“Apparently there’s some kind of long running adversarial relationship between the two of them,” I answered. “She follows him around chasing stories, and he won’t give her the time of day. Last night he took the microphone out of her hand and unplugged it, then handed it back to her.”
“Serves him right then.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned.
“Never make a woman angry then be stupid enough to hand her something to throw at you.”
The small cinder block building in the back of the park was cordoned off and locked up just as I had expected. We parked our vehicles and followed the same path we had last evening, this time without the rain and organized pandemonium of the crime scene investigation. Ben produced a key and opened up the restroom.
The pungent aroma of the charred sage and rose oil still hung faintly in the air, mixing with the sharp and musty odors of old disinfectant, damp concrete, and the coppery smell of blood. The heavy door swung slowly shut behind us, creaking on hinges badly in need of oil.
“Once the crime scene unit clears this place,” Ben told us, “someone is gonna have a hell of a mess to clean up.”
Darkening stains smeared the floor where Karen Barnes’ body had laid. Spatters of blood spread forth, rusting from bright crimson to dull reddish brown. Smooth surfaces, such as the basin and walls nearby, were greyed by the powders that had been used in the futile attempt to find fresh fingerprints, and all but the smallest shards of the shattered mirror had been removed from the scene.
“It’s cold in here,” Felicity stated, hugging herself and shivering slightly.
“Whaddaya mean cold?” Ben asked in disbelief. “It’s close to a hundred degrees out here.”
“Not that kind of cold,” she told him. “The cold of death. It’s strong enough for me to feel it.”
“So you’re gonna go all spooky on me too,” he said, then turned his attention to me. “What are you lookin’ for in here anyway?”
I walked around the interior of the restroom slowly and silently. I had no earthly, or even unearthly, idea what I was looking for. I only knew that something had suddenly begun to gnaw at the back of my brain. A relentless nagging that told me I had missed something that had been staring me straight in the face the night before.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But if it’s here, I’m going to find it.”
I continued to shuffle around the small room, intently inspecting walls and fixtures that had already been perused by eyes more prying than mine. I could feel the same coldness Felicity had mentioned and gave a barely noticeable shiver as it danced subtly up my spine.
“Did I say anything last night when I spaced out?” I asked aloud.
“No.” Ben recalled, “You just kinda went blank and stared off. You weren’t zoned for long before I decided to snap you out of it… With what Felicity said and all… Ya know…”
“It’s all right,” I told him. “I understand.”
“Why do ya’ think ya’ might have said somethin’?” he queried.
“Just a thought,” I replied, still making my way around the stalls. “I’ve just got this nagging feeling that I missed something.” I glanced over at him. “And for some reason, I think that something might be important.”
“Well, guys,” Felicity spoke up. “My feet are killing me. I’m going to run out to the Jeep and see if my tennis shoes are in my gym bag.”
My wife started for the door with a deliberate turn. The gritty shuffle of her shoe soles against the concrete was rapidly followed by a sharp, tinkling sound as she inadvertently kicked a small piece of the broken mirror, sending it skittering across the floor.
“HOLD IT!” I exclaimed. “Don’t move.”
She froze. Ben froze. I froze.
“What is it?” Felicity finally whispered.
The sound triggered a memory, the memory induced a thought, and the thought congealed in my brain as I closed my eyes and listened to an imaginary pane of glass shatter inside my head. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked to my wife, then to Ben.
“The mirror,” I told them.
“Yeah. You told us why ya’ thought he broke it last night,” Ben stated. “Somethin’ about not wantin’ ta’ trap whatever he was callin’ up, or somethin’ like that.”
“I know,” I returned. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what?” Felicity asked as she relaxed her stance.
“If Karen Barnes was standing in front of the mirror when she was attacked,” I began.
“Then she might have seen the killer’s reflection,” she finished for me, light dawning in her eyes.
“Excuse me,” Ben interjected, “but Karen Barnes is not gonna be givin’ any eyewitness descriptions. In case you’ve forgotten, she’s dead.”
“This is true,” I told him. “However, I might be able to do the same thing with her that I did with Ariel.”
“Channel her?!” Felicity exclaimed. “Don’t you think that’s a little too dangerous?”
“Not if you help me,” I replied.
“Whoa,” Ben interjected. “This ain’t one of those things where you could die or somethin’ is it?”
“Yes it is.” Felicity turned to him quickly. “If it isn’t done correctly.”
“Well I dunno then…”
“Hey,” I interrupted them both. “The operative phrase there is ‘done correctly’. If you help me,” I indicated to my wife, “and we take some precautions, I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“What precautions?” Ben queried.
“An anchor on this plane, for one,” I answered. “Getting me the hell out of there before the moment of death for another.”
They both looked at me as if I had totally lost my mind. I knew it was because they were worried about the possible consequences, and to be honest, I was too-but I was also bound and determined to proceed with the idea.
“We have to stop this S.O.B.,” I told them. “If doing this could keep him from killing someone else, then I would never forgive myself if I didn’t go ahead with it. I don’t think the two of you could either.”
They fell silent, first looking at me, then each other, then back to me, and finally, to the floor.
“I’m going to go change shoes,” Felicity eventually said. “If we’re going to do this, I plan on being as comfortable as possible.” With that, she pulled the door open and headed for the Jeep.
She had only been gone a few moments when Ben broke his thoughtful silence. He broadcast his current state of mind by smoothing back his hair and letting out a short sigh.
“Ya’know,” he spoke, holding his hand at the back of his neck. “Even if you do ‘see’ somethin’, it’s inadmissible as evidence. There’s no way I can trot you in to the D.A. and say ‘here’s an eyewitness’… You realize that don’t ya’?”
”I know,” I answered. “But if I see something, and it gives us a clue or some place to start looking, it’s worth the risk.”
“I can’t ask ya’ ta’ do this.”
“You’re not,” I told him. “I’m volunteering.”
He shuffled about in place. “So, how long is this gonna take?”
“If it all goes as planned, it shouldn’t take more than ten minutes or so.”
“What can I do ta’ help?”
“Make sure no one disturbs us.” I paused for a moment, and then added, “And I wouldn’t be opposed to you keeping your fingers crossed.”
The door once again creaked open, and Felicity reentered minus the pumps and sporting her aerobics sneakers.
“I don’t want to hear it,” she told us as she came through the door. “I know the shoes don’t match the outfit, but they’re comfortable. So, how do you want to do this?”
“Ben,” I said as I turned back to him, “if you’ll just watch the door and take notes if necessary…”
“You got it,” he replied, backing up to the door and taking out his notebook.
I took a position near the washbasin and motioned for Felicity to join me. I selected this point in the room for its obvious proximity to the once-intact mirror. The simple fact was that I wasn’t necessarily ecstatic about what I was going to do either. I wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible, so I planned to use every advantage available. If my idea worked, physically positioning myself here would allow me to enter the vision close to the point I wanted to see and then get out quickly, before Karen Barnes took me into death with her.
“Simple cone,” I told my wife. “Raise it and project a rope. One end of it should be around my waist, and you should have the other end. I’ll try to stay with you, but if necessary, I’m going to let myself fully immerse in the regression, so it’s up to you to pull me out if you sense that I’m in trouble…You gonna be able to handle this?”
“Let’s do it,” she replied, nodding in assent.
We joined hands, left palm up, right palm down. Felicity and I relaxed in unison, our breathing falling easily into sync. We had cast many a circle together, just she and I, and this process had become nothing if not automatic. We both centered ourselves and grounded with the earth, feeling ethereal forces swirl about us in an ever growing, ever tightening, choreographed helix. Energy began flowing from her left arm and into my right. It rushed throughout my body, coursing through muscles, arteries, veins, and nerves, and worked its way around until it completed the circuit, flowing out of my left arm and into Felicity’s right. The connection continued, rapidly increasing until the current appeared to us as a solid blur.
I began imagining a rope fixed securely about my waist, the free end anchored here in the physical plane, held fast by my wife. I knew she would be imagining something very similar within her own mind as well. The image solidified, and it was time for me to go.
“Are you ready?” I whispered.
“I’m ready,” Felicity answered, her own voice held low.
“Do me a favor and don’t let go,” I told her, then allowed my inner self to fall backwards into the void.
Colors came and went in a tumultuous blizzard, much as they had when I had done this at Ariel’s apartment. Sound slowed and faded, melting into the darkness, then returned as a loud rushing in my ears. Light poured in and the scene before me began to coalesce. It formed in harsh blacks and whites, like a picture on a television screen with the contrast turned to maximum. The brightness slowly dimmed, and color flooded into the apparition until it achieved an appearance of something just the other side of normal.
“ Buster, settle down,” her voice, my voice, our voice was saying.
A Jack Russell terrier is dancing around our ankles. We’re trying to sidestep him as he rings the leash around our legs.
“ Buster, sit!” our voice orders the small dog.
He sits and holds one paw up. He whines lightly.
We’re turning on the water now. The handle on the faucet squeaks. How many times have we heard that before? It’s such a familiar sound. We’ve been here before. We are washing our hands now; Buster is still whining.
A sound. The door is creaking; someone else is coming in to use the restroom. We hope she doesn’t have a dog with her; Buster will freak out. We’re turning off the water. Buster is growling. She must have a dog with her.
“ Buster, stay!” our voice orders him.
We’ll be out of here in just a second. DEAR GOD, what’s happening? Let me go! What are you doing? We are struggling. Someone has grabbed us from behind. Buster is barking. Stop that! There is something over our face now. It smells strange. Our ears are ringing. We’re weak. The room is getting dark.
Look in the mirror, Karen, I told her… or myself… or whatever we had become.
He let go. We have to turn around. We have to run. We’re falling. No, push up on the basin. The room is spinning. Ouch, something stuck us on the arm. We’re pushing up on the basin. Our knees are weak. We have to stand up. We’re looking at the mirror. What is that over our shoulder? It’s moving. Who is that?
I strained to see through Karen Barnes’ eyes the reflection in the mirror. I concentrated and let myself enter into the vision with all my being.
Darkness.
Silence.
My head is killing me, what happened? I can’t move. This bed is hard. Light. I can see. Wait a minute. I’ve been here before. This isn’t home, it’s…I can’t remember. I’ve been here before though. Where’s Buster? Why can’t I move? My arms are numb. I wish I could move them. What’s going on? Who am I?
Did I just see someone move? Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?
What is that smell? It’s strange. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it before. It’s like…It’s like burning roses. My head is really killing me. Where’s Buster?
I’m in the park. I’m in the restroom in the park! Now I remember. Someone grabbed me. My God, am I paralyzed? Somebody help me.
Who am I? Karen? Yes, that’s it. I’m Karen.
That movement again. I can hear something. Something shuffling. What is it? Wait a minute. There’s something over my mouth. Why is there something covering my mouth. A rapist. I’m being attacked by a rapist! Please, somebody come in and help me. Somebody stop him.
Where is my husband? He isn’t home yet. Somebody help me. Where is Buster? My head is killing me. Please somebody help me. Don’t let him rape me.
What is that? Something is on top of me. No, SOMEONE is on top of me. What are you doing? Don’t rape me, please don’t rape me. Why are you wearing that robe? What is that in your hand? Your eyes, I can see your eyes. I’ve never seen eyes that grey. They’re so cold.
NOooo!
He’s cutting me. My skin is on fire.
NOooo!
Pain. Pain beyond all.
Fear.
Darkness.
What is that tugging at me? Who am I? Karen? No, that’s not right, Karen’s dead…If Karen is dead then who am I? There’s that tugging again. It’s coming from my waist. A rope. I’m tied to a rope. Who is that? She’s pretty. What beautiful red hair she has. What is that she’s saying? I can’t hear you. Speak louder. Do you know who I am? Are you the one that is pulling on the rope?
Falling.
Darkness.
Light.
He’s still on top of me. How long was I passed out? It couldn’t have been long if he’s still here. Dear God I hurt. My chest is burning. What is that pressure? Why is this happening? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come…NOooo!
Pain.
Ouch! What are you doing? It hurts when you pull on that rope so hard. I’ve seen you before. You have such pretty hair. What? You want me to come to you? Why? Do you know who I am? I thought I was Karen but Karen is dead. Why are you so upset? I’m very tired. Maybe I should just go to sleep.
Darkness.
Light.
Fear.
Pain.
Terror.
Darkness. Cold, endless darkness.
I was intrigued by the sight before me. I wasn’t entirely sure how I was managing to float above it in mid air, but I was comfortable, and the mechanics of it were the farthest thing from my mind. Ben and Felicity were kneeling on the floor, and my friend was checking the pulse on a body sprawled between them. They looked very grim and seemed upset.
“ Rowan, follow my voice.”
I heard my wife call to me, but I never saw her lips move. I wondered why she couldn’t see me; I was floating right above her.
“He hasn’t got a pulse!” Ben exclaimed. “I’m going to start CPR.”
“Who hasn’t got a pulse?” I thought. I needed to see whom they were huddled over.
“No!” Felicity told him. “Not yet, this isn’t what you think it is.”
“ Rowan, I know you’re there. I’m pulling the rope as hard as I can. Help me! Follow my voice.”
Once again, Felicity’s melodious voice echoed in my ears, but her lips never parted. I floated a little closer. I had to see who w
as lying on the floor between them.
“Are you fucking nuts, Felicity?” Ben exclaimed loudly. “He’s dying! His fucking heart stopped beating!”
“Dammit Ben,” she shot back at him wildly. “I know what I’m doing, and your interruptions aren’t helping!”
“ Rowan! Help me dammit! Follow my voice!”
Ben jerked back in surprise from my wild-eyed wife. I don’t think he had ever truly experienced her temper until now. I looked down between them as the space opened enough for me to see. The body on the floor had a very familiar face. Brown hair. Bearded. A small scar on his forehead. Exactly like a scar I had on my own forehead. It slowly dawned on me that I was looking at myself.
“ Rowan!”
There was a sharp tug at my waist.
I began falling.
White noise filled my ears. I felt a sharp burst of pain through my chest, and I began hungrily gasping for air. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Ben and Felicity staring back at me. Ben shook his head as if he had just witnessed a miracle and let out a long sigh. Felicity’s lips parted in a slight smile as she stroked my forehead.
“Welcome back,” she said.
“Thanks for not letting go,” I whispered.
CHAPTER 11
The hot, bright sun flooded the landscape, beating down upon us from the clear sky and broiling the last drops of moisture from the ground. By late afternoon, no one would be able to tell that it had rained the night before. I was sitting on the back of Felicity’s Jeep drinking the remains of a lemon-flavored sport drink she had kept in her gym bag. The drink was hot and tasted horrible. Its acidic tang slightly burned the back of my tongue and my throat as I swallowed. I had tried to refuse the beverage; my wife however, insisted I drink it all in order to replenish the electrolytes in my body.
My eyes were still adjusting to the glare as I watched Ben and Felicity in silence. I remembered the entire incident clearly. The two of them were shuffling about nervously, making it a point to avoid one another, not saying a word or even making eye contact. Every now and then one of them would ask me how I was doing, and Ben even asked me several times if he should take me to the hospital. I finished the last of the sport drink with a gulp and screwed the lid tightly back onto the plastic container then tossed it over my shoulder into the rear of the Jeep.
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