Immortal Memory (Book One) (4 page)

She pleaded with her friend. Not even
Zach could be trusted. "Please send someone to keep an eye on our
grandmother day and night. Quint's a major threat. Tristan’s
brother is also posing as a neurologist. Zach Hanley's threatening
to take Grandmother’s life.”

Mandy turned to Simra with reassurance
in her eyes. "No worries, Sim. Just point that scoundrel doctor out
to me at work. We'll have the cops arrest him right away for making
such horrible threats. We got it all under control. I'd like a word
with the crazed lunatic before he's sent to prison
though."

Simra felt somewhat better, but she
sensed none of this was under their control. They needed someone or
something powerful to protect all of them. She just didn't know who
or what it would be. God wouldn't do it. He didn't protect her
parents or grandparents for certain. Why should she trust Him to
protect her and her loved ones now?

Simra caught sight of Zach giving her a
slight frown in the far corner. She grasped Jeff's shoulder and
pointed to the doctor. "There's Tristan's brother! He's that tall
guy in the corner. He followed me here to tell me his
plans."

Jeff and Mandy both stood and looked
where she pointed. Jeff's gaze searched as if he didn't see him,
but Zach was still there. "I don't see anyone. Describe
him."

"Yeah, I don't either. Where is he?"
Mandy replied.

Simra's blood began to run cold. "He's
really tall and has Tristan's features."

Mandy and Jeff glanced at Simra and
looked at where she stared once again. Mandy turned and placed her
hand on Simra's shoulder. "Sim, are you all right? You're not
seeing ghosts again tonight, are you? There's no such
thing."

Jeff turned to them with questioning
eyes. "Ghosts?"

Mandy gave him a sympathetic look. "She
believes she saw Tristan's ghost today. I'm starting to wonder if
Tristan traumatized her. She just hasn't been herself since he did
all that damage."

Various emotions filled Simra. Rage,
fear, sadness, and confusion made her want to scream on that
crowded dance floor. There were still many buried dark secrets. One
thing was certain. Simra and her family were in great danger. She
didn't just imagine that threatening phone call from
Quint.

Chapter 3

"For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Simra's body grew stiff the longer she
gazed at Zach. People walked all around the man without appearing
to notice him. Most of them acknowledged Simra, Jeff, and Mandy
with warm smiles. Zach, on the other hand, was invisible. But how
could she and Lucinda see him when no one else did?

Simra wasn't losing her mind! Lucinda
saw him too, and Quint really did call to threaten them. That's
what Simra needed to do. Prove to Jeff and Mandy about Quint. Then,
at least they would believe her about something.

Simra handed Jeff her cell and showed
him the recent calls from Tristan's phone. "You might think I'm
making up seeing Tristan and Zach. But I have visible proof that
Grandmother and I are in danger. That's where Quint called me from
Tristan's phone making the threats today. If you don't do anything
about it, I will. I don't care if I have to get myself killed to do
it.

"I'll hunt Quint
and
Tristan down to end
their reign of terror before I lose anyone else. Grandmother's
going to be kept safe. Believe what you want about me. Either
you're with me or not. But I'll warn you about feeling guilty for
years if you don't help. You might wake up one day to hear that
Grandmother and I got killed by an unknown assailant."

Mandy's eyes widened. "Sim!"

Jeff studied the number on Simra's
phone with a stern expression. "I believe you, Sim. I promise to
keep you, Ms. Reece, and Mandy safe. The duration and frequency of
these calls proves something's shady. What else can you tell me
about this guy other than he's a drug dealer?

"Please also give me the type of phone
Tristan has and with what company. I'm going to find out Quint's
exact location. Then, I'll gather evidence against him and have him
arrested."

Mandy interrupted, "What about
Tristan?"

Jeff's gaze shifted between the two
young women. "I suspect Tristan's already dead."

Mandy's eyes wavered with confusion.
"What makes you think that?"

A slight flicker of pain surfaced in
Jeff's eyes but vanished in an instant. "I believe Sim's being
honest about seeing Tristan and his brother. There are true cases
where people see the dead. Restless and vengeful spirits never rest
until they're put to rest."

Jeff looked away and then turned back
to them. "Besides, Tristan's phone is in Quint's possession. Quint
has motive to kill him. Tristan owed the guy money. Now Quint's
making threats toward Sim and her family. Why? Because Sim's
probably the only person with whom Tristan was involved.

"Tristan didn't associate with his
family and didn't have many friends according to Sim's description
of him. So to cover his tracks of murdering Tristan, Quint lies to
her. He gives us a story about Tristan committing suicide. I'm also
doing research on Dr. Hanley."

Mandy sat back in her seat as though
stunned speechless. "Everything sounds right about Quint, but it's
still difficult for me to believe in ghosts."

Simra sighed with frustration at her
cousin but with relief that Jeff believed her. She noted his pain
at the mention of spirits; however. Somehow, she'd find time to
speak with him more about it. The trouble was finding time alone
with her best friend. Tristan and Zach seemed to be
everywhere!

"Thank you, Jeff. I've never heard of
Quint until he called me. Tristan never mentioned him." She gave
Jeff more information about the calls and Tristan's
phone.

The detective reached for a small
notepad in his pocket and took notes. He even wrote down Tristan
and Simra's phone numbers with the duration of each call. "Yeah, I
think I know what's going on here. Don't worry, Sim. We're getting
to the bottom of this. I'm storing my number in your phone. Call me
at any hour if something happens. This situation's very dangerous,
and we should all take precaution. Even you, Mandy."

"Got it," Mandy replied, still seeming
not to take the matter about spirits seriously.

Simra's eyes grew heavy with the need
for sleep. The hour grew late, and all day had exhausted her. Her
mind and body needed rest from all the chaos today. Tomorrow might
be worse, and she needed to be prepared.

Simra turned to the detective with her
body weary from fatigue. “Jeff, it's been a long day, and it's
getting late. I need to get some rest tonight and must head home.
Is there anything else you need to know before I leave? And what do
I owe you for helping me?”

Jeff smiled at his friend until concern
shadowed his face. ”Don't worry about the cost. We're family. Go
home and get some rest. Remember, call me if anything happens. I'll
start digging for answers tonight and in the morning. I'll let you
know what I find. Just be careful, Sim."

Simra gave Jeff and Mandy a tight hug.
“Thank you both so much. You two be careful too. I’ll be fine. You
don’t know how much this means.”

Mandy squeezed her cousin with
affection. "Would you at least like me to stay with
you?"

Simra paused for a brief moment.
Perhaps that wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe Tristan and Zach would
leave Simra alone if they knew someone was in the house with her.
Then, Simra shook her head to object.

That would place Mandy's life in great
danger. Tristan might see Mandy as a threat or as someone in the
way. Simra refused to think of the possible
consequences.

"Absolutely not. I'm fine by myself,
but I'll let you know if I need you later. Thanks,
cousin."

Mandy exchanged worried glances with
Jeff after Simra hugged them again. "Call us at any hour, Sim. We
love you."

"I love you too." Simra's gaze shifted
to where Zach had been. He was gone. Why did he vanish so
often?

Simra hurried from the building and got
into her car. Why did she feel safer inside the church than
anywhere else? Shivers crawled down her body from the feeling of an
evil presence lurking again. The feeling seemed absent in the
church. Maybe it was because there were people inside.

Then again, she felt the presence at
work. There were people at the nursing home. She fought sleep on
the way home. Simra parked in her garage, walked inside, and
switched on the lights.

Glancing around the house, she tried to
make sure she was alone. She needed to get some rest before the
brothers appeared to her again. Surely they had the decency not to
bother her while she slept.

Simra rushed inside the bedroom,
changed into her purple silk pajamas, washed off her makeup, and
brushed her teeth. She slipped underneath the plush covers of her
bed. Trying to avoid seeing Zach or Tristan, she forced her eyes
closed. How could Zach be an angel of God when he behaved just like
his brother? Zach seemed just as "fallen" as Tristan.

Becoming lost in a doze, Simra's heart
stopped when Zach's concerned voice drifted down the hall. “Simra,
you're not safe here.”

It had to be a dream. Covering her
entire body under the thick comforter, she avoided him. Simra
squeezed her eyes tighter and pretended to still be asleep. This
wasn't real.

His voice seemed to grow
closer. “This
is
reality. You must face it. Allow me to help you. Azazel’s
coming. We can stop him if you just listen and cooperate with
me.”

Zach read her thoughts again!
Impossible. Sliding from her bed, she followed his voice into the
den. “What do you and Tristan want? Why can't you both leave me and
Grandmother alone? You or God don't want to help us! You said
yourself that God sent you to collect her soul. He allowed Tristan
to do this to her, and He's allowing him to harass us. Get out of
my head, and get out of my house!”

The lamp beside the couch
clicked on by itself. Zach sat in the plush emerald chair. “Yes,
God does allow
some
evil things to happen in society but not all. These things
are
caused
by the
fallen angels and their dark ruler. Not Him. They don't realize it
when they curse a mortal, but the Lord later uses their curses to a
man's advantage. It makes men better and stronger individuals if
they choose to accept His help.

"Great is their reward if they accept
His salvation. Jesus, His Son, is the answer. I need you for two
important missions. One is help me find Azazel’s corpse and destroy
it before he hurts you and many others. Two is tell my mortal
parents to take proper precautions against him. Let me take you to
them.

"My mortal parents can't see me, but
they can see you. My brother's dangerous, and he wants to kill
them. We must stop him before it’s too late. Destroying him is the
main reason I'm here. You’re the only one who can help me put an
end to his madness. Then, I'll leave you alone. Until then,
Azazel's a threat to me, you, and countless others.”

The angel paused, and his troubled gaze
shifted. "There's no more time to explain. We'll discuss this
later. You're not safe here. Allow me to take you to safety where
he can't get to you."

Simra's heart dropped to her stomach
when a loud bang and shattering glass came from the bedroom. Her
nose twitched to the faint aroma of smoke again. The door to her
room creaked open. Her heart pounded. Simra waited for someone to
make their appearance. Silence filled the place for several
seconds.

No one came. Zach's eyes lit with fire.
The frigid chill around them caused her teeth to chatter. She
hugged herself and took steady steps toward the bedroom.

Zach stepped behind Simra and reached
for her shoulders. His gentle hands warmed her soul. “I wouldn't go
after that noise. We both know who’s inside your bedroom. This will
cause even more complications.”

His nearness soothed her, and she
melted beneath his tender touch. Simra shook her head of such
thoughts about trusting him. She pulled away from Zach to go into
her bedroom. Simra switched on the light.

Her small mirror got shattered to
pieces. Something Zach said must have angered Tristan. Was he there
the entire time?

Simra hurried back into the den to tell
Zach about the mirror. She searched the entire room and found him
nowhere. “Zach?”

No one answered. Alarm reeled inside
her, and she switched off the lamp. Although the sheer curtains
were closed in the den, the city lights showered through them. They
allowed her to see down the hall.

Someone standing behind her
caught her eye in the hall mirror. She couldn’t see how tall he
was.
It must be Zach.

Clasping a protective arm around her,
he pulled her closer. Chill bumps spread across her arms from his
frigid touch raking against her skin. Zach’s presence never made
her feel this way.