The Borrowed Souls: A Novel

by Paul B. Kohler

  Chapter 8

  I leaned back on my couch, propping my feet up on the armrest. The sun had just set, and the flicker of the fire caused shadows to dance across the floor. Coping with this latest soul collection had left me mentally exhausted and wanting to escape my own past once again. As I lay still and silent, I could feel my eyelids drooping, almost as if they were being pulled down by some unnatural force. But I resisted the temptation to sleep. Visions of Enoch Gant and his evil ways flashed through my mind. I would not give him the satisfaction of another mind-altering dream. I recalled Hauser’s advice and knew that just by relaxing quietly for a few hours, I could refresh my soul.

  As I glanced at the stack of faded photographs on the coffee table, I had a sudden and strong desire to talk to Cyndi. Just one more time. It had been several months since I had caught her cheating, and I was still filled with more questions than answers. After collecting her soul, I’d thought I was ready to move on. Now I wasn’t so sure. Dealing with Meghan and Luke, I began to wonder if Cyndi was in fact my soulmate. Just yesterday my mind had been set on it. But now I wasn’t so sure.

  “Where did we go wrong?” I asked aloud, hoping Cyndi could hear me, wherever she was in her afterlife. “Was it me? You?” I was pretty sure it wasn’t us, because when we were together it felt like we were best friends. If I just had something, anything to tell me what had gone wrong, I might be able to make changes. Changes for others.

  And where the hell was Hauser? I looked around the small cabin, as if by that act I could make him appear. Since the day I had collected Calvin’s soul, I’d not seen hide nor hair of him, and that just wasn’t like him.

  “Hauser? If you’re hiding behind the bookcase, listening to me ramble, I need your help. I . . .” I paused, wondering how I should phrase my mental state. “I’m lost and confused. I really have no reason to object to this current collection, but I’m having second thoughts, again. I see the love between Meghan and Luke, and I’m torn. I know that what Meghan is doing to Dana is wrong, but after seeing the ugly side of him, it really burns me up to see them get slaughtered like that. So carelessly. If I could just get them to . . . move on in life, nobody would have to die so, so tragically. I could really use your help and guidance on this one. Hell, I’m not even sure a change can be made, but—”

  My pleas for help were interrupted by a screeching howl that echoed through the woods just outside the cabin door. As I craned my neck to peek out the front window, I heard a loud thump from the back of the cabin.

  “Hauser?” I asked, eager to have another person to actually talk to.

  Bump, bump. The sound continued rhythmically.

  I jumped from the couch and went out to investigate, only to find a fallen branch that was brushing up against the rear wall of the cabin. Disappointed at finding myself still alone, I returned to the couch next to the fireplace. I lay back down, propped my feet up again, and returned to the previous realm of thoughts.

  Since becoming a soul collector, I’d been conflicted with nearly every soul collection that had passed through my hands. Why had it taken me so long—until entering the afterlife—before I actually gave a shit about life and for the living? Deep inside, I hated to see anyone die. But it was only through Hauser’s—or was it the Sentinel’s?—training regimen that clarity was being brought forth in my own soul. I truly wanted to save everyone, and I was fairly confident that that realization was not what the training was intended for.

  With no real sign or indication to do otherwise, I decided a change was going to be made. Not being a God-fearing man, I prayed regardless. I prayed that the Sentinel wouldn’t come down on me too hard for what I was about to do. Tomorrow morning, with any luck, three lives would be forever altered.

  Chapter 9

  As I walked in the front door of Hero’s Pet World at just after ten in the morning, I passed by the front-window display cages that housed the puppies and kittens. I continued walking through the store, down aisles stocked full of nearly every pet care item the mind could conceive. Having never been a pet owner myself, it boggled my mind at just how much money the average American spent on their pets. I had no doubt that Dana’s business would be a gold mine.

  Nearing the sales counter at the back of the store, I came upon a woman I assumed was Maxine. The store had just opened moments earlier, and I was surprised that Dana wasn’t in control of his retail world. At least momentarily, that is, until he decided to go kill his wife and her lover.

  I walked by Maxine and stepped into the back hallway, passing by a series of animal cages housing various older cats and dogs. As I did so, each of them sensed my presence, barking or hissing as I passed by. At the end of the hallway, I came to a closed door labeled PRIVATE and promptly jumped to the other side of the wall, unnoticed.

  Once inside the manager’s office, I found Dana sitting at his desk talking on the phone.

  “ . . . and you’re sure that it’s her? . . . Yes, I know that’s what I paid you for, but I need to be positive about this. . . . Okay, and is she alone or is she with someone? . . . Duke, no Luke? Holloway. . . . No, it doesn’t ring a bell. . . . Okay, I’ll take your word for it. . . . What’s the address again? . . . Got it. Okay, thanks. Send me your bill and I’ll pay it promptly.”

  Dana hung up the phone with what I assumed was a private detective. I looked over his shoulder as he rewrote the address on a new sheet of paper and tucked it into his shirt pocket. I recognized it as the address of Luke’s apartment.

  Shit. Things were already in motion. I looked at my watch. Had an hour actually passed since I first came into the store? No, it couldn’t have. I wondered if my mind was slipping or if it was something else. Was something in the afterlife being altered?

  As I contemplated the time differences between regular life and the afterlife, Dana slid open his desk drawer and withdrew a Colt revolver. It appeared to be the same one I’d seen him wield in Luke’s flash-forward. Dana’s hand trembled as he ejected the six-round chamber and fumbled with loading its bullets. It was clear that he was nervous about what his next move might be.

  “Just stop, buddy. There’s other ways to handle this. Killing your wife is not the answer. No matter how torn up you feel inside. Trust me, I know.”

  It was clear that Dana couldn’t hear me as he finished loading his gun. Once the last bullet slid into its chamber, he closed the revolver and spun it, just like I’d seen in the movies hundreds of times. Then he unzipped the bank bag sitting on the corner of the desk and dumped all of the cash into the desk drawer. With the bank bag empty, he slid the loaded revolver inside and zipped it closed. A moment later he rose from his desk and walked out the door.

  Shit. What could I do?

  I followed Dana out into the store, walking by the barking dogs once more.

  “Hush up, guys,” I said. “I’ll be gone in a moment, I promise.”

  Dana stopped at the front counter and talked to Maxine. “How’s it going out here?” he asked.

  “It’s all good,” she replied. “The store is open and I’ve stocked the shelves like you’ve asked me to. No customers yet.”

  “And you think you’ll be okay for a while? Alone?” he asked.

  “Sure thing. If it’s anything like Saturday was, I should be fine on my own for a few hours.”

  “Great. I just have a few errands to run, and I need to stop by the bank,” Dana held up the bank bag, “but I should be back by the end of the day. If not, you do have your key, right?”

  “I do. Everything is going to be fine, Mr. Sharp.”

  “Okay, then. Don’t forget to feed all of the animals before you leave as well,” he reminded her.

  The animals! That’s it. But how—

  Just then, a brilliant idea came to me. I jumped from standing next to Dana and Maxine and landed at the front of the store, just out of their eyesight. I leaned down to the puppy cage and unlatched the door, instantly releasing all the puppies into the store. A second later, I jumped t
o the other side of the entry and did the same to the kitten cage. “Go. Be free,” I said.

  The puppies wasted no time exiting the cage, but the kittens were much more passive about venturing out into the store. My plan wasn’t exactly panning out as I had hoped, as the puppies only circled around my ankles.

  “Scat! Go play!” I demanded, but none of them obeyed. So I began to jump around the store, landing first by the food and then by the toys, leading the puppies as I went. Finally, both the puppies and the kittens were wondering about the store aimlessly, and then it happened.

  “Who let the dogs out?” Dana said in a panic. “And the kittens!”

  “I . . . I don’t know,” Maxine responded, rushing out onto the sales floor.

  Within moments, both Dana and Maxine had gathered up nearly all of the kittens and a few of the puppies. I suddenly knew that the distraction was not enough to cause him to miss his appointment with doom. That’s when I remembered the adult dogs and cats at the back of the store, and jumped to their cages. A moment later, real chaos ensued.

  I opened every cage, releasing more than a dozen full-size dogs and several cats out into the store. I again jumped from spot to spot in the store. The adult cats were much more brazen than the kittens and exited their cages far more eagerly. With the cats on the prowl, the dogs began to chase. Hissing and growling and barking and more hissing ensued, causing quite a scene.

  As I jumped forward in the store, Dana caught sight of the debacle happening at the rear of the store and screamed at Maxine to close the front door. Within seconds, Maxine sprang to action. She unlatched the hold-open on the door and it began to close slowly. Just as the latch clicked, a number of wandering dogs charged in that direction.

  I continued jumping from spot to spot throughout the store, keeping an eye on my watch. The double murder was to take place just after lunch, and Luke’s apartment was a good forty-minute taxi ride away. It was 11:20 a.m. according to my watch. I just had to keep the chaos going on little longer to prevent Dana from leaving.

  I jumped to the front of the store while Maxine and Dana were at the back. I once again unlatched the puppy cages, releasing them back into the store. Then, suddenly, a customer opened the front door.

  As the middle-aged woman walked in, she was nearly assaulted by an adult Doberman pinscher, launching its open jaws toward her face. She screamed in horror, bringing her arms up in defense. Dana heard the commotion and bolted toward the new catastrophe, making it to the front of the store just as the Doberman was about to land on the cowering woman. He grabbed the dog’s collar and yanked him back just in the nick of time.

  “I’m so sorry, ma’am. We’re not sure what’s going on this morning. It appears all of our pet cages won’t remain shut.” Just then, he noticed the puppies scouring about the store again.

  I jumped once more, finally landing on top of the sales counter to watch. Maxine was attempting to herd the cats back into their cages while also trying to keep the dogs from chasing them. Dana was at the front of the store apologizing profusely to the female customer. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was now just past one in the afternoon. I concluded that it would be difficult for Dana to make it to Luke’s apartment in time to kill them at the time I witnessed earlier. Still, I remained on the sales counter for another thirty minutes, enjoying the spectacle in front of me.

  At a quarter till two, I felt confident that I had once again changed fate, and Meghan and Luke would continue on living. I smiled as Dana and Maxine captured the last few fleeing animals in the store. A moment later, I vanished.

  Chapter 10

  When I arrived at Luke’s apartment, I was surprised at myself for actually being happy to see both him and Meghan alive. They were in the kitchen, about to have a late lunch.

  “I have to say, Meg, if you’re going to be around here more often, constantly building up my appetite, we’re going to have to switch to low-fat food. Otherwise, I’m going to gain like twenty-five pounds before you know it,” Luke teased.

  “Don’t put the blame on me, mister. You’re the one that has the grabby hands and the irresistible moves. I guess we’ll just have to increase our sexual activities to keep the weight gain at bay.”

  “That would just create a vicious circle,” Luke said, brushing up against her. “But I’m not going to complain,”

  “It’s nice that you two finally get out of bed,” I said, moving from the living room into the kitchen.

  Meghan looked at me, let out a slight scream, and dropped the glass she was holding. Luke, who was equally startled, jumped at my voice and turned in my direction.

  “Who the hell are you? And how’d you get into my apartment?”

  I was at a complete loss for words. I hadn’t expected them to be able to see or hear me.

  “I, uh, I’m here to . . . warn you that Dana knows everything,” I said slowly. “In fact, he may very well be on his way here right now.”

  Meghan gasped in horror.

  “You’re lying,” Luke protested. “Just because I’m the Congressman’s son doesn’t give you the right to follow me around, perpetuating lies for your own personal gain.”

  “Believe what you want, buddy, but it’s the truth. I’m . . . the PI that he hired to follow you two around. He knows everything, and to say that he’s pissed would be an understatement.”

  “Then if he hired you, why are you telling us? Isn’t that some kind of conflict of interest in some private detective code of conduct, or something?” Luke asked, clearly still skeptical.

  I looked at Meghan. Fear was clearly present on her face. She obviously knew what Dana was capable of.

  “If you don’t believe me, just ask your little girlfriend here and she’ll verify just how much of a lunatic Dana Sharp really is.”

  Luke looked at Meghan as she started to cry. She began to hyperventilate and could only nod in agreement.

  “See?” I said. “I suggest you two end this now before someone gets hurt—and I mean really hurt. Or, Meghan, you need to end it with Dana before he does something drastic.” As I talked, I tried to figure out why these two could see and hear me. If I’d made the change, their deaths would no longer be imminent, therefore they should be as oblivious to my presence as Dana was earlier. Had a change actually been made, or had I only succeeded in delaying their deaths? Only time would tell now, unless . . . unless I could get them to make the change for themselves.

  “Suppose we believe you,” Luke said. “You seem to have more information that you’re withholding. What are you not telling us?”

  I threw my hands up. “Hey, I’m just the messenger. Dana hired me to follow you two and confirm his suspicions. After I gave him this address, my contract with him was over.”

  “So you do want money, then,” Luke demanded.

  “Nope. None whatsoever. This is a friendly warning and nothing more.”

  “If that’s true, then who’s the guy behind you? Is he your muscle? The wrench to squeeze the money from my pocket?” Luke asked.

  I spun around, expecting to see Dana walking in holding the gun. But to my surprise, I saw someone that I had never expected to see in person.

  Enoch Gant stood by the front door.

  Chapter 11

  “I bet you’re surprised to see me,” Enoch said, tipping his bowler hat slightly.

  “What? What, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I’m here to lend you a hand, obviously,” Enoch said, coming to stand next to me in the kitchen.

  “So you do know him,” Luke said.

  “Actually, Mr. Holloway, Jack and I have not been formally introduced. We’re kind of coworkers in an estranged sort of way, isn’t that right, Jack?” Enoch said.

  Ignoring Enoch’s question, I said, “There’s nothing left here to handle. You’re wasting your time and you should leave.”

  “Oh, sure there is, Jack. You haven’t yet fulfilled your obligation to the Sentinel.”

  “Is the Sentinel th
e name of the PI firm you two work for?” Luke asked.

  “Shut up, Luke,” I snapped.

  “Why so short-tempered, Jack?” Enoch asked.

  “Because I know what kind of person you are and these two do not.”

  “You guys are really kinda freaking me out. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Luke said.

  “Shut up, Luke,” Enoch said.

  Luke gasped then went for his cell phone sitting on the corner of the countertop. “If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the police.”

  Suddenly Enoch withdrew a Colt revolver from his inside suit pocket. It was amazingly similar to the revolver that Dana had not more than an hour ago.

  At the sight of the gun, Meghan shrieked and grabbed on to Luke. They both stepped away from the countertop.

  “Hey, now. We don’t want any trouble. I’m just asking if you two would leave. I won’t call the police if you guys leave right now.”

  “Well, would you look at that? Jack, I see why you saved these two souls. They have such . . . intelligence. Seems such a shame that they have to die anyway.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Their event has come and passed, and—”

  “And what? Why exactly are you here, then?” Enoch asked.

  “I just came by to see that they were, in fact, still alive.”

  At that moment Enoch raised the revolver and pointed it at Meghan. Before I could protest, he pulled the trigger, shooting her in the head.

  “Well it looks like you were wrong. One is alive and one is dead. I’d say plot twist, but then you’d just ignore my humorous jabs?”

  Luke held Meghan’s limp body for a few seconds longer before he reluctantly let her fall to the floor. “You sonofabitch. You killed her!” he screamed.

  With Enoch’s attention on Luke, I lunged for the gun in Enoch’s hand, but before I could grab it, Enoch vanished and reappeared two feet behind me.