Read Online A Fate Worse Than Death by Jonathan Gould - Free Book Online

watched her exit the building and disappear down the street.
    I went to close the door, but at that minute the phone rang. I dashed back to the desk and picked up the phone. It was Peter.
    “Jimmy, how are you?”
    “Just blowing in the wind. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Still busy?”
    “Like you wouldn’t believe. Big earthquake in Mexico. I’ve barely had time to breathe. But I can always squeeze in a minute for a detective like you. How can I help?”
    “I need to talk to you.”
    “Sounds exciting. Are you on a case?”
    “I can’t say. Can I meet you this afternoon?”
    “Just a moment, I’ll check my schedule.” For a couple of minutes, I heard nothing but frantic paper rustling. Then Peter’s voice came back on the line.
    “I’m sorry, this afternoon isn’t good. Gas explosion in the Philippines and mudslides in Bangladesh. It looks like we’re going to be snowed under for the rest of the day.”
    “That’s too bad. What about tomorrow?”
    The paper rustled again. “I might be able to squeeze you in at half-past seven tomorrow morning. How does that sound?”
    “Like a woodpecker drilling for oil in my head. But I’ll be there. See you at the Gates tomorrow.”
    “At the Gates,” agreed Peter. “It will be a pleasure.”
    I hung up and sat down again. A meeting at half-past seven? So much for carousing until the break of dawn. The sacrifices I made for this lousy job.
    * * *
    I did go out that evening. As the sun slowly set and Heaven’s skies acquired a soft pink hue, I sat and ate dinner in a small cafe. The food tasted fine. Not special but fine, like the food you could get in a multitude of cafes back in the land of the living. Mind you, even if it had matched the food from a restaurant with five chef’s hats and three gold stars, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it much. My encounter with Jessie had left me deeply troubled.
    What in the world, or outside the world perhaps, could upset an angel? Angels weren’t supposed to have worries. Angels were meant to sit around on clouds, playing their harps and smiling beatifically. But, beneath the demureness and the offers for help, I could see the fear in Jessie’s eyes. What was the source of her discomfort? What did Sally have over her? And how did any of this connect with Phil’s disappearance? All of those questions consumed me as I tried to consume my dinner.
    After a while, unable to arrive at anything resembling a satisfactory answer, I gave up on eating and left the cafe. Rather than go home, I decided to take another walk and experience the world of Heaven after dark. Perhaps things really did pick up once the lights went down. Maybe Alby Stark’s complaints were just the jaundiced ravings of a cynical old hack.
    It didn’t take long for this cynical old hack to realise Alby was right on the money. Heaven after dark was jumping as high as an elephant seal on prescription downers. I walked down streets and lanes, and looked over fences and through windows, but I didn’t see or hear any signs of anything that might vaguely resemble nightlife. The streets were abandoned and the entire population of Heaven seemed to be having a quiet night in. Nothing was open. No bars, no clubs, not even any bingo halls. Silence reigned in the streets.
    I’d been out for about an hour and was about to call it a night myself, when something caught my attention. The street I was walking along began to climb a small hill, and at the top of the hill, a light shone brighter than any of the modest lamps in the other houses. I walked up the hill, increasing my pace as I became aware of a massive structure looming above. When I reached the top, I stopped to catch my breath, looked up, and could barely believe my eyes.
    The place was huge. It was hard to fully discern in the darkness, but it looked like a mansion built above a mansion and then topped off with a mansion. Apart from God’s palace, all the other houses I’d seen in Heaven had