Taken To The Grave (Ghost Crimes #2)
Content Warning: Alcohol and Cigarette Use, Mild Police Violence, Police Intimidation, Police Interrogation, Parental Abuse, Ableism, Spirit Possession
“Surely you can’t be suggesting that you can talk your way out of every spiritual situation,” Aaron said, his voice level. “Some spirits are hostile and need to be treated as such.”
Star sat at a wood slab table next to Aaron at Raised Spirits surrounded by the bar’s familiar hum of quiet conversation, not so loud as to overwhelm. Aaron was the spitting image of a Irish catholic priest: ginger hair, a wide grin, and a roman collar beneath his black shirt.
Star shook their head. “That’s not the point. It’s not about if the spirit will listen or is hostile. Sometimes a confrontation is inevitable, but, if you enter the situation with the assumption of that inevitability, then you’re ensuring its outcome.”
Star took a gulp of their drink. It went down smooth, tasting of raspberries. They hadn’t picked it themself, but had relied on Silvia, the bartender and their long time friend, to choose it for them.
“Star. Child. I am called in to situations where the spirit is already hostile. It isn’t an assumption that confrontation is inevitable. It is the situation I specialize in.”
“I understand, Father.” Star bowed their head momentarily. “But that a spirit is already hostile doesn’t mean they can’t be talked down. Your assumption is that the state the spirit is in upon your arrival is inherent to that spirit. Spirits aren’t any different from you or me. If you...”
Star stopped. The air grew cold. Not by much, but enough that Star was able to notice the change. The wind moved through the space as if by a mind of its own.
They thought, No, not as if...
“Excuse me? Star?” Aaron’s voice broke through. “If I... what?”
Star leaned in to Aaron and whispered, “Something is here.”
The hairs on the back of their neck stood on end. A hand rested on their shoulder.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” said a voice in their ear, “but I really must speak to the Father.”
They were Henri.
“Hello, Father Aaron.” Their head bowed deep for several seconds. “I would like to plead for your help in a matter I would only trust you in.”
Aaron stared at them. He downed the rest of his drink.
“How may I help you, child?”
“My grave has been robbed,” Henri said, “A priceless family heirloom has been taken. I fear that one of my children may be the culprit. I would like it back, but I do not want to see my family go to jail. Will you help me, Father? I do not know who else I can turn to.”
“Of course, child.” Aaron said, “I will do what I can to help you.”
They were Star, again. Henri hadn’t left. But he had stepped back.
Star said, “And I can help you too, Henri.”
“Thank you, Father.” Henri said, “Thank you, shaman. We should depart from this place and visit the scene of the crime.”
The three of them got in Aaron’s car to go to the graveyard. The car ride was silent. It was dark outside and the only light was from cars around them. The light hurt their eyes. Sirens split the quiet. They were approaching the graveyard. Lights flashed red and blue. Aaron parked and the three of them exited the car.
Star grimaced. “Well, looks like we’re too late to beat the cops.”
“We can surely ask them what’s going on, child.”
Star rolled their eyes. Aaron shrugged and walked toward the cops alone. His mouth moved to speak, but he was too far for them to hear.
“Why don’t you scram?” A voice behind Star said, “This is a crime scene. We don’t need any of your crack pottery here.”
Star turned and blanched. The figure in front of them held herself like a hardboiled detective on the hunt. Her glower, her scowl, her tense shoulders, and her hand on her gun, all directed at them.
“Hi, Lisa,” they said. “It’s always so nice to see you.”
Lisa glared. “That’s Detective Lisa.”
“Well, Lisa, my ride is over there,” Star waved toward Aaron, “talking to the cops while you’re here harassing an innocent bystander.”
“You’re loitering by a crime scene.” Lisa grimaced. “And you’re a fraud. Sounds like you’re planning on swindling someone.”
Star said, “That’s hardly a fair-”
Lisa cut in. “Unless you’re here to help the thief. This sort of occult mumbo jumbo is your stock and trade.”
Lisa took a step toward them. They took several steps back.
Star rose their voice and said, “It’s not a great idea for a cop to harass someone with so many witnesses around. Especially not with a priest around.”
The cops and Aaron across the street turned to see what was going on. Aaron hurried across the street.
“Detective,” Aaron said, “What seems to be the problem here?”
Lisa waved her hand at Star. “We have a known charlatan here loitering by the crime scene. For all I know, they’re looking to help the thief.”
“Lisa, please,” Star said, “These accusations aren’t helping anything. Are you detaining me or am I free to go?”
Lisa turned back to Star and glared. “You aren’t free to go. In fact, you’re going to come with me to the precinct to answer a few questions. Face this car and put your hands against it where I can see them.”
They complied. Aaron stared. Lisa pulled their hands behind their back and cuffed them.
“Don’t worry, Star.” Aaron said, “I’ll get a lawyer to the station as soon as I can.”
Star smiled. “Thank you, friend.”
Star’s hands were cuffed behind their back. The cuffs chaffed on their wrists, but didn’t do real damage. The back seat of the police car was hard plastic. There was no room for them to fit their hands. A beat cop drove them to the station.
They sat in the station waiting for their name to be called. Time crawled. Their name was called. Booking was mostly paperwork done by the cops.
They were led to small table in a small office store room, uncuffed, and left alone. Behind the shut door, a fan hummed, leaving the room running hot. The chair hurt their back, hard as concrete.
The door opened and a cop entered with a bottle of water. He towered over Star, but his posture was relaxed and his skin as dark as their own.
“Are you thirsty?” The cop said holding the bottle out.
Star nodded.
The cop smiled and sat next to Star. “Well, son...”
Star winced at that.
“I need to ask you some questions,” The cop continued. “You were there at the scene of the crime after all. Then I can give you some water.”
Star grimaced. “I’d like to speak to a lawyer.”
“A lawyer is coming. I’d just like to get you out of here as soon as possible, but I need you to answer my questions, first.”
Star stared down at the ground. They said nothing. Thirst overwhelmed their thoughts.
Maybe I should just talk. Get the water. They thought. But that was a silly idea. Water and comfort weren’t worth jail time. And the cops wouldn’t accept that the ghost of the corpse in the looted grave asked for their help.
“I just want to know,” the cop said, “what brought you to that graveyard. I’m sure you had a very good reason for it.”
Star’s gaze wandered to the water in the cop’s hand. Their arm moved slightly toward it, but they stopped it.
The cop continued. “I know, I know. You give your clients confidentiality. I wouldn’t disrespect your professional pride by asking you to tell me anything private. But this is all off the record. Just a friendly chat. And you’d help me out a lot by just telling me what you can tell.”
Star’s voice cracked as they spoke, “Can I please have some water?”
The cop smiled. “I just need some information. I can give you some water, but I need something from you, first.”
Star shook their head. “It’s just very hot in this room. I can barely talk.”
“Ah,” the cop said, “I understand. The thermostat in here is always broken. But I don’t need you to do much talking. I can just ask you some simple yes or no questions and you can nod or shake your head.”
Star stared at the water. They thought, It’s not much to just nod... The offer was tempting. And their will was weakening. That was probably the point of the water and the heat. Not the faulty thermostat. The degradation of will.
The cop said, “Were you there on behalf of a client?”
Star stayed still.
“Were you called by the spirits of that place?”
Star trembled a bit from the thirst. They didn’t shake their head or nod.
“Ah, I understand,” The cop smiled. “You don’t think that I believe in spirits. It’s true that Detective Lisa is a bit of a hardass about that. But I have no reason to not believe you. My aunt could hear the spirits around her. She’d talk about it every Thanksgiving.”
Star couldn’t hold back coughing. The thirst hurt.
“I’m sure that whatever secrets the spirits have are yours alone, and I wouldn’t want to infringe upon that. I just would like to know-”
The door to this room opened. In stepped a tall man in a professional suit.
The newcomer said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you, officer, but my client doesn’t need to answer any of your questions.”
The cop shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
The newcomer turned to Star. “Hey, are you doing ok?”
Star shook their head, not trusting themself to speak.
“May I,” the lawyer said, “take my client somewhere more comfortable? Or are they charged with a crime?”
The cop sighed. “You are free to go.”
The newcomer, a lawyer, helped Star up and they walked out of the interrogation room. The lawyer signed off on some paperwork. They stopped by a vending machine and the lawyer bought them a soda which they drank thirstily. Then they left the precinct.
Aaron was waiting outside.
He nodded at the lawyer. “Thank you, Andrew.”
“It’s not a problem, Father.” The lawyer, Andrew, smiled. “I’m familiar with the detective in question. She’s a menace.”
“And how are you doing, child?” Aaron turned to Star. “Were you well treated?”
Star sighed. “The cop tried to be friendly, but he kept a bottle of water as leverage to get me to answer his questions. It was hot in that room.”
Andrew cut in. “Did you tell them anything?”
Star shook their head.
“Good,” Andrew said, “Talking with cops like that is just a liability.”
He handed Star a business card.
“If you ever get harassed by that detective again, please call me. I’m sure that Father Aaron would be happy to cover the costs.”
Star took the card. “Thank you.”
Aaron and Andrew exchanged some words, then Andrew departed. Aaron offered to drive Star home. The drive happened in silence.
Star said good bye to Aaron at their apartment walked in and collapsed on their bed. They curled up into a ball and sobbed.
Star woke up groggily.
“Are you ok?” Their friend Zee was sitting on their chest staring down at them.
In a crowd, they wouldn’t even notice Zee. Up close, they were able to study eir features. Eir eyes were a soft brown, pretty when studied. E scrunched up eir button nose and tightened eir thin lips into a slight frown.
They sighed. “Normal people don’t do this with eir friends.”
“Well, I’m not normal,” Zee said. “Plus, I was worried about you. You got arrested last night.”
“It was that detective who has it out for me,” Star said. “Aaron hired a lawyer and got me out. I’m fine.”
Zee frowned down at them.
“Can you get off my chest?” Star waved em off. “I’d like to make some breakfast.”
Zee slid off. “I made you some eggs and coffee.”
E offered a hand to help Star up and they took it.
There were sunny side up eggs with some toast and coffee waiting for them in the kitchen.
Star said, “I don’t have eggs in the apartment. Or coffee this good.”
Zee slid off. “I made you some eggs and coffee.”
E offered a hand to help Star up and they took it.
Standing, they could take in eir whole body. A simple white tank top adorned eir beige binder and exposed muscles which they wouldn't have noticed from afar. Eir frame was slim while eir skin was smooth and well-maintained. Star’s stomach grumbled and they dug into the eggs.
“Yeah, well, I bought you groceries.” Zee smiled and sat on the kitchen counter. “You had a rough night, and I figured you’d appreciate the help. I know what you like.”
Star raised an eyebrow. “Bought?”
Zee splayed eir hands. “I can’t guarantee the money I bought them with was legally procured, but the groceries were bought with cash.”
Star laughed. They nearly choked on their eggs.
Zee frowned. “What?”
“I’m just imagining,” Star said, “you walking around a store like a normal person buying groceries.”
Zee giggled. “It’s true. I don’t do that very often. But, for you, I made a special exception.”
Star finished their eggs in silence. They took a drink of the coffee. Dark, but with a bit of whiskey mixed in. Perfect for a shitty morning.
“Thank you,” Star said. “The food was delicious.”
Zee smiled. “It’s no problem.”
E patted the counter next to em. Star hopped up as well.
“So,” Zee said, “What got that detective to stick her nose in your business?”
Star grimaced. “Well, it’s more like I stuck my nose in her business. Not on purpose. My latest client is just... Related to one of her cases.”
Zee nodded. “The grave robbery.”
“Yes,” Star said. “It’s... I was having a disagreement with Aaron last night about the nature of our respective work. And we were interrupted by the ghost of the inhabitant of that grave. He asked for Aaron’s help, but I’m a necessary go between.”
Star took a long drink of coffee. “He thinks someone in his family did it. He’d prefer for a catholic priest to convince whoever did it to return what was stolen than for them to get arrested.”
Zee nodded. “I understand. Do you need any help?”
Star drank more of the coffee. They stared down at it as it swirled. “Look into the father. I can’t help him unless I know more about him.”
“Absolutely,” Zee said. “I’ll even do it pro bono.”
Star smiled. “Thank you, Zee. You’re a good friend.”
They sat there together on the counter. Star drank more of their coffee. Zee leaned against them, eir shoulder resting against their upper arm.
Someone whacked on the door, snapping their heads to it and then one another.
Zee ran to the back window. Star walked to the door, slowly. E gave them a salute before slipping out through the window. They opened the door.
“Good morning, Star.” Aaron smiled at them. “It’s nice to see you doing well. And are those eggs I smell?”
No one stood with Aaron visibly, but he wasn’t alone.
Star nodded. “Eggs for one, unfortunately.”
“Oh, it’s ok,” Aaron said. “I wouldn’t want to impose. How was your night?”
Star lowered their head. “It was rough. But this morning was better.”
Aaron raised his eyebrows. “You’re blushing. Someone was here this morning, then.”
Star’s hand went to their cheeks. They hadn’t realized they’d been blushing. They took a long drink of coffee.
“So,” They said, “do we have a plan for helping Henri? He came with you.”
Aaron nodded. “I set up a brunch with his daughter.”
“I did have breakfast,” Star said. “Should I really go to brunch, now?”
“Oh, of course, child.” Aaron smiled kindly. “You’re hungry far too often.”
Star quickly changed into fresh clothes. Nothing too fancy, but something serviceable. They chatted as the three of them walked down to Aaron’s car. They got in. Star held the door open long enough for Henri to enter with them.
They drove to a breakfast shop. Noise of overlapping conversation spilled over Star. They grimaced and took a deep breath before walking between the tables that littered the thin patio space outside. The smell of fresh coffee hit them as they entered and Aaron asked for the table with ‘Tatienne’.
An aroma of incense greeted when they got to the table. Tatienne stood stiffly. Her mouth was a thin line, frowning and a necklace rested against her chest. It showed a unicursal hexagon, a symbol associated with the occult religion Thelema.
Aaron extended his hand to her to shake. “Thank you for meeting us on such short notice.”
Tatienne accepted his hand. “It’s not a problem at all. Please, sit.”
She motioned for them to sit and they both did. She stared briefly at Star before returning to her seat.
“So, then,” Tatienne said, “what is it that a priest and a... Who are you, again?”
Star opened their mouth, but Aaron cut in.
“This is a colleague of mine,” he said. “They are consulting with me on a matter which requires their particular skill set.”
Tatienne raised an eyebrow. “And what is this matter that you are dealing with? You were quite vague on the phone.”
Aaron smiled. “An anonymous party requested that I look into the matter with your father’s grave.”
Tatienne’s eyes widened and her grip on her drink tightened.
“The man I spoke to,” Aaron continued, “is convinced that it was done by someone in a place of spiritual crisis. I am not a cop. I am a priest. It isn’t my job to seek retribution, but forgiveness for sin. So he asked that I intercede in the matter and convince whoever has stolen the item to return it before the police arrest them.”
Tatienne took a long deep breath and straightened her back. "So, what are they here for? I'm not sure what skills they might provide to your endeavor."
“I am here,” Star said, “to act as a point of contact for the party who asked for intercession and to act as a neutral party representing his interests. I have experience in matters like this and with clients like the one this case brings with it. Any action I take in this matter is to represent those who aren’t here to speak for themself, the client and any other relevant parties.”
Tatienne cocked her head. She nodded slowly. “In that case, I don’t know what help I could provide. I haven’t spoken to my father in years. My brother, Theo, is also in town. He might be able to help you more.”
Star said, “We haven’t even asked you anything, yet.”
“You don’t need to,” She said. “I don’t have anything to give you. I’ll speak to the staff here and pay for your brunch, but I can’t help and I’m not interested in wasting my time.”
She got up and left.
“Well,” Aaron said, “she was eager to end this conversation before it began.”
Star sighed and stared at their lap. “What a perfectly useless meeting. I’m not even hungry for brunch.”
“Nor am I,” Aaron said. “Perhaps we should reconvene somewhere more private so we can discuss this with everyone involved?”
They left the store. Outside, the wind picked up slightly. Star felt a slight chill. They were Henri.
Henri sighed. “Tatienne has always been stubborn.”
Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps. But that’s a conversation for in the car.”
In the car, Aaron said, “What happened between the two of you?”
“It’s nothing,” Henri said. “She got her stubbornness from me. And, when we are stubborn in divergent directions, that means there isn’t always a clear solution to the problem. It’s not relevant to any of this.”
Aaron frowned. “If you say so.”
“What of Theo?”
Aaron smiled. “Ah, Theo said that Tatienne might be like that on the phone. That’s why I scheduled her for brunch, and him for lunch in a few hours.”
“Ah.” Henri smiled. “That sounds like Theo.”
They were Star, again. Henri flowed into the back seat of the car.
They said, “So what do we do until then?”
“We could go to church,” Aaron said. “Perhaps God can give us some guidance.”
Star glared at Aaron for a moment, then sighed.
Aaron smiled. “Don’t worry, child. I was joking.”
Soft light greeted them when they entered the building. Paintings hung haphazardly on the wall and cheap white tablecloths covered the flimsy tables.
Star waved a hand in front of their face to try to get rid of the reek of sizzling steaks. “A steakhouse?” Star whispered. “Really? That’s where we’re meeting him?”
Aaron shrugged. “I didn’t choose the accommodations. I’m sure they’ll have something you can eat.”
“It doesn’t even look like a particularly good steakhouse.”
“It’s a chain. But you should see the prices on this menu.”
Star said, “Gods. I don’t even want to know. It’s definitely too expensive for this place.”
“Ah!” A voice boomed behind them. “The priest and his assistant! So glad of you to join me!”
They turned. Behind them stood a tall man who reeked of cigars, bad cologne, and unearned superiority. He wore an expensive suit and a big grin on his face.
“It’s nice to meet you, Theo,” Aaron said. “We spoke on the phone.”
Theo adjusted his tie, flashing his gold watch. “Come, we can go to my regular table, here. Lunch is on me.”
They sat with him. The restaurant was empty. The restaurant had just opened. Aaron explained why they were here, just like with Tatienne. Theo had no questions about Star.
“You want to know about my father?” Theo said. “So you can catch the thief. A real Sherlock Holmes and Watson.” He pointed to Aaron then Star.
Star nodded. “We want to know about his relationship to you and any other family who are in town.”
“First,” He said, “let’s order food.”
Theo flagged down a waitress.
He leered at her. “I’d like my regular, hon.”
Star grimaced and stared at their lap. Aaron glared at him.
“What?” Theo said. “I can’t play the field?”
Aaron ordered a simple fish filet. Star ordered a salad and some asparagus and a raspberry cosmo.
Food came. Theo got a steak with shrimp and a bottle of red wine.
Theo took a bite. “So, my dad,” he said, chewing, “He was great to me. He stood by me through my whole MBA, even when I got that drunk driving charge.”
Theo swallowed. He cut another piece of his steak off and put it in his mouth.
“That said,” he continued, “he was pretty shit to Tristan. He was my brother. Real schizo sort. Y’know. Hallucinations. Paranoia. The whole shebang. Good kid, tho. Dad didn’t treat him right.”
Star grimaced and poked at their salad. They didn’t like how he spoke about Tristan.
Theo drunk some of his wine, then took another bite. “If I’d be honest, I was kinda shit to him, too. He doesn’t speak to me, still. Not since he ran away from home. But Tatienne was close to him. She took dad’s treatment of him personally, for some reason.”
Aaron said, “So you think this has to do with the theft?”
“Oh, yeah,” Theo said. “The theft. Forgot about that. No clue who could’ve done it. But you talked to Tatienne, however briefly. Thought I’d fill you in on why she can be a bitch about this sometimes.”
They asked him more questions, but he didn’t have anything else to offer. Theo paid for their food and the two of them left.
“Henri?” Star said in the car. “Your son kinda sucks.”
The air in the car was perfectly still. No response.
Aaron said, “Would you like to go home, Star?”
Star nodded. He drove them to their apartment. They said goodbye and watched as Aaron drove off.
They turned toward their apartment and began walking. Out of the shadows stepped Lisa, her hand resting on her holstered gun.
She said, “Finished with your a hard day’s work scamming people?”
“Hi, Lisa.” Star sighed. “You know me better than to think I’d just talk to you like this.”
“I do know you,” she said. “But just because you won’t talk doesn’t mean there’s no reason for me to chat with you when you get home from... Who was it you saw? Ah, yes, two citizens who’s father’s grave was just robbed.”
Star’s eyes widened.
“Ah, you didn’t think I’d have someone follow you?” Lisa grinned, “You are one of my top suspects in that theft. I’m not going to let you out of the sight of law enforcement.”
“Hey, buzz off.” From the direction of their apartment stood Silvia like a guardian angel. She held herself with righteous confidence and her light brown skin glowed from the light of the streetlamps behind them. Her low cut top gave a lot for Star to stare at, but they lingered on her well built and hot muscles.
She said, “Go harass someone else so I can check in on my friend you arrested last night.”
Lisa turned slowly. She glared at Silvia for a minute. She returned the glare.
“Fine.” She turned and stalked off. “But I’m watching you.
They both waited for her to leave.
Silvia moved toward them and her arms moved slightly up. She hesitated then they dropped to her side.
She said, “Are you ok?”
Star nodded. “Yeah. Aaron helped me out and I had a good breakfast with a friend.”
They opened their door and Silvia followed. They sat on their bed and Silvia stood above them.
She said, “What happened?”
“I swear that detective has it in for me ,” Star said. “I was outside one of her crime scenes for a client and she arrested me. They interrogated me. I told them nothing. A lawyer Aaron hired intervened.”
Silvia nodded slowly. “That bitch.”
Star laughed. “Yeah, no kidding.”
They walked into their apartment and Silvia followed close behind.
She smiled at them. “So what was the client who brought you to her crime scene?”
Star filled her in on the case.
“The daughter is key to this,” Silvia said. “The son is a dick, but she dodged your questions.”
Star nodded. “She also didn’t bring up Tristan. Theo said that she was the only one who still talked to him.”
“But what does that have to do with what was stolen?” Silvia said. “That’s what I don’t get. We know about his family trouble. He was a dick to his son and is estranged from his daughter as a result. And his other son grew up to be a dick as well. Not a great father, overall. But that’s not motive.”
“Ah, well.” Star grinned. “That’s where my secret weapon comes in. Zee was here this morning and I asked em to check into this. I’m hoping that e can fill in the blanks left by this thoroughly frustrating family. Not sure when e’ll have the information, but I’m hoping it’ll be tonight. For now, we just need to wait.”
Silvia nods. “After all you’ve been through yesterday and today, what say you to a good dinner?”
Star shifted their face away from her, their cheeks flushed. “Yeah. That sounds good. Zee bought me groceries. Plenty to make”
Silvia grinned. “You rest up. I’ll be right on it.”
They flopped back on their bed.
If I knew getting arrested would have Zee and Silvia treating me this way, Star thought, I'd've gotten arrested earlier.
Oh, both of them were nice on good days. They were their best friends. Some of their only friends. Without them, they'd just have John, Aaron, and Ezra. But John was never around these days with his job. Aaron was a priest, so not exactly the best company. And Ezra was just a whole thing and they didn't talk to it on a daily basis. Besides, the power behind its magic often made dealing with it difficult.
But today they had been pampered. Zee bought them groceries and made them breakfast. And Silvia was in their apartment making them dinner.
They rolled over and buried their face in their pillow at the thought. They were a mess. Getting flustered over friends making them food.
Silvia’s voice cut in from above them. “Hey, Star. Food is ready.”
Silvia stood above them with two bowls. Star took one of the chili filled bowls and dug in. It was spicy and warm, a flavor they were used to since they were a teenager.
“Thank you, Silvia.”
“It’s no problem,” She said. “You’re in a rough place, so I’m helping. It’s what friends do.”
She was sitting next to them. They hadn’t noticed her sit down. She reached out a hand and gripped theirs in her own. She gave it a little squeeze. They smiled.
The front door opened. Zee stepped in.
“Hi, Silvia.” Zee grinned at the two of them. “Hi, Star.”
Her hand separated from theirs. They both got up.
“Hey, Zee.” Star smiled back at em. “I was hoping you’d come by tonight. What’ve you got?”
“First things first,” Zee said. “I smell chili.”
Silvia made em a bowl and all three sat back down on the bed, Star in between the two.
“The city records office has such lax security,” Zee said. “I could’ve walked in the front door and gotten anything I wanted, even sealed files. It was almost comically easy.”
Silvia grinned at em. “And what did you find?”
“Well, first, court files.” Zee pulled some files from eir messenger bag. “These show that Henri tried to get his son locked up in an asylum at 17 years old. Absolutely disgusting. It didn’t work and it sounds like he ran away from home after that. Good for him.”
Star frowned. “Tristan, right?”
“Exactly.” Zee nodded. “Furthermore, he had been cut out of the will. And this is where things get interesting. The will before he got cut out included some sort of pendant or locket or amulet or whatever. But it wasn’t transferred to someone else in the updated will. A supplementary document requests it be buried with him. If you want my opinion, that’s what was stolen.”
Star and Silvia grinned at each other. They said in unison, “Tristan did it.”
Zee laughed. “Exactly.”
Silvia said, “So, then, what do we do about it?”
Well, I do what I do best.” Star was grinning. “I make them talk to each other. We find someplace we can all meet. Bring Tristan, Tatienne, she’s his sister and on his side, Aaron, and Henri. We sit them all down and have a talk.”
“Well, there’s just one problem with that,” Zee said. “The tail that detective has on you.”
“I forgot about that.” Star grimaced. “Well, I’m not about to lead the cops to Tristan. So we need to lose them.”
The three of them talked it over and devised a plan.
Tonight, they'd contact Aaron to get him, Henri, and Tatienne to the meeting spot in Chessman Park. Zee picked it out. There were trees to hide among, a lot of exits, plenty of open space for them to see cops coming, and e knew a safehouse nearby.
Zee would call up eir contacts and see if e could get word out to Tristan about this. Tomorrow morning, they'd leave with Zee and lose their tail and Silvia would go about her day like normal and lose any tails she would get separately. Once their tail was sufficiently lost, they'd go to the park and they'd all talk it out.
They texted Aaron. aaron. chessman park tmmrw. bring tatienne. cn rslve evrthng. mke sure henri is wth u.
Zee was on eir burner phone with a contact speaking in hushed tones. The call wrapped up. Tristan was at one of the houseless encampments in town. Zee’s contacts could get em to the meeting.
Zee sat down on their bed. “So, then, what do we do all night?”
Star said, “Uh. Chat, I suppose?”
Zee and Silvia both nodded.
Silvia said, “Sounds like a plan.”
Star woke to a sizzling sound.
They rubbed their eyes. “Zee?”
“Not just em,” Silvia said. “But e’s the one making breakfast.”
They yawned. “I’m not fully awake, yet. Don’t expect me to remember who all stayed the night.”
The three of them ate Zee’s eggs. They were eggs in a basket this morning.
Silvia left first. They listened as her motorcycle drove off. Zee rummaged through their clothes until e found what e was searching for.
E held up an old jacket with a tiger on the back. “Do you care about this?”
Star shook their head and Zee handed it to them. They put it on and headed out the front door.
They took the bus. Zee took them on a circuitous route. They passed through Union Station three times. Star could barely follow it.
They got out at Denver Metro University. There was a crowd of students walking to classes.
“Hold my hand,” Zee said. “We shouldn’t risk getting separated in the crowd.”
Star took it and the two of them melted into the crowd. They followed some students into the science building. Zee led them through the building to a lab.
Star whispered, “So what are we doing here?”
Zee pointed at a bucket. “Dump the jacket into the chemical waste disposal. People will assume someone got chemicals on it and destroy it. Then we can leave through a different exit and disappear into the crowd.”
They gave em side eye.
“What?” E said. “You said you didn’t care about the jacket.”
They shrugged and disposed of the jacket. They took eir hand, again, and the two of them walked away. They left through a different exit than they entered through. They boarded the bus several blocks away from the university. They sat in the back of the bus.
Star leaned in to Zee. “So that got rid of our tail?”
Zee nodded. “If they followed all that, then they deserve a promotion.”
They breathed out. Tension left their shoulders. “Thank you. I can rely on you for this sort of thing.”
Zee grinned. “That’s what friends are for.”
They reached the park in twenty minutes. Someone threw a frisbee on the other side, barely visible through the trees surrounding the park. No one else was there. They had arrived early.
“So what do you think will happen?” Zee said. “Like, when Henri meets his son.”
Star shrugged. “I’m not trying to get him to do any singular particular thing. That’s not the point. Reconciliation, forgiveness, and repentance can only come from the wronged party and the person in the wrong.”
Zee nodded. “Right, I get that. I get you’re not trying to control their behavior. I’m not asking what you want to happen. But what do you predict?”
“Well. Uh...” Star stared at their feet for a moment. “I guess I hadn’t actually thought about that. Probably there will be some confusion and some yelling. But I’ll be here to try to keep things calm, and so will Aaron.”
“So why will it work now?” Zee said. “I mean, both of them have surely yelled at each other before. No doubt there were mediators as well. And that’s without adding graverobbery to the mix.”
“Well... I guess... Uh...” Star bit their lower lip. “I guess I don’t know.”
Zee shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. But you should at least think of that sort of thing before starting.”
Star nodded.
They stood there for awhile. Both leaned on the same tree. The wind passed through, sending a chill through the air for a moment. Star considered what Zee had said.
Surely you can't be suggesting that you can talk your way out of every spiritual situation.
They hadn't considered the implications to that at the time. Not really. They had told Aaron that he had missed their point, but, really, they had missed his point. They didn't need to stop trying. They didn't need to go into the situation assuming it would devolve into conflict. But they certainly needed to be prepared for that possibility.
And what happens when I can’t? The thought hung over them and the situation. They might talk their way through this situation. And the next. And the next. But they’ll eventually find a situation where they can’t do that. When that happens, they needed to be prepared.
Zee nudged them gently. “Hey, Star.”
Silvia was resting against her motorcycle smoking a cigarette. They walked over.
Hey, Silvia,” they said. “Can I have one of those cigarettes?”
Silvia handed one over with a grin. They lit it up and leaned against the motorcycle as well.
Star took a long drag from their cigarette. “Do you think this will work?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What? You mean channeling Henri?”
They shook their head. “No. Getting them to talk. Do you think they’ll, y’know, see each others’ perspective? Listen at all to each other, even.”
Silvia shrugged. “It’s been awhile since I talked with my parents. Don’t know if a priest and a psychic taking me to a park and channeling the dead spirit of them would help things between us. But I’m not sure what choice we have and it’s a bit late for second guessing.”
Star nodded. Another drag from the cigarette. “I should have thought about that before making this plan. Not even that. Before taking on this case. I need to be more prepared for when situations fall apart, right?”
“Maybe you do,” Silvia said. “But, right now, you have more important things to worry about. Aaron is here.”
Star raised their head from their cigarette. Aaron’s car was pulling over. Three people got out of the car. Two men used the same door. They felt the second man more than they saw him. They waved the three of them over.
Tatienne said, “What am I doing here? I talked to you yesterday and the Father wasn’t clear about what I’m supposed to be coming here about.”
They grinned at her. “All will become clear when our final guest gets here.”
Tatienne began to protest, but Aaron pulled her to the side. Star didn’t object. They didn’t particularly want to deal with her. They leaned back against the motorcycle.
Except it wasn’t just the motorcycle there. Zee stood inches from their body.
E whispered, “He’s nearly here. He’ll be a bit down that way among the trees. Doesn’t know what all is going on.”
Star nodded. They raised their voice. “Hey, everyone. Our guest is here. Come with me.”
They turned and walked toward where Zee had indicated. Feet hit pavement behind them.
It wasn’t far before they saw a man moving his head jerkily at nothing in particular who they assumed was Tristan and a familiar figure who was like a goth who just left Hot Topic. It clasped its hands behind its head, accentuating its bleached white hair, and its grin showing its pearly white teeth.
“So, Zee,” Star said. “When you said you knew someone who could get him here, you meant Ezra?”
Zee ginned at them. “You said Tatienne seemed to be interested in Thelema, so I figured calling one of your occultist friends would work. And it did.”
They nodded and walked up to Tristan and Ezra.
“Hi, Tristan,” they said. “It’s very nice to meet you. Please don’t freak out.”
Tristan locked eyes with Ezra then Star then Tatienne behind them all.
He said, “Oh. This is about...”
“The special guest is Tristan?” Tatienne glared at Star. “What are you trying to pull here?”
Star smiled weakly at Tatienne. “You’re not going to like what I do next. Please don’t freak out.”
Voices overlapped with each other. They took a deep breath, counting in and out. The voices made the breathing difficult. But they pushed through it. In and out.
Their voice cut through the noise. “HENRI! HENRI! HENRI!”
They were Henri. They examined Tatienne and Tristan and frowned.
“Is this really a good time for me to be here, Father Aaron?”
Aaron shrugged. “This isn’t my plan, Henri.”
They nodded. “Well, if I’m to be here, I guess I should say hi to my kids.”
A laugh broke out. The person next to their son was laughing and grinning. It was Ezra. They knew that somehow.
“Star always knows how to make things so interesting,” Ezra said. “I’m glad I went along with this. That, Tristan, is your father’s spirit in my friend’s body.”
Tristan blinked at them. Then he glared and stepped forward.
A loud whack and pain consumed their jaw. They fell to the group.
Tristan glared down at them. “Hi, dad.”
Henri glared back up. “After all I did for you, this is how you-”
“All you did for him?” Tatienne yelled. “The fuck are you talking about, dad? Do you mean when you called the cops on your ‘psycho’ son? Or do you mean when you told him you were going to send him to an institution?”
They sat up. “Yes. I mean when I did my best to help my son deal with his madness by allowing the cops to help him with a crisis I was incapable of helping with and attempting to get him psychiatric care.”
Tristan stared off to the side at something they couldn’t see. He said, “I needed love and care. I didn’t need to be locked up. I’m not dangerous. The biggest dangers to me is how others treat me. Others like you.”
They stood up. “You were seeing things, talking to people. You were... You are sick.”
Father Aaron put a hand on their shoulder. “Henri. Is that really how you want to treat your son after so long of not seeing him?”
They glared back at him. “I should just take it when he punches me?”
“Yes, you should,” he said. “Remember Luke 6:29. ‘If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.’ More so given he is your son.”
They frowned. “The Bible says a lot of nice things. But, if I’m to raise a son, I need to be able to do for him what he needs.”
“Son, I think what he needs,” Aaron said, “is for you to listen to him. We are all born fallible and it doesn’t do well to assume you know what’s best. Only God above does.”
They nodded. “I don’t know what’s best, Father. You’re right about that. But the doctors did and the doctors told me that he would improve in the facility, with the medication he would get there. I listened to them.”
They turned to face Tristan and stepped toward him. “And you, son, thought you knew better than the doctors. Your utter arrogance, enabled by your sister. You need to learn to listen to your father when he is doing what’s right for you.”
Tatienne glared at them. “Fuck off with that bullshit. You were doing what was convenient for your image, not what was best for Tristan.”
Henri said, “You always were very kind, Tatienne. But you never knew how to do what was needed.”
Tatienne’s face contorted. They didn’t hear what was said next. Their head was cloudy. Star opened their mouth. Henri closed it.
“Stay out of this, Star,” they said. “You wanted me to talk to my children, then you let me.”
Ezra cut through the yelling. “Old man. If Star wants their body back, you should let them have it.”
Its eyes locked with theirs. Pain shot through their body. They were Star.
“Henri,” Star said, “I didn’t bring you here so you could yell at your children. I brought you here so you could listen to them. Shut up and listen.”
They were Henri, again.
“Well, Star,” Henri said. “I appreciate your condescension, but these are my children. I will raise them as I wish and you will stop interfering.”
They felt the clouds in their head again. They turned their head away from Ezra and stepped toward his children.
“I am your father,” they said. “Everyone interfering has forgotten that. You are my responsibility, not theirs. I will take care of you and make what choices are necessary to raise you well.”
Tatienne glared at them. “Get back to me when you start making those choices, then. The only choices you’ve made have been to control us, not to raise us well.”
They stared down at Tristan. He was curled up on the ground with hands on his ears.
Henri pointed to him. “This is exactly what I was trying to fix by sending him to that hospital. He would’ve gotten the care he needed.”
Tatienne stepped forward. “Maybe if you didn’t yell at him his psychosis wouldn’t be-”
“Everyone shut up,” Zee said. Eir voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it pierced through the other voices. “All of your yelling has gotten the attention of the cops. And, if you don’t mind, we have a thief, his sister, and someone who was skulking around the scene of the crime, here.”
Everyone turned to stare.
“Now, I know I wasn’t followed,” Zee continued. “But I’m not so certain that the Father here wasn’t. The detective doubtless can put together what’s happening. We need to wrap this up and leave.”
Henri turned back and stared at Tristan. “You robbed my grave?”
Tristan raised his head. His face was stained with tears. “I-it was p-promised to me.”
“And, then,” they said, “you ran away. Did you expect that you wouldn’t be cut out of the will?”
Tristan grimaced. “It was promised to me. It was promised to me. It was promised to me.”
He started to cry again.
“You were buried with that?” Tatienne said. “What gave you the right to take that locket with you to your grave?”
“It was mine,” they said. “Surely I can make the decisions about it I deemed fit.”
Tatienne took a long, deep breath. “Maybe that’s the case, but does that make it right?”
They raised their chin. “It was mine, not his, never his.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Silvia said. “But that doesn’t particularly matter, now. Fact is, he has it and either he goes to prison or you figure something out with him. We don’t have much time to spare.”
They stepped back from Tristan. “It’s true. I don’t think you should see the inside of a jail cell over this. It’s not for the cops to deal with. It’s a family matter.”
Henri took a deep breath in. They were Star.
They crouched down. “Hey, Tristan. I’m on your side with this. Your father really should’ve left this with you.”
Tristan slowly nodded. They reached out their hand and held it above his shoulder, not touching. He nodded again. They gently put their hand on his shoulder.
“I think you should get the locket,” they said. “It’s clearly important to you. But, right now, you need to avoid going to jail. The cops will be trying to find anyone who’s connected with your father to pin the blame on. If not you, then your sister might get the blame. Do you understand that?”
Tristan nodded to them.
Star smiled. “Aaron here can talk to your mother for you. Once this is wrapped up, the locket will go to her and she should be able to decide what’s done with it. The two of us can make sure you get it, like you want, and keep everything within the family, like your father wants. Does this sound ok to you?”
Tristan sat there doing nothing for a bit. Then he nodded.
They held out their free hand. “May I have the locket?”
Tristan rummage through their pocket and placed a plain silver locket in their hand. On the back was etched Tristan’s name and inside it was a picture of Tristan, much younger than he is now, on one side and an older woman who resembled Tatienne on the other side.
They gently closed their hand around it. “Thank you, Tristan. Me and Aaron can make sure this gets resolved.”
They felt something against their back. They were Henri.
“Thank you, Star,” Henri said. “But I can take it from here.”
They stood up and walked over to Aaron and handed over the locket.
“Tristan, Tatienne,” they said, “it will do us no good for the police to find us here.”
They reached down their hand to help Tristan up. He did nothing.
“Son. I know I hurt you.” They hesitated. “I can’t change that. But, right now, I need you to come with me so that Star’s effort isn’t in vain.”
He still did nothing.
They stared down at him, then sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, son. I shouldn’t have taken that with me to my grave. Now can you please come with me?”
Tristan hesitated. He took their hand and rose. They led Tristan away from the scene.
Ezra placed a hand on their shoulder. “Hey, old man. I know a place they can hide.”
They stared at it. “I would like to help my children get there.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever,” Ezra said. “Just come with me.”
Ezra led the three of them away from the scene and down a side street. As they walked it explained that a friend knew some people who lived in the area which would work as a safe house while others dealt with the cops.
They didn’t take long before arriving at the house. Unlike the houses around it, this one was drab. The lawn wasn’t as neatly mowed. The facade wasn’t as well maintained. Ezra knocked on the door.
A young person answered. Henri wasn’t sure what to make of them. They were dressed eccentrically and wore strange make up.
“Hey, Erin,” Ezra said. “I’m a friend of Zee’s. E told you about me on the phone.”
Erin nodded. “E said we might need to give some people a place to stay for a bit. Cop involvement. But we’re always happy to do a favor for Zee.”
It nodded. “Yeah. Well, got some people here for you.”
They helped Tristan and Tatienne into the house.
“Henri,” Ezra said. “You should stay here with your kids. I need Star.”
Henri nodded. They were Star. The air moved around them into the house.
Ezra grabbed Star’s arm and dragged them further down the road.
“Hey, wait,” Star said. “Where are we going?”
Ezra glared at them. “To the meeting place Zee set up for us all. We’re going to wait for Aaron there and let our friends back there help those two. But, more importantly, we need to talk.”
They followed along and stared at the ground.
“Listen, Star,” it said. “You were useless against Henri back there controlling you. I intervened, once, but I can’t always be there and Henri figured out pretty quick how to avoid my malocchio, so you didn’t get control back until he let you. You need to fix that.”
Star nodded. “Sometimes I can’t just talk my way out of situations like that. I need to be prepared for the worst.”
“Exactly,” Ezra said. “You don’t like to throw your force around, but sometimes you need to be able to do so. And I can help with that. We’re friends.”
Star agreed and they made their way through the streets. They walked for more than an hour. Ezra didn’t check over its shoulder. They expected it didn’t need to. But they did. No one followed them.
Zee and Silvia were waiting up for them at a bench next to Silvia’s motorcycle. They greeted them with a hug from each. Aaron showed up not long after in his car.
“I talked to the cops,” Aaron said. “I told them I had been working to get the locket back for the family and cited ecclesiastical privilege. They were pissed, but I was able to call my lawyer and he got them to back off. I can talk to the family and make sure no charges get pressed. This will be a mess, but more trouble than its worth for the cops to keep pursuing.”
Star nodded and thanked him. They breathed a sigh of relief. They sat on the bench and leaned against Silvia. Zee sat next to them and leaned on them. Exhaustion washed over them. They closed their eyes and just let themself rest.
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