I Was Murdered Last Night (Olivia Brown Mysteries Book 1)

by A. J. Gallant

  Chapter Forty-Six

  UNDER THE SKY OF PUFFY WHITE CLOUDS, Detective Brown watched as the black Ford F-150 Lariat drove past her and into the driveway, stopping when he got up to the mansion. She had raised a map that she had purchased at the service station, making herself look like a lost tourist, at least she hoped so. They were out of sight now, and Olivia thought the dog would be happy to see them, the poor animal didn't know any better. She wondered, if she called the police, might they find something incriminating in the house?

  After an hour, a black Cadillac Escalade pulled into the driveway and drove out of view as the vehicle approached the house. A short German fellow with blond hair, carrying a physician's bag, knocked and then was permitted entry. Dieter was going to patch up John's ear as best he could, but first he had to tend to Henry's wound. He discovered that the injury wasn't as bad as it looked, although he had no way of viewing any internal damage, Dieter would need to stitch him up after he pulled out several bone fragments. A shot of morphine would be appreciated.

  If Olivia were an assassin, she would just shoot the two of them and have it over with, but they were at different levels of life, just as they were likely to be in death. Did she dare advance on the house and have a look? If she got caught, it would mean big trouble. She wasn't sure of her next move, except to follow them. What if she knocked on the door and asked for directions? But it was three against one.

  Olivia couldn't stay here around the clock, and that they had just arrived most likely meant she had some time. The detective made the decision to head to the hotel and get some rest. Another thing that concerned her was that if they were coming from a hit, it could be months and months or even a year before the next one. She couldn't watch them indefinitely, or could she? A camera attached to a tree would tell her when they left, accompanied by a motion sensor would be good. Or better yet, hire some people to watch them and follow when they left. But again, it could take months. No way to know when they would make that trip to Florida.

  What else did she have to do? Her well-to-do status had its perks, and what better way to use one's wealth than saving two children? The way Anita had explained it was that on the other side some could see glimpses of the future, had seen the death of her sisters, told her the how and where but not the when. And so getting the kids to safety wasn't an option, and besides, she couldn't tell her that her information came from a ghost.

  Olivia went back to the hotel and took a shower. She microwaved a bag of popcorn. Olivia was tired and would likely fall asleep watching a movie, but that was okay with her. It was one way to dumb down and get her mind to stop racing.

  Olivia found the original Wizard of Oz movie but before she could start it someone was knocking on the door. Looking in the direction of the sound, her eyebrows tightened.

  “Maintenance.” It was a man's voice.

  Why would maintenance come to the room? She got up and went to the peephole and peeked. I don't believe it! It's Anita's killer! But how is that possible? John was standing with his hand on his gun inside his coat. Henry was nearby, out of sight, but she could see his shadow. Perfect. She'd call the police and have them picked up and end this thing. Unfortunately, her cell was dead as she forgot to charge it, and of all the luck and for whatever reason, the hotel phone was silent, no dial tone. Had the lines been cut? Olivia grabbed her Glock.

  Anita appeared in the hall beside John, who was in the process of pulling his gun, looking around to make sure no one was watching. He had disabled the video cameras from a box on the lower level and was readying to kick the door, but it was necessary to gain entry with a single kick. Anita was furious that she had put Olivia in danger and pushed as hard as she could on the pistol in John's hand. It smashed John in the head hard where his ear had been, making him dance with the pain, almost sufficiently severe to make him pass out.

  “Fucking ghost!”

  Henry now hated the damn ghost. He expected that sooner or later she would get them killed, which he imagined was what she wanted. That was one job they should have never taken.

  Anita kicked John in the testicles and he went down hard, the pain excruciating. Henry helped him up, and they ran, escaping down the stairs, out into the parking lot, and then across the street.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  AT THREE HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT, all was quiet in the hotel room. Olivia was in REM sleep and dreaming. Her eyes were darting around under her lids, deep in the land of dreams.

  Olivia was making her way through the thick forest, ice crystals crunching under her feet, snow was falling, and she was cold. The woods looked stark, almost black and white, though the precipitation made it pretty enough. Olivia wasn't on any path and it was rough going, the terrain was uneven, and the detective was also on an incline. Fist-sized rocks under her feet were covered with snow, making it even more challenging. The farther she went, the more difficult the trek. She looked down at her feet; the snow was suddenly quite a bit deeper, and she was now wearing old wooden snowshoes.

  Tweet, tweet, tweedily tweet.

  A red cardinal flew past her and landed in a birch tree, a beautiful spot of color against the white environment that surrounded the bird. It jumped several times, knocking snow from the branch to the ground. Olivia had a sense that the bird wanted her to pursue it, and so she did. It flew from branch to branch, flittering about, though waiting patiently. The going was slow for the detective as the incline got steeper and more slippery, but the cardinal waited for her to draw near before continuing to lead her.

  A splotch of blood in the snow appeared highlighted against the white, but no way to tell if it originated from an animal or human, and then she discovered another drop a little farther. Olivia perceived a faint sound and listened intently. What was it? The Cardinal remained silent as if allowing her to hear whatever it was. She knelt, closer to the base of the tree near the blood, where she saw a watch strap and part of the face of the watch, and when Olivia pulled it out, she saw that there was blood on it. So it was indeed human blood. Someone must have been murdered here. A sad commentary on the way of things.

  A thin hand that originated from a corpse appeared from beneath the snow and grabbed her wrist; she pulled away from its grip and stood up. The snow was suddenly saturated with blood. The bird again called to her, wanting her to follow it and so she did. The slope now almost impossible to climb, but Olivia could see the top and so kept going. As she struggled to move forward, she was able to smell something burning, the moderate wind blowing it in her direction. The crackling sound of fire filled the air.

  Finally, on the top of the steep hill, she gazed at a bonfire with several logs burning and an old man sitting like a native might, warming himself. He was Caucasian, wearing a coat made from a black bear, and had a long white scraggly beard. His face was slightly familiar, though if she had seen him before she couldn't remember. Still a distance from her, the old fellow observed her every move as she approached. She could now see his smile.

  The crackling of the fire was pleasant; the sparks strangely accomplishing loops before drifting up into the air. His constant staring was starting to make Olivia uncomfortable as if he were judging her. His dark face wrinkled by time and his bushy eyebrows in need of a trim. If she had to estimate his age, she would think close to ninety.

  His visage appeared ancient and wise. “You have become aware of your connection to the other side.”

  Olivia's voice was hesitant. “Who are you?”

  “I'm a relative. Sit with me. Sit close for a better connection.”

  She sat about a yard from him and the heat from the fire felt delightful. His eyes appeared to sparkle.

  “I assume that you mean the ghosts?”

  “Yes, Olivia, you have always been able to reach out to the other side. Even when you were inside your mother they visited you. You have placed many obstacles to block the spirits, closed many doors and thrown away the keys. But Anita has opened all of them.”

  “I'd rath
er they had remained closed. Most people don't believe in this stuff.”

  The old fellow was silent for a time. The Cardinal flew and lit on his shoulder. “You have a unique connection to the other side, and most have never seen it. Your abilities must come from on high, which you should not disregard.” A slight nod as he cocked his head. He transformed from an old man to middle age and then to a young man and finally a boy. And then back to the old man she first saw.

  The fire began to emit white smoke, rising so high that it seemed to disappear into the heavens. She observed as the columns rose. “Is this a dream?”

  “A learning dream but, yes, a dream nonetheless.”

  A Greylag Goose waddled from behind a tree, having mottled and barred grey and white plumage with an orange beak. The bird was almost three feet in length and sat and watched and listened.

  “What's with the goose?”

  “The oddness of the dream will help you remember.”

  An ember floated and landed on her left knee. “Remember what?”

  “Olivia, what have you seen so far?”

  “What do you mean? I saw blood.”

  “And a hand reaching for help?”

  “What have you seen?” said the goose.

  Olivia woke in the hotel, discovering a goose feather near her on the bed.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  TIM HAD TRACKED DOWN CUTHBERT on the Kusushi Shrine on top of Mount Fuji. A blanket of clouds lay beneath them, and a moderately cold wind was blowing. Tim was worried about Anita, not her physical self of course, but her mental state. If she failed to save her sisters, how would it affect her moving forward? Although it appeared to be rare, even here a few individuals were depressed or appeared as such, traumatized by whatever event. He imagined that none of that existed in heaven, but at this halfway point he knew of at least one. A Brazilian man who just sat on an iron bench; he talked to no one and only responded with a wave of his hand to indicate that one should move away from him. Since the soul was eternal, would he be in the same position a thousand years from now? And would Anita end up like him as well?

  “I had to concentrate very hard to find you,” said Tim.

  Cuthbert nodded. “Yes, and you would not have found me had I not permitted it.” He gestured with his hand to the view in front of them. “God has created all these wonders so we can stare in awe of all this beauty instead of always thinking about ourselves.”

  Tim stood near the lion-dog in front of the shrine, thinking about the best way to broach the subject. “Do you think it is wise to allow and even encourage Anita to attempt to alter things in the physical world? Her odds of failing are high, are they not? So why put her through that?”

  Cuthbert nodded and smiled. “You speak from your heart. Already you love her. But Anita is an exceptional soul; her abilities known for quite some time. Whether she is successful or not, she will move forward.”

  Tim wasn't sure exactly what that meant. If they knew she was going to be killed, why didn't they interfere in that? “But is it even safe to change things in the physical world?” He didn't particularly like what he was hearing. However, he had little influence over such matters.

  Cuthbert watched as a Japanese man almost went over his ankle on a rock, and it would be a long way down with a sprain. “Too many depraved individuals running around these days. Anita will be sent to interfere in exceptional cases if she agrees to do so. It has taken a while for things to come together. Her mental health will undoubtedly suffer if Eva and Courtney perish, but the bigger picture is ultimately more important than the little pieces.”

  Tim tried to grasp the bigger picture but, unfortunately, he didn't have enough information to form a proper judgment. Was Anita going to be sent down regularly to help people? “Can you make it so I can help her?”

  “I cannot. The more time Anita spends with Olivia, the closer their bond will be, and the more she will be able to accomplish what is necessary on the other side. Some things are not for your ears. This is in its infancy, and only God knows all.”

  “Will her killer end up here?”

  “No, he will not.” And with that, Cuthbert vanished.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  JOHN AND HENRY WERE IN A TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN in North Carolina on Interstate 95. John liked the idea of traveling in a different vehicle as much as possible. At times, he practically lived on the road for no reason other than a change of scenery. John now had no intention of going back for at least a month, had hired a dog sitter for Mexico, to go in several times a day to feed and play with him. He was a restless soul and preferred the road to almost anything else, though occasionally he did need to settle for a time.

  They were on the outskirts of Lumberton and heading for Fayetteville where they would find a hotel to spend the night. Henry took a drink from his flask of brandy, offered some to John, but he refused. “I bought more goats this morning.”

  “I don't want to hear any more about stupid goats.” John couldn't help but laugh. “I bought a few more as well.”

  Henry tightened the cover on his flask. “Do you think we'll get any points with the big guy upstairs for supplying those poor bastards with goats?”

  “Henry, we've killed too many to get into heaven by buying a fucking goat.”

  “I guess.”

  John's cell rang and it was his disposable in his left shirt pocket. “Hello? Yes, I understand. I'll send you the account number where you can deposit the money.”

  Henry knew it was another job, but he liked to be busy, less time to think about things. And because of the damn ghost, he now had the afterlife to mull over. And that was beginning to worry him more than he ever thought it would. He hadn't believed in anything, but that reasoning had been altered.

  “The witness won't make trial, I can assure you of that, but nothing happens until that money shows up in my account.” He gave the phone to Henry. “Here, throw this out the window.”

  Henry took the phone and tossed it. “Hey, I think I just hit a cow in the head. Where are we going this time?”

  “Orlando, Florida.”

  “Really? We should go to Disney World while we're there. They have lots of new stuff. I haven't been there in ages.” Henry remembered the Carousel of Progress where the people moved in their seats around the stage, and he loved it. He wondered if it was still there.

  John nodded. “Aw, yeah? Sure. After we take care of business, we should check out Universal Studios as well.”

  “Now I'm kind of excited.” Henry stared at a field of horses as they zoomed by, and one mare was especially pretty, with a shiny tan coat. “My father used to break my fingers to toughen me up. He said the pain would make me a better man; he'd always tell me a day in advance and, let me tell you, I wouldn't get much sleep that night. Mental torture is what it was. That's why my knuckles look so screwed up. Broke the first one when I was seven. I'll never forget it.”

  John looked at Henry and then back at the road. “We have some time on this one. We'll spend the night in Fayetteville and head to Florida in the morning. Gonna get me some hot wings tonight.”

  “I'd marry a palm tree if I could. They're so beautiful.”

  “What are you? Two?” John just shook his head. Nothing that he could add to that statement.

  Chapter Fifty

  IF ANITA'D HAD A PHYSICAL HEART, it would have skipped a beat. She caught up with John and Henry and realized they were in Florida because she recognized the area. Time must be getting closer to the event that she just had to alter or she would never be able to live with herself, even though she was dead. That concept gave her pause. Anita thought she shouldn't feel so bad if her sisters died because, after all, it wasn't the end, but it didn't work like that. She wanted a long and happy life for both of them. No way to know if they would suffer for days or if it would be instantaneous.

  John and Henry were exiting from a Chevron Gas Station, talking about heading to a hotel called Parc Corniche. She knew the location of
the condominium hotel because she had passed it a few times. John got into the truck with a bottle of Coke and a bag of Funyuns, onion flavored rings that he loved. Henry also had a bag and a Pepsi. It was ten in the morning and already hot enough to make one run for shade.

  Anita followed them to the hotel, watched as they checked in, and she tried to punch John but her fist went right through him. She was exceedingly nervous and almost in a panic. Her emotions were running away with her as it was all too real now that they were in Florida. John drove around to the luxury units which were way around back, hidden behind the older units. The door of Number 6 opened as Henry swiped the key card, and when the light blinked green they entered. The air conditioning made the inside atmosphere comfortable, and they were happy to be out of the hot sun. Henry went upstairs to look around, found a hot tub and shower in the master bedroom which he thought was a little weird: one would drip on the carpet as they got out. The adjacent room had two single beds.

  Anita tried to attack John as he headed for the sliding doors in the living room to peek outside, but again she wasn't able to make contact. She attempted to calm herself but to no avail. Anita commenced to pace and was beside herself as John sat on the sofa, knowing that to have any chance at success, Anita had to get Olivia here as soon as possible, and so concentrated hard on returning to her. But she remained beside John. If heaven wanted her to alter these events then why weren't they helping her accomplish it?

  John opened his bag of Funyuns and began to crunch; she tried to concentrate and knock the bag out of his hands but she couldn't, and an anguished scream escaped from her, though John remained oblivious of her presence. Anita again tried to return to the detective, and then to Tim, and finally to Cuthbert, but remained with the killers. Hopefully, she wasn't anchored here until it was over.