Journey of Souls (The Mortality Series)

by Melanie S. Pronia

  "Okay, well, thank you for your time and statement, Miss Ramsey." The officer started to get out of her car and Justine followed suit.

  "Officer O'Connell?" Justine asked nervously. The officer slowly turned back to look at her.

  "Yes?"

  "Will I be informed of any findings?" Justine's green eyes were large and emphasized her need to know the answer to the little girl’s riddle. O'Connell leaned against the front of her cruiser for a moment as if considering it.

  "I'll call you," she said finally, without sounding very convincing, before walking away.

  Once the police interview was over, Justine noticed that Conroy was standing next to his car with his arms folded across his chest, waiting for her. He walked her to her car, patiently waiting while she put her gear in and then climbed in herself. Once Justine was settled, Conroy leaned his head through the open driver’s side window of the car.

  "Justine, I wanted to apologize to you." His soft brown eyes were intent with concern as he spoke kindly. "I would have never sent you out here on your first case if I had known it was going to turn out like this." Justine simply smiled softly.

  "It's okay, Conroy, how could you have known that I would find human remains?"

  Conroy slowly nodded his head

  "True, true, but still, I am sorry." The soft look in his eyes quickly passed and once again became serious.

  "I want you to report at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow." Justine nodded in acknowledgement.

  "The bizarre case I mentioned this morning?" He paused "Well, it appears we have a haunted house in Riverside to investigate, some pretty nasty stuff happening to the new owners there." Conroy chuckled boyishly, his eyes lighting up with passion.

  Justine felt a surge of excitement rush through her body, and once again understood why she had given up the violin and chosen this job.

  "One more thing,” Conroy added, as he moved away from the car. “You will be working with the team tomorrow." He smiled softly again,

  "Go home and get some rest, Justine, you're going to need it. We have a long day tomorrow."

  *****

  Justine decided that she was too edgy to go home to her empty apartment and contemplated stopping by to see her mother, but she couldn't deal with her mother's nitpicking tonight. She decided instead to head over to best friend’s place, needing some companionship as well as a compassionate ear.

  Sheryl opened the door, looking worn out with her pony tail half falling out, laying in blonde strands on her thin shoulders. She smiled warmly at Justine before stepping aside to let her in.

  "Justine! It's so good to see you. Have you found any ghosts yet?" Justine knew that her friend’s interest in her job was genuine. The two of them had spent many hours in cemeteries in their youth, amateurishly trying to get pictures of ghosts.

  "I found more than the ghost, I also found her bones." The gravity of the words and the severity of Justine's voice caused Sheryl to pause and turn back to look at Justine who had been following her into the small, cluttered apartment.

  "You found bones? As in human bones?" Her blue eyes danced in amusement. "You're kidding, right?"

  "Oh, Sheryl, it was so awful!" And again Justine recounted the story to her old friend while Toby, Sheryl's two-year-old son, squirmed on her lap just happy to see her.

  "Wow! Were you scared?" Sheryl asked hungrily. She had been devouring Justine's every word. Justine contemplated the question quietly before answering.

  "Of Madeleine, the ghost, no. The bones scared the hell out of me, though." She laughed before pausing again

  "I felt sorry for her, she was such a pretty little girl and so young. And I can't help but wonder why she chose me to show the bones to." Justine hugged Toby tightly against her chest and kissed the top of his golden head, more for her benefit than his, as a cold chill ran up her back.

  "Well, come on, Justine, you've always attracted things like that, you know that." Sheryl said, neatly folding and unfolding a dish towel in her hands.

  "Yeah, I know, but why?" Both women were suddenly silent with nervousness. Sheryl stood up and poured Justine a glass of Merlot. Justine accepted it silently, taking a delicate sip before setting it down. Looking up into Sheryl's eyes, she watched as her friend nervously ran the dish towel in between her hands.

  "I know, you've already told me, but how old were you the first time you saw one? The first time you saw a ghost?" Justine simply laughed at Sheryl's question for a moment, and then decided it wouldn't hurt to indulge her.

  "Ever since I can remember I've been seeing ghosts, among other things." Justine took a hearty sip of her wine this time before saying, "The first time I remember I was about four, I guess. I was looking in the old mahogany oval mirror in my mother's bedroom and then there was a face staring back at me, a man's face."

  "And you were sure it wasn't just your

  imagination, you know, your own image blurred or something," Sheryl asked logically. Justine smiled softly, shaking her head.

  "That's what my parents told me it was, but I knew then--and I still know--it was the face of a man. I couldn't hear what he was saying but he was trying to talk to me, and he mouthed the word help." Sheryl quickly jumped up trying to busy herself with the dishes in the sink.

  "Oh wow! What did you do?"

  "You already know this story, Sheryl!” Justine laughed humoring her, “I ran off crying," she smiled easily.

  "I know, but I love to hear it!” She looked down for a moment, “Yeah, I bet you ran off, I would have, too!" Sheryl said trying to push away the seriousness.

  Justine stood up slowly and stretched

  "Well Sheryl, I have to get home," she said, sighing loudly.

  "Are you sure you don't want to stay the night? We could have some more wine, watch a chick flick, you don't have to be in until 10 tomorrow." Justine knew that her friend’s concern came not only from loneliness but from an innate knowledge that only the closest of friends can share. Sheryl knew that Justine was afraid to go home alone.

  "No, I can't. This is my job now, and if I can't face going home to an empty house the first day, I might not ever be able to." Sheryl nodded and pulled Justine into her arms for a warm hug.

  "You'll be okay," her voice was soft and reassuring. "I'm so proud of you, and, well, yeah a little jealous too," Sheryl said before backing away.

  Justine ran her hand over Toby's silky soft hair.

  "I may have a cool job, at least I hope it will be cool, but I don't have this." She motioned to Toby, kissing and giving him a big hug.

  When Justine arrived home she felt the dull ache of exhaustion nagging at her after the long night. She numbly stepped into the hot shower before crawling into bed. The last thing she saw when she turned out the lights were two glowing blue eyes that seemed to be staring straight into her heart. She didn't know if they were real or a part of her vivid imagination, but found to her surprise that at the moment, she was too tired to care.

  Chapter Two

  Justine woke up to the chirping of the birds happily encouraging her to climb out of bed on the beautiful spring morning. Once again, Justine was nervous while preparing herself for work. Finally today she would meet the team. She had to admit to herself that she was nervous about how they would treat the “newbie”, and if they were, well weirdoes like so many movies depicted people in the field of Paranormal Investigators.

  With determination, she brushed the panicky thoughts away while pulling on a pair of comfortable black jeans. She also made sure to wear comfortable sneakers.

  With her backpack slung over her shoulder, Justine confidently strolled into Conroy's office. He looked up at her and smiled, sharing an understanding with her due to the previous night's events.

  "Good morning, Justine. I hope you slept well last night."

  "Yes, I did actually." She smiled warmly, because to her own surprise, she really had.

  "Okay. Good. I need your film, and investigative notes from last night as well as your record
ing of the event. We don't have time to go over it just now, but I hope to get to it by tomorrow." Again, Conroy looked hurried and Justine couldn't help but feel pity for the man. However, she also realized how much he seemed to love his work and realized that her pity was not only unnecessary but also displaced as well.

  Justine handed her boss the completed report in the expected final format, as well as the audio recording. Conroy placed the items in a growing file labeled “Timberbrook”. He then promptly stood up and gave Justine his most enthusiastic look.

  "Ready to meet the team?"

  "Yes, definitely!" she replied happily. Conroy quickly exited his office with Justine following closely on his trail. He stopped in front of a door and turned to Justine.

  "This is the briefing room. Please come in." Not only was the room full of curious eyed people, but graphs, photos and exotic, if not somewhat

  frightening-looking equipment, as well. In the center of the room was a narrow conference table.

  Conroy cleared his throat, immediately gathering everyone's attention.

  "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to our newest P.I., Justine Ramsey. Please introduce yourselves to her quickly and then meet me in the back by the van. We've got to get a move on." Having full confidence in his team, Conroy turned curtly as everyone stood up and walked towards Justine, who was still standing by the door.

  All of the team members were smiling, which instantly put her at ease. Even better, none of them appeared to be weird or even highly eccentric.

  An attractive lady in her early Fifties approached Justine, warmly extending her soft hand.

  "Hello, Justine, I'm Claudia. It's great to have you with us." Justine smiled at her nervously. Claudia patted her back reassuringly before heading out the door.

  Next it was an incredibly beautiful tall blonde who seemed more suited to be on the cover of the latest fashion magazine, rather than in a cluttered briefing room. As she approached Justine, her smile full of dimples, she displayed a sophisticated yet illusive charm as she introduced herself to Justine simply as “Liz”.

  A very eager man named Brian who looked to be in his early forties approached Justine next and warmly but quickly introduced himself.

  Then there was Rich, tall and lanky with wiry dark blonde hair, he was quiet and appeared timid but also avidly interested in Justine.

  Glancing behind Rich, Justine's eyes locked onto the most vibrant sapphire blue eyes she had ever seen, ever even imagined. He was tall, athletically built, and his walk was slow and cat-like as he approached Justine, giving her a crooked grin that couldn't be explained in any other way except sinfully sexy.

  "Hi, I'm Patrick, and you're gorgeous." His smooth voice instantly turned Justine's belly to butterflies. She stepped back, blushing nervously. Although, the line had been cheesy and over the top, it definitely had an affect on her.

  It seemed as if Patrick could sense her lack of words and simply, in what Justine considered an intimate gesture, placed his large hand on the small of her back leading her out of the briefing room and to the back of the building.

  The team quietly boarded the large white transport van that lacked any Spectrum logo, due to the discrete nature of their business and for the consideration of their clients. Conroy impatiently waited for them all to take their seats.

  "As usual, I have a fact sheet for each of you. Please review it now on the way to the house," he instructed, backing out of the parking space carefully.

  Justine concentrated on the fact sheet while the entire time feeling the heavy weight of Patrick's gaze. It made her feel giddy as she tried to focus on the piece of paper in her hand.

  The home in question had been newly purchased by a young couple the previous month. The photo provided looked like that of a normal suburban home.

  There were several accounts of violence reported on the fact sheet, including alleged scratching of the homeowners while they slept, mirrors and windows shattering for no reason, objects thrown, doors slamming and--perhaps the most unsettling--the electronics in the home appeared to have been turning themselves on and off at random.

  Justine decided it was the typical behavior of a Poltergeist entity. She remembered from her

  Parapsychology classes that Poltergeists are normally the type of ghosts that are the focus of movies and much over dramatization in general. True Poltergeists are very rarely discovered in paranormal cases, she knew, and are usually mistaken for the Interactive Ghosts, who believe they are still living. However, with their reputation as being the most violently sensationalized, Poltergeists are the most common type of paranormal entity known to laypeople.

  Justine was suddenly frightened at the thought of Poltergeist activity, but then deemed herself as silly as well, because she was also excited to get started! She looked up from the sheet and smiled happily, her green eyes burning emerald at Patrick. He met her gaze warmly, in a very obvious, admiring way. His smile was cool, casual, and irresistibly stunning.

  Justine drew her eyes away, purposely, silently admonishing herself for mixing business with pleasure. Besides, she concluded, Patrick was much too arrogant for her, so there was no point in even thinking in a way that could be potentially hazardous to her health!

  Conroy eased the large van off of the street and into the cobblestone driveway of the property known as “Park Street: Riverside Haunting”, in it’s case file. The Tudor-style house was large and sprawling on a small, but well-tended, corner lot. The gray with brown trim structure rose proudly towards the sky with domed windows across the front lower façade of the home. Many smaller multi-paned windows graced the upper floor as well. There was also a large porch, gracefully encompassing the entire front of the house on both levels.

  Justine's first impression of the home was exactly the type portrayed in a B-rated Hollywood movie about a haunted house with its classically dark atmosphere. This led her to doubt the credibility of the homeowners. She quickly reproached herself for being so suspicious. After all, her entire career field was questionable to many.

  The surrounding neighborhood and homes were generously shaded in tall oaks, red maples, pines, and various types of beautiful native palm trees.

  Riverside was one of the oldest sections in Jacksonville, Florida. Although the neighborhood was old, it was pleasantly reminiscent of Savannah, as the homes were constantly being restored and renovated. Most of them were registered with the local historical society, the Riverside Avondale Preservation.

  Justine could definitely feel a heavy presence in the old neighborhood. Older places always seemed to have a rich history. And whether it was good or bad, historic places always contained an amount of residual human energy.

  Conroy efficiently gathered up the wandering team members once he finished speaking with the residents of the house. Having Justine working with the team now made Conroy's job much easier, it gave him time to set up-and supervise--without having to team up with someone for the investigation. He divided the men and women into three teams of two each. One person in the team would use a digital camera and the other the 35 mm with infrared film. They were to stay together and not separate from one another under any conditions.

  Before Justine could even consider potential partners, Patrick was standing at her side, still smiling pleasantly.

  “Hi,” he said softly but before she could get a chance to reply Conroy was giving directions.

  Conroy assigned different sections of the exterior perimeter of the house and property to each team and hastily sent them on their way. He and his new clients filled out the substantial but necessary pile of paper work associated with a paranormal

  investigation.

  As Justine and Patrick set off in their assigned direction, Claudia noticed her own partner, Liz, intently watching Patrick and Justine depart together. When Liz finally turned her attention to Claudia and the task at hand, Claudia couldn't be sure but thought there was a hint of pain and doubt in Liz' eyes. Older than the other woman, Claudia
sighed heavily, glad that she was past her years of youthful romance when she noticed Conroy staring at her sternly. She smiled at his stern eyes and didn’t turn away until he offered her a quick smile in return.

  Although Justine was grateful for not having to have begged for a partner, being the new employee and all, she was still a bit put off that Patrick just assumed she would want to partner up with him. Patrick walked next to Justine, staying just a little too close for her comfort. She took a side step away widening the space between them.

  "I hope you don't mind me partnering with you.” Again, his voice was smooth and seductive, “I just figured you didn't want to feel left out on your first day." Patrick's voice was rich with charm but she decided it lacked a certain amount of sincerity.

  Justine couldn't help but compare the situation to being the new girl on the first day of school. She looked at Patrick, trying to maintain a blank expression, and simply nodded at him, giving him cause to doubt his own impulsive decision.

  Justine took several photos of the house with the digital camera, enjoying its rich, intricate architecture, while Patrick quietly stood at her side, snapping pictures with the 35mm as well. Noticing that the air seemed to turn ominous, Justine glanced into the small LCD display after taking a picture of one of the small, multi-paned lower floor windows and was excited to see a rough looking masculine face in the portrait. She quickly glanced back at the window itself but saw nothing.

  Leaning into the bushes beneath the window as far as she could, Justine got as close as possible. Then with hands trembling from both excitement and fear, shot another photo of the same window. Again her camera had captured the man. He had long, wild, brown hair with a thick handle bar mustache and intense, penetrating dark eyes. Cautiously, she looked at the window again. Patrick followed her eyes curiously.

  "Did you find something?" He asked in excitement.

  Enthusiastically and without reservation, Justine handed him her camera. He glanced at the captured image of the man, whistling before he smiled, sharing her excitement before taking several photos of the window himself.