by Vivi Anna
“No, like I told the Sheriff, she’s a good girl. Has a good job at the hospital. Planning on taking some correspondence courses so she could get a degree in pharmaceuticals. She’s happy. There is no way she took off. No way in hell.”
“Was she seeing anyone?”
Haddy shook her head. “Renee isn’t the prettiest girl in town.”
“Maybe an online friend?”
“No, Sheriff already went through her laptop anyway. Didn’t find anything of importance.”
Kirsten nodded, of course he had. Her dad was a good sheriff. She’d never once thought he was incompetent. He was always thorough and efficient. He looked at, and considered, everything. Everything, of course, except what she suggested. Then he became a closed book.
“Are you helping your dad with the case?”
“Sort of. I came back to town on my own.”
“Oh.”
“Could I see Renee’s room?”
“Sure, if you think it might help.” She pushed her frail frame up from the chair.
Kirsten also stood. “Thank you.”
She followed Haddy up the stairs to the second floor. There was only one closed door, and Haddy opened it and went in. Kirsten stepped over the threshold and into Renee’s bedroom.
The girl had been neat and tidy, her bed was meticulously made. Considering she’d worked at the hospital, Kirsten assumed she’d been the one to make it and not her mother. There were no clothes on the floor, nothing strewn here and there, like most typical teen girls. No, everything had a place and was firmly set in it.
“Could I have a minute?” Kirsten asked, wanting to really look without having Haddy scrutinizing her every move.
“Are you going to do your psychic thing?”
“Sort of, yes.”
Haddy nodded, then stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.
Once she was alone, Kirsten sat on the edge of the bed and shut her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she spread her hands out beside her on the mattress. It wasn’t long before she sensed something. It came to her like a soft whisper in her mind. She didn’t hear it outside herself, but deep inside her psyche.
She stood, then rounding the bed to the headboard, she lifted up the mattress, pushing it all the way off. She eyed the box spring looking for something. It wasn’t until she spied the pulled threads along the side that she knew exactly what that was. Kirsten slid her hand along that edge and found a slit in the material. Sliding her hand in, her fingers brushed against something hard. She pulled her hand out, a journal grasped in her fingers. Settling at the desk, she put it on top and gingerly opened it.
It was Renee’s diary. It appeared that she’d written in it pretty frequently, not every day, but darn close. There were entries going back four years. She’d written about school and the boys she had crushes on, and how some of the other girls made fun of her. Typical stuff for any teen girl. It wasn’t until about five months ago that things got interesting.
The headaches are getting worse. I asked Dr. Howard and she prescribed some Endep, which is usually for people with depression, but she thought it would be really good for me.
Does she think I’m depressed? Maybe. I don’t feel depressed. But, I have been having those dreams.
Kirsten skipped a few pages and read some more…
I saw W again tonight. Mom thought I was working late but I was really with him. He makes me feel pretty.
I woke up in the middle of the night and walked out onto the porch. I swore someone was calling me. I didn’t see anyone in the night, but the sense that I was being watched was strong. The smell of copper lingered in the air. Like blood. Surprisingly though, I wasn’t afraid. Maybe it was just W watching me again.
And another…
Mom and I went to the lake today. The Rushes were having a BBQ and they invited us. It was nice to be out on the beach even if the sand was scratchy on my feet. I like the lake. I like watching the water. There are a lot of people afraid of the water, what with the stories and all, but not me. I prefer being in the water. I feel free there. W takes me here sometimes, but he says he’s afraid of the water.
I’m not afraid. And I’m not afraid of those who live inside it. They are nice to me. Maybe one day I could meet them.
Chapter 6
“This doesn’t prove anything, Kirsten.” Samuel waved Renee’s journal at her.
“It proves she was having headaches and strange dreams and may have been suffering from depression. Obviously she was secretly seeing someone, because her mom didn’t know anyone with the initial W in Renee’s life.
“May have is the optimal phrase here.”
“Jesus, Dad, the lake was talking to her. Maybe she went down to talk back to it.”
“Now, you’re saying Renee Burke committed suicide?”
“I’m not saying that. Maybe this W killed her.
“Jesus, now she’s been murdered?”
She sighed and shook her head at her father. She knew he was pissed at her for finding the journal. When he’d asked her how she came across it, she’d told him she’d sensed it, and that’s when he shut down all listening skills. Any time she mentioned her gifts, he stopped being reasonable.
“Well, now you have new evidence. You should be happy about that. You can go and question this Dr. Howard and find out if Renee really was depressed. You can find this W.”
“You really think that this girl walked herself down to the lake and drowned herself? She was a good swimmer, Kirsten. She was on the swim team in high school.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know if she killed herself. But, she definitely had a connection to the lake.”
He slammed the book on his desk. “Thanks for the journal, you can go now and leave this up to the professionals.”
She looked at him for a long moment, wondering if she had the nerve to let him have it. Their confrontation was a long time coming, but she wasn’t sure if this was the exact moment to have it.
Adam chose that moment to walk into the office making the decision for her.
“Fine. I’ll see myself out.”
She turned and walked out of the office. She’d made it to the front doors when Adam caught up to her. He touched her arm.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“He’s not going to do anything with it, is he?”
Adam sighed. “He’ll deal with it in his own way. He wants me to go talk to Dr. Howard at the hospital. So that’s something. We talked to her before but she never mentioned that Renee had depression or was taking meds for it.”
“Doctor patient privilege, she didn’t have to tell you, I suppose.”
“Do you want a ride back to your car?”
She shook her head. “No, I think I’m going to take a walk.”
“Okay.” He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you later then?”
She stared up at him. “What the hell was that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Adam, I’m here only until the case is over. You know that right?”
“I know, Kirsten. Don’t worry, I have no plans of proposing to you or anything. Just thought we could hook up later and have great sex again, if that’s okay with you?”
Everyone in the front of the office chuckled at Adam’s candor.
It made her laugh as well. “Yeah, okay, sounds good.”
He smoothed back his hair and settled his hat on. “Good, I’ll see you later then.” He pushed open the doors and walked out.
Carly clucked her tongue. “You best be holding onto that one, Kirsten. Someone’s going to snatch him up and soon.”
“I hope so,” she said, “he deserves someone awesome.” With that she left the Sheriff’s office to do some more investigating on her own.
Outside the office, she turned right onto Jefferson Street, which encompassed the downtown core of Bandit Creek. All the major buildings and businesses surrounded Ellis Park which was at the center of t
own. It was named after James Ellis, one of the founding fathers. The Ellis family still owned the only operational mine in the area.
As she walked north, Kirsten thought about Renee’s last day. She’d also walked Jefferson to get to the hospital. Kirsten knew that the sheriff would’ve questioned all the shop owners along the street to see if they saw her, or anything out of the ordinary.
All the town citizens save for one.
Kirsten stopped and looked out at the park. There was a body sprawled out near one of the giant maple trees. Jack. He had been a permanent fixture of Bandit Creek for a lot longer than anyone could remember. Some said Jack had always been here. Which was dumb considering the town was over one hundred and forty years old.
She crossed the manicured grass to where Jack lay passed out. Drunk most likely. Sleeping off the permanent bender he was always on. She stood over his prone form and wondered if what she was doing was foolish. Jack hadn’t spoken a sensible word for as long as Kirsten could remember. Over the years she’d come to learn that sometimes the truth was present even in the nonsense.
“Jack.” She nudged his leg with her foot. “Hey Jack.”
He blinked up at her, his grizzled face in a perma-frown. “Whadya wan?”
“To talk.”
“Nuttin to say.” He closed his eyes again, and immediately started to snore.
She nudged him again. “I need to ask you about a girl. A girl that went missing. You may have seen her. Renee Burke? She’s nineteen, long dark hair.”
Without opening his eyes, he mumbled something.
Her heart leaped. “What?”
He rolled over onto his side and farted.
“Jack?” She crouched over and shook him. “Jack, what did you just say? Did you see Renee Burke? Do you know where she went?”
“Follow the sun…” he mumbled, then passed out again.
This time no amount of nudging or shaking roused him.
She wasn’t sure it meant anything. Despite Jack being a perpetual drunk and bum, he was the eyes and ears of this town. Maybe he’d seen something no one else had.
Kirsten continued on her walk down Jefferson. Following the same path Renee would’ve taken to get to the hospital, she passed the Bandit Gazette office, the post office, and finally Ellis Bank, the site of the infamous robbery that Bandit Days were named after. Then her gaze flitted on something surprising. A giant sunrise painted on the side of the next building.
Kirsten stopped in front and looked into the big bay window. It was a real estate company called Sunshine Realty. Coincidences did happen, but she still didn’t believe in them. She decided to go in.
The little bell on the door dinged announcing her arrival. The woman at the front desk stood and came around her desk to greet Kirsten.
“Welcome to Sunshine Realty. How can I help you?” Then her eyes narrowed. “Kirsten Morgan?
“Yeah, it is.”
“It’s me, Debbie Milford, well Debbie March now, I guess.”
“Oh right, Debbie. How are you?” She smiled but in truth she couldn’t really place the plain looking woman.
Debbie leaned in and hugged her. Her cloying perfume clogged up Kirsten’s nose. She had to fight to keep from sneezing.
“What brings you in? Are you looking to settle back into town? We have a lot of good properties for sale.”
“I’m thinking about it,” she lied.
Debbie beamed. “Well, you came to the right place.”
“How long have you been working here, Debbie?”
“Oh, I don’t just work here, I’m part owner.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, got married to a smart man, you see.” She patted Kirsten’s arm. “Billy,” she called, “come on out here. Got someone I want you to meet.”
A few seconds later, a balding man with a bit of a paunch shuffled out from the back office. “What is it, Deb? You know I’m going over the Weston contract,” he grumbled but quickly put on a smile when he saw Kirsten standing beside his wife.
“Oh hello.” He offered his hand. “Bill March.”
“This is my old school friend, Kirsten Morgan.”
Kirsten shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He took his hand back and his smile slipped a little. “The Sheriff’s daughter?”
“I am.”
“The psychic?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
His demeanour instantly changed. He didn’t look all that friendly and welcoming any longer. He shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at his wife. “I’ve got work to do.” He turned and stomped back into his little office.
Debbie frowned at his retreating back. “Huh. I’m sorry Kirsten. He’s not usually so surly. Must be the contract he’s working on.”
“Must be.” Kirsten gave her a reassuringly smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
“So, is there a certain kind of property you’re looking for? There are a few big ones that just came on the market.”
“Why don’t I just take your card, and when I have more time I’ll give you a call.”
Debbie lost a little of her sparkle. “Are you sure? One’s just a couple of blocks from here. Would only take us five minutes to get there.”
“I’m sure. I’ve got a prior engagement to get to.”
“Well, okay.” Debbie took one of her business cards and handed it to Kirsten. “I hope it wasn’t because Bill was so curt. He’s usually very friendly, especially to someone as pretty as you are.”
Kirsten frowned, taken back by her last comment. She shrugged it off, and pushed open the door. “I’ll call you.”
Then she was out, setting across the park to go back to Ma’s and retrieve her car. She had some research to do. Because she was almost positive that Billy March was none other than Renee Burke’s mysterious W.
Maybe old Jack wasn’t as incoherent as everyone thought he was. Follow the sun indeed.
Chapter 7
It didn’t take Kirsten long to discover that Billy March was legally named William March. But she didn’t leave it there. She’d also called Haddy Burke and asked her if she’d had any dealings with Sunshine Realty. She had. After her husband’s death a couple of years ago, she’d considered selling their house and to move out of town. William March had been the one to come to the house to do the appraisal. It was there and then when he would’ve met Renee. All of this was circumstantial she knew, but she felt it was enough for the Sheriff’s department to start asking questions.
Samuel wasn’t as convinced.
“I told you to stay out of this, Kirsten. Now you’re harassing people.” His face had turned red as he talked.
“I’m not harassing anyone. I’m just asking questions.”
He slapped his hand down on the desk in exasperation. “I’ve had a call from Haddy saying you’ve been calling her bringing up all kinds of stuff. She was pretty upset about it.”
She sighed, and leaned back in the visitor chair. She hadn’t meant to upset Haddy but someone had to ask the hard questions. That obviously wasn’t going to be her father.
“Well, I suppose I’m not the one worried about my re-election so I can do the things that piss people off.”
His eyes bugged out. “The only thing I care about is this town and the people in it.”
She stood. “Well, you’re right about that. That is the only thing you care about.”
“Stop asking questions about this case.”
“Or what?”
He stared at her for a long moment, probably shocked at her combativeness. “Or I will charge you with obstruction of justice and have you escorted out of this town.”
“Justice,” she smirked, “you better find some for Renee, or I will. She is dead and in that lake, Sheriff. I’m pretty certain William March had a hand in it.”
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “There are a lot of people in this town with a first initial of W. Their neighbour down the street has a son named Wally, who just h
appens to be Renee’s age. She could’ve been seeing him. Or maybe she wasn’t seeing anyone. Her doctor confirmed she was suffering from depression, maybe she was delusional as well.”
She shook her head, little threads of doubt starting to weave around her gut. “William March is involved. I’m sure of it. The second he recognized me as being your daughter and a psychic, his demeanour changed. He was not happy to see me.”
