Soul Insurance

by Glenn Bullion

  "What's going on?" Kara asked.

  "She said she loves you, but she won't do it. She won't see you go broke."

  The cell phone sitting on the coffee table rang. The room went eerily quiet as everyone glanced at each other. Kara slowly reached out and answered it.

  "Mr. Denning? I've been trying to call you all night. Tonya, she…she's gone. I've decided to accept your offer. She's been with me the whole time."

  Kara was quiet as she took notes on a pad before hanging up the phone. Tears ran down her face as she held her head. Tonya settled next to her mother, floating close to her.

  "His name is Robert Denning." Amber immediately grabbed her phone to research the name. "I wrote the address where he wants to meet, when the sun goes down. I'm supposed to bring Tonya, and two hundred thousand dollars."

  "You don't even have that much money, Mom."

  "Robert Denning," Amber said, staring at her phone. "Looks like he owns a couple of businesses in the area. Gives money to charities. Not an angel, though. He's been accused of insurance fraud, and it looks like people suspect he has ties with the mob."

  "So, what's your plan?" Kara asked.

  Connor looked at Brooke and Amber, trading confused looks. "Plan?"

  "You have his name, and you know where he'll be." A sarcastic smile crossed her face. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

  "I was just trying to figure out the guy's name—"

  "Film it," Tonya said.

  He turned to give the soul his attention. "What?"

  "Amber said you're wanted by the cops, so you don't want to go to them. Go to that address when he's there and film it. Get him standing by one of those soul machines, whatever. If you want to clear your name, let the media do it for you."

  Ryan rose from the couch. "Dude, that's not a bad idea. I'll go scope the place out right now."

  He flew through the ceiling, drawing a startled shout from Kara. "Was that Tonya? Was that my daughter? They both moved around so much, I lost track of her."

  "No, Tonya's right here, and she might be on to something."

  Brooke put her hands on her hips. "Well, you want to fill us in?"

  "Miss Ervin, why doesn't he want to meet at the warehouse you were at last night?"

  "He said something about a possible security problem," she said. "I'm guessing that was you two?"

  He nodded. "This might be perfect. All we need is a shot of Denning in front of a stolen cryo-tube, a body, equipment, anything at all. We just need some evidence. We give it to the news, let them expose everything."

  "That's pretty smart," Amber said.

  "Tonya thought of it. It's so simple it just might work. I can go there with a camera—"

  "I'm going with you," Brooke said.

  Amber put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Me, too."

  "I really don't think—"

  "This isn't up for discussion, Connor. I'm just as much a part of this as you."

  "And I caused all this," Amber said. "I have to help."

  Despite the trouble they were in, and the danger he knew was ahead of them, he smiled. He was lucky to know the two women.

  Kara shouted and Amber jumped back as a soul shot down through the ceiling, stopping next to Brooke. Tonya laughed, a sweet sound he wished her mother could hear.

  "Miss me?" Ryan asked.

  "Wow," Tonya said. "Can you teach me to fly fast like that?"

  "Sure. I'll teach you lots of things."

  "I can't take much more of this," Kara said, pacing in front of the couch. "I'm going crazy."

  "It's a construction site," Ryan said. "Dirt, trailers, people are everywhere."

  "Does it look like anything weird is going on there?"

  "Eh, you could say that. On the far side of the place there's a container. A bunch of guys are loading equipment into it. Some computers, tables, and…wait for it, cryo-tubes with bodies."

  "Are you kidding me? I guess they're moving away from the warehouse."

  "Yeah. Tonya's right. All you have to do is catch this guy Denning hanging out in the trailer. Hand it over to the media, and you're heroes. Something like this could go national, and you could be rich and famous, like I've been trying to tell you."

  Connor ignored his last comment and nodded at Tonya. "Thank you."

  "Sure."

  "We'll leave you both alone now."

  Amber rolled her eyes as she nudged Brooke's shoulder. "Nothing like only hearing half the conversation, right?"

  Brooke shook her head as the two women left through the front door. Ryan was right behind them, flying through the living room window. Connor stopped at the door to watch Kara, still leaning forward on the couch. Tonya settled next to her mother.

  Guilt attacked him. Kara's life had changed completely over the last day, and he had a hand in that. Kara thought she would see her daughter again, and he wanted to put the man she was buying from in jail.

  "Are you both gonna be okay?"

  Kara said nothing, only waving him away with her hand. Tonya flickered.

  "To be honest, I've had a lot of time to get ready for my death. I'm not saying I want to be dead, but I think I'm actually handling it better than Mom."

  "I'll make this up to you."

  "Well, you know where to find us. Good luck."

  CHAPTER 18

  Connor parked in an empty lot two blocks away from Soul-Ful. Brooke sat next to him while Amber and Ryan were in the back. Connor could only imagine the looks they drew, three people and a soul riding in a car. He made sure to park far away from the sidewalk. The last thing they needed was to be recognized.

  "I'm still trying to figure out who's hotter," Ryan said. "Brooke or Amber."

  "Brooke."

  "What?" Brooke said.

  "No, I was talking to Ryan."

  Ryan laughed. "You only say that because you want to get in her pants."

  "That's not true."

  "You don't want in those tight jeans?"

  "What's not true?" Amber said. "Fill us in."

  "Guys," he said, clenching his eyes. "Please."

  Brooke shifted in her seat to face Amber. "So, why are we dropping you off here?"

  "I have to go get my car, and take care of some things before we all play detective tonight."

  "You're joining us?"

  Amber looked hurt. "Of course. Brooke, you're my best friend. I just have some stuff I have to do."

  Brooke glanced at Connor, who offered a subtle shrug.

  "You don't believe me," Amber said. "What do you think I'll do? Rat you out?"

  Brooke hesitated, and that was Amber's answer. Her jaw tightened as she dug in her purse. "Here's my phone. It has a camera. I'll borrow my Mom's, so you can call me. I'll see you tonight at the site."

  Amber left the car without another word. Brooke rolled down the window to call after her, but decided against it. They watched her walk across the lot as she headed for the sidewalk.

  "Man, I need a resurrection," Ryan said. "Look at that figure—"

  "I think you hurt her feelings," Connor said.

  "I didn't mean to. I'm just…I don't know what to think right now. I know she's sorry. I know she didn't mean for me to get hurt. I'm just still so mad."

  "What do you think she's doing? Do you trust her?"

  "I don't know who to trust right now. Except you."

  They smiled at each other, and Brooke let her hand fall on his knee. He placed his hand on top of hers and admired her new body.

  "You somehow pull off the white hair," he said.

  She blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself."

  "Ahh, finally," Ryan said. "I've been waiting a year to see this. Connor's gonna do the naughty. I'll leave. What do you need? Like…thirty or forty seconds?"

  "Ryan, stop. She doesn't even know me."

  "That's even better."

  Brooke looked at Ryan, trying to piece together their conversation, before staring into Connor's eyes. "But we did know each other, didn't we
? And I don't mean just things about each other. We weren't just friends, were we?"

  Connor cleared his throat and settled back in his seat. "We'd better get moving."

  She laughed. "That's a cop-out."

  "Yes, it is."

  "Perfect time for a kiss," Ryan said. "But nope, not with Connor."

  He left the lot and pulled into traffic. He cared for Brooke, and knew before her resurrection she cared about him. But it wasn't his place to tell her how she felt during a time she couldn't remember. If her attraction for him was genuine, and not the result of the uniqueness of a human talking with a soul, then her feelings would come out once again.

  He would certainly do his part to help them along, assuming they didn't end up in jail, or worse.

  *****

  Connor and Brooke sat in the Lexus outside the construction site for several hours. It was just like Ryan had described, and they could see the container he'd found. Thick cables ran from the open container to a generator, and also to a trailer across from the doors. From their angle they couldn't see inside, but Ryan verified after several flyovers that was what they were looking for.

  "The rest of this place is just normal construction," he said. "That container is what you want. Cryo-tubes are in there, a computer, another computer in the trailer. I guess they're gonna do tonight's resurrection right here."

  Connor gestured to the workers scattered across the site. "Do you think anyone here has any idea of what's going on?"

  "Nope. I listened in on a few of them. They don't have a clue. The guys who moved all the tubes are already gone. These guys think they're just building a parking garage."

  Brooke sighed as she studied the container and trailer. "We're not gonna be able to record anything from here. We probably won't hear much, either."

  He looked at the fence separating the site from the sidewalk. "I can sneak in when everyone leaves, and hide under the trailer. I'll have a clear shot to the container."

  "We. I'm going with you."

  "I'm guessing telling you no won't do any good."

  "Not at all."

  He smiled at her.

  "So, that's really the plan?" Brooke asked. "Just hide under the trailer and record the guy?"

  "Yeah. All we need is just some footage of him by a cryo-tube. They're not exactly legal for a regular person to own, right? We go to the media, tell our story, and let them do the rest."

  "Thank you, Connor."

  "For what?"

  "For everything. For bringing me back to life, for helping me now, for being my friend."

  He wanted to say something, but could only manage to open his mouth and turn red. She leaned across the seat and kissed him on the cheek.

  The workday ended at the site just before sunset. The sounds of machinery and shouting all stopped. Connor sat up and watched the men laugh and talk with each other as they went to their cars.

  "Do you think that's all of them?" Brooke asked.

  "I'll go find out," Ryan said.

  The spirit shot through the roof and joined the other souls in the sky before circling the site. Brooke jumped in surprise and put a hand to her chest.

  "He scares me when he moves like that. Did I know him when I was a spirit?"

  "No, thank God. He would have flirted with you every second."

  "I wish I could remember."

  "Well, me and you hung out a lot. I can remember for you. If you have any questions, just ask."

  "Did I make you watch a lot of horror movies?"

  He laughed. "Yeah, but I love horror movies, so it was actually perfect."

  "No wonder we get along. Got along, whatever."

  Several minutes passed before Ryan flew down and stopped halfway between the roof and the outside.

  "The place is empty. You're good to go."

  Connor reached for the handle, but Brooke grabbed his arm. "Wait. What about Amber?"

  "We can't wait for her. The sun's going down, and we have to be in there before Denning gets here."

  Brooke reluctantly nodded, and joined Connor as they walked along the fence to the site. They found a gap in the fence near the corner, and looked around before stepping inside. There wasn't anything of interest nearby, no restaurants or attractions, so only the occasional car drove past. Connor grabbed Brooke's hand and led her across the site, maneuvering around piles of wood and bags of concrete to the trailer.

  He stepped over a collection of cables and peered quickly inside the container. Ryan hovered near the top on the outside, throwing light into the shadows. Connor saw the cryo-tubes, the table, and the computer. The generator ran with a quiet hum not far away.

  "Connor!" Brooke called. She was on one knee in front of the trailer next to the steps, ready to crawl underneath. "You coming? Move your slow ass."

  He smiled. She was beginning to sound like the woman he knew.

  "Go," Ryan said. "I'll keep an eye on things."

  Brooke crawled under the trailer first, with Connor right behind. They bumped into each other trying to turn around to get into position. Their shoulders touched as they lay on their stomachs.

  "It's perfect, guys," Ryan shouted. "I can't see you."

  Connor nudged her. "You have Amber's phone?"

  Brooke fished it from the pocket of her leggings. There were no new texts, no missed calls.

  "Where the hell is she?"

  Connor said nothing. The silence stretched. It took nearly an hour for night to completely settle in. Ryan stayed nearby, flying around occasionally before resting on top of the container.

  Brooke tried to scoot closer, even though they were already touching. Connor had to admit that he enjoyed the contact.

  "I'm scared," she whispered.

  "Me, too."

  "Maybe…I should have stayed a spirit. It sounds like I was doing okay."

  "You saw a chance to be alive again, and get back at the people who killed you."

  Her voice shook slightly, and Connor knew she was fighting tears. "I didn't mean to cause all this."

  "Hey." He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "You didn't do this. We'll get through it, okay?"

  She leaned over and surprised Connor with another kiss on the cheek.

  "You sure do like your cheek kisses," he said, smiling.

  "Ah, so, we kissed when I was a spirit—?"

  "Shh."

  There were quiet voices in the distance, which grew louder. Ryan flew higher into the air.

  "Connor," he said. "We've got something."

  Brooke readied her camera, leaning on her elbows. Connor heard parts of a conversation.

  "I want you to find them, understand? It's just a man and a woman. Did you see the body they took? They shouldn't be hard to find."

  "We're looking, Rob. We've got squad cars combing the streets, asking questions."

  "If you would have done your job at the apartment last night, we wouldn't be in this mess."

  "Like you said, it's just a man and a woman. What can they do—?"

  "They know, moron, and that's enough."

  Robert Denning stepped into view, flanked by two police officers. Connor wondered if they were the same two policemen he'd heard moving a cryo-tube in the warehouse the night before, or if Denning had other officers working for him. The thought terrified him.

  "Hey, check it out," one officer said, pointing at Ryan. "Looks like we've got a guest. Maybe he wants a resurrection, too."

  Denning paced for a moment. He looked very professional, just like before, wearing a suit and tie. He peered into the container before looking at his two employees.

  Brooke watched them all carefully through Amber's phone, recording everything.

  "I'm never gonna get ahead in this business, with men like you working for me. The warehouse was a great idea. Out of the way, private, it had everything we need. Now we're here, at my site, hiding like rats."

  "Rob, you can't blame that on us. We don't have any idea how that guy found the place."

  "Yeah
, some cops you are."

  Connor leaned close to Brooke. "This is perfect," he whispered.

  Brooke nodded, and he could see her smile in the dark. Just their simple conversation was enough to get them out of trouble. It was only a matter of waiting for them to leave, and going to the media.

  There was a familiar voice off in the distance.

  "Let her go! If you hurt my mother, I swear I'll kill you."

  Connor jumped, and fought off panic as he recognized the female voice. Brooke didn't hear her, couldn't hear her, and grabbed his shoulder.

  "Are you okay?"

  He didn't get the chance to answer before Ryan flew in a circle, stopping over the container. "Uh, Connor, something real bad is going on here."

  "Kara!" Denning shouted. "I'm so glad you could make it."

  A man escorted Kara to the container. Connor recognized him as Max, one of the men Amber worked with stealing bodies from Soul-Ful. It was obvious Kara was brought against her will. She was visibly shaken, her face pale. Tonya stayed close to her mother, shouting insults at Denning and his men they couldn't hear.

  "I'm so sorry for the conditions here," Denning said. "We had some security trouble at our warehouse last night, and had to move in a hurry. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

  "Of course not."

  "Good. I'm glad that's settled." He nodded at Max. "Keep an eye on that soul there. I'm guessing that's Tonya, right? We don't want to get her confused with another soul."

  "Mr. Denning, about the resurrection—"

  "Call me Rob, please. Ah, yes! The reason we're all here. We're set up and ready to go. All we need for you to do is step inside here and pick out a new body for your daughter. But there is the matter of payment."

  "That's what I need to talk to you about. I don't have the money."

  "We talked about this. Over dinner last night you said you could get the money easily."

  "I…lied. Between retirement and 401K, I have about half. But I thought I'd have more time."

  "Yeah, we always think we have more time, don't we? Half is good for starters, and I'm sure I can find other ways for you to make up the rest."

  "Connor!" Tonya shouted. "Are you here? They're gonna hurt my Mom!"

  "It's not just that," Kara said. "Look, please don't be mad, but I changed my mind."