Fort Collins Read online

  Fort Collins

  Denver Cereal, Volume Thirteen

  Claudia Hall Christian

  Cook Street Publishing

  Denver, CO

  by

  Claudia Hall Christian

  StoriesbyClaudia.com

  The Denver Cereal

  The Denver Cereal

  Celia’s Puppies

  Cascade

  Cimarron

  Black Forest

  Fairplay

  Gold Hill

  Silt

  Larkspur

  Firestone

  Grand Junction (Denver Cereal V1-10)

  Fort Lupton

  Fort Morgan

  Fort Collins

  Alex the Fey Thrillers

  The Fey

  Learning to Stand

  Who I am

  Lean on Me

  In the Grey

  Finding North

  The Queen of Cool

  The Queen of Cool

  Seth and Ava Mysteries

  Tax Assassin

  Carving Knife

  Friendly Fire (Spring 2016)

  Suffer a Witch

  Suffer a Witch

  Copyright © Claudia Hall Christian

  serial fiction originally published May 2015 — November 2015

  at DenverCereal.com

  ISNI: 0000 0003 6726 170X

  Licensed under the Creative Commons License:

  Attribution – NonCommercial – Share Alike 3.0

  ISBN-13 : 978-1-938057-33-5 (digital)

  978-1-938057-32-8 (print)

  Library of Congress: 2016934330

  Photo credit: Kevin Torres in his Colorado Highways series.

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  First edition © March 2016

  Cook Street Publishing

  ISNI: 0000 0004 1443 6403

  PO Box 18217

  Denver, CO 80218

  For love.

  What’s happened so far

  Denver Cereal is an addicting, fun, sweet and crunchy serial fiction filled with the tension, drama, and love of urban life.

  The best way to catch up is to read Grand Junction, Denver Cereal Volume 1- 10 It’s very affordable and available wherever eBooks are sold or online at StoriesbyClaudia.com.

  We used to write a section here that gave a synopsis of all of the previous books. Frankly, the synopsis’ wasn’t very good. More than anything, they deprived you of the chance to hang out in Denver Cereal for a while. We were only be spoiling your fun

  You deserve a chance to read all the crazy twists and turns, mischief, and wild adventures of Denver Cereal. These aren’t books to be accomplished or checked off a list. They are stories to be savored and enjoys.

  Get to it.

  We’ll be here when you get back.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-one

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-two

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-three

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-four

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-five

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-six

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-seven

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-eight

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-nine

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-one

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-two

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-three

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-four

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-five

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-six

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-seven

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-eight

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-nine

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-one

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-two

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-three

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-four

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-five

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-six

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-seven

  Glossary of Characters

  Chapter Three Hundred and Sixty-One

  One Step Forward

  Saturday morning — 5:45 a.m.

  New York City, New York

  Standing next to the thick white door, Jill slipped a shiny brass key into the first deadbolt and clicked it open. The lock moved with ease. Taking the next key on the ring, she clicked the lock open. The third lock was older and more ornate. It reminded her of some of the old locks at the Castle. Jill found the key and slipped the key into the lock. The lock clicked open.

  She pressed open the door. Like the locks, the apartment was clean, beautiful, and easy to use. For the briefest moment, Jill wondered how wealthy Seth O’Malley was. The thought disappeared almost the moment it appeared. Jill went into the small galley kitchen. Like everything else, the kitchen was immaculate. She opened the refrigerator and found it full of everything she needed — water bottles, trays of cold cuts, cut fruit, and bottles of white and sparkling wine. A case of red wine sat on the counter next to the refrigerator.

  She closed the refrigerator and tried to remember what she’d said to Seth.

  “I wonder if I can borrow your apartment,” she’d said. “I want to talk to everyone to see if we can find a way to protect our children from this trickster that wants to steal Katy’s soul.”

  He’d smiled, nodded, and said, “Of course.”

  That was it.

  “Of course,” he’d said.

  Jill went into the living room. Everything was perfect. The furniture was expensive but very comfortable. She recognized an African rug that had to have been Jeraine’s when he owned the apartment for a brief time. A large vase of cut flowers was sitting on the coffee table.

  Just to be thorough, Jill checked the bathrooms — clean, with plenty of toilet paper and clean towels — and the two bedrooms — clean, with fresh linen. She was in the second bedroom when she heard the apartment door open and close. She went out into the main room to find a matronly woman standing in the kitchen.

  “Hello?” Jill asked.

  “You must be Jillian,” the woman said.

  “Jill Roper-Marlowe.” Jill held her hand out. The woman gave her a hug.

  “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you,” the woman said. “Sorry if I seem informal. I feel like I’ve known you your entire life. You’re our Sandy’s best friend, isn’t that so?”

  Overwhelmed, Jill swallowed fast and nodded.

  “Poor love,” the woman said. “Sissy’s better, though?”

  “She is,” Jill said. “They’re not out of the woods, but it looks like they’ll both make a full recovery.”

  “That handsome Ivan,” the woman said. “I’ve seen him dance.”

  The woman nodded with just enough wiggle of the eyebrow to indicate that Ivan was sexy. Jill blushed.

  “You’re probably wondering who I am,” the woman said with a wink.

  “I. . .”

  “I’m Seth’s next-door neighbor,” she said with a smile. “I’ve lived in this building my entire life. Seth bought this place when he was ten years old or some such nonsense.”

  The woman laughed. She started moving around the kitchen with a comfortable ease. She turned on an espresso machine.

  “He was ten and in college,” she said. “I was fifteen and in high school. We’ve been friends since the moment we laid eyes
on each other.”

  The woman nodded and started taking out the ingredients for brownies. Jill could do no more than gawk at her.

  “Latte?” the woman asked.

  “Uh,” Jill said.

  “It’s all right, Jill,” the woman said. “I take care of this apartment. I even did it for that rascal Jeraine.”

  “But. . .” Jill started.

  “My husband died while I was pregnant with my third,” she said. “Seth hired me on the spot. He’s helped me raise my girls and send them to college. My baby has just graduated from medical school — Columbia, no less.”

  The woman went through the easy motions of making Jill the coffee. She placed the hot liquid in a travel mug.

  “I’m sure you’re heading back to the hospital,” the woman said.

  Jill took the mug from the woman. She felt a question formulate in the back of her mind.

  “You’re not. . . interested,” Jill said, “in Seth, I mean.”

  “Not in the least.” The woman laughed. “He’s like a brother to me. Plus, have you ever noticed that the man can barely care for himself?”

  “Um,” Jill shook her head.

  “He has Maresol in Denver,” the woman said. “Jammy when he’s on the road. Me in New York. I’m Claire, by the way.”

  The woman nodded and started making brownies.

  “I love him, of course,” the woman said. “But a man like Seth is better suited for a woman like Ava. I really love that girl, don’t you?”

  Jill gave a slight nod.

  “My big brother died in Vietnam.” The woman looked up at Jill and gave her a soft smile. “Seth brought him home to my mother. She was able to die in peace. You just can’t repay that kind of thing.”

  Jill took a drink of the latte.

  “Are the fairies coming?” the woman asked. “They can’t have certain spices, makes them sick.”

  “Uh,” Jill said.

  “How about your father, Lord Perses?” the woman asked. “Your mother?”

  Jill’s mouth fell open, and she gave a kind of cough. The woman laughed.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘Yes,’” the woman said. “Now go on. I’m sure you have plenty to do.”

  The woman picked up Jill’s handbag and the key ring.

  “You’re sure?” Jill asked as she took her belongings from Claire.

  The woman smiled and waved Jill to the door. A few minutes later, Jill was standing on the sidewalk below Seth’s Greenwich apartment and wondering about Seth O’Malley’s wealth. She glanced up at the apartment one last time before waving down a cab and heading back to the hospital.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday morning — 5:45 a.m.

  New York City, New York

  Sissy felt consciousness come in waves. One moment, she felt like she was asleep, and the next she felt like she was waking up. Like being on the swings in Olympia, she swung back and forth between being awake and being unconscious. She felt someone grab her hand and opened her eyes.

  “Hedone,” Sissy whispered.

  “Here I am Heather,” she said.

  “I remember,” Sissy said. “‘Our little game,’ you used to say.”

  Heather smiled.

  “Where’s the baby?” Sissy asked.

  “Maresol grabbed him the moment I got here and won’t give him back,” Heather said. “I think she needed someone to care for.”

  Sissy attempted a smile, but it came out as a kind of grimace.

  “How are you feeling?” Heather asked.

  “Sick,” Sissy said.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes.

  “Ivan?” Sissy asked.

  “He’s in the bed next to you,” Heather said. “Asleep. They expect to move him out of here by the end of the day.”

  “Where’s here?” Sissy asked.

  “Private ICU,” Heather said.

  “Seth?”

  “Otis,” Heather said. “He didn’t want his star ballerina to have to mix with common people.”

  Sissy’s eyes took in the statement while her eyebrows worked out the logic.

  “He and Jill have been here quite a bit,” Heather said with a pointed nod.

  “Nice of them,” Sissy grunted.

  “Is the pain horrible?” Heather whispered.

  Sissy nodded. Her eyes slipped closed. Heather fell silent. Sissy’s eyes popped open.

  “Swings?” Sissy said with effort.

  “In Olympia,” Heather said. “Children can slip in and out of Olympia when they are in a dream. You had been there before, so it was easy to get you there when you had. . . let go of being here.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Sissy said. “Who?”

  “My father, Eros?” Heather asked. “You asked him in Olympia, too.”

  Sissy shook her head.

  “Woman,” Sissy said. “Goddess.”

  “Oh,” Heather smiled. “Aphrodite. She’s my grandmother. Eros’s mother. She was quite cruel to my mother. Awful, really.”

  Heather shrugged.

  “I try to stay out of it,” Heather nodded and leaned in. “They are all a little crazy.”

  Sissy felt a giggle develop inside but wasn’t sure she expressed it.

  “She likes me,” Heather shrugged. “I’m not sure why. And, for the record, I always feel quite guilty about her liking me and not my mother. You know what that’s like.”

  Sissy nodded.

  “Anyway, I asked her for help,” Heather said. “She was very interested in fixing this problem that her son had created.”

  “Why?” Sissy asked. “Isn’t it more fun for them if we suffer?”

  “Right,” Heather snorted a laugh.

  “So?”

  “Oh,” Heather said. “She takes love very seriously. She feels like her son went crazy because of my mother, Psyche. She’s been helping me fix these dark arrows. That’s what we call them — ‘dark arrows’ — because they cause people to fall in love with someone they’ll never meet. We’ve been working on it for a long, long time.”

  Heather sighed. Sissy nodded.

  “I mean, it’s easier now with the Internet and everything,” Heather said. “Someone in Romania can meet their beloved in Idaho on Facebook or whatever. In the last ten years or so, a lot of people shot with his dark arrows have met each other and lived happily ever after. My dad has no idea. He’d be so pissed.”

  Heather chuckled.

  “Won’t tell,” Sissy said. “Can I ask?”

  “Anything.”

  “You and Blane?” Sissy asked.

  “We’re one,” Heather smiled.

  “Sandy and Aden?” Sissy asked.

  “Delphie fixed their dark arrow,” Heather nodded. “Just like she fixed you and Ivan. She just didn’t know she was doing it. If she had, she would have never gone up against Olympia. It’s part of her code. But you know how practical Delphie is — see a problem, fix a problem. I certainly am not going to tell her. You?”

  Sissy shook her head.

  “Charlie and Tink?” Sissy whispered.

  “Not them.” Heather shook her head.

  “Who else?” Sissy asked.

  “Jeraine and Tanesha,” Heather said.

  Sissy looked shocked.

  “That’s a recent development,” Heather said. “He let them fall in love and then shot them with the dark arrow. They could know love but never be together. It’s something he did because I dared to confront him.”

  “When I was little,” Sissy said.

  Heather nodded.

  “Delphie, Celia, and Sam,” Heather nodded. She looked off into the distance as if she were thinking. “I’m trying to figure out who you know. You are so focused on ballet that you don’t know that many people.”

  “Wanda?”

  “Yes, Wade and his boyfriend.”

  “Wanda,” Sissy said firmly.

  “Right,” Heather said. “That’s the point. If Wade stays Wade, he can’t really be with his heterosexual be
loved.”

  Heather nodded.

  “Your father’s an asshole,” Sissy said.

  Heather chuckled.

  “MJ and Honey,” Heather said. “Rodney and Yvonne — you know Tanesha’s parents.”

  Sissy gave a slight shake of her head to indicate that she thought it was incredible.

  “You’re probably wondering why there are so many around me,” Heather said. Sissy gave a slight nod. “My father was trying to get me to tell him where and when my mother was living.”

  Sissy made a sour face.

  “If I’d told him, my mother would have freaked out,” Heather said. “When I didn’t tell him, he tortured the people around me.”

  “He has your mom now,” Sissy whispered. “Why didn’t he want to fix this?”

  “Punishing me for not telling him,” Heather said. “He wanted me to feel incompetent so that he would be forced to return to Olympia.”

  “Because he doesn’t want to be with your mom?” Sissy asked.

  “No,” Heather said. “By all accounts, they’re really happy together. It’s just that his ego won’t let him acknowledge that the world doesn’t need him as much anymore.”

  “It doesn’t?” Sissy asked.

  “There’s less violence and wars,” Heather said. “Love is a value now. Children are loved by parents instead of used as property. People get together in love relationships. Just a hundred years ago, love was some weird phenomenon that happened sometimes when family honor and duty to your parents were fulfilled. Eros was needed then to remind people that there was something more, something beautiful. Now, the idea of the glory of love is ubiquitous.”

  “How did you fix it with me and Ivan?” Sissy asked.

  “That’s a long story for another time,” Heather said. “You should be resting.”