by Pandora Pine
“They told me that, but they didn’t say how fucking hard it would be. Damn it, Ronan, he’s such a good kid. He’s never given me any reason to think he’d go back to drugs or his old way of life, but I’m not there today to see him interacting with the kids on campus. I’m not there to see him making good decisions or bad decisions.”
Ronan felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “You’ve given Greeley a solid foundation. He’s told you what his plans are for the future. All you can do today is believe in him. When we see him later, be proud of him as a father, but listen to him like a cop. Let the father in you win. Does that make sense?”
Fitzgibbon seemed to be studying Ronan. “It does. He said he wanted to check out the bookstore and the library. Maybe see if he could meet some kids his own age and eat in the cafeteria.”
“Sounds to me like he wants to experience what life is like for a normal kid his own age.” It made sense to Ronan, but he could see where Fitzgibbon’s worry was as well.
“God, I hate that damn word. Normal...” Kevin sighed.
Ronan understood where Kevin was coming from. Greeley was a gay seventeen-year-old kid whose parents abandoned him. He’d turned to prostitution to survive and had nearly been killed twice by a crazy man bent on revenge. He was anything but normal. “Who among us is normal?” He laughed. “Hell, I’m a gay Cold Case cop engaged to a psychic.”
Kevin snickered. “You’re also being stalked by a very large squirrel.” He pointed behind Ronan.
“Shut your mouth!” Ronan laughed. “That’s no squirrel. Come here, Dixie.” Ronan bent down to scoop up the puppy who’d just woken up from her nap. She’d been snoozing in her dog bed near the sliding glass door leading out from the kitchen.
“Now that you live out in the country, you name your squirrels?” Kevin laughed.
“Sic Uncle Kevin,” Ronan ordered. “Go on, girl! Get him!”
Dixie disobeyed, instead going nuts wanting to lick the newcomer when Ronan handed her over.
“What is she, a rat?” Kevin held Dixie up to get a better look at her.
“You’re on thin ice, Cap.” Ronan laughed. “Dixie is a Papillon mix. Ten fell in love with her at the pound and then she fell in love with me.”
Kevin cuddled the puppy. “Of course she did. Hello, cutie. Greeley’s gonna flip when he meets her. He’s been asking about getting a pet of some kind. My building doesn’t allow animals.”
“That’s interesting...” Ronan trailed off.
“Don’t you start on this moving to the suburbs bullshit.” Kevin rolled his eyes as he rubbed Dixie’s tummy.
“Bullshit? Hmm, that’s even more interesting.” Ronan shrugged.
“Just because you abandoned the city to become a country mouse doesn’t mean we all have to do the same.” Fitzgibbon was sounding more defensive by the minute.
“It’s not that, Cap. I was thinking about Greeley.”
“What do you mean?” Fitzgibbon’s head popped up. His full attention was on Ronan.
“His worst experiences in life happened in Boston. He’s getting a new start with you, yes, but he’s still in the city. He’s still got to go past the places that make him remember his attacks. Or the park bench that he slept on or the Walgreens where he used to meet clients...” Ronan trailed off, knowing when to shut up.
Kevin paled, looking like those things never crossed his mind.
Ronan could tell his words were hitting the mark. “He mentioned wanting to go to school at Salem State and I wondered if he’d live on campus or if he’d want to stay here with me and Ten, but it would be so much the better if his father lived in town too.” Ronan shrugged and picked up the manual for the new grill.
“Damn it, Ronan. I never thought of those things. We drive by the friggen Beach Inn out in Revere all the time. It gives me goosebumps because it’s where I got my stupid ass shot, but I never once gave it a second thought that it was where Greeley was nearly killed twice. I like to drive by it because it reminds me of how strong I am.” His voice broke.
“It’s okay, Cap.” Ronan set a hand on his shoulder. “You’re still new at this too.”
“Asking to move out of the city was a cry for help and all I kept thinking was my building was rent controlled. I’m such a dick.” He shook his head.
“No, you’re not.” He squeezed Kevin’s shoulder. “It’s hard getting used to looking at things from someone else’s perspective. I struggle with it all the time. I still fail with Ten.”
Kevin looked up at him. “If I’m still failing with Greeley, how the hell am I going to manage being a father and dating at the same time?”
Ronan burst out laughing. “Same way the rest of us do it, one day at a time.”
Kevin shook his head. He looked like he was on the verge of losing it. “Why hasn’t he called or texted me?”
“Because you gave him the wrong number.” Ronan still couldn’t believe it himself.
“What?” Kevin’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding me.”
“I texted Jace myself after you agreed to come over this morning. He was just as upset as you were, wondering why you hadn’t texted him back. When I asked him what number he had for you I realized he had transposed the last two numbers.”
“Seriously?” Kevin shook his head.
Ronan shook his head. “Obviously you both suck at this dating thing. Thank God you have kind friends. He’s coming for dinner, so we need to get a move on and build the grill or we’ll be calling out for pizza. I may suck at assembling mechanical shit, but I’m a kick ass matchmaker.”
“God help me!” Fitzgibbon laughed.
10
They were having a party. A party! There were steaks on the grill. Jokes. Laughter. A puppy. A fucking puppy!
Where was the fear? The trepidation? The looking over their shoulders? The security system? The second guesses?
It was as if the boy’s little present had made no impact at all. It was as if Ronan O’Mara didn’t care that he was being watched.
It had been disgusting, the joy and happiness in their lives. The boy’s skin had actually felt like it was crawling. He’d felt like puking on principle alone. After snapping his pictures, he’d left just so he wouldn’t have to witness the ridiculous display.
The boy hoped they enjoyed themselves as the sands were starting to run low in Ronan O’Mara’s hourglass.
It’s time to act!
The voice in his head had become stronger, more persistent lately. At first, it had scared the boy, but now, the voice was more like a friend. A confidant. The voice of reason he’d been sorely lacking.
His life had never been comfortable or easy. Born to a drug addicted mother, the boy had bounced from relative to relative, always looking for love, but never finding it. Until now. This new home was filled with love. He’d say it was full to the gills with it, but it still wasn’t enough.
The voice helped with that. The voice was enough. The voice made him feel like he was worthy. In all of his years, he’d only felt worthy of being put down, of not being enough. Things were different now. Better. For the first time in his life he felt strong.
“Act, how?” the boy whispered.
The voice was silent.
That was all well and good, it gave him more time to stew about what he’d seen tonight at Ronan O’Mara’s house. The party. The puppy.
How was it possible to have gotten a package with pictures of them moving into their new house, to know that they were being watched and the cop and the psychic were going on with their lives like it had meant nothing?
They were having a party! They bought a puppy! Another innocent life brought into the mix that was going to die as a result of being associated with Ronan O’Mara, the hero.
Jace Fucking Lincoln had been there too. He’d been suspiciously cozy with Captain Kevin Fitzgibbon and last but not least, Greeley Fitzgibbon had been there too. So many bullseyes in one spot. It had been such a tempting buffet, but it
hadn’t been the time to act. The voice would tell him when.
Needing to take a piss, the boy set his computer aside. He was smart enough to lock it, so that no one could see the party images on the screen.
It’s time to act! The voice said again, only this time it sounded further away. The boy wondered how that was possible since the voice was in his head. The voice started to whisper its plan.
11
Tennyson
It was a slow morning at the Magick shop. Ten had an early morning reading scheduled, but now he was free until later in the afternoon. Carson was in with Mrs. Salazar for their usual Tuesday reading and Cole was over in the bakery with Cassie and Laurel.
Ordinarily, Tennyson used free moments like this to neaten up the shop or to meditate, but he wasn’t feeling like his usual self. A tickle of dread coiled around his spine, but Ten could find no reason for it.
Ronan was working in the precinct today. He shouldn’t be in any danger at all. Still, Ten found himself pulling out his phone and dashing off a quick message to his fiancé to make sure both he and Fitzgibbon were safe. He contemplated doing the same for Greeley, but he didn’t want to freak the young man out by opening a can of worms that didn’t need to be opened. Yet.
His mind briefly lit on the anonymous photographs left on his and Ronan’s doorstep, but quickly dismissed that idea. There had been no other incidents since that package and Ronan hadn’t gotten any other hang up calls either. Tennyson stopped worrying when the door to the reading room opened.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help today, Carson,” Mrs. Salazar was beaming as they walked out of the room together.
“I’m so glad you had such a nice chat with your mom this morning, Luisa," Carson said. “We all need time with our mothers.” Carson’s eyes looked glassy.
Luisa set her hand on Carson’s arm. “Do you speak to your mother every day?”
Carson nodded. “She spends a lot of time with the babies and there’s so much advice she has for me about being a good father. She shares things with me about their days and what I was like at their age.”
Tennyson could see how emotional Carson was getting and knew it had to do with the time before Carson had come into his psychic powers when Carson and Bertha couldn’t communicate. Also upsetting Carson was the fact that Bertha couldn’t spend time in the physical world with the triplets.
“She was talking to you even though you couldn’t hear her,” Luisa said.
Ten laughed. “You’d make one hell of an empath, Luisa. I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Yeah, that’s it, gang up on me.” Carson laughed. “Same time next week, Luisa?”
“You bet, Carson. Inez and I will see you on Friday for date night.” She patted Carson’s cheek and started digging through her purse.
“You and Truman are going out with Inez and Luisa?” Tennyson laughed.
“No!” Carson rolled his eyes as he rang up Luisa’s reading on the cash register. “Truman and I are going out and the ladies are coming over to watch the babies.”
“I swear those sweet little souls are keeping Inez and me young!” Luisa was all smiles. “My own daughter is living her dream in Los Angeles. Who knows if I’ll ever be a grandmother and Inez never had any kids of her own. This fake abuela gig is just what the doctor ordered.”
“Now you hush, Luisa!” There was no heat in Carson’s words. “I don’t see any fake abuela here. You and Inez are the real deal. You are my babies’ grandmother so far as Truman and I are concerned.”
Luisa nodded. She was blinking quickly in an obvious attempt to hold her tears at bay.
Tennyson could tell she was trying to keep her emotions under control. He swooped in to hug her. “It’s so good to see you. If you and Inez get a chance, stop by to see me and Ronan before you go over to Carson and Truman’s. You’re going to fall in love with Dixie the minute you meet her.” Tennyson pulled up a picture of the tiny, big-eared puppy on his phone.
“She is the sweetest thing, Tennyson. Maybe I should adopt a little one like this? It would give me someone to talk to when Javier is out playing golf.” She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t so long ago when Luisa thought Javier was cheating on her. Thankfully, he was only putting in extra hours on his beloved golf game.
“Dixie had a couple of siblings left at the shelter…” Tennyson shrugged nonchalantly. If he were a betting man he’d bet the house that two of Dixie’s siblings would have a forever home by the end of the day.
“Hmm, you know, Inez loves everything that I love. I should probably bring her down to the shelter with me.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “How about a freebie, Ten? Is this puppy thing a good idea for me?”
“No freebie needed,” Ten laughed. “Being a doggie Daddy has changed my life. It will change yours too.” It was killing Ten being here today without Dixie. She was spending the day with Truman and Sadie. Ten didn’t want Dixie to get used to the idea of coming to work with him every day and liked the idea of her being able to socialize with Truman’s dog.
“I’ll send pictures!” Luisa laughed. “Bye, boys!”
“Bye, Luisa!” Ten and Carson chorused.
“She’s a pistol, huh?” Carson shook his head. “Our babies are so lucky to have her and Inez in their lives.”
Tennyson nodded. “I wish I had a grandmother like that when-” All of a sudden, the room felt like it was spinning. Ten was dizzy and felt like he was going to throw up. “Carson,” Ten managed to whisper before he felt his body starting to fall.
His eyes slammed shut and he was no longer standing in West Side Magick. Tennyson was standing in an open field. He could feel the sunshine on his face and a light breeze was blowing through his hair. He could swear the scent of the ocean was in the air mixed with warm earth.
What the hell was going on? Ten didn’t feel dizzy anymore. He could see tall grass swaying gently in the breeze. It was a perfect summer afternoon. He must be having a vision. What the purpose of the vision was, he had no idea. Why would he need to see a picture-perfect summer day?
When Tennyson turned around, the perfect summer day dissolved into an absolute nightmare. In front of him, about twenty feet away, was a naked body. All at once he felt dizzy again. His breakfast roiled in his stomach and threatened to come back up. He took a deep breath wanting to smell the warm earth or the long grass. Instead, he was hit with the sick stench of decomposition.
Ten gagged. He lifted the collar of his shirt up to cover his nose and took a few steps forward. He could see now that the body was that of a young man, a teenager most likely. The boy was naked and his throat had been slashed.
“No, he’s dead. It can’t be him,” Ten said to the dead body.
The corpse sat up and his eyes opened. “It is him,” the young man said before his eyes closed and he fell back to the ground.
Tennyson screamed until his voice broke, until he needed oxygen. Then he screamed again.
“Jesus, Tennyson! Wake up!” Carson was shaking his shoulders. “Wake up!”
When Tennyson opened his eyes, it felt like his eyelids were buried under five pounds of sand. He blinked a few times and noticed he was looking up at the ceiling of the Magick shop. “Carson?” His voice sounded hoarse to his ears.
“Thank, Christ,” Cole said. “Do you still want me to call Ronan?” Concern laced his voice.
“No, hold off on that for a few minutes.” Relief battled fear in Carson’s voice. He turned back to Tennyson. “Are you okay? What happened? Did you have a vision? I didn’t see a spirit in the room.”
Cole whacked his arm. “Back off. Give him a second to catch his breath.”
Ten took a deep breath and tried to sit up. Thankfully, the room did not spin. “It was a vision. I’ve never had one before.” Ten rubbed his hands up and down his arms.
“I know how scary that can be.” Carson sat down on the floor next to Tennyson. “What did you see?”
Tennyson wasn’t sure he wanted to te
ll Carson and Cole what he saw. He didn’t want to relive it.
“Whatever it is you saw, we’re right here for you.” Cole sat down on the other side of him.
Ten looked back and forth between the two brothers and knew they would be there for him through anything. The problem was, he didn’t want them to be here for him through this. “I don’t know how, but I think Rod Jacobson is back and killing teenagers again.”
12
Ronan
It was a slow morning in the Cold Case Unit. Ronan’s cup of expensive coffee from the place across the street and his copy of the Boston Globe were sitting untouched on his desk. It had only taken a few minutes to go through his emails. Now, at 8:05 am, he was officially out of work to do.
Sure, he could dig into his work-in-progress file and pull up a case to actually work on, but that would involve actual work. Ronan wasn’t in the mood to do actual work without Tennyson here with him.
His fiancé was scheduled to be back in the squad room with him next week to start going over Ronan’s new cases. After the Harold Owens investigation was closed and Tennyson’s gift was back in fine working order, they’d sat down and discussed how Tennyson’s time would be divided between West Side Magick and the Boston Police Department.
They’d decided on a two weeks on, two weeks off rotation. Exceptions would be made during active investigations, but that would give Tennyson time to schedule readings on a fairly normal basis without having to cancel so many appointments or work late on Ronan’s cases after putting in a full day at the Magick shop.
Ronan was happy with the arrangement, for the most part. He wasn’t about to tell Tennyson, but he hated the two weeks when Ten wasn’t in the precinct with him. There was no color in the office without him. He knew that sounded hokey but it was true.
He snickered to himself. What a lovesick sap he’d turned into now that he was in love and about to become a married man. Rolling his eyes, Ronan picked up the paper and slipped it free of its protective plastic sleeve. When the paper unfolded, the headline practically screamed at him: NAKED BODY FOUND AT AUDUBON SANCTUARY.
