"DOUBLE ENMITY"
Chapter 7
Paige placed the package of herbs inside a small plastic bag and handed it over to the customer. "There you go," she said pleasantly. "Come back again." The customer gave Paige a polite smile and left Ostera's.
Seconds later, a newcomer entered the shop. It was Bruce. "Hey," he greeted Paige in a breathless voice. "Is Barbara ready for lunch?"
"She's in her office." A dark-haired young woman emerged from the shop's storeroom, holding a box. She happened to be Ostera's second assistant, Madeline Oser. "In the middle of a phone call."
Bruce nodded. "Hopefully, she won't be too long. It's my day off and I had made reservations at the Big Four Restaurant. At the Huntington Hotel."
"Don't tell me," Madeline said. "You know the chef. Right?"
A light smile touched Bruce's mouth. "How did you know?"
Madeline continued, "My aunt and uncle once . . ." She broke off, as Barbara emerged from the back.
The blond shop owner wore a stunned expression on her face. Which also struck Paige as unusually pale. Bruce frowned. "Barbara? Is there something wrong?"
"Um . . ." Barbara let out a gust of breath. "Um, I was just on the phone with Dr. Palin. Apparently, the reason I had fainted . . ." She stared directly at Bruce with dazed eyes. "I'm pregnant. I mean, we're . . . uh, pregnant. I mean . . ." Barbara paused. "We're going to be parents. I'm over two months pregnant. The baby is due in late September."
Both Paige and Madeline squealed with delight. Bruce's gray-blue eyes widened in shock. "Uh . . . you mean to say . . . oh God!" he whispered.
Paige happily enveloped her employer into a bear hug. "Congratulations, Barbara!"
"Thanks," the blond witch replied in a shaky voice. Madeline also gave her a hug. Then Barbara turned to her husband. "Bruce?"
The stunned expression remained stamped on Bruce's handsome face for a few seconds longer. Then his mouth broke into a wide grin, as he enveloped his wife into a tight hug. "Goddess, I can't believe it. We're going to be parents!"
"Yes, we are," Barbara replied happily, as she returned Bruce's hug. Paige could see tears glistening in her blue eyes.
The Charmed One suggested, "Barbara, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Maddy and I can take care of the store."
Barbara turned to face her two employees. "I don't know . . ." she began doubtfully.
"Paige is right," Madeline added. "You and Bruce should celebrate."
The expecting couple exchanged knowing looks. Bruce said, "Why not?"
"Why not indeed?" Barbara replied. She and Bruce linked arms. "Don't forget to close the shop at five, you two. See you tomorrow."
"Bye!" Paige and Madeline cried out after the departing couple.
Once Bruce and Barbara closed the front door behind them, Madeline turned to Paige. "I guess I better finish stocking on the St. John's Wort. You want to go to lunch first?"
Paige insisted that the younger witch break first for lunch . . . as originally planned. Not long after Madeline had left the shop, the telephone rang. Paige answered it. "Ostera's Herbal Shop. May I help you?"
To the Charmed One's surprise, her elder sister's voice rang in her ear. "Paige, it's me. Phoebe. I need your help."
"Phoebe? What's the matter?"
The middle Charmed One continued, "I need you to get a hold of Cole. Or maybe Olivia. It's serious. I think . . ." She broke off, as something close to a sob filled the telephone receiver.
Paige frowned. "Pheebs?"
"He's going to die! Today!"
Her sister's words confused Paige even further. "Phoebe, what the hell are you talking about?"
Phoebe explained that she had paid Cole's office a visit to discuss Holly McMillan. Paige rolled her eyes at the news. For Pete's sake! "Phoebe, I can't believe that you had went ahead and did it. Even after Piper and I had told you it was a bad idea!"
"Paige . . ."
But the youngest Charmed One was in full rant. "Look, none of us like the idea of Cole defending that woman anymore than you do, but it is none of business! Cole is not a part of our family anymore. He's no longer your husband. And I doubt very much that he would care what you think about his clients."
A loud sigh filled the telephone receiver. "I'm aware of that, Paige!" Phoebe retorted. "Cole made it loud and clear when he dragged me – literally, I might add – out of his office."
"Well, we did warn . . ."
"Look, Paige, enough of that! Please!" Phoebe sounded impatient. Paige also detected a hint of desperation. "Listen, something happened." Phoebe went on to explain that at the moment when Cole had dragged her out of his office, she experienced a premonition. "I saw him being stabbed in the heart . . . by a woman's hand holding a dagger of some kind. And I saw his tombstone. According to the date on it, he dies today!"
Paige countered, "Didn't you tell him?"
Phoebe retorted that it was hard for her to do so, while being tossed out of Cole's office. "And he had slammed the door in my face, before I could warn him. He's really pissed at me. I need you to tell Olivia."
"Why don't you tell her?"
A pause followed. "Because," Phoebe answered reluctantly. Then she sighed. "C'mon Paige, we're talking about my ex-husband's current wife. Besides, Olivia has a way of making me feel uncomfortable. Our private conversations don't always end on a pleasant note. At least for me."
"Phoe-bee!" Paige cried in despair. "Olivia is not going to bite you."
The middle Charmed One retorted. "Says you." Before Paige could respond with another retort, she sighed. "All right. I'll call Olivia. But just in case I can't reach her, could you call Cole?"
Paige agreed to her older sister's request. The two sisters hung up. Paige picked up the telephone and dialed the number to Cole's office. His assistant informed her that Cole had left for an important meeting and should return around two o'clock. Stymied, Paige had no choice but to hang up. And hope that Phoebe would reach Olivia.
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The red-haired witch heaved a frustrated sigh. She realized that she has hit a snag in the Jennings murder case. A witness to the murder of a local dentist had spotted a car leaving Dr. Jennings' office. Through the local Department of Motor Vehicles, Olivia learned that the spotted car came from the Enterprise Car Rental Service. But when she checked the car rental service for the identity of the customer, she discovered that the latter had used a false name. Even worse, the Enterprise employee had no memory of the customer's appearance.
It did occur to Olivia to lift fingerprints from the vehicle, which had been returned to the Enterprise lot. But three to four days had passed since Dr. Jennings' death. And the car rental service had lent the car to a new customer. Which meant that the company's mechanics and this new customer had manhandled the damn car, adding more prints. Olivia knew she would have to figure out another way to identify the dentist's killer. Only, she had no idea on how to achieve that goal. Perhaps another visit to Dr. Jennings' of . . .
The door to Darryl Morris' office swung open. Olivia's squad leader and occasional partner appeared in the doorway. "Hey! Turner! You have a call on Line 2. It's . . . Phoebe Halliwell."
Olivia stared at her colleague with disbelief. "Say that again?"
"It's Phoebe. And she says it's urgent."
Urgent? Olivia could only think of one reason why Phoebe would call her. Or one person. She picked up her telephone and selected Line 2. "Hello? Phoebe?"
The middle Charmed One heaved a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank God! Olivia! I am so glad I got through. I didn't know your direct number, so I called Darryl. Listen, I need you to get in touch with Cole. I think he's in danger."
Danger. Cole Turner aka Belthazor in danger? Olivia could not fathom who would pose such a threat to her very powerful husband. "What do you mean?" she demanded. Olivia held her breath, as she listened to Phoebe's revelation about a vision foretelling Cole's death at the hand of a woman. Stabbed in the heart. Unfortunately, Phoebe's premonition did not connect a face to the hand. "Phoebe, when did you first get this premonition?"
A long silence followed before Phoebe explained that she had visited Cole's office. "It was about Holly McMillan. I . . . uh, I tried to convince him to drop the case."
Oh Goddess! Olivia inwardly winced at Phoebe's ever continuing efforts to interfere in Cole's life. Before she could round on the other woman, Phoebe added, "Look, I now know it was the wrong thing to do. And that I had no business interfering in Cole's life. Paige made that perfectly clear. You see . . ." Again, Phoebe hesitated. ". . . when he . . . escorted me out of his office, I had the vision. Only I couldn't tell him. He . . . he's a little pissed at me, right now. And he won't take my calls. Olivia, you need to warn him. Tell him to go home or do something."
Again, Olivia found the idea of anyone – man or woman – being able to kill Cole. Until she recalled how she nearly killed him, while under a spell, last summer. Bruce, Paige and Harry's intervention had prevented her from succeeding. It seemed plausible that someone else had found a way to kill Cole. "All right," Olivia finally said. "I'll give Cole a call. And thanks . . . for the warning."
Phoebe murmured a quick "You're welcome." She paused before she continued, "Listen, could you do me a favor? Could you tell Cole that I'm sorry? About the way I . . . uh, came on to him?"
"Huh?" Olivia stared at the telephone handset in confusion. "Came on to him?"
Phoebe quickly explained, "About Holly McMillan. I was . . . trying to bully him into giving up the case." Olivia heard a gust of breath. "I guess I got so emotional over the matter that I forgot that Cole is just doing his job. And that I'm . . . well, not married to him anymore. And knowing what a good lawyer he is, I guess I feared that . . ."
Olivia interrupted, "Phoebe, why don't you speak to Cole yourself? I'm sure that he will listen?" I hope, Olivia silently added.
A loud sigh filled Olivia's ear. "I guess you're right," the Charmed One said. "Anyway . . . uh, thanks. But you'll tell Cole about my premonition?"
"Yeah, I'll tell Cole. See you later, Phoebe." With great relief, Olivia hung up. Seconds later, she reached her husband at his office. The moment she mentioned Phoebe's name, Cole went into a long rant.
The half-daemon expressed annoyance that his ex-wife would talk to his current wife about his client. "This is getting ridiculous!" he growled. "And I'm getting fucking annoyed. The next time Phoebe decides to interfere in my life . . ."
"Cole, Phoebe didn't call me about Holly McMillan," Olivia interrupted. She told Cole about Phoebe premonition. "I know you find the idea hard to believe. I did at first. But I kept thinking about Cecile's vision. You know, the one in which I was supposed to kill you. And I nearly did."
Cole sighed. Long and hard. "All right. So you and Phoebe think that some woman might kill me? What am I supposed to do? Go home?"
Olivia replied, "That's a good idea."
"C'mon Olivia . . ."
"Cole, please! Please . . . just to be safe."
In a slightly disgruntled voice, Cole grumbled, "If you insist. And by the way, uh . . . tell Phoebe thanks for me."
Olivia shot back, "Tell her yourself. She plans to call you later."
"Remind me not to take the call," Cole retorted.
Olivia dropped her head to the desk in mild despair. There were times when Cole could be a very stubborn bastard. "Phoebe wants to apologize, Cole. Could you at least give her that chance?"
A long and silent pause followed. Then Cole mumbled, "Yeah. Okay. Uh . . . look, I'll see you later."
"I might come home a lot earlier, today."
Cole's tone became slightly seductive. "Suddenly, the idea of going home early has become a lot more appealing. We use the scarves, when you get home?"
Olivia knew that Cole was referring to the Anduin Dimension scarves that she had received from Nathalie Green as a wedding present. The same scarves that she and Cole had used with great effect on their honeymoon. "Hmmm, I'll think about it."
"Think fast," Cole growled. "I'll see you later." Husband and wife bid each other good-bye before they hung up.
Olivia glanced up and found Darryl standing next to her desk. "I thought you were on the phone with Phoebe."
"I was. It seemed she had a premonition about Cole," Olivia explained. Then she told Darryl about the vision. "And I just told Cole. Both of us decided it would be best if he went home, early. You know, not take any chances."
Darryl frowned. "You really think that someone will be able to kill him?"
"I nearly did." Olivia gave Darryl a pointed stare. "Remember? And if I can find a way to kill Cole, I'm sure that some sorcerer or daemon can."
Nodding, Darryl added, "Which is why he's going home early today." He hesitated. "You want to join him?"
Olivia shrugged. "I was thinking about it."
"Maybe you should just go. You've been looking pretty tired all morning."
Olivia opened her mouth to protest. Until she realized that she did feel pretty exhausted. "Okay. I just need to finish up with a few things before I leave. Like the Jennings case."
"Okay. In my office." Darryl started toward it.
After grabbing the Jennings file, Olivia started to follow Darryl. Until she spotted a man sitting on the visitor's bench near the squad room's entrance. Despite his serene expression, he possessed a striking appearance thanks to his handsome – almost exotic – features and well-tailored suit. Olivia smiled at the visitor. "Excuse me, sir, but have you been helped?"
The man's almond-shaped eyes looked startled. Odd. "Uh . . . no. I mean, I'm not here for any help. I . . . I'm waiting. For someone. Lunch."
A quick glance at the squad's wall clock made Olivia frowned. "At eleven-fifteen? Rather early, don't you think?"
"Unfortunately, I have an appointment around one," the man said with a smile. "So . . ." There seemed to be a feral quality to his smile that left Olivia feeling slightly uneasy.
With a nod, Olivia replied, "Oh. Yeah. Um, have a nice lunch." Then she headed toward Darryl's office.
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The daemon's gaze remained fixed upon the red-haired witch, until she disappeared into her colleague's office. The uncanny resemblance between her and the warlock who waited for him outside of the police station astounded him. Despite the warlock's murder of the Gimle daemon, Klymus found it difficult to believe that his red-haired companion came from an alternate dimension. Until now.
Klymus glanced around the squad room to ensure that no one else had noticed him. Then he made his way to the witch's desk and dropped to one knee. He opened one drawer and found several computer discs, a compact hard drive and several pamphlets inside. A second drawer revealed a paperback book and several pencils. Klymus opened a third drawer and found two Glock pistols and a bully club. Violent woman, he thought. Then he reached for the fourth drawer. It refused to budge.
Perhaps it was time to use a little magic. Utilizing his telekinesis ability, Klymus attempted to open the fourth drawer. Nothing happened. Dammit! What in the hell did this woman do to . . .? Voices caught his attention. One of them belonged to the witch. Klymus teleported out of the squad room before he could get caught.
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Inside P3, Piper and Chris stared at Phoebe with disbelief. "Uh, Phoebe honey, are you sure that you're not mistaken?" Piper said. "About your premonition, I mean."
"Piper, have I ever been wrong?" Phoebe demanded.
Both Piper and Chris exchanged one long look. "Well," Chris began, "I can recall that time, four months ago, when . . ."
Sounding slightly irate, the middle Charmed One retorted, "Okay! So a few of my premonitions were off. But you can't say I was wrong to warn Cole."
Piper muttered, "I thought it was Olivia you had warned, since Cole wouldn't talk to you."
Phoebe glared at her older sister. "Piper! That's enough! What is it with you two? Why do you suddenly find it hard to believe one of my premonitions?"
Chris shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon Phoebe. We're talking about Cole. He's . . . well, he's very powerful. Isn't he? Even more powerful than Wyatt."
The whitelighter's comment drew a sharp glance from Piper. "What do you mean? That's never been confirmed."
"Piper, Cole was the only one whose powers weren't affected by Wyatt's birth," Phoebe reminded her sister.
"That doesn't mean he's more powerful than Wyatt."
Chris shot back, "He is. Trust me. In the future, Cole turned out to be the only one standing between the rest of us and Wyatt. Without him, Wyatt would have . . . well, you know."
Both Phoebe and Piper exchanged uneasy looks. The Halliwells still found it difficult to imagine Wyatt as a major threat in the future. "Great," Piper mumbled. "My son becomes a danger to us all and Cole – of all people – becomes the only one strong enough to protect us. Unless someone kills him today. And I find that hard to believe."
Phoebe added, "Don't forget the vision Cecile had about Olivia killing Cole. And it nearly happened, thanks to Leo."
"Please don't remind me."
The middle Charmed One continued, "Look, if Olivia can find a way to kill Cole and Paige being able to strip him of his powers, who is to say that some demon or warlock has found a way to do either one?"
"But everything's fine now, right?" Piper insisted. "I mean . . . you did warn Olivia. Who must have warned Cole."
With a sigh, Phoebe replied, "I hope so. I only wish I could have identified that woman in my premonition. I wonder if it was Holly McMillan. Or someone impersonating her."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh please! I realize you think that this woman is guilty of murder. So do I, if I must be honest. But accusing her of being a demon or a warlock is going a bit too far. Don't you think?"
"Who's Holly McMillan?" Chris asked. The two sisters stared at him with incredulous eyes. "What?"
Again, Piper rolled her eyes. "Of course. You're a whitelighter. Naturally, you wouldn't know what's going on."
"But who is she?"
Phoebe coolly answered, "A woman who had killed her husband." She heaved a loud sigh. "Allegedly. Of course, it's only a matter of time when she's found guilty."
Piper shot back, "With Cole defending her? Yeah . . . right."
"Thanks for reminding me, Piper."
"Look Pheebs, even if Holly McMillan was a demon – and quite frankly, I doubt it – I'm sure that Cole would have sensed it right away. I can think of only one woman close enough to get to Cole. And I can't see Olivia killing him. At least not now. Can you?"
END OF CHAPTER 7
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