The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (12 page)

             
Cassie shook her head and replied tightly, “You’ve done enough already.”  But then she dropped the lipstick again and swore loudly.

             
This time Veronica didn’t wait.  Reaching down she picked it up and handed it to the girl and said gently, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  I have friends who’ve been in your shoes.  If you need someone to talk to I…”

             
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cassie replied snippily.  “I’m a little under the weather that’s all.  Thanks for grabbing my lipstick.”

             
“Okay,” Veronica nodded giving up, “I’ll see you back at the table.  But I want to say one more thing.  If you really consider Alex your friend, stop climbing all over him all the time.   It makes him uncomfortable and that’s not how you treat a friend, especially someone who’s been as nice to you as he’s been.”

             
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and made to leave.  She’d just gotten to the door when Cassie finally spoke.  “I’ll stop doing that to him, but only for his sake.  Not yours.”

             
‘About fucking time,’ Veronica thought and almost said those words.  But she had heard a note in the girl’s voice that stopped her.  She had a feeling about what was coming and said, “Fair enough.”  Then she left.

             
Once the door had closed behind her she waited.  A few moments later she could hear crying from the other side. 

              Two hours later Alex was back in his own car with Cassie. 

             
After lunch she’d had her chauffer take them all back to the Impound Lot and then gave him the rest of the afternoon off.  Ronnie had headed back to the station, while he and Cassandra headed over to the Graham Estate.

             
“You were awfully quiet at lunch,” Alex said to his passenger as they turned a corner. 

             
“Guess my mind was elsewhere,” she replied absently. 

             
“I think it’s still out there,” he remarked and watched her carefully.  No reaction.  He could tell something was up and decided to take a more direct approach, “Care to tell me what happened in the Ladies Room?”

             
All he got was a mono-syllable reply of, “No.’

             
Undaunted he continued, “Did Ronnie threaten you?”

             
Cassie rolled her eyes and finally looked at him and said in a matter of fact voice, “No, in fact she was actually kind of nice about it.”

             
His abilities could sense there was a lot more going on inside her, a turmoil that lay hidden just below that business-like exterior.  It was coming off of her in waves. 

             
As much as he hated to, he decided not to pursue the matter, but then she spoke again saying, “She told me I wasn’t being a very good friend to you.  That we both knew you’re not interested in me as more than a friend, and my constantly hanging all over you in front of her was making you uncomfortable.”

             
“She’s right,” he replied honestly.  Then much to his surprise she agreed.

             
“I know,” she smiled sadly.  “And you’re a very good friend.  One I took advantage of in a horrible way five years ago…”

             
“I forgave you a long time ago,” Alex quickly pointed out.

             
“I know,” she whispered, “but I’m still sorry.”

             
Sensing his companion would like to talk about something else, he looked ahead and spotted their destination.  “That’s Graham Manor coming up on our left.”

             
“Whoa!” exclaimed Cassandra as they turned and passed through a pair of huge iron gates and up a slight incline.

The graham estate

              The building was huge.  Three stories tall, with wings jutting both east and west.  Polished granite stairs led up to a pair of deep mahogany doors that looked like they belonged on a cathedral. 

             
“Impressive,” breathed Cassandra placing a hand on one of the massive doors which suddenly swung open on well-oiled hinges, adding to the silence that welcomed them.  “Someone must’ve been here recently,” she remarked.

             
“Probably the lawyers,” speculated Alex as they entered.  He noted how their footsteps across the highly polished floor echoed loudly throughout the cavernous structure. 

             
Silently the two of them gazed in wonder at the tall marble pillars with ornate carvings that flanked the entryway.  Then they spotted a room off to their right and went inside it. 

             
A grand piano stood in one corner, dwarfed by its surroundings.  Cassandra wandered over to it and played a few notes.  “The acoustics are fantastic,” she remarked obviously impressed.  ”You could have live chamber music in here.  This room could easily hold up to 70 people.”

             
And this is one of the smaller rooms,
thought Alex as they continued their tour.  

             
Cassandra took note of the fine carpeting and wall hangings.  “Any idea how many rooms there are?” she asked.

             
“Not counting the Ballrooms or the Kitchen… about 70,” he answered casually.

             
Cassie stopped and stared at him, “There’s more than one ballroom?”

             
He nodded, “The main one is just up ahead.  There are smaller ones in each of the four wings.  The building is shaped like a giant H lying on its side.”

             
“I think I’ve just found my new conference/hotel training center,” his friend squealed and hurried down the hallway.

             
Alex watched on with amusement.  She was acting more like her old self.  Whatever had gone on between her and Veronica seemed to be forgotten. 

             
He caught up with her in front of a massive pair of mahogany doors.  She had her arms crossed and seemed annoyed.  “It’s locked,” she informed him.

             
“Probably the junk closet,” he replied, pulling out some keys.  A few moments later, he gave the doors mighty push and they found themselves gazing upon an enormous ballroom.  Its mirrored walls gave the room the illusion of being several times larger than its already enormous size.  At the far end of the room were several pairs of elaborate French windows, leading out to a large patio/walkway.

             
Alex shook his head, “Who would’ve thought such a place existed here in Connecticut.” 

             
They made their way over to the French windows and out onto the patio which overlooked the most immaculate grounds either had ever seen.

             
“The fountains are beautiful,” breathed Cassandra, “Oh look a rose garden.  And there’s an old stone bridge over the stream.”

             
Alex had to give the previous owners credit.  The grounds were so perfect it was almost surreal.

             
They spent the next hour trying to explore the grounds and as much of the building in the time they had allotted themselves.  Cassandra was convinced that most of the furnishings were genuine antiques, and in museum-quality condition. 

             
As they made their way back to the car, she remarked, “There’s a large part of the building we didn’t get to see.”

             
“True, but we forgot to bring the rescue dogs so we could find our way out,” Alex replied, opening the car door for her.

             
“Hey, I wanted to stop for the puppies, but you said no dogs in the car.”

             
“I just had the car professionally cleaned.”

             
“Yeah, last Christmas.”

             
“Oye, it was expensive.”

             
“I know I paid for it, remember?  It was part of my Christmas present to you.  You wanted to show Veronica the city during the holidays and take her ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza.”

             
“Christmas wasn’t that long ago,” he pointed out defensively.

             
“Alex we’re in the middle of June.”

             
“Well...”

             
“And didn’t I get you a full year’s service package?” she pointed out. 

             
“You might’ve mentioned something to that effect,” he mumbled under his breath.

             
Cassandra put her hands behind her back and started circling him, “I bet you haven’t even taken the car back there once, have you?  Not even to get it washed.”

             
“Um… no.” 

             
“HAH!” she cried triumphantly.

             
But Alex wasn’t willing to give up so easily.  “I haven’t gone back because the blokes working there swiped the change out of the ashtray…” he suddenly broke off.  A shift in the wind had brought an unpleasant odor with it. 

             
“What is that?” asked Cassandra, screwing up her face.

             
Alex didn’t answer.  The offending aroma had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.  But he’d recognized it all too well.  It was the same smell he’d encountered at the Impound Lot earlier, only this time it was much stronger.

             
Cassandra suddenly turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face. “What happened at the Impound Lot?” she asked.  Then her face lit up, “You’ve opened yourself up again.” she whispered.  “That’s the first time in years you...”

             
“Get in the car,” he told her. 

             
Wordlessly, Cassandra obeyed.

             
Once they were on their way to the station, she asked quietly, “Are you going to stay open?” 

             
“I’ve never fully been able to close myself off,” he replied stiffly.

             
“But you’re more open now than you’ve been in a long time,” Cassie pointed out.

             
This time he didn’t reply.

             
But apparently his friend wasn’t about to give up just yet.  “That smell has something to do with it?  Doesn’t it?  Why is it so important?”

             
“Cops and robbers business,” he replied.

             
“I see,” she nodded as they drove on, “And you’re worried about Veronica, aren’t you?”

             
‘Damn,’ he thought.  Either she was getting inside his head or his emotional state was such that he was letting things seep out unconsciously.  Probably the latter and if that was the case he might as well come clean. 

             
“All right,” he said, “what I’m about to tell you stays between us.  Ronnie doesn’t know about certain talents you and I possess.”

             
Cassie looked shocked, “You never told her you’re psychic?”

             
“NO!  And I intend to keep it that way,” he replied.  “Besides I’ve done my best to suppress that side of me for some time now.”

             
“Eighteen years to be precise,” his friend said quietly.  “Ever since you came back from that place in Massachusetts, the one you went to with your cousin and those university professors.  You were never the same after that.  And you never told me what happened.”

             
“I saw my cousin die and grew up,” Alex replied flatly.

             
Cassie shook her head.  “Your Dad and your sister might’ve believed that, but I know better.  We’ve been friends since I was six and you were ten.  I know what you were like before then.  Hell, you showed me how to use my powers better.  We could talk or share feelings without using our mouths.  Then you went away and came back so changed, so closed off.  I could barely feel your thoughts or emotions, like you’d put up a barrier around yourself.”

             
“That’s exactly what it was,” he sighed.  “I saw things that summer that I shouldn’t have.  And I learned the price for being too open and unguarded.  I learned to protect myself, and I advise you to do the same.”

             
“I like being able to feel the emotions of others,” Cassie replied sympathetically, “Especially in business, I need that edge when I’m dealing with someone who’s trying to screw me over.”

             
“And what about seeing or sensing things that are… unpleasant,” he asked pointedly.

             
Looking away Cassie leaned back in her seat, “Sometimes that’s disturbing.  But don’t forget, I’m used to the dead hanging around.  Some of them are my guardians, remember?  Like Brandon.”

             
Alex nodded, “I know, I’m rather fond of him and the others.  But I’m talking about the other kind.”

             
This time it was her turn to nod quietly.  “Yeah, those are another matter entirely.  But I still wouldn’t give up what I can do, not like what you’ve done.”

             
For a moment he didn’t answer, of all the people in the world she was the one person he could open up to and he needed that right now.  “I never shut down completely,” he said quietly, “I’m not sure it’s even possible.  I just… became cautious.  I’m still as powerful as ever apparently, I’m just out of practice.”

             
Cassie shot him a puzzled look, “Why do you say ‘apparently’?”

             
“Because something happened recently,” he answered and fell silent.  A moment later, he felt Cassie’s hand on his arm but not in a sexy way.  It was the gesture of one friend reaching out to another. 

             
His resolve broke. 

             
Without preamble he launched into his story starting with the events at the Morgue.   By the time he had finished they were just pulling into the parking lot of the New Swindon Police Department.

             
“No wonder you look so worried,” Cassandra observed as they came to a stop. 

             
“Well that’s only half of it,” Alex replied, turning to her. “Wait till we’re inside then you’ll see what really has me worried.”

              “I thought we agreed you weren’t to get involved in this case,” yelled Veronica, her face turning almost as red as her hair.

             
‘Okay, now I understand what he was talking about,’ thought Cassandra as she and Alex sat next to each other in front of his girlfriend’s desk.  To say the older woman was a little upset, would have been an understatement.  Veronica was pacing back and forth, occasionally stopping to loom over the two of them and saying, “What the hell were you thinking, Alex?” she demanded. 

             
“Oye, I was just showing a prospective client a property when that smell came along and tried to mug us,” he replied tactfully.

             
Veronica raised a finger and was about to launch into another tirade, when someone knocked on her office door.  “I’m busy,” she shouted at the closed barrier.

             
“I know, I could hear you all the way over in my office,” replied the muffled voice of her boss. 

             
Cassie watched with amusement as the tall policewoman rolled her eyes in exasperation and went over to unlock the door saying, “Of course you could, your office is right next door.  And for the record, I’ve heard much worse shouting and cursing coming from your side of the wall.”

             
“All in the line of duty,” the big man replied with dignity.

             
“I was talking about when you’re alone dealing with the paperwork,” his subordinate shot back and then gestured at her two guests.  “These two may have found the area, where the water that killed Chase and those teenagers came from.”

             
“Where was this?” Roy demanded, his affable mood gone.

             
“It was either on or near the Graham estate,” Alex replied quickly.

             
“Would you be willing to show me the exact spot where you detected it?” 

             
Cassie watched Alex look over at his lady, who reluctantly nodded, before he answered.  Obviously, Veronica was not happy about this, but she wasn’t about to hinder the investigation either.