Ghost Falls (Haunted Souls #22)

16

The rest of Saturday went by in a flash. After mini golf, the kids had gotten bubblegum ice cream and wanted to take a drive on the racetrack. Wolf had wanted to drive the little race car by himself, but didn’t meet the height requirement. Jude sat him on his lap and let him steer. All of the kids had a ball, so did Ronan, and Fitz, who took Kaye to the Fallsview Casino to try her hand at the slot machines. She won over five hundred dollars, while Ronan lost forty.

For dinner, they’d gone to the hotel’s buffet. It was so much easier than trying to order for eleven people and expecting everyone’s food to be hot. Not to mention that if the kids or Ronan didn’t like something, they could go back to the buffet and grab something else.

After dinner, Jude and Ronan got the kids settled in their room with snacks and movie, while the adults got ready for the call from Fitzgibbon’s friend. He’d asked Everly what was going to happen on the phone call and she didn’t have an answer. At a few minutes to eight, Cannonball showed up with Heidi and CJ, who was excited to join his new friends for movie night.

Heidi and Cannonball looked like they hadn’t slept in a month. Cope had no idea what to say to either of them. They knew what was at stake. Cannonball was hoping the Coast Guard could save his stunt and his ass, while Heidi was hoping her husband would call the whole thing off.

At a few minutes past eight, Fitz’s phone rang. Ronan had set it up so that the video call could be shown on the television. “Hey, Milt!”

Fitzgibbon said.

“Good to see you, Fitzy!”

Milton Forsythe was a silver fox. His salt and pepper hair was cut short and he was dressed in his navy blue uniform jacket with yellow stripes on his cuffs signifying his rank.

“This is Cannonball Jackson, our daredevil,”

Fitz said after introducing everyone else in the room.

“Cannonball! That sound like a Guard nickname if I ever heard one.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Now, let’s get down to brass tacks.”

Milt was all business now. “Just so that I understand the situation, you want the USCG to lend you an assist when you attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel because your father died doing the same stunt twenty years ago?”

Jude couldn’t help but think how ridiculous it sounded when Milt explained the stunt in such simple terms.

“Yes, sir, that’s what I plan to do. The Coast Guard getting involved wasn’t something I knew could possibly happen until this morning.”

Cannonball turned to Ronan. “Does he know about…?”

“Yes, Milt knows about Everly and her gifts. As a matter of fact, she reunited Milt with his father. It was a very touching reunion.”

“Everly is quite a little lady. I haven’t had my ass handed to me like that since I was a boy.”

Milt grinned at Ronan.

“Yeah, she definitely has a way with people.”

Ronan laughed.

“But evidently not with you, Cannonball.”

Milt raised an eyebrow at the daredevil before continuing, “This little girl along with a ballroom full of psychics told you that you were going to die doing this stunt and you’re still going through with it? What in tarnation am I missing here, son?”

Cannonball’s mouth dropped open. For the first time since Jude met the man, it seemed he was at a loss for words.

“And you, Mrs. Cannonball, what have you got to say about this?”

“Nothing that could be repeated on television, that’s for sure.”

Heidi crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at her dumbass husband.

Milt barked out a quick laugh. “At least someone in the family has some common sense. You realize that water is around fifty degrees this time of year and what a shock to your system that would be on a normal day, not to mention after you’ve dropped eighty feet off a waterfall.”

“Yes, sir. I understand that.”

Cannonball seemed to shrink in on himself, as if he were trying to disappear altogether.

Milt tapped a finger on his desk, his eyes on Cannonball through the camera. “Our elite Coast Guard swimmers can handle those temperatures and the rush of water the falls generate. It’s what they’re trained to do, but tell me why these men should risk their lives to save yours when you’ve foolishly put yourself in extreme danger in order to eclipse your father?”

“He doesn’t pull any punches, does he?”

Cannonball muttered to Fitz, who simply shook his head.

“No I don’t. You’re asking a branch of the United States military to put lives on the line, not going into a warzone, or being sent on a covert mission behind enemy lines, but to keep a dumbass daredevil from drowning after attempting a crazy stunt?”

“This is my last stung, sir,”

Cannonball said. “I’m done with this whole thing. I spent last night Googling local colleges with accounting courses. It’s time I grow up and support my family like a man, not like a ten year old who thinks he’s immortal.”

“Is that what your father thought? That he was immortal?”

Milt asked.

“Yeah, he always said he was too mean to die. He was right on one count, but not on the second.”

Milt sighed. “For some reason, people want to see you do this asshole stunt and not die trying. I spoke with the commander of Coast Guard Station Niagara. He asked his swimmers if any of them were willing to work the stunt with you. All twenty of them said yes.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it.”

“Neither could I. Report to the station at oh-eight-hundred-hours tomorrow for a safety briefing. Ask for Commander Anthony. Good luck, son. Don’t make me read your obituary or one for those volunteer swimmers.”

With those words, Milt disconnected the call.

Jude was stunned. He didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to volunteer for a mission like this, nor did he think Milt would be willing to pull the strings to make this idea a reality.

“Do not be late,”

Fitzgibbon said.

“So that’s it?”

Heidi shouted. “We almost had Carl talked out of doing this foolish thing and now it’s all systems go since the coast guard is volunteering to help? What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Cannonball?”

Everly said from the connecting door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Heidi eyed the little girl warily, but nodded her head.

Everly ran into the room and scrambled up on the bed beside Heidi. She took the woman’s hand and was silent for a few seconds. “I know how scared you are, especially with the secret you’re keeping. Cannonball’s gonna be okay tomorrow.”

“Can you guarantee me that?”

Heidi swiped at her damp eyes.

Everly shook her head. “No, I can’t. There are no guarantees in life. My Dad tells me that all the time. Right now though, I see that Cannonball is going to be okay. Ricky’s gonna get to him in time.”

“Who’s Ricky?”

Ten asked his daughter.

“The cute swimmer who’s gonna get in the water to save Cannonball.”

“Ricky’s cute?”

Ronan asked with a snort.

Everly nodded, sending her strawberry blonde hair flying around her face. “But that’s not the point.”

She turned her attention back to Cannonball. “You have to pay very close attention at the meeting tomorrow morning. You think you know it all, but you don’t. What they tell you is going to save your life. Keeping your family together is up to you. Heidi, you should tell Cannonball the secret.”

“How do you know the secret? I haven’t told anyone.”

Heidi’s tears had dried and she was smiling shyly at her husband.

“When I held your hand I felt two heartbeats.”

Everly giggled.

Cannonball gasped. “We’re having a baby?”

Heidi shook her head. “No, we’re having two babies. Weren’t you listening to Everly?”

Cannonball’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

“Listen carefully, I’m not going to do this on my own again. I swear to God, if you die, I’m gonna find a man who will be by my side through everything, including burying your stupid ass. Understood?”

Heidi wore an angry look that lasted about ten seconds, until Cannonball pulled his wife into his arms.

“Do you know if we’re having boys or girls?”

Cannonball asked, obviously believing completely in Everly’s gifts.

“Yes, but I’ll keep that information to myself. The good news is that neither of them are going to want to be daredevils.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“The cost of two kids going to Prince’s town.”

Everly shrugged as if she didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Do you mean Princeton University?”

Ronan asked.

“Yup. The people there talk really funny, like Snooki.”

Everly tried the accent on for size.

“How do you know who Snooki is?”

Ronan asked, while Ten laughed.

“Lucky guess.”

Everly ran out of the room giggling.

Jude knew damn well it wasn’t a lucky guess. He had a feeling Nana Kaye was an undercover Jersey Shore fan. “Okay, so are we all set here?”

Cannonball nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for all your help.”

“You’re welcome, but there’s someone here who wants to talk to you,”

Cope said, his gaze fixed on the spot beside the now-blank television screen. He held up Cannonball’s lucky quarter and flipped it back to him.

“Someone who wants to talk to me?”

Cannonball asked. “Who?”

“Rooster is here?”

Cannonball wore a stunned look. “My father?”

Cope nodded.

Just when Jude thought things were about to calm down for the night, it turned out that the fireworks were just getting started.