Murders of the Zodiac Boxed Set

by Paris Morgan

  “Want me to try now?” I half-rose from the chair, ready to get going.

  Adam paused too long, and I sank back into the chair.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked, confused.

  “Not really. I’m just concerned with how distracted you’ve been. She’ll be able to take over since you won’t be up to par.”

  “Can we fix that?” I tapped my foot impatiently.

  “We’ll need something to ground you with so that you’ll be able to come back on your own, and she won’t be able to do anything hinky while you talk,” Adam mumbled, pacing behind the couch.

  “Would I need to be in a protection circle with some sort of natural element?” I’d heard of the terms, but honestly had no real idea what they meant in regards to what I was supposed to do.

  “We can work with stuff here in the cottage, but I need to find something that’s personal to you. Is there something that has a lot of meaning to you?” Adam stopped right in front of me, waiting on an answer.

  “My gun.” I’d meant it to be funny, but he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

  “That might work. It’s made from an element and it’s yours, so that’s a personal connection.”

  “What if instead of the gun, which has more plastic than metal, I hold the bullets?”

  “Dirt in one hand, bullets in the other.” Adam shook his head in agreement.

  “Any type of dirt work, or does it have to be a special kind?” Ryan inquired.

  “Not gardening dirt, but something from the base of a tree would work. We’ll need enough to put in a circle around her, and then for her to hold onto.”

  “Got it.” Ryan shook his head. “You know, I never thought I would see the day when police and detective work were done with dirt and bullets.”

  “Dude, the things I’ve seen over the years in the Unusual Crimes Division would make your hair go white.” Adam started moving furniture to the outer edges of the room to make a large circle.

  “I’ll go get that dirt while you get it all ready,” Ryan volunteered, practically running from the room.

  “He’s never going to be okay with all of this, you know?” I commented as I put all of the computer equipment on the counters up and out of the way.

  “At some point, he’ll get used to it. But you’re correct in that he’s never going to stop being skeptical. Are you okay with that?” Adam eyed me closely.

  “Yeah. I mean, who am to judge? Up until recently, I had no idea all this existed.”

  “No, I meant because he’s your partner. It’s hard to trust someone who doubts the things you say you’re seeing when they can’t.”

  “Oh, no. I trust him completely. He believes and trusts me. If he didn’t, we would have already had more problems with all the crazy stuff that’s happened. He listened when Flora told him about me being in danger. He could have ignored it and said she was crazy, but he didn’t, and it saved my life.” I knew that even though he had doubts, Ryan wouldn’t let those get in the way of doing the right thing when it was called for.

  “Just making sure that you feel safe. He may not know it, but he can feel those things happening around him. He’s just not to the point of truly accepting everything and feels the need to push back before he proceeds.” Adam nodded, satisfied that we had an area big enough for what was about to happen.

  “I think having him give push back on stuff is important. I wouldn’t want a ‘yes’ person for a partner. You have to be challenged and think outside the box if you’re going to accomplish a task like finding serial killers.” I took a seat on the floor and took a few of the bullets out of my gun.

  Ryan came in with a small bucket of dirt, and Adam started walking in a circle around me.

  “I found one of the gardeners and got a bucket from him. I said I was doing a research project and promised to bring it back to him.”

  “Did he have questions about that? I know I would have,” Adam snickered.

  “We’re cops, so of course we’d have questions. Most people just take what you say at face value.” I tried to stay serious, but it was becoming harder not to laugh out loud.

  “It’s not like I asked for a large shovel, rope, and a tarp. Gardening and working in the soil is supposed to be therapeutic,” Ryan answered defensively.

  “Yep, because we’re not doing anything strange here. Nope, keep walking people. The circus isn’t in town this week.” I was laughing so hard that tears were starting to run down my cheeks.

  Both guys were looking at me like I’d lost a screw, and to be honest, they could be right. The images in my head of crowds trying to discover what was happening with a single pail of dirt was just a little over the top.

  “Now that she’s gone crazy, let’s get this going so we know if you turn up normal, and that Mary Ann hasn’t taken control.” Ryan stood back, watching Adam pour dirt into my outstretched hand.

  “Anything special that I’ll need to do?” I balanced the dirt in my left hand and wiped the tears from my eyes with my right before picking up the three bullets from the floor.

  “Nope. Just do what you did for meditation yesterday and she should show up. You’ll notice a difference because you’ll be able to hear things here in the cottage while you’re talking to her.,” Adam instructed, sitting just outside the circle on the floor.

  Ryan had draped himself casually on the couch. I knew that if anything went wrong, he’d be there in two seconds to help out.

  I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Clear your mind. You’re on a cloud where nothing else can get inside.

  My cloud appeared again, but today it was a mixture of pink and blue, like cotton candy.

  “I was wondering when you’d come back.” Mary Ann’s voice came from behind me.

  She was sitting on a carousel horse, and music was playing lightly in the background.

  “We were interrupted, and I haven’t had a chance to really talk to you yet.” I imagined a bench seat on the carousel across from her.

  “Yes, we were. Do you plan to come here often? Or are you going to let me out so that you don’t get yourself killed before your birthday this month?” She placed a lollypop in her mouth, giving it a seductive lick.

  “Well, that will depend on how well we can get along. I’m willing to negotiate, but you’ll have to give me a little more information before that happens.”

  “Nope. You’re a cop. You want all the information, and then you’ll keep me locked up in that small closet forever.” The lollypop, and the way she was sucking on it, was distracting, but I tried to focus on a spot a little higher on her forehead.

  “The fact that I’m a cop should tell you that I’ll keep my word with any deals we make. You’ve been hanging around and listening to what I’ve been thinking for a while now, so you know I’m one of the good guys.”

  She paused, holding the sucker in her hand as she thought about it. “True. You’ve been up front so far. Let’s see what you want to know and go from there.”

  “First, how long are you planning to cohabit my brain or consciousness with me? Is there an end date or something you want to happen so that you can move on?”

  She nodded and resumed licking the sucker. “I want the Zodiac Master to suffer.”

  “That’s it?” I asked, incredulous. “I’m pretty sure that’s my goal too, but I have to find him first.”

  “Yeah, I want him to feel the pain that I felt when he used me to get back at Galen. If I’d used a cooler head, then we could have been a happy family.”

  I didn’t let my face betray my emotions, because I knew that Galen would never have let her be part of his life. But she could keep that delusion since she was dead. It was a moot point.

  The bullets in my hand rolled around like they were those metal massage balls that were so addicting to play with.

  “When he’s gone, then I’ll leave and move onto the afterlife—whatever kind of afterlife I’ll have since I caused so much havoc. I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to
a good place, but I knew that would happen when I started using that chainsaw.” She gave a shrug of indifference.

  “What kind of information do you have that will help me find the Zodiac Master? I need him gone and off the streets.”

  “Some things are more impressions and not actual locations. I know that he’s nearby and wants an in-person conversation with you. I can’t sense as much from inside the closet, but he’s intrigued by you.”

  “Intrigued, huh? I’d love to have a conversation with him as well. Adam is certain that having you here in my brain is partially what’s causing my block and why I can’t use my gift.”

  “No, you’re blocking it. You don’t want to use it because that would mean you have to deal with stuff that you’ve been ignoring for months.” Mary Ann hopped up and moved to a new animal on the carousel.

  “He’s been trying to get your attention. Not unlike someone trying to date you, or your cat bringing you gifts of dead mice. He’s doing stuff to make you think about him and consume your life.”

  “Ugh! That’s gross. I guess the only way to get him to stop killing people is to marry him?” That was such a twisted thought that I couldn’t even consider the idea.

  “Something like that. He’s going to start trying to initiate contact. The more you resist, the more people close to you will die.” She frowned. “It’s not fair, but it’s his game, and he can play by whatever rules he wants to.”

  “So how do I compromise with you? Are you willing to warn me when he’s around?”

  “I’d consider it. If I can come out of the closet for an hour a day and leave the door open, I think we can work on something. I’m just more claustrophobic then I thought.” She gave a shudder to emphasize the problem.

  “That might be workable, but you’ll have to keep your mouth shut unless there’s danger. I’ll try to check in and have a conversation with you more often, but it’s really distracting for you to talk while I’m having a conversation with a live person.”

  “Oh, I totally get that. You want to look normal and fit in with other people. No worries. Just having the door open and being able to move around for an hour each day will be an improvement,” Mary Ann agreed, holding out her hand for me to shake.

  “One last thing. If this trial portion doesn’t work, then you’ll have to go back in the closet with the door closed. So keep that in mind when you get the urge to go trapesing about or talking when I’m not ready for it.” I grabbed her hand with my dirt-filled one and squeezed on it.

  She yanked her hand away. “What the hell? That’s dirt and it’ll hurt me.”

  Hmm, that was interesting, I thought, raising an eyebrow.

  “Sorry. Adam wanted to make sure that I was grounded. I guess he thought dirt would be funny. I didn’t know it would hurt you,” I apologized quickly. I didn’t need her to be upset or start making a scene.

  “Well, you’re still new, but I’m going to keep you to your promises.” She held out her hand again.

  “Sounds good.” I put the bullets in my pocket and took her hand. “Now, I’ve got to work on some other things, but you can walk around as long as you’re quiet.”

  I imagined a closet with the door open, and a timer counting down until it would put her back inside and lock the door.

  “No, you promised to leave the door open!” she squealed.

  “Oh, right.” I took the door away, and then added an invisible barrier so she couldn’t just walk around, but it was open, giving it the feel of light and air.

  “Better. You’ll get the hang of it. I can help with that too while you practice if you’d like,” she offered, skipping down the steps of the carousel.

  “Let’s start with this and see how things go,” I warned, tapping my watch to let her know her time was limited.

  “Whatever.” She gave a wave and disappeared.

  “Whew!” I breathed a relieved sigh and pulled the bullets out of my pocket. They slowly rose in the air, and I thought about where they were aimed and shot them toward a target that appeared.

  They hit, but didn’t have enough energy behind them to actually pierce the paper.

  Working on my defenses might be a little easier if I brought my real life into the world of my mind.

  I hadn’t had a breakthrough, but I was a little closer to being confident of my own consciousness.

  My eyes opened to find Adam and Ryan watching me.

  “What?” I questioned, lowering my hands and letting what they held drop to the floor.

  “You were glowing,” Ryan breathed in disbelief.

  “Glowing?” I looked to Adam for confirmation.

  “There was an aura or glow around you. How did it go?” He got up, careful not to touch the circle. “You’ll need to break the circle.”

  “Oh.” I reached the hand out holding the bullets and smudged the line, causing the air to pop. “Guess that did it.”

  Standing up, I could feel that my muscles were sore from being in the same position for a while. “How long was I in there?”

  “About an hour. Not too long for what you were doing actually.”

  “Okay. And things went pretty good. We compromised. She gets time out of the closet for helping me with the Zodiac Master, and I get quiet from her unless it’s an emergency.” I walked into the small kitchen, looking for a broom to sweep up the dirt.

  “Hey, did you know that ghosts don’t like being touched by dirt?”

  “She said that to you?” Adam leaned forward in excitement.

  “Well, I went to shake her hand with my dirt-filled one, and she said it would hurt her. Is there a special reason for that?”

  He frowned. “Not exactly. Each spirit is more susceptible to certain things. When a spirit doesn’t like earth, that means they can be removed much easier than others that have already been buried. She was buried, but she’s not ready to move on yet. If she touches the dirt, then it will tie her to her body and not your brain. Then she’ll be forced to deal with her issues or move onto the next realm.”

  “Hmm. She promised to help me with my gift, and as long as she stays within the bounds I laid out, I’m good with that.”

  “Don’t let your guard down. She’ll be waiting for that. Did she give you an estimate on when she would be ready to leave?” Ryan warned with a worried frown.

  “She said when the Zodiac Master is punished, then she could move on. So the sooner we finish this, the sooner my mind will be free.”

  Adam grimaced. “Sometimes that works, but other spirits have been known to hang around for someone’s entire life.”

  “If she wants to be out of my closet/prison, she’ll need to behave. I think I learned a few things while talking to her, and I could make things miserable for her. Not that I’m going to, but I can if she breaks our agreement.”

  “Fair enough. How about some lunch?”

  “Nah. I’ve got to go home for a few days. I’ll do some digging while I’m there, but it’s time for Shea’s doctor visit.” Ryan stood.

  “Got it. Well, tell her hi for us,” Adam called out as he left. Once the door shut, he turned to me and asked again, “Hungry?”

  “Famished. Then I’ve got another therapy appointment. This relaxing thing sure is taxing,” I joked.

  “You have no idea.” He grinned, leading the way into the small kitchen.

  Chapter 3

  Ryan

  With the baby only about two months away, I planned to make a few more visits back to see Shea. She and Flora were still staying with Flora’s family, so I knew there came some safety from that, but I still worried.

  I should be there with her for all of these moments, not only going home for a few days here and there. We should be doing this together. It wasn’t ideal, and I was going to request that I not be given any assignments like this in the future. Right now, it was an all-or-nothing situation.

  Shea was the world’s most understanding wife-to-be, but that didn’t mean she should have to be. I wanted so much mo
re for her and our baby. Our daughter deserved a dad that was more present in her life.

  The gate opened with my code, and I drove straight in without a problem. While Flora and her family had been wonderful for offering a midwife, we both felt more comfortable with seeing our regular doctor. If something happened, then there was a backup plan, and the midwife would be able to help until we could get to the hospital.

  Shea wasn’t expecting me until later, but I couldn’t handle being in the room with Leslie after she’d glowed. I didn’t care that Adam had explained it all to me, and that it was really an aura instead.

  This gift thing was a little over the top, and I hoped it wasn’t catching. Leslie had seemed okay with what was going on. Well, that was a more broad statement, but didn’t exactly describe her mental health.

  I hit the steering wheel in frustration. Why did things have to be so difficult?

  A tap at the window startled me. Shea was standing there, looking a little worried.

  “You okay in there, babe?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m just frustrated,” I answered, opening the door and pulling her into my arms.

  “We’ve got a little while until the appointment. Come inside, and I’ll put a fresh pot of tea on while you tell me what’s going on.” Shea ran her hand soothingly over my back.

  “Maybe I just needed to have you around. I already feel better.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

  “Aw, you sure know how to charm a girl, don’t you?”

  “I try.”

  “Oh, you’ll have lots of practice with this baby girl.” She laughed. “She’ll have you wrapped around her little finger before you know it.”

  “Probably,” I agreed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Well, since I talked to you last night, not much different than when you asked me then.”

  “Sorry.” I ran a hand across my face, wiping drops of sweat off.

  “It’s okay, honey. I get it. You want to make sure that you’re a part of it, but honestly, other than trying to stay cool and keep my feet propped up, there’s not a lot you or I can do until she decides to come into the world.”