“It’s okay, Phillip. I have nothing to hide, but I really am feeling uncomfortable. Please be up front with me, Officer Talbot. Why do you need my DNA today? Could medical records suffice?” Phillip watched the detective carefully. Something was happening with Elena. He could feel her beside him and almost see . . . something. The detective’s demeanor changed as he seemed to reach a decision.
“What is your blood type?” He asked her.
Elena swayed a bit and Phillip pulled out a chair for her. She sat and answered the detective. “B positive.”
The detective nodded. That information helped him reach a decision. “I need some medical records to back that up. Both James Jones and the orderly were male and type O blood type, but a third source of blood was also found on the scene, from a female. If you are truly B positive, you are not a match. A DNA test could rule you out. We are still waiting on some final details from the medical examiner’s office. Will you consent to the DNA test? It is only a cotton swab along the inside of the cheek.” Elena paused for a moment to consider. This whole situation was surreal, but since she knew it would not be a match to her DNA, it didn’t really matter. So she agreed, and the Officer did the swab. Maybe her cooperation would keep him trusting Elena. Maybe he would keep her informed. “If I have any more questions, I will contact you,” he said as they shook hands before leaving.
Monica joined them in the car while Jacob took off for work. Elena asked Phillip to drive and she slumped in the seat. On the way home, they talked everything over. Monica was surprised and a bit angry that the detective had asked Elena for a sample. Elena waved it off and asked her what she needed to do to get the paper work documenting her blood type. Officer Talbot had said comparing the DNA would take some time and proof of her blood type would still be appreciated. They decided to drive by her doctor’s office on the way home to fill out the necessary paperwork. The doctor could fax the information if she signed a release. While they were waiting at the doctor’s office, Elena leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for humming your song for me back when we were talking to the detective. It helped me . . . make it through all that.” Phillip was a little bit lost. He kissed the top of her head. He was glad that the song had helped her, but he hadn’t hummed it. It stayed on his mind the whole way home.
Chapter 20
All final grades were posted online, and the semester was finally over and done with. It was already time to shift gears and start getting organized for the summer session. At least, that’s what Elena was using to help her . . . move on, she guessed. She had failed Evenfall, as had the county hospital system and the police department, and nothing could change that. Eventually, she hoped she would learn something from the whole tragic situation. She had also decided that she would do some looking on her own to try to find out more about Evenfall’s background. If she could find the county home where the picture was taken, maybe she could figure out who the girl in the picture was. She felt she owed it to Evenfall. Someone, other than Elena, a person he had talked to only a few times, needed to know what had become of him. Surely, someone out there was missing him? Perhaps this girl was the closest thing to family that Evenfall had. She felt as if she had gleaned all the information from Officer Talbot that she was going to get right now. She was surprised that he told her as much as he had. A part of him must intrinsically trust her for her Projection to have worked as well as it did. She hoped he was not questioning too much his sharing of information with her, little as it was. She had the impression he wasn’t one prone to sharing much at all. He had too much respect for his job to jeopardize a case by leaking potentially harmful information. Elena Sensed he was a good and dedicated man. She had a lot of respect for him, despite finding herself as a potential suspect. The fact that the detective held some manner of trust for her, yet still pursued her as a suspect, made her a bit worried about the case. Perhaps he had no other leads? She hoped Officer Talbot was just incredibly thorough. Just in case it was the former not the latter, her first stop was visiting the hospital where Evenfall had died.
She would apply for an internship. It might even help her in the long run with her degree. If she wanted to go into counseling, which was her most recent plan, it was actually a perfect place to work. She hoped she would be able to be hired on to assist in an activity room. If not, she supposed she could volunteer. She had already researched the facility online. They had activity and rehabilitation therapists who might need assistance. There were no job postings online, however. Still, she thought it more plausible to get her foot in the door if she had a résumé and played the college student looking for a job. It wasn’t too far from the truth. She could always ‘settle’ for volunteer work later. She looked over her résumé one last time, and then turned off her lap top. Hopefully, once she was there, she would be able to talk to the people who may have been around. She sighed. This was a plan that, at best, would take a long time to develop. It felt as if her guilty feelings over Evenfall, the gruesome pictures of his last moments replaying over and over in her head, were all she could think about. Maybe taking this first step would help her to concentrate on anything else.
She drove over to the hospital, glad that none of her roommates were home when she left. She didn’t have to feel guilty about giving vague answers about where she was going. “I have an errand to run” often didn’t cut it with Monica. Phillip probably would have wanted to go with her if he hadn’t been making up for lost time practicing with his band. Their visit home had lasted longer than planned.
She checked her skirt when she got out of her car. She had dressed professionally in one of her few ‘interview’ suits. Stepping out in to the heat, she immediately missed the car’s ac that had been blowing full blast. She hoped she wasn’t too sweaty when she finally got inside. There was a welcome desk and overall the place was nice. She had learned from her research online today that most of the facility was focused on outpatient services. There had been a shift over the last few decades, one that she considered positive, that moved the focus away from hospitalization for psychological conditions. It concentrated instead on minimizing inpatient stays and providing outpatient services ranging from partial hospitalization to offering varieties of support groups. This was a relatively new facility and only a small portion of it was dedicated to inpatient hospitalized care. It did still have that medical smell she found unpleasant. To her surprise, she recognized the girl working the desk from some of her classes.
Elena searched her memory. “Hi, Karen, right? I didn’t know you worked here.” Karen went on to explain that she worked in a couple of the departments as needed, but had definitely sought out this facility to pad the experience portion of her curriculum vitae in the hopes of furthering her clinical psychology career. As Karen talked on about the limited hours she was getting in the areas that truly interested her, especially lately she emphasized, Elena didn’t try to hide her disappointment.
“I guess you had the great idea of interning here long before I came up with it.” Elena shrugged and asked where she could turn in her résumé anyway, since she had made the drive out here. Karen directed her to the office where she could drop it off with a smile that was part smug and part sympathetic. Elena went to the office and tried not to feel too glum. She could still volunteer. She had known working here was a long shot.
She stopped by the desk to say goodbye to Karen on her way out. “I get to take a ten-minute break if you want to grab a quick cup of coffee. We have a small gift shop that sells a decent iced mocha if you have the time.”
Elena had Sensed Karen’s excitement as she walked up. She wondered what had changed her mood in the few minutes that Elena had been gone. She agreed to the coffee, adding, “I’ll buy if you promise to put in a good word for me should it ever come up.” She waited while Karen put out a little sign that stated she would return shortly, then followed Karen to the gift shop.
They made a little bit of small talk while they waited for their coffee orders to be
filled. They discovered they had one class in common the first summer session. Elena wondered again at Karen’s excitement, though she didn’t have long to wait. As soon as they sat down, Karen leaned forward and began whispering conspiratorially about a murder that had occurred in the inpatient section of the facility. She related that originally the thought was that an inmate had killed an orderly and then himself, but that the theory had changed. Karen was enjoying being on the fringe of such a juicy piece of gossip. “I am friends with the receptionist on the inpatient floor. Her name is Jayne. She wasn’t working that night, thank God, but she was working on a couple of different nights that the patient who died had a visitor. They have video cameras and they pulled some pictures of this woman who had visited him. The police asked her all about the woman and have shown the picture to everyone working here. My friend is so freaked out. She thinks the woman is a suspect! Possibly a murderer - and she met her! I didn’t recognize her, though. Before this . . . event, I hardly had to work the welcome desk.”
Elena made the appropriate noises and expressions to keep Karen talking, fighting down the anger she felt at Evenfall’s tragedy being reduced to gossip. She wanted Karen to give her all the information she had so did her best to look as if she was hanging on the young woman’s every word. “Wow, who is the woman? What do you know of her?”
“Not much. From what I figured out, I don’t think I was working on either of the days that the woman visited.” Karen was actually disappointed. “Anyway, Jayne told me her name was Mandy Jones. She said she looked like a regular person, maybe a little bitchy, although most people coming to visit aren’t exactly here because it’s their idea of a good time.” They talked a little more as they finished their iced coffee. Then it was time for Elena to leave and she made her way back in to the heat outside.
At least she had learned a little. She had already known that a woman was somehow involved, but now she had another name to add to Evenfall’s. The woman had the same last name as him. Maybe they were related, or she could be the girl from the picture. There were two bodies, but three people had bled there. She could be another victim, but she could also be the killer. Elena took the exit that would bring her by the grocery store instead of going straight home. She would pick up some food and then maybe take off to the library to do some research. She had a town and a couple of names to Google.
She made it home and Phillip was there to help her unload the groceries. He talked about his day practicing as they put them away. It was cut short by the cousin, Shane. He had been dating someone he was keeping secret from the other Dixons. This mystery girlfriend had been sick or hurt. The story wasn’t very clear. Phillip didn’t seem too upset about it, but it was pretty clear that the other two hadn’t been as understanding. She felt Phillip watching her.
“Elena, I’m glad we’re home to talk. I have some things I want to ask you.” His mood was serious, but clouded with a little suspicion. “But I think my questions may have to wait. Why do I feel like your mind is a million miles away?”
She came over and kissed him. “Sorry. I was listening. Shane has a secret girl on the side, and it is interfering in practice time.” She kissed him again, long and slow. There had been several lonely days and nights that they had not made love after hearing about Evenfall. She was so very glad that time was quickly over. She began to slide her hands under Phillip’s t-shirt, but was surprised at what she Sensed as he stepped back. Hurt tinged with anger. How had she hurt Phillip? “What’s wrong, Phillip?”
“You avoid my question. What has you so distracted? You feel so far away from me. It’s a good thing I can hear my music, or I would be so . . . ” He trailed off. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it left her mind as he continued. “I miss you, Elena. I doan want to feel this way anymore.” He stood back with his arms crossed. She must have been distant. She had definitely been distracted. He had been reading her so well lately. Perhaps she had been Projecting.
She chewed her lip and thought about what to say, how she could deflect his questioning. She looked at him standing across the room, leaning back slightly against the wall. A bit ashamed of herself, she decided on the truth. Out came the story of the visit to the hospital and her plans to try to find some background information on Evenfall. Phillip listened patiently. The hurt lessened.
Finally, Phillip spoke. “I want to say this as nicely as I can. You are not part of the police department. Look up things on the internet, fine, but leave the detective work to Officer Talbot.”
Elena readied some arguments in her head. Before she could speak them, Phillip broke in with, “Do you think Officer Talbot is a bad detective? Does he seem incompetent to you?”
She shook her head no. “Doan it seem like he’s goan to follow all the leads and not stop until he gets his answers? He is even checking up on you.” He had a point. “When he gets all the lab work, he will see that you are definitely not a suspect, and he’ll have more to work with to find the real killer.” Now his voice became very gentle. “That’s if this James Jones guy isn’t the real killer himself.” He closed the space between them and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“Elena, I know this is hard for you. You wanted to help this guy, but he is not your responsibility. And this is not an area you know anything about. You’re not the police. They have been trained and you have not. Tell me I am wrong that Officer Talbot doesn’t feel like a war hymn playing. He is full of integrity and determination. He woan stop until he exhausts – well, everything. The leads in the case, himself, everything. I have a hard time liking him – he’s suspicious of you” Phillip made this part sound like a crime, “but I respect him.”
Elena thought over what he had said. These were all very astute observations from Phillip. He characterized what she had Sensed from the detective. What he said about a war hymn, well that sized up the detective perfectly. As she was mulling all that over, Phillip added, “I feel bad for this James guy, too, but I’m no goan to let it come between us.”
He was right. She felt ashamed again. Wasn’t it just a short while ago when she feared she would lose the life she had built here? All the people she had built it around? Now it seems, she was taking it all for granted, ignoring those who mattered most to her. “I’m dropping it. You’re right. About the detective. And about us. I’m so sorry, Phillip.” She smiled up at him, “I have a lot of making up to do.”
Phillip grinned down at her, “I like what I’m hearing. Keep talking, cher.” But his lips met hers and there were no words to be said. He picked her up and laid her back on the kitchen table. They both laughed a bit as he pushed an empty grocery bag to the floor while she peeled one off her back. She was about to suggest they move to the bedroom, but Phillip settled between her legs and was kissing her again. Her skirt had ridden up and he used his hands to push it up further. She had on a button down shirt and his fingers were busy unbuttoning it. Elena suddenly desperately needed to be closer to him, to get some contact with his skin. Even as she kissed him she realized with a shock that she had been keeping him at arm’s length, almost pushing him away. She managed to get his shirt up to his chest but he pulled back some. She raised up on her elbows. Phillip was still standing there between her legs and his expression was a mix of lust and wonder. “Elena, doan move. Look just like that. You ok with pictures, cher? I want to save this moment.” She was still processing what he was saying when the latch in the front door turned.
Elena Sensed a huge spike of humor, as the bright blue happy color of laughter drifted through the room. “Damn, that’s hot, my friends.” Jacob’s voice came to her ears as Elena quickly pulled the ends of her shirt together. “But you know, we all eat at that table.” More laughter from Jacob.
She wasn’t doing a good job of covering herself up. Phillip came up with a much better solution. He scooped her up with her legs wrapped around him and made a beeline for the bedroom. “Go get your own woman,” he tossed over his shoulder. He was laughing on the inside too, t
hough.
“She’s working, my man. I got to settle for sexting,” she heard Jacob’s voice through the closed door of her bedroom accompanied by his footsteps heading upstairs.
Now that they were alone, they both looked at each other and burst out laughing. The easy smiles and laughter slowly faded as they continued undressing. Elena’s light hearted moment of happiness was being replaced by something more primal. Her breathing started coming in shorter, more shallow breaths as the anticipation built. She loved looking at him. He had such beautiful, clean lines. She traced her hand along his shoulder, watching her fingers trail down his arm. When she reached his hand she intertwined her fingers with his. She meant to pull him towards the bed, but he pulled her up against him instead, bringing the front of their bodies into full contact. The heat was delicious and dizzying.
He kissed her and she was lost. Somehow they ended up on her bed, legs and arms tangled up in skin. And then he was inside her, sliding in and out. Elena had become pure sensation. No thoughts were even possible. She had no idea of the passage of time. She could feel him orgasm inside her and she came with him. From somewhere, she heard Phillip’s song.
Chapter 21
Classes had finally started for the first summer session. Elena was doing her absolute best to pay attention. It was so unlike her to have to try to concentrate on her studies. She had two very loud thoughts that were occupying her mind making attending lectures difficult. The first was that she had heard Phillip’s song while they were making love. She wasn’t sure how that was even possible. He certainly hadn’t been playing his guitar at the time. The other was something Phillip had said. She still didn’t understand it. It had been something like, ‘if I couldn’t hear my song.’ Surely they were somehow related. But what did that even mean? She sighed. She needed to just ask him, she decided for about the hundredth time. He would tell her what he said in the kitchen and what he meant by it. As for hearing his song out of thin air . . . well, she had to be careful about that subject. If she talked to him about that he could learn too much of her life, and learning too much could change his life forever. She felt Phillip was committed to her. Once she opened the door, though, it could not be closed. She didn’t feel she had the right to make that decision for him.
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