Page 20 of Dead Evil
Ten was sitting with a young woman from California who’d lost her father a few months before. His name was Jason and he’d drowned off the coast of Santa Monica after being caught in a riptide. So far, Ten wasn’t having any luck in channeling the man. He found himself wishing Everly was there, he had a feeling his daughter could have helped the man to open up.
“Does this mean my father isn’t resting in peace?” Marybeth asked, dabbing her eyes with a soggy tissue.
“Not at all,” Ten said. “Sometimes it takes a while for spirits to get the hang of communicating when they’re on the other side. Do you have anything that belonged to him? Objects can often make connecting a little easier.”
Marybeth’s face brightened. She reached for her purse and pulled out a plastic toy soldier. It looked like an old G.I. Joe figurine, but Ten wasn’t an expert. “Dad got this for Christmas when he was ten years old. He kept it on his desk at work. I was so happy to see it when his boss returned the items from my father’s desk.”
Ten held his hand out and Marybeth deposited the toy soldier on his palm. “Jason, my name is Tennyson Grimm. I’m with your daughter, Marybeth. She’d like to hear from you.”
“Isn’t my daughter beautiful?” a deep voice asked.
“Your daughter is very beautiful,” Ten agreed.
“Is that my father? Daddy is that you?” Marybeth asked.
“I’m right here, Minty.”
“Your Dad is here and he called you Minty. Does that name ring a bell?” Ten asked.
Marybeth gasped. “When my sister was little, she couldn’t say my name, so she called me Minty and the name stuck.” She swiped at freshly fallen tears. “Ten, is my father okay?”
“Tell Minty I’m fine. I should have listened to the lifeguards who warned me about the strong current. I was training for my first Ironman Triathlon and needed to get some experience swimming in the open ocean.”
Ten shivered. He and Ronan had aJawsmovie marathon a few weeks back. Ten wouldn’t put a toe in the water now for a million dollars. “He’s telling me that he should have listened to the warnings about the surf.”
Marybeth sighed. “Dad had been chunky all his life and started dropping weight a few years ago, thanks to a mild heart attack. He promised to come back stronger than ever and that’s when he decided to try the Ironman. I wanted him to get through a 5K first, but my father was as stubborn as they come.”
“She’s right about that. Tell her I’m sorry I’ll never get to walk her down the aisle at her wedding or be there to hold my first grandchild.” Tears streaked down Jason’s cheeks.
Ten relayed the message.
“I can’t believe he said that. When I got the call that my father was gone, the first thing I thought was that there wouldn’t be anyone to walk me down the aisle now that he was gone.”
“He’ll be there with you in spirit,” Ten said, after relaying the message from Jason. “Thank you so much for letting me connect with your father. I’m so sorry you lost him.” Ten handed the toy soldier back.
Marybeth shook Ten’s hand and headed off.
“That was quite a performance, Tennyson,” Levi Shackleton said, stepping up to the booth. “Long time no see.”
“Not quite long enough, unfortunately.” Ten saw Ronan heading his way. “Pastor Shackleton, this is myhusband, Ronan O’Mara.” Ten made sure to emphasize the wordhusbandfor Shackleton’s benefit. “He’s a detective with the Salem Police Department’s Cold Case Unit.”
Shackleton turned to look at Ronan. He seemed to be sizing him up. Neither man offered a hand for the other to shake. “Yes, I’m aware of your unholy alliance with Satan’s spawn and how you use your devil-given powers toallegedlyhelp solve crimes, as if you’re a member of Scooby Doo’s gang.”
Tennyson burst out laughing. The gall of this man tracking him down and insulting his gifts and his husband was too much. The only thing this clown was missing was a red nose and giant shoes.
“How can we help you,Pastor?” Ronan asked, with a cold smile.
“I recognized Tennyson’s name on the list of vendors and wanted to see how he’d grown up. When I knew him, Ten was a mild mannered boy who loved Jesus. Now, he’s an occultistand a sodomite. It’s obvious he’s strayed from God’s great love thanks to you, Detective O’Mara.”
“I haven’t strayed from God’s love,” Ten said. “God created me in his perfect image. It’s bigots like you who have a problem with me being gay, not God. As for my psychic abilities…” Ten paused, it was against Ten’s better judgement, but he reached out and grabbed Shackleton’s wrist. Ten instantly saw all the many,manysins the man had committed in vivid detail.
The pastor yanked his arm away. “Don’t you put your whore’s hands on me.”
Ten smirked at the enraged pastor. “You must have me confused with Kitty, or maybe Athena, or possibly Jezebel. Seriously, someone named their daughter Jezebel? Or is that her street name? So many women of the night, so little time, am I right?”
“How dare you speak such blasphemies to me?” Shackleton roared, sending spit flying in all directions.
“Doesn’t the Bible say that if your eye caused you to sin that you should pluck out? It would be better to enter the kingdom of heaven without eyes and minus your Christian soldier than to burn in the pits of hell, right,pastor?” Ten asked with a sneer
