Black-Winged Tuesday

by Alicia Ryan

  “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.”

  “What’s his problem with you?”

  “Well, he was kind of having his way with me earlier, and I used the mark to send it right back to him. Must have caught him off guard. Either way, it seems to have thoroughly pissed him off.”

  Tricia sat up. “You’re sure all this is just about Ariel?”

  “Hell if I know.”

  Tuesday took himself off to the shower, figuring his nakedness was no longer anything to be modest about.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Herman was starting to feel like the poster boy for khaki pants. Part of him didn’t know what he’d been thinking before he checked out of his earthly existence, but he suspected the confidence he’d gained since then had changed him – both inside and out. He valued himself more, and consequently took more pride in his appearance. Being Herman was starting to feel like a chore, like an old, rumpled suit he had to put on every day.

  Nevertheless, duty called. He picked up his cart from the mailroom and immediately went to check that Mary was at work. He didn’t see her, but a steaming cup of coffee sat on her desk, and he breathed a sigh of relief, figuring she was safe enough in a building full of people.

  He then skipped a few floors and passed by Charlie’s cube, shooting him a meaningful glance and nodding toward the restrooms. Charlie stood up to look over the fabric covered wall of his cube, sat back down and nodded in agreement. Herman backed his cart to the end of the aisle and headed for the john, making sure all the stalls were empty.

  “So?” he asked, not even waiting for Charlie to close the door. He noticed Charlie was wearing a well-tailored blue suit.

  “We’re alone?”

  Herman nodded. “Yeah, I already checked.”

  “I was here all night, but replies from the board are starting to come in. Enough of them will be here at three that we can conduct the meeting. Between the tape and the financial presentation I’ve put together, they should be convinced.”

  “Congratulations, Charlie. You should be very proud of yourself.”

  He let out a deep breath. “I will be, if everything goes as it should. I just have to work up the nerve to tell Uncle Lucian about the meeting.”

  “Don’t give him an inch, Charlie. Don’t even listen to him. He’s a crook, a bully and a low life. And you’ve got him dead to rights.”

  “I know. It’s just that he’s been bullying me around for so long, I don’t know if I can keep from slipping back into the habit of cowering.”

  “It was only a habit, Charlie. Haven’t you known forever that you’re the better man?”

  Charlie paused. “Not forever, I don’t think. But recently, I’ve become a lot more sure about some things.” He smiled. “After all, I’ve got two angels on my side. All he has is Mike Orzio. I don’t think I’d want to be in his shoes today.”

  “You do realize everybody in this company hates your uncle don’t you? Do you know the hero you will be when you prove he’s a crook and force him to step down?”

  Charlie’s eyes widened. “Hero? You really think so?”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Do you think Mary will notice?” Charlie’s gaze had dropped to the floor.

  “I think Mary will notice.” Herman hesitated as a thought struck him. “And if you have any spare time after this, I have it on good authority that the lady would like a deck or a porch of some kind. You’re quite the carpenter. Maybe you could talk to her about it.”

  Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I could talk to her about carpentry.”

  The door swung open as another man entered. Charlie turned to make a pretense of washing his hands, and Herman made for the door. He turned around and saw Charlie mouth ‘thank you.’

  ***

  “Tricia, it’s Tuesday,” Herman said into his cell phone.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Lucian’s there, I guess? Has Charlie told him about the meeting yet?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Did he explode?”

  “Just a little.”

  “Charlie was good, then?”

  “Yep.”

  “Listen, I want to be in that board meeting. Can I stay invisible? Do I just have to keep my wings out?”

  “Well, there are other ways you can do it, but that will work, too. Just be careful.”

  “Cool. Thanks. You might want to take the rest of the day off, you know. Even if Lucian isn’t fuming yet, he’s bound to be later. And he might figure out to blame you.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take your advice.”

  “Bye, dear.” he said, playing along.

  ***

  Herman found out from one of the guys in the facilities department which conference room Charlie had booked for the meeting and set himself up near a potted plant in his true form, with his wings tucked behind him. A young girl came in pushing a cart and set up drinks and cookies along the wide windowsill. She didn’t seem to see him, but he wasn’t sure she would have acknowledged him anyway.

  The tech guy came in next and set up a laptop and projector. When he didn’t speak, Tuesday decided he was sufficiently invisible. It wasn’t long before men and women in suits began filing in. Charlie appeared promptly on time; Lucian was five minutes late, but Charlie waited for him to begin the meeting.

  Tuesday watched the board members’ faces as Charlie laid out what he surmised had been happening. When he finished his slide presentation regarding the irregularities that could be seen in the financial statements, he stopped to take questions, and Lucian stood up.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry my nephew has called you all here to waste your time. You may or may not know that we don’t have the most cordial relationship, and I keep him on the payroll as a favor to my brother. I can see now that’s been a mistake – a mistake I will correct this afternoon.”

  “Don’t you have anything else to say, Lucian?” asked a suave looking gray-haired gentleman.

  “There’s nothing else to say, Derek. This is all hokum. Charlie is trying to catch me up with this smoke and mirrors theory of his.”

  “Charlie?” the same gentleman asked.

  “Unfortunately, it isn’t smoke and mirrors, unless you’re referring to the tactics Uncle and Mike Orzio have been using to try to cover their tracks.”

  “Derek, you’ve known me for twenty years. You can’t believe I’d do such a thing to my own company.”

  “It’s not your company, Lucian,” another man chimed in. “It’s our company. You sound like you’ve forgotten you don’t hold all the stock.”

  That seemed to set Lucian back a moment, judging by the stunned look on his face. Had he really expected no one to question him, Tuesday wondered.

  “Uncle, I think we’d all appreciate it if you just told the truth.”

  Lucian turned to Charlie, his round face going red. “Why you…! How dare you come in here and accuse me of being a thief!”

  He moved around to the head of the table where Charlie stood and leaned in to within an inch of Charlie’s face. “Now I want you out of here this minute while I try to repair the damage you’ve done today. And you can clear out your desk as soon as you get upstairs.”

  Charlie didn’t move an inch. “I don’t think so, Uncle. Now sit down.” His voice was quiet but steady, and Lucian drew back, his red face suddenly going pale.

  “You’re defying me?” he asked.

  “That’s right, Uncle. I am. I’m just sorry it had to be this way.” He pulled the recorder out of his jacket pocket and pressed the play button.

  After the first few words, Lucian’s eyes went even wider. “You…you recorded a private conversation. Turn that off!”

  “Sit down, Lucian,” the man named Derek ordered. “I want to hear what’s on that tape.”

  Lucian turned to look at the rest of the board members. No one leapt to his defense, and he backed up slowly, not re-taking his seat, but sinking down onto the windo
wsill beside the cookie tray.

  The tape played on, with faces around the table becoming more and more dismayed. Lucian remained stone-faced.

  When Charlie clicked the recorder off, there was silence in the room, and Lucian had begun to chew at his lower lip.

  “I know this looks bad,” he began.

  “It doesn’t just look bad, Lucian. I think, as you have an interest in this matter, you should leave the room while we discuss what Charlie has presented.”

  Lucian got up and headed for the door; Charlie moved to follow.

  “Charlie, please stay,” Derek said. “We may have further questions.”

  The board’s discussion went as Charlie had predicted, and when it was done, Charlie went to the door to tell his uncle to come back in.

  “Lucian, we’ve voted to remove you as CEO of this company,” Derek announced.

  “Don’t…don’t you think that’s being a bit hasty?”

  “You are being fired for cause,” Derek continued, “and as such, we will call for a shareholder vote as soon as possible to repurchase your company stock at the forfeit price.”

  “But, but…you can’t do that!” Lucian began to shake. “You’ll wipe me out, Derek.” He looked around the table. “It wasn’t that big a deal, what we did. We would have made it right.”

  “You stole from us, Lucian, us and all the other stockholders. You knew full well what the consequences would be if you were caught. You just thought you wouldn’t be. I find it incredibly hard to dredge up sympathy for an arrogant ass who’s been stealing money out from under our noses.”

  “You’re really firing me?”

  “Effective immediately. We’ll get the security guard to escort you to your office to retrieve any personal items.”

  “Security guard? To my own office?”

  “It’s not your office anymore.”

  Lucian began to visibly shake. “You’re really serious about this.”

  The shaking got worse as Tuesday watched, until Lucian’s image began to shimmer. Tuesday’s jaw dropped as Lucian ran from the room. He and Charlie both followed, cornering Lucian in the men’s room off the lobby.

  “I can’t believe you…you did this,” he shouted at Charlie. The shout turned into a painful, ear-splitting screech as Lucian’s huge form shrunk into that of a fat, furry squirrel.

  Herman turned to Charlie, knowing his own mouth hung open just as far as his ward’s.

  “You’re a squirrel?” Charlie asked, his voice high.

  The only answer was another screech, and when the door behind them opened, squirrel Lucian made a dash for it, straight across the lobby and out the front door.

  “I guess he won’t be stopping by his office for those personal items,” Herman said.

  Charlie shot him a glance, drawing his gaze away from the front doors. “You were listening in on the meeting?”

  He nodded. “I can be invisible. I was standing in the back for the whole thing. You did great.”

  “Thanks. It was funny; I wasn’t even nervous.”

  “That’s the power of standing up for your convictions. Keep doing that, and you should be fine.”

  Charlie nodded, thoughtful. “I guess I should go back in and tell them Uncle Lucian has…left the building.”

  “Think they’ll make you CEO?”

  Charlie shrugged. “Interim, maybe. I’ll probably have to earn the job.”

  Herman clapped him on the shoulder. “You can do it, Charlie. You’ve got all the right stuff.”

  Charlie grinned. “I appreciate the sentiment, Herman, but for an angel, you’ve got some really bad lines.”

  “Hey, you’re my first assignment, but I appreciate the feedback. I’ll work on it.”

  “Are we over then? Have I passed whatever the test was?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m here until I get called back.”

  “Will you say goodbye, at least?”

  Herman nodded. “I’ll try.”

  Herman didn’t feel like he needed to monitor the rest of the meeting. The board was behind Charlie, and that was what mattered.

  He went upstairs and found Tricia still in her cube. “Care to take a walk?”

  Tricia raised her brows. “Time for me to go?”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, actually, but Lucian won’t be needing you anymore.”

  She smiled. “Good for Charlie. Let me grab my purse.”

  “Why does Tricia carry a purse?” Tuesday asked once they were outside and walking toward his car. Price, too, had taken his own form again – minus the purse.

  “What kind of beautiful woman doesn’t carry a purse?”

  Tuesday shrugged. “I can’t say I’ve ever known that many beautiful women.”

  “Not human ones, I guess. You do seem to be making up for it.”

  Tuesday grinned. “You might be right.”

  Price turned to him, wearing an unusually thoughtful look. “You want some free advice? I think you should be careful.”

  Tuesday felt his face fall. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re caught between two archangels, Tuesday. You do see that, don’t you? You need to be careful you don’t get crushed.”

  Tuesday’s frown followed him home.

  “I didn’t mean to be a complete buzz-kill,” Price said, sliding onto one of their bar stools and pouring himself a double shot of whiskey. “Forget about archangels for now, T. You’ve made a tremendous success out of Charlie. You should be proud.”

  He raised his glass in Tuesday’s direction. “Now get a glass and have a drink with me.”

  Tuesday complied, more to ease his agitation than to celebrate.

  “It wasn’t just me who helped turn Charlie around,” he pointed out. “You did quite a bit of the work. Why don’t you want any of the credit?”

  “I just did it for the fun of it. Getting Lucian’s goat, buying Charlie a bunch of new clothes – that was all fun and games. You actually helped him become the guy who could make use of the things I did. You deserve the credit.”

  Tuesday pondered this. “I’m not entirely sure I believe you.”

  “Believe what you want. You won’t see my wings turning white any time soon.”

  Price glanced up from his glass. “Yours I’m not so sure about. Maybe if you keep up the good deeds you can escape Lucifer’s reach for good.”

  “I don’t know. Ariel seems to think I’m destined to be on the fence.”

  “Maybe she wants you on the fence.”

  Tuesday smiled. “Staying for her wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Price smirked. “I guess not, but now it’s not so simple, is it? You’ve drawn the big man’s attention, probably because of her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, just that he’s probably more interested in what she’s up to than he is in anyone else in hell.”

  “Oh.”

  “What? You thought I meant she had done it on purpose?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Interesting.”

  Tuesday looked at his watch. “I have to go. The one helpful thing Lucifer did was tell me that Red Bull has gone rogue and is coming after Mary. I want to get to her place before she gets home.”

  “That’s cool. I’ll make Charlie go out with me. One last night of fun before he turns back into a hardworking average guy.”

  “Maybe Tricia should go instead?”

  “I don’t think so. I don’t want to get in the way of his feelings for Mary. And he doesn’t need any coaching from Tricia to know to be extra careful with Mary, and I think that’s what she needs, don’t you?”

  Tuesday nodded. “You’re probably right. And maybe taking things slow will help him not be nervous.” He looked at Price. “But wouldn’t sending Tricia be more fun for you? That’s what you’re after, right?”

  Price scoffed. “Educating virgins, no thank you. I’d rather just be my charming, drunk self.”

  “Whatever y
ou say.” Tuesday looked around the room. “I think I’ll try flying right from here. It’s damned inconvenient to have to go outside.”

  “Just be sure to remember to dematerialize first. Since I’m drunk half the time, I just have the habit of going outside. Believe me, I’ve crashed into my share of ceilings.”

  Tuesday chuckled and concentrated on dissolving his physical form. Extending his wings, he aimed for the sky and soon found himself successfully on his way to Mary’s.

  Before his shoe landed on Mary’s first step, a voice floated out of the open window, sending a chill down his spine.

  “You didn’t believe it was me, did you?” Red Bull said.

  He heard Mary’s voice, but couldn’t make it out. She sounded scared.

  “What’s that?” Red Bull asked. “Speak up, Mary.”

  “I said, no. When I got the call, I was sure it was a prank.”

  “But you came home to make sure.”

  “I did. Even though I buried you.”

  “Turns out that’s not a very good way to get rid of someone. Life doesn’t last very long, but the afterlife,” he paused, “that’s permanent. Now there’ll be no getting away from me, you got that?”

  Mary was silent.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? I want dinner. I skipped lunch just to get to you, Mary. You know I love you, babe.” He laughed. It was a mean laugh.

  “Love from beyond the grave.” A chair scraped against the linoleum kitchen floor. “What more could a girl ask for?” Red Bull’s voice had dropped to a mock whisper.

  “I…I…uh…need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back, Red, and I’ll get your dinner.”

  Red Bull laughed again. “I don’t blame you. I’d have to go, too, if you’d come back from the fucking dead.”

  Tuesday walked down the length of the trailer and through the corrugated, beige metal wall into Mary’s bedroom. He was surprised to see her in there, too, and she gave a little squeak when he appeared, but quickly bit off any further noise.

  Wide-eyed, she mouthed “Red Bull” and pointed toward the kitchen.

  Tuesday nodded. “Let me handle it,” he whispered.