4 Down—Underworld

5 Down—Mineral

6 Down- My fault

13 Across—I

15 Down--Pawn

“Hey Dad,” Nick’s voice piped up as he walked in the house and plopped down on the couch. “So?”

Daniel put the crossword puzzle down again. “She didn’t come with me. I’m sorry Nick.”

“But you got to see her? Is she all right?” He said hastily, he hadn’t really expected her to come home with him although it would have been a nice surprise.

“You took the words right out of my mouth, big brother.” Colleen said as she came up from behind him. Daniel looked down at his watch. “I got out early.” She said and sat down. “So come on tell us about Mom.”

So for the next fifteen minutes or so he ran through the events of his very short trip to Venice with them. They were just as disappointed and disheartened by the news as he was. Daniel told them she’d called and he was sure that she wanted to come home. He asked if she’d called either of them but she hadn’t. “Have either of you tried to call her lately?”

“No,” Colleen and Nick said.

“Give it a shot, I just want to see what happens.” Daniel encouraged.

Colleen went first, she flipped open her cell phone and dialed the number, she was sent straight to voice mail. “Just the message…”

“Tell her you need her to call you right now, tell her there’s something wrong with the baby.”

“Dad!” She shouted with wide eyes and covered the transmitter.

“Just do it,” Daniel told her.

“Hi, ah, Mom,” Colleen stuttered and crossed her fingers. “I …I..went to the doctor today….they, they think there might be something wrong with the baby.” She shot her Father a harsh look. “I want you to call me as soon as you get this it’s very important, please Mom, I need to talk to you.” She flipped the phone shut. “Happy?” Colleen asked in a flippant tone and stroked her growing belly. “There’s nothing wrong with you is there?” She said to the unborn child growing inside her. “Nothing.”

“Why would you make her do that?” Nicholas asked and a put a concerned arm around his sisters’ shoulders. “Mom’s gonna…”

“Freak out when she gets that message,” Daniel finished. If she gets that message. “Yeah she will, Nick, but she’ll return the call.” Daniel stressed. “Your turn you call her now.”

“And say what? Annie’s in the hospital?” Nick said with a toss of his head.

“Just call and see what happens.”

Nick let out a sigh dialed the number and got the same result as his sister, he went straight to voice mail. “Hey, where’s her message?” He said as he listened to the computer voice. “Hey Mom its Nick, look, something’s going on. Call me when you get this I have to talk to you.” He hung up.

“Annie? Could you come in here please?” Daniel called and the young girl appeared in the living room wiping her hands on a dish rag.

“Yes Doctor J?”

“Have you tried to call Calla since she left?” Daniel inquired.

“No,” she stammered. “I didn’t think it was my place.”

“Get your phone Annie.” Nick said to her. “I know what you’re doing, Dad.”

“I’m not so crazy after all, huh?” Daniel smiled and went back to solving the puzzle while Annie fetched her cell phone. Daniel had the strangest feeling that the stupid little puzzle was trying to tell him something. He took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose and then held them up to the light looking for smudges. Picking the pencil up again and putting his glasses back on, he looked at the puzzle again. Daniel went over some of the letters in the puzzle with the pencil as he tried to think.

4 Down—Underworld

5 Down—Mineral

6 Down- My fault

13 Across—I

15 Down--Pawn

“Hey Dad,” Nick’s voice piped up as he walked in the house and plopped down on the couch. “So?”

Daniel put the crossword puzzle down again. “She didn’t come with me. I’m sorry Nick.”

“But you got to see her? Is she all right?” He said hastily, he hadn’t really expected her to come home with him although it would have been a nice surprise.

“You took the words right out of my mouth, big brother.” Colleen said as she came up from behind him. Daniel looked down at his watch. “I got out early.” She said and sat down. “So come on tell us about Mom.”

So for the next fifteen minutes or so he ran through the events of his very short trip to Venice with them. They were just as disappointed and disheartened by the news as he was. Daniel told them she’d called and he was sure that she wanted to come home. He asked if she’d called either of them but she hadn’t. “Have either of you tried to call her lately?”

“No,” Colleen and Nick said.

“Give it a shot, I just want to see what happens.” Daniel encouraged.

Colleen went first, she flipped open her cell phone and dialed the number, she was sent straight to voice mail. “Just the message…”

“Tell her you need her to call you right now, tell her there’s something wrong with the baby.”

“Dad!” She shouted with wide eyes and covered the transmitter.

“Just do it,” Daniel told her.

“Hi, ah, Mom,” Colleen stuttered and crossed her fingers. “I …I..went to the doctor today….they, they think there might be something wrong with the baby.” She shot her Father a harsh look. “I want you to call me as soon as you get this it’s very important, please Mom, I need to talk to you.” She flipped the phone shut. “Happy?” Colleen asked in a flippant tone and stroked her growing belly. “There’s nothing wrong with you is there?” She said to the unborn child growing inside her. “Nothing.”

“Why would you make her do that?” Nicholas asked and a put a concerned arm around his sisters’ shoulders. “Mom’s gonna…”

“Freak out when she gets that message,” Daniel finished. If she gets that message. “Yeah she will, Nick, but she’ll return the call.” Daniel stressed. “Your turn you call her now.”

“And say what? Annie’s in the hospital?” Nick said with a toss of his head.

“Just call and see what happens.”

Nick let out a sigh dialed the number and got the same result as his sister, he went straight to voice mail. “Hey, where’s her message?” He said as he listened to the computer voice. “Hey Mom its Nick, look, something’s going on. Call me when you get this I have to talk to you.” He hung up.

“Annie? Could you come in here please?” Daniel called and the young girl appeared in the living room wiping her hands on a dish rag.

“Yes Doctor J?”

“Have you tried to call Calla since she left?” Daniel inquired.

“No,” she stammered. “I didn’t think it was my place.”

“Get your phone Annie.” Nick said to her. “I know what you’re doing, Dad.”

“I’m not so crazy after all, huh?” Daniel smiled and went back to solving the puzzle while Annie fetched her cell phone. Daniel had the strangest feeling that the stupid little puzzle was trying to tell him something. He took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose and then held them up to the light looking for smudges. Picking the pencil up again and putting his glasses back on, he looked at the puzzle again. Daniel went over some of the letters in the puzzle with the pencil as he tried to think.

Annie came back into the living room, Nick took the phone from her and dialed his Mother’s number. One, two, three rings…no voice mail, no ‘this customer is out of service’….Annie’s number wasn’t on the Blocked or Not Accepted Call Lists. “She’s gotta be away from the phone. That’s four.” Nick said and waited for the computer voice mail to tell him to leave a message. Instead….

“You’ve reached Calla Jackson one-time Artiste. Please do not leave a message. I will not call you back. I’m going home.” Her voice stopped and the tone beeped his ear telling him it was time to leave his message.

15 Across- Morphine Illicit

16 Across-A home of the Celts

12 Down –Sweetheart

14 Down—Get as from a bank

15 Down—Tiny Abb.

17 Down—Inc.

“Dad, this ain’t good.” Nick said seriously and dialed the number again so his father could listen to the disparaging message.

I’m going home. Those were the last words on the message but he didn’t think she meant she was coming to this house.

18 Across—To Kill A ______

Davy was right Calla was going to be home by the end of the night. He was wrong about which home.

“Mockingbird!” Daniel shouted. “I know where she is, c’mon Nick, we gotta go!”

No one had to tell Nick twice he was on his feet and ready, “I’ll drive.”

“No,” Daniel said and grabbed his son by the shoulders. “We gotta get there NOW.”

“Dad, you hate traveling the Astral as much as Mom hates the Stargate.” Nick said in surprise.

“Colleen,” Daniel said hastily as he took his Son’s hand, “call for your Grandfather tell him to meet us there.” Daniel shook his head and muttered, “you’re probably watching anyway aren’t ya, Ares?” He felt like he was losing his mind but at least he had direction now. “Just get him.”

“Where are you going?” Colleen asked as she stood up to look at both of them.

“The old house.”

**

Mere moments after Daniel and his Son disappeared from the living room of 1 North Cemetery Drive Andrew Fucking Hartley began pounding on the front door.

Bang! Bang! Bang! “Open up! I know you’re home, mate” Bang! Bang! Bang! “Open this bloody fucking door!”

“UMPA!” Colleen shouted.

End Chapter Four
Tarnished Heroes:Something Happened on the way to Heaven
Continue to
Chapter Five