The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (4 page)

             
She dropped the look of annoyance and exchanged it for one of modesty.

             
He continued, “You like books.”

             
“And porn videos,” she remarked, curious to see if he would rise to the bait.

             
Alex took no notice as he continued, “You have a great mind and you use it.”  He paused, looked at her with true affection and smiled. “And your love is deeper and more real than anything I’ve ever known.”

             
She smiled back, “And the fact that I keep in such good shape?”

             
“Icing on the cake,” he replied waggling one eyebrow roguishly at her.

             
“Your sister doesn’t think much of me,” she pointed out.

             
“My dear Veronica,” he sighed dramatically, “she doesn’t think that much of ME.  So you’re in good company.”

             
“She wouldn’t mind seeing you with Sassy-Cassie.”

             
He had expected this.  Cassandra Elliott was the daughter of a billionaire family who were big in the hotel and shipping industries. He had met Cassie when his father, a respected architect, had been called in to draw up the plans for some expansions on the family’s mansion in Port Helena on Long Island.   Cassie was six and he was ten, but in spite of the age difference they had become close friends.

             
His only problem with her was that she was constantly making overt plays for him in front of Veronica.  Unfortunately, his own sister acted as her cheering section, believing he suffered an Oedipus complex from their mother dying when they were both very young.

             
This was not the case, but trying to convince Sharon was another matter entirely.  But now he needed to reassure Veronica of that fact. “I suspect Cassie wouldn’t mind being with you as well,” he mused aloud.

             
That took his lady by surprise as she whirled around and stared at him, “She’s bi?”

             
He loved it whenever he could get her off balance.  Especially, if it meant, that he was able to help her past one of her rough spots. “I’ve had reason to believe so for a while now.”

             
“Sassy? Bi?” she shook her head, “I never would have guessed.”

             
“And here I thought police officers were observant.” 

             
Veronica raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

             
“You make the same mistake my sister does,” he smiled, “She takes Cassie at face value.  But, you have to watch her.”  He had, many times in fact.  Every so often when they went to lunch, he would notice her taking a particular interest in one of the waitresses.  Not that she said or did anything, but her eyes would keep straying to the lady in question.  Hell, now that he thought about it, she spent more time eyeing girls than he did. 

             
Oddly enough he wasn’t completely sure that Cassie even realized what she was doing.  She kept out of the public eye, being labeled the “Boring Heiress” by the media.  No scandals, no sexcapades, just a nice attractive girl who happened to belong to a very rich family.  The only times she even graced the magazines was when she had been seen in public with a celebrity at a charity function or for when she had acquired another failing hotel and turned it into a success story. 

             
And of course there had been the accident with her car on Christmas Eve, five years ago.  It had been a solo incident with no drugs or alcohol involved, much to the disappointment of the paparazzi and other newshounds.

             
She had simply blanked or ‘zoned out’ as she called it.  She’d had such episodes before, including a few in front of him.  To this day, no doctor had been able to find the cause of these mild seizures.  She voluntarily gave up her driver’s license after the crash.  Now she was driven around by a favorite chauffer who had been with her family for the last twenty years.

             
It was the accident and it’s timing that had gotten him to visit her for the first time after the ‘incident’.  He hadn’t talked to her for almost two years, in spite of her numerous attempts to make amends.  Even before he got the call about the crash, he’d sensed something was amiss and had been expecting some kind of word about one of his friends.    Half an hour after the call came he had been at her bedside and they spent all of Christmas Day renewing a friendship they had both sorely missed. 

             
Meanwhile, Veronica was still laughing at his last remark.   Then she studied him closely and spoke, “I don’t suppose the thought of Sassy and me being all over each other appeals to you does it?”

             
“I’d be a liar if I said no.” he replied. 

             
“Then you could have both experience and enthusiasm.” she said matter-of-factly.

             
He shook his head, “Not at the cost of hurting you.  I love you too much to do that.”

             
“Even if I offered?” she said offhandedly.

             
Alex went over to her and took her in his arms, “I’d still refuse.  You’d only be doing it to please me and you do that already.  You’re all I want.  I wish I could get you to believe that.”

             
“I do,” she sighed.  “I just don’t understand why sometimes.”

             
He decided to take a page out of her book.  “Just shut up,” he told her and kissed her hard.

             
She raised her hands up to his face, only to have him pull them down.  A moment later a clicking sound could be heard.

             
“I’ll go start the shower,” he told her and headed for the bathroom, while she stared at the handcuffs, which were now on her wrists.

             
“Hey, when did you get loos…” she began, only to remember she had left the keys in her pants, which were on the other side of the room.  She went over and found them still in the pocket.  So how did…

             
“GET BACK HERE, MISTER!”

              After the shower, Ronnie was putting on her uniform and saying, “You never told me you did magic tricks when you were growing up.”

             
“Does that bother you?” asked Alex popped his head out of the bathroom.  “I only ask because you certainly didn’t mind the tricks I was doing to you in the shower,” he added, waggling his eyebrow roguishly.

             
Ronnie smiled and shook her head.  ‘Been a while since I’ve been handcuffed in my own shower,’
she thought silently.

             
“Not the last time either,” Alex told her and went back into the bathroom.

             
She stared at now empty doorway and called out, “Did you do a mind reading act as well?”

             
“Huh?  Mind reading?  No, never went in for that, preferred stage illusions and sleight of hand.  I got rather good with my hands.”

             
“I’ll say,” she murmured. 

             
“Never quite felt comfortable with the Mentalist tricks,” he continued, “Or the Spiritualist stuff.”

             
Years of police training had taught Ronnie to spot when someone was holding back information.  Walking over to the bathroom she stood in the doorway and studied him carefully as she asked, “Any particular reason why you felt that way?”

             
He didn’t reply right away. 

             
Obviously, she was treading in sensitive territory and didn’t want to end up pushing him away, especially not now.  She was feeling much better thanks to their lovemaking.  He had let her have her way and then some and now she was feeling a little guilty. She had been a bit rough and had really pushed him physically.  Not that he complained, not even a playful yelp.  Just like all the other times something bad had happened and she’d needed an outlet. 

             
It never ceased to amaze her how he always seemed to know when she needed him, or her own space.  And today was no different.   From the moment she walked up behind him at the bar, he’d known.  It was almost uncanny how he understood her, but she was grateful for it.  But it still made her wonder.

             
As a police officer, on or off duty, she found herself observing people and Alex was no exception.  She’d made mental notes about his reactions to subjects under discussion or places they would visit. And she had learned a lot, especially that there were things he still kept to himself.

             
Finally, he put down the razor and said, “Luv, what if there are spirits and beings that we can’t always see.  What if they’re not aware of, us either?  Maybe it should stay that way.  After all there are things we shouldn’t mess about with.”

             
He seemed agitated by the subject so she decided to give him an out, “I thought I told you not to read Lovecraft.” 

             
“I thought it was a sex book,” he quipped.

             
“You have a one track mind.”

             
“Oye, you’re the one with the porn collection.”

             
She wrinkled her nose at him, “So you do pay attention to what I’m saying.”

             
He gave her an impish grin and said, “I could miss out on some good bits otherwise.” 

             
“Smart man,” she nodded approvingly.

             
Finishing his shave, Alex grabbed a towel and wiped his face.  Then he leaned closer to her as if to whisper words full of tenderness. “Darling?” he murmured.

             
“What?” Ronnie could feel her face starting to blush from the way he was looking at her.

             
“Where do you keep your porn collection? Is there any girl on girl stuff?” he asked without changing the tender tone.

             
Her expression changed to feigned annoyance. “One track mind!” she grumbled.

             
“Says the woman who handcuffed me to a bed,” he pointed out.

             
“It’s one of my better interrogation techniques,” she smiled.

             
“Bloody hell, I’m going to have to start getting arrested.”

             
“I only use it on British Boy-Toys,” she pointed out.

             
He looked around, “And how many of them have you got?”

             
“Just you,” she winked, “And I’m going to keep it that way until one of us gets tired of the other.”

             
“Well that won’t be happening any time soon,” he replied dismissively.

             
“Or until I wear you out and you keel over from exhaustion,” she added and waited.

             
For a moment he seemed to give this serious thought.  Finally, he admitted that there was a remote possibility of that happening one day.

             
She nodded triumphantly.

             
“But what a way to go,” he grinned, making her laugh.

             
Just then her shoulder radio came to life, “You there, Sarge?”

             
She gave him an apologetic look and then grabbed the device.  “I’m here, Pam, go ahead.”

             
“Medical Examiner wants to talk to you,” the radio crackled.

             
Ronnie frowned and replied stiffly, “What about?”

             
“It’s about that wreck from this morning.”

             
Alex saw Ronnie’s body stiffen as she responded sharply, “What about it?”

             
“According to the Medical Examiner the driver and passenger died sometime last night,” the dispatcher explained.  “They were both drowned.”

THE MORGUE

              “You didn’t have to come,” Veronica told her boyfriend as she drove. “The Morgue isn’t exactly Disneyland you know,” she continued.

             
“Consider me moral support,” was Alex’s reply.

             
Shaking her head she said, “You know, I have done this before?  Quite a few times in fact.  After all I’ve been a cop almost as long as you’ve been around.”

             
For a moment he didn’t answer, and she began to wonder if she’d pushed too hard.  Then he said quietly, “Luv?  Did you ever experience anything ‘odd’ when you’ve gone into a hospital?”

             
“No,” she frowned, noticing his voice had taken on the tone he used only on certain occasions. 
Is he going to open up about why he doesn’t like hospitals,
she wondered, stealing a glance at him.  His expression was calm, but she could spot the tension in the muscles of his jaw.  “You want to tell me about it?” she asked gently.

             
“Not really, but I’m going to anyway,” he replied bluntly and took a deep breath.  “When I was seven my mother went into a hospital with heart problems.  She’d had it most of her life so it wasn’t anything new.  Having me and Sharon had been a quite a risk but she really, really wanted to be a Mum.”

             
“I can understand that,” Ronnie replied quietly.  Her own inability to bear children had cost her a few relationships in the past.  Not to mention how it left her feeling a little empty inside. She forced herself not to think about it.  Alex was finally opening up about something that was very difficult for him.

             
She knew he never willingly went to hospitals unless it was absolutely necessary, or for her sake.  Like the time she’d crashed her cruiser during a high speed chase.  The vehicle had suffered far worse than she had, but a head injury was not to be taken lightly.  So she had been spirited away to the nearest hospital.  They had just wheeled her out of the Emergency Room when Alex rushed in looking pale and worried.  For a moment it seemed like he was expecting something to pounce him.  But the moment he had spotted her, his eyes never strayed.

             
He never said much about things that disturbed him.  It wasn’t a macho act, that wasn’t his style.  She suspected he tried to avoid burdening her with some of his own issues, knowing the sort of things she encountered in the line of duty.  But every so often he’d open up, like now. 

             
Alex took a deep breath and continued, “Sharon was three and I was seven when she became ill.”

             
‘I’m here for you,’ she thought silently. 

             
“We went with our Dad to see her,” his voice was becoming less tense as he went along.  “She was fine at first and then she started to complain of pains in her chest.  We were rushed out of the room.  Sharon was crying and Dad was trying to deal with her.  He kept muttering about getting her something to drink to calm her down.  I remembered seeing a vending machine down in the lobby.  Just then the elevator opened a few feet away.  So I wandered in and took it all the way down.”

             
Veronica’s eyebrows shot up.  “ALL the way down? Like to the Basement?”

             
He nodded.

             
“The Morgue...” Ronnie murmured shaking her head. 

             
Alex nodded, “Spot on.” 

             
Veronica started to slow down, “I’m going to drop you off at...”

             
“NO!” he snapped.  He was breathing heavily now and his hands were held tightly together on his lap.  “If I don’t tell you now, I don’t know if I ever will.”

             
She pulled the vehicle over, put it in park and turned to him.  “Alex, I want you to stop right there…”

             
“I heard voices,” he said loudly.  His face was tense and sweat was forming on his brow.  “The closer the elevator got to the basement, the louder they got.” 

             
Clearly he wasn’t about to stop, so she put a hand on his. “Then what happened?” she asked gently.

             
“The doors opened and I got out.  I knew right off the bat, I was lost.  And the elevator had already closed behind me and left.  I could still hear the voices down the hallway, so I went that way.  I thought the people I heard talking could tell me where I was and how to get back to my Dad.  There was a set of large doors at the end of the hallway.  It sounded like the voices were coming from there, so I opened them and went inside.  It was cold in there.  Not just physical mind you, it was another kind altogether.”

             
Veronica said nothing but simply nodded.

             
“It was a deep cold, the old ‘down to your bones’ sort of chill.” He shivered for a moment then continued, “There were bodies on the tables and people standing next to them.”

             
“I have a feeling you’re about to tell me they weren’t the staff,” Ronnie murmured.

             
He nodded, “They were the same people who were lying on the tables.”

             
“Holy shit,” she muttered.  She had read of such things before and then remembered a discussion she’d once had with a friend who’d gone into psychiatry.  “Do you think it’s possible you knew they were dead and that your mind didn’t like it, so you saw them as alive as well?”

             
“Possibly,” he shrugged and turned to her.  “So why did my Mum suddenly come up behind me and tell me I didn’t belong there?”

             
Ronnie stared at him.  “Oh my God...”

             
He looked away and continued, “She led me back to the elevators, telling me how everything was going to be all right and that my Dad was worried about where I’d gotten to.  We took the elevator together.  She never let go of my hand the whole time.  As soon as the doors opened I saw my Dad and she gave me a little push towards him.”

             
“And that’s when he told you she was already gone?” she finished gently.

             
He nodded.  “Now I’ve got a pretty good imagination, Luv, but…”

             
“Not that good, Sweetheart,” she smiled and held him. After a few moments, she heard him whisper, “Thank you.”

             
“A mother’s love is a powerful thing,” she told him and let go.  “Did you ever see her again?”

             
He shook his head, “No, but for the longest time it felt like she was nearby. I got the feeling Dad felt her too.  He didn’t try burying himself in work or anything like that.  He was always there for me and Sharon the whole time.”

             
“I knew there was a reason I liked him.”

             
Alex’s expression became thoughtful, “I knew he was hurting a lot during that time, but we needed him so much he didn’t give in to it.  And by the time he felt it was all right to give in, he didn’t need to anymore.  He knew he wasn’t going to be on his own.”

             
“And the feeling you had?”

             
“Gone,” he replied wistfully.

             
She sighed. “So what does this have to do with you wanting to come to the Morgue with me?  I’ve been there a number of times before, and you’ve never asked to come along.  Why now?”

             
Alex took a deep breath before answering.  “Remember that cold feeling I told you about a moment ago?”

             
“Yes,” she said slowly.

             
“I got it again when I heard those kids were already dead before their car crashed.”

             
She stared at him. “Meaning what?”

             
“I don’t know, Luv.  That’s what I need to find out.”

              As they made their way down the corridor leading to the Morgue, Alex remarked, “You know if I’m right about Cassie, maybe we should set her up with Julie.  She prefers girls, right?”

             
His lady frowned, “Yeah, but why would you do that?”

             
He shrugged, “Well… I figured, next time she starts making snide comments about you, or starts draping herself all over me…”

             
“Julie’s as tall as I am, has shoulders like the Guvernator over in California, and does lesbian wrestling videos,” Veronica pointed out.  “Cassie is like five foot nothing and wouldn’t last five minutes with her.”

             
Alex stopped, wiggled his eyebrows, and then continued down the hall.

             
“Ooooo… you are evil,” Veronica grinned and followed.  Obviously, he was trying to keep himself distracted in these surroundings, and she wasn’t about to let him stop.  She was worried.  Just being here was obviously a strain for him.  Best to keep his mind occupied. “You have my blessings if you want to set them up with each other, but only if I’m allowed to sic Julie on your sister the next time she gets up my nostrils.”

             
Alex stopped and looked at her.  “Gets up your nostrils?  You’re sounding more British every day.”

             
“Well, some of your phrases are more interesting,” she shrugged as they came to a halt in front of a pair of large doors.

             
“You sure you want to do this?” she asked one last time.

             
“I don’t know,” Alex replied staring at the portal. 

             
“You can go back to the car,” she told him gently.

             
“Luv?  Who led the way here?”

             
“You did…” she began and stopped, “You’ve never been here before, have you?”

             
He shook his head.

             
“I don’t like this,” she told him.

             
“Welcome to my world,” he sighed, and reached for the doors.

              For a brief instant Alex could almost sense something was about to happen and that he shouldn’t proceed.  But it was too late.  His hands had already touched the cold metal of the doors.  Suddenly, a loud and terrible scream erupted all around him.  It was so powerful and deafening that he fell to one knee, while trying desperately to cover his ears to lessen the din to no avail.  It was as if the sound was reaching inside and tearing at him from within. He felt the cold again, just as he had when he was a child.  Only this time it was much worse and it went far deeper than before.

             
Then a new sound came, it was Veronica screaming, “WILL SOMEONE TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF?”  He knew she was right next to him and could even feel her clutching at his shoulders, but still her voice sounded like it was coming down some dark tunnel. 

             
He felt so cold and alone… except for the scream that continued to tear at his very being.  There was rage and desperation in it.  He could barely think.
So cold, so cold…
was all that kept going through his mind. 
I’m so cold and….wet?

             
Suddenly the sound stopped. 

             
Opening his eyes and breathing heavily, Alex found he was on the floor with Veronica holding onto him. 

             
“Don’t let him get to his feet.  Let me check him out first,” said a man’s voice from nearby. “Charlie, get a wheelchair.”

             
“We’ve only got gurneys down here,” replied a second voice.  Alex assumed that must be Charlie, he sounded young.

             
“Well, go and fetch one from upstairs,” barked the first speaker.

             
“Okay, okay I’m going,” complained Charlie, his footsteps fading in the distance.

             
“Alex, can you hear me?” he heard Veronica say.

             
“Officer, please, I know what I’m doing?” chided the first speaker.

             
“Not if you talk to her like that you don’t,” Alex murmured.

             
“And what do you mean by that young man?” asked the newcomer. 

             
It was an older man’s voice Alex realized and said, “If you get up her nostrils she’ll introduce your right elbow to your left ear, and vice versa with the other one.”  He lifted his head to see his rescuer and found it was indeed an older man with a mop of gray hair and glasses.  He was also wearing a doctor’s white coat