by Lois Kay
Alice nodded and sent Jody a look of gratitude, which was answered with a warm smile.
Fiona took her sister’s place on the edge of the couch and awkwardly patted Alice’s knee. “Are you feeling better now?” she asked hesitantly. “You scared the sh…wits out of me.”
For a moment, Alice closed her eyes, and the words of her mother echoed in her mind. You are much needed and loved. A small smile found its way to her face, and when she opened her eyes, she nodded. “I do feel better now,” she acknowledged. “But I also feel like an idiot… I mean,” she bit the inside of her lip and frowned. “I know I’m pretty screwed up,” she admitted. “But…usually I manage to keep it all together.”
“Did you remember anything?” Fiona asked carefully, afraid to trigger more bad memories now she had witnessed what they could do to Alice.
“I remember my name,” Alice answered.
She saw the thoughtful expression on Fiona’s face and let her gaze travel to Yarra, whose hand she was still holding. She stared at their interlaced fingers and wondered if she should let go and what her new friend would be thinking about her for holding on to her like that. But the gentleness in those dark eyes gave her all the reassurance she needed, and when Yarra gave her hand a friendly squeeze, Alice involuntarily let out a small sigh of contentment. It also gave her the courage to speak the next words. “I saw my mother,” she said. Her voice was filled with wonder. There was no immediate reaction from her friends. Fiona looked at her with unveiled curiosity and genuine interest, and Yarra’s smile had broadened, and the grip around her fingers tightened.
“I… there was a place I was trapped in, and it was so…dark and quiet, and I couldn’t see or hear anything,” she related with a shudder. “I thought I was going to die because I could hardly breathe and in the end, I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to give up and die, but then I saw her. I mean, it was all light, and I couldn’t see her face or anything, but I knew it was her. I recognized her voice. She talked to me and told me to go back and have courage and to never forget who I am. I wanted to go with her, but she told me to go back.” Alice swallowed hard and took a deep breath, not aware of the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “Do you think I just dreamed that?” Her voice cracked. “It looked so real.”
“I think it was real,” Yarra answered with confidence and Fiona nodded. “I was right here sitting next to you, and for a few moments, I thought you had stopped breathing. But before I could do anything you gasped and started breathing again.”
“I saw that too,” Fiona added in a voice filled with awe. “But you came back to us.”
“So, you don’t think…I’m completely crazy?” Alice asked, feeling her insecurities coming back full force.
“My grandfather says he can contact the spirits. He said he performed rituals to request them to fertilize the land and according to him, they did,” Yarra answered thoughtfully. “And my dad and brothers sometimes go walkabout just to meditate and become one with nature. There’s a lot out there we don’t understand. But I do believe you saw your mother today, Alice. There’s nothing crazy about that.”
“No, it’s pretty unique actually,” Fiona agreed.
In the adjacent kitchen, the adults were silently drinking their coffee. They didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but couldn’t help being fascinated by the conversation that was taking place between the three teenagers.
When Joan heard Fiona’s encouraging and accepting remarks, she couldn’t help smiling. Despite the difficulties her daughters had encountered growing up, being raised by a religiously fanatic, narrow-minded father, they had all turned out to be women with a broad outlook on the world; accepting and respecting the differences in all people.
“Those two are really special,” Trishia smiled, putting her arm around Lucy’s chair and absentmindedly played with the long, dark hair.
“All three are,” Sam corrected gently, unconsciously mimicking Trishia’s actions and wrapping her arm around Jody’s shoulders.
“Have they known each other long?” Lisa asked curiously.
“Fiona and Yarra have been friends for years, even before Sam and Jody bought this property. They go to the same school.” Joan responded. “But Fi and Alice only met yesterday, and Yarra and Alice hadn’t met until this morning.”
“That’s amazing,” Lisa said with a smile. “When I saw them in there, I could have sworn they had all been friends for quite a while. There must be a powerful pull between the three of them.”
“So, what’s your first impression about Alice, Lisa?” Trishia asked. Trishia cared for Alice, just like the rest of them, but in the back of her mind, there was a constant, nagging need for more information. The more they had to go on, the sooner they might be able to get a lead on the murderer before he could strike again.
“You know I can’t tell you much yet, Trish,” Lisa smiled, knowing full well the impatient look on Trishia’s face. “I need to talk to her first, but from what you have told me and from what I have witnessed so far, my guess would be PTSD, with dissociative amnesia and, possibly, fugue.”
“Which is—?” Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nightmares and flashbacks are characteristic for PTSD and memory loss is not uncommon. From what Trishia has told me, Alice has no memory of where she’s from and what happened. If indeed, she went through a traumatic event, that could have caused amnesia and the homelessness. In some cases, people experiencing a severe trauma forget their own identity and leave their home, without any memory of doing so. But I really need to talk to Alice first. And I’ll have to decide whether I feel we need to do some tests to see if Alice’s situation is caused by something physical. Of course, you know there is also the matter of patient confidentiality,” she warned, casting Trishia a stern look. “I can only let you know what Alice allows me to tell you.”
“I know.” Trishia sighed. “But she’s gradually lowering her walls, so hopefully she’ll come up with something we can work with. I have a killer to catch, Lisa and no time to lose.” Trishia stood and grabbed her phone. “I’ll call Peter. At least we know her name. We can start with that.”
*
Peter Jones’ hoped that the few hours of sleep he had enjoyed would be enough to get him through the day. He was still tired, but at least the brief, uninterrupted rest had helped him to regain some energy, and he felt like he could think again. After a quick breakfast and a cup of homemade coffee, he had kissed his wife Angela and his two baby boys and headed back to the police station. Softly whistling he steered his car through the many obstacles in traffic and when he reached his destination, he parked in the shade of a big tree, happy to know that his vehicle would not be turned into a big, oven on wheels by the time he would have to use it again. Still sitting in his car, he was about to grab his phone when it rang.
“Morning, Trish. Is everything alright?”
“Hey, Pete. Yeah, mate. It’s been a rough night, though.”
Peter frowned at the fatigue that was bleeding through Trishia’s voice. “You sound like you didn’t sleep at all.”
Trishia chuckled. “I could’ve used a lot more. Listen, Pete, Alice had some sort of panic or anxiety attack this morning, after having a nightmare earlier and —.”
“How is she? Is she okay? Did you take her to—?”
“Hold on, mate, one question at the time. Yes, she’s fine, considering the circumstances and no, we didn’t take her to a hospital. I asked Lisa to come see her, and she’s here now.”
Peter let out a breath and nodded. “Lisa? I guess she’s a better choice than the alternative.”
“That’s what I thought. I didn’t want to put Alice through leaving the house and going to a clinic or hospital. From what I’ve learned about her so far, that wouldn’t have gone over well. She’s agreed to see Lisa at least once, and we’ll take it from there. Besides, Alice has bonded with Jody, and the last thing I want to do is take her away from that security.”<
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“I’m not surprised,” Peter said with a smile. “Jody can melt glaciers. And from what I know about Lisa, Alice will probably see her more than once. I heard she’s quite good at what she does.”
“That she is.”
“So, she’s there?”
“Who, Lisa? Yes, she’s here.”
Peter rubbed his forehead and bit back a grin. “And so is Lucy.”
Trishia let out a soft laugh. “So is Lucy, yes. And before you get any ideas, they seem to get along well enough. They would have met, eventually, but Alice’s situation accelerated the inevitable.” Trishia paused, and Peter kept quiet, hoping Trishia would continue. He was pleasantly surprised when she did.
“You know, Pete, Lucy, and Lisa are so different and yet quite alike. But Lisa and I have known each other for the better part of our lives, and when we were in a relationship, we were both still so young. I guess we helped each other grow up. Lucy…it’s so different with her. I loved Lisa, of course, I did, but it’s nothing compared to what I feel for Luce.”
Peter smiled, pleased with Trishia’s openness. “Lucy is right for you. That’s something I’ve noticed from day one.”
“Yeah?”
Peter grinned at the wistful tone in Trishia’s voice. “Yeah,” he said. “She put a light in your eyes that I’ve never seen before. Love looks good on you, Trish.” He paused. “So, are you going to ask me to be your best man at your wedding?” he teased.
Trishia laughed out loud, which made Peter grin. “Would you be up to the task?” she asked.
“Of course,” Peter said.
“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.” Trishia chuckled. “So, where are you?” She smoothly changed the subject.
“Outside the station, in my car. I just arrived here and was about to call you when you beat me to it.”
“Good. There are a few things about Alice’s nightmare that are interesting,” Trishia said. “She was dreaming of being in a fire, and she wasn’t the only person there. In her dream, she fell and landed on a body. Someone was after her, and she tried to flee.” Trishia paused to clear her throat. “In her dream, someone tried to choke her. There’s no face, just two hands that come at her.”
Peter felt a chill run down his spine. “Holy crap, Trish. That’s quite the nightmare. Do you think it’s linked to what’s going on with her? Never mind, don’t answer that. I’m sure it does.”
“So far, we know about two other murders, right?” Trishia said. “The first one was in Perth.”
“Yes, first one in Perth, second one Sydney, third one here. As far as we know.”
“I know it’s a long shot, but let’s assume Alice is from Perth, we need to try and get information about fires in Perth around that time. Maybe starting from three months before the murder. We need to find out if there were any suspicious fires in which a female died, and a teenage girl went missing.”
“Jeez, Trish, that’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“I know, Pete, trust me. I said it’s a long shot. But Alice remembered her name this morning.” There was a smile in her voice. “Victoria Alice Wilson.”
Peter slowly repeated the name. “That’s a beautiful name,” he said. “And it fits her.” Peter opened the door of the car and exited the vehicle. “I’ll see what I can find out, Trish. It’s not going to be easy because I don’t have a lot of help here, just Kanides and the boss.”
“I know, Pete and I’m sorry about that. I know I can’t leave Alice, but I’ve got a computer whiz around here who can help me dig for information on the internet.”
Peter chuckled. “You mean Fiona?”
“Exactly. It will keep her busy, out of trouble and it will, hopefully, satisfy her endless curiosity. First, I’ll ask her if she can find a social media account that’s linked to Alice. I don’t think there’s a teenager who doesn’t have Facebook.”
Peter closed the door of his car and strolled across the parking lot toward the entrance of the building. “I’ll start digging and will let you know as soon as I find anything,” he said.
“I’ll do the same from this end,” Trishia promised. “I’ll check in with you in a couple of hours anyway.”
“Sounds good, mate. I’ll talk to you later.”
Peter ended the call and entered the building. He climbed the steps to the first floor and absentmindedly waved at a few fellow officers who cheerfully greeted him. He sat down at his desk and booted up his computer. The screen came to life, and he smiled when a picture of his wife and kids stared back at him. He pulled out the key to his drawer, intent on going through the notes and reports from the day before, just to make sure he didn’t miss anything. He unlocked the drawer, pulled it open and automatically reached inside for the envelope he had put in there a few hours earlier. When his fingers touched something cold and unfamiliar, he immediately withdrew and, in an initial reaction, pushed back his chair and jumped up. When he cautiously opened the drawer all the way, his eyes went wide with shock, and he could feel the blood drain from his face, while the bile rose in the back of his throat. The envelope with the faxes and his notes had disappeared. It had been replaced by something that made him feel cold inside and sent shivers down his spine. Inside the drawer was a doll with blond hair. She was lying on her back, her lifeless blue eyes staring directly at him. A small pocketknife was embedded in the plastic chest, securely pinning down the already familiar picture of Alice.
*
After the pounding in her head had somewhat subsided, Alice had finally gotten up from her comfortable position on the couch, impatient to get her meeting with the psychiatrist over and done with. She was still very reluctant to talk to a stranger about herself, but the encouraging pat on her shoulder from Fiona and the warm, reassuring smile from Yarra gave her the courage to walk into the kitchen and grumble that she was ready.
Lisa had given Alice a choice as to where she would feel most comfortable, and she had picked the bedroom. There was a comfortable chair in there for Lisa, and Alice knew she could sit on the bed, close to the door. If things would get too much, she wanted a way to escape.
“This may be brief, or very long,” Lisa warned Jody when she followed Alice out of the kitchen. “It all depends on how things go.”
“Nobody will disturb you,” Jody promised.
“Thanks.” Lisa smiled. “It is possible I’ll need your help, so, stick around, okay?”
“My help?” Jody echoed with a frown.
“She trusts you,” Lisa said. “I’ll do my best to avoid it, but if she has another blackout, I’ll need you in there.”
“I’ll be around,” Jody promised.
Lisa sent her a warm smile. “Thanks, Jody.”
When she disappeared into the hallway, she left a quiet group of women behind.
Lucy stood and started clearing the table. “She…um…she is nice,” Lucy said.
“Yeah, she sure is and beautiful too,” Fiona added with genuine innocence, which made the others wince and cast sympathetic looks in Lucy’s direction.
Lucy’s shoulders stiffened, but she quickly regained control, and she had to agree with Fiona; Lisa Bailey was not the person she had hoped she would be. She was a kind, beautiful woman who was very hard to dislike. She wasn’t the cold-hearted, distant, obnoxious woman Lucy had secretly hoped she would be. The kitchen door opened and Trishia walked in. A pair of strong arms slipped around Lucy as Trishia pulled her into a warm hug. Trishia kissed her cheek, and a soft voice rumbled in her ear. “I heard what Fiona said, and Lisa is kind and pretty.” Another kiss on her cheek. “But I love you.”
That simple statement filled Lucy with warmth and the reassurance it brought flushed out all feelings of insecurity and jealousy. She put down the plates and turned around in Trishia’s arms. “I love you,” she whispered, lightly kissing Trishia’s lips.
“Good grief. It’s too early for the mushy stuff. I’m still digesting breakfast,” Fiona’s teasing voice interrupted. “Besides,
you haven’t told us everything yet, Trishia. Don’t think we forgot.”
Trishia bit back a grin and winked at the woman in her arms before she released her and focused her attention on Fiona. “I think I did,” she said. “I told you most of what I know.”
“No, you didn’t,” Fiona argued. “You only told us about the girl that was murdered yesterday and that two other girls had been killed in Sydney and Perth. Are those deaths connected? And where does Alice come in? And us?” she asked, pointing at herself and Yarra. “You and Sam came down to the creek like the cavalry this morning and don’t think I didn’t see that gun of yours. You looked ready to use it.”
Trishia knew it had been idle hope to think she would have been able to slip anything past Fiona and she cast a glance at Sam, who looked up with a somber expression in her clear blue eyes. When Sam raised an eyebrow and, almost imperceptibly shrugged, Trishia let out a deep sigh and hung her head in defeat.
“What I am about to tell you, will not leave this room,” she said, giving Fiona and Yarra a stern look. They nodded simultaneously. “The only reason I’ll tell you this is because of your own safety and that of Alice. Am I making myself clear?”
Again, the girls nodded, and Trishia could see the tension on their faces. Her words had made an impact, and she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. A warm hand slipped into hers, and she could feel Lucy leaning her head against her shoulder, providing silent support, which was much needed and very welcome.
“We have every reason to believe that Alice is in danger because on all three occasions a… piece of evidence was found near the body, which pointed to Alice. All three victims were young teenage girls, with long blond hair and blue eyes.”
“What kind of evidence?” Fiona asked in a whisper. Her hands were clenched into fists.
“A picture of Alice.”
The silence was almost deafening, and Trishia studied the faces of Fiona and Yarra to see how much impact her words were having. Yarra sat across the table from Trishia, staring at her with eyes that were wide with shock and grief, and Fiona stared at a point on the table. Her face was pale, making the freckles stand out vividly and her lips were pursed. After a while, she let out a shuddering breath and slowly raised her head. “Son of a bitch,’ she breathed. “I can’t believe it. Why would anyone want to hurt Alice?”
