Until I Die Again [On The Way To Heaven] (Soul Change Novel) (30 page)

After reading them, Mick looked up. “This doesn’t prove anything.”

“It’s all I have. But I can tell you everything you could ever want to know about Colorado. My dad taught me how to ski when I was six, in Telluride. My sister Bernice never picked up the skiing thing, but my other sister, Charlene, competes nationally. My third sister, Paula, never cared to try. I wore nothing but jeans my whole life, except on Sunday when we went to church. I climbed every tree within a half-mile circumference of our house. I was five-foot-four with kinky brown hair and no chest. Would I make this stuff up?”

Mick’s expression was uncertain, his eyes fixed on her. “And Jamie knows. About you being this Chris person?” His fingers were white where they clutched the iron bars.

“No. There’s no need to tell him.”

“And what if I tell him his wife is either a wacko or another woman in Hallie’s body? What would he say?”

“He’d think you were the crazy one. I only told you because I thought you should know about Hallie.” Her heart was tightening, but she fought to keep a calm expression on her face. “Do you think I’m a wacko?”

“I don’t know. Whatever you are, whoever you are, you’re not the Hallie I knew. She wouldn’t have given the Manderlay back, and she wouldn’t have made me come get her.” He lifted his arm to show the fingernail marks, then tilted his head to show gouges on his neck. “She was too afraid to fight me like this.”

“You tried to kill my husband,” she stated with a flat voice.

“I just wanted him out of the way until I could get you back to your senses and find out why you double betrayed me.” He bowed his head to show her a glob of dried blood. “I’d say we’re about even.”

“The hell we are. He’s…” She stopped herself, not wanting Mick to know that Jamie was defenseless in bed.
 
“He got it a lot worse than you did.”

“But he’s alive?”

“Yes. If you come back again, both he and his brother will kill you if I don’t do it first.”

Mick leaned his head against the bars, his eyes closed. “Hallie?”

“No, Chris.”

“Chris, if what you say is true… if Hallie died…, do you think she got a second chance?”

“Not in my old body, she didn’t. Maybe in someone else’s.”

He raised weary eyes to hers. “How can I find out?”

“You can’t. She’ll have to find you.”
If she wants to, and I doubt that.

“My trial is tomorrow. What kind of trials do they have around here?”

Juicy said, “It be in Ralph’s house. Mr. D will sign papers, then you, him and Mrs. D assemble in his living room and proceed to tell your stories. He decide which story he like better and give his ruling.”

Hallie saw something alight in Mick’s eyes. “So, I will see Master DiBarto tomorrow then?”

Juicy’s voice became deep and harsh. “Dis time you see him face to face. In the daylight, not sneaking up on him like a coward.”

Mick winced but didn’t respond.

She stood. “I have to get back home. Come on, Juicy.”

“Goodbye, Chris.”

Mick’s words sent shivers down her spine and throughout her whole body. Those words, spoken carefully, deliberately. Why did they bring back her nightmare? She left the jailhouse, Juicy at her side.

“Do you think he’ll tell Jamie what I told him?”

Even in the dark as they picked their way back to the golf cart, she could tell he was shaking his head.

“Hard to say. Da man be a kook. His aura be dark, all crazy.”

“You got that right. Oh God, I can just see this whole story coming out at the trial. Do I deny it, or admit it to Jamie? No, I can’t tell him. I can’t risk his thinking that I’ve lost my mind. And what if he tells Jamie that I stole Dave’s gem? He might hate me for that. Juicy, what will they do with Mick if he’s found guilty, which he’ll most assuredly be?”

Juicy shrugged. “Well, dey already decide to keep his boat and give to da fishermen. Dey might keep him in jail for a long time.”

Her heart leaped. “Here? They’d keep him here?”

“Where else?”

“I can’t keep worrying that he might somehow tell Jamie what I just told him. Or break out and come back to do God-knows-what. No, I’ve got to convince Jamie to drop the charges and send him away from Constantine. If I’ve convinced him of who I am, he’ll probably leave us alone. Do you think I convinced him?”

Again Juicy shrugged. “I t’ink you convince him of somet’ing, but he not sure what. Give him time, he may believe you.” They reached the golf cart and climbed in, but before he started the engine, he turned to her. “Dese nightmares you tell me you have every night, do you t’ink dey are trying to tell you somet’ing?”

“No, they’re just…” She turned to him. “Yes, but I don’t know what. That’s how I realized that a truck ran me off the bridge. I keep seeing the accident, just like I’m there again. And I get flashes of other things, too.”

All she could see were the whites of his eyes in the darkness, looking straight at her. “What other t’ings?”

“Like a newspaper article, but I can’t read the words other than ‘Missing’. And my boyfriend begging me to give him a chance, but I don’t know for what. Alan telling me that his name is Randy Vittone, that Alan is alive and he’s blackmailing him into doing something. He was going to get proof, and I was meeting him somewhere. He wanted me to go to the police after I had this proof, but the truck ran me off the road before I got there. I don’t know. Maybe I am crazy.”

Juicy leaned over and pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the tensions of the past weeks seep out in a long sigh.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know. My life here with Jamie is wonderful, but these nightmares won’t go away. How can I go on with my new life when my old one won’t leave me alone? Or rather, my death won’t leave me alone.”

He lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. “Do you think somet’ing is tellin’ you to go back home and find out what happened? Maybe the nightmares go away and you can live in peace.”

She listened to the night sounds, the rustle of leaves and screeching calls of a bird. In the warm breeze a chill climbed from her feet and slowly traveled up to her scalp.

“I can’t leave Jamie.”

“Dat be your decision. Maybe the dreams will go away.”

She knew they wouldn’t. Somehow, she knew.

Hallie thrashed in her sleeplessness for two hours before dropping off. But sleep would offer no comfort, no escape. The images crashed into her mind, one after the other with alarming clarity. Mick held her in a grip. “Goodbye, Chris,” his voice said in an odd lilt. Then he turned into Alan, still holding her. “Goodbye, Chris. Drive carefully.” She held a newspaper clipping in her hand, and all she could read in the crumpled letters were “Missing,” and her heart felt as if someone had ripped it out of her chest. When the familiar scenario started with her car reaching the bridge, the dream changed again.

Jamie was standing there, reading the newspaper article, crumpling it up in his hand and throwing it at her. “What you’re telling me is crazy. I knew you weren’t right, I knew all along that something just wasn’t right. Dr. Hughes warned me to keep an eye on you. After a couple of shock treatments, you’ll be fine.” He patted her shoulder, a phony smile on his face. “Just fine.”

She sat up with a jerk, trying to catch her breath. Then she glanced toward Jamie, wondering if he had noticed. He was deep asleep, probably with help from the pain killers.

Missing. Who was missing? Not Alan, because he had been there. Randy Vittone? Alan’s words came to her again.
My name is Randy Vittone.
She clutched her head, feeling the ache of the many questions that haunted her.

“Jamie,” she whispered. “Don’t hate me.”

“You want me to
what
?”

Jamie sat up straight before getting dizzy and setting his head back against the pillow. His mind was still foggy. He was sure he’d heard Hallie wrong.

Her voice was small, quiet. “I said, I want you to drop the charges against Mick. Will you listen to me while I explain?”

He crossed his arms, anger bubbling inside him. The terror of finding that his wife had been dragged from their bed was still too fresh in his mind to think of anything other than murdering the son of a bitch. It had only been two nights before.

“Okay, explain. Don’t tell me that you’re just a forgiving person, and I won’t even hear anything like you don’t want him hurt.”

Her blonde hair fell about her face as she leaned toward him, blue eyes pleading. She nervously licked her lips, lips he’d rather kiss than hear these words from.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I want to strangle him myself.” Her hand felt warm as her fingers encircled his arm. “Jamie, if he’s found guilty, they’ll keep him in prison for a year or more.”

“So?”

“They’ll keep him
here
. He’ll be right over there all that time. That jail cell isn’t made to hold anyone indefinitely. What if he breaks out? What if he comes after us again?”

He softened as he heard her plea. Not for Mick’s comfort but for their safety.

“So what are you suggesting?”

“That you drop the charges only if he’s immediately sent back to the States. Neither one of us will talk to him or even see him. He’ll be escorted directly from the cell to the airfield and flown away.”

“What if he comes back?”

“He won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

She was avoiding his gaze. Besides the trace of desperation, he saw guilt. He moved his arm out of her grasp.

“Hallie, did you go see him?”

Her chin twitched, but she didn’t answer. He threw her hand off the bed and pushed her away.

“Damn you, Hallie.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and stood. In blue jeans with her hair in a ponytail and no make up, she looked like a teenager who’d been caught sneaking out.

“I didn’t see him on a social visit. I had to convince him that I wasn’t the woman he thought I was. That I’m different now.”

“Did you go alone?”

“Juicy went with me.”

His eyes widened. “Juicy, the bartender?”

“He’s a friend of mine. He was my only friend for a while.”

He felt a twinge of guilt, then got mad because she was the guilty one, not he. “Hallie, leave me alone.” There was such fear in her eyes, he felt compelled to add, “I just need some time alone for a while.”

“Don’t hate me, please. I just want him gone from our lives. He won’t be gone if he’s right there, a short walk away.”

“Leave.”

She dropped her head and left without giving him another look. He stiffly got out of bed and stretched. His muscles were still too sore for his morning swim. The doctor had said no activity for a couple of days, but one more day in bed and he’d go nuts. Phoenix was lying by his side of the bed, and Jamie got a major head rush when he leaned down to pet him. The throbbing pain in his head increased its tempo.

Even though he wasn’t supposed to, he took a shower, then got dressed. Hallie was sitting out by the pool, throwing peanuts to George, who was hanging on one of the skinny branches of the calabash tree. They had developed the game some time ago, taking turns tossing peanuts and dried fruit bits to the upside-down monkey. This time she was flinging them a little too hard, and George was missing most of them and not too happy about it.

When Phoenix wandered over to where she was sitting, she instantly looked up at Jamie. Her eyes took in his clothes, but she didn’t say anything. Her expression was hesitant, full of that sadness he had seen in the days after her release from the hospital.

“Make the arrangements,” he said.

She stood. “For Mick, you mean?”

“Take care of everything without seeing him, do you understand?”

“I will.” She studied him. “Are you… all right with this?”

“My head hurts too much to figure out how I feel about it.”

“Where are you going?”

“To work. I’ll see you later tonight.”

He left her standing there with a bag of peanuts in her hand, staring after him.

Hallie had gone to the office, too, but had been careful not to run into Jamie. Her relief from avoiding the trial had not erased the feelings of guilt for getting Mick off easy, no matter how valid her reasons. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she’d gone to Jamie’s office and found it dark. Worry sent her running home to see if he was there.

She found him lying on a chaise lounge by the pool. His blond hair was plastered to his head from a recent swim, although wisps of it broke free as they dried in the sunshine. She stood there for the longest time, staring at him. The ache in her heart that had started out as a dull thud now had a tearing-of-flesh feeling.

Jamie, how I love you. Please don’t hate me.

Everything around her looked different through eyes that might not see them for a while. George sat in a tree nearby, picking at a big, green breadfruit; the palm trees danced in the wind; and the late afternoon sun made everything feel warm and hopeful. Not the way she felt at all.

She walked over and knelt down by Jamie. He woke with a start, blinking at her through the sunlight behind her. He reached out and roughly pulled her toward him, kissing her.

“Never,” he murmured into her hair when he held her close. “Never see him again, Hallie. Or talk to him.”

She couldn’t talk for fear that tears would start gushing out. She could only shake her head. After a moment, he pulled her face back for another long kiss, his hands yanking off her shirt. In one swift movement, she was the one lying on the lounge, and he hovered over her.

“Jamie,” she said between kisses. She didn’t want to make love with him, not before she had to tell him she was leaving.

“Shhh,” he ordered, kissing her into silence.

Feeling his tongue moving with hers and his body pressed against hers, she realized how much she wanted this, the bliss before the storm. He slipped out of his bathing suit, then slid her skirt and panties down. She felt his strength inside her, his tongue dominating her mouth. Her legs moved up to encircle his waist, and her arms slipped around his neck.