Felix gave me a quick wink and then turned to the pancakes.
"I was thinking about what you said, about bigger events," I said. "I'm going to go back to the library and refine the search engine."
"Today?"
I nodded. "I really need to know who Fin is."
"You want me to go with you?"
"Actually, I was kind of hoping to go alone if you don't mind. Shazo said I could borrow his car any time."
Felix flipped a pancake and nodded to himself. "Yeah, no problem. I should probably get caught up on paperwork today anyway. It's always bad after Halloween." He set three fluffy pancakes on my plate and pushed it near me. I doused them in thick maple syrup and cut into them with a fork before walking to eat them in front of the TV.
*
Being in Shazo's car instead of Felix's hearse was like a breath of fresh air. No stares, no odd looks, and no lingering ghost emotions. I rode with the windows down and the radio up. I felt a little rejuvenated after being able to blast music, and felt good about things on the way up to the archives room. I took a seat in front of a screen and started to refine the search as much as I could. Anything chaotic, I looked for. The headlines and accompanying images started to sear into my frontal lobe. When I blinked and looked at my phone, it had been two hours. I took a quick snack break and dug right back in. I expanded the search to different states and years. Halfway through my results for South Carolina, I froze. There, staring back at me was a familiar face.
Finally.
My shoulders slumped with relief that I had finally found Fin's face. I didn't think I'd ever solve his mystery. I leaned closer to the screen and started to read. The more I read, the bigger the pit in my stomach became.
Fin's real name was Scott Rayson. Five years ago he slaughtered his parents, his three siblings, and the family cats. I shut my eyes and pushed away from the table.
"Fuck," I whispered. "Fuck!" I yelled.
The two other people in the room looked at me, startled. I sent the computer info to the copier, shoved the papers in my purse and rushed out of the library.
How could I have been so wrong? How could my instincts have been so messed up? I never got a bad feeling about Fin. I mean Scott. I had convinced myself he had died in an accident, that he was a poor, innocent soul.
So fucking wrong.
I sped up the mountain and pulled up to the house. I hurried inside and slammed the door behind me.
"Whoa, what's up?" Felix got up from the couch and followed me into the kitchen. I slammed cabinet doors until I found the bottle of whiskey. I took a swallow from the bottle, not even bothered to get a glass.
"Pippa, hey." Felix walked over and took the bottle from me. He cupped my face and looked at me. "What's wrong?"
My purse was still strapped across my chest. I wiped whiskey from my mouth and pulled out the pages. Felix looked down at them and immediately frowned.
"Oh no," he said. He took a copy and his eyes scanned the words. "This is really him? You're sure?"
"I'm positive. Felix, I had no idea. He never seemed dangerous or disturbed. He seemed fine. How could I have been so wrong?" I reached for the bottle, but Felix pushed it away, his eyes never leaving the paper.
"He doesn't remember who he is, how can you expect him to be the same person that's on this page?"
I sighed. "I can't, I guess."
"You were right. The similarities are really there." He reread the article and then handed me the copy.
I set my purse on the counter and reached for the bottle again. This time, he joined me for a shot.
"Well, he can cross over now, right? Go to Hell or wherever he's going," I said.
"Technically, yes. But you'll have to show him this. He might remember things and become this person again. I'd like to go with you."
I nodded. "Okay, yeah. I'd like some backup." My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and smiled a little. My mom. I excused myself and walked outside to take the call.
"Hey, sweetie," she greeted.
"Hey." It was so good to hear her voice.
"I just wanted to see if things were still on schedule for our visit. Your dad wants to go shopping tomorrow. Do you need anything from home?"
"You couldn't bring Greek food on the plane, could you?" I asked.
"I'm up for a smuggling challenge, but in case that fails?"
"Maybe some chocolate from that little boutique we like?"
"Best chocolate ever, check. So how are things? Still working out?"
"Yeah," I said. "Things are still pretty good here. I just cracked a big mystery actually."
"Oh, that's great, sweetie. Well, I won't keep you, okay? Just wanted to check in real quick. I'll bring you some chocolate. I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!"
We said our goodbyes and I looked at my phone for a minute afterwards. She didn't ask what the mystery was or how I solved it or anything. Usually she was way more interested in my life. This was the woman who had a half hour conversation with me after I changed my favorite color from red to mint.
There was a knock behind me. Felix stood by the back door and motioned to the forest. "It's going to get dark in a few hours. Do you want to do this tonight or tomorrow?"
There was no doubt in my mind. The sooner this was over, the better.
"Let's go now," I said.
TWENTY-FIVE
With Felix by my side, we traveled into the forest. I wasn't sure if Fin would show up since we had only ever been alone. But it wasn't long before I spotted that plaid shirt in the distance.
"There he is," I said quietly.
He sat on the forest floor tossing a pinecone back and forth between his hands. He didn't miss once even when his eyes watched us walk up.
"Hello," he greeted. "I had a feeling I'd see you today." He eyed Felix but didn't talk to him.
I leaned against a tree near him and felt the paper in my pocket. "I found something today."
He perked up and looked interested. "About me?"
"Yeah."
He looked back and forth between Felix and me and looked confused. "You don't seem excited. Is it...bad?"
"Um, yeah. It's bad. I'm not sure if you really want to see this, if you want to possibly remember this," I said.
He dropped the pinecone and stood up. "Okay, you're kind of freaking me out now, Pippa. Just show me."
I swallowed and slid the paper out of my pocket. We met halfway and I smoothed the paper on my thigh before holding it out. He leaned forward eagerly and read. As his eyes scanned, they darkened. His jaw slackened and he slowly shook his head.
"No," he whispered. "Where did you get this?"
"A paper in South Carolina," I said.
"South Carolina," he said. He cleared his throat and looked at Felix again. "Sorry, why is this one here?"
"We work in teams sometimes," Felix said. "But I can leave if you'd like."
Fin waved a hand. "Nah, you're fine. So, I don't really understand. If I did what this paper says I did, how did I get here?"
"Maybe you came here afterwards," I said. "It's all I can really think of."
"So, I did these awful things and then went on a road trip to kill myself?"
"It wouldn't be the first time someone came here after an act like this," Felix said. "This is a popular place and certain souls are drawn to it."
"Certain souls?" he asked Felix.
"The more...disturbed, to put it nicely."
Fin eyes narrowed slightly. "Disturbed."
"Normal people don't slaughter their families," Felix said.
"You know, maybe you should leave," he said.
"No, I think I'll stay until you cross over," Felix told him.
Fin blinked and looked back at me. "Cross over? Is that what we're doing today? You find one clipping and think that's it? What about unfinished business?"
"Can you remember anything?" I asked him.
"No. But does that mean this is just over and I need to go?"
&n
bsp; I hesitated. "Fin...Scott, there's not really anything we can do if you can't remember. We know who you are now. But there's no family left for you to leave a message to."
"Because I killed them."
"Yeah."
"It's their blood I'm covered in."
"Yes."
"How do you kill people and not remember?" he asked.
"We come across a lot of amnesia in these woods," Felix said.
"Maybe your brain is protecting you so you can move on," I suggested. "If it happens a lot, there's got to be a reason."
He tapped his fingers on his thighs and looked around the trees. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad having a different view. It's always so quiet here. It's creepy."
"You'll cross over?" I asked him.
He shrugged. "Lead the way."
Before he had a chance to change his mind, we were off. We didn't have far to go before I saw the portal marked with animal skulls, which was ironic since there were no animals in the woods. I had to wonder where the skulls came from.
"I can't remember anything or anyone, really, so I can't know if I have unfinished business. But I would like to say I'm sorry to my family. I don't know why I did what I did. That amount of rage is unfathomable. I must've had a reason or a disorder or...something. I'd like to think so, anyway. Do you...do you think I'll see them?" He looked at the shimmering portal nervously.
"I hope you get a chance to, to apologize and maybe remember things," I said.
"This thing is so weird-looking. You both see the light, too, or just this weird ass shimmer?" he asked.
"The light is yours and yours only," I said. "But, yeah, I see the weird ass shimmer."
He cracked a small smile. "I like you, Pippa. I'd like to think we could've been friends. Maybe in another life, eh?"
"Maybe," I said.
"Alright. Well." He stepped towards the portal and then looked back at us. "Thank you for your help. I won't forget it. At least, I hope I won't."
I stepped closer to Felix and felt his hand brush mine.
He took a deep breath and as he muttered, "Fuck, I hope this isn't taking me to Hell," he walked through the portal. When he was gone, I actually felt sad.
"You alright?" Felix asked.
"I know he did awful things, but I'm kind of going to miss him. I saw him most days out here. He was nice company."
Felix nodded a little and wrapped his fingers around mine. "He'll be okay."
"I hope so."
I started to walk off, but Felix stood his ground and with our hands mashed together, I couldn't go anywhere.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head slowly and then turned away from the portal. "Nothing."
"No, what?"
"I just...I guess part of me was hoping you were right. That Fin was Sam. That I was about to see my brother instead of a stranger."
I frowned and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."
"They looked a lot alike and they had so much in common. It was all a little surreal." He blew out a breath and seemed to shake it off. "Come on."
We walked slowly through the trees, hand in hand. I thought we were headed back to the house, but Felix pulled me in a different direction.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Just a quick check. We've been pretty focused on that guy for a while."
It was true. I probably had spent too much time on this one case. But the satisfaction of solving the mystery kind of canceled out the guilt.
"So it's November tomorrow," Felix said. "Thanksgiving soon. Christmas."
"My parents' visit," I said with a sigh.
"And the end of your trial."
I looked over at him. I knew what the look in his eyes was.
"Yeah. It's all going by so fast," I said.
"Do you know yet what you want to do after Christmas?" he asked carefully.
I really didn't. A large part of me thought I should celebrate Christmas in Colorado, apply to every school possible, and focus on getting my degree. But there was also a chunk of me that wanted to stay here. As much as the heat was a total turn-off, I had really grown here. I had discovered parts of myself I didn't know existed. And, yeah, there was Felix. I wanted to see what could happen there. But I was running out of time.
"I really don't. I think a lot of it depends on how Thanksgiving goes."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to tell my parents about college. Not on Thanksgiving, I'm not a total heathen, but at some point while they're here. They need to know and I can't keep lying to them and myself. I really don't know what to do and would like some parental advice on this one."
He nodded. "I understand. Extending your time here is a big decision, and making it a permanent gig is a huge one."
"So, you guys still haven't found anyone else?"
"Not even close. Shazo's met people that might be good here, but no one is interested. This isn't the most appealing job, you know that. Two dudes and a haunted ass forest. The ad doesn't really write itself. Don't let that influence you though. We did fine on our own before we knew about you. And, if you leave, we'll do fine again," he said, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me.
We walked for a few quiet minutes until I heard twigs snapping in the near distance. We both stopped and stood still. There were quiet giggles from the trees and I shuddered. I had seen horror movies start like this.
"What is that?" I whispered.
"My guess is the Ellery twins."
"The who now?"
Felix put his finger to his lips and then pointed off to the left. I turned and looked and felt my heart thud faster. Two red haired girls who couldn't have been more than six years old were running through the forest with ease, their giggles echoing in my ears. They spotted us and came to a halt. Felix raised a hand in a wave. The girls held hands and quickly disappeared.
"That was nice. I rarely see them," Felix said.
"What the hell?" I whispered.
Felix wiped a bead of sweat off his temple. "The Ellery twins, August and April. They're the ones I mentioned to Oswald. They were strangled until they passed out and then drowned. Their killer dumped them here. Their ghosts have been here ever since, playing and sometimes leading us to other ghosts. They don't like to talk, really, and they refuse to cross over."
"They seemed oddly happy," I said with a frown. I didn't like seeing children out here.
"They appear to be, yeah. They spend their days together, playing. They'll do that forever, I suppose. They seem content. It's not exactly like we can track them down and force them to cross over."
"They seem okay though. Like they don't need to cross over. Like they're taken care of even still here on Earth."
Felix nodded. "Something to think about, right? Having the option to just stay here?"
I tilted my head a little. "Maybe."
"Come on." Felix headed further into the woods.
"Why do you think they're here though? Why not go home? Isn't that what some hauntings are?"
"I've asked myself that. Part of me thinks they can't leave the forest. Once you're here, you're here forever."
"Creepy."
He laughed quietly. "What part of this job isn't?"
We walked around for a couple of hours but Fin and the twins were the extent of the outing. There were a few old ribbons that Felix cut. There was one rotting tent I spray painted a large X on. I locked the gate behind us when we were done and followed Felix into the house.
"You hungry?" Felix asked once his shoes were off.
At the thought of food, my stomach grumbled. Felix pulled out a few casserole dishes and Tupperware containers. "Shazo's mom dropped off some stuff at the crack of dawn. Mmm." He sighed once all the lids were off. Pasta, a chicken and rice casserole, something covered in cheese, some freshly baked bread, and cookies. It all looked amazing. I glanced at Felix and wondered how he ate like he did and stayed so slim. Genetics, maybe.
I found another c
ontainer with roasted vegetables so I made a plate with them and some of the chicken and rice casserole. Felix piled some of everything on his plate, a piece of bread held in his mouth. I smiled to myself as he looked giddily at the food. Once he grabbed a fork, he headed down to the living room. They really needed a table. My mother was not going to spend multiple nights on a couch eating with strangers.
TWENTY-SIX
The last time I was up this early it was to fly to Alabama. Today, it was to pick up my parents. I couldn't believe it had been five months since I had seen them. I was too excited to eat the French Toast Felix had made, but in all honestly who wants to eat French toast at five thirty in the morning besides drunk college kids?
"What time do they get in again?" Felix asked with a yawn. I hadn't slept in his room in a couple of nights and not only did I miss the evening shenanigans, I missed waking up next to him. He had been keeping to himself and I wasn't sure if it was the memories of his brother or my impending departure.
"Seven, but I want to get there early."
"Get a good seat," Felix joked. "You sure you don't want to take the hearse?"
"I don't think picking them up in the hearse would help with easing them into this whole situation."
"Got it." He piled his breakfast onto a plate and hopped onto the counter to eat. The powdered sugar gave him a slight cocaine addict look. "Well, I made up the other bedroom last night so that's good to go."
"I saw it this morning. Thank you." Felix was definitely the hospitable one of the two. The room looked bright and cheery, and I wanted to move into it after my parents left.
"My pleasure." He stabbed a forkful of French toast into his mouth and swallowed it quickly. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything." I looked at him curiously.
"You don't have to leave for, what, almost an hour?"
I glanced at my phone and then nodded.
"Want to go check out how I made my bed this morning?" He had his bottom lip firmly bitten to stop from grinning.
I dropped my jaw in fake shock. "Are you hinting at sex mere hours before my parents get here?"
"Yes. Because then they'll be in the room between our rooms and that could be weird." He hopped off the counter, gripped my waist and planted his lips on my neck. "And I miss you in my bed."
Wild Alabama Page 14
