Reapers, Inc. - Brigit's Cross by B.L. Newport Read Free Book Online Page A

anything.”
    “I will,” Maggie promised. She opened the
door for her friend and watched as the woman shuffled out.
    “I’m proud of you, Maggie,” Mama Dee said
suddenly when she was out in the hall.
    “Why?” Maggie asked, confused by the
comment.
    “You were Brigit’s family. That woman had no
business even showing up today; but you showed her kindness and
patience. I just hope she recognizes that somewhere down the road.
I’m proud of you for keeping your claim on Brigit.”
    “Thank you, Mama,” Maggie said quietly. She
watched Mama Dee continue her shuffle across the hall to her own
apartment and open the door. The little old woman didn’t look back
as she entered and closed the door behind her.
    Maggie returned to the sofa and sighed again.
The apartment was still filled with Brigit’s energy. Everything in
it contained some piece of her essence and Maggie found it to be a
double-edged sword. She was alone with it. Part of it comforted her
and the other part broke her heart even more. She hoped that
eventually, she would come to terms with both sides of it and be
able to breathe again.
    Brigit watched as Maggie turned and lifted
her feet up onto the sofa. She had been sleeping there all week. It
was a defense against the memories that flooded their bedroom
during the darkness of night. Brigit didn’t blame her. She didn’t
think she could return there so soon either. She had refrained from
entering that room herself since the accident. She knew there were
just as many memories there for her as there were for Maggie. She
would wait for Maggie to go there and they would face those
memories together, just as they had faced everything in their life
together.
    Her thoughts turned once more to John
Blackwick. He said he wanted to have a conversation. She was still
wondering what he had meant by an opportunity to remain . He
had instructed her to meet him at the Bleecker Street Café
tomorrow. As far as she knew, there wasn’t such a place; but he had
given her a card. Upon remembering it, Brigit quickly pulled it
from the pocket of her coat. She turned it over to read:

    REAPERS, INC.
    EST. 34 A.D.
    666 ½ BLEECKER STREET

    It was a simple card. Black ink written on
white stock paper. Brigit held it between her finger tips as she
looked over at Maggie. Her eyes were closed and the depth of her
breath indicated that she was close to sleep.
    Brigit’s eyes snapped back to the card she
held and she thought of what John had said about choices. She had
received no choice in when her life had ended, yet, she had made
the choice to remain by Maggie’s side even though she was a ghost.
He had mentioned having a choice in carrying out his assignment in
regard to her. Brigit began to wonder what exactly that meant. Reapers, Inc ., her eyes read again. She was beginning to
have the sense that she might not really have a choice in staying
with Maggie if she didn’t hear him out.
    Her curiosity was sparked. She slowly placed
the card back into her coat pocket and let her gaze rest on Maggie.
She decided she would meet him tomorrow and hear what he had to
offer. She would see what her options were in the after life.
Whatever they were, she would take the one that would allow her to
stay with Maggie. She would do whatever it took to watch over her
lover. She had made that promise to Maggie and she would do
whatever it took to keep it.

5: The Bleecker Street Café

    It was a macabre feeling standing outside the
café. At least, Brigit imagined it could be described as ‘macabre’.
She could see the people patronizing the establishment and she
wondered briefly whether they could see her as well. The feeling
unnerved her because just two weeks ago, she knew this address to
have been nothing more than an empty lot littered with garbage and
the homeless. She was on the other side of life now and she knew
that the building she stood before now was as much of a ghost as
she was.
    The café was relatively quiet when