by Becky Durfee
Evan and Abby both remained quiet, inviting Jenny to elaborate.
“I saw the attack through Morgan’s eyes while I was still unaware that anyone was missing. She made the contact with me before her story was on the news.” Jenny swallowed and continued. “By the time the Amber Alert hit the air, I already knew she was gone. I can only receive messages from the deceased.” She looked at her lap, trying to avoid eye contact with the couple sitting in front of her. “It broke my heart, especially when I saw the Caldwells pleading for her safe return.
“Although, during the vision Morgan did give me a good look at the person who did this. That was what enabled me to paint the picture I gave to you. However, when I brought it to the police, they got angry with me. I didn’t know at the time I was accusing a police officer.
“Long story short, a little research showed this guy came from a small town in Connecticut with two similar homicides. I can’t imagine that’s a coincidence.”
The Stotlers looked intently at Jenny, still silent.
“I realize I’m making an outrageous claim,” Jenny added. “I understand if you’re reluctant to believe me.”
Abby broke her silence. “I’m willing to believe anything that will help exonerate my son.”
Jenny nodded with appreciation. “Thank you. And now that you know the truth about me, I have to admit I was hoping to be able to go into Jeremy’s room to see if I can get a reading there. Sometimes it helps to be where the victim actually was, and this was one of the last places…” Jenny decided against finishing her sentence.
Abby closed her eyes and whispered, “His room’s downstairs.”
“I’ll take you there,” Evan said as he stood. Zack and Jenny followed Evan down the stairs into a basement room that had clearly been inhabited by a teenager. Jenny didn’t say anything as she walked in, swallowing the sadness that was creeping into her soul. Something about the way the room was decorated was especially upsetting to her: sports memorabilia, music posters, a guitar—typical teenage stuff. Jeremy’s biggest concern should have been an upcoming math test or determining which girl to take to the prom. Murder should not have been touching his life in any capacity.
With a shudder Jenny physically shook off the sadness, reminding herself to remain professional. She had a job to do. She flashed a forced smile at Evan, hoping her sorrow hadn’t been apparent. With a deep breath she ventured to Jeremy’s bed, where she sat gently on the edge and closed her eyes.
She saw Jeremy’s dimly-lit face appear before her, smiling, looking tenderly at her. Her spirits soared with his gaze, making her feel invincible and unmistakably alive. Pleasurable images flashed in front of her like short movie clips—laughter, hugs, kisses.
An itchy back.
She also felt herself being directed to the pile of Morgan’s clothing that had been on the floor near Jeremy’s bed. She inventoried the items, positive that there was something significant to be found there. As Jenny surveyed the clothes, she realized what she was supposed to notice. As soon as the insight struck, the vision disappeared.
Jenny paused for a moment after venturing into consciousness. Her sadness returned with a vengeance with the realization that things hadn’t been as they’d seemed. These were children. First loves. These images in her mind should have been fond memories that both Morgan and Jeremy cherished for decades to come, not visions from a deceased girl seeking justice.
Fuck Orlowski, she thought. Fucking asshole. If he had been in front of her at that moment, she’d have killed him herself.
“Did you get something?” Zack asked.
Jenny nodded, hardly able to speak. She needed to get out of that room before the sorrow and anger swallowed her whole. “I’d like to go upstairs,” she whispered.
Evan looked wide-eyed at Zack, who in turn approached Jenny and put his arm around her shoulder. That comfort was just what she needed, giving her the strength to walk out of the room and up the stairs.
During this time Abby had remained in the living room, and when the others returned it was obvious she’d been crying. Jenny purposely avoided looking at her in order to keep her own resolve. With a sigh Jenny sat down on the couch and began her account. “Things didn’t go as far as you might suspect that night. While Jeremy did ejaculate, Morgan had remained dressed. Any evidence of trauma on Morgan’s body was a direct result of what Orlowski had done to her. And Jeremy’s skin under her fingernails was because she’d scratched his back. He had an itch.”
Evan spoke softly. “That’s exactly what Jeremy had said. He claimed they never had sex.”
“I believe he was telling the truth,” Jenny said. “And I can assure you that absolutely everything that went on in there was consensual.” Looking down at her lap, Jenny added, “It appears Morgan was very much in love with your son.”
With that Abby completely lost her composure. “That poor little girl!” she sobbed as she placed her head in her hands and folded over onto her lap. Evan rubbed her back as she went on. “She was an innocent child. How could anybody do that to a child?”
Jenny’s resolve melted, and tears began to fill her eyes.
Abby looked up at Zack and Jenny with red eyes and tear-soaked cheeks. “I knew her. She’d been over the house a few times. She was such a sweet girl. I know she cared about my son, and I know he cared for her. Morgan’s mother just didn’t want them dating because of the age difference. She’d even called me to tell me that it wasn’t personal—that she liked Jeremy and thought he was a good kid—but she didn’t want her fifteen-year-old dating an eighteen-year-old. God, they were such a nice family. And I can’t even call them and tell them how sorry I am for their loss because everybody thinks my son is responsible. I can’t go to Morgan’s funeral. Jeremy can’t go to her funeral. I can’t even mourn her for God’s sake because I am so worried about my own son. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that my son is in jail, let alone the fact that this beautiful little girl is gone. It’s just too much.”
Although Jenny wasn’t looking at him, she could sense Zack’s discomfort. The tension was palpable.
“The only thing this girl did wrong is that she wanted to spend time with my son,” Abby continued. “How am I supposed to live with that? How is Jeremy supposed to live with that? And what if he gets convicted of this? What if he spends the rest of his life in jail for something he didn’t do? What if he gets the death penalty?” Abby was becoming hysterical.
Business at hand, Jenny reminded herself. “Well, there was something else Morgan showed me that might be helpful in clearing Jeremy’s name.”
Abby immediately became quiet.
“She directed me to the pile of clothes on the floor. Her shoes were there, and her jacket, but no gloves. There were no gloves. And during Morgan’s original vision of the attack, I distinctly saw her wearing gloves. That leads me to believe they weren’t her gloves. They may have belonged to the killer. And I’m not sure if any gloves were found at the scene, but if they could determine the owner of the gloves, perhaps they’d be able to identify who did this.”
“What did the gloves look like?” Evan asked. “Hopefully they weren’t Jeremy’s.”
Jenny closed her eyes and covered her face, trying to recall images of the original contact. “It was hard to see, but black I think. Black and leather.”
“Did they have fingers?”
“Yes, sir,” Jenny said.
Evan turned excitedly to Abby. “The only pair of gloves Jeremy had were fingerless. And they might even still be here.”
“I’ll look for them,” Abby said, immediately standing up and rushing off. While Jenny hated to admit it, she was glad Abby had left. Her sorrow had been way too contagious.
“Okay,” Evan said, rubbing his temples. “Even if we do determine that she was wearing gloves that didn’t belong to her or to Jeremy, who do we tell about this? The cops think they have the case solved. Not only that, but if we go to them and tell them that there were unidentified gloves
at the scene, won’t that make it look like Jeremy was there? How else would we know about the gloves?”
“Now you see what we’re up against,” Jenny proclaimed.
“Well,” Zack added, “we do have the number of a man on the force who is open to secretly investigating this a little further. But you absolutely cannot tell anybody about that. Just let it help you sleep a little more soundly at night knowing someone on the inside is still not entirely convinced that Jeremy is the right guy.”
“You don’t know how much better that makes me feel,” Evan said.
“Again, please, just don’t say anything.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Evan replied emphatically. “I won’t do anything at all that could jeopardize this investigation. Believe me.”
“I feel funny,” Jenny announced. Something inside of her was screaming.
“Are you okay?” Zack asked.
Jenny felt anxiety and panic. If she could have jumped out of her own skin she would have. “Somebody is frantic. I imagine it’s Morgan.” She tried to make sense of the hysteria within her, but she wasn’t able to sort any of it out.
Both men sat helplessly as Jenny turned her focus inward, trying to interpret the message. She eventually pointed at the window. “Something is going on out front.”
Evan hopped up and immediately created a slight opening in the blanket over the window. He looked outside for a few minutes before proclaiming, “Well I’ll be damned.”
“What is it?” Zack asked.
Evan released the blanket, letting it fall back into place. He turned, white as a sheet, to Zack and Jenny. “That officer—the one you think did this—he’s out there.”
Chapter 13
Abby came quickly into the room, holding a pair of balled-up fingerless gloves. “Here they are!” she announced happily, but her look quickly turned to apprehension when she saw everyone’s expressions. “What’s the matter?”
“Now don’t get upset,” Evan said. “But the cop they believe is responsible for this…he’s the one on duty right now.”
Abby looked horrified, but Zack seemed confused. “On duty?” he asked.
Evan scratched his head. “Ever since Jeremy got arrested, they’ve had a cop stationed out there to keep the peace. There are a lot of press and neighbors milling about out there, and I imagine the cop is there to prevent things from getting out of hand or to keep people from harassing us.” He continued to speak, but no longer to Zack and Jenny. He looked up at the ceiling and announced to no one, “I can’t believe that fucking man has the nerve to sit outside of this house. I want to go out there and beat the snot out of him.”
Mild, Jenny thought, compared to what she wanted to do to him.
“Actually, it’s a good thing,” Zack commented. When he received strange looks from the others, he elaborated. “He’s accounted for. He can’t be out there killing anyone else if he’s spending the night in front of your house.”
Evan looked defeated. “I guess you’re right. I just hate the thought of that son of a bitch being anywhere near me.” Suddenly he looked at Jenny with awe. “Hey…you knew he was out there.”
“Yes, sir.”
“That means you’re for real.”
Jenny smiled modestly. “Yes, sir, I am.”
Once again Evan shook his head and said, “I’ll be damned.”
“I need to be able to get back to the car without him seeing me,” Jenny stated nervously.
“He doesn’t know you, does he?” Abby asked.
“Actually, he does,” Jenny confessed. “Morgan led me to him once, and I had a conversation with him. That’s how I found out he used to live in Connecticut. If she ever leads me to him again, I think he might offer me some more information. But if he sees me here…that could ruin everything. He’d never tell me anything if he knew I was connected to you somehow.”
“Um, not to mention your safety might be at risk,” Zack added.
Jenny hadn’t considered that before. Realizing the situation was worse than she thought, she hung her head.
“Well, it’s dark,” Evan said. “That’ll help.”
“I’ll go out there,” Abby declared.
The others looked at her. “What?” Evan asked.
“I’ll go out there. I’ll make a scene. I’ll tell all the reporters to go to hell or something. And when I do, you two can slip out the back.”
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked.
“Absolutely. I don’t give a shit if the people of Braddock think I’m crazy. I want my son out of jail.”
Although not a parent herself, Jenny imagined most mothers would have reacted the same way. “Okay, then,” she said. “Let me get my coat. I’ll go to the back of the house and wait for your cue.”
“Wait a minute. Before you do,” Abby came over to Jenny. “I just want to thank you. In a world where it seems everyone has already concluded my son is guilty, it’s nice to know there are some people out there who believe he’s innocent. And willing to fight for it.”
“Actually, it’s not me,” Jenny confessed. “It’s Morgan. She’s the one desperate to clear Jeremy’s name.” Unsure if she should add the next part, Jenny continued anyway. “You know, it did occur to me that my first vision from Morgan came mid-morning, the day after she disappeared…probably around the same time the police were at school questioning Jeremy. I personally don’t believe that’s a coincidence.”
Abby looked down at the floor as she processed the information. She didn’t reply.
Jenny took Abby’s hand. “I think Morgan will be able to achieve peace if Jeremy gets freed and Orlowski gets caught. I hope you can take some comfort in that.”
Abby closed her eyes tightly and nodded.
“So,” Jenny said with renewed vigor. “Are you ready to go out there and let them have it?”
Jenny giggled as she started the car. “Holy shit,” she said. “Abby can sure put on a show, can’t she?” The commotion from the front yard was heard easily from as far away as the car.
“Well, at least you know for sure Orlowski didn’t see you.”
“Yeah, that is a comfort,” Jenny confessed. As the car pulled away, she added, “Damn. I’m exhausted.”
“Well, you’ve had a long day,” Zack replied.
“Indeed. I can’t wait to go to bed.”
“Do you even have a bed? Or are you planning on going back to your house?” After a pause he added, “Or my place?”
“I have an air mattress and a sleeping bag,” Jenny declared proudly. “And that’ll do.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound like luxury accommodations. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay at my place?”
Jenny smiled. “Thank you for the offer, but I am going to sleep in my new place tonight. It’s my first night there. That’s very exciting.”
“Okay,” Zack said without bitterness. “Suit yourself.”
“Hey, can you call that Johnson guy and tell him about the gloves?”
“Sure,” Zack replied. “I get to be an informant. Now that’s exciting. Are you sure you don’t want to do it?”
“Nah, that’s okay,” Jenny said. “I don’t even have the guy’s number. I’ll let you do the honors.”
“What if he asks me questions? Like how we know about the gloves?”
“Why do you think I want you to be the informant?” Jenny said smiling.
Zack made a face at her before dialing the phone.
“Put him on speaker,” Jenny said at the last minute. Zack obliged.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Officer Johnson. I was given your number by Danny Fazzino up in Ivory Heights, Connecticut. He told me to let you know if we have any insight on the Caldwell case.”
“Oh, yes. Do you have anything for me?” Johnson asked.
“Yeah, one thing, Zack replied. “I am under the impression that Morgan was wearing gloves during the attack, but they weren’t hers. They may have been the killer’s. Maybe if you can get some of Orlows
ki’s gloves and test them, you’ll find Morgan’s DNA.”
“Well, that’s a good thought, but there’s a little something called illegal search and seizure. We’d need to have a warrant to secure any of his gloves, and we’d need probable cause to get a warrant. Right now we don’t have that, unless you can give me something else.” Johnson said.
“Um,” Zack replied. “I don’t have anything else.”
“So what makes you think she was wearing his gloves?” Johnson asked.
Zack winced. “I’d rather not say.” He bit his lip.
“Alright. So that’s all you got for me?”
“Yes, sir. For now.”
“Let me know if that changes.”
“Will do,” Zack said, hanging up his phone. “See? I suck at being an informant. You totally should have done it.”
Jenny giggled. “You did fine,” she said, although she didn’t mean it.
Dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, Jenny turned off the light in her bedroom. Although she hadn’t remembered to buy a lamp, there was enough light from the parking lot coming in through the open blinds she was able to see her way to the air mattress. She snuggled into her sleeping bag on top of her makeshift bed, happy to be tucked in for the night. Quickly, however, she realized just how quiet her apartment was.
She heard a banging sound, causing her to quickly raise her head up. She listened intently, hearing the sound again a short time later, determining it was simply the heating system making noise. Orlowski is busy tonight, she reminded herself. He’s in front of the Stotler’s house. Besides, he has no idea where you live, and breaking and entering is not his MO. Nobody is coming to get you. Relax. While the words made sense logically, Jenny found herself wishing she could watch television. That would have kept her mind off things. Although she had bought the television itself, she didn’t have cable hooked up to it yet, so it was still useless. In search of another suitable distraction, she got back out of bed and retrieved her cell phone. While it was less ideal, it would have to do.
She put music on in the background and did a little investigating. She looked for the location of the orchard where Morgan’s body had been found. She imagined the media frenzy had left that area by now and she’d have the ability to walk around in peace, hopefully gaining a little more insight from Morgan. She also searched for Orlowski’s address, hoping to be able to make a stop there, wondering if he had ever brought Morgan back to his place. Her efforts were fruitless, however, which actually did make sense to her. She imagined a police officer wouldn’t want his address easily accessible to anyone who spent a few minutes online.
