by Claire Kane
“Aren’t we supposed to be calm in Heaven?” Victor asked trying to disarm the cat.
Rao all but bared her teeth. There is a time and a place for joking, Victor St. John, and this is not that time. Why do you think we take demonic possessions so seriously that we train angels to fight it?
“Because,” Victor ventured, “demons are… bad?”
It’s because Heaven is about freedom. Even with all the strict laws and ordinances we have, people are here because they want to be and want to live those laws. Heaven does not compel people to obey.
“But—”
Don’t try to justify this away with some short-sighted mortal argument. You, mister, are on probation.
His brow bunched. “Er, probation?”
Yes, the tabby said throwing a paw up in frustration. Meaning you’re being removed from your assignment as Lacey’s guardian angel. You’re to remain here for rehabilitative counseling until we feel you’re prepared to accept a new assignment—most likely to someone else.
Victor’s mouth hung open for a long time then slowly closed, his jaw muscles bunching. “What was that about ‘Heaven doesn’t compel people’? Didn’t you drag me here in the middle of me trying to get somewhere else?”
Rao sighed. And now you’re going to go and do something stupid and impulsive and give up the good thing you’ve got, aren’t you?
He scowled. “I left this place the first time for Lacey. You really think I’m going to let my pet cat keep me away from her?” He turned and headed toward the nearest portal back to Earth.
When are you going to start really respecting her, Vic? When is it going to stop being about you?
He stopped and glared at her over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
Rao glided up to him and placed a paw gently on his shoulder. I mean, she said softly, that there’s a point at which love and devotion cross the line into “obsession.” I know how much Lacey means to you; that’s truly special and endearing. But Victor—you need to recognize that she no longer needs you in that way and that you’re smothering her. Ask yourself why you’re doing it, and be honest with yourself.
Victor ground his teeth. “You’re wrong,” he said, even knowing she was right.
Victor, Rao said in a warning tone. Pride has brought down far more glorious angels than you. He caught her meaning. I’m warning you not to go there. Some places can be impossible to return from, especially on your own.
He stood silently for a long time, the gorgeous music, brilliant sights, and delicious scents somehow cloying instead of exalting. He slowly turned in a circle, feeling oddly out of place amid the greatest Kingdom imaginable. In his heart, he knew Rao was right about everything. Yet he couldn’t shake the images of Lacey in jail, or of what he feared she’d face. How could he just lounge about in luxury while she suffered on Earth?
Victor, Rao warned again. Trust me—you’re not the only one up here that cares about that girl. The Big Man has ways and means already in place that you don’t know about. If you really love her, you’ll take my advice and stay.
He looked at her. “But you won’t compel me.”
The look in her eyes told him everything she didn’t say.
“I promise I’ll be back,” he said, turning again for the portal. “Just let me at least clear her name.”
You don’t have the authority to back up a promise like that, she called at his back. Don’t become one of the Fallen Ones, Victor. Heaven has already shed too many tears over them.
He closed his eyes, but pressed on anyway. “I can promise that I won’t let myself fall,” he said, shooting her one last, backward glance. “And I am an authority on that. See you later, Rao.”
The cat hovered mutely, a statue of disapproval and disappointment as Victor stepped through the gate of swirling light and fell from Heaven like lightning.
FIFTEEN
Victor re-appeared beside Jessica a moment later. She was standing outside the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. He walked without saying a word, his expression fallen. Something about him felt void, empty, and he realized it was because he could no longer mentally connect to Lacey.
“The meeting in jail didn’t go so hot?” Jessica asked, walking with him.
He didn’t answer. Jessica nudged him with a shoulder. “It’s okay, ours didn’t either.” He knew she meant their meeting in Spirit Prison, shortly after Jessica’s death.
“Everything will be okay.” She paused, then her eyes went wide. “Wait—you’re not supposed to be here. I can’t believe you just defied Heaven for Lacey.”
Pausing mid-step, Victor said, “Am I just an idiot?”
“Sometimes,” Jessica replied, only half teasing. “Like what you just did with your old cat. I’m kidding, Victor. You’re not an idiot, but you are in a bit deep, and Lacey’s got your heart in a twist. Let me guess—she blamed you for not being there for her as her guardian angel when she needed you the most.”
“You can read my mind about my stint in Heaven, but not my visit with Lacey?”
Jessica pouted. “I can’t read your mind. Heaven just informed me about your departure. And besides, it’s fun to guess sometimes. Especially when drama is on the line. So, was I right?”
“No.” He shook his head, pink neon lights of the hotel softly glimmering through him. “She didn’t blame me. In fact, she emphasized the fact that she wanted me to leave her alone.”
“Really?” Jessica tilted her chin up. “That’s a twist I didn’t see coming.”
“Apparently I’ve been utterly clueless.” He lightly shrugged. “I thought that through our mental connection, I had an idea of her feelings for me. I mean, I knew she wasn’t in love with me, but she’d still swoon sometimes. I thought that meant I had a chance, maybe.”
“You mean at still being with her?” Jessica looked up at him.
“Stupid, huh. I’m dead.”
Jessica smiled. “No, not stupid. Sweet.”
“Jessica Simcox calling me sweet? Earth really has shifted on its axis.”
“Nah, it doesn’t matter what Earth does, anyway. It won’t affect us.” She linked an arm in his and began walking. “We belong to Heaven now. Even if you’re treading a thin line.”
But that didn’t make Victor feel any better. After some silence, he said, “I wasn’t ready to go.”
“Neither was I. Ask any angel and I’m sure most would say the same. A lot of us are taken young. Or we still had children, or even babies, dependent on us.”
Victor caught the implication. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s strange, right?” she said, looking up at the stars high above the strip’s glaring lights.
“What?” he asked, also looking up.
“With how perfect Heaven is, we still have angst over what might have been… down here on Earth.”
“True…”
“Would you like some advice?”
“Sure.”
“Good, because I was going to give it to you anyway.” Her smile broadened. “Cut those heartstrings.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed at the thought. “You mean just—”
“Snip, snip.” Jessica made scissor gestures. “You’ll feel a lot better.” She snuggled up closer to him, squeezing the arm linked in hers. Victor had to admit, it was comforting being able to feel another’s affectionate touch, especially when he needed the consoling.
“I don’t know if I could do that.”
“Sure you can. You know, most people have been rejected by someone they loved.” Her glittering green eyes searched his face like she was momentarily smitten.
“You didn’t love me, Jessica,” he said, challenging her expression.
“No, I didn’t.” Those eyes still lingered.
“Well, even if I’m not assigned to Lacey anymore,” he said, resumeing a more professional air, “I can’t help that I love her, and so I can’t help that I still want to protect her. She’s in jail for murder. She pulled the trigger, but I know her. She
acted in self-defense. And I’m sure Cindra was involved. Besides, something still isn’t right about this whole case that KZTB sent her on.”
Jessica paused in thought, searching his face. Victor tried to ignore the warm emotions he felt radiating from her. At last, she simply smiled. “I could get in a lot of trouble for helping you while you’re on probation.”
Victor grimaced and turned away, attempting to pull his arm free from hers. She refused to let go, and he flicked his eyes at her.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t help you, Victor. People do funny things when they… feel certain ways about people.” Her green eyes continued sparkling up at him. It was impossible to miss her meaning, but he pretended to anyway.
“So,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “you’ll help prove Lacey’s innocence?”
Jessica shrugged, but the glint in her eyes made him wary. “We can at least try,” she said, nodding. “It’s finally time to get The Book of The Damned.”
*
Lacey sat in the interrogation room, her hands cuffed together on the plastic folding table. Across from her sat two empty chairs in front of a mirrored window. She took a moment to inhale deeply and close her eyes. She wondered whether she should ask about the investigation into the attack on her in the bathtub. Would they believe her if she told them she had a suspect in mind? Did they even care?
A detective entered the next moment with a hefty officer. It was Detective Hart, the same man who’d interviewed her after the bathtub attack. From the look in his eyes, Lacey knew she wouldn’t get any answers about who had attacked, her. She closed her eyes, as the two men sat, and waited for what she knew was coming. The detective set down a briefcase at his feet and loosened his tie. He perched across from Lacey, concern shining in his brown eyes.
“We meet again,” he said. “I’ll come straight to the point. What happened tonight? What did you do?”
Lacey blinked. Should she call an attorney? Call Cathy at KZTB? She knew her rights. She didn’t have to answer anything at this point. Her eyelids felt puffy and strained but she instead cleared her throat, sat a little taller, and said, “It all happened so fast.”
“I’m listening,” Detective Hart said, leaning forward.
“I heard Pietr Ross, the magician, calling out for help backstage at The Illusion. I became disoriented around the jungle of show props. I even tripped and fell. Long story short, I shot and hit Ross… on accident.”
The officer sat there looking rather bored. He was obviously just there to be the sidekick, a witness, or help in case things got interesting.
“Lacey,” Hart said. “I visited the Illusion tonight with my guys. Not only did law enforcement take you into custody at the scene, but we found some interesting items there as well.”
“What’s that?” Lacey asked, her fingers clamped together tighter.
Detective Hart laid his shiny briefcase onto the table and unlatched it. In the next moment, he was lifting two separate plastic Ziploc-like baggies. One contained her press pass. The other, a tube of red Mac lipstick.
Lacey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh my gosh. That’s my stuff that went missing. What does this mean?”
“What do you think it means?” her interrogator asked with a challenging glint in his eyes. He kept the items lifted for her to stare at.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “That’s my stuff that went missing the night I was attacked. Someone planted it?”
Detective Hart gave her a flat look. “We’re awaiting a ballistics analysis on the bullets found at the scene. In the meantime, we have reason to question you. Reason to suspect you may have been there before Pietr Ross. That you were waiting for him.”
The look in his eyes made it clear he was holding something back. Lacey tried to speak, but found she couldn’t form words in her dried-out throat. A sinking feeling settled in her gut as the pieces began to click into place. She might not actually have killed her new friend.
That could only mean that someone else wanted her to take the fall.
At once a renewed sense of purpose began to galvanize inside her. She had to clear her name, if, in fact, she could. To do that, she’d need to get out of here first. Bail was obscenely high, and no one she knew was likely to be able to come up with it. Not unless…
Her eyes widened. She needn’t tap an individual when she could tap an entire company; and she just happened to have a friend in a bit of a high place. She called for the guard and he approached, eying her with a mixture of wariness and admiration. “Yes?”
“Officer,” Lacey began, “I believe I’m ready to make my one phone call.”
*
“Why haven’t I settled down yet?” Cathy Higgins, KZTB’s senior editor, repeated her date’s question. They were sitting in a romantic seafood restaurant at night with a perfect view of the Space Needle. He was the most handsome—and seemingly normal (bonus!)—man she’d come across yet through Craigslist’s Personals. She really didn’t want to screw this up.
“Yes,” he said. “You’re a beautiful woman. Successful. Independent. Is it just that you haven’t found Mr. Right?” He politely gave her an out.
Cathy adjusted her red spaghetti strap that matched her short bright hair. “I get it,” she nearly giggled. “I get asked this all the time.” She took a sip of her wine. “I’m in my forties—early forties,” she corrected. “I do think it’s that I haven’t found Mr. Right, because I can assure you that I am indeed a catch. I am normal. So normal, in fact, that I can be boring. But not too boring!” Now she was just rambling nervously and she wanted to kick herself for it. “You know what I mean,” she finished.
Their waiter interrupted just in time. “Your oysters, sir and madam,” he said with a debonair air, gracefully setting them atop the maroon linen tablecloth.
Her clutch leopard purse that matched her cat-eye glasses buzzed. She discreetly peeked inside, so as not to be rude. “Lacey Ling,” her cell read. While her date asked for special sauces for their oysters, Cathy dared to answer it. Her curiosity about the investigation was too strong, even for a moment like this. She hadn’t heard from Lacey since she left for Vegas.
“Hello?” she said quietly.
The waiter left to get the sauces and her date eyed her with open curiosity.
“I’ll be real quick,” Cathy whispered to him. “Sorry.”
“I’m in jail,” Lacey’s voice came through.
Cathy’s mouth dropped. “You’re in jail?”
An oyster to his lips, Cathy’s date paused mid-slurp.
“Yes,” Lacey said. “Listen, my time is limited to talk. I need you to bail me out.”
“Bail you out?” Cathy again repeated. Her date set down his oyster shell and stared intently at her. Cathy noticed but continued speaking, unable to help herself. “You’re in for what?” Lacey explained, and Cathy’s eyes ballooned. “Murder? You were supposed to spy on him, not murder him! Oh dear Zeus, help me.”
Somehow, Lacey’s voice remained calm. “It wasn’t intentional. He was calling for help. I thought he was in trouble. I didn’t realize...” she faded. “Either way, I think someone framed me, and Victor says that he saw someone else enter the hotel with a gun.”
“Wait,” Cathy said, aghast. “Victor told you that?” She pivoted her hip and stared out at the night sky. “You mean your murdered ex-boyfriend?”
Lacey sighed, and Cathy imagined her running a hand through her hair, as she always did when she made that sound. “Forget I said that. I’m… frazzled. Just help me get out of here, Cathy. I need to find out what really went down. Not to mention, Nainai, my grandmother, needs me back tonight. You know she can’t take care of herself. And Mom and Dad won’t be there before tomorrow.” Her voice slightly cracked. “I need out of here, if only for her.”
Cathy sighed and picked at a nail. Suddenly, she noticed her date was missing. A wave of disappointed panic shivered through her. “Where’d he go?” she murmured. Glancing aro
und, she caught a quick glimpse of him speaking with a maitre’d. Both men turned their eyes on her, then quickly looked away. The jerk exited, shuddering—he hadn’t even picked up the tab. Then it dawned on her. “Perfect! He thinks I’m a nutcase.”
“Who?” Lacey asked through the phone. “What?”
Cathy covered her face with a hand. “My date.” she moaned. “I’m on a date. Not anymore, apparently.” She raised a hand. “Check please! He was even better than the cable guy,” she whined.
Lacey groaned on the other end, clearly not understanding the gravity of Cathy’s own situation. “I have less than a minute left of my call,” Lacey said, her tone desperate. “Will you bail me out? I feel really close to solving this case.”
Cathy pursed her lips. Lacey had never asked her for money before, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about the charge. This would certainly impact how big a tip she’d leave. Still, it was better to just humor her quickly so she could get on with the aftermath of a failed date. “How much is it?”
“Well, I’m asking KZTB, not Cathy Higgins.”
“How much, Lacey?”
There was a brief silence, then Lacey said, “One-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars.”
“Holy sh—”
*
Lacey slapped the phone back into its wall cradle, cutting off her friend before she could even determine whether Cathy had given her a yes or a no. Now glad that Mom and Dad were flying out, she only hoped it would happen in time to keep Nainai from hurting herself. She turned dejected eyes on her guard and, with a nod, let him lead her back to her cell. Who knew what she’d do now?
SIXTEEN
“You mean to tell me that out of all of the hotels, casinos and strip joints that Las Vegas has, that The Book of The Damned is here?” He gestured toward the diner across the parking lot from The Illusion. “At The Omelet House?” The location of The Book struck him as just a little too coincidental, and yet, it didn’t seem to even faze Jessica.
Instead, she rubbed her hands together, a look of dead seriousness across her face. “Yep.”
