Sam shook his head, but I could see that he was coming around. He believed in justice, and I knew he wouldn’t want someone to be punished for a crime they didn’t commit.
‘So,’ he finally said, ‘what does he want you to do?’
~~***~~
I sat cross-legged on the ground, next to the tree where I’d found the gun, and tried to clear my mind of all thoughts. It was hard—but I remembered what I had done the first time I met Elizabeth. I had simply thought about waves rolling in at the beach, and nothing else. I tried it again, and when my mind was as clear and relaxed as I could get it, I thought about Rachel, and how innocent she’d looked that first time I’d seen her wandering around in the gardens.
When I opened my eyes, she was standing in front of me. Without even looking up I knew it was her by the red painted toenails and oversized sandals.
‘Hello, Lili. I didn’t think I’d see you here again,’ she said. Her voice was sweet; like it was when I first met her.
‘Hello, Rachel. No, I must admit I didn’t expect to come looking for you again. But I’m awfully glad you’re still here.’
‘Yes, I’m going to hang around until the trial. I want to know what happens to my father. But what are you doing here? You looked quite strange sitting here, under this particular tree. Were you looking for me?’
‘Yes. Something’s happened. Something I need to tell you about.’
She titled her head, and looked at me with something between suspicion and curiosity. After a few moments the suspicion faded. ‘What?’
It worked. I had her. My fears that she might have learned to read my thoughts, the way Elizabeth and Henry could, had been unwarranted. She still seemed only able to hear what I said out loud.
‘The police have asked me about some gloves, and a note. They asked if I knew anything about them … and if I might have seen them, that night I found the gun.’
‘Gloves? And a note?’ she asked, her eyes beginning to dart from side to side.
‘Yes. I told them I didn’t know anything about them. But they think they’re buried somewhere close to where the gun was. They’re going to start digging up the gardens to look for them.’
‘Oh, no … they mustn’t find them. Thank you for telling me,’ she said, rubbing her hands together nervously.
‘Yes, well, it seemed like something you should know,’ I said, as I stood up and brushed the bits of grass and twigs off my legs.
‘You’ll help me again then, right?’ she pleaded.
‘Yes, of course, if you need me to. That’s why I came here,’ I replied.
‘Oh, thank you,’ she said, with a deep sigh. ‘We need to be quick. There’s no one here, so we can do it now, okay? ‘
‘Do what, exactly?’
‘Dig up the gloves and note—so you can destroy them.’
‘Destroy them?’
‘Yes. We need to burn them. I should never have left that note. It was so stupid of me. But I was angry when he didn’t come home.’ She stopped abruptly, confusion on her face as she thought about what to say next. ‘You must find them, and destroy them. It will only complicate things if the police get their hands on them. You’ll help me, right?’
‘Of course. But where are we going?’
‘Not far. It’s just across here, on the other side of this path.’
I followed her across the path, then down to the left about fifty feet. We both looked around, but there still didn’t seem to be anyone nearby.
‘Now, behind that big bush. That’s it … that’s the one,’ she said as I pointed to a rather large scrubby looking plant.
I dug down where she indicated and sure enough there was a black plastic bag. It wasn’t buried as deep as the gun had been—this time it was just a few inches under the surface.
I opened the bag slowly using a small twig, careful not to disturb it any more than necessary. Inside I could see rubber gloves and what looked like a bit of paper.
‘Now, you’ll take them away and burn them, right? Or better yet, do you have any matches with you?’
‘Matches? No, I don’t have any matches with me. And I actually have to go to work right now. But I’ll come back when I finish work, and bring some matches. Now that I know where to look, I’ll find it again easy enough.’
She looked at me suspiciously, and I half expected her to demand that I destroy them then and there. But instead, she just stared at me, and her eyes narrowed a bit. When she spoke, her tone was soft and slow. ‘Okay. I’ll wait here. When will you come back? Will it be dark?’
‘No, it won’t be dark when I finish work. But that’s probably a good idea. I should come later—after it gets dark. It will be safer that way.’
‘Okay. I’ll be here, waiting for you.’
With that she disappeared, and I wasn’t sure whether she’d actually gone, or whether she just chose not to allow me to see her any longer. Either way, I thought it best to leave the plastic bag back in the shallow hole and re-cover it with the soft soil.
~~***~~
When everyone left the change-room to start work, I quickly rang Detective Bradshaw. Even though she sounded unconvinced she agreed to meet me after work to retrieve the plastic bag. I then rang Sam.
‘The detective is going to meet me at The Cauldron when I finish work, and come across to the gardens with me. It’ll be fine Sam. I’ll be fine. I’m sure you’d rather not meet her.’
‘This doesn’t feel right to me.’
‘Why? It’ll be fine. Rachel thinks I’m not coming back until dark. She’s not likely to be there. And even if she is, she can’t hurt me, right? You said so yourself. That time I met the three that had just been killed—you said they couldn’t hurt me and that I shouldn’t be afraid of them.’
‘Did I say that?’
‘Yes, you did.’
‘Okay. Well, just be careful. And don’t walk back to the house by yourself afterwards. Stay with that detective. I’m sure she’ll be in a patrol car of some sort. Ask her to drop you back at the house. I’ll be here waiting for you.’
‘Okay. If that will make you happy, that’s what I’ll do.’
‘Happy? I’m not sure I’m happy about any of this, but I’ll accept that. You make sure she drops you right out front.’
‘Yes, sir,’ I replied, laughing.
‘I know you think I’m over protective, but it’s for your own good.’
‘I know. And I love you for it. It’s sweet.’
‘Sweet. Yes, I’m sure.’
‘It is sweet. Now, I better get to work or that slave-driver boss of mine may give me the sack,’ I laughed.
~~***~~
The afternoon dragged by, but eventually the show came to an end and the kids started packing up to leave. Half an hour later, the tables were all cleared and I went into the back to change out of my costume. As I came out to the front desk, Detective Bradshaw stood there waiting. She wasn’t in uniform so I hoped the others would just think she was a friend. I hadn’t even told Michael about any of this, and wanted to keep it as quiet and low key as possible. Really, I just wanted the whole thing behind me.
When we walked out to the street her partner, who must have been waiting in their car, joined us.
‘Ms McIntyre, you remember my partner, Detective Johnson. Shall we get this over with?’
I nodded at the detective, and then pointed up the hill. ‘Just follow me. It isn’t far.’
The detectives followed me up the path to the place where the plastic bag was buried. I only had to point and Detective Johnson did the rest. He put on some latex gloves, dug down and pulled out the bag.
‘I take it this is it?’
‘Yes, that’s it,’ I said, rather than the Uh, duh? that I was thinking.
‘Have you touched it?’ he asked, looking at me as though I was some silly child.
‘I tried not to—I used a stick to open it, to confirm that it really was the gloves and note before I wasted your time. But I’m pretty sur
e I didn’t touch it with my hands.’
‘Okay. We’ll need you to make a statement again. Another vision was it?’ he asked. Again, with that look like I was a stupid kid.
‘Not exactly,’ I said, hesitating.
‘No? Then, exactly, how did you know where to look this time?’ asked Detective Bradshaw.
‘It was Mr Shaw. He told me there was another bag—he said it had evidence in it that was very important to his case. He told me where to look.’
‘Yes? Well, you’ll need to come to the station for a full statement. I won’t hold you up this afternoon, but can you come in tomorrow morning?’ she continued.
‘Of course—whenever you like.’
I’d just finished speaking when I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye. Rachel flew up the path in a wild rage, arms flailing about like a madwoman. Her arms were swinging around, obviously trying to make contact with me—trying to hit me. And she screamed, ‘Liar! Liar! How dare you lie to me?’
I’m not sure what my face looked like, but the detective noticed something. She took my arm, offering me support.
‘Are you alright Ms McIntyre? You look like you’re going to faint.’
‘LIAR,’ Rachel’s shrill voice came again. ‘How dare you lie to me? I’m going to get you for this. You’re gonna regret this for the rest of your life. I’ll get you!’ Rachel continued to scream, over and over, so loud that I thought for sure the detectives must be able to hear it.
But neither of the detectives seemed to notice anything. Detective Bradshaw just continued to stare at me with mild concern on her face.
‘No. I mean, I don’t feel well. I think I should go home,’ I finally answered.
As soon as I’d said the words I regretted it. Would she follow me? Would Rachel follow me home? I prayed that she wasn’t able to go that far. Would it be the same for her as it was for Elizabeth? Would her ability to travel be restricted?
‘Certainly,’ she said, turning to her partner. ‘Stay here and wait for forensics will you? I’ll just assist Ms McIntyre home.’
She walked me back along the path toward the road, with her hand still under my elbow. Rachel followed us, screaming the whole way. I wanted to put my hands over my ears, but wasn’t sure it would help even if I did, and I didn’t want the detective to think I’d completely lost my mind, so I did my best to just put up with it.
When I pointed out where I lived, she asked if I would be okay to get home on my own. But then she seemed to change her mind and said she’d walk with me. So we walked. And Rachel circled and screamed in my ears the whole way. I prayed she’d hit this invisible shield or force-field or whatever it was that prevented Elizabeth from going beyond Sam’s tree. But it didn’t happen. She just kept following and screaming. It was so loud I found it hard to concentrate on the detective, but eventually we made it to the house. Sam opened the front door at the same time that I opened the gate.
‘Is it alright for me to leave you here?’ the detective asked, looking up at Sam.
‘Yes, this is my husband. I’ll be fine. I’m sorry to have troubled you with this.’
‘Oh, it’s no trouble. I’ll see you at the station tomorrow—say around ten-thirty?’
‘Yes, that’s fine. Thank you again.’
Detective Bradshaw stared at me for a moment and then turned and headed back to the gardens. Rachel, on the other hand, stayed right where she was. Sam took one look at her, then pulled me inside and slammed the door. Rachel came through the door as though it wasn’t even there. She simply hovered in the hallway—glaring. Thankfully, she stopped screaming. She just glowered at both of us.
‘Don’t mess with me, little one,’ said Sam. I’d never heard his voice so low and terrifying.
‘You think you can threaten me? What are you going to do? Bite me? Yeah, right!’
‘You leave my wife alone. I’m warning you. Get out of our house, now!’
‘Make me. Come on, vampire. Make me leave. Let’s see what you’ve got. Can’t figure this one out, eh? I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to haunt the pair of you forever. YOU LIED TO ME. I don’t like being lied to.’ The last bit was directed at me. All her childlike innocence was gone. This was something much more horrifying that faced me now. I was scared, and she knew it. The sinister smile was back.
‘I’m warning you. Get out of my house.’ Sam growled, his eyes brilliant red now.
‘Don’t threaten me, vampire. You can’t do anything, and you know it. But I can. I’ll find someone to help me. I’ll find someone and I’ll get you—both of you. You’re going to die, liar.’
I’d never seen Sam like this. I could almost feel his anger, as if it was a solid force. I felt sick—because it was happening and because it was my fault.
Then I thought of Elizabeth. She might be able to help. If anyone could deal with Rachel, it would be another ghost, right? I’d purposely not involved her for fear that Rachel would be suspicious, but now I regretted that decision.
‘Come on, Sam. Let’s go. If she wants to stay here, fine. But we don’t have to. Come on. Let’s go find Elizabeth.’
‘I’m not being chased out of my house by a stupid little ghost,’ he said, his voice still low and angry, ‘no matter what sort of temper tantrum she throws. I’ll get her out. Give me a minute—I’ll figure something out.’
‘I’m sure you would, but let’s just go. Please. Let’s go find Elizabeth. Maybe she’ll know what to do.’
‘Elizabeth can’t help you. She’s no match for me— she’s a wimp. Don’t go pinning your hopes on her, you fools,’ Rachael replied, her voice horrifying and malevolent.
I grabbed Sam’s hand, and pulled him toward the door. He followed, although it was obvious he didn’t want to. When we were outside, Sam slammed the door behind us. But Rachel simply walked right through it, once again screaming at me and calling me a liar.
I wanted to run, desperate to get to Elizabeth’s bench. But Sam had a strong hold on my arm and made me walk, calmly and slowly. I squirmed free of him, and pressed my hands hard up against my ears, but as I’d suspected, it made no difference. Her screams were still deafening.
When we got to his tree, he stopped. Within just a few seconds Elizabeth appeared, with a curious smile on her face. It was a beautiful afternoon—no wind, the sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect. If it hadn’t been for Rachel running round and screaming with an intensity that belied her small form, Elizabeth would no doubt have thought we were just out for an afternoon stroll.
But within a fraction of a second the look on her face changed, and it was obvious that she understood everything. Then she quickly disappeared in the direction of Henry’s tunnel.
Rachel just laughed, then started running around us faster and faster. This went on for what seemed forever, but it was probably just a minute or two.
Then I saw Elizabeth return, followed by other ghosts who arrived in groups of two or three. Some I recognised from the celebration we held right here by Sam’s tree, the night they banished Zunios. And of course, Henry was with them. They didn’t come right up to us, but kept a small distance—maybe ten to twenty yards away from us. And as more and more arrived I realised they were forming a very large circle around us.
If Rachel noticed the ghosts arriving, she didn’t let on. She certainly wasn’t put off by their presence. She just continued running around and around, laughing and screaming hysterically. If anything, her racing just got faster—her feet no longer even pretending to touch the ground. In between laughs she still screamed at me, ‘Liar, Liar, LIAR!’
None of the ghosts spoke. They just stood quietly—watching. I wasn’t sure what they would do, or even if they could do anything at all. But their presence made me feel better, if only for the moral support. I scanned their faces and was surprised by how calm they all seemed. Or maybe dazed was a better description. Perhaps even they were at a loss as to how to control her. They didn’t even seem to be trying.
Bu
t then something changed. The air seemed to get lighter. Or maybe softer is a better word. Can air be soft? And there was this sound—this indescribably beautiful sound. It was sort of like music, but not music; just sound.
I looked at Sam, and the expression on his face told me he didn’t know what was happening either. Then I looked at Elizabeth, and her face was serene. Her eyes were lowered and her hands were folded in front of her. When I looked around at the other ghosts, they had struck the same pose as Elizabeth. It was like respect. But respect for who?
Rachel continued to race around us, faster and faster, still screaming and heckling, seeming unaware of the change. But the beautiful sound continued, and the air around us started to grow brighter. It was as if light was descending upon us in the form of a very fine mist—reminding me of spray from a perfume bottle. And there were little stars in the mist. No, not stars—small, coloured lights that were bright at the centre, with edges that were soft and blurry. These lights radiated in beautiful shades of blue and green and yellow and violet—the colours of a rainbow.
As this mist or light or whatever it was descended, the beautiful sound that was like music, but not quite music, got louder and louder, until eventually it smothered the sound of Rachel’s screams. Yet it didn’t hurt my ears the way her screams had. It was soothing, comforting.
And as the screaming faded I could see and hear everything more clearly. The whole scene around me became sharper, more intense. It was like I could see—really see—for the first time in my life.
As I stared in awe at this magical scene, the mist grew denser, and the little coloured lights got closer and closer together. I could now see an edge, where the light ended—just beyond the line of the ghosts that stood across from me. Then, as the mist got denser still, it seemed to move in closer to us—its edge now in front of the ghosts. And as it came in closer and closer, it seemed to take on the appearance of a beam. Rachel must have felt the denseness of it, as her circling slowed until finally she stood in front of me—her mouth still shouting silent screams at me. And as I watched, the beam became narrower and even denser again until eventually it took in only Rachel.
Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2) Page 11