The Red String of Fate

by Rebekah Fowles

  Vee responded before he could continue. “Even though you didn’t want to?”

  Landon pursed his lips without looking at her. “What makes you say that?”

  Vee shrugged. “I thought it was pretty obvious. It’s clear you made the decision with her own safety in mind, but I think I know how much you appreciated having her around.”

  Landon regarded Vee. Once again, she proved to be pretty observant and mindful. “Yeah,” he admitted. “But it’s not like I depend on that presence. That kind of mentality would make it seem like I’m just using her.”

  Vee pushed her fingertips together in stretching motions. “Yeah, but the way Sylvie made it sound, her parents might not even let you even see her ever again.”

  Landon gripped the steering wheel, then leaned into it. “Sylvie’s parents blame me for what happened to her a year ago,” he said. “They still hold on to that resentment.”

  Vee looked at him quizzically. “Sylvie told me you saved her life, though.”

  “I did,” he said, “but I endangered it, too. Not to mention, her sister wasn’t so lucky.”

  Vee shrunk with embarrassment. “Oh,” she said, “I’m so sorry...”

  “It’s only because Sylvie begged them that she began working for me in the first place. Between that and a good word from her teacher, I don’t think they’d let her even speak to me.”

  “I see,” Vee said, “no wonder you didn’t want to...what was the second reason?”

  Landon stared at her with an intensity that made her retreat an inch. “I had business with a particular ghost who owes me some major explanation. I couldn’t very well get that conversation in without getting some strange stares on the way, don’t you think?”

  “Oh,” Vee said.

  Landon changed gears and began the process of turning his car around.

  “Um, about that conversation,” Vee said as the car lurched backwards, “we’ll probably have a hard time swinging that in the car.”

  “Why?” Landon said.

  “Well, when you get up to speed, I can’t keep up.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Landon paused before taking off. “What was the important thing you had to say, then?”

  “Just what I had you tell Detective Bimmel, really. There’s some more, but it can probably wait.”

  “In that case, we’ll talk at the hospital. I want to try and avoid getting any blood on the floor of my car.”

  Vee smiled warily and nodded. Landon picked up speed, quickly leaving Vee behind a few yards away.

  - 17 -

  As the doctor sewed Landon up, Vee waited patiently for her chance to speak with him. The wound was deep, clearly, but the medical staff praised him for his quick first aid work and promptness in getting to the hospital. They finished quickly and ushered him out with basic cleaning instructions and suggestions to maybe not get in as many knife fights. Vee had to laugh at that one, despite how grim it was.

  “Where to now, then?” Vee asked as they returned to Landon’s car. “It’s pretty late. You’re probably tired and hungry. We can leave the matter of Kayne up to the police, right?”

  Landon sighed and faced her directly. “We’re going to your apartment, Vee.”

  “What?” Vee said, “Why now?”

  “Why else?” He replied, “You wanted to see if you could repossess your body again, right? That’s why you asked me not to tell Detective Bimmel you were dead.” He said the last sentence as if it were a fact, not an inquiry.

  “Well, yes,” Vee said, “But...well, I was thinking, maybe I could be of some use like this.”

  Landon regarded her with an icy stare. “No.”

  Vee clenched her fists. “Why not?”

  “We don’t know anything about this,” Landon said. “We don’t know why I can see you, or even why you can turn into a ghost. We don’t even know if you’ll be able to go back again. What if you’re on some kind of time limit?”

  “I feel fine!” Vee said. “Besides, I was away from my body for more than 24 hours the first time, right? Why not make use of this while we can?”

  Landon had to take a breath to keep his anger from rising. “Make use how? What is there left to do? Like you said, the police should be on top of Kayne before too long. Once that happens, the case is as good as over.”

  Vee’s shoulders drooped.

  “What?” Landon said.

  “It’s just...well, I feel like I’ve been able to do so much more like this.”

  Landon folded his arms while Vee continued.

  “I mean, think about it. While I was a ghost, I’ve been able to scout for you, talk with other ghosts, and even get some information I wouldn’t have otherwise! Not to mention, I can see nearly perfectly in the dark. That’s got to be worth something.”

  Landon straightened up and considered what Vee had to say. “Alright,” he said, “but is it worth being dead?”

  Vee opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but then closed it again. She waited a few moments before actually responding.

  “No,” she said simply.

  “After all,” Landon continued, “what reason do we have to wait now?”

  Vee spoke to the ground more than she spoke to Landon. “...Hasn’t been arrested yet.”

  “What was that?”

  “Kayne. He hasn’t been arrested yet,” she said with more conviction.

  “This is the second time he’s gotten away. We still don’t know why he killed me, and he’s already proven to be more slippery than we expected. And...he has my keys.”

  Landon stared at her blankly. Then, he chuckled a bit. “Fine,” he said. “You want to stay dead? Fine by me. But not indefinitely.”

  Vee perked up.

  “I don’t want to push our luck. There’s too much I don’t understand, and I want to figure it out.” Landon looked Vee in the eyes. “I want to know more about you.”

  Vee felt a strange emotion bubble up in her stomach which moved into her chest and then throughout her body. She had to catch herself from covering her face, remember that it wasn’t giving away just how self-conscious she felt. Instead, she cleared her throat as a sort of distraction, and said, “Alright. Deal.”

  Landon smiled. “Now, I do remember you mentioning food. I do think that is a good idea.”

  The ride to Landon’s house was just as uncomfortable as the ride to the hospital was, and the drive into the woods before that. Vee wasn’t particularly fond of getting pulled along by the strange wall, but she didn’t have any other options. She found that she never grew fatigued when she flew, but she simply couldn’t fly fast enough to keep up with a vehicle going much faster than 25 miles per hour. It was simply easier to get dragged like a lazy dog on a leash. At least she thought to float above the cars this time so she didn’t have to deal with awkwardly phasing into other vehicles at stops or in the more dense areas. Actually, that had been Landon’s suggestion after he remarked how disturbing it was to see her from his rear-view mirrors.

  Landon’s house was modest, but it felt distinguished. It wasn’t too far from a few main roads but was somehow tucked away from the bustle of the downtown or college areas. It was in a part of the city Vee had never visited, nestled in a location where there wasn’t much development and hidden among the trees. They followed a long windy road to the abode, and Vee wondered just how much of the surrounding area was his property. She decided it would probably be too rude to ask. Instead, she posed a different question once she could reasonably keep up in the moving vehicle.

  “Does anybody else live with you? This is a pretty big place for one person.”

  “I live alone,” Landon said. “I prefer the solitude.”

  “Really?” Vee said, “Isn’t it expensive?”

  “The bills aren’t too bad. I paid off the house with the money with the money my parents left me.”

  “Oh,” Vee said, feeling as if she had overstepped her bounds again. Landon must
have noticed.

  “It’s fine, really. I figure that’s probably how they would’ve liked me to spend that money, anyway.”

  The car rolled to a stop, and Vee along with it. “How long have you been on your own?”

  “Well, I’ve only been here for a few years after graduation,” Landon said, “but if you meant to ask how long ago my parents died, it’s been 10 years now.”

  Vee didn’t know whether she should be uncomfortable or curious. Neither felt particularly right given how nonchalantly Landon spoke about his misfortune. She decided to lean on uncomfortable for now. They entered the house in silence, and Landon went straight to his room. Vee followed as if she were confined by the walls. “Um, is there anywhere I’m not supposed to go?”

  “No, you’re free to go as far as you can from me. I’m going to change, though. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look.”

  Vee nodded, instead looking at the first floor from above as Landon changed above her. It was fairly standard, nothing really taking her fancy. The decor was simple and had a sort of older feel to it. If she were to wager a guess, he probably didn’t care to update his furnishings with the times. In fact, it looked like he didn’t actually care enough to hardly use it. Most of the shelves and surfaces had a layer of dust on them. For a moment, Vee wished she was alive just so she could wipe things down. She wasn’t exactly an organized person, but she didn’t like dirt or grime.

  After a few minutes, Vee was tugged just a tad, and Landon appeared from the stairwell. He had changed from his bloodied and dirtied suit to a simple white T-shirt and pajama pants. His hair was still styled, lending to a very attractive casual but maintained appearance. Vee wondered what god she needed to thank for her to see so many sides of Landon. As her mind wandered to the time she saw him shirtless, she forced herself to look away.

  “I got a text from Jim,” Landon said, “He said they’ve been unable to track Kayne down. You were right about him.”

  Vee snapped back around. “What? No...”

  Landon sighed as he headed toward the kitchen, gingerly favoring his leg. “No word about his lover in Newport, but Jon seemed pretty out of the loop...”

  Vee flew toward Landon. “Mr. Clarke!” she said. “Kayne’s lover. They’re not at his place because they’re going to a hotel!”

  “What do you mean?” Landon eyed her.

  “Before Kayne took Sylvie hostage, he made arrangements with someone over the phone. I assumed it was Mr. Clarke, since it definitely wasn’t Nick. He asked to meet up in the woods, hardly ten minutes away from where he asked to meet you. I was hoping that’s all we’d need to get him, but he mentioned one more thing in the conversation. He said they should spend the night at a hotel because he had some extra money to spend.”

  “Which hotel? Where did he say they’d go?” Landon inched toward her as he spoke.

  “He...didn’t say.”

  “Damn...” Landon said, rubbing his eyes. “What about the city? Please tell me they at least decided on Lamelle or Newport?”

  Vee melted a bit. “No...”

  Landon sighed. “I’ll tell Jim. It’s probably not enough information, though.”

  “I’m sorry...”

  “It’s alright,” Landon said, walking past her and retrieving a pot hanging from the wall after shooting off the text. “It’s better than nothing. At least it narrows the search a bit.”

  Vee felt bad, but she was grateful that Landon never seemed to undercut the things she had to say, or the help she had to offer. He was a good person, which made her want to help him even more. “Y’know, Landon, I’ve been thinking.”

  Landon continued to putter about the kitchen, filling the pot with water and grabbing a pack of spaghetti. “About what?”

  “Well, I mean, I just feel like it can’t be a coincidence that Kayne was connected to Professor Wellington. I know it’s probably nothing, but...”

  Landon froze in place and nearly dropped the dry noodles as his eyes lit up. “Of course,” he whispered. He whipped around and faced Vee. “Vee, how would Kayne have known about me?”

  Vee was slightly taken aback at his sudden zeal. “Uh...probably because...he saw the note in my pocket?”

  “Bingo. So why would he bother trying to kill me?”

  Vee took a moment to work out the line of thought. “Because...you’re a detective?”

  “Right. And what do detectives do?”

  “They...investigate crime?”

  “Right again. Now, remind me again where you got my address.”

  Vee floated back as she followed Landon’s lead. “Professor Wellington.”

  “What does that tell you?”

  Vee tried working out the logic, responding carefully as she did so. “It tells me...that Kayne knew Professor Wellington hired a private investigator?”

  “Correct. Do you know what this means?”

  “Honestly, I don’t,” Vee said.

  “It means that we’ve revolved around the wrong people this whole time. We’ve focused so much on Kayne that we’ve neglected the connecting piece in this puzzle!”

  “So, you’re saying...Professor Wellington might have some clues?”

  Landon nodded. “In fact, she could be the very center of this case.”

  “I’m not entirely sure I follow,” Vee said.

  Landon smiled and returned to preparing his food. He didn’t make a lot, probably because it was so late and he was only feeding himself. “That’s fine. Just be prepared for a lot of investigating tomorrow.”

  - 18 -

  That night, Landon had a hard time getting to sleep. He felt cold thanks to Vee’s attachment, and despite the pain killers, his leg throbbed with a dull ache. It didn’t help that Vee—despite her efforts to be quiet—could only roam so far away, which made him feel self conscious and vulnerable. He had to remind himself that it might actually be a good thing she was there, though. Kayne was still at large and had it out for him. Even though Landon had a security system installed, Kayne had already proved to be driven and resourceful. Having Vee as an additional layer of protection gave him a reassurance that he would be alright. He’d have to thank her later, especially when he was so hesitant on making use of her supernatural advantages.

  Somehow, he managed to finally drift into sleep, though it was hardly restful. He spent the night tossing and turning, and even though he was the kind of person to never remember his dreams, he was sure they weren’t pleasant. By the time morning came, he felt worse for wear than when he went to sleep, punctuated by the fact that the painkillers had long since worn off. Landon didn’t consider himself old, but he certainly felt like it when his joints creaked while getting out of bed.

  Vee wasn’t around. He wondered what she did for the seven-or-so hours he was unavailable. It seemed strange to think that ghosts could sleep, but when they couldn’t interact with the things around them, that would relegate them to spending tortuous hours with their own thoughts. Unless he was actively working on a case, that was something Landon never liked to do.

  “Vee?” Landon called out. He still felt abnormally cold, so he was sure she was somewhere nearby.

  Vee’s head poked up through the floor, far enough away from him not to give him a scare. It was still uncomfortable, though. “Yeah?” She replied.

  “You doing alright?”

  Vee smiled. “Yeah, I’m good. Glad you’re awake, though.”

  “What have you been up to?”

  Vee pulled herself through the floor and floated toward the ceiling. She phased partway through it and flipped upside down so her torso emerged from the paneled surface. It was strange how gravity didn’t affect the way her hair fell, nor did it tug at her ethereal clothing. “About right here,” she said.

  Landon chuckled at the joke, and Vee smirked in return, clearly proud of her gag. “You know what I meant,” Landon said.

  Vee flipped down, righting herself and once again bringing them to eye level. “Just a lot of nothing,�
� she said. “A little company would have been nice. I’ll have to add that to the list of downsides of being dead. At least we know your house isn’t haunted, I guess.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t be there for you. Can’t say the sleep did much good, though.”

  “Will you be alright today?”

  Landon nodded. “I should be fine. We don’t have many other leads, sadly. I’m going to take a shower. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look.”

  Vee looked sideways and began passing through the floor as she said, “I’ll just be down here.”

  Landon had to take his time getting ready, partially because he had to be wary of the stitches, but also because it was simply difficult to get his leg to move quickly. The doctors had assured him that there was no nerve damage and that it should heal relatively quickly barring any infection, but the simple nature of getting stabbed in a major muscle put a damper on its functionality.

  Downstairs, he watched as Vee lazily hung in the air, frozen and unblinking. It took her a moment to realize Landon had appeared.

  “Oh!” She said, “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

  Landon eyed her as he headed toward the fridge. “Is that what you did all night? Stare blankly at the ceiling for seven hours?”

  Vee’s stance got defensive. “Well, I figured it was better than watching you sleep that whole time.”

  “Can’t deny that,” Landon said.

  Vee hoved down to meet him. “Y’know, Landon, something was bothering me.”

  “What?”

  “Kayne doesn’t own a car. He either walks or gets people to drive him places. Whose car was he using? Or...did he steal one?”

  “The police already figured that one out,” Landon said.

  “They did? What was it?”

  “Simple. He rented one.”

  “Huh,” Vee said.

  “Which reminds me, you should probably know...” Landon’s voice trailed a bit before he continued, “the police are going to release information to the media today. It’s probably already on the news, actually. Things probably aren’t going to be the same for you from here on out.”