The Grim & The Dead

by Amanda M. Lee

  Aisling furrowed her brow. “Who is David Parker?”

  “I guess that means Braden did it.” Given the way that I’d angled the monitor and camera, Dad couldn’t make out my face. I was glad for it, because I wasn’t in the mood to talk about a dead boy. “I’m sorry you had to do that, son. I try to keep the kids from you as much as possible, but there was no way I could do that this go-around.”

  “You try to keep the kids from us?” Aisling challenged, her eyes moving to me. “Why? We’re reapers. We’re supposed to do our job no matter our personal feelings.”

  “I understand that.” Dad wasn’t the sort to back down, and he wasn’t going to start now despite Aisling’s reaction. “Children are still difficult. I imagine this one was doubly difficult because he was so young.”

  “He wasn’t so bad,” I interjected. “He was happy to be getting out of the hospital. He was sad to leave his mother and father, asked when they would be joining him, but he was excited to play outside and have a dog.”

  “Dog?” Dad looked confused. “What dog?”

  “He wanted a dog. I figure Heaven is full of them.”

  “It wouldn’t be Heaven without dogs,” Aisling agreed, her voice gentling. “Is that the only reason you called, Dad? Did you think we screwed up and didn’t absorb the little boy’s soul or something?”

  “I knew you didn’t screw up.”

  “Because you have faith in us?”

  “Because I would’ve heard an earful from the home office if you had,” Dad replied, matter-of-fact. “I didn’t, so I knew you were fine. I called because I wanted to check on you. Believe it or not, this particular combination has caused me a bit of worry. Any other combination would’ve been fine. You both work well with everyone else. It’s when you work with each other that things fall apart.”

  “Did you hear that, Braden? I think Dad is telling us we’re screw-ups,” Aisling groused, causing me to snicker when Dad rolled his eyes.

  “I heard.” I didn’t want to encourage her, but Dad needed to be reminded that we were adults, so now seemed as good a time as any to let my sister off her leash. “You should tell him about your charges today, Aisling. Also, tell him what you and Griffin did with the whipped cream and sprinkles last night.”

  Dad’s face turned a mottled shade of red. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, they totally took all the whipped cream and sprinkles,” I answered, blasé. “I think there are some gummy sharks left.”

  “Not after tonight,” Aisling countered, causing my stomach to twist.

  “Well, you’ll need to stock up on ice cream condiments when you get back, Dad,” I offered helpfully. “I think you should blame Griffin for the extra shopping.”

  “I’ll blame Griffin for a number of things when I return.”

  “That sounds like a fabulous idea.”

  AFTER FINISHING OUR SKYPE call with Dad, Aisling and Griffin disappeared upstairs and left me to finish my work. Technically, I finished the second I sent the souls to the gate workers, but I wasn’t quite ready to put the day behind me so I pretended otherwise.

  Tolliver stopped by the office long enough to tell me that he was leaving and would be turning on the security system. I thanked him, asked about the reboot, and found that things had been running normally all day. Once he was gone, the house was completely quiet and I was left with my thoughts.

  I spent a good twenty minutes staring out the window behind Dad’s desk. It was dark outside, I could see very little, but it was somehow soothing. The stillness served as a salve, and I was happy to lose myself in the silence.

  That’s where Aisling found me shortly before it was time to go to bed and ruined everything.

  “Are you okay?”

  I glanced over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing up? I thought you and Griffin would be knee deep in gummy sharks and each other right about now.”

  “We’re doing that in a few minutes.” Aisling moved closer to me. “I wanted to check on you before going to bed. You seemed ... quiet ... after Dad called.”

  “Everyone is quiet compared to you.”

  “Yeah, well, you were quieter than usual.”

  “I’m fine.” That was the truth. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because of the kid,” Aisling answered simply, holding her hands palms up. “I shouldn’t have dumped him on you. That wasn’t fair. I would like to say that I regret my actions, but I didn’t want to be the one to absorb him, and I’m not sorry.

  “The thing is, I didn’t want you to have to absorb him either,” she continued. “I never see the lists when Dad doles out the assignments. He makes sure of that. I didn’t realize he was keeping kids from me until you mentioned it earlier.”

  “I shouldn’t have said that,” I offered. “It wasn’t fair to you. Dad kept kids from all of us for the first few years we started reaping. They’re not easy. You’ve barely been doing this six months. I was fine taking David.”

  “How bad was it?”

  I shrugged, noncommittal. “I wanted to pretend it wasn’t as bad as it really was,” I said finally. “I wanted to cry. The kid was strong. He understood he was going to Heaven, that he was dead. He understood his parents had broken hearts but there was nothing he could do for them. He was wise beyond his years.”

  “You wanted to cry. I would’ve cried.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessarily bad,” I hedged. It was rare for Aisling and me to have deep conversations. I wasn’t sure what to make of this one, but I didn’t want to turn it into an argument, so I chose my words carefully. “He was a sweet kid and it was a bad situation. “No one said being a reaper was easy.”

  “No, but we should’ve drawn straws or something. It wasn’t fair to put it all on you.”

  “I’m fine. I survived.”

  “It still wasn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair.”

  “Ugh. That’s something Dad would say.”

  My lips curved at her disgust. “That’s a low blow.”

  “That’s how I roll.”

  I sighed as I shook my head. Even though she drives me crazy, I understood why so many others find her entertaining. Even I find delight in her sarcastic mouth at times, no matter how I fight the effort. “I made myself feel better by threatening a lowlife landlord at a diner this afternoon.” I had no idea why I was telling her the story. “The waitress was fifty bucks short on her rent and her landlord was giving her grief, acting like a real creeper.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I gave her a fifty-dollar tip and then paid off the landlord to go away.”

  “So, basically you had a hundred-dollar lunch.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well, that’s not so bad.” Aisling snickered as she shook her head. “In fact, that sounds good. I’m glad you had a good time making that guy pay. What kind of jerk follows a woman to her place of business to bug her for rent money? Wait until she gets home.”

  “I’m guessing this isn’t one of the nicer establishments we see in the suburbs.”

  “Probably not.”

  “It felt good to help her, especially because I couldn’t help David or his parents,” I admitted. “I don’t think the death of a child is something you ever get over.”

  Aisling sucked in a steadying breath before deciding she’d had enough of the serious conversation. “You know, if I didn’t know better I’d say you’re turning into an adult. You stood up for a woman in need and absorbed a child without falling apart. I’m proud of you.”

  “Ugh.” I made a face, which was exactly what she was going for. “I hate it when you talk down to me.”

  “Why do you think I do it?”

  “Because you’re a pain in the behind.”

  “I’m definitely a pain in the behind.”

  “Thanks anyway.” I waved her off. “You should head upstairs and play your filthy games with Griffin. I’m going to bed in a few minutes. We have another long
day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, but think what happens when they get back,” Aisling noted. “Dad will feel guilty because we were left out. He’ll spoil us with time off and whatever food we want for dinner. This is going to work out to our advantage.”

  “You’re a very food-oriented person. I’m not sure that’s good.”

  “I don’t care. Food is awesome.”

  She wasn’t wrong. “Go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. I hear we’re having eggs and corned beef hash.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  I knew that would be the case when I asked the cook to put it on the menu. “Who doesn’t love corned beef hash?”

  “Only a crazy person.”

  On that one topic we could always agree.

  7

  Seven

  I was in the middle of a good dream, several buxom lifeguards saving me from drowning with their personal ... um, flotation devices, when a blaring ripped me out of my slumber and caused my temper to spike.

  The first face I saw belonged to my sister.

  “Aisling,” I growled, my mind churning with myriad means to torture her. “I’m going to make you cry. Griffin won’t be able to save you this time.”

  Even dressed in a pair of fuzzy sleep pants with boozy unicorns all over them and slippers that boasted monster faces, Aisling’s expression was enough to terrify me. “I’m not afraid of you ... and there’s someone in the house.”

  I stared at her for a long beat, sleep finally retreating from my fuzzy brain enough that I could register the constant blare ... and where it came from. “How do you know someone is in the house?”

  “Um ... that noise.”

  “Yeah, but it went off the other day, too, and nobody managed to get inside.”

  “That you know of,” Aisling fired back. “What if someone got in the other night and hid, and he or she — I’m going with a he because men are way creepier than women when it comes to stuff like this — set off the alarm again, but this time from inside the house?”

  Her expression was grave ... and it made me want to laugh. “Why would someone set off the security alarm from inside? Better yet, how would someone set it off? You have to be outside trying to get in to set it off.”

  “Not necessarily.” Aisling refused to back down. “What if the intruder got in the first night, panicked because he realized we were looking for him, hid in a closet, was forced to stay there all day because of the help running around, missed his window to escape and didn’t know that he was going to set off the security alarm when he ran?”

  I blinked three times in rapid succession as I regarded her serious face. “Under that scenario we wouldn’t have an intruder. We would have an escapee ... like from a mental institution.”

  Instead of agreeing that my read on the situation was logical, Aisling glared. “Braden, Griffin is in my bedroom. I was downstairs in the kitchen when the security system alerted, so I raced up the first set of stairs I found ... and guess whose room was right at the top of those stairs.”

  “I’m going to guess mine.”

  “Yeah.” She flicked the spot between my eyebrows. “Now, get up. We have to rescue Griffin.”

  I wanted to remind her that Griffin was capable of taking care of himself — and most likely already up, armed and looking for her — but the fierceness lining her face told me that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Fine.” I tossed off the covers, earning a disgusted look from Aisling in the process. “What?”

  “You’re wearing underwear.” Aisling shifted her eyes to the wall. “You should’ve warned me you were wearing underwear and not pajamas.”

  “I’m a dude. We don’t wear pajamas.” I grabbed a pair of cotton shorts from the floor and tugged them on. “Be happy I was wearing underwear,” I added. “Given the dream you ruined, that wasn’t a guarantee.”

  It took Aisling a moment to grasp what I was insinuating. “You’re a disgusting pervert.”

  “That shouldn’t be news.” I moved toward the door, stopping long enough to grab the baseball bat propped against the wall before poking my head out and looking both ways down the hallway. “You didn’t see anyone during your mad dash up here, did you?”

  “No.” Aisling’s eyes were on the bat. “What are you going to do with that? Hit a home run?”

  “I don’t have any other weapons up here.”

  “Good point.” Aisling grabbed the tennis racket that rested against the wall in the same corner. “Come on. We have to save Griffin.” She was gung-ho as she prepared to burst through the opening and race down the hallway. I could picture her screeching Griffin’s name and alerting the intruder — if there was one — to our location.

  “We’re going to quietly make our way toward your room and find Griffin,” I corrected, squeezing her wrist for emphasis. “I’m going to take the lead and you’re going to keep your trap shut. Do you understand?”

  Aisling’s gaze was withering. “Why do you get to take the lead? He’s my boyfriend.”

  “I’m better in a fight.”

  “I’ve beaten you fifty times in fights.”

  “Only because Dad said we couldn’t punch you when you got out of hand.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Aisling rolled her eyes, but there was something else lurking in the lavender depths. I couldn’t quite identify it. “Let’s go. We have to find him.”

  Her voice was softer, and that’s when it hit me. “You’re worried. Like ... legitimately worried. You really think someone is in the house, don’t you?”

  “I think that we live complicated lives,” Aisling replied without hesitation. “I think I love him. I also think a lot of people want to kill me and they’ll go through him to get me.” She tugged hard on my arm. “So ... let’s find him.”

  I took pity on her. It seemed the gallant thing to do. And, truth be told, I was rather fond of Griffin. He was good to my sister and kept her out of my hair. What’s not to like about that? “We’ll find him.” I sent her an encouraging grin. “When we do, I’ll never let him forget that I’m the one who saved him from certain death.”

  “Great. Let’s find him and then you can boast until your tongue falls out.”

  YOU WOULD THINK creeping through the house with my sister, armed with a baseball bat and tennis racquet (along with sarcastic mouths of death), would be exciting.

  You would be wrong.

  The walk back to Aisling’s wing of the house was exceedingly boring. Twice I thought I caught a hint of movement on the first floor, but each time I realized it was merely our shadows bouncing as we moved past light fixtures. By the time we arrived at our destination, my agitation was on full display.

  “I don’t understand why anyone would break into the house,” I complained. “All these old houses in this neighborhood have security systems. It’s a dangerous job to attempt.”

  “You think someone wants to rob us?” Aisling asked, her eyes wide as she threw open her door. Disappointment rolled off her in waves when she found the room empty. “Griffin isn’t here.”

  “That’s because he’s looking for us,” I reminded her. “He thought you went down to the kitchen — and if you were getting more whipped cream and sprinkles, I don’t want to hear it — so he probably headed downstairs first.” I moved to the hallway and peered over the railing so I could see the foyer. “I don’t see him.”

  “He’s probably dead.” Aisling’s voice ratcheted up a notch. “He probably got killed by some meth head who broke in to steal one of the statues to pawn it for his next fix.”

  I slid her a sidelong look. “What have you been watching on television?”

  “I know things,” she shot back. “He’s dead and I’ll never see him again. I’ll have to move back here and turn into a spinster because my heart will never be whole again. Oh, this sucks.”

  Caught between giving her comfort and shaking her, I merely shook my head. “He’s a saint for putting up with you.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” a voice interje
cted, wafting through the darkness.

  “Griffin?” Aisling jerked her head to the foyer. “Where are you?”

  I leaned over the railing and stared. He sounded close, but I’d yet to lay eyes on him. “If you’re in trouble — you know, being held hostage or something — let us know so we can call for help.”

  “Hostage?” Aisling growled. “I’m going to get a gun, baby. I’ll shoot him and you’ll be fine. I’ll be right back.”

  “You’re not getting a gun,” Griffin announced, appearing out of the shadows to our right and causing my heart to skip a beat. He looked amused rather than worried.

  “Griffin?” Aisling shoved past me and threw her arms around his neck, smacking the back of his head with the tennis racquet in the process. “I thought you were being held hostage on the first floor.”

  “I gathered that.” He rubbed his hands over her back and flicked his eyes to me. “I checked the first floor when the alarm went off. I can’t find anyone. There’s a non-specific breach alarm flashing on the security monitor.”

  “What does that mean?” Aisling asked, pulling back.

  “I have no idea.” Griffin took the racquet from her when she accidentally smacked him a second time. “I think we should search the house again. I don’t like the idea of going to bed and risking someone walking into your sister’s room while we’re sleeping.”

  “So we’ll search again,” I said, resigned. “It will take a while, but we’ll go room by room. The security system probably needs an upgrade, but it’s better to check than wonder.”

  “I agree.” Griffin pressed a kiss to Aisling’s cheek. “Come on. You can come with us this time. That will give you an opportunity to grab that spray cheese I sent you down for in the first place.”

  My stomach twisted. “You two are really gross.”

  Griffin snickered. “I told you we were treating this like a vacation.”

  “Remind me never to go on vacation with you.”

  I WAS TIRED WHEN I woke the next morning.

  Given the size of the house, it took the three of us seventy minutes to search everywhere. That included the basement, which Aisling complained bitterly about. She was barefoot, so Griffin let her climb on his back for the trip. He seemed more amused than annoyed by her complaints, which I totally didn’t get.