Four Ghosts

by James Ward Fiction

  Stone’s stomach did a flip. “Why’s that?”

  “Oh, you don’t know, do you? That’s where they found him.”

  Stone put an ‘oh dear’ expression on his face. “Wow, she must be devastated.”

  Starla’s head bobbed up and down.

  Stone waited, wanting to be anywhere else. He saw Starla welling up, ready to cut loose with another round of crocodile tears. “So, where is—?”

  “Vivian.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We put her in the conference room.”

  Stone decided to test the waters. “Has she talked to anyone else?”

  “A few.”

  “The police?”

  “For a few minutes. It’s strange, though.”

  “Oh?”

  Starla mopped her eyes. “She seems to be more interested in you.”

  Stone played out scenarios in his head. “Come now, Devlin, did you really think you’d get away with it?...Mr. Stone. Please, have a seat and let me explain to you how many federal laws you’ve broken . . . So, Devlin Stone, the low-life, sneaky shit that’s been robbing Fredrico blind . . . How long did my brother struggle with you before you killed him?”

  “Devlin?”

  Stone jumped.

  “You alright?”

  “I Guess so. Why you think this Vivian wants to see me so bad?”

  Starla shrugged. “Beats me. I don’t’ see it myself.”

  “Thanks loads.”

  “She’s been waiting awhile. You might wanna get it in gear.”

  “Right.” Sweat began to form on Stone’s forehead. He palmed it off and headed for the conference room. He wasn’t ready for this.

  Seated at the far end of the conference table, was the most enchanting woman Stone had ever seen. He stood in the doorway taking her in—silky auburn hair, long, slender legs sheathed in black silk stockings, manicured nails, short, lavender dress with plunging neckline—Vivian had a lot to offer and it was all in the right places.

  “Well, do you want to hold the door frame in place, or push your eyes back in the sockets and grab a seat?”

  Stone caught a whiff of something floral. It was light, airy and totally intoxicating. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “A seat Devlin Stone, would you care to take a seat?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “You are Devlin Stone, yes?”

  Stone tried to focus on anything but cleavage and failed miserably. “I am? I . . . I mean . . . I am. Yes, I’m Devlin.”

  “Well, Devlin Stone, I’m Vivian. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended a hand. Stone hesitated. “Go ahead, I won’t bite.”

  Stone wasn’t so sure. Then again, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He took her hand. The skin was soft and delicate, but her grip was firm. “Sorry about your brother.”

  Vivian drummed her scarlet nails on the table. “Are you?”

  Stone released her hand.

  “Some people didn’t like Fredrico much.”

  Stone waited.

  “How about you, Devlin, did you like my brother?”

  Stone shrugged. I didn’t really know him that well.”

  “I see. How about as a boss, did you like him as a boss?”

  Stone shifted in his chair, watching Vivian cross and uncross her legs. He wondered what real silk nylons and a Rolex watch like hers would cost. “Sure, he was an o’kay boss.”

  “You two played well together, did you?”

  He wondered what the hell she was getting at. “Well, Ms. Verigini—“

  “Please, call me Viv, everybody does.”

  “Well, Viv, I just worked for Mr.’V’. I didn’t have that much contact with him”

  She tapped a glossy fingernail on her perfect front teeth. “Mr.’V’, I like that. You must have been close to Fredrico.”

  Shit. Why’d he let that slip. Nobody called Verigini Mr. “V’ to his face. Stone blushed. “Actually, I hope this doesn’t offend you, but I don’t think he knew I called him that. It probably would’ve gotten him—“

  “Pissed?”

  “Exactly.”

  Vivian leaned forward, ran her fingers over her stockings and winked. “Guess we won’t need to worry about him finding out now, will we?”

  “No ma’am, I guess not. It must be hard for you right now.”

  Vivian toyed with her gold necklace, letting her fingers play up and down in her cleavage. “Ah, but the real question, Devlin, is it hard for you?”

  Stone’s blush deepened.

  She let him stew a full five minutes, watching his face turn red and sweaty before she eased up. “Nice to know Fredrico has such dedicated employees. You are dedicated, right?”

  “Sure.”

  Vivian’s crossed leg was bobbing now, a seductive dance that caused her shoe to slip back-and-forth on her silk covered foot. It made soft, chuffing sounds and her breasts gently swayed to the rhythm. “I admire dedication. It shows character. Bet you’re a real character aren’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  Vivian grinned. “Just a stab in the dark.”

  Stone waited.

  “You believe in good and evil, Devlin?”

  Stone shrugged, wondering what kind of game she was playing.

  “I believe whoever killed Fredrico is evil.”

  “Killed!?” said Stone. “Starla said he had a heart attack.”

  “Nonsense, it was murder. The police don’t think so, but I’m sure of it.”

  Stone was silent. The shock had her rambling, or maybe she was trying to trip him up.

  “Evil’s a funny thing. It comes in many forms.”

  Definitely rambling.

  “Cheating, theft, drugs, murder, it’s all evil.”

  Maybe she was a lunatic.

  “Some people think evil’s a curse, something never to be forgiven.”

  A very clever lunatic.

  “Ever felt cursed, Devlin?”

  She was baiting him, hoping he’d spill his guts. He wasn’t going to bite.

  “I believe in forgiveness in all things.”

  Stone picked at a hangnail, bit it loose and spat it on the floor. “What if someone has no choice?”

  “There’s always a choice. Every decision has consequences.”

  Prickly heat burned at Stone’s neck and arms.

  Vivian leaned close enough for him to get a good whiff of perfume. Honeysuckle. Her cobalt blue eyes widened and her nostrils flared. “Ever heard of Hell, Devlin Stone?”

  Stone lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. “Who hasn’t? Why’d you ask?”

  Vivian lifted an index finger, the perfectly painted nail glistening under the florescent lighting. She tapped him lightly on the chest. “There but for the devil goes YOU.”

  Stone pushed himself back. “What the Hell’s that ‘spose to mean?”

  She didn’t reply, simply uncrossed her magnificent legs, stood and walked out.

  20

  Arder left VFFP through the front entrance, floating past busy customers shopping for remedies, analgesics, salves and balms. Each was searching for their own personal miracle in a bottle. Those not shopping wandered the aisles paying their respects. When she was safely out of sight she shed the Vivian Verigini body, let it drop to the pavement like a snake skin and stuffed it in a nearby dumpster. She wouldn’t need it any more.

  Taking the Vivian identity was a necessity. Arder had to get into Vivian’s skin to get under Stone’s. Vivian wasn’t her first, but Arder had quickly taken a liking to her—the silky voice, an air of sophistication, a knockout body—what was there to gripe about? Arder hoped taking Vivian’s form would let her wake Stone up with a taste of the Fear-of-God routine. She wasn’t sure she’d succeeded. Stone was too cocky to be scared. In fact, he didn’t seem to give a shit about anything of virtue or value. Sometimes, that’s how it went. On rare occasions redemption came easy, none of the body-snatching, bone chilling, teeth, hair and eyeballs rigamaroll. Vivia
n was an attempt at a different technique that didn’t seem to move Stone off center. She had to admit, though, the silk stockings and plunging neckline were a nice touch, even if they only stirred his lower regions.

  Becoming Vivian was fairly easy. She had been an outta-sight-outta-mind partner at VFFP. She much preferred winters in Cocoa Beach and summers at the country club where she could cash checks and sip martinis. No one at VFFP admitted to ever seeing her, so naturally they practically fell over each other to be the first to meet Fredrico’s mysterious sister. By the time they figured things out, Devlin Stone would be little more than a painful memory. Redemption was nigh.

  21

  Stone wasn’t sure what to make of Vivian Verigini. He wanted to like her, was evenly attracted to her, but she also gave him the creeps. And what was up with all the good-n-evil, Heaven-n-Hell mumbo jumbo? He couldn’t be sure. One thing he was sure of—he’d better make hay while the sun was shining. Tidying up Mr.’V’s untimely death might distract Vivian long enough for him to do a quick ‘fire sale’ on all the pharma he’d been snatching. He could pick up some extra coin and dispose of incriminating evidence in one fell swoop.

  He’d need to tip-off Nip, let him know there might be some heat building. That’d give him a chance to gather all his secret stash while he was at it. Then, he could lay low and think things through. Nip was on his own.

  22

  Once Arder got tapped for a job, she had two weeks, three tops, to redeem a life it had taken someone twenty to thirty years to screw up. Her subjects cluttered their lives with use and abuse, dope and death and unspeakable crimes and sins against humanity—acts so vile it sickened her. And yet, she went on, a recycler of human debris. Devlin Stone was about to shift his shady life into overdrive. The clock was ticking.

  Arder knew, no matter how ugly, how despicably disgusting and revolting life becomes, there comes a time when things need to be brought to a head. Stone’s life had festered and the usual methods failed to bring him out of his death spiral. Her patience was wearing thin. She approached her portal and addressed the orb.

  She waited for hours, hoping Maliki would reply, giving her some secret tactic known only to guardians. Maliki’s wisdom and experience had exposed him to redemptions of the vilest kind, redemptions far more villainous than Stone. She was eager to get started, anxious to learn from a seasoned wraith who’d cut his fangs on heathens like Stone.

  She imagined Maliki out in the rough in his early days. He was well respected by those who knew him and feared by those he confronted. His redemption record was spotless and legendary. Arder had adapted much of Maliki’s methodology—techniques that had long been used to train the youngers under her watch.

  Arder fretted and paced, wondering why Maliki was delaying his reply. Was he ignoring her? Perhaps preparing a detailed reprimand that would remove her from service for what she’d done to Nip? The orb remained black, mocking her with silence. She fussed with the resolution knob. Nothing. Minutes turned to hours. She agonized over what his decision would be. Maliki rarely resorted to aggression of any kind. She could count on one ghostly hand the number of times he’d allowed violence against someone facing the reckoning. True, those had been a bloody carnage, one that can only be cleared by a guardian.

  On through the night Arder waited. The orb remained a mute, black sphere. By dawn she was at her wits end. She’d played out every scenario in her head, hoping to come up with her own solution. Maliki was keen on self-reliance. It could earn her points towards her wings. The only solution she’d devised for Stone was unthinkable. If she snuffed him without exhausting every option available there’d be hell to pay. She’d wait on Maliki.

  Shortly before noon the orb began to glow, faint at first then hot, white and blinding. Maliki’s response was short and to the point. “Do what you must.”

  23

  Stone gave Nip’s door a tap. It was already open a crack. There were dark, red smudges on the inside door frame. Stone smelled something burnt and metallic. “Nip?”

  No answer.

  “Yo, Nip!”

  Something was wrong.

  Stone eased through the door, cautious and concerned. The place was always a shit-heap, but now? There were bloody pills and capsules littering the filthy carpet. Chunky bits of flesh hung from a lamp, stuck to the wallpaper and dripped from the ceiling. Stone rubbed his eyes with his fists. He’d been seeing so many hinky things lately he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, the after effects of his drug binges or if he was just cracking up. He focused, rubbed again and scanned the apartment. He touched a crimson clump clinging to the couch. It was real.

  Either Nip had gone nut-bars on someone, or someone had done the deed on him. The attack had been vicious, something straight out of a slasher movie. If Nip had gone Charlie Manson on somebody, he was probably long gone. Nobody would hang around waiting for the shit to hit the fan after pulling an epic slammer-jammer like the one Stone was staring at. And if it was Nip shredded all over the room? Stone didn’t want to think about it. What he did want to think about was clearing the hell out. Not just out of Nip’s crib, but out of the city, maybe even the state. He needed to finish up a few things first, to give him some traveling money. One more big score and he could ghost.

  He scooped up as much of the bloody pharma as he could muster, picking off odd bits of blood and gore as he worked. He shoveled it into burger bags, fast food wrappers, Styrofoam cups, anything that would hold the goods till he could dump them in his duffle and jam. He remembered what Nip had once told him: ‘Nothing good lasts forever, bro. You push it too hard for too long and you’ll face a day of reckoning. That’s how the world works.’ Stone took a good, long look at the remains spattered on the walls and ceiling. If this was the reckoning, he wanted no part of it. Not like this. A ghost, that’s what he would become, disappearing so completely he’d be nothing more than an afterthought. He turned for the door.

  Arder was on Stone before he had time to react. She drifted over him like a woolen shroud, choking off his air and filling him with fear. His face went ash white as she confronted him. “You’ve got a way of wearing on people, you know that?”

  Stone’s mouth made pucka-pucka-pucka sounds as his dry, cracked lips tried to form a response.

  Arder watched his eyes pin-ball around in their sockets. She let her face switch between herself, Nip, Fredrico Vericini, Vivian, a street urchin and back to herself. “Well? Spit it out.”

  Stone sucked in a shallow, rattling breath. “T . . . To . . . To tell you the t . . . tr . . . truth, you’re kinda wearing on me, too.”

  Arder’s face switched to Fredrico’s again. “Since when have you started telling the truth?”

  “N . . . No . . . Not to mention,” Stone continued, “You scare the sh . . . shi . . . shit outta me.”

  A sinister grin filled Arder’s face as she turned back into Vivian. “Mission accomplished.”

  “Who are you? W . . . wh . . . what are you? And why won’t you leave me alone and mind your own business?”

  “Ah,” said Arder, letting her face shift into a ghoulish creature, “that’s just it, you are my business. She snapped her fingers. Stone’s entire body immediately turned frigid. Ice crystals formed on his eyebrows. A tear leaked from his eye and froze on his cheek. “Am I getting through yet?”

  Stone’s mouth muttered no but his head nodded yes.

  “Good. Now, listen closely, there’s not much time.”

  “Time for what?”

  “To save you.”

  Stone’s eyelashes crystallized, crumbled and drifted to the floor. Arctic air rushed through his body chilling the marrow in his bones. “I . . . dd...don’t need sa . . . savin’”

  “Wise up. You’re a smart kid, but what you’ve been doing is dumb. Ultra-dumb.” Arder shifted positions, swirling around his face like a pesky blue bottle fly. “You want to stay dumb, or do you aspire to do great things?”

  Stone suddenly felt warm again. He fl
exed his fingers, wobbled his head from side to side and cracked his thawing neck. Whataya got that’s better than I got?”

  “You may be surprised.”

  “And what’s in it for me?”

  “Not everything in the world’s about money.”

  “It is to me.”

  Arder floated to Stone’s left, shape-shifted into an eight foot hulk with glowing orange eyes and a gaping maw full of sharp metal spike. “Greed is such a horrid little monster. Soon it will eat your soul, leaving an empty shell.”

  Stone yanked a pistol from his waistband and emptied it into the thing Arder had become. The bullets passed through its hulking body and burrowed into the wall.

  Arder shifted back to her own form. “Stop being foolish.” She snatched Stone’s duffle and crushed it into the floor with the heel of her loafer.

  Stone stared at the mess on the floor. “Are you insane? That shit’s worth a couple grand on the street. Don’t you know anything?”

  She hushed him with a sharp talon to the lips. “I know everything, every filthy little detail.”

  She glared at him and for a moment he saw Mr. ‘V’s corpse, then Nip’s slaughtered remains.

  “What the hell? Wha . . . What are you?”

  “Nip’s gone. You’ve got a new partner.”

  “No!”

  Arder’s face turned blood red and melted away. “I’m calling the shots from here on out.”

  Stone heard talons clicking. “No. No way.”

  The monstrous face came into full bloom. “You work for me now.”

  Stone’s hands trembled. His teeth chattered. A molar cracked and fractured into pieces. “This ain’t real. You ain’t real.”

  “I assure you, I am.” She tapped a talon against his chest. “Now, how is it you street rats say it? Ah, yes, pull your shit together, we got work to do. And take my word, I’m one bitch of a boss.”

  “But you said you were here to save me, to make my life better.”

  “Every silver lining has a few thick, black clouds hovering over it.” Arder reached in her pocket, pulled out the shoe laces and shook them out into a long, straight line. “Thick, nasty, black clouds.” She tugged the laces tight and gave them a quick pop. “Time to meet Daddy.”