SPIRIT OF CONSEQUENCE (A Spirit Walking Mystery Book 1) (34 page)

“More than pirates?”

“Yes, I’ve finally gotten over the whole pirate thing. Being shot in front of Treasure Island killed it for me. Egyptian stuff is cool.”

“But Johnny Depp?”

“Okay, I’ll never get over him. When I first thought I was a ghost, I went looking for him. How cool would that have been? Being a ghost with Johnny Depp.”

“Very cool.” Jed nodded. “Did you ever come and visit me?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t want to see you and not be able to talk to you or have you talk to me. You’re my best friend and one of the things I missed most was confiding in you and talking about what was happening in my ghost-life.”

Jed reached over and squeezed my leg. “That would have been a bummer.”

I nodded.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I thought about Jed and my life before the accident, then being a ghost, and now being thirty years old and getting ready to run my own companies and life. I also thought about Dodge. No matter how much I denied it, I did love him. Maybe I’d go to the city and see him, even if he might not want to see me. Since when did I ever do what I was told?

Jed interrupted my thoughts. “What are you wearing to the party?”

“I don’t know. It’s in two days and I don’t fit into anything in my closet.”

“That’s because you lost at least twenty pounds being in a coma.”

“Great diet, huh?” I stood up and showed off my svelte new figure.

“Yeah.” Jed laughed. “Maybe we should patent it. We’ll call it the Coma Diet.”

I laughed.

“I’ve got a friend that could make you something in just a couple of days,” Jed said as he finished the last bite of my sandwich.

“A new friend?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

“Not really, I met Justin a couple of years ago.”

I leaned forward. “Well, I’ve been asleep for the last five years, so he’s new to me.”

“Good designer, a bit flamboyant, but not over the top. I met him in New York, but he’s in San Francisco now.”

“That’s close.”

“Yeah, but we’re not seeing each other any more.”

“Why?”

“He was looking for a long term commitment.”

“And you’re still footloose and fancy free, right?”

“Of course.” Jed sighed. “But he did have a tight ass.”

I laughed. Being with Jed was like having the best girlfriend around.

“What were you thinking for your dress?”

The vision of the dress I had worn for Dodge flashed in my mind. “How about something red with a halter top, cut down to my belly button in the front and ass in the back? Short in front and long in back.”

Jed frowned. “That sounds like a negligee. I’ll have it made in red silk for you, but seriously, what are you going to wear to the party?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. That was my only idea.

“Do you really want red?”

“No, I don’t care. It was just… never mind. What do you think?”

“I’m thinking a little Nefertiti and a little Cleopatra.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t a costume party?” I asked.

“Not for everyone, but your dress will have an Egyptian theme to it.”

I leaned forward. “Okay, tell me about it.”

“Jump up on your virtual-reality platform and let’s design something.”

I got up and stood on the platform. Jed turned it on and said, “Okay, we use the golden collar with the jewels like you see in most Egyptian costumes, but then we shorten it up a bit. We add two jeweled sashes that connect the collar to the skirt of the dress. Then skin tight to your waist,” he smiled.

With each of his commands the dress formed its way around me.

“Since you lost all that weight, it’s going to cling and drive every man in the place crazy,” Jed continued.

“Okay, this is looking better and better. What’s next?”

“It’s got to have a gold belt.”

It appeared high on my waist.

“No, one that hangs low on your hips with a sash down the middle.” The belt moved.

The dress was white at this point and I asked, “We’re not leaving it white are we?”

Jed frowned at me.

“Go ahead,” I said.

“Well, most Egyptian clothing is white or gold. I think we’ll make it vibrant blue. It will accent those luscious eyes of yours.”

“Ah,” I squealed and turned around looking at the dress in the full length mirror in front of the virtual-reality platform. “I love it!”

Jed picked up a remote and pushed several buttons. “Okay, I’ve sent it on to him.”

I gave him a big hug. “I love you, Jed.”

“I love you, too.”

“What are you wearing?” I asked.

“Black tux, what else?”

“It will go so well with my blue dress.”

He smiled, then chuckled. “I think I’m going to put the waiters in costume. I am thinking a
Pharaoh King of Egypt costume with a short white skirt, velvet collar & belt with jewels & gold trim, lamé headpiece and wrist bands.”

“No shirt?”

“Of course not, it would ruin the look,” he said seriously.

I snickered, then we both laughed so hard we started crying.

Finally, Jed put his hand up. “Enough.”

I wiped the tears from my face. “Okay.” Then I started giggling again.

Jed stood and went to the door, laughing the entire way. He waved as he went out.

It felt so good to laugh, but afterwards I was exhausted. I never thought that laughing could take so much out of a person. I lay down on my bed to take a nap and probably would have slept all afternoon if it hadn’t been for the explosion that rocked the house.

Chapter 34

Anxiety settled in my stomach like lead, my pulse raced, as a ripple of fear slid through me. What the hell was that? Was someone trying to blow up the house? I jumped out of bed and headed for the door just as Carl came in.

“No.” He put his hand out. “You stay here.”

“Did you hear that?”

He stared at me.

“Okay, of course you heard that. What was it?”

“I don’t know. My job is to stay with you. Dexter went to check out the noise.”

“That wasn’t just some noise, it was an explosion.”

“It could have been.”

“The party’s not for two days. We thought someone would try then.”

“We don’t know what it was, Ms. Samantha. Let’s just wait until Dexter comes up to tell us what happened.”

I paced the room. Minutes passed. Finally I headed to the door again. “I can’t just stay here. Maybe someone’s hurt!”

He moved between me and the door. “No,” he shook his head.

I was just getting ready to fire Carl when Dexter came into the room.

“It’s okay,” Dexter said, nodding to Carl.

“What was that explosion?” I asked.

“The fireworks guy.” Dexter snickered under his breath.

“What fireworks?”

“For your party.”

“I’m having fireworks at my party?” My voice lightened. “That will be cool.”

“Evidently so,” Dexter put his hands on his hips, the lines in his face deepened. “Although, no one told me.”

I ignored the obvious reprimand. How could I tell him about something I didn’t even know about?

“No one was hurt, right?”

“No,” Dexter said, “Although the fireworks guy will probably be a little jumpy for a while.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I came very close to shooting him.”

“How close?” Carl asked.

Dexter made a noise somewhere between a snort and a chuckle. “Very close.”

The two men exchanged glances and knowing smiles.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, both of you, out. I was trying to take a nap before all this excitement.”

They nodded to each other and left my room. I went into the bathroom, wet a washcloth with very cold water, put it on my head, and went back to bed.

I couldn’t sleep, just too nervous about the party and the unsettledness I felt after the explosion. I got up, went over to my desk and started up my computer. Maybe I would check out the news articles Dodge had talked about. They weren’t hard to find. I recognized a lot of the names from the list.

My favorite article was written by someone not on Dodge’s list. He must have been eliminated because he had an alibi for the time my car was tampered with. His name was Cyrus Clancy. It was titled ‘The Bitch Burns!’ Damn, even I didn’t like me after reading that article. Besides all the nasty things it said about me personally, it talked about how the Gerald Foundation had pulled their funding from a variety of businesses, causing them to fold. Then it went on to tell about some of the terrible things that happened to the employees after they were let go. This man held me directly responsible for the consequences of the closure of the businesses. It included the arrests of ten people for various petty crimes, fifteen bankruptcies, three suicides, seven evictions, and even two murders.

Uncle George’s firm bought and sold my interests in companies all the time, but I never thought about what happened to those companies without my money. Maybe Cyrus was right about me. Dodge seemed to agree that my money and all the power that came with it was more important to me than my own safety. What was I supposed to do? Surely there was a middle ground between what this Clancy guy wrote and just giving it away. I began to realize how much I had to learn.

The next two days were a whirlwind of people coming and going. They set up huge white tents and brought in all the Egyptian items. Large sphinxes guarded my front yard while marble gods and goddesses watched over the back. Uncle George sent away the people who brought the pyramid. He said it was too much. I thought it fit right in.

Jed was in his element, ordering people around and making the place look spectacular. Every tree had twinkling white lights and every walkway was lit up with lanterns.

The birthday party was to begin at seven and Jed arrived at six with my dress sealed inside a garment bag.

“Here it is, Ace. If I say so myself, Justin did a fabulous job.”

“Let me be the judge of that.” I took the bag into the bathroom and opened it. One hanger held a set of blue garters, hose, and matching lace bra and bikini underwear. Jed had thought of everything and the dress was gorgeous. The material was silky and effervescent. After putting on the undergarments, I slipped the dress on; it clung in all the right places. It had slits up both sides that ended right below my ass. Jed and I hadn’t talked about these but they were a great addition to the dress.

I stepped out of the bathroom. Jed stood there waiting and held a pair of stiletto heels in the same vibrant blue color.

“Wow, Ace. If I wasn’t so sure that I played for the other team, I might switch.” He stepped forward and handed me the shoes. “You look vivacious and sultry and beautiful.”

“Thanks, Jed.” I slipped on the shoes and checked out my reflection in the full-length mirror. The blue was the perfect shade, the dress magnificent, and the shoes carried with them their own attitude. They made my normal five-foot-ten frame extend up another three inches.

“Too bad Dodge isn’t here to see you now, Ace. He’d be drooling and begging you to take him back.”

I laughed. “Drooling isn’t Dodge’s style. Neither is begging.”

There was a knock at the door and Jed answered it.

Dexter came into the room, briefly glanced my way, then said, “Nice dress, Samantha.”

“Thanks. Are the guests arriving?”

“Oh yeah, they started coming an hour ago. They’re outside eating all your food and drinking the booze like it’s water.”

“Well, that’s what they’re here for.”

Dexter shrugged and held out a small diamond pendant. “I don’t know where you’re going to put this, but you’ve got to wear it tonight.”

Jed stepped forward and took the pendant. “No way, it clashes with the outfit.”

“I don’t care. I’m in charge of security and that’s a listening and tracking device. She’s not leaving this room without it.”

Jed held it up and frowned. He looked at me. “I really wanted you to wear your hair long and straight, it goes better with our Egyptian theme. Let’s put some of it up and we can attach this to a barrette.”

“Whatever you say, Jed.”

“Have you heard from Dodge?” Dexter asked.

“No.” I shook my head.

“I know he had to go to court, but I expected him to be back for the party.”

“Maybe he got tied up,” I suggested, even though I knew that Dodge had no intention of coming back.

“Maybe, but it’s not like him. He should have called.”

I shrugged. “Have you tried calling him?”

“Yes. He’s not answering his cell phone or at his apartment.”

Jed grabbed my hand. “Let’s get into the bathroom and fix your hair, Ace.”

“I’ll be watching everything on the displays, Samantha. If you feel threatened, just say, ‘Dexter should be here someplace.’ I’ll know to come and get you.”

“Oh, code words. I like that.” I let Jed drag me off to the bathroom.

He closed the door and said, “I thought you said Dodge went home to stay.”

“He did.”

“He didn’t tell Dexter?”

“I guess not.”

“That’s strange. They seemed very close. I would have expected him to confide in Dexter that the two of you broke up.”

I put my arm around Jed’s shoulder. “I guess they’re not as good friends as you and I.”

“Guess not.”

He took half my hair and piled it up on top of my head. The pendant was small, and impossible to attach to a barrette. We went back in my bedroom, looking for something to attach it to, but didn’t find anything.

“Now what?” I asked.

“If you stick it in your bra, can they still hear you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Try it.”

I stuck it in my bra. “Now what?”

“Talk to Dexter,” Jed said.

“Hello, Dexter. Can you hear me? Hello, Dexter?”

There was a knock at the door. Jed opened it and Carl stuck his head in. “Dexter says, ‘yes, he can hear you and stop talking to him.’” Carl left the room, closing the door behind him.

“What time do I make my miraculous, come back from the dead, entrance?” I asked Jed.

“Around eight.”

“That’s an hour away. What am I supposed to do until then?”

“I’m going to go and change. Why don’t you go and watch the video displays? That way you can see everyone who’s coming.”

“Great idea.” Jed left to put on his tux and I went to the security room.

As I got near the door, Dexter opened it. He put his hand out.

“What?”

“Give me the listening device. If you get near this equipment with it, we’ll get an earful of feedback.”

“Okay.” I reached down into my bra, pulled it out and handed it to Dexter.

He put the device in a little black box and stepped aside for me to come into the room.

I sat down on a chair next to the displays. “Where’s Carl?”

“He’s standing in the foyer. If I see someone with something they should have left home, he intercepts them and encourages them to give it to him.”

“See that man?” He pointed to the screen.

“That’s David Ratcliff’s son, Pat.”

“Well,” Dexter touched the screen, “he’s got Zeon with him and a switchblade in his boot.”

“Yeah, he thinks the blade is cool. Are you going to arrest him?”

“No, we’ll take it and warn him about the drugs.” He shook his head. “If I took all the illegal substances I’ve seen in the last two hours, I’d have a room full.”

“That’s because the kids always come early. They want to get a jump on the booze before their parents arrive and drink it all.”

Dexter let out an audible sigh. “Rich people are weird.”

“Yeah, well, if you take the job as my security chief, you’ll have to deal with them all of the time.” I smiled.

“I’m still mulling that over,” he said peevishly, with a sudden downturn of his mouth.

I leaned back against the cameras. “I pay very well and you’d have to jet around with me when I go to Paris, Rome, and Stockholm.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Can I bring my wife?”

“Sure, I’ll set her up as your assistant.”

He shook his head. “Better make her my partner or she’ll kill me.”

“You’ve got it, Dexter. Maybe you can open a security company and that way you can take on other clients, too. I’d give you great references.”

Dexter smiled, then glanced over my shoulder. “Oh, there’s…”

“Who?” I turned to see.

He leaned over and pointed to the top screen. “Jed’s waving at me. Can you go down and tell him to stop that?”

I put my hand out. “Give me my little device and I’ll be on my way. I’m tired of standing around and waiting.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s only seven-thirty, but I’m going in anyway.”

Dexter stepped outside of the room, handed me the pendant and I stuck it back into my bra. “Can you hear me, Dexter?”

Dexter laughed behind me. “Of course I can. I’m still standing right behind you, Samantha.” He pushed my back. “Now, get out there and mingle with your adoring public.”

“You mean the people who like my money?” I asked.

“Yeah, those would be the ones.” He laughed and went back into the security room.

I stood at the top of the stairs and listened to all the voices. So many people I really didn’t know. Dodge was right about one thing – they weren’t my friends, but they were all here. More importantly, at least one of them wanted me dead and was willing to make sure it happened.

I took a deep breath and started down the stairs. Jed came around the corner, saw me, and ran up. “What are you doing? It’s too early.”

“Jed, I can’t stand around any longer. I’m going crazy upstairs and Dexter says to quit waving at him.”

He patted me on the arm, turned me around, and pushed me back upstairs. “I’ve got everything timed to the last minute. Your entrance is scheduled for eight. Let me get you something to settle your nerves.”

“Okay.” I let him push me back up the stairs. He left me in my room and said, “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

“Fine.” I sat down on my bed. “Make it quick or I’ll run out of here.”

“I’ll be right back.” Jed left my room.