Episode 4: The Faulted Couple

CW: Strong Language, domestic violence, loud bangs

This episode was written by Ashley McAnelly

Theme music written by ThaArsonist and episode produced by Scott Thomas

Featuring the voice talents of Ashley McAnelly as Jade, Morgan Wilson as Renee, Doug Malena as Ryan, David Cummings as Sherriff Warren, and Jessica McEvoy as the mysterious customer.

Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Links below!

You can buy Rebellion by C.J. Listro here or visit Author C.J. Listro’s website or check them out on social media

• Jade, female, 30s – Ashley McAnelly
• Renee, female, 20s – Morgan Wilson
• Husband male, 20s– Doug Malena
• Rachel female, 30s– Fern Maye
• Sheriff Warren male, 50s, Southern Accent– David Cummings
• Rosalynd female, 30s – Jessica McEvoy
• Ad Customer – Scott Thomas

I have another camper. This time it’s not Sam. This woman is older, maybe a bit older than me, though could probably pass for younger than me as short and petite as she is. It’s the air of seriousness flooding from her that ages her. A lovely dark dress clings to her hips as she crosses her legs, sitting at the table by
the window. She glances at me every once in a while over the book she is clearly not reading. Another reluctant customer.

Why can’t people just ask for what they want? Am I really that unapproachable? I thought I was downright loving. I don’t know which ones are worse, the reluctant ones who refuse to talk or the enthusiastic ones that stumble over their tongue so much they can’t think straight.

I make my way over to the woman to encourage her to speak.

“Ma’am, either tell me what’s wrong, or get out. I don’t have time for mopers.”

“Is that the way you treat all your customers?”

I slide into the chair across from her.

“Only the ones who refuse to come talk to me even though they clearly want to.”

[Sighing] “I feel silly for even being here. Not that I think you’re a fraud. If I thought that then I wouldn’t have come at all.”

“Appreciate the compliment.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe, either. It’s my particular question I feel silly about.”

[SFX: Jade’s sound queue for magic]

I stare at her, trying to get a sense of what she needs, but the air she puts off…I can’t see or feel anything through it. Either she knows how to shield herself magically or she’s locked inside herself so deep I can’t reach her.

Interesting.

“There are no silly questions in this store…as long as you’re paying.”

[chuckles] “I am paying. I’m just not sure I want to ask. I’m not sure I want the answer.”

“You’re the first to admit that. I warn everyone that comes here for a reading that they might not like the answer they get. Most think they can handle it.”

“Are most of them right? Do they handle it?”

“For the most part. It may take some wrapping their heads around it, but most can live with the answers.”

“And those that can’t? What do they end up doing?”

“I wouldn’t know. They leave and I never see them after. To be fair, I rarely see anyone again. I have very few people who come to me like a counselor. Most are one-offs. Are you going to be an exception?”

[sighing] “Well I guess we find out. How do we do this?”

“Follow me.”

I lead her back to the reading room. Her steps fall heavy beside me, her stride graceful and her gaze astute as she looks around. It doesn’t feel like she’s judging it for quality, more like she’s making a mental note of her surroundings. I can’t decide if that’s paranoid or just smart. I’m thinking smart. For someone saying she has a silly question, she’s very sure of herself.

I pull the beads back and gesture for her to step through.

“Please, sit.”

She sits as I walk around to the far side of the table. I grab my personal deck from the shelf and sit across from her.

“So, what question can I help you answer today?”

[exhales] “It’s my husband. I want to know…where he’s spending all his time when he’s not with me.”

Oh, she wants to know if he’s cheating. She purses her lips and scrunches her nose as she speaks. Those words must be bitter in her mouth.

“Why don’t you tell me your story?”

“My story?”

“Yes. What led you here?”

“Just his suspicious behavior.”

“Tell me about it.”

“There’s not much to tell. He’s just been acting strange lately. Ducking out on lunch dates and our scheduled once a week date night. I mean we both are very busy. He’s an architect, I help run an NPO out of Fayetteville, but we live in Mountainburg.”

Of course, she would be from Mountainburg. Maybe that’s how she found out to come to me. The Allbright name still carries weight in the Ozarks. But what she hides in her brevity I see in her body language. Her fidgety hands, her leg shaking so hard it vibrates the table. She wants to pretend none of this is a big deal.

“And
you come all the way down here for little ole me?”

“Nothing is making sense. Now, I’m not the type to sneak into his phone, but I did happen to see his day planner on his computer and on several days he’s got meetings with ARTICK Industries. But I looked it up. There’s no such thing.”

“Why don’t you just confront him yourself?”

The woman’s confidence leaks away as she frowns.

“I’ve tried to catch him in a lie, but you’ve got to understand, he’s not, he’s not exactly the type ofman you would confront about something like this.”

I bite back my knee-jerk question. She’s telling me he has a temper, and I bet she’s assuming he’d gaslight her or worse.

She’s  already voiced this concern, but I still have to ask.

“Are you sure you want the answer to this question then?”

She nods. “Very much so.”

“Okay. Let’s take a look.”

I close my eyes, focusing on the question, and attune to my cards. I flip over the first, and the Seven of Swords shines up at us.

“Well, this card can be a symbol of dishonesty or betrayal. This could be birthed from your suspicions, or he could be doing what you fear. He’s hiding something at the very least.”

The woman smiles, but it’s not pleasant. It’s as if she’s looking for confirmation that she’s not crazy or paranoid about what he’s been up to. He’s definitely abused hersomehow, verbally or physically. No wonder she’s shielding so hard.

“Please  continue.”

I turn over the next card. I’m so confused by this card I can’t help but to tilt my head a bit before catching myself. It’s the Ten of Pentacles.

“Huh. That’s…interesting.”

“What? What is it?”

“Well, the Ten of Pentacles refers to an inheritance, or leaving a legacy of some sort. You said your husband is an architect and you’re dressed…nicely. It could refer to the legacy of architecture he’s leaving or perhaps the financial estate he’ll leave behind when he’s dead.”

As I say that, the card speaks to me. I run my fingers over it as it lays there on the table, feeling for what it’s trying to say.

“No…no this isn’t tied to his death necessarily. This is something he may be recognized for while alive. So maybe it is referencing his architecture?”

“But what does that have to do with him not spending time withme?”
“Let’s find out.”

I turn the card face up. Three of Swords. I remain silent for a moment to complete the picture that all three cards give us. My mind goes back to his money, initially getting the feeling it’s not tied to his death. At least it wasn’t with the first card, but this last card gives me the opposite impression. That the heartbreak of this final card lies in his death and not because he’s cheating. Something else is going on here.

“I don’t think he’s cheating, but somehow this will still lead to heartache.” That soft smile falls into incredulity.

“What do you mean he’s not cheating? You just said he’s betraying me somehow.”

“Yes, and I also mentioned the inheritance. I don’t think he’s lying about cheating. I think, for whatever reason, he’s got money or some sort of legacy that he’s hiding from you. It would still definitely be something to talk to him about, but it’s not as severe as you think.”

The look on her face makes me regret that last comment. Rage flickers in her eyes before she takes a breath and composes herself.

[matter-of-factly] “He’s not cheating. He’s hiding money.”

She says it as if she’s convincing herself that it’s true. Did she want him to be cheating so she finally had a reason to leave? If my husband was hiding money like that, I’d probably still leave. Marriage has no room for dark secrets unless they’re secrets you hide together. But maybe this woman isn’t strong enough to leave.

“Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime. If you ever need more questions answered, I’ll be here.”

I walk her back to the front of the store and we get the payment handled. She pushes the door open but pauses.

“Do you happen to make home visits?”

She’s not the first to ask, but it has been a while.

“Very rarely.”

“Oh, well if money is an issue I can pay for your extra time and commute. I’m not sure I want it yet, but it’s a thought.”

That’s good enough for me.

“If you decide to call me, then I will answer.”

“Thank you. Bye.”

She walks out the door and hopefully not into a nightmare. But that’s not quite my problem yet. If I thought she was in danger I wouldn’t have let her go home, but nothing in the cards gave me that impression. If anything, he’s the one in danger.

[ad music]

[SFX: front door bells jingle as door opens]

“Good afternoon. What can I help you with friend?”

“Hey there, I’m looking for a book, but I don’t quite remember the title.”

“That’s okay, I always love this game. What do you remember?”

“Well, uhhhh I remember the cover mostly black and orange, and there was this really hot tattooed guy on it.”

“You just named half of all romance novels.”

“Nah, this wasn’t straight romance. This had demons and shit.”

“That narrows it down. Let me guess, hot tattooed guy on the cover is a demon?”

“I think so but I can’t remember. I didn’t get very far into it, I just remember the Berry Bonanza smoothie on the first page.”

“Oh, you mean Rebellion by C. J. Listro (Lee-stro).”

“Yeah, that sounds right! Do you have it?”

“Not only do I have it, I have a signed copy of it.”

“Oh shit, even better! How much?”

“Oh, sorry I meant I have my own signed copy. You’ll have to get on Amazon if you want a printed copy. But if you want, I can order it for you and have it shipped here overnight.”

“Yes, please!”

Rebellion, a paranormal romance and murder mystery wrapped into one. Chloe falls for bad-boy Tyler but grows concerned when she finds out he’s a demon. When an unknown demon starts killing girls—girls who look like Chloe—her battle of the heart becomes a matter of life or death. With the help of Tyler and a group of angels, they must find the demon who’s murdering the girls, or Chloe will be next. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or from
http://cjlistro.com.

[SFX: phone ringing]

I’m not surprised when my phone rings just after I’ve closed. I figured she would call, just not quite this soon. Has she already spoken to her husband about me? Guess there’s one way to find out.

“Hello, this is Jade.”

[shaky, nervous] “Hi, uh Jade. It’s Renee, from earlier today. You know, the one with the silly question?”

“Yes, Renee, how can I help you?”

[on the verge of a breakdown] “Is there…is there any possible way I can talk you into coming tonight for a house visit?”

I’m walking into a shit show, I know this. This isn’t my business. She should be calling the police or a family member for help, certainly not me.

“Please, I can pay you any amount. Just name it.”

“Do you and your husband have separate accounts?”

“Yes, yes, I control my own money thank God. Please, I can send you the money right now, half now and half after you get here.”

I have a feeling I won’t be getting paid after I leave, so I throw out an insane amount that I won’t mind only getting half of. She agrees and sends it no problem. Shit, she must be in deep. But I don’t feel bad taking her money. It’s the least she can give me for pulling me into her mess.

“Let me get your address and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Ugh, Mountainburg. I haven’t been there in a long time, and with good cause. The Allbright name carries weight for a reason. I’m not sure I’m that reason anymore.

I grab my crystals and my gun. Having no idea what I’m walking into, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. I strap my thigh holster onand, using my skirt to cover my hand, very carefully pick up the gun from its case. I’m as ready as I’m going to be, but before I head that way, I have to make a call I never wanted to make again. I try Rachel first, see if that’s good enough. She answers after a couple of rings.

“Jade? Did you know that you called me?”

“Hardy-har-har. Listen, a client of mine is in trouble and asked me to make a home visit. They just happen to live out on Old Turner Road. I wanted to make sure my presence was known so that your high-horse priestess didn’t think I was causing trouble.”

“You sure you won’t need help? I can back you up.”

“I don’t drag others into my own messes, you know that.”

“Uh huh. One of these days your lone wolf act is gonna get you killed.”

“Noted, Mother. Just relay my message fast please. I’m heading that way now.”

“Becareful. God and Goddess bless.”

First thing noticeable about Renee’s house is how modern it is. I’ve never liked this style myself. To me the house looks like a bunch of big glass boxes stacked on top of each other. And so many windows. I’d never get them all clean. But the orange glow of the house at night does have a certain charm.

I don’t have to worry about knocking or ringing the bell. Renee stands at the top of the steps in front of their door.

“Thank you for coming so late on such short notice.”

“It’s no problem at all. Where’s your husband?”

“He’s inside. He’s okay right now.”

“Did you already try to talk to him about the money?”

She shakes her head.

“I thought…I thought it might be better if I had a friend over with me through it.”

Of course, she did. A witness makes it less likely he’ll make a scene, but knowing nothing about her husband, I still need to prepare for one.

“Shall we, then?”

“Yes, please come in.”

The house is as immaculate as it looks from the outside. Beautiful shiny wooden floors, white walls that would never stay white if they had small children. She leads me from the foyer to a large living room with a black brick fireplace. A large fuzzy throw rug protects the wooden floor from all the blood. My first red flag, but I’m not ready to GTFO yet.

Her husband sits in front of the fire in a simple office chair. Second red flag. The flames cast the man in shadow from this angle. All I can see is a silhouette of his head and shoulders above the chair.

[sweetly] “Honey, we have company.”

The man doesn’t move. Is he so drunk he’s already passed out? This may be worse than I thought. I don’t know why she wants to attempt this if he’s already shitfaced.

Renee walks to the side of her husband, resting a hand on his shoulder but the other disappearing to the front of him.

[forcefully] “Honey, I said wake up.”

The man gasps and then screams in pain. Renee pulls away from him, and her hand that disappeared to the front of him comes back bloody.

“That’s better. Will you join us, Jade?”

Yep, definitely worse than I thought. Now I know why I could never get a read on Renee’s emotions—she doesn’t really have any. What I thought was a shield before I now realize is a void.

Renee’s a fucking sociopath.

I do as I’m asked, keeping a wide berth between us. I calm my shaky nerves as I walk around the back of the couch to the wall by the fireplace. Now I have a clear view of what’s going on with the husband. His wrists are tied to the arms of the chair and his legs are painfully pinned and strapped to the one leg of the chair, blood stains his ripped shirt and pools on the rug beneath him. He tries to speak but the tape covering his mouth muffles his words into grunts.

“You, uh, you wanna fill me in on what’s happening here this evening, Renee, and why I need to be here for it?”

[SFX: .22 gunshot]

A punch and then an immediate sting radiates in my thigh. The sting turns into a searing burn and I fall onto the couch. I stare wide-eyed at Renee holding a gun pointed at me. My adrenaline eats most of the pain. I refuse to scream. Fuck you, I refuse to scream. I gasp and suck air like a fish on land as I grip the site. If I want to heal the wound with an energy crystal, I’ll have to fish the bullet out.

Renee
steps closer but out of my reach.

“Why, I’m only protecting myself from you and my husband. After he paid you a handsome amount to kill me earlier, I do whatever I have to stay alive.”

Shit, I knew getting that much money was too easy.

“Why did you need me at all? Why couldn’t you just kill him without involving me?”

She walks back to her husband, standing behind him with both arms wrapped around his flailing shoulders.

“Because this man is proud enough to die instead of revealing his secret, but I’m not quite sure he’s proud enough to let you die for it.”

She plants a kiss on his cheek and raises her gun to me again.

“What do you think, Ryan? Are you willing to let her die to hide your secret? Is it really worth hiding? Must be a lot of money.”

“Woah, woah. Hang on. Why don’t we take my life off the line and I just help you?”

She lowers her gun.

“What, with your cards? Pretty sure you told me all you could about the money.”

She’s closer to the truth than she knows, but I’m not about to confirm that for her. I dig for the bullet before I tell her, and that’s when I scream. Everywhere my fingers touch starts a new fire in my muscles, but I have to get it out to do what needs done. Once I fish it out and let out one last cry, I take a few deep breaths and continue.

“I’m not just a tarot reader, I’m a witch. I can find the information by merely laying hands on him.”

“Apologies, then. If you had told me that earlier today, I think we could have come to different arrangement.”

“It’s not something I usually share with clients, for this exact reason.”

“Touché, but you’re here now and in quite the predicament, aren’t you?”

If only she knew I can split her in two. Granted it would take some time and a huge mess and not something I can explain away, but I really, really consider that option. In the end, I shake it off and decide on another plan.

“For this, you pay me all the money, now. And I will give you your answer.”

[playfully] “That’s fair.”

Gun still in hand, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and transfers the rest of the money to me. Then gestures with the gun to her
husband.

“Okay, do it then.”

“I don’t think I can stand like this.”

Renee wheels her husband over to me in his desk chair. She pushes him so hard his shins bounce off the couch before she stops him in front of me, gun trained at my chest. This is my first good look at this blood-stained, sweaty man. His eyes plead with me not to do this. His energy is so high strung that even though my control over my magic is draining with the blood from my leg, I can read him. He is pure, innocent, with no sinister bone in his body. All the anger that Renee implied earlier is non-existent. Nothing but fear and pain and innocence wafts from him.

“This won’t hurt anymore than you already hurt. I’ll try to be quick. If you open yourself up to me, it will be easier.”

Again, he tries to speak and again he is silenced by the tape. I ignore him, I have to at this point. I rest my hand on top of his and I’m swept away by the truth. My magic doesn’t have to reach too deep for it. Visions of Ryan at a school, shaking hands with who I assume is the principal flood my mind; him at the bank, sitting at a conference table signing papers; Renee questioning him. Through it all I feel his pain—he knows his wife only wants his money, but he still loves her and didn’t want to leave her or her leave him. It’s only because Renee came to me today that she found out the truth. Shit. I can’t let him die because of something I did. I’ve got justified deaths on my hands, but not this. I won’t let this stand.

I pull back and gather my thoughts before I turn to Renee.

“You’re not his first wife, are you?”

“He and his first wife split after they lost their son to cancer.”

“He even talked to you about this before.”

“Talked about what? (pause, realizing) Oh, god. Really, Ryan? You went ahead and created the scholarship?”

She rips the tape from his mouth so he can answer.

“That and more. The money is tied up to where you can never get it. It’s not just the scholarship fund either, but it’s all for Bo.”

She glances at me, but she lost privileges when she shot me.

“Don’t look at me. I already gave you your answer.”

“Is he telling the truth?”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the manipulative one here, not him.”

“Mmm, that’s too bad for both of you. If I can’t get the money, then I don’t need either of you anymore.”

I know where this is going but I’ve got to stop it before it does. I remove my hand from Ryan and place it on my legs. Renee sees my intent.

“No funny business, Jade. Do you have a weapon on you?”

“I brought it to help you, but apparently you don’t need it.”

“Give it here.”

I raise my skirt up and reveal my thigh holster housing the gun.

“Come and take it. There’s no way to pull it out without looking like I’m going to shoot.”

She takes my bait. Her gun still aiming at my head, I pray to God for the first time in a long time that this works. I pray to the Goddess as well for good measure. Shit, I pray to the terror beneath my shop that if they help me out of this situation, I’ll bring them a heaping meal. I stop breathing when she touches the metal of the gun. Once it clears the holster, Renee hits the floor, her body writhing with the electric jolt the object hits her with. It was a trick I learned early on, a Hail Mary when I need one, to keep offensive energy stored in objects I think will be taken from me.

I grab the crystal hanging from my keychain and unleash the healing energy inside. It won’t completely heal the gun wound but it will stop the bleeding and I can save the last crystal for the husband’s larger gashes.

I kick the gun out of Renee’s hand, and then grab the knife hidden in my boot to cut the husband free. He tries to go to his wife but I stop him.

“Let me heal you. You’ll be no good to her if you bleed out.”

“Please, hurry.”

While I heal him with the second crystal, Renee continues to writhe on the ground. When the energy in the gun is spent her body goes still, smoke rising from her skin. I sense from here she’s not dead, though that last sip of energy is tempting to take. But I don’t dare do it in front of the husband. He’s been through enough, and I know he still loves her.

God, I hope I never fall in love. To make myself as vulnerable and blind as this man was to his wife? That is not a weakness I ever want to have.

Once he’s completely free he goes to his wife, checking her pulse.

“It’s shallow but it’s there. Please, call an ambulance!”

I grab his wife’s phone and make the call. It takes a while for the cops and ambulance to get here, but I fight my urge to dip before they arrive and stay to corroborate the husband’s story. Without me here, the wife may try to make it a he-said-she-said game. After putting me through this bullshit, I’m not letting her
walk.

As the paramedics patch up Ryan, he and I talk to the cops. After we explain what happened, he remembers something.

“We also have security cameras. Renee probably turned them off, but you may check just in case.”

As luck would have it, Renee, in her haste, missed one of the cameras and, though it doesn’t catch any video, it recorded all the audio. It’s enough to keep us out of jail and put Renee in, that’s all I need. The EMTs take care of my leg while the cops question me. They don’t ask me to come in tonight, but they ask for my number to be in contact.

But, of course, Sheriff Warren recognizes me. It’s hard not to recognize him. His six-foot frame and deep mountain accent is a dead giveaway, not to mention his handlebar mustache.

“Jade, Jade Allbright. You Emma’s girl?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You running her shop now?”

“Yes, sir.”

He leans closer.

“You uh…you inherit her gifts?”

“There will never be another as powerful as Emma Allbright.”

He smiles at that.

“Too true, young lady. Too true. Alright, after the EMTs patch you up you can go. Deputy Thomas will escort you to your car.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white. Shit. That was too close, and also why I rarely make house calls. Fifty-fifty it’s either a harmless party they want me to be entertainment for or I’m put in danger like that. I really hope the cops and the husband let me keep the money. It’s the least I can get for my troubles.  I park in the front of my store and contemplate the many stairs between me and my bed. Soft couch in the lounge area it is. My leg will thank me for it later.

I unlock the store and throw my keys in the bowl on the front desk. Limping my way down the aisle, I prepare to flop down on the couch when I hear the main door behind me open.

[SFX: door bells jingles as she opens the door]

I turn around and speak before I see who it is.

“It is way past closing time my friend.”

“Not for me it isn’t.”

Fuck.