1 Grim Tidings (15 page)

“I can’t believe they’re making you go back to work so soon. You almost died.”

Jerry and I were eating muffins at the kitchen table – Jerry is in the middle of a new recipe-tasting extravaganza – and my work plans for the day were sending him into a tizzy.

“I didn’t almost die,” I corrected him. “I hurt my back.”

“And your back is fine now? Because you still seem to be favoring your right side and you’re hiding under some big shirts.”

“My back is a little colorful,” I admitted. “It’s getting better, though.”

“So, your dad decided to reward you by sending you out into another dangerous situation?” Jerry’s face was filled with unspoken vitriol. “He makes me mad – and sad. I’m smad.”

“I only have one assignment,” I replied, ignoring Jerry’s attempt at coining a new word. “It’s at an old
folks home in St. Clair Shores. They don’t get much safer. Unless one of them attacks me with knitting needles, I think I’ll be fine.”

“Still.”
Jerry huffed. “I think you need another week off. And, for the record, knitting is a viable hobby.”

Jerry was taking a knitting class. Of course he would say that. “You were the one
who said I had to find a job and thought working for my family was a good idea,” I reminded.

“That’s before I knew there were soul-sucking wraiths and eternal evil witches running around trying to kill you,” Jerry said.

“To be fair, I don’t think it was trying to kill me,” I said. “In fact, the wraith barely seemed to register I was in the same room with it. And we don’t know what happened to Genevieve Torth. Odds are, she’s dead.”

Jerry rolled his eyes and dropped his mouth open in mock horror. “And how is that different?”

I blew out a sigh. “Can we argue about this later? I’m going to be late.” I got up from the table and leaned over to drop a quick kiss on Jerry’s forehead. “You’re a good friend. It’s going to be fine.”

“It doesn’t feel that way,” Jerry grumbled.

“I like the blueberry, if that helps,” I offered.

“Does that mean you didn’t like the lemon ones?”

“I don’t like lemon.”

“You like it fine when vodka is mixed with it,” Jerry pointed out.

“That’s different.”

“Fine, whatever,” Jerry waved me off. “I can’t focus on food when you’re about to walk in to imminent peril and probably die.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Imminent peril?”

“What? I know things.”

“Was there another
Law & Order
marathon on last night?”

“That’s a great show,” Jerry protested.

It’s no wonder he’s so dramatic. He lives his life according to television.

An hour later, I was standing outside of
Summer’s Dream Ultimate Living Center. It didn’t look like a bad place – it even had a view of the lake – but, in general, these places always leave me depressed.

I walked through the front door – an excuse to explain my visit on my lips – but the secretary merely waved at me and continued to chatter on her cell phone. I
moved through the double doors that separated the lobby from the rest of the center.

My list told me that Evelyn Pratt was in
Room 116, so I followed the plaques on the wall until I found her room and poked my head around the corner. I believed what I told Jerry – that the wraith wouldn’t come here – but I had no problem being overly cautious.

“Frank?”

The ravaged voice took me by surprise. I moved the entire way around the corner and found Evelyn resting in her bed. I had brought the ring – in case I needed to cloak myself – but I was playing it by ear right now.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Frank, is that you?”

Maybe Jerry was right and I did need to start branching out with my shoe choices. “No, ma’am, my name is
Aisling.”

“I’m ready to go, Frank. I’m ready to come home.”

She must be delirious. “Ma’am, I’m not Frank.”

“I’m ready, Lord.”

Great. If she was talking, that must mean she wasn’t close to shuffling off her mortal coil. I moved inside the room and sat down in the chair opposite Evelyn’s bed. Once I saw her up close, I realized my knee-jerk reaction might be a little off. If her shriveled body and sallow skin were any indication, she’d really died yesterday and no one had noticed. Seriously. I don’t want to get old. It freaks me out.

“Frank, I want you to know that I forgive you.”

I decided to let Evelyn babble. If anyone questioned my reason for being in the room I would tell them that I was worried about leaving her alone and then slip out when no one was looking. I could come back later with the ring – if it became necessary.

“I know you were running around with Aida,” Evelyn continued. “You didn’t know I knew, but I knew.”

I felt sort of bad for Evelyn. Here she was, missing her husband, and the bastard had cheated on her – and with someone she obviously knew. Men are scum.

“That’s why I cut her brake lines,” Evelyn admitted.

I frowned. Evelyn’s file said she was going to Heaven. Maybe no one was hurt and she told someone before anything bad happened.

“When she died, I saw how crushed you were,” Evelyn prattled on. “It made me happy.”

Wait, she killed someone and she’s going to Heaven? And she was happy about it? That can’t be right.

“God forgives me, though,” Evelyn said. “Father Henry told me so. I told him what I did and he gave me my penance – and he agrees that she was fat so he has no idea why you cheated on me with her. He gave me a pretty stiff penance, though. I did it all, too.
Two hundred rosaries and five hundred Hail Marys. I did every single one.”

That didn’t sound like much of a penance for murder
, but that Catholic confession thing has always been an interesting loophole.

“I thought it was a bit much, but I did it,” Evelyn said. “Now, I’m ready to come home. So, come get me.”

She seriously didn’t sound as though she’s dying within the next few minutes. Maybe I should try to find a vending machine? Twizzlers sound good. I got to my feet and started to move out of the room, but something about Evelyn’s body stilled me.

Evelyn let loose with one long, rattling breath and then her chest stopped moving up or down.

“Oh, seriously?” I grumbled. “I had my heart set on Twizzlers.”

I sighed and took a step toward the bed. None of the machine
alarms had sounded yet, so I was hopeful I could collect my soul and go. That would be a nice change of pace. Evelyn’s soul started to rise from her body and I made a decision. I whipped the scepter out and absorbed it before it even had a chance to achieve ethereal form. What? She cut a woman’s brake lines and still gets to go to Heaven. She’s had enough breaks.

I let myself out of Evelyn’s room, releasing a relieved breath when I saw a nurse was wandering up and down the hallway and would find herself at Evelyn’s
bedside in a few minutes. I plastered a smile on my face as I passed her, but she didn’t even bother to look up.

I started moving back through the home but stopped when I heard a familiar sound. I made a quick decision and headed in the direction where the noise originated from and pulled up short when I caught sight of Aidan sitting with three women around a small table on the patio.

Aidan looked up when he caught sight of me. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“Are you eating?”

“Yeah, they have really good pie here,” Aidan said, sending me a saucy wink.

“Is this your girlfriend?” One of the elderly ladies sitting at the table with Aidan patted his arm to draw his attention. He clearly was a hit with the
Geritol set.

“That’s my sister,” Aidan corrected.

“And you still don’t have a girlfriend?” The woman asked again. “I have a granddaughter. She’s not very pretty, but she has a lovely personality. You might like her.”

“Dorothy, you know you’re my only girlfriend,” Aidan flirted shamelessly.

“And he likes boys,” I added.

Dorothy’s eyes widened as she glanced between Aidan and me. “He’s a poof?”

Aidan frowned. “That’s not a nice thing to say, Dorothy.”

I sent Aidan a rueful frown and shrug. How was I supposed to know he was in the closet here?

Dorothy patted the open seat to her left. “Sit here, dear. Tell us all about your brother.”

Not seeing the harm, I did as I was told. I smiled at the other two women at the table, but neither looked happy with my interruption.

“This is Edna and Dolores,” Aidan introduced them. “And you’ve already met Dorothy.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

“She looks like a tramp,” Edna whispered to Dolores. Since she had a hearing aid in her ear, I had a feeling that her idea of a whisper and my idea of a whisper were vastly different.

“That’s just how the young girls dress now,” Dorothy chided Edna. “Don’t be rude.”

“She looks like a skunk,” Dolores said. “What’s with her hair?”

I reached up and patted my head subconsciously. “They’re highlights.” I have no idea why I was suddenly defensive
, especially at a table where muumuus were the obvious trend.

Aidan smirked. “I like her hair,” he said. “The streaks give her some street cred.”

“You are a poof,” Dolores said after a beat. “I don’t see how we never noticed before.”

I met Aidan’s churlish smile with one of my own. “You spend a lot of time here?”

“Aidan visits us every month,” Edna said. “He always has the most fascinating stories.”

“For a poof,”
Dolores interjected.

“He can’t help it,” Dorothy said, her eyes flashing. “The television says they’re born that way.”

“The television also says you can find love in two weeks in a roomful of strangers,” Dolores countered. “I prefer it the old way, where poofs pretended they weren’t and women didn’t wear jeans so tight their business was on display for everyone to see.”

I risked a glance down to see what jeans I was wearing today and then bit my lower-lip. Hey, I don’t like super-low-
waisted jeans either. You try finding something else in stores these days. Plus, they make my butt look great.

“You’re a real peach,” I muttered.

Dolores sneered. “I’m not the one who’s hard of hearing,” she said.

I rolled my eyes and fixed my attention on Aidan. “So, what are you doing here? Besides eating pie and picking up women, I mean.”

Aidan stuck out his tongue. “I had an assignment in the area and I thought I would stop in and see my girls.”

“In this area?
In this immediate area? Why would Dad send me then?”

Aidan suddenly seemed interested in the p
ainting on the wall behind me. Since it was a kitten in a toilet, I figured something else was up besides art appreciation.

“He didn’t think I could handle it, did he?” It shouldn’t surprise me
, but the realization still hurt.

Aidan shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him that.”

“I am so pissed.”

“Watch your language,”
Dolores ordered. “You already dress like trash, you shouldn’t talk like it, too.”

“How has someone not stabbed you in your sleep yet?” My patience was short today and
Dolores was on my last nerve.

Dolores
raised her eyebrows – which were drawn on – and puckered her lips. “I could say the same thing about you.”

I ignored her retort. “I want to know why Dad sent you here.”

Aidan’s head lolled to the side. “You know why.”

“Well, I’m already done, so this was completely unnecessary.”

“You’re done with what?” Dorothy asked.

“Yeah,
Aisling, what are you done with?” Aidan’s question was a challenge. He was clearly trying to remind me that we were supposed to remain under the radar.

“I just can’t believe this,” I muttered. “It’s because I’m a girl. He’s never trusted me because I’m a girl. This is total crap.”

Dolores snorted. “Welcome to the real world, dear,” she said. “Men are assholes and, even if you are a tramp, you never have any real control.”

Despite myself, I was starting to come around to
Dolores’ way of thinking. “I’m on Dolores’ side,” I announced.

Aidan looked surprised. “She called you a tramp.”

“Maybe she’s right,” I growled, standing up to make my dramatic exit, holding on to the lip of my pants to make sure they didn’t dip too low when I did. “She’s right about these pants, too. They’re indecent. No one should wear them. They’re dangerous. I could flash someone at any time. And, just for the record, he’s a total poof.”

With those words, I left Aidan -- his mouth agape and his eyes wide with frustration -- and flounced out of the patio area. This was certainly not the end of this argument and, just as soon as I peeled these pants off and s
et them on fire, I was going to start complaining. Loudly.