She

by J. S. Cooper

  “Yes.” She nodded with a small smile. “You’ll meet whoever it is we want you to meet.”

  “You’re not going to tell me?”

  “Don’t you like surprises?”

  “Will I be surprised?”

  “Well, I’m sure Jakob will be surprised, even if you’re not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because in life there is death and in death there is life,” Rosie said, and turned to Steve. “Let’s go.”

  “Go?” It was Steve’s turn to look surprised. “I thought we were going to take Bianca with us.”

  “Now isn’t a good time.” Rosie shook her head. “This is better for us.”

  “But he said to bring her to him.” Steve looked worried.

  “This is better for us, Steve.” She reached over and touched his arm. “We’ll all get our revenge on the Bradleys.” She looked at me. “We’ll avenge all the wrongs that have been done to all of us. He’s not going to dictate what we do, Steve. He couldn’t have done any of this without you. He needs you. And when it’s time, we’ll bring him down as well.”

  “But . . .” Steve’s eyes were wide, and he looked at me.

  “What does it matter if she knows?” Rosie shrugged. “She’ll know soon enough. She’s a part of it as well. She can help avenge her mother. It will be poetic justice. All of the Bradleys destroyed.” She laughed and threw her head back. “And then we can claim what is ours. You can claim what is yours. You can finally have everything your father worked so hard for. You should have been running that company. You were Jeremiah’s bitch boy. His slave. Now it’s your turn, Steve. It’s your turn to make him your bitch.”

  My heart thudded as they stared at each other. They had an odd connection. Rosie seemed to be able to reach a part of Steve that I certainly hadn’t while on the island. Even though they were letting me go, I felt uneasy. Really uneasy. I didn’t know what they were talking about. Who was the big “he” that they were referring to? Who did they want me to meet? Who else was a part of this?

  “Be at the ball on Saturday.” Rosie turned to me. “You and Jakob.”

  “I’ll be there.” I nodded, and as surreptitiously as they had entered, they left. I stood there feeling faint and clutched my phone to me for a few seconds before it began ringing again. I was about to answer and tell Jakob what had just happened, but it was Blake calling me. “Hello?” I said, my voice weak.

  “Bianca,” he said hurriedly. “We need to talk.”

  “Okay,” I said, and swallowed hard. My legs were trembling, and my whole body was shaking in some sort of post-traumatic shock. “What’s going on?”

  “I found some new files. It’s funny what databases you can link to at the library.” He sounded excited. “The world is literally at your fingertips. So much access to so many different things—”

  “Blake.”

  “Sorry, you know how excited I get,” he said, and his voice dropped. “Can you meet me at a café in five minutes? I don’t want to tell you anything over the phone.”

  “Um, depends. What café?” I said, wondering what had him so excited. “What’s going on, Blake? You’re freaking me out.”

  “Did you know that there is no death certificate for Jeremiah Bradley?” His voice was a whisper, which almost made me laugh because if our phones were being tapped, his dropping his voice wasn’t going to make it so they couldn’t hear. I was pretty sure that if I could understand what he was saying, anyone tapping our phones could also understand.

  “Okay?” I said, wondering what the big deal was. And then my head started thudding as I thought back to what Steve and Rosie had just been saying. It wasn’t possible, was it? “Where do you want to meet?”

  “Text me when you get to a coffee shop,” he said. “I’ll meet you wherever you go.”

  “Okay.” My voice dropped now, and I whispered, “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?”

  “I don’t know what you think I’m saying, but if you’re also thinking that there’s a new Maestro Geppetto in town, then yes.” He cleared his throat. “Well, not new. I think this puppeteer has been here all along.”

  five

  Nicholas London

  Decades Ago

  “I’m worried about Oliver, Nick.” Angelina’s brow furrowed as I walked toward her in the small kitchen. I stared at the concern on her face, and my stomach twisted. “I think you need to reach out to him. I don’t think his friendship with Jeremiah is good for him.”

  “Why?” I tried not to express my annoyance. I didn’t want to talk about Oliver or any of my friends, least of all Jeremiah.

  “I just don’t think Jeremiah is a great friend to him.” She picked up a loaf of French bread and offered it to me. “Do you want some bread and butter?”

  “I wouldn’t say no.” I smiled. “Do you have any cheese as well?”

  “I have some Brie.” She nodded and smiled. “Sit and I’ll cut it.”

  “You spoil me.” I sat down willingly and waited for my pre-dinner snack. Angelina and I had been dating for just over six months now¸ and we’d already gotten into a comfortable routine. She took care of me well.

  “I do, but you spoil me too.” She started humming. “I can’t believe we’re going to go see a show in New York City.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never seen a show in the city before. We’re not that far away.”

  “But I moved here from Florida.” She laughed. “I haven’t had an opportunity to go to the city before. I was going to go see Les Miz with my roommates, but then Jeremiah wanted to take me. . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Sorry.”

  “There’s no need to be sorry.” I shrugged, but a pang of guilt hit me. My friendship with Jeremiah was definitely different now. The whole dynamic in our group had completely changed. Jeremiah and Larry were always together and did things without inviting me. Which wasn’t altogether irregular, as they had known each other for a long time. However, they were also including Oliver, which was weird. It was obviously an unsubtle hint that I was no longer in the inner circle, and while that hurt, I didn’t know what to do. I had broken the brotherly code. I had taken Jeremiah’s girl. Though we both knew that she wasn’t really his girl.

  “I know, but I still feel bad.” Angelina sighed. “I don’t trust Jeremiah. I still suspect he has some sort of ulterior motive. He’s not really a good guy. He just plays his role really well.”

  “I think he’s fine,” I said, not really sure if I meant my words. Jeremiah hadn’t made me an outcast exactly, but he had made comments, almost threats, that had me wondering what he was really thinking. I hadn’t told Angelina about any of that, of course. I hadn’t wanted to upset her. And I didn’t want her to start feeling guilty and leave me. All I cared about besides my schoolwork was being with her. She was my life. I couldn’t imagine losing her. I knew I was being dramatic, far more dramatic than I’d ever thought I could be, but I suppose love and relationships can twist anyone’s mind. We’re all capable of losing it over someone we love.

  “His parents are powerful.” She bit her lower lip. “And Larry . . .” She made a face. Angelina couldn’t stand Larry. “I trust him even less than I trust Jeremiah. He just seems like an opportunist, and I think he might even be a psychopath.”

  “Psychopath?”

  “Or sociopath?” She shrugged her shoulders. “What’s the name for people that can harm others and feel nothing bad about it?”

  “Yes, that’s a sociopath. They don’t feel any remorse after their actions.”

  “I wish that Brigitta would stop seeing Larry.” Angelina made a sad face. “We barely talk anymore.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” I stood up and held her to me. “I guess I didn’t think about the repercussions of us dating.”

  “I don’t think either of us did.” Angelina rubbed my head. “I feel like I’m in some sort of Russian novel.”

  “You’re not in a novel.” I laughed. “We’re just in college. Th
ere are no spies and no hidden agendas.” I kissed her gently on the lips. “When we graduate, none of us will remember any of this.” I kissed her again for emphasis and pulled away as I heard the doorbell ringing. “Who’s that?” I asked, confused. It was late, and Angelina hadn’t told me of any study plans.

  “I invited everyone over for dinner.” She smiled guiltily at me.

  “You what?” I stepped back and frowned. “Why would you do that?”

  “I want to clear the air. I want us all to go back to how we were before it all got awkward.”

  “Who did you invite?” My stomach churned as I thought about how the night was going to make things even more tense.

  “Jeremiah, of course. Larry.” She made a face. “Brigitta, Macy, and Oliver.”

  “Oh.” I closed my eyes for a few seconds as the doorbell rang again. “You know this is going to be incredibly awkward, right?”

  “I know.” She grabbed my hands. “Sorry.” She sighed. “I just want you to have your friends back.”

  “You didn’t invite Joanie?”

  “No.” She looked away from me, and I could see her face flushing. “I didn’t.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t say anything else, though I was upset. I liked Joanie. I considered her a friend. She was like me, in a way. Her parents were poor, yet she didn’t let that stop her from doing what she wanted to do. I knew that Angelina was jealous of my friendship with Joanie and didn’t understand that I just felt her to be a kindred spirit. I didn’t think about her romantically. I didn’t want her in my bed, but I knew that Angelina didn’t understand. Jealousy was such a base emotion. It was hard to control, even when rationally you knew there was nothing to be worried about.

  “I can call her now if you want,” she said softly, her hazel eyes looking into mine with an expression of love and worry. My heart melted as I gazed into her beautiful face. I didn’t understand how she could think, for even one minute, that my heart could ever belong to another.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Tonight will be crazy enough as it is. Besides, Macy doesn’t like Joanie.”

  “Yeah.” Angelina rolled her eyes. “Though I don’t know who she is to be so high and mighty. He cheated on me with both of them.”

  “Yeah, well . . .” My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to tell Angelina what a bad idea I thought this was. I didn’t want to upset her, as I knew she was only trying. But now that Jeremiah was dating Macy, she had gotten even snobbier, and I knew that she, like Larry, didn’t understand why Jeremiah still kept me around. And I wasn’t sure what was going on with Oliver. He barely spoke to me anymore. “I’ll get the door.” I made a face. “I guess I know why you got the Brie now.”

  “Am I that transparent?” She giggled. “We can’t eat it all though. I promised my roommate that I’d save her some. It was the only way I could convince her to leave the apartment for the entire evening.”

  “Well, aren’t we lucky that Sue is easily bribed with food. Just imagine how much more colorful tonight could have been.” I laughed. “Especially if Sue tried to do a séance.”

  “She only does that with people she’s met at least twice.” Angelina giggled, and we both sighed as the doorbell rang again.

  “Here goes,” I said as I walked to the door with a heavy heart. I really, really didn’t want to deal with the drama that I knew was going to ensue this evening, but I’d do it for Angelina. I’d do absolutely anything for Angelina; such was my love for her.

  “Very good meal. Thank you, Angelina.” Jeremiah sat back at the table and rubbed his stomach. “Your cooking reminds me of my aunty Mabel’s cooking. Reminiscent of the food I used to get in the South.”

  “Aunty Mabel?” Macy looked confused. “Who is she? What side of the family?” She interrogated Jeremiah. “I don’t remember seeing her in your family tree.”

  “Aunty Mabel was his nanny,” Larry answered for Jeremiah. “She was also his father’s nanny, so he called her Aunty. I know this because I asked him why he was calling her Aunty when I came to stay with his family in the summers.”

  “Larry was wondering why I had an older black lady for an aunt.” Jeremiah burst out laughing. “I told him that we were related by blood as well, but he never believed me.”

  “I thought you were joking. . . .” Larry looked at Jeremiah in confusion.

  “No.” Jeremiah shook his head. “Not really. Mabel’s mother and my grandfather used to knock boots, so to speak.”

  “What?” Larry leaned forward. “So you have—”

  “Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Angelina cut Larry off, and gave Jeremiah a pertinent look. “Weren’t your grandparents married for sixty years?”

  “Yes, so?” Jeremiah looked cool as a cucumber as he raised one eyebrow and looked at her with a small smile.

  “So he was cheating on his wife.”

  “Cheating is such a crass term.” Jeremiah shrugged. “Women should know their place.”

  “Like Joanie Rosenberg?” Angelina said, and I could see that she was getting angry.

  “Angelina,” Brigitta spoke up, and I looked at her in surprise. She’d been silent most of the evening, and she and Larry weren’t in each other’s laps as they usually were.

  “What? I’m just asking a question.”

  “We’re not dating anymore, Angelina,” Jeremiah said softly. “I don’t have to answer all of your questions. You left me for my best friend, remember?”

  “Jeremiah,” I said, and stared at him. “If you want to talk to me, we can, but don’t make out like this is Angelina’s fault.”

  “I don’t think it’s Angelina’s fault.” He shook his head, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at me. “I think that life sorts things out as they are supposed to be.”

  “What does that mean?” I frowned. I hated it when Jeremiah spoke theoretically and philosophically. I was a science guy. I wanted to deal with tangible facts.

  “Just that everything works out how it is supposed to.” Jeremiah smiled. “We are all expendable, and that is life.”

  “What they did was wrong,” Oliver said. Jeremiah shook his head and turned away from him. “I would never do that to you. I would never—”

  “Go and get me another beer, Oliver.” Jeremiah finally spoke as he dismissed the thin young boy.

  “Okay.” Oliver stood up, his face sullen as he glared at me.

  “I’ll come with you.” Angelina stood up, and I watched as Brigitta jumped up as well and they all walked into the kitchen.

  “Are you really going to keep being a dick, Jeremiah?” I said finally, and I heard Larry gasp.

  “Me, a dick?” He laughed. “Do you think I really care that you’re dating Angelina? She’s a frigid bitch. Good luck with that.”

  “I’m not going to hit you, because you deserve to get one dig in,” I said in a low voice. “But if you ever say anything like that again, I will smack all the teeth out of your mouth. I might be just a nerdy scientist, but I’ve got a mean right hook.”

  “Wow.” Jeremiah surprised me by grinning, his eyes lighting up in respect. “Where has this Nicholas London been all my life?”

  “What do you mean?” Larry said, annoyed. “Aren’t you going to punch him?”

  “No.” Jeremiah laughed. “Only commoners resort to laying hands on each other.”

  “I’m a commoner.” I nodded and glared at them both.

  “We know,” Larry said, and Jeremiah touched him on the shoulder.

  “Calm down, Larry. It’s fine.” Jeremiah looked at me and reached his hand out. “Truce?”

  “I never had any problems with you.”

  “Good.” Jeremiah nodded. “Plus the two of you make a great couple. Beauty and charm.”

  “Beauty and charm?” I asked with a confused expression.

  “She’s beautiful and you’re charming. It’s a perfect combination,” Jeremiah said with a straight face. “You both deserve each other.”

  “Okay, well I’m
glad to hear that you don’t hate me.” I nodded slowly, not really sure if he’d been complimenting or dissing me.

  “That wouldn’t be good if three business partners started off hating each other.”

  “Business partners?” Larry and I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “We’re graduating soon.” Jeremiah smiled. “And I’ve got a trust fund that needs to be spent. I want us to start a company together. Nick’s got the engineering skills; Larry, you can become our attorney once you finish with law school; and I’ll be the CEO and in charge of the money.”

  “I don’t know.” I shook my head, my brain reeling with this offer. “What would we do?”

  “We’d create new products.” Jeremiah nodded. “That’s what you and Oliver like doing, right, Nick?”

  “Well, we like experimenting,” I agreed. “But I’ve not really created anything yet.”

  “What about the self-painter that Oliver’s working on?” Jeremiah said casually.

  “Oliver’s going to be a partner too?” Larry looked annoyed.

  “Of course not.” Jeremiah shook his head. “We’ll be Bradley, London, and Maxwell. Oliver can work for us.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, not really sure what to think of his idea. “Is everything forgiven?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive,” Jeremiah said with a magnanimous smile. “We’re brothers. Brothers are always there for each other.”

  “I guess so,” I said doubtfully. I wasn’t sure what Angelina was going to make of this new development, but maybe she’d be happy. She was the one that had arranged this whole dinner.

  “Just promise me one thing.” Jeremiah leaned forward, his eyes sparkling like blue sapphires.

  “What’s that?”

  “If you ever come up with a way to live forever, let me be the first one you tell.” Jeremiah grinned.

  “You want to live forever?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” He rubbed his hands together. “I never want to die. I want to rule the world. I want to be a king. A champion. I want to be everlasting.”

  “Your legacy could be everlasting,” I said. “I’m not sure that I can promise you a way to live forever.”