The Death Thief

Epilogue

"That's very generous of him."

"He is wonderful, isn't he?" she sighed.

"I suppose, I wouldn't know, but he sounds like he is." I gave her a smile and she returned it.

"By the way," she continued, watching me from the corner of her eye, "with the funds from the inheritance, I got my hair fixed, so Bungee is off the hook. I know you two have become close."

"Oh," I said, unable to hold her gaze, "that's good to hear."

It's true, with so much time to fill during the day, I found myself often seeking out Bungee and chatting with him. He was one of the few people around town willing to hang out with a Body without the expectation of an exchange of money at some point. I could have spent my time hanging out with the other Bodies, but they were often busy themselves and frankly, I had found it difficult to be around them after Gregory's sponsorship. It's just, the day after Gregory officially became Kyra's, a new Body, a woman named Irene, showed up in town. It was strange to think I wasn't the new kid on the block anymore. I took both pride and disappointment out of that, and my confusion over my own feelings kept me away from the other Bodies, or really from Irene.

"Anyway," I said with a shake of my head. "I should let you get back to hunting down a space. Good luck. It really sounds like a great business and I look forward to seeing it up and running."

"Thanks," she said with a genuine smile. "Enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks."

I scurried down the sidewalk with Hen's diner within my sights. However, a shift in the shadows in a nearby alleyway brought me to a stop.

"Gregory?"

The figure slinking farther into the darkness, halted his steps. After a moment of staring at the shadowy figure, a sigh broke our silence and the meek doctor stepped forward, though he still wouldn't emerge fully.

"Hi, Del," he said in a low voice.

"What are you doing?"

"My mistress wanted me to find a property to set up my office in, now that I'm able to walk again, but I hadn't expected to run into Calista." His voice dropped as he said her name and he shot a frantic glance past the corner of the building he cowered behind.

"She's moved on to a building down Thistle Avenue. You're safe."

"Oh," he said, blushing, "thank you."

"I don't think you have to be afraid of her. You were compelled to kill her. I doubt she blames you."

"I never meant to bring her harm," he said, a small whine in his voice as he looked towards the side street Calista wandered down. "Bernadette came to me. She wanted to get to know me. I didn't think I had a chance, but then she kept coming back. I thought if I told her that Matias was with Calista that she would just discard him and take me in instead. I didn't mean her harm. I didn't think Bernadette would do anything so vicious. But, even though I may not have willingly killed her, I still feel so guilty for starting this all in the first place."

"Well, she seems lost in her own bliss right now, so I think you should forgive yourself. Time will heal."

He didn't answer. He just kept his eyes on Thistle Avenue while he bit his lip.

"How's life with Kyra?" I asked.

"She..." He stopped and took a breath, before turning away from the side road and finally looking me in the eye. "She is a kind sponsor, but she is a distant one. She spent all that time nursing me back to health and now that we're living under the same roof...I mean, it's just that she's been my life for the past week, yet I feel so lonely." He rubbed his arm and shrank before me.

"Would...would you like to join me for breakfast?" Guilt forced a smile onto my face, but inside I hoped for a rejection. I'd gotten used to this ritual and I treasured it too much to share. Still, I couldn't leave him hurting and hovering in an alley.

"Oh no," he said with a light laugh. "I don't want to interrupt. Really, don't mind me. I've got a lot of looking around to do and my mistress is expecting me to have a place in mind by tonight so she can work out a lease. I'll be fine." Then he cleared his throat and straightened up. "Really, just the fact you bothered to talk to me has granted me comfort. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

My guilt allowed me to head to the diner once I saw Gregory emerge from his hideaway and walk down the street to look at the building Calista had already written off. Without further incident, I made my way to the Brew and Stew.

"Good morning Del, he's in the back today," said Hen with a ruby smile.

"Thanks, can I get a bear claw today?"

"Absolutely, I'll be right over with it and your coffee."

I walked over to the back corner booth and gave my companion a wide smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning Delilah," said Everett, rising up from his seat to greet me. "How was your walk here?"

"I saw Calista. She's got some really intriguing plans for spending Bernadette's money."

"Oh?" he asked, regaining his seat after I took mine. "I'm surprised they don't spend the next decade honeymooning."

"She said she'd be bored after awhile. You know..." I paused as Hen brought over my coffee and pastry, then continued on with a cautious pace to my words. "I was thinking that it would be nice if I got a job. It can be really boring just sitting around all day."

"Your job is to sell yourself to a willing sponsor," he said, hiding his smirk behind his mug.

"What if I don't want to sell myself? What if I just want to find a job and support myself?"

"No human has ever gotten a job here without the backing of a sponsor."

"Is that so?" I asked, looking down at my coffee as I swirled in some cream. "Well then I guess I have a year to be the first."

I put down my stirrer and looked up at Everett with a defiant smile. He returned it with a mischievous grin.

"I'm looking forward to it."

***

Thank you for reading The Death Thief! You can read the second book in the series, The Phantom Touch, for free on Wattpad.