by Jeane Watier
“I believe you, buddy,” Chad frowned at his friend. “But I don’t get what’s up with you lately. Ever since that rich bitch screwed with your mind, you haven’t been the same.”
Jace didn’t know where to start. Chad was aware of what had taken place between him and Cassandra in the past weeks. What his friend didn’t know was that Jace had a ghost for a shrink, and she’d helped him realize that he was in love with the ‘rich bitch’ after all. He decided to leave out those details and tell him about his meeting with Cassandra after the funeral.
“Wait a minute,” Chad interrupted. “The old lady’s jewels are missing, and you’re a suspect?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Jace had been so offended by Cassandra’s implication, that he hadn’t stopped to consider the ramifications of it.
“Jace, you could be in some serious shit here. You wouldn’t stand a chance against a family like the Van Brodens. Doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or not. It comes down to who’s got the best lawyer, and buddy…,” Chad shook his head, “that ain’t gonna be you.”
Jace remembered his mom’s warning, telling him to be careful because the Van Brodens were a powerful family. It had sounded ridiculous at the time. Now he was worried. “Shit.” He slumped down on the sofa. “What am I gonna do?”
Chad sat down across from him. “Let’s look at this from all the angles,” he suggested. “The old gal’s jewels are missing, but do they know what exactly—like how many pieces and how much they’re worth?”
“I don’t know,” Jace shrugged. “That’s the thing. I have no idea how big a crime I’m suspected of committing. It might be a trinket or two, or it might be some really old, expensive diamonds or something. Sophie was rich once; who knows what she kept from her past.”
“You did have a key, but you gave it back the next day,” Chad reasoned. “Still, you’d have had a whole day to go through her stuff. That won’t look good. I wonder who else had a key.”
“Anybody else with a key would be a suspect. Besides family, obviously.”
“And Cassandra’s aware that you know about the jewelry because you’re the one who told her the old lady was wearing it that morning.” As Chad summed up the facts, his look was discouraging. “I’m assuming she’s told her family.”
“She said she hadn’t told anyone yet.”
“But she did accuse you, right?”
“Not exactly,” Jace replied. “She said the thought crossed her mind. Then she made a feeble apology, saying she knows I’d never do something like that.”
“You know what?” Chad’s expression brightened. “She may just be your wild card here. If she still likes you and believes you’re innocent, she could be a character witness or something. If nothing else, she could try to convince her parents.”
“I don’t know. She’d have to go against her family if they all see me as a suspect. Plus if they think we’re an item, and they don’t like it,” Jace shook his head, “they’ll come down on me even harder.”
“Then you’ve gotta find a way to prove you’re innocent,” Chad maintained. “If the stuff is missing, then somebody else took it. Either that or she gave it away or something. Maybe you could…”
“Hold on,” Jace interrupted. “We’re all assuming that somebody stole it, but you’re right, there has to be another explanation.”
They both sat quietly for a moment, Jace thinking back to the morning of the Harbor Fair. He tried to recall what Sophie was wearing. She had a necklace on, and she made a comment about her rings. He smiled, remembering how she'd looked.
“You know what?” He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. “I took a picture of her…when I dropped her off at her apartment.” He found the photo and examined it closely. She didn’t appear to be wearing any jewelry at all. “Let’s view it on your computer,” Jace suggested. “I want to get a better look.” They downloaded the picture to Chad’s laptop and then clicked on it, making it the full size of the screen. “There’s definitely no necklace or earrings,” Jace frowned. “Only one of her hands is showing, but it’s her left, and there aren’t any rings on it. That means she had the jewelry on when she left but not when she got back.” He scratched his head. “What would she have done with it?”
“She could have lost it,” Chad offered.
That didn’t make sense. Sophie was slightly odd and maybe a bit forgetful at times, but a woman doesn’t lose her jewelry. Jace shook his head.
“So she gave it away, then.”
It was a definite possibility, and suddenly Jace realized he could simply ask her. What am I doing? He silently reproached himself. She said she’s always with me, and she knows exactly what happened. He didn’t feel comfortable having a conversation with Sophie in his head while Chad was next to him, so he quickly made an excuse to leave.
“What are you gonna do about this?”
“I’m not sure yet, but it’s gonna be okay,” Jace replied, confident now. The bewildered look on Chad’s face made him wonder how he’d ever explain that he had regular conversations with a dead person. He still didn’t understand it himself. Nevertheless, it was true, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her.
CASSANDRA WAS QUIET on the ride home in the limousine. Given the somber occasion, she felt no need to explain her silence, yet her father was perceptive.
“What’s wrong, kitten?”
She looked at him, knowing she couldn’t lie.
“Who was that young man you were talking to?” her mother asked, her tone accusing.
“That was Jace,” she stated calmly, deciding not to withhold information. She wasn’t ashamed of knowing him, wasn’t ashamed of how she felt about him. “He was Aunt Sophia’s neighbor. He drove her car.”
“How do you know him?”
“We’ve gone out a few times.” Cassandra noticed her father’s look, cautioning her to tread lightly. She disregarded it, not caring now that Jace was gone. He may never be part of her life, but she was determined to see his name upheld. She believed in him—even if it was too late to convince him of it.
“You dated him?”
The pitch of her voice told Cassandra she’d be hearing more about the subject in the future. For the time being, she decided to give her mother some assurance. “Yes, Mother, I did. But you can relax, it’s over.”
“What happened, kitten?” her father asked.
She told her parents about the jewelry Sophia had supposedly been wearing the morning of the Harbor Fair. She admitted she hadn’t seen any on the way to the hospital, and then informed them she and Trevor had found nothing when they’d searched her apartment. “The jewelry was missing, and Jace had a key to her apartment. Her car wasn’t parked out front, and Jace’s neighbor said he hadn’t been around for a few days.” She looked at her father, hoping the circumstantial evidence wouldn’t sway him before she had a chance to say more. “I jumped to conclusions, but I was wrong. Jace would never have done something like that. Aunt Sophia trusted him. I should have, too.”
Helen was about to speak when Richard held up his hand. “Corruthers has the car at his office, kitten. He told me Jace met him there last Sunday. Dropped off both the car and the key to Sophia’s apartment.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t take the jewelry,” Helen interrupted. “We really should report this, Richard. “Who knows what else he took.”
“He didn’t take anything.” Cassandra was adamant.
“We have no proof that it was Jace,” Trevor spoke up. “Look at all the people she was associated with. For all we know, others may have had access to her apartment as well.”
Cassandra silently thanked her brother for his support. He had a valid point—one she hadn’t considered. There was plenty more she should have considered as well. She’d assumed Jace had kept the car for his own use or worse, taken off with it, yet it had been at the lawyer’s office the whole time. She desperately wished she could make him see how sorry she was.
“There’s nothing we can do about
it now. We’ll bring it up when we meet with Corruthers, this week.” The tone in her father’s voice meant the subject was closed for discussion. Cassandra appreciated his strength. He was a powerful man in many ways, yet Cassandra often got to see his softer side, and she dearly loved him for it.
The subject was closed, as was the possibility of a relationship with Jace. Even friendship was out of the question at this point. Still, she was determined to see his name cleared. Jace Rutherford was a good man, and Cassandra felt honored to have known him.
I GUESS YOU heard all that. Jace addressed Sophie the instant his feet hit the sidewalk.
“Yes, I did.”
I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask you in the first place, Jace said, still kicking himself.
“You can ask me now,” she replied politely.
Okay, what happened to the jewelry? He smiled at how easy it was to go straight to the source and learn what others could only speculate about.
“I’ve been donating it to charity,” she explained. “The community center has a silent auction every year. I’ve given them a few pieces each time. Like they say, ‘You can’t take it with you,’ and I wanted it to go to a good cause.”
Jace laughed. And you just wanted to wear it one last time, right? It all made sense now. The Harborside community center was only a block from where the fair had been set up. Sophie had dropped the jewelry off while she was down there. I don’t understand, though. Why didn’t you just state in your will that you wanted it to go to a certain charity?
“Oh, wills can be complicated,” she said matter-of-factly. “It seemed easier this way…and more personal.”
He smiled. Sophie certainly did have her own way of doing things. He appreciated that about her.
Though a huge weight had been lifted now that he knew the truth about the jewelry, Jace still had questions. How am I going to convince the Van Brodens I didn’t take it? I can’t very well let them know I still talk to you.
“That’s up to you, Jace. At least you know the truth.”
The truth. The words brought up Cassandra’s lack of faith in him. She’d claimed she believed in his innocence, but the fact that she’d suspected him at all—that’s what was eating at him. He’d never done anything to deserve her bad opinion of him. Part of him wanted to call and tell her what he’d learned, just to vindicate himself, yet he hated the idea of having to prove anything to her. He decided to let it go.
Now that he had the evidence he needed, he was feeling cocky. He dared anyone to try to pin what they saw as a crime on him. He’d simply go to the people in charge of the auction and have them verify that Sophie had made a donation on the day she passed away. It gave him a sense of power, knowing what others didn’t. He could imagine proving the Van Brodens wrong in court. I’d supply the evidence at the last minute and embarrass that high and mighty family in front of everyone. It would do them good to be taken down a notch or two.
All of a sudden Jace noticed that his thoughts didn’t feel as good as they had moments earlier. Why is that?
“Your feelings reflect where you are in relation to what you want,” she explained. “When your thoughts feel good, you’re moving toward what you want; when they feel bad, you’re moving in the opposite direction. It’s that simple.”
So the thoughts I had about proving the Van Broden’s wrong—they aren’t serving me?
“Thoughts evoke emotion, and emotion can feel good or bad. It depends where you’re coming from.”
What do you mean?
“Remember how you felt about the rich a few weeks ago?” Sophie inquired.
Yeah…, he said hesitantly, I think so.
“Do you feel that way now?”
Jace had to think a minute. No…I don’t.
“Back then, thoughts of revenge felt good. The idea of getting back at someone who was in your mind unfair or immoral was a welcome change from the powerlessness you felt most of the time. However, those thoughts don’t serve you now because you’re not there. You’re not in that powerless place anymore.”
Yeah, you’re right, Jace acknowledged. I’ve changed; it makes sense those old thoughts would feel different now. And you know, he smiled, filled with new appreciation for his friend, it feels good not to push against all that stuff. It feels good to let it go and trust that I’m heading in the right direction, that my thoughts and feelings are guiding me there. Jace pondered his statement for a moment. My thoughts and feelings…my mind. That’s really where all the power is, isn’t it?
“Yes!”
Jace could hear Sophie’s enthusiasm. With it came a tingling sensation that spread through his entire body. Cool! Jace responded. Did you do that?
“That’s what alignment feels like.”
I’m not sure what that means, but I like it.
“We’re spiritual beings, Jace. The only difference between us is that you’re focused in the physical and I’m not. What we just felt was an aligning of our vibrations.
“In the physical,” she continued, “we often get tripped up when we experience contrast. We lose our balance for a while, and it can take months or years to find it again. But it doesn’t have to. We can feel our way back into alignment.”
That’s the power of focus, Jace asserted, enjoying the sensations coursing through his body. It was exhilarating, and he wanted to ride it as long as possible. Focus helps us find that alignment.
“Exactly. Focus guides your thought, and thought evokes emotion.”
He felt a down-pouring of insight. He wasn’t sure whether it came from Sophie or whether he’d realized it himself or whether it even mattered, because there didn’t seem to be any separation at the moment. So emotion is an indicator of this vibration you’re talking about. Jace could feel the power of his words. People make such a big deal of emotions, but they’re really just an indicator, a road map. I like that! Jace had never experienced anything like it. To have questions and receive insight almost simultaneously was a real rush. So how do my desires play into this?
“Desire is simply preference. As we focus, we learn to separate what we want from what we don’t want. As creative beings we seek to create, or attract, the object of our desire. It doesn’t matter whether it’s money or a relationship or seeing lives transformed by the power of belief—you can choose anything you want. Once you know the object of your desire, the fun is in moving toward it, aligning your vibration with the vibration of the thing wanted. Your feelings will tell you if you’re headed in the right direction.”
Lights were going off in Jace’s head. He felt like a pinball machine he’d played once in a retro bar in the city. Flashing lights, bells sounding, his heart pounding. As he reached his apartment, he sat down on the front step. He could tell by the position of the sun that he’d been walking awhile, yet he had no memory of getting from Chad’s place to his. He let the intoxicating emotions wash over him like a soothing shower. His thoughts quieted, and for a moment all he could feel was a delicious fusion of love, exhilaration, and appreciation.
This alignment…he asked softly, feeling Sophie’s presence so profusely that he could barely distinguish it from his own. Is that why I can feel you here and talk to you like this?
“Yes. The conversations we’re having aren’t that much different from the ones we had when I was physical, so it was natural to continue them. But you couldn’t have heard me if you weren’t in a vibration that was close to that of who I’ve become.”
Is that why others can’t hear you?
“It is.”
Can Cassandra? Jace had to ask.
“She’s beginning to receive thoughts or impulses that feel good when she follows them. She doesn’t know it’s me, though.”
Jace’s heart warmed as he thought of Cassandra again. He wasn’t angry with her now. He knew more than ever that he loved her, that he’d always love her. He didn’t know when or how that could be, but it didn’t matter. His mind went instead to her beautiful smile, her soft, silky vo
ice, the heartwarming words she’d spoken at Sophie’s funeral. He recalled the look in her eyes as she apologized for having doubted him.
Suddenly he longed to be with her. He wanted to go to her, accept her apology, and hold her in his arms. The inspiration was powerful, lifting him off the step and propelling him toward his apartment with one thought in mind. I have to call and let her know how I feel. His hand was on the heavy outer door when he heard a voice.
“Jace?”
He turned to see her standing on the sidewalk in front of his building. “Cassandra…” He hesitated, wanting to go to her, but needing to know the reason for her visit. In her eyes he saw love blended with regret and humility.
“Jace.” The tears welled up as she began to speak. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so stupid. I know that doesn’t change anything…”
He quickly removed the distance between them and wrapped her in his embrace. “I love you, Cassandra.”
She held him tightly for a moment and then looked into his eyes, half laughing and half crying. “I really don’t know why.” She shook her head. “I’ve given you so many reasons to hate me.”
“Maybe,” he conceded, “but I have more reasons to love you.”
CHAPTER 20
CASSANDRA COULDN’T stop the river of tears as the words she’d been dreaming of flowed from the lips of the only man she could imagine spending her life with. “I thought…when you walked away…,” she faltered. “I thought you’d never speak to me again. What made you change your mind?”
“Sophie,” he said simply.
She looked at him curiously. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you want to go inside?”
“Yeah,” she sniffed. “I’d like that.”
He took her hand and, as they neared the top of the stairs, opened the door for her. It was where they’d first met. She nearly laughed as she thought of how badly she’d misjudged him. Squeezing his hand, she turned to him. “I love you, too, Jace.” He kissed her in the very spot that weeks earlier he’d nearly bowled her over. She’d been in the wrong place then, but how glad she was to have been there, to have met the man who was capable of making her dreams come true.