“If he has the same character as me, he’ll know what he’s doing,” Elliot said.
“You can’t know that!” I exclaimed.
“I would have thought that people grew good or bad, regardless of their parentage. But I guess I’m wrong. Black John’s grandson certainly looks like he’s following in his grandfather’s footsteps. And so is my grandson.”
The lines on his face were etched in harsh lines. He sat on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his hair, “I never thought…”
I went to him, sat down on my haunches in front of him. I so wanted to touch him, but there was no way I could. Every time I noticed that, an ice-pick stabbed my soul. “Tell me,” I said.
He looked at me, sadness burnt on his face, “I never thought of the consequences of my life. I just did what I did. I must never have thought of my wife. My son. What my actions did to them. They would have been outcasts, having a husband and father who did what I did.” He shook his head, his complete devastation surrounded me. “And now to face my grandson. Living the life I had led. It’s a nightmare. What if… what if he ends up like me…?
“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t. We’ll check up on him. Put him on the straight and narrow. Thadius, can you tell me his address?”
A few key clicks later and I had all his details on my phone. Including his Facebook page address and a recent photo. If nothing, Thadius was thorough.
“Anything else you want?” Thadius asked.
“You’re not going to get into trouble for this, are you?” I asked.
Thadius laughed. “Only if someone catches me. And there’s a slim to no chance of that happening. I’ll see what else I can get on Leonard King if I can.”
“Thanks heaps, Thadius.” We ended the call. I sent Elliot a small smile, “At least we have friends in high places, too.”
“Not like Leonard King.”
I raised my brows. “I doubt Leonard King has the power of angels on his side.”
The lines smoothed out on his face and relief poured through me. “I doubt anyone but you have the power of angels on their side.” I was caught in the intensity of his stare. Moments passed as he searched my face. “I think you’re here to save me, Cassie, not the other way around. I couldn’t have asked for a stronger, more compassionate person. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m grateful for the angel eyes that are blind to so much.”
I made a horrible snorting noise as I tried to stop tears from flooding my eyes. The plug I’d stomped on so firmly on my emotions ruptured free, blowing the churning mix through me. I cupped my hands over my face, hoping to stuff them all back inside. I didn’t have a hope.
“Stop crying. Your tears are wasted on me,” Elliot’s voice melted through me.
I laughed at the concern in his voice, and that came out as a snort. I ripped tissues out of a box and wiped the very unfeminine snot from my nose. I sat next to him on the bed trying to compose myself. “Nobody has said anything so lovely to me,” I managed through gulping sobs.
He placed his hand on top of mine. I saw his hand as real as any hand would be. But I felt nothing. Just cold air. I sighed, and looked at him sitting next to me.
“We’ll find a way to make this work,” he said.
I offered a smile through the tears, “That’s why we need the help of angels.”
“Let’s not worry about this now. You need to sleep, Cassie. Rest. And then we’ll figure all this out.”
All I could do was nod and fold myself into the bed. I was drained, physically and emotionally from the turmoil of the past few days, and it didn’t seem as though it was going to let up. As soon as my head hit the pillow sleep tugged my eyes closed.
“Where will you be?” I asked, struggling against sleep.
He bent over me and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be here. Looking over you. Always.”
I knew he would be. Sleep claimed me and I drifted with it.
Chapter Two
I shifted my coffee and sorted the papers Laura had given me from Thadius on the table. Elliot sat next to me on the vacant chair, running his eyes over the contents of the papers. The Detective hard at work. I sat back and for a moment enjoyed the weak winter sunshine on my shoulders. I inhaled the fresh air, delighting in the feeling of full lungs. So different than the stale, recycled air of the hospital.
I’d spent the last week in the hospital and had been given another week to recuperate. I’d told them I’d had a car accident. From the injuries, they hadn’t questioned me and I was grateful.
They wouldn’t have believed the truth anyway.
There was a roar as fire burst from one of the many stylish chimneys that lined the Southbank Boulevard outside of Crown Casino. I watched the fire leap into the air. Felt the heat pouring from it, even from where I sat at the bunch of tables set out on the pavement a little way away. Tourists turned to look at the spectacle, laughing away their slight shock of seeing the huge flames rearing skyward. Locals ignored it.
Over the Yarra, the Melbourne Aquarium glistened in the morning sun. Various boats peacefully chugged beneath the bridge that joined the casino to the aquarium. It was just before morning coffee time, and I sat relatively alone at the tables, as I soaked in the soothing Melbourne scene.
I’d got here a little early to make sure I got a table. Soon the staff from Kings Crown would come from their nearby office to sit where I was for their morning tea, as they normally did every morning. Thomas Stone would be here with them. I said a silent thank you to Thadius for uncovering this information. Seems he did have an eye on everything and was fast becoming a very handy person to know.
“Melbourne has changed.” I blinked back into the moment, with Elliot’s quiet observation. “I guess it has a lot since you’ve been here. There were a lot of new buildings built in the fifties, but the buildings have gone a lot higher than that in more recent decades.” I’d bought an earpiece and had my phone on the table so that if anyone looked at me they’d think I was on a phone call and I could talk to Elliot without attracting attention.
“Plus, a legalised casino right in the heart of the city. And one the size of this!” Elliot shook his head. “Who would’ve believed that?”
I guess it was everything he fought against when he was alive. I knew there had been illegal gambling houses, all throughout Fitzroy, that he would have fought against and now he was confronted with one of the largest buildings in Melbourne being a casino, attracting tourists from all over the world. It must have been so strange for him, not to mention it probably made him feel as though he’d worked so hard like that for nothing. He might well be in a new strange city rather than his hometown. “I’m sorry, Elliot.”
“There are bound to be tremendous changes over the decades. I should have expected it, however confronting it is.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here to see it. I know what a shock it must be for you.” He watched another flame spiral into the sky. I felt bad for him. I really did. But on the other hand, it was so good, so right sitting with him here, just like any other couple — well, almost any other couple. I didn’t know anyone else who’d fallen in love with a ghost. But for now, I was selfishly happy that he was stuck here with me.
I tried to imagine him in modern clothes but failed. I wondered if he would be the same man if he had been born in modern times, but it seemed too clinical for him. He was a man of the last century, instilled with out-dated manners and high expectations. There was a roughened edge to him that sent a thrill spiralling inside me, despite his polite manners; a willingness to get dirty and fight for what you wanted. It was missing from people of today. By comparison, things were too impassive today. The rough edges were lost in a world of desks, computers, and technology.
I sighed and decided to change the conversation. I nudged a page towards him, “This is the info Thadius sent me about King’s Crown and Leonard. It has a list of dubious deeds that nobody can pin on him. If your grandson is one of the best lawy
ers in town, there’s no need to question Leonard why he wanted him. I mean, it’s smart to hire the best, especially when you know you’re going to need them.”
Elliot scanned the page. “Look at all the different companies who have filed complaints about missing funds. Different industries. Different amounts. Government funds. Seemingly small amounts, but together…”
“What do you think?”
“Black John did the same. Had his hand in different pots. At first glance, it wasn’t much, but add them together and the pie was huge. The government funds he’s now aiming for ring an alarm. People like Leonard don’t do things without an agenda. We’ll need to follow him around. Get to know his habits. Who he visits. Everything.”
“Well, one good thing about being in your position – you kind of don’t stand out from the crowd if you know what I mean.”
Elliot’s brow rose, “That’s one positive.”
I held my breath, but I had to ask. “We have to find out how Thomas is wrapped up in all of this. Why Leonard hired him in particular? I know Thomas is a good lawyer, but is there anything else above all of that that we can’t see on the surface?”
Elliot’s expression darkened. “I’m making it my personal mission to find out. I might have lived my life wrong, but I’m going to make sure the fault is corrected in my grandson.”
We sat in silence for a while and watched activity build on the boulevard. My phone beeped. It was a text from Laura with a photo attachment. It was of a man in his late thirties, hair the same colour brown as Elliot’s hair, although cut in a modern style. The same watchful eyes. The brows were a different shape, as was the overall shape of his face, but his nose and mouth could be superimposed over Elliot’s face and it would be the same man. Handsome bastard. I held the phone so Elliot could see the screen. “Meet your grandson, Thomas Stone.”
Elliot studied the screen with a mix of surprise and incredulity. Finally, he shook his head. “I almost can’t believe it.”
“He looks like you. He’s your blood.”
“Bad blood.”
“I have yet to see it in you. Or in him.”
Elliot sighed. “I hope you’re right, Cassie.”
A group of people broke through the large glass doors, leading out onto the boulevard from the casino. Corporates. Dressed in stylish, expensive, business suits in various dark shades. They spoke in hushed tones. They were all about business and big money. They sat without fuss and a conservative minimum of sound, and slid on brand name sunglasses, against the winter glare.
“There he is!” My heart raced. I waited, anticipation making my blood tingle, as Elliot turned and watched his grandson sitting with his colleagues of Kings Crown.
“There he is,” Elliot echoed.
There was a sudden gust of chilled wind. I shivered and wrapped my jacket more securely around my shoulders. Next to me, Elliot stiffened and half rose from his chair. I followed the line of his gaze. Behind Thomas, shadows blended and formed between the twinkling bursts of sunshine reflected from the Yarra River.
I strained my eyes, temporarily blinded. Then the chill of the air exploded inside me. Behind Thomas, an indistinctive shadowy face formed. Transparent shadow arms reached around his shoulders. Thomas shivered and did exactly as I had, wrapped his jacket securely around himself.
A face then formed into perfect focus. A man. Grinning straight at us. His eyes were black and empty. Merciless. As Elliot stood, he vanished, leaving nothing but bright sunlight bouncing off the water as though nothing untoward had happened.
“Who…? I asked.
“Black John.” Elliot’s tone was even. Deadpan.
My mouth opened and closed. Terror did that with me. Made my words dry and disappear. I licked my lips, “He was the one…”
Elliot nodded, turning grim eyes on me, “He was the one I chased. And lost. The mastermind criminal.”
“He knows Thomas. I think…I think Thomas is in more danger than we thought.”
“It’s Black John. That’s the way he works. Threaten. Intimidate. Makes people sick with worry.”
“He hasn’t passed. He’s here like…”
“…Me,” Elliot finished.
“Why…?”
“Why what?”
I spun to face white knuckles on the back of my chair. “Mum!”
Laura, Mum, and Dad had wandered up behind me. Dad placed his hand on Mum’s shoulders and maneuvered her into the chair Elliot had vacated. Although Dad hadn’t seen him, Mum certainly had. She glanced at Elliot as she settled. “I see you’re still here.”
“I’m going to see if I can track Black John.” Elliot disappeared before I could tell him to be careful.
Mum and Dad lived in the middle of the outback. No live people. No dead people. It was the only way Mum could cope with her gift and now she’d planted herself right in the middle of a busy city and more dead people she could poke a stick at.
“Mum. That’s not polite,” I turned my attention back to mum, my voice shaking. Then I noticed how uptight she was. And the fact her eyes were open and staring straight at me, “You’re not wearing a blindfold!”
Dad sat next to me, “Said she didn’t want to.”
“And you came all the way here…like this?”
Mum nodded, “I’ve decided to take your advice and face this thing head on.”
I looked from Dad, back to Mum. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
A lost-looking ghost passed us, dodging the tourists. He looked over his shoulder at a couple he had to step out of the way from, as they barged right up to him, caught between annoyance and confusion. Mum stiffened, refusing to look at the ghost as he saw me. He stopped walking and watched us, hesitating. I smiled at the confused man.
“He doesn’t know he’s dead. Why don’t you talk to him and guide him on?” I asked.
“I’ve come. I’m here. I’m not doing anything else. This is what you want from me. Acting like a normal person. Out and about in crowds. Does this make you happy? Does it?” Mum snapped.
“It doesn’t look like you’re happy.”
Her lips were compressed tightly, clamped between tense white lines. She’d placed her hands, palms down, on the table. White condensation fanned outwards with the heat from her skin on the aluminium top. Mum was usually uptight, but not this uptight. “Why are you here, if it’s causing you so much anxiety?”
“I have a…suggestion,” she said.
This didn’t sound good. Beside her Laura frowned, turning in confusion towards our mother. She didn’t know what Mum was up to either. “Which is?”
“I’ll go along with this…this gift as long as you do. If you’re happy seeing me this way…your own mother living like…like this, then I’ll do my best and meet things head-on.”
Another ghost passed us, dressed in seventies clothing. Mum shuddered. She closed her eyes but purposely opened them again. “If you want me to be like this, then I will. If you refuse to acknowledge that I know best and keep on with this…affliction, then so will I. Even if I live like this for the rest of my life, this is the mother you will have.”
For the second time this morning my mouth worked wordlessly. “But you can’t…”
“I can and I will. Give it up, Cassie. You will see that having this gift will come to no good. Let me end it once and for all.”
“But Elliot…”
“Is dead,” Mum hissed. “You need to find someone who is living.”
“He is alive. You see him. I see him. He exists…is this what all this is about? Elliot?”
“It will eat your life up, Cassie. You won’t be able to do any of the things you’ve worked so hard for. You, a cardiac surgeon, all that will be taken away from you. The dead shouldn’t be the concern of the living. I want your sister to live, too. She’s caught up in all of this as much as you are.”
Laura leaned across the table, “I want to help! I’ve built my life up around it. It’s my livelihood. I like it and I’ve seen Elli
ot, Mum. I agree with Cassie. He exists. He’s there, just not in a physical body type of way.”
“That’s not really helping, Laura,” I mumbled. She sent me a withering gaze.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into. This is your call, Cassie. If you want to destroy your family and live with dead people, go ahead. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Mum sniffed and locked her hands together in her lap.
I faced Dad, “Did you know she was going to say this?”
Lines etched Dad’s face. He’d aged in a moment. He shook his head, “I don’t know what to think. I just want you to be happy. I’ve seen your mother like this all her life. Seen it drive her mad. I don’t want the same thing to happen to my daughters. But…I didn’t know she had this up her sleeve. You seem to be able to cope with it. She doesn’t, but she’s had her abilities longer than you have. You might turn out like her in years to come and that isn’t a good thing. I just want what’s best for everyone.”
I stared wordlessly at the three of them. Dad. Mum. Laura. All three so important to me. My mind spun. I sought answers. I waited for anything to come to mind. But nothing did.
I had Elliot. Had fallen in love with him wholly and totally. If I lost this ability, I wouldn’t see him again. Help him, and do what the angel said I would do for humanity. Surely that was important.
But Mum would go mad if she forced herself to do what she was doing. She was a slither away from losing it now. It was an impossible decision. I didn’t know what to do. I closed my eyes and sunk my forehead into my palms. Surely this didn’t have to be so hard.
I opened my eyes and saw Elliot re-appear. Eyes wild, mouth strained. “Cassie, watch out!”
A shadow raced to us and slammed into Laura. Laura screamed and jerked out of her chair. Body stiff. Her head fell back. Mum made a strangled sound and she leapt from her chair and pulled Laura into her arms.
Confusion made my mind blank. “Elliot…?”
“Get your hands off her!” Elliot yelled. Anger rolled off him in waves.
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