by Pandora Pine
It shouldn’t be this easy to slip into and out of a vision. Visions were like dreams, once you were awake, the dream was over. For some reason, this vision wasn’t behaving that way.
“Do you think you can tell us what happened without ending up back in there again?” Ronan reached out for both of Ten’s hands, as if by holding him, he could somehow keep Tennyson grounded in the physical world.
“I think so.” Truth be told, Ten had no clue. “I had a weird feeling this morning, like something wasn’t right.”
“Like the feeling you had the night of Matthew Lincoln’s wake?” Ronan asked.
Ten nodded. “Similar to that, but this feeling was more vague. With that one, I knew we were in danger. With this feeling, all I knew was that there was something off.”
“Okay, so you had this feeling like something was wrong. Then what happened?” Fitzgibbon leaned forward in his seat, bracing his arms on his thighs.
“Carson and Mrs. Salazar came out of the reading room and we were all talking. Mrs. Salazar left and then I started to feel dizzy. The next thing I knew, I was standing in this field. It was more than a vision though, Ronan. It was like I was actually standing there.”
“What do you mean it was more than a vision?” Ronan set his arm around Tennyson’s shoulders.
“A vision is supposed to be like watching television. You can’t smell what Bobby Flay is cooking. You can’t feel the spray of the ocean on your face when you watch Deadliest Catch. Michael Myers can’t really kill you when you watch Halloween.” He looked at Ronan and Kevin and saw both men were nodding along with him. “In this vision, I could smell the warm earth and I could feel the sun on my face and the breeze blowing against my skin. When I turned around, I could see the body lying on the ground. I could smell the decay. I said out loud that it couldn’t be him, that he was dead. Then, like something out of a Stephen King novel, the body sat up and said it was him. I started screaming and the next thing I knew, Carson and Cole were shaking me and shouting my name.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Ronan muttered.
Ten looked up at Fitzgibbon, who’d gone white as a ghost.
“That isn’t possible.” Kevin locked eyes with Tennyson. “Tell me how this is possible.”
Ten was at a complete loss. “I’m not sure either. All I know is that Rod Jacobson is dead. He was cremated and his mother has his remains. The only thing I could think of was that the boy meant that Jacobson was back in spirit.”
Ronan’s blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean back in spirit? Like a haunting?”
Ten shook his head. “No, I wasn’t thinking that literally. You remember when we saw those pictures of Rami Malek made up like Freddie Mercury for that new movie?”
“Christ, I would have sworn it was Freddie back from the dead.” Ronan shook his head.
“Right,” Ten agreed. “You would say that Freddie was back in spirit, so to speak. That actor looked like him, moved like him and even learned how to sing like him.”
“So, you’re thinking the person who killed Max Harmon is impersonating Rod Jacobson so closely that even the spirit of Max Harmon couldn’t tell the difference between the original and the copy?” Fitzgibbon asked, seeming to snap out of his trance.
Tennyson nodded. “That’s exactly what I think.” Any other scenarios were too terrifying to even consider.
14
Ronan
Just when Ronan thought he was going to be stuck spending the night in his new home-office going over the Max Harmon homicide and the idea that his killer was a Rod Jacobson copycat, he’d been thrown a lifeline. Tony Abruzzi had called and invited him and Tennyson to dinner at their house.
Tony had been Ronan’s partner when they’d both been working in Homicide. They’d not only been partners, but best friends as well. When Ronan had been shot over a year ago by Manuel Garcia, Tony had been with him. He’d put pressure on the bullet wound until Boston EMS had been able to load him into the ambulance and get him to the hospital.
His partner had been right by his side during the Internal Affairs investigation that had followed and when Ronan had been faced with going to rehab for his drinking problem or losing his detective’s shield. Tony and Carlie had been the only ones who’d believed him and stood by his side through all of his trials and tribulations, which included his disastrous marriage to Josh Gatlin.
During the course of the Justin Wilson case when Ronan and Tennyson met some of the dead teenager’s homeless friends, Tony and Carlie had been the first people he’d thought of to foster the young boys. They were recent empty-nesters with hearts of gold and a strong Catholic faith.
The whole family had come over to help them move into the new house, but with all the chaos of moving day, Ronan hadn’t really had much of a chance to catch up with his friends or the four boys. He was looking forward to getting a chance to do that tonight.
“You’re looking pretty worn out. We don’t have to go tonight. We could stay home instead. Order out from your favorite pizza place and go to bed early.” Ten waggled his eyebrows.
Ronan could see what Ten was trying to do. He’d been pretty stressed out over the last two days after the discovery of Max Harmon’s body. There hadn’t been any word from Vann Hoffman about the autopsy report or from Lyric Vaughn about the DNA evidence found on the body. It was true that Ronan was tired, but a night out with Tony and Carlie would be good for his soul. “I’m okay, babe.”
Tennyson nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
Ronan could hear the commotion going on in the house as he and Tennyson were walking up to the front door. “Wow, nothing like the sound of four very active boys.”
Ten shook his head. “It sounds exhausting.”
Ronan elbowed his husband-to-be. “Come on, Ten, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t love being around that kind of energy.”
“I think I’d be more suited to being a girl father. You know, with pretty dresses and tea parties.”
Ronan didn’t bother asking what Ten would do if their little princess turned out to be a strapping tomboy. He pressed the doorbell instead.
“Ronan!” Carlie Abruzzi smiled as she swung the front door wide open to greet them. “Tennyson!” She welcomed them into the house and pulled Ronan in for a long hug.
Ronan needed one of Carlie’s hugs more than he realized. He was reluctant to let her go.
“Tennyson, it’s good to see you!” Keegan greeted him.
“Here, let me take that.” Tony grabbed the fruit tart out of Ten’s hands so Keegan could hug him.
“I haven’t had a chance to say thank you for everything you did for me.” Keegan hugged Tennyson tight.
Ronan and Carlie stopped hugging each other to watch the touching scene between Ten and the teenager. Keegan had been Justin Wilson’s best friend. He’d been the one who’d reported Justin missing. It was thanks to him and the other boys that they’d been able to track Rod Jacobson down and stop him from hurting any other teenagers. Until now... his subconscious whispered.
“You’re welcome, but it was you and your friends who gave us the big break in the case we needed.” Ten looked embarrassed.
“Why don’t we sit down at the table?” Tony ushered Ten and Keegan toward the dining room. “Brody and Mark, it’s your night to set the table.”
Everyone took off in different directions and before Ronan knew it, he and Carlie were alone in the spacious entryway to the house. “Wow, is it always this busy?” Ronan loved all the activity. It gave the home a buzzy, lived-in vibe.
Carlie nodded. “Neither of us were looking forward to what life was going to look like with our kids out of the house. These boys have breathed new life into us.”
Ronan nodded. He had a feeling this exact thing would happen with his friends. Some people were just made to have a house full of kids and the Abruzzis were those people to a T.
As they walked down the hall toward the dining room, Ronan noticed the large cross that hung next to the st
atute of the Blessed Mother had a large jagged crack that looked like it had been glued back together. “What happened here?”
The bright smile faded from Carlie’s face. “Let’s talk about that after dinner when the boys go upstairs to do their homework.”
Ronan’s Spidey senses tingled. He got the impression living with four active boys wasn’t always unicorns and rainbows.
“Carlie, this lasagna is to die for!” Tennyson gushed. “Can you email me the recipe or is it some family secret that you can give me but then you’d have to kill me afterward?”
The whole table burst out laughing at Tennyson’s joke.
“Of course I’ll share it, Ten, and without a drop of bloodshed.” Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. “My greatest regret about my Nonna is that she wouldn’t ever part with her recipes. She died never revealing any of them.”
Tennyson nodded sadly. “She’s telling me that’s her biggest regret too. Nonna says that after dinner, she’d like to give you her sauce recipe.”
Carlie’s mouth dropped open. “You’re serious?”
Tennyson nodded. “She says there’s a lot she’d like to talk to you about.”
“Mom, that’s fucking awesome!” Jefferson slapped a hand over his mouth a split-second after the words flew out of his mouth.
“Nice cover up, Jeff, but you lose your phone for the rest of the night,” Tony said.
Jefferson pouted. “Yes, sir.” The teenager stood up and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He handed it over to Tony with a longing look in his eyes. “I promised Kent we’d work on Algebra together for our final. Can we still do that later?”
“Only with your mother or I in the room and for thirty minutes tops, got it?” Tony slipped the phone into his own back pocket.
Jefferson nodded, looking relieved. “Thanks, Dad. You know how much my math suc- stinks.”
“Good catch, kid!” Carlie beamed at him.
“How’s the GED studying going for you, Mark?” Ronan asked. Truth be told, Mark had been his favorite out of all of Justin Wilson’s friends. The boy had what his friends had called a Pretty Woman fetish. He’d been hoping that one of his johns would fall head over heels in love with him, like Richard Gere had done with Julia Roberts in the movie. That hadn’t happened to Mark, but the boy hadn’t given up on finding true love. The one thing Ronan had noticed about the boy was that he wasn’t his usual evanescent self tonight.
Mark shrugged. “I’m doing okay. My math is a little better than Jefferson’s, but I don’t understand why I need to know so much history. It’s not like I’m gonna need to know that General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in order to get a job.”
Ronan started to laugh. “I used to think the same thing, but there are always things we can learn from history, kiddo.” He leaned in closer to the boy. “Don’t tell your parents I said this, but learn the history for the test and then forget it. You’ll need your brain for other, more important things.”
“Uh, Ronan, I hate to break it to you, but I heard that.” Tony raised an eyebrow at his former partner.
“Yeah, me too.” Carlie giggled. “I think that earns you kitchen duty.”
“Does that mean I’m off the hook?” Keegan asked in a hopeful tone.
Carlie tried to hide her budding smile. “Yes, just this once, though.”
When Ronan turned back to Mark, he noticed the boy had gone quiet again. He was about to say something to Mark when he noticed what looked like three angry red scratches on the boy's right arm, partially covered by a long-sleeved shirt. It struck him as odd that the boy was wearing long sleeves in August. Ronan could see that Tennyson noticed them too. “What happened to your arm, Mark?”
“Got scratched by the neighbor’s cat.” He yanked his sleeve down, covering the marks.
Keegan looked surprised. "I thought you told me that you wiped out on your dirt bike.”
Mark shot Keegan a withering stare.
“So, Brody, what about you?” Ronan asked to get the attention off Mark. He didn’t remember the teenager being shy, but the boy had been through so much during his time on the streets and being under the microscope now might not be comfortable for him.
“School rocks. Being able to take classes online and not deal with bullies in person is a dream come true!” Brody’s entire face lit up.
“Brody is getting all A’s!” Keegan grinned.
“That’s fantastic!” Tennyson patted the young man’s shoulder.
“I know that you-know-who is a total tool, but I still want to be an author. Maybe even a true crime writer, someday.”
“Just because one author was a plague on society doesn’t mean that they all are. There are so many writers that would be a worthy role model for you, Brody.” Ronan smiled across the table at the young man. “Check out an author named Ann Rule. She worked with a guy you might have heard of named Ted Bundy. She made a heck of a career for herself writing true crime novels.”
Mark growled and got up from the table.
“Aren’t you forgetting to ask to be excused from the table?” Carlie asked.
“May I be excused?” Mark didn’t make eye contact with either of his parents.
Carlie nodded. “You may. Homework time. I’ll be up in a bit to check on you.”
Seconds later, Ronan heard his heavy tread going up the stairs. “Is he okay?”
Tony and Carlie exchanged a wordless look with each other.
“I’m sorry about that. He’s still struggling a bit with Rod Jacobson and what happened to Justin. All of the boys knew him and Mark still thinks there’s something he could have done to change the way things went down.” Tony shook his head.
“Plus, he kind of had a crush...” Keegan trailed off.
“A crush on Rod Jacobson?” That was a new wrinkle to the story Ronan hadn’t heard before. That kind of guilt could ruin a kid for life. He hoped Carlie and Tony had the boy in therapy.
15
Tennyson
Tennyson’s mind was whirling as he helped Tony clear the table. The kids had all scattered to different parts of the house, but would be back later for dessert.
Even though it had been against his rule, he’d read Mark when he’d seen the boy in distress at the table. What he’d found out hadn’t been good. Teenagers were usually surly and bad-tempered by nature, but what he’d read went a little beyond that. There was a darkness in the boy that Tennyson hadn’t been expecting to encounter.
“We have to apologize for ambushing the two of you like this,” Carlie started as she and Ronan came back into the dining room. She was carrying dessert plates and forks, while Ronan had the fruit tart they’d brought.
“What do you mean ambushing us?” Ronan shot Tennyson a curious look.
“She means we weren’t just invited for dinner. We were asked to come here to observe the boys’ behavior. Right?” Ten turned his attention to Tony.
Tony nodded, a guilty look was plastered all over his face. “We figured Ronan with his detective skills and you with your sixth sense might be able to give us some answers that we’re both too close to see.”
Ten turned his attention to Ronan. Tony and Carlie weren’t the only couple in the room who could communicate without words. Ronan gave him a sharp nod. “You’re both concerned about Mark.”
Carlie visibly sagged with relief. “Yes. What gave it away?”
Tennyson smiled. “Well, Keegan, Jefferson, and Brody were all very engaging and eager to talk about school and their future plans. Mark was more withdrawn and didn’t seem to like being the center of attention.”
“When we met him before, he gloried in being the center of attention,” Ronan chimed in. “He was like an attention sponge. He couldn’t suck up our attention fast enough. Tonight was a different story. He wanted the spotlight away from him as soon as possible.”
“What are your concerns about him?” Ten asked carefully.
“Ronan saw the cross...” Carlie shivered and trailed o
ff.
Ten looked back and forth between the two of them. “What cross?”
“I’ll get it,” Tony said softly and left the room.
Tennyson’s sense of unease was growing. It wasn’t that he felt anything evil in the teenager, per se, but he got the feeling that the boy wasn’t his usual self. Teenagers, especially ones that had grown up without a good support system, had a way of falling prey to anyone looking to take advantage of a good soul. Tennyson had hoped that Tony and Carlie's stable home would be enough to give all four of these boys the new start in life that they so deserved.
When Tony came back into the room, he was carrying a large cross. Ten would guess it was about eighteen inches long.
“It was my mother’s,” Tony said as he handed it over.
The first thing Tennyson noticed was Tony’s mother standing behind her son with a fond smile on her face. The second thing he noticed was the wicked break in the wood. To him, it looked like the wood had been snapped clean in half. Whoever had glued it back together had done a good job, but the break had been made with a lot of force.
“I came home from the grocery store two weeks ago and found it in the front hall broken like this. I asked the boys which one of them broke it, but no one would confess.”
“We assumed it happened with them roughhousing. We promised they wouldn’t get in trouble if they just told us which one of them did it, but still nothing.”
Ronan shrugged. “They’re still in that stage where they’re worried that you’re going to send them back to live on the streets if they fuck up. Fitzgibbon is going through that with Greeley.”
Tony seemed to think about that for a minute before nodding.
“The boys aren’t lying,” Ten said softly.
“What do you mean? Are you saying it just fell off the wall and broke itself?” Carlie asked with snark in her voice.
Ten tilted his head and took a deep breath. He wasn’t quite ready to give his opinion just yet. “Your mother is here, Tony.”
