by T. R. Hamby
Gilla caught her gaze, and cocked her head. “You married?”
She shook her head. “No.” She realized too late that that wasn’t true.
“Boyfriend? Girlfriend?”
“Boyfriend.” It was strange referring to Mel in that way.
“Not Michael, though...” she said, almost worriedly.
Nora couldn’t help but chuckle. “Michael? No. He’s his brother. My in-law, I guess.”
Gilla frowned. “Where is your boyfriend?”
“Overseas,” Nora said, feeling her face fall. “For a while.”
Gilla nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. “You’re happy, though. That is good.” She hesitated for a moment, before saying, “I was in love. A year ago. He turned horrible...said awful things. I still hear it.” She shrugged, blushing. “I had to run.”
Nora let out a breath. It was hard to understand why anyone would treat such a beautiful person so terribly. She touched Gilla’s hand, squeezing, and Gilla smiled appreciatively.
“Was Michael good to you?” Nora asked, remembering how gruff he could be at times.
But Gilla nodded, blushing again. “You knew?” she giggled. “Yes, he was lovely.”
“Maybe he’ll see you again.”
“Maybe. We’ll see.”
Nora squeezed her hand again. “Let’s stay together tonight. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other soon.”
“Yes, we must talk about our roles. I am excited to hear you sing.”
They stayed close the entire night, talking and getting tipsy on champagne. It wasn’t for another couple hours that Michael reappeared, looking grumpy, to find the two of them giggling in the corner.
He looked from one to the other, staring a little too long at Gilla. “Um. Hi.”
“Gilla’s coming home with me,” Nora announced, and the two of them dissolved into giggles.
Michael waited for the laughter to subside, looking awkward. “Okay. You don’t have a car?” he asked her.
Gilla shook her head. “Boris drove, and he gone now.”
“Adjo, Boris,” Nora exclaimed, and they laughed, holding on to each other.
Michael looked slightly annoyed, and she couldn’t help but be even more amused. She hadn’t been tipsy in a long time--she wasn’t a big drinker. It was fun now that she was, with Gilla acting just as silly beside her. She was looking forward to taking her home and raiding the ice cream.
“Forlat, Michael,” Gilla said, catching the look on his face. “We’ll be good, I promise.”
His lips twitched, almost smiling, and Nora saw him touch her waist before leading them out to the car.
So much for not liking little touches.
They sat in the backseat while Michael drove, chatting and laughing. When they got to the apartment, Nora lended Gilla some pajamas, and she went to change, leaving Nora and Michael alone in the kitchen.
She looked around at him, still giddy. “Oh--did you find anything?” she whispered.
Michael raised an annoyed eyebrow. “Nice of you to remember.”
“Oh, I’m not allowed to have fun anymore?”
He opened his mouth to retort, but then paused. He let out a breath, and said, “No. You should be having fun. You’ve been having a rough time for so long now.”
She stared at him, unable to hide her shock in her state. She remembered Mel, and a horrible pang went through her. Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed them away.
Michael sighed, taking her hand, and after a moment wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in his chest, willing herself not to sob.
“I can’t do it,” she whispered, her voice catching.
“You’re already doing it,” he murmured soothingly, rubbing her back. For someone so gruff, he could be so gentle.
She took some deep breaths, casting around for something that would distract her. “Why don’t you see your daughter very much?”
He was quiet, and for a moment she knew she had gone too far.
But then he whispered, “I’m not liked Up There anymore. What I did to my brother--what I did to Lilith...it was unspeakable for everyone. Most of my friends and family don’t want to associate with me.”
There was an edge to his voice. Nora felt her heart drop. She knew Michael was shunned, but to hear it from his lips…
He just sounded so alone.
She brushed at her eyes again. “I’m so sorry.”
He paused. Then, surprised, “Are you?”
She rolled her eyes, finally looking up at him. His brow was furrowed, and his jaw was tense.
“Of course I am, Michael. I’m not a monster.”
“They call me a monster,” he said, and for the first time she saw tears in his eyes. “I deserve it. What I’ve done...I can never forgive myself.”
She stared at him. “Why did you do it?” she breathed.
His face almost spasmed, and he looked away. “Father told me to. I didn’t have the courage to say no.”
She absorbed this, shaking her head slowly. “I thought God was supposed to be good. Why would he tell you to do such a thing?”
He sighed. “I still don’t know.”
They were quiet for a moment. Nora heard a cell phone ring, and Gilla’s voice from the guest bedroom answering in Swedish. Michael was looking down at the floor, his eyes sort of haunted.
Nora didn’t like that look. She cleared her throat, and he looked at her. “What about Sofia?”
It took him a moment to focus. “Oh,” he said, his face darkening, “it couldn’t have been her. She was abroad when the murder happened. I found the boarding pass for her flight in her purse.”
“Shit,” she breathed. “All that work.”
Then she frowned. “How did you get into her purse?”
He shrugged vaguely, clearly distracted. “I flirted with her. She went to the bathroom. Pretty simple.”
“Miss Gilla might not like that.”
He rolled his eyes. “What, are you planning our wedding now?”
She ignored him. She had another question, and this one bothered her. “Why kill every bad guy? Why not let the police put them away?”
He looked almost annoyed. “Another thing I still don’t know. God gives me cases, or lets me choose them, with the stipulation that the villain dies. Sometimes he gives me victims, sometimes a name. But all I know is the perpetrator has to be destroyed.”
“Maybe because he knows they won’t get convicted?” Nora guessed, shrugging. “An imperfect justice system?”
“I think it might be more than that,” he said quietly. “These humans are...low. Very low. They’ll keep hurting and killing no matter how long they’re imprisoned. It’s better to remove them from the equation altogether.”
“How do you do that without Mel?”
He sighed again, looking almost pained. “My sister. Agatha.”
Michael
He stayed with the two women, late into the night, while they talked and shared a pint of ice cream from the freezer. At first he felt awkward, like he was intruding, but before long he was more relaxed, laughing along with them. Gilla was a hilarious storyteller, sending Michael and Nora into fits of laughter. Nora was equally funny, doing impressions while Gilla told her tales. Every so often Gilla’s eyes slid over to Michael, and he would feel a thrill.
At two in the morning the women agreed to go to bed. Nora drifted off to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Michael and Gilla looked at each other. Gilla smiled, and nodded at the door to the guest bedroom, starting to walk in that direction.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “She’d kill me,” he whispered.
“Only if you get caught,” she replied, smirking. She slipped into the guestroom, leaving the door slightly open.
He stood there for just a moment, before following her inside and closing the door behind him. She wasn’t nervous tonight, and things were more relaxed. She seemed to have even more fun than last time--something that r
elieved him.
Later they lounged in the bed, whispering so Nora wouldn’t hear.
“Did you hire Sofia?” Gilla murmured, closing her eyes as he placed a kiss on her shoulder.
He smoothed his hand down her waist, and she leaned against him, giggling. “No. She had prior engagements.”
“What a shame,” she said, not sounding remotely sorry for him. “I found I didn’t need her either, after a few months. I suppose I have trust issues.”
“You seem to trust me.”
She shrugged, and he saw her face darken slightly.
But then she looked at him, frowning. “You know,” she breathed, “I do trust you. I don’t know why. You make me feel safe.”
He smiled, relieved. “Good.”
“I think it’s so...kind of you, the way you are with Nora. I can see you’re watching out for her. For your brother,” she said, tracing patterns on his arm. “Are the two of you close?”
He avoided her eyes, feeling almost pained. He thought about his last conversation with Mel, and nearly kicked himself. Mel had clearly been trying to talk--just talk--and he had ruined it.
“I did something,” he said, before he could stop himself, “something terrible, to him. And ever since...it’s just been shit.”
She was quiet for a moment. When he chanced a look, he saw she was studying him.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re sorry for me?”
“Yes. And for him.”
They were quiet for a moment, holding hands, playing with each other’s fingers.
“At least he trusts you,” she said, drawing close and laying her head on his chest. “With the woman he loves. Is it serious?”
He played with her hair, nodding. “Very.”
“Then you know, after everything, he still believes in you. You just have to give him time.”
He smiled. It was a nice thought, though whether it was actually true was another story.
“We could keep doing this,” she said casually.
He smiled, amused. “We could.”
“You have to promise not to fall in love with me,” she teased, and he chuckled.
“I think that’s a safe bet.”
“Good,” she said. “I’d rather have a friend than a lover.”
“I didn’t know friends could do those things to each other.”
She giggled, blushing, and he sat up, taking her with him, and kissed her.
It took a month for him to finally find another lead. Unfortunately, that came in the form of another murder.
“It’s random,” he said, bursting into Nora’s apartment without knocking.
He halted, catching sight of Gilla sitting beside Nora on the couch. “Oh. Hi.”
“Halla, stilig,” she smiled. She had been spending a lot of time between Michael and Nora the past few weeks, so it wasn’t a surprise that she was there.
“We were about to order Chinese,” Nora said, gesturing to the armchair. “What do you want?”
His lips twitched, and he sat down. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“It would be funner with you,” Gilla grinned.
“More fun,” Nora corrected, and Gilla giggled. “Stay, Michael. You can help us pick the movie.”
He hesitated, though he was strongly tempted. He wasn’t a huge fan of Chinese food, and he didn’t have much interest in movies, but the thought of spending time with the two of them was enticing. Nora and Gilla were fun.
Nora’s prickliness had lessened, too. She was warmer now, and much more patient. He could tell she was concerned about him, and he couldn’t help but be touched. Perhaps he was so starved for attention that he couldn’t resist her affection...or Gilla’s.
“We’re painting our nails, too,” Gilla said, wiggling her fingers. “And doing face masks.” Her English had improved a lot in the past month.
“I’ll stay,” he said, smiling at her, “but no nails or masks.”
“Here, Gilla; you find the movie,” Nora said, handing her the remote. “I need to talk to my brother-in-law.”
He rolled his eyes at the term, hiding his smile. The two of them went to the kitchen, Nora cocking her head at him.
“There’s been another murder,” he whispered. “Same thing. Bludgeoned to death...overkill. Unrecognizable body. This time dumped in the park.”
Her eyes widened. “Jesus. Another serial killer.”
“This one’s just getting started,” he said. “It won’t be long before he does it again.”
“Do you have anything else?” she asked.
He felt himself deflate, and he shook his head.
“Really? Nothing near the body?” She suddenly frowned. “How did you even know about it?”
He sighed, raising an eyebrow. “God told me.”
“Right,” she said slowly. “But he couldn’t tell you who the murderer is.”
“You sound like Mel,” he replied. “Look, I stopped asking that question a long time ago. Maybe it’s part of his plan; I don’t know.”
She was still frowning. “So we have nothing for now,” she said.
“No. Not right now.”
She looked over at Gilla, who was still flipping through movies on the TV. Then she looked back at Michael, hesitant.
“Have you asked him about me yet?” she whispered. “About making me Immortal?”
He stared at her for a moment, suddenly nervous.
“You forgot?” she hissed, her eyes blazing.
“If he spoke to you you’d understand,” he shot back. “It’s hard to focus.”
“You’ve only had a billion years to practice!”
“Shh. I’ll ask next time, I promise. I promise, okay?” he said, when she continued to look at him murderously.
She heaved a sigh, and nodded.
They popped open a bottle of wine, eating and drinking in front of the TV. Nora and Gilla talked and giggled throughout the entire movie, drinking most of the wine. When the movie ended they turned their attention to Michael. Another bottle of wine was opened, and the three drank, talked and laughed for hours.
Michael and Gilla slept in the guestroom--they had gotten Nora’s blessing a long time ago now. When morning came, Michael woke to a still-sleeping Gilla. He tucked the blanket around her before dressing and going out into the kitchen. Nora was there, sitting at the table, frowning at her laptop.
“Hey,” she said. Her tone was a little prickly, and he knew she hadn’t forgotten about his blunder. “I think I found something.”
He frowned, and came around the table to look. She was on the Dark Web--on some sort of chat forum.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I woke up this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep,” she explained, looking up at him, “so I started searching around...I wasn’t really looking for anything at first, but then I found this chat room. It’s for people thinking about doing...really fucked up shit. Like murder. Look at this.”
She pointed to a particularly long message, and Michael peered at it. Some words immediately caught his attention...bash their brains in...I would do it with a hammer...hit them until they’re pulverized...leave the body in a random place, like the river…
“Shit,” he breathed.
“The account is anonymous, though,” she said grimly. “The only thing I can think of doing is making a profile and messaging him privately. Act like an admirer.”
Michael nodded. “I agree...but I’ll do it. I don’t want him near you at all, even virtually.”
“Because Mel would kill you?” she joked.
“Because you’re my sister,” he replied, still scanning the post.
It took him a moment to realize what he had said, and he looked around at her. She looked a little surprised, but a small smile was playing at the corners of her mouth.
He immediately backtracked. “Not that--forget I said that…”
She rolled her eyes. “Chill out, Michael. I won’t t
ell anyone you have a heart.”
She returned her attention to her laptop, tapping on the keys. Michael studied her for a moment. He felt something that he hadn’t felt in a long time--brotherly love. He liked Nora, genuinely liked her, even her snarky side. They had been a good team so far--she had been brilliant. And he had a strong feeling that she felt the same way for him.
“Speaking of hearts,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, “be careful with Gilla. She’s been hurt really bad before. And she’s got...problems.”
He frowned. “What problems?”
She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on the screen. “I don’t really know; I can just tell. She should tell you herself, if she wants to.”
He shifted on his feet, uncomfortable. “You don’t think she likes me too much, do you?”
She smirked. “I think both of you like each other too much.”
“Funny,” he said dryly. “Except I can’t fall in love.”
“Who says you can’t?” she replied, finally looking at him. “Maybe you can with only one type of person.”
“Just because Mel can love, doesn’t mean I can,” he said firmly.
“You’re very affectionate with her. Even if you try to hide it.”
“Affection doesn’t mean romance.”
“All right, fine,” she sighed, turning back to her computer. “I give up.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t be mad at me.”
She made a face at him, and he chuckled.
He went into the bathroom so he could Travel to Germany to retrieve his laptop. While he did this he wondered--after all, Nora did have a point, if not an unlikely one. Perhaps it was possible that he could fall in love. It had certainly never happened, and he didn’t expect it to. Yes, he was affectionate with Gilla--about as affectionate as a human would be. It didn’t seem to bother him anymore, sharing kisses and touches. It was nice, actually. He enjoyed it, especially when it made her smile. But it didn’t mean he loved her. No, what he felt was just...friendship. Like they had agreed on.
He worried. Nora said Gilla had problems...what did she mean by that? He wasn’t exactly surprised--he sensed Gilla’s vulnerability constantly. He had figured she had issues. But the way Nora had said it made him nervous. He wondered if there was a way he could bring it up with Gilla.
