Reapers, Inc. - Brigit's Cross (26 page)

“Well, I can see that you’ve found the
Bailey,” John mused. “You may release him now.”

“He’ll run,” Brigit pointed out.

“Will you?” John addressed the frightened
Bailey. As well as he could manage, the Bailey shook his head.
“Release the Bailey, Brigit.”

Slowly, Brigit let go but remained on the
floor in the attempt to catch her breath. It had been more of a
struggle than she had realized. Had she been alive, she thought,
her adrenaline would have hit maximum over drive. Although she
wasn’t alive, Brigit recognized the effects the momentum of the
confrontation had had on her.

“Brigit, did I hurt you?”

Brigit looked up at the woman the Bailey had
come for. Mama Dee looked different, Brigit thought as she lay
there looking up at her old friend; but from upside down and
through dim light, Brigit wasn’t sure what could be different on
this side of living.

“I’m okay, Mama,” Brigit replied, smiling so
that her friend could see that was indeed all right. “Though, I
think you should have been a soccer player, not a social
worker.”

“You,” John pointed a long, thin finger at
the Bailey. The Bailey stiffened under the sight of it. “Sit over
there and do not move. I will address you in a moment.” Obediently,
the pale figure nodded and sat on Mama Dee’s sofa, glancing
nervously over his shoulder as the Grim Reaper turned to face the
two women still congregating in the hall.

“What’s happened, Brigit? How come I can
finally see you?” Mama Dee asked as her fear from the commotion
suddenly disappeared and a new awareness took its place.

“Mama, your time came,” Brigit answered
apologetically.

“You mean… I’m…” Mama Dee made to turn and
run to the kitchen, as if to confirm that she really was dead by
seeing her body; but Brigit caught her friend by the shoulders and
steered her in the opposite direction.

“You are, Mama,” Brigit said quietly. “Trust
me. Here, have a seat,” she suggested.

“I ain’t sitting by
that
,” Mama spat
defiantly as she cast an angry glare at the Bailey. Instead, she
plopped herself on the coffee table and looked from Brigit to John
and back to Brigit.

In the brighter light of the front room,
Brigit could finally determine the differences in Mama Dee. Gone
from her face were the wrinkles of age and the grey hair of so many
years of witnessed sadness.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be the one
to come for me when my time came,” Mama Dee reminded Brigit.

“You’ve had a conversation regarding the
rules with a mortal?” John interrupted.

“And who are you?” Mama Dee demanded of the
man that had the gall to stick his nose into the conversation.

“Mama Dee, this is John Blackwick – my boss,”
Brigit introduced.

“Oh,” Mama Dee gulped with the significance
of the introduction. “Well, let me just say that I’m grateful you
allowed my Brigit to be here. I might have made the sin of kicking
the shit out of your boy over there if she hadn’t been,” Mama Dee
chuckled nervously.

“Instead, you kicked the shit out of me,”
Brigit laughed. “Mama, I was suspended from work. Mr. Blackwick
didn’t know this was going to happen,” she explained.

“Oh, I see,” Mama Dee’s amusement seemed to
dim as she thought about what Brigit had said.

Brigit saw the look pass through her friend’s
dark eyes that told her that she had the thought to inquire
further, and possibly even scold Brigit for getting herself into
trouble. Eventually, Mama Dee thought better of it and simply shook
her head.

“Speaking of such, we need to have a
conversation,” John cut in. Brigit nodded and indicated that they
step out of the room. John followed her across the hall and into
her apartment.
If I’m going to cross
, Brigit thought,
I’m
going to do it in my own home
.

“I’m ready,” Brigit said once John had closed
the door.

“Good, because we have some serious catching
up to do at the office. Seamus has resumed reaping, but the
workload has began to mount again. I’ve decided to keep Miss Yaris
at the office to maintain records. That will free up the Reapers to
continue their assignments. You pick up, you drop off and pick up
some more. In the meantime, should you find any more recruits, I
request that you bring them in for an interview before just simply
taking them on,” John instructed.

Brigit looked at him in surprise. She had
expected a harsh scolding at the least. Instead, she had received
the instructions for a more streamlined operation.

“I think I know of a potential recruit,” she
finally managed to say.

“Your Miss Dee?” John asked. Brigit nodded.
“For what department?”

“Children,” Brigit replied as she remembered
the Bobby Hooper assignment. Though she had had some fun with that
one, she knew children were not her forte. Mama Dee would be
perfect for the position if John gave her the chance.

“Very well,” John said. “I’ll interview her
at the office. In the mean time, Brigit, bear in mind that should
you find yourself in such a predicament again, I’ll have no choice
but to cross you. You are to set an example within the firm, am I
clear?”

“Yes,” Brigit answered.

“I have one more thing,” John said as Brigit
turned to return to Mama Dee’s apartment.

“Yes?”

“There was something in your story the other
day that you decided not to tell me. What was it?”

Brigit stared hard at the floor as she
thought of how to respond. Of course John would have noticed the
pause. She had hoped he would not have asked.

“A threat was leveled against me,” she
finally said. “There will come a day when he’ll try to make good on
it,” she predicted. John suddenly understood that her omission was
deeply personal but he was glad she had told him all the same. Two
sets of eyes were always better than one.

“I see,” the Grim Reaper sighed. “We’ll deal
with it when the time comes,” he promised. Brigit nodded and opened
the door. Together, they crossed the hall again and found Mama Dee
casting the stink eye at the progressively nervous Bailey sitting
across from her.

“Mama,” Brigit interrupted casually, trying
to hide her amusement at the scene they had entered. “Mr. Blackwick
would like to have a conversation with you. I want you to go back
to his office with him and listen carefully,” Brigit
instructed.

“Where are you going to be?” Mama Dee
demanded.

“Maggie will be home soon. She shouldn’t be
alone tonight,” Brigit said quietly. Mama Dee suddenly looked sad.
Tears welled up in her black eyes, yet, they refused to fall. “I’ll
be in as soon as I can.”

“You keep an eye on your girl,” Mama Dee
instructed once again as she stood. “You let her know that I loved
her like a daughter.”

“We both know that, Mama,” Brigit assured her
friend.

Brigit received an agreeable nod from John
before the three of them exited the apartment.

She sighed heavily with the thought of
Maggie’s return. This was going to be too much for Maggie; but
Brigit was determined not to let it be the straw to break the
camel’s back…

The next few days were spent in quiet
observation. Maggie had taken Mama Dee’s passing hard. Brigit had
guessed that she would. It had been a hard year for Maggie. First,
she had lost her lover of ten years minus one day, and then, she
had lost her dearest friend. To top it all off, Maggie was left to
deal with the aftermath of it all seemingly on her own.

The memorial service was held the next
Saturday. The church Maggie had reserved for the occasion was huge,
but she soon found that it had not been big enough. The number of
lives Mama Dee had touched over the years had been unimaginable.
Not only were the current residents of the women’s shelter present,
but past residents were in attendance as well. They all spoke
through tears of gratitude for the various acts of love Mama Dee
had shown them. Beyond that, Mama Dee’s peers and colleagues were
present to pay homage to the small woman for the giant example they
all desperately wanted to follow. Then there was the spectacle of
the gay community to add to it all. The drag queens were present,
decked out in their finest attire to honor the little old black
lady that had treated them as though they were one of her own –
never judging, never harsh. She had loved them all no matter what,
and now, they all mingled together in the biggest show of love for
one small woman.

Brigit had turned to Mama Dee where they
stood at the back of the hall and found the little old woman wiping
her eyes. The tears weren’t really falling, but Brigit knew it
would be some time before Mama Dee no longer felt the same physical
sensations she had felt as a mortal.

“I guess I best get back to work,” Mama Dee
sniffed when then pastor of the church had finally ended the last
prayer and thanked everyone for coming.

“How’s that going for you?” Brigit asked
quietly. Mama Dee had jumped at John’s proposal once she heard
there were children involved. Even in death, Mama had been quick to
recognize that her love for them could still be shared.

“I’m getting there,” Mama assured her. “I met
Mary yesterday. She’s a wonderful one. I really enjoyed talking
with her.”

Brigit nodded and smiled. Had Mama Dee told
her of the meeting when Brigit had first started, she would have
been shocked that a conversation could have taken place between the
two women given Mary’s use of an ancient language. Now, however,
Brigit found herself accepting the statement without further
thought. Mama Dee had always had an open mind. She would be able to
grasp the spirit world’s nuances a lot quicker than Brigit had.

“How’s our girl getting on?” Mama Dee asked
as they turned and followed the crowd from the church.

“Her sadness is overwhelming right now. She
hasn’t been sleeping well, either,” Brigit related. Mama Dee shook
her head and sighed heavily.

“The poor baby probably thinks she’s all
alone in this world now,” she said. “You go on home and take care
of her. I’ll let John know it’ll be a couple more days.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Brigit said before
watching her friend turn and walk away from the church. Brigit
continued to watch until she felt Maggie behind her.

Slowly, Brigit turned and found Maggie arm
and arm with Tom Bennett. Brigit felt herself begin to smile at the
sight of their long time friend at Maggie’s side. Tom had always
been a good friend, sharing in the many good and happy times the
two women had. She was glad to see him present today, just as he
had been present at her own funeral. His usually happy demeanor was
somber at the moment, but his presence was providing a slight
measure of comfort to Maggie as far as Brigit could tell.

“I’ll walk you home. The book store can stay
closed for a few more hours for all I care,” Tom said as Brigit
fell in beside them. She noted that Maggie made no protest as they
began to walk back to their apartment. Usually, Maggie would have
insisted that Tom not delay in maintaining the everyday business of
the small book store he owned downtown.

“I just can’t believe it all,” Maggie sighed.
“First, Brigit – now Mama Dee. Who’s next?”

“You shouldn’t think like that, Maggie,” Tom
chided his companion as they strolled along.

“He’s right,” Brigit agreed out loud.

“Everything happens for a reason, darling.
You know that,” Tom continued. “Who are we to question the
universe?”

“You’ve been hanging out with Sola DuLach
again, haven’t you?” Maggie laughingly accused. Brigit felt herself
smile at the jab and the fact that Maggie was laughing – if only
half-heartedly. Sola DuLach was Tom’s best friend, a strange woman
in her and Maggie’s opinions. Tom often rose to the defense of
Sola’s oddity, but now, he only shrugged.

“Sometimes, Sola can make sense,” he offered.
“She sends her condolences, by the way.”

“I appreciate them,” Maggie replied
softly.

“Would you like me to bring Shazam! over? He
would be wonderful company, you know. He absolutely adores you and
would certainly keep you distracted,” Tom offered. Maggie only
shook her head in decline. Shazam! was Tom’s five year old Welsh
Corgi, a small dog with big ears and an even bigger penchant for
cheese and crackers – Brigit’s favorite snack.

“I don’t think Shazam! liked me as much as he
liked Brigit. She fed him cheese and crackers every day during that
week he stayed with us while you were in Paris,” Maggie reflected,
allowing a bittersweet smile to alight on her face. “That made them
permanent friends.”

“It made him poop orange for a week is what
it did,” Tom argued with a laugh. “She could have given him
anything besides cheddar! Poor thing,” he continued laughing as he
shook his head.

It was then that Brigit noticed that Tom’s
crew cut was fresh. The white line across the nape of his neck
peeked up from under his collar like a flash of white light on a
darkened day. Upon closer inspection, she noted that his cheeks
were overly smooth and his moustache was neatly trimmed. Tom
Bennett knew all too well the distaste Mama Dee had possessed over
a handsome man failing to maintain his appearance. As a final
respect to be paid, Tom Bennett had taken his time in looking
respectable today. Brigit wondered briefly if Mama Dee had seen
this and appreciated it.

“Well, here you are,” Tom announced as they
stopped in front of the building where Maggie now resided alone.
“If you change your mind about Shazam!, just give me a call. Most
likely he’ll be with me at the book store,” Tom said as he wrapped
his arms around Maggie and gave her a strong hug. Maggie only
nodded against his broad chest.

“Thank you, Tom,” she managed to gasp.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised as he
finally released her and stood back. Maggie only nodded again.
Brigit silently watched on. She was grateful for Tom – no matter
how odd his friends were.