“Really? Your sister?”
“Yes, my sister.”
She couldn’t know for sure if he was telling the truth but decided to believe him, for now. “Come in I guess.”
“What about the wine and a rose. Maybe you’d like to break the wine over my head and poke me in the eye with the rose? But the wine is expensive, so I think we should drink it first.”
Aunt Stella laughed. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. How expensive?”
Earl made his way to the sofa and sat. “If you must know I paid over a hundred.”
That seemed to brighten her mood for a second. “And why are you watching to see when I go to bed?”
“I’m not really, some nights I don’t sleep well, so I sit out there on the bench. I see your lights when they go out.” Earl sat the wine on the coffee table and gave her the rose, then watched as she went to put it in some water. “If you’re not in the mood for some of that wine tonight you can put it away for another time. I don’t mind.”
“I’ll have a glass if you’ll open it. There’s a corkscrew in the kitchen drawer.” Stella watched as he searched for the corkscrew and then heard the pop, wondering if he had actually paid that much for the wine or if he was full of it. She had to stop being so negative. She didn’t know him well enough to judge him, and she shouldn’t be judging in any case.
They sat on the sofa and were about half way through a second glass when Earl reached over and touched her hand. This was what Stella wanted wasn’t it, and yet it made her uncomfortable, after all, she didn’t know him that well. She was still a little suspicious of him, but she was the same with everyone. His aura looked okay, and she wasn’t getting any younger. Was there a weakness in this? Was her independence about to take a step backward? No, she’d put the run on him if necessary.
Stella stared into his eyes and smiled. Was he about to kiss her? What if her breath was bad, but no she guessed their breath both smelled like the wine they were drinking. He leaned towards her, and she reciprocated. Their lips touched, and Stella felt like a young woman again. This wasn’t so bad after all, in fact, it was pretty damn good.
Olivia burst in and was surprised to see Aunt Stella in an embrace. “Oh, sorry to interrupt. Aunt Stella, but you have to come with me now! It’s important. Grab your prayer beads and holy water and let's go! And you better bring your gun!”
“Earl, I am so sorry, but I have to go. You can wait here if you like.”
Earl didn’t know what the hell was going on, but it did sound important. “I might be asleep when you get back, but yeah I’ll wait.” Earl’s eyebrows tightened as Stella exited from her bedroom with a cross and holy water in one hand and a gun in the other and then the two of them were off.
Earl shrugged. “I pity those vampires?”
CHAPTER sixty-one
RYDER WRIGHT FREELY STROLLED OUT OF THE MDC DETENTION CENTER in Brooklyn because the witness refused to testify. He was big enough to be a fullback on a professional football team and had no qualms about doing just about anything for money. Brought up in poverty Ryder fought and stole almost all of his life, knifed another kid when he was only eleven. In a barrel of bad seeds, he’d be one of the worst.
Ryder stood on the steps and lit up a cigar, looking around for his buddy to pick him up, but he hadn’t yet arrived. He already had a job lined up, going to rob a local drug dealer and then vamoose. He would need to kill everyone in that little cubby hole of a room, but he was okay with that. Supposedly there was big money involved, and that was the best kind.
It was good to be out, but in the future Ryder would need to be careful if he was going to stay on the outside. Ryder, already aggravated that Nat wasn’t here on time, felt like punching someone, but then again Nat was never one to be punctual. He was one fellow that always kept his mouth shut though, regardless of the consequences.
The charcoal insect flew from the side of the building around the corner landing on Ryder’s left shoulder.
Fifteen minutes to midnight in front of the Wyckoff House Museum there were occasional drops of rain falling, and a gentle breeze with slightly stronger gusts revving up to blow the clouds toward the area. A thundershower heavy with moisture was approaching, but it remained undecided whether it would go directly over or not. Strange energy engulfed the area.
Aunt Stella and Olivia were just arriving at the museum. They had taken a wrong turn which had delayed their arrival by over a half hour. Stella, with a gun in hand, was ready. It was, of course, impossible to shoot a ghost, but it was best to be prepared as much as possible for the unexpected. The dark side was good at making weak-minded people pliable.
Although the Detective couldn’t feel the electricity in the air Stella could, but they were both able to hear the sound of fire crackling though there was none to be seen, and the smell of something burning. It was definitely unsettling.
“Do you smell that?” Olivia asked.
“I smell it alright,” said Stella. “I think it might be the fires of hell.”
“God, I hope not.” Olivia preferred the old fashioned criminals to this dark stuff.
Suddenly they heard the sound of scratching from somewhere nearby. Stella thought that those sons-of-bitches would need more than that to scare them off. Olivia’s flashlight cut through the darkness, shining this way and that, catching the eyes of a raccoon, she watched as it wobbled away.
Ten minutes until midnight.
Aunt Stella turned her head to the left and listened; she thought she heard slight movement in that direction, and then Olivia heard it as well. Did they hear faint voices? A noise sounded as if someone had tripped and fallen.
Olivia gazed in the direction of the intruders if that’s what they were and listen intently. “I think someone is coming. “What do we do if the insect has invaded another body? We can’t just kill an innocent, but we can’t allow the portal to be opened either.”
Stella was anxious. “Want me to shoot off a warning shot? Might scare whoever it is away.”
Olivia now had her hand on her gun. “I don’t think that would be wise. Let’s just wait and see what or who appears. God, I should be home in bed.”
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Daiyu asked the doctor.
“Pretty sure.” Valerie didn’t like the idea of the girl being here young as she was, but she was a hunter and it was her stone that guided them there. Fortunately, she was not a typical 15-year-old or unfortunately depending on how one looked at it.
“Děngdài. Wait a second,” said Daiyu. “Look at this. See this light on the stone, it means the white lighter is here. We have an angel or something on our side.”
Valerie nodded as she held her dagger in front of her. “It’s about time. I can’t see a damn thing. But I hear voices. Wait, there’s light in that direction.”
Giving her position away might not be the smartest move but Olivia shouted off into the darkness. “Whoever you are this is not a safe place to be tonight.” As she lit up the doctor and the Chinese girl, she immediately spotted the blade. “You have a dagger?”
“So do you,” said Valerie.
“So do I,” said Daiyu. “I guess we’re on the same team. I’m Daiyu, and this is Valerie.”
“I’m detective Olivia Brown.”
“I’m Stella if anybody cares.”
“This is my Aunt Stella, she sees and communicates with the spirit world. I can see spirits too, unfortunately.”
“Are you an angel sent from heaven? Your aura is almost blinding.” Unbeknownst to Daiyu, she was seeing the baby’s aura.
“I’m no angel that’s for sure.” Olivia wondered that if by dealing with the other side her aura had changed, it was not so long ago she didn’t even believe in them.
Five minutes till midnight.
Ryder moved toward the Wyckoff house guided by the demon, the spot that would soon manifest the portal needed the demon to enter from this side to seal in in place. He heard voices somewhere in
front of him and had been told that there might be interference, but the monster was ready for it.
“Be quiet!” Olivia commanded. “Someone or something is coming.” It was not lost on her that there were now three of the heaven sent daggers here, including the one she got from Aunt Stella. It was comforting to know that the other side had sent reinforcements.
Daiyu whispered. “It’s coming from this way.”
Aunt Stella was prepared to shoot anything that moved.
“Don’t use that thing unless someone shoots at us,” said Olivia.
Stella whispered, “I wasn’t gonna.”
Midnight.
The portal manifested from the ground up. It appeared to be made of glowing stone, and as its door opened permitting entry; they saw the fire burning inside and a river of lava. The odor of sulfur almost knocked them over. An explosion ripped through the quiet as a bullet ricocheted off the stone, narrowly missing Daiyu’s head. Aunt Stella quickly put her gun behind her back. The Detective couldn’t believe how relaxed her Aunt was in this situation.
Valerie and Daiyu dove for cover as the Chinese girl’s blade was shot out of her hand, losing the tip of her pinky finger.
“Daiyu, are you hurt?” asked the doctor.
“My hand is burning, but I’m okay.” Daiyu felt around for the blade and was happy when she found it.
One minute after midnight.
Ryder ran by faster than any human should be able to with the intent to enter the portal, but as it wasn’t yet time, ended up going through it, not into it. Olivia fired several shots catching him in the left knee, but it was as if she had missed. The demon, used to pain, ignored the wound. Ryder quickly disappeared into the tall dark grass.
Two minutes after midnight.
The group split to give the shooter less chance to shoot all of them. Aunt Stella was prepared to take a bullet for Olivia and the baby. The baby needed to survive this.
Stella turned to Olivia. “That’s a demon alright, no one is that fast!”
She heard the sound of running from left to right and then back again through the tall grass. Aunt Stella fired a shot but missed. Valerie was ready to attack with her dagger if she got the opportunity, but a bullet hitting the ground in front of her threw dirt in her face temporarily blinding her, blinking rapidly she tried to clear her eyes. It was all she could do to keep from rubbing and perhaps causing permanent damage.
Three minutes after midnight.
Ryder emptied his gun and was in the process of reloading when Olivia fired several more shots just barely missing him. Usually, under fire, she would call for help, but she was afraid of what might happen. God only knew what was going to come out of that portal to Hades. Were there monsters in there that didn’t need hosts?
Olivia checked her watch. Four minutes after midnight. Ryder threw his gun in front of the portal and moved forward lifting his hands in the air. The Detective lighting him up with her flashlight shouted. “Get down! Face down on the ground!” She knew the seconds were ticking away.
Ryder fell dead as the black butterfly emerged from him. Valerie threw her dagger at it but wasn’t even close. The portal, now as solid as any stone, only required the demon to enter, and then no one would be able to close it. The four stood and ran toward the entrance.
Olivia had had her knife at the ready, but before she could throw it Daiyu threw her blade and sparks flew as it hit the opening. Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven… The Detective tossed her dagger and was horrified when it missed. Six, five, four, three, two, one.
The insect flew inside the portal, and now it was open from both directions. They had failed and didn’t know what to do. They felt like they were living a nightmare, that this was the beginning of the end.
“Did it go inside?” asked Aunt Stella.
“It went in,” said Daiyu, “I saw it go in.”
Stella was scared as she took a step backward. “The devil himself could come out of there.”
And for a moment they were all paralyzed as they gazed inside the thing, the flames were getting larger, and the heat was increasing. They saw something moving and it was grotesque, both its head and face were severely deformed. Its size reminded Aunt Stella of Bigfoot. Would bullets be able to take it down?
“I don’t know what to do,” said Olivia. As she watched whatever it was moving closer and closer, and now its claws were touching the archway as it readied to leave hell.
“I think we should run,” said Daiyu.
Suddenly Olivia’s stomach was as bright as the sun, a burst of light emerged from her belly and knocked down the portal, all that remained was a pile of broken stone that was smoldering. “What just happened?”
“It was the baby,” said Aunt Stella, hitting her hands together making a loud clap. “That kid is gonna be something!”
Olivia’s mouth hung open as she gently touched her stomach.
Donald appeared inside the museum, his eyes glowing bright red.
Next in the Olivia Brown Mysteries Book 3 Dead Man Talking
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Comes a Child
Copyright 2015 A. J. Gallant ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ONE
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IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE on the outskirts of New York City, and a strong wind was blowing. The streets were just about empty at this early hour except for a few stragglers that had moved through the area. There was snow on the ground, and a cold front had moved in, much colder than it should have been for this time of year. Mother Nature took orders from no one and dished out whatever she desired, ready or not. The wind was so hard at times that it seemed as if the electric lines leading to the yellow house with the red shutters might be torn off.
A single deer standing on the sidewalk appeared pensive.
The grandfather clock in the living room struck five as John was staring at the timekeeper on the light blue wall in his bedroom. A long sigh escaped from his old body. Not even out of bed yet and he could feel the pain in his neck and back. If he wanted to take stock, John could find six or seven places that hurt. And was that a new pain in his left knee? Knees were tricky things, could take an old man off his feet.
It was a bit too early to get up, but he rose nonetheless, glancing at his wife, Edna. Old bones didn’t work so well in the morning, especially in winter, and it took him some time to get his brown pants and white shirt on, felt like cursing but didn’t. Things that one didn’t give any consideration when one was young could be aggravating in one’s senior years, like getting up from a seated position. Every day was a struggle to keep going as the pain was slowly overtaking both of them, no longer any good days, only variations of bad. He wasn’t sure if the pain pills were making it better or worse.
How had all the years gone by so fast? He remembered when he was ten, the snowball fights with his visiting cousins on the farm. The endless energy of young legs only a distant memory now, was John to run very far he would likely end up in traction or a hole in the ground, or both. The thought of it made him smile. Life had jumped forward in leaps and bounds, the top of the hourglass was almost empty. The older they got, the faster the years passed. And little enjoyment remained for either of them; he never thought he would have ended up a cranky old man.
Staring at himself in the bathroom mirror, he couldn’t believe how poorly he had aged and thought the same thing every morning. Funny thing was he couldn’t stop looking, like staring at a car crash. Saggy eyes, saggy neck and, of course, he was balding. His grandfather William had died with a full head of hair, but those genes had somehow bypassed him. William had collapsed in a field on the way to get his heart medicine, found a mouse in his pocket of all things. The things we remember. And some days I can’t remember my mother’s face. I don’t know if Alzheimer's is coming for me or what the hell is going on though my memory ha
s never been all that great. Another day starts to overshadow yesterday’s drudgery. And it sounds like a cold one.
Early in life, John had been a handsome fellow, chased by plenty of women. No one would pursue him now, and in any case, he couldn’t run to save his life he mused. All John could see in his current existence was the pity in women’s eyes as he struggled to walk with his cane as if he wasn’t human anymore, just an old thing. John figured that if he stood still long enough, the garbage truck might come and take him. I’m about as useful as an old boot that’s full of holes with the sole worn off.
John stared at the chair lift, not even safe to walk down the stairs anymore and wanted to kick the damn thing, and the last time he did, he limped for days. John hated every single time he got in it but it was better than falling and breaking his arm again, ancient bones didn’t heal fast that was for certain. I could fall downstairs a lot quicker than this damn contraption can get me down. By the time I get down, it’ll be time to go back to bed. And to think that in college I was a track star. It was funny how feebleness and falling were tantamount to being stupid in a senior citizen’s mind.
A gust of wind hit the house making him shake his head.
In the kitchen, he made a pot of green tea and boiled some eggs for him and his wife, knowing that she had been feigning sleep and would be down in her own time. Neither slept much at night now, too much pain he supposed though he did manage to nod off several times during the day, and more than once a cup of hot tea had gone flying. “Doing the tea dance again John?”
Another burst of wind accompanied by a loud bang sounded like it had torn the shutter loose again. Mother Nature needed a good swift kick in the arse. It wouldn’t be easy to get his son over to fix it from half way across the country. Maybe they should have had more kids. His mind drifted to January 17th as it did every morning, every day was a step closer to the cliff. They couldn’t take care of themselves anymore, and they would put the house on the market at the first of the year and then move into the old folks home. John imagined that in a year or two if he lived that long, someone would be changing his diapers. The thought of it made him shake his head. And what if he were abused and couldn’t fight back? It sounded a lot like prison.
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