Matt's mouth flattened into a thin line. His eyes narrowed, and I was worried he'd get the gun and shoot me. I turned and watched him walk toward it.
"Don't worry," his wife said. "I took out the shells last week, and threw them away. He knows. He's just hoping to scare you."
"Well, it worked," I said.
She shrugged. "He's harmless. Please, come in."
"Thank you, Mrs. Clough."
She wiped her eyes with her hand. "Please, call me Amanda."
"Amanda, okay."
We walked into the house, and sat in the living room.
"Hey Matthew," Ma said. "That was some pretty exciting stuff wasn't it?"
"Yuh huh. I'm scared."
"Aw, don't be little guy. It's all gonna be fine. I promise."
Mr. Clough walked in, glanced at us in the living room, and walked away, muttering, "I'm not gonna listen to that crap."
"I'm sorry," Amanda said.
"That's my mommy's other name," Matthew said. "But I get to call her the mommy, and she said I'm special 'cause no one else ever will."
Oh no. "Amanda, can you have any more children?"
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, but didn't speak.
"Ah, geez," Ma said. "That's terrible."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Did he tell you that?" Amanda asked.
"Sort of. He said that you told him he was special because no one else could call you mommy."
"It's okay, Mommy," Matthew said. "You don't have to cry anymore. I don't like it when you're sad."
"Matthew doesn't want you to cry anymore. He doesn't like it when you're sad."
"Can he hear me?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Matty Bam Batty—my baby. Mommy misses you so much." She rubbed her hands together. "So much it hurts, and sometimes I cry. I'm sorry it makes you sad."
I served as messenger between the two for another thirty minutes. We laughed, and cried, and I watched Amanda's face gain color, watched her eyes come back to life. Jake sat silent, and I knew he was thinking about our kids.
Matt Clough had come back for a minute or two, but shook his head, and left again.
"Matthew," Amanda said. "Why were you alone in the woods? You know you're not supposed to leave Maria's side."
"But I didn't, Mommy. We went on a special walk so we could find pretty flowers for you. Maria said there were all kinds of pretty flowers in the woods."
Oh no. If what Matthew said was true, then why would the babysitter say she wasn't with him? "Matthew," I said. "Can you tell me what happened that day? Do you remember?"
"Yuh huh."
Amanda looked at me. "What's he saying?"
I swallowed hard, and shook my head. "I'm not exactly sure, but I'll tell you when he's finished."
She nodded.
"Okay, Matthew, go ahead," I said. "What do you remember from that day?"
"I remember playing catch with Maria at the park."
"That must have been fun," I said.
"She yelled at me 'cause I couldn't throw the ball good."
"That's okay Matthew, I can't do that either."
"I tried, but one time when I throwed it, it bounced, and it hit her in the knee. She got real mad, but then she was nice, and told me about the flowers."
"Is that when you went to get them?"
"Yuh huh."
"Did you go alone?"
"Uh huh. Mommy said not to go in the woods alone."
"Was Maria in the woods with him?" Amanda asked.
I bit my bottom lip. "Amanda, I think it's important for your husband to be here. Do you think you could talk to him?"
Her hands shook, and her face turned red. "Maria was in the woods with him, wasn't she?" She stood up. "I'll get Matt." As she walked into the hallway, she turned around, and said, "I knew she was lying. Matthew would never have gone into the woods alone."
"What's going on?" Jake asked.
I quickly explained what Matthew said.
"You think she had something to do with him falling?" He asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
"She did it, all right," Ma said. "And you gotta tell them, Ang."
"We don't know that for sure, Ma."
"You don't, but I do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, but she didn't answer because Amanda and Matt walked back into the living room.
"I'm only doing this for my wife," Matt said. "She can believe what she wants, but Matty's gone."
Matt Clough was a close-minded ass. Being a skeptic was one thing, but to not even consider the possibility that he son could be there was unacceptable to me. "Mr. Clough, have you sought help for your nightmares?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your nightmares. The ones you have in your chair in front of the TV."
"I don't have nightmares."
"Then why do you scream at night?" I asked.
His eyes shifted, searching the room. "How do you—." He stopped because a family photo dropped from the table next to him, and landed on the floor.
"Sorry about that," I said. "That's my mother. She's dead, too. When she gets mad, she knocks stuff down, and throws things—like your gun—don't you, Ma?"
The picture floated through the air and landed right on Matt Clough's lap. He jumped, and screamed, "Shit."
I got serious. "Mr. Clough, why don't you ask me something you think only Matthew could answer? Maybe that will help you believe."
He shook his head. "I...I don't..." His voice trailed off, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Matty," Amanda said, "Remember that time Daddy went to the doctor? You were really worried about him then, weren't you?" Her eyes scanned the room.
"Do you remember that, Matthew?" I asked.
"Yuh huh," he said. "I was scared."
I nodded. "He remembers."
Matt Clough sat back down, but didn't speak.
"Matty, you gave Daddy something to take with him that day. Do you remember what it was?" Amanda asked.
"My Buzz Lightyear, because he projected Daddy."
Ma laughed.
"Thank you, Matthew," I said. "A Buzz Lightyear doll. He said it would project his dad."
Matt's eyes widened. "How is this possible?"
Jake laughed. "I was there once too, Matt," he said. "When Angela's mother came back."
"Now that was funny," Ma said.
I smirked. "It was." I turned to Matthew's parents. "Matthew said he and Maria went into the woods together, to pick flowers for Amanda. He said that before that, she was upset because he'd accidentally hit her in the leg with a ball."
Matt clenched his hands into fists, and pressed them into his thighs. He shook his head. "We told the police she was lying, but they didn't believe us."
"Amanda," Jake said. "May I have some paper and a pen?"
"Oh, yes. Let me get that. We'll need the details for the police." She got up and walked out of the room.
I shot Jake a look, and he said, "This could be important."
I took a deep breath. "I'm not going to the police, Jake. I can't do that."
He kneeled in front of me. "Angela, you need to find out the truth about what happened from Matthew. If it's what we think, then the Cloughs will need to tell the police. You know that."
I shook my head. "No, Jake. I can't. Do you know what that will do to our lives?" I shook my head again. "No." The scene played before my eyes. Reporters, police—I saw my house bombarded with them. I saw people staring at me at the grocery store, whispering behind my back. I saw Emily hiding in her room because her mother was the crazy woman who thought she talked to dead people. I knew it wasn't supposed to be about me but this was my life that could change and I was scared.
I pushed Jake away, and stood. "I'm done. I'm not doing this. I can't. It's my life that'll be changed, and yours, too, and God Jake, we have children. I can't do this to them." I was suddenly dizzy. I swayed, and grabbed onto the arms of the chair, sitting back down
. The room spun in circles. I closed my eyes, but it didn't help. I dug my fingers into the arms for the chair. "Oh, God. Oh God. Oh God."
"It's okay, honey. It's gonna be okay." Jake kneeled before me again, his hands on my knees.
I pushed his hands away. "I can't do it, Jake. I can't." I fanned myself. "It's really hot in here. Is it hot in here?"
Jake shook his head.
"I'll get her a glass of water," Matt Clough said.
Amanda came back with the pen and paper. "Here—oh." She stood, staring at me.
"I can't breathe," I said. I clutched my chest. My mouth was dry, and my hands shook. I felt bile rise in my throat.
I tried to take big breaths, but couldn't get the air to go down. "I...I can't breathe."
The room spun again, and I pushed my back into the chair. I thought I was going to pass out, but instead the room filled with a bright light, and a burst of cold air sent an instant chill through my body. I looked at Jake, kneeling before me. His lips moved, but he sounded far away, like he was in a tunnel. I closed my eyes, and shook my head, and then a calm came over me, and I relaxed. When I opened my eyes, I understood why.
"You're okay, Sunshine."
Behind Jake, clear as the sun in a blue sky, was my dad. "You can do this," he said. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I've got your six." And then he shimmered away.
I shook my head. "Dad?"
"No honey, it's me," Jake said. "Are you okay? You're scaring me, babe."
My heartbeat returned to normal, and I still felt the calm from seconds before. I smiled at Jake. "It's okay. I'm okay. Where's Ma?"
Jake shook his head. "Uh..."
"What? You see your father, but you can't see me? Pfft, Pauly's my favorite because your dad was always yours," Ma said.
I shifted toward my mother's voice, fully expecting to see my mother floating there in the blue gown she died in, but I didn't. I sunk back in the chair.
"It's all right Angela," Ma said. "He probably got special permission or something. Lord knows he's no advanced spirit like me."
"I'm sorry, Ma." I couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Don't be sorry, it ain't your fault," she said.
Amanda gave Jake the glass of water, and he handed it to me. "Here, drink this. It might help. Are you sure you're okay? We can come back later if need be."
Jake was giving me an out, offering me a chance to walk away, but I couldn't. My dad was right. I could do it, and I had to do it. It wasn't about me. It was about the Cloughs. They were devastated at the loss of their child, and if their babysitter was involved, they needed to know. The police needed to know. What I wanted didn't matter.
I took a sip of the water and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm okay, honey." Jake lifted an eyebrow, and I smiled. "I promise," I said. "I'm sorry," I said to the Cloughs. "What I do isn't common knowledge, and I've really struggled with it. I'd like to finish talking with Matthew, and hopefully what he says will help you in some way."
They both nodded.
"Tell them I'm showing the lady my truck," Matthew said.
"That's a nice truck, Matthew," Ma said. "As a matter of fact, I just met a little boy the other day with one just like that."
"Is he in Heaven?" Matthew asked. "If my mommy and daddy let me go there, maybe I can play with him."
Those few words made me realize how blessed I was. My kids were safe and alive, and so was Jake, but two families I'd just met were grieving the loss of a father and a son. I'd helped one, and helping the other was just as important. "That's awesome, dude," I said, and told his parents about the truck.
"Did another boy pass?" Amanda asked.
I shook my head. "No, his father did. He was the man they found in the big lake."
"Oh, I heard about that on the news," Matt said. "He was fishing."
I nodded. I cracked my knuckles, and took a deep breath. "Okay, Matthew, can you finish telling me what happened that day at the park? Your parents might have some questions, too. Okay?"
"Yuh huh."
Matthew repeated how Maria had walked him into the woods. They'd gone off the path because she said the flowers were back farther away from the path. He said they'd got to the little creek where the flowers and rocks were, and he bent down to pick a flower, and then he showed it to Maria, and there were people everywhere, but nobody would talk to him except the nice, old man. He said the man asked him to come with him, but Matthew told him he couldn't because his mommy would be upset.
I told Matthew's parents the whole story. It wasn't definitive proof that Maria was involved with his death, but it did prove that she lied to the Cloughs, and the police, about the boy running off.
"Ask him if he remembers anything from just before he saw all of the people," Matt Clough said.
"He can hear you," I said.
"Oh." He spoke to his son, his voice unsteady. "Matty, think hard buddy. Can you remember right before you saw the people? Do you remember falling, and hitting your head?"
"Mommy and Daddy said to be careful by rocks because you could get a boo boo, so I was extra careful, and I didn't fall," Matthew said.
"Are you sure, Matthew?" Ma asked. "You're not in trouble, so don't be afraid to tell Angela what happened, okay?"
"I didn't fall. I was careful."
I shook my head. "He says he didn't fall, and that he was being careful." I looked at his parents. "Okay buddy, you're doing great. Your parents are really proud of you right now."
Amanda wiped her eyes. "Oh, Matty Bam Batty, I am so proud of you," she said. "You're such a good boy. But it's really important that you remember how you got hurt. Do you think you can do that? Think extra hard, okay? Like how you used to think when you were trying to read a word in your Goodnight Gorilla book. Remember?" She let out a sob, and Matt rubbed her back.
"That's my favorite book Mommy, and I can read it all by myself now."
"Matthew, I'm gonna tell your mom that, and while I do, do you think you can think real hard for her?" I asked.
"Yuh huh."
I told them that Matthew could read the book on his own now, and Amanda cried harder.
Ma giggled. "He's scrunchin' his face like he's gotta poop."
I giggled, too, and when Matt curled the side of his upper lip, I explained why. "My mother says he looks like he's got to go to the bathroom."
Both Matt and Amanda laughed. "That's what he did when he was thinking hard," Amanda said. "It was precious." She cried more, but it sounded less sad. It was progress.
"I don't remember," Matthew said.
My shoulders sank. "He doesn't remember."
"Tell them I'm sorry. I shouldn't a gone to the woods, and I did."
My heart ached for Matthew. "He wants you to know how sorry he is for going in the woods."
Amanda's eyes searched the room. "Matty, I want you to listen to me, okay? You did not do a thing wrong. You don't have to be sorry. Do you understand? You're a good, good boy, baby."
"But I don't want them to be sad anymore," he said. "I want them to be happy, and to go for walks again."
Even in death Matthew carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. "He doesn't want you to be sad. He wants you to go for walks again, and to be happy."
"Mommy and Daddy used to laugh a lot, but they don't laugh anymore."
"He said you don't laugh like you used to."
Amanda sobbed. "I know baby. I'm so sorry. We just miss you so much."
"I think the old man at the park wanted to take Matthew to Heaven," I said. "My mother's told me that our loved ones come to guide us when it's our time, but Matthew didn't know the man, and like he said, he didn't want to go without your okay. He told me his grandpa lived on a cloud with God, and I think that might be the man. Do you have a picture of him?" I asked. "He said the man helped him contact me so he could talk with you."
"It's my dad," Amanda said. "He died when I was fifteen." She got up. "I have a picture of him in the family room. I'll get it."
/>
"I'm going to the police," Matt Clough said. "They need to know Maria lied. When they hear this, they'll have to do something. I'll force them to do something. She did it, I know she did it."
I cringed. I knew he was right, he should go to the police, but I wasn't prepared for what that would mean for my family and me.
Ma spoke. "He's right Ang. She did it, and she's gonna confess. All's the cops gotta do is put a little pressure on her, you know, like they do on Law & Order, and she'll pop."
That didn't make me feel any better. "Are you sure?"
"Yah, I'm sure. It's my super spirit powers, they're tellin' me."
I pictured my father's spirit telling me it would be okay, and took a deep breath. "It will be okay, like Dad said, right Ma?"
"It will be okay, like he said."
Amanda came back with the picture, and handed it to me. "This is my father, Charles Platt."
"That's what the old man said his name was," Matthew said. "And that's him, but who's the girl?"
"Matthew said that's the man he saw after he died." I pointed to the girl in the photo. "Is this you?"
Amanda nodded, tears pouring down her face. "My daddy came for him. Oh, Matty, you can go with Grandpa. It's okay."
"Can he find him again? What if it's too late?" Matt Clough asked.
"It's not too late," Ma said. "He's here now. Us celestial beings, we got it together."
"Hi," Matthew said. "Mommy says you're my grampa."
I smiled at Amanda. "Your father is here."
Amanda reached her hand to her mouth, and gasped.
"Hi Matthew," he said. "Your mommy's right. She's is my baby girl, and that makes you my grandson."
"She's not a baby, silly. She's a mommy," Matthew said.
"Yes, she is," Charles said. "Angela, I'm glad you can hear us now. My apologies for the rocks, but it was all I could think to do."
"I understand."
"Please, would you tell my daughter that I'm so very proud of the woman she's become?"
I nodded, and wiped the tears pooling in my eyes. "Your dad said he's so proud of the woman you've become."
Amanda nodded, but didn't speak.
"We should go now, Matthew," Charles said. "There are a lot of little children waiting to meet you."
"Okay," Matthew said. "I'm gonna go now."
Unbreakable Bonds (An Angela Panther Mystery Book 2) Page 22
