Unbreakable Bonds (An Angela Panther Mystery Book 2)

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

  "What if he wants you to sign a pre-nup?" I texted.

  "He won't. I'll wow him with my incredible sexual skills."

  "TMI."

  "You could stand to listen. You might learn a thing or twenty."

  "I'll have you know I'm a sexual dynamo. Ask Jake."

  "Bahahahaha!"

  "Rude." I wrote.

  "Truth hurts."

  Most of our texting was witty and casual, but there was an underlying tension in her comments. She neared her breaking point, and if we didn't get what she needed soon, I knew she'd explode.

  I sat out on the deck. "Ma? Are you here?"

  "Yup. Floating right in front of ya."

  I focused hard in front of me, but all I could see was the fire pit. "I don't see you. Wave your arms or something."

  "Well, you see anything? I'm getting tired flappin' my arms like a bird here."

  "Meh, I got nothin'. Sorry."

  "You gotta go see Linda. It's no fun sneaking up on ya anymore, anyway."

  "I need to call her, and let her know what's going on."

  "She knows. We've been talking for months now."

  "Seriously?"

  "Well yah. We've been trying to get your psychic radar working right. Besides, her spirit guides told her you were gonna start hearing me anyway, so she knew it was coming."

  "Why don't my spirit guides talk to me instead of her?"

  "The universe is funny like that. Lemme tell you how it works."

  "Oh boy. Lessons from Fran."

  "Don't get smart." There was an edge to my mother's voice, one I hadn't heard since she died.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "I just finished a class about becoming a spirit guide, and I think I'm gonna apply to be one. I think I'd be good at guiding someone, ya know?"

  "Good grief."

  "Ah Madone, shut your spaghetti hole, and listen."

  "Geesh, Ma. That's a great thing for a future spirit guide to say."

  "Yah, I gotta work on my assertiveness. Dial it down a bit."

  I laughed.

  "So here's the thing. Spirit guides, they communicate all the time, you just don't know it. You gotta be open to hearing them, and you're a lotta things, but open-minded ain't one of them."

  I couldn't argue that. "I pity the fool who gets you as their spirit guide, Mrs. Sensitivity."

  "I'm working on it, geesh."

  "Has Linda mentioned if I'll get my gift completely back?"

  "Nope."

  "Has she said anything about my gift?"

  "Nope."

  "Are you lying to me?"

  "Yup."

  "Can you tell me anything you talk about?"

  "Yup."

  I waited, but she didn't speak. "Well?"

  "Mostly we make fun of you."

  "Nice."

  She laughed. "Nah, I'm kidding."

  "So you can tell me what you guys said then, right?"

  "Not about your gift, I can't, but don't worry, we both don't really know nothing about it now anyway. Lately we've just talked about Mel and the shuck."

  "That's why I called for you, actually," I said.

  "Oh, can ya make it quick? I was with Buddy and we're thinking of poppin' over to Italy. He's wants to go there 'cause that's where his daughter lives, and seeing as she's gonna die soon and all, it's kinda urgent."

  "Wow, that's terrible. Is she ill? She can't be that old."

  "She's fifty-five. She ain't no spring chicken, but yah, she's sick. The big C, like me. Smokes like a whore in a crack house."

  "How do you know about crack houses, Ma?"

  "Law and Order. I watch it with Josh on his computer."

  "Josh watches Law and Order on his computer?"

  "Uh oh. I wasn't supposed to say that."

  "What else does Josh watch on his computer?"

  "I dunno. I'm no narc. So about Mel."

  "We gotta get moving on getting what she needs, Ma. She's gonna crack."

  "Yah. You were right—what you said to her in the car at Harold's. I've been at her house, and she's losing it, all right. Her house is spotless. She's scrubbing stuff so hard, she's taking the finish off. That ain't right."

  Mel was no slob, but like yours truly, she wasn't OCD about cleaning. "That's not good. Can you get the paperwork Jake mentioned?"

  "Already did. Yah, I'm that good. Spirit Spy Fran, at your service."

  "You already did? What'd you get? And when?"

  "I popped over to the shuck's office after you finished with Harold, and he was there, with his baby mama.

  Baby mama?

  "After Carrie left, I stuck around—ya know, waiting to see what he'd do, and he got on his computer. He's got one of those fancy ones where you can touch the screen and stuff happens. So I touched it when he was touching it, and it wouldn't do what he wanted. Ah Madone, he was cursing up a storm, and I was cracking up. He's got a temper, that one. He was looking at something from the bank, so I memorized it."

  "You memorized it?"

  "Yah, and it was easy as pie."

  "You always had a good memory, Ma."

  "Yah but now it's supercharged."

  "Okay, wait. How did you know it was bank stuff he was looking at?"

  "'Cause it looked like my old bank statements that came in the mail, only the account balances were a hell of a lot bigger than mine. Your dad didn't pay me enough to take care of you, that's for sure."

  "You saw his account balances?"

  "Uh huh, and like, I said, I memorized it all, the numbers and balances. He's got a lotta money, too. One account's got 7,471 dollars and sixty-eight cents. Oh, wanna hear me say it backwards? It's a nifty trick I learned."

  "I'll pass."

  She did it anyway.

  "That's creepy."

  She did it again, and the hairs on my arms stood. "You sound like that demon on The Exorcist, Ma."

  "That's rude."

  I smiled. "Learned from the master."

  The citronella candle on the fire pit flew up in the air, and then landed in the yard. I picked at my nails. "Put it back, please."

  "Pfft."

  The candle flew up and landed back on the fire pit.

  "Thank you. Now, can we get back to Nick's bank information, please?"

  A rock came from out of nowhere, and pelted me on the knee. I shot out of my chair. "Ouch! That hurt, Ma."

  "It wasn't me."

  I rubbed the red spot forming on my knee. I'd have to wear leggings for the next week. "Whatever."

  Eek. I sounded like Emily.

  "It wasn't me, Ang, I swear."

  "Fine, then who was it?"

  "Beats me. I don't see anyone."

  "You're not gonna scare me, so knock it off."

  "I'm not trying to scare you. I said it wasn't me because it wasn't me, and I don't know who it was 'cause I can't see no one around."

  "You're serious? It's not you?"

  "Yup."

  "And you don't see anyone else?"

  "Nope."

  I stood still, focused my senses on the area around me, but didn't feel any energy other than my mother’s. "This isn't right. I don't like that neither of us can see who's here."

  "Sometimes that happens. The system ain't perfect."

  "That's helpful."

  "You're welcome."

  I picked up the rock, examined it, and tossed it into the yard.

  "Hey don't be throwing stuff at me. That isn't nice."

  "How am I supposed to know where you are, Ma?"

  "Oh, yah, I forgot."

  "So much for the supercharged memory."

  "That was rude."

  "Back to the accounts." I said. "I need to write this down." I went inside and got a pen and paper and brought it back out to the deck. "Tell me what you know."

  "I got a lot. I got his password, his user name, and his security question answers too, just in case."

  The last computer she'd used was a terminal back in 1995. "How'd you know to get
all of that?"

  "When Nick was on the computer, I just started memorizing everything. When I came back here, I asked Josh what the stuff meant, and he Googled it for me. He's excellent with computers, that boy. He's gonna be the next Steve Jobs."

  "He told you that, didn't he?"

  "Yah."

  "Do you even know who Steve Jobs was, Ma?"

  "A computer genius."

  "Josh told you that too?"

  "Yup."

  Ma said Nick had three accounts, and Mel's name wasn't on any of them. He had a joint account with Carrie Case. Carrie Case—and it had over 11,000 dollars in it. Between the three accounts his cash totaled about 20,000 dollars. Mel would flip.

  "I gotta tell Jake."

  "Yah, I gotta go. Buddy's here, and his daughter is getting close to coming to our side. I'll be back in a jiffy."

  "Okay, Ma." I opened the door to the kitchen. "Oh, hey Buddy," I said.

  "Hi Ang."

  "I'm sorry about your daughter."

  "Don't be. She's in a lot of pain, but she'll feel better when she gets here. I can't wait to hug her again."

  "Come on Buddy, let's get a move on," Ma said.

  Walking into the kitchen, I thought about what Buddy said, and how much I'd love to have another hug from my dad.

  ***

  I sat in the chair in Jake's office. "Nick's got secret accounts totaling over 20,000 dollars."

  "Jesus. Are you sure?"

  I handed him the paper with the account information.

  "Holy shit. How'd you get this?"

  "Apparently our son is the next Steve Jobs."

  "Huh?"

  "Ma saw Nick on his computer at work. She realized it was a bank site because it looked similar to her bank statements, so she started memorizing everything he typed into the computer."

  "Wow."

  "I know, right? But since she's not up on security questions and stuff, she asked Josh to help her figure out what Nick was doing, so he Googled it. And then he told her he was the next Steve Jobs."

  "That's wild."

  "And he's watching TV on his computer at night."

  "He takes after me."

  "Unfortunately."

  Jake read the paper again. "This is a lot of money," he said. "Have you shown this to Mel?"

  I shook my head. "I just got it."

  "She's gonna freak."

  "You have no idea."

  "He's got a joint account with Carrie Case. Who's that?"

  "The girlfriend."

  "Day'um."

  "This is bad." I said.

  "This isn't the Nick I knew."

  "No one knows this one—except Carrie Case maybe."

  He ran his hand through his hair, and it fell perfectly back into place. I hated that.

  "Does Mel have an attorney?"

  "Not that I know of."

  He dug through a pile of business cards on his desk, and handed me one. "Have her call him. He's good."

  I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why do you have a divorce attorney's card?"

  He got up and came over to me. Bending down in front of me, he brushed the hair from my face, and said, "He sat next to me on the plane last week. Gave me his card, but I told him I didn't need it because I'm happily married to an amazing woman." He stood and kissed me, then walked back to his desk. "He said to keep the card, just in case."

  "He's an ass."

  "Probably."

  "So how do you know he's good?"

  "Because I Googled him. See where Josh gets it?"

  I nodded. "I do."

  "You gonna tell Mel?"

  "Yes, but not tonight." I rubbed my temples.

  "You okay?"

  "Heavy head. Heavy heart."

  "Need to talk?"

  "No, but thanks. You do need to talk to Emily though. She's upset because you're upset—and because she can't see Chandler anymore."

  "Damn straight she can't," he said. "And I know, I do have to talk to her."

  "Restricting her from seeing Chandler is only going to make her want to be with him more, you know."

  He nodded. "I know." He pointed at me. "You wanna tell me what happened with the two million dollar ghost?"

  I shook my head. Tears stung my eyes, but I didn't know why. "Maybe later, okay? I'm gonna take a shower now, and crash. I just need some alone time."

  "I'm here if you need me."

  I walked over to my husband and kissed him. "I know, and I appreciate it."

  "Love you," he said.

  "Love you, too."

  ***

  Upstairs, I tapped on Emily's door and said, "I'm heading to bed kiddo. Love you."

  She responded, "Love you, too."

  I turned on my shower, and walked into the closet to get my pajamas. I felt light-headed, and weak in the knees, and leaned against the back of the closet door. Buddy's words played in my head like a broken record. I can't wait to hug her again. I can't wait to hug her again. I can't wait to hug her again.

  I covered my ears with my hands. My knees gave out, and I crumbled to the floor. A soft whimper escaped my lips.

  I pulled my knees to my chest, bent my head into them, and sobbed.

  Grief had a funny way of kicking the butt of those in mourning. Some days I was fine—almost normal. Those days were easy. It was the other days that did me in—the days when I felt a hole in my heart, missing my Dad and before, Ma, too. Sometimes it wasn't even a day—maybe just a few minutes or an hour, but when it hit, it hit hard, and it hurt.

  I knew I had to come to terms with losing my father. My head understood that. It knew he'd probably never contact me, but my heart... my heart couldn't accept any of it. It was shattered into tiny pieces.

  I gathered myself together, turned off the shower and collapsed in bed. Exhaustion beat out thinking, and I was out within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.

  That night I dreamed I was sitting next to a campfire with an Indian named Alo. He told me he understood my sadness, but that it was time to move forward, that my father didn't want me to be sad. He said that maybe, from time to time, my father would make his presence known.

  "I don't understand," I told the man. "I need him."

  "It is his decision. He believes it is not in your best interests."

  "But I miss him. Can't I just have one more visit? Just so I can tell him I love him?"

  "He knows. He hears you. When you speak to him, he is near. He is in here." He placed his hand over his heart. "It is time for you to let go, and to move forward. Many great things lie ahead for you Angela, and you will be happy again."

  Did I know this man? He seemed so familiar to me. So comforting. "Who are you? I feel like I know you."

  "I am your Alo. I am with you always. Listen for me in the wind, and you will hear me," he said, and then he faded away.

  ***

  Jake woke up and snuggled into me. "You planning to talk to Mel today?"

  "Yeah, before I take our daughter to the gynecologist." I looked at the clock on my nightstand. "I gotta get up. Meeting her at Starbucks in thirty minutes."

  "Sounds like a blast."

  "Which part?"

  "All of it."

  "No so much, no." I got up to get dressed. "It's gonna be a great day," I said. "Between Mel and her potential freak out, and Emily and hers, I'm really not looking forward to the day."

  "Come give me some sugar before you leave. It may be the last time I see you."

  "That's not funny, Jake."

  His cheeks flushed. "Yeah, I guess it's not. My bad."

  I sat next to him on the bed. "Sorry. It's not you. It's me."

  "Oh God. Are you breaking up with me?"

  I hit him. "Nope. You're stuck with me."

  "Good."

  "I'm just dealing with some Daddy issues, that's all."

  He pulled me into a hug. "I miss him, too, Ang."

  A tear dropped onto his shoulder and I pulled away. "I can't do this now. I just need to move forward and focus
on everyone else's crap so I don't have to deal with my own."

  He nodded. "That always works."

  "I could use a little support here."

  "Sex is supportive. Want some?"

  "Good Lord, you're a man whore."

  "And proud of it."

  "I'm going. You really need to talk to Em, and before I get home. I think it's best she hears what you have to say before she has her vagina examined by a stranger."

  "I didn't need to hear that."

  "Tough. Man up, dude."

  He saluted me. "Yes, ma'am."

  Before I left, I made a pit stop at Emily's room. "Appointment is in a few hours. Please be ready."

  Her mouth dropped and her eyes widened. "Today?"

  "Yup. Time to put your big girl panties on, kiddo. After all, you're a woman, now." I walked out giggling at my own wit.

  Mel was late to Starbucks, so I got our drinks, and grabbed our table outside.

  "Boo."

  I didn't flinch. "I'm getting good at not being afraid of you, Ma."

  "Party pooper."

  I laughed. "Hey, how's Buddy's daughter?"

  "She's passed last night. I was there with Buddy when it happened. She saw him before she died, too. Looked right at him and said, I see you there, Daddy, and then she croaked. It was beautiful."

  "Ookay," I said, surprised by her choice of words. "So what's up?" I put my ear buds in my ears so it would look like I was talking on the phone, and not some crazy person talking to myself.

  "We got another ghost, that's what's up."

  "Where? Here? Now? Mel's on her way. I'm gonna tell her about Nick's account, and probably the baby, too."

  "Yah, she's here. She was here yesterday too, but I told her to come back 'cause you were busy. So she did."

  I was actually grateful for that. "Thanks." I shook my shoulders and hands, releasing stress. "So, hello?"

  "Hi," a soft voice said.

  "What's your name, and what can I do for you?"

  "Brenda, and I need to get a message to my cousin, please."

  "Okay," I said, feeling confident. "Shoot."

  "It ain't gonna be that easy," Ma said.

  I sipped my coffee, and leaned back in my chair. "Of course it's not." I waved my hand. "Go ahead. Tell me why."

  "Brenda is Helen's cousin."

  My heart raced, and acid rose in my throat. "Helen, as in Dad's Helen? My step mom?"

  "That's what I'm sayin'," Ma said.