Miranda: A Rowan Gant Investigation

by M. R. Sellars

  “Inaction is a path unto itself,” I objected.

  “A stagnant path with no future,” she replied. “I can be just as pseudo-philosophical as you.”

  “I’m still not excited about the other options.”

  “But we have to at least choose one.”

  “I thought I had.”

  “I said we,” she replied. “We have to choose it together. If we’re wrong, we can always turn back.”

  “Can you?”

  “We have to try.”

  “That’s my point,” I objected. “When it comes to this, there is no we. There’s just you. I’m as good as blind, Felicity.”

  She shook her head. “Aye, but I’m not.”

  “And that’s what makes you vulnerable.”

  “Which is why I need you with me. Blind or not, you can still keep me grounded.”

  “Need I remind you that the one time you did this, your reaction to channeling a victim was far worse than anything that’s ever happened to me?”

  She shook her head and quietly snorted. “Rowan…you only say that because you were on the outside looking in for a change. I’ve watched far worse happen to you…and cried over it more times than you know.”

  “Honey…”

  “Shhh…” she hushed me as she briefly touched her fingers against my lips. “We have to do this. You know it. She already knows how to find us. We can’t hide forever.”

  “So this is where you draw the line in the sand?”

  “Aye.”

  I sighed. “But, if you’re wrong, and you can’t turn back?”

  “I keep going forward.”

  “And, if it’s a trap?”

  She looked away for a second then back into my eyes. “Then you will find a way to come rescue me.”

  She was correct. If it came to that, I would, no matter what the personal cost. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but hear Ariel’s voice in my head saying, “She’s been waiting for you, Rowan. She’s been waiting for so very long now…”

  * * * * *

  “Sorry about all that,” I apologized.

  Ben shook his head. “I’m kinda used to it by now, Row.”

  “Yeah, I guess you would be, wouldn’t you?”

  “You feelin’ better?” he asked.

  “Not really,” I told him. “But I’ve got it under control.”

  We were still outside, although Felicity and I had moved out of the center of the parking lot and joined our friend up on the sidewalk near his van. The fissure at the bottom of my stomach had been continuing to grow and like an aggressive cancer was even now spreading to the rest of my body. Emptiness welled in my chest, sending its painful hollowness radiating outward. Intellectually, I knew my wife was correct in her belief that we needed to meet the threat head on. Emotionally, however, I was a half step away from being a basket case. At the moment, I just happened to be hiding it fairly well, or so I thought.

  Ben gave me a once over and grunted sarcastically, “You’ve got it under control? Yeah. Right.”

  “Seriously.”

  “No offense, white man, but I think I need a second opinion,” he said and then turned his attention to Felicity. “Whaddaya think, Firehair, he gonna be okay?”

  “He’ll be fine then.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Aye.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” He shook his head and sighed before admitting, “I just dunno, man. Now I’m actually feelin’ kinda guilty about pushin’ you two into this.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I replied then glanced at Felicity. “You had help.”

  “Yeah, so?” he grunted. “That somehow s’posed ta’ make me feel okay about it?”

  “It doesn’t really matter, Ben. You know that eventually I would have ended up in the middle of it anyway, no matter how much I objected.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, prob’ly.”

  A thick pause fell between the three of us. I could tell Ben was thinking about something, so I was expecting him to start massaging his own neck at any moment.

  “So…” I spoke after several heartbeats. “How bad did I screw things up with Doctor Kingston?”

  Ben grunted out a relieved half chuckle. “Believe it or not, ya’ didn’t. Apparently she’s heard enough stories about ya’ through the grapevine ta’ think this is just normal for you.”

  “Terrific,” I said with a thin grimace. “Not exactly the reputation I was trying to foster.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess it could be worse.”

  “I suppose you’re right about that.”

  Ben fell quiet again then looked at the ground and reached up to smooth back his hair, just as I’d expected. Allowing his hand to slide downward it came to rest on the back of his neck, and he began working his fingers against it in a slow massage.

  “What is it, Ben?” I asked.

  “That obvious?”

  “It always is.”

  “Yeah, great… So listen, I got a call from Constance while you two were over there talkin’.”

  “Something wrong?”

  “Depends on how ya’ look at it, I guess,” he replied, allowing his hand to drop back to his side. “Apparently she got a call from someone at the prison down in Texas this mornin’. Seems Miranda had a message for ya’.”

  “Gods, Ben, not another victim already…” I sighed.

  “Not yet,” he told me. “This one was a question, and it’s strictly verbal.”

  “Well at least there’s that.” I drew in a deep breath and gave him a nod. “Go ahead. What’s she want?”

  “She wanted ta’ know if you were ‘enjoyin’ your quiet time.’”

  “Not as much as I thought I would.”

  “Yeah…I figured that’d be the answer… So you ready ta’ go back in? The doc’s waitin’…”

  CHAPTER 22

  As autopsy suites go, this one didn’t seem all that different from any other I’d been in over the years. A quick glance around showed me that it was laid out a bit differently, but then that was to be expected. They all were. In the end, it was still a cold room with a tiled floor, tiled walls, and an overabundance of stainless steel making up the decor. The centerpiece of it all was, of course, the pedestal table with a built-in sink at the end.

  “Will this suffice?” Doctor Kingston asked, sweeping her arm around the room.

  “I don’t see why not,” I said with a shrug. “All we really need is privacy. And hopefully this won’t take long.”

  It struck me as odd how open and receptive Doctor Kingston seemed regarding this entire exercise. I certainly didn’t get the impression that she was ready to embrace it as science, but one could tell simply by her tone and actions that her curiosity was more than just a little piqued by it all. Even after my momentary lapse, her inquisitiveness showed little sign of tapering off. If anything, it was becoming more intense.

  “Privacy isn’t a problem,” she replied. “Now, before I bring in the body, just so I understand, how is it you’re going to go about doing this?”

  “Nothing radical. It usually involves close proximity to the deceased—and maybe limited physical contact, though not always.” I shrugged. “After that it pretty much either happens or it doesn’t.”

  “That’s it?” she replied. “You don’t need to burn any incense or light candles or draw pentagrams on the floor or anything like that?”

  “Is that one of those stories you heard?”

  “No, actually.”

  I cast her a skewed glance for a moment then pressed, “Okay…then I have to ask. Cable psuedo-documentary or a bad horror movie?”

  She cracked a lopsided smile. “A little of both, I guess. And a lot of reading.”

  “Well, there won’t be any of that nonsense, so you don’t have to worry there,” I replied. “At most we might walk in a circle initially while invoking protection, and we usually have salt on hand…” As I allowed my voice to fade, I glanced over at Felicity. “But in all honesty, that’s n
ot really for me to say. I guess that’s actually your call this time, hon. This one is really your show, not mine.”

  “Aye, I suppose it is then,” my wife replied.

  Doctor Kingston shot me a confused look. “I was always under the impression you were the one who did this, Mister Gant.”

  “Usually, I am,” I replied. “However, there are some extenuating circumstances in this case.”

  “Anything I should know?”

  “Not really,” I told her, shaking my head. “But, don’t worry. Felicity is a Witch too.”

  “That’s fine,” she said.

  Felicity chimed in. “Like Rowan was saying, there’s no need for theatrics. I have some salt for protection. Other than maybe sprinkling a bit of it on your floor, we shouldn’t be leaving a mess.”

  “Okay then,” the doctor said. “Sounds reasonable. Just one last question…” Her voice was tempered with something that oddly enough sounded like a note of excitement. “Would it affect you adversely if I turned on the recorders in here?”

  Since I couldn’t be absolutely certain what it was I had detected in her tone, plus given the earlier questions about risk, I cocked my head and gave her a questioning stare. “C.Y.A., Doctor Kingston?”

  “No, actually,” she replied. “Personal research.”

  “Research?” Felicity asked.

  “Yes. Just something for my own edification.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “So apparently you don’t think we’re insane like most everyone else does.”

  She shook her head and chuckled, “Well, you might be for all I know. But you certainly have a reputation among law enforcement.”

  “Yes, unfortunately,” I replied.

  “I suppose that came out wrong. I’m actually talking about the good reputation,” she explained. “Besides, I have an admission to make. I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with the occult.”

  “Which would explain the reading you mentioned earlier,” I said.

  “Exactly,” she agreed. “To be honest, I’m actually a little disappointed that there isn’t any more to all of this than what you’ve told me.”

  “I’m afraid it’s rather unremarkable, for the most part,” Felicity told her. “But I’ll be happy to make use of a broom if it would enhance the experience for you.”

  “Seriously?” the doctor asked.

  “Aye, it’s not necessary, but I can do it. Brooms make for excellent protection spells, and a little extra warding won’t hurt a thing.”

  Kingston nodded with a bit of a grin. “I’ll get one for you.”

  * * * * *

  There are plenty of old sayings and metaphors meant to illustrate just how quickly some things can change, and every single one of them came crashing down upon my wife. In a matter of a few short minutes, I had seen her earlier confidence dissipate as if it was being leeched directly out of her by the cold of the room. I was still allowing her to take the lead on this, but I had to admit, I was beginning to worry even more than I had at the outset.

  “So whaddaya gonna want me ta’ do?” Ben asked.

  The three of us were standing in the autopsy suite awaiting Doctor Kingston’s return. The M.E. had already ducked back in earlier with the broom and was now supposed to be retrieving the body that would set this all into motion. I gave my friend a quick shrug in response to his query.

  “I guess whatever it is you normally do, but you should probably ask Felicity,” I said. Then I looked over at my wife and called her name a bit louder, “Felicity?”

  She continued staring blankly off into space, so to finally get her attention, I had to reach out and rest my hand on her shoulder as I called again, “Felicity, honey?”

  She glanced toward me, her eyes shining with a glassy vacancy. Blinking, she stuttered, “Ummm… Oh, sorry… What?”

  “Ben needs to know what you want him to do,” I explained.

  “Oh…” She creased her brow then looked at him and asked, “Did you already put the broom in the corner?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, a bit of confusion in his voice. “A coupl’a minutes ago.”

  “With the bristles up?”

  “Yeah,” he said again, pointing toward the upended implement several feet away. “Right over there where ya’ told me, and exactly like ya’ said. Ya’ just stood right here and watched me do it.”

  “Oh…” she mumbled. “Right.”

  “So is there anything else ya’ want me ta’ do?” he pressed.

  He kept his eyes locked on her as she appeared to concentrate hard on the question, but both of them remained mute. After a quiet moment he asked, “Are you okay, Firehair?”

  She looked at him blankly, and then as his words appeared to register, she nodded.

  “You sure? You ain’t already goin’ all Twilight Zone on us are ya’?”

  “Aye…” She nodded again. “I mean, no… I… Yes, I’m fine… I’m not… I don’t… I’m not sure what you can…” she stammered through unfinished sentences as she glanced around. Finally, she shook her head and said, “Well…I guess if you just want to stay out of the way, that would probably be best then.”

  “Yeah, that part’s kinda a given,” he grunted. “I’m just offerin’ ta’ help if ya’ need somethin’ else is all.”

  “I know,” she replied, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. This is a little…”

  He nodded slowly as her voice trailed off. When she had fallen mute once again, he said, “Yeah, I’m kinda startin’ ta’ get that… Don’t worry about it. S’all good, as long as you’re okay.”

  “What? Oh…I’ll be fine,” she returned.

  I hoped she was correct, but her rapidly deteriorating state wasn’t filling me with confidence. Inside my head, every objection imaginable was screaming at me, presenting themselves with explicit detail and backup arguments tailored to overcome any opposition. However, I left every last one of them unspoken. Felicity was obviously edgy enough as it was, and I couldn’t afford to add fragility to that mix. Me casting any further aspersion upon this undertaking wouldn’t help her at all if we intended to continue. In fact, it might well be dangerous if I piled my misgivings on top of the latent doubts that were now peaking through her slack expression.

  My friend turned a questioning glance in my direction and then jerked his head to the side indicating that I should follow him as he began to wander away from Felicity. I looked at my wife, who was once again staring off into space, then stepped over to where he was waiting.

  “The little woman seems pretty out of it there, white man,” he whispered. “I’m sorta used to it outta you. Her, not so much.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I replied in a hushed tone.

  “She was fine a little bit ago, so what’s goin’ on?”

  “She’s just starting to get nervous, Ben,” I told him, as much to reassure myself as anyone. “This isn’t her normal role. And, she has a lot to worry about on the periphery as well.”

  “Yeah…” he breathed, nodding. “The psychobitch.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So…she gonna be able ta’ do it?”

  “Maybe. She definitely wants to try.”

  “How ‘bout you?” he pressed quietly, thrusting his chin toward me. “You seem to have calmed down quite a bit.”

  I shook my head. “Only on the outside.”

  “Not feelin’ any better about this?”

  “Not really,” I replied and then glanced back at Felicity for a moment. She hadn’t moved and seemed almost catatonic. I turned back to my friend and added, “Maybe a little worse, actually.”

  Ben reached up and smoothed back his hair. “So, I hate ta’ ask, but what if somethin’ with this goes south? You gonna be able ta’ hold it together?”

  “I don’t have any choice, Ben. I’m all she’s got on this side.”

  “Yeah, Row. That’s pretty much ‘zactly why I’m askin’. Can you handle it, or should we just stop right now?”

  “Aren’t you doing a
bit of an…”

  Across the room from us a pair of doors swung inward and interrupted me mid-sentence. We both turned toward the sound and saw the end of a gurney appear as it nosed its way through the opening. The elongated cart was swiftly followed by the rest of its length and brought up on the opposite end by Doctor Kingston who was providing both the propulsion and steering. She finished pushing it toward Felicity then brought it to a halt and locked the wheels in place. Although we certainly weren’t finished, Ben and I broke from our whispered conversation and joined them.

  Resting atop the stainless steel surface of the gurney was a rubberized body bag. Given its current bulk and shape, it was definitely engaged in doing exactly what it was designed to do. I kept my eyes on my wife as I slipped around the end and came up next to her. I could see that she had moved, but not much. She was now staring at the bag in front of her, unblinking, with a faint look of dread now twisting itself into her features.

  “Sorry I was gone so long,” the doctor announced. “I wanted to make sure everyone knew this suite was off limits for the time being. So…are we ready?”

  I remained quiet, watching and waiting to see if Felicity was going to respond. She was still squarely focused on the black zippered sheath, seemingly transfixed in a moment only she could see.

  After several seconds passed, I gave her arm a gentle nudge and called softly, “Felicity?”

  “Aye…” she muttered, her voice even thinner and more distracted than before. “I’m okay.”

  I didn’t believe her. The arrival of this newest member to the party was obviously pushing her apprehension beyond the next level. Of course, I had already been hovering up against the red line for hours, so I knew exactly how she felt. Unfortunately, that knowledge wasn’t comforting to me in the least.

  No matter how hard Felicity had tried to reassure me otherwise, we both knew that channeling the dead wasn’t exactly her long suit. Other than her body being hijacked by Miranda, she had only done this once before, and it had been strictly involuntary.