The Language of Death

by K. J. Emrick

  "Stop it," Darcy finally hissed.

  Lorne turned to her, with a lifted eyebrow. "What did you say?" he whispered.

  Oh, for Pete's sake, she thought to herself. "I, uh, was wondering if you were going to say anything?"

  "I am," he said. "But I want to go last."

  Chloe stopped her antics and stared at Lorne, her eyes suddenly hollow and dark. The irreverent smile she had been flashing evaporated. She turned to Darcy, a helpless expression on her face. "Tell him," she mouthed. "Please."

  Darcy didn't have to ask what her friend meant. "Lorne," she said to him. "You know Chloe loved you, right?"

  He looked surprised. "I know. I know she did. Did she…talk about me, or something? I mean, I know she loved me. I loved her, too. Did she tell you something?"

  How was she going to answer that one, she wondered. As she tried to form some kind of explanation that didn't involve her talking to his dead fiancé at a funeral service, the priest stood up again. "Does anyone else wish to say anything for Chloe?"

  Lorne took that as his cue, forgetting his question and Darcy's lack of an answer. He stood, going up to the podium, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

  Chloe sat down in Lorne's place. Her transparent hand reached out and touched Darcy's. The feel of it was cold and tingly but she didn't draw her hand away.

  With a deep breath, Lorne began. "Chloe was the love of my life. We had known each other since college, me and her and Darcy Sweet who has come all this way to say goodbye to our dear friend. We had gotten very close recently. Very close. Chloe and I had decided to marry, shortly before her…death."

  That brought quiet gasps and whispered comments. Darcy saw the look of sad surprise on the faces of Chloe's mother and father. Danson shook his head like his brother had been about to make the biggest mistake of his life. Veronica teared up, touching at her eyes dramatically with the corner of a white handkerchief. Sami sat staring straight ahead, her face impossible to read.

  Each of those was interesting, and full of potential meaning. Darcy wondered what her own expression said about her.

  "I promised her that I would always take care of her," Lorne said to everyone, scanning the crowd but looking especially at Veronica and Sami. "I feel like I've let her down. But I won't forget her. I will never forget her."

  There wasn't a sound in the entire church. Everyone sat very still, listening to Lorne declare his love for Chloe. A love that could never be returned.

  Except, Darcy knew better. Next to her, in a seat meant for the living, Chloe put her hands up over her face, her transparent eyes bright. Sometimes, when a spirit's force was especially strong, Darcy could hear them loud and clear.

  She heard when Chloe said to Lorne, "I will love you. Forever."

  ***

  After a somber burial service where Chloe nearly made Darcy crack up laughing as she stood next to the priest, imitating every movement, people were invited back to Betsy and Kevin's house to share some refreshments. Most people declined, saying their goodbyes and giving their condolences on the way out of the cemetery. Under the shade of a spreading elm tree, Chloe had been laid to her final rest.

  Except that her spirit still roamed restlessly among the people who did come to the house. She walked around them and in front of them, completely unnoticed. Sometimes right through them with nothing more serious than maybe a shiver on the part of the living.

  Darcy lost sight of Chloe several times, but that was all right. She couldn't talk to Lorne yet about what she had found out, such as it was, not until they were alone. She felt like that had to be her next step. She couldn't exactly tell him that she'd talked to Chloe's spirit, but she'd decided to tell him she'd heard the phrase "north and south" or seen it written in Betsy's house somewhere, and ask if it meant anything to him.

  Making the rounds of the Marrin house, amazed that she couldn't immediately find Lorne inside this small house somewhere, she wandered up the stairs to the second floor, thinking maybe some of the gathering had drifted up here. The second floor was empty, however, the bedroom doors all closed, the hallway full of things all neatly arranged. A stack of books in one corner momentarily drew her attention and she went over to read the titles on their hardcover spines.

  One of the doors opened suddenly in front of her and Sami stepped out, her makeup streaked on her face behind her glasses. Her black dress was cut a little too low to be proper for the occasion, Darcy thought, but it wasn't her place to judge.

  "Oh," Sami said, hastily shutting the door behind her. Darcy caught a quick glimpse of a bed with a fluffy purple comforter similar to the one from her vision. That had been Chloe's room when she had lived at home. Darcy fondly remembered that purple had been Chloe’s favorite color. "Sorry, I was looking for a place to be alone."

  "Not a problem," Darcy said, totally understanding. "It's an emotional day for everyone."

  Sami nodded, another tear spilling over her cheek. "Especially for Lorne. I can't imagine what he's going through. I told him earlier that I was around if he needed me."

  Darcy heard the extra meaning in those words. Apparently Chloe hadn't been the only one carrying a torch for Lorne. Sami fiddled with her fingers, then smoothed down the front of her dress, looking nervous. "Darcy, could you do me a favor?" she finally asked.

  "Um. Sure, if I can." Darcy reminded herself that Sami was still a suspect, still a potential murderer, but the woman seemed so vulnerable right now it was hard to imagine she had done anything except hold a secret crush on a guy who was already spoken for. Besides, this was a great opportunity to find out any information she could. "Tell me what you need. We were all Chloe’s friends. We should help each other out any way we can, right?"

  Sami seemed to brighten when she heard that. "Right. That's right. Veronica didn't seem to think so, but we were all friends of Chloe's. She didn't seem to think anyone else had any right to Chloe but her. I always felt like I was intruding on their girl's night out, like Veronica wanted to keep Chloe all to herself…"

  She caught herself, her mouth in a little round circle. "Oh. Um. That's not what I meant to say. You knew Lorne back in college. Could you…I mean, if you think the timing is right could you…" She stopped, then started again in a rush. "Could you let him know that he doesn't have to give up on life? He doesn't need to be alone. Let him know that Chloe wasn't the only one willing to share her life with him."

  Darcy didn't know what to say, so she just nodded her head, not really committing to anything, not saying yes or no. Sami took it as a yes, though, and gave Darcy a quick hug before scurrying off down the stairs.

  ***

  Darcy considered whether she should tell Lorne about her encounter with Sami. She had to find him, first, and sharing what she'd found out about Chloe's death had to come before anything else. Taking a small plate of crackers and cheese she mingled around from living room to kitchen and then down to the room where the washer and dryer stood silently amid a group of chatting people. Where was he? On her way back she finally spotted him talking with Betsy and Kevin. Catching his eye, she motioned for him to come outside with her.

  Two steps towards the door, she stopped. She still had the stupid plate of snack foods in her hand. The living room was packed with people, and she didn't see anywhere to put the plate, so she brought it with her out to the kitchen while Lorne slipped outside. He nodded as he left, letting her know that he'd wait for her.

  In the kitchen, she dumped her untouched food into the garbage bin and went to leave her plate in the sink. For the moment, everyone had drifted away from this room to join conversations elsewhere. She almost ran into Danson, standing by the sink, pouring himself a cup of water from the tap. He'd put on a gray suitcoat for the service, without a tie, his white shirt undone at the collar. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, and then Danson tossed two pills from the palm of his hand into his mouth and chased them down with the water.

  Darcy's eyes went wide. Pills? Could those be…<
br />
  He must have seen the expression on her face. "No. I know what you're thinking and Chloe's mother already asked me." He smiled and pulled a small pill bottle from his pocket to show her. "I have bipolar disorder. I take medication so that I don't lash out at people from out of town that stand around staring at me. See? Bipolar medication. There. Now you know my little secret. The medication keeps it in check but if I ever sound like I'm about to take your head off one second and the next I'm asking you out on a date, that's why."

  When she continued to stare, he added, "Don't worry. I'm more likely to take off your head than ask you for a date. I'm engaged, after all. Guess little brother Lorne was, too. It's too bad his ended this way." He didn't sound at all like he thought it was too bad, but he added, "I liked Chloe. She was good people."

  Darcy relaxed. Of course it wasn't epilepsy medication. No one would be stupid enough to show off the murder weapon in a house full of people. "Sorry, I guess I'm just on edge," she told him.

  He shrugged. "No worries. Like I said, I've already been grilled about my pills. Nobody who knows me thinks I'd be stupid enough to let Chloe get ahold of them. I don't let them out of my sight. This is pretty strong stuff. I don't want them to end up in the wrong hands." Taller than her by half a foot or more, he squinted down at her. "I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

  "Uh, right," Darcy said, putting her plate down quickly on the sink and hurrying out.

  ***

  "Lorne, let me ask you something," she said as she caught up to him on the front lawn. They were the only ones out there, except for a man and a woman sharing a cigarette over by the driveway. "Does the phrase 'north and south' mean anything to you?"

  He thought about it. "The Civil War, maybe. Nothing else. Why?"

  That was definitely disappointing, but she had expected exactly that answer. "Oh, I saw it inside Betsy's house," she lied. "I thought it might have meant something to Chloe. That's all. That was a nice speech you gave at the service."

  "Thanks. I meant it, you know. I'll never forget about her, and I won't stop until I know who killed her. Have you found anything out?"

  She shook her head helplessly. "I thought I had, but maybe I was wrong. Not that there isn't lots of secrets to learn about people you've only just met."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, for one thing, Sami has a crush on you."

  His lips pulled into a frown, as his body shifted uncomfortably. "I know."

  Now Darcy was surprised. "You know?"

  "Yes. I've known for a while. I kept it from Chloe, though. I didn't want to put any kind of rift into our relationship. Sami kept her feelings to herself, mostly, unless we were alone and then she dropped all these hints about how much better she could be as a girlfriend than anyone else, including Chloe. She was wrong, of course, but I never got into an argument about it with her."

  "Did she know you and Chloe were going to be married?"

  "Nope. We kept that to ourselves. We were going to tell her parents first." He sighed. "Now they had to find out this way. That's old news, though. At least for me. What other big secrets do you think we're hiding?"

  "Did you know that your brother has bipolar disorder?"

  Lorne rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that's a matter of debate. I never believed it. I think it started as him faking to get attention when he was a kid, but he got prescribed that medication and after that there was no going back. You know, he keeps a bottle of that stuff on him all the time, plus a spare bottle in his car's glove compartment. He's fanatical about it."

  Darcy still couldn't believe how different the two brothers were. Lorne, open and caring and easy to talk to. Danson, uptight and about as approachable as a glacier. She'd never met Danson before but it was a safe bet that Chloe had. Of the two brothers it was easy to see why she would have fallen for Lorne, and not Danson. They were polar opposites, these two. Yin and Yang. Hot and cold. Up and down.

  She gasped. The world around her froze. Everything stopped as bits and pieces clicked into place. Chloe had given her the answer, then told her she was smart enough to figure it out.

  Smarter than a teddy bear.

  On her next heartbeat the world started up again. She looked up to find Lorne staring. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

  "No," she said, actually feeling like she'd been punched in the gut. "I'm not. Um, Lorne, can I ask you to go inside for a while? If anyone starts to leave, maybe you could come out and give me a signal?"

  "A signal? What do you want me to do, make bird calls?"

  "Whatever. I'm sure you can figure out a way to be more subtle. Please? It would really be a help."

  She hoped he wouldn't ask any questions and to her relief, he didn't. He thought she was asking him to help her find a clue to who had killed Chloe, and for that he probably would have done anything she asked. She couldn't tell him that the real reason she wanted him to go back inside was because she couldn't trust him. Not with what she was about to do. Not after what she had just figured out.

  After she saw the door to the house close behind Lorne she checked to make sure the two people having their cigarettes over at the other edge of the lawn weren't paying any attention to her. Then she went down to the row of cars parked in front of the Marrin home.

  She knew which car was Danson's from seeing him drive the red two-door coupe to and from the cemetery today. The polish on the automobile was glaring under the mid-afternoon sun. Even the chrome wheels had been buffed to a shine. Pursing her lips at how silly men could be with their toys, Darcy checked over her shoulder one last time then reached for the passenger door handle.

  Locked.

  She cursed silently. So close. All she had to do was get inside this car and she'd know if she was right or not. She could break the window with a rock, maybe, but that would draw too much attention. Not to mention get her arrested. Maybe there was a metal coat hanger in Betsy's house that she could…

  Chloe's ghost popped into existence at Darcy's side, so suddenly that Darcy jumped and squeaked. "Chloe!" she said in a loud whisper. "Don't do that! You'll give me a heart attack and then I'll be standing there with you on the other side. How could I help you then, huh?"

  Chloe stuck out her tongue at Darcy, then knelt down beside the back tire. Her hand and arm disappeared through the frame as she reached for something she would never be able to touch.

  What could she be after, Darcy wondered. Then it hit her. Of course.

  Kneeling down in almost the exact spot where Chloe had been, she reached up under the frame around the back bumper. She had to reach way up, and over, and with a little fumbling she came out with a little metal box hidden so well she doubted even Danson's mechanic knew it was there. It was a hide-a-key box, used by people who didn't want to risk getting locked out of their cars. Sliding the top open she took out the spare key.

  "Thanks," she told Chloe. "Wish your other answers had been that direct."

  Chloe stood by and watched her as she opened Danson's car, then quickly got inside and shut the door behind her. It was less likely that anyone would notice her this way. Then, in relative privacy, she opened the small glove compartment.

  She knew the moment Chloe settled into the backseat by the chill that ran up her spine. "It's not here, is it?" Darcy asked.

  The glove compartment was as immaculate as the rest of the car. There was the owner's manual, and a flashlight, and a pack of sugar free chewing gum. Nothing else.

  There was no extra bottle of bipolar medication like Lorne had told her there should be. Those pills were gone.

  And Darcy knew what had been done with them.

  Chapter Seven

  She closed the car door behind her again, but kept the hide-a-key. She wanted proof later on that she'd been in there.

  The pills that Chloe had taken, the ones that got her killed, were Danson's. He'd been able to flash them out in the open like Darcy had seen him do because the coroner's examination had labeled the killer substanc
e in Chloe's body as epilepsy medication, not bipolar medicine. However, there were a lot of medications that had dual purposes nowadays. She'd have to do some research, but she was willing to bet that some bipolar medication was also used to treat epilepsy. Or vice versa.

  Either way, Darcy had found the murder weapon.

  Even though it hadn't looked like it, Chloe actually had answered her questions during the communication. When Darcy had asked who killed her she'd told Darcy to follow the line of north and south. Then Chloe had even mentioned how Lorne and her had magnetism. Her exact word.

  The ends of a magnet were labelled as north and south ends. Two poles.

  Bipolar.

  Danson. He'd used his own medication, ground up in a glass of beer, to make Chloe die of an overdose. Then he'd arranged her body on the bed, knowing that Veronica would come looking for Chloe when she didn't show up for ladies night out. It all fit.

  Except for one thing. Why? Why would he do it?

  This was the reason she hadn't been able to trust Lorne to come with her just now. It had nothing to do with him. She had written him off as a possible suspect almost immediately. Certainly after they'd had dinner together. She wasn't worried about that. She was worried about what he might do if he found out his brother was the one who killed Chloe.

  Darcy supposed that the best thing to do at this point was to go to the police with what she knew, or as much of it as she could tell them without sounding like a psychic fraud looking to make a name for herself. Which she definitely wasn't. She could tell the police that Danson had a whole bottle of bipolar medication missing and that if they checked his prescription against what the coroner had found in Chloe's system and on her nightstand that it would be a match.

  Then that idiot coroner could get fired for not looking at the obvious and finding out which of Chloe's friends and families might have been using the same kind of medication, even if it was prescribed for something else.

  She wished, not for the first time, that Jon were here. This was where she had always needed his help. They had made a good team. When her brother-in-law Aaron had been kidnapped, it had been Jon who had worked with the police to make things happen that Darcy never could have. Whenever a suspect needed to be arrested to make sure they didn't run away—or worse, hurt Darcy or someone else—it was Jon who she relied on. Whenever she needed someone to hold her and tell her it would be all right…