by Becky Durfee
With that, he glanced in her direction. “You’re going to have to clarify what you mean by that.”
“The spiritual leader went by Jove. Maybe this particular person went by the name Tree or something, and when Dr. Wilson asked for the spirit’s name, he didn’t realize Tree was actually a legitimate response as opposed to a defiant sarcastic remark.”
Zack shrugged and frowned as he considered the notion. “True. Or perhaps when they asked for the spirit’s name, Addy replied with, ‘fuck you, asshole.’”
“I guess we’ll have to find out,” Jenny said as her phone rang from inside her purse. As she fished her hand around her bag, she added, “Remind me to ask him about that.” She found her phone, putting it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Jenny, it’s Kayla.”
“Oh, hey…how’s it going?”
“Okay. I was just wondering how things were progressing for you and when you planned to come back.”
“We’re on our way back now, actually.” Somehow Jenny got the impression that the question had been loaded. “Did something happen that we should be aware of?”
After a sigh, Kayla admitted, “Matthew made another appearance, wanting to know exactly how old Julia and Mary were.”
Jenny cringed outwardly as she braced for the rest. “Did you tell him?”
“The doctor did, yes.”
“And how did he react to that?”
“He didn’t say anything when we told him that Julia was dead, but when he found out Mary was still alive and in her sixties, he demanded to see her.” She paused before adding, “And soon.”
Chapter 9
“I knew it,” Jenny said, banging on the steering wheel as soon as she hung up with Kayla. “I knew Matthew would want to speed things up.” Suddenly, she was upset with herself for not making a bigger case on his behalf.
“What happened?” Zack asked.
“It seems Matthew made another appearance while we were gone, and Dr. Wilson followed his old routine of showing pictures that made Mary grow up slowly. After a couple of photos, Devon looked at him and asked, ‘where are they now?’ According to Kayla, Dr. Wilson hemmed and hawed a little bit, but Devon insisted he answer. Long story short, he now knows that Julia is dead and that Mary is a grandmother…and he insisted on seeing Mary as soon as possible. I guess he doesn’t want to waste another minute.”
“I can’t say I blame him for that. Fifty-some years is a long time to be in limbo.”
“Agreed,” Jenny said with frustration evident in her tone. “I knew that before, and I yet didn’t do anything about it.”
“You can’t possibly be beating yourself up over this,” Zack replied with conviction. “You’re the reason Matthew is getting any answers at all.”
“No, I’m not,” she protested. “That honor belongs to Devon.”
“Devon drew pictures of trains on fire. You took it from there.”
She strummed her fingers but said no more on the subject. Dwelling on what she should or should not have done—or who deserved credit—wasn’t going to get her anywhere. At this point, she needed to focus on where things were going, especially since the case seemed to be progressing in a hurry. “Kayla said Dr. Wilson is working on arranging a meeting with Mary.”
“That ought to be interesting,” Zack said as he returned his attention to his phone.
“Interesting, indeed,” Jenny muttered. Her mind began contemplating all of the different scenarios that could possibly unfold during the meeting, some good, some bad. She wondered what Devon’s demeanor had been like when he insisted on seeing Mary. Had he been angry? Was he pleading? Or was he simply matter-of-fact? Jenny wished she had asked Kayla that question.
After many miles in silence, Zack finally spoke. “I found a website that has a record of the people who died at Eden that day.”
The morbid nature of that list was not lost on Jenny. She wondered whether those were the names of people who had willingly committed suicide or if they were the victims of one of the largest—and most subtle—mass murders in history. “Oh, yeah?”
“I’m finding one of these names to be especially interesting.”
Jenny became instantly curious. “What name is that?”
“Robert Morton.” Zack seemed proud of himself.
Jenny, on the other hand, was only confused. “Why is that name interesting?”
“Do you remember the article I read to you? That lady named Thelma was sympathetic to the cause?” She remained silent, so Zack continued. “Thelma Morton?”
After it had been spelled out for her, she was finally able to make the connection. “Oh…A relative, maybe?”
“It’s possible. It says here that Robert was only nineteen; maybe Thelma had been his mother?”
Jenny mulled it over. “That depends on how old Thelma was.”
“I think that might be a good question for the world’s greatest private investigator.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too,” Jenny said as she handed Zack her phone. “Can you dial Kyle Buchanan for me? He’s a contact.”
“We’re slated to meet up with Mary tomorrow afternoon,” Dr. Wilson announced as he took a seat in the hotel’s restaurant, joining Jenny, Zack and the Moores at a table. “She will bring her children and grandchildren with her, but we will hold off on having them come into the room until after we see how things go with Mary.”
“How do you expect they will go?” Kayla asked quickly and nervously.
“Fine,” Dr. Wilson said emotionlessly. He sipped the water that the others had ordered for him. “He’s given us no reason to expect otherwise.”
Kayla didn’t look appeased.
“Even though I presented the offer for us to come to her, she decided to make the journey herself. She said it would give her something to do rather than sit around and wait for us to arrive,” Dr. Wilson continued.
“Where is she coming from?” Jenny asked.
“Montgomery, Alabama.”
“But that’s far,” Jenny protested, “and she’s older. Won’t that make for an uncomfortable trip?”
“Ummm…” Zack said. “Are you implying the drive would be more comfortable for you?”
Jenny thought about her numb backside after the relatively short journey to Georgia and simply giggled at her own suggestion.
“She said her son would drive her,” Dr. Wilson explained, “so she should at least be more comfortable as a passenger. Besides, I made the offer more than once, and she insisted.”
With a shrug, Jenny decided to drop it. “Okay, so how will this unfold?”
“Well, I’ve arranged to use one of the meeting rooms in the hotel lobby, although the goal is to keep it casual. I just wanted us to have some privacy and a little more space than the guest rooms provide.”
“Will I be able to stay with him?” Kayla asked, her nerves apparent on her face.
“Absolutely. We want this to be as comfortable and natural for Devon as possible.”
With that statement, Kayla’s expression relaxed a notch.
“But how do we know Matthew will even be there when Mary arrives?” Zack asked. “He seems to come and go as he pleases…what if he’s not making an appearance at that moment?”
The doctor shrugged. “It’s always possible, but I whole-heartedly believe that Matthew will come around when Mary enters the room.”
Zack remained confused. “How will he know it’s Mary? Last he knew she was nine. Now she’s a grandmother. It’s not like he’ll necessarily be able to recognize her.”
Dr. Wilson cracked a rare smile. “You’d be surprised; the parental bond runs deep.”
Jenny placed her hand on her belly.
“How do we act when she comes in?” Kayla asked.
“It’s largely hands-off,” Dr. Wilson explained. “We sit back and watch how it unfolds.”
“But what if it gets…” Kayla couldn’t seem to find the word she was looking for.
Holding up his hand
, Dr. Wilson said, “If things start to become tense, we can have Mary step out of the room, although I don’t see that happening.”
Kayla covered her mouth with her hand as she shot a worried glance at her son. The parental bond did indeed run deep.
Having much more experience and substantially less invested in the matter, Dr. Wilson remained scientific. “I’d like to record the encounter.” He turned to Kayla before adding, “With your permission, of course. The camera will be off in the corner; it should be rather inconspicuous.”
Kayla silently nodded her approval. Jenny imagined that was the least of her concerns.
“I guess it all really comes down to show time,” Zack noted.
Dr. Wilson’s gaze met everyone else’s at the table. “It all really comes down to show time.”
Kayla wrung her hands as Dr. Wilson set up the camera in the corner of the meeting room. Devon sat innocently at one of the tables, his attention focused on his tablet. He was blissfully unaware of what was about to transpire.
“Are you okay?” Jenny whispered to Kayla.
She nodded in return, releasing a deep exhale. “I just want this whole thing to be over. The whole thing. I want the meeting to be done, and I want Matthew to go away and leave Devon alone.”
Jenny’s first thought was that if Devon had the gift, Matthew may have just been the first of many encounters for him. However, she didn’t want to bring that up at the moment. She simply rubbed Kayla’s back and said, “Hopefully, it will be over soon.”
Kayla seemed to appreciate the support.
Jenny continued to talk so she could keep Kayla’s mind occupied. “Mary seemed nice when we spoke to her in the lobby.”
“Yes, she did,” Kayla agreed. “She looked scared to death, the poor thing.”
“This can’t be easy on her, either.”
“No, it certainly can’t.”
“She’s got her family here, though,” Jenny said. “That has to be comforting.”
Kayla nodded. “It does.”
“Okay,” Dr. Wilson said as he walked away from the camera. “I’ve got the video recording, so at this point I think it’s time to let it happen.”
Jenny could see Kayla’s hands trembling as Dr. Wilson walked toward the door. He turned around to survey the room as he posed, “Is everybody ready?”
Kayla released another deep breath and said, “Let’s do this.”
Dr. Wilson excused himself out the door, returning with a very nervous Mary, who took tiny steps into the room as her eyes fixated on Devon. The tension was palpable.
At first, Devon didn’t look up from his tablet, completely unaware that anyone had entered the room. After a subtle gesture of encouragement from Dr. Wilson, Mary cleared her throat and softly said, “Hello.”
Devon’s eyes immediately raised, his face remaining expressionless for quite some time. Hours seemed to tick by as he studied Mary’s face without saying a word. The silence was eventually interrupted by Devon’s tiny, awe-filled voice announcing, “You look like Nora.”
Jenny immediately shifted her gaze to Mary. Although Jenny had never heard the name Nora before, Mary seemed to know exactly who Devon was talking about. Tears pooled in her eyes as she let out a nervous laugh and said, “So I’ve been told.”
Rising from his seat, Devon walked slowly toward Mary, who sat down in a nearby chair so she could look at him at eye level. The two stared at each other as Mary clearly fought her urge to cry. Jenny felt unable to breathe, and she could only imagine the feeling was a million times worse for Kayla. She slipped her arm around Kayla’s shoulder, pulling her in tighter for support.
“Your eyes look the same,” Devon noted in a hushed tone.
The apprehension that had filled Jenny’s body was quickly replaced by sadness. She imagined very little else about Mary resembled the little girl Matthew once knew. Her smooth, unblemished skin was now wrinkled; her brown hair had turned gray. But eyes don’t age, and Matthew was able to find that one trace of the child he had loved more than life itself and spent more than a half-century trying to find.
It took every ounce of energy for Jenny to maintain her composure.
Mary was unable to refrain from crying. “There’s so much to tell you,” she blurted through sobs.
Devon reached out his little hand and placed it on Mary’s shoulder. She rested her hand on top of his, closing her eyes and allowing the tears to fall freely. “I didn’t know you were still here,” she said.
“I couldn’t find you,” Devon replied. “I looked everywhere.”
Mary nodded. “I know you did.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
She let out a little laugh that appeared to be a mixture of anguish and dismay. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m just sorry you didn’t escape the accident.”
Jenny could see the sudden change in Devon’s expression; he looked like he was having trouble understanding what Mary had just said. “The accident?” he asked.
Mary’s demeanor also switched, but from sad to nervous. She glanced quickly at Dr. Wilson before returning her focus to Devon, explaining, “Yes…the accident.” She swallowed before adding, “The train explosion.”
In an instant, Devon’s face went blank. Before anyone had the chance to act, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his little body went limp.
Chapter 10
Kayla shrieked as Mary grabbed hold of Devon’s arm before he hit the floor. She held his seemingly lifeless body upright while every adult in the room rushed to his side. Within seconds, he opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly, looking around him to try to get his bearings. He noticed Mary supporting him, and his face immediately changed to show his displeasure that she had her hands on him.
Kayla scooped Devon up and spun him around, sitting him on her hip as she looked him in the eye. “Are you okay, baby?” she asked, clearly wearing a mask of bravery so she wouldn’t scare her son.
He nodded slowly, raising a finger and pointing at Mary. “Who is that?”
“That’s Miss Mary,” Kayla explained. “She’s a very nice lady. You don’t remember talking to her?”
Devon shook his head before leaning in and wrapping his arms around his mother’s neck. She squeezed him tightly, the look on her face indicating that she would have given anything to make this whole situation go away. They remained in that embrace for several moments before Dr. Wilson’s voice permeated the room, stating the obvious. “I think maybe it’s time we take a break.”
A break. Jenny wondered if Kayla was going to allow this to continue at all. Considering everything that had just happened, she wouldn’t have faulted Kayla for putting an end to this meeting and heading straight back home.
Jenny’s eyes caught a glimpse of Mary, who remained motionless in the chair, looking white as a sheet. Feeling bad for her, Jenny approached and squatted next to her, placing her hand on Mary’s shoulder. She could feel the trembling. “Are you okay?”
Mary lifted her gaze to meet Jenny’s, helplessness apparent in her eyes. Her voice was little more than a whisper when she said, “I just don’t want to do anything that will hurt that little boy.”
“I know you don’t.” Glancing back over her shoulder, Jenny noticed that Devon had since let go of the death grip he’d had on Kayla’s neck and was playing with her earring—a notion which provided Jenny with a good deal of encouragement that he was unharmed by the ordeal. Turning her attention back to Mary, she lightened her tone and stated, “He looks like he’s doing better already.” To get Mary’s mind off the topic, she added, “So, who is this Nora that you look so much like?”
Mary smiled and looked at her lap. “My grandmother, on my mother’s side. I have always favored her. When you look at pictures of us at the same age, the likeness is uncanny.” Her tone grew more solemn as she noted, “I guess I’m about the age that my grandmother was the last time my father saw her.”
Commotion from behind Jenny caused her to
turn around. Devon had climbed down from his mother’s arms and was running in circles around a table. Jenny smiled, focusing her attention back on Mary. “I guess that means he’s doing okay.”
Mary looked beyond Jenny to the hyper little boy, hanging her head and closing her eyes in relief. After taking a moment to regain her composure, she softly noted, “You know, my father was not a hurtful man at all. He’d never do anything to harm anybody, let alone a child. I don’t know what caused that little episode, but I can assure you it’s nothing my father did deliberately.”
Jenny nodded and smiled compassionately. “I know. I have already gotten that impression about him.”
Confusion clouded Mary’s expression. “I wonder what made Devon faint, then.”
“I don’t know,” Jenny confessed, “but I can try to find out.”
Dr. Wilson had busied himself with his camera, a notion which Jenny found to be a bit cold considering what had just happened to Devon. Although, the behavior didn’t surprise her considering she had concluded a long time ago that Dr. Wilson’s bedside manor was virtually non-existent. Marching over to him with purpose, Jenny asked, “Any idea what happened over there?” The irritation in her voice was a little more pronounced than she had intended it to be.
Apparently pleased with the status of his camera, Dr. Wilson took several steps away from it and said, “My guess would be a rapid retreat.”
“Rapid retreat?”
“We’ve witnessed it before,” Wilson added, “although with less consequence.”
Jenny didn’t say anything; the doctor took the hint and continued. “When Matthew hears something he doesn’t like, he tends to withdraw. It appears this time he withdrew so rapidly it caught Devon off guard. In the previous instances, Matthew has left slowly enough that Devon has been able to recover in what appears to be a seamless transition. This time, Matthew’s departure was rapid—so rapid that, for a moment, neither Matthew nor Devon was in charge. I believe what you witnessed was a momentary lapse between the time Matthew left and Devon returned.”