A Fate Worse Than Death by Jonathan Gould Page B

party compared to Hell.”
    I finished my glass and poured another for myself. I offered one to her, but she shook her head.
    “What makes Hell so bad?” I said.
    “I can’t tell you. The memories are too strong. Too terrible. All I can say is that after many long years of pain, I found a way out. I stumbled on a secret passage between Heaven and Hell.”
    “Must have been your lucky day.”
    “When I first made it to the top of the passage, I couldn’t tell if it was good luck or bad. I would spend hours looking out into Heaven, envying all of the good people who had made it here, and dreaming of the day when my time in Hell would finally be up and I could join them. But I didn’t dare pass through. Not at first.”
    “But eventually you did.”
    Jessie wiped a tear from her eye. “Eventually I did. I couldn’t stand it anymore. It was so hard, and I had so long to wait. Finally, in the middle of the night, I did it. I stole through the passageway and into Heaven. And here I’ve been, ever since.”
    “And no one seemed surprised by the arrival of a new angel in Heaven?”
    “No one,” she replied, her voice still quavering. “I created a whole new identity for myself as the angel Jessie, and no one here even batted an eyelid. But that’s the way it is in Heaven. People don’t question you. They respect you for who you are. Except for Sally. She was the only one who was suspicious, until you came along.”
    Jessie paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “So, now you’ve discovered my secret. I guess this is the end for me.” As she finished, she hid her head in her hands. Her whole body was wracked with sobs.
    “Just a minute,” I said. “What makes you think this is the end for you?”
    Jessie raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes glowed like porcelain marbles in the darkness. “Isn’t that what your case was about? To find me and send me back to Hell? Are you working for God, or just for Sally?”
    “What sort of detective do you think I am, Angel?”
    She blinked in surprise. “Please don’t call me Angel.”
    “Why shouldn’t I call you Angel?”
    “You know why. Because I’m not—”
    “But I like calling you Angel.” She didn’t answer. I figured she liked me calling her Angel too.
    “Now listen to me,” I said. “First of all, I never told you that I actually was on a case.”
    “But you said—”
    “No I didn’t. I said that maybe I was here for a particular reason, but I never told you what that reason was. Secondly, even if I was working on a case, that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with you. And thirdly, even if that case did involve you, I have no intention of having you shipped back to the fiery pit. Now you’ve told me your secret, and that’s fine with me. I was holding out my hat for some honesty. What you threw in was a lot heavier than I expected, but my neck is pretty strong. When I put my hat back on my head, nothing is going to fall out. What’s in there stays there.”
    “Do you mean that?” said Jessie. “You won’t tell anyone.”
    I grinned at her—a big toothy grin, so she could see it. “You’ve been honest with me, so I guess I should return the favour. As it happens, I am working on a case. I can’t disclose the exact nature of this case, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with investigating imposter angels. And I’m definitely not working for Sally. My instructions come directly from God Himself, though as far as I’m concerned, I see no need to report back to Him details that I do not deem relevant to the case.”
    Jessie slid across the bed and nestled against me. She placed her head down on the pillow and lay, breathing softly. After a while, she spoke.
    “The last time I saw you, I offered you my assistance. I’d like to now quadruple that offer.”
    “Quite frankly, Angel, I think the best thing you can do is stay well away. But I’ve still got a couple of questions to ask you. Firstly, I don’t get Heaven.