by Pandora Pine
“What is the other part saying?”
“The other part is the coward in me who doesn’t want to hurt this woman or get into some kind of shouting match with a grieving family member who’s already been through enough.”
“I don’t think that’s cowardly,” Ronan said. “There’s parts of criminal investigations we keep from family members all the time.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that because you’re investigating them as suspects?”
“Not always. If I was murdered, shot in the head by a killer. Would you want to know the gory details of it? What the killer did with my body afterward? Or that the bullet went through my right eyeball?” Ronan shuddered.
Ten was silent for a minute. “I would, Ronan, because I would find out eventually, right? I mean I’d get those details from your autopsy or from a D.A. Or during the trial when the pictures were shown to the jury. I’d rather know the facts before, so there are no surprises. I get what you’re saying though. You hold back some details to save the family grief.”
“In this day and age, it’s all about transparency, right? I’m not necessarily a fan of that. There’s just some information that people don’t need to know.”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
“I promise I won’t share your secret.” Ronan set a hand on Ten’s thigh.
Ten nodded and went back to staring out the window.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Ronan was flashing his badge to the security guard at the gate to the condo complex. After they were waved through, Ten got a good look at the buildings overlooking Boston Harbor.
“Wow, this is quite a place.” Ronan whistled.
“I like our sleepy little suburb.” Ronan had a point though. This complex was off the hook. It had its own marina where pleasure craft and houseboats were moored. It even featured off-season boat storage for residents. Local celebrities called this place home. TV weathermen and sportscasters lived here, along with well-known radio personalities. The location was close to Boston and made for an easy commute.
“This is it here.” Ten pointed to the left. There was a large arboretum heralding the main lobby of building number two.
Parking the car, Ronan turned to look at his husband. “You’ve got this.”
Ten nodded. “I’m a little nervous about meeting Ellen. I’ll be okay.”
“I love you, Ten. I’ll be right by your side every step of the way.”
Ten nodded and brushed a kiss across Ronan’s lips. “Let’s do it.”
“Here? In the car?” Ronan laughed.
Ten laughed along with him. “Ask me that question again when the weather gets warmer.”
“You underestimate my abilities to keep you warm, Nostradamus.” Ronan kissed him hard and moved to get out of the car.
Ten knew Ronan could keep him plenty warm. He was just worried about getting stuck in a snowdrift overnight. He followed Ronan out of the car and toward the building.
Ronan announced them at the front desk and shortly after, they were allowed to proceed to the elevator bank. “This is the life, huh?”
Ten shook his head. “I love our townhouse out in the country.”
“Me too. I’m becoming quite the country mouse.”
Ten laughed as the elevator doors opened on the eleventh floor. He schooled his features and got himself ready to meet Ellen McAlpin.
When they got to unit 1126, Ronan knocked on the door.
Tennyson was about to thank him for being here when the door was opened by Ellen McAlpin. She was a tiny woman with pure white hair. She didn’t look much older than fifty, but Ten knew losing a child could have awful effects on a person.
“Tennyson!” Ellen greeted warmly, pulling him in for a hug. “And you must be Ronan! Come in. Please, both of you, come in.”
Tennyson entered the well-lit condo and wasn’t surprised to see a shrine set up to Lorraine in the living room. There were framed pictures of the young woman taken too soon, along with memorabilia from her life. Her red high school graduation tassel was framed along with her purple college tassel. There was a glass jar filled with movie tickets and another filled with seashells. “This is amazing,” Ten said when he heard Ellen approach from behind him.
“It’s not much, but these were the things that meant the most to my baby girl.” There were tears in Ellen’s voice.
“What happened to all of the things in her Charlestown house?” Ronan asked.
“It’s all in storage in case those damn vultures need to paw through it again.”
“By vultures, do you mean Thomas Hutchins’ defense team?” Ten asked gently.
Ellen nodded. “I knew they wouldn’t need personal things like this, but they insisted that everything be boxed up and kept for future appeals. Have you ever heard of anything so ludicrous in your entire life?”
“Actually, I have.” Ronan offered her a tender smile. “Usually though, the police or crime scene unit will box up what they think they’ll need. I haven’t heard of an entire apartment being kept on reserve.”
“I was about to pack all of Lorraine’s things and take them home with me,” Ellen sniffled. “I didn’t want to disturb her home, but I couldn’t keep paying her rent, you know? The day I was going to finally do it, a lawyer showed up with an injunction and would only let me take a few personal possessions, like the movie tickets and Lorraine’s diplomas and tassels.”
“I’m so sorry, Ellen.” Tennyson meant it. He understood the driving force behind what Bradford Hicks had done in his trying to secure Tank Hutchins’ freedom at all costs, but on the other hand, Ellen McAlpin had lost her daughter.
“Can I get either of you some coffee or tea?”
Ronan shook his head no.
“I’d love some tea, Ellen. Thank you,” Tennyson replied with an easy smile.
Ronan narrowed his eyes at his husband. “What’s up with that? You never take tea from strangers.”
“I don’t see Lorraine here.” Ten had been trying to reach out to her since he’d walked through the door but hadn’t gotten any response.
“Shouldn’t she just be here?” Ronan looked worried.
Ten nodded. He wasn’t used to this happening. Usually he showed up for a reading and the spirit in question was ready to go. He got up from the couch and wandered over to the large sliding glass doors that overlooked Boston Harbor. Ten could see the John F. Kennedy Library. It reminded him of the time he’d spent in South Boston with Ronan when he lived there. Ronan loved going for runs out by Columbia Point.
“Lorraine, my name is Tennyson. It would mean so much to your mother if we could speak this morning.”
“You don’t fool me! You’re working for him!” a voice hissed back.
Oh, so that was the reason Lorraine wasn’t ready to reconnect with her mother. “I can explain that and frankly, you’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”
“Let me guess, twins?” a sassy voice shot back. “The only thing more cliché than that is the idea of a good twin and an evil twin.”
Ten pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of Tim and Tom Hutchins. “I don’t know if you can see this, but, yes. These are the Hutchins twins.”
“Son of a bitch!” Lorraine McAlpin appeared in front of Tennyson.
“Hi, Lorraine. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Tennyson said. “We have a lot to talk about. The main reason I’m here is to reunite you with your mother. I know there are other things you’d like to discuss though.”
“You’re damn right there are.” The harsh look on her face softened. “I do want to speak with my mother. Three years is way too long to go without hearing her voice.”
“Here’s the tea. I made a cup for Ronan too, just in case,” Ellen was carrying a tray with steaming mugs of hot water.
“Let me help with that, Ellen.” Ronan rushed to her side and grabbed the tray.
Tennyson turned back to Lorraine. “I promise I can explain all of this to you. Let’s giv
e your mother the healing messages she needs first and then I’ll give you the answers you deserve.”
Lorraine nodded and looked up at her mother. “I can’t believe how much she’s aged. Did I do that to her?” The heartbreak in her voice was gutting.
“Why don’t we find out.” Ten said gently. He walked over to the sofa where Ronan was setting out the mugs of steaming water. He’d placed a green tea bag next to Tennyson’s cup. “Lorraine is here with us, Ellen.”
“I knew it! I could hear you whispering. Can she hear me?” Ellen sat in the chair opposite the sofa.
“She can.” Ten turned to Lorraine who was kneeling next to her mother’s chair.
“Hi, Mom. I’ve missed you so much. I stayed away because I didn’t want to see how badly my death was upsetting you.”
“Lorraine says she hasn’t been around because she knew how hard her death would be on you.” It was a hard message for Tennyson to deliver. He could see for himself how hard Ellen had taken her daughter’s untimely passing. It wasn’t just the color of her hair. There was no spark in her eyes either. Ellen seemed to be an empty shell of her former self.
“It hasn’t been easy, that was for sure. It got better when that man was convicted, but I knew seeing him in prison orange wouldn’t bring my girl back. I’m still alone here.” Ellen swiped at her misty eyes.
“Ask my mother if she’s still singing.” Lorraine didn’t take her eyes off Ellen.
“She wants to know if you’re still singing.”
“Heavens, no.” Ellen shook her head. “I learned how to play guitar when I was a little girl and I taught Lorraine when she was about five. We used to duet all the time. Her father hated it. I think it was half the reason he walked out on us when she was ten years old. He was sick of hearing us sing Backstreet Boys songs.” Ellen laughed. “There was no way I could ever pick my guitar up again after…” Ellen sunk her head into her hands.
Lorraine reached up to stroke her mother’s snow-white hair. “You have to sing again, Mom. To remember me. To celebrate our life together.”
Ten felt tears sting his eyes. “She says she wants you to sing again so that you can remember your time together and celebrate your daughter. Don’t let that gift you shared die, Ellen,” Ten added.
“Is she okay, Tennyson. Does she look okay?” The worry was etched all over Ellen’s face. “I saw my baby after what that monster did to her. The medical examiner said that I should just remember her the way she was, but I had to see…” Ellen shook her head as if to clear the memory from her mind’s eye. “Does she look like that now?”
Ten shook his head no. “Your daughter is beautiful with her flowing brunette hair. Her smile is lighting up this entire room. When we pass, all of the pain and ills of the physical world stay here, they don’t follow us into the spirit world. Lorraine is perfect.”
“Thank you, Tennyson,” Mother and daughter said together.
“You’re welcome.” Ten looked at Ronan who gave him a sharp nod. “There’s something I need to share with you, Ellen, before we move on to the second part of this reading.”
Ronan reached out to take Ten’s hand. “A few weeks ago, I got a letter from Tank Hutchins.”
Ellen’s posture stiffened at the mention of her daughter’s killer.
“I know his name is the last thing you want to hear,” Ronan said, “but I hope you’ll listen to what we have to say.”
Lorraine’s mother nodded.
“In his letter, Tank said that he was innocent and that he thought Tennyson and I could prove it.” Ronan shut his mouth. He looked up at Tennyson who squeezed his hand.
Ellen looked back and forth between Tennyson and Ronan. “How could the two of you prove it? There was DNA evidence. I’m no scientist, but the experts at the trial said the DNA matched Mr. Hutchins.”
“That’s part of the problem, Ellen. It matched both of them, Tim and Tom,” Ronan said. “In the letter, Tom thought that if Tennyson read him, Ten would see that he was innocent of the crime.”
“Oh, dear.” Ellen’s eyes widened. “So, you went to see him. You both went to see my daughter’s killer?” Her voice was neutral, betraying no hint of emotion.
“Only I went at first,” Ronan said. “All convicted killers claim to be innocent. I figured if he was just another bullshit artist then I didn’t want Tennyson wasting his time going down there to meet him. I found his story to be credible.”
Ellen clenched her teeth in response to Ronan.
Tennyson could see the visceral response the grieving mother had to Ronan’s words. He knew this wasn’t going to get any easier. “I was very reluctant to go down to Walpole and meet him. Usually, I’m on the other side of these cases, helping the victim’s families. I love my husband, Ellen, and I went to the prison as a favor to him. When I read Tank Hutchins, I found that he was telling the truth. He didn’t kill Lorraine.”
“And you’re never wrong?” Ellen half-shouted.
Ten held out both hands in supplication. “This is the part of Lorraine’s story you have to hear. When Ronan and I got here, your daughter wouldn’t speak to me because she was angry that I had spoken to her killer.”
Ellen shook her head. Her confused eyes darted back and forth between the psychic and the detective. “You just said that Thomas Hutchins didn’t kill my daughter.”
“Tim and Tom are identical twins, Ellen. They look alike and share the same DNA,” Ronan said simply. “If Tom wasn’t the killer, it must have been…”
“Tim,” Ellen said breathlessly.
Ronan nodded. “We need to ask Lorraine what happened the night she was killed.”
“Why?” Tears slid down Ellen’s cheeks. “Why does my baby need to relive those awful, terrifying last moments of her life?”
“If we have the details of the crime, it will help us get a confession out of the real killer. Like if Lorraine can say he wore a red shirt, we can look for it in Tim’s house,” Ronan said.
“It’s been three years, Ronan. How will that help now?” Ellen sighed, sounding defeated.
Ronan reached a hand out to Ellen. “You’d be surprised what kinds of evidence killers keep as trophies or how resilient DNA is under all kinds of conditions. Not to mention that if we can give the killer details about the crime, it will make him more apt to blurt out something since he thinks we already know what happened.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Ellen,” Ten chimed in.
“I’m ready to tell my story,” Lorraine said. She stood up from beside her mother’s chair.
“Lorraine is ready to talk. Are you ready to listen?” Ten asked. “I know how hard this is going to be.”
Ellen nodded. She reached for a tissue from the box on the table beside her and dabbed at her eyes. She straightened her shoulders, looking Tennyson in the eyes. “I’m ready.”
Lorraine paced behind her mother’s chair. “I’d been seeing this man named Jack for a few weeks. He was handsome. Kind. He paid for things when we went out. I hadn’t told my mother about him because I wasn’t ready to introduce them yet. I’d dated a lot of frogs and I wanted to wait until I was sure he was my prince.”
Ten turned to Ronan. This was a development he wasn’t expecting. “Lorraine says she was dating a man named Jack. She hadn’t told you about him, Ellen, because she wasn’t sure if he was a keeper yet.”
Ronan narrowed his eyes, scanning the notes he’d taken. “Lorraine, we found no phone or electronic records of any communications between you and a man named Jack. Actually, we found no outside communications at all except for well-established people in your circle; your mother, friends, and coworkers.”
Lorraine nodded. She gave a rough laugh. “Jack worked for the FBI. He gave me a special phone for us to communicate through that couldn’t be traced or hacked. Or, so he said. I realize now that was just a line of bullshit.”
Ten’s mouth hung open. “She says he gave her phone to use to contact him with. Says he worked for the FBI…”<
br />
“What was his last name?” Ronan asked gently.
“Black,” Lorraine laughed. “I can’t believe I fell for that. Just like the actor. Or like Men in Black… God, what an easy mark I was.” Tears slipped down her face.
“What’s she saying, Tennyson?” Lorraine asked, sounded panicked.
“She realizes that the man played her. That the name he gave her, Jack Black, was fake, and so was their relationship.”
Ellen’s sharp blue eyes narrowed on Tennyson. “She thinks she was targeted by this man on purpose?”
Lorraine nodded. “He groomed me. Made me fall for him. I have no doubt of that now. What I don’t understand is why?”
“She thinks this man preyed on her but doesn’t know why.” Ten turned to Ronan. “Why would a man do this?”
“He could be a thrill killer,” Ronan said thoughtfully. “He could have been a budding serial killer and counted on the fact that twin DNA would save him in the end.”
“What do you mean?” Ellen asked.
“Most juries rely solely on DNA evidence to convict, but when you tell them that two people have the same DNA profile, that makes them balk. Most of those cases end in acquittal.” Ronan unlocked his phone and flipped through his pictures. “Lorraine, is this Jack?” He held up a picture of Tank and Tim Hutchins.”
Ten watched as Lorraine’s spirit approached Ronan and got a closer look at the image on the phone. “Oh, Jesus. That’s him. The problem is, I don’t know which one of them is Jack.”
“She says that’s the face, but she doesn’t know which one of them is the man she dated,” Ten relayed.
“What happened that night, Lorraine?” Ronan asked.
“Jack called to ask if he could come over and go for a walk. I agreed since it was such a nice night. He texted me on the private phone when he was outside. We walked across the footbridge and into the park. He was telling me that he was ready to take our relationship to the next level. I was so excited that I wasn’t really paying attention to anything but the full moon above us. He attacked me from behind, driving me into the ground so hard that it knocked the breath out of me. I had no chance to scream. Before I knew what was happening, I was standing next to my own body watching him stab me.”
