It's a Wonderful Death - Sarah J. Schmitt Page 0,58

get me out of this mess.

When everyone is quiet, Azbaugh closes his eyes. The next time he speaks, his voice is tight with control. “We will begin. I will hear from witnesses, but only from those who have had substantive interactions with Ms. Jones since her arrival. Once that is done, I will ask for Zachriel to sort through the new memories and determine if they are likely to guide future actions in a positive and, more importantly, productive direction. The Tribunal reserves the right to question all witnesses before they are dismissed.”

Sal speaks up quickly. “That’s sounds fair and just, Brother.”

“I have no objection,” Zachriel says.

After the public chastising from Azrael, Azbaugh looks a little less full of himself, but not much. “Salathiel, you may begin.”

Sal slips around the table and turns to face the crowd. “I would like to call Angelica to give her witness.”

All eyes follow Angelica as she walks gracefully to the waiting chair. There’s no need for anyone to swear an oath since perjury is impossible.

“Angelica,” Sal begins, sounding like any number of lawyers on TV, “were you acquainted with RJ during both timelines?”

“Yes,” she says, looking directly at me. “She was my daughter’s best friend.”

“You were also her guide for the first task of her test, correct?”

Again she answers, “Yes.”

“How would you describe RJ during each of the time frames that you knew her?”

Angelica gives Sal a questioning look. “Are you talking about the time I was alive?”

He nods.

“She was exactly the same. A little shy at first, somewhat timid, but when she and Abby were together, it was like someone set off a giggle bomb.”

“When did that change?”

Sadness floods Angelica’s delicate features. “The night I died, I suppose. Obviously I wasn’t there anymore.”

“I believe your witness should only encapsulate the time you were alive,” Azbaugh directs.

Angelica doesn’t look at Azbaugh but instead waits for Sal to continue. “At what point did you next come into contact with RJ?” he asks.

“I was her first guide,” she answers.

“How did that come to be?”

Angelica looks over my shoulder before answering. “Death Himself asked if I would help him on a special assignment. He said there was a girl whose soul was collected prematurely and he wanted to know if I would assist her in the task the Tribunal has assigned.”

“And what did you say?”

“Well, obviously I said yes or I wouldn’t be here now.”

There is a light ripple of laughter behind me and even Sal smiles. “Of course. Did Death Himself tell you who the girl was?”

Angelica shakes her head. “No, and I didn’t ask.”

“When did you realize who RJ was?” Sal asks, his wings spreading just enough so he doesn’t sit on them as he leans against the table.

“Death Himself showed me a clip from the girl’s life review so I could have an idea of what was going to happen. That was when I realized it was RJ.”

Now I get it. That’s why she was so mad at me when I first met her. She already knew I left Abby alone with those girls.

Angelica is staring at her hands and Sal moves to her side. “When you found out it was RJ, did you have any second thoughts about assisting her?”

“Yes.”

I know she can only tell the truth but the word still hurts and I wish there was something I could do to erase that moment from all timelines.

“But only for a second,” she adds quickly.

“And what made you change your mind?”

“Because they were only children and children make mistakes. I could see RJ was scared, though I wasn’t sure if it was the physical threats or the social ones that motivated her behavior.”

Sal nods. “Is that the only reason? Because you thought she deserved a second chance?”

She smiles sadly. “No. I wanted her to stand by my daughter instead of running away.”

“Why?” Sal asks.

“I’m sorry?” she asks.

Sal looks at her with tenderness. “Why did you want RJ to change the past so badly?”

Angelica looks down at her hands. “After my death, my daughter stopped smiling. She stopped being the little girl who would gather up dandelions and present them to me as if they were the finest roses Mother Nature ever created. She became a shell of the girl she should have been. She was lost, sad, and afraid.” She looks at me and I sink low in my chair. “I wanted my daughter’s life to be better. If RJ could change Abby’s future, then I could finally stop worrying about her and