“Colin?” Dr. Perry said. “I’m sorry. Who is Colin?”
“Caroline,” she said, trying to improve her pronunciation. “She was with me in...” She had no idea where she used to be. A room with a bed, but not a hospital. God! Why was all of this so hard? “Wherever I was before.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible,” Dr. Perry said, flicking away her question. “Can you tell me, Emily, who is the president of the United States?”
There he went again, making like he was Alex Trebek. She pondered his face and those of his colleagues. They were practically drooling with interest in her, a very bad sign indeed. If she’d attracted the undivided attention of three doctors, she was obviously suffering from some rare and terrible medical disorder. When they finally got around to telling her what was wrong with her, she didn’t want to be alone. The only person she could remember was Caroline.
“No more questions until I see her,” she said, which was just as well. She no longer had the stamina to stay awake even a minute longer.
Twenty-Four
“What happened to Skye?” Chelsea wailed as she and Rhianna exited the Nocturnal Theater.
“Hey now,” Rhianna said, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “People in Heaven don’t get lost. Have you ever seen any pictures on milk cartons around here?” She withdrew a WishBerry from a fringed purse and grinned. “This baby has a people-locator function.”
“Really?” Chelsea wiped away tears stained black by her eyeliner.
“It does everything,” Rhianna typed in Skye’s information and pointing to the blinking screen. “See, it says locating, locating, locating. It’s thinking. Ah! Here we go. Skye Sebring’s location is presently...” Rhianna squinted at the words. “What?”
Chelsea snatched the computer from her hand. “Skye Sebring’s location is presently...unknown?” She choked on a fresh set of tears. “I knew it. Something terrible has happened to her.”
“Terrible things don’t happen in Heaven,” Rhianna said, taking the computer from Chelsea and giving it a little shake. “There’s gotta be some kind of explanation.”
“What now?” Chelsea asked, nibbling on the ends of her hair.
“Hmmm. We’re in the Supreme Being Sector. Let’s head over to the Capitol. They’re supposed to know everything around there.”
The pair traveled to the Capitol building and located the administrative offices.
“May I help you?” asked the male receptionist, sitting behind an imposing desk. His slender fingers formed a triangle beneath his chin.
Rhianna described the circumstances of Skye’s disappearance. “I couldn’t even find her with the locator function,” she said.
“Has it ever occurred to you that she doesn’t want to be found?” asked the man, pursing his rubbery lips in consideration. “I had a girlfriend once, and she put me on Locator Block. I couldn’t find her for anything. She could be on Pluto for all I know.”
“Skye wouldn’t put us on Locator Block,” Chelsea said. “She just disappeared like a puff of smoke, and we’re worried sick about her.”
“Let me look her up in the main computer,” the man said, poising his fingers on the keyboard. “What was the name?”
“Skye Sebring,” Rhianna said. “We really appreciate this.”
“Skye Sebring,” he said, punching the data in. “Yup. Found her.”
“Where is she?” Chelsea demanded.
“She’s...That’s peculiar.” He glanced up at them. “Sorry. Can’t tell you. It’s classified.”
“Give us a break,” Rhianna said. “She’s a really good friend and we just want to know—” Her beeper went off. “Darn,” she said, glancing at the display number. “I’ve gotta get to Guardian Angel Headquarters ASAP. Looks like I have my first assignment.” She touched Chelsea on the shoulder. “Can you get back to newcomers’ quarters okay?”
“What about Skye?” Chelsea said. She leaned over the receptionist’s desk. “Please tell us where she is.”
The man stubbornly shook his head.
“Sorry. No can do.”
“Chelsea, I have to go,” Rhianna said.
“Take me with you. I don’t want to be by myself right now.”
“This is my first gig as an angel,” Rhianna said. “There’s rules against having people tag along.”
“Skye took me to work with her,” Chelsea said in a small voice, her pinky stuck in her mouth.
“Fine.” Rhianna grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the office. “It’s not like I’ve ever been a stickler for the rules.”
They found a teleport kiosk in the lobby of the Capitol and boarded it. Rhianna used her computer to change into her gown. In a blink, they arrived and found themselves in front of Guardian Angel Headquarters.
“Gosh, you look so...saintly,” Chelsea said.
Rhianna glanced down at her flowing white gown and frowned. “Too saintly.” She pointed to the spiked choker around Chelsea’s neck. “Can I borrow that thing? It’s the perfect touch.”
“Sure,” Chelsea said, unfastening the choker and handing it to Rhianna, who clasped it around her own neck.
“That’s better,” she said. “Okay, let’s go.”
They entered Guardian Angel Headquarters, a gilded high-rise structure. The lobby had barreled vaulted ceilings embellished with frescoes of gamboling cherubs. As they hurried to the elevators, they passed a half-dozen angels gliding across the polished floors.
They traveled to Rhianna’s office on the fifth floor, which was a small cubicle similar to those in the Hospitality Sector. Rhianna instructed Chelsea to sit beside her as she booted up her computer and signed in.
“Welcome, Rhianna.” Michelle, her supervisor, appeared on the screen. “Are you ready for your first assignment?”
“Fire when ready,” Rhianna said.
Michelle was platinum blonde, a popular hair color among guardian angels. Her creamy white skin looked as if it had never been exposed to the rays of the sun.
“I wanted to speak directly with you about this client because it’s someone you know. Quite well,” said Michelle.
“Are you sure?” Rhianna said. “I didn’t think I knew any Earthlings, at least not personally.”
“You know this one,” Michelle said, her brow knitting together. “It’s Skye Sebring.”
“What?” Rhianna said. She exchanged a look with Chelsea, who gasped and inched her chair closer to Rhianna’s.
“That’s not her name on Earth, of course,” Michelle said. “You have a file on your computer desktop that will tell you everything you need to know. It’s a complex case.”
“How is this possible? Skye wasn’t due to be born on Earth yet,” Rhianna said.
“She wasn’t born,” Michelle said. “She finally returned to her Earth body, rather abruptly.”
“Returned? There’s gotta be a mistake,” Rhianna said. “Skye’s a new soul. She’s never been to Earth before.”
“Yes, she has, Rhianna. Several times, in fact. She’d repressed her last life while she was in Heaven, primarily because she’d been deeply traumatized while on Earth.”
“I don’t understand,” Rhianna said with a puzzled squint.
“A little over a year ago, Skye was very seriously injured, and she lapsed into a coma. In such cases, there’s often a split of the soul, or what we call ‘L’ status, the ‘L’ standing for limbo. Skye arrived in Heaven, but a part of her was left behind in her body on Earth.”
“How come she didn’t arrive in the Hospitality Sector?” Rhianna said. “And why did she think she was a new soul all this time?”
“She did arrive in the Hospitality Sector, and was immediately sent to the Special Cases Department. Usually such situations resolve themselves in a matter of days. Either the soul allows the body to die o
r it returns to Earth, but Skye continued to remain in limbo, likely because of some disturbing things that happened to her before she was injured.”
Rhianna cocked her head. “So she was led to believe she was a new soul by the Special Cases Department?”
“Yes,” Michelle said with a nod. “It’s the only solution in such instances. A limbo state needs to be resolved naturally. After she was processed by the Special Cases Department, we arranged for her to wake up in the New Soul Annex and become a greeter.”
“So that’s why she didn’t remember being created,” Rhianna said.
“And that’s why the machine in the zoo printed out the details of her last life,” Chelsea said. “Why did she go back?”
“Who’s that with you?” asked a startled Michelle.
“I have a friend sitting next to me,” Rhianna said. “Her name’s Chelsea, and she was a client of Skye’s.”
“More than a client,” Chelsea said. “She was like a big sister to me.”
“I’m sorry, Chelsea,” Michelle said, her eyes filling with sympathy. “Skye’s obviously been conflicted about which dimension she wanted to exist in, and she finally made the choice to return to her body.”
“You still haven’t told us why she went back,” Chelsea said.
“It’s in the file,” Michelle said. “But it’s for guardian angels’ eyes only. Skye is a really unusual case. We don’t often have people in limbo for such a long period of time. She’ll need your help, Rhianna. There are difficult times ahead for her on Earth.”
“I’ll do my best,” Rhianna said.
Michelle smiled. “That’s why we chose you to be her guardian angel. The two of you were so close. That can make a difference when you try to influence her on Earth.”
“I was close to her too,” Chelsea said. “I want to know what happened to her.”
“It’s against regulations,” Michelle said. “And Rhianna’s a brand-new angel.”
“Please,” Chelsea insisted. “She means so much to me.”
“I’m not much for regulations, Michelle,” Rhianna said, tugging on her spike collar. “Back when I was a greeter, I used my Hospitality Handbook as a doorstop.”
“Civilians are not supposed to be privy to guardian angel records,” Michelle said.
“This is a special circumstance,” Rhianna said.
Michele sighed. “Okay. She can look at Skye’s records, but then you must send her on her way. Good luck, Rhianna.”
After she signed off, Rhianna put her mouse over Skye’s file. “Let’s see what’s going on with Skye. I wonder why she finally felt compelled to go back to Earth. She never seemed remotely interested in the place.”
“Maybe it was that guy, Ryan Blaine,” Chelsea said in a wistful voice.
Rhianna printed out the files, making copies for both of them. After studying Skye’s background for a few minutes, Chelsea let out a high-pitched cry.
“I can’t believe what she’s been through,” she said, holding her stomach. “No wonder she didn’t want to return to Earth. This is the worst thing I’ve ever heard.”
Twenty-Five
“Something’s rotten in Denmark,” Wanda whispered to herself as she paced her living room, going over the telephone conversation she’d had only an hour earlier. She’d mailed Ryan Blaine’s wife a letter two weeks ago and had almost given up on hearing back from her when she finally called.
“Hello. This is Susan Blaine.”
Wanda got starstruck when she heard Susan’s voice. Since her Talk to Me appearance, she had been on the cover of every celebrity magazine printed.
“Is this a good time to talk?” Susan asked cautiously.
It wasn’t. Wanda had been soaking in the tub when the phone rang, and her machine had already picked up when she’d seized the receiver. It let out an earsplitting squeal, and Wanda fumbled to turn down the volume.
“It’s the perfect time to talk,” she said, even though she was dripping water all over her linoleum floor in the kitchen. Susan was a very important lady, and Wanda didn’t want to put her off.
“Thank you for your letter,” Susan said. “I can understand why you wrote it. It’s strange, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe it myself.”
Susan went on to explain that a little over a year ago, a woman named Emily called her veterinarian office, claiming to be her twin sister.
“I was in shock. I didn’t know I had a sister, and certainly not a twin. I was adopted and knew nothing about my birth family’s background.”
“I saw you on Animal Planet about that same time,” Wanda said excitedly. “Emily! That’s her name. I remember now. As I said in the letter, I knew your sister and told her how much the two of you resembled each other. I’m sure that’s why she got in touch with you.”
“That must be it,” Susan said. “Naturally, I wasn’t sure what her game was, but I agreed to meet her in Birmingham. It’s only two hours away from Atlanta. When I saw her, I was amazed at how much we looked alike. This was before my accident. Emily was run-down from living on the streets, but there was no doubt she was my twin sister. We’d both been adopted, and, as you said in your letter, we both lisped. Our similarities, from our taste in food to our love for Johnny Cash, were uncanny.”
“That’s not as nutty as you would think,” Wanda exclaimed. “After I saw you on Talk to Me, I did a little research on identical twins. I read about a pair of male twins who were also separated at birth. Even though they lived miles apart, both had wives named Betty; both had dogs named Toy; both worked as sheriff deputies. It bowled me over.”
“Yes, yes,” Susan said, sounding a little impatient with Wanda’s litany on twins. “Unfortunately I didn’t get to learn much more about Emily.” Her voice hitched slightly. “She died the day after our meeting.”
“What?” Wanda said, dropping into a chair. “She’d quit coming around my hot-dog cart, but I assumed she was afraid I’d sic the cops on her for trying to steal my money. I had no idea she passed away. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. It was really sad and I blame myself.”
“You? Why do you say that?”
“I didn’t want her wandering the streets anymore, so I paid for a very fancy hotel room in downtown Birmingham. I also gave her some money for meals, promising I’d return the next day. I didn’t know for sure, but I guessed she was involved in drugs, and I was going to look into a rehab program for her. I’d hoped to talk her into cleaning up her act. When I came back, the hotel management told me a maid had found her dead on the floor of the bathroom.”
“What happened?”
“She binged on crack and had a heart attack. She probably bought the drugs with the money I’d given her for food.” Susan let out a faint moan. “I shouldn’t have left her alone. It was all my fault.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Wanda said. “Emily probably had a long history of drug abuse. I see people like her all the time. It’s a real pity.”
“I’m sure it is.” An unexpected cold note entered Susan’s voice. “Of course, it’s your word against mine that I even have a sister. So if you’re thinking of blackmailing me, you won’t get very far.”
“Blackmail?” Wanda said, moving the receiver an inch farther away from her ear as if she couldn’t believe what she was being accused of. “Who do you take me for?”
“I have no idea how to take you. I’ve never heard of you until today.”
“I was just curious after seeing you on Talk to Me,” Wanda stammered. “I wasn’t sure you even knew about Emily.”
“Well, I do, and it’s a very private matter. As you know, I’m married to Ryan Blaine, and this is the sort of thing tabloids can’t get enough of. So if you were planning to sell the story—”
“Not on your life!” Wanda stood up so fast she almost lost her towel. “I wouldn’t dream o
f it.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Mrs. Hart,” Susan said, her tone pleasant once again. “I didn’t meant to be ugly, but there are so many wackos out there.”
Wanda could not stop thinking about her phone conversation with Susan Blaine. She could hardly blame the lady for her blackmail concerns. She supposed all variety of shysters tried to prey on celebrities, and Susan was just being protective. Still, there was something else about their conversation that continued to nag at her.
Wanda had gone into the kitchen to toss a pizza in the oven when out of the corner of her eye she noticed her answering machine blinking on the phone table, indicating she had one message. She pushed the button and heard Susan’s voice saying, “Hello, this is Susan Blaine.”
She was momentarily bewildered, but then she remembered she’d answered the phone after her outgoing message had begun, so the machine had recorded their entire conversation.
Wanda listened to it again, hoping she could discover what was bothering her about their chat. When she found nothing unusual, she cut the shrink wrap from her pizza but stopped just before she opened the oven door. “Once more,” she said as she pushed the play button again. She listened intently, not really expecting to hear anything different, but at the end of the tape, Susan said something that made Wanda drop the pizza on her foot.
“God Almighty,” she said, staring at the answering machine as if it were a coiled cobra. A half-dozen questions with no reasonable answers ripped through her mind. She knew only one thing for certain: Susan Blaine was a big fat liar.
Twenty-Six
“Ms. Brodie? It’s Mona. Are you awake?”
Caroline heard the nursing home director, but instead of answering, she buried her face deeper into her pillow. She liked Mona well enough, but she also felt betrayed by her for leaving that hellcat Ms. Waters in charge while she’d been gone.
Mona gently shook her shoulder. “It’s Emily, Mrs. Brodie. She’s awake now, and she’s been asking for you.”
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