The Book of Elements

by Cynthia Woods

  CHAPTER 27

  "How is she, Ben?"

  "Just sleeping," Ben answered the voice of his unseen guest.

  "She was up a little while ago, but she was still pretty weak. Salma assured me that she suffered no permanent damage, and made me leave the room so that she wouldn’t feel like a buzzard was hovering over her while she slept. I’ve been sitting here thinking about everything that has happened since your accident."

  "Really? Have you gained any new insight into this whole mess?" Vin asked, not really interested in the answer. His mind was focused on the reason he returned. But, since Salma was not yet fully recovered, Vin was forced to wait.

  "Before I answer that, why don’t you tell me how it is that I am able to hear you? I thought Salma was the psychic."

  "To some extent, everyone has the ability to interact with the opposite side, though most never discover it. However, you hear me because I choose to let you hear me," Vin answered, thinking how inconsequential such a question seemed given the nature of the events unfolding around them.

  "I see. Is it difficult for you to do?"

  "No. Not particularly."

  "Well, then, I have to ask one more thing. Would it be possible for you to make yourself visible again? If it’s not too much trouble? It’s quite disconcerting to have a conversation with someone I cannot see. I’m used to reading people through their reactions and their mannerisms, but I can’t make heads or tails out of you."

  Vin laughed good naturedly, realizing how difficult that must have been for him to ask. It brought his full attention back to the gentleman sitting on the sofa with a steaming coffee mug in his hand. Vin concentrated on his own image, and Ben’s eyes opened wide as he saw the specter materialize and move to sit in the cushioned chair across from him.

  "Thank you for that, Officer Erickson," Vin spoke and a breath of tension blew away in the light breeze that surrounded him.

  "My days of late have been filled with dark emotions; anger, grief, fear, and confusion. It is nice to be reminded of the lighter side. If I were in your shoes, I am not sure that I would have been bold enough to ask an angry ghost to show itself."

  They both laughed again, and any remaining tension between them faded. Vin remembered this man from an incident when he and Caeli were first dating. In all these years, Ben's easy-going and direct manner had not changed.

  "So, how about that answer, Ben?"

  "Not just yet. That's twice you've addressed me personally. Do you know me?"

  "Of course, I know you. Though it's been more than ten years, I could not forget the man who saved my life and helped me protect Caeli during one of the worst weeks of her life. Caeli still sends a thank you card every year at Thanksgiving to Officer Ben Erickson. Although, technically, she puts the card and the gift together and then asks me to deliver it." Vin emphasized the man's full name and title.

  "It's Captain now, but I am the same man. I remember that incident and you, too. I always suspected the cards came from her, though they were never signed," Ben recalled the annual delivery.

  Each year at Thanksgiving, Ben received a card with no return address and nothing written inside except the words Thank You. Included with each card, there was always a token of appreciation. Sometimes it was a simple clipping of a newspaper story in which Ben was featured. Another time it was a gift certificate for dinner at a local restaurant he liked. His favorite, to date, was a pair of tickets to see his favorite football team play in the finals that year. Each item was personalized for him, though he had no idea how she discovered the information. Ben found that he looked forward to the card's arrival each year. There were few cases that he considered worthy of such a sentiment, and Caeli's was the only one that had occurred on Thanksgiving.

  "She didn't want to insult you by thanking you for doing your job. At the same time, Caeli insisted that you deserved to know how much she appreciated what you did for us back then. She thinks very highly of you. Caeli is wonderfully sentimental like that." It felt good for Vin to think of something positive for a few minutes before returning to the nightmare at hand.

  "I'm just sorry that we are getting reacquainted under similarly dire circumstances, Vin. I have been doing my best to keep Caeli safe, but have not met with much success. I have to admit, protecting your wife now is proving to be even more challenging than it was back then," Ben joked somewhat stiffly.

  "In that, you're not alone. Each time I think she's finally safe some new and more terrible threat arises. That brings us back to my original question. What's your take on all this?"

  "I doubt that I have discovered as much as you, but there is much that I suspect. This could take a while."

  "I can do nothing more without Salma’s help, so it seems that I have some time on my hands. I'm intrigued to hear your theory. Heck, I might even be able to fill in a plot twist here or there," Vin offered companionably.

  "Then here goes. I believe that you were not supposed to die in that accident. I think someone meant to kill your wife."

  Vin displayed no reaction, though it made his blood boil just to think about it, even now.

  "And I think that same person, not the sleazy insurance man, has been responsible for a lot of the unusual weather we've seen recently. This man has somehow found a way to manipulate the weather to his purpose. I don’t know what sort of scientific voodoo is allowing him to do it, but I’m certain it cannot be good to disturb such natural forces. There’s bound to be a backlash."

  With those last words, Ben captured Vin’s undivided attention. Vin was impressed by how astute the Captain’s observations were and how his conclusions were surprisingly accurate based on only a few details. Perhaps he might actually gain something useful during this delay after all.

  "You are nearly correct. What else have you deduced?" Vin encouraged Ben to continue.

  "Well, if you don’t mind the irony, you are living proof that death is not the end. And, if that’s true, then probably a lot of the ghost stories we’ve heard over the years are based on at least a kernel of that truth. This naturally leads to your current situation."

  "Whoa! Wait a minute. You lost me on that last leap. How does proof of life after death explain any part of my current situation?" Vin thought he might have been too quick to accept Ben's logic after all.

  "It’s easy, really. Didn’t you ever see any chic flicks with your wife? You know, the emotion-laden ones where love conquers all, miracles help the white knight save the damsel in distress, the guardian angel watches over his lonely widow? Anything like that ring a bell for you?" Ben watched as Vin processed what he was suggesting, and then he saw the spark of recognition when Vin finally reached the same conclusion.

  "So, you think that because I love Caeli so much, even death could not keep us apart. So now I’m her guardian angel. Is that how you see this?"

  "I can prove it," Ben declared without hesitation.

  "Ok, I’ll bite. What’s your proof?" Vin was curious.

  "Answer one question for me, and I think it will be obvious. Salma told me about what you saw in her vision. You left in a rush of anger after discovering where your wife was being held and the cruel torments that were being done to her. You return now having spent a lot of the rage which was boiling over before."

  "Yes. I am calmer now because I am forced to be. What is your question?" Vin asked impatiently, not wanting to recall the images of what was done to Caeli or imagine what she might be suffering now. Vin was careful to calm the resultant draft that surged through the house.

  "Does Kent still live?" Ben was certain that he knew the answer. The vast amount of rage which Vin carried away with him had now waned, and there were few things that could have satisfied it. However, before Vin could confirm Ben's suspicion, Salma appeared at the bedroom door. Ben rose quickly to meet her, offering his arm for assistance as he walked her to the couch, smiling.

  "Ah, saved by the bell, so to speak," Vin shrugged off the unanswered question. There was no need to voic
e a response. Ben succeeded in proving that point. In his current state, Vin was, indeed, Caeli's guardian angel. Vin was, therefore, inclined to pay attention to Ben, going forward, when he offered his insightful perspective.

  "It is like an ice box in here," Salma said as she pulled her feet underneath her and settled onto the couch, hugging her arms around her chest. Ben walked back into the bedroom and returned carrying a blanket, which he draped over her.

  "Sorry about that," Vin replied, standing further away while Ben took care of the Salma. After ensuring that she was feeling well and didn’t need him to fuss over her any further, Ben went into the kitchen to brew a pot of hot tea. Vin drew closer to Salma and resumed his place in the chair, allowing her to see him, too.

  Vin, very briefly and without much detail, explained how Kent was no longer a threat and how Kent's boss took Caeli away while Vin's struggle with the insurance man distracted him.

  "I’m so sorry, Vin. To have come that close only to lose her again must be miserable for you. But, Caeli is still alive. There is still hope. There is still time, right?" Salma tried to give Vin cause to be hopeful.

  "A little. Whatever is going to happen has to conclude before the comet leaves orbit two nights from now. That’s why all of this has been happening so fast. It’s only been a few days and yet it feels like an eternity," Vin explained with an odd combination of sadness, urgency, and determination in his words. Vin shook his head and added.

  "If I don’t resolve this before then, it will be too late for everyone, not just Caeli."

  "Then you have found a way," Salma surmised. Ben returned to pass a mug of tea to Salma’s waiting hands and gave a single nod to indicate that he reached the same conclusion.

  "Yes, but I need your help again, Salma. This is the part where you have a lot of questions that I cannot answer. Some of the answers I still don’t know myself, and the others must wait. I have to ask you to trust me," Vin leaned forward so that he appeared to sit on the edge of the chair and raised desperate eyes to his good friend and his reacquainted one.

  "I know this is asking a lot of you, especially you Salma, but without your help, I will fail. I cannot do that. Caeli is depending on me. She has nobody else to help her."

  Salma looked up at Ben who again nodded his consent, and then she reached out as if to place her hand over Vin’s hand. It was a natural movement for Salma, and Vin could not refuse her. Vin made a slight adjustment to the pressure of the air against her skin so that her hand found purchase when it reached for his own.

  "She has us, too, Vin. You are not alone in this. Tell us what you need."

  Salma and Ben listened as Vin explained what he needed. It required items that Salma could get from her office, and supplies that Ben could retrieve from headquarters. Vin left them shortly thereafter, and they began the uneventful, long drive back to town. Thankfully, Ben’s jeep had already been waiting for them when they arrived at the lake house or they would have been stranded until Caldwell arrived. Ben, against his better judgment, would drop Salma off at the hospital while he checked in downtown.

  Ben hurriedly walked through the front doors of the police station and made his way to his office. He expected to see Officer Caldwell sitting at the desk outside his office door, but the chair was empty. He walked down a few hallways, looked in some of the administrative offices, and asked a few of the officers he passed, but none of them could tell him where the junior officer might be. Ben supposed that was a good sign. It meant that Caldwell was true to his word and kept their plan a secret. However, he should have been here, somewhere, pulling up the background information that Ben asked him to research.

  Just as Ben turned the corner on the way back to his office, he saw the chief exiting, beginning to close the door behind him. This was the second time his boss showed up in a completely unexpected location. Now, Ben knew why, but he managed to keep his anger in check.

  "Sir? Did you need help with something? Were you looking for me?" Ben inquired formally, noting the startled reaction that the chief tried poorly to disguise.

  "Captain. I’m glad to see you're safe. I just left you a note. We need to talk. Can we step inside your office?" The chief reopened the door and waved Ben through first. Ben walked up to the desk and saw that there was, in fact, a scribbled note on his desk asking him to speak with the chief as soon as he arrived. The chief closed the door and stood facing Ben on the opposite side of the desk.

  "Chief, I can’t seem to locate Officer Caldwell. Do you happen to know where he is?" Ben asked before the chief had a chance to speak.

  "Actually, that is what I wanted to discuss. I’m sorry, Ben. Caldwell was involved in an accident a few hours ago. His car crossed a centerline and was hit head on by a minivan. He died at the scene. I’m very sorry. I know you were quite fond of the boy, so I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn’t want you to hear it on the news."

  Ben sat down heavily in his desk chair, shocked. He couldn’t believe the young man was dead.

  "What happened? Why did he cross into oncoming traffic?"

  "Emergency workers said it looked like he fell asleep at the wheel. He must have been exhausted with the hours you two have been putting into this case."

  Ben recognized the veiled attempt the chief was making to lay a bit of guilt in his lap, but Ben did not respond to the veiled accusation.

  "Speaking of which, how is the case going? Did you get the girl stowed away safely?"

  "Yes," Ben lied, pulling himself together and standing up to leave again. He kept his disgust for this man, who was no better than any other criminal, in check until a more appropriate time. That time would be soon.

  "She is in good hands for now." Ben did not fully perceive the extent of the chief’s involvement, but he knew without question that Sam's motives were not genuine and were certainly not his own. Ben had already figured out several of the untoward deeds Sam instigated or let slide. Ben knew that the chief had been monitoring this case ever since the first convict was rushed through booking only to escape during a conveniently timed jailhouse transfer. It didn't matter now. Ben would not allow any of the acts to be overlooked or go unpunished when all this was over. Ben would not let anything else slip, and he vowed to find a way to bring the corrupt man down once the dust settled on the more pressing issues.

  Right now, however, Ben's first concern was getting to the agreed upon rendezvous location to make sure Salma was all right. After Caldwell’s untimely death, Ben realized that Salma was now in serious danger, too.

  "I’ve got a little paperwork to take care of here, and then I have to get back to relieve the men currently on duty." Ben moved to the door and opened it, making it blatantly clear that he wanted the chief to leave. Not having a plausible reason to remain, Sam complied.

  Ben quickly unlocked the short, two-drawer file cabinet set against the wall to the right of his desk and removed two files from the top drawer. Then he closed the drawer and relocked the cabinet. He placed the files in an oversized, well worn, tanned leather tote like the ones carried by bicycle messengers. The top flap closed with the metallic click of the metal clasp as it snapped into place. Ben placed his arm through the long strap and the bag hung from his shoulder to rest against the side opposite his firearm.

  As he left his office, stopping just long enough to make sure his door was locked this time, Ben stopped short at the desk out front. He amended his earlier vow to include a special recompense for the life of his young friend. With one last fleeting look at the empty desk, he turned and headed for the elevator, making sure that he was not followed. To be on the safe side, Ben pressed the button for the next floor up, which was where the majority of the forensic work was performed.

  He exited the elevator and immediately turned to his left and found the stairwell. Ben trotted down to the ground floor and continued on to the basement level. He had Salma utilize this same trick when she snuck out of the hospital the day before. Ben entered the supply room and found the materials
that Vin asked him to collect. The list included a box of the thick, yellowish card stock used for fingerprints, a two-inch thick leather bound album that was typically used to hold mug shots, and some clear packaging tape that was primarily used to secure the evidence boxes. Each of these items was tucked into the now bulging tote bag. Ben barely managed to close the flap after the last item was placed inside.

  Ben walked briskly over to the freight elevator and rode it up to the ground level, avoiding anyone who might be waiting for him in the main hall. The freight elevator let out into the back parking lot where larger evidence or forensic materials frequently had to be loaded. Ben stayed close to the side of the building as he followed it around to the front, slowing his pace as he tried to blend into the people walking by. He wanted to avoid drawing attention to himself. Ben slid into the driver’s seat of his jeep and started the engine. His unfailing vehicle now carried him out of the parking lot and away from the station. Ben hoped he was quick enough that he and Salma could complete their tasks and get away again before anyone realized they had both returned to town.

  He drove for twenty minutes and pulled into a long driveway. The rod iron gates at its entrance seemed to open before him as his jeep approached. Ben was familiar with the house, having been here twice before. His most recent visit was only two nights ago when Caeli had been drugged. By the gates, and again inside the house, he saw Vin for a brief moment. Ben settled himself into a chair at the large dining room table to wait for Salma.

  Salma strolled casually through the automatic doors at the hospital’s emergency room entrance. She did not hurry and even stopped briefly to say hello to two of her nurses on duty. Salma excused herself by saying that she was just picking up a few necessities from her office before heading out of town. Her intention was to ensure that anyone who asked about her absence would discover that she was merely taking a few days personal time to clear her head after being involved in her friend's ordeal.