by A. J. Norris
“I guess you’re going to be tardy, then.”
“Whatever.” She gave him a sideways glance. “My phone is in my purse.” He fished it out of a side pocket, put in a phone number, and handed it to her. The detective answered on the second ring.
“This is Detective Manuel.”
“Yeah, ah…this is Ellie. We met yesterday.”
“Yes?”
“Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me the name of Tina’s parents.”
“Tina?…Oh right, Tina, long week. Her name isn’t Tina, though.”
“It’s not? Then who—”
“Thank you for bringing the diary to me. I don’t even care how you got it. Her name was Mariana. She’d been a missing person’s case.”
“You mean she’d been kidnapped by her family, I mean a family?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Oh, well I…”
“You did well. Her family can finally have some closure now, and Mariana has some peace. If you believe in that sort of thing.”
“This didn’t bring her back?” she whispered to Bowie.
“What’s that?” the detective asked.
“Nothing. Do you think I could have her parents’ names? I knew her, went to school with her. I’d like to talk to them.”
“Roberto and Sofia Lopez. I’m only telling you this because it’s the right thing to do.” He paused. “Mariana, um…told you where to find it, didn’t she?”
Ellie swallowed hard. “Excuse me?”
“The diary. That’s all right, you don’t have to tell me.”
How did he know? But then she remembered what Bowie had said: “He’ll listen, he’ll understand.” “Feliz Dia de los Muertos,” Ellie said. She ended the call before he responded. “Now, where am I taking you?”
Bowie smiled. “Westbury Water Treatment Plant.”
Ellie groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that. Why?”
“I left something behind and I want you to give it to Mariana’s parents. I promised her I would take care of them.”
“Does this thing have anything to do with why you were murdered?”
“Just drive.”
Ellie sighed. “It’s money, isn’t it? You were killed over money.” She hesitated for a moment. “How much—”
“A lot. Now, will you drive, please?”
Fine.
They arrived at the gate outside the plant. The treatment facility wasn’t manned. She parked the car and they hopped the fence. He directed her to the farthest retaining pool. He knelt then stuck his hand into the murky water. Ew. She expected his hand would fall off when he pulled it out. He brought up the frayed end of a rope.
“Shit!”
“What?”
“The rope broke.” He took his shirt off and jumped into the pool. The water came up to his chest. He waded around. “I think I found it.” He held his breath and slipped under the water. Wasn’t he a ghost? Maybe old habits stuck with you.
An arm came around her neck and something hard got pressed into her back. “Good morning, Eliana.”
Oh no. They’d been followed there. She tried shaking out of the man’s hold. By the color of his sleeve, she knew it was a uniformed cop and probably the one who creeped her out at the police station yesterday.
“I knew you were in on it. Where’s the money, where did he hide it, huh?” he demanded.
Water splashed her feet. Bowie jumped out of the retention pond. He grabbed the cop from behind and she wrestled free of the man’s grasp. Bowie threw him to the cement.
The cop landed on his back, knocking his head on the ground. His gun fell from his hand. Ellie picked it up and aimed it at him.
“Don’t pull the trigger!” Bowie yelled.
Her hand shook; the gun was much heavier than she imagined. It didn’t matter that he told her not to shoot. Her finger wasn’t long enough to reach the trigger anyway.
The cop rose. Bowie punched him, sending him slamming into the ground again. The man’s eyes went wide. As he got to his knees, Bowie kicked the underside of his chin. The cop landed on his back, unmoving.
Ellie gaped at the cop then Bowie. “Is he dead?”
“No.” Bowie picked up the gun and a red waterproof case.
“He looks dead.”
“He’s not. Let’s go—don’t just stand there with your mouth open.”
But…“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said. But she wasn’t so sure.
He glared at her. “We got what we came for. He’ll be fine. Unfortunately.”
“Okay.” Again, she said her favorite word.
Chapter Ten
The whole car ride to Mariana’s parents’ house—two counties over—and back, Ellie kept thinking about what a badass Bowie was. She felt safe with him around. The girl’s family was shocked to see one of their daughter’s friends at their doorstep. They had believed she had died right after her kidnapping when she had been nine years old. Ellie explained how their Mariana had told her where to find the diary. They even believed her. “Dia de los Muertos” had been their only response. Apparently, she wasn’t the only person who believed in the Day of the Dead. This made three people she knew.
Ellie sniffled at the memory of Mariana’s mother’s teary eyes. They fed her dinner and gave her sugar skull candies to take home. Ellie had handed a brick of cash wrapped in a black plastic bag to Mr. Lopez on the way out. When he asked what it was, she told him a gift from Mariana and not to ask where it came from. She hoped he’d listened.
Before getting back on the road home, Ellie called her mother. She heard the woman’s sobs through the phone. Ellie apologized for worrying her parents and explained as much of the story as she could, leaving out the part where she broke into a house and was nearly killed again. It was past ten o’clock at night when Ellie pulled into the driveway.
Bowie was still shirtless and smelled of pond scum. Her parents greeted her at the door. The funny thing was as calm as her mother had been on the phone, she expected them to scream at her when she got home. They didn’t.
She and Bowie went upstairs. While he took a shower, she changed into a nightshirt and got into bed. He came out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. “Fair is fair, lose the towel,” she said.
“What’s fair—oh, you think you’re ready for that?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“How come no one can see you, but you need to take showers and can’t walk through walls. What are you?” She smiled.
“I’ve been trying to figure that out. My best guess is I’m meant for something bigger than my death.”
“Why do I get the feeling that somewhere, someone wants me to help you with whatever this thing is. Will people ever be able to see you again?”
He shrugged. “I dunno and if they did, wouldn’t that be a trip? Come to Westbury, ‘where the dead don’t stay dead.’”
“Okay. I just got the chills.” She shivered. Ellie patted the bed next to her.
“Are you sure this time?”
“Yes. I almost died again today and it’s taught me that I need to learn to live a little more.”
Bowie closed the gap between them and eyed her bare legs. He dropped the towel. “Fair is fair.”
“What, no.” She blushed.
“Yes, Ellie, lose the shirt…and panties, if you’re wearing any.”
“Um, I have some condoms,” she blurted.
“You’re stalling.”
“I want you to wear a condom.” She opened her nightstand.
He smirked. “But I’m dead.”
“Mostly dead and I’m not taking that chance.”
“Still stalling.”
Bowie kneeled on the bed in front of her and grabbed the bottom of her shirt. He yanked it over her head then kissed her. She lay down, but didn’t go rigid this time when he slid her panties down her smooth legs.
He hovered over her body. Ready for sex. “You’re beautiful. Those big brown eyes, I never k
now what you’re thinking.”
“Really? You can’t even tell now?”
He chuckled and shook his head.
“I think it’s kinda obvious right now. Why don’t you kiss me and find out?”
He settled between her legs. Their lips fused. Their collective heat made the temperature rise. She wondered how hot it had to get before paint peeled from the walls. He kissed her neck, down the middle of her breasts, giving them attention on the way toward her navel. He nibbled on the hollow space between her hips. After getting a condom, he readied himself.
He joined their bodies together. She hadn’t lied when telling him she wasn’t a virgin. The first time she’d had sex, it’d been too soon and with the wrong person. A regrettable decision that left her emotionally scarred until this moment. Now, it was the right time with the right person. Who cared that Bowie had been a criminal in life; in death, he wanted to make up for his sins.
They made love to each other between bouts of sleep until the early morning. She fell asleep sometime before her alarm went off. Its obnoxious shrill blared next to her head. She slapped the snooze button and rolled over with her eyes still closed.
Ellie felt the bed next to her. The sheet was cool to the touch. She sat upright. Lying on the pillow and written on notebook paper were two words:
“I’ll return.”
Dia de los Muertos…
About the Author
A.J. Norris is a lover of all books but her loyalty remains with her first crush; romance. She graduated from a mid-western college with a degree in absolutely nothing to do with writing whatsoever. It wasn’t until well after college when the build-up of voices inside her head became too overwhelming and needed to be let out, that she began to write. She isn’t following a family legacy of writers, only a need to put words on a piece of paper.
A.J. is a movie buff, especially book adaptations, loves watching her son play baseball and communing with other writers. She lives with her family who are extremely tolerant (at least most of the time) of all her late nights behind the computer, clack clacking away.
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http://www.facebook.com/alisajnorris
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http://www.twitter.com/AJNorris_Author
Website:
http://www.ajnorrisauthor.com/
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14888581
The Thief’s Partner
By Sarah Fischer
Prologue
When you’re a twin, the way you look at the world is different. Instead of seeing one shadow, you see two wherever you go. It isn’t your birthday; it’s our birthday. Your individuality becomes so important, since you are always referred to as “the twins.” Some days this may infuriate you, but one day, something is going to happen that will change the way you go through life, because even though scientists may deny it, you and your twin share a heart. Some people may claim this is the result of mighty twin powers or a Doublemint Gum commercial, but for Lucy, that was how she had spent the last twenty-five years. Now, leaving the funeral parlor, she felt more alone than she’d ever felt in her life. Les was dead, and with him, a piece of her heart.
Lucy climbed into her Honda Civic and dropped her head to her steering wheel. It had been a trying week since she got the call. Her parents were long dead, so it was left to her to make the arrangements. She’d gone through the motions, ignoring the gossip surrounding her brother’s death. Well, she tried to ignore it, but there was a name, a name from both hers and Les’s past that kept popping up every time someone whispered the story. Ryan Dougal haunted her past, and now he was tapping on the window of her car.
Chapter One
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped at Ryan, lowering my window a tad.
“Lucy, keep it down. We need to talk,” he whispered hurriedly, looking over his shoulder at the empty parking lot.
“Like hell we do! I’m calling the cops.” I rolled my window back up and grabbed my phone to dial 911. But before I could hit “Send,” there was a crash of breaking glass. My arms flew up, covering my face, and I screamed. Luckily, I didn’t feel anything hit me, so I lowered my arms just in time to see Ryan climbing into the passenger seat of my car.
“Are you insane?” You can’t break into my car!” I shouted, fury rolling through me.
“Lucy, for old times’ sake, please can we try doing this the easy way? I need you to come with me.”
His hand stayed in his pocket and I was acutely aware of a big bulge. He shifted it, and I’d have to be blind not to see the distinct impression of a gun. I never thought our relationship would come to this. But then again, I never thought he’d be responsible for Les’s death.
“Ryan, what do you want? Is that gun really necessary?” I asked him, shaking a little. As much as I wanted to believe he wouldn’t shoot me, I wasn’t sure.
“I need you to come with me. Les told me if anything ever happened to him, I needed to show you a couple things.”
“Don’t you dare mention his name!” I screamed, lashing out with my fists and hitting every part of his body that I could reach, all thoughts of the gun quickly flying from my mind.
“Lucy,” he growled, grabbing my wrists and holding them still. “I’m asking you to trust me. You’ve known me almost all your life. Please, don’t make me force you.” He shook my arms and looked at me fiercely. “And mark my words, Lu, I will force you.” Ryan let go of one of my wrists and patted the bulge in his pocket.
I swallowed hard, but held my head high as he let go of my other hand. “Where are we going?”
“Just drive toward Howard Street, and I’ll tell you where to go from there.”
I put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter Two
“So, how’ve you been, Lu?”
I glanced over at him in shock. He’d just threatened me with a gun and now he was trying to make small talk.
“That’s not my name. No one calls me that anymore. And, believe it or not, I’ve been better. Not sure if you care, but my twin brother was shot by a couple goons while his former best friend ran for the fuckin’ hills because of some stupid diamond heist. That’s how I’m doing, you prick.” I pulled over to the side of the road and threw the car in park.
“I didn’t tell you to park. Keep going,” he ordered me.
“I don’t care anymore.” Tears rushed down my face and I looked at him, giving him my most intimidating glare. “You won’t shoot me. Get out of my car and leave me the hell alone so I can mourn my brother.”
He slammed the dashboard of my car and I jumped. “Lucy, please. This is hard for me too.” Ryan raked his fingers through his hair and looked at me with an absolutely heartbroken expression on his face. Tears welled up in his eyes and his mouth sat firm, fighting to keep control.
For a moment, I had the urge to reach out and comfort him. There was a time when I would’ve. But that was long ago and I reminded myself of the fury I felt inside. I held onto it, allowing it to consume me so Ryan’s light eyes didn’t work their dark magic on me.
“Why, why is it so hard for you? The heist was your idea. You’re the fuckin’ criminal here. Les was a tax attorney. Why would he be mixed up in one of your pathetic schemes? He’d still be alive if it weren’t for you,” I snarled at him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Ryan just looked at me, nodding his head faintly. “You’re right. I dragged him down like I always did, and this time, he wasn’t able to keep me out of trouble. Is that what you want to hear?”
“No,” I cried. “I want to hear it was all a dream and he’s coming home any minute now.”
“I can’t tell you that, but he did leave you a note. I have it at my apartment and I’d like to take you there.”
Les left me a note. Holy crap. I didn’t care about Ryan anymore. I needed to see that damn note. Maybe it’d explain how he got caught up in this mess. “Which way?” I turned the car back on and
sped into traffic with renewed determination.
Ryan directed me to the outskirts of town, surprise surprise. When he told me he needed to go to his apartment, I assumed we’d be going to some poorly kept building with a slumlord, rats, and drug dealers hanging out in the lobby.
Instead, we were parked in front of an empty warehouse.
“Seriously, this is where you live? What, jewel thief doesn’t pay very well?”
“This is temporary. I’m only here until I finish some business and then I’ll be heading to Tokyo. I have a penthouse apartment there.”
I stared at him, not sure whether I believed him or not. But Ryan smiled at me, just like he used to, and I found my body betraying me in response, just like it used to. Like it used to back when we were in high school and I worshipped the ground he walked on. But I shook my head fiercely. I wasn’t that loser shy girl anymore and I wasn’t going to fawn over him. No matter how his biceps strained against his jacket, or the charming way his dark hair fell messily just above his eyes.
“Just go in and get the letter so I can leave.” My breathing was becoming labored and I forced myself to focus on Les and what Ryan did to him.
“I can’t. He left more for you than just the letter.”
“No way am I going into that death trap,” I assured him, fixing my stare on the crumbling concrete and the smashed glass.
“Come on, don’t you trust me?”
I turned to him, glaring. “I haven’t trusted you since that night in college.”
He leaned in close to me, and I inhaled his distinct cologne. It was like his signature. I remembered breathing it in when he left me that morning to return to her.
“Well, I didn’t bite then, so I won’t bite now. That is, unless you beg me.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.
I shoved him away, rolling my eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.”