DEAD RUN

  by

  Pandora Pine

  Dead Run

  Copyright © Pandora Pine 2025

  All Rights Reserved

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Digital Edition: July 2025

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  1

  Ronan

  June…

  For the first time in a long time, Ronan O’Mara couldn’t make up his mind. His life view was more black and white, rather than the many shades of grey his husband, Tennyson, preferred. Unfortunately, this was a decision Ronan was going to have to make on his own. Thankfully, neither black nor white nor grey factored into the equation.

  Pink or purple?

  Purple or pink?

  “Daddy?” Everly sighed, rolling her eyes as if Ronan were a greater disappointment than the last Marvel movie. “I thought you picked the green skirt like an hour ago.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Everly had picked a pink skirt five minutes after walking into the store.

  Ronan snickered. He appreciated his daughter’s sense of exaggeration, which she, of course, got from him. “I thought it was a little too Wicked Witch of the West.”

  Father and daughter stood in front of a dressing mirror at Black Cats, Bats, and Broomsticks, Salem’s costume shop, run by witches, for witches. The Salem Witches Dead Run was a week away. The fun run fundraiser was to benefit Everly, Aurora, and Wolf’s Class of 2037. The year made Ronan feel older than dirt.

  Everly looked as if she were considering the matter. Her blue eyes, identical to Ronan’s own, moved back and forth between the pink, purple, and green tutus her father had been admiring. “You’re right. The green definitely gives Elphie vibes. I think a lot of people are gonna dress like her for the Witches Dead Run. I just hope they don’t all try to sing “Defying Gravity,” like they did at the movie theater sing-along.” The six-year-old cringed, as if she’d just eaten a lemon.

  “That was seriously awful,” Ronan agreed.

  “You were the worst singer of them all!” Everly threw her hands in the air.

  Ronan’s eyes widened in mock horror. He knew damn well he sang in the key of rabid badger. Hell, that was half the fun. Wasn’t it a father’s job to embarrass his kids at every turn? Ronan slapped a dramatic hand against his chest. “How very dare you! I have the voice of an angel!”

  “Yeah, Lucifer!” Jude called from one row over.

  Ronan burst out laughing. Jude had a point. “Have you picked a costume yet?”

  “I sure have! I’m Sooooper Jude!” Jude’s voice boomed through the store. He bounced over to Ronan dressed in a bright red tutu with a matching red cape. “I’m gonna have Tennyson sew a giant ‘J’ on the back.”

  “Me too!” Wolf called, as he ran toward Everly. “I’m Wonder Wolf!” The little boy howled in his outfit that perfectly matched his father. “I want a ‘W’ on my cape.”

  Ronan knew Ten would be overjoyed to help Jude and Wolfie with their fun run costumes. He held up the pink and purple tutus for Jude to see. “Which one?”

  “Everly’s wearing pink, so you can be all matchy-matchy together, like me and Wolf.” Jude and Wolf high-fived each other.

  Ronan shimmied into the pink skirt and admired himself in the mirror. “What do you think, Little Miss? Do you want to twin with me?” The reason he hadn’t picked pink in the first place was because he was afraid Everly wouldn’t want him to wear the same color.

  “Hold on!” Everly dashed away from Ronan.

  “I knew it,” Ronan muttered loud enough for Jude to hear him. “I’m an embarrassment to my daughter.” He was about to pull off the tutu when Everly ran back toward him. In her hands were two neon pink wigs.

  “Try this on.” Everly handed him the larger of the two, before trying on her own. The wigs were long and curly. Everly’s reached the center of her back.

  Ronan’s heart soared. He tried on the wig and burst out laughing at the effect. “Holy shit, I look amazeballs!”

  “Right!” Everly agreed. “We’re a perfect team now!”

  “Team Pretty in Pink.” Ronan ran his hands through the soft synthetic hair.

  “You’re gonna need some tape or wig glue to keep that on during the race,” Jude said. “We don’t want it flying off and blinding other runners.”

  “Or maybe I do!” Ronan waggled his eyebrows, sounding diabolical. “If I’m gonna win this race, I’ll need to employ booby traps like Data in The Goonies.”

  “Ronan, for the tenth time, the fun run isn’t a race. That’s why they put the word ‘fun’ in the title. It’s supposed to be a fun way to raise money for the school.”

  “Winning is fun!” Ronan proclaimed. He was willing to die on this hill, which was a distinct possibility, considering the fact that the only recent thing Ronan had run, was out of Cheetos. Ever since Jude ended up in the hospital after tearing a ligament playing basketball, and was nearly the victim of a serial killer, he and Jude had let their fitness regimens slide.

  “Daddy, I told you a million times, I’m not running!” a familiar voice rose over the din of the shop. “I’ll wear a costume and help Dad hand out the water, but that’s it! I refuse to get all sweaty and smell like a goat.” Aurora declared, coming to stand at Everly’s side. She was dressed in a witchy-princess gown, which made her look like a hybrid of Rapunzel and the Sanderson sisters.

  “Ohhhh,” Everly said, reaching out to touch Aurora’s outfit. “I love it! You look great!”

  “I know!” Aurora grinned at her friend. She grabbed Fitzgibbon’s phone out of his hand and started taking pictures of herself and Everly. Both girls giggled as Wolf stood behind them and held up bunny ears.

  “Woofie and I are gonna do the fun run. You should too,” Everly said, sounding casual.

  Ronan nearly burst out laughing when he saw his daughter wink at Fitzgibbon. Obviously Everly and his boss had struck a deal to help convince Aurora to take part in the Witches Dead Run.

  “Imagine the cool pictures we’ll take at the finish line with our medals.” Everly spoke with wonder in her voice.

  Aurora seemed unmoved at the mention of medals.

  “Daddy said if I beat him, he’s gonna buy me a two-wheeler!” Everly chirped sweetly.

  Blackmail! Ronan had done no such thing. Everly had been after him to get her a real bike for two months, after her cousin, Brooke, got one for her birthday. He and Tennyson had discussed it several times. Their final decision had been that they’d get one for Everly when Wolf and Aurora got one too. It was the only fair way to do it. The other two kids would be heartbroken to be left out, but to be honest, Ronan hadn’t been in much of a hurry to talk to Fitz and Jude about the matter. If Everly could ride a two-wheeler, that would be another step toward his daughter’s independence from him. As much as the other kids wouldn’t be able to bear not having a bike, Ronan couldn’t bear the thought of his daughter not needing him anymore.

  “Really?” Aurora’s eyes widened. “Daddy, if I run the race can I get a bike too?”

  “Me three!” Wolf said, grabbing Jude’s legs and looking up at him with a happy face.

  “Uh, Ronan, a word, if you don’t mind.” Fitzgibbon’s tone left no room for dissent.

  Ronan was going to die. Fitz was scared to death that Aurora would hurt herself on a two-wheeler, but he suspected the reluctance on Fitz’s part was the same as on his part. Neither man wanted their little girls to grow up too fast. “Before you hit me, let me explain.”

  Fitz didn’t look like he was in the mood for explanations. “If my daughter gets so much as a scratch during this fun run, I’m coming for you!”

  As Ronan muttered a quick Hail Mary, Fitz lunged toward him, wrapping his arms around Ronan and holding him tight. What the, what?

  “Aurora has given me every excuse in the book not to run the race and you gave her one reason to do it.” Fitz set a dazed Ronan back a step. “I could kiss you.”

  Jude snorted from behind them. “We all need to be in agreement when it comes to Operation Two-Wheeler. Not just the three of us, but Cope, Ten, and Jace too.”

  “I’ll talk to Ten tonight, although it might already be too late.” Ronan pointed toward the kids who were debating what color bikes to get. He knew in his heart of hearts that Everly deserved this rite of passage, just like he’d gotten when he was six years old. He hadn’t known it at the time, but Erin had worked overtime for three months to be able to afford to get Ronan a bike for his sixth birthday.

  Whatever the cost, it would be worth it to see the look on Everly’s face and to hear her triumphant squeals of lighter when she mastered the bike without training wheels. As for the moment, Ronan would take the win buying matching outfits for himself and Everly. The debate on growing up too quickly could wait for another day.

  2

  Jude

  Jude was going to die. How would Cope eulogize his husband, tragically taken far too soon? Hero was the first word that came to mind. Jude was a hero not just to his family, but to the men and women of the Salem Police Department and the entire city of Salem.

  Selfless was the second word he hoped Cope would use to describe him. Jude gave h is all to his city, the police department, his friends, and most importantly, to his family. Unless there was only one glazed donut left and then it was every man for himself.

  “Get a move on, Jude, for fuck’s sake!” Ronan loud whispered, which was to say that his tone was only a decibel or three lower than his usual voice. He jogged backward, in place, waiting for Jude to catch up.

  “Give me a break, asshole,” Jude gasped for air. “It’s hotter than Satan’s taint out here. Any second now, I’m going to melt into a puddle of goo like the Wicked Witch when Dorothy threw a bucket of water on her.” What Jude would give for a bratty, gingham-clad girl to douse him with ice cold water right now. He stopped running when he reached Ronan, who kept jogging in place.

  “Where the hell is Fitzy?” Ronan asked, picking the pace up and rounding the corner toward Fitzgibbon’s house.

  “You probably tripped him in your bid to win our run around the block.” When they were out in the field, chasing down killers, Jude loved Ronan’s tenacity. His stick-to-itiveness. His all-out zeal to solve cold cases and bring grieving families a measure of justice. Now, however, Jude wanted to smack his best friend. Hard. Twice.

  “See, there he is.” Ronan pointed toward Fitz’s stoop, where he sat with Aurora, Everly, and Wolf. All three kids were dressed and ready to go.

  “Geez, Dad, what took you so long?” Everly asked with a wicked grin.

  “Yeah, you and Daddy look like you jumped in the fountain near the park.” Wolf wore an envious look.

  “Seems like you took the shortcut, Fitzy,” Jude deadpanned. He rested his hands on his knees in a bid to catch his breath. He wasn’t made for Salem’s soupy humidity. People laughed when he said Arizona had dry heat, but it was true. Back home, Jude could have run twice the distance, in half the time, without so much as breaking a sweat, never mind being soaked to his skin like he was now.

  “Aurora called me to say the kids were ready to run. I couldn’t leave them out here waiting for us alone.” Fitz offered a so-there grin.

  “If everyone’s done complaining. Can we go now?” Everly asked. Not waiting for an answer she took off down the block. “Let’s run, witches!” Wolf and Aurora were right behind her.

  Jude had thought it was cute when Everly suggested that slogan for their team, but now, he had a better one: Running’s a witch. “Look at them go,” Jude panted as he, Ronan and Fitz jogged behind them. “I wish I had Wolf’s energy for an hour. I could rule the world.”

  “Nah, I’d take Everly’s knees. They’re so bouncy and don’t crack when she stands up, or tell her when it’s about to rain. “ Ronan swiped his left hand against his sweaty forehead before wiping it on the back of his running shorts. “What about you, Fitz?”

  “I’ll let Aurora keep all her pieces so long as we can get her through this run without her melting down for being hot, sweaty, tired, or hungry.” Fitz paused, his eyes on Ronan. “Wait a second, that’s a perfect description of you two chuckleheads.” Fitz burst out laughing before jogging ahead of his partners.

  “Can you believe that son of a bitch?” Jude asked. “We’re out here dying and he’s cracking jokes at our expense.” To be honest, Jude was jealous of the shape Fitz was in. While he and Ronan stopped working out after Jude’s near miss at the hands of Salem’s own killer angel, Fitzgibbon had kept himself in shape. He ran nearly every day and lifted weights twice a week.

  “He’s just showing off,” Ronan muttered.

  “Come on, Daddy!” Everly shouted from halfway up the block. “I know you’re old, like Uncle Jude! Move your buns!”

  Jude gasped with outrage. He wasn’t old. Well, not compared against Julius Caesar or George Washington. He had a feeling good old George wouldn’t be outside sweating his ass off in the June heat. Asshole was probably yucking it up in heaven with Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana.

  “Come on, we need to catch up to them.” Ronan took off toward the kids, who’d started running again.

  Jude sped up behind him. Salem had been hosting the Witches Dead Run for the last twenty years. It was always held the weekend after school ended, as a way to send the kids off on their summer adventures. This was the first year he’d thought to run it, and that was because the money went into the coffers of Wolf’s Class of 2037 for things like field trips, prom, and—gulp— graduation.

  Each year, he always donated generously to the cops on the force who walked around the office looking for donations for their kids, but he’d never thought to participate. Jude figured he was doing his duty to his community by helping put killers behind bars. Now, he felt like there was so much more he could do to help Salem thrive.

  “Finally, Dad,” Wolf grumped when Jude caught up with him. It wasn’t like his son to have anything less than his usual sunny disposition.

  “What’s up with that attitude, Wonder Wolf?” His son was only six, Jude hoped he wasn’t developing a case of the tweens, like kids on the shows they watched together.

  “Dad, we’re in last place,” Wolf said, pointing to where the others were rounding the corner onto Prospect Street. “We gotta pick up the pace if we’re going to win. Losing sucks.”

  Jude wasn’t sure which issue to address first. Wolf’s attitude on winning or losing. Taking a deep breath, so he wouldn’t pass out and crack his skull open on the sidewalk, Jude jumped in feet first. “First of all, this isn’t a race. It doesn’t matter if we come in first or last.” Everyone who finished got the same participation medal, which Jude thought was also awarded to the kids who started, but didn’t finish the two kilometers, or one mile, of the course. “What matters is that we’re raising money and helping out our city.”

  “Dad,” Wolf began, sounding older than his six years, “I know it’s not a race, but I want to kick Everly’s booty.”

  Jude couldn’t help barking a quick laugh. “Why?”

  “Because, Everly is the best at everything. She wins every spelling bee. And math quizzes. And reading contests. I just want to beat her at one thing.”

  Taking a moment to think over what his son had said, Jude remembered back to his own childhood. Nearly all of the kids on Navajo Nation looked down on him because he was only half native and because he’d spent his early years in Albuquerque, off-reservation. Feeling like a second-class citizen pushed him to excel in everything he did. Unfortunately, it also pushed him to get his ass out of town the second he turned eighteen. “I used to feel that way too. That I just wanted to win at something, when all I’d ever done was lose.”

  “Of course you won, Dad. You’re the best at everything too. Making pancakes. Drawing pictures with me. Building LEGO kits. Reading to Lizzy B.”

  It never crossed Jude’s mind that being the best at the things Wolf named meant anything. Just like now, with the fun run, Jude was enjoying time with his son. Maybe this change of attitude could help Wolf. “You’re the best at setting the table, singing the goodnight song, keeping your sister safe and helping me wash the car. Not being the best at school activities isn’t the end of the world. You win all the time, buddy.”

  Wolf was silent for a few seconds.

  Jude noticed they were starting to catch up with the others, who were only half a block or so ahead of them. He couldn’t help but think that with a burst of speed, he and Wolf could beat everyone back to Fitzgibbon’s house.

  “You’re right Dad,” Wolf agreed easily, “but wouldn’t it be great to kick their butts?”

  “You know what, Wonder Wolf? It would.” Jude knew that winning wasn’t everything, but it sure would be fun to see the look on Ronan’s face when he ran past him.

  “Yay! We’re gonna kick sass and take names! Wolf howled and took off running.

  Damn straight. Jude put on a burst of speed. He felt like he was getting his second wind. It felt good to put his feet to the pavement and move again. It had been two years since his near-death experience, it was time for him to break free from the things holding him back.

  What better way to put his new mindset into practice than by streaking past Fitz and Ronan to the finish line?

  3

  Ronan

  Two days later, Ronan sat at the kitchen table ready to do his part in the color run assembly line. Earlier that morning, he’d added the two leaves to the kitchen table, extending it nearly into the living room, and taped down newspaper to protect the surface. Next, he’d spread out bowls of cornstarch and brightly colored icing dye, while Ten measured and cut parchment paper for the mixture to dry on. They’d also grabbed popsicle sticks to stir the mixture and large zippy bags to put the dried mixture to crush into the colored powder that would be thrown at runners.

 

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