by C Farren
“You’ve got to stop healing people,” said Juniper. She sipped at her tea, trying to control her temper. “I know it’s not forbidden but you’re just not trained properly in things like that. This is for your own good.”
“I know,” Fiona admitted sullenly. “I just couldn’t see Wren’s uncle suffer.”
“According to what you said he wasn’t suffering. He came through his operation and was going to do just fine. You didn’t need to heal him at all.”
“He’s my grandson. I felt I had to do something.”
She’d never even met the man before she’d seen him in hospital. There was always the plan to have Wren make a family dinner so she could see all her relatives, but she just never got around to it. Maybe a Christmas party would be a good idea? The family certainly needed it after such a hectic year.
Fiona stood and put her cup into the sink. It was time to leave. Wren was obviously fretting about something.
Wren is always fretting about something.
“Are you even listening to me?” Juniper reprimanded. “This is important. I’m not berating you just because I like the sound of my own voice you know.”
“Of course I’m listening to you,” Fiona answered. “It’s just something is leaking through from Wren at the same time as you’re talking. It’s difficult to concentrate on both at the same time.”
Juniper tutted and flitted away. Brock took a sip of his tea.
“How’s it going?” Brock asked. “Really?”
“Not good,” Fiona admitted. “I managed to set Wren up with this lovely man called Ryan. I saw him walking down the street and thought he looked very handsome. Then he helped an old lady across the road and I thought he was very polite. I knew he’d get on with Wren! And so, I manipulated events a little. I flitted back home, stole Wren’s purse, and flitted back and left it on the sidewalk for him to find. He found it and returned it to Wren. They flirted and then he asked her out.”
“That’s good! Very devious.”
“He turned out to be a total weirdo who was obsessed with real life murder cases. When he found out Wren had solved a double murder it was like catnip for him.” Fiona shuddered. “It doesn’t bear thinking about.”
For all she knew, Wren had escaped being murdered herself. How could she set her great-granddaughter up with someone she didn’t know? How could she potentially involve her in a dangerous situation?
“I like it down there,” said Fiona. She was staring out the window over the kitchen sink. Her apartment was on the five-hundredth floor of a towering skyscraper. The view was nothing but clouds and playful angels. “I feel a connection down there with everyone. I have family and friends and the town is perfect. Maybe I’m so busy trying to make my life work instead of doing what I was supposed to be there for.”
She’d been concerned about this before. What if she loved her life with Wren so much she couldn’t leave? She’d never considered that it might also affect her abilities as an angel too.
“I know I should assign this to someone else, but I just can’t do it,” said Fiona.
“Stop healing and stop setting Wren up with weirdos,” Brock told her.
Fiona blushed. “I’ll try.”
Chapter 10
Wren had hardly slept for the past two days. Uncle Camden had gone home, though he still looked a little groggy after his surgery. The doctors couldn’t believe how rapidly he was healing and just wrote it off as him having an amazing body. Kerry had been bailed on charges of dangerous driving. Lenny had been questioned over Delia’s murder, but they didn’t have any proof, mainly because he was the only person in the family who didn’t have their fingerprints on the murder weapon. Suffice to say, the case hadn’t gotten very far.
Fiona still hadn’t turned up after flitting away at the hospital. Wren was worried about her. She’d tried calling out for her but received nothing in reply, not even an angry voice telling her to shut up. Had Fiona left for good?
Wren was currently at the Metropolitan, waiting for the contractor to turn up and tear down the wall. She wanted to see the stage and whatever else had been walled up. Opening up the space would be good for the place. Katie’s original idea of having live bands or even comedians was a solid one. It could liven the place up. It could liven the town up.
She looked through the windows across the road. The remains of the toy store were an eyesore. It looked like a bomb had gone off. One simple act of a car going out of control had changed the whole look of Main Street forever.
Will Everett rebuild, or just sell the land?
There’d been a toy store on Main Street for over a hundred years. The Rickard family had passed it down generation after generation. She really hoped Everett continued the tradition. The town wouldn’t be the same without it.
A timid meow issued from behind her. It was Gracie.
“I told you to stop following me,” Wren cautioned her. She picked her cat up and gave her a kiss. “How do you get in here anyway?”
Gracie meowed, purring contentedly. A cat never reveals her secrets.
“Make yourself at home and try not to get in the way,” said Wren. “I’m too busy to take you back home.”
Gracie leapt from her arms and started playing with a plastic coffee cup on the floor. Wren smiled. She could never be angry with her. The cat was being a little too clingy at the moment, but she supposed it didn’t matter really. All she wanted was company.
Before she’d left, Wren had tried picking up Gracie to take her with her. The cat had declined. She obviously like to make her own way to work.
The doorbell tinkled, and Kerry walked in. Her eyes were red from crying, and she was dressed all in black. She must have come back from her grandmother’s memorial service. She had what appeared to be a jigsaw puzzle in her arms.
“How was it?” Wren asked.
Kerry shrugged. “It was just family, otherwise the whole town would’ve turned up. Of course, I doubt many would’ve come even if they could. My gran rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way.” She smiled and said, in a perfect imitation of her father’s voice, “I can hear my dad’s voice now, saying, ‘Gran is just eccentric. Don’t take what she says to heart.’ He always stuck up for her.”
“That’s a good impression of your father.”
She shrugged. “I can do a mean Cher.”
“Can I make you a coffee?” Wren offered.
Kerry nodded, and Wren got to work. The new coffee machine was a little more complicated than the last one but she’d gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. It was easy to use when you knew how.
“Can I ask you something?” Wren asked, setting Kerry’s coffee down on a table.
“You want to know why I crashed the car,” Kerry stated. She sat down and put the puzzle on the table in front of her. It was a puzzle of Niagara Falls.
Wren nodded. “I’ve been going through it in my mind and I can’t see how it’s possible that you did it by accident.”
“I’ve already told the police all this, but I suppose I can tell you.” Kerry took a sip of her coffee and said, “I borrowed my gran’s car to go to the city to meet my friend Stacey for lunch when I remembered I’d left my purse back inside the toy store. I was driving up Main Street when I realized my brakes had been cut. I didn’t know what to do and so I panicked and aimed the car for the fire hydrant in front of Gran’s store. I thought the thing would be solid and stop the car like it does on TV and movies, but it didn’t. The car went straight through it, and straight into the store.” Kerry took another sip, sounding angry now. “And the fire hydrant wasn’t even connected to a water supply, either.”
Wren’s brain was starting to whir, putting things together. Something didn’t add up.
“The brake wires were cut?” Wren asked.
Kerry nodded. “I can’t believe it either. If I hadn’t forgotten my purse I wouldn’t have noticed there was anything wrong with the car until I was miles away and I might have crashed into another vehicle
or something. I might not have been so lucky to only escape with a few bruises.”
“Are you sure the car wasn’t just faulty?”
“The police already checked it. Someone deliberately tampered with it.” Kerry shivered. “Someone wanted to kill me.”
Wren shook her head. Kerry was wrong. She wasn’t looking at the sequence of events logically.
And they said you were smart.
“You weren’t the target,” said Wren. “Your grandmother was the target.”
Kerry appeared shocked. “But I was the one driving the car.”
“It was your grandmother’s car. Unless the person who sabotaged it knew you were going to borrow the car, then Delia was the target.”
Kerry drank the remainder of her coffee in one gulp and slammed the cup down on the table. “I should’ve seen this,” Kerry admitted. She looked devastated. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
“Nobody wants to think someone wanted their grandmother dead,” said Wren.
“But they killed her anyway. They got away with it. Someone killed my grandma and they’re just waltzing about this town! It’s not fair.”
She was right. It wasn’t fair. Life was generally pretty awful.
But I can do something about this. I found Garrett’s killer. I can do this too.
Except she got shot when she confronted Cedric. She nearly died. Would she be so lucky this time around?
I’ll leave it for the police. They can handle it. I’ve got too much on my plate already
“I better go,” said Kerry sadly. “Thanks for listening.”
“Don’t forget your puzzle,” Wren called.
Kerry laughed. “Gran taught me my love of puzzles.” She picked up the puzzle box. “I had her this jigsaw puzzle especially made for her for Christmas. I remember her once telling me the only time she was truly happy was when she went on her honeymoon with Grandpa to Niagara Falls.” She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m going to go to her house and do this puzzle for her.”
“I’m sure she would’ve loved it.”
Wren waved her off. The whole murder situation was still on her mind. It was none of her business. Sheriff Fisher and Keegan could handle this. Right?
Fiona flitted in front of her.
“Where have you been?” Wren shouted, trying to push back her anger. “I’ve been worried sick about you!”
“I shouldn’t have healed Camden,” Fiona admitted. “It almost drained me. I spent two days unconscious in my apartment back in Golden.”
“There you have it. Stop healing people.”
“You’re bossy.”
“I take after my great-grandmother.” Wren laughed and pulled Fiona into a hug. It meant so much to have her angel, her friend, back. Life was dull without her.
After ten minutes, Fiona was caught up with all that had happened while she was absent. The angel agreed that Wren should stay out of any murder investigations for the foreseeable future, even if she did think she could solve it. There was no point tempting fate.
I could solve it, right?
Something caught Wren’s eye across the road. Keegan was talking with Lenny on the sidewalk. They were keeping their distance, but she could tell it was difficult for them not to touch each other.
“They’re still in love,” Wren said. Seeing them made proved to her that romance wasn’t dead in the modern world. “I wish I knew what they were saying.”
Fiona grinned. “Let me try something.”
The angel squished up her face and concentrated for a few heartbeats. Suddenly Keegan and Lenny’s voices could be heard in the coffee shop as clear as day. It was like they were in the room with them.
“I didn’t think you’d come back to town,” said Garrett.
“This is my home,” said Lenny. “Besides, I missed my gran.”
“A lot of people in town missed you.”
“Does that include you?”
They stared at each other uncomfortably for a few seconds.
“Most of your family think you killed Delia,” said Keegan. “The station keeps getting calls from Chelsea, demanding that I arrest you.”
“Do you really think I’m capable of cold-blooded murder?” Lenny asked.
“I don’t know what to think. I haven’t seen you in ten years. People change.”
“I haven’t changed that much. But maybe you have.”
Lenny walked away. Keegan looked despairingly after him before walking in the opposite direction.
“My heart breaks for them,” said Wren. “It really does.”
“Do you think Lenny killed Delia?” Fiona asked. She sat down, looking pale.
“Lenny isn’t a murderer. But I honestly don’t know for sure. Maybe prison hardened him, or maybe Delia touched a nerve and he just lashed out.” She shook her head. “No. That doesn’t make sense. How could he walk into the toy store when there were so many people there and murder Delia without anyone noticing?”
“Stop it. You are NOT playing detective again.”
Fiona’s eyes seemed to glaze over. Wren caught her before she slipped off the chair.
“GG, you’re overdoing it again!” Wren accused her. “This has to stop.”
“You wanted to know what Keegan and Lenny was saying and I needed to know if I could help you achieve that.” She pushed Wren’s hands away. “I feel fine now. Stop fussing.”
“I guess being fussy runs in the family. Now just sit down and relax for a while. I don’t want you fading away again.”
Fiona made a huffing noise and turned her face away. Wren couldn’t help but smile. She reminded her so much of her father sometimes.
They sat in silence for a while, waiting for the contractor to turn up. He was late. Wren made the time pass by looking at cat videos on the internet, her own feline curled up on her lap, dreaming peacefully. The thought of working right now made her shudder, even though she had a ton of stuff to get through. She couldn’t stop looking across the road and seeing the devastated remains of the toy store.
Could Lenny have killed Delia? Why?
The doorbell tinkled, and a giant of a man entered. He was almost seven feet tall, slightly chubby, with a strawberry blonde beard. He wore messy overalls and big black boots, and he had a tattoo of an eagle on his neck. He stared at them like he’d just walked into Jurassic Park.
“Can I help you?” Wren asked.
Gracie gave him one look and went back to sleep. That was her seal of approval.
“I’m Bill Jared,” said the man. His voice was quiet and unassuming. “I’m the contractor you hired.”
His gaze sought out Fiona, and he blushed. Fiona blushed too and tried to stifle a giggle.
What the hell is going on?
“Hi,” said the angel. She sounded timid and coquettish. “I’m Fiona.”
Bill stepped forward and held out his massive hand. “Pleased to meet you.” Fiona shook it with both of her tiny hands. “You have beautiful eyes.”
Fiona giggled again. “You’re just saying that.”
Wren felt like a third wheel as the giant and the tiny angel exchanged a series of awkward pleasantries. She thought they were flirting, though she couldn’t be sure. Maybe they were both having some sort of seizure?
“The wall?” Wren prompted.
Bill and Fiona tore their gazes away from each other and looked away, shy.
A shy Fiona? Now I’ve seen everything.
“I better leave you to it,” said Fiona, trying really hard not to look at Bill but failing spectacularly. “I’ll see you later.”
She giggled again as she passed Bill. Wren watched the tall man as he looked around, flustered, before clearing his throat.
“Is this the wall?” he asked, his voice solid now. He nodded. “I can knock that down.”
“How long will it take?” Wren asked.
“Is Fiona seeing anyone?”
Wren sighed. “Fiona is not seeing anyone.”
He grinned and left the cof
fee shop, not saying a word about what he was doing. A minute later he came back, carrying a huge tool bag that must have weighed a couple of tons. He dropped it on the floor and stared at the wall like it was his archenemy.
“I’ll start right away,” he declared. He pulled a giant sledgehammer from his bag and hefted it with his giant hands. “This is going to be fun.”
IT WAS ALMOST EIGHT at night when Bill finally finished. Wren would be glad to get out of the place. All the dust and banging had given her a headache. Still, she was excited to see what was behind the wall. The mystery had been nagging at her ever since she discovered there was a hidden room. Not that she expected to find anything exciting behind there, but you never know.
“It’s a nice area back here,” said Bill.
Wren nodded. “It’s perfect.”
The small stage was about the size of a decent car, and slightly elevated off the ground. There was a box of out of date flyers for the Metropolitan standing on it. Wren had a look at them and was instantly overcome with sadness. Everett had printed these off and totally forgotten about them. He’d had such plans, for his business and for his son and for Sheriff Fisher.
“What are you going to do?” Bill asked.
“I thought I’d have local bands or singers or something,” said Wren. “I haven’t quite decided yet.”
“That sounds good.”
He left soon after that. Wren was certain he was trying to ask her for Fiona’s number but was too shy to ask. She wasn’t going to give it to him. While seeing Bill and Fiona flirt had been cute, she wasn’t sure Bill was right for her, or vice versa.
Then again, what do I know?
Wren was locking up when footsteps echoed behind her. She readied her keys, ready to stab someone if they attacked.
“Hi Wren,” said Lenny.
Wren sighed. “You almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing walking around in the village at night?”
He pointed at the various lights hung up between the stores and across the streets. The place was lit up like Santa’s village.