by Pandora Pine
“She isn’t? Who is she then, and why does she have a tiger? Is she allowed to play with it?” Faulk felt his gut tighten. He knew he’d just lapsed into full-on cop-mode, but Christ, a tiger?
Riordan’s lips quirked into a full smile.
Shit, he was gorgeous like that. Faulk wanted to see him smile like that all the time, but maybe not over Isla and Laurel’s classmate owning a pet tiger.
“Jasmine is a Disney Princess, Faulk. The tiger is a cartoon.” Riordan patted Faulkner’s shoulder. He took the seat next to Macy.
“Oh, well, duh. My education in Disney Princesses is sadly lacking.” Faulk started to laugh. “I guess this is my seat then, next to the best ballerina in all of Salem.” Faulk wrinkled his nose at Isla. He was stunned when her face crumpled into a frown. “What’s that face for?” He held out a hand to her.
Isla reached out to play with his large fingers. “I’m not the best ballerina. I was scared yesterday, My Daddy had to come up on stage and dance with me because I was a big, fat fraidy cat.”
Faulk saw dawning light in Riordan’s eyes. He’d guess father and daughter hadn’t yet discussed this sensitive topic. “What made you scared?” he asked gently. He moved his eyes to the elephant behind her so Isla wouldn’t feel pressured to talk. This was a chat, not an interrogation.
“My Papa wasn’t there.” Isla’s voice was small. “He always sat in the front row and cheered the loudest.” Fat tears fell down her face.
Without giving his actions a second thought, Faulk plucked the little girl out of her seat and into his arms, holding her close against his chest. He saw the wide-eyed look on Riordan’s face and just kept rocking Isla. “That was very brave of you to tell us,” Faulk said. “What was even more brave was for you to keep dancing even though you were sad and scared.”
“It was?” Isla looked up at him. Her dark eyes were huge.
Faulk nodded. He wiped away her tears. “It sure was. Being brave means doing something even though you’re scared.”
“Do you get scared?”
“All the time.” Faulk smiled. He looked up at Riordan to see he was smiling and nodding along.
“But you’re a police officer. You protect little kids like me and Macy.” Isla managed a watery smile.
“That’s true, but sometimes I get scared that I won’t be able to catch the bad guy or that maybe he’ll hurt me or Uncle Ronan.”
“But you do your job anyway,” Isla confirmed.
“That’s right,” Faulk agreed. “Do you know what else I saw yesterday?”
Isla shook her head no, sending her pigtails flying.
“I saw how much your Daddy loves you.” Faulk was looking at Riordan when he said those words. “He knew every single dance step. You must have practiced a lot together.”
Isla looked across the table at Riordan who seemed to be having a hard time controlling his emotions. “Daddy loves to dance with me. I was just so sad that I didn’t see Papa yesterday. He told me where my missing pink tights were and I thought he’d come see me dance too.”
Faulk looked at Riordan in alarm. What was Isla talking about? Stephen told her where her tights were? Had she seen and spoken with her father’s spirit? He opened his mouth to ask Riordan about that’s when their waitress appeared at the table to take their order.
His questions would have to wait. He grabbed Isla’s kid’s menu and saw that they did have mac and cheese. He ordered that for her along with a chicken tender basket and fries for himself.
“Is that from the kid’s menu too, Faulk?” Riordan teased.
“Funny!” Faulk shot him a monkey face. “I’ll share with Macy if she likes chicken.”
“Chick!” Macy announced.
“One vote for chicken.” Faulk laughed.
“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with fries, please.” Riordan handed his menu back to the waitress. “Juice for the kids and I’ll have a Coke.”
“Me too,” Faulk added. “Thank you.” He opened his mouth to ask about Isla seeing Stephen when Macy started slapping the table with her little hands.
“Dada!” She grinned at her father.
“Hi, baby girl.” Riordan smiled back at her.
Faulk couldn’t help noticing she was the spitting image of him. His mini me. Isla, on the other hand, must be Stephen’s daughter. His heart broke for this little family shattered by tragedy, but now wasn’t the time to think about that.
The large elephant behind them trumpeted. Both girls squealed at once.
“Wow!” Riordan’s face lit up too.
That was one of the reason’s Faulk had wanted to bring the kids here. The whole restaurant came to life at different times. They were sitting near the elephants and gorillas. Across the way from them were parrots and a rhino. He knew there would also be times when there would be lightning and thunder. “How about a picture with the elephant?” Faulk asked Riordan. “I’ll take it for you.”
“You too, Uncle Faulk. You be in the picture too,” Isla urged.
Riordan was getting Macy out of her chair and didn’t respond to Isla’s plea. He was holding Macy under one arm and pulling out his phone when a woman with a daughter of her own walked by. “Oh, let me snap that picture for you.” Without waiting for an answer, she took Riordan’s phone and held it up to take the photo.
“Smile, everyone,” Riordan urged.
“Cheese!” Isla called out.
“Chee!” Macy echoed.
“I snapped a bunch for you!” The woman handed the phone back. “You have a sweet family.”
Before either of them could respond, she was moving past them with her daughter, to marvel at the animatronic gorillas.
“Sorry about that,” Faulk whispered as he set Isla down. “I was going to put Isla with you and take your pics together. I didn’t mean to be in them.”
“It’s okay, Faulk. They look great. You’re meant to be in them since you invited us here today. I’ll send some to you. They’ll be great reminders of our fun day out.” Riordan offered a shy smile.
Isla started tugging on his hand. “Uncle Faulk, let’s go see the gorillas!”
“Do you mind if I take her?” Faulk grinned.
“She’s all yours.” Riordan returned the smile. “Just remember to send me the pics.”
“Come on, tiny dancer, we’ve got some gorillas to meet.” Faulk reached down for her hand. Isla happily took it. This would give him a chance to ask her some quiet questions about Stephen.
“Aren’t they cute?” She bounced on tiptoes to see them better.
Faulk lifted her higher. “They sure are.” He pulled out his phone and snapped a pic of Isla reaching out toward one of them. He kept her back just far enough so she couldn’t reach.
Just then thunder cracked and lightning flashed. It started to rain inside the café. “This is so cool.”
“Have you been to the real rainforest, Uncle Faulk?”
“Nope, but it looks like a cool place to visit.” He could see how it would be an amazing place to take Isla. Get her up close and personal with tree frogs and sloths. She’d have a ball.
“I want to go someday.” Isla sounded wistful.
“Me too, honey.” Faulk took a deep breath. “So, you said Papa helped you find your tights?” He kept his tone light and casual. As if this were just any old conversation. Again, not wanting this to sound at all like an interrogation.
Isla nodded. Her dark eyes were still glued to the gorillas. “Papa visits me from heaven.”
“Can you see him or just hear his voice?” Faulk knew from his time at West Side Magick that kids were sensitive to spirits.
“Both,” Isla whispered, as if it were a secret between them.
“What do you talk about when he visits you?” He was curious to hear as much as she could tell him.
“Papa tells me that I’m still his little ladybug and that he loves me. Yesterday he told me where my pink tights were.”
“Does he ever talk about Daddy?”
Isla shook her head no.
“I think it’s wonderful that he comes to visit you, honey.” Faulk meant it. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her to have lost Stephen when she was only three years old.
“You do?” Isla perked up again. “I don’t think Daddy believes me.”
Faulkner could understand that. He would have felt the same way himself before he’d met Tennyson Grimm and the Craig brothers at West Side Magick. “You know Uncles Cole, Carson, and Tennyson?”
Isla nodded.
“Do you know what their jobs are?” Faulk knew he was treading on possibly dangerous ground here, but if anyone could help her, it was those men.
“Nope!” Isla grinned at him.
“They talk to people up in heaven.”
“Like Papa?” Her eyes narrowed on him.
Faulk nodded. That was all he was going to say on the matter. Riordan knew what those men did for a living too. He had every intention of reporting back what Isla had told him.
The gorilla came to life making Isla laugh. He started taking her picture.
When he turned back to the table, he could see lunch was being served. “Come on, monkey. Time for grub.” He pointed to the table.
“Thanks, Uncle Faulk.” Isla hugged him.
“For what?”
“Listening to me talk about Papa. I know it makes Daddy sad.”
“You’re welcome.” Faulk felt humbled by the four-year-old’s words. He wasn’t used to being the trusted adult in this kind of situation. He just wasn’t sure how receptive Riordan was going to be to a near-total stranger telling him he should probably take his preschooler to see a psychic medium for help.
This fledgling friendship was just getting off the ground. He hoped what he had to say to Riordan wasn’t going to make it crash and burn.
7
Riordan
Lunch had been a lot of fun. Faulkner kept the kids laughing and eating, leaving him free to enjoy his meal. It had been a year since he’d been able to do that. This time, when he thought about Stephen, his chest didn’t pinch quite so tight.
“Daddy? Can me and Macy look at the elephants?” Isla batted her eyes at him.
“Okay, but you hold your sister’s hand and stay right here where Faulk and I can see you.” Riordan unbuckled Macy from her seat and set her free. Isla took her hand and led her to the elephants. Macy stared up at them in wonder.
“I was hoping we’d get a few minutes of adult conversation.” Faulk leaned over the table.
Riordan smiled at the handsome cop. “Were you interrogating my child?”
“Would you be mad if I was?” Faulk grimaced. “Our friendship is so new and I don’t want to misstep.”
He could see the genuine concern in Faulk’s blue eyes. “Tell me what you talked about. I won’t be mad.” He held up his pinkie finger.
Snorting, Faulk wrapped his finger around Riordan’s. Faulk’s blue eyes darkened.
Tiny pinpricks of awareness shot through his entire body. Riordan knew Faulkner felt the hum of attraction too. What surprised him more than their seeming instant connection was his own lack of guilt over those feelings.
“I asked Isla about her experience with Stephen.” Faulk took a deep breath as if he expected Riordan to drop the hammer and lose his shit.
Riordan studied the man who was still sort of holding his hand. Faulk was nervous about telling him what he’d spoken to Isla about. He was curious about their conversation more than anything else. “What did she tell you?”
“She said that he visits her from heaven, that he loves her, and that she’s still his little ladybug. Yesterday was the first time he had a different message when he told her about where to find her ballet tights.”
Riordan was silent, thinking over these words. Fear churned in his gut. He could see his daughter laughing with Macy at the trumpeting elephant. It was a loud sound. One that should have scared his little love bug, but there she was laughing along with her big sister. That was the way it was supposed to be. The way Stephen had wanted it. He’d wanted them only two years or so apart so they’d grow up together as best friends. Now he was wondering if Isla was suffering from some form of mental illness or trauma over the loss of her father.
“Do not go there.” Faulk set his free hand on top of Riordan’s.
“Go where?” he was strangely comforted by Faulk’s large, scarred hand. Their joined pinkies had shown him the flare of attraction that was possible between them. This touch showed the compassion Faulk had within him.
“Isla isn’t crazy,” Faulk said softly.
Riordan looked away from the bulky detective. It was one thing for him to think those dark thoughts about his oldest daughter. It was something else entirely for Faulkner to give them a voice. He felt a warm hand on the side of his face.
“Riordan, listen to me. I know you’re friends with Cole Craig thanks to Isla’s friendship with Laurel. Do you know what he and his brother do for a living with Tennyson Grimm as their partner?”
“Yeah, they run that psychic shop over on Conant Street.” Was it awful that he was more focused on Faulk’s hand on his face than on their conversation?
“That’s part of it,” Faulk agreed. “A few months back, a mob boss was coming after Ronan because he was one of the officer’s who’d arrested him years ago. When he found out about Tennyson’s psychic abilities, the mobster wanted to kidnap him and use those powers to stay ahead of the law and for other nefarious reasons. I went undercover at the psychic store to protect Ten. While I was there, I saw some pretty amazing things. The mediumistic readings those guys did changed people’s lives. They provided closure and brought healing.”
Riordan pulled back from Faulk’s comforting touch. “Is that your veiled way of drumming up business for your friends and trying to fix me at the same time? I’m fine. I don’t need healing or closure.”
Faulk turned to face him more fully. “I never said that you did. You didn’t let me finish what I was saying.” He flashed a killer smile, not seeming to be put out at all by being interrupted by Riordan’s little tirade.
Riordan took a quick look over at the girls who were still enchanted by the elephant which was now shaking its massive head. “Please continue.”
Faulkner’s grin broadened. “Thank you, kind sir. The point I was getting to was that Ten told me all kids are sensitive to spirits. They’re more open. They don’t question what they see and hear, because they aren’t jaded like adults are.” He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. “Do you ever hear Macy saying Stephen’s name when she’s alone in her crib? Maybe she’s laughing or sounding like she’s having a conversation with someone?”
Shit, there were times when that exact thing happened. “Macy babbles,” he admitted. “It sounds like a nonsense conversation until real words like ‘Papa’ or ‘ya ooo’ pop up.”
Faulk laughed. “I must have missed the day in kindergarten when ‘ya ooo’ was taught. What does it mean?”
Riordan shook his head. He felt a reluctant smile tug at his lips. “It’s fifteen-month-old speak for love you.”
“Oh, I get it now.” Faulk turned his head to look at the laughing sisters. “That’s so damn cute.” He turned back to Riordan, a serious look on his face. “My entire point of this, talking to Isla, and now to you, is just to help you out a bit. I can’t even begin to fathom how hard it’s been for the three of you to cope with this loss. What I do know is that Ten and the Craig brothers have real gifts. They could be a resource for you if you choose to go to them about what Isla is experiencing, but please don’t think there’s anything wrong with her.” Setting a hand on his shoulder, Faulk stood up from the table. “How about some dessert? I’m going to show the girls the parrots and the waterfall. Why don’t you order something sweet and come join us?”
Riordan watched Faulk walk off. Both of his daughters were so excited to see the detective. Macy raised her arms to be lifted up. Faulk did just as she asked, flying her cl
oser to the elephant. Riordan heard Macy trying to pronounce elephant and Faulk cheering her on. Isla was holding his hand and was looking up at him like he hung the moon. If Riordan was standing next to the cop, he’d probably have the same look on his face too, after what Faulk had just told him about Isla’s ability to see and speak to Stephen being a function of her age rather than there being anything wrong with her.
To be honest, he knew all about West Side Magick and what the psychics there did for a living. Tennyson teaming up with Boston Cold Case Detective Ronan O’Mara to solve the years’ cold Michael Frye case had put the shop on the map and Ten’s abilities on the national stage. Hell, Dateline had come to town to film a show about the case that prominently featured Ten and Ronan.
When Isla mentioned speaking to her father it had never crossed his mind to speak to Ten or Cole about that situation. Jesus, he’d been in the same house with them for hours yesterday and had even been alone with Carson when they’d been putting the babies down for a nap.
He’d just thought Isla was being fanciful or imaginative. Was it actually possible that Stephen was visiting their girls from heaven? Did that mean his husband was visiting him too? Shaking his head, he grabbed the dessert menu and flagged down the waitress. There would be time to think more on this later. He wanted to get in on seeing the parrots and the waterfall too.
8
Faulkner
Monday morning found Faulkner in a very odd place. He was sitting at Tennyson and Ronan’s kitchen table in Salem, rather than at his desk in the Cold Case Unit in the South Boston precinct house.
These visits had become a weekly ritual for Faulk, Ten, and Ronan. Ten had known Ronan wouldn’t be able to stay out of work for the full eight weeks after their daughter, Everly Erin, was born. He’d been right. This once a week visit from Faulk kept Ronan in the loop and at home. Plus, it gave Faulk time with his little nugget.
It was quite possible that Everly was the love of his life. He was endlessly fascinated by her Cupid’s bow mouth and her tiny little fingers, which always seemed to be reaching out for him. He was further enchanted by the coos and other little sounds she made. It never ceased to amaze him that he was able to soothe her when she got volcanically pissed off. Her face would turn bright red and tiny tears would track toward her neck. Uncle Faulk had the magic touch to soothe the savage beast. At least that’s what he told himself.