The Soulkeepers Series, Part Two (Books 4-6)

by Ching, G. P.

  “Oh. People believe that?”

  “Seems so.”

  Lillian jogged to Jacob’s side as if her burgundy sheath dress and heels were athletic gear. Ethan followed close behind, keys in hand. “Are you ready to go in?” he asked.

  Malini nodded and held open one side of the heavy wooden double doors for the others to walk through. The dark wood foyer was crowded with flowers, all of them supplied by the Laudner’s flower shop. She filed in at the back of the line of people waiting to offer their condolences to the family. Jacob grabbed a card from the basket near the entryway and showed it to her, while Lillian and Ethan signed the guestbook. The picture of Luke Michaels was one from years ago with a full head of brown hair and piercing gray eyes exactly like Dane’s.

  “He looks so young,” Malini said.

  A stocky redheaded woman in front of them turned around, blotting her eyes with a tissue. “It’s just so senseless. I can’t believe this happened.”

  Malini reached out to comfort the woman, resting her hand on her ample shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss. Are you family?” She didn’t recognize the woman from town. Maybe a cousin?

  “Oh no. I was his nurse at Terre Haute Hospital. You just get to know the families working with patients the way I do. It sticks with you when things like this happen. Just not right. I wanted to pay my respects.”

  Lillian nodded empathetically. “He was too young. Struck down in his prime.”

  “Yes, of course. But I mean the whole thing with the medication. Atrocious!”

  “I’m sorry—What was your name?” Malini asked.

  “Patricia. Patty. Very nice to meet you.” She extended her hand. Malini accepted her handshake and introduced Jacob, Lillian, and Ethan, who was growing more uncomfortable by the minute. They took a few steps forward with the line.

  “So, what were you saying about the medication?” Lillian prompted.

  “Didn’t you hear?” She lowered her voice. “His medication was discontinued. Harrington Pharmaceuticals stopped production of all medications except Elysium. Luke’s condition was rare, as was his prescription therapy. The hospital couldn’t find another source in time. If you ask me, that’s what killed him.”

  Malini wanted to continue the conversation, but Jacob was poking her in the side. She tried pushing his hand away but eventually gave into his prodding. “What, Jacob?” she said through a tight smile.

  He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “That’s what I texted you about. Elysium is made by Harrington.”

  Malini exchanged glances with Lillian, who fidgeted as if she were covered in ants. “Thank you, Patty. We didn’t know. I’m sure the family will find comfort in your presence.”

  Patty nodded, dabbing her eyes again, and turned back into line.

  They’d reached the front of the funeral parlor where an urn containing Mr. Michaels’s remains was surrounded by more flowers and plants. While the family visited with Patty, Malini said a prayer for Luke Michaels. She couldn’t get her head around how a fully grown man could fit in the small metal container. Life was fleeting and fragile. He’d spent his life building the largest farm in Paris to end up here.

  “Thanks for coming, Mal,” Dane said, calling her over. He wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug.

  “Hey, man.” Jacob extended his hand while Lillian and Ethan hung back. “Sorry, again, about your dad.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Ethan!” Mrs. Michaels called. Dane turned toward his mother, eyebrows raised, then exchanged glances with Ethan. The gray-haired woman budged between them and hooked her hand inside Ethan’s elbow. “There you are! I thought Dane would have invited you to stand with us. You’re practically family.” She pulled him by her side in line.

  Ethan’s mouth fell open, and Dane stared at his mother as if she’d grown a second head.

  Mary Michaels lowered her voice. “There’s no reason for us to keep pretending this isn’t what it is. Today, we are a family grieving. All of us. We all need each other.”

  Next to Ethan, who took his position in the receiving line with equal measure of shock and aplomb, Dane nodded, eyes misting. He turned to shake Lillian’s hand and accept her condolences. Pulling Mrs. Michaels into a tight hug, Malini was speechless with admiration. Finally, Ethan and Dane got what they deserved. Acceptance.

  When Lillian and Jacob had finished with the line, Malini followed the others to the reception room, where they joined the Laudner family at one of several folding tables set up for guests.

  “You should try Carolyn’s casserole,” John Laudner said to Malini. “Jacob will tell ya how good it is. Best Bacon Cheeseburger Breakfast casserole in town.”

  Jacob glanced at her, then flashed Carolyn a practiced smile. “Uh, yeah. Real cheesy,” he said, bobbing his head.

  In the chair beside John, an exhausted-looking Katrina rested her head in her palm. She snorted at the exchange. “Yeah, it’s delicious, and contains your entire daily requirement of calories per serving.” She giggled and Carolyn slapped her on the shoulder.

  “Katrina!”

  “Oh, come on, Mom. You use an entire stick of butter in that thing.”

  Carolyn pointed a chubby finger in Malini’s direction. “It’s a treat, for special occasions.”

  “I’ll be sure to try some,” Malini said. “Katrina, you look like you need more than a day’s worth of calories, care to join me?” Malini’s comment landed on the table between her and Katrina like a thrown brick.

  Elbows anchored on the table, Jacob’s cousin extended her hands, fingers knotted in front of her. “I’m not hungry.”

  Uncle John rubbed his short gray hair with his palm. “You need to eat, darling,” he said softly.

  Pulling out a chair across from him, Lillian agreed. “I haven’t seen you eat a full meal since you’ve been better.”

  Jacob stepped closer and slightly in front of Malini, as if protecting her from the inevitable onslaught. “Here it comes,” he whispered.

  “I’m not better. That’s the problem. People don’t get better without medicine. If Dad would let me take mine, I might be able to keep something down.”

  John groaned but answered her with an element of control Katrina didn’t share. “You’ve been on Elysium for weeks. The doctor said it was supposed to cure you in two. You’ve got no fever anymore. You know what I think, Katrina? I think you’re addicted to the Elysium.”

  Katrina grimaced. “Addicted? I’m not addicted. Do you say a diabetic is addicted to insulin? I feel sick to my stomach when I don’t take it. I can’t eat if I don’t take it.” She slapped the table. The other wake-goers filing into the reception room glanced toward her table.

  “Withdrawal symptoms. I bet you get a headache too,” John whispered. “You know, when I was in the military we had some guys addicted to opium. Same thing. Elysium is addictive; mark my words.” He sat up straighter in his chair and turned to look Malini directly in the eye. “You know, the way the world is today, it would not surprise me if the company purposefully made Elysium to be addicting. They must be making a mint.”

  Malini raised her eyebrows. “It’s possible.” More than possible, actually. A tingle traveled up Malini’s spine to her scalp.

  John turned back to Katrina. “I’m gonna help you quit. You’ll feel so much better when you do.”

  With a burst of energy that seemed to come out of nowhere, Katrina stood up and grabbed her purse. “You are not a doctor, Dad, and you have no idea how I feel or why. Half the globe is on Elysium trying to fight this crazy virus. How do you know I don’t need to be on it longer? At least let me talk to Dr. Howard.”

  Aunt Carolyn tugged on the side of her floral dress. “Katrina, sit down. You are making a scene,” she said in a loud stage whisper. Her brown eyes darted around to the other guests in the reception area. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared in their direction. “Sit down and we’ll talk about this like adults.”

  “Oh, for Chr
ist’s sake, Mother!” Katrina shouted. “Am I embarrassing you? Am I marring your precious perfect family image? Give me a break.” She stomped out the side door, slamming it behind her.

  “That was awful,” Jacob said flatly. Lillian and Malini nodded in agreement.

  “It’s the Elysium,” John said, rubbing his upper lip. “And I’ll tell you something else. The thought occurred to me today that Harrington Enterprises created the virus so that they could cure it.”

  Aunt Carolyn rolled her eyes. “Oh, John, now you’re sounding crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy. Do you know how much money Harrington is making off Elysium? I read that one in every thousand people is on it now. It’s suspicious, too, how they stopped producing all other medications before the outbreak. It’s like they knew it was coming.”

  Lillian made a small coughing noise. “Will you excuse me? I need to get some air.” She caught Malini’s eye and gestured with her head toward the door.

  “See, John. You are scaring people away with this mumbojumbo,” Caroline chided.

  Malini tipped her head. “No, I want to hear this. John, why do you believe Harrington created the virus?”

  “I was stringing lights today and fell off the ladder. Someone … something broke my fall.” Uncle John paused when Aunt Carolyn gave him a death stare. He cleared his throat. “Afterward, lying there staring up at the sky, it occurred to me out of the blue that no one has ever died from this bird flu. Doctors say it’s fatal, and they are prescribing Elysium to anyone who will take it. The stuff’s like gold, too. Hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply. But I haven’t heard of any actual deaths. Hell, they’ve had the cure from the very beginning. I’m telling you, it’s Harrington. They developed this virus, then cured it for the sake of profit, and they’re greasing all of these doctors’ pockets to get everyone hooked on it. How is it that Harrington was so far ahead of the curve on this? When did they do the R&D? I’ll tell you when, before anyone knew about the virus. A bit too convenient, don’t you think? Well, I’ll tell you one thing, if I catch this from Katrina, I’m not taking Elysium. No way.”

  At this, Carolyn Laudner stood up with a huff and headed toward the bathroom. John gaped at her back. The other attendees slowly returned to their casseroles.

  “I believe you, Mr. Laudner,” Malini said. “I don’t think Harrington Pharmaceuticals can be trusted. When this is all over, Katrina will thank you for taking care of her.”

  “I appreciate that, Ms. Gupta. You are as smart as Jacob says you are.”

  Malini squeezed Jacob’s hand. He smiled. “I’m going to go check on Mom.” He led Malini through the side door where Lillian waited.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lillian asked.

  Malini nodded. “All this time we’ve been waiting for Watchers to march up the street. The first temptation has been here for weeks. We’re not just dealing with infected water; they’re using Harrington to infect people with a virus and addict them to their cure.”

  “How do you think John knew?” Lillian asked. “He’s a smart guy, but this would be a leap for anyone.”

  “Don’t know,” Malini said.

  “When he fell off the ladder today, he said an angel caught him, in the form of a red bird,” Jacob said.

  “Hmm,” Malini pondered, “maybe God has sent His first gift after all.”

  The Westcotts exited the reception area then, parting the group. When they came back together, Jacob whispered, “So how do we stop Harrington?”

  “I’m not sure,” Malini said. “But I think it’s time we paid another visit to Harrington Enterprises.”

  Chapter 10

  The Mission

  Malini suspected her idea would be controversial, but the vehemence in the room surprised even her. While she didn’t think the council would come to blows, the tension was palpable. Each of them had a personal interest in this, and none of them knew what to expect.

  “It’s too dangerous,” Grace said.

  Gideon stood, knocking his chair back. “Too dangerous? It’s not aggressive enough! We’ve waited too long. It’s time we engaged in the challenge.” He paced the conference room.

  “Gideon’s right,” Lillian said. “We’ve suspected Harrington for long enough. It’s time to find out exactly what we are dealing with.”

  “The twins are the natural choice,” Malini said. “They can pose as insiders and find out how much control the Watchers have over Harrington. It’s possible we only need to take out one or two influenced leaders to stop the production of Elysium.”

  Master Lee stroked the short stubble of his chin. “Grace, it is understandable that you would fear sending your daughters, but they are more than ready. I’ve never trained stronger warriors, mentally or physically.”

  “Hey!” Lillian said.

  “Except you, Lillian, of course.” Lee coughed behind his hand.

  Lillian shook her head. “Actually, after seeing them fight, you are probably correct. They are stronger than I am. And they’re ready for a mission.”

  Grace threaded her fingers. “So, I’m in the minority.”

  Malini shook her head. “No one blames you, Grace. Bonnie and Samantha are your daughters and the only family you have.”

  Grace nodded, a tear breaking free from the corner of her eye.

  “But they are also Soulkeepers with a unique and useful ability to be human chameleons. We need them.”

  Pale and agitated, Grace rubbed under her eyes. A heavy weight settled over the room. The members of the Soulkeepers’ Council knew that she’d be outvoted if it came to that, but they wanted her to make the decision on her own.

  “I want Jesse to go with them,” Grace said, straightening. “He can act as mission control and provide backup.”

  Malini nodded. “Agreed. But I think we should keep the team small. Lucifer has the list Abigail conjured of Soulkeepers. Outside of Eden, he can detect our souls if he wants to. Jacob, Dane, and I need to continue attending Paris High School. He knows we go there, and it’s possible our absence could raise suspicion. Cheveyo isn’t ready for a mission.”

  “And Ethan?” Gideon asked.

  “Our second line of defense should the twins fail,” Malini said grimly. “He’ll hang back in Paris and use a staff to blink out there if Jesse calls for help. That way we’ll have a single point of contact for communication purposes.”

  Gideon placed his hands on the windowsill and leaned out over Eden’s vast jungle. The school didn’t need glass windows. By some unexplainable phenomenon, the birds and insects chose not to come inside. Same for the gentle sweeping rain that kept the jungle bright and lush.

  Malini looked at Grace, Lillian, and Lee. “If we’ve come to an agreement, would you mind excusing yourselves so that Gideon and I can talk?”

  Grace nodded, blinking her eyes slowly and pursing her lips. Standing, she headed for the door. “I’ll tell my girls. Why do I feel they’ll be more excited about this than I am?”

  “Because they will,” Lillian said. “They’ve been begging for a mission since Arizona.”

  Lee freed himself from his chair in one lithe move and followed Lillian and Grace from the room. Malini closed the door behind them, and then returned to Gideon’s side. She placed her hand on his shoulder, so that her fingers grazed the bare skin of his neck. The flesh-to-flesh contact pumped healing energy into him.

  “I know what you’re doing, Malini. It’s not working.”

  “No?”

  “I feel the warmth and the calm. I am touched by your kindness. But this hurt in me does not need healing. It is not an injury. This is my body telling me I need to do more. This pain is my warning that something’s wrong, that I need the other half of me back. This is love, Malini. You can’t heal this because it is as whole as it has ever been.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and rubbed his back through his shirt. “I know it’s been hard for you. I know you’ve wanted to leave Eden to try to rescue her. B
ut no mortal comes back from Hell, Gideon, without divine intervention. There’s nothing you can do.”

  He straightened. “You’re right. It has been hard for me, but not unproductive. I have something for you.” From the table, he retrieved a file folder and handed it to her. “An updated organizational chart for Harrington Enterprises along with a diagram of its offices. You’ll notice a new CEO has recently been named. A Mr. M. Blake.”

  “What happened to Mr. Harrington?”

  “No one knows. It’s not public knowledge. He simply resigned, and he and his family disappeared.”

  “Hmm. Suspicious. Influenced, likely.” She followed the lines of the chart to boxes containing the last names of various vice presidents and directors. She didn’t recognize any of them, but then she didn’t spend her days watching CNBC. “I’ll share this with the twins. Thank you.”

  He met her eyes. “Do you think, if we help win the challenge, God will bring Abigail back?”

  “Yes, I do. Have faith.” As Malini pulled him into her embrace, she hoped and prayed she could do the same.

  * * * * *

  After the conversation she’d just had with her mother, Bonnie Guillian desperately needed to blow off steam. A mission, finally. But the task before her couldn’t be more dangerous. Best-case scenario, she’d be sniffing out a major nest of Watcher activity. And it didn’t help that her sister and loverboy were on the same team. Talk about a distraction.

  Bonnie swept her long red hair up into a ponytail, tying it back with a black elastic. When it was as tight and smooth as possible, she squatted down to readjust her running shoes. Master Lee had shown her a special way to tie them, tighter at her instep and looser at the toes, to make for a more comfortable run.

  “How do you get there again?” she asked Dane. She’d bumped into him in the foyer down the hall from the conference room where Samantha and Ghost remained. Those two were grilling her mother for information. Only, no one knew anything. That’s why they were going on this mission, to answer the questions.