To Tell a Tale (Season One)

“How did they find him?” Airianna asked, curious as to how they found where her painting had pictured the man—if they hadn’t reached him in time.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Maribelle pulled an envelope from her purse. “Nash wanted me to give this to you, Captain. They made copies of it to use against the prick who stole my husband, but he wanted me to give you the copy Daemen had mailed to himself.”

Airianna had caught most of the other woman’s words but not everything. When Maribelle had pulled the envelope from her purse, a memory flashed through Airianna’s mind. She’d seen it before, but where?

Captain Dish read the papers and laughed. “Your husband is very smart.”

Maribelle nodded. “I know he is.” She looked at Airianna. “Are you okay?”

Airianna read the woman’s lips and nodded. “I remembered something from the painting.” She looked at the captain. “May I see my painting?”

The captain looked at Maribelle. Maribelle suggested with her hand for the captain to help Airianna.

“I can drive myself to the hospital. I will tell the guys you were held up and will be there shortly.”

The captain nodded. “Thank you.” He turned and offered Airianna his hand. “Of course, you can see your painting.”

Airianna smiled as they stood from the table and headed out the door. Maribelle hugged Airianna goodbye before she scurried off to her car. Airianna turned and followed the captain back to the station.

Once they were inside the building, he led her to the room. Airianna picked up her painting and studied it.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered.

“What is it?” the captain asked, tapping her shoulder.

Airianna turned to the captain. He smiled and repeated his question.

Airianna turned to the painting and pointed to a corner where a white envelope—similar to the one the captain held in his hand—lay on the ground beside a building.

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” The captain laughed as he looked at the envelope in the painting.

“I have painted strange things in my paintings before. But never knew why they were there. I thought it was just trash. But wondered why fate had me painting or drawing trash. But I think I know now.” She looked at the envelope still in the captain’s hand. “They’re clues.”

Captain Dish smiled. Airianna has never had a reason to wonder about the strange objects in her paintings. Now she does, and hopefully, they will help them in the future when they solve another of her psychic paintings.

“He won’t believe I knew nothing about the envelope,” she whispered.

“You let me worry about that.” Dish grinned.

“Can I have my painting back? I would like to put it with the rest of my work.”

Dish nodded. “Of course you can take it home. And now you know to look for the odd and strange in your paintings—because they are a clue to solving the riddle.”

Airianna’s brows furrowed. She didn’t understand all of what the man said.

The captain smiled. “Go home and rest. I may call on you in a day or two….”

“Please don’t,” Airianna said, holding her painting to her chest. “I don’t think I can take any more of this.” She nodded to the captain and then hurried out the door with her painting.

Captain Dish frowned. He’s going to have a long talk with that boy about how to treat a woman. Especially someone like Airianna Williams.

~🔮~

“Airianna, where have you been?” Jeremy Williams asked of his daughter when she stepped out of her car.

“Hi, daddy,” Airianna cried.

Jeremy ran to his daughter and pulled her into his arms. She hasn’t called him daddy since she was little. Only when something painful happened.

He leaned back and asked her what happened. She read his lips and broke down. Jeremy led his daughter into the house and sat on the couch, his daughter in his arms, crying.

They sat on the couch, Jeremy rocking his little girl as she told him what had happened from the moment she walked into the police station. Jeremy growled when she told him about the detective attacking her. Though it wasn’t the kind of attack that would harm his daughter, not physically but emotionally?

Airianna wasn’t used to any of this. This is precisely what he has been keeping his little girl from. But maybe he should have let her be around it more. Then perhaps it wouldn’t hurt so much if she was used to it.

Who is he kidding? A broken heart is a broken heart.

He looked down at her and smiled. She forced a smile for him, and his heart broke even more. She really liked this detective. Damn the bastard for hurting his little girl.

“Let’s go out for ice cream.”

She giggled and nodded. Of course, Jeremy knows how to cheer up his daughter. But ice cream only patches a wound; nothing can mend a broken heart. Only time can.

~🔮~

Airianna sat at the local ice cream parlor table with her father and her favorite flavor of ice cream in front of her. Chocolate chip mint, yum. She took a bite and closed her eyes to savor the flavor. When she opened her eyes, her father was smiling at her.

“I love you,” he mouthed to her.

Airianna smiled. “Love you too, papa.”

They ate in peace, Airianna’s mind wandering to the detective. She shook her head. No. She will not think of him right now or ever again. She’s never going into a police station again; she’s never talking to someone about her paintings again. And Detective Nash Jackman can jump off a bridge for all she cares.

They finished their ice cream and headed home. When they got to the house, a car was in their driveway.

“Stay here.” Her father motioned for her to stay where she was.

She nodded and watched him step out of their vehicle and walk toward the one parked in their driveway.

A woman stepped out of the car, and Airianna recognized her instantly. She jumped out of the car and ran to her father before he scared away her new friend.

“I thought I told you to stay in the car,” her father said when he saw her.

She heard most of his words but couldn’t read his lips in the dark. She knows sign language but never likes to use it.

“Papa, this is Maribelle,” she said, smiling at the other woman.

Her father looked the woman over, then nodded. “Would you like to come in?”

Maribelle smiled at Airianna and accepted their invitation to come inside.

Once they were inside, Maribelle turned to Airianna and took her hands in hers.

“I know you have been through a lot today, but I thought I should let you know that I beat some sense into that idiot.”

Airianna scowled. She knew who the woman spoke of. But she didn’t care if the woman hung the man by his testicles. She never wanted to see him again.

“I don’t….”

“Just trust me when I say he will be sorry for everything he has said and done—very soon. Just have patience. You two are meant to be. Remember, fate brought you two together, and fate will fix this problem.”

Airianna shook her head. “Fate hates me.”

Maribelle laughed. “Now that that is out of the way. I would love to see your paintings.”

Airianna smiled. “Come on, I would be thrilled to show you. You know, no one has ever asked, except the detectives, of course. But that’s for completely different reasons. They want to use them. You don’t want to use them to solve crimes, do you?” She turned to Maribelle, who was grinning at her.

“No, of course not. My aunt would kill me if I used a seer.”

Airianna smiled and turned to continue down the hall to her art room.

Jeremy watched the woman as she followed his daughter down the hall. He wasn’t sure about this woman, but his daughter was happy. That’s all he has ever wanted for his baby girl, for her to be happy. He looked at the picture of his wife on the mantle and sighed.

“Our little one is all grown up, Brit. And she has a new friend who has the same powers in her blood that our angel has in hers. Though the woman isn’t active, I can see the power in her eyes. I just hope she doesn’t hurt our daughter.”

He looked at the clock and shook his head. Too early to call upon his mother. He will call her tonight after Airianna has retired for the night. And see if she has ever heard of this woman’s aunt. If she’s for real, they may have a problem.

~🔮~

-Three Hours Earlier-

Nash walked into the station and headed straight for the cell. If she was telling him the truth and she didn’t know anything about Daemen being taken, then how did she know what the area they took him to looked like?

She has plenty of questions to answer.

He opened the door and stared at the empty cell.

‘What the fuck?’

“If you’re looking for that hot babe you molested earlier, some dude came in and set her free.”

Nash’s head shot up to the punk in the other cell. Some dude set her free? The only person who could do that was…

“Captain,” Nash grumbled as he turned and left the room.

“Jackman, my office, now.”

Nash turned to his captain. He had seen the man at the hospital, but they hadn’t been able to talk. He walked to the captain’s office and closed the door behind him.

“Why did you set my prisoner free?”

“Because you had no right arresting her….”

“No, right? She knew where Daemen was and refused to tell….”

“Shut your trap this second, or I will shut it for you!” Captain Dish bellowed as he jumped out of his seat and leaned across his desk.

Nash closed his mouth and grumbled as he looked away from the captain.

“She is safe at home now, and you will not treat her as you did….”

“She….”

’I said shut it!!!!”

Nash felt the vibration in the room from the captain’s booming voice and knew he was safer if he kept his mouth shut.

“Because of you, I have lost any chance of her helping us solve the unsolvable cases we have piled up. Her father wouldn’t let us near her before. What do you think he is going to do now?”

“But sir….”

“Do I need to gag you?”

Nash sighed and slumped into one of the chairs. “No.”

“Good. Now, what are you going to do to make it up to her?”

“Nothing,” Nash whispered. “I don’t trust her, and I don’t think I ever can.”

Captain Dish grumbled to himself. This boy is too stupid to see what the woman could do for them. Not to mention what she does to the detective.

“Just go. And I don’t want to hear about you attacking a prisoner, whether you think they killed someone or not.”

“I didn’t attack her,” Nash grumbled as he got to his feet.

The captain snorted. “That’s not how everyone else sees it. Just go. She’s not pressing charges, thank the Lord.”

Nash frowned as he got to his feet and left the room. He found Maribelle at his desk and smiled at her.

“How’s the old man?”

“He is just fine. They want him to stay the night. They’re releasing him tomorrow. How is Smitty?”

Nash chuckled. “Takes a lot more than broken ribs to keep that man down.”

Maribelle nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about Airianna.”

Nash scowled at her. “How do you know about her?”

Maribelle smiled. “I met her. She’s a sweet thing.”

Nash snorted.

“Nash,” she whispered.

He looked at her.

“You like her….”

“The fuck I do….”

“She likes you too. But you had to ruin that, didn’t you? When did you become a T-Total Asshole?”

Nash frowned. “What do you want from me, Maribelle?”

“To cool off before you go see her.”

He snorted. “I don’t plan on seeing her again.”

Maribelle smiled. “Don’t count your cards too soon, Nash Jackman. One day, you are going to find that you can’t live without that sweet girl’s smile.”

Nash looked down at the papers on his desk. “I have reports to write up. I’ll see you tomorrow at the hospital. Smitty is staying the night as well.”

Maribelle sighed as she got to her feet.

“One day, you’re going to believe in her, and the pain of what you did will hurt a lot more than you think.”

He looked up at her, a scowl on his face. “I will see you tomorrow.”

With a shrug, she turned and left him at his desk.

Nash rolled his eyes and went back to his papers. Could she be right? Will he regret what he did even more than he already did?

Fuck that. Airianna is a fake, and I’m going to prove it. One of these days, I swear I’m going to catch her in the act.

He returned to work before the seer took over him, mind, body, and soul.