The Touch

by Lisa Olsen

  His eyes widened in surprise and he drew her away from the pay phones to a more secluded part of the hallway. “What? Why didn’t you call me? What did you find out?”

  Gratified to hear him willing to listen to her, she plunged ahead into the story. “Maddie and I went to the house last night and…”

  “Alone?”

  “Yeah alone,” she nodded. “Anyway we made contact with the ghost of the little girl who used to live there, she said…”

  “Wait… Lexi… you know when I told you that I believed in ghosts, I meant that I believe they exist; not that they can actually talk to people.”

  “Maddie heard the singing too, and she didn’t talk exactly, she signaled us,” Lexi talked fast, feeling like she was losing him.

  “She signaled you,” he blinked. “You know how crazy that sounds, right?”

  Her eyes narrowed, “I’m not making this up, Maddie saw it too. She flashed the lights, once for yes and twice for no. If you don’t believe me let’s go out there right now.”

  “So that’s your new evidence? This conversation with the girl’s ghost?”

  This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. If she could just make him see… “Well… yeah. But we asked her point blank if she’d seen Neil killed and she said yes and it wasn’t Allie!”

  “Lexi,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can’t expect me to go in front of a judge and say that they should throw out the charges because a flicker of lights in an old house told you the suspect was innocent.”

  Her jaw set as she tried to tamp down the anger; he wasn’t even considering what she had to say. Hell, maybe he’d already convicted Allie in his mind. “I know Allie, I know without a shadow of a doubt that she would never in a million years do anything to harm her daughter. If she killed Neil then where is Chloe?”

  “I don't know, but I have to do my job, and my job deals with facts, not intangible suspicions.”

  “Then do your job and find out what happened to her!”

  His eyes narrowed angrily, “What do you want me to do Lexi? I can’t pull it out of thin air. Even you can’t find where she is. All you get is that ghost stuff about a bunch of other kidnapped kids. Give me a solid lead and I’ll pursue it. I can’t go chasing after ghosts.”

  “Then let me touch the body.”

  “What?”

  “Let me touch Neil’s body and I’ll tell you who did it.”

  “That’s out of the question,” Gabriel started to walk away from her and Lexi pursued him doggedly.

  “You don’t believe I can do it?”

  “It has nothing to do with what I personally do or don’t believe, there are so many things wrong with that suggestion I don’t know where to start.”

  Frustration rose in Lexi, so thick she thought she might choke on it. “You want it to be Allie so you can be done with this investigation and move on,” she spat out.

  Gabriel stopped in his tracks, pivoting to fix her with a glowering stare. “So that’s what you think of me, after all the time we’ve spent together?”

  “Why else are you being so stubborn?” she retorted, too angry to think much about whether she actually believed the words she was saying.

  His hand came up to point accusingly at her. “You are so… not who I thought you were.” Gabriel gave up and turned around to walk away.

  “Same to you,” Lexi called after him, not knowing who she was angrier with, him or herself for caring what he thought about her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Allie was waiting for her inside of the courtroom and Lexi took up a seat in the row directly behind her so they could talk. JJ stood talking to the Assistant District Attorney, chatting amiably as if they knew each other. “Where did you get this guy?” Allie asked, watching with growing dismay as the two men laughed aloud over a private joke.

  “He’s a friend of Paul’s. Don’t worry, he’s good,” Lexi replied with more confidence than she felt. “And you can always pick out your own lawyer after today if you don’t like him. He said he thinks you have a really good shot at being released on bail though,” she gave Allie’s shoulder a squeeze.

  “Good, I need to get home as soon as possible.” There were dark circles under Allison’s eyes and she looked bone weary.

  “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  A shake of the head was given. “I couldn’t, every time I closed my eyes I kept seeing Chloe’s face. I need to get home, that’s where I belong.”

  “Try not to worry Allie, we’ll have you home in no time and you can take a nice hot shower and get some rest.” Lexi hoped she would be proven right; her sister looked like she might fall apart if she had to spend the next few weeks in custody awaiting trial.

  The court proceedings were pretty cut and dried, none of the drama she’d seen on Court TV before. There were no reporters or even extra witnesses in the courtroom, save herself and Gabriel who sat behind the ADA, resolutely refraining from looking in her direction. A stab of guilt went through Lexi for how she’d spoken to him. She didn’t really think he’d railroad Allie just to be done with the case. She’d just been lashing out in anger and unfortunately he was the one in the line of fire. Lexi was so busy thinking about how to approach him again to straighten things out that she tuned out the list of charges that were read. When Allie stood to face the judge, it brought her attention back to the matter at hand.

  “Not guilty, your Honor,” Allie spoke in a clear voice.

  “Fine, then this case will go to trial,” the judge didn’t seem surprised by her protestation of innocence, and looked down to check his schedule. “We’ll set the pre-trial hearing and jury selection for… June seventh.” That left at least three weeks for Allie to decide if she wanted to keep JJ as her attorney and come up with a strategy. Or three weeks for her to go nuts if they kept her locked up. As if the judge had read her mind, he addressed that very thing. “Bail is to be set for one hundred thousand dollars, is that agreeable to the prosecution?”

  “It is, your Honor,” the ADA nodded, his manner indicating that he found it to be a suitable amount.

  “Counsel for the defense?”

  “Your Honor, we appreciate your setting bail, but ask you to consider that the accused is a long standing member of the community, who has posed no flight risk to date. She has cooperated fully in the investigation thus far, and we remind your Honor that in addition to the charges brought against her, Mrs. Travers is also dealing with a missing child and would prefer to remain in her home to help coordinate efforts for the search. I respectfully submit that such a high bail would almost certainly pose a financial hardship for Mrs. Travers, since all insurance monies will be held until the resolution of the trial and Mrs. Travers is not currently employed outside of the home.”

  “Does the prosecution have a rebuttal?”

  “No, your Honor,” the ADA shook his head without further comment, to Lexi’s surprise.

  “Very well, bail will be set for fifty thousand dollars and I expect to see you in my courtroom in three weeks time, young lady.”

  If Allie felt any annoyance at being addressed as ‘young lady’ by the judge, she gave no sign of it. “Yes your Honor, thank you,” she nodded soberly.

  The judge nodded back, giving the gavel a perfunctory tap. “Court is adjourned; see the clerk to arrange for payment.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars,” Allie blanched.

  “Don’t worry, you only have to come up with ten percent, I’ve already got a bail bondsman lined up to cover the rest,” JJ smiled reassuringly.

  Good job JJ… Lexi looked at him with a new respect, he’d handled himself well.

  “So what happens next, can I take my sister home?”

  “It’s just a matter of paperwork now. You have the five thousand, I’m assuming?”

  Allie nodded, “Yes, we should have that much in savings, but I don’t have any of my bank account information with me.”

  “Leave the details to me, power of attor
ney is good for some things at least,” JJ grinned. “We’ll have you out of here in an hour or so Mrs. Travers, but for now you’ll have to go back into the holding cell.”

  “Thank you Mr. Johnson, for all of your help,” Allie gave him a grateful smile.

  “Not at all, just doing what you pay me for. Now if you’ll excuse me ladies… I’ll go and see to those arrangements.”

  “Thanks JJ,” Lexi smiled.

  “Oh, there is one more thing I’d like to discuss with you, Miss Morgan,” the attorney added, drawing her aside.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” Lexi asked, a pucker of worry appearing on her forehead.

  “Have dinner with me tonight.”

  “Dinner?” she blinked, the invitation catching her completely off guard.

  “Yeah, with me tonight,” he smiled engagingly. “Sort of a celebration dinner, what do you say?”

  It was almost worth it to say yes just to see what it was that Paul had told him about her, but Lexi wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. “I don’t know…”

  “Are you seeing anyone right now?”

  Her eyes darted to where Gabriel stood talking to the bailiff, who was about to approach Allison with handcuffs to take her back into custody. The detective’s gaze only brushed over her once, before he turned studiously away, his back stiffening perceptibly. “Well, not exactly.” She didn’t know what she had with Gabriel at the moment, but she was hoping it was fixable.

  “So tonight then? Say six o’clock?” His confidence made her smile, but the reservations held firmly in place.

  “I don’t think it’s such a good idea. I want to be there for Allie tonight, and plus it might be kinda weird, the two of us having dinner with you defending her.”

  “There’s no conflict of interest as far as the law is concerned,” he shrugged. “Come on Lexi, I’m not asking you to move in with me, just a little harmless dinner. We can even talk about your sister’s case if that makes you feel better.”

  That smile was hard to resist but Lexi shook her head, “No I don’t think so JJ, it’s just not a good time, but thanks for asking.” She didn’t want to appear completely ungrateful for the invitation. After all, how often was it that a wealthy, good looking man who knew all about her little idiosyncrasies invited her out to dinner? Paul didn’t count; they’d started out as friends first and foremost. And Gabriel… it hurt too much to think about her ruined chances with Gabriel for the moment.

  “Alright,” he replied equably, “but if you change your mind, you have my card. Feel free to give me a call; I have a feeling you’re definitely a fun date.”

  Not quite sure how to take that, Lexi smiled and nodded, leaving the court room to go out and wait for Allie to be released. It was more like two hours before they walked out of there, but a deep sense of relief overwrote any annoyance for time wasted in bureaucratic red tape.

  The house was still and quiet when they got back to Allie’s place, no sign of any ghostly hauntings or that oppressive feeling that she was being watched when Lexi crossed the threshold. “How about you go on up and take a hot bath, I’ll make you something to eat and some tea? Or would you rather take a nap to start with?”

  “I think I’m too tired to sleep,” Allie smiled wanly. “The bath sounds heavenly though, and I’d love a cup of coffee with something light to eat.”

  “Peanut butter and jelly toast?”

  “Sounds perfect,” her smile grew a little brighter. “Thanks Lexi, for believing in me.”

  “What are sisters for?” Lexi smiled warmly, watching her climb the stairs before heading for the kitchen. She could use a cup of coffee herself, it had been a long day and it was barely early afternoon. Something comforting like peanut butter sounded good to her too and she found some sourdough bread to pop into the toaster while she got the coffee pot going. Familiar now with where everything was, she moved with ease through the kitchen, fixing her lunch first. There was no sense in toasting Allie’s food until she heard the tub start to drain and the big tub was still filling from the sound of it, but she would offer the cup of coffee while her sister soaked.

  Getting down a pair of mugs, Lexi yelped when she spilled hot coffee onto the counter, splashing her white cotton gloves in the process. Luckily the gloves protected her from the worst of the temperature, and she plunged them under the cool tap water to soothe the sting. Peeling them off to check the extent of the damage, she was gratified to find her fingers just a little red, no sign of blistering or permanent damage. The gloves weren’t so lucky and would need a date with the bleach bottle to ever look the same again, but that was a common occurrence. Lexi had a dozen identical pairs of the gloves and had long ago stopped worrying about them getting stained or torn in the normal course of the day.

  Without thinking much about it, she picked up the coffee pot to set it aside to clean up the mess on the counter, the vision striking her hard and fast through her unprotected hand.

  Neil lay on the kitchen floor, curled up in the fetal position, clutching his stomach. His face etched with pain, breaths came in uneven gasps as his eyes lost their focus.

  She stood over him, the coffee pot in her right hand, waiting. It wouldn’t be long now, and she would be safe. Safe to take care of her daughter as she saw fit and the suino would never interfere in her plans again. Why didn’t he die faster? She’d used enough poison to kill an entire colony of vermin, masking the taste with a combination of sugar and alcohol, knowing he’d never turn down an alcoholic beverage. It was a shame really, he was a handsome man. Not as handsome as her Jack, but handsome nonetheless.

  Neil’s hand stretched out towards her, an unintelligible gurgle bubbling from his lips. It wouldn’t be long now and she could get back to her daughter.

  Lexi dropped the coffee pot with a clatter to the counter, the strong tempered glass surviving the short fall but sending up another splash of coffee. Where the hell had that come from? It was impossible to tell who’d been standing over him, except that she was a woman and she seemed vaguely familiar, as though Lexi had been in her head before, just not well enough to recognize her. Unfortunately that didn’t exactly help identify the woman who’d killed Neil in his own home.

  The water shut off from up above, reminding her that Allie was upstairs relaxing in a hot bath. Lexi was a hundred percent sure it wasn’t her sister’s point of view she’d experienced from her vision; she’d been inside her sister’s memories enough times that she was intimately familiar with her internal monologue. No, the woman who poisoned Neil was definitely someone else. But how to find out who? If she searched deeper into the coffee pot, she might find more memories from the killer’s point of view; but if she could find something else that Neil had touched…

  Her eyes lit upon the ground, and Lexi knelt on the tile floor, her bare hands outstretching slowly as she braced herself for what she would see. After the initial rush of disconnected images, the first thing she found was Allie scrubbing the floor, nothing in her thought patterns to give any indication that it was any different from any other cleaning job in her life. Lexi stayed within the memory long enough to reacquaint herself with Allie’s thought patterns, satisfying any lingering doubt that it hadn’t been her sister’s thoughts shared from the killer’s mind.

  Taking a deep breath she pared back the vision to the next layer, searching for the memory of Neil dying on the floor.

  Hurts so bad… Christ, it hurt to breathe, hurt to talk, hurt with his eyes open or shut; Neil lay cast adrift in an ocean of pain, too impotent to do anything but try and hold as still as possible. Why did she do it? If she was going to take Chloe and leave anyway, why poison him? The question ran through his mind over and over, and his eyes opened again to fix on his wife’s lovely face that held no anger or even satisfaction as he lay dying. Allie stood staring down at him with a curiously detached expression on her face, coffee pot gripped firmly in her right hand… just standing there. Why didn’t she say anything?

  �
��Allie…” he tried to speak, but it came out as more of a croak than a recognizable word. He didn’t deserve this. Sure, he’d fucked up with Monica and it hadn’t been the first time, but Allie always let him make it up to her in the past. Why this? Why now? “I take it back,” Neil tried again, though nothing but a rattle came from his throat. But then the pain started to ease up and hope flared in his chest. Maybe she just wanted him to suffer for a bit? That was it! Allie would never kill him, she didn’t have a violent bone in her body, that had to be it… the pain was getting easier to deal with and he smiled, feeling tears of relief rolling down his cheeks. Weird… his hands were numb… maybe that was from the way he was lying on the floor? His toes too, but it wasn’t bad, it felt like he was floating. Whatever she’d drugged him with, it was some good shit once you got past the rough stuff. Maybe they could start over… maybe… a wave of panic surged out of nowhere and he tried to speak again but his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth. Neil tried to swallow but couldn’t manage even that. Were his eyes open or closed? Why couldn’t he see anything? Allie’s face loomed in front of his then and relief swept through him. Allie would help him; she always took care of him. There was no tenderness in her face as she looked down at him, only a gleam of satisfaction as her hand stretched towards his eyes and he sank into darkness.

  Lexi sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, heart hammering painfully as she wrenched herself away from Neil’s final death throes. Completely disoriented, it took her a few seconds to fully come back to herself, working hard to soothe the burn in her lungs and lose the remnants of the vision. Allie was the killer? No… no, no, no, it couldn’t be… there had to be some other explanation. The woman who poisoned Neil felt nothing like her sister; it had to be someone who just looked like her. But that was crazy, how was something like that that even possible? Still reeling from the last vision, Lexi picked up the cordless phone to call Gabriel, not knowing what he could do but needing to connect with somebody, anybody who could help her make sense out of it all. Immediately she was hit with another rush of images, making her gasp from the shock of it. Lexi didn’t have the time to consider dropping the phone and putting her gloves back on before she found herself caught up in the middle of another strong memory.