Truth Is Found

by Morgan Kelley

  “He needed to see you again. He didn't get to say goodbye to you, and that’s keeping him here. He also wanted to meet him,” she said, pointing at Beau.

  Neither of them moved. “Prove he’s really here,” Tori stated. “He used to call me something, and no one in this room knows it. No one but Trey, my dad, and myself know. If you hear him, tell me the nickname.”

  She went quiet, slowly pulling her arm from Beau’s fingers. The second she did, she was awash in shouts. She grabbed her head. “Sprout. They called you sprout!”

  Tori stepped back. She was shocked.

  “He said you used to follow him around, sprouting up behind him everywhere. Your father used to call you that, not him. He gave you the name and it stuck. He simply called you Tori.”

  She was telling the truth.

  “He said ask your spirit guide,” she said, wavering on her feet. “Trey said you need to ask her. I can hear her in the background, trying to get you to listen to her. She said you never listen. You promised but never listen to her. Shit! She’s pouting like a child.”

  Julian stared at her.

  This was way more than he ever saw coming. The woman, if a fake, just got lucky.

  REAL lucky.

  “What’s her name?” Tori asked, finally able to speak. No one would know it, unless they were family.

  “Bethany.”

  The wind chimes on display began moving, tinkling in the invisible wind. Tori could hear the music, and she could feel the cold fingers of Bethany’s hand on her skin.

  ‘Truth,’ she whispered into Tori’s ear.

  That was all she had to hear. “Trey, are you really here?” Tori asked.

  “Yes,” the woman replied. “I was killed in battle, and I died before I could tell you goodbye.”

  Tori’s eyes filled with tears. She could fight this, or she could believe it. The woman was spot on, and there was no way she could have guessed any of that. Those weren’t things she could research. “I miss you.”

  “I’m here,” Nyx said, channeling him. Her head was pounding, and she couldn’t wait to get this over with. “I’m not in pain, sprout.”

  Tori let the tears fall. She couldn’t believe this. Never, did she ever think to ask Bethany if Trey was around. Her hope was that he’d passed on to a better place.

  “Are you the one here telling the spirits I can help?” she asked.

  “Yes, but then I realized how dangerous it is. You need to go. Have Julian take you home. Leave. Please leave. I’ve made a mistake bringing you here.”

  Her husband didn't move.

  He wasn’t sure what to do. While he wanted to scoop her up, he wanted to stay and hear the rest.

  Nyx took a seat.

  Her face was a mask of pain as she kept speaking for Trey. “Veronica is a beautiful name. She’s going to be a beautiful child. You will be a good mother, sprout. Don’t worry about what our mother did. You’re not her. We aren’t her.”

  She wept, but Tori didn't stop her. She couldn’t. Honestly, she needed to know. In order to stop being afraid of motherhood, she needed this.

  Nyx turned in her chair toward Beau. “You need to take care of our sister,” channeled the woman. “She’s your responsibility now, Beau. Don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t, Trey. I promise. I’m sorry for what our mother did to you and Tori.” He didn't know why he needed to say it, but he did.

  “Kid, life is too short for regrets. Go with your gut. You’re here for a reason. I don’t hate you for what she did. Tori will tell you that if I was there, I’d love you too. You’re my blood and that matters. In the end, it’s all you have. Hoorah.”

  He didn't know what to say.

  Beau was shaken, but not in a bad way. He’d always wished he could talk to his big brother, and now he’d been given the chance.

  “Now go home.”

  Tori wiped her eyes. “I can’t, Trey. Three dead girls need me. If I go, they’re going to follow. I’ll never get away from them. I have to do this.”

  There was silence from Nyx as if she was thinking--or Trey was thinking.

  “You’re stubborn, sprout. The killer is around still. He’s stopped killing, but only because he’s afraid. You have to find them. Once you do, you can find him.”

  Tori regained her focus. “Is he the same person trying to sabotage the vineyard?” Tori could hear the buzzing in her head, and suddenly it stopped.

  “No.”

  Nyx glanced up, pain etched across her face. “Your spirit guide is screaming in my brain. She’s pissed you’re cheating on her with another ghost.”

  Julian would have laughed if this wasn’t so terrifying. He was worried about his wife, their baby, and all of their sanity. This was obviously a test.

  They were going crackers.

  “Bethany, I’m sorry. I promise I’m not cheating on you. It’s my brother. Just give me this reunion.”

  There was a loud knock.

  Obviously, she got it.

  Nyx sighed. “Thank you. She was just as loud as him.”

  Tori moved closer. “Did he suffer?” she asked, needing to know about his death.

  There was laughter, but it wasn’t the woman’s. “I didn't see it coming, sprout. There was a blast, and then I was here.”

  That gave her peace of mind.

  “So, if I find these girls, I can find the person who did this, and they’ll be free?” Tori asked.

  The lights in the room flashed. Obviously, they were there too.

  Nyx spoke up and her voice had changed again. This time, it was childlike and so filled with pain, that it nearly overwhelmed all of them. “We’ll go. We’re somewhere dark and damp. Please help us. We want to go home. We want our mommies.”

  That broke Tori’s heart.

  “Tell them I’ll find them.”

  The lights stopped flickering.

  “Be careful, sprout. You need to be careful. I love you.”

  Nyx leaned back in the chair, her own tears falling. She was spent, and she needed it to end. “I’m sorry. I can’t channel him anymore.”

  Her head was pounding, and she could barely see.

  “Trey come back!”

  But it was too late.

  He was silent.

  Julian wrapped his arms around his wife. This had to be a very hard night for her. Nothing in their lives prepared them for this, and they knew it.

  No one was sure if this was a curse or a blessing.

  Tori had some closure, but it also opened up new wounds. She’d heard him, she’d had that moment with him, but now he was gone.

  AGAIN.

  “I need to speak to him. Bring him back.”

  Nyx shook her head. “It’s not like what you do, Mrs. Littlemoon. You go to them. With me, they live inside me, using my energy. I’m empty. Trey wanted that message to get to you, and he promised to leave me alone if I delivered it.”

  She didn't want to hear that.

  “I need to talk to him some more.”

  “I’m sorry, but he’s not here right now. I channel, and they use my energy to come through. I can’t. I don’t have a spirit guide like you do. They pop in and out, and I don’t control what they do. Maybe you can come back another time.”

  Nyx knew it was a lie, and that wasn’t going to happen.

  She could still hear him screaming in her head, and he wasn’t going to keep up his end of the bargain. She knew he wouldn’t. When the dead were reunited with their loved ones and they found a way to come through, they never left.

  She’d learned that with the others who came through. Nyx was done. She didn't want to do this anymore.

  “We should go, Tori,” Julian said. “Thank you for your help, Ms. Nightingale. We appreciate it.”

  The woman simply closed her eyes as she tried to breathe through the pain.

  Beau watched her.

  She was suffering, and he didn't know what to do. His gut demanded that he go to her, but his brain said follow Julia
n and Tori out of there.

  He went with his brain.

  Beau walked away.

  Outside, he stood by Tori at her SUV. “I can’t believe this.”

  Yeah, neither could she.

  This was something so crazy that it was throwing her for a loop. Wiping her eyes, she regained her composure. Tori didn't want to weep over this.

  Hearing from Trey was a good thing.

  She didn't feel off in her gut anymore. Now she had a piece of her puzzle, and she was going to be fine.

  “Tori,” Julian began.

  “No, I’m okay. Really. I needed this. I know you’re going to tell me to go home, Jules, but we can’t. We have to do this.”

  He agreed. “So let’s do it. Tomorrow, we go looking for bodies.”

  “Tonight,” she replied.

  Julian laughed. “No, you and I are going back to our room, we’re going to regroup, get a plan together, and then we can play corpse detectives.”

  She was willing to do that. “Beau, do you want to come with us? We can sneak you in and there’s a couch.”

  He shook his head. As much as he wanted to be right there with his sister, since his brother’s spirit told him to watch her, he was compelled to do something else.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to hang out here. I want to watch Ms. Nightingale for a bit. I need to think some things through.”

  Julian was a man.

  He knew what his brother-in-law was thinking about, and none of it had to do with Trey’s message.

  “Just get some sleep some time tonight. Tomorrow, we have to wander around the vineyard. We have work to do,” Julian added.

  “Gotcha. I’m going to hang out here for an hour. She didn't look good after channeling Trey.”

  Tori went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Beau. I’m so glad you came into my life.”

  He hugged her. “I love you too, Tori. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Beau stated before setting her free. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  Julian slid behind the wheel as his wife buckled in. “Are you really okay, Tori? You can tell me how you feel.”

  She glanced over at him, pulling her hair free from the ponytail. “At first, I thought I’d be in pain, Jules, but oddly, I’m invigorated. There’s an afterlife, and we have a chance to help people who need us. I’m proud of our life. I’m proud of us.”

  He leaned over and kissed her.

  “Let’s get you to bed. Oh, and I’m proud of my wife. She’s tough, bad ass, and always a surprise.”

  Tori smiled as they pulled away from the shop. She still needed to think, but she didn't have to pretend. She did have a gift, and from here on out, she was going to use it wisely.

  For them.

  For the lost.

  For those who had no voice.

  This was her calling.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Moving through the shop, he dug through the ledgers and files to find something he could use. Unfortunately, there was nothing there. He wanted to find the old gold and religious icons, which the monastery left behind, but he couldn’t locate them.

  He desperately wanted to sink them.

  Yes, he wanted to become rich, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

  As he opened the cash register, he found the money still in there. It always amused him that the owners didn't count the till until morning.

  Well, he’d help himself with some of the cash. You never knew when it would come in handy. It would help line his nest egg, and he’d have a bigger bankroll.

  As he was shoving bills into his pocket, he didn't hear her come up behind him. When she touched his shoulder, spinning him around, he was scared.

  “What the hell?” he blurted.

  “So it’s you! You’re the one sabotaging us! How dare you!”

  He didn't know what to do.

  It appeared that he was caught. Instead of saying anything, he grabbed a bottle of wine off the counter and used it.

  All it took was one swing, and she stopped shouting. The sick thud reverberated through the room as she fell to the ground.

  He stood there holding the bottle in his hand, shocked at what he’d just done. There was the scent of copper pennies filling the air, and he was beginning to panic.

  He’d never taken a life before, and she appeared to be most definitely dead.

  God!

  What was he supposed to do?

  Carefully, he wiped the unbroken bottle down with a towel before placing it back in its place. Next, he lifted her up in his arms. He needed to hide the body, and fast.

  When she moaned, he worried even more. Not only did she know the truth, but also he’d tried to silence her.

  Shit!

  She would talk.

  All he knew was that he had to finish the job, and soon.

  There was no way she could survive to spill her guts to the cops.

  He didn't want to do it, but what choice did he have? She would give him away, and he couldn’t go to jail for murder.

  Then it hit him.

  He knew where to place her.

  It was somewhere no one would ever look.

  He was pretty sure she would stay hidden there for a very long time. Racing into the winery, he made his way to her new spot. He would have to silence her forever.

  There was no choice.

  “I’m sorry, Pearlie, but you know too much.”

  When he dumped her into the barrel, the red liquid woke her. As she began struggling to get to the surface, he held her under until the bubbles stopped. Only when all life leached from her did he set her free. Her hair floated to the top, forming some stained halo around her, but he didn't care.

  Instead, he hammered the lid securely on before rolling her to a not so distant corner. Once it was done, he knew he was home free.

  This bought him time.

  No one would think to look for her there.

  He almost wanted to laugh.

  By the time they found her, he’d be on his merry way, and with all the monastery’s treasure.

  That cheered him up.

  This little sordid secret of his would go unnoticed, and he was good with that.

  Sneaking out into the darkness, he headed away from the scene of the crime.

  It was time to keep looking for anything that might lead him to the artifacts.

  He needed to find them.

  He wanted the money so damn bad.

  It was worth a killing.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Shopping for Fate

  An hour had passed, and he was getting tired. The lights stayed on in the shop, and he assumed she must live upstairs. So, instead of stalking her, Beau was going to go home.

  While waiting, he’d made notes about the case, but all the while, he’d been dwelling on the woman inside.

  There was nothing he could do for the rest of the evening, so he’d cut out.

  Just as he pulled out, he noticed the lights went off inside the storefront. Parking again, he watched her exit from the shop to head toward the thick trees behind her place.

  Beau found that odd.

  What the hell was she doing?

  There was nothing beyond her shop but trees. Certainly, she couldn’t be out for a midnight stroll.

  It was nearly eleven at night, and no one in their right mind would go wandering in the woods. She didn't even have a light. Either she knew where she was going, or she had a death wish.

  He didn't know what to do.

  She really wasn’t any of his business, so he should head back to the hotel to get some sleep.

  As soon as he started the vehicle again, the silence inside his car was broken by the radio coming to life.

  Beau nearly jumped out of his skin. He may have even aged a few years.

  The channels surged from station to station, stopping only briefly punctuate five specific words.

  ‘You. Have. To. Save. Her.’

 
; He stared incredulously at his radio. This couldn’t be happening.

  Then again, after what he saw today, he couldn’t really be shocked or surprised. This had to be his brother.

  “Trey?” he asked, hoping to get an answer.

  The radio kept flipping channels.

  ‘Hurry. She. Needs. You.’

  It said it all.

  Well, this had the potential to be awkward if she was just taking a stroll. It appeared that he didn't have a choice. The dial was going crazy, repeating the word ‘hurry’ over and over again.

  Pulling back into the lot, he raced toward the trees. Beau wasn’t sure how far of a head start she had into the woods, but if his car radio insisted, he was going to listen.

  There was no doubt in his mind that it had to be his brother.

  Who else could it be?

  He’d had that vehicle since he’d been back from the military, and it certainly never did that before.

  As he hurried through the trees, he could hear the water rushing up ahead. There had to be a bridge or some sort of waterfall.

  Pushing through the trees and into the clearing of thicket, he slid to a stop.

  Standing on the one hand rail of the rickety old bridge was Nyx.

  She was poised to jump.

  He wasn’t sure why she was doing it, but there was no way he could let her. As the cold breeze tickled his neck, he didn't doubt who was urging him on.

  “I got it,” he muttered.

  Beau sprang into action, racing toward her. As she leaned forward, toppling over the edge, he knew there was only one thing to do.

  He was going for a late night swim.

  CHAPTER Seven

  Nyx just wanted it to stop.

  All she needed was for the voices to go away, so she could rest in peace. Like she initially believed, Trey wasn’t going to be silenced all that easily.

  The opposite was true.

  Now he was more determined than ever to force her to do his bidding. Trey wanted to connect to his family even more.