Twisted Paths Read Free

sitting on the corner of my bed. He’s not a ghost anymore. He’s a guardian angel.  He’s Clarissa’s guardian angel and he’s got her on a Greyhound bus coming into Freeport in ten minutes.”
    Comprehension dawned on Ian’s face as his smile spread. “He’s back?” he asked. “He’s really back?”
    She nodded eagerly.  “We have to meet him in ten minutes,” she repeated.
    He threw his arms around Mary and hugged her. “Well, then, what are we waiting for?” he asked.
    “Well, you really should get dressed,” she suggested. “At least put some shoes on.”
    He looked down at his bare chest and feet and nodded. “Aye, that would be a good idea,” he said.
    “I’ll warm up the car,” Mary said. “And I’ll call Bradley while I wait.”
    Ian paused on his way into his room. “Ah, Mary, about Bradley,” he said. “Why don’t you just ask him to meet us at the station, but don’t tell him why.  I think we ought to be with him when he hears the news.”
    “You think he might react the way you did?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.
    He just grinned. “Be down in a trice,” he said before pulling his door closed behind him.
    Mary hurried down the stairs, pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Bradley’s number.
    “Mary, what’s wrong?” Bradley’s voice, although sleepy, was filled with concern.
    “I’m fine,” she replied immediately. “But I need you to meet me at the Greyhound Station on South Street in about ten minutes. I have a lead on a case I’m working on and I need you to be there.”
    “Which case?” Bradley asked.
    “I’ll tell you all about it when you get there,” she replied, and then after a moment’s consideration she added, “Oh, wear your uniform. I might need a little law enforcement reinforcement.”
    She hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and hurried out to the Roadster. The night was clear and the stars were shining in the evening sky.  Mary could hear the soft call of an owl from somewhere in the vicinity.  The ground was cold and the grass crunched beneath her feet. It had been almost a year since Clarissa had been in Freeport. She wondered what the little girl would think about finding her real father.
    “She has a real father,” a voice said from next to her.
    Mary jumped and turned.  Henry Madison, Clarissa’s father, stood next to her.
    “How did you…” she began.
    He shrugged. “I just knew,” he said. “She’s back.  She’s back in town?”
    Mary nodded. “She will be, in just a few minutes.”
    “How is she?”
    “I don’t know,” she replied. “I only know that she’s coming back on a Greyhound Bus and that my friend, Mike, is her guardian angel.”
    He smiled. “She’d like that, her own angel,” he said. “I used to tell her all about angels.”
    “Well, I’m sure Mike is nothing like any angel you might have described to her,” Mary responded.
    “I’d like to see her,” Henry said. “I need to see her.”
    “Yes, you do,” she agreed. “But we need to be sure she’s safe first. Gary Copper escaped today.  We don’t know where he is.”
    Henry quickly looked around. “Is she safe?” he asked.
    Mary nodded. “Bradley, Ian and I will be meeting her at the bus station,” she said. “We’ll keep her safe.”
    “And Becca?” he asked.
    Shaking her head slowly, she met his eyes. “I don’t know anything about Becca,” she said. “I’m guessing she’s on the bus too, but I’m not sure.”
    Henry paused for a moment, seeming to search the night air and then he turned back to Mary. “No, she’s not on the bus, Mary,” he said sadly. “But she’s watching over Clarissa just the same.”
    “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mary said, her heart breaking for the little girl who’d lost so much in her young life.
    Ian hurried out of the house and down the steps. He was nearly to Mary before he saw Henry. “Ah, so you’ve heard the news?” he asked.
    Henry nodded and then began to fade. “Bring