Death Returns, page 7
part #3 of Death Card Series
I went back into the kitchen. “Isabella? Come here, sweetheart. I need to talk to you.”
“What is it, Mama?
“Maria has invited you to spend the night with them. I’m going to drop you off around 5 o’clock, and then you’ll be able to eat dinner there and have an overnight with Angela afterward.”
“No, Mama. I don’t want to go there tonight, pleeease.”
“Isabella, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” I stated in a low but firm voice. “You know the agreement we have. I’m here in Santa Fe with you so that you can get to know your aunt and uncle and cousins. They are your family,” I reasoned.
“No, Mama, you and Sweet Pea are my family, not them,” she insisted.
I drew in a long, frustrated breath. “Isabella, I need you to stop that! You are here because your real family is here. They’re nice people, and they want you to live with them. Please understand that and don’t make this more difficult than it is.”
Her dark eyes drilled into mine, never wavering. “I asked Grandmother what it means to be a family. She told me it can mean people who are part of your heart or soul. So, Mama, that means you are my family … not them.”
I looked at her speechless. She stared at me. Then her voice wobbled, “Don’t you love me, Mama?” She plopped down in the chair next to me, hunched over, and began to cry in earnest. When she got up, her nose dripped and spittle flew from her mouth as she choked out, “Don’t you want me?”
My eyes filled as I reached out and took her in my arms. “Of course, I love you, Isabella, and I’d be honored to have you as my daughter,” I spoke softly as my heart broke into pieces, “but the problem is the way the laws are set up, it’s not possible. I’m afraid you and I don’t get to choose.”
“Why not, Mama?”
Why not indeed? I thought. I pulled her down onto my lap. She sat stiffly and then began to pull away in anger. I reached around and gently pulled her head against my shoulder. Out of nowhere, I began to hum the same Indian song that Grandmother had sung to me. I felt her begin to relax against me as I stroked her hair. “Hush, Little One. We have to let things work out as they will be, understand?”
“I’ll go, but I don’t want to!” she said, crossly.
The next morning, I left Sweet Pea behind and drove to Maria’s to pick up Isabella. After saying thank you and goodbye, we climbed into the car and took off for the rental property. When we drove into the driveway, much to our surprise, Mike stood on the front porch, studying something dark in his hand. My heart fell when I saw what it was. Instead of running and wrapping my arms around him, I gingerly stepped forward. “Hey there, Mike.”
He jumped a mile. I’d scared him. He obviously hadn’t heard us pull up. His eyes lit up when he saw me, and then instantly he scowled as he looked first at me and then at the dead crow he held in his hands. “You don’t seem surprised to see this. What’s this all about, Rosie?” he demanded. “Has this happened before?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “Come inside, and we can talk about it there.”
“First, let me throw this thing in the garbage. Is it out back?”
“I’ll show you where it is and the outside faucet so you can wash your hands and give me one of your best hugs.”
He smiled. “Lead the way.”
Seeing that Mike was upset, Isabella had remained leaning against the car. As Mike passed her on his way out back, he said, “Hi, Isabella, how are you? You look like you’ve grown!
After washing his hands, Mike moved close enough for our bodies to melt into one another. With smoldering eyes, he lifted my chin. He bent down, and our lips met in urgency and sent sparks all along my body, resting in my feminine. His kiss expressed all the hunger for me he’d put aside while he had playacted as my boyfriend and security guard. It felt so good to be wrapped in his strong arms and held close. I sniffed his neck and breathed in his scent—the great outdoors with a touch of pine. After another long, delicious kiss that was so unlike our perfunctory pretend kisses, we pulled apart and returned to the front. I knew we must look a sight because Isabella looked at us and grinned.
I explained to Mike about the dead crow and what it meant. Then, he emphatically declared, “I don’t like the idea of you girls being here alone. It’s not safe. I’m going to cancel my hotel reservation and stay here as long as this is happening.”
“What about Brian? Is he with you?”
“He’s decided to stay in Boston. He may come later. So that settles it then, right? I’ll be staying here.”
“But …” I was wondering about the protocol of having him stay in the house with Isabella here.
“I mean it, Rosie, and I don’t want to hear you say ‘I don’t need anyone to protect me.’ This is not the time for that. No messing around with this stuff.”
“I agree,” I said, much to Mike’s surprise.
“Okay, then. I’ll get my suitcase and bring it in.”
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
After Isabella was tucked in for the night, Mike and I cuddled together on the couch, getting used to each other on a more romantic level. It wasn’t as awkward as I thought it might be. Mike had already agreed to sleep on the couch. In fact, he’d been the one to suggest it.
“How long are you able to stay?” I asked, wondering whether he’d soon be pulled away again by his largest client.
“I’m taking some vacation time for the next few days or so. Why? Trying to get rid of me already?” he teased.
“Hardly,” I chuckled.
It felt good to have Mike’s arm around me as he pulled me closer. I became caught up in the moment and nestled into him, feeling loved and safe. Our lips were hungry for each other, and our kisses literally took my breath away. Finally, I pushed against him, “Oh my, enough of this. It’s a good thing you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
Mike laughed. “We could change that, you know.”
I got up and looked at his handsome, smiling face, and it was hard for me to think he was the same man I’d first met when he became my security guard and protector. He was so relaxed and carefree now, not at all like the reserved, self-controlled man who’d seemed mysterious, as if he were holding onto an underlying story yet to be told. Yes, although we definitely needed time to get to know each other better, I liked what I saw so far.
I kissed him. “Sweet dreams, Mike.”
The next morning, I awoke to the delicious smell of coffee brewing. I rolled over and stretched with pleasure, loving the idea that once again Mike had everything under control. I heard Sweet Pea’s paws dancing on the tile floor, and I knew she was as happy as me to have Mike around again.
I got up, wrapped my robe around me, and headed to the kitchen. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Here you go, my queen, your coffee.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“Where are you going?” he asked as I headed to the sliding glass door.
“Outside on the deck. It’s too nice to stay inside. Come join me.”
“So what exactly has been going on here, Rosie? I can tell there’s been more than finding dead crows on your door. I want you to level with me, hear?”
I told him about Maria’s next door neighbor and the times I’d been in contact with him. Mike rose out of his chair and demanded in a loud whisper, “You didn’t tell me this before … why?”
“Calm down, there’s more.” I was determined to tell him everything, including that the neighbor had been in the alley and possibly mixed up in the shooting at Albertson’s. Then I explained that he’d threatened me to keep quiet about what I’d seen and not to go to the police.
Mike was thoughtful. “So what did the police say? You did go to the police, right?”
It was then I remembered I’d told Coyote about the shooting at Albertson’s, but we’d been interrupted when he’d received a phone call, which had made it impossible for me to go into the details of the threats the neighbor made against Isabella and me. When I’d dropped the girls off with Grandmother and had gone to tell Coyote about more threats, he’d been out of the office settling the water dispute. Then the deal with his nephew in the shed had taken priority. I realized I hadn’t fully disclosed all the threats to him yet. My face flushed.
“Rosie?” Mike prodded.
“I told Coyote about most of them, but each time, we were interrupted, so I’m not sure how much he knows about all the threats.”
“Who is this dude, anyway?” Mike snapped. “Doesn’t he know how to do his job and get all the details of a disturbance?”
I immediately went on the defensive, which made Mike raise his eyebrows. “Coyote’s the sheriff, and a good one too,” I said. “I think you should meet him. I think you’ll like him.”
“What does that have to do with his investigating methods? What does he say about the dead crows? You have spoken to him about that, haven’t you?” It was obvious he was frustrated with me.
“Hold on, Mike! You’re putting me in the position of defending not only myself but Coyote too.” I stood up and faced him.
Mike’s expression softened. He lowered his voice, “I’m just worried about you.”
“Mike, I don’t want you to worry about me. You need to treat me as your partner—your equal partner. Instead, you act as if I’m your responsibility and you are my boss. That doesn’t work for me. We work together or not at all!”
Mike ran his hands through his hair and glowered at me. I returned his stare, unwilling to back down. Finally, he stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. “God, Rosie, I just want you safe, understand?”
“Of course I understand because I want the same for you.” I pulled back from him so we were eye-to-eye. “Maybe now you’ll begin to understand I want the same for Isabella as well. I’m determined not to have anything bad happen to her, you know?”
“I know,” he said as he pulled me closer.
“Do you really?” I asked in a voice muffled against his shirt and wondered whether he knew exactly what that might mean.
He didn’t say anything, but he tightened his arms around me.
CHAPTER 14
Isabella wandered out and I wrapped her in my arms. Mike fixed his special eggs for us, and when we sat down, I said, “There’s the Loretto Chapel downtown that I thought we’d all like to see. It has a mysterious staircase that was featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. They don’t know who the builder was or the type of wood used or the physics of its construction.”
“How come they don’t know that?” asked Isabella.
I reached for the brochure on the kitchen counter and read, “When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878 there was no way to access the choir loft 20 feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder, as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small chapel. Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the chapel with a donkey and a toolbox, looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man—they even ran an ad in the local newspaper—and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters’ prayers. The stairway’s carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time, and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360-degree turns and no visible means of support. It is said that the staircase was built without nails—only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway’s construction.”
“That sounds cool. I want to see it!” exclaimed Isabella.
I turned to Mike. “I think you’d like to see the chapel too. Then we could walk to Coyote’s office, which isn’t too far from there.”
Mike nodded in agreement, then reached over and tousled Isabella’s hair. “When are you going to introduce me to your family?”
A cloud covered her face, and with dark eyes flashing, she announced, “You’re looking at it.” She got up from the table and stomped away. “You’re so stupid, Mike,” she called over her shoulder.
“Cripes, what did I say?” asked Mike, looking first at me and then at Isabella’s back in confusion.
I rose from the table and bent to kiss the top of Mike’s head. “You’ll see …”
After Mike’s shower, he found me still in the kitchen with a second cup of coffee. “Are you going to get ready?”
“Sure,” I said. “There’s still some more coffee. Want a cup?”
“Naw, one is enough for me. Where’s Isabella?”
“I imagine in her room. I’ll check on her, and then I’ll take a quick shower and be with you shortly.”
I knocked on Isabella’s bedroom door. “May I come in?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you almost ready?”
“Yup,” she answered with a smile.
“I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’ll be ready too.”
I watched Isabella braid her hair and noticed she wasn’t wearing her bear bracelet. “Isabella, where’s the bracelet Grandmother gave you?”
“Oh, I didn’t feel like wearing it today.”
I fought down the fear of anything happening to her. “It’s so pretty, and remember Grandmother said you should always wear it.”
“Okay, Mama, I will. I promise I’ll never take it off, okay?” she smiled.
I smiled back and gave her a thumbs-up before holding my pinky up in the air. Maybe I was making too much of everything surrounding Isabella’s safety. It was time to loosen up a bit.
I hurriedly showered, dressed, and put on the new necklace I’d bought when I’d shopped at the pueblo. It was beautiful in its simplicity. The saleslady at the store called it “Indian Pearls,” a simple necklace of silver beads strung like pearls with each bead shaded, emphasizing its roundness. It was beautiful and the perfect necklace to hold a slide to give it a different appearance. I looked forward to finding just the right piece for it. Maybe today I’d see one I liked.
We paid and stood in line to enter the Loretto Chapel. When it was our turn to enter, we followed a short hallway into the chapel, which opened up to high ceilings. The chapel was magnificent but what we mainly had come to see was the spiral staircase, which drew everyone to it. It might as well have been called the floating staircase, for it appeared angelic as if it had been dropped from heaven. It seemed impossible that it was real and functional.
I watched Isabella as she stepped forward and touched the winding staircase, putting her hand on the handrail and looking up in awe. When I went to move her back from the roped-off area, she turned to me with a radiant face. “This is the most beautiful thing, isn’t it, Mama? It’s like being close to heaven.”
I held her hand and looked up. “It’s as if angels live up there, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Mama, yes.”
Afterward, we wended our way to meet Grandmother before seeing Coyote. As soon as Mike saw the Indians gathered at the Palace of the Governors, he said, “That’s so cool they’re allowed to sell their wares there. What a great idea.”
I took Mike’s hand and led him to Grandmother. She studied him. When he came closer, her eyes lit up, and she smiled broadly. He returned the smile and said, “Good morning, Grandmother. Your spirit is bright today.”
She chortled and said, “And you are very handsome. What brings you here?”
Mike remained silent until Grandmother lifted her brows in question. “My queen,” he said, a slight bow toward me.
She smiled. “Good choice,” a phrase so unlike her Indian expressions that we all laughed.
“Come, my daughter, join me.” Grandmother said.
I complied, and Mike said, “I’m going to take a look around, okay?”
“Sure.” I watched Mike approach the small girls. Isabella was no longer irritated with him and she proudly introduced him to Nica. “This is Mike, Mama’s boyfriend. He’s going to help us with Angela’s bad neighbor.”
“Ooooh,” Nica said, obviously entranced. She became starry-eyed as she reviewed Mike’s good looks, much as Isabella had done with Coyote. Mike bent down and talked to the girls, and they nodded. Then he patted each on the head and went to look at all the jewelry for sale. The girls tagged along behind him. Each time Mike picked up a piece, he’d show it to them and they either nodded in agreement or pushed his hand away.
Then Mike and the girls headed our way. Mike wore a grin as the girls ran a few steps ahead of him with Isabella shouting, “Mama, you have to see these. They are so beautiful, and you get to choose!”
Mike held out both closed hands to me. “Here, my queen, pick one.”
“What if she doesn’t pick the one you chose for her?” asked Nica.
“I’m sure she’ll pick the right one for her,” answered Mike with a knowing glance toward me.
I closed my eyes to see which one had the greater energy in my mind’s eye, and I immediately tapped his right fist. When he opened it to let me see what he held, I was floored. It was an exquisite pendant slide, certainly a high-end piece with inlaid mother-of-pearl, onyx, and turquoise. It was a figure of a bear, the shape not unlike the one Isabella had on her bracelet. ‘Oh, Mike, it’s stunning, absolutely gorgeous!”
