Callie's Secret Revelations

by T. Jones

  "I said you'd be overseeing it, but everything happened fast and I had to move before Spencer got the funds together. They've been breathing down our neck on this deal, as you well know." Father and son exchanged a look, and Ozzy dropped his eyes, then spoke up.

  "I just think we need to move cautiously, make sure all the angles are covered."

  "My son is overly cautious Teresa. I've greased the right wheels. Have you been able to handle your end of things?"

  "Spencer's money man has been dealt with, he won't have funds available for a couple months." Ozzy frowned in her direction.

  "How could you possibly know that?"

  "Trust me young man, I know. I'm betting twenty million dollars that my information is absolutely sound. Your father has put the same amount of trust in you, so we're both hoping you can keep everything flowing smoothly."

  "I'm sure I won't let either of you down. My father has cleared my desk, I'll spend all my time making sure this deal goes as planned."

  "Ozzy is running for the State Senate seat next fall, I'm going to make a politician of him. Governor Marsh has a pretty good ring to it, don't you think?"

  "Indeed it does!" Teresa smiled at Ozzy. "I've seen you on the news, quite the hero it would seem. Too bad you couldn't save that poor girl."

  "She was the love of my life, it's been very difficult." Ozzy nodded. He was liking Teresa Blackburn less and less, and just wanted to get away from her. "If that's all, I'd better get back to my office and bore into this. I need to brush up on some trade regulations."

  "I'll send you all the paperwork in a bit, Oz." His father winked at him. "Like I said, I've greased the right wheels, we won't have any problems."

  ***

  Ozzy paced back and forth in his office, seething. The deal with Spencer had gone away when his mysterious investor had pulled his money out. Teresa had known somehow, which didn't make sense to him. It didn't matter, the old man had pulled the wool over his eyes, implying that the buy in wasn't happening for a while. So, he was stuck, stuck being his father's lackey for the foreseeable future, being kicked around like a dog when it suited the old man's mood. All of his father's money wasn't worth the crap he was sure he would be subjected to. He knew he could be a decent lawyer, given a chance at a different firm, but there was no way out, not as long as his father had that tape. He reached for his phone, time to motivate Billy.

  "Hey Billy, how're sales going."

  "Alright I guess, people are a little nervous the way the cops were sniffing around after the bombing, and all that shit. Some of the old customers are coming back, but it's kind of slow."

  "Can you scrape up some dough? The deal with Spencer went to hell, and I'm strapped. I need to get some of that money back." There was a long silence.

  "Fuck Oz, I thought the deal was that I had to get the tape, then we were square."

  "Well, that didn't happen, and I'm scratching. Alright, let's make another run at the safe, maybe the old man's got some cash around, we could split it. But I need that tape Billy. I'm not playing nice anymore, things are getting really nasty with that bastard. You need to help me."

  "Hey Oz, when have I not. Anything you want bud, I just can't come up with that cash right now, it's all tied up in product."

  "Shit. Alright, we may have to do it the hard way. The old man changed that combo, he probably figured I'd try to get the tape. You're going to have to make him give it to you."

  "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

  "You have a gun, right? I'll get you in the building late, the old man is there a couple nights a week. We'll make it look like a burglary, wear a mask, take everything in the safe."

  "Jesus Oz, I don't know."

  "Billy, I've fed you customers and money for years, and kept the cops off you, you owe me, damn it." Oz knew the veiled threat wouldn't be missed.

  "Alright Oz, but then we're square, okay?"

  "Sure Billy, then we're square."

  ***

  Two weeks had passed, and Callie had given up trying to sleep. Her dreams weren't telling her anything, only the things she already knew. Every night, her mind full of Jenny as she drifted off, she relived Greg Johnson, the Calico cat, and the night she wrote the fateful letter sending Davis Cooper over the edge. She knew that it wasn't Greg, extracting his revenge on her, it was just her own conscious, with a dose of Karma, making her life miserable. Some things were irreversible. Not telling Jenny about Abby had only delayed the inevitable, it seemed. Yet telling her everything would certainly have ended things before they started. No matter how she framed it, Callie couldn't imagine how Jenny could ever forgive her, or how she could forgive herself.

  At two in the morning, she stumbled down to the kitchen, made a small sandwich, and heated some milk. She sat staring dumbly at the television, too tired and numb to cry about Jenny anymore. Danielle burst through the door suddenly, heels in hand, her skirt hiked up to make walking comfortable. Callie watched her fumble with the lock.

  "Hey Cinderella, it's way past midnight. Did your date turn into a murderer?"

  "Jesus Callie, bad mood? We went to some fund raiser. He sure hates his old man. He keeps telling me how he wants to quit, but he can't."

  "I suppose not, he's getting paid for doing nothing."

  "Well, yeah, but I don't think that's it, I think there's more to it. Teresa keeps telling me to keep an eye on him, she thinks he's going to blow pretty soon. How're you doing?"

  "I'm just peachy, sitting here, waiting to die."

  "Wow! Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, help me come up with something to nail Ozzy with. We know he got Natalie killed and probably wants to do in his old man, but what can we prove? We want something that's going to make him pay, and no, we're not going to run him over with anything motorized."

  "If he was any kind of a person, Natalie dying the way she did, he'd be suffering now."

  "I don't want to give him too much credit, but I think he is, I think it really bothers him."

  "Is that pillow talk, when you have him over?" Danielle spun around, glaring. Callie closed her eyes for a minute. "Shit, Dani, I'm sorry, I know you're not sleeping with him because you want to, I get mean when I don't sleep."

  "Callie, it's only been two weeks, Jenny will come around. You didn't hear this from me, but she called me a couple of times, asking about you."

  "Really! Jesus, what did she say? Are we history, is there any chance?"

  "Don't start, okay? She said she couldn't explain it to me, that you had done something before you two started dating, but that it had affected everything somehow. She said it was about more than you and her, that it was about the future."

  "Our future? What does that mean?"

  "I don't know, but she loves you, okay? Whatever she's trying to figure out, she wants to do it on her own. I really think the whole psychic thing has thrown her."

  "She's only known for a few weeks, I've had most of my life to get used to it."

  "Just let her be, okay? She hasn't said it's over. She hasn't given up, so you can't either, okay?"

  "Good pep talk coach." Callie smiled grabbing the tall woman's hand for a moment. "Sorry I said that pillow talk shit. Maybe I can sleep now. Thanks Danielle."

  "Sweet dreams, Callie."

  ***

  Callie's dreams weren't sweet. She found herself at the rally, the night Natalie was shot, reliving all the terror of trying to stop Eliot. But instead of running from the chaos in her dream, she stayed, watching it all play out, like she was floating above the crowd, able to see everything. She watched everything in slow motion, as Eliot raised his gun and aimed squarely at Oz, then, jostled by the crowd, repeated the motion quickly, less carefully. She saw the first shot glance off the stone sidewalk and skip into the window of the Law Center, saw Oz duck to the side, putting Natalie's body directly into Eliot's line of fire, and saw the bullet tear through the hapless girl, her body falling lifeless as Ozzy turned to run, clutching his side. In her dream, she
saw the life drain quickly from the pretty blonde's eyes. The shock brought her awake, a scream starting in her throat.

  She stopped herself, and sat shaking for a few moments as she fumbled for her phone. It was four in the morning, but she knew going back to sleep was going to be impossible. She slipped down to the kitchen, made some coffee, then went back upstairs; not to her bedroom, but to the spare room where her easel and paints waited. She felt suddenly inspired, something in that dream was important, something she might recognize if she put it on the canvas.

  It was eleven o'clock when she dropped her brush triumphantly. She pulled the door of the small room open and called loudly to Danielle. "Dani, get up here, you have to see this!"

  "Callie, what the hell? I thought you were at school, do you know what time it is?"

  "I think this is worth missing a couple of classes, look." Danielle scanned the canvas.

  "You are one hell of an artist, but I knew that. This looks like a few seconds after Eliot shot Natalie, he's going down, I'm turning to run."

  "Notice anything else?" Callie was smiling brightly. Danielle shook her head.

  "No, I give up, what is it I'm supposed to see?" Callie raised her hand, pointing to a spot on the canvas.

  "Look right here, up in the corner, under the overhang of the roof."

  "Holy shit." Danielle exclaimed, understanding Callie excitement. "A camera, the whole thing was on tape. The whole world will know what a coward Ozzy Marsh is, if we can get our hands on that tape. The cops had to have looked at that footage."

  "My gut, or my senses, tell me that the tape was never seen by the cops. Old man Marsh has it, I'm sure of it. Ozzy may not care much for his old man, but to kill him? If his Dad is holding that tape over his head, it might be enough to send him over the edge. It may be that he's been waiting for the stock deal to go down, before he goes after it. Twice the reason to kill Dad, destroy the tape and be a multimillionaire."

  "You realize, that if Johnathan Marsh has watched that tape, and seen what's in this painting of yours, he knows I'm more than just some stray Ozzy picked up at the bar. Taking Eliot out was easy, he didn't know I was there. But it would be obvious to anyone that I knew what I was doing. The fact that I ran would tell him I was a professional, not just some talented do-gooder. He's been playing it all very cool, but if you're right, maybe I should just go talk to him, tell him he's in danger."

  "That won't get us the tape. Could you break into the safe?"

  "I can break bones when it's necessary Callie, but I'm not some master thief. We could wait, and try to figure out a way of getting the tape, but Ozzy might go after it himself soon, and kill the old man in the process. We're supposed to be stopping that sort of thing."

  "I'm going to call Deeann, maybe she knows more about this money deal. Teresa and Jane have all but disappeared, and the Sisters have practically shut down. I wish Madeline would show her face, it's like everybody is waiting for something to happen."

  "I think they're waiting for you to step up, Callie. All the Sisters like you, they want you to take over, push Teresa out."

  ***

  "So, what's up Teresa? I've been staying as close to Oz as I can stand." Danielle sat down quickly, frowning at the small woman. "Having sex with that low life makes me want to vomit, but you keep saying I have to stay close, so I've been doing that."

  "I had a meeting with his Dad the other day, and met Ozzy. He seems ready to crack, I suspect he'll try to get his Dad out of the way soon."

  "I've always done what you asked of me Teresa, without questions. But in the grand scheme of things, how does Ozzy killing his father matter? Is he really going to get away with it, and be a danger to society? Or is this just about your money deal?"

  "Need I remind you that it's my money that pays for your car, your apartment, your expenses?"

  "Yours, and the other two. But the Sisters are supposed to be about doing what's right, only tweaking things when it really makes a difference. If this is more about lining your pockets, it seems like a conflict of interest."

  "Usually I can tell what you're thinking, Dani, we've developed a close connection over the years. Now that's gone, and I know you're not strong enough to keep me out of your head, so I'm guessing it's Callie Fisher. The little bitch has some amazing abilities, I will give her that."

  "You mean like compassion, and empathy? It seems like those are things you've lost Teresa. But I don't think it's Callie keeping you out, I think she trusts me enough to tell me if she was."

  "Maybe," Teresa stared at Danielle, lost in thought. "I suppose there are a couple other possibilities. Are you going to see this thing through with the Marsh kid?"

  "I will, mostly because I want to hang his ass for getting Natalie Clark killed. I hope it ends soon. You know, that the Sisters are mostly shut down right now. They're not sure where the group is headed, and they don't want to share their information."

  "And that's my fault? What about Callie Fisher, she's the one stirring everything up."

  "She thinks you could have prevented Natalie's death, that you were more worried about getting rid of Oz than protecting people. A lot of the Sisters think the same thing."

  "What about you, what do you think?" Teresa asked quietly.

  "I think I should have prevented Natalie's death, I hate that I have to live with that. But part of it was because I believed you, that it was important and the right thing to do. Bottom line is that, yeah, I think all that money made Ozzy dying more important than doing what the Sisters are supposed to do, which is save lives, not take them."

  "That's all very high minded, but things are never simple. I've been doing the hard work for twenty years, I deserve to be rewarded for it." Teresa's voice cracked with emotion.

  "If Callie's wrong, if there is a God, you and I will both probably get what we deserve Teresa, but I don't think it's going to be a reward." Teresa drew a breath, visibly angry.

  "Well, the deals done. Even if Ozzy kills Johnathan now and ends up being my partner, I'm going to have more money than I can spend. It might not get me to Heaven, but I sure as fuck will enjoy the rest of my time on Earth. Fine, you think Callie Fisher is so wonderful, throw your hat in with her. But paybacks a bitch, Dani, and Callie Fisher better watch her back. Take charge of the Sisters, by all means! As of today, I'm out."

  "Teresa, it doesn't have to be like this, you have the Gift, the group still needs your input." Danielle softened. "But you've lost sight of what's important."

  "I'll worry about that when I'm sitting on the beach in Rio, trust me."

  "Alright, sorry it's come to this."

  "Fuck you and Callie Fisher, oh, and your car and the loft are leased, they both go away at the end of the month." Danielle shrugged as Teresa stood, gathered her purse and coat, and stormed out of the restaurant.

  ***

  Callie glanced over at Deeann Long, waiting for her to start the conversation. They were back at the little diner where Juliette worked, eating pie and keeping her from doing her job. Deeann put down her fork, took a swallow of coffee, and started the conversation.

  "So we, Callie and I, are back talking to everyone. We think it's time to take control of the group. Teresa has lost her way, and Jane too, I'm afraid. It looks like she'll go along with whatever Teresa says. We want to make the group run more democratically. Have maybe, three people in charge, with equal votes."

  "Everybody feels that way." The waitress said earnestly, taking a moment to make a face at her boss. "I told him I was going on break, you'd think it was lunch hour for crying out loud. Nobody is happy about the way things have been going. Mostly it's Teresa, she appointed herself Queen somewhere along the line, and everybody is sick of it."

  "It's time to change things, now." Callie spoke up. "We've talked about it enough. But we want to make it a group decision. Teresa isn't going to be happy, but with the exception of Jane and a few of the Sisters, everybody wants her out."

  "Sounds good to me!" Juliette nodded
, digging into her pie. "Would one of you two run things then?" Deeann chuckled.

  "That's the point Jules, no one person should be in charge, or if they were, they would be elected. We need to get everyone together and establish guidelines. The group needs money to operate, and if we piss Teresa off, some of that will go away. I have enough to keep us going, but we should have a treasurer, and a way to continue to raise money. Money for the group, not to make one person rich. And we should have a few members that would look at things, before we intercede, decide when it seems worth the risk to mess with Fate."

  "All sounds good to me. I think we should just have the Elders run things. You have better sight than most of the rest of us. There are a couple of you that seem to be able to do things the rest of us can't, even all together." She gave Callie a look and the younger girl jumped in.

  "Hey, my dreams tell me a lot of things, but usually it's hard to interpret. The best way for us to do the most good is for all of us to work together. I see things that make no sense at all sometimes, but if all the Sisters helped, maybe we could figure them out together."

  "So what do you want me to do?" Juliette asked, standing up to return to work.

  "For now, we're just going around taking a straw vote. I'm hoping the thing with Teresa will resolve itself." Deeann said getting ready to leave. "She made it pretty clear she isn't happy with me, or Callie, and I don't think the Sisters are a priority for her anymore. Maybe she'll be happy to just stop being involved."

  As before, Callie and Deeann made the rounds, talking to as many of the Sisters as they could reach. Everyone shared the same thought, it was time for Teresa to go. When they returned to the loft, Callie invited Deeann in. The older woman raised an eyebrow.

  "Sorry, this isn't a booty call, Deeann." Callie laughed. "Danielle's home, so it might be a good time to talk to her too. She met with Teresa today, and I'm guessing the shit hit the fan." They walked into the loft and found Danielle sitting on the couch, beer in hand.