by Claire Kane
“So,” Victor said, trying to piece things together, “this is like some weird kind of reverse Ebenezer Scrooge thing, where the living teach the dead something about the Christmas spirit, then?”
Teddy stopped and looked point-blank at Victor. “It’s amazing how dumb people with a college education can be.” Victor opened his mouth to protest, but his companion continued without granting him the chance. “It’s about me showing you that your pretty little world ain’t all there is to it. There’s a reason why people do things you angels frown upon. It’s because we don’t get to sit around on clouds playing harps while hot women fan us and stuff figs in our faces. It’s because we don’t even live as well as some living people do. I’m trying to say that you’re clueless, kid, and that until you get a clue, you just ain’t going to understand. Bad things happen to good people; sometimes street justice happens because we just can’t wait for Heaven to clean up the mess.” Teddy spun on a heel and stalked off down Main Street, leaving Victor behind, stunned.
“Hey, Teddy. Wait!” Victor teleported in front of Teddy, only to have the man walk right through him. Victor shuddered at the oozing spiritual darkness he felt as the man’s filthy body passed through his; that was never a good sign. “I said wait,” he repeated, falling in next to the man.
Teddy didn’t stop, but instead marched toward the elevated freeway and turned right where Main passed under Alaska Way. As he did, Victor felt an unnerving pulse of energy from the man. At once, Victor realized he had pulled a knife from his jacket. Without looking at Victor, the vagrant raised the blade casually and shaved off a little of his scraggly beard with a single, clean stroke. Victor didn’t bother to wonder how a homeless man had managed to come by such a sharp blade; the perpetual emanation of dark energy from the man held his attention firmly.
Teddy slipped the knife back into his coat and kept his hand on the weapon as he made his way north under the long viaduct that served Seattle’s main pier area. The concrete overhead seemed to press down on Victor as though the whole viaduct was merely waiting to crush him. He could hear the ominous hum of power through the metal conduits as though they were breathing life into some sleeping beast at the far end of Alaska Way. What activity there was on the pier seemed cold and unyielding, and the idle boats gave the place the appearance of a graveyard. Victor scanned the area again, and probed at Teddy’s thoughts, only to be actively rebuffed again. Flustered, he voiced his question. “Where are we going?”
The other lengthened his already determined stride. “Remember what I was saying about ‘street justice’?” At once, a sense of darkness was clearly growing around him, and Victor detected at least one or two demons waiting in the wings. He put his mental shields up and prayed he wouldn’t need to try out any of the spiritual self-defense techniques Rao had taught him. Still, he pressed on.
Some blocks later, they stopped across the street from a building Victor instantly remembered. A sign on the door read “Trend Modeling Agency.” Lacey had walked through the front door of the place not more than an hour ago. He felt his nerves tighten. “What are we doing here?”
Teddy only smiled another cruel smile.
FIFTEEN
Victor ground his teeth. “If you hurt Lacey, I swear—”
“I ain’t gonna hurt your girlfriend,” Teddy interrupted. “Well, assuming she’s not the one who comes out first. But you never know. Fortune can be pretty fickle.”
Victor stared across the way, his senses casting about for signs of life in the building. Lacey’s signature aura was still definitely inside, but a startling sense of blackness seemed to obscure his senses; he felt as though someone had thrown a thick, dark woolen blanket over his head and was holding it tight around his neck.
“What is this place?” he half-choked.
“A place to find babes,” Teddy replied casually. “Sometimes, even the right sort. You wouldn’t believe how much they’re willing to do for you when they’ve imbibed few chemicals. We’ve had a lot more of those, lately.”
Victor tensed at Teddy’s remarks. “Like I said, if you so much as lift a finger against—”
“You can’t do anything to stop the living, Angel Boy,” Teddy said, cutting Victor off again. “I’ve done business with Heaven enough to know the rules. And ‘final judgment’ don’t really scare me much. I’ve heard that line before. I’m here to teach you a few things they forgot to teach you upstairs, so just be a good kid and wait. Oh, and keep praying that whatever girl you left behind stays indoors long enough. We wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”
Victor growled, wanting to do something to the scraggly-looking man, but knowing that Teddy was right. Unless Victor could summon a gale to blow the man around, he still couldn’t do much of anything to prevent him from doing whatever it was he had in mind. And so he waited as the minutes ticked by, anxiously focusing on Lacey’s thoughts and feelings. He blushed when he felt her endure a stretch of feeling vulnerable, almost violated. Yet when he tried dashing to her side, something seemed to restrain him.
“Easy, boy,” Teddy said soothingly. “I don’t know what’s got your panties in a twist, but Angels ain’t all that different from us regular people. Your girl’s in there, and you know what happens in modeling agencies. Don’t worry. The guys in there are professionals.”
Victor stepped into the street, looking for a break in the invisible barrier he sensed. He didn’t even flinch as a car drove through him. He called over his shoulder, “You know these people?”
“Naw,” Teddy said. “But a guy hears a few things if he pays attention. The girls here—they seem pretty high class. They’re the kind that wouldn’t give a guy like me even a first glance. That doesn’t usually happen if the staff ain’t high class to match. Betcha they’ve got some really rich clients. Girls like the ones in there don’t come cheap. ”
Victor hated the implications. “You make it sound as though they’re involved in more than just modeling.” He glanced at the muscular transient, who shrugged.
“You like to read into things way too much.” Suddenly, he brightened and straightened from where he rested against a concrete pillar. “Here comes tonight’s main attraction.”
Victor spun, and watched as an attractive black girl emerged from Trend. She was wrapped in a stylish, teal coat that fell to mid-calf, but was still shivering despite the fur-lined hood cradling her head. She exited the building with nothing more than a glance at traffic, then hurried to the stop light to wait for a chance to cross.
Victor searched her thoughts. Frustration at an unexpected late night and a surprise call for a shoot that wasn’t supposed to have happened, eagerness to get home to a warm meal and a hot shower, gratitude that she’d finished dealing with her creepy photographer, curiosity as to the new girl who’d also come in for a late shoot, anticipation of what would happen next in her favorite TV show. There was nothing in her mind to indicate she knew of Teddy’s presence.
“Showtime,” the vagrant muttered. Victor could sense the man tightening his grip on his knife as he waited for the young woman to cross the street just beyond him. The moment she was safely across, Teddy went into action, falling into step behind her as she hurried through the cold evening toward the parking lot. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“Hey,” Victor called. “You! Girl with the teal coat! Run!” She gave no indication that she'd heard him. Victor focused on finding a way to even just distract Teddy; a growing sense of power and eagerness radiated from him as he closed on the girl. Victor managed to stir up a stiff breeze, but Teddy continued undeterred, and the girl, far from noticing her pursuer, merely pulled her hood closer around her head.
Teddy was within ten feet of the girl now. Victor flashed forward to hover right in front of the girl, drifting along with her and trying to connect with her mind. Her thoughts were everywhere, but he’d learned a little better how to navigate people’s minds now. He looked for an opening, then merged into her train of thoughts.
> You’re in danger, he said, trying not to sound panicked. There’s a guy behind you with a knife. You need to get to safety as soon as you can.
The girl’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but she didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, Victor saw a scene from her beloved TV drama play across her mind, drowning out his words.
I’m telling you, he repeated, there’s a guy. With. A. Knife. Behind you.
The girl frowned and slowed her step, eyes confused. The hesitation was enough for Teddy to overtake her. Victor felt a shout of triumph from the transient as he came within arm’s reach of the girl, and suddenly understood the lesson Teddy had said he was trying to teach Victor: in that moment, Teddy felt powerful, a feeling Victor could tell defied the man’s every waking moment. The crazy homeless guy with unnatural senses was, for a glorious moment, no longer the victim.
“Run!” Victor screamed at the girl. But it was too late. Teddy’s knife flashed, and the girl stumbled forward, her face a mask of shock. It was all over in a split second, and Victor found himself screaming. Before he could even right himself, dark shapes swarmed over him, clawing, biting, and shrieking.
Legion! they wailed.
Victor gritted his teeth instinctively, desperate to calm his mind and not give into the despair already threatening to overwhelm him. He thought of Lacey, of Heaven, and of everything Rao had taught him. Yet the demons continued to swirl around him, pulling him away from the girl.
Yet he refused to give in. Forcing himself to be calm, he called on Heaven’s light to shield him. One by one, he pressed the demons back until, at last, they’d all fled, a clear desire for revenge trailing behind them. Victor straightened, triumphant but drained, and immediately searched for Teddy and his victim.
The transient was nowhere to be found, but the girl was still nearby, propped up against one of the dead-looking trees lining the street. He hurried to her, biting back terror. To his relief, she stood, still looking dazed, breathing heavily. She brushed at her coat as if to get rid of something dirty, then stopped. Victor watched her probe the garment and frown.
“How did this happen?” she asked, as she pulled part of the coat toward her face. Victor peered at the portion of cloth she held and winced. A long, clean incision scored the coat over her ribcage. He searched in vain for signs of injury, but he could tell the girl was clearly unnerved, verging on panicked. She scanned the area quickly, then broke into a trot for her car.
Somehow, she had survived the attack.
*
As soon as Lacey’s shoot was over, she called for Victor to come back, who met her down in the lobby right as she exited the elevator.
“How did it go?” he asked. “Everything okay?” Something in his tone was off, and his eyes seemed unusually alert.
“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” Lacey said, stepping out. He didn’t need to know how she was literally shaking in her ankle boots a couple times.
“Just wondering,” he said, sticking close to her and staying just a bit ahead.
They crossed the lobby to the front door, where Victor walked right on through. With a sudden gale, the door quivered open a couple feet. “At least I can still open a door for milady,” he teased.
Lacey’s lips upturned. “Thanks. How was your time scoping out the city? Everything go okay?”
“Nope.” They walked together down the dark and now desolate sidewalk, his hands stuffed in his translucent jeans.
“No?” Lacey looked up into his eyes with question. “Why not?”
“I met a guy.”
Lacey laughed, trying to break the tension. “I thought you were straight.”
He rolled his eyes. “Kinda not in the mood tonight.”
Lacey sobered again. “What was his name?
Victor half shrugged. “Teddy. Either he’s a fan of cuddly things or dead presidents.”
“Teddy?” Lacey stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows pressing together. “Homeless guy? Scruffy looking? Black beanie?”
Victor nodded, eyes narrowing. “You know this guy? How does everyone seem to know a random transient?”
Lacey ignored the question. “What happened?”
“I have to say, he’s acting like quite the suspicious character. He had a knife on him, and thought it would be funny, or a rush—or I’m not sure, because I’m not crazy—but he scared the heck out of a young woman. I thought for sure he was going to knife her.”
“Is she okay? What happened?”
Not bothering to tell Lacey it took place just outside of Trend, Victor said, “She’s okay. Her jacket was torn, is all. Thankfully.”
“Victor, there’s something not right about Teddy.” She ticked off the reasons on her fingers. “First, the guy is clearly loony—we’ve both seen that. Then, he was the only witness to Jessica’s murder. If that weren’t enough, he,” and she paused, fighting the images that filled her head. Setting her jaw, she pushed on. “He’s so much like the man I glimpsed in that dream where Jessica died. The one who grabbed her. And now you tell me he carries a knife and nearly slashed a girl.” She went quiet, but the look in her eyes said everything.
Victor nodded thoughtfully. “Definitely all adds up. But I think we need to be careful about assuming he’s guilty of anything; we’ve only got circumstantial evidence because, trouble is, I can’t read his mind. Makes it hard to confirm anything.”
“Y-you can’t read his mind?” she stammered, a cold fog expelling from her lips. “Well, why not?”
He shrugged. “Apparently, there’s more I need to learn about the spiritual side of life.”
“You’re my guardian angel, Victor…”
He was surprised at how her desperate, pleading tone appealed to him. Like she really did want him to be around. “Yes, I am.”
“Aren’t you trained on things like this, before you come down to help me?”
Victor chuckled. “Give an angel a break. This is all new to me, too, and no, Heaven doesn’t tell me everything. Something about it going against free will, I think. I’m sorry, we just can’t know everything.”
“Well,” Lacey said, her eyes having a determined glint in them. “We need to dig deeper into Teddy. I have to know now if he’s the murderer.”
“I’m with you on that.”
They paused in thought, though Victor’s thoughts were mostly turned to the woman before him. He’d given up Heaven for her, initially. But now, he was there, and he missed Lacey every bit as much as he expected he would. And still, he’d gone to Heaven for her sake; he couldn’t bring himself to think of just how close to tragedy they’d come the last time he’d seen her.
He wondered whether she ever thought of him. She’d certainly seemed happy enough to see him when he’d returned. How long would that last? Until they figured out who was killing girls in Seattle? And then what? Would he still be allowed to protect her? Would she even want his protection? And yet, the way she looked at him gave him hope; he wasn’t about to let her down. Problem was, Lacey had a strong tendency to get herself in tight spots; Victor worried about that more than he cared to let on. He could already see her winding up in someone’s crosshairs if she kept digging deeper into this thing. Seeing as Victor was already dead, however, he could take risks he’d never let her take. And that decided it.
He’d use his role as guardian angel to piece together this dangerous puzzle before the woman he loved could get herself truly killed, even if that meant he had to be away from her. He’d do some scouting, but first, he needed to know she’d be safe. That was more likely to happen if she were in public places. He had just the ticket.
“Lacey,” he said, meeting her eyes, “How’s your grandma doing?”
Lacey frowned slightly and sighed. “Showing signs of age, and feeling lonely. But otherwise, she’s okay. Why?”
He smiled. “How do you think she’d feel about a little Christmas cheer, mall-style?”
SIXTEEN
Lacey pushed Nainai’s wheelchair through Northgate Mall’s arche
d grand entrance, out of the brisk cold. Her grandmother was dressed snuggly, with a puffy jacket, a red scarf around her small face, and a plaid blanket across her lap.
“Thank you for taking me out on a special shopping trip,” Nainai said, smiling brightly. “I just love Christmastime. The holiday to spread good cheer. Although, it does make me miss your grandfather. Every Christmas Eve, he had a very special gift for me. You know what it was?”
Inside, they were greeted by sparkling wreaths hanging from high ceilings, white lights scaling tall walls, and the scent of warm cinnamon rolls filling their nostrils. “No, Nainai,” Lacey said. “What did he get you?” She smiled at the scenery, continuing on. Shopping always felt so good, especially this time of year. Her Macy’s card would come in very handy today.
“He always got me an angel,” Nainai said in a sing-song tone.
“An angel?” Lacey repeated, distractedly perusing the many shops they were passing. Thoughts of Victor, who was—where was he, anyway?—drifted to mind over the word.
“Yes, it was always so special to open a small box, neatly wrapped with a bow, to find within an angel.”
“Forgive me for my ignorance,” Lacey said, “but what exactly do Buddhists believe when it comes to angels?”
Nainai gave a small laugh. “Baby girl, you didn’t know? I’m not Buddhist.”
Lacey paused her steps. “What do you mean, you’re not Buddhist?”
With a sly smile, Nainai said, “I believe in truth, from wherever it may come. That is my religion. So I take a bit from here,” she motioned with her fingertips, “and a bit from there, anything that brings enlightenment to my mind. What I know is there is a higher being watching over us all, a God. You see, there are many similarities between religions, and it’s my belief that those similarities are tied together by truth. Buddhists believe in guardian angels, just as Christians do. I have no doubt they are real.”