Callie's Redemption (Callie's Secret Book 3)

by T. Jones

  "Calm down, Lucy. We got off on the wrong foot. I'm told you are a brilliant seismologist, so hopefully we can convince people that there's a major quake coming. I grew up in Jamaica, so I have a good idea of what we'll be getting into. Hopefully, we can get you out of there before things go to hell."

  "You sound like you know it's going to happen. I'm of the opinion that the area is in for an adjustment, but it could be years."

  "Let's hope so, but if not, maybe you and your other science geeks can tell us, and we can warn people. It's important that we start trying to convince the local officials right away that there will be a problem. I understand you, personally, have expressed that concern."

  "I think that it is very possible something major could happen soon. But I'm a grad student, and I've been accused of crying wolf before. My predictions don't mean a hell of a lot, I'm afraid. The professor and his team will have to look at the data before the Institute will ever offer an opinion."

  "We don't have the time for all that Lucy. If we're right, it's coming soon."

  "I've studied the correlation between foreshocks and the P waves we've been seeing, it's the subject of my Doctoral Thesis, as it relates to prognostication of geological events. If this quake happens the paper will write itself."

  "Okay, save the science jargon for the magistrate in Kingston, I'm convinced. I'll be there when you come in and meet you at the airport. I'm flying into Kingston tomorrow, and I'll pick you up on Friday morning. That will give me a couple days to track down some old friends, see how bad it might be."

  "Okay, I'll try not to look like a tourist. I've got dark hair and usually wear black rimmed glasses, we should be able to find each other."

  "Don't worry, I'll know who you are." Lucinda hung up the phone, wondering about that comment. Did the SSW have a picture of her? She goggled them, found nothing, then goggled herself. She was a little surprised that there was a photo, with an article about her seismological credentials that made her sound very impressive. Probably where the SSW got her information.

  Callie looked at Danielle. "What the hell is the SSW?"

  "Sisters Saving the World. Pulled it right out of my ass."

  Danielle's phone rang as she was packing, and the first time she ignored it, letting it go to voicemail. When it rang again immediately she walked over to her desk and looked at the caller id. She took a deep breath, then answered cautiously. The voice on the other end, was just as guarded.

  "I thought I should call, because I was so awful the other day at the lawyer's office."

  "It's okay, we were both surprised, bumping into each other like that. How have you been? I brag to everybody that I know the pretty girl on the ten o'clock news."

  "Thanks. You knew her, not so sure about now."

  "It's been a long time, but you didn't seem like a stranger to me, seemed like no time had passed at all."

  "But that's not true, is it? Anyone special in your life? For all I know, you got married."

  "We didn't get to talk very long, but I would have mentioned that. I actually dated a guy briefly, if you can imagine that." Anna laughed.

  "I'd prefer not to, thank you very much. What about Madeline Rice, what's the connection there?"

  "Is this the reporter asking, or my Anna?"

  "Don't call me that! Sorry. Off the record. She really seems to like you. She talked me into calling. I wanted to, but I was afraid. She is really easy to talk to."

  "She's known for it."

  "Is she involved, with that group you work with? Are you even doing that anymore?"

  "I am, I know you don't believe in it, the whole thing about my premonitions, but it doesn't matter."

  "Of course, it does. I should have at least tried to understand what was going on. I drew my own conclusions, I should have listened." Danielle laughed into the phone.

  "It did look really bad, the way things happened, but honestly, it wasn't what those pictures made it look like."

  "You were wrong about something, you know, the day I saw you at your grandfather's funeral."

  "What was that, Anna?" Danielle could hear her, crying softly, and her voice rasped when she spoke again.

  "It hasn't gotten any better, I can't let it go. I can't seem to be happy, not completely."

  "Do you think you want to sit down and talk about it? When I get back, maybe?"

  "I think I want that, a lot. Wait, where are you going?"

  "Jamaica, for a week, maybe two."

  "Is this more business, the premonitions again?" Danielle didn't hear sarcasm, but there was an edge in her voice.

  "We think there is going to be an earthquake, a major one. I'm going down to try to warn people, family and old friends."

  "Be careful, okay? I really want to have that conversation."

  "So, you believe this psychic nonsense?"

  "I believe in you, is that enough for now? Why is our timing always so bad? I finally work up the nerve to talk to you, and you're leaving town."

  "Tomorrow. I'm not leaving until tomorrow afternoon, Anna. I'm right here, and there is nothing in the world I would rather do than see you." She heard Anna utter a small laugh.

  "Text me your address, I'm getting in my car."

  They drove her to the airport, Callie, Jenny and Anna. Jenny cried the most, even though she was still star-struck, from seeing the sometimes weather girl sitting on the couch when she came down for her morning coffee. She let it slip, the painting of the scene in Jamaica, and their fears. Jenny's emotions were contagious. It was difficult, a lot of crying, but there was no turning back, and Danielle got on the plane.

  "She'll be fine, right Callie?" Jenny asked blotting at her red cheeks. Callie smiled at Anna.

  "She will Jenny. She has to be, right?"

  Chapter Ten

  Jonathan Marsh sat in his office, watching Derrick Blackburn pace back and forth. The kid was starting to annoy him. When Derrick first came in with the psychic story, Jonathan had dismissed it, chalking it up to Derrick's loss of his mother, and his belief that she had been murdered, maybe a drug habit. Then, for a while, he had wondered. Not that he believed in psychics or any of that nonsense, but he had watched people pluck like a chicken after being hypnotized, and not remember it afterwards. Something like that had happened to him the night Danielle took the tape, he was sure of it.

  But Derrick had tipped the scale, from confused to full on crazy. Jonathan thought that after a couple weeks, the whole thing with the Rice woman would blow over, that Derrick would come to his senses. Best case, the kid could have gotten some evidence that Madeline Rice herself believed she was psychic, or in touch with the spirit world, anything to make her look a little unhinged, and he might have been able to discredit her testimony. But now, since the private detective he hired had bailed out, Derrick was sure that everybody but the garbage man was in on it. One of the Sisters, one of the older gals, had seduced the detective, according to Derrick, and he had quit the case. The story was becoming more convoluted and he wasn't done yet. He held up his phone triumphantly.

  "But, before Fatty Carson fell into their web, he did find something of value. Callie Fisher, the next generation of these bitches, is not Bess Fisher's biological daughter. Guess whose daughter she really is?"

  "Aliens? At this point I'll believe anything." Marsh deadpanned. It didn't faze Derrick.

  "Madeline Rice, that's who. That's why her psychic abilities are so powerful, she takes after her Mom. And her biological father looks like he could have abilities too. Same eyes, her eyes are dangerous, you know. Don't look her in the eyes."

  "Derrick, you need to settle down." Jonathan lowered his voice, remembering the security tapes. "You're starting to worry me, my being your lawyer and all. If Callie Fisher is the Rice woman's daughter, so what? So the girl tracked down her real Mom, that's not a conspiracy, doesn't help me, doesn't make her look bad in the least. And how does that help you? You've been pretty vague about what it is you're trying to accomplish as far a
s that goes."

  "I want her to admit it, admit that she's a psychic! Admit that she killed my Mom!" He was shouting, waving his arms.

  "Your Mom got hit by a fucking truck, kid. Face reality. This whole psychic bullshit, even if she swore on a stack of bibles that she was Queen of the Underworld, no court would convict her. They'd just think she was as God damn crazy as you are."

  "That's where Callie Fisher comes in, don't you see?" The elder Marsh wasn't a patient man, but seeing what drugs had done to his son, made him try to be. He spoke slowly, softly.

  "Derrick, come on. You're a young, good looking kid, with a lot of money and your whole life ahead of you. I don't think your mother would want you to waste your life trying to prove something no one is ever going to believe. Talk to someone, a professional. You have to let this go." The young man appeared to calm down, and Jonathan Marsh breathed a little easier. Derrick Blackburn reached out and shook his hand, sighing.

  "Keep working on the money end of things, okay Mr. Marsh? I'll keep trying to figure out a way to get justice for my Mom. I can see they've gotten to you too. I'm going to deal with Madeline Rice myself." He stood and left the office. Jonathan Marsh watched him go, then hit a button on his phone.

  "Maggie, find me a number for Frank Blackburn would you? Yeah, same Blackburn. His kid has gone off the deep end, that boy needs some help. Yeah, he acts like he's on something. Danger to himself and everyone around him, I'd say."

  Jonathan leaned back in his chair, and pulled out his scotch. Maybe he would just throw himself on the mercy of the court. Wouldn't hurt to cover his tracks though. He scrolled through his cellphone, then dialed a number. Very possible she wouldn't talk to him, but it was worth a shot. He was surprised that he didn't have to leave a message. "Yes, Miss Rice, Johnathan Marsh here. Please don't hang up, this has nothing to do with the case, at least not directly. It's about Derrick Blackburn."

  ***

  "You are a talented man Mr. Carson."

  Fatty looked across the table, and the morning paper he was reading. Always nice to hear.

  "You already told me that, last night."

  Deeann Long smiled and blushed a little. "You're talented there too, but that isn't what I was talking about. I'm talking about your abilities and instincts as an investigator."

  "Well thanks. I just do the leg work, and I've developed a lot of contacts over the years, that helps."

  "I still think it's interesting, your line of work. It was admirable the way you went to Callie and Danielle, and told them about what Derrick Blackburn was up to. You could have just kept taking his money and not said anything."

  "Sometimes, you know, I have to do things that aren't great, sort of illegal. Sometimes I deal with scumbags, where it doesn't matter which side you're on, they're all scumbags. But I could tell the Rice gal was a decent person, right out of the gate, her and the women Derrick had me investigating."

  "Did you investigate me, as well?"

  "You were on the list, but I never got very far with that. By the time we started, associating, I already figured out that the Blackburn kid was a bad egg. But you're so, great, I figured I had to be on the wrong side of things. Any friend of yours, you know? I went to talk to those girls about everything, the night I hurt my arm."

  "How is it, by the way? Danielle is nobody to mess with."

  "I'm not built for physical confrontation, not wrestling frigging Amazons, anyway. But I didn't know you heard about that, kind of embarrassing."

  "Don't feel bad, she is a well-trained individual. She does a lot of the dirty work for the group."

  "The group?" Deeann looked across the table soberly.

  "What if I told you, that some of what Derrick Blackburn told you is true. That there are people, a few, with abilities like he described."

  "I told him he was nuts, but you don't seem crazy. If that's what you want to believe, it's okay with me."

  "I am as sane as anyone, Fatty. But you don't need to believe me, sooner or later you'll be convinced. I talked to some of the girls and we could use your talents. You could look into things for us, check out people we've helped in the past, and maybe investigate things a little before we make corrections."

  "Okay, I promised before to always be honest with you, and you're weirding me out." Deeann laughed.

  "Thank you for being honest. But bottom line, you'll be getting paid for what you're good at, and you'll be working on the right side of the law. Of course, you can never tell anyone what you know."

  "Usually don't, part of the job. But won't that be a conflict of interest, considering our other activities?"

  "We won't work together, just sleep together, presuming you want that to continue."

  "Oh, I'm all for that! So, who would I work with, or for?"

  "By yourself a lot, maybe if you need, Danielle could help out, do the things you're not built for. She's gone for a week or two right now, left for Jamaica yesterday."

  "What's in Jamaica?"

  "Earthquake, sometime after the first of August." Fatty nodded. Maybe his girlfriend was nuts, but she had a lot of company. Or maybe there was something to it all. Either way, he was growing very fond of Deeann Long and he didn't want to screw it up.

  ***

  It was Thursday evening and Callie and Jennifer were on the couch, when the doorbell rang. Callie got up and started to the door as it rang again, followed by a soft knock. She looked through the peephole, rolled her eyes at Jenny, then eased the door open, leaving the chain lock in place. Oswald Marsh stood on the front step, hands in his pockets, his hair wet from the rain that was falling gently.

  "Hello, Oz. Danielle's not here, can I take a message?"

  "I didn't come to see Danielle, Callie. We're not seeing each other anymore, but you probably knew that. It's not about that. I need to talk to you actually. I've been walking around, and kind of got caught in the rain, ended up here. I really would like to talk. I haven't been drinking or anything, and I mean you no harm. I doubt I could harm you, even if I wanted."

  "Callie! You shouldn't let him in." Jen whispered from the couch.

  "It'll be alright, Jenny. But maybe you should give us some privacy, alright?" She unlatched the chain and swung the door open. Ozzy was soaked and stood dripping water on the tile floor. Jenny walked over to him and handed him a large towel, then started up the steps. She turned back, frowning at him.

  "I've been working with Danielle you know, self defense training, so you behave." He smiled and nodded.

  "I just came to talk Jenny. I've never had the chance to say I'm sorry for scaring you that night, I never would have hurt you. But I really am sorry."

  "Thanks, I really wasn't that scared. It was just that you were all whacked out on the drugs, I guess. I'll be right up here Callie, if you need me." Callie smiled up at her and led Ozzy to the kitchen, so he wouldn't get the carpet or couch wet.

  "Guess I have a body guard now." She joked. "Want some coffee? You're wet, and you look cold."

  "If it's made, sure. It's going to stop raining pretty soon, looks like it's breaking up." Callie poured coffee for them both, then sat down across from him.

  "So, what's up? Long walk in the rain."

  "Part of my recovery is about making amends, and I take all that seriously, but I would have come anyway. How do you make amends to someone who's gone, dead, because of you."

  "Natalie, I presume?"

  "Yeah, and Billy. I got them both killed, nearly got Danielle killed too. I don't think I would have hurt you, but Jenny's right, I was out of my mind that night. What did you do to me anyway, the night I was here?"

  "I don't know Ozzy. Maybe I just told you what you already knew."

  "I wanted to die, still do sometimes. This isn't about my recovery, but did you do something to me? My Dad thinks Danielle hypnotized him, that you're all some sort of witches." Callie laughed a little at that.

  "Oz, I didn't put some hex on you, if that's what you're thinking. I said things I probab
ly shouldn't have, but I was scared and angry that you had Jenny, and about what happened to Natalie."

  "I get it, I think there was more to it than that, but I don't expect you to explain." They sat looking at each other, then he put his head down into his hands. "But I see her Callie, every day, terrified, and running to me for help. How do I live with that? How can I ever forget that? Every day, I relive it, and I just want to die." He started sobbing, and Callie sat beside him for a minute, holding him. She moved back to her chair as he regained control.

  "Oz, you need to see someone about this, I don't know how to help you."

  "I know you loved her, and you hated me for what I did. Can you forgive me somehow Callie? Maybe it would help a little bit, knowing that. Can you forgive me for what I did?"

  "Oz, I'm trying."

  "Please, I need something, someone who cared about her, to understand that I didn't mean for it to happen the way it did."

  "Ozzy, I do understand. It was a moment, and you did the wrong thing. I know what it's like when a choice you make ruins people's lives, and hurts them. I cost someone their life once. I didn't mean for it to happen, just like you. And yeah, I think about it. That's okay, forgetting is more than I deserve. And I can't forgive myself completely, because then I might do something like that again. I have to redeem myself every day, and try to make up for what I did. That's what it is, my redemption."

  "I hate myself, for what I did to her."

  "Try to forgive yourself Oz, but not totally. Just remember her and try to be better, that's all either of us can do. There's so much love and hate in everybody. I'm lucky, I have love in my life now, and I just keep trying to deserve it. I don't hate you anymore Oz. And I promise, I'll keep trying to forgive you, that's the best I can do."

  He stood and she walked him to the door. The rain had stopped. "Are you okay walking? I could give you a ride."