Callie's Secret Revelations

by T. Jones

  "Going to post that on the Internet?"

  "Probably not. But I know a couple people that'll want to see it."

  ***

  The pictures were professional grade, half a dozen shots of Danielle and Rachel engaged in tongue wrestling, a couple with Rachel's hand under Danielle's shirt. Anna pulled up outside Danielle's house the next afternoon and stayed sitting in her car. When Danielle came out, she pushed the glossy prints through her car window without a word, her eyes hollow and bloodshot. She sat staring at Danielle as she looked at them, then finally choked out some words.

  "My Dad said he didn't trust you, because of the late nights, so he had you followed. I don't know if I hate him or you more right now. I'll forgive him eventually, but not you. I have the movie version, if you're interested. The asshole made me watch it, just so I'd know he didn't fake these somehow."

  "All I can say is it's not what it looks like, it was work, but that's what you expect me to say."

  "If that's work, then you must be a hooker. But, better that, then a fucking liar, which I know you are."

  "Don't do this, please." Danielle started shaking. "You're everything to me."

  "Yeah, sure looks like it. Don't call me Danielle. I won't be working at the club this summer, I couldn't stand to look at you. If you come to the house, my Dad will have you arrested." Danielle watched her drive away, this time she was sure. Anna was the love of her life, or had been.

  She saw her again, a few months later, at her grandfather's funeral. The cancer took him quickly, and she knew her grandmother would follow soon. Anna and her parents were there, and looking at her just made the hurt worse. But Anna jerked away from her father's grasp and walked over.

  "I'm really sorry about your grandfather, I know you loved him a lot."

  "Thank you. He was a wonderful person, he changed my life. Are you doing okay?"

  "No, not at all. I lost someone I loved to. Do you think the hurt will ever go away?"

  "Some probably, but not all of it." Danielle reached out for her hand briefly. "I hope, maybe enough to be happy again."

  "I hope so, for you too. Take care of yourself Danielle."

  Danielle watched her walk away, wondering if Fate was done with them.

  ***

  Callie padded softly down the stairs hoping to raid the refrigerator for a late-night snack. Danielle sat on the couch with the remote in her hand, the sound off on the television, the screen locked. The image stuck on the screen was of a beautiful young woman with a microphone in her hand. Callie had never seen Danielle cry before, but now, tears rolled freely from her eyes. She sat beside her and the tall woman collapse into her arms, sobbing. After a minute, she sat up, motioning toward the screen.

  "That's Anna, the woman I thought I would be marry. She's a television reporter now, can you believe it? She does the financial news for them. Now all I have to do is turn on the evening news to be reminded of everything the Sisters cost me."

  Chapter Ten

  "How are things going with the old man?" Billy Ricks asked. He dropped into the chair in Ozzy's office, and slid a package across the table. "Any more boxing lessons? Couple hits of this stuff, you'll be able to whip him with one arm tied behind your back."

  "Great, I need something to keep me going. No more sparring, I've been playing the perfect son ever since that night, showing up for work, and I even went to a rally last night. Tomorrow night I'm taking Danielle over there for a meet and greet. She can handle my parents, and she's classy enough to impress the old man."

  "How is she in the sack?"

  "Awesome, is how she is! I actually kind of like this one, I might keep her around for a while."

  "Will she let you chase strays, like Natalie did?" Billy smirked.

  "Doubt that. But I'm not going to screw around on her, she's kind of special."

  "Ozzy Marsh, whipped? Never thought I'd see the day."

  "Not whipped, just worn out. She's classy, but she loves doing it. So anyway, tomorrow night, while we're having dinner, you can be here, getting that tape for me. Here's the combination." Ozzy slid a business card across the table. "You can just hide out in here, use my key to the old man's office, then leave through the side door, it'll lock behind you. I'll be sure the alarm is off, and only the one camera works, so no problem there. Wear a ski mask when you're in Dads office, but it should be a piece of cake. We don't keep any cash around, so don't get greedy. The old man will be pissed, but once I have that tape, there's not a damn thing he can do about it. It'll be worth getting my ass kicked, if it comes to that."

  "Alright. Sounds easy enough. I've done worse things for a lot less money."

  "Christ Billy, he's blackmailing me, I'm just protecting myself."

  ***

  Teresa Blackburn looked sourly across the table at her friend Jane, her only friend, it seemed at the moment.

  "Have you heard the rumblings?" Jane looked across at the stout woman, grabbed her drink, and took a large swig. Teresa continued. "That little Fisher bitch must think she's a union organizer, or something. She and Deeann ran all over town, talking to the Sisters this weekend. They want to reorganize, because I'm not running things right! I don't know what's gotten into Dee, other than the fact she wants to get her tongue into Callie Fisher, but I've had it. I'm not turning a dime for that bitch. Her five million is going to take an unfortunate turn in the market, while ours does amazingly well."

  "Teresa, calm down. Once Marsh closes our deal, who cares. Deeann's our friend, even if she is an air head sometimes. The whole deal with the Marsh kid blew up in our face. We should have just hired someone to get rid of him and been done with it."

  "Murder by psychopath is hard to prove, Jane. If we had paid someone it could have come back to haunt us. I'll admit, I should have made sure the girl wasn't there. Nobody likes it when a pretty college girl takes a bullet, that's what has everyone stirred up."

  "So, let them have the Sisters, who cares. We take our millions and forget about them. Ditch Frank and let's go to Miami, live the good life. Your boys will get over it when you invite them down to your beach condo. Let Deeann moon over Callie Fisher and freeze her ass off here for the next twenty years."

  "All that's true, but it still pisses me off. I, or we, spent a lot of years and money, getting the Sisters together, figuring out how we could use their talents, and now Callie Fisher is going to waltz in here like some hero, and take all the credit. I'll leave, but I'm going to wipe that smug smile off her face before I do it. There's more than one skeleton in that little bitch's closet, and I'm going to let them all out." Jane looked at her soberly.

  "Think about that Teresa. You're going to piss off some powerful people."

  "No doubt. But what are they going to do? They have their own skeletons."

  "Maybe. Deeann's here, this ought to be interesting." Deeann walked in, smiled brightly and settled into her usual chair.

  "How are you two today? Have a good weekend?" Jane smiled at her, then lashed out.

  "Wasn't as good as yours, apparently. We said to keep Callie Fisher busy, not help her take over the whole fucking organization."

  "That's not what happened." Deeann scowled. "But everyone is concerned. Face it. The thing with the girl was a major screw up, and it's on us. Sorry to say it Teresa, but mostly it's on you. We tried to talk you out of letting Eliot Nucci go after Oz. It all could have been avoided." Teresa slammed her glass onto the table, enraged by Deeann's sudden show of independence.

  "I'm the only one that's willing to do anything! Everybody else is too chickenshit. What is the point of knowing the future if we're too afraid to do anything about it?"

  "Turns out we didn't know, did we? You knew that maniac was going to try to kill Ozzy Marsh, but the outcome wasn't real clear, was it? I've talked to enough of the girls to know your information wasn't anywhere as good as you made it sound. It was always about the money, wasn't it? You practically made a murderer out of all three of us."

  "You k
now," Teresa leaned forward, her voice filled with contempt. "I could scream and yell about our years of friendship, about all the good times and fun we had, how you just fucked that all away for a pretty face. But the fact is I never considered you a friend anyway. You're empty headed and stupid. Jane and I have led you around by your nose for years. You and Callie Fisher can team up with Teri and Grace and whoever else is pathetic enough to join you, good luck. We'll do fine without you." Deeann looked at Teresa, stricken. A tear rolled down one cheek. She turned to Jane Macdonald.

  "Jane? Is this how you feel too?" Jane MacDonald lowered her eyes, but made her loyalty clear.

  "You brought this on yourself, Dee. Things were going along just fine, you could have left it alone until the deal went through. I'm done with the Sisters, but good luck trying to run things. You're the one who's turning on her friends." Deeann turned back to Teresa.

  "So, I expect a full refund on my investment."

  "It's already been invested, and since it was made out to me, good as cash, you'll just have to wait until our deal goes through." Deeann glared at the pair for a moment, then stood up, backing away from them.

  "I'm guessing my money won't get the returns yours does. It's blood money, anyway. Sorry it has to end this way girls. Good luck to you." She turned and walked out of the club as the two women cackled at her back. She smiled, wiped the remaining tears from her face, then got into her car and dialed a number on her phone. She smiled a bit, sadly, then spoke into the phone. "Yeah, it's done. They bought it."

  ***

  Ozzy Marsh beamed across the table at his mother. Despite the fact that he had grown to loathe his father, he still had a great deal of fondness for his mother, and wanted her approval. Danielle Ogren was doing her part to help with that. Danielle exuded class, something that Natalie, for all her beauty, had lacked, and his mother appreciated class. The two women were getting along very well, and what made his mother happy, usually made his father happy. The elder Marsh watched his wife, engaged in conversation with Danielle, then caught Ozzy's eye, and nodded appreciatively. He tipped his head at his son, motioning for him to join him. The elder Marsh stood slowly, smiling at his wife.

  "You two enjoy, I need to speak with Ozzy for a couple of minutes, might grab a cigar."

  "Alright boys, Danielle is telling me about her trip to Venice!" Oz followed his father into the den and sat in one of the overstuffed leather chairs. The elder Marsh motioned toward the dining room, nodding.

  "That Danielle is a catch, Oz. She would make a fine first lady for a young governor."

  "Woah, slow down." Ozzy laughed. "This is only the fourth time we've gone out. She isn't ready to sign up to be first lady of anything, and I'm a long way from the governor's mansion."

  "Things are looking good Oz. Sad as it was, losing Natalie, I mean, there was a lot of political capital in that. You have people's attention. Stick with the plan I laid out, son, and you have a wonderful future ahead of you." Johnathan Marsh looked down for a moment, then spoke hesitantly. "I'm sorry about that unpleasantness the other day, I know I can go overboard when I lose my temper. Stick with me boy, I'm about to close that deal. I'm meeting with the other investor in a couple weeks, and we're buying low, going all in. Within a month the company is going to announce their new device and the stock will explode. We stand to make tens of millions, in the matter of a few months."

  "Sounds great. But look, Dad, what about that tape? It's a liability for us both." The elder Marsh sobered, his grin slowly falling away.

  "You play your part boy, work your ass off and get that state senate seat, then that tape will disappear forever." Oz nearly lost it, but he calmed himself, controlled his temper enough to smile weakly and nod.

  "Alright, but I don't like having that hang over my head."

  "And I don't like you trying to sell out to Spencer. Cigar?" Johnathan Marsh offered smiling.

  "No thanks, I'm going to check on Danielle. Mom will have us all on a European cruise, if someone doesn't slow her down." Father and son smiled begrudgingly at one another as the younger Marsh got up and returned to the dining room. Oz felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and looked down. Billy Ricks had texted.

  'Combo won't work for the safe!' Ozzy smiled and texted back.

  'Get out of there! We'll try again.' He dropped his phone back into his pocket, still smiling. He needed Billy to be properly motivated the next time, when it mattered. He winked at Danielle as he walked into the dining room, wondering if she would sign a pre-nep should the time come. He was falling fast and hard, but a young senator, in charge of his father's millions, couldn't be too careful.

  ***

  Late Friday morning, after dropping Jenny off to get ready to go to work, Callie stopped by the hardware store to say hello to her father. Travis Weaver stood at the counter, picking up a chainsaw blade he'd had sharpened. Callie ran at him and jumped into his embrace.

  "Chester! My god am I glad to see you. I haven't seen you since all the shit hit the fan."

  "God Callie, I am so sorry about Natalie. I texted you once, but I never heard back. That's okay, I mean, I know it must have been hard for you. Hey, did Jen tell you Holly and I are together now?" Hearing her name, Holly walked around the end of the paint aisle, striding quickly up. She smiled cheerfully, but quickly took Travis's arm.

  "Don't be stealing my boyfriend Fisher, you took Jenny away from me, you're not getting this one."

  "I'm sure you see plenty of Jenny, and it's not quite the same thing." Callie laughed.

  "Who knew?" Holly tried to joke. "Her and I used to chase guys, a lot of guys, and now you two are together. How's that going?"

  "Jeez Holly," Chester said with a twisted smile. "Too much information, I'm sure Callie and Jen are doing just fine. You're all she ever talks about."

  "My boyfriend hangs around Walmart all the time, Callie. Travis and Jenny are very close, too close if you ask me."

  "Holly, Hun, I keep telling you, we are just friends." He rolled his eyes at Callie. "We have to run Callie, really great to see you." Holly waved quickly and wrapped her hand around Travis's elbow, steering him from the store.

  "Wow Chester," Callie muttered to herself. "Good luck with that one."

  "Were you talking to me, Princess?" Her father asked, coming from behind the counter.

  "Nope, just being a smartass like normal, Dad. What's new with you?"

  "Wishing for spring, like everybody else. Once you finally decide to become my assistant manager, your mother and I will go south for the winter."

  "Nice try, but you're not going to guilt me in to the job. Take a trip during spring break, I can watch the store for you, anytime I'm not in school."

  "I hear you're getting in deep with the Sisters, not sure how I feel about that. You should be concentrating on school, not worrying about what that bitch Teresa is doing."

  "Jeez Dad, I never heard you call anybody that before."

  "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just don't trust her Callie. I've heard about some of the things she's done over the years, and I wouldn't put anything past her. What you're doing, what you've done, seems dangerous, and I worry."

  "All the more reason you should take a vacation, get rid of that stress. Hey, did we ever go down south when I was little? Like when I was really small, that I might not remember it?"

  "No, we were always too busy, why?" Callie shrugged.

  "I don't know, I just have memories of running down a beach, chasing some blond-haired guy. Not memories for sure, but dreams, the kind that usually mean something."

  "Talk to your Mom, I'm no help when it comes to the paranormal."

  "Paranormal? So, Mom and I are freaks to you?"

  "Very special freaks, that I love. Stop messing with me, you know what I mean. I've seen enough to know for sure it's all real, but that doesn't mean I understand it."

  "Welcome to my world. A lot of my dreams are pretty cryptic, I know they're trying to tell me something, but damned if I kn
ow what."

  "Who do you suppose is responsible for your dreams Callie?"

  "Are you going to make this about religion, Dad. I wish I believed like you, really, it just isn't logical to me." Her father frowned.

  "But seeing the future is? How is that possible, unless God is sending you messages."

  "Maybe it's just physics, something scientists don't know about yet. Or maybe it is God. Maybe someday I'll get there, Dad. Let's not argue about it, okay?"

  "Of course not, Callie. Believing isn't something you can convince someone to do, you have to find it yourself."

  "Not there yet Dad, maybe someday. I'm going to run and track down Mom." Discussions about religion with her father always ended the same. He couldn't understand why she didn't believe in God, and she didn't understand why he did. At least they didn't have to fight about it. The dream of the man on the beach kept running through her mind, she kept picturing him walking away from her. Her mother wasn't home when she got there, so she went to her room and sat in front of the easel, trying to recreate the scene from her dream. She painted the man carefully, trying to sketch out his face, hoping something in her dream would come back to her. She finally gave up when she heard her mother come in. She cleaned her brushes and went down to greet her.

  "Hey Mom, what's up? Finding anything in your newspapers?"

  "The truth is out there Callie."

  "The only reason I know what that means is because I watch a lot of reruns with Jenny and her mother. But that's a good question, what would happen if the government ever found out about us, wouldn't having a team of psychics give Uncle Sam an edge?"

  "Don't even go there Callie, the idea keeps me awake at night. It seems obvious Minnesota can't be the only place with real psychics, there have to be others around the world. That was one of Teresa's early ideas, go to the feds and sell our services."

  "Like that would go well. She found a way to use the Sisters to get rich anyway, and I really doubt the CIA or the FBI would believe what we can do, without proof. None of the Sisters would go along with it, and the way politics are, how could you trust anybody. I'm sticking to local projects, like finding a way to send Ozzy to prison for being a murderer."