“She’s in here.”
He nodded and took a deep breath in.
Crystal opened the door.
The room was spacious. Heavy curtains tucked to the side allowed a gorgeous view of a lake and burgundy sofas adorned with tiny carnation imprints sat upon a beautiful Persian carpet. Rachelle was sitting alone, gazing out of the window. She looked in the direction of the doorway the moment the large door creaked open.
Barns’ eyes met hers and his first thought was how much older she looked. A few years had clearly taken its toll and the weariness in her eyes could not be concealed.
He glanced at Mira.
“Go ahead,” Mira told him. “I’ll wait right here.”
Crystal smiled, then left.
Barns entered the room and Rachelle immediately got up to meet him. As she was hurrying toward him, he saw the tears in her eyes and soon felt tears brimming in his own. This was not at all what he expected, even though he hadn’t a clue what to expect. All he knew was the inevitable awkwardness, which surprisingly, within that moment never appeared.
The siblings embraced tightly and for several moments—quietly while the tears freely fell.
“I’m sorry,” Barns eventually said. “I’m sorry I turned my back on you, Rachelle. It was a terrible thing to do in your time of despair. I know you loved her.”
She quickly shook her head. “Don’t feel badly, David. I understand why you did and I don’t blame you. If I’d done better by Priscilla, you wouldn’t have ever felt the need to turn away from me.” She dried his tears as hers still fell.
“I just...”
“Don’t. Let’s just leave it in the past, okay?” she softly said. “Water under the bridge?”
“Yeah. Water under the bridge.” He was beginning to compose himself. “How are you doing?”
Standing a little more than a foot apart now, Rachelle raised both hands. “Well, I’m here, so I guess I’m not doing so well.”
“What happened?” he asked, with real concern.
“A few days ago, I was in the grocery store picking up a few items when I started feeling overwhelmed like…like I just wanted to scream as loudly as I could,” she explained. “I know it sounds weird, but I couldn’t control it. So many things were rushing through my mind all at once that I felt by screaming, I could somehow release myself from them. So, I did. And I kept screaming right where I stood...and I don’t remember what happened after that. Next thing I knew is I woke up here in this hospital—right where I was a couple of years ago. I never thought I’d be back here again. I tried so hard to keep it together, David, but I just couldn’t. Believe me, I really tried.” She became emotional again.
“Come, let’s sit down.” Barns took her by the hand and they both sat together on one of the plush sofas.
“What you’re going through is tough. What happened isn’t an easy thing for anyone in the same shoes to handle. I’m sure you’re doing the best you can,” he said. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Rachelle slowly shook her head. “There’s nothing you can do, unless...”
He looked at her attentively. “Unless what?”
“Unless you can bring my Priscilla home and I know you can’t do that,” she replied sadly.
“Have you heard anything recently concerning the investigation into the disappearances? Do you know if they have any leads at all after all this time?”
She dried her eyes with the back of her hands. “Before coming here, I checked in at the precinct every week. I usually speak to Detective Paige Cleare down there. She’s been working on the case from the beginning. David, the police have absolutely nothing since that bus left my daughter’s school and never brought any of those children back. Nothing, I say. They’ve never even located the bus. Detective Cleare is nice and all, and she’s done everything she could, but they just didn’t make any headway. It’s so frustrating.”
“Look, Rachelle,” Barns leaned in closer. “I want you to meet someone. Her name’s Mira Cullen. She’s a doctor who works at the clinic along with me. But she’s more than a colleague—she’s a good friend of mine who happens to have an extraordinary gift.”
Rachelle had a befuddled look on her face.
“She has the ability to sense and see things that most people don’t.”
“You mean… she’s a psychic?”
“I guess you can say that, although she never refers to herself as such.”
Rachelle turned away for a moment. “I’ve seen every so-called psychic in this city. None of them helped. They all just took my money and told me to move on because my daughter was dead. They came up with all kinds of stories and sent me to different areas to locate her body. Nothing they said was true.”
“I understand, but Mira’s different,” Barns replied. “She’s never charged anyone and she’s even worked along with our local police to help them solve a case they couldn’t have otherwise.”
“I just don’t wanna get my hopes up, David. All the let-downs throughout the years are partly the reason I’m sitting here in this place. It’s just too stressful for me.”
“So, you don’t want to meet her?” Barns asked.
Rachelle shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t do it again.”
Barns sighed deeply, then eventually said, “Okay. I respect your wishes.”
After a few moments of silence, he asked, “Do you know how much longer you’ll be here?”
“They didn’t say. I guess until I’m told I’m better or my insurance runs out—whichever comes first.”
“Well, I’ll be here in town for a few days. I’ll come and see you again, okay?”
With a slight smile, she nodded. He started to get up and she gently took his hand from where she was sitting. “David, I have to tell you something.”
He immediately sat down again.
“I’ve been seeing her,” she said, softly.
“Seeing who?” Barns asked.
“Priscilla.”
He grimaced. “Priscilla? Where? You mean—you know where she is?”
Rachelle quickly shook her head. “No. No, I don’t know where she is. She’s been coming to see me.”
Barns was now relating partially to what Nurse Bella Carey had described. “Rachelle, what’re you talking about? I don’t understand. You said she comes to see you, but you don’t know where she is—it doesn’t make sense. You understand what I’m saying?”
“Allow me to explain, David.”
He sat back a bit.
“She’s been coming here to the hospital, but she never says a word. I wish you could see her, but no one else seems to.” She paused for a moment. “Do you think this means… she’s actually dead like those psychics said?”
Barns hated the sound of it, although he’d considered the possibility that his niece is deceased. “I don’t know, Rachelle. I don’t know what to think. Look, I’ve gotta go now, but I’ll be back again soon.”
“Where are you staying?” She asked.
“Mira and I are going to book a couple rooms at a hotel.” He glanced at his watch. “We need to do that before we don’t have anywhere to lay our heads tonight.”
“Why don’t you stay at my place? It’s just been sitting there empty all the while I’ve been gone.”
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude in your personal space, Rachelle. We can always get a room somewhere.”
“Why should you do that, David?” There was a serious expression on her face. “We’re family, remember? I’ve always kept the house nice and neat—if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s not my concern at all; believe me,” he said. “Okay, we’ll stay there. I appreciate it.”
Rachelle smiled. “Please request my house key at Reception. The lady there would know where to locate it. And please tell your friend to feel right at home. She can use my bedroom. If you don’t mind, I’d prefer if no one sleeps in Priscilla’s room.”
“Not at all,” Barns replied, g
etting up again.
He wished she would have agreed to meet Mira, but understood her sensitive frame of mind.
She remained on the sofa as he left the room.
Closing the door behind him, he saw Mira sitting several feet away against the southern side of the hallway. As he headed over to her, a woman approached him.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you Doctor Barns?” she asked.
“I am,” he replied.
“I’m Bella.”
“Oh! I was hoping to meet you.”
“I’m so glad you came,” she said. “How long will you be in town?”
“Only for a couple of days. I have to take care of a few things, but I’ll be back to see Rachelle before I leave.”
“That’s nice. I’m sure your presence here for however long will do Rachelle some good.”
Mira soon approached them.
“Please allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine, Doctor Mira Cullen. She was very gracious to accompany me on this trip. Mira, this is Nurse Bella Carey. She’s been looking after Rachelle.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Cullen,” Bella said.
“Nice meeting you too,” Mira replied. “May I say something to you which is gonna sound really odd?”
Bella glanced at Dr. Barns, then looked at Mira again. “Um… sure.”
“That short cut you take through Vanderville every morning on your way to work isn’t a really safe route to take anymore.”
“Pardon me. How do you know I take that short cut? Have we met before?”
“There’s a straggly, blonde-haired guy that sits on a bench on the side of the street near the stoplight. The stoplight is more on the side of the road instead of in the center. The guy is there some mornings when you pass.”
“Yeah. I know who you mean. I’ve seen him several times.”
“He’s not that stable, Bella. I’d advise you not to go that route anymore, okay?”
Puzzled as to what that conversation really was about, Bella grimaced. “Okay.”
“Trust me—take her advice,” Barns said.
“I will. I’ll just take another route to work.”
“By the way…” Mira continued, “…can you tell us where we can find the mother of the child who never boarded that school bus with the other children?”
Barns was confused. He looked at Mira. “There was a child that was supposed to be on the bus that day who didn’t go?”
“Yes! She’s absolutely right,” Bella affirmed. “His name’s Johnny Baxter and his mother’s name is Angie. Their place is about a half hour drive from here. Everyone knows them. If you join me out front, I can jot down directions for you.”
“That would be wonderful,” Mira said. Her eyes then veered over to the double doors of the room where Rachelle was. Walking toward those doors was the same girl she’d seen on the TV screen a few days earlier—the one that was staring at her right after Barns had requested she join him in Nirvana; the one with the evil eyes.
Several strands of the girl’s dull, lifeless shoulder-length hair began to rise one by one. She stopped in front of the door and for a few long seconds, stood there. Then, as if being twisted like a wound-up toy, she slowly turned her head counter-clockwise until her face was perfectly aligned with her back, and with her neck steady, she looked out across the room at Mira. That same intense stare through those black, feline-like eyes greeted Mira. The girl’s head soon continued its counter-clockwise motion until it was facing the front again, leaving the neck strangely twisted and wrinkled.
Mira did not realize until the girl walked through the double doors, that all eyes were on her. Barns and Bella were both silently observing her.
“She’s in there,” Mira said.
“Who?” Barns’ curiosity was heightened.
“The little girl.”
Those words sent chills through Bella’s spine.
7
_________________
After signing for his sister’s key, Dr. Barns followed Mira out of the hospital. As soon as he sat behind the wheel of their rented car, he took a deep sigh. “Well, it’s surely nice to have gotten that over with.” He glanced at Mira. “Don’t get me wrong; I don’t mean it in a negative way. It’s just that I’ve been anticipating seeing her again and couldn’t help wondering how awkward it might have been for both of us.”
“Was it?” Mira asked.
“Not at all. I guess we’re just kind of picking up where we left off.”
“That’s good.”
He now had a more serious expression on his face. “Who was the little girl you said you saw in there?” he asked. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a small photograph out of his wallet and showed it to her. “Is this who you saw? She’s my niece, Priscilla.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. The girl I saw bears a slight resemblance, but not much.”
“Could it be that it’s her spirit, like my sister thinks it is?”
“Your questions are valid, Doc, but the answers could be premature. If you don’t mind, I prefer to wait until I know more.”
“Certainly. I understand.” Barns brushed a few fuzz balls off the top of his shirt. “I meant to tell you in there that I wanted you to come in and join us after a while, but my sister...well, she doesn’t have a lot of faith in...psychics, clairvoyants—people like that.” He quickly added, “Mind you, I did tell her that you were different, but she’s just not ready yet. Apparently, the people she’s seen after Priscilla’s disappearance haven’t been giving her much hope and instead, sending her on wild goose chases.”
“I understand, Doc. If I experienced what she went through I might feel the same way.” She gazed outside of the parked car for a few moments, then said. “You brought me here for a reason. I’m here to do whatever I can—with or without your sister’s help.”
Barns smiled. “Sounds great! Best to head to the police station now, huh?”
“Yes. Let’s see that Detective your sister mentioned was working on the case.”
“I didn’t…tell you that. How’d you know that?”
“As you and Rachelle were speaking, in my mind, I was able to decipher only portions of the conversation that I needed to know.”
Barns’ jaw dropped.
“Doesn’t mean I heard everything I needed to know,” she clarified. “Think you’d better fill me in, just in case I missed something.”
Barns shook his head and cranked the engine. “Unbelievable! Off to the precinct we go.”
* * *
They were standing inside the police station, waiting for the young officer to acknowledge them. He was crouched down behind the counter rummaging through some shelves underneath.
“I’m sorry.” He stood up as soon as he heard someone clear their throat. “Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“We’re here to see Detective Paige Cleare,” Barns said. “Would she happen to be in?”
“May I ask who’s inquiring?” the officer asked.
“I’m Doctor Barns and this is my colleague, Doctor Cullen. I’m here to inquire about my niece’s case.”
“Your niece’s name please?”
“Priscilla Wigby.”
The officer stared at Barns for a few moments, then picked up the phone and made a call.
“A Doctor Barns is here to check on his niece, Priscilla Wigby’s case.”
Apparently, there was a brief lull on the line before he said, “Okay” and hung up.
“Detective Paige will be right out,” he said.
A few minutes later, a tall, curvaceous woman wearing a gray pants and jacket, joined them at the counter.
“Doctor Barns?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective Cleare.”
“Detective, this is my colleague, Doctor Cullen. We’re here from Mizpah. My sister, Rachelle Wigby, mentioned your name. She said you were handling the investigation into my niece’s disappearance.”
“Yes, I am,” s
he replied. “Of course, the case is still open and I’m one of several detectives who were feverishly working on the disappearance of those in that school bus,” she said. “Would you like to join me in my office?”
“Thank you,” Barns replied.
They followed her to an office near the rear of the building and Paige waited for Barns and Mira to sit before taking a seat, herself. “Is there anything specific you had in mind to ask me?” she soon asked.
Barns looked at Mira, then his eyes met those of the detective again. “First of all, I want you to know that Doctor Cullen here is a very close friend of the family, so nothing you say here is off limits to her.”
Mira felt a bit odd by Barns’ remark, but appreciated his acknowledgment.
“That’s fine with me,” Paige said.
“I’d like to know the status of the investigation three years after the incident,” Barns continued.
Paige noticed his emphasis of the three years. “Doctor Barns, I’m going to be completely honest with you...”
“I’d expect no less,” he hastily interjected.
“No expense has been spared by this department to solve this very puzzling and troubling case. After several months in and the case stalled, we wasted no time bringing in outside assistance—experts who had stunning records of cracking the toughest cases out there, including cold cases. And just like us in this precinct, they weren’t able to find anything that pointed us in the direction of what happened that day. There has not been any collection of trace evidence, whatsoever. Nothing.”
Barns had listened attentively and was now analyzing what he’d just heard. “So, you’re saying that in three years, you’ve come up with nothing? Nothing at all?”
With a combination of frustration and embarrassment quickly filling every pore and crevice of her face, Paige sighed. “All we know is a portion of the route they took, which was Highway 60, because the bus was reportedly seen by drivers between 9:25 and 9:40 that morning. No one has come forth to say they’ve seen them at any point in time after that,” she stated.
Mira leaned forward. “How far did they reportedly make it to on that road—the distance from where they made the turn onto the highway to where the bus was last seen?”
The Cornelius Saga Series Box Set 2 Page 16
