by Lisa Olsen
“Maybe you should try to talk to them? Ghosts are all seeing, right? Maybe they can give you a clue to what happened to Chloe?”
Lexi shook her head slowly, “Just because I can see a vision of them doesn’t mean I can talk to them.”
“But didn’t you hear them singing?”
“I don’t know, Maddie… this is starting to sound really spooky.”
“You need a fresh place to start on what happened to Neil and Chloe, right?”
“Nobody’s home there tonight…” Lexi conceded, unable to believe she was even considering this.
“Great, then lets go!” Maddie chirped enthusiastically, setting her laptop down on the coffee table.
“What… now?”
“You said it yourself, there’s no one there, sounds like a perfect time to try it.”
“You want to go to a haunted house at night…on purpose.”
“The ghosts have never tried to hurt you, right? They’ve never done anything worse than play a couple of pranks on Allie. They’re kids, they’re not dangerous. I’m not telling you to go into a house with bleeding walls, for Pete’s sake.”
“Okay, okay let’s go. It’ll keep my mind off of what’s going on with Allison anyway.”
“I was going to ask you why she wouldn’t be home tonight.”
“I can’t talk about it remember?”
Maddie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay Lex; I think I can figure it out on my own. I mean things were going like gangbusters with the cop, and then you’re here and he had to work, and Allie’s not around anymore? Don’t worry, we’ll find something to clear her, as long as we can get the ghosts to talk to us.”
“I wonder if you can bribe ghosts with candy?” Lexi wondered aloud.
***
The house was dark when they pulled up; the night eerily quiet, though that might have been her nerves playing tricks on her. The first thing Lexi did when she opened the door was snap on the hall light, feeling marginally relieved the moment they weren’t drenched in darkness. “There, that’s better,” she murmured, stepping deeper into the house. Oddly enough, the hum of the refrigerator was strangely comforting, offering a degree of normalcy.
“How are we supposed to do this?” Maddie whispered, following close behind.
She stopped in her tracks, “I thought you knew? You’re the one who’s such a big fan of those ghost hunter shows on TV.” Lexi’s interest in them was limited to giggling over how silly they were.
“No, I have no idea. All they ever do on those shows is walk around talking to the open air.”
“Okay, let’s try that I guess.” Lexi took a deep breath, shutting the door behind them. “Hello?” She took a few steps deeper into the house. “Is anyone there?” A muffled bump came from somewhere in the depths of the house. “Okay, that was just a coincidence, right?” she breathed.
“That could be a branch hitting the house from the outside. We’ve got to stop freaking ourselves out, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Maddie whispered back.
“Oh yeah? Then why are you whispering?”
Maddie shot her a dirty look. “Bianca, are you here?” she called out in a louder voice. “Girls?”
Nothing but silence greeted them, and Lexi started to feel a little foolish, calling out into the empty house. “Now what? Do we go up and down the halls talking to thin air?”
“Hey, I’m winging it here,” Maddie shrugged. “What were you doing the last time you heard the singing?”
“I was up in the attic, touching Sophia’s dressing table and some of Bianca’s things the first time. Oh, and I was in Chloe’s room touching one of the things left under the bed. Maybe that’s a good place to start?” It couldn’t have less luck than their attempts so far. “Let’s go up to Chloe’s room, that’s where they left things behind under the bed before, and I think I want to try that stuffed bunny.” She wasn’t about to suggest going up into the attic; not at night.
“I’m game,” Maddie nodded, following her up the stairs. Once again they turned on every single light they passed until the second floor was blazing with light.
“So that last time I tried the bunny I got…” Lexi stopped, turning first one way then the other. “Where is it? I left it on the bed.”
“Maybe Allie moved it?”
“Everything else looks the same,” she frowned, dipping her head down to look under the bed but there wasn’t anything there.
“Maybe your sister took it into her room to help her feel closer to Chloe?” But a search of Allie’s room turned up nothing.
“That’s weird, where could it have gone?” Lexi paused at the top of the stairs. “Maybe it’s in the den? She’s been hanging out there a lot more lately, working with this website on missing children.” Halfway down the stairs, the faint sounds of children singing floated down to them, the source difficult to place. “Take the keys and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up…”
“There, you hear that too right?” she cried out, beyond relieved when Maddie nodded, her eyes wide. Freezing in place, they traded looks, unsure what to do when the singing started to fade, almost as abruptly as it began.
“Wait, don’t go!” Maddie called out, “Let us see you.”
Lexi smacked her on the arm, she had no desire to witness a ghostly apparition; the singing was bad enough, but the request had already been made. “Bianca?” she called out softly. “Are you there?” A flicker of movement at the top of the stairs caught her attention, but as soon as she looked for the source of it, it was gone. Lexi took another step up. “Bianca is that you? We just want to talk to you, Honey. We want to find out what happened to Chloe. Remember Chloe, your friend? Won’t you talk to us?” The lights flickered and they both jumped.
“Was that a reply, do you think?”
“I don’t know… Did you see what happened to Chloe?” Lexi tried again, her eyes widening when the lights flashed again.
“Does that mean yes?” Maddie asked, a grin spreading over her face as the lights flickered again right on cue. “Let’s try one flash for yes and two flashes for no, okay?”
At the resulting flash, Lexi took the initiative. “Did you see who killed Neil?”
Flash.
“Try something with a no answer.”
“Did Neil have anything to do with Chloe’s disappearance?” Lexi knew from his time of death that he couldn’t have possibly done it and was rewarded with two flickers of the lights.
“It’s working, it’s really working!” Maddie hopped on one foot in excitement. “Let’s try the million dollar question, did Allie kill Neil?” The lights flashed twice again and now even Lexi was having a hard time keeping her heart from bursting out of her chest with excitement.
“Did you see that?” Lexi gasped. “I knew she was innocent! Do you know who did kill Neil?”
Flash.
“Is Chloe alive?”
Flash.
“Is she safe?” Both girls frowned as no response came one way or the other. What did that mean? “Is she somewhere nearby?” Lexi tried again.
Flash.
“What else do we ask?” she frowned, running short of ideas.
Maddie’s face fell, “I… don’t know. We can’t exactly ask who the killer is. What else has a yes or no answer?”
“Do I personally know the person who killed Neil?” Lexi called out but nothing happened in response. “Hello? Are you still there?” The phone buzzed in Lexi’s pocket and she jumped again, swearing under her breath as she fished it out of her pocket. “Who could be calling?” she wondered aloud when the unknown number registered. “Hello?”
“Lexi, thank God,” Allie’s voice came through, “I need you to…”
“Allie! Are you okay? I know you didn’t do it…”
“You seem to be the only one,” her sister muttered. “Look, I don’t have much time, okay? I need your help.”
“Of course, anything you need.”
“I’m being charged with
Neil’s murder. I need you to get a hold of an attorney first thing tomorrow morning so I can meet with him before the arraignment.”
“Yeah, okay sure, I can do that,” she agreed instantly; it was the least she could do until she figured out who actually killed him. Hopefully Allie had the money to pay for a decent lawyer; maybe Paul would be able to recommend someone?
“Find me someone good, Lexi. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life behind bars for a crime I didn’t commit.”
“Of course I will.”
“I have to get out of here,” Allie sounded agitated, her voice rising dramatically. “I have to get home, Chloe needs me, she can’t do without me.”
Lexi blinked, not quite sure how to respond to that. Was Allie really losing touch with reality that badly? “I know, I know she does Sweetie, we’ll get you out of there, don’t worry,” she managed to get out. “I’ll take care of the lawyer and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Thanks Lexi, I knew I could count on you.” Allie hung up, or someone else did for her, leaving Lexi standing there, tapping the phone against her chin pensively.
“She’s definitely starting to lose it.”
“Being arrested is bound to rattle anyone’s tree,” Maddie shrugged.
“Did you think of anything else to ask?”
“Nope, I’m stumped, what about you?”
Lexi hesitated for a moment, before coming up with something else. “Can you show me what happened to Chloe?” There was no response, and she wasn’t sure if it was because the ghost didn’t understand the question or if she was gone for the time being.
“Do you know where the bunny is?” Maddie called out into the open air, but no response came. “I guess we used up whatever mojo we had going on. Did you want to try with something else or head for home?”
“We should probably just go home. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow and help Allie get a line on a lawyer. I don’t suppose you know anyone?”
“None that I’d recommend,” Maddie snorted, turning off the bedroom light as they left. “But I’ll ask around tonight; someone might have an idea. Or maybe Paul, he might know of one from work or something?”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“Well whoever you call, you’d better not mention anything about the ghosty stuff, or they’ll order up a rubber room for you next to Allie’s cell.”
“Don’t worry, the last thing I’m gonna do is advertise what we found out here tonight.” Lexi hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, looking up to where she’d first seen that flicker of movement. “Thank you,” she called up softly to whoever was listening.
***
It turned out to be easier than she would have thought to find a lawyer for Allie. Paul had a friend who had just set out his shingle and was eager for the chance at a high profile client. One thing was certain, as soon as the news got a hold of the story it was bound to become the biggest thing running in town. Though Santa Cruz was a decent sized city and had its share of deaths and even murders, the details of the case were interesting enough to hold the public’s eye. Lexi had a few qualms about using a lawyer with limited trial experience, but she figured Allie could always decide if she wanted to keep him later. For now it would be enough to get her through the arraignment. Besides, what he lacked in experience, he made up for with charisma.
Joshua Johnson, Attorney at Law, or JJ as Paul referred to him, had that polished thousand dollar smile that positively oozed charm and good breeding without coming across as phony. He came from money and wasn’t afraid to show it, arriving at their house in a suit that cost more than Lexi made in a month, despite the late hour. His handshake was firm and dry, and Lexi couldn’t help but be impressed by his sympathetic deference when he entered their home.
“Lexi, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances.”
He had? Lexi flashed a look to Paul, wondering if he’d really spoken about her before, or if that was just his way of being polite? She couldn’t remember Paul mentioning this guy before, but that wasn’t a huge deal. “Thanks for coming so quickly, I really appreciate you taking this on with such short notice,” she replied.
“No, thank you for considering me,” he waved away her thanks. “Just think of me as here to help take care of all the details. We’ll get your sister released tomorrow and then we can start building our case. Paul told me a little about what we’re facing and I’ve been following the story in the paper, so I’m familiar with the basics.” He set his briefcase down on the coffee table and drew out a yellow legal pad. “So what’s our angle? Loving wife and mother snaps in the face of her husband’s infidelity and lashes out? So traumatized by the episode that she blanks it out of her memory completely?” JJ stretched out on the couch, pen in hand.
“No, no, she didn’t do it! Their case against her is shaky at best, all circumstantial.” At least, she was fairly sure it was all circumstantial, since she didn’t know the details of what Gabriel had found, but Lexi knew that Allie was innocent, so it had to be.
“Well, why don’t you fill me in on all the particulars, and please, don’t leave anything out. Anything you tell me is strictly confidential, you understand. I’ll get the whole skinny from your sister tomorrow, but the more I know, the sooner I can start building her defense.” Lexi nodded, starting to tell him everything she knew from the beginning, leaving out everything that could possibly be considered supernatural. When she was done talking, JJ cocked his head to one side with a penetrating look that made her squirm. “I think you can do a little better than that. What are you leaving out?”
Was this what it was like to be up on the witness stand? Lexi hoped she would never be called up to testify, hating the feeling of being on the spot. “I… am not sure what you mean,” she darted a look to Paul who hovered in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Come on Lexi, you have to trust me with all of the details. Now Paul has taken the liberty of speaking to me about your… special ability. You have to tell me all about it, every shred of evidence that has proven your sister innocent.”
Lexi’s brows drew together into a single dark line and she noticed Paul slink out of the room out of the corner of her eye. The last thing she wanted was to bring her gift into the limelight in such a public forum. “I didn’t think we’d want to bring up something like that in a court of law. Won’t they just laugh us out of there?”
“Are you kidding? In a town like Santa Cruz, the jury will eat it up!” JJ grinned, a gleam of avarice in his eyes. “If all they’ve got is circumstantial evidence, the more doubt we can cast on their accusations the better. It’ll be our job to cloud the issue, bring in as many counter suspicions as possible. We don’t have to prove anything; just shake their faith that your sister is responsible for these crimes.”
It didn’t exactly sit right with her, but Lexi could see what he was going for. Reluctantly she told him about what she’d been able to ‘see’, including the interaction with the ghosts just that night. JJ’s pen flew across the pad, though she wasn’t able to read any of his cramped scrawl, so he could have been making notes on what a whack job she was for all she knew. “And Maddie can corroborate this experience tonight?”
“Yeah, she was there,” Lexi nodded.
“And this Detective Ryan, he can attest to some of the goings on in the house as well?”
“He was there when I had the vision of Chloe in the dark room the first time and he saw the things left under the bed, yeah. But I don’t think he’ll want to testify…”
“He won’t have a choice,” JJ smirked. “We can bring him on as a hostile witness if we have to; we’ll see where this case leads to begin with. We might not have to even bring up all of this, but it’s good information to have. I think I’ve got enough to go on for tonight, thanks for talking to me, Lexi.”
“So, do you think you’ll be able to get Allie out on bail tomorrow?” Lexi rose as he closed up the briefcase.
“I d
on’t think it’ll be too hard, she’s a solid upstanding member of the community, she hasn’t made any preparations to leave so far and her daughter is still considered missing. I think the judge will see things our way.”
“What are you going to say in court?”
“It’ll depend on what Allie says, of course.”
“Well, she’ll say the same thing that I did, that’s what happened.”
“Of course,” he smiled. “But sometimes people change their stories when they see what evidence is stacked against them. Once I have access to what the prosecution has on her, I’ll be able to make my recommendation,” he replied and Lexi got the suspicion that he wasn’t necessarily convinced of her innocence and intended to see if he could talk her into trying to work out a deal.
“I understand,” Lexi nodded, walking him to the front door. “Thanks again for coming on such short notice, I owe you one.”
“I’ll remember that,” his smile widened, eyes roaming over her body in a lingering way that made her wonder if he might be looking for more payment than she was comfortable giving. But Lexi returned his smile, shutting the door behind him. There was enough to worry about without borrowing trouble.
***
At the courthouse before the arraignment started, Lexi kept her eyes peeled, searching for a chance to talk to Gabriel about what she’d turned up the night before at Allie’s place. If there was one person she thought would receive the news with the same amount of excitement that she and Maddie felt, it was the handsome detective. For a moment she thought he might not be there; after all, he’d done his job by bringing about her arrest, he wasn’t needed at the arraignment. But she hoped that he’d put in an appearance to talk to the District Attorney like he’d promised.
Lexi spotted him by a bank of payphones and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey, I was just gonna try calling you but my cell phone didn’t charge last night,” he gave her a hesitant smile as if he wasn’t sure what ground they stood on.
Lexi nodded, her voice low and urgent. “I want to talk to you; I found out that Allie didn’t kill Neil and that Chloe is still alive.”