Soul Mate (The Mating Series)

by S. Swan

  “I get up at five-thirty every morning. I went for a jog, and then decided to get some groceries,” Cho said. “Jimmy didn’t have any food.” He would notice the lack of food.

  I grabbed a muffin and some juice. I took a seat at Jimmy’s little café table. I had my back to the sliding door. It opened to the balcony. Cho had the door open and the breeze chilled my back. The October air smelled crisp. Autumn was my favorite season. I wished I could spend it carefree.

  Cho lit a cigarette and propped himself in the door frame. “Did Jimmy sleep well?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He seems off,” Cho said, blowing smoke outside.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Last night he acted like nothing’s happened.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “He just wanted to forget about it for a while.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m afraid, he’s holding it all in,” he said. “He was a mess in Chicago, and now he seems fine. I don’t buy it.”

  “Jimmy’s not fine, but I think he’s managing.”

  “Do you realize all that’s happened to him?”

  “He went to jail for two days.”

  “There’s a lot more than just two days of jail going on with him, and now this...” Cho threw the morning paper on the table. The headline read: Indy Businessman Charge with Murders; Out on Bail. I went on to read a very damning article about Jimmy. The reporter called Jimmy a serial killer. It also talked about Kim Investments being a front for psychic readings. The reporter hinted at having his confidential client list and the “important” people on Jimmy’s list. I gasped. The reporter named no sources, but it appeared obvious that the story leaked from the police department. The story had too many details about the investigation.

  “This is bad.” I said, absently.

  “It’s very bad.”

  “What’s bad?” Jimmy asked. He stood in front of me. I hadn’t noticed him enter. His hair hung loose and wet. He wore a pair of tight faded jeans and nothing else. Jimmy stood with his belly at my eye level. Distracted by his appearance, I couldn’t imagine what the gorgeous man saw in me. “What’s bad?” Jimmy asked again.

  I looked at Cho. “You might as well show him,” he said. He lit a new cigarette off another he just finished. He smoked them almost to the filter. Jimmy isn’t the only one keeping in the stress.

  “What are you to talking about?” Jimmy asked. He stuffed a muffin in his mouth. I handed Jimmy the paper. He looked at it. Reading, he swallowed hard. Cho and I waited for him to finish the article. Jimmy glanced up from the paper, rage in his eyes. Jimmy’s expression went hard, and then softened. “It’s all bullshit.” He slammed the paper in the trash, and continued to eat. “I’m canceling my subscription.” The doorbell rang. Jimmy disappeared to finish dressing. Cho let the people in.

  I remained in the kitchen watching while the technician set up some kind of black device on the kitchen counter. The technician was an older heavy set man with grey hair. He wore a black uniform and a ball cap.

  “How does this work?” I asked.

  “An electronic sensor is locked to the offender’s ankle. The electronic sensor sends a signal to the GPS base.” He said and held up the black box. “This is the GPS Base.” He held up what looked like a dog collar with a little black box attached. “This is the electronic sensor.”

  “I see.”

  “If the sensor goes out of the range I program, it will notify the police of the violation.”

  “What is the range?” I asked.

  “I’ve set it to a 100 foot radius,” the technician said. “It should cover the entire living space and allow the offender to get his mail.”

  “He can’t leave this floor?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Not ever?”

  “The security company can program the base from a remote location. The offender will be able to go out, if his home detention officer approves it first.” He pointed to several lights on the box. “This light will be green while he’s in range. If he goes out, a red light will appear and alarm will sound. This light will flash yellow if the system is on standby for the offender to leave the range. If he’s been approved to leave make sure he doesn’t leave until you see the light flashing.”

  “This sounds like a lot to remember.”

  “Mr. Kim will have a list of instructions and numbers.”

  “Good.”

  “Most people get it down in a few days,” he said.

  I followed the technician into the living room. Jimmy and Cho listened to the home detention officer’s instruction. The woman, who Cho introduced as Trisha Pennington, looked more like a lingerie model than a home detention officer. She was blond, doe eyed, and busty. Both men listened a little too intently. Cho openly ogled the woman’s body. Jimmy made furtive glances at her chest. I dropped on the couch miffed.

  “Okay, Jimmy, do you have a preference of which ankle?” She asked.

  “I don’t care.” Jimmy put his left foot on the coffee table. “I guess the left.”

  Trisha bent down and adjusted the ankle monitor. “Does that feel comfortable?” Her fingers lingered on Jimmy’s ankle a little too long. I took a deep breath and folded my arms.

  Jimmy rotated his foot a few times. “I guess.”

  “Everything’s set,” Trisha said. “If you have any questions, call me.”

  Jimmy clasped her hand and flashed a dazzling smile. “Thank you, Ms. Pennington.”

  She gave a flirty smile. “You can call me Trisha.” My imaginary claws extended. The woman was essentially Jimmy’s parole officer. For all she knew, Jimmy was the serial killer depicted in the paper. Yet she batted her eyes and flitted around him like a humming bird. Jimmy played his role too. He put on his best puppy face. Trisha became putty in his hand. I glared at them both.

  Cho wrote a check and hand it to the technician. He shook Trisha’s hand, holding her hand in both of his. He flashed a sexy dimpled smile. He rarely smiled, but he beamed at Trisha. She batted her eyelashes and gave Cho a big Bambi eyed look. Have these men lost their minds? Trisha Pennington was on their side, the side of the law enforcers who pinned a crime on Jimmy instead of getting off their doughnut eating asses to find the real killer. She wasn’t a hot blond at a bar. She wasn’t a friend. She would put Jimmy’s ass away in a hot minute if he screwed up. Was I the only one who understood it?

  “What the hell was that?” I asked, after the monitoring team left.

  “What?” Jimmy asked.

  “Call me Trisha.” I mimicked

  “Are you jealous?”

  “No, but she practically threw herself at you.”

  Jimmy laughed. “No she didn’t.”

  “You and Cho both put on the sweet act.”

  “What’s going on?” Cho asked.

  “Cassie is jealous,” Jimmy answered.

  “No, I’m not,” I said. “You two were laying it on kind of thick, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, we were,” Cho said, curtly. “It’s called catching flies with honey.”

  I gave the men a questioning look. “You admit you were flirting with her?”

  “I was being charming,” Jimmy said. He curled up, put his head on my shoulder, and batted those long dark lashes. “Do you think I’m charming?”

  “I think you need to be serious,” I said, pushing at him.

  “Cassie, we’re being serious,” Cho said. “This is a serious situation. We need as many people on our side as possible. If it takes kissing a little ass then that’s what we have to do.” Cho rolled his eyes at me. “Your shitty little attitude could provoke Trisha, is that what you want?” Cho shot an angry glare at me. Great, I’m on Cho’s bad side again. Cho never beamed at me. It angered me.

  “No.” I shrunk. I felt like a child scolded by an adult.

  “The last thing I need is for my detention officer to dislike me,” Jimmy said. “You’re the only girl for
me. I promised.” He kissed my nose.

  I scowled at him. He pushed me down on the couch and really kissed me. “Do you believe me?” he asked. I didn’t answer. He started tickling me.

  I snickered. “Stop!”

  “Not until you say you believe me.” He kneaded my sides which made me laugh uncontrollably.

  “Okay…Okay, I believe you,” I said, gasping for air. “You’re going to make me pee.”

  “Stop!” Cho said, still angry at me. “That’s my side of the couch.”

  Jimmy stopped and I sat up trying to catch my breath. “Why did you give them a check?” I asked.

  “We have to pay a monthly fee for the monitoring service,” Cho answered. “It’s part of the agreement.”

  “You have to pay to be on house arrest?” I questioned. “Man, the guys in prison have it made.”

  “Three hots and a cot,” Jimmy said. “It’s worth the three hundred a month to be out of that box with bars.”

  “It’s worth being here with you,” I said.

  “Let’s hope this predicament doesn’t last very long.” Cho paced. He had more to say, but didn’t.

  Cho tapped a cigarette on his hand. Jimmy absently scratched at the ankle monitor. I watched them. The three of us remained in a pregnant silence. We avoided the ball of tension in the room. Finally, I broke the silence. “Are we ever going to discuss this?” I asked.

  “Discuss what?” Jimmy asked.

  “That…” I pointed to the ankle that he scratched raw. “And what we’re going to do.”

  “Jay Huber will meet with us tomorrow to discuss our options,” Cho said, blowing smoke. When did he light another cigarette?

  “Not just our options,” I said. “What about Jimmy?”

  “What about me?” Jimmy asked, still digging at his ankle.

  “The fact that you act like this is an ordinary day. It’s like you don’t have a care in the world. You’re being called a serial killer in the paper. They’ve ousted you as a psychic and say you’re a fraud. The police have subpoenaed your confidential client list and may have leaked it to the press. You act like it’s fine.”

  “There’s nothing I can do, but ride it out,” Jimmy said. His voice remained nonchalant, but his mouth tightened.

  I folded my arms. “Bull shit.” We needed to talk about the situation.

  Jimmy turned on me, eyes full of anger. “How do you think I should be acting?”

  “I don’t know. Upset,” I said, “livid pissed, worried, scared, anything, but the detached disposition you have.”

  “You’re holding it in,” Cho said. Jimmy leafed through the booklet on home detention. He refused to look at either of us.

  “Talk to us,” I said. “Do you know how this is going to end?” I asked. “If you do, please enlighten me because I’m terrified.”

  “I don’t know how this is going to end. You know I can’t read myself.”

  “Then why do you keep saying it’s going to be fine?” Cho asked.

  Jimmy glanced at his brother. “I don’t want to upset you or Cassie.”

  “How did you know they were going to arrest you?’ I asked.

  “I read it from you,” Jimmy said.

  “How?” I asked.

  “I saw it in your future, I can’t read myself, but I can see me in your future.”

  “Have you seen anything else?” Cho asked.

  Jimmy continued to act interested in the booklet. “I saw Mary Lazarus’ death, but it was different. Cassie was there in my vision.” His tone seemed calm and rehearsed.

  “Damn it, Jimmy! What’s going on in that head of yours?” I roared.

  Jimmy wheeled on me. “What do you want from me?” he asked. His jaw tightened. “Do you want me to tell you how screwed up I feel?” He slammed the book on the coffee table. “My mother has disowned me. She may have bailed me out, but she believes the shit they’re saying.”

  “What?” I clenched a fist. How dare her!

  Jimmy continued ignoring me. “How about this? My reputation is shot. It was shot before that slanderous news article. It went down the drain the minute my client list went to the cops.” Jimmy ran his fingers through his hair. “All the time and effort in building my business, gone. I don’t know how long my savings will last, or how I’ll pay my bills. If that isn’t enough to worry about, I’m facing enormous attorney’s fees.”

  I held up my hands. “We’ll manage.”

  “Are you going to pay my debt?” Jimmy asked. “No because of me, you’re going to lose your job too.” Jimmy stood. “We can’t stay at your place because this crazy bastard is after you and leaving bloody notes.”

  “It’s not Cassie’s fault,” Cho said.

  Jimmy continued, focusing on me. “Every time you’re around, I get a foreboding feeling. Cassie, you’re in so much danger and I can’t do a thing about it. I’m terrified something’s going to happen to you.” Tears ran down my cheeks and I began shaking.

  “That’s enough,” Cho said, but Jimmy rambled on.

  “I want to ignore the soul mate thing, but when I’m not getting warnings, I keep getting visions of you in another man’s arms. It’s driving me crazy because I love you so much.” Jimmy turned his back to me. “I’m completely helpless and it’s killing me!” He yelled, threw the book, and then kicked over the coffee table. Cho and I watched wide-eyed. “Is that what you want to hear?” Jimmy cried. I stared at him, speechless. Jimmy turned to face me and shouted. “Tell me Cassie, is that what you want to hear?”

  “No,” I squeaked.

  Jimmy wiped at his tears. “Damn it!” He stormed off. I flinched as the office door banged shut.

  “Well, that could’ve gone better,” Cho said. Smart ass! I jumped up follow Jimmy, but Cho caught my wrist. “Give him some time.”

  “I have to apologize.” I pulled at his grip.

  “Let him cool off.” Cho pulled me to him. “He’s alright. I piss him off all the time. This is how he deals with it. He blows up, storms off, and then he’s fine.”

  “Park Min really disowned him?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she said his demon have finally taken over.” Cho inhaled. “She thinks his abilities opened a door to demons and they’ve possessed him or some crap like that. She was hell bent on coming back to the condo to cleanse it, and Jimmy, of evil spirits. When denied access, she disowned Jimmy” He laughed. “We won’t call that superstitious old bat as a character witness”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “When did I have a chance? You bunnies have been inseparable.”

  “Bunnies?” I asked.

  “Only bunnies do it as much as you did yesterday.” Cho made a disgusted face. “Sex relieved his stress for a while, but it was only a matter of time before he’d blow up like that.”

  Cho didn’t seem fazed, but the magnitude of Jimmy’s outburst stunned me. He held in so much. “What did he mean I’m in danger?”

  “Come on, Cassie, we all know you’re connected to these murders. Even that cop knows, but won’t say it.”

  “What should I do?” I asked.

  Cho wrapped his arms around me. “Stay safe Kiddo.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Be on house arrest too.”

  “I can’t,” I said. “I have to go to Mary’s funeral tomorrow and then go before the board.”

  “You know they’re going to fire you, so why go?” Cho asked.

  “I can’t put off the inevitable.”

  “I’d put if off if I were you. I wouldn’t leave this building.” We may not have a choice.

  “How long do you think Jimmy can afford his lifestyle?” I asked.

  “When Jimmy was in Chicago, we went over his finances. Worst case scenario, a couple of months. We counted on our parents help, but I played that card too soon.”

  “How’s he going to survive?”

  “I’ll help as much as I can, but I really don’t know. I didn’t count on our mother disowning him, or an
additional three hundred a month. Even if he’s exonerated quickly, and doesn’t go to trial, I don’t foresee his business picking up,” Cho said. “No matter what, Jimmy will have to downsize his life. I’m working on liquidating assets, and selling his office space now.”

  Cho left to deposit Mr. and Mrs. Kim at the airport. Their departure relieved my mind. The thought of Park Min showing up with holy water and a priest worried me. I went to the office and listened at the door. I heard keys clicking on a computer and music in the back ground. I decided to leave Jimmy alone.

  I flopped on the guest room bed. My head pounded. The rush of information burdened me. If I spoke to Jimmy, I’d say things I’d be sorry for. He angered me. I had a right to know everything. I didn’t want to fight, but I felt exploited. Jimmy used me as a pleasant distraction from his problems. I questioned our relationship. I needed the solitude to weigh my thoughts before I approached him.

  I pondered my dilemma until my mind went numb. I opened my laptop. Surfing the net sidetracked my mind. When I clicked my e-mail, I saw one new message. I had few friends; Jimmy was the only person who e-mailed me. It annoyed him that I refused to text. I couldn’t afford the service. Jimmy offered to pay for it, but I refused.

  The new message was spam. Another message caught my attention. It came from Mary Lazarus, dated Saturday at nine in the morning. I never read it, but it was marked as read. I opened it. It read:

  From: Mary Lazarus

  To: Cassandra Williams

  Subject: Come by Mary House.

  Cassie,

  I’m back in town. I need to see you. I have something to talk to you about, but I can’t discuss it over the phone. With all that’s going on, I don’t trust the phone. Can you come by Mary House this afternoon? I’ll be stopping in around 2:00 p.m. I’ll send you some documents to review prior to our meeting. See you soon.

  Mary

  The message surprised me. Depressed over Jimmy, I didn’t check my e-mails. I had no reason to check. Someone read the message and it disturbed me. Mary mentioned sending documents, but I found none. I ran a search of my computer. It came back with nothing. I checked the recycle bin, nothing there either. Mary either didn’t send the documents, or the person who rummaged through my computer found them and erased them.