14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Scotty
“Thank you, David. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to see Jay. I have an idea I’d like to speak with Michael about when he returns, and I think perhaps you shouldn’t hear this. You might feel compelled to act, which could put you in a bad spot with the Council because you are in the neutral-being group.”
We were standing on Michael’s patio after returning from seeing Jay. Something had occurred to me when I was watching my love before David released my hand. Maybe there was something I could do to move things at a faster pace?
“You’re welcome, Scotty. I’m secretly pulling for you and Jay. I’ll be keeping tabs on you. Be safe, son.” David pulled up his hood, picked up the scythe he’d left at Michael’s, and he simply faded away.
Not long after David left, Michael returned to his condo. I’d gone inside and stretched out on the couch, zoning out and thinking about what kind of wedding Jay and I would have. Where should we hold the ceremony?
The only spot that made sense was to have the ceremony in Keir and Dash’s memory garden. It was where people who’d had no one in life could rest in peace and know they were remembered. The idea of solidifying our commitment there gave me a feeling of serenity I’d rarely experienced.
“How was your day? Did you find out anything?” I was anxious to know if Michael had come to the same conclusion as me, but I wouldn’t ask until I knew his mindset. I would use every weapon at my disposal to rectify being separated from Jay, but I wouldn’t tip off anyone in the process.
“I’ll be right back. Let’s go to the Human Realm and visit with Dash and Keir. I could use a beer or ten.” He left the living room, and I heard his bedroom door close. I sat up and shoved my feet into my motorcycle boots. It had been a long day.
A bit later, Michael came out in one of his vintage band T-shirts—Wings—and a pair of well-worn jeans, his long brown hair pulled back in a man-bun, the kind Dash was sporting these days, and a pair of Converse sneakers on his feet.
“Ready?”
I nodded and stood, following him out the door. I pulled off my shirt just as Michael did, and the two of us took off, heading toward the portal outside Heaven’s Gate so we arrived in the receiving bay at Dearly & Son. Once we were on the other side, I called the landline to the funeral home from my cell.
“Dearly & Son. Keir Dearly speaking.”
“Keir, it’s me. I’m here with Michael. Can we come up?”
“Oh, Scotty. Yeah. Come on up.”
We entered through the embalming suite into the mortuary. I walked over to the walk-in and opened the door to see the portal inside wasn’t glowing, which was a relief.
Michael stuck his head inside. “No weird glow. That’s a good thing.”
“Yeah. Let’s go up.”
We went to the top of the stairs to enter the funeral home, and I knocked. Seemed polite. The door opened, and Amelie offered me a big smile. “Scotty!”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I put my hands on her back. I hadn’t seen her when I’d been there after Jay and I were separated. She and Trent had gone to San Francisco for Thanksgiving and he’d proposed. It was good to see her so happy. She was like a ray of sunshine.
“Congratulations! I heard the good news.” I was happy about her engagement. Our little wannabe psychic would marry a medium and real psychic, Trent Simmons, and anyone who knew them was thrilled. I wanted to share my good news, but not until Jay was beside me.
“Thank you. I was just on my way out, but we’ll catch up soon. Take care of yourself, Scotty. I know you’re busy with other things but try not to be a stranger.” I hugged Amelie again, and then she hurried out the front door.
Michael had apparently disappeared while I was greeting Amelie, but he returned. “She’s a lovely young woman. I’m sorry I thought it was a bad idea to greet her. Her fiancé is the medium?”
“Yeah. Trent. He’s a great guy. He’s helped us a few times. So, you’re okay with Dash and Keir, right?”
Michael laughed. “Yeah. The Gatekeeper and the Key are old friends of mine now.”
I led him up the stairs to the apartment and knocked on the door. When Dash opened it, he gave both of us a huge grin. “Scotty, Mike. Good to see you. Come on in. Keir’s making some nachos, and I’m making margaritas. You guys will join us, right?”
Michael didn’t hesitate. “Hell yeah. How’ve you been Dash?” The pair headed to the kitchen, and I followed. Dash and Keir were good people, and I was glad they were on our side. The love they had for each other was palpable when in their presence.
“Hi, Keir.” I walked over to the counter where my former protectee was making chicken, pepper, and onion nachos. The mixture smelled delicious.
Keir quickly wiped his hands and hugged me. “How are you, Scotty? Everything okay?”
“It’s getting there. How about you guys? You doing okay?” I could still sense a little tension between the couple, but I wasn’t about to ask. It wasn’t my business.
“Yeah. We’re going away for a couple of weeks. We’re going to Monterey to see Mom and Lenny for Christmas and then to Mexico for ten days. Dash planned the whole thing, and he and Amelie arranged for some of the local funeral homes to take our calls. Jonas has talked to some directors I don’t know to get them to fill in if needed. I can’t wait. It’s my first real vacation in forever.”
I wanted to offer to help, but I had a lot on my plate. I nodded and smiled. “Sounds good. You guys deserve some time off.”
“Thanks, Scotty. Any word on Jay?”
“I saw him. I found out that he and I are being blamed for the death of a cherub and a lesser demon we didn’t kill.” I then turned to Michael. “I had an idea. I want Keir and Dash to hear it because if anything goes wrong, it could affect them as well.”
Thankfully, Dash took that moment to put margaritas in front of Michael and me. “Shoot. We’re all ears.”
I took a deep breath. “A bit ago, Jophiel taught me a handy trick. I can change my appearance to look like anyone I have seen.”
Keir chuckled. “Oh, you did that to me. It’s freaky. Why do you need to use the power this time? Another ethnic funeral coming my way where you want to blend into the crowd?”
“Not quite. I need to trap an Arch. I believe I know who killed Nakir and Tork. As far as I know, Nakir’s body hasn’t been found, but Tork’s was found at the Gate to Hell, their head on a spike at the top. If I present as Nakir, I believe I can trick the Arch into panicking and admitting what they did.”
I then turned to Michael. “If the underworld finds out an Arch was in their territory, what will happen?”
“There will be retribution on the Arch, but you gotta get a confession from the son of a— Tell me who you believe it is, Scotty. I won’t go along with this if we’re not on the same page.”
“You first...”