PENITENCE: An Andi Comstock Supernatural Mystery, Book 2 (95,893 words) (15 page)

Andi grinned. “You’re both fast, I’ll give you that.”

“I’d like you to be my maid of honor. Vaughn’s already said he’ll be the best man.”

Thinking Gerd was joking, Andi said, “When’s the wedding?”

“Sunday. Just a small affair. You and Jack, Vaughn, Stacy, Brent and his wife.”

Andi almost choked on her latté. “You’re serious!”

“Of course.”

“Sunday? Next Sunday? What about your family?”

Gerd shook her head in a way that Andi interpreted as meaning,
You’re dense
. “We Swedes are not sentimental people, Andi. My family doesn’t care about coming to my wedding.” She leaned forward, her tone almost conspiratorial. “I can guarantee you, though, when our first child comes, they’re going to change their tune.”

“I take it your siblings aren’t married and have no children.”

“You take it correctly.” She leaned back in her chair with a cat-that-ate-the-canary expression on her stunning face. “I’m looking forward to rocking everyone’s boat.”

“I just bet you are,” Andi said, amused. She raised her paper cup. “Let me be the first to congratulate you. I’d love to be your maid of honor and I can hardly wait to cuddle your first born.”

“It may be sooner than you think,” Gerd said, blushing. “Orion is….”

Andi put up her hand. “No need to fill me in on the intimate details. I get your drift.”

Gerd giggled and blushed again, like some pre-teen girl experiencing her first boy-crush.

Andi experienced a little niggle of envy and wondered what a child borne of her and Jack’s love would look like. A little girl with black hair and blue, blue eyes? A little boy with brown hair and green eyes?

Before she had a chance to ruminate further, the heavy sent of smoke surrounded her.

Oh, great. Clem sure knew how to pick his moments.

His opening salvo was standard, but the next words into her head blew her away.

I did something bad, Andi, and I don’t know how to fix it. I think I have a lead on Dex Moran.

Andi excused herself and headed to the restroom, hoping Gerd wouldn’t find her abrupt run to the ladies’ room odd.

“Talk fast, Clem. I can’t tell my friend about you and she might come looking for me.”

Dex Moran is an alias.

“We already figured that out. He has no criminal history and no other footprint that we can find. We’re not giving up, though.”

All I can say is, don’t hold your breath. This guy is more slippery than an eel, smarter than a wise old owl, faster than a locomotive.

Andi glowered at the air around her. “Can you ever just be serious? What’s his
real
name?”

Hunh. I guess I quit brainstorming with my dead peeps too soon.
Even though he was dearly departed and invisible, his retort reeked of sarcasm.

“You’re starting to annoy me, Clem.”

I’m already annoyed with myself, so you might as well join the party. Look at the trouble I’ve caused, and now Denise is the target of not only a hitman, but my two asshole partners.

Andi couldn’t argue with that, but even if she’d wanted to, it didn’t matter. The smoke and Clem were gone, which made her wonder what the hell was going on. He’d shown up as if he had some earth-shaking to communicate, but he’d vanished without giving her a solitary thing.

Despite Andi’s bes
t
intentions, she did not contact an attorney first thing. Clem, Bunnicula, and Gerd had effectively pushed the thought to the bottom of her mental to-do list.

Orion informed her the next day that they’d meet at the attorney’s office to sign the partnership agreement the following Monday. Vaughn would also be there.

Later, when she spoke with Denise, she learned the contracts attorney was the same one Vaughn had recommended to her.

Andi didn’t see anything unusual in the plan, but when she shared it with Jack later that evening, he found it debatable that a single independent contracts lawyer could represent the three parties fairly and equitably.

“It makes perfect sense to me,” Andi said. “We’re equal partners with different functions. All the terms should be the same for each of us.”

“When you put it that way, I guess it does make sense,” he said, though he was still frowning. “The thing is, shit does happen. Clem Naylor, case in point.”

She grinned at him. “I had no idea that you’re such a worry wart.”

“I’m not usually. I just don’t want to see you get screwed.”

She batted her eyelashes at him. “I wouldn’t
mind
getting screwed, if the right person was doing it.”

He stared at her in shocked silence for a moment, then laughed. “If that’s an invitation, I accept.”

“I thought you were hungry,” she said.

“I was, for food. Now I’m hungry for something else.” He stood and held out his hand to her, tugging her up off the sofa. “Sex first, then dinner.”

Andi willingly complied. Two hours later, they feasted on scrambled eggs and toast in front of the gas-log fireplace.

“Hey, I forgot to tell you some big news.”

“Oh, yeah? What?”

“Gerd didn’t go back to Iowa.”

“She didn’t?”

“Nope.”

“She’s taking a vacation, here?”

“Of sorts.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. She told me she was bucking for LT, and after that, captain. Last week, she told me it was essential that she get back to Dubuque right away to finish up her application.”

“Last week, she hadn’t met Orion.”

Jack gaped at her. “You’re kidding? They’ve only known each other for two days.”

“Three now, but who’s counting.”

“She’s putting her career advancement in jeopardy over a guy she just met? Man, that’s fast. Or suicidal.”

“You don’t know the half of it. She moved in with him on Monday and they’re getting married on Sunday. I’m the maid of honor and Vaughn’s the best man.”

Jack choked on the swallow he’d taken from his beer bottle.

Andi pounded him on the back.

“How do two people who’ve only known each other a couple of days decide to get married? That’s just plain nuts.”

Andi shrugged. “To hear Gerd explain it, it’s completely logical and the right decision.”

“Unbelievable. She’s giving up her job altogether?”

“Yep. She gave her notice and she’s looking for something in law enforcement here.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

“They’re both certain, and honestly, when you see them together, you just know it’s right.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Don’t plan anything for Sunday. They’ve asked Father Riley to perform the nuptials in the chapel. He agreed.”

“How do they even know him?”

“Orion’s met Riley when he’s come over to the Belt and he and Gerd are both Catholic.”

Jack grunted. “Will her family have time to get here?”

She explained the Eriksson family logistics and lack of sentimentality. “Even though they won’t be coming for the wedding, she expects them to show up en masse when the first child is born.”

Jack did a double-take. “She’s pregnant already?”

Andi gave him a look. “Really, Jack, I didn’t ask, but I gather the intimacy part of their relationship took off with an equal bang.”

He lifted an eyebrow at her unintentional pun. “God, kids. After only three days.”

“Don’t you like kids?”

“Sure I do, but I wouldn’t want to start making one after only knowing a woman for three days.”

“Hunh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. How long
would
you like to know a woman before you made a baby with her?”

Jack looked at her askance. “I feel like this is one of those how-long-have-you-been-beating-your-wife questions.”

She shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all.”

“FYI, curiosity killed the cat.”

“Yes, but the cat had nine lives.”

“You have a quick comeback for everything, don’t you?”

She shot him a cheeky grin. “If I’m lucky.”

He took her plate and stacked it with his on the hearth. “I’ll show you lucky.”

. . .

Wednesday was about a thousand hours long. Andi did her best to focus on Bunnicula, but her recalcitrant thoughts kept skipping to Denise. It was so unlike her brain’s usual MO that she didn’t quite to know what to make of it.

Nothing changed by the time she got home. Denise was still there, foremost in her mind.

Stacy had assigned extra patrols on Denise’s block, making the poor woman a prisoner in her own home. Not even Jack the Ripper could get to her, but Andi was quite certain, if this was the night The Liquidator planned to kill her, somehow he’d manage it.

Andi turned in an hour later than usual, but sleep eluded her. Midnight arrived and there she was, staring at the red LED numbers on her clock radio. 11:59 changed over to 12:00, then 12:01. She kept her eyes glued to the clock until the numbers changed to 12:15. If something had happened, she would’ve heard by now.

She breathed a sigh of relief and snugged in under the covers, willing the Sandman to pay her a visit.

Every day after that seemed like Groundhog Day. Bunnicula reared his fanged head and wouldn’t cooperate game-wise, but Denise was still alive. Andi was willing to forego success on the game-writing in exchange for Denise living through another twenty-four hours.

On Saturday, with the pressure of finessing Bunnicula eased for the weekend, she headed out in search of a dress for the wedding. Gerd had asked her to try and find something in the purple family, so it would coordinate with the bouquets. Her own dress, she said, would be a traditional floor length white gown, but encouraged Andi to choose whatever length she felt comfortable with.

Finally, at the last place Andi shopped, the perfect dress in a delicious lavender practically jumped off the rack at her. She’d never been in a wedding party before, or even owned a dress quite like this one and she fell in love with it instantly. The bonus would be that she could wear it later, for other special occasions. When she tried it on, she stared at her reflection in shock. The ruched bodice and cap sleeves, the fitted waist, the tulip skirt—it all came together and made her look like…someone she’d never seen before.

“You’re a knockout,” the saleswoman said, circling her, inspecting the fit with a trained eye. “The style, the color. That dress was made for you, sweetie. Let’s see what we can find for the right shoe to complement your dress
and
those gorgeous legs of yours.”

Gorgeous legs? Andi couldn’t help a brief glance down at her mirrored self to check out said appendages. She followed the woman obediently into the adjoining shoe department. Half an hour later, she carried her hangered dress, new lingerie, and a shoe box to her car. The clerk’s advice rang in her ears.
Practice walking in these heels, since you’re not used to wearing them, and when you get outside, scuff the soles so you don’t slip later on any carpet you may walk on.

The warning almost made Andi wish her beautiful charmeuse satin dress could be worn with flats. She wasn’t exactly the most graceful female on the planet.

Checking traffic, she pulled out onto the roadway and headed for her sister Natalie’s place. She’d left the dress shop with a beautiful beaded hair clip, too, and Nat could help her figure out how to style her hair with it.

Not long after she arrived, Nat’s doorbell sounded. “It’s Mom,” she told Andi. “I texted her that you were on your way.”

“Gee, thanks,” Andi said, girding herself for an inquisition, if not a lecture, on keeping in touch.

“Andi, I’d almost forgotten what you look like,” her mother said with exaggerated drama.

“It’s only been a couple of weeks since New Year’s, Mom,” Andi reminded her.

Her mother sniffed, even though she did give Andi a hug. “I suppose you forgot to pay your phone bill, since you never call.”

“I’ve been really busy. Honest.”

Cate Comstock narrowed her eyes on her youngest child. “Busy, as in writing game apps, or busy, as in talking to the dead?” Her voice lowered on that last, intensifying her dramatic delivery of the question.

Andi decided to be honest. “Both, plus I was asked to be in a wedding tomorrow and I had to find myself a dress and Nat’s helping me figure out a hairstyle to do with this clip.”

Her mother’s jaw actually dropped in surprise. “You’re in a wedding and you didn’t tell me about it?”

“It just came up a couple of days ago, Mom. I haven’t really had time to even think about it until today. Besides, now you know.”

“Is your dress in the car?” Nat asked. “I want to see it.”

“Me, too,” Cate said. She sighed, again revealing her dramatic side. “I suppose being in a wedding party is the closest any of my children are ever going to get to marriage.”

Andi and Natalie looked at each other and rolled their eyes before they burst into laughter.

Their mother responded by crossing her arms and trying unsuccessfully to conjure a hurt expression, which made them laugh all the harder.

After the impromptu fashion show and hairstyling event, Andi went home with a headache. She took two ibuprofen and laid down, awakened three hours later by the pounding on her door.

“I thought you were going to call me when you finished shopping,” Jack said, staring down at her when she opened the door.

“I was going to, but I had a headache when I got home. I stopped by my sister’s to have her help me figure out my hair for tomorrow and she texted Mom that I was there and then Mom spent an hour suggesting why I should get a new job so I don’t hear dead people anymore.” Andi put a hand to her temple, willing the remnants of the headache away. “I took something for my head and laid down for a minute when I got home and the next thing I knew, you were at the door.” She stepped back so he could come inside.

“You must have been sleeping the sleep of the dead.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he’d said and grinned. “Sorry for the inadvertent reference to your Smokies, but I’ve been calling you every thirty minutes all afternoon.”

“I guess I was extra tired because I haven’t been sleeping well,” she admitted, “and my phone is in my purse, which is on the kitchen counter. I didn’t hear it ring.”

“You’re worrying about Denise.”

She lifted a shoulder. “I can’t help it.”

“You can’t take the full load of it on yourself, babe.”

Andi didn’t see it that way. Clem had spoken to
her
. Who else could be tasked with worrying, besides Denise herself? “It looks like Monday’s going to be the day.”

“It may very well be, but he’ll never get at her, trust me on that.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“I’ve never known you to be so gloom-and-doomy.”

“I’ve never had to stop a murder before and been unsuccessful at it.”

He laid his hand against her cheek. “Jesus, Andi, you’re ice cold.” He led her over to a chair at the dining table. “Sit. I’ll fix you a cup of something hot. What do you want? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?”

“I’ll take a hot toddy. You know how to make one of those?”

“No, but evidently you do. Tell me how and I’ll fix you right up.”

Andi gave him instructions. He doubled the recipe and in a few minutes, set two steaming mugs down on the table. She wrapped her hands around hers for warmth. “I’m so scared, Jack. I’ve wracked my brain over the last ten months trying to figure out
why me
. All I can think is that God’s fine hand is at work here, otherwise the dead who’ve been cremated would be talking to everyone. But that still doesn’t answer the question,
why me
? It has
to be because I’m supposed to help those who are troubled in some way that keeps them from crossing over. This is the second time it’s happened. I can count Sherry as success story, but Clem seems doomed to be headed for failure, which means I am, too.”

“Sherry’s case wasn’t without risk, and ultimately, it presented life-threatening peril for both you and me,” he reminded her.