Reapers Inc. - Rogue Reaper Read online

  Reapers, Inc., -Rogue Reaper

  By

  B.L. Newport

  Smashwords Edition

  © 2010, B.L. Newport

  This book is available in print at www.Amazon.com

  ISBN: 1451592493

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchase for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents are purely a product of the author's imagination. Any similarity to actual persons - living or dead - places or events are entirely coincidental.

  Also by B.L. Newport on Smashwords.com:

  Reapers, Inc. – Brigit’s Cross

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank everyone who has supported me on this continuing journey. To my mother, Thank you for your encouragement and support. To Jennifer Shimp Atkinson, Thank you for your listening, your suggestions and for the laughter. To Kristy Trippy, Thank you for being an inspiration, a friend and a fan. To the new fans, Thank you for giving it a try.

  Finally, I must give the biggest Thank you to my loving partner, Rochelle, for the overwhelming love and support on this journey. I couldn’t have done this without you.

  “Do you believe in True Love?”- Brigit Malone

  1: Elizabeth Meyer

  The sight of the green peeking through the soft layer of snow caught her eye as she walked slowly across the field. It was the sign she had unconsciously been waiting for since the onset of winter. The business of the firm had kept her too busy to notice anything more than when the heavens seemed to open and let loose its frozen crystalline tears. Yet, she had not felt the cold during those bleak months. She had not felt any kind of cold since that day the Bailey had changed everything in her life. All she could do since that time was take in the visual signs of change and draw from her memories to imagine what the air kissing her cheeks truly felt like. The only true sensation she had been able to feel since the incident had been the warmth radiating from Maggie’s body as they passed through the night wrapped around each other.

  The thought of Maggie made Brigit sigh heavily. Maggie had stayed awake most of the night poring through the internet for real estate in the country. Brigit had studied the plans Maggie had drawn out on paper while her partner studied various listings. The plans were obvious. Sell the apartment and move out of the city. Maggie was planning to leave the reminders of the life she no longer lived. The idea of it all saddened Brigit, but she knew that Maggie would do what was best for her self. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life wrapped up so heavily in her grief.

  “I will always follow you,” she had said out loud as Maggie finally shut off the computer and made her way to bed.

  Even though she knew the whole process would take some time for Maggie to figure out, Brigit had left the apartment that morning in a grey mood. It didn’t help matters that she had no time to stop at the café for a cup of Giuseppe’s wonderful coffee either. The business at the office was just too busy.

  As she knelt in the snow to admire the contrast of the green against the white, Brigit let her thoughts wander to the scene she was now in. She wondered if perhaps she really could feel the cold – even after all this time -- but had simply given it no thought. She had been so terribly busy since John Blackwick had embarked on his quest to re-open the foreign offices. Not only were there the day to day duties of a Head Reaper to oversee, there were new recruits to train and – for some reason as of late – an escalating amount of files to be processed.

  Brigit frowned at the last thought. She had not seen the Bailey in days. When questioned, no one in the firm had seen the Bailey either. Belinda Yaris was back logged in records. Mama Dee was in and out of the office so much that she had no time to notice the absence of the entity that she still harbored ill feelings toward. Brigit had intended to question Seamus Flannery, but the Irishman had managed to keep himself out of her audience for extended periods of time during the past nine months. It seemed that Brigit only saw the flame-haired man when John happened to be back on site. Even then, those sightings were brief and full of tension.

  Another deep sigh rose up from inside her and escaped with gale force. The pace of her everyday existence had been seemingly non-stop since she had died. She wondered if it would ever slow down…Silently, Brigit stood from where she had knelt to admire the first green of spring. Things might eventually slow down, John often assured her of it; but Brigit knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. There were things to do and she was presently on a mission to complete one of those things.

  Elizabeth Meyer had passed in the field Brigit now traversed on January 12, 1888. It was the day the worst blizzard in recorded history had enveloped the area. It had blown in with no warning, dropping the unusually balmy air temperature nearly forty degrees in the span of a day. The high winds and snow that blew in fast from Canada created such blinding conditions that people had become lost in a matter of a few yards from where they had began. Those who had managed to survive after venturing out had been extremely lucky.

  Brigit had read Elizabeth’s portfolio carefully. A young woman with an overly good heart, Elizabeth had been foolish to think she could find her way back to the small farm house where she had lived with her aunt and uncle. The distance, however, had been too far. Elizabeth Meyer had never stood a chance. Brigit found herself shaking her head with the tragedy of it. Elizabeth had made a silly mistake and, consequently, paid the price for her error in judgment.

  She was standing at the crest of a small rise in the landscape. Her light blue shawl covered her head as if the blizzard still blew fiercely around her. Brigit could see as she approached that Elizabeth was still lost, unable to get her bearings in the white blanket that blinded her to any landmarks that would lead her home. Although the sky was a clear blue that Brigit walked under, she had the sense that Elizabeth was still caught under the swirling and blinding white sky of that fateful day in 1888.

  “Elizabeth Meyer,” Brigit called as she continued her approach.

  The young woman turned quickly at the sound of her name being called on the cutting wind around her. There was a hopeful look on her face as she searched for the source. That look of hope changed to an expression of wariness as Brigit suddenly became visible through the swirling wall of snow around her.

  “Do I know you?” Elizabeth asked, unable to disguise the alarm in her voice at the sight of the dark woman dressed oddly in black. Women didn’t wear pants and they only dressed in black if they were in mourning…

  “My name is Brigit Malone. I’m here to cross you over,” Brigit explained as she took a step closer. It was an action that caused Elizabeth Meyer to take a step back, almost tripping over the soaked hem of her long skirt.

  “I don’t know you, I’m sorry,” Elizabeth apologized politely despite her fear. “I seem to be lost,” she explained.

  “I know. I’m here to help you cross over,” Brigit reiterated.

  “I don’t think you understand. I’m lost,” Elizabeth replied.

  Brigit pursed her lips, trying to maintain a hold on the irritation that was starting to squirm in her gut. Elizabeth Meyer wasn’t listening. Brigit could see the young woman was caught in a time loop, unable to break herself free from the cell where she had frozen to death over a hundred years before. Yet, Brigit could also see that Elizabeth possessed enough intelligence to recogniz
e a new element to her surroundings.

  Brigit wondered briefly how she would handle this. She had encountered this scenario so many times during her short time as a Reaper. Some souls were caught up in the moment they had expired. Some souls had no clue that they had actually died. Others possessed the intelligence to notice the appearance of a Reaper. It was these particular souls that Brigit often had to show her patience for. As she had first done with Matthew “Matilda” Swenson, she would often take the time to allow the Reapee to tell their story so that they could come to the conclusion of their demise and end the continuous loop they had been trapped in until the moment Brigit had finally arrived. Today, however, Brigit was not sure that she had the time or the patience to follow her usual protocol for one trapped in a time loop. She was busy and she was cranky. Both elements played heavily against her patience.

  “Aren’t you cold?” Elizabeth asked as she shivered and rubber her hands together briskly in the effort to warm them.

  “No,” Brigit replied.

  “I am. I feel like I could freeze to death out here,” Elizabeth admitted as she pulled the light blue shawl tight under her chin again. “If I could just figure out which direction is north, I could get home and warm up; but I swear, I don’t think this cold will ever leave my bones. I’ll be cold ‘til the day I die.”

  “Elizabeth, you are dead,” Brigit finally said.

  She hoped the squirm of irritation in her gut had not made its way into her voice. She was in no mood for niceties, but she also knew that there was no reason to rude. Her words were heard, however. Elizabeth Meyer suddenly looked at her in shock.

  “No,”

  “Yes,” Brigit confirmed. “You died in the blizzard. Your uncle found your body a week after you went to sleep. You misjudged your bearings. You became lost,” Brigit explained gently.

  “No, no, no…” Elizabeth began to back away from Brigit in her continued disbelief. Brigit, however, remained where she stood.

  “Elizabeth, I’m sorry.”

  “I should have stayed with the Matchetts. I should have listened to them. I was so sure I could make it home. Oh god, what have I done?”

  Brigit could feel the anguish rising up in the young woman before her. Her empathy for it erased the irritation she had begun to feel toward the young woman she had come to reap.

  “If you’re ready to leave this place, I’ll help you,” Brigit offered.

  “How can you help me?” Elizabeth spat between the sobs that had arisen from the comprehension of what had become of her.

  “I can open the door for you. You can leave this cold place and be home forever.”

  As she explained the option, Brigit took the steps needed to bring her within arm’s reach of the bewildered Elizabeth Meyer. Brigit could see the snow begin to swirl madly between them. She suddenly understood how easy it would have been for Elizabeth to become lost in her confusion. Its thickness was completely blinding. As if on cue, the door to Elizabeth’s fate appeared. It was to Brigit’s left.

  “What is this? Are you some demon sent to lure me to the devil’s lair?” Elizabeth demanded.

  Brigit suddenly felt her irritation return. She had overlooked Elizabeth Meyer’s now apparent faith while reading her file. The appearance of the door brought to mind for the girl the notion of sorcery. Only demons and dark souls could do sorcery.

  “No, I’m here to send you home to face your fate,” Brigit replied through clenched teeth. “Now, you can step through the door and be freed from this place or you can continue to be a silly girl lost in the snow forever. It makes no difference to me, Elizabeth Meyer,” Brigit growled as she locked her dark gaze on the shocked young woman. It took every ounce of strength to refrain from opening the door and shoving the young woman through it. “The choice is yours. I have been patient long enough.”

  A silence settled between them as Elizabeth Meyer thought about the dark woman’s words. She swallowed hard under the stern gaze that was leveled on her. Finally, she nodded in concession to the other woman’s objective. Elizabeth Meyer watched nervously as the dark woman extended her left hand and opened the door that had appeared beside them. A warm breeze blew through the opened door, pulling Elizabeth’s attention to the landscape waiting on the other side. She could see blue skies and green rolling fields. A slight smile began to emerge on her lips as she took her first step toward the heaven waiting on the other side of the opened door. As she passed through, Elizabeth Meyer heard the dark woman’s voice once more: May you find eternal peace…

  2: The State of Reapers, Inc., Main Office

  John Blackwick sighed heavily as he looked at the mess Brigit had left on the desk. Usually, she was so neat and organized. The state of the desk, however, suggested that his assistant was becoming increasingly inundated with the duties of Head Reaper. John wondered briefly if he should put his plans on hold long enough to assist Brigit in catching up.

  Reapers, Incorporated had been growing quickly since John had been freed up to begin re-opening the foreign offices. The office in Rome had been running efficiently for almost a year now and just recently, he had left the Istanbul office fully staffed and operating just as efficiently. The offices in Madrid, Spain and St. Petersburg, Russia had been dividing his attention equally on top of his plans for establishing a new office in Japan. Gratefully, John had already found the candidate to head the Japanese office.

  With that last thought, John glanced toward the door of the office. Yoshiro Takamoto stood quietly in the hall, his dark eyes fixed on the gargoyles that lined the ceiling of the main hall. John was unable to determine whether it was fascination or repulsion that played across the sword master’s face. Either way, it kept him entranced long enough to give John Blackwick the time to assess the state of the head office for Reapers, Inc.

  John had returned to the main office specifically to introduce Yoshiro Takamoto to Brigit. There were similarities, the Grim Reaper had noticed, between the two and he had the thought that they would have a great many things to talk about once they had met. There were things John had hoped that they could learn from each other in the effort to set the standards high as Assistant Reapers. Of course, that thought had come before he had realized that Yoshiro Takamoto was a man of few words. At any rate, John had considered it worth a try.

  Apparently, John determined as he scanned the piles of black portfolios spread on the large mahogany desk, Brigit was still delving into the oldest files that had been waiting for attention. They were relatively easy assignments, John knew. They could be completed quickly by a Reaper of Brigit’s experience and allow that Reaper to still have time to keep up with other priorities. It was one of the last boxes they had compiled during the re-organization of assignments when Brigit had first come on. John was glad to see that she was making the attempt to remain involved in the assignments as well as maintaining her other duties as Head Reaper.

  A sudden bustling in the hallway drew John’s attention back toward the door. Belinda Yaris had emerged from her office with a completed ledger in her arms. From the look of the exchange between the Goth girl and Yoshiro Takamoto, Belinda had literally run into the newest member of the firm. He watched as the two politely exchanged apologies and awkward bows of respect before Belinda turned to continue her path to the office. John could only smile as the pale girl’s bright blue eyes finally focused on him.

  “Mr. Blackwick! I didn’t hear you come in,” Belinda explained as she stopped in the doorway, the completed ledger held firmly in her arms against her breast. Despite her ‘dark’ attire, Belinda’s cheerful disposition always seemed to brighten the room. John felt the urge to smile at the sight of her.

  “Hello, Belinda,” John greeted coolly. “How are you?”

  “Up to my eyeballs in records,” Belinda gushed. “I’m so glad Brigit hired Mr. Nelson to help me. Everyone has been so busy with their assignments. The completed files were starting to pile up on me,” the Goth girl offered as she shifted her weight from one
foot to the other and readjusted her hold on the thick black book she carried.

  “Indeed,” John said as he motioned for her to file the book before she dropped it. “How is Mr. Nelson catching on?”

  “Oh, he’s doing okay. He was an accountant, you know?” Belinda answered as she crossed the office and fit the tome on the shelf with the other completed ledgers that spanned all the way back to the beginnings of the firm in 34 A.D. “I explained that these records weren’t much different than keeping books. Names, numbers, it’s all pretty much the same, you know? He’s catching on,” she explained as she turned to face the head Grim Reaper.

  “I’m pleased to hear it,” John replied, finally allowing a slight smile to come to his face. “Have you seen Brigit today?”

  “This morning, for a minute,” Belinda sighed. “She said she would be on assignments for most of the day. I think she should be back soon, though. She mentioned hoping to catch the Bailey to ask him to slow down so we might catch up again. Of course, with everything going on in the mortal world, I have the feeling Brigit may be wasting her time in trying to catch him. There was an earthquake in Turkey last week and another tsunami in the south Pacific two days ago. It looks like the Bailey is on some kind of rampage.”

  “I was aware of the earthquake in Turkey. Sadly, it provided a good training exercise for the new office there. You seem quite knowledgeable of current events, Belinda,” John pointed out despite his disappointment at not being alerted to the Bailey’s shenanigans. He made a mental note to definitely discuss that particular situation with Brigit once she returned to the office.