by Reid, Terri
Hurrying down the street, Mary met her friend in front of her shop. “Hi, what’s up?” Mary asked.
Holding one hand behind her back, Amelia pulled a keychain from her pocket with her other hand and held it out to Mary. “Donna stopped by and left this for you. It’s an extra key,” she said. “She said if you were in town and wanted to stop by her apartment to see if Liza was there, that would be fine with her.”
“Perfect,” Mary said, taking the key. “I can go over there now. What great luck. And here my horoscope told me my luck was going to be bad this week.”
“Well,” Amelia said with a slight frown and pulling her other hand out from behind her back. “This is for you, too. I found it on your car.”
Mary looked down at the small piece of paper in Amelia’s hand. “A ticket?” she exclaimed. “I got a parking ticket? Well, crap. I never get parking tickets.”
Mike cleared his throat pointedly.
“Okay, I almost never get parking tickets,” she amended.
He cleared this throat one more time.
“Okay,” she sighed, glancing at Mike. “I hardly ever get parking tickets outside of Freeport.”
Amelia giggled. “Do you have your very own invisible conscience with you?”
Glancing at Mike again, Mary grinned. “Yeah, give someone the title of guardian angel, and you can’t get away with much,” she teased. “Of course, he is handy to have around when you get arrested.”
“You got arrested?” Amelia gasped.
Shrugging, Mary nodded. “Well, not officially. Mostly I got questioned.”
“About?” Amelia asked.
“I just happened to mention that I knew someone was dead but no one else knew,” she explained.
“Well, I can see why that might raise a few eyebrows,” Amelia replied, biting back a smile. “So, how did you get off?”
“I had a little inside information about the chief from my guardian angel,” she said. “So, once she realized he was in the room with us, it wasn’t a far leap for her to realize the dead guy spoke to me, too.”
“Really?” Amelia asked, clearly not convinced.
“Okay,” Mary sighed, rolling her eyes. “The fact that I was married to Bradley probably helped more. Professional courtesy and all that.”
“So, the ticket’s for ten bucks,” Amelia teased, waving the paper under Mary’s nose. “You gonna fight it?”
Mary snatched the ticket from Amelia and stuffed it in her purse. “No, I’ll pay it and consider it a deal,” she said.
Amelia laughed. “Maybe you can write it off as a business expense,” she teased.
“You’re not helping,” Mary said.
Amelia shrugged. “Hey, it was your horoscope, not mine,” she said.
Chapter Twenty
“I like Amelia,” Mike said, seated in the passenger seat as they drove up Main Street to Donna’s apartment. “She’s got a great sense of humor.”
“Says the guy who didn’t get the ticket,” Mary grumbled good-naturedly.
“Says the person who didn’t get murdered,” Mike countered.
Mary glanced over at him, relieved that he was grinning. “Okay, you win,” Mary admitted, pulling up in front of Donna’s apartment. She looked up to the third floor windows, hoping to see the little girl’s face there.
“I can’t see her,” Mike said, peering in the same direction.
“I don’t see her either,” Mary said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if she stayed away from windows because she is afraid.”
He looked at her. “Ready to walk up three flights of stairs?” he asked.
She nodded. “Ready.”
A few minutes later they were entering the small apartment. Mary closed the door behind her and turned towards the small living room where Liza had been the last time she’d seen her. The room was empty. “Liza,” Mary called softly. “Liza, its Mary. Can you come out and speak with me?”
A soft light appeared in the corner of the living room. It grew larger until it was the size of the little girl, and finally, she came into focus a few feet away.
“Hi, Liza,” Mary said with a smile. “I want you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Mike.”
The child looked up at the angel and studied him. “I saw you last time,” she said. “You’re not like the other ones.”
Mike squatted down so he was closer to her height. “No, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m more like you. I’m an angel.”
She studied him for a few more minutes. “Are angels from God?” she asked.
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, angels are from God.”
Her face darkened, and she shook her head. “I don’t like you.”
“Why not?” Mary asked, surprised.
Liza turned to Mary and pointed at Mike. “He’s bad. He hates little girls. He hurts little girls.”
Mike shook his head. “No, sweetheart, I don’t hate little girls,” he said, keeping his voice calm even though his heart was breaking for her. “I protect little girls.”
“No, you’re from God, just like the bad man,” she said. “He was from God, too, and he hurt little girls.”
“The bad man?” Mary asked. “The one who adopted you?”
Liza nodded. “He told the second mommy he was from God,” she said. “And then he took me and hurt me.”
“He wasn’t from God,” Mike said. “He might have said it, but he really wasn’t from God.”
She put her hands over her ears. “You’re wrong,” she screamed at Mike. “You’re wrong. He was from God. God took away my mommy and daddy. God took away my next mommy and daddy. God gave me to the bad man. And the bad man from God hurt me. I hate God.”
“Sweetheart,” Mike said, moving closer to her.
“No!” she screamed. “Stay away from me.”
“Mike,” Mary said.
“Yeah, I know,” Mike said, moving back and disappearing through the door.
Liza watched him go, and then she slipped her hands from her ears. “Where did he go?” she asked.
“He knew he was upsetting you,” Mary explained. “So he went outside so you wouldn’t be afraid anymore.”
She paused for a moment and stared at the door. Then she turned her little swollen eyes to Mary. “Is he a bad man, too?” she asked.
Mary sat down on the edge of the coffee table so she could be a little closer to the child. “No, Mike is not a bad man,” she said. “He is a good man. He saved a little girl who was about your age when a bad man was coming to get her.”
“He saved her?” she asked.
Mary nodded. “Yes, he did,” she replied. “He’s an angel and he protected her.”
A tiny, translucent tear slipped down the pale cheek and glittered brightly as the little girl slowly faded away. Her voice was sad and quivered as she asked her final question before she disappeared. “Why didn’t God send an angel to save me?”
Chapter Twenty-one
Mary opened the door and found Mike on the other side, leaning against the wall. He was staring off into space, and the sorrow on his face broke Mary’s heart. “She’s gone,” she said softly. “Why don’t you come back inside?”
Pushing himself away from the wall, he nodded once and floated in front of her into the apartment. He didn’t meet her eyes but instead moved away from her to look out the window. “She was really afraid of me,” he said softly. “Not just afraid, but terrified. I’ve never seen a child so frightened.”
Mary closed the door softly and leaned against it. “It wasn’t you, Mike. She wasn’t afraid of you; she was terrified of memories of what happened to her, how she was murdered,” Mary said. “But I don’t understand what she meant about him being from God.”
Still staring out the window, Mike shrugged. “Maybe he was one of those religious zealots who justify abuse by twisting the words of God,” he said. “Maybe he quoted scripture to her as he abused her.”
She watched him, his back straight and his voice laced with ang
er. She knew that if he was still a human he would be punching the wall to release some of the anger and frustration. “We’ll find out, Mike,” she said. “We’ll find out who he is and what he did, and he’ll be punished.”
He sighed and leaned forward, his head against the window frame. “I heard her,” he said, his voice a mere whisper. “And I don’t know how to answer her question.”
“Which question?” Mary asked.
He turned, and the bleakness in his eyes almost frightened her. “Why didn’t God send an angel to save her?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion. “Why, Mary? Do you know the answer to that?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t,” she said, walking over to him. “I often ask myself that question, too. Why did a beautiful little girl die of cancer? Why did the young soldier get killed in an explosion? Why did the young mother die in a car accident? What about all of those innocent victims who are shot every day in the streets of our country? Why didn’t God step in and save them all?”
“And what do you do when you ask those questions and don’t have an answer?” he asked.
She paused for a moment to think about her answer. She met his eyes and then looked away, through the window at the street below. “I can only remember a little bit about when I died,” she said softly. “I remember that all the pain stopped. I remember this intense feeling of peace and well-being. I moved forward, toward this bright light that didn’t hurt my eyes. It felt warm and welcoming, like coming back home after a long trip.”
She turned to him. “Then I was given a choice,” she said. “I really wanted to continue. I really wanted to go there to the light. But, for a quick instant, I saw my family in the waiting room. I saw my father’s face, drawn and pale. I saw my mother weeping in his arms. I saw Sean, his jaw clenched and his hands clamped together to control his emotions. And I knew, no matter what I wanted, I needed to go back.”
“What does this have to do with Liza’s question?” he asked, moving away from the window and walking across the room. “You were an adult. You had a choice. You got to go back home.”
“Mike, when I was coming back to earth, to my family,” Mary explained gently, tears forming in her eyes, “I realized that it wasn’t home. Home was behind me. And even though it broke my heart to come back, I knew someday I’d return.”
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “When I ask myself that question, how could God let those people die? I remember that he didn’t let them die. He just brought them home.”
He just stared at her for a moment, silent tears slipping down his cheeks. “You’re right. I’d forgotten how I felt. I was so concerned about getting back down here to help you, asking for permission to be a guardian angel, that I really didn’t think about my surroundings,” he said quietly. “But I remember it felt like home when I finally crossed over.”
“I always wondered how you found the strength to leave,” she said. “I never even made it all the way to the light, and I didn’t want to return. But you were there.”
“I think it’s different for an angel,” he replied thoughtfully. “We’re still linked to the light, even though we’re here. I didn’t have to give up as much as you did.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Mike,” she said. “You are the angel that God sent to help Liza.”
He looked surprised, and then a small smile formed on his lips. “We need to find this guy so Liza can finally go home,” he said.
“Yes, we do,” she agreed, smiling back at him. “And we will.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Standing on the sidewalk in front of Donna’s apartment, Mary gazed down Main Street for Bradley’s cruiser and then pulled out her phone to check the time. There was still about five minutes before he was scheduled to be there, but Mary was anxious to meet the people who had given Liza away.
Taking a deep breath, she slightly chastised herself, “Just take it easy. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
She made a point of stepping back mentally and studying her surroundings. The afternoon sun was still hot, and Mary could see heat waves rising from the sidewalk at the end of the street. The sounds of Main Street were like a summer orchestra; the cicadas’ song was an underlying buzz of bass beneath the higher sounds of traffic, conversation, and canned music from the storefronts. The scents of Main Street were again eclectic and mouthwatering; a mix of specialty shop aromas, from chocolate to popcorn, mixed with the scent of freshly ground coffee from the gourmet bean shops. Those combined with the tangy smells of meat grilling from the steak houses and garlic and oregano from the Italian restaurants.
She felt a wave of serenity wash over her as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply once more.
“You’re smelling the chocolate, aren’t you?” Mike asked.
“Shhhhh,” she whispered. “I’m having a food fantasy.”
He chuckled. “I don’t want to disturb your daydream,” he said, “but Bradley just parked the car down the street.”
She opened her eyes immediately and looked down the street. Bradley, dressed in his khaki police uniform, stepped out of the car and glanced down the street, assessing the area quickly. When he caught Mary’s eyes, he smiled, and her heart quickened.
He walked towards her with an easy, athletic stride that accentuated his long legs and broad shoulders. Mary sighed appreciatively. “He is such a hunk,” she said.
“Yeah, if you go for that kind of obvious, all-American, incredibly masculine, hero type of guy,” Mike replied.
Mary sighed again. “Yeah, if you go for that type,” she repeated with a wide smile.
“It seems that you’re not the only one who appreciates that type,” Mike commented, noting the interest of more than a few female tourists who stopped window shopping to gaze at him appreciatively. A few more aggressive ones smiled invitingly in his direction when he passed by.
“He doesn’t even see them,” Mike said.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Mary replied, a wide grin on her face as Bradley reached them.
“Hi,” she said, reaching up to kiss him.
He looped his arms around her waist and held her lightly. “Hi yourself,” he replied, gazing into her eyes. “I missed you.”
He tightened his hold and bent over, softly tasting the edges of her lips, teasing her, until he was driving her crazy. She softly moaned, slid her hands up through his hair and held him in place so her lips could be firmly fixed on his. His seductive chuckle of appreciation sent a wave of passion through her body, and she shivered in his arms. He deepened the kiss, giving them both more of what they wanted but not enough to satiate the burning in her abdomen.
“Um, I hate to interrupt your reunion, but you are standing on a public street. And, you do have an appointment in Dubuque,” Mike reminded them. “And while you two are out of town, it’s my job to keep an eye on Clarissa, so I’ve got to get out of here.”
Bradley straightened up, Mary still in his arms, and exhaled slowly as he looked down at his wife. “Did I happen to mention that you look incredibly sexy today?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’ve heard that a protruding belly is fairly hot,” she replied ironically, “especially for the Santa Claus crowd.”
He stepped back and placed his hands on her belly. “A tiny belly with our baby in it is extremely hot,” he replied, his face sincere. “Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” she said. “So, not that I minded, but why did you walk up here? I thought we were going in your car?”
He shrugged and tried to hide the glint in his eyes. “Well, I thought that the cruiser was less likely to get a parking ticket in Galena.”
“How did you know?” she asked, astonished. “How could you possibly know?”
She turned to Mike. “Did you tell him?”
“Don’t look at me,” Mike said, holding his hands up defensively. “I’ve been with you the whole time.”
She turned back to Bradley. “Bradley, liste
n—” she began.
“The department called me once they ran the plates and discovered whose car it was,” he interrupted with a smile. “They called to apologize. They said they had detained you, so it was entirely their fault you were late in moving your car.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad they admitted they were at fault.”
He nodded. “I also had a very interesting conversation with Chelsea Chase,” he continued. “She apologized for interrogating and nearly arresting my wife.”
Mary bit her lower lip. “Well, that was nice of her,” she muttered.
“And when were you going to tell me that you had been held at gunpoint at a police station?” he asked.
Her heart dropped a little. She was really hoping she could have kept that incident a secret. “Quite honestly, I was sort of hoping it would never come up in the conversation,” she replied.
“Mary, I worry—”
She lifted her hand and placed it over his mouth. “You don’t need to worry,” she said. “If I hadn’t been able to handle it, you would have been the first person I called. I promise.”
He kissed her hand, and she dropped it. “Promise?” he asked.
“Promise,” she replied.
Mike winked at her. “Sure you would,” he whispered.
“Shhhh,” Mary replied over her shoulder. “You’re going to get me in trouble.”
Bradley looked back and forth between Mary and Mike. “What are you two up to now?” he asked.
Mike shook his head. “Nothing, Chief,” he said with a smile. “I’m just heading back to Freeport. Have a great time in Dubuque.”
As Mike faded away, Bradley offered his arm to Mary. “Let’s take the cruiser,” he suggested. “I think you’ve freaked out the whole Galena Police Department enough that you are never going to get a ticket here again.”
“Bonus!” she replied.
Chapter Twenty-three