by Mya O'Malley
SLEEP WOULDN’T COME easily that night. Not with Ryan out there. Again, her mind considered all she knew about Ryan, the good and the bad. Something made her focus on the very first time she had welcomed him into her home. There was a piece that was important about that day, she knew it, but it was somehow out of her reach.
Besides his obvious obsession with the house and the cemetery beyond, she was forgetting a crucial bit of information.
Think. Think.
She recalled answering the door, showing him around. Zelda had even been smitten with him from the start.
That was it. That was it! It was Zelda, or, more so, her reaction to Ryan. Zelda was enamored with him. In Naomi’s experience, she had never found her cat to be a poor judge of character. Coupled with Maggie touching her chest, signaling the love that had been between the two of them, Naomi was stumped.
Maggie could be emptying her emotions, good or bad. If she still had love in her heart for him, she may have been trying to convey her feelings. Or, on the other hand, if he had performed the ultimate betrayal, she may have been acting out the pieces of her torn, confused soul.
Miriam was downstairs, settled on the couch, ready for Ryan. She should try to get some sleep, because God only knew what tomorrow would bring. Bryce was on her mind as well, and though she longed to call him to say good night, she knew her voice would give away her emotions. It was best to avoid speaking with him until the light of day tomorrow. Placing Bryce and Holly in danger was not even a consideration.
Naomi drifted in and out of sleep, seeing a compilation of events, of faces. She was in the woods, then she was at Bryce’s house. One face became the focus as she struggled to grasp what was happening. It was Ryan’s face that now became clear, and he was smiling. Those intense eyes were cast upon her, seeing through her. She saw him from a distance now, carving his initials into the oak tree. Turning back, he smiled at her, making her heart thump wildly.
A vivid green streamed through her thoughts; what was she even looking at? Green, what was green? He spun his head around, grinning widely at her.
He wore green.
His T-shirt was green.
Gasping for air, Naomi jolted upright in her bed. Waiting out her pounding heart, she blinked her eyes in the darkness.
“Miriam!” Racing down the stairs with Zelda weaving in and out of her path, she nearly stumbled.
Within seconds, the officer appeared at the bottom of the steps. “What’s the matter, what’s wrong?” She grabbed hold of Naomi’s shoulders to steady her.
“He wore green! Ryan wore a green T-shirt.” Naomi managed to slow down her breathing to speak clearly.
Miriam released Naomi and turned away.
“What is it? What?”
It was bad, that much was evident. “Miriam, tell me.”
“We need to talk. Sit down.” Miriam led her to the couch, which was surrounded by coffee cups, napkins, and a used paper plate. It appeared that Miriam had been in the middle of a midnight snack.
“I don’t understand. Why is the color of the shirt he wore so important?” Her eyes scanned Miriam’s strained face.
Placing her head in her hands, Miriam cried out, “None of this makes any sense, not even to me. I have to admit that I’m out of my element here. Naomi, I don’t know how to tell you this other than to just come right out and say it.”
She wished Miriam would just spit it out. She sat on the edge of the couch, waiting for the words she knew would be difficult to hear. “Tell me, I can handle it.” What information could Miriam share that would shock her or upset her any more at this point?
Miriam grabbed hold of Naomi’s hands and faced her directly. “Naomi. I need you to breathe.”
“I’m breathing, I’m breathing, Miriam.” She closed her eyes, protecting herself from the certain blow.
“Look at me.” Miriam held her hands steady. “We found a body down at the bottom of the cliff.”
A body? But what did this have to do with anything pertaining to Maggie or Ryan?
“It’s badly decomposed at this point. Most likely, this person died several years ago.” Miriam noticeably swallowed.
Naomi shut her eyes tight, attempting to block out the words she knew were coming. The words she would give anything to change.
Her chest heaved as she breathed in and out until she could hear her own ragged breaths. “The body that was found, it… he was wearing a green T-shirt, Naomi.”
As if her body had already processed what her mind hadn’t a chance to, Naomi sprinted to the kitchen, heading for the sink. She held her head low and vomited as Miriam stood behind her.
“I’m sorry,” Miriam mumbled, rubbing her back. “I’m so sorry.”
Trembling, Naomi turned to face Miriam. The officer’s face was as white as a sheet. Possibilities raced through her mind as she considered this new information. It could only mean the unbelievable. The inconceivable.
There was no other explanation. In a world filled with layers of unknown phenomenon, she had to consider the chance that it could be possible.
“When will you know for sure?” Naomi managed, wiping her mouth.
“Hopefully sometime tomorrow. Given the circumstances, they’re making this their top priority in pathology. We already know he’s a male, and his age fits. We need to check the dental records against him.”
“I need to sit down.” Naomi’s quivering legs guided her way to the kitchen table. Black spots floated in and out of her line of vision.
“With a positive identification from Maggie’s parents, it rules out the chance that someone is posing as Ryan, that someone has stolen his identity.”
Naomi had already sorted that thorough in her head. Evidence pointed in one direction. If the body truly belonged to Ryan, then there was no other explanation.
“He’s-he could be-” Naomi started. Once she said the words aloud, it would become a fact. She couldn’t bear to think of it.
“A ghost,” Miriam finished.
EVEN BRYCE COULDN’T console her today. The sole thing, the only thing that gave her any peace, was to think that if Ryan had been a ghost all along, he may be innocent. It was no wonder he couldn’t remember his relationship with Maggie until clues were practically thrown in his face. It could also explain why he pulled back more the closer he got to finding out the truth about Maggie.
But why had his mind blocked out Maggie and everything leading up to her demise?
To his demise?
Something so awful must have happened to cause the lapse in memory.
Naomi was itching to write this story, to get all of her conflicted, painful emotions out of her head and onto the paper.
Waiting out Miriam’s phone call was pure hell. Torture beyond anything she had experienced before. Before she allowed herself to speculate about what it might mean if the body was, indeed, Ryan’s, she should quiet her mind and try to focus on other things. There was no point in figuring out something that may or may not even be true.
Truth was a funny thing. In the deepest part of her soul, she knew what the outcome was going to be. Crying out in the middle of the living room, she fell to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. Zelda scooted to her side, purring against her. How was she going to make it without him? She already missed him with all of her heart.
Along with knowing the body found near the Hudson River belonged to Ryan, she also now found peace in the knowledge that Ryan wouldn’t harm her or Maggie, not if his life depended on it.
Memories and flashbacks consumed her soul as she replayed each and every moment she spent with him, starting with that fateful day she had met him at the restaurant to the last time she had spoken with him. If she had never left him alone with Maggie’s spirit, maybe he would still be here by her side today.
Who was she kidding? Time was fleeting for both Maggie and Ryan. It couldn’t be coincidence that after they had finally found each other, they had disappeared from her life.
Buzzing
sounded from her cell phone. It was Bryce again. Bless his heart, the man certainly tried. After placing the ringing cell down on the table, she sat watching it.
“Hi, Bryce,” she finally answered.
“I’ve been so worried about you. Can I stop by for a minute?”
“Like I told you before, Bryce, this is so difficult for me. I think it’s best for me to be alone right now.” As much as she would love his kind words and tender touch, she wasn’t in the mood for company.
“I’m sorry but that’s not acceptable. I’m at your front door. Let me in.”
Sighing, Naomi trudged to the kitchen and peeked through the curtains by the sink. He had perseverance, she had to give him that.
Face-to-face with Bryce, her heart melted a bit at the sight of him standing there in jeans and a red-checked flannel. And there was that sexy stubble again.
“Hi.”
“Come here,” Bryce said, opening his arms wide.
In his embrace, she was more relaxed. Allowing herself to breathe deeply into his shoulder, she felt warm tears cascade down her cheeks as she spilled everything she had experienced in the past few hours.
“Sweetie, let’s wait until you hear from Officer Marty before speculating. Can you do that for me?”
Looking up into his warm eyes, Naomi’s tears continued to flow. “I already know the outcome. I don’t need to wait for her call,” she sobbed.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I feel helpless standing here, watching you in so much pain.” He lifted her chin. “What can I do for you? How can I make this better?”
“Oh, Bryce. Nothing in the world can make this go away. You can continue to be here for me, though.” She laid her cheek against his chest, feeling his hands smooth her messy locks of hair. Now that he was here, she was glad he hadn’t listened to her pleas to leave her alone. Naomi was learning that she needed Bryce, and hell, it felt pretty good to need someone.
“I wouldn’t leave you for a minute,” he whispered. He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. Naomi breathed in his fresh, clean scent.
Naomi wasn’t sure how long they had been standing there, but when she heard the knock on her door, all of the tension that had recently dissipated quickly returned.
Bryce held her steady from behind as Officer Marty approached. The grim set to her jaw told Naomi everything she needed to know.
Miriam stood at her door in her blue jeans and dark sweater. “I’m so sorry, Naomi. I wish I had better news for you.” The fact that she kept returning off duty wasn’t lost on Naomi. Like her, Miriam was getting caught up in this case. Once you knew the players, it was so hard not to get sucked in.
“Don’t…” Naomi’s voice broke as she covered her face in Bryce’s chest.
“She just needs a minute, please.” Bryce held on to Naomi as Miriam stood back, giving Naomi and Bryce the space they needed.
“Oh, how could this be? I knew it was true, though. From the start, there was always something off about him. He was so full of love, energy, kindness…” Naomi’s words faded as she cried openly.
Glancing at Miriam, she gulped as she saw tears well in the officer’s eyes. “Naomi. We need to figure out what all of this means. This connection you have to the paranormal is the key to solving this whole mess.”
“I know, Miriam.”
“They trust you, and they need your help to find peace. Is there any way possible that you can attempt communication with either one of them again?”
His face. His beautiful kind heart.
How could he be dead?
“He was so full of life. He had an appetite for knowledge.” Heck, for food, too. His thirst for history, the obsession with the cemetery, it all made sense to her now. His boundless energy had never ceased to amaze her.
One of her very best friends was a ghost.
A ghost.
How could she wrap her brain around the fact that she would never see him again, grab a cup of coffee with him, touch him? Both he and Maggie sought closure and counted on her to bring it to them. She would do anything for either of them, but knowing the price it would cost broke her heart.
Closure would mean that they would be at peace, at rest. It also meant she would have to say good-bye to them forever. Was it selfish to even think along those lines? It was human nature to miss them, but it was also human nature to help them. And so she would. Nothing else would matter until she saw them both at rest.
“What do we need to do? Tell me and I’ll do it.” She directed her question to Miriam. “I want to do this. Now.”
“That’s my girl.” Bryce rubbed her back.
“Okay, so listen. Do what you feel will bring you closer to them. Go to sleep. Have some more dreams. Heck, visit the graveyard in the middle of the night.”
“Miriam, I think both you and I know that it doesn’t quite work that way. If it did, this mystery would have been solved weeks ago.”
“I know, I know. There’s got to be something we can do, though.”
“It’s odd the way information seems to filter in, in bits and fragments. It’s as if they can’t fully communicate with me. They give clues, then they pull away. I’m at a loss right now.”
“Think like a writer, Naomi. You’ve done it before. What would your characters do next?” Bryce rubbed her shoulders as he encouraged her to think.
“It’s not working this time, Bryce. I’m trying so hard to think, to piece the clues together.”
Pacing the floor, Miriam bit down hard on her lip. “I’ve been doing some thinking. Something has made Ryan block out not only Maggie’s death, but his own. What if something happened to make him feel as if he couldn’t move on and accept the truth until that horrible event was exposed?”
Interesting theory, but what could have happened that was more horrific than both of them dying that day near the river? It must be connected to his love for Maggie. Knowing Ryan, he would put his own needs to the side for the sake of his love for Maggie. “It would have to involve Maggie. Why would he forget? Was it just too traumatic to remember?”
“No, my gut tells me there’s more.”
She would have to agree with Miriam there. “If it were just the fact that he had witnessed her, say, being pushed off the cliff by Nick, then by finding her they would have already found peace.”
“Yes. Good thinking, Naomi. And if Maggie is gone now and Ryan is still wandering around in the cemetery on his own, it’s not finished. There’s still something missing.”
Visions of running away from Nick and Ryan came back to haunt her thoughts. “But then why was I dreaming that Ryan was after me?”
“They were Maggie’s thoughts most likely, that brought forth that dream. If I were to speculate here, and that’s a big if, I would say that dreams aren’t always easy to interpret. Maggie’s emotions must be all over the place here and we know communicating with the real world is tricky for her. I wouldn’t discount the idea that she’s just mixing up her memories of that day or that by allowing him into that dream, it could mean something else entirely.”
Miriam’s train of thought made sense. In the world of speculation, any scenario could be entirely possible.
“I’m following you.” An idea struck Naomi as she stood there, glancing back and forth between Bryce and Miriam.
“I’m going to start writing. I know the beginning of their story anyway, right? Nothing gets me thinking more than writing.”
Bryce looked at Miriam and shrugged. She should have done this long ago. It might give her some much needed answers. Sorting through the timeline of events certainly couldn’t hurt. There was another thing she needed to do as well, but she wasn’t entirely confident Miriam would feel the same.
“Miriam?” It was worth a shot. “I need to ask you a rather large favor. All I ask is that you keep an open mind.”
Miriam’s eyes scanned Naomi’s face. “Oh, no. I told you before, no way.”
Bryce tried to follow their conversat
ion, but his face gave away the fact that he was clueless as to what was going on.
“He’s the only other one besides Ryan and Maggie that knows exactly what went down that day. He’s involved in this conundrum; otherwise why the grand cover-up, the threats?”
“Listen. We already know that he’s involved, but it would be sheer stupidity to allow you to speak with him, and like I said last time, he’s not talking.”
“He’s still at the station, I hope.”
“Absolutely. The judge considered him a flight risk, so bail was set so high, his sorry butt won’t see the light of day in quite a while, if ever.”
“Naomi,” Bryce interjected. He touched her arm. “I don’t want you within a hundred feet of Nick. What are you thinking?”
“Don’t you both see how important this is? I have to see him, Miriam, please.”
She could see Miriam working it through, from the way she shook her head to eventually making eye contact with Naomi. “He’s refusing his public defender. He’s a stubborn guy, Naomi, I’ll tell you that.”
“So that means he isn’t bound to any privacy issues as of now. That if he agrees to see me as a visitor, I could technically get in to see him?”
“First of all, why would he ever agree to see you? A guy like that isn’t going to help you, Naomi. He’s guilty as sin, probably due to the fact that he not only murdered Maggie, but now Ryan as well. That’s two people, Naomi, two. Let’s not make it three.” He held three fingers in the air.
“I can count,” Naomi grumbled. “Still, it’s essential that I speak with him. If he refuses, I’ll drop it. Fair enough?”
“Oh, heck, Naomi. As much as I hate to admit it, you make a good point. He is the only witness—uh, make that suspect.”
“Miriam, with all due respect, are you nuts?” Bryce cried out. His face flushed a deep red, causing Naomi to wince.
“Trust us on this one, Bryce. The sooner we can move on from this case, the better off we’ll all be, including Maggie and Ryan.”
“Let’s do this.” Naomi rushed toward the small closet near the stairs. Miriam shrugged and avoided making eye contact with Bryce.
“What? Well, then I’m going, too.”