The Tessa Randolph Collection, Books 1-3 by Paula Lester (good short books .TXT) 📕

sympathetic expression as she played with the straw in her own drink. Cynthia wiped at her eyes like she was tired.

“Chicago, huh? You know, there was a guy in our office back home yesterday. Timothy—he’s the assistant to the district supervisor.”

“April?” Gloria’s eyes went wide. “I’m glad I missed running into her.”

Tessa nodded. “She was pretty icy. But anyway, Timothy told me there was some problem at the Chicago reaper office. The numbers of souls reaped versus the orders put in aren’t adding up or something like that.”

“Huh. I wonder what’s going on. I’ll have to corner Cynthia at the hotel and get the scoop.”

“Do you think maybe it’s Cynthia’s fault?”

“No. Probably just some kind of accounting error. April likes to create waves where there should be smooth sailing. It’s her leadership style.” Gloria held up her glass to clink with Tessa’s. “Anyway, we’d better drink up. The plane will be boarding in ten minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, having consumed their cosmos way too fast, they were settling into their seats on the plane, having stowed their carry-ons in the overhead compartment. Gloria had asked for the aisle seat. “I feel too claustrophobic by the window.”

“Fine with me.” Tessa loved watching takeoff and landing out the window.

“It’s time to move this party to the beach,” Gloria said excitedly. “There will be even more reapers at the hotel bar. Plus, the hotel has a couple of nice restaurants. I’ll be ready for a nice juicy steak after we get settled in the room.”

Tessa was glad she was getting a chance to go to the conference and spend time with Gloria. The other reaper was fashionable and fun, and Tessa had really been enjoying getting to know her.

She opened her mouth to suggest they find some good Mexican instead. Cynthia’s margarita had looked good. But raised voices drew their attention toward the front of the plane.

Gloria leaned into the aisle.

“What’s going on?” Tessa felt a shiver of concern but quickly tamped down on it. The plane wasn’t in the air, so it wasn’t like a crash was imminent.

“I’m not sure.” Gloria craned her neck.

Murmurs made their way from the front of the plane back through the aisle like a ripple through water. Tessa heard the word dead.

Someone died? She tried to boost herself up to see over the seat in front of her, but the people there were also straining to see, blocking the view.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Art.” Gloria’s tone was hushed. “He’s dead. That’s strange. I didn’t see his soul. Did you?”

Tessa shook her head, scanning every inch of air for a portal to the other side.

Art. The reaper from Minnesota with a flare for the artistic? Tessa hadn’t even really met him, but she felt a pang of loss. He’d sounded like a nice guy. “I wonder who took him over,” she said. Of course, any humans on the plane wouldn’t have been able to see Art’s spirit leave his body or the reaper who would have opened a portal to the other side. But any of the reapers on the plane surely could have.

“How did we miss it?” she asked.

“I’m not sure.” Gloria looked troubled, but she shook her head and the expression cleared. “But it isn’t like we can just shout up there and ask who crossed Art over. We’ll have to wait until we get to the conference and ask around.”

Tessa nodded. She settled back into the chair, aware that it would take longer for them to get airborne now. Art’s body would need to removed from the plane. “Do you think he had a heart attack or something?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Gloria didn’t look convinced.

As Tessa watched an ambulance squeal to a stop next to the plane and several EMTs race up the stairs, she wondered about the reaper who’d taken Art. Had he or she known about the assignment for a while? Like, while all the reapers were in the pub drinking and telling stories?

It was one thing to take the souls of strangers to the other side. Even that was sad sometimes. But how would it feel to take someone you knew? A friend or co-worker?

Tessa was pretty sure she didn’t want to find out.

Chapter 5

THEIR DECISION TO BRING only carry-ons proved to be a good one. As Tessa and Gloria passed the luggage claim area, it was clear it would have taken them a while to deal with it. As it was, there was a line of reapers and regular folk pushing and shoving to get close enough to grab their bags.

Tessa’s curiosity threatened to get the better of her. She wanted to talk to the reapers and see if she could find out more about Art’s death. But there were lots of non-reapers around. It wasn’t the right time or place.

Nor was it her job. But these days, Tessa found she often questioned the how, the why, and the timing of every death she heard or read about. Differentiating business from literal life and death was something easier said than done. She hoped there was a talk at the conference to cover such matters.

As they made their way to the rental car plaza, Gloria seemed unfazed. She chattered about what type of food to indulge in for their first night at the resort. Tessa’s mind was only half on the conversation. It kept drifting to Art and what had happened to him on the plane.

Had there been a reaper waiting to escort him over?

Tessa knew from her training that there were circumstances under which someone could die without an assignment having been put in for them at a reaper agency. It was rare, but with the fact that humans had free will, choices could be made in a split second that the universe didn’t seem to foresee. When it did happen, the soul wandered until a reaper could find it and properly escort it over.

She’d even heard whispers about a task force made up of specially trained reapers whose