Then Betty spoke, “You girls will not believe how much has happened since you went home on your visit. Ellen and I are going to bring you up to date with a knowledge tent.” She stood and made a circle with her arm in the air and there was that gold curtain again. Betty said, “Just rest your eyes for a moment, and then we will talk.” Again, it felt warm and quiet. We opened our eyes, and the curtain was gone. Ellen showed us the piles of papers she had been working on, and we all knew what we had to do. Find connections in these documents that could prove Attorney James Devon was the killer.
Ellen agreed with us that Jack was just a lost mortal. Betty was flipping through those pages when I spoke to her, “Betty?”
She didn’t look up, “Yes dear.” She just kept on flipping papers.
“If Ginger died at the same time we did, why wasn’t she in this group with us?”
Betty looked up, “Well dear, I think she actually died a few minutes before all of you. She would have been in the class before you.” Then her eyes got big, and we shouted at each other, “MAYFLIES!”
Ellen looked startled. “What?”
I couldn’t control myself, “Betty, you said that either as a group or as an individual, someone in that class would not let go of their mortal memories. What if it is Ginger?”
Ellen was looking at Betty, “Mayflies?”
Betty was excited, “Oh yes dear! We have to make a quick trip back, and you (she said pointing to me) are going to have to ask Granny for a favor.”
I was almost speechless. Actually I went into super speed talking. My mouth was on auto-pilot, “Can’t we do this as a group? After all we are a GROUP. You guys said, you- are- a- group.” I was wildly pleading my case.
Betty smiled, “Of course dear, we shall talk to Granny as a group.” I sighed with relief, Mary kicked me. Linda and Teresa didn’t look very happy either. Oh well, it’s not my rule. A group is a group, is a group, is a. “We get it dear,” Betty said. We all took off for the park with the Mayflies.
* * *
CHAPTER 16
* * *
It was nice to see the park again. Betty had left her hammock out for us to see. I doubt if she really got much of a nap. Teresa and Linda were on a bench, and Mary was looking at the massive cloud of mayflies. Mary turned to me, “Please don’t tell me we have to figure out which one of these is Ginger?”
Teresa spoke, “Oh, this is going to be good. I suppose we will have to get little nets. Do little DNA tests. We should be done about…NEVER!” She frowned at me.
Linda said, “Look and see if any of them are just sitting somewhere. Maybe after the accident she doesn’t feel like flying.” Mary started walking really slowly looking at the mayflies, and then Linda said, “I was just joking!”
Mary said, “You might be right though.” She was still looking when Ellen and Betty appeared with Granny. Mary’s head was covered with Mayflies, but she didn’t move. She just kept blowing them away from her mouth.
Granny looked at me, “Do you have a favor to request of me?”
I summoned my courage and said, “I believe that the woman who died in our car accident, Ginger Hall, might remember something that can help us in our assignment. I was hoping there was some way you could find out.” I swallowed hard and tried to remember what I had just said to her. Did it sound stupid?
Granny put her arm in the air and made a circular motion. There was that gold curtain again. Only this time what looked like a big movie screen was at one end. Granny said, “Ginger has been hanging on to her last memories. Understand, she is not capable of filtering any of them. She also may not remember as much as you need, but she wants to help.” With that Granny was gone.
We were seeing a dark space… then a burst of light from a door opening and a woman came into the area crying and tearing at ropes and tape and suddenly a vision of a floor up close… I think Ginger fell, and then it looked like Ginger had gotten up… now she and the other woman looked really scared… they kept looking around the room and at the window. Ginger and this woman were pushing open the window. The woman lifted Ginger into the opening and pushed her. Ginger turned back to look at her and the woman’s face on the inside of the house looked terrified…it looked like she was saying “go –go”. Ginger had turned and was running toward a line of trees…we could see a highway on the other side of the tree line…it was daylight, and there was a lot of traffic. Ginger looked behind her, and there was an SUV barreling toward he r…..she was crawling up some gravel, her hands were bloody, and then she was standing on the road, she turned and then…black. Nothing.
The gold curtain was gone. We were still in the park, but there were no mayflies. Betty spoke, “Oh Boy! Well, we have a lot of work to do, but I want you girls to notice, no mayflies. This class is now at peace. Ginger was holding on to those memories in order to help that woman.”
Ellen stood tall and thrust her right arm out straight, “Now we have something to work with! Let’s go kick some mortal butt!” Angels do that?
We were back in the conference room and had sorted through most of the papers. We found little bits and pieces, but I was worried they would never piece it all together in time to save this other woman.
Teresa asked Betty, “Don’t you already know who this woman is, and where she is?”
Betty looked at her, “What I may know isn’t helpful. A mortal must save a mortal. The mortal mind is constantly questioning, seeking Truths, aware that only a small percentage of their potential is utilized. Which explains the constant search for mind expansion. The spiritual mind knows Truths. It isn’t cluttered with quests for truths. For the spiritual mind to second guess the mortal mind is an exercise not deemed valuable. Therefore, the most we can do is point them to inevitable mortal discoveries. Perhaps a little sooner than they would have made on their own. We cannot manipulate their environment.” Wow, I remember that. This is really tricky, how to help without helping. Ellen said we would work through the night, and then see what Roger, Paul and the team needed. There was another way for us to help, if needed. Ellen had a sneaky look on her face. We all looked at each other. What other way?
I had a thought, “Couldn’t we just fly over the place we had the accident, turn around, go through the trees, and find the house where Ginger had been and the other woman was?”
Ellen said “Did that. I know where the house is, and there is a woman there right now.” We all looked at her with our mouths open. Ellen said, “Mortals have to discover this house.” Geesh.
“Is the woman okay?” I asked.
Ellen said, “She is holding up, but she is in great danger. She fed me grapes.”
Mary asked, “What?”
Betty smiled, “Ellen was a mouse.” She giggled while still flipping through pages and marking occasionally. Is it me? This was not making any sense anymore.
Ellen looked at Linda, “If a house is sold, what kind of papers are we looking for?”
Linda looked thoughtful and answered, “If it is a straight sale, there will be a deed.”
Ellen spoke again, “I have looked through land sale documents, and there are no deeds from Nettie Wilson to James Devon. We saw the receipt. She gave him that house.”
Teresa spoke up, “I saw that deed at Devon’s house. It was original signature, but it didn’t have a Recorder’s Stamp on it. He hasn’t recorded that deed yet.”
I spoke, “So the only proof we have, is that receipt in Devon’s office.”
Ellen spoke, “I went to the tax office and the December tax bill was paid by a Clyde Jones. The form says he was the land contract owner and to send the bills to a different address than Nettie’s…… AH-HAA! Guess what address was given to the tax office?”
We all answered, “Devon.” Yes!
Betty asked, “Do we have a copy of this tax bill?”
Ellen answered, “No.” We all looked stumped.
Mary said “Soooooooooo, a mortal has to get this, right?”
“Right,” Betty and Ellen answere
d at the same time.
“The mortals are going to eventually discover that the woman being held is Sandy Devon, James’s new bride.” Ellen paused for a minute and continued, “They will be getting some information that will lead them to that conclusion, but maybe not soon enough. I have been trying to find something to prove she is missing in this information. It is not here. There is someone who knows a little about Sandy Devon that Roger hasn’t talked to yet.”
We all said at the same time, “Who?”
Ellen answered, “His secretary that he fired Christmas Eve. She was the last person to talk to Sandy from what I could get from Sandy’s thoughts.” Ellen threw her hands up, “I think we have to go another way here.”
Betty looked at her with her eyebrows raised and asked, “Are you sure?” I was not following this conversation well at all. Here we go again. I don’t have a clue what they are talking about.
Ellen looked at me, “This is going to be your call.”
I know I had to look like the picture of stupid. “My call? I can’t even figure out what we are doing! What are we talking about?”
Ellen took a deep breath and said, “I need a mortal that can be trusted, to relay information we know as true. A way to steer the police in a more efficient manner otherwise this could take months.” She had waved her arms over the piles on the table.
“Why is it my call? Just pick a mortal….. UH OH. You want Kim?”
“Yes, I want Kim. I will get permission from Granny to do whatever it takes to protect her. I will keep the police from thinking she is guilty or crazy and protect her from Devon.”
Whoa. There is no way I would have Kim put in danger. She is at a very vulnerable time right now, “This is the only mortal in the World that you think could do this right now?”
Ellen smiled, “Of course not. We have mortals we have used for centuries. I think Granny saw this as an eventuality.” Oh— pulling the Granny Card. I looked at Linda, Teresa and Mary. They clearly were leaving it up to me.
“You guys, what are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we should trust Ellen and Betty,” Mary said.
Betty laughed, “This isn’t our first rodeo girls.”
I looked at everyone and said, “Well, she always accused me of meddling in her life. Maybe this will just seem normal?” I had a very low expectation of that.
* * *
CHAPTER 17
* * *
We were all on my front porch. A stray cat had been there eating the food Kim had put out. It hissed at us and bolted away. Hope that wasn’t an omen. “I think we should knock on the door instead of just popping in. She’s watching TV and reading a book.” I was getting worried we would cause her to have a heart attack.
Ellen laughed, “It won’t be any less of a shock having us knock.”
True, I thought. “Well, how about I go in and kind of break the ice. Then you guys can come in?”
Teresa shrugged and said, “Whatever.”
I walked in. Kim jumped up, “I didn’t think I would see you again so soon!” She had her long hair twisted and held with a clip on top of her head and a big oversized hockey jersey on. We hugged. She sat back down on her chair, and I sat on the oversized ottoman across the room.
“Well you know me, always with the surprises. Remember how you always said you liked my surprises?” I eagerly looked at Kim.
She had a deadpan look on her face, “I never said that.” I was looking around the room. “Oh.” I figured I might as well blurt out why I was there since Teresa had her face pressed against the front window. “Well, remember how I told you that Teresa, Linda, Mary, and I were a special ‘group’ going through ‘almost’ heaven classes?”
Kim still looked unimpressed. Then she raised one eyebrow and blurted, “You got kicked out.” I couldn’t believe she said that!
“Nooo. We have hit a snag of sorts, and our ‘boss’, so to speak, thinks you can help us.” I waited for her reaction….waiting for it…waiting for it…
“You are going to kill me?” she asked wide-eyed.
“What? NO!” Geesh. “Can the other gals come in and explain this? I need help.”
Kim was looking around, “The other gals?” All of a sudden they were all in the room with us.
Kim could see Teresa, Mary, and Linda. Ellen wasn’t there yet. They all started jumping up and down and hugging each other, a little crying. Kim sat back in her chair and asked Linda, “What is Mom talking about?” Kim always had Linda translate even when I was alive.
Just then Ellen popped into the room, “TAA DAA!”
Kim looked like she was going to faint, “Ellen DeGeneres? Ellen’s dead?”
Ellen ran over to Kim’s chair and sat at her feet. “I just look like Ellen to make your mom and the gals more comfortable. Ellen is very much alive.” With that Ellen jumped up and started dancing to music from nowhere. A big disco ball appeared on the ceiling. “But I’ve got her moves!”
We all laughed and I looked at Kim who was giving me a deadpan stare. “I am pretty sure this is some kind of bizarre dream.” It was 10:30 at night and about when Kim would be going to bed.
Ellen stopped the music and sat at Kim’s feet again, “No dream, Kim. We need you to go to the police station and give some information we know, but cannot prove, to the FBI Agents working the South Bend murders.” Ellen stopped to give Kim a moment to absorb those thoughts. Kim was waving for Ellen to continue. “Your mom and I will be there, but of course they won’t be able to see us. We will protect you from them thinking you are guilty of anything, or crazy. Oh, and we will also protect you from the murderer.” Kim’s mouth fell open, but she waved Ellen to continue. “We know information the agents will discover in time, but that is the problem. We are running out of time. We need a mortal to communicate, and the decision was made you are that mortal. Well, what do you say?”
Kim swallowed hard and gave me a ‘look.’ Uh oh. “Let me re-cap this. You want me to go to the police station, (Ellen inserted ‘tomorrow’) tomorrow, talk to the police, (Ellen inserted ‘The FBI’) the FBI, about this serial murder thing in South Bend. Give them information they don’t know, and tell them I am getting this from my ‘almost’ angel mom and her boss, Ellen DeGeneres.”
I nodded and said, “Yes! You got it!”
Kim dropped her head to one side and looked at me, “I think I would rather you just kill me.”
“Yeah! She’ll do it!” I screamed.
Mary looked at Linda, “Did I miss something?”
Linda said, “No, that’s the way they talk.”
Ellen told Kim to be at the Police Center at 9:30 a.m. exactly, not Kimmy time, (Kim gave me a dirty look…I just shrugged) and to ask for SSA Roger Dance. Ellen told her we would meet her there and tell her what to do.
Kim gave me a parting hug and said, “Mom, what if they arrest me for knowing stuff I’m not supposed to know?” Kim was not wearing a happy face.
I tried to reassure her, “Honey, trust me, or trust Ellen.”
Kim scrunched her mouth, “She’s not Ellen.”
“Oh yeah…. Don’t do your mouth like that! You’ll make wrinkles!”
Kim’s eyes opened wide, “Mom, wrinkles are the least of my problems right now!”
Fair enough. “All I can say is that an angel has promised me you will not come to harm and promised you too.”
Kim rolled her eyes and said, “Okay. Is this going to happen a lot? I need better clothes.” That’s my girl! As we left, I saw Kim looking out the window. I knew she couldn’t see anything. I knew this was a bad time for her, and I probably wasn’t making things any better.
Ellen touched my arm, “She is doing fine. This is actually helping her, by helping us.” That made me feel better.
* * *
Ellen told us to help her go through documents in the conference room. When we got there, Betty was still flipping through papers. “You gals might want to look at the computer data. I am just about finished in
here.” Betty had at least forty stacks of papers filling two of the tables.
I looked at Ellen, “Aren’t these guys going to wonder how all of this work got done?”
Ellen shrugged, “My experience with mortals is that they are just glad it was done. They will have plenty more to go through.”
Ellen and I went to the computers and couldn’t believe the amount of data still being transmitted. Data is fine, but if you don’t have the time to read it all, it’s useless. I think calling Kim in was a good idea. It was 9:15 a.m. the day after Christmas. I heard Roger and Paul walking down the hall toward the conference room. We all vanished as they turned the corner. They started reviewing the piles and the highlighted markings. Paul said, “I have to give it to this task team. I have never seen a group go through this much data this fast…look at this! I just hope we find something useful.”
Just then the patrolman who had been wearing the Grinch hat on Christmas Eve popped his head around the corner. “Agent Dance, you’ve got a pretty redhead wants to see you.”
Paul raised his eyebrows a couple of times, “Hey, hey! Didn’t you used to have a thing for redheads?” Roger just made a face and walked toward the information desk. He saw a tall, beautiful redhead, about forty, smoothing out her skirt. She looks nervous, he thought.
She watched him walk toward her, and he noticed what a beautiful blue color her eyes were. Her skin looked like porcelain. Her long red hair fell in waves well below her shoulders. He couldn’t help it. He felt himself being drawn in.
“I am Agent Dance, you wanted to see me?”
Kim looked at her watch, again. It was 9:25, she was early, had to wing it. This is why she preferred Kimmy time. “I was hoping there was somewhere private we could talk. I may have some information for you about the murders.” She could hardly bring herself to say that word. Roger noticed she was uncomfortable and six feet tall. Wow.
Roger pointed toward his office, “We can go in my office down here.” They started walking. Kim was close to having a panic attack. What if Mom doesn’t show up, what if this was some stupid dream? What do I say?…oh my God!
Alcohol Was Not Involved : A Shallow End Gals Trilogy Page 13