The Touch

by Lisa Olsen

  “It’s heartbreaking,” Lexi agreed, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I still think there’s a really good chance they’ll find her though, Allie. If she was…” frantically she searched for a word that sounded less awful than dead, “…gone, I would know it.”

  “You didn’t know Neil was dead.”

  “Well actually…”

  “Oh Lexi…” Allie’s eyes came up accusingly. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

  “You had so much to worry about; I didn’t want to make it worse. Plus, I wasn’t positive at the time. I know now though, and I don’t get the same thing at all when I look for a connection with Chloe.”

  “What did you get with Neil?”

  “A whole lot of nothingness; like a dark void. I might not be getting a good line on where Chloe is now, but I’m not getting that same void. That’s gotta count for something, right?” Lexi gave her a hopeful look.

  “I pray you’re right.”

  A knock sounded at the front door and Lexi immediately thought it might be Gabriel, back to check on them for the night. “I’ll get it,” she volunteered, hopping up and pulling the door open without stopping to think about looking through the side window first. So it was that the sight of her housemate caught her completely by surprise. “Paul… what are you doing here?”

  “Delivery service,” Paul held up a large duffel bag, as if that explained his presence on Allison’s doorstep. “Maddie packed you a bag and I came to see how you’re doing. I saw you on the news, how are you holding up?”

  “Oh, that was sweet of you, come on in.” Lexi stood back to let him into the house. “We’re holding up okay, as well as can be expected I guess.” She took the bag from his hands, unzipping it to take a look at the contents. “Thanks Paul, this is really decent of you, it saves me a trip home and I don’t know how long Allie’s gonna need me to stay here with her.”

  “It’s the least I could do,” Paul stepped up and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.

  Grateful for the gesture, Lexi leaned against him, soaking up his calming presence. “Well I’m really glad you did it; you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Maybe it was because she was tired, but suddenly Lexi wasn’t in much of a hurry for him to leave. Paul represented the quasi-normalcy of her life, and she wanted that back in a big way.

  “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Paul pulled back to look down into her face.

  “Yeah, it just gets a little eerie here sometimes, especially at night, that’s all.”

  “More of the ghosts?”

  “That isn’t the half of it.” Eager to tell him all she’d learned about the woman who lived there before and the ghost children, Lexi pulled him into the living room, giving him a brief rundown on the visions she’d had in the house.

  “Wow, that’s um…” Paul looked as though he wasn’t quite sure what to say about it once she was done.

  Lexi didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but his obvious trouble believing her ghost tales rubbed her the wrong way. After years of knowing what she could see with her hands, he chose now to balk? Maybe she’d been spoiled by Gabriel’s easy acceptance, but she’d expected more from her long term friend. “It’s freaky, that’s what it is. But I don’t know what it has to do with Chloe’s disappearance, if anything,” she saved him from having to answer more.

  “It does sound… freaky,” Paul nodded, worry lines appearing on his forehead. “Maybe you shouldn’t stay here tonight?”

  “Not you too…” a roll of the eyes was given. “It’s a little spooky, but it’s not like the visions can hurt me.”

  “No, but this might not be the best environment for you to be in right now.”

  “This is where my sister is and she needs my help,” Lexi’s chin came up in determination. “So this is where I’m staying, until she says otherwise.”

  “Alright then, I’m staying here with you.”

  “What?” That took her by surprise.

  “The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. With someone targeting this family, you two shouldn’t be here all by yourselves.”

  “What about work?”

  “I can still go to work tomorrow, but I’ll be here in case anything happens tonight.”

  “I’ve got the only spare bedroom.” Was he suggesting that they should share?

  “I’ll sleep on the couch, it’ll be fine. Unless your sister expressly forbids me from spending the night here, I’m staying. End of story.” His arms crossed with an air of finality.

  “Okay, okay. This is a new side to you Paul, I’m not sure I like it,” she teased, catching up his hand and tugging him towards the study where Allie still sat in front of the computer monitor. “Allie, you remember Paul, don’t you?”

  “Sure, hello Paul,” Allison replied, barely looking away from the screen.

  Lexi’s brows twitched together; it wasn’t like her sister to be so distracted around company, she must be more tired than she’d thought. “We were thinking he might spend the night to make sure we’re safe tonight, what do you think?”

  “Fine, whatever you want.” This time Allie didn’t look away from the computer at all.

  “Okay then… I’ll just get him set up on the roof… we’ll see you later…” Lexi threw it out there, but Allie didn’t seem to notice at all.

  “Thanks Allison, I’ll try to be as unobtrusive as possible,” Paul smiled politely, frowning when she gave a distracted wave but didn’t look away.

  Lexi pulled him out of the room, waiting until they were out of earshot before she spoke; not that Allie would have noticed, by the looks of it. “She’s kind of out of it right now.”

  “You think?” Paul smirked. “It’s fine, she’s got a lot going on, I’ll just set myself up on the couch, unless you feel like sharing tonight?”

  A tight smile appeared on her lips, “It’s only a full size bed…” a little more sharing than she was comfortable with.

  “Suit yourself,” he replied equably.

  “I’ll go get you some blankets and pillows and stuff.”

  Paul caught her wrist before she could move off. “I could sleep on the floor in the guest room, in case you need me.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Lexi insisted, tugging her hand gently free, a ribbon of panic slicing through her as the glove started to come off. Quickly, she pulled it back on before any harm came of it. “I’ll be right back with your blankets.”

  ***

  The night passed without event. There were no fevered dreams, and no apparitions, of the sisterly or ghostly variety, haunting her sleep. Once again, there was no sign of Allie in the morning. Though as she came down the stairs, Lexi was greeted by the smell of fresh coffee, and Paul already up and dressed in the kitchen.

  “How’d you sleep?” he asked, sliding over a mug of coffee, just how she liked it.

  “Pretty good. I should ask you the same thing though, how comfortable was the couch last night?” The coffee was just what she needed, the rich aroma doing as much to revive her as the brew itself.

  “The couch was comfortable enough…” he hesitated and Lexi got the distinct impression there was more he didn’t feel like telling her.

  “But?”

  “But I didn’t sleep great, no. It was probably from being in a strange environment; I just couldn’t seem to settle down for the night until late.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “No, but I thought you might have been up too, someone was doing a lot of pacing.”

  “It wasn’t me; I was out like a light. It must have been Allie; I know she hasn’t been sleeping well. Her bedroom is over the living room.”

  “That makes sense. I even thought I heard…” his eyes traveled to the ceiling. “This old place has more than its share of creaks and groans though, just like our house.”

  “You thought you heard what?”

  “I… don’t know, it was muffled. Maybe she was watching a home video of Chloe upstairs?”

  “
About what time was this?” It was entirely possible it had been her sister up and around, but somehow she thought there was something more para than normal behind the sounds.

  “It was late, after two for sure, maybe later. Why, is that important?” Not privy to her thoughts, Paul was confused by her line of questioning.

  “I don’t know. What would you say if I told you I thought those were ghosts you heard last night?”

  “I’d say… drink your coffee before it gets cold, I’ve got to get home to shower and change before work,” Paul pressed a kiss to her temple before draining his cup and setting it in the sink.

  Trying not to let his response bother her, Lexi nodded, dropping it for now. “Okay, thanks for staying, but as you can see, we were just fine here last night.” If he was tired, he only had himself to blame for insisting to sleep on the couch.

  “Yeah I know, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  That seemed to be the motto of the day. Everyone was tiptoeing around, wanting to be safe but there was no safety for Chloe. Lexi drifted through the day trying to keep busy. She helped Allie write up the bio for Chloe’s web page, selecting the pictures that would both show what she looked like, but also a little of her character; the better to help get her spotted out there.

  The longer she sat in the house, the more uncomfortable she started to feel. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on or lay a name to, but Lexi constantly felt the presence of the others in the house. The ghosts didn’t go as far as to torment her with pranks the way they had with Chloe, but there was the sense that she was being watched at all times. How did Allie do it all day long, day in and day out? Whenever Lexi suggested going out, her sister was quick to shoot the idea down, pleading a headache or not wanting to deal with the public. Not that she’d reached celebrity status by any means, but there were enough people in the community that knew her circumstances that Allie was reluctant to venture out in public. Deprived of her art studio and usual distractions, Lexi was starting to climb the walls.

  It didn’t help that she heard very little from Detective Ryan or anything about the investigation. The more time went by, the harder it was to believe that they’d ever find out what happened to Chloe, or Neil’s killer. While Lexi understood that Gabriel was busy trying to find out those very same things, she found that she missed seeing him and couldn’t help but wonder if he was avoiding her. When they spoke on the phone he was friendly enough, but rarely had more than a few minutes to spend talking. She did learn that they’d investigated Neil’s girlfriend Monica and eliminated her as a suspect. More encouraging was the fact that he did call every day, even if there was nothing more to say except that there was nothing new to report.

  Paul and Maddie alternated visits, Paul staying the night whenever he came to call, always sleeping on the couch. Even with that thread to her home life, after several days had elapsed, Lexi was itching to get back to her own bed and escape the feeling of being watched. The trouble was, how could she abandon her sister?

  Broaching the subject over dinner, Lexi waited for an opportune moment to bring it up. “Allie, maybe it is a good idea for you to come and stay with me for a few days? You haven’t left the house in over a week.” Lexi was the one to do all the shopping and errands, with Allie spending more and more time in the study.

  “I won’t be chased out of my own home, if you want to leave, you go ahead,” Allie immediately shook her head, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.

  Tamping down her disappointment, Lexi resigned herself to sticking it out a bit longer. “No, I’ll stay here with you if that’s what you want me to do.”

  “No, I think I’d rather be alone again. Why don’t you go on home?” It was a statement, not a question.

  It was the freedom she wanted, but Lexi couldn’t bring herself to ditch her sister for her own happiness. “Allie, I’m worried about you…”

  Allison dropped her fork with a clatter. “Did you ever think that it’s making it harder for me, you being here underfoot all the time? Having to worry about entertaining you, feeding you, listening to you chatter?”

  Lexi blinked, taken aback by the vehemence in Allie’s voice. “I… didn’t think of it that way.”

  “Yeah well, you don’t think sometimes, Lexi, that’s your problem.”

  “I’ll get my things and go then.” No longer hungry, Lexi picked up her plate, beating a fast retreat to the kitchen before she said something she might regret later. While her mind spun all kinds of reasonable explanations for Allie’s rude rejection, it still stung after how she’d put her own life on hold to be there for her. It was better to pack up and go before either one of them said or did something to deepen the rift between them.

  As far as she knew, Allie was still eating in the dining room by the time Lexi had her things all ready to go. “Bye,” she called out, hovering near the front door for a long moment, but no response came. “Whatever…” muttering to herself, she pulled the door shut, tossing her bags in the back seat of her VW. Lexi was about to hop in herself when she spotted the car parked at the bottom of the driveway. Unused to seeing anyone stopped there unless they had business up at the house, she walked towards the dark car, eyes squinting in the early evening shade, to see if she could recognize it. Once she did, Lexi nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise as she hastened her steps.

  “Gabriel? What are you doing out here?”

  “Hey Lexi,” he replied simply, making her wonder what the hell he was doing sitting there, looking so morose. Had some bad news turned up? So bad that he didn’t have the courage to come and tell them about it in person?

  “Why didn’t you come up to the house? Is something wrong?” Oh God… had he found Chloe?

  “No, nothing’s wrong. Nothing new, I mean. I just didn’t want to disturb you. I don’t have anything new to report, same as always.” His fingers picked at the leather cord wrapped around the steering wheel cover. Now that she was closer, Lexi could tell it had been badly frayed since the last time she was in the car.

  “So what are you doing here then?”

  “I was…” Gabriel hesitated, changing his mind on whatever it was he’d been about to say. “I noticed Paul’s been spending the night fairly often. He and Allie friendly, are they?”

  “No, not especially,” her brows went up at that remark. “How did you know about that?”

  “His car was here all night.”

  “You’re watching the house?”

  Gabriel nodded. “As much as possible, though we don’t have the staff for twenty-four hour surveillance. I asked the guys to keep an extra eye out and I recognized his car on the report.”

  “Oh.” Why did that surprise her so much? There was an ongoing investigation and Allie’s husband had been killed.

  “So, was he here all night?”

  “Yeah, he wanted us to be safe,” she nodded.

  “So, he spent the night with you?”

  “Yeah,” Lexi replied without thinking much of it, until she saw him swallow uncomfortably and look away. “Not spent the night with me, spent the night on the couch,” she added hastily.

  “Oh,” Gabriel brightened considerably at that news but just as quickly his subdued expression returned.

  “Is that why you didn’t come up to the house? Because you thought Paul and I were…”

  “No, actually I came because this is the same time of day that Chloe disappeared in the first place. It’s crazy, but I can’t help but think maybe I’ll catch something I missed before. Some minute detail that will repeat itself, or I’ll catch a tiny bit of insight… but it’s not working.” His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the white of his knuckles standing out against the stretched skin.

  “Hey, are you… okay?”

  The muscles in his jaw worked as he forcibly relaxed. “I can’t help but feel like if I’d jumped on this sooner, pulled out all the stops the first day… we would have gotten somewhere.”

  “You couldn’t ha
ve known…” she assured him quickly, though she’d wondered the same thing herself. If she hadn’t assumed like everyone else that Neil had taken Chloe, would she have done anything differently?

  Gabriel looked up at her, “I’m stuck Lexi, I’ve got… nothing. I’m no closer to finding her than I was the first day Allie called.” It was obviously incredibly hard for him to say that to her, and Lexi reached out to cover his hand with hers. He looked tired and stressed out; it was no wonder he wasn’t thinking clearly.

  “When’s the last time you slept?”

  A short bark of laughter left his lips. “I… don’t remember exactly. I caught a couple of hours last night at the office, but I don’t think that technically qualifies as sleep.”

  “Come on, you need a break.” Lexi let go of him, coming around the front of the car to insinuate herself into the passenger’s seat.

  “Where are we going?” he fixed her with a bewildered look as she took the seat beside him.

  “Your place.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Detective Ryan’s place turned out to be a neat condo near Twin Lakes beach. The modern complex was three stories tall and boasted a weight room, pool and sauna, all needing an electronic key card for entry. The units were spacious, featuring one or two bedrooms with either a patio or a deck depending on what level you lived on. Gabriel informed her that he’d chosen a unit on the third floor to stay away from the noise of the pool and because it had the best view. The nine hundred square foot living space probably cost more than Paul’s entire Victorian, but she had to agree, the ocean view was spectacular.

  “How long have you lived here?” Lexi asked, immediately drawn to the sliding glass door to watch the sun set across the ocean.

  “About four years. The best part about this place is that it’s less than ten minutes to walk to the beach.” Gabriel pulled the slider open, letting in the fresh ocean breeze.

  “That must be nice. Do you spend a lot of time at the beach?” He wasn’t deeply tanned, but that could be the result of the regular use of sunscreen.