Death Weeps Part 43

It might come to that, after all.

The police had launched a full investigation into the death of Brett Mason. We'd given hours of personal testimonies. They weren't satisfied but the entire group of my friends corroborated my story so they couldn't nail me with using the dead. Even though I had.

Just not in the way they thought.

Brett's death was truly an accident. Although, some could say that he wouldn't have died if he hadn't been carried along by the wind of our paranormal travels. Basically, it was death by a.s.sociation.

Then there was the matter of all the bruises and healing bones.

And there were years of collective damage on Brett. The coroner had enough evidence of systematic abuse to put the dad away.

And throw away the key.

Guess who was gonna get the corn cob treatment? Couldn't have happened to a more swell guy.

We were all glad. Brett could have transcended into someone of value if he'd lived an alternate life.

Check. He had been of value. Had. Now he was a statistic. But we weren't going to forget Brett. His main flaw had been loving Jade.

Not that it could be a flaw. I totally understood his problem.

I turned and pressed a kiss on Jade's still-damp hair, fresh from the same shower I used every day. She was living under my roof now. We were all terrified of whatever may happen in the few days leading up to her legal emanc.i.p.ation.

Anything could happen. You'd think she'd be automatically off the hook when the foster family she'd been a.s.signed to live with suddenly were no longer living in the home of record.

All their s.h.i.+t gone.

Not a sc.r.a.p of paper, a coin... only the lonely dreamcatcher stood testimony that Jade had ever lived there.

Suspicious-much, guys.

Gramps had taken the time to get fifteen trillion reams of paperwork filed that allowed a temporary stay of Jade's living circ.u.mstance.

I'd moved back into my house and she had the spare bedroom.

I sat on my hands so I wouldn't sneak in there for some Quality Time.

Then I remembered the lecture from the experts.

"She's been through a great deal Caleb," my AFTD teacher said, giving the whole group of us a long stare.

"Brett Mason's death, considering their connection via your Life-Transference..." he shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, it had to have been more of an influence than any of us realized."

"What?" Jonesy asked, earning a scowl of barely-there patience from my teacher. "She like... was his slave or something?"

"Yeah," Tiff said, popping her gum.

He held out the separator and she sighed. "Ugh!" she griped, spitting it out into the proper slot and plunking her b.u.t.t on an empty seat.

"I don't think it's that extreme but let's ask Jade."

All eyes went to her and she blushed, uncomfortable with the attention.

She gave a small shrug. "I don't know, everything felt natural between Brett and I," she said, sliding her eyes to mine and I nodded to her. I was the one that established the connection, I couldn't exactly b.i.t.c.h about it now. "Anyway, he uh... when he died," she took a deep, shuddering breath and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, stroking her arm as I did. Jade smiled gratefully and went on, "I felt this release from something I didn't even know was there."

"What?" John asked.

"Like I couldn't be with Caleb." She looked at me then finished, "I didn't want to be with Brett but being with Caleb didn't feel right anymore."

"Then there was the other issue," Archer said and looked at the teacher.

We all got him. Not in front of mixed company.

Actually, the translation was: not in front of adults. Technically, with us all emanc.i.p.ated, we were. But somehow all of us still felt separate from them.

"What issue?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing but we weren't going to reveal all that to him.

It was something we were still dealing with.

It had taken a full week for the enhancer to wear off. It had been one of the longest weeks of my life. Remembering Jade's withdrawals... Sophie's. The emotional upheaval, a roller coaster of c.r.a.p I didn't ever want to ride again. Who even knew what the long-term ramifications were?

The trail of my memories broke when Jade spoke, "I guess this is it, isn't it?"

I looked around at the dump she'd lived in and exhaled in relief. It was over. She'd be moving into her own, government-funded dwelling for minors. A place that was close, secure and clean. This weekend she'd be seventeen and that's how we'd celebrate, her new digs.

"Yeah, this is it," I said.

We stepped out of the doorway hand in hand and she closed it softly behind her, pressing her thumb to the lock pad.

The pulse-activated lock flashed its reading: Jade LeClerc, authorized, 3:42 PM.

Frazier residence, Secured.

We left without looking back, her small hand clasped in my larger one, the dreamcatcher held tightly in the other.

If only it could protect her from more than nightmares.

EPILOGUE.

Jade s.h.i.+vered inside her pink puffy and I pulled her closer to my body. It was only my friends and I by the gravesite.

h.e.l.l, Carson Hamilton hadn't made an appearance. He couldn't be bothered to pay his respects.

Not for anyone.

The gray clouds roiled above our heads, spatters of rain hitting the plain pine casket. I heard the dead weeping. At least I felt I could. I looked at Tiff across Brett's casket and she nodded her head slightly in acknowledgment, she felt it too.

We were burying a guy that hadn't even been my friend.

But somehow, in death, we moved beyond our mutual hate.

Because of love.

We'd both loved Jade and she had made an unlikely alliance between us. Now that he was gone, that postmortem regard remained. He held a different place in my memory now.

Respect.

He'd risen above the terrible circ.u.mstances of his upbringing to selflessly provide protection for another. It didn't matter if I hadn't liked his delivery of said protection, he'd given it. And it had saved Jade.

More than once.

In the end, he hadn't even begrudged me that I would be with her.

He'd simply died, peaceful that she'd be happy, even if it wasn't with him.

Unconditional love.

If Brett Mason could give that, feel that... maybe there was hope.

For everyone.

The priest stopped the drone of his words of atonement and the ever after. Just as the rain started in earnest and with a small squeal, we left the gravediggers to their ch.o.r.e.

We ran to the Camaro, myself, with Jade's hand in mine as we fought sliding on the slick gra.s.s that grew between the tombstones. Death whispered as I jogged past, the rain smacking fat drops on my exposed skin, the chill of it sinking into my flesh.

I heard Sophie squeal from behind us and when I looked she fell on her b.u.t.t, she and Jonesy going down in an unbalanced tangle of limbs.

I opened the door for Jade and she slid into the Camaro and turning back, I jogged to Jonesy and Sophie. I picked her up by a slick arm, fighting my balance on the sodden gra.s.s.

She started complaining about her outfit was full of mud but I wasn't listening.

Because off in the distance I saw a figure I'd recognize anywhere.

Howie Frazier smiled at me and tipped his imaginary hat. He pointed a finger at me like a gun and pulled the trigger.

I knew what his message was, see ya around, Hart.

I swiveled my head to the Camaro, making sure Jade was tucked in there and safe.

Her face, a warped image through the gla.s.s of the window, stared back.

I s.h.i.+fted my gaze back to the border of the forest where Frazier had been.

He was gone.

My friends gathered around me, their eyes trailing my stare. Seeing nothing, Alex asked, rain plastering his hair to his head, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said.

"Right," Jonesy said, tapping his forehead. "I don't have to be psychic to hear my bulls.h.i.+t meter go off."

"Nice, Jones. Can't a guy stare?" Tiff said, her bubble not popping for the rain.

"Him, no."

They looked at me, I stared back.

I shrugged. "I'll let ya know when there's something to worry about."

"There's always something to worry about, Caleb," John said, giving me serious eyes.

Eyes that weren't fooled.

"True," I conceded.

I walked off to the Camaro where Jade was waiting, rain running inside my collar, soaking the s.h.i.+rt so it lay like a wet blanket against me.

Their burning inquiry following me all the way there and well after I pulled away from Scenic Cemetery.

I drove into a future of uncertainty and questions unanswered. Why did the Graysheets allow me to live if I was such a threat? Why was Frazier cruising around like a lab rat gone bad? What had happened to Parker? And lastly, what could be done to stop the agenda of the Zondorae brothers?

I looked at my girl next to me and she leaned into my shoulder as I drove, smelling delicious.

I knew one thing, I was gonna get to the bottom of it all.

Even if it killed me.

THE END.

Read on for the exciting first chapter of book six, Unrequited Death, available now!

Unrequited Death Book Six of the Death Series by Tamara Rose Blodgett Unrequited Death by Tamara Rose Blodgett Copyright 2012 Tamara Rose Blodgett http://tamararoseblodgett.blogspot.com ISBN-10: 1475210507.

ISBN-13: 978-1475210507.

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