by Aiden James
“So, what do you suggest next?” asked Janice, her voice reticent after hearing the taunt from Allie Mae and Sara’s advisement.
“I plan to speak with a friend of mine tomorrow after I drop off my own film to be developed. He’s a parapsychology professor at the University of Denver,” said Sara, taking the recorder and placing it in her duffel bag, open next to her chair. “I’ve already spoken with him about what I found in your house yesterday. He’s especially curious about the hemlock leaves, since aside from being long renowned for their mystic and murderous properties, hemlock isn’t native to this part of the country. But it does thrive in the southeastern portion of North America, in the very region you visited a week ago. I’m also hopeful he can hook me up with some of the sound engineering graduates at the University. Maybe they can gain better clarity from the whispers we captured.”
“I want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Sara,” said Miriam, and echoed by David and Janice.
“I know,” she told her, reaching out and patting the back of her hand. “Let’s take a look at those pictures.”
Miriam opened each pack, passing the individual shots around to everyone else after taking a look. The first roll of film, taken entirely in Gatlinburg, revealed nothing unusual. David’s keen photographic eye produced several shots that everyone commented would be excellent candidates to be enlarged and framed. The first few shots from the next roll proved much the same, but the photographs taken from the time Miriam and David ventured past John Oliver’s homestead through this afternoon’s final shot in their backyard revealed a variety of anomalies.
Miriam noticed a few streams of reddish light and solid yellow orbs in some of these photographs. But not knowing specifically what to look for, she passed them all to Sara, who examined them more closely. Sara set the majority of the photographs from the second roll aside in a pile, stating they contained significant paranormal evidence.
Dismayed to see the shot he took of Miriam in the ravine marred by a bright orange streak, David thought he messed it up and that all the trouble he went through in getting the picture was for naught. However, Sara told him the hazy streak could signify something noteworthy took place when the photo was snapped. She brought the image close to her eyes to get a better view, squinting as if trying to decipher something else she just now noticed.
While they sat at the table reviewing the pictures, Janice’s phone rang. Ned Badgett called for David, and Janice apologized for not delivering an earlier message from him. He excused himself and took the call in Janice’s office.
“Sorry to call you so late,” said Ned. “I know this has been a terrible day, especially for you. How are you holding up right now?”
“It hasn’t hit me fully yet,” he confessed. “The true test will come after things get back to normal again, and Norm’s not there every day like he has been for nearly twenty years.”
“I imagine it’ll take some time to heal, David. If there’s ever anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I’ll do that.”
An awkward moment of silence passed before Ned spoke again.
“Maybe your idea of taking a few things home to work on might do some good after all,” he said. “It’s really to help keep your mind occupied since we’ve got everything covered this coming week in your absence.”
“I’d like that,” David agreed. “Can I stop by the office tomorrow and pick up a few reports?”
“Either that, or I can bring them to you if you’d rather,” said Ned. “The police have finished with most of what they need from us, though some areas are still taped off and will remain that way until next week. I have to take care of a few things at the office tomorrow morning. No one else will be there since it’s Saturday, and I thought it’d be a good opportunity for you to stop by, or like I said, I can bring the files you want by your house in the afternoon. The weather forecast calls for heavy snow tomorrow evening, so I’d like to come by there no later than three o’clock, if that’s all right.”
“Why don’t I meet you at the office around eleven tomorrow morning?”
“Eleven will be fine. See you then, David.”
After he hung up, David remained for a few minutes in Janice’s desk chair, admiring the award plaques on her wall for the outstanding editorial work she had done on several bestselling novels. While reading the presentation comments on the bottom of the largest plaque; Tyler and Jillian pushed open the office door.
“Dad, you’ve got to check out some pictures of you from last weekend and today!” said Tyler, excited.
“There’s a ghost’s face in them!” added Jillian.
He followed the kids into the kitchen, where Christopher leaned against his mother’s shoulder while she examined six photographs spread out before her.
“Come look at these, David,” she said, pushing the pictures toward him.
He joined her at the table, looking down at the photos while everyone else awaited his reaction. In each one, either solo or with Miriam, strange white mist-like forms appeared near his right shoulder. The two most prominent images showed up on the pictures taken by Miriam as they exited the trail to the ravine in Cades Cove and the one where she got him to pose like Paul Bunyan in the backyard less than eight hours ago.
“Here, David, use this,” said Sara, handing a magnifying glass to him, in order to get a better look.
He held it over the photo from Cades Cove, snickering nervously before placing the magnifier above the picture of him holding the rake Paul Bunyan-style. In disbelief he leaned in closer, comparing the two images.
“This is incredible,” he said softly, studying the hazy images again and then examining the other four pictures.
He couldn’t believe what he saw in all of the photos, caught by the faster shutter speed of the modern camera. He started to look at other pictures in a pile next to Miriam, but she stopped him.
“None of the others look like these,” she advised. “So, no, it’s not a problem with the camera or the film. The only pictures that look like this are ones with you in them. There are a few other shots containing orbs and colored streaks, but none look like these.”
He looked at the pictures of him again, noting the figure next to him in each one appeared identical. Each hazy image consisted of a partial face, with the portion closest to him too faint to discern. Only the right side, from the bridge of the nose to the wispy ethereal hair, was clear and cast a shadow behind it. The eye’s details and prominent cheekbones determined the face might belong to a gorgeous young woman, whose paleness resembled a film negative. She seemed to be looking directly at him, and one might think she favored him. But the shape of her mouth said she didn’t. Her mouth opened wide into a terrible scream.
Chapter Twenty-four
“I’ll be back by one o’clock at the latest,” Miriam told Janice, grabbing her coat and attaché case. “Maybe if David feels up to it, I’d like to take him and the kids to a movie this afternoon once he gets back from his meeting with Ned.”
Getting an early start, she planned to use Saturday morning to get caught up on the pile of paperwork that had accumulated during the past week at the clinic in her absence.
“What time did you want me to wake the kids up?” asked Janice, following Miriam to the front door. Not yet 7:30 a.m., she tightened the sash on her bathrobe when the cool morning air rushed into her home.
“Go ahead and let them sleep as long as they need, provided it’s not after twelve,” said Miriam, closing the door halfway. “David should be up by nine or ten at the latest, and then he’ll be going into the office shortly after that.”
“I know he mentioned something last night about going into work, but I thought he was supposed to take the next week off.” Janice frowned. “I can only imagine what it will be like for him to go in there after what happened.”
Miriam nodded sadly. “He promised he’d only be there for about an hour,” she said. “Just long enough
to meet with Ned and pick up some reports to work on at home. Then he won’t be back there for at least a week.”
“Let’s see…David Hobbs, noted workaholic and the compulsive creator of home projects to keep him and his family occupied, is going to be content to sit around here working on a few reports while watching daytime game shows and soaps for a week. Ri-i-ight!”
Janice stifled a chuckle, grimacing as if she regretted the joke at a time like this. Miriam said she wondered the same thing, but added she’d do everything she could to keep him occupied...as long as they didn’t have to also deal with Allie Mae’s ghost. Janice patted the feathers from the dream catcher next to the doorway for good luck. After she watched Miriam drive away, she closed the door and played with Sadie for a while before straightening up the living room and kitchen in preparation for when the kids and their dad woke up.
Christopher and Jillian arose first, just before nine o’clock, followed by David around nine-thirty. Tyler didn’t stir until his dad woke him, just before he left to meet Ned at the office. Tyler stumbled into the kitchen, his hair in his face and the strap on his sling twisted. Janice and David adjusted the sling and helped him with his brace.
Without the usual heavy traffic, the drive to downtown Denver might’ve been pleasant if not for the deep sorrow gripping David’s heart. When he reached the back parking lot of Johnson, Simms & Perrault, he parked the Chrysler next to Ned’s Mercedes. A cement bench sat empty nearby, where Norm and other smokers took many of their cigarette breaks. David’s chest tightened. Somehow he managed to subdue the powerful urge to turn around and go home, at least for now. He forced a smile and stepped out of the minivan. Ned waited for him at the side entrance.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” asked Ned, noting his pallor and the dark circles around his eyes. David didn’t have to tell him he slept horribly last night.
“I should be,” he said, shaking his hand.
For a moment, Ned looked like he wanted to give him a hug, which David feared would bring on an uncontrollable deluge of emotion. Thankfully Ned seemed to sense this, and instead led him to the building’s main entrance in front. The curtains in the lobby were closed. Once they stepped beyond the foyer the only illumination came from the security lights and a faint glow from Ned’s office upstairs.
“Is that where they found him?” asked David, pointing to the marble fountain, where the water had been shut off.
Yellow police tape extended from the bottom of the staircases to the sides of the fountain, wrapped around a matching pair of marble cherubs. In the dimness, a few twigs and leaves remained from the ring that had enclosed the fountain when Norm’s impaled body was found. It chilled him, and he now understood the detectives’ interest in the strange circle left on his bedroom floor.
Allie Mae’s spirit was here…. Did she kill Norm??
“Yeah, it is,” Ned quietly confirmed, continuing toward the staircase next to the vacant reception desk. “They should have all of this cleared away before Monday morning. Oh, and by the way, Norm’s mother, brother, and sister will be in Denver later tonight. The funeral won’t be for at least another couple of weeks, pending the coroner’s investigation, and will likely be held in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he’ll be buried. In the meantime, Nancy arranged another service to be held for Norm’s friends and co-workers tomorrow afternoon. Norm’s family has graciously decided to join us. Nancy told me this morning the service is scheduled for two o’clock.”
“Where will it be held?” asked David, his mouth dry. He still wondered how the hemlock leaves and twigs got here, and glanced at the fountain below while he and Ned climbed the stairs to the second level. “I’d like to visit with Norm’s family when they get settled, if I can. It’s been a couple of years since I last saw Jonas, when he came up here with his fiancé to ski.”
“I’ll give you the number to the Holiday Inn they’re staying at in Aurora,” Ned said, just as they reached the top of the stairs. “The service will be held at a Methodist chapel not far from here, but I forget the name of it. I’ll get you the name and address before you leave. Nancy’s calling everyone else this afternoon from her home to give them the details and directions on how to get there.”
The two men walked together into the mortgage services area. David stopped to look across the landing to the hallway where Norm’s office sat. More yellow tape blocked all access to his office.
Are there more leaves and twigs in there? The detectives said something about other evidence....
“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but the police told me this morning they’re moving closer to finding Norm’s killer, or killers, I should say,” said Ned, following David’s gaze toward Norm’s darkened office.
“They are?” He turned to look at Ned, hoping his disbelief wasn’t apparent.
“They told me one is definitely a female. The bloody fingerprints they found on Norm’s desk match other fingerprints they recovered from someplace else,” he said, moving over to the wall to flick on the row of fluorescent lights above the cubicles. “They’re hoping to make a positive ID on her, which should lead to a break in the case.”
“So, was it Norm’s blood on the fingerprints?” David wondered why such important information had been withheld from him.
“I’m sorry, David. I thought you knew,” said Ned, worried he had caused him further pain. “Since the detectives spoke to you yesterday, I assumed…I guess I shouldn’t have assumed anything. To answer your question, yes, it’s Norm’s blood.”
“That’s okay,” said David. “I just hope they find her soon and have the ability to bring someone like this to justice quickly.” He feigned complete seriousness, thinking the police had little chance of catching a ghost. The death penalty wouldn’t mean much to a spirit. The main thing now? Finding out more about the matching fingerprints, since they likely came from inside his home. The fact Ned knew about them and he didn’t provided further proof the police considered him a strong suspect.
“I agree,” said Ned, just as serious. He stopped to face him when they reached David’s cubicle, and for a moment looked like he again wanted to reach over and hug him. “Well, I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes while you pick up the reports you’d like to work on. I’ll meet you out in the landing when you’re ready to leave.” He moved down the aisle to his office.
Everything was still a mess, piled next to his PC station from when he left in a hurry Thursday evening, David took a moment to straighten his desk. He took several manila folders full of reports yet to be completed and placed them inside his briefcase. Looking to add a few pencils and pens to take with him, he opened his desk’s top drawer.
The little cloth bag from Tennessee rested loosely on top of a pair of half-used note pads and an unopened pack of post-it notes. He collapsed in his chair while his chest tightened again. The side with “Allie Mae’s Treasures” stitched in light blue thread faced him. David picked up the bag, his hand shaking while he drew it closer to his eyes to examine new stains. A different crimson from the encrusted pizza stains, the patterned striations came from slender fingerprints dipped in blood. Norm’s blood.
Terrible images filled his weary mind along with answers to questions that had tormented him since yesterday. The fingerprints had to belong to Allie Mae—a ghost’s, though impossible as it seemed. He fell deeper into despair, knowing his efforts to mail the bag back to Gatlinburg were futile.
So, she killed Norm…but why?
Curious, he opened the bag and peered inside, preparing himself for the musty smell he loathed. The odor surprised him, diluted by a floral fragrance not there before… along with another scent.
“Huh??”
He understood, grimly, what likely happened. Norm couldn’t have tampered with the package he mailed. The metallic jingle in the mailer when he handed it to the postal worker to be weighed and processed confirmed that much. But somehow, Allie Mae removed her bag of treasures from the mailer and brought it
back to this office. She then used the bag to seduce Norm and lure him to his death.
It made perfect sense. The honeysuckle-lilac and feminine odor wafting from the bag would’ve nailed Norm’s insatiable lust. If nothing else, he knew Norm probably thought the item a novelty, having no idea the danger that awaited him.
“I thought you’d be waiting in the landing by now. Are you okay?” Ned stood next to his cubicle. “You’re as white as a ghost!”
“I’m all right, really,” he replied, closing his hand around the bag and throwing it into his brief case along with some pens and pencils.
Ned suddenly glanced toward the landing as if he just heard something.
“I’m ready to go now,” said David, closing the drawer to his desk and then his briefcase.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ned asked again, returning his gaze and allowing it to move down to David’s hand now empty.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said, and stood up. He hoped his boss only caught a glimpse of the bag in his hand and didn’t notice the bloody fingerprints on it. “I’m ready to go.”
“Here’s the phone number to where the Sowell’s will be staying.” He handed a note to David once he joined him in the aisle. “They should be there around seven tonight. And here’s the address and directions to the chapel for tomorrow’s service.”
David placed the note inside his wallet. They left the department together, and Ned shut the lights. Before exiting the building, David thought he heard the landing’s floorboards creak behind them. Forcing himself to smile while Ned told a funny story involving his newest grandchild, he followed him outside and waited for him to lock the entrance’s double doors. Not once did he raise his eyes toward the dim figure he sensed glowering at them from behind the landing’s banister.
