The Grim & The Dead

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Is there a question buried in there?”

  “Do you ever wonder if you would’ve been better off without her?” I was genuinely curious, even though the way his eyes turned cold told me I was treading in a minefield. “I don’t mean that as an insult to her. It’s just ... I can’t imagine ever wanting to work that much for one person.”

  “That’s because you haven’t met the right person yet,” Griffin noted. “If you think I pictured my life going this way when I was younger and first discovered girls, you’re wrong. I pictured what everyone pictures ... a nice house, perfectly behaved children and a smoking-hot wife who waited on me hand and foot.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.

  “But that’s not reality,” he continued. “You can’t help who you fall in love with, Braden. I didn’t see your sister coming. She is a lot of work. Your whole family is a lot of work. I wouldn’t trade her for anything, though.”

  “Not even a smoking-hot lifeguard who doesn’t understand the word ‘no’?”

  Griffin chuckled throatily. “No. I’m happy with her.”

  “She’s a pain in the butt.”

  “I know you think you want one of those ‘yes, sir’ women because that’s what society has told us we should want, but you’d be bored with that sort of woman in five minutes flat,” Griffin supplied. “Your sister isn’t easy, but she’s real. I’d much rather have a real person than a fake one any day of the week.”

  “Maybe there is a real person out there who wants to wait on me.”

  “That sounds like a boring individual.”

  “To you. To me, it sounds heavenly.”

  “I think you’ll find out differently, but you’re not there yet,” Griffin said. “It’s okay. You’ll know when you find the right person. Then you’ll fight your feelings a little bit, get called names by her brothers and realize you don’t care what anyone thinks but you.”

  “I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

  “And I think you’re just looking for a reason to complain about your sister,” Griffin countered. “In fact ... .” Whatever he was about to say died on his lips when the screen door at the back of the house popped open and an older woman poked her head out.

  Her gaze immediately landed on us and she didn’t look happy to see interlopers on her property. “Do I have to get my gun? If you guys think you can use my bushes for one of your deals, think again. I don’t like drugs, and I’ll have no problem shooting you.”

  Griffin quickly took control of the situation, digging in his pocket for his badge as he walked toward the woman. “I’m a police officer, ma’am. We’re looking for an individual. His last known residence is listed as this address.”

  “Oh, let me guess.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re looking for Greg, aren’t you?”

  “I am.” Griffin nodded. “Are you his wife?”

  “Amy Berlin.” The woman clearly wasn’t happy with her lot in life and her scowl was pronounced as she folded her arms over her chest. “What did he do now?”

  “Is he here?”

  “He left about an hour ago.”

  Griffin briefly snagged and held my gaze before barreling forward. “Ma’am, we have reason to believe that your husband broke into a house and we’re trying to ascertain why. Do you know where he might’ve gone?”

  “He never tells me anything he does,” Amy replied. “We’re not exactly on the friendliest of terms. We can’t afford to get divorced, so we live here together. He takes one room, I take the other, and we pretend the other doesn’t exist.”

  “That sounds like a rough way to survive,” I offered.

  “Yeah, well, there are worse things in life.” Amy wiped her hands on her apron. “Where was the house Greg supposedly broke into? Wait ... let me guess ... it was on Mason Street in Detroit, right? Walter Levin’s house? I told him to stay away from there when news broke of Walter’s death, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  The name triggered a memory. “Wait ... are you talking about the dude who calls himself ‘Shuckster?’ The guy who used to be a bookie?”

  Amy nodded. “That’s the guy.”

  Griffin glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “How do you know a bookie?”

  “He was on my list the day before yesterday.”

  “Oh.” Griffin understood without me expounding, but it was clear he would be pestering me for more information as soon as he got the chance. “So basically Greg Berlin and your charge knew each other.”

  “Pretty much,” I confirmed.

  “That means you’re the common tie.”

  I didn’t like the way he phrased it. “I guess.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Amy challenged. “I don’t like whisperers. It makes me think you’re hiding something.”

  “We’re not whispering.” Griffin strengthened his voice. “I simply need some information on your husband’s relationship with Walter Levin. Then we’ll be out of your hair. How does that sound?”

  “Like nothing I care about.”

  “We’ll make it quick.”

  “You’d better. I don’t have all day to waste on you guys.”

  “Very quick,” Griffin assured her. “In fact, you’ll barely know we were here.”

  9

  Nine

  “Well, she was a delight.”

  I scuffed my feet against the cracked sidewalk as Griffin and I circled the house to walk back to the Explorer.

  “What can you tell me about the soul?” Griffin asked. “I mean ... was there anything different about him?”

  I searched my memory of my interaction with Walter and nodded. “He was a bookie who thought women were subservient to him.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “A bookie who thought women should wait on him whenever he snapped his fingers – literally – and that I was going about life all wrong,” I repeated. “His nickname was Schuckster, and he took money for bets. He didn’t like the word ‘bookie.’ He preferred being called ‘bookmaker.’”

  “That is fascinating,” Griffin drawled. “I can’t believe that story hasn’t been turned into a movie yet.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’ve been spending too much time with my sister. You’re starting to sound exactly like her.”

  “That’s a sobering thought, huh?” Griffin smirked as we rounded the final corner and pulled up short when his vehicle came into view. Aisling wasn’t sitting in the passenger seat where we’d left her. The Explorer was empty. “I’m going to kill her.” He stomped forward, murderous intent etched across his face. I slowed my pace to give the neighborhood a good scan.

  “Where would she go?” I asked, shaking my head as I searched the faces watching us.

  “She’s probably hiding.” Griffin’s anger was on full display as he ripped open the passenger door, as if he might find her cowering under the seat. “She’s angry I said the neighbors thought she looked like a prostitute and she’s hiding. That’s so ... mature.”

  “You’re the one who said she was sweet,” I reminded him. “I told you she wasn’t sweet, that she was evil incarnate and Satan himself feared her terrifying brain. You didn’t listen. You said she had a heart of gold and was the best thing that ever happened to you. This is on you for being such a sap. We should’ve cuffed her inside the Explorer ... and gagged her for good measure.”

  Griffin slid me a sidelong look. “That was quite the mouthful, huh?”

  “She brings it out in me. What can I say?”

  “I stand by everything I said earlier, but I’m certain I never said she had a heart of gold. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, her penchant for drama notwithstanding. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. She couldn’t have gone far. She’s just teaching me a lesson.”

  I was feeling haughty, so I made sure he was looking in my direction when I rolled my eyes. “Doesn’t it bother you that she’s teaching you a lesson? You’re the man. You should be teaching her a lesson.”<
br />
  “Really?” Griffin made a face. “You think I should be teaching her a lesson because I’m the man?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “You’re even more of a ninny than Aisling believes. Just because I’m the man, that doesn’t mean I have all the power in the relationship. She’s an equal partner. She has half the power.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and fixed him with a challenging look. “Half?”

  “Fine. She has three-quarters of the power. What do you want from me? She has a strong personality. I happen to like that about her. She’s always willing to argue, she never does that ‘I don’t care, let’s go where you want to go’ thing so I always know what she wants for dinner, and she isn’t overly emotional. She’s the perfect woman.”

  “I notice you left out any sex stuff so I don’t have to beat the crap out of you,” I supplied. “Thanks for that.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You should be.”

  Griffin snorted, causing my agitation to ratchet up a notch. “Please. I was afraid of your father when Aisling and I started dating. I thought there was a chance he might send all four of you after me half-cocked when Aisling and I had that disagreement.”

  “You mean when you had sex with her and then ran off the following morning?”

  Griffin wrinkled his forehead. “I really wish you would stop bringing that up. I didn’t run off. I needed to think.”

  “About abandoning my sister,” I muttered.

  “About whether or not I could deal with the reaper stuff,” he corrected. “I didn’t know it was real, that paranormal beings existed. I thought it was all made-up stuff from books. I needed time to think.”

  “And you took it.”

  “I did. I wasn’t gone long. I knew even then I couldn’t stay away from her. There’s something about her I can’t explain, but she’s magical.”

  “Oh, geez.” I rolled my eyes to the sky. “Why am I not in Vegas enjoying showgirls and beer? Aidan should have to listen to this conversation. He likes girly things.”

  Now it was Griffin’s turn to frown. “You shouldn’t say things like that about him. He’s gay, not a girl.”

  I balked. “I never said he was a girl. I said he liked girly things ... like listening to how magical Aisling is. It’s because he’s her twin, not gay.”

  “Oh.” Griffin had the grace to be abashed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  I held up my hand in capitulation. “It’s okay. It came out wrong. I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “I know. Still, I shouldn’t have said it.”

  “Apology accepted.”

  “Thanks.”

  We collected ourselves during an uncomfortable silence. I was the first to break it.

  “Why hasn’t Aisling come running out to yell at us?” I shifted my eyes back to the rundown street and frowned when a woman across the way met my gaze with a hard glare. “I know she likes messing around as much as the next person, but come on. Even payback isn’t enough fun for her to risk hanging around this neighborhood.”

  “Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing.” Griffin turned grim. “If she makes me look for her, I’m not going to be happy.” He strode to the middle of the street for a better look in both directions and planted his hands on his hips as he called out for my sister. After three instances of yelling her name, the woman across the street finally made her distress known.

  “What are you doing?” she barked at Griffin. “Are you trying out for the lead in a school play?”

  Griffin pinned her with a quelling look. “I’m searching for my girlfriend. She was sitting in the Explorer but decided to take a walk while my friend and I were conducting some business. I don’t suppose you saw which direction she headed?”

  The woman nodded.

  “Could you be so kind as to tell me where she went?” Griffin asked, feigning patience and politeness.

  “Sure.” The woman’s expression was smug. “She went that way.” She pointed east.

  “What’s that way?” I asked, following her finger. “Is there an ice cream shop down there? Or how about a Starbucks? My sister loves those stupid cake pop things they have. You know, it’s a round ball of cake with sprinkles on it ... and it’s on a stick.”

  The expression on the woman’s face told me she didn’t want to talk about cake pops. “I have no idea what she was looking for because she didn’t pick the direction,” she said. “Your sister — and given her hair color and attitude, I’m certain she was your sister — put up a fight, but she didn’t have much of a chance given how angry Greg was.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach as Griffin straightened. I could feel the anger rolling off him.

  “What did you say?” Griffin challenged.

  “She put up a fight,” the woman repeated. “She punched Greg in the face and even kicked him in the knee. She was spitting mad. I think I heard her say she was going to kick his nuts up into his throat ... and she tried. But once she saw the gun she stopped fighting.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. “Are you saying Greg Berlin took my sister? And that he had a gun? I mean ... is my sister in trouble?”

  “I guess it depends on how you define trouble,” she replied. “I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.”

  I risked a glance at Griffin and found fury waiting for me. And fear. It was the fear that shook me most.

  “Son of a ... !”

  GRIFFIN CALLED FOR backup. I fought the idea at first, thinking it was a bad idea to tell the cops anything, but he refused to listen. Every uniform in his department was out looking for Aisling and Greg Berlin.

  We questioned Amy again. She was even more belligerent the second time. She claimed to have no knowledge of her husband’s plans for Aisling, but she was hopeful that he would get shot during a police standoff so she wouldn’t have to worry about eventually divorcing him. Her glee clearly set Griffin’s teeth on edge, but he managed to hold it together.

  After three hours of scouring every corner of the neighborhood, Griffin’s superior sent him home to wait for news — something he fought bitterly — but ultimately he had no choice but to vacate the scene. That’s how we ended up back at Grimlock Manor.

  “I’m sure she’ll turn up,” I offered, the need to comfort Griffin suddenly overwhelming as I kicked off my shoes in the foyer. “Greg Berlin probably had no idea what he was getting himself into when he took her. He’ll release her right away because she’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

  The glare Griffin shot me was chilling. “If she becomes more trouble than she’s worth he could kill her.”

  I didn’t like the suggestion. “He won’t kill her. Why would he? There’s no profit in it for him.”

  “Why did he take her in the first place?” Griffin challenged. “What profit was there in that for him?” He didn’t wait for me to finish, instead holding up a hand to quiet me. “You know what? Don’t talk. I don’t want to hear you talk. I can’t take it right now.”

  He stormed in the direction of my father’s office without a backward glance. I considered letting him stew alone — he hadn’t exactly been a witty conversationalist the past two hours — but I couldn’t bring myself to abandon him. I felt the sadness and fear hiding beneath the rage, and I understood he was terrified.

  “Griffin, we’ll find her,” I promised as I walked into my father’s office, pulling up short when I found Griffin staring at the empty desk chair. The smoking jacket Aisling stole from my father was draped over the back and an open package of Twizzlers sat in the center of the desk.

  “I don’t believe this.” Griffin grabbed the smoking jacket and brought it to his face, his chest heaving as he inhaled. “I can’t believe I lost her.”

  “You haven’t lost her,” I said hurriedly. “She’s just ... on hiatus. Greg Berlin took her. We didn’t see it coming. We need to figure out why he took her so we can get her back.”

  “I’m definitely gettin
g her back.” For a moment Griffin looked like an avenging angel. Then he collected himself and returned the smoking jacket to the chair. “Greg Berlin is a two-bit thief with minor ties to organized crime. He was involved with your bookie, but we have no idea how or why. That means something had to happen when you collected the bookie’s soul.”

  I balked. “You’re blaming this on me?”

  “No, I’m saying that you were at the bookie’s house and Berlin clearly saw you leave,” Griffin replied, matter-of-fact. “He wouldn’t have known to follow you to this house otherwise. He was clearly waiting outside.”

  Huh. That hadn’t even occurred to me. “Nothing happened, though,” I said after a beat. “I talked to him a little a bit. I normally don’t, but he was an interesting old guy. He had a lot of stories about high-stakes gambling and luck. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I mean ... I remember being relieved that he didn’t seem upset about his death, and there was a little bit of talk about how he did bad things but got around it by confessing in church. That’s it.”

  “There must be more than that,” Griffin persisted. “Something else happened besides that.”

  “I ... .” I tapped my chin as I considered the question. “I don’t know what that would be.”

  “Well, figure it out.” Griffin edged around me and headed toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” I called after him.

  “Up to her room.”

  “Why?”

  “I just want to feel closer to her while I think.”

  His response was dumbfounding. “So ... what? Are you going to climb into bed and cuddle one of her stuffed animals from when she was a kid and cry about how much you miss her?”

  The look Griffin shot me was withering. “I’m going to think. You’re missing something. I have to figure out what that something is.”

  “I’m not missing anything.” I chased after him as he continued walking. “I’m telling you right now, nothing happened at Walter’s house. I would remember if something happened.”