The chief nodded. “It’s all right, Lazarus. Let him stay. He needs to see these things to grow on the job.”
Lazarus nodded and looked at the corporal. “Just make sure that you do not cause any distractions while I am working, understand?”
The corporal nodded. “I understand, sir. I promise not to get in your way at all.”
“And no matter what happens, keep your mouth shut. No matter what happens. Okay?” Lazarus asked.
The corporal nodded. “Sure. I will. I promise. No matter what happens.”
Lazarus then turned to face the door again. He raised his hands and touched the top of the door frame. He then began to mumble something.
CHAPTER 2 From where he stood, the corporal glanced briefly at his boss. The chief was still busy smoking his cigar, as if he was watching a familiar exercise. It was apparent that the chief must have observed such a routine being performed by Lazarus, perhaps several times, before. It obviously was not a new thing to the chief, which explained why he was not as excited or suspicious about it as the corporal was feeling.
The corporal then turned his attention back to what Lazarus was doing on the door. He observed that what Lazarus was saying was more than an incoherent chant or mumbo jumbo. There was a rhythm and a pattern. It was an incantation.
As Lazarus chanted the incantation, he used his two index fingers to trace an invisible line from the top of the door frame down to the floor. Lazarus then stepped away from the door. As he did so, there seemed to be an illumination around the invisible line that he had traced. The illumination was yellow in colour and it glowed brightly around the frame of the door, as if someone had installed some form of neon lights around the door frame which were now glowing brightly.
The corporal could feel his heart race with intrigue and amazement. His mind was racing with random thoughts of how Lazarus was able to perform such a feat. Who is this man? the corporal was thinking.
Lazarus looked at the door. “That should hold time long enough to enable me to complete what I want to do here.”
“Hold time?” the corporal repeated without thinking. He quickly caught himself when he saw the glare in the chief’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
Lazarus patted his shoulder reassuringly. “It’s all right to get carried away, Corporal. Just don’t let anything you see carry your spirit away. That spell I cast there is going to hold back time and in the process, stop anyone who wants to gain entrance into this room. That way, I will have enough time to complete my investigation inside here.”
The corporal nodded as if he understood what Lazarus meant. But he knew that he didn’t. And he dared not ask for further clarification.
The corporal’s eyes suddenly caught sight of the wall clock. As he did, he noticed that it had stopped working. The corporal found this to be very odd. He could have sworn that when they initially stepped into the living room, the wall clock had been working. Could it be that it had stopped because of a malfunction? Or was it that time had really stood still the way that Lazarus had said it would?
Out of curiosity, the corporal glanced at his wristwatch. He frowned when he discovered that his watch had also stopped moving.
The corporal looked at his watch closely. It was not working at all. Alarmed, he brought out his cell phone and checked the timer on it. That too was perfectly still. And no matter how long he held onto it, the time did not change. Time had actually stood still. The corporal saw his boss calmly checking on his own wristwatch and cell phone before he resumed with smoking his cigar. He must have also made the same observation, the corporal thought. Without a word, the corporal quietly replaced his cell phone and kept his observations to himself.
Lazarus went to the headless corpse and knelt down by it. He turned again to look at the chief, who was still smoking his cigar. The chief looked back at him, barely batting an eyelid. Lazarus then glanced at the corporal. “Remember what I just said?”
The corporal nodded, although the look on his face showed that he was not too sure. “What you said?” the corporal repeated.
“No matter what happens, keep your mouth shut,” Lazarus said.
The corporal nodded enthusiastically. “My mouth is shut, sir. It is shut.”
Lazarus turned to the body in front of him. He then raised his hands over it and began to clap. As Lazarus clapped, he began to make some more incantations. After a while, he stopped clapping. With his lips still mumbling more incantations, Lazarus began to spread his hands over the body. He extended his hands over every part of the decapitated body from the neck down to the feet and then to the arms. Lazarus made sure that he repeated this routine several times, with his hands hovering over the body of the woman.
After a while, Lazarus stopped and stood up. He raised his hands above his head and clapped twice. As if on cue, the headless body began to glow, as a lightblue light seemed to engulf it completely.
The corporal was taken aback by what he had just seen. A quick glance at his boss made him stand his ground and not bolt out of the door. The chief was watching the whole thing with the same expression of someone watching a movie they had watched several times over previously.
The corporal turned his attention back to Lazarus, who was now clapping again. And as he clapped, the blue glow began to rise and leave the body on the floor. Gradually, the glow took on the shape of a human form. By the time the process was complete, the blue glow was the complete shape and form of a woman.
The woman stepped aside from the body and began to look around. When this happened, Lazarus stopped clapping and came close to the woman.
“I thought you wouldn’t come through quickly enough. Can you communicate with me?” Lazarus asked.
The woman turned away from the body and looked at Lazarus. “Yes, I can communicate with you, Lazarus,” she replied.
Lazarus looked around the apartment. “Okay. That is great. I am sorry that I had to bother you like this. But you see, we need some answers. Can you tell us what we need to know?”
The woman nodded and started to walk. As she moved, anyone could tell that she was not physical in form. Rather, she appeared to move like the breeze, gliding through the air like a mist rather than walking.
By now the corporal could feel his own entire body shaking like a leaf in the wind. He could tell that Lazarus was obviously more than what he appeared to be. And that explained why he could continue to act with so much poise and confidence. But the corporal couldn’t understand how his boss could still be watching the unfolding incident so calmly, with so much composure, while still smoking on a cigar like he was in his living room watching a movie and not actually watching a ghost woman moving.
And the ghost was actually moving. She floated calmly towards the set of drawers by the wall. Once she got there, she stopped and turned her gaze to Lazarus. “This is going to be a bit difficult and awkward for me. You know that I am no longer in my physical body,” the woman said.
Lazarus nodded. “Yes, I fully understand this. Is there something you want me to get for you?”
The woman stretched out her hand and pointed. “Can you open that drawer for me?” she asked.
Lazarus rushed to the drawer quickly. “This one? Sure, no problem. What am I looking for?”
“You will see a gold chain in the first drawer,” the woman continued.
Lazarus rummaged through some boxes of jewellery that were in the drawer. “There are lots of boxes here. Is there anything that distinguishes this particular gold chain from the others?”
“Yes. It is not in a box. I did not put it in a box. This gold chain is just on its own,” she replied.
Lazarus searched some more and then he found what he was looking for. He raised a small chain up and showed it to the woman. “Is it this one?”
“Yes, Lazarus. That is the gold chain.”
“Okay. Why this chain? Of all the things that you would want to show me, why must it be this chain?” Lazarus asked.
“B
ecause it is what he gave me before he decided to kill me,” the woman replied.
“He? Who is he?” Lazarus asked.
The woman turned and pointed at a table by the wall. Lazarus walked up to it. On it were a few items of stationery. There was just one picture frame. In it was a picture of a young woman and a man.
Lazarus turned to look at the ghost. “What is it I am looking for?”
“The frame, Lazarus. The picture frame. Can you see it?”
Lazarus picked up the picture frame. “Is this you?”
“Yes. That picture was taken seven months ago. Back then we were still happy together.”
Lazarus held up the gold chain. “Was that when he gave this chain to you?”
“No. He gave me the chain a couple of days ago. Exactly four days ago,” the woman replied.
Lazarus looked at the picture. He brought out his cell phone and took a shot of the picture before replacing it back on the table.
“Can you tell me anything else? Like what his motives could have been?” Lazarus asked.
“Isn’t it obvious already, Lazarus?”
Lazarus shook his head. “No, not quite. I mean, what I can see here is that you were having a nice relationship with the guy. He even gave you a gold chain, for that matter, as a symbol of his affection towards you. Why then would he want to do this to you?”
“Does anyone deliberately kill a lover by draining their blood and cutting off their head, hands, and feet?” the woman asked.
“No. It is unusual. In fact, I suspect the whole thing is linked to the dark arts, black magic, and similar stuff. Was he into any of that?” Lazarus asked.
“He wasn’t, until four days ago,” the woman replied.
“Four days ago? You’re sure he got involved with black magic four days ago?” Lazarus asked.
“Yes, Lazarus. Now that I am dead, I know for sure that it was four days ago he first made contact with it,” the woman said.
Lazarus rubbed his neck. “I see. Any reasons why your lover would want to dabble in such stuff?”
“Curiosity and seduction.”
“Curiosity and seduction?” Lazarus repeated.
“Yes. He got curious by what he saw over at a website. And the deeper he probed, the more he got entangled. Four days ago, he was completely seduced and brainwashed into thinking that if he went through with the rite, he was going to be very wealthy.”
“Wealthy? You mean all this is because he wants to get wealthy?” Lazarus asked.
“Yes. That is the lie that he was told. Unfortunately, he does not know that it is also going to lead to his own doom as well.”
“Where is he now? Where did he run to? Can you tell me?” Lazarus asked.
“You have the gold chain, which was the last item of value that he gave to me. It still has traces of my spiritual imprint on it. You can use it to direct you to where he is presently, Lazarus.”
Lazarus nodded. “Okay. I will do that. But before you leave, can you tell us your names?”
The woman walked back to the same spot where the headless body was still lying on the floor. When she got to its side, she looked up at Lazarus. “My name was Rachel. And his is Morrison.”
Lazarus nodded. “Thank you for your time, Rachel. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it, Lazarus. And by the way, when you see Morrison, ask him if he feels richer now that he has done this to me.”
Lazarus glanced at the chief and the corporal. “Yes. Sure. I’ll tell him what you said, Rachel. Rest in peace.”
“Rest in peace, Lazarus? After I have been murdered like this? Anyway, maybe when you do get Morrison, I will do just that. But for now, I will continue to wander around. I am sure you know that, Lazarus.”
“Yes. I know. We will find Morrison,” Lazarus said.
The ghost now began to lie down on the headless body on the floor. As she did, it seemed as if the headless body was absorbing the ghost. As the ghost descended into the body, it looked back at Lazarus with a smile. “I am sure you will.”
CHAPTER 3 Lazarus looked up at the chief. “We have to get going right away, Chief. We must get to Morrison as soon as possible.”
“No problem. But how do we trace his whereabouts?” the chief asked.
Lazarus raised up the gold chain. “Rachel’s spirit is imprinted on this chain. It will direct us to where he is right now.”
The chief nodded. “Okay. You know I have learnt never to ask too many questions, Lazarus. Let’s just get going then.”
Lazarus pointed at the door. “I’ll not come with you through the door. But I’ll meet you both downstairs.”
The chief nodded. “Sure. No problem. We’ll meet you outside then.”
Lazarus snapped his fingers at the living room door. As he did so, the yellow glowing light which was all around its frame stopped glowing. As the corporal watched it disappear, he turned to take one more glance at Lazarus. But he was no longer in the living room. The corporal glanced at the wall clock and saw that it had started to work again. Quickly, he looked at his wristwatch and cell phone. The time on them had also started to work again.
Just then, the living room door opened and some policemen in uniform, as well as others in plain clothes, came in.
“Gentlemen, it is great to have you here,” the chief said, extending his right hand towards one of the men.
“Yes, Chief. We are just arriving here. We hurried over immediately as soon as we got the message,” the second officer said. He was dressed in a grey suit and was wearing a pair of spectacles. “So, what do we have here?”
The chief shrugged. “I really wish I knew, Detective. I really wish I knew. No head, no hands, and no feet. And yet not a single drop of blood in any part of the apartment. This is really a weird one, believe me.”
The man frowned. “And it’s a woman. Who would ever think of doing something like this to a woman?”
“I wish I knew, Detective. Anyway, it’s a good thing you are here. You can take over. I’d better be on my way. Let me know what you eventually arrive at, especially the preliminaries, okay?”
The man in spectacles nodded. “Sure, Chief. I’ll have a report ready for you within the next couple of hours.”
On their way outside, the corporal nudged his boss’s shoulder. “Chief, why did he not come with us?”
“Why did who not come with us?”
“Lazarus, Chief. He chose not to come out through the door with us. Why was that?” the corporal asked.
“What makes you say that, Corporal?”
“But I saw it, Chief. He did not follow us out of the apartment. Is he not going with us to find the man Morrison?”
By now they had gotten outside the apartment. As they approached their patrol vehicle, the corporal saw Lazarus standing by a wall close by. The corporal was bewildered. He spun around to look at his boss. The chief did not even bother to look back at him. He just went to the patrol car and opened the door, letting himself in.
“But I did not see you come out with us. How did you do it? How did you get here?” the corporal asked.
“There are so many things that you wouldn’t understand, Corporal. But let’s just say that I used a faster means to get down here,” Lazarus replied.
“I see. You did not want to come into contact with the detectives and forensics boys?” the corporal asked.
Lazarus chuckled. “Not come into contact? Don’t make me laugh, Corporal. I mean, seriously. Do you think I am scared of your people?”
“I think so. Why did you not come out through the door with us?”
The horn of the patrol car sounded twice. It was the chief who was blaring it. “Are we going to look for Morrison or not, Lazarus? Or would you prefer to stay here all day explaining to my corporal how you do your things?”
They both got into the car. “Don’t mind me, Chief. I am amazed at the level of ignorance your corporal is displaying here. I sometimes find it amusing to see that some folks really don’t
know anything about people like me.”
The chief shrugged. “Do you blame them? He is just fresh out of police college and cannot wait to begin to solve crimes. This incident will help him understand better what is sometimes involved.”
“But, Chief, the forensics people would surely be able to find some sort of leads,” the corporal said.
“You really think so? Look, Corporal. I do not doubt their skills and prowess. But I have been in this business long enough to know a dead end when I see one, unless one of them can do what Lazarus did back there, making the ghost of the headless corpse talk and give us all that information. Unless one of them can replicate that, then this case will not be solved through conventional means, Corporal,” the chief said.
“So, they would keep on going round and round in circles?” the corporal asked.
“Not just circles, Corporal. Because that would mean that they are making some movement and perhaps achieving some sort of progress. And that is not what is going to happen. Rather, they would be stuck in the same position, which is in the same spot, in the same box. No movement forward or anywhere. Trust me. I know. Their reports will show this later on,” the chief replied.
“Okay. Now you are the ones keeping us waiting,” Lazarus said.
“Where do we go to, Lazarus?” the chief asked.
Lazarus brought the gold chain from his pocket. “The chain is going to direct us.”
“And how is it going to do that, sir?” the corporal asked.
“It will. Just watch,” Lazarus said. He then rubbed the chain within his two palms before he breathed into it. “Show us where Morrison is staying right now.”
The chain floated out of Lazarus’ hand and began to hover outside the police vehicle. It then began to move away, floating into the road ahead.
“What are you waiting for? Follow it, Corporal!” the chief barked. The corporal snapped out of his confused stare and kicked the vehicle to life. He then began to drive after the floating gold chain.
As the corporal drove, he kept on shaking his head and muttering.
Lazarus patted his shoulder. “You will be all right, Corporal. Usually others would have either run away or passed out by now. But I admire your resilience and spirit. You are not a quitter.”
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