you for talking to me, for opening up. I know this was hard for you. You didn’t even want to come out here.” He nodded, letting his gaze travel around. “Something about this place makes you feel comfortable, doesn’t it? I don’t know what it is, but I feel mighty comfortable right now. At peace.”
“It’s not this place. It’s you.” He ran his hand along her arm and squeezed. “I can talk to you. I feel like… I feel like I can say the stupidest shit and it’s okay. You won’t judge me.”
“I’ll judge you. You just won’t know about it.”
He smiled. They continued to tour that lovely park, while the silence stretched between them.
“Something is on your mind, Aries, but you just aren’t saying it. Tell me.”
“I found somethin’ strange and confusing in Benjamin’s house the first day I went in there. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but now, I don’t know.” They paused by a bush covered in plum-colored rose buds.
“What did you find?”
“It was a piece of regular notebook paper. Hand written. I found it in a folder, tucked in a drawer. On it were listed the addresses of all the properties he owned, and there was also an envelope full of keys, paperclipped to the cover. But none of the keys fit the doors of these properties, Lauren. Then, at the bottom of the paper were some words written in Chinese or Japanese. Shit,” he shrugged, “I don’t know.
“I imagine they’re Japanese keys since he liked that sort of thing. Makes sense ’cause he has a lot of Asian statues and paintings in that house, and you saw all those books. Anyway, in the same folder I found a ton of legal papers, like it had been meant for his lawyer. Some of the information was the exact same as that in the legal documents I’d been given, but this one paper was different. I noticed that the ink didn’t look too old, either. It wasn’t faded like much of his other stuff. It was in his handwriting, too.”
“Hmmm, that’s curious. Keys that don’t match the properties. Japanese writing on the bottom of the page… wow. Do you have it with you by chance?” He shook his head.
“Nah. It’s back at my house. Why? You know Japanese?”
“No, but there are different programs online that can translate that sort of thing for you, most of them free of charge. There are even some apps you can use to scan something and it’ll read and translate it, too.” He nodded in understanding. “It may not amount to anything, but it could be something. Might as well check and see.”
“I’ll show it to you next time I see you.” They kept moving in sync. Minutes later, they happened upon a labeled plant in the park that read, ‘Japanese Kerria.’ They both stopped, fingers linked like chains.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked, eyebrows arched.
“That it’s a sign?”
She nodded. He shrugged.
“I don’t know if I believe in things like that.”
“Then why’d you stop walking and look at me?”
His lips curled downward.
“I’m not sure.”
“Communication isn’t just verbal. If you’re not afraid of death, then be open to the possibility that we could be led by life after death, to see what we need to see, when we need to see it.”
“You’ve been inhaling too much of that incense…”
She chuckled and shook her head.
“If you’re afraid of this sort of discussion, then say so. Chump.”
“Oh, that’s good, Lauren,” he snapped, sarcasm dripping off his words. “I’m not scared of shit, missy, let alone the land of make-believe and all that hocus-pocus bullshit. You’ve been up in that Kindred Spirits store of yours with all of those bizarre books, voodoo candles and weird shit… got the nerve to also have some damn good coffee in that little gargoyle witch den Illuminati with a Christian flare spot of yours. And that girl who works for you looks like a combination of Elvira and a fuckin’ Cabbage Patch Kid.”
“Don’t you talk about my baby like that.” She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Sherry is gold. Pure gold.”
“I just call it like I see it. Everything you said about signs and communication could be bullshit. Or… it could be true. Who the hell knows?”
“Maybe it’s up to each of us individually to decide, Aries. We’re on separate journeys. Not every message is for every person. It’s like reading a book. Each reader sees the exact same passages in a different way. What tickles