Color of Angels' Souls

by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian

  To regain her composure, Allison sat down on the couch and plunked her little dog down in her lap to act as her guardian. She finally came to her senses.

  “I promised …”

  “… your mother on her deathbed that you would wait until you were married. That you would remain a virgin until your wedding night, because you would make your own choice, and wouldn’t have the decision imposed on you. You’ve told me it all before, Allison, and the whole thing is completely ridiculous! I’m offering you a chance for freedom, baby. A chance to free yourself from this asinine decision!”

  But Allison’s pretty face had a stubborn look on it.

  “I promised. And when you make a promise, you keep it. Mom had to get married when she was just a girl because she got pregnant with me. It ruined her life. She had to give up her studies, and had to depend on a man for everything: my father. She made me swear that I wouldn’t make the same mistake. She and my father ended up getting a divorce, and he doesn’t speak to me anymore because I always stood up for her. That’s why, when she was sick, when the cancer was eating her up inside and she looked like a skeleton, on her deathbed she made me promise to finish my studies, to be financially independent, and to get married before I slept with a man. ‘No condom or pill is 100% reliable,’ she would always say. ‘You can’t take the risk!’ So even if it’s hard for me, even if it makes me crazy sometimes, and even if I sometimes feel like there isn’t a guy in all of New York who can understand my decision, I’ll stick to it. Until I find the man I want to marry, and who will understand my choice.”

  “OK, OK! Message received,” Clark muttered in exasperation. “I’ve heard your story a hundred times now, Allison—may I remind you that the two of us were practically raised together? But to make love is … it’s like dancing with Angels!”

  The blue and red Angels both broke out laughing.

  “You can say that again!”

  Allison pushed back her long blond hair and gave him a hard look.

  “Well, the two of us aren’t going to make love or start dancing with anybody tonight. But you are going to help me understand why someone was murdered because of me!”

  These last words completely stopped Clark in his tracks, to Jeremy’s great relief.

  “Why someone was what?”

  “Murdered,” Allison said in barely a whisper. “They cut his head off. I heard on the news that there were two murders, and both the victims were killed with some kind of Japanese sword.”

  Clark frowned and shook his head. He grabbed a chair, set it in front of Allison, and sat down carefully.

  “And why did you say it’s your fault? Allison, please, don’t tell me you were in a remake of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? I told you that those Kung Fu classes were a bad idea, grasshopper.”

  But Allison was in no mood for jokes.

  “I’m not completely positive! It’s just a suspicion. I think it might have something to do with … with something I overheard. And if that’s true, then I’m in danger too!”

  Clark rubbed his forehead, very attentive now to what she was saying.

  “No, Allison,” he said. “Don’t tell my your role in the story is the girl in the wrong place at the wrong time! That’s one of the shortest roles, you know, because she usually doesn’t last very long in the movie. What did you overhear? Allison, you have to tell me everything!”

  “Yeah, go on, Allison,” Jeremy added. “Tell him everything!”

  “I … I don’t want to tell you too much, Clark, because then you may be in danger too,” said Allison, who was visibly shaken. “Let’s just say that, unfortunately, you’re right: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I overheard a conversation about … something, about a new product that was invented. But that the inventor was keeping secret. And I can’t understand why he would do such a thing … it’s … it’s completely insane, and all the more so because, if what I heard is true, the company is named after him.”

  “But what does that have to do with the murdered guy?” Clark prompted.

  “The murdered guy, as you call him—Jeremy Galveaux—had a little sister who’s in the class where I’m doing my student teaching. She was very proud of her big brother, and one day she gave me his business card. I saw him on TV. He’s a specialist on big corporations, and all I wanted to do was talk to somebody who can help me understand why this man whom I overheard talking would be acting against his own interests. I wanted to make sure before I accused him. Maybe he was actually innocent.”

  Clark was having trouble following her. He leaned in close to Allison, staring at her intently with his green eyes.

  “Listen, sweetheart, now I’m the one who’s having a hard time understanding. I have a very simple question for you: Why do you want to make an accusation against this person? What does it matter to you? You’re going to get yourself in deep shit if you do, and I’m not even talking about this crazy story about a ninja in New York, OK? I’m talking about a Little Miss Nobody student who wants to denounce a powerful pharmaceutical company!”

  Allison gave him a suspicious look.

  “How do you know it’s a pharmaceutical company?”

  “I’m not just another pretty face, my love,” Clark sighed, indicating his perfectly sculpted body. “There’s a brain beneath all this stunning beauty, you know.”

  “What I really appreciate is your incredible modesty,” Allison mocked. “But you’re right, it is a drug company.”

  “And you’re determined to get mixed up in this business because … ?”

  Allison slumped slightly, hesitated, then finally decided to tell him why.

  “Because if what I overheard is true, the product we’re talking about is a cure for cancer. Not all types of cancer, but at least half. Do you even realize what that means?”

  Clark froze. So did Jeremy. Even if he had no real desire to clear his stepfather of any suspicion involving his murder, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that he had been killed by one of Frank’s rivals. A spectacular murder. Which didn’t gibe at all with Allison’s suspicions. Jeremy could probably guess what the guy she’d overheard was planning to do: He would most likely try to take over control of his company before releasing his wonder drug. Just because the company was named after him didn’t necessarily mean he owned it. But if Jeremy wanted to get rid of someone who could prevent him from taking over a company just before he introduced a spectacular new drug on the market, he would never draw attention to himself by having his victims’ heads cut off! He would do the whole thing on the sly: poisoning, an unfortunate accident, a drowning, that sort of thing.

  “A cure for cancer?” Clark whispered. “Now I understand. The same horrible disease that killed your mom, so now you’re obsessed with your noble cause. OK, I’ve got another question for you then: Can you prove what you’ve told me?”

  “No,” Allison sobbed, her eyes full of tears; “Of course not! I didn’t even think about recording the conversation! I was just sitting there waiting for someone, that’s all! The man didn’t see me; he was in his office talking to someone on the phone. Then the person I was waiting for showed up and we left. And it was right then that he realized I’d been waiting in the next room, and that I’d heard the conversation. I’m almost sure of it.”

  Clark reached the same conclusion as Jeremy.

  “Honey, listen to me,” Clark said softly. He sat down next to Allison on the couch and pulled her close. “Only a serial killer would chop somebody’s head off, and certainly not some discrete businessman who wants to earn millions of dollars and keep quiet about it. Your story doesn’t make any sense. What did you say the murder victim’s name was again?”

  “Jeremy Galveaux,” Allison sniffed. She set Frankenstein down on the floor and he began barking excitedly. “I saw his mother and his stepfather, Frank Tachini, at his funer—”

  “What!” Clark exclaimed. “Who did you say?”

  “Jeremy Galv—”

  “No, no, th
e other name!”

  “Um, Frank Tachini?”

  Clark took his arms off of Allison and turned to face her.

  “It’s The Godfather!” he said excitedly. Once again, to Jeremy’s great consternation, he had been thinking the exact same thing as Clark. “Frank Tachini is the godfather.”

  Allison’s eyes widened, as did those of the Angels who were listening, completely captivated by the story.

  “The godfather of who?”

  “No, no, the movie: The Godfather! That guy, Jeremy—he was killed to set an example; it has nothing to do with you. Listen, honey, you’re going to have to get out a little bit more, keep up with what’s going on in the world. Didn’t you know that there’s an investigation going on about Frank Tachini? And that it was his stepson who instigated the whole affair by accusing him of being a weapons trafficker? You can imagine what people like that do to someone who’s betrayed them!”

  Allison was dumbfounded. The color of her Mist was suddenly tinged with fear.

  “You … you mean not only do I know a dangerous secret, but by some random coincidence I was also the witness to a contract killing? Ordered by an arms dealer?”

  Clark could only stare at her, just as stunned as she was.

  “You’re right, babe; it’s all a bit too much, isn’t it? I’m not too sure about your secret miracle drug, but as for the murder you witnessed, there’s only one thing you can do: You have to go tell the police.”

  Allison scrunched up into an even tighter ball on the couch.

  “No.”

  “No? What do you mean, no?”

  “No, because I didn’t see anything!”

  She took a deep breath before adding: “All I saw was the poor man’s head rolling in the gutter. I ran away. Luckily for me, the killer didn’t try to follow me.”

  Clark pulled her close again, very worried now.

  “That was the best thing you could’ve done! But I’m sure that the poli—”

  “Clark, if my testimony could help them in any way, I would go to the police in a second and tell them everything! It was dark out; I saw Jeremy Galveaux walking toward me. I had been hiding in a dark corner. I had been waiting for hours, and didn’t want anyone to notice me. The more time passed, the stupider I felt to be wasting my time like that, but when I had called his office that evening, his secretary refused to let me talk to him. She wouldn’t schedule a meeting either. I didn’t know what to do; it was the only solution. I started walking over to him, relieved that he had finally arrived, it was so late at night. He was walking toward his apartment building, and then when he walked through a shadowy spot on the sidewalk I heard a noise.”

  A quiver ran through her.

  “Then I saw his head drop out of the darkness into the light. And the blood. Something moving in the shadows. And that’s it. I turned and ran.”

  Clark listened intently, his brow furrowed.

  “Tsk tsk tsk,” one of the Angels said to him. “You better be careful, honey, or you’re going to get some frightful wrinkles!”

  Clark chose his words carefully: “I’m really worried now, Allison: You’re in danger! I understand how you feel. I know it’s upsetting to have to deal with the police. But you have to go, Allison. You know that you didn’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean that the killer knows you didn’t!”

  Allison couldn’t speak for a few moments. She closed her eyes.

  “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

  “Well then? What are you going to do?”

  “Right now, I have no idea. If what you say about Tachini is true, I’m just glad that the man’s death didn’t have anything to do with me, but I’m still determined to denounce that drug company. That new drug has to be placed on the market, Clark! They have to cure all those sick people: It’s … it’s vitally important!”

  “Well, thanks a lot everyone,” Jeremy muttered. “Glad to hear that my death doesn’t bother you.”

  The two Angels looked over at him, intrigued by his words.

  “You were the guy that got murdered?” the Red asked him.

  “Yep, that would be me,” Jeremy said.

  “So you’re here to find out who killed you, and why?”

  “Yep,” Jeremy repeated, still ticked off.

  The two Angels clapped their hands giddily, both delighted by the news.

  “Oooh,” cooed the Blue. “Let’s help him, Mike, huh? What do you say? We’ll whisper into the ear of our dark handsome friend here that he should do a little bit of investigating on his own.”

  Jeremy perked up: “You would do that? Really?”

  The two Angels both nodded.

  “Of course! We were both starting to get bored, but now we’ve got excitement, adventure, mystery, sex—”

  “No,” his friend replied. “No sex with these two, at least not yet. At least, not with her.”

  “Well, maybe, but there’re still more than enough reasons to help you out. Have you ever heard of Rose’s & Bl—”

  “Blues, yes I know the place,” Jeremy finished for him. The club certainly was the hot spot for Angels. “The music is fantastic.”

  “My oh my, you’re pretty trendy for a little Blue!” remarked the one named Mike. “Well then, meet us there in two days, and we’ll let you know what we’ve found out.”

  Clark tried once again to convince Allison that she had to contact the police, but she finally told him that all their arguing was giving her a headache, and the muscles in her back were all tense.

  He finally gave up, but still looked quite upset.

  “Lay down, dear heart, and I’ll loosen up your back for you. But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook that easy!”

  Allison, happy to change the subject, didn’t protest. She put her hands up the back of her white T-shirt and managed to unlatch her bra and pull it off after a bit of a struggle. Then she lay down on her stomach on the couch and pulled the shirt up over her shoulders, keeping her magnificent breasts safely hidden by the cushions.

  At first, Clark only gave her a simple rub down, and it took Allison a while to relax anyway because her muscles were so tense. But, almost imperceptibly at first, her friend’s soft caresses became more and more insistent.

  “Ohhhh, that’s so nice,” Allison purred. “You have amazing hands!”

  Slowly but surely, Clark’s hands started making their way down Allison’s back to her pants. Without a word, he raised her up slightly and undid her pants, one button at a time, lowering them to reveal the small of her back and her shapely bottom. Allison wriggled a little but didn’t protest, to Jeremy’s great consternation.

  Then without warning Clark straddled her as he continued to run his skillful hands over her skin and muscles, as if he were playing a magnificent violin.

  He eventually pulled her pants completely off and began massaging her long legs, and then began caressing her through the unsexy white cotton panties that covered her behind. He nibbled the sensitive skin at the backs of her knees, and Allison began to lose her mind. The friendly massage had now become heavy, hot petting.

  “Oh nooooo,” Jeremy howled in anger. “Nooo, Allison! Fight him off, you took an oath! You promised your mother!”

  But the young woman didn’t hear him. Clark had completely covered her with his own hot body, kissing her, nibbling at her neck, and she abandoned herself to the pleasure of his caresses, moaning with desire. Clark turned her over, not giving her time to protest, pulled off her T-shirt and began to slowly run his tongue over her magnificent breasts. Allison arched her back. Clark’s caresses made her forget everything, everything except the fantastic sensations from his tongue and his wonderful hands.

  Clark was going to make love to her, right there in front of him, and it was about to drive Jeremy completely mad.

  Then his eyes fell on Frankenstein, who was dozing nearby, completely oblivious to the fact that his owner was fooling around on the couch. He ran up to the little dog and began jumping up and down and ye
lling excitedly: “Yeaaahhh, yeaaaahhhh! Here I am, here I am! Frankenstein, yeaaaahhhh!”

  Surprised by the indistinct movements that he could just barely perceive in his canine brain, Frankenstein raised his head.

  “Yessssss, yessssss!” Jeremy yelled even louder. “That’s a good boy, c’mon now, you can see me, you can see me!”

  Jeremy began waving his arms around crazily, jumping up and down around the dog. All his gesticulations finally began to make the dog feel uneasy. Getting the vague impression that he was supposed to do something, Frankenstein let out an inquisitive yap, followed by another as Jeremy kept up his shenanigans, and then a third when Jeremy clapped his hands and kept on calling his name.

  Allison suddenly froze, then pushed Clark away as she finally snapped out of it. Her hair was a mess and she was practically naked.

  Clark could only sigh. When he finally found his voice he said, “You know what? I hate your dog.”

  “Yeah,” Allison replied as she quickly grabbed hold of her T-shirt and pulled it on, her hands still trembling. “Right now, so do I. But he kept me from making a big mistake. Thanks, Frankenstein, you saved the day!”

  Furious now, she snapped her head around to face Clark and poked her finger at him threateningly.

  “And as for you: You are really impossible. My God, Clark!”

  “Oh, c’mon now,” he smiled, showing her his perfectly sculpted abs. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself.”

  Allison moaned softly, still burning with desire.

  “Of course, Don Juan, I absolutely loved it! Which is why you better get lost immediately, buddy, before I forget my promise!”

  Clark put his hands on her hips and pulled her close.

  “C’mon, let me help you relax some more. I won’t go all the way, I promise.”

  Allison slapped his hands and broke free from his grasp.

  “Ohhhh no, no way, buster! You’ve relaxed me more than enough. And I know what your promises are worth!”