Twisted Paths (3 page)

Another car pulled into the parking lot.

“Who’s that?” Bradley asked.

“That’s the Brennan’s car,” Mary said, moving up to Bradley. “I called them and asked them to be here when Clarissa arrived.”

“Why?”

“Bradley, we have information that leads us to believe that Becca, her mother, has died too,” Ian said. “This little girl has probably gone through more than we can even imagine. I suggested she might need a little time with people who are familiar to her before she finds out she has a father.”

“It might be nice for her to get to know you,” Mary added. “Before she…”

“Before she realizes that a perfect stranger is the person she has to live with,” he finished.

“Aye,” Ian said, coming up and patting Bradley on the shoulder. “You want the information to be welcome, and you don’t want to overwhelm her just as she arrives.”

He nodded and turned away from them, looking out the window.  Ian went outside and walked over to the Brennan’s car.  Mary came over to Bradley and slipped her hand inside of his. “Hey,” she said softly, “Are you okay?”

His hand tightened on hers and he nodded. “Yeah, I’m just a little overwhelmed,” he said, and then he turned to Mary and pulled her into his arms.

She nestled against his chest and enjoyed the warmth of his embrace. He lowered his head and kissed her next to her ear. “Thank you,” he whispered.

She looked up at him. “For what?” she asked.

He slowly lowered his head and tenderly kissed her forehead, “For helping bring my daughter home.”

“Our daughter,” she corrected with a smile.

 “Our daughter,” he said softly, his face beaming with joy. “We are going out there to meet our daughter.”

Taking a deep shuddering breath to keep the tears at bay, she nodded. “Yes. Yes we are.”

The bus pulled in front of the hotel and the air brakes hissed to a stop.  The door opened and Bradley stepped forward, but paused long enough for Katie to enter the bus before him. “Bradley, I can’t imagine…” she began.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded. “It’s okay.”

She moved down the narrow aisle with Bradley following directly behind her.  Towards the middle of the bus, next to a window seat, Clarissa lay curled up and sound asleep.  The elderly woman seated next to her looked up at Katie with suspicion.  “You know this little girl?” she asked.

Katie nodded. “Yes, I was a friend of her mother,” she replied. “She just recently passed away.”

The woman’s eyes softened. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “And who you got with you?”

The woman peered over Katie’s shoulder to Bradley. “This is Police Chief Bradley Alden,” Katie answered. “I asked him to meet the bus too, to make sure there were no misunderstandings.”

“Well, if you’ve got the Police Chief with you, I guess I’ll let you take her with you,” the woman replied, pulling herself up and moving out of their way.

Katie smiled. “Thank you.”

She started to move forward, but stopped and looked at Bradley watching his daughter sleep.  She would have had to have been blind not to see the longing and the love in his face. “Bradley, I was wondering if you would carry her off the bus,” she suggested. “It would be easier for you to maneuver her.”

The gratitude in his smile confirmed her decision was right. “I’d…,” his voice choked and he cleared it softly. “I’d be happy too.”

Katie leaned over and gently shook Clarissa’s shoulder. “Clarissa, sweetheart, you need to wake up now,” she said.

Clarissa sighed and readjusted herself, but didn’t open her eyes.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re tired, but I just need you to wake up for a moment,” she insisted.

Eyes slowly blinking open, Clarissa stared sleepily at Katie. “Mrs. Brennan? Is Maggie here?” she asked.

“No darling, Maggie’s at home, still asleep,” she replied. “But I thought I’d bring you home with me, so you can spend the night.”

A sleepy smile spread across her face and she nodded. “I’d like that,” she said. “I missed Maggie.”

“And she missed you, sweetheart,” Katie said. “I’m going to have my friend pick you up and carry you. Okay?”

Clarissa looked up to Bradley and smiled. “Is he a real policeman?” she asked.

Katie nodded. “Yes, he is,” she answered. “He’s the Chief of Police.”

Still studying Bradley, she finally seemed to accept him. “He looks nice,” she decided.

Tears filled Katie’s eyes and she blinked them away. “Oh, he is nice,” she said. “He is very nice.”

She moved to the side and let Bradley get closer. “Hi, Clarissa,” he whispered, bending over her. “Welcome home.”

She slipped her arms around his neck and allowed him to lift her up.  She laid her head on his chest and snuggled against him and his heart nearly broke from the sweet pain of holding his daughter for the first time, but not being able to tell her he was her father.

She sighed. “I’m pretty tired,” she confessed.

He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I just bet you are, sweetheart,” he said. “We’ll get you into a nice soft bed soon.”

She yawned widely and nodded, rubbing her head on his shoulder. “Don’t forget my backpack,” she whispered.

Katie reached forward and picked it up. “I have it,” she said and she moved past them to the front of the bus.

Suddenly Clarissa’s eyes opened and she looked up at Bradley. “Where’s Mike?”

Bradley looked out through the front window of the bus and saw Mike standing next to Mary, smiling at him. “He’s here,” Bradley said. “He’s waiting right outside the bus.”

“You can see angels?” Clarissa whispered to him.

Nodding, Bradley smiled down at her. “Well, I can see Mike because he’s a special angel,” he replied.

“My daddy told me that only good people can see angels,” she said confidently, following it with another yawn. “So you must be a good person.”

He hugged her to him and slowly walked down the aisle. “I’m trying to be, sweetheart,” he replied softly as her eyes closed and she fell back asleep. “I’m trying to be.”

Chapter Five

The clock over the mantle clicked loudly in the silent room.  It was dark, except for the light coming from the laptop on the desk. Bradley sat in a chair, his chin on his hands, and watched the remote camera view of the Brennan’s house.  The squad car was situated between the Brennan’s house and Mary’s house down the street.  The officer inside was one of Bradley’s most trusted, but he still couldn’t bring himself to go to bed.

Holding Clarissa in his arms had changed everything.  He was a father. The reality hit him in the gut like a prizefighter’s fist. He had a daughter.  It was only in the past few months that he learned his daughter was really alive.  And it had been only in the past few weeks that he understood that she was within his reach.  But holding her, having her cuddle against him, having her trust him…he inhaled sharply. His whole world had been turned upside down.

“Hey, Chief, you trying to peek into Mary’s window?”

Bradley whipped around in his seat and found Mike perched on the edge of the couch across the room.  He waited a moment, for his heart to resume its normal pattern, and then said, “Man, it’s good to see you.”

Mike stood and walked toward him. “Yeah, and you don’t even need a magic rock in your hand to do it.”

Bradley grinned, remembering the trick Mike had played on him a few months earlier. “Well, actually, I put it on a chain and now I wear it around my neck, just in case,” he teased.

Laughing, Mike nodded slowly. “Man, it’s great to be back.”

“It’s good to have you back, where you belong.”

Mike nodded at him. “Yeah, you know, I said to myself, why hang around in heaven when you can spend your time in Freeport.  Especially in the spring, when it’s cold, rainy and muddy.”

Chuckling, Bradley shook his head. “I always thought there was something a little off with you.”

“Hey, watch what you’re saying,” Mike retorted. “I got a promotion. I’m a guardian angel now.”

Bradley leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the little girl he just held in his arms and trying to control the emotion he felt. “Yeah, Clarissa mentioned that to me.”

“So, what did she say?”

He took a deep breath and shrugged, “She said you’re pretty new at the job and sometimes you say bad words.”

“Well, hell, it’s hard to stop,” he replied with a grin.

Bradley tried to laugh at his joke, but he couldn’t.  He just stared at him for a moment and finally said, “I don’t know how to thank you, Mike,” Bradley said. “You brought my little girl home.”

“Hey, don’t get all touchy-feely on me,” he said casually, but then paused and met Bradley’s eyes. “Hey, you’re the closest thing to a brother I ever had.  How could I not step in? Besides, she’s a real sweetheart. She’s been through some rough times lately, but she took them all in stride.”

“What do you mean rough times?” Bradley asked.

Mike pulled up a chair and sat across from Bradley. “I’ve been watching Clarissa for a while now,” he explained. “Guardian angels mostly have to watch over and not interfere too much. We really aren’t supposed to change the consequences of people’s choices.  But, Clarissa didn’t make bad choices.  She just fell into bad circumstances.”

“Tell me about them,” Bradley said, leaning forward in the chair. “What happened?”

“Well, first, you need to know that Becca, her mother, is dead.”

“What? What happened?”

“Her heart just finally gave out,” Mike explained. “She’d been hanging on by a thread for a long time, but she just couldn’t do it anymore.  That’s the only reason I got to come down. Once Becca died, Clarissa was alone and needed a little heavenly intervention.”

“Where did you find her?” Bradley asked.

“Well, that’s a long story.”

Bradley glanced over his shoulder at the laptop and saw that everything was quiet. “I’ve got time.”

Mike nodded, “Well, then, get comfortable and I’ll fill you in.”

Chapter Six

Mary lay in bed; the covers pulled up to her neck, and stared at the alarm clock. Ten minutes until the alarm was set to go off, she hated when she woke up before it went off. Grumbling, she slipped out of the covers, turned off the alarm and headed towards the bathroom.  Halfway across the room she paused and instead walked to the window and peeked out.  Sure enough, the squad car was still there and it looked like Officer Ashley Deutsch had taken the early shift. She hated to admit it, but knowing the police were watching the house after Gary Copper’s escape had helped her sleep better at night.

After a quick shower, she stood in front of her closet deciding what to wear.  She and Bradley were going over to the Brennan’s for breakfast and then she was going into the office for the day.  They had argued about that, but she needed to get back into a normal routine. 

Choosing dress slacks and a blouse, she quickly dressed, applied minimal make-up and hurried out of her room, nearly knocking into Ian in the hallway.  His hair was sticking out in all directions, his eyes clearly at half-mast and he was leaning against the wall for support.

“Ian, are you okay?” she asked.

“Aye,” he mumbled. “I’ve been up all night doing research about guardian angels. I’d never met one before.”

Mary smiled. “And, I’d bet you’ll never meet one like Mike.”

He smiled and nodded sleepily. “And that’s a bet I’ll never take.”

“Why don’t you go back to bed,” she suggested.

Shaking his head, he yawned. “Oh, no, I can’t,” he explained. “I promised Bradley I’d be watching over you today, so he can spend the day with Clarissa.”

Exasperated, Mary huffed and shook her head. “Ian, I am a fully trained former Chicago police officer. I excelled in self-defense training.  I can take care of myself,” she explained pointedly.

“Getting a little hot under the collar, are we?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She exhaled slowly. “Yes, I am,” she said. “I understand that there’s some psychological stuff going on inside me.  I get that Gary was able to make me feel vulnerable more than anyone ever has. But how am I supposed to learn to stand on my own two feet again if you and Bradley don’t stop babysitting me?”

“We just love you, darling,” he explained quietly.

“I know,” she said, a little of the steam taken out of her argument. “But I need you to trust me too.”

He met her eyes, nodded and turned around.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Back to bed,” he said with a wink. “You’re right. You’re a warrior and we need to treat you like one. Can we have lunch together?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Yes, I’d like that,” she said. “Sweet dreams, Ian.”

“Aye, they will be,” he said with another yawn and then closed the bedroom door behind him.

“Obviously I arrived too late today,” Mike said, appearing beside her in the hallway.

She jumped, but tried to disguise it. “Too late?” she asked, starting down the stairs.

“To…um…help you decide what to wear today,” he said with a wide grin.

“Mike,” she chastised, as they entered the kitchen. “You are supposed to be an angel.”

He leaned against the counter. “Yeah, well, so I’m an angel. That doesn’t mean I’m dead…”

She just stopped and stared at him.

“Okay, yeah, it does mean I’m dead,” he relented. “But can’t an angel have a little fun?”

“I don’t know, Mike,” she replied. “Are there angel rules?”

He smiled at her. “More like guidelines.”

Laughing, she walked to the refrigerator. “I really have missed you,” she said, as she pulled two cans of Diet Pepsi from the shelf.

“Yeah, how much?” he asked.

Walking back, she leaned on the counter next to him and met his eyes. “Every day,” she said softly. “I missed you every day.”

His smile vanished and he nodded. “Yeah, me too,” he said. “Funny, I never realized that when you’re dead you still keep your feelings. I’d see something and think, “Wait until I tell Mary about this…” and then I’d realize I couldn’t tell you.”

“I kept waiting for you to appear in my bedroom,” she said.

“Yeah, well that can be our little secret,” he replied, wagging his eyebrows at her.