by Carl Alves
Carlos had the appearance of a wounded dog as he stared at Ben. “I punched you? I would never do that. We’re friends.”
Ben’s face tightened. “You did, and it hurt, but what hurt more was what you said to Kenna.”
Carlos shook his head. “I don’t know what I said to Kenna, but whatever I said, I didn’t mean it. You have to believe me. The three of you are my best friends in the whole world.” His eyes pleaded with them.
***
Jake was brushing his teeth after eating a plate of celery sticks, when he heard commotion from downstairs. Eating clean and healthy was getting old. He would kill for a pizza with every possible topping on it. After that he wanted to wash it down with a big bowl of ice cream, but that would have to wait until after his fight, assuming Joe didn’t try to sign him up for another fight right away.
The day had been hectic. The police had called him in for questioning. After finding out about his criminal record, they had become more interested in him. To his surprise, he felt calm during the interrogation, even though it took place in the same precinct where he had been questioned following his arrest. He had nothing to hide. He answered all of their questions honestly and to the best of his knowledge.
From what he could gather, as crazy as it sounded, Adam had gone on a criminal rampage after leaving his house. Jake had airtight alibis for the time frame in question. June, Kenna, his mom, and Cordy could all vouch he had been home during that time. He had also spoken with Joe.
He was still in disbelief that Adam had been arrested on two counts of murder. Murder? Adam? It hardly seemed possible. Then again Adam had a gun—presumably the murder weapon. All the same, why would Adam kill someone? If he had committed those crimes, was it possible he could truly not remember what he had done?
Jake didn’t want to be involved in this mess. He had dealt with law enforcement enough for one lifetime. When he had called his mom at work to tell her, she had gone hysterical, insisting he never have contact with Adam again.
He walked down the steps and looked in on Kenna and her friends. They seemed to be laying into Carlos pretty good. What was that all about? They usually got along so well. He nearly dropped his toothbrush when he recalled the dazed and confused look Carlos had when leaving the house yesterday. It had been around the time Adam had transformed into a rude jerk.
Jake ran back to the bathroom, rinsed, put away his toothbrush, and went downstairs toward the basement. When he saw Carlos crying, Jake felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
“I really don’t know. Just tell me. The last thing I remember we were in the basement talking to Mia, and then…I was walking outside, just, I don’t know, wandering. I was lost. I was walking around for about fifteen minutes before I figured out where I was at. I was scared.”
Jake slowly descended the stairs. He was not sure who Mia was, but the story sounded eerily similar to Adam’s. Although Carlos may not have gone on a criminal rampage, he had done something to upset his friends. Jake’s heart went out to the kid. He looked terrified and confused.
“I punched you?” Carlos asked. “I would never do that. We’re friends.”
Normally, he would let Kenna and her friends resolve their own issues. They were responsible kids, more than he was at their age, but he had to intervene. Some weird shit was going on here.
“Hey, guys, I couldn’t help notice you’re laying into Carlos pretty hard.”
Cordy folded her arms. “Well, he deserves it after what he did.”
Jake put his hand on Carlos’ shoulder. “We all do things we regret. If anyone should know, it’s me. But I know Carlos is a standup guy and deserves a second chance. I’m sure if you guys did something you weren’t proud of, you would want a second chance. And hey, if your friends aren’t going to cut you a break, then who will?”
His speech wasn’t particularly eloquent, but it seemed to deflate the tension in the room. Cordy’s mean scowl turned into a frown. Ben had looked ready to slug Carlos, but now was staring at his sneakers.
Kenna gave Carlos a hug. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean what you said.”
Ben put his hand on Carlos’ shoulder. “And I know you weren’t yourself when you hit me.”
“You can hit me back,” Carlos said.
Ben smiled. “You’ll owe me one.”
“What about you, Cordy?” Jake asked. “You were willing to give me a second chance.”
Cordy played up the drama with her overly exaggerated facial expressions but eventually relented. “Oh, okay. I forgive you. Maybe you had some brain tumor or something that made you act crazy. You better not do that again, or else.”
Jake nodded. “Good. You’re all friends again. Let’s stay that way. We need friends. How else are we going to make it through this crazy world?”
Crazy was the right word. He couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening. He was a simple guy, and he liked his problems simple, so why did they have to be so damned complicated?
***
“Bye, Mom.” Jake waved as he and June left the house.
“Don’t stay out late,” his mom said. “And if Adam tries to contact you, tell him to stay away.”
“Adam can’t contact me. He’s in jail, and I don’t think they’re letting him out any time soon.”
His mom narrowed her eyes. “Well, they shouldn’t. He’s no good. He’s just trying to drag you down. You take care of my boy, June.”
June smiled. “I will.”
Earlier that day, his mom had gone on about how proud she was that he was dating June, and that was exactly what he needed in his life. He couldn’t agree more.
Jake had hoped that going out with June tonight would take his mind off what had happened with Adam, but it stuck with him like a sore tooth. On their way to the movie theater, he said, “Something really weird is going down with Adam.”
June raised her brows. “Let me see. A seemingly ordinary boy, albeit a drug dealing jerk, goes on a crime spree, including allegedly murdering two people. Yeah, I would classify that as weird.”
Jake shook his head. “No, I don’t mean that. I mean the whole part where he said he didn’t remember anything.”
June shrugged. “Maybe he’s in denial and wants to forget what he did. Or maybe he’s just getting in defense mode and planning on going the insanity route.”
“I don’t know. He seemed legitimately spooked. There’s something else. Later that day, Kenna and her friends were scolding their friend, Carlos. I found out from her later that he sucker-punched Ben and said some really nasty things to Kenna, so bad she wouldn’t even repeat them to me. Carlos was in tears because he didn’t remember any of it. The kid wasn’t acting.”
June stared at him, a startled expression on her face. “Really? That is kind of weird.”
“Tell me about it. So, let’s say both Adam and Carlos are telling the truth—and it’s not like they could know about each other’s stories—then what’s going on here? Could they be related somehow?”
June stared out the window. “There is such a thing as transient global amnesia.”
Jake frowned. “Huh?”
“It’s like a stroke in the sense that the person has complete temporary short-term memory loss, but unlike a stroke, they have no other cognitive disruption. It comes on all of a sudden and lasts a few hours. The person knows something isn’t right but can’t figure out what’s wrong with them.”
“Yeah, but they’re young.”
“It doesn’t just happen to old people.”
“Even so, what’s the chance this would happen to two people at the same time and same place? I’m guessing this global amnesia thing isn’t common.”
June nodded. “The odds would be astronomical.”
“So then how do you explain this?”
June shrugged. “I can’t, but I don’t believe Adam. He’s not exactly a credible witness.”
“I don’t think Carlos is a liar. Even if he was, I can’t imagine he’d concoct su
ch a crazy story.”
“Then what’s your explanation?”
Jake took a deep breath. “Wish I had one. I was hoping you would.”
“It could be an odd coincidence.”
“It doesn’t feel like one. Something bad’s going on here. I can feel it.”
“So, what should we do about it?”
“I don’t know.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Forget about it. At least for tonight. Enjoy the moment.”
He glanced at June. She looked amazing, making him wonder how in the world he got so lucky to have her in his beat-up old Hyundai next to him as his date. He would forget about all that craziness, at least for tonight.
Chapter XXI
Kenna watched with clenched fists as Jake sparred with his opponent. Normally, he trained when she was in school, denying her the opportunity to see him in action, but it was a Saturday, and she and Cordy had asked if he could take them to the dojo. He seemed reluctant at first, but she had talked him into it. She could usually convince Jake to do what she wanted. Plus, he owed her and Cordy for their matchmaking gem.
Cordy chewed her fingernails. “Is he all right? He’s getting hit a lot.”
In the background, the sounds of someone working a heavy bag and people shouting encouragement pervaded the dojo, but Kenna tuned it out to focus on Jake. In the main room, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class was in progress. They were in a back room, where there was a boxing ring. Kenna and Cordy stood on training mats. There were a handful of other observers, including Joe Renken, who had a stoic face as he watched the action. Joe had arranged for some visiting Muay Thai fighter from Thailand to spar with Jake. Jake kept pressing the action, even though he was taking a beating.
“He’s fine. He needs to do this to get better.” Kenna reassured Cordy, but she wasn’t so sure herself. His opponent had kicked Jake’s legs at least a dozen times, causing them to turn red and puffy from welts.
Jake’s head rocked back when his opponent landed an uppercut to his jaw.
“He doesn’t look fine.” Cordy stood and yelled, “Come on, Jake, give it to him.”
Kenna grabbed her friend’s arm. “Stand back. You’re blocking my view.”
Jake wobbled after taking a hook kick from the Thai fighter.
Kenna dug her knuckles into her chin. “Come on, Jake.”
Kenna breathed easier when they took a break from sparring. She turned to Cordy. “I’m still weirded out from the last time we talked to Mia.”
Cordy nodded. “Me too. Everything went crazy. Not to mention that whole thing with Carlos.”
“With everything that happened, I almost forgot about our conversation with Mia. When we mentioned we had spoken with Mark Saleski, it seemed like she didn’t even care. And then she wanted us to say those words.”
Cordy frowned. “Yeah, it was like asking the wind and fire to give passage or something. I don’t even know what she was talking about.”
“It was so odd. The basement got, like, really windy. And it felt like someone had pushed me, even though there was nobody close enough to do it. That’s when I fell into Carlos, and he started acting like a jerk.”
“Do you think that had something to do with the way Carlos was acting?”
“Maybe we should contact Mia again and ask her.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea.” Cordy looked down. “She was acting all weird. It gave me the creeps.”
Kenna grabbed her arm. “We can’t give up now. Mia needs us more than ever. Something happened the last time we talked to her. It felt like my head was getting ripped apart.”
“Maybe something worse’ll happen next time.”
“That’s why we have to contact her again. We need to find out what happened and how we can help. Don’t you see? We’re the only ones who can help Mia. We have to be there for her.”
“Okay. I’ll do it. I’m not sure Carlos will.”
“I’ll talk to Carlos.” Kenna’s eyes went wide. “Ooh, Jake’s about to start fighting again. Hopefully he’ll do better this time.” Unfortunately, the sparring session only got worse for her brother.
***
Cotter pulled into a parking space near the school. Two elementary schools were in this area, and he was not sure which one the girl attended. If this one did not pan out, he would try the other elementary school, and then the Catholic school.
He was driving a 5 series BMW. Apparently, the fella whose body he had taken over was some sort of businessman. Poking around the guy’s desk at his house, Cotter found all sorts of memos and hand-written notes that didn’t mean shit to him. What mattered was that the guy had a sweet ride and an even sweeter wife. He had nailed the wife three times in the past twenty-four hours. She probably hadn’t had sex like that in years.
The guy, his name was Ryan something, had a big house with a nice back yard and a pool. It would be nice to inhabit his body for a while, but eventually things would fall apart. For instance, he had no intention of going to Ryan’s work. That would become a problem. So far, he had fooled the guy’s wife, but sooner or later she would realize there was something seriously different about her husband, even if she was enjoying the sex.
He would eventually move on to another body. This lack of stability could present a problem for someone else, but not to Cotter. Compared to where he had been and what he had done since his death, this was nothing. Living in the shitty existence of his afterlife had been unbearable. Being back here confirmed something he already knew—life had it all over death.
He would screw the guy’s wife a few more times. Before things got hairy, he would make his jump. In the meantime, he had to keep tabs on little Kenna.
Normally, he didn’t give a shit about brat kids. Never had any during his life—that he knew of anyway. Kenna was a special kid; special to him anyway. Because of the circumstances surrounding his rebirth into the world, she now had a guardian angel. He was going to make sure she stayed nice and safe. Not that he expected her to encounter any problems, but if she did, he would protect her. He could certainly do a better job of it than her asshole brother.
The worst part of this whole deal was being tied to this little girl, but he could live with that. She was only ten or eleven, so it wasn’t like she could get into big trouble. Barring a family vacation, he didn’t see her moving around. If she did, he had no choice but to follow her or kidnap her, and he sure as shit didn’t want to have to lug around a little girl.
A whole mess of students walked out of the school building. Had to be recess. He recognized that blonde girl who had been with Kenna on the day of his reentry into the world. A minute later, Kenna walked out of the school building.
Cotter managed a big smile. “Bingo.” Now he knew where she lived and what school she attended.
Not wanting to arouse suspicion, he exited the parking lot. Even after parting ways with Ryan, or whatever his name was, he might keep the car. He could get new plates and tags. It didn’t matter if he got caught with a stolen vehicle. He had the ultimate get out of jail free card.
Last night on the news, they showed that Adam Fallon had been arrested for two murders, including Harry Black. He had a nice long laugh over a shot of bourbon. Who knew framing someone would be so easy?
He whistled as he drove. There was more payback to be had, wrongs to be righted, and people who would find an untimely demise for crossing him. Then there was Kenna’s brother. They hadn’t run into each other since that first time, but they would soon. Cotter’s encounter with that punk stuck in his craw. He was going to make good ole Jake’s life miserable.
Chapter XXII
“What if it’s like last time? What if I blank out again? I was like five blocks from your house before I finally knew what was going on.” Carlos put his hands in his pockets.
Cordy walked in from the kitchen, carrying a pitcher of iced tea.
“If it happens again, we’ll be there for you,” Kenna said. “We’re not going to let yo
u wander around the neighborhood aimlessly. You need to trust us.”
Carlos sighed and filled his cup with iced tea.
“Don’t be a baby,” Cordy said. “It’s not like you went out and killed somebody. You were just mean to us.”
“He punched me in the face,” Ben said.
Cordy touched his face. “You can’t even notice the bruise anymore. I swear, boys are such wimps.”
Kenna said, “I know it’s scary, but we need to do this for Mia.”
“What makes you so sure?” Carlos asked.
Kenna shrugged. “I can’t explain. It’s like part of Mia is inside me. I have this deep connection with her.”
Carlos finally relented. “All right. Let’s do it. Maybe we’ll find out what happened.”
Kenna retrieved the board from its hiding spot in the utility closet. She was certain her mom and Jake never went in there. Even if they did, she doubted they would find it.
Kenna put the Ouija board on the floor. Looking at Carlos’s trembling hands, she wondered if they were doing the right thing. Her gut told her they were. Jake said after his last fight that no matter how much he prepared, and no matter how much he studied his opponent, when he was inside the cage, he followed his instincts. He tried to stick to his game plan while fighting, but his next two or three moves were always dictated by what he saw in front of him. That was what she was doing now.
Kenna sat on the floor with her legs crossed. Ben sat opposite her. They locked eyes. Ben was a rock. Cordy was her best friend, but when things got tough, Ben was the friend she could count on the most.
The each grabbed the planchette and moved it around the board. Kenna did not feel any psychic connection yet.
“Mia, it’s Kenna. We need to speak to you.”
Ben wore an expression of intense concentration as they rotated the planchette. He spoke in a monotone. “Mia, if you’re there, let us know.”
After a few minutes, Kenna frowned. She wanted to stay upbeat but could not help feeling discouraged. It used to be easy so easy to reach Mia.
