Mercy's Magic (13 page)

* * *

“Mommy, why didn’t I go to school today?” Terra and her mother were still cuddled in bed, half-slumbering.

Mercy pulled her daughter closer. “It’s Mommy’s fault,” she said. “Mommy was up late last night. I’ll take you, and I’ll explain that you’re tardy because of me. You won’t get in trouble.”

Terra wrapped her arms around her mother. It was moments like these that Mercy would cherish forever. The child looked up at her mother, eyes round. “Why were you up so late?”

“I was working,” Mercy answered. It was partly true, at least, but the white lie stung.

“Was Aunt Itzy here?”

“Yes, she was,” Mercy answered. “How’d you know that? Did we wake you up?”

“No, I just had a dream about her. She was driving her truck, and she was mad. Why was she here, Mom?”

“It’s complicated,” Mercy said. “But nothing to worry about. You know, your Aunt Itzy loves you very much.” She stroked Terra’ hair. “My, your hair is tangled,” Mercy said, changing the subject. “Come on, let’s get dressed. Lily deserves a break from us when she gets back from work, and let’s get you to school.”

“Why can’t we stay home? Just this once?”

Mercy sat up and pulled Terra onto her lap. “I’m sorry, baby, I still have more work to do.”

“Alright,” Terra resigned.

“But maybe one day soon, we could take a day off, together, if you keep up your grades, and don’t mess with the other kids. I could take you to Disneyland.” She smiled as Terra’s eyes lit up.

Terra jumped out of bed. “Okay! Deal!” She dashed for the bathroom to get ready.

Mercy sat just a moment longer, thinking of the night before. She could still smell Ariel’s scent on her, which gave her stomach flip-flops.

“Well, there’s still work to do,” she sighed. She had to visit Patterson.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Joe Patterson was, as usual, working at his desk when Mercy arrived. “Hey there,” Mercy said, taking her seat as across from him.

“Mercy,” he said, elated. He rose slightly in politeness. “Thanks for coming. I understand you’re done with your part, but I thought you’d be interested to know that we’ve got some good news. Great news.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, I made a list of missing persons reported in and around Javier’s neighborhood. It seems there’s a connection. They all disappeared within days of each other, all undocumented, and were all already employed. It’s a mass human smuggling ring if I ever saw one, so I’ve been in touch with most of the families. Stories are all the same, they got an extra job, and then they disappeared.”

“Huh,” Mercy said. She didn’t know what else to say.

“Well, guess what?” He smiled. “They’ve all come home, unharmed.”

“What?!” That did surprise her. “They’ve been...freed?”

“Yep. The strange thing is none of them can remember where they were. So far. I’ve only questioned about seven as of yet.” He leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands around the back of his head. “What would you make of that,
Ms. Magic Eye Private Eye
?” He was smiled and watched her closely. Mercy seemed flustered.

“I don’t know what to make of it,” Mercy answered. “You and I both know how weird this case is, or was. Is it closed now?”

“Of course not,” he told her. “We still have to find the perps that kidnapped and exploited them, at least according to your eyewitness testimony, or is there something more going you need to tell me?”

Mercy leaned forward and put her head on her chin. “So, what more do you want from me?”

“I want to know how you got Javier out of wherever he was,” Joe Patterson said.

“I...I guess he must have been the first one, I, umm already told you though, Remember?” Mercy stammered. She felt bad about lying, but Ariel. “He called me, from the beach. I went to pick him up. He didn’t remember anything either. But he’s back at home safe and sound. I think that’s the most important part, no?”

“You’re keeping something from me.” Joe’s smile was gone. “Mercy, this is a very serious case. You could be subpoenaed, if you’re withholding evidence.”

Mercy looked him dead in the eye. “Joe, honest. I don’t have any more information for you.”

He held her gaze a moment longer. He leaned back in his chair and with submission said, “Well, I can’t drag it out of you. Not today anyway. But I hope you’ll change your mind,
if
you’re able to recall anything that could aid our investigation, of course.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help, I don’t have anything further to share. Believe me, I wish I knew more,” Mercy said. She did like the guy, and she had been looking forward to saying yes the next time he asked her out. But so much had changed now. Patterson’s interrogations now reminded her of the way Grant behaved right before the divorce, and of course now there was the biggest game changer of them all, Ariel.

“Yes, well, uh, thank you Ms. Cruz. Just keep us in mind, okay?” Joe said, tapping his pen on the desk, all business.

He wasn’t happy, she could tell that much. This was the first time she’d kept anything from him, and he knew it.

She gathered her purse and rose. He did stand up as she did, though. “I will, Joe, if I can help in any way, I will.”

“Alright, Miss Cruz, have a nice day.” He lowered his head, as if she were no longer present and went back to his paperwork as she let herself out of his office.

Chapter Thirty-Five

This time, Mercy drove up Ariel’s driveway and parked in front of the mansion. Just as she was walked up the wide steps he opened the door.

Mercy hurried inside and Ariel closed his eyes, pulled her close to his chest and embraced her as if she were a long-lost love he hadn’t seen in an eternity. He lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly. She resisted his lips at first, but she couldn’t help herself. She returned his kiss with unreserved passion.

Finally she broke away. “Ariel, what happened? I talked to the detective today and he said everyone that was missing has come back.”

Ariel smiled, took her hand, and led her into the living room. During the day, with sunlight splashing through the windows and roofless patios, the mansion resembled a Mediterranean villa. Airy, open, and inviting. The French doors to the back gardens splayed apart; welcoming a cool, fresh breeze that brought in the garden scents.

“Well?” She asked him as they sat together.

“Your police friend is right,” he answered. “Does this please you, Mercy?”

“Me? Why yes, of course it does.”

“Because I did it for you,” he said.

“Wow…I don’t know what to say. That was fast,” Mercy said, stunned. “You got rid of your whole operation for me?

“You could say thank you,” he teased.

“Thank you! That’s wonderful! And you erased their memories. That’s good. I wouldn’t want to remember an experience like that.”

“Nor would I, I suppose. But they no longer know that pain and that is all that matters,” Ariel said, moving her hair behind her ear. “Mercy, I know what you did last night. And I know that it backfired, somehow. But that doesn’t matter. You’ve brought something out in me that I’ve never felt before. I almost don’t know what to do now.”

“Hmmm...” she said. “You’ve turned over a new leaf? For me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I can. This contract and project was nothing compared to some of the things I’ve done. The money was easy, but really of no consequence. I was going to shut down soon anyhow.”

“So, you didn’t do it for them,” Mercy stated quietly. “You didn’t send them home because you knew you were abusing them.”

“Do you know how old I am, Mercy?”

“No. But what’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?”

“I’m older, much older than you. And I’ve gained an insurmountable amount of power through the years. Doing these contracts for money kept me in check. Contained,” Ariel said, as his eyes took on a glassy sheen. “If I hadn’t fallen in love with you last night, I would have probably killed you.”

Mercy was shocked at his candor. “My aunt say’s you’re evil. An abuser and willful exploiter of black magic. And I know you could have killed me at that empty warehouse. I felt your rage.”

“I could have, indeed.”

“But you say you love me. I’m feeling pretty much the same way, but, Ariel, this is a spell. It’s not real.”

“How do you know?” Ariel asked. “This aunt of yours, is she the one who taught you what you know?”

“Yes, well kinda. I haven’t been the best student, I guess.”

“And am I right in supposing she tried to remove this so-called
spell
?”

“She tried. She couldn’t.”

“So, how do you know we’re not meant to be together? I’ve lived ages, through more changes in the world than you can imagine, my darling, and I’ve seen much stranger things happen.”

Ariel’s rich and deep voice pierced right into Mercy’s heart.
Was he right?
Her eyebrows drew together in contemplation. “I don’t know what to think,” she finally said. “All I know is I came back here the soonest I could. To be with you. To feel you.”

“Then be with me,” he whispered into her ear. “Let us feel what others never will.”

She started to kiss him, but pulled away. “My daughter,” she said. “Terra. I can’t forget about her.”

“She’s in school?”

“Yes. Somebody’s got to pick her up. She gets out in a few minutes. Oh God, how could I forget? Let me make a phone call.”

Mercy felt guilty as she dialed Grant’s number. First she had Terra stay with Lily, now Grant. And after she’d just spent the weekend with him. This was crazy.

Ariel listened as she spoke to her ex-husband in the hallway, making up an excuse about work and about Javier. He heard her apologize more than once. When she came back into the living room she was smiling, but he sensed a sadness underneath. And for the first time in a long, long while, he felt a pang of sorrow.

He stood, and she walked up to him, and finished that kiss. “Mercy,” Ariel muttered under his breath.

“Shhh…,” she told him, placing a finger just above his upper lip. This time, it was she who took his hand and headed for the stairs.

Chapter Thirty-Six

It was as if they’d come to know all of the intricacies of each other’s bodies overnight. Ariel reveled with joy as he bestowed Mercy with ecstasy again and again, afterward he pooled in sated sublime. Mercy’s head fell onto Ariel’s chest, sweat on sweat, and her hand resting on his heart.

Mercy’s eyes were closed, as she refused to see Ariel’s burning eyes, eyes she still feared. Instead she stared up onto the bare ceiling, contemplating all. She didn’t see his frown. Ariel, for all that he had been, really did think he wanted to be someone she could truly respect and love deeply. Mercy had asked him if he had released the captives based on their need to be freed. No, he hadn’t, Ariel did it for Mercy. He had lived a life that catered solely to his wants and needs. Mercy was so beautiful, so lively. And she cared about people in a way that he hadn’t in years. Decades, centuries.

Mercy sensed something though. Still feeling his heartbeat, she asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

It took him a moment to answer. “I’m just thinking about us,” he said truthfully enough. “We’re alike in some ways but very different, you and I.”

“I know,” Mercy whispered. “That makes this better, right? I’ve never known anyone like you.”

“I love you, Mercy. But you don’t know me half as well as I know you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

But he had decided. And when Ariel Caliban decided something, he rarely changed his mind.
Perhaps that will have to change, too,
he thought.

But for now, he stroked her thick hair and whispered, “Sleep, my love. Sleep deeply and wake rested. Awake happy.” He put this into Mercy’s mind, and soon after his words were spoken, she fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Mercy woke a few hours later. She reached for him but he was not there. The moonlight shone into the room, and onto a beautiful red rose, along with a folded letterhead. Smiling, thinking he’d gone down to get food or something else to surprise her with, she turned on the bedside lamp and opened the letter.

My dear Mercy,

Never will I stop loving you. I know, even in my ruthless heart, we are meant to be inseparable. I told you, my darling, that I want to be a better man, a truly noble man. But first I must find that man and I must release him from his commitments, his shackles.

This is a time for you to be a good mother and raise your daughter with joy. Perhaps I can be a part of that. But at this moment in time, it would not be wise, for your sake and your daughter’s sake.

So, I must leave for a period of time. I truly hope that the time will be short, and that I can return as someone you would be proud to call your own. I cannot say how long this will take, but know that you will always be in my heart, as I hope I will be in yours.

With everlasting love,

Ariel Caliban

Mercy couldn’t believe the words that stared back at her. She read it, then re-read it. She looked around, gathering the bed sheets around her. She could feel it; he was gone.

“He told me to sleep, and wake up happy,” she said to no one. “Well, that didn’t last long.”

Mercy laid back down, understanding but not fully. Ariel had left, and with an apparent soul-searching purpose. And she knew that he’d put her to sleep. But he’d left her no way to contact him, and that was harsh.

She would stay until just before dawn, she decided. Stay in this bed for as long as she could, until his smell was completely gone, and then she would go pick up Terra. She had her precious Terra, no matter what.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“Terra, honey, it’s starting to rain. Would you please close up the windows for me?”

“But Mom, this is my TV time,” Terra whined. She was tired, Mercy could tell.

“Just pause your show, it will only take a minute.”