will you knock it off?”
“What?” Sandy asked.
“Rearranging the dishwasher,” Aden said.
“Sure,” Sandy said. “It’s fixed now anyway.”
Aden gave her an irritated smile and finished the dishes.
“I’m really glad you set up the joint account. You’ll get reimbursed for all you spent too,” Aden said.
“Great,” Sandy said.
“Have you thought about going to an Alanon meeting?”
“Because I rearranged the dishwasher?”
“Frankly? Yes,” Aden said.
“If you asked a hundred women, they would all say their men load the dishwasher wrong,” Sandy said.
Sandy raised an eyebrow. With a flip of her hair, she left the kitchen with two pieces of pie. Aden sent an irritated look in her direction.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Aden said as he entered the dining area.
“Which question?” Sandy asked.
Aden sat down next to her at the small dining table.
“Alanon,” Aden said. “It’s a great…”
“I’ve been to a couple of meetings,” Sandy said. “Don’t get all up in my program.”
Flushing, Aden turned his focus to his pie. Sandy laughed.
“That’s what my client said to tell you,” Sandy said.
“Your client?”
“I have a cl
ient who has been in Alanon for years,” Sandy said. “She goes to a women’s group at lunch. She said she would take me to her meeting. Molly wanted to go. So Molly and I went with my client to a meeting at Trinity Church downtown. Do you want a note?”
Delighted, Aden shook his head and smiled. This was the first real sign that Sandy wanted to continue a relationship with him. He didn’t want to push or pry but he couldn’t help but want to know more.
“What did you think?” Aden asked.
“I think it’s interesting,” Sandy said. “Molly and I decided we need to go to those meetings. That’s why I asked for the money. I’m going to stop being such a martyr.”
“I don’t know what that means but okay,” Aden said.
“To that end, I want to be legally married before I have my baby,” Sandy said.
Shocked, Aden looked up at her. Without saying a word, he stood up and held his hand out to her.
“Let’s do it right now,” Aden said.
“Now?”
“Now,” Aden said. “I don’t want to miss my chance. You could change your mind tomorrow.”
“What about…?”
“You want to get married,” Aden said. “You want to do it before the baby. Why not do it tonight?”
“Fine,” Sandy said. “How is that going to happen?”
“Delphie can marry us tonight,” Aden said. “I’ll get the license in the morning.”
“Don’t think this gets you out of a big ceremony,” Sandy said. “I want everything. Very expensive dress. Big flowers. Everyone we know in the audience. A hand-frosted, elegant made, four tier wedding cake with purple and pink flowers. And lots of flowers. I mean lots. And I want my baby to be there.”
“Our baby,” Aden said.
“Right now, she’s my baby,” Sandy said.
“You know the technician said we were having a boy,” Aden said.
“She’s wrong,” Sandy said.
Not wanting to argue, Aden took Sandy’s hand.
“Let’s see if we can find Delphie,” Aden said.
“What about the kids?” Sandy asked.
“They can sleep,” he said. “I’d like this to be just you and me.”
“Let’s talk to Delphie,” Sandy said. “She may be asleep.”
Under Aden’s subtle pressure, Sandy followed him out of the apartment. They went down the stairwell to the first floor and into the kitchen. To Sandy’s surprise, Heather, Tanesha, and Jill were standing in the kitchen.
Cimarron, Denver Cereal Volume 4 Page 17
