Straight to Heaven by Michelle Scott Page A

liked that idea, I wasn’t sure that I could take her down.
    Something at the other end of the alley caught my eye. One of the kids from the birthday party, a little, brown-haired boy, had taken his goodie bag to a nice, quiet spot where he could eat his candy in peace. He sat between a rack of bowling balls and the drinking fountain, hidden from everyone but me. I could see everything, right down to his bulging eyes and gaping mouth.
    “I think that boy’s choking!” I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but I did. The angel’s eyes widened, and she glanced from me to the little boy in trouble and then back to me again.
    “We have to help him,” I said, alarmed. The boy was panicking, clawing at the collar of his polo shirt. “Let go of me!” I wanted to get over there and rescue him, but the angel weighed me down like an anchor. I couldn’t even get to my cell phone to call 911. “Seriously! Do you want that kid to die?”
    “That’s a really dirty trick, Lilith Straight!”
    “What are you talking about? That little boy is going to
die
if we don’t help him.”
    The angel hung on an instant longer, and I was sure she would take me down rather than save the child. But then she let go. Glaring at me, she raced to the other side of the building. She picked up the child and used the Heimlich to send a piece of hard candy flying from his mouth and into the air. The mother finally noticed and shouted, “Oh, my God, Calvin?!”
    I rubbed my arm as I watched. To my relief, the look of distress left the boy’s face as he began to breathe. Maybe guardian angels were worth something after all.
    “There you are.” J.T. came up behind me.
    “That little boy was choking,” I said.
    “Looks like he’s going to be all right,” J.T. said.
    I couldn’t take my eyes from the child. “I hope so.”
    “J.T., you’re up,” Craig called from the ball return. He glared at me, upset that I was interrupting the game.
    “In a minute,” J.T. said irritably.
    I wondered how much more trouble I needed to stir up between the two of them. They hadn’t gotten into a full-out battle, but they had argued and were now annoyed with each other. Technically, my job was complete. Yet, I felt that I’d missed the mark. I’d done all the right things, but somehow, the angel’s presence had altered the situation. I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t be getting my reward from Miss Spry.
    It was time to have a few words with that angel.
    “I better get back to the party,” I said.
    “Can I call you sometime?” J.T. asked.
    The hopeful, puppy-dog look in his eyes broke my heart, but that wasn’t the reason I gave him my number. I had to keep the lines of communication open. I hated using J.T., but it was the only way to stay connected to my client. I couldn’t let another opportunity to tempt Craig slip past me.
    After we exchanged numbers, I grabbed the birthday present I’d borrowed and hustled down to the other end of the building. I tossed the gift on the table with the others and approached the angel who was watching the boy being hugged by his mother. The angel gave me a final glare before disappearing through a foreign doorway.
    I followed her.
    I knew right away that I was in the wrong end of the universe. The place was nothing like the otherworld hallways I’d been using. In fact, it wasn’t a hallway at all. It was an outdoor path that led between trees that stretched as tall as skyscrapers. Here and there, shafts of sunlight stabbed through the gloom. From far away came a few notes of birdsong. Otherwise, it was completely still.
    Until the angel started yelling at me.
    “How did
you
get through the doorway?” she demanded. “Demons are
not
allowed into Heaven!” Like me, she’d been using a disguise at the bowling alley, and in the otherworld, her true form revealed itself. She looked to be my age. Her bright blue eyes stood in stark contrast to her tanned skin, and her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail.