Stolen Dreams

by Stacey Kennedy

  I exhaled in relief from his reply. That silence was awkward, I was glad it was over. Besides, I found him intriguing and wanted to know more. “Tell me, what did you like about the job so much?”

  “Not sure if I can answer it.” He looked at the ground before he raised his eyes again to answer. “Just loved the adrenaline, the mystery in it, and the end result of catching a killer.”

  It was hard for me to understand since it seemed dangerous and depressing. Even I could get pulled down in the dumps if I’d help too many ghosts in one month. The loss and sadness they suffered was pretty soul draining. To see what the family goes through, the despair they endured, it wasn’t the job for me. But part of me could understand some of it. “So you liked the rush of it?”

  Kipp inclined his head, followed by winked. “A rush only equalled to one other thing.”

  I ignored his drawback to regions south, focusing the conversation away from naughty land. “Do you have any family...?”

  That started a conversation which lasted the rest of the walk as I learned all about his life. Little things that made him who he was―younger sister, parents still married, his days at college, what he did for fun, baseball, hockey, golf―just an endless amount of information about who this man was. There was nothing said that came up in a big red flashing sign shouting avoid him. If anything, it only made my resolve to have no interest in him harder to fight against.

  Kipp’s definition of a few blocks and mine, were way off. The walk took an hour, but it passed in a quick flash.

  My questions were endless as were his. I was sure we could have talked the entire night, but the conversation ended when we arrived at Hannah’s house. A two story, middle class home with two-car garage on the front that was located on Elysian Drive.

  “Come on, let’s see if she’s here.” Kipp waved me forward, headed off toward the home.

  “Are you forgetting something?” I stated, not moving an inch.

  He glanced back at me, his eyebrow arched in apparent confusion. “Not that I am aware of.”

  “I ain’t dead.” I squeezed my arm to show I was still flesh and bones. “I can’t go lurking around someone’s house. I’ll likely be arrested. You go and bring her out here.”

  Kipp flashed a smart-ass grin, “She probably won’t believe me unless you are there.” He waved me forward again. “Besides, you’re with a cop, why worry?”

  My arms folded across my chest, to prove my stance on this. He couldn’t win every time he wanted me to do something. “Because the cop is a ghost and can’t do a damn thing to help me if I get cuffed.”

  His eyes hooded, a smoulder formed within them, his grin a sultry promise. “Cuffs…now that sounds like a great idea.”

  A blush rose to my cheeks. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Closing it, I hated the fact that he knew how to get at me. Every time I disagreed, he used something sexual to lure me in. Dammit, I hated having a weakness. I huffed, glared and walked forward hearing him chuckle behind me.

  Approaching the side of the house, I glanced around a couple times but the neighbourhood was quiet. It wasn’t like we could walk up to the door, knock, and ask to speak to Hannah.

  I scooted toward the house and hid behind a large bush next to the home. A window above me glowed with light. I stood on the tips of my toes and peaked up into it. Two people watching television and eating popcorn sat on a large plush pumpkin color couch.

  They were not who caught my interest. Sitting on the matching loveseat was Hannah. I recognized her from the newspaper articles I had seen on her disappearance. As I said, the case was everywhere, so it was a little hard not to remember her. Pretty, longish blonde hair, blue-grey eyes―the classic girl to bring home to mom. “I’m going to go in and get her,” Kipp said next to me.

  I nodded. “I’ll wait here.”

  Without another word, Kipp melted through the wall. He only took two steps before Hannah jumped to her feet, shock reanimating her features.

  Slowly but surely, her face went through wild emotions as Kipp apparently filled her in on the current situation. His hands moved as he told her the tale of craziness that was now my life.

  After a little while, Kipp pointed toward the window and Hannah followed his gaze, her eyes connecting with mine. Doing the only thing I could think of, I smiled and waved. I lowered my hand quickly, feeling like a dork for doing it.

  She waved in return, then looked back at Kipp as he said something to her in order to grab her attention. Moments later, they began walking back to the wall. I lowered from my tippy-toes and stepped away, still remaining hidden behind the bush as they joined me outside.

  Now, face to face with Hannah, my stomach took a hit and a lump formed in my throat―she was just so young, so many milestones left to hit and all of her dreams had been stolen, ripped away in a flash. Strength was needed here if I was going to make it through this. I dug down deep before I spoke, “Hi, Hannah. I’m Tess.”

  Her eyes grew wide in astonishment. “You can really see me?”

  I gave her a look which said just how silly that question was. “I am talking to you am I not?”

  “It’s just so weird.”

  I could have laughed. She thought I was weird because I could see and talk to her. She was the damn ghost. Moving on, I asked the appropriate question. “You’ve stayed here with your family all these years?”

  “I didn’t know where else to go.” Hannah’s voice shook. “I didn’t want to leave my parents and they didn’t want to let me go. So, I stayed.”

  My throat tightened, a wave of sadness washed over me. I craved to hug her, but couldn’t. She’d melt right through me and seeing it would only frighten her, I wasn’t about to go and do that.

  It looked like I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Kipp grabbed her and took her in his arms. Apparently, being both ghosts, they held the ability to touch. A revelation which surprised me. I had no idea they were capable of such a thing. How much was there that I didn’t know about how this all worked?

  Kipp overpowered her while he hugged her tight―Hannah was just so small, so fragile in his arms. Instantly, I witnessed the relief it gave to her. She sank into him and grabbed onto his shirt as she began to sob.

  It’d been five years since she was murdered. Five years alone, without anyone to talk to, without a single moment of warm touch, and within her sobs the pain was obvious.

  Kipp whispered soft words and ran his hand along her hair as she cried against his chest. My heart swelled with warmth. Everything about this man was perfection. Not only did he have the looks and personality, he had a heart―one which broke in this moment.

  His eyes were drawn together in pain while he continued to comfort her. It was clear being a cop wasn’t just a job for him. He cared for the victims of the crimes he was assigned to and he wanted to set right the tragic path their lives had taken.

  Awareness struck me. It all made sense. The reason why Kipp hadn’t crossed over had nothing to do with finding the killer for his own death―he stayed to save Hannah’s young soul.

  Many minutes passed before Hannah backed away from Kipp’s embrace, wiped her face, and sat on the bench which rested in the gardens.

  As I sat in beside her, Kipp knelt in front of her and asked, “Are you okay to talk about it now?”

  Hannah nodded and took a long breath. “Yeah, I’m okay now.”

  “Do you know what happened to you?”

  Her expression did what most ghosts’ did when presented with the question, she appeared puzzled. “I know I was killed, that I’m dead and know the man I loved was the one who did it.”

  “The man you loved?” Kipp repeated in apparent shock.

  I understood his surprise. To be a man Hannah was emotionally involved with, that was unexpected. Unable to hold back my surprise, I asked, “Why?”

  “He was angry at me,” Hannah replied.

  Kipp reached up, took her hands in his, his face showed nothing less than comple
te sympathy. “What made him so angry?”

  Hannah’s eyes sank in despair, her voice almost pleading. “I wanted to be with him, share a life with him. We were soul mates and meant to be together forever.”

  “But...” There was always a but.

  “He was married.”

  Kipp released her hands, his eyes slightly widened. “So you were having an affair?”

  “It wasn’t an affair, we were in love.” Hannah’s voice was sharp. Then, she softened again into immeasurable sadness. “He was angry because I wanted more from him.”

  Silence filled the air, my mind worked hard to wrap around all this. Kipp finally broke the stillness by saying in a quiet tone which held a strong determination, “Who did this to you, Hannah?”

  Hannah wiped the tear trailing along her cheek. “His name is Percy Mills.”

  Kipp rubbed a hand across his face then his gaze rose to mine. “I’ve never heard of him.” His eyebrows furrowed in thought, his teeth nibbled on his bottom lip, then he looked back to Hannah, focused. “Couple questions.” Detective Kipp was down to business. “First off, what does he look like?”

  “Handsome,” Hannah replied.

  Kipp urged her on with a wave of his hand. “I need more than that.”

  “Early thirties, clean cut, blond business-like hair and the most stunning blue eyes known to man.”

  “Business-like hair?” I repeated, trying to imagine just what it looked like. Donald Trump, the President, Steven Spielberg―it was impossible.

  Hannah nodded as if we were off our rocker and used her hand to demonstrate the look. “Like proper, never a strand out of place.”

  “Half of the population.” Kipp shook his head clearly frustrated. “Was he a police officer?”

  “No, he told me he worked for an insurance company in Southaven.”

  Which made zero sense. “So, he was an insurance adjuster?” What a career for a killer to be in. Cop seemed right. He’d be around death, seen it and would be able to hide behind evidence to stay concealed. An insurance adjuster? Hell no, I didn’t believe that for one second.

  Hannah nodded.

  “How much did you know of Percy?” Kipp asked.

  “I knew everything about him,” Hannah answered in a high whimsical tone. “We were in love.”

  All right, she loved the guy. Got it, but he killed her. I couldn’t get past the fact she had yet to show a single moment of dislike for the man who ended her life. Something was off here.

  Kipp obviously didn’t care, or had yet to notice, since he continued his line of questioning. “Do you know where he lives?”

  “No, he never told me where he lived.”

  He seemed to consider it for a moment, then continued, “Have you ever seen his wife, learned her name, anything of that sort?”

  Hannah cringed a little at the mention of wife. “He kept us completely separate. I didn’t ask about his other life. Our life was the only one I was concerned about.”

  By now, I’d be screaming at her to tell me something, but Kipp remained calm. “Did you ever go to his workplace?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No, he would never let me. With his wife and all, he said he didn’t want to hurt her.” She sighed. “He had such a gentle heart.”

  “What the hell happened then!” It was more curiosity that compelled me to say something. The idea someone loved her enough to let her believe they were soul mates, then up and kill her? It didn’t add up.

  Tears glittered on Hannah’s cheeks, her voice sounded trapped in her throat. “I had enough of the secrets. I told him I wanted him to leave his wife.”

  “That didn’t go over so well,” I replied, more as a statement than a question.

  Hannah snorted. “Obviously not.”

  Kipp gave me a little grin, amused by my remark, before he focused back on Hannah. “Did he say anything to you when he was hurting you?”

  “That he was sorry and he loved me, but I would ruin everything for him if I said anything.” Her eyes darkened as the tears vanished. “He just kept saying he loved me.”

  Finally, a little reaction from Miss Blinded-By-Love. Like come on, not only did this guy claim to love her, but he killed her. Scum didn’t come close to describing this man.

  It was about time I could let a little of my true feelings on the matter out. “Hell of a way to show it,” I snapped.

  Hannah glanced down to her hands, her lips pursed as if searching for an answer in all this too. I knew it was pointless. Ghosts only remember what they need to cross over and anything that has taken place since their spirit materialized. She’d remember the death and reasons why she died because she needed that information to move on.

  The only way to help Hannah find these answers was to continue with this. Now, I felt more inclined to help. With the pain on her face, I began to see it more as an obligation to free her from this purgatory she was trapped in. Most of the time, I helped ghosts out of annoyance to leave me alone. To help one out of a need to set them free, that was something I’d never thought would come.

  “I know your family wants to bring you home,” Kipp said in a much softer tone than I used moments ago. “Do you know where you are buried?”

  “It’s dark, just so dark,” Hannah whispered, never looking up.

  “Do you remember the last place you were?” This was the million-dollar question. The one that brought them back to the moment they arrived. It was the way to open the gate in order for the ghosts to remember what they needed so they could complete their journey.

  Hannah thought for a moment, then in the same whisper said, “We had spent the night together and he was driving me home afterwards. I got angry and we fought. He pulled off the road and dragged me into a forest.” She glanced up, misery weighed on every part of her. “If I never got mad, never said anything…”

  Silence fell around us. All I kept thinking was I wished there was something I could tell her. Some reason for it all, but I kept coming up short of a good answer.

  Clearly, Kipp had other things on his mind since his next question was nowhere near where my thoughts had been. “Something doesn’t add up here. There is no way you could have gone to the safe house if he wasn’t in law enforcement.”

  “Law enforcement?” Hannah repeated. “You said that before, but I’m sure he’s not a cop.”

  Kipp shook his head, disagreeing with her. “I don’t think he was being truthful with you.”

  Hannah’s expression swept deeper in sorrow, and coming from a woman who’d been murdered, it was grave sorrow indeed. “He lied to me?”

  “No one else would have access to the key but there is no Percy Mills on the force.” Kipp hesitated as his eyes took on a curious look. “Did you ever see identification? Anything with his name on it?”

  Hannah wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at the ground as she shook her head.

  “When you went for dinner he never pulled out a wallet?” I asked, doing a little digging of my own. Sometimes ghosts needed a push to remember things. It wasn’t always right there in their mind and on occasion just asking a question brought a memory to the surface.

  Hannah didn’t even look up to shake her head again.

  A moment passed, then she gasped aloud, which startled me enough to jump. “All of it was a lie.” She glanced up at us, her eyes were void of emotion. “None of it was true.”

  Kipp said nothing to her outburst, looking at me. “We need to go back and tell Zach about this.” His focus went back to Hannah. “Listen Hannah, if you need to find us, come to 2500 Cedar Bark Cove...”

  Before he could finish, Hannah lunged off the bench, fists tight, face taut with anger. “Fuck him,” she ground out. “Fuck him and the white horse he rode in on.” She then proceeded to walk toward the street.

  “Where are you going?” I exclaimed.

  Hannah glanced over her shoulder with an icy glare. “I’m going to hunt him down then I’m going to haunt the fucker.”

 
; ***

  Chapter Seven

  Back at the house, I may have been a wee bit grateful Zach had actually gotten Caley to leave. I could only wonder what promises he made to her. Nonetheless, I was glad she wasn’t around to hear any of this. Caley may love me, even believed what I could see, but this would be too much for her to take. I was happy I didn’t have to explain it all to her.

  I plopped back down onto the loveseat and looked at Zach. “Hannah told us she was having an affair, told him she was going to go public and he killed her because of it. She said his name is Percy Mills. Do you know him?”

  “Percy Mills? Never heard of him. He certainly isn’t part of our precinct.” He pondered that a little more then finally said, “Nope, I’m sure he’s not a cop in Memphis, I would have heard the name before.”

  How could he be so sure? There had to be thousands of cops who worked the Memphis streets. “You have a photographic memory or something?”

  Zach smiled. “I never forget a name. Call it good police work.”

  Hence, why I’d make a terrible cop. I couldn’t remember a name even after introductions. Faces, that was different. But names, it was my downfall. My neighbour had told me his name three times and I still couldn’t figure out if it was George or Gary―maybe even Gavin.

  Kipp cut in, pulling me from my non-important thoughts. “Which is why I suspect Percy Mills is not his real name.”

  “Maybe he’s not a cop though, just someone who broke into the safe house,” I suggested. “How can you be so sure it’s not something like that?”

  “It’s impossible.” Zach moved along, obviously understanding the conversation despite the fact he only heard my side of it. “You need a code to deactivate the alarm. The department would have been notified immediately if someone had entered without it.”

  My theory burned out as to who else could be responsible. I continued to look for something more plausible, not wanting to believe what they suggested could be true. But there it was, staring at us all dead in the face. Instead of pointing out what neither of them really wanted to accept, I just helped them along. “So that means...”