I was shaking so hard, Miles grabbed a blanket off the arm of the couch, and wrapped it around me.
“You’re probably in shock,” he said, holding me close.
“Aren’t you?” I asked quietly. “Did you have any idea…?”
“No, in the hospital—” Miles waited for an officer to pass by. “I couldn’t—you know. I tried, just like I forgot and tried walking through some walls, because it was habit after all those years. But nothing happened. I was on heavy pain medication after my surgeries, maybe that’s why I couldn’t. And really, I didn’t expect to be able to, since I was solid again. So I focused on getting out of the habit of trying, since there’s no point in waving for no good reason.”
We sat quietly as another officer passed by, then Miles continued.
“When you threw that water bottle, I knew you were sacrificing yourself to save me, and that you were about to die. A hundred and forty-four years of habit kicked in, I reacted, and—it worked. I’ve never been so glad to have something work.” Miles tightened his hold on me, and pressed his cheek against my hair.
“Me too,” I said fervently, shivering even more. “I’m so thankful for your quick reflexes, too.”
“No kidding,” Miles said.
“I was praying the whole time,” I remembered.
“Me too,” Miles said. “Whether I’ve had these abilities all along or they were restored, either way, it’s a miracle that saved us.”
“Yes, it was,” I agreed. “I’m so thankful for that. I was praying for help… I sure never expected it to arrive in this form.”
“It’s not the first time we’ve been given so much more than we ever expected,” Miles said.
Two officers walked by, then Miles continued.
“Your Mom and Dad wanted us to talk about how we’d distribute household chores.”
I gave Miles a very strange look. What a time to be tackling another item on the lengthy list.
Miles looked back.
“I’ll do the dusting.”
I clapped my hands over my mouth. Miles pulled me even closer to muffle the strangled sounds I made, and waved away a paramedic.
“You’re fine,” he whispered. “They think you’re crying.”
They have no idea how my fiancé superhero has the power to make me laugh, regardless of circumstances. We were nearly murdered, there’s a dead man stuck in my bedroom wall, I just shot someone, and… I’m laughing.
It did serve the purpose of releasing some of the stress, though. By the time I wiped away the last of the tears of laughter, I felt tired and sort of numb.
A paramedic came over again to inquire if either of us were injured, then an officer sat down near us and talked to Miles for a long time. He asked me questions as well, which I answered mechanically.
“Come on,” Miles said, rising to his feet and pulling me up with him.
“Where?” I wondered.
“My apartment. The officer said we can go. Come on.”
“But my things,” I said, looking at the suitcases by the door. “My wedding dress, and your wedding ring, and I shut the kittens in the bathroom.”
“These officers have very kindly offered to help move over your things,” Miles said, as the men did just that.
One officer placed my suitcase and other items inside the door of Miles’ apartment. Another, carried over an irritated Night and Pandora, who were not happy with being flung unceremoniously into the bathroom and shut in, when they’d been so sound asleep on the bed just moments before. Miles took the kittens and thanked the officers, and locked the door behind them when they left. Then we both dropped, exhausted, onto the couch. He put the kittens down, and put his arm around me. I held tightly to his hand.
“The police are wrapping up, but your place is a crime scene now, and you couldn’t stay there, anyway. You can have my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch,” Miles said.
“Okay,” I readily agreed. That sounded like a very good idea.
“There’s not much night left…” Miles pointed to the windows, which no longer framed the night sky. The glass glowed faintly, in the first rays of the rising sun.
“Well that was the longest night ever, in spite of morning coming so soon. Too bad we weren’t asleep for it,” I said.
“We’ll need to make a formal statement sometime today. Your call to 911, recorded everything that was said. The police contacted the DA in Alfred’s trial, and the Cedar Oaks Sheriff department. Considering the security guard was Tasered by Blondie, the new video system recorded everything clearly, she and George were both armed and in your apartment, and the lock on your door was tampered with, the police have no doubt you were shooting in self-defense.”
I nodded.
Miles kissed the top of my head.
“Are you okay?”
I thought about that.
“Don’t ever let me go, and I will be.”
“Okay, then,” Miles said, settling into the couch.
We sat there for several more minutes.
I sighed.
“I’m having a hard time processing everything.”
Miles put both arms around me as I leaned against him.
“There’s a lot to process.”
“When George dropped that gun… it was like a flashback. Sarah saw the guy with the gun behind you and Delevan, but there was nothing she could do.”
I started to shiver again, remembering. It was so vivid, like I was there in my great-great-great grandmother’s place.
“I know, I know,” Miles said, hugging me hard. “But history didn’t repeat itself. You did something. You saved my life. I’m fine, because of you.”
“I grabbed the gun because of Sarah. I knew exactly what was about to happen, and how it would end if I didn’t. Sarah was in agony, wishing she’d picked up Dan’s gun instead of flinging it out of the way. She might have been able to stop the guy that ambushed you both and saved your lives, if only she had.”
“It’s mind boggling to think that if she did, you never would have been born… and I wouldn’t be here with you, now. What happened was terrible, but I’d never choose anything over you.”
“Thank you,” I said. I was very touched by that. “I wouldn’t choose anything over you, either. I love you so much, and I just—would shrivel up and die, if anything happened to you.”
Miles kissed the top of my head again.
“I love you, too. It was the worst moment of my life, seeing that psycho with a gun aimed at you, and realizing what he intended to do. And then, thinking that I saved you only to lose you after all, because Bea shot you. There was more than one worst moment tonight.”
“That’s how I felt when he had the Taser aimed at you, and you stepped forward, and then I saw Bea with that gun aimed at your back.”
“I know,” Miles brushed my bangs aside and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay though. We’re okay. We had plenty of best moments, which made up for the worst ones.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I was so tired.
“We make a good team, you know,” Miles said.
“I think so, but what do you mean?”
“You saved me, and I saved you. We’re good for each other.”
I turned and hugged him hard.
“Yeah, we are.”
We were silent as we thought over everything we just went through.
“Miles… you weren’t there, so you don’t know. George admitted to killing Second-Miles’ parents.”
“What?” Miles was stunned.
“I don’t know how he did it, but he was responsible for the accident they had. People assumed it was a drunk driver, because of the timing.”
Miles thought about that for a second.
“There was a drop off on one side of the road. They were forced off, and their vehicle found at the bottom of the cliff.”
“We’ll need to tell Polly…”
“Yeah. We will. That won’t be easy… it’s bad enough losing someone, but to h
ave them murdered… it’s much worse,” Miles said.
Several minutes passed and I was almost asleep, when I remembered something.
“That was so strange, the darkness that hovered around George Frank,” I said.
Miles held me back so he could see my face.
“What?” he asked.
“That darkness, like a smoky, swirling cloud. It was faint, but—you couldn’t see it?”
Miles shook his head slowly.
I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Miles pulled me close again.
“Maybe there’s more to you than being your great-great-great grandmother’s granddaughter, and that you believed in my innocence,” Miles said slowly, thinking it through.
I waited for him to come to a conclusion.
“Have you ever seen anyone before, that had this cloud?” Miles asked.
I shook my head.
“No, no one.”
“What about Alfred?”
I thought about that.
“Well, remember, he was in the vestibule, which means he was in the shade. I don’t think I would have seen it, even if it was there. And when he was in the alley, I had to stay out of sight, so I never got a very good look at him.”
We were silent for several minutes, as Miles considered that some more.
“What about the trial?”
My eyes widened.
“Yes, when I saw him, I felt darkness. And when I saw Bea in student services, on the grassy knoll, and in the courtroom corridor, there was darkness. I have seen this before, not often, but I have. I took it for granted, I thought everyone experienced that sometimes…”
“No, Anika… everyone doesn’t,” Miles said.
“What on earth could that mean?” I exclaimed.
Miles didn’t answer right away. Finally he shook his head.
“All I can conclude is that perhaps you’re able to perceive something most of us can’t,” he said.
“What, like evil?” I asked, not really liking that.
“Maybe. But since you’ve seen this sort of thing with these three people, then it must be some serious evil we’re talking about. Not that evil isn’t always serious. I think you know what I mean.”
“I do. And I don’t like that idea at all.”
Miles squeezed me tighter.
“I don’t either. But it’s the only conclusion I can come to. Believe me, I’ll be wracking my brain for another one. In the meantime, just… let’s try not to dwell on it. But if you ever see something like this again, please tell me immediately.”
“I will. Right away, without stopping for anything else.”
“Good,” Miles said.
We sat thinking about that until Miles woke me up. I guess I quit thinking, and fell asleep.
“Let’s both get some sleep, or we won’t wake up to give our statements tomorrow,” Miles said.
“Okay.”
I hugged Miles hard and kissed him goodnight—or good morning, I guess.
I was exhausted. I crawled into bed, comforted by the scent of Miles’ aftershave on his pillow. The bedroom door was open for reassurance, and I heard the springs of the couch creak as Miles lay down. Moments later, I was asleep.
Chapter 21
When I opened my eyes, the sun was shining bright, spreading warm rays of light across the bed. I lay there for a moment, staring at the windows and feeling disoriented. I felt like I woke up on the wrong side of the mirror.
It all came crashing back. I wasn’t Alice, and I hadn’t gone through the looking glass, after all. I had gone through an ordeal, and I wasn’t the only one.
I slid out of bed, and walked quietly to the living room.
There was Miles, sound asleep on the couch, with Pandora curled up beside him. It was reassuring to see his chest rise and fall with each breath.
I went back to the bedroom and quietly closed the door, then went to the attached bathroom and showered.
I got dressed, then quietly passed through the living room where Miles was still sleeping, to the kitchen.
Night sat in front of his bowl, eating his breakfast. He looked up, and squeaked out an almost silent meow. I leaned down to pet him, then started the coffee maker, and looked through the refrigerator and cabinets to see what our options were for breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and toast it is, then.
I glanced at the clock. It was already two o’ clock in the afternoon.
As the scent of coffee and bacon began to waft through the apartment, Miles woke up.
“I dreamed we were having breakfast,” he said from the doorway, looking as tired as I still felt. He gratefully accepted the mug of coffee I handed him.
“It’s no dream,” I said, as I stirred the eggs in their pan. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Miles smiled. “I’ll take a quick shower, and join you.”
Miles walked back into the kitchen, just as I finished buttering the last piece of toast.
“Thanks for fixing breakfast, it looks great,” Miles smiled, kissing my cheek and pulling out my chair for me.
“You’re welcome,” I said, hugging him instead of sitting down.
“It’s okay,” Miles said, hugging me back. “It’s over now. No more crazy people out to get us.”
“Can’t I hug you because you’re my favorite person in the whole world, as well as the cutest guy ever? Or can I only hug you under duress?”
“I don’t care why you do it, just don’t ever stop,” Miles said, with a melting look in his eyes as he kissed me.
I squeezed harder, and Miles winced.
“Ouch, watch the ribs!”
His comment made me laugh, as he knew it would. I let go, and sat at the table.
After breakfast, we loaded our vehicle with everything we were taking with us to Cedar Oaks, then drove to the police station to give our formal statements. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I was so thankful that I dialed 911, and that every sound in the room came through so clearly. The recording left no doubt as to what occurred. Well… except for the superpower part.
Blondie survived being shot, but George did not. He would never trouble us again. Blondie was being charged with multiple counts of attempted murder, accessory to murder, and murder, including George’s. I wondered if her defense would be “but I was trying to kill her, not him!” Their desire to get their hands on the Bannerman fortune wasn’t the first or the only deadly scheme they concocted, and Alfred Sullivan would likely be standing trial for a few new crimes, as well.
The officers thanked us for our time and said the DA would be in touch, and we were free to go.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” I said. “But it actually helped to talk it over. I don’t feel so stuck in that moment, when Blondie was about to shoot you.”
“Good,” Miles said. He squeezed my hand, which he held in one of his, as he steered the vehicle with the other. “You know… we do need to see your parents, and tell them what happened.”
I sighed.
“Yeah. I know…”
“Your apartment is a mess, we may need to hire your Dad and Uncle Mark to clean it,” he remarked.
It took me a minute to figure out what he meant, and then I couldn’t help laughing.
“Seriously though, I’ll get a professional to deal with it. We’ll move your things out, you won’t be living there next year, anyway.”
We arrived at my parents’ house, and we told them what happened. They were understandably shocked and horrified. Having to reassure them that everything was okay now, went a long way towards making me feel sure that it was. The more we talked about it, the farther away the horrible ordeal felt.
Dad seemed to be having a harder time with it than Mom, which is saying something. His eyes filled with tears shortly after we began our story, and he sat sniffing and rubbing his eyes until long after we were finished, and had answered all of his and Mom’s questions. I felt so bad for him.
“It’s okay, Dad, we’re fine, and th
e bad guys are put away,” I said, as I jumped off the couch and leaned over his chair to give him a hug.
Dad hugged me back.
“I know, honey, and what you both went through is absolutely terrible, but that’s not what’s getting to me.”
“Then what is?” I asked.
“It’s your cats.”
Night sat on the back of Dad’s recliner, swishing his tail and looking as majestic as a kitten of his age could manage. Pandora sat on the floor near his feet.
“Oh no! I totally forgot about your allergies!”
Now I understood why I was never allowed to have a cat in the house!
Mom said she’d see us at the castle in the morning as planned, and we hugged everyone goodbye, taking the allergy factories with us. Poor Dad!
Now that our stalkers were so efficiently put away, we could have the wedding outdoors in the castle garden, as we wanted to. No crazy, vindictive person was on the loose and out to stop our marriage, now.
As we pulled into the long driveway of the estate, the castle loomed in the dark in front of us. Stars shone brightly in the clear sky, and it looked as though every light in the castle was on. Someone had to get an early start in the morning to accomplish that!
“It really is beautiful,” I said, squeezing Miles’ hand.
“It is,” he agreed.
Miles parked the vehicle, but waited to open his door.
“Do you realize there are some things on that list your parents gave us, that we’ve still not talked about?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it,” I said.
“One of those things, is where to live.”
I was thoughtful.
“Well, we already know we’ll be living in one of the apartments in your building, until we graduate college.”
“Our building,” he said with a smile, and squeezed my hand. “What I was thinking, is that we need to start thinking about what we’re going to do about the castle. Or, with the castle.”
I was puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe… it’s so huge, you know. Too big for our family of two, plus Grandma Polly. When we have children, they could get lost and we’d never find them.”
I knew he was exaggerating about that somewhat, and I laughed.
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