unstoppable.” Naomi shuddered at the thought.
“Mrs. Duran?” There was another knock.
Welita turned to Naomi. “Both of you showing up here at the same time is too much of a coincidence for me to ignore. I need to see it through.”
“Fine.” Naomi sighed. “But I’m staying here until she leaves.” She looked quickly around the tiny room. There was no place for her to hide. She couldn’t let the senator see her. She wasn’t sure if the senator knew about her death. More importantly, she didn’t want any information going back to Lucifer.
Naomi closed her eyes and wondered if she would be able to change into her angel form. If she replicated what she’d done before, she should be able to change back—she hoped. “Okay, let her in.”
15
Jane heard Anita Duran talking to someone through the closed door, and she wondered if someone was visiting her. She thought maybe her grandson, Chuy, was there with her, but when Anita opened the door, she was surprised to find her alone.
“Mrs. Duran, I’m sorry to bother you this late in the evening. I’ll only take a few moments of your time.”
When she stepped into the room, a small dog ran up to her. “What a precious dog,” she said, reaching out to touch the dog.
It snapped at her.
“Oh!” She jerked her hand away.
“Bear! Don’t be rude to our guest,” Anita said. “Would you like something to drink, Senator?”
“Please allow me. I can get myself a glass of water.”
Jane watched as Anita nodded and slowly maneuvered her walker as she made her way back to the sofa. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, digging up old wounds.
She grabbed a glass from a small open shelf in the corner of the room that served as a kitchen. Turning on the faucet, she made small talk. “It’s pretty hot out there—almost as humid as it gets in Houston.”
“Senator Sutherland, I don’t mean to be rude, but you didn’t come all this way from DC to talk about the weather.”
Jane took a sip of water and then turned to face her. “Actually, I’m in town to make an important announcement.”
“Your run for the presidency.”
“Why, yes,” Jane said, surprised.
“Don’t look so surprised. I watch the news.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
“No apology needed. Please, have a seat.” Anita motioned to the chair across from where she was sitting. “Why are you here?”
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, Mrs. Duran, but I wanted to”—she gulped—“I wanted to ask you a question about your son.”
The silence in the room was thick. Anita’s brown eyes seemed to bore into her, and Jane felt beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. She wiped a palm on her skirt and slowly took a sip of water, hoping Anita would say something—anything to break the tension.
“Ask your question,” Anita finally said.
Jane let out a breath. “Your son, Javier, was he ever in a plane accident?”
“Yes, he was in the Flight 1724 accident when he was a boy. You and he were the only survivors. I thought you knew.”
She felt the blood drain from her face. “I-I-I was told that the Javier Duran I was with on the plane passed away years ago.”
“You were misinformed, Senator. I’m surprised. I thought someone in your position would get accurate information.”
“I got the information from a reliable source. Or at least, I thought so,” Jane mumbled.
“Who would that be?”
“Luke Prescott’s people.” Jane lifted the glass of water to her lips.
“That’s your problem right there. Mr. Prescott is Lucifer.”
Jane spit the water out of her mouth, coughing. “Excuse me?”
“I said Luke Prescott is Lucifer, one of the fallen. A powerful dark angel that walks the Earth.”
Something inside of Jane stirred when she looked into Anita’s eyes, and for a moment, she actually believed her.
Jane pushed the thought from her mind. It was preposterous. There was no such thing as the devil, Lucifer, or whatever name people called evil spirits. She wondered if Anita had lost her mind. Maybe that was why she’d been put in this home. “That’s a bit far-fetched, don’t you think? I mean even if Luke lied to me, that wouldn’t make him evil.”
“He
“Naomi? The granddaughter who disappeared? When did she tell you this?”
“Just now.”
“Is she here?” The poor woman was having hallucinations. She made a mental note to have her personal physician check in on Anita.
“She’s sitting right next to me.”
“She is?” She recalled Luke mentioning a good psychologist, Dr. Ryan Dantan. Maybe she should give him a call and ask for a consult. She could fly him in from Houston—at her own expense.
“You can’t see her, and I can’t either at this moment. But she appeared to me earlier. She told me she wouldn’t leave until after you left.”
“I see.” Jane stood, walked to the kitchen, and placed the glass in the sink.
“Senator, even if you don’t believe me about my granddaughter, it’s not hard to see that what Luke Prescott is doing is harmful to us all.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“All of my neighbors have been talking about it. My grandson works for Prescott Oil, and he sees it too. Whatever that company is doing to the land is bad. What’s it called?”
“Hydrofracturing.”
“Yes, hydrofracturing. It’s doing more harm than good. I even read that he plans to take it to other countries. What is happening here: the earthquakes, the bad water, will spread.”
“I’ve heard this all before, Mrs. Duran. The media has a way of sensationalizing everything. I honestly believe that we can do good for many more people.” She glanced over at a photo, noticing the dark handsome features of the young man she recognized as Chuy. “Your grandson has benefited from working with the company. He and many other families wouldn’t have had a job if it wasn’t for Prescott Oil.”
Distress washed over Anita’s face, and Jane felt horrible for what she had said.
“If it wasn’t for me, my Chuy would never have taken the job. It pains me that I couldn’t do anything to help him, and I ask for forgiveness every night for that.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Duran. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Anita sighed and smoothed her face. “Javier told me what you did for him when he was on the plane. I know there is good in you. Can’t you see that the person you’re supporting, the one you call friend, is creating nothing but destruction to the country you love?”
“I don’t see things the same way you do. Besides, that wouldn’t make someone a devil.”
She turned and headed to the door. She’d read the scientific reports and felt confident about hydrofracturing at the time. So why were Anita’s words stirring something inside of her? Stirring fear that maybe she was right. “Mrs. Duran, thank you for your time. Again, I’m so sorry to disturb you.”
“Do you believe in God?”
Jane stopped abruptly, her hand on the doorknob. What kind of question was that? “Of course I do.”
