by T. Jones
"You mean Teresa decides." Callie scowled.
"I'm afraid that's true lately. We've gotten lazy, and Teresa is always so driven, so sure of herself, I guess we've just gotten tired of arguing with her."
"I'll argue with her. I enjoy arguing with her." Deeann laughed.
"She was pretty specific that she didn't want you as an Elder, she wants to keep things the way they are. She doesn't like it when she doesn't get her way. You made her mad, and she's going to hold a grudge. She's thin-skinned, she'll try to get even with you."
"Thanks for backing me up, by the way. But what's going on Dee? I know you three use the system a little, to line your own pockets. It's understandable, you've supported the Sisters for a long while, a little payback is probably deserved. But it sounds like something big is coming up, right?"
"Oh good, she's coming over." Deeann glanced at Callie, aware that she was dodging the question. Juliet, a short, plump, pretty woman in her mid-twenties walked over to their table with a pot of coffee and two cups.
"Hello ladies, can I recommend the apple pie, made with love. Hell, I'll just get you each a slice, on me. I'm going to tell Bernie I'm taking my break, the other girl will cover for me. He knows when you show up, Dee, that he's not getting any work out of me anyway." She hurried off, and Deeann looked at Callie warily.
"Callie, you didn't hear this from me, but yeah something is happening. I've always just written a check to Teresa's broker, and the investments do ten times what you'd expect. Granted, I figured she's using information from the group, but I tried to pretend it's okay. She's made me a ton of money in the last ten years. But now she wants a large amount, from Jane and me, for a really big score. We're talking millions, tens of millions between the three of us. We give her five each, and she gets us twenty within a year."
"Jesus! You would trust her with five million dollars?"
"Her and the broker. I haven't committed yet. Jane and I have both made more than that in the last few years, a lot more. God knows how much Teresa has taken in. Besides, if she took our money, where could she hide? If I put ten of the Sisters on it, they would find her in a heartbeat. You're not the only one of the younger girls that doesn't care for her." Juliet came bustling over with two small plates with apple pie and ice cream.
"Trust me, this pie is worth every calorie. Neither one of you has to worry about that anyway." She stretched her hand out to Callie. "The amazing Callie Fisher. I've heard some stories about those pretty eyes and what they can do when you're unhappy with someone."
"Nice to meet you too, Juliet. I can't say much about what my eyes do, I've never been sure that it isn't just my yelling that makes shit happen. I can get a little worked up, and let people know what I think." Both the other women laughed. "But I'm hoping I can bring something to the group. I know what it's like, when something you do has unintended consequences, and I know you're one of the girls that's unsure about the way things happen. Maybe we can change that."
"Callie is going to join as one of the Elders, Juliet. Not a slight to anyone, but her skills are exceptional, much stronger than mine, certainly." Deeann interjected.
"I think that's great! Nobody wants to disagree with Teresa, no offense Dee, I mean I wouldn't want to. But I talk to some of the others, they stop in here for coffee, and they're not happy either. It shouldn't be a dictatorship, but all of the big decisions are up to Teresa. Pretty soon, members aren't going to share information, everybody will just go it alone. The Sisters can do a lot of good, but we have to be careful. You need to put her in her place, Callie."
"I don't know about that, but she needs to chill a little, that's for sure. I just hope she'll be willing to listen. She's had it her own way for a long time. I'm not picking on you Deeann, certainly Jane and the other three need to step up too, get her to pull her horns in a little. Like I said, sometimes it's life and death, one person shouldn't make those decisions. There should be some sort of a consensus." Juliet leaned forward.
"Absolutely, I know a lot of the girls that would back you on that. Hey, not to brag, but I tweaked fate a little bit for someone, in a good way. There's a gal comes in here every once in a while, with a little redhaired girl, real fair skin. Anyway, the little girl had a spot on her arm and her GP said it was nothing, but I kept getting the feeling it was something, just the fact that it came to my attention, like God was pointing it out to me. I envisioned her in the hospital, getting chemo. So, I lied, told the woman my sister had the exact same thing and that it was cancer. She took her to a specialist, and they said it was lucky she came in when she did. They took it off and now she's going to be fine."
"That's absolutely wonderful," Deeann beamed, reaching out to grasp the younger woman's hand. She looked at Callie. "See, that's what the Sisters are supposed to be about, saving lives and doing good things. I don't think that Natalie girl should have died, and I think our actions might have contributed to it. We have a lot to do today Callie, a lot of others from the group to talk to. We're going to get the Sisters back on the right track. I'm not going to let that fucking Teresa push me around anymore." Callie raised her eyebrows.
"Wow, Deeann, I love it when you talk dirty." Deeann laughed, reaching out with her free hand for Callie's.
***
They spent the day visiting other members of the Sisters. A couple of office workers, a housewife, a cop, the owner of a small company, and finally another waitress. By then Callie had had all the coffee and pie she could handle. There was a common theme. Everyone was unhappy with the way things were going, and everyone knew about Natalie, that it might have been prevented. It was nearly eight in the evening when Deeann pulled up in front of the loft to drop Callie off. They sat in the car, talking.
"Deeann, I really appreciate you taking me under your wing. I feel like I can trust you."
"I hope so, I feel energized, like I'm doing something important again. My husband had a stroke a few months ago, and he's in a nursing home because I can't take care of him myself. I go and see him every day, I'm heading over there now. Anyway, I guess I started leaning on Teresa and Jane for company too much, it gets very lonely." She reached out her hand and pushed Callie's hair from the side of her face, trailing her fingers along her cheek. Callie smiled at her, allowing the contact for a few seconds, then took her hand and held onto it.
"You're a wonderful woman Deeann, I'm flattered, but you probably know I'm in love with someone, and I could never do this."
"I know," The older woman smiled sadly. "But, you're so lovely, I just wanted to touch your face for a moment." Callie leaned across and pressed her lips to Deeann's cheek, at the corner of her mouth.
"For what it's worth, I think you are lovely as well. Try to get away from Teresa, Dee. I think bad things are coming, and I want you to be safe. I'm going back home for a few days, but I'll call you when I get back into town. Goodnight." Callie slid out of the late model Mercedes, and waved as Deeann drove away. She stood, watching the taillights disappear around a corner, wondering if she was being played, if Deeann would really turn away from Teresa and twenty million dollars.
Chapter Six
Callie rolled up to her father's hardware store just after eight the next morning. It was Saturday, and she knew the backroom would be crowded with the locals, eating free pastries and solving the world's problems. She had gotten to a point where even Richie Carlson didn't irritate her, at least not as much. Reaching adulthood took some of the stigma of being stared at away, and all of the men in the backroom knew better. Richie was always very careful to keep his eyes on her face. It was actually good to see them gathered around, talking as if they had the answers to the world's problems, it was part of the small-town mystic that she was beginning to miss. She greeted them all, then went to find her father.
Bob Fisher stood at the cash register, dressed in plaid, leaning one hip against the counter, his arms folded in front of his chest. Callie listened as he discussed the finer points of blowing snow, explaining why a two-
stage blower was so much better than the single stage model. She wondered briefly if she could see his end. She hoped it was too wrapped up in her own future for her to see his demise. There were things she didn't want to know, and that was one of them. The customer left and he turned, smiled, and slid an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey Princess, back so soon? You miss it, don't you? I still have that manager's job open, anytime you want to come to work."
"Trust me Dad, there are days when that sounds really good."
"School starts Tuesday again, right? So, you're giving the Sisters a shot? I can see where it seems like a good thing, you're young and idealistic. Myself, I'm letting God figure out my fate."
"One of the girls in the group talked about that. If God's up there I hope he's on our side. I know one Sister that could use a little religion, or a foot where the sun doesn't shine."
"Callie, that's no way for a young lady to talk." Callie giggled a little.
"Hey, I cleaned it up a lot, just for you. I've been wanting to ask you, about Madeline Rice. Why in the world would she show up here? It was weird, I told her my life story two minutes after she walked in the store, some things I'd prefer not to have known, very personal stuff."
"She's always had that ability, to disarm you and make you want to talk. I don't know if it's linked to her psychic abilities, but even in high school, she was the one everybody talked to, she was always the shoulder everybody cried on."
"High school, what the fuck? Sorry, I mean, what the heck Dad? Madeline Rice is from here? She went to our school, she went to high school with you and Mom?" Bob Fisher cringed a little, then shrugged his shoulders.
"I thought you knew that, I hope I didn't speak out of turn and tell Sisters' secrets or something. She and I even dated for a while, before your mother and I got together."
"No way! So, does she still live around here? I had the impression she lived in the Cities somewhere. No wonder she stopped in here, I thought maybe she was checking up on me."
"She spends some time at her parents' old farm house, they've been gone for a few years, but I think most of the time she does live in St. Paul. She a lawyer, works for the state, I think. You better talk to your mother about all this, I probably shouldn't have even said anything."
"No worries Dad, from what I can tell, Madeline is one of the good guys."
"That much I can say for sure, she definitely is one of the good guys."
"Another question, my car, I mean it is mine, right? I can do with it as I choose?"
"Of course, Callie, I hope you don't sell it to buy drugs, but it's your car, it's in your name."
"No drugs, Dad. Jenny's car is a piece of crap, and I want to let her use mine to run back and forth to the Cities, so we can spend more time together."
"Your car, like I said." He grinned at her. "You two getting serious?"
"As long as she'll put up with me, I'll keep showing up. But yeah, I love the shit out of her."
"I won't even pick on your choice of words, I'm happy for you Princess." He hugged her tightly. "You should stop by the house this morning, before you go see Jenny, probably be worth your while, okay?"
"Sure, what's going on?" He gave her a look instead of a reply, so she waved and went back out to her car. When she pulled up to her parents' house she saw an Escalade parked in the street. She pulled into the driveway and went into the entry, kicked off her boots and shrugged out of her coat, before walking into the warm kitchen. Her mother sat in her usual spot, a large stack of newspapers on her right. The thin woman on her left, with her back to Callie, was unmistakably Madeline Rice. Callie walked to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee, then turned to the two women. Callie raised her cup and smiled weakly. "Morning Mom, morning Madeline. You're just full of surprises."
"Good morning Callie. I hope you weren't upset by my showing up at the hardware the other day. I just really wanted to see what Bob and Bess's daughter looked like. You are a strikingly pretty young woman." Callie was a little uncomfortable with the events at the hardware, and a little angry.
"Thank you. A young woman that talks too much, or were you in my head, dragging that out of me somehow?"
"Callie, Maddy is a guest, and an ally." Her mother said, frowning.
"It's fine Bess. I have that effect on people sometimes, Callie. I guess I'm easy to talk to. I find that people often tell me things they want to get off their chest, things that are troubling them. But, I would never share a confidence." Callie sighed, glancing at her mother.
"No offense Mom, but there are things about me I'd prefer you didn't know."
"No problem, we both have some secrets." Callie motioned to Madeline.
"I'd say she is one of them. I hear you two went to high school together. What the hell, is the water tainted around here? How do the two best of the Sisters, end up coming from the same small town?"
"Good question, Callie. Your mother and I were talking about that, and about Teresa Blackburn, and some of the others. I hear you spent the day with Deeann Long. What did you think of her?"
"She's pretty great, once you get her alone. I think Teresa's just had her under her thumb for too long. Even Jane might be okay. She's a bit self-entitled, but probably not bad either. Her and Teresa are all about some big deal they have going on. Big, as in millions. Somehow Ozzy Marsh is involved, seems like they want him out of the way, permanently if possible. I can't stand the asshole, but I'd be okay with just wrecking his life, not taking it."
"Yeah, that has to stop. Allowing a death that's supposed to happen is one thing, sometimes there's nothing we can do and Fate just has to have its way. But to cause a death that wasn't supposed to happen, is never okay. We have to sleep at night." Bess Fisher mused, staring into her coffee cup.
"Just guessing, but I don't think Teresa has any problem sleeping nights." Callie stated.
"Ozzy Marsh, I know his father." Madeline glanced at Callie's Mom. "I went to Law school with him. He was a year older so I didn't know him well, but his firm has been investigated by our office for ethics violations. I can't go into it, I shouldn't have said that much, but I'm just saying, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in that family."
"So why don't you two team up," Callie said looking back and forth between the two women. "team up, kick Teresa out of the group, take over and run things right?"
"It's not that simple Callie." Bess Fisher rested her chin on her hand. "Something happened a long time ago, and I promised myself I wouldn't get involved again. I've broken that promise lately, pulling you away from the shooting, exposing my abilities to you, but I won't go back to the group in any active role. I'll sit here and look at my papers."
"Well, I can't blame you. If it wasn't for Natalie dying, I'd say the hell with it, go to work with Dad, and shack up with Jenny fulltime." She laughed a little. "But I did see that, and I may be able to get her a little justice, so I have to try, right?" Madeline nodded.
"I hope I can help Callie, and not just through the Sisters. The Marsh family strays across the line on a regular basis, sooner or later the justice system will get them, if the Sisters don't."
"Speaking of Jenny, I'd better go say Hi to her. I think we'll be seeing each other, Madeline. All the Sisters talk about you, they hope you can help straighten things out."
"Maybe that will fall on you, Callie. There are changes coming, that much I'm sure of." Callie gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and started getting ready to go out in the cold.
"I won't mention the fact that I've met you to anyone. Much as I like Danielle and Deeann, you're the only one of the bunch that I trust, must be the hometown thing." She waved a gloved hand and went out to her car. Jenny had worked late and she knew she would still be in bed. She planned to join her.
***
Monday morning, they drove to Minneapolis. Callie's classes started on Tuesday. School seemed like an unimportant inconvenience, compared to the drama of the Sisters, and her new life with Jenny. Being lovers, as w
ell as best friends, had been an easy transition, but Callie wasn't sure about living together. She knew Jenny was starting to understand that some of her activities with the Sisters could be dangerous. She hadn't given it much thought herself, until the night of the shooting, but now Jenny could be put at risk as well.
Teresa's threat had been clear, she would use what she knew about Greg's death to ruin Callie's relationship if she caused too much trouble. But that would only work once, and it was possible Jenny would forgive her, in time. But how far was Teresa willing to go to keep Callie under control, or punish her? It looked like killing Ozzy was something she was willing to do, would she draw the line at killing Callie? As unlikely as that seemed, Callie had no intention of being caught off guard, or putting Jenny in danger. She glanced over at the redhead.
"I have to stop for a bathroom break, then you can drive the rest of the way, okay?"
"In the city? Everybody's going eighty Callie, I'll be a nervous wreck! I still don't like the idea of taking your car home, I can take a bus. My car will make it down here, no problem."
"Right, then I have to worry about you being stranded on the side of the road, getting raped by some pervert."
"You would see that in your visions."
"What I see in my visions, is you driving safely down the freeway in this car. No arguments. It's me being selfish anyway, I like having you around to keep me warm at night, you're like an oven in bed."
"Translation, hot in the sack, I'll take it." Jenny giggled.
"I start school tomorrow, what are you going to do all day."
"Sleep, probably. Maybe I'll cook something. Can I meet you for lunch at that food stand where you and Danielle always go?"
"Sure, but you probably will have to take the bus, parking's impossible right now, especially with all the snow. Have you ever ridden a city bus?"