by Wendy Wang
"Charlie, girl?" a familiar voice called to her. Charlie's heart broke just a little, and if she could've cried, she would have. "Charlie, girl, I know it's you. I'd recognize that light of yours anywhere."
A hand touched her shoulder, and Charlie could no longer resist the urge to turn toward the warmth and love glowing against her back.
"Charlie?"
Panic squeezed Charlie's heart, although she wasn't sure how exactly, since she was clearly detached from her body. She would worry about that later when they woke her up. For now, she just wanted to see the face that went with the voice. Charlie slowly pivoted. She had to hold her hand up to shield her eyes from the blinding brightness of the light. It seemed so much stronger this time. Could she go into it without Joy's guidance? And if she went into it, could she escape it again? Or was she tempting fate?
"Charlie?" The man stepped between her and the light, blocking it for a moment. Even in the shadows, she knew his face. Knew it as if she'd just seen it yesterday.
"Daddy? Is that you?"
"Of course, it is, sugar. Who else would it be?" he said, with such warmth she wanted to curl up inside that sound, pull it around her like a blanket and fall fast asleep.
"Oh, Daddy, I’ve missed you so much." Charlie threw her arms around her father's form, half-way expecting to fall through him. Half-way expecting him to evaporate like mist in the sun. Instead, her arms found him solid.
"I missed you, too, sugar. But I've been keeping an eye on you, and you've done real well for yourself. Real well."
It seemed ridiculous that she found herself blubbering like a baby, especially since she knew her body was almost dead in a room in the DOL Medical Center. But she'd witnessed it countless times, spirits carrying on with their human behaviors. She'd always thought it was habit. Some leftover memory. But that's what she was, wasn't it? A spirit. She couldn't have stopped the tears blinding her now even if she tried. If she got out of this whole mess alive, she'd remember this feeling. She'd make sure to remember it.
Charlie sniffed back the tears and looked into her father's handsome face. He still had his blue eyes -- the same ones that matched his sister Evangeline’s, and that matched hers.
"I named my son after you. He's an Evan, too."
"I appreciate that, darlin’. I just don't understand why you're here. I checked, and it's not your time."
"I know. I got this new job, and well, it's more dangerous than I thought it might be."
"Your grandma Bunny wanted me to tell you that you need to get back in that body of yours right this minute."
Charlie let out a nervous laugh. "I would love to, but unfortunately, I can't. Not yet."
Charlie took a minute to explain what had happened with the reaper's blade. Her father's face wrinkled with concern.
"A reaper? You ought not be messing around with reapers, Charlie. Don't you know they could be trying to make you one of their own?"
"What are you talking about? Reapers aren't made or born, they just exist."
"No, honey. Reapers are made. A lot like vampires are made."
"What? How do you know this?"
"There are books about it. About all the supernatural creatures that roam the earth." He peered into her eyes, fixing her to the spot. "Sounds like you’re woefully behind on your education."
Charlie took a step back and put her hands on her hips. "I didn't think you wanted me to be a witch. You told me to never talk about it. And now you want to criticize my education?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I meant... I meant, if you don't believe me, ask your Aunt Evangeline. She'll tell you the truth."
"You better believe I'll do that then," Charlie snapped.
"Stars above, you sure do have your mama's temper," her father said.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Charlie said, fighting the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Nope. Not bad at all." He cupped her cheek. "I need to be getting back now. You stay here and keep your back to the light as long as you can. You hear me?"
"Yes, sir," Charlie said. "Is… is Mama with you? Is she okay?"
"Your mama's just fine. And for the record, she's real proud of you, too. Now you do as I say. I'll see you again."
"You promise?" Charlie choked on the words.
"I promise. And we Paynes always keep our promises, don't we?"
"Yes, sir, we sure do."
"Now, Charlotte Grace. Turn around, and whatever you do, don't go into the light, no matter how much it calls to you."
Charlie did as her father asked, and after a minute, she threw a quick glance over her shoulder to find the light fading and her father gone.
Chapter 14
"Okay." Ben approached the clean room where they'd stored the book. He waved his badge in front of the security station and the door lock clicked. Ben pulled the door open and let Tom and Joy pass into the room before him, then he pulled the door shut behind him.
"The book is in the box on the table."
"Why did you put it in a box?" Joy asked. A brief blast of sage-laced air from above ruffled her long hair, but she didn't seem to notice. She lifted the heavy lead-lined lid with ease and placed it on the table next to the box.
"Shouldn't you put on some gloves to handle the book?" Ben pushed his way into the tented area.
Joy looked up. A frown marred her usually beautiful face. "First of all, no. I'm reaper. I can handle the book without any repercussions." Her gaze shifted to Tom. "That is, if there was a book to handle."
"What?" Ben moved next to her and peered inside the empty box. An icy pang settled in his chest. "What the hell?"
"What the hell, indeed," Tom said.
Ben slammed the phone down. How had someone stolen that book? It seemed an impossible feat. The building housing the Defenders of Light had impenetrable security. Or so he had thought. He leaned forward with his elbows on his desk and put his head in his hands. How the hell were they going to save Charlie now? A knock on his open door made him look up.
"Hey, Ben." Jason Tate stood in the doorway, a weary look on his tanned face. "I heard you might need some help."
"Yeah? Where did you hear that from?"
"A little witch told me. You know, the one with great big blue eyes. Although, honestly, I think she was speaking more on behalf of a certain reaper we know."
Ben sighed and sat back in his chair. "Tom. I thought he and Joy were trying to track down that reaper that cut Charlie."
"Yep. Looks like they found it."
“Great. So we at least have half of what we need to keep Charlie from dying.”
“This isn’t your fault you know.” Jason stepped inside Ben's office and closed the door. He took a seat in the chair in front of Ben's desk.
Ben scrubbed one hand across his scalp. “I keep thinking if I hadn’t said anything about this job, maybe she’d be at home now. Or helping you solve some murder.”
“Maybe.” Jason nodded. “Maybe not. She wanted this. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last fifteen years in law enforcement, it’s this. We all go out there, every day, knowing there’s a chance we might not come home. Charlie looked at this job as law enforcement. Unconventional law enforcement, but still, you know what I mean. She knew the risks.”
Ben sighed. “Doesn’t make it any easier to accept. She was under my command.”
“I get that,” Jason said." Any chance this place has security cameras?”
"Yeah, of course. I’ve got the head of security pulling the footage for me now."
"That's good," Jason said. "I'll help you look through it. What Charlie's told me is that this place is locked up as tight as Fort Knox."
"Yesterday I would’ve agreed with her. Today, not so much.”
“You know what that tells me?”
Ben leaned forward and massaged his temples. “Inside job.”
“Inside job,” Jason echoed. “The question is, why
? I thought this book was supposed to be deadly.”
“Actually, no one knows that for sure. Not even the reapers,” Ben said. “I talked to Tom and Joy about it.”
Jason gave him a dubious look. “So, someone – not a reaper – could’ve moved it.”
“Sure. As long as they weren’t psychic, I guess it’s possible.”
“Why not psychic?” Jason rested his elbow on the chair’s arm and perched his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
“I’m just going on what happened with Charlie. Even with all the precautions we took, that book still affected her psychically.”
“How many psychics work here?”
“I don’t know. A fair amount I would think, but I’d have to ask HR for sure. Why?”
“If psychics are so affected by the book, it could be a way to eliminate suspects. Assuming that your security cameras come up with nothing. We really need to start there.”
“Sure. That makes sense.”
Jason stared at him in a way that made Ben feel scrutinized. He rested his arms on his desk in front of his body.
“What else are you thinking?” Ben asked.
“How secure is this room where you kept the book?”
“They’d have to have a badge with the right security clearance to get in.”
“So, anyone on your team could’ve gotten in.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but I hand-picked my team.”
“Yeah I get that,” Jason leaned forward. “But… And I’m just spit balling here. What if one of your team members was possessed?”
“Whoa. How did you get from point A to point B with that thought?”
“Charlie told Jen, who told Lisa, who told me, that y’all might be dealing with a demon.”
“Yeah, so?”
Jason shrugged.
"I’ve been a cop a long time, and I've seen a lot of shit. I'd have to say, since I started with Charlie, that I've seen my share of really weird shit, and the weirdest shit I’ve seen is demons.”
"I’m afraid I’m not following you," Ben said.
"Demons possess people, don't they? Charlie once called them very old spirits. Was she wrong?" Jason asked.
Ben scratched his chin. They’d considered that John Cochran had summoned a demon, that he may have even been possessed by that demon. But…
"Yes, I mean, no. She was not wrong. There are a few species of demons that are corporeal, but we keep a close watch on them. We’ve had no reports of them, at least not in these parts," Ben said.
"Then who's to say that this demon didn't jump ship? They can leave the body, right? Jump into another one?" Jason asked.
Ben straightened up in his chair. All the possibilities wound through his brain. "So, you think whoever stole the book could’ve come in contact with the demon? And been possessed?”
Jason nodded. “Maybe.”
"I don't know how that would happen. I mean, the security in this place is so tight. We have sensors in the building that sniff out that sort of evil," Ben said.
"Right. But remember that case with Gabriel Curtis?" Jason said.
"Yeah, of course, I do. Your friend ended up shooting the guy."
"Yes, he did. When I first arrested Curtis, he was normal. Charlie and the others did some tests. I can't remember what it was called, but they couldn't find any demons around him or in him."
"Right, I remember vaguely. Dammit, I wish Charlie was here. She would know the specifics. What's your point?"
"Charlie was convinced that the demon inside the man had gone dormant."
"Holy shit." Ben rubbed his hand over his mouth.
"Would your sensors still pick up on a dormant demon?"
Ben stared straight ahead, thunderstruck by the idea. He shook his head. "I don't know."
"That's what I thought. Let's take a look at the tape. Unless the demon could somehow screw around with it, that should give us all the answers we need."
"I hope to hell you're right," Ben said.
"Me, too," Jason said.
Ben set up Jason in one of the conference rooms to go through the security footage of the hallway outside the clean room's door.
"Just give me a shout when you're ready." Ben wrote down his extension, and placed it on the handset of the phone that sat on the console table beneath the whiteboard.
Jason gave Ben a short salute. "Will do. Let me know when Tom gets back."
"You got it," Ben said. He left Jason alone to watch the footage and headed back to his office. He knew he probably should've stayed, but part of him didn't want to face one of his team members going into that clean room and taking the book. It wasn't just the betrayal. More than likely, if one of his team members had been possessed, that person was probably dead. And if they weren't dead before they handled that book, they definitely could be after. Messing around with a reaper’s belongings was a dangerous prospect. And if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't ready to face the fact that his choice of personnel might have gotten someone killed.
"Hey, boss," Will said. "That reaper and his sister are back."
"Thanks. How are you doing?" Ben asked.
"I'm all right. Beginning to think I might be a curse as a partner, though. Seems like everyone I ever team up with ends up dead."
"This is not your fault. And Charlie is not gonna die."
"I hope you're right. I really hope you're right. I know she doesn’t like me very much, but she’s smart, and it doesn't hurt that she's easy on the eyes."
"I'm going to ignore that last part," Ben said. "But you're right. She’s smart. And in a lot of ways, she's become like family to me."
"Yeah, that's what I figured. Your girlfriend seems nice."
"Yes, she is. She's the one who convinced me to take this leadership position. Stay put for a while. Build a team." Ben gritted his teeth to keep from blurting out the truth - that someone on their team took that book, and a demon could very well have possessed them to do it. The thought that it could be Will made Ben’s stomach turn. Better to keep his mouth shut for now.
The two of them made their way back to the medical center. They found Tom in the waiting room, pacing back and forth like a caged animal.
"Ben!" Tom moved swiftly toward the door once Ben and Will walked through.
"Hey, Tom." Ben scanned the waiting room. "Where's Joy?"
"She stayed behind. The reaper that accidentally cut Charlie apologized."
"Fat lot of good that does Charlie," Will said.
"Yes, yes, yes. I know how you feel about reapers, Mr. Tucker. And at the moment, I can't argue with you about that."
"So, why would anybody want to take one of these reaper books anyway?" Will asked.
"Well, they have the date and time of every death that will occur in the territory of a specific reaper. That information could be very valuable. Do we know what our missing Mr. Cochran did for a living?" Tom said.
"Sure, he was an insurance broker, I think," Ben said.
"Holy shit," Will said. "Can you imagine all the scams an insurance broker could run if he knew exactly when his clients were going to die?"
"I don't know what those would be exactly, but I bet Jason would," Ben said.
"Jason's here?" Tom asked.
"Yes. He's helping me go through the security footage for the cameras outside the clean room."
"Of course he is." Tom rolled his eyes.
"Listen," Ben began. "I know you and Jason don't have a great history together, but he offered to help. He has a lot of experience as an investigator, and that's valuable. Anything we can do to get Charlie past this crisis, I will do."
"You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let my feelings cloud everything up."
"Don't worry about it. So, you found the reaper?"
"Yes. We also confirmed that the book you all found is probably hers. We won’t know for certain until we look at it, but it was stolen from her about three weeks ago.”
“That fits with our timeline.
The more I look at this, the more I think John Cochran summoned a demon to steal that book,” Ben said.
“Very possibly. The reaper, Gabrielle, told us she wasn’t really there to collect souls. None of the family was supposed to die anytime soon.”
“So, she was just creeping around looking for her book, and giving us a hard time?” Will asked.
Tom shrugged and nodded. “Yes.”
"Does she know what happened to the family?"
"No. My guess would be you’re right about the father, based on the dreams Charlie's had about him."
"Right. The dreams." Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. "This guy could be anywhere."
"My guess is, he isn't," Tom said.
"Why is that?" Ben asked. "Did the reaper say something?"
"No. But the book is missing. If the demon was still inhabiting Cochran, wouldn't it still be locked up tight in your clean room?"
"So, you’re thinking the demon is now possessing someone else?” Ben asked.
“Yes, I am,” Tom said.
“You’re not the only one,” Ben said. Tom quirked an eyebrow. “Jason thinks the same thing.”
The phone on Ben's desk rang, and he fumbled with the headset. “Sutton."
"Hey, it's me. I've got something. Can you step over here and take a look?"
"Sure. Be there in a minute." Ben hung up the phone and rose to his feet. "Jason found something."
"Great." Tom stood up and rubbed his hands on his thighs, straightening his jeans. "Let's go take a look."
“Do you know her?” Jason asked.
Ben sat back in his chair, unable to speak for a minute. What he was seeing made no sense. The video of his boss, Lauren Coldwater, swiping her badge, entering the clean room, and then exiting a few minutes later with something in a black leather bag, sent a chill through him.
"Ben? Are you all right?" Tom asked.
Ben rested his chin in the palm of his hand, covering his mouth. He shook his head.