The Gemini Bridge (The York Street Series Book 1)

by Shea Meadows

  Ricky lay with her head on David’s chest. He smiled at her, when she looked up then a cloud of concern flitted over his face. “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “Everything is right with our hearts, but the world might see problems,” he answered.

  Ricky sighed. “Sexual harassment by an employer; can’t you just see the tabloids? ‘Moon Angel’s sister, Ricky Banner, entices her head of security into a relationship.’”

  David chuckled. “Yup. ‘Former Minnesota Highway Patrol investigator, David Clark has now become the boy-toy of the new head of Moon Angel Network. Hotel workers in Chicago reported they shared a bedroom in their opulent suite.”

  Ricky laughed so hard she snorted. “Oh, oh too funny. But not at all good for business. What are we going to do about it?”

  David grinned. “First off, I might have to do some resigning. Maybe sell my part of the detective agency in St. Paul to Brink. He’s not going to like it but we can work something out. Then, we’ll announce our engagement and set a date for the wedding. Then, I can work directly for you as part of your organization.”

  Ricky’s eyes widened and her mouth formed an O. “So we’re engaged? You are some fast operator, Mr. Clark.”

  David turned a bright shade of red. “Well, ah, well, you said we’d be making children together and I’m just old fashioned enough to want us all to have the same last name.”

  “So why don’t you ask me? Afraid I’ll say no?”

  David smiled and traced a heart over the bare skin between her breasts. “Rachelle Therese Banner, we’ve been together many life times, if we’re prepared to trust the Akashic record. Will you marry me and make it official in this life?”

  Ricky smiled and traced a heart on his chest. “I would never reject my soul mate. Yes, of course I will. Maybe we should tell my Dad; I’m sure my sister already knows.”

  David’s face twisted in a look of mock horror. “You’ll have to meet my tribe. Parents and four brothers and two sisters, and all of them living in Cincinnati except for me. You’ll need the etheric emeralds for protection for sure.”

  “Are some of them ghosts?” She asked with a grin.

  “No, not because I haven’t thought of killing a few of them from time to time. It’s going to be interesting when they find out about the business I’m marrying into. Conservative is a generous description of most of the family. Only my youngest sister, Gema, is open-minded. She came to one of Moon’s lectures with me when I was dating Fawn. They were room-mates in college. She’ll be excited to meet you.”

  Ricky couldn’t hold back a fit of laughter. “You dated a girl named Fawn. That’s so not what I expected.”

  David grinned. “Fawn was Cherokee; her full name was Running Fawn. She wasn’t a bimbo. She was a shaman and worked with Moon from time to time.”

  “Oh, that’s different. Sorry, guess I got a little jealous. Both of us will have to live with the fact that there were others we cared about before we met. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” David said, then followed the word with a kiss. “Do we have a breakfast date with Emily and Philip? Perhaps we should spruce up a bit then talk to George before we meet them.”

  Ricky propped herself up on one elbow to see over his body. “We’re meeting them at ten at Waffle World. It’s about five miles from here; we have plenty of time. As much fun as it would be to take a shower together, let’s give Dad a little adjustment time before we become too public.”

  David laughed. “Your dad won’t be the least bit surprised. He patted me on the back when I came out of the bathroom last night and teased me about being his new son-in-law. The guy is extremely intuitive.”

  “Hum,” Ricky said in mock seriousness, “maybe he guessed we were going to share a bed, and we will be saving him from demanding a shotgun wedding.”

  After a bit more bantering, the two kissed then took their showers alone. In about a half an hour, they met again in the sitting room, where David and George were looking over the floor plan of the hotel and the configuration of the meeting room where the seminar would take place. Ricky came in, wearing a pair of black slacks, a bright green shirt, high-heeled black boots, and the blue contacts and short blond wig she had brought as a disguise.

  David looked up with a grin. “Ah, lady, you must have wandered into the wrong suite. Have an ID on you?”

  Ricky provided a matching grin and whipped out an Ohio driver’s license with a picture of her in her present mode with the name “Judy Dean” and a fake address.

  “Ah yes,” David said, “my cousin from Ohio, who met me here to attend this seminar. Good to see you.”

  “Isn’t a bit early to bring out the alternative identity?” George asked, as he closed the folder with the floor plan.

  “Well, Uncle Bert, it is for you, but David and I are going out to breakfast with Em and Phil at Waffle World. It’s close to the hotel so it’s a good possibility some of the people who are planning to attend might eat there as well.”

  George nodded. “Good thinking. With all the press we got in Minneapolis, I’m sure your story and picture got into national news. No sense in taking chances. While you guys are gone I’ll tint my hair and beard and attempt to match my new driver’s license as well.” He reached in his wallet and pulled out the fake ID that David’s friend had created for him. “Don’t like my name much, Albert Partly. It begs the question: Partly what?”

  David laughed. “It’s a real guy George, with a real address. He passed away last week.”

  “We must thank his ghost for the use of his credentials,” Ricky said with a smile.

  “George, Ricky and I have something to tell you. It may seem sudden but I think maybe you guessed what we want to say.”

  George smiled. “You’ve fallen in love with your cousin, Judy Dean?”

  Ricky reached over and took her father’s hand. “Would you mind very much if that was true?”

  “Only if he was really your cousin.”

  “We were concerned because I’m working for Brink’s agency and am technically Ricky’s employee. Would that generate bad press for Moon Angel Network?” David asked.

  George shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I’ll call Stan Jacobs and see how it would be best to proceed. Are you folks seeing this as an engagement or just living together? Not to be nosey but just to clarify.”

  “We are getting an engagement ring as soon as we get back home. Don’t know if we should set a date for the wedding yet. Maybe it would be better if we had an idea about the identity of the Soul Stealer before we made everything public,” Ricky answered.

  “I’m considering selling my share of the agency back to Brink Matthews or being a silent backer for his business. His company can continue on retainer if we need to investigate anything that comes up. Then I can work directly with Ricky as a partner in more ways than one. What do you think?”

  “Marriage is covered in the will. I guess Moon knew it was bound to happen. I don’t really see a problem. We vetted you before we hired you and legally, you’re more than clean,” George replied. “I’d give Beth Ann a call and let her know about your change in status.”

  They discussed the logistics of announcing the relationship and hiring David directly by Moon Angel Spiritual Network for another half hour then, George called Stan to update him and Ricky called Beth Ann, both of whom were excited for the couple. Soon, it was time to drive to Waffle World.

  Ricky drove since she knew the exact location of the restaurant from her years in Chicago. She could see Em and Phil sitting in a booth by the window but got a blank stare when she waved to them as she and David got out of the car.

  “What’s going on? They act like they don’t know me,” she commented to David.

  “Ah, did you remember to tell her you’d be coming as a blond?’ David asked with a smirk.

  Ricky tapped her fingers against her forehead in a “dumb me” gesture. “We got so caught up talking about our engagement; I forgot to give her a heads
up.”

  They went in the door of the busy restaurant and weaved past the service staff directly to their friends’ booth.

  “Hi guys,” David said when they arrived. “Remember me from Minneapolis? David Clark.”

  Em and Phil looked confused. “Sure Dave, Ricky said she was coming into town with you and her dad. Where is Ricky?”

  Ricky laughed. “Em, look closer, it’s me!”

  Em let out a high pitched squawk. “Oh no! It is you. I can’t believe it! Did you cut and dye your hair? And the clothes, so not you. What’s going on?”

  “Simmer down Em,” Ricky said with a lowering of her hands that she hoped Em would understand to be a request for a quieter voice.

  “Oh, yes. Sorry.” Em said, as David and Ricky slid into the booth. “I’m sure you’ll explain everything. Let’s get the ordering out of the way so we won’t be interrupted.”

  Phil gestured to their waitress and they quickly decided on their food, as another girl gave them hot cups of coffee or tea and silverware. When they were alone again, Phil and Em turned to Ricky with expectation.

  “So this is how it is,” Ricky explained. “I’ve had a lot of press because of the murder attempt at Moon’s memorial, and it’s finally settled down; but the press is still looking for another good yarn they can tell about me.

  “We’re doing some research that Moon requested before her death about things she had not finished exploring. Some of it involves Avery Sweet, the clairvoyant and medium giving a seminar at the Freemont Hotel. He knew Moon, and I look too much like her to go unnoticed. He also knew my dad so he’s altering his looks as well. David is safe since Avery never met him before.”

  “Ah,” Phil said. You’re afraid you’ll be spotted here since the restaurant is close to the hotel. You look great as a blond, Rick.”

  “So the press is still after you?” Em asked. “She died in June and it’s the start of August. People have such short attention spans you’d think they’d have forgotten about you by now.”

  “Well, ah, there was another incident with an effigy and a theft from the hospital and some vandalism at the house, so we’ve ended up in other stories,” David contributed.

  “What?” Emily said, a bit louder than she meant to. “Ricky, what is going on?”

  “Can’t really explain most of it Em. Its stuff that led up to Moon’s death and the police can’t do anything with it, but I’ve had training that will help me get to the bottom of it.”

  Phil turned to David. “But you’re the police, right? So the police are handling it.”

  David shook his head. “I’m not really the police anymore. I did work for the Minnesota Highway Patrol, but I just retired. Now I’m a private investigator and am protection for Ricky. I have resources in the local city precincts that we can use to follow up on leads and experience that could make a difference in tracking down people involved.”

  Em let out a sigh. “That makes me feel better. It’s not just Ricky out there on her own trying to avenge Moon. Do you have contacts in Chicago too, David?”

  David nodded. “I have contacts in just about every major urban area and friends on the forces can help if needed. This is a different type of investigation than the police usually handle, and frankly, only someone trained as Ricky has been trained can make any headway.”

  Emily leaned over toward Ricky and David and Phil leaned forward as well to hear what she was asking. “Is Avery Sweet a suspect? He’s a big name in Chicago and has a great reputation. What do you think he’s done?”

  Ricky whispered back. “We don’t know for sure. There is testimony from people involved that points toward him, but it may not be him at all. He may know who’s involved and might be able to give us a lead. We don’t want to talk to him directly until we eliminate him as a suspect.” She paused for a moment and looked back and forth between Em and Phil. “I know you realize how important it is not to say anything.”

  Both of them nodded in agreement. Em answered. “We wouldn’t put you in danger for the world. We want you alive and well for our wedding.”

  Just then, the waitress appeared with their orders of Belgian Waffles with supplies of butter, syrup, jam and powdered sugar. As the food was served, Emily told them about the wedding plans with a big smile on her face and Phil’s arm around her shoulder.

  “It will be November first. Hopefully it will be early enough to beat the snow, although I know there have been snow storms on Halloween so it’s a risk. We were wondering if you two could be in the wedding party. Ricky, I would love to have you be my maid of honor, and David could you be a groom’s man?”

  Ricky whispered in David’s ear then David nodded. “We’d love to be in the wedding, but only if you’ll be in ours.”

  “What?” Emily squawked much louder than intended. “When did this happen?”

  “Today,” Ricky answered, her hand clasped in David’s, “but it’s been building from our first meeting. We know it looks sudden, but nothing could feel more right.”

  “Congratulations,” Phil said as he reached over the table to give David a friendly pound on the shoulder. “What’s your date going to be?”

  “We haven’t set one. You’re two of the first to know. We’re going to try to get through this project before we think about wedding plans,” Ricky answered.

  “We’ll have to talk about your dress for our wedding, Ricky. The guys are easy, black tuxes with a white bowtie. Not sure of the color for the girls,” Emily said.

  The couples chatted on about the weddings until there was a pause in the conversation. In the silent moment, Ricky heard Moon’s voice Emily isn’t telling you something about Roy. Ask what it is. I think it’s important. Strange energy around it; a barrier I can’t penetrate.

  Ricky nodded imperceptibly to Moon’s urging and smiled at Emily. “Em, I was wondering if you’ve heard from Roy? He never did box my stuff and send it to me. Not that I left anything I can’t do without, but he seemed sincere when he said he’d do it.”

  Emily looked down at her hand and blushed the same color as her bright pink acrylic nails. “I should have told you about that, but you’ve gone through so much with Moon’s death and adjusting to a new life, I decided to keep it to myself unless you asked.”

  “Is it something we should know?” David asked, reaching for Ricky’s hand under the table.

  Emily looked at Phil. “Well, when Phil and I got back from Minneapolis, we called Roy’s phone to check on the boxes so you wouldn’t have to deal with him. The number didn’t work. So we tried his cell, ‘cause I had the number from when you guys were together, but no answer there either. Then we tried Julie Richard’s cell; that didn’t work either.”

  “That’s when we went to the place you shared,” Phil chimed in. “Met the Super in the hall outside the apartment. He had a cleaning crew in there, washing walls, painting, getting ready for a new tenant. Roy and Julie had moved out just after we left to drive your car to Minnesota.”

  Emily took up the narrative. “We asked if the Super knew where they’d gone. He said they took off in the middle of the night, leaving everything but a few suitcases. No paperwork or notice and didn’t try to get back the security deposit. Left no forwarding address and phones no longer active. It was getting strange.”

  “So we went to the hospital. Both of them were fulltime employees. Roy had surgeries on the schedule, and Julie was head nurse on OBGYN. I talked to Trish Jenkins in Human Resources, and she gave me the scoop because we’re buddies. Both of them were no-show the day after we left. No giving notice, no forwarding address for their final checks, simply gone.”

  “Wow,” David said. “Were the police involved? They’d be considered missing persons in a scenario like that.”

  Phil shook his head. “We talked to the cops and they investigated but didn’t look too hard. The Super said the apartment was wide open and the keys sitting on the kitchen table. No signs of a struggle. Personal possessions cleared out but nothing bigger t
han the computer. They left the furniture, the TV and the stereo. Nothing to indicate they were forcibly removed.”

  Ricky sat in stunned silence, desperately asking input from Moon but getting nothing. Her voice had a quiver when she spoke. “So has anyone heard from them? I can’t remember ever meeting any of Roy’s family, and I know nothing about Julie’s private life, other than she liked to hit on other people’s boyfriends.”

  “We dropped the inquiry when the police came up empty, but then last week, I got a postcard from Roy with a blurred post mark on it. Want to see it?” Emily asked.

  Ricky nodded and Emily pulled a post card from her purse with a picture of a forest on one side and a short message on the other. “Sorry we left everyone in the lurch. Couldn’t be helped. Give our best to Rick. Roy and Julie”

  Ricky handed it to David who frowned when he read it. “Thanks for telling us. I’ll be calling my friend Brink and having him work on tracking them. I understand why you were reluctant to say anything to Ricky but the trail might be cold by now. I have to think this has something to do with what we’re investigating.”

  Emily blushed bright pink again. “You can keep the card. Feel free to give your friend my phone number. I went back and forth with this. I just couldn’t imagine why you guys would want another stinky mess to deal with. But I guess I should’ve said something. It’s not just your stuff, is it? He owed you half the security. Did he ever pay you?”

  Ricky shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears behind the blue contact lenses. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Why would I take his word for anything? None of that really matters anyway. That was another time, another me. I was so wrapped up in Moon’s stuff I forgot to wonder about why it was taking so long.”

  David put his arm around her and kissed the side of her neck. “Don’t worry, Rick. I’ll turn it over to Brink. We might not like the answers we get but at least we’ll know we tried. The condo management might know something that the police didn’t think to ask.”