The Fourth Power

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Did you see him?” Vivien asked.

  “Is Travis here?” William looked around as if he could find his nephew, even though they all knew he wouldn’t.

  Heather nodded, unable to speak.

  Lorna pulled her into a hug, helping to keep her upright. Her hands stroked Heather’s back.

  “What is it?” Martin asked. He held Jan in his arms as she held on tight to his neck.

  “Her son,” Vivien answered.

  “She saw her son,” Lorna said at the same time.

  “Come back, my sweet boy,” Heather insisted, willing him to appear.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” Jan cried. “He made me promise to help him. Don’t be mad at me. I had to help my friend.”

  “Shh, baby,” Martin soothed. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

  When Heather met his eyes briefly, she saw his fear. It was obvious that his daughter had something to do with the fire. However a the-ghost-made-me-do-it defense would not play out well in court.

  Then again, maybe her son was also to blame for the fire.

  Now that Jan was safe, Heather looked in the direction of her house. The flames were slowly coming under control. It appeared like most of the damage was focused on the back of the house near her son’s bedroom.

  She had just looked inside the room. Everything had been the way he’d left it. The toys he had touched, the bed he’d forgotten to make, the shoes shoved in the corner, all of it was in there. And now it was gone. She could care less about her tax documents and high school yearbooks, or any number of material items. But her son’s room?

  Heather couldn’t hold the tears at bay any longer. So many emotions whirled within her that it became impossible to keep them buried. She was still so angry that Trav had been taken from her. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. What had she done to deserve this?

  Her life had stopped that day. It ended a happy marriage. It cut short a beautiful life.

  All the lists in the world were not bringing her back from this moment. For a decade she’d been hanging on by a thread. Somehow having that room the way he’d left it kept her close to him. Like some deep illogical part of her believed he might come back. Someday. Somehow. Even as a ghost, he would be her son. His room would be waiting for him. She would be waiting for him. For all eternity.

  These thoughts had never fully formed before now. Heather had not been aware of what she’d been doing, not completely. But now that it was gone, she felt the loss as greatly as the moment it had happened.

  “It’s not your fault,” Lorna whispered. Both she and Vivien touched Heather, feeling the emotions raging inside her. There was no hiding from her friends. They could read all her secrets even if she didn’t want them to.

  “It’s just a room, Heather. It’s just a house,” Vivien said. “No one can take your memories from you.”

  “He doesn’t want to see me,” Heather answered. “He’s here and he can show himself, but he doesn’t want to see me. He went to her.”

  Heather looked at Jan, ashamed of the jealousy she felt. She knew Jan was just a child, and it wasn’t her fault. But it hurt. Badly. Her son had gone to Jan, not her. In the afterlife, he had to know that Heather had gifts and that she had been looking for him. She’d called out to him so many times.

  “I can’t believe that’s true,” William countered. “Your son loves you. You were a terrific mother.”

  Lorna and Vivien continued to hold onto her. Heather was thankful for their support. Without it she would’ve fallen to the ground in a heap of emotion and not gotten back up.

  Jan’s shoulders shook as her father continue to hold her. Her lips moved, but Heather couldn’t hear what she was saying. Martin nodded and patted the girl’s back. Heather looked at him expectantly.

  Martin had a hard time meeting her gaze. He looked at the ground. “She says that…”

  “What?” Vivien prompted when it became clear Martin would not finish the sentence.

  “She says that the fire wasn’t her idea,” Martin answered with a deep breath. He glanced at Heather and then back down at her feet. “It was your son’s. He begged her to set the fire for him because he couldn’t. He said he tried. He doesn’t want you living in that house anymore. He doesn’t want you looking at his room and crying.”

  “He doesn’t want to see you so sad,” Jan’s tiny voice added. “He made me promise not to let you go back there. He said…”

  “What?” Heather pushed out of her friend’s hold and stepped closer to Martin and Jan. “What did he say? Tell me. Please.”

  “He said his dad had a new baby to take care of,” Jan answered. “He wants you to have someone to take care of too.”

  “Ben has another child?” Heather looked at William. “I hadn’t heard.”

  William shook his head, indicating he knew nothing about it.

  “I bet that’s why mom tried to get me to send pictures to Ben out of the blue the other day. She probably heard the news and wanted me to talk to him so I could find out for myself.” Heather ran her hands through her hair. Staticky strands stuck to her skin from the use of magic. “She should have just told me.”

  A light vibrating sound came from William’s pocket. He pulled out his phone.

  “Mom,” William said.

  “Take care of it?” Heather begged. “I can’t right now.”

  William nodded but didn’t answer the phone right away. “We should let the police know we found Jan and that she’s safe. I’ll go tell them.” He held up the ringing phone. “And I would be surprised if mom isn’t by the firetrucks freaking out because she can’t find us. I’ll take care of it.”

  William answered the call. “Hey, Mom, are you here? Where are you? I don’t see you.”

  “We will need to say something to the fire department about how this happened,” Vivien said. She looked at Martin.

  “I…” Martin had set Jan on her feet but kept his arm around her shoulders. It was apparent none of them were sure what to do.

  “We can’t tell them what happened,” Heather said.

  “They know we’re looking for Jan,” Lorna said.

  “We lie our asses off,” Vivien stated. “We’ll tell them William was mistaken. Jan was supposed to be at your house tonight, Heather, but you had to run an errand for work, so you dropped her off with me instead. In the confusion, William thought Jan was still in your house because she got scared by the fire and hid, and we couldn’t find her.”

  “No one will be surprised that Heather is upset and a little frazzled. I mean, it is her house,” Lorna reasoned.

  Heather rubbed her face. Her swollen sinuses and burning eyes made it unmistakable that she had been crying.

  “What if they investigate and realize it’s arson?” Martin asked. “They might think you had something to do with it, Heather.”

  “Jan, how did you start the fire? Matches? Did you use gasoline or anything to make it bigger?” Vivien asked, trying to determine what the investigators might find when this was over.

  Jan shook her head. “He told me to plug in the heater in his room, put a blanket over it, and open the window. The blanket caught fire and then made the wall spark.”

  Martin closed his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

  “Okay, I say the plan is to lie our asses off and hope they think it’s an electrical fire,” Vivien decided for the group. “If we all stick to our stories, then they’ll have to believe us.”

  Heather was glad somebody was thinking clearly because her thoughts were all over the place.

  “Heather has no criminal history. She’s not in financial trouble. There’s no motive for her to set her own house on fire,” Lorna added. “She is a valued member of this community. She does so much for the people here. I’m sure many would stand up in protest if they tried to pin this on her.”

  “This might not be the best plan we’ve ever come up with, but it’s the only plan we have right now,” Vivien said. “T
ry to say as little as possible tonight. In all the chaos, I’m sure we can get out of making statements until later, but if we are asked questions, then we know what to say. Jan, honey, if anybody asks you a question just start crying and refuse to answer. Don’t say anything to anyone about this. Do you understand?”

  Jan nodded.

  “I’m going to need you to say the words. Say that you understand,” Vivien insisted. “This is very important.”

  “Yes,” Jan whispered. “I understand.”

  “Good girl.” Vivien nodded at her in approval.

  “This feels wrong on so many levels,” Martin said. “But I don’t have a better idea of what to do. Thank you for trying to protect my daughter. I…” He sighed. “Just thank you.”

  “Heather, you should be seen.” Lorna motioned that they should go back toward the firetrucks. “We’ll stay with you. Then when this is over, you’ll come home with Viv and me. You should not be alone tonight.” Lorna looked at Martin. “Actually, I don’t think any of us should be alone tonight. You should bring Jan over to our house as well. That way, we can all keep an eye on her. If she tries to leave, the motion sensors will go off and alert Vivien’s phone.”

  “Yes. That’s a good idea.” Heather nodded. It would be safer for all of them to stay together, but Heather had other reasons as well. If her son came back to talk to Jan, she wanted to be there. She needed to see him. She needed to know that he was all right. She needed him to know that she loved him.

  Jan’s hand caught her attention.

  “Jan, show Lorna your cut,” Heather said.

  “What cut?” Martin looked down in surprise as Jan lifted her hand.

  “That looks deep,” Lorna said. “Does it hurt?”

  Jan gave a slight nod.

  “What happened?” Martin asked.

  Jan shrugged.

  Heather held out her hand to Lorna. “Transfer it.”

  “What it?” Martin frowned.

  “Want to see a magic trick?” Lorna asked.

  Jan stared at her, eyes wide and unsure.

  “This might tickle,” Lorna said, taking Jan’s hand in her own. Heather could tell that Lorna was planning on keeping the injury for herself.

  Heather grabbed Lorna’s free hand. “No tricks. You’re giving it to me.”

  Lorna frowned but didn’t argue. From the outside looking in, it appeared as if nothing happened. There was no great magical show of lights. It looked like the three of them were just holding hands. Heather felt the tingling where they touched. Jan made a slight noise of surprise. The injury flowed from Jan’s hand through Lorna to become embedded in Heather’s palm. Instantly the wound stung and throbbed.

  When Lorna finished and released them, Heather stretched her fingers to test the injury.

  “Dad, look.” Jan held up her uninjured hand to show him.

  “What…? How?” Martin took Heather’s hand in his to look at it.

  “Lorna is a healer,” Heather said. “You have enough to deal with right now.”

  “And you don’t?” he countered.

  “I can take care of a cut better than she can.” Heather watched him trace along the edge of the wound. “I’ll clean it out and superglue it shut later.”

  “You really are something special,” Martin murmured in amazement. “After everything she’s put you through, you’re still trying to help her.”

  “From the sounds of things, both of our kids are to blame for what’s happening,” Heather said.

  “Can you teach me how to do that?” Jan asked Lorna.

  “I’m not sure I can,” Lorna answered. “I think maybe we need to talk about controlling what you can already do before we start trying to add new things.”

  “Then it’s decided,” Vivien stated. “Slumber party at my house tonight. And Heather, you’re living with us until you decide what you’re going to do. Don’t bother protesting. There is no way in hell we’re letting you be alone right now.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The smell of charred wood and wet ash overpowered every other scent. There appeared to be a distinct line of demarcation between the front and the back, from the front door that looked untouched to the charcoaled remains of the back. It was as if a fiery dragon had taken a bite out of it. Inside the damage might not be as clearly defined, but she wouldn’t be able to look until the fire department cleared the site.

  In the light from the firetrucks, she saw the sheen of dripping water against piles of rubble. That had been her office, and her bathroom, and her son’s room. Oddly, the toilet had survived, but the roof had caved in on the sink and shower. She found herself staring at the porcelain throne amidst the ruin. There was a joke in there somewhere, but she was too tired to think of it.

  “The utilities are turned off,” Officer Bacuzzi informed her. “Do you have any valuables in the home that need to be secured?”

  My son’s room, but that’s gone now.

  “The fire safe in the office.” She pointed to where the office had been. “And the antique jewelry box on my bedroom dresser. There’s also some cash in the nightstand.”

  “I’ll have the guys secure those for you before they leave,” Bacuzzi said. “Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”

  “Shit.” Heather grimaced as she thought of her nightstand.

  “What?” Vivien asked. “You’re doing great.”

  “My silicone boyfriend is in the nightstand,” Heather muttered so only her friends could hear.

  Lorna nearly choked on her bottle of water.

  “I shouldn’t have told him about the cash I keep in there. I’m never going to hear the end of this.” Heather put her hands on her head. “Dammit.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Vivien moved to follow Bacuzzi. “Bac, wait up!”

  William appeared next to Lorna, pausing to kiss her cheek. He held out an array of candy bars. “Eat these.”

  Heather grabbed one, not bothering to look at what kind she chose. After a séance and the emotional aftermath, she desperately needed the sugar.

  “Where’s mom?” Heather asked.

  “I told her you hadn’t eaten all day and suggested she make some casseroles for you tomorrow to help out. She needed a task,” William said. “Troy went with her to get the groceries. He’ll drop mom off at home and then bring take out over to Vivien’s for us. I didn’t think you wanted her hanging around asking questions and trying to hold you while you’re making a statement to the cops.”

  Bonnie had hugged her for nearly five minutes, talking about how scared she was when the fire department called her and said they couldn’t get ahold of her baby girl.

  “You’re a really good brother.” Heather bit into the candy.

  Lorna took a couple of candy bars from William and held them out as Martin and Jan approached. “Eat these.”

  Martin took them from her. “Jan?”

  Jan took a candy bar and went to sit on the curb.

  “All good?” Heather asked.

  Martin nodded. “They didn’t ask much. Just verified that Jan was safe.”

  “You should eat that chocolate. You have to be drained.” Heather took another bite.

  “The sugar helps after we…” Lorna glanced to see if Jan could hear them. “After we talk to Julia.”

  Vivien returned. “I took care of it.”

  Heather took her at her word. “Thank you.”

  “Candy?” William held out his stash.

  “Yes, please.” Vivien grabbed one and tore it open.

  Heather looked at the tired line of her friends and began to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” William asked.

  “I don’t know.” Heather shrugged. “Just us. Eating candy, here, now.”

  “Okay, I think it’s time we got you home,” Vivien said.

  Bacuzzi returned, carrying her jewelry box. “The guys are bringing out your safe. Do you have some place you’d like to store it?”

  “I’ll pull my truck around
,” William said. He took the jewelry box from the officer and then left to fetch his vehicle.

  “I’ll make sure patrol cars keep an eye on the house until you can get a crew out here to board up the back. The fire department will send someone out to look at the damage first thing in the morning. They’ll call you with the all clear. Depending on what they find, a detective could contact you for a follow-up. In the meantime, get ahold of your insurance.” He pulled a card from his uniform pocket. “Give them my email. I’ll have a report number assigned tomorrow so you can get the ball rolling. And make sure you keep receipts for anything you spend regarding this or items that you have to replace. Trust me. You’ll want those for your insurance and your tax accountant. My cousin learned that lesson the hard way.”

  “Thank you.” Heather took his card. “I appreciate all you’ve done tonight.”

  “I’m just glad no one was hurt,” Bacuzzi answered. “I have everything I need. You’re free to go.”

  Heather looked at Jan. The girl held a candy bar, but it didn’t look like she’d eaten much.

  “You heard the man,” Vivien said. “There’s nothing else we can do tonight. Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I think I can sleep for a century.” Heather fell more than sat on the couch next to Martin. She had borrowed Vivien’s pajama pants and t-shirt. Her hair was damp from her shower and had wet the back of her shirt. She was too tired to care. “Jan has had a bath and is asleep on Vivien’s bedroom floor. Lorna made her a fort out of blankets and chairs. I’m not sure who liked it more. Viv fell asleep in there with her.”

  Lorna was with William in her bedroom. Vivien had made up a bed for Martin on the couch. The only person missing was Troy, but after he’d brought them all burgers and fries, he went to his own home next door.

  “Are you sure this isn’t a bother?” Martin asked. He had used Lorna’s bathroom to clean up. His hair had started to dry. Vivien had borrowed sweatpants and a shirt from Troy for him to use. The t-shirt fitted a little snug across the shoulders.

  “You know that saying, takes a village? Well, like it or not, we’re your village,” Heather said.