by Becky Durfee
“That’s right,” he replied with awe. “I’m the voice of the spirit. And you are, too?”
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Jenny softly whispered, “Yes.”
“That’s amazing,” he began. “Not everybody in the family gets it, you know. My mom had it, and of her three children, I’m the only one to have it as well. She became worried when I didn’t have any children; she thought perhaps the ability was going to disappear when I died. My God, she’ll be so excited to know that it lives on.”
Jenny smiled at the thought of having another grandmother—one who shared in her psychic ability. “So how is it for you?” Jenny asked. “The contacts, I mean. Sometimes I hear voices, sometimes I get feelings, sometimes I have visions…it seems to depend on the situation. Is it the same for you?”
“That’s how it is for my mother,” he replied. “For me it’s different. I have to channel the spirit, first of all. My mother used to be just minding her business and she’d receive a message. I have to focus on a picture of the person or hold one of their belongings in order to receive anything. And even then, I don’t get visions or hear voices, necessarily. I mostly just get a sense of the type of person they were. I can usually tell if someone was evil or kind during their lifetime, and I can also recognize what emotion they are currently feeling as a spirit.”
“I can tell what they are feeling at times,” Jenny added. “I remember in my last case I felt the joy of a girl experiencing her first love. I can also feel when the spirits cross over and reunite with their loved ones. But at the same time, I have felt the pain of assaults some of my contacts have endured. It’s not always a good thing to feel what they feel.”
“Amen to that,” Roddan replied. “You said case; are you a police officer?”
“No,” Jenny replied. “I guess I should have clarified. I just use my ability to help the police find their killers. So far I’ve helped solve seven murders, even though it was only two killers.”
Another long silence made Jenny somewhat uncomfortable. Did Roddan think she was a sellout for commercializing her ability? However, when he did speak, Roddan simply replied, “I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
The words had more of an effect on Jenny than she would have anticipated. She had tried for twenty six years to get her father to say that very same thing, always to no avail. Here she’d spoken to Roddan for only about ten minutes, and the words had already come. She began to feel choked up. “Thanks, Roddan.”
“Would you like to call me dad?” he asked.
Jenny had already considered this, but she didn’t expect the invitation to come quite so quickly. “I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but out of respect for the man who raised me, I’m going to keep that title reserved for him.”
“I understand that.” Roddan stayed quiet for a moment, and Jenny wondered if she had offended him. “So did you have a good childhood?” he posed softly. “Is the man who raised you a good man?”
“He was a very good man,” she assured him. “I had a great childhood.” A bitter-sweet smile splayed across her face.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a part of your life. I…I didn’t know you existed.”
“I know that,” Jenny replied. “And my mother wanted me to relay the message to you that she’s sorry about that as well. But she was very early in her pregnancy when she and my father reconciled, and one of his demands was that she pretend the baby was his. She felt like she was in no position to argue, so she agreed to honor his request. Honestly, I spent my whole life believing Frank Mongillo was my father. It wasn’t until earlier this week that I learned otherwise.”
“How did you find out?” Roddan asked.
“Frank died,” she said solemnly, “and his spirit visited me. He clued me in to a conversation he’d had with my mother twenty seven years ago, where she disclosed she was pregnant with a baby that wasn’t his.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Roddan said. “About Frank, that is.”
“Thanks.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m a snake,” Roddan added. “I don’t generally go around impregnating other people’s wives. It’s just that your parents were separated at the time, and I have to admit, there was something quite special about your mother. She got under my skin a little bit.”
Jenny smiled. “I know that, too. Mom told me. And to tell you the truth, you actually did my parents’ marriage a favor. My mom knows she got under your skin. You made her feel special at a time when she was otherwise feeling invisible. After her encounter with you, she began to demand more from my father.” Jenny winced when she realized how she’d just referred to Frank; hopefully that hadn’t been offensive to Roddan. “And after that he realized he’d been taking her for granted. Once they got back together, things were better for my mom.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I hope it doesn’t upset you that she went back with him.”
“Not at all,” Roddan said. “It’s probably for the best. I wasn’t in any position to take care of a child back then.”
“Yeah, mom said you lived in a tent for a time,” Jenny said while stifling a laugh.
“Several times, actually. I had no problem living off the land. Like I said, my lifestyle wasn’t exactly conducive to raising a baby.”
“So I guess things ultimately turned out for the best,” Jenny surmised.
Jenny could tell Rod was smiling by the tone of his voice. “I guess they did. But I’d still love to meet you. I have to admit, I’m dying to get to know you better.”
“Me too,” Jenny confessed. “I can potentially fly out there once this case I’m working on is over, or maybe you can come see me.”
“That’d be great…in the meantime, can you send me a picture of yourself?”
Jenny smiled. “Only if you do the same.”
“It’s a deal,” Rod proclaimed. “So, tell me about this case you’re working on.”
“I’m trying to solve a murder that happened fifteen years ago. The victim’s spirit contacted me while I was in Richmond for my father’s service.” Dammit. She’d said it again. “My brother’s friend was there, and he’s the detective assigned to her case. Clearly she wanted me to get a message to him somehow.”
“I wonder if I can offer any input. I see things differently than you do, apparently. Maybe I can give you some insight into the character of this victim.”
“That’d be great, actually,” Jenny confessed. “We can use any information we can get.”
“If you send me a picture of her, I’ll channel her spirit. Maybe I can shed some light on some things.”
“Actually, I don’t have a picture,” she admitted. “But I can probably access one and email it to you.”
“That would be fabulous if you could.”
“Okay, well, let me get working on that. Can I have your email address so I can send it to you?”
They exchanged information and awestruck goodbyes before hanging up the phone. Unable to fully digest the conversation she’d just had, she sat motionlessly for quite some time after she hung up. With a quick shake of her head to snap herself back into the present, she dialed Elijah.
“Hey Elijah. I’m wondering if you could do me a favor.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Can you possibly email me a picture of Lena? I have a friend who is also a psychic who offered to give his input. He requested a picture of her so he could try to get a reading.”
“Funny you should mention that,” Elijah replied. “I was just working on making a framed picture of her for the reunion. I want to put it on the sign-in table with a note asking for information about her murder. Like I said before, I’m hoping fifteen years’ worth of guilt can prompt some people to disclose some things they may have kept secret at eighteen. Anyway, I’ll gladly send you a copy. I’ve got it right here.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” She gave him her email address.
“
I have a favor to ask of you as well. I have interviews scheduled with Nick and Adam for later tonight. Can you swing by first thing in the morning and watch the tapes again?”
“I sure can. Just let me know when.”
“I’ll give you a call. And the picture should already be in your inbox.”
As promised, the picture was in Jenny’s inbox by the time she signed into her email account. She didn’t look at it. Lacking the energy to see at the face of another young girl stripped of life too soon, she simply forwarded the photo with a quick expression of gratitude to Roddan before closing her laptop. Still exhausted from the stress of the last few days, she slid under the covers and released a big sigh. It wasn’t too long before she was fast asleep.
Chapter 9
Jenny’s phone rang shortly after she woke up, and the unusual area code indicated the call was coming from Roddan. “Hi, Jenny, it’s Rod,” he said when she answered.
“Well hello!”
“I was able to take a look at your photo. My goodness she was young.”
Jenny sighed. “Sorry. I probably should have warned you about that. She was a senior in high school.”
“That’s terrible. Although, it would have been terrible no matter how old she was.”
“Very true. So, did you find out anything?”
“A few things. First of all, she seemed to have been a very troubled young woman when she was alive.”
“Oh yeah?” Jenny asked with butterflies in her stomach.
“I don’t mean she caused trouble. She endured trouble. I got an overwhelming sense of melancholy when I channeled her. She was living a very dark existence, save for one thing.”
“And what was that?”
“I don’t know,” Roddan confessed, “but there was clearly a bright spot in her life. If I was to describe her essence to you, it would be like being trapped in a completely black room. But there was one pinhole of light beaming through, providing just enough light for her to tolerate her otherwise void surroundings. It wasn’t bright—in fact it was dim and subdued—but it provided her solace.”
Jenny thought hard about what could have been Lena’s bright spot. A sibling? A pet? A crush? Maybe Elijah would know. “That’s very interesting,” Jenny said. “The melancholy part fits. She was relatively new to the area and had trouble fitting in. I’m not sure the other kids were very accommodating.”
“Somebody was,” Roddan suggested. “You just need to figure out whom.”
“Does this bright spot have anything to do with her murder?”
“That I don’t know,” he confessed, once again clearly smiling. “I don’t solve murders. I guess I’m going to have to leave that one to you.”
“So were you able to channel anything else from her?”
“Actually, yes,” Roddan said. “I’m sensing a person who has a lot to say but can’t quite get her message across. I’m feeling a good deal of frustration and urgency—a desperate need to take what’s bottled up and let it all out.”
“That also makes sense. There was a language barrier,” Jenny explained. “There’s even still one now. She talks to me in Russian, and I can’t understand her. I do feel that sense of urgency, though. She does want to communicate very badly; I definitely get that.”
“I agree with that observation. Now I was also able to sense some kind of injury to the physical body.”
“She was shot,” Jenny explained.
“Is that what killed her?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s not what I’m talking about,” Roddan explained. “She lived with an injury. Her essence showed signs of damage—a missing piece.”
Jenny scoured her brain to recall any mention of a physical injury, but she couldn’t remember anything ever being discussed. “Okay,” she said slowly. “I’ll look into that.”
“Okay, the next thing I picked up on might not make you happy. Do you have a suspect in mind for her murder?”
“Three, actually.”
“Well, unfortunately I have the feeling you’re not on the right track.”
Jenny did feel a little put off. “Really? What makes you say that?”
“It’s just the impression I got. She’s tried to send you a couple of messages, but I think they got misinterpreted somehow.”
“It’s possible, I guess. Her messages aren’t in English.”
“I totally get it,” he proclaimed. “I am in no way calling you inadequate; I just think there’s been a misunderstanding or two. And one last thing,” Roddan continued. “I guess you noticed what a beautiful girl she was on the outside.”
“Yes,” Jenny said, relying on Elijah’s testimony; she’d never seen Lena for herself.
“Well, her inner soul was even more beautiful.”
“Sorry to bother you again,” Jenny said to Elijah over the phone, “but my psychic friend seems to think that Lena had a bright spot in her life. Is it possible that she had a friend that most people were unaware of?”
“If that’s true, then I would go under the umbrella of most people,” Elijah said. “I haven’t been able to find anyone who would have considered themselves to be friends with her.”
“Not even from her ESL class? I would think those kids would have been able to relate to her, even if most of them did speak Spanish and not Russian.”
“Afraid not. All of those kids had claimed she was pretty much silent in class—very difficult to get to know.”
Jenny furrowed her brow. Perhaps Lena’s bright spot had been the family dog. “Did she have some sort of injury?”
“You mean besides the one that killed her?”
“Yeah. Was she living with some kind of impairment?”
“Not that I know of,” Elijah said. “She didn’t exhibit any signs of injury at school, and the coroner’s report indicated that she died of a single gunshot wound to the head. There were no other signs of trauma.”
None of this was making any sense to Jenny.
“Listen,” Elijah added, “I hate to cut this short, but I have to get ready for my interview with Nick. I want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I go in there. Did your friend say anything else?”
“No, that was it. Good luck with the interview.” Jenny and Elijah ended the call, but she continued to sit with the phone in her hand while she contemplated Roddan’s insight. He had picked up on the inability to communicate, but his other observations didn’t seem to make sense. Was it possible that he was only partially psychic? Or maybe he wasn’t very good at it? Jenny hated to think so negatively about a man she hoped to like.
Realizing she had promised Zack a phone call, she dialed his number and clued him in on everything Roddan had to say about the case, as well as the apparent irrelevance of some of that information. Zack didn’t seem to have any more of an explanation for it than Jenny did.
Next Jenny phoned her mother. Almost immediately, Isabelle asked if Jenny had been able to track down Roddan.
“I did,” Jenny replied. “And I spoke to him earlier.”
Isabelle seemed nervous. “How did it go?”
“It went fine, ma. He seems like a very nice man. Kind of hippie-ish, but very nice.”
“Yes, well, that’s how I would describe him too.”
Jenny smiled. “It seems he lived like a wanderer for a while before getting married at…forty-five, I think? I don’t remember exactly, but I know he said he was older. Anyway, he said he didn’t have any other kids, so he seemed happy to hear that he had a daughter, believe it or not.”
Jenny heard Isabelle’s exhale loud and clear through the phone. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
“And he didn’t seem mad at you for not telling him. He admitted he wouldn’t have been a very good father.”
With a laugh Isabelle replied, “That’s an understatement.”
“He did tell me, though, that he also has psychic ability. It apparently runs in the family. The name Roddan Andi means voice of the spirit in Icelandic.�
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“Well what do you know?” Isabelle said. “I had no idea.”
“So I guess if you were going to conceive a baby out of wedlock, you made a good choice of man. You helped carry on a very unique and special gift.”
Isabelle chuckled again. “Glad I could be of service.”
Jenny’s smile faded quickly as she acknowledged the other reason behind her call. “So how are you doing?”
Although there were no immediate words, Jenny could tell the mood on the other end of the phone changed dramatically. “It’s hard,” Isabelle said with a defeated sigh. “I’ve been postponing going through your father’s things, but that means every time I turn around, there’s a reminder of him staring me in the face.”
“I wish I was there to help you do that,” Jenny said semi-honestly.
“I know you do, honey. I’ve got your brothers to help me, and their wives. I just can’t bring myself to do it yet. That’s like admitting he’s gone. I think a part of me expects him to come running through the door yelling Ha ha! I got you! Like he’s just pulled the ultimate prank.”
Jenny closed her eyes. “Yeah, that would be like dad. He is a Mongillo after all.”
“I know. I spent thirty-seven years with that man. I can’t believe he’s not with me anymore.” Isabelle’s voice was becoming shaky.
“Well, you know what, ma? If you’re not ready to go through his things yet, then don’t. One of these days you’ll be ready, and you can do it then.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“And maybe when you’re ready I’ll be able to come up there and help you,” Jenny offered.
“Be careful what you say,” Isabelle replied jokingly. “I just might take you up on that.”
Chapter 10
Jenny sat down in the viewing room and watched the interview with Nick Bruccato unfold before her on video. Nick also changed his story to be in line with Mark’s latest version: they gave Lena a short ride before dropping her off very much alive, albeit irritated, on Mathison Road. He corroborated that they had a difficult time getting Adam into his house and that Mark dropped him off sometime after midnight.