Into the Light

by Bernard Burgess

  Bert glanced at Robert, who was listening intently but also sat silently and without visible reaction. Bert had not told him about Terry’s admission. He wanted to know if the shock might awaken any of Robert’s sublimated memories. Robert simply sat, looking down at his clasped hands.

  Father Romero broke the silence. “Mr. Lynnes, for you to make such an accusation, I hope you’re prepared to defend that position if challenged.”

  Bert expected that reaction. “Yes, sir, I’m quite certain that both Terry and his father would corroborate that in court, if needed.” He glanced at Robert, who continued to sit without obvious emotion. “There’s more, Father Romero.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Father Romero, in all likelihood, the suicide note still exists in the files of Father DelFranco’s church in Boise. At least one witness can testify to its existence and what it said. Janice Campbell suspected that something was going on with her son. It’s logical that she suspected DelFranco and eventually confronted him. She disappeared as a result of that confrontation. Her spirit seems to be trapped at this church and around the old well.”

  Father Romero was now getting angry. “Mr. Lynnes, do you know what you’re alleging, against not just this man but against his church?”

  “Yes sir,” Bert replied. “However, there’s a big difference between simply claiming something and suggesting something which the evidence supports. The evidence supports this claim, Father Romero. Part of that evidence is what you’d call paranormal. I’d like to introduce you to this young lady, Dori, who is a member of the Calvary Community Church, where the other missing woman, Vicki, attended after choosing to leave your church. Dori has a gift of second sight; she’s able to see and communicate with dead people. I’ll let her tell you why she’s here. Dori.”

  “Hello, Father Romero,” Dori said nervously. “I’m here because I’ve often seen the spirit of Janice Campbell here at this church. She’s stuck here between the walls of this church and the grounds outside. She’s often around the groundskeeper shed.”

  “Dori,” Romero said, “I appreciate that you think you’re seeing something. However, I don’t believe in such things. I can’t buy that such a spirit is either here or that you’re seeing her.”

  Bert interjected. “Father, you’re a Christian, right?”

  “Of course, I am. How do you even ask that?”

  “You believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. Right?”

  “Yes, of course. It’s scripture,” Romero retorted.

  Bert went on. “So, Father, how can you believe in the concept of a Holy Spirit, the concept of life after death, and then not believe it when presented with the evidence of individual spirit and life after death? Isn’t that a bit two-faced?” Bert chose to put this man on the spot.

  Romero wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Well, convince me then, Mr. Lynnes.”

  “Listen to what this young lady has to say, Father Romero. Take off your blinders and actually hear her,” Bert said. “Dori, please go on.”

  “Father, I’ve been a psychic medium for most of my life, all that I can remember, anyway. I’ve always seen things on the other side. It was terrible at first before I began to understand it. Eventually, though, I realized that I could do good with my gift. Many spirits just need help. If they could cross into the light, they would. They just can’t break whatever is binding them here. That’s where Mrs. Campbell, Janice, is. She’s stuck here and she doesn’t know what happened to her, so she wanders aimlessly from inside your church to the grounds and that shed, outside.”

  “How do you know it’s her,” Romero asked.

  “She’s told me her first name, Janice, and that she died a long time ago, in 2007. She wears a skirt and short-sleeve blouse, because she died in August.”

  “Well, Dori, that’s impressive and I appreciate your sharing, however, that’s nothing that you couldn’t have gotten from newspaper articles,” the Father said.

  “I’ve read many of those same articles, Father Romero,” Dori replied. “None of them tell you that she was strangled, do they?”

  Romero was slow to answer her. “Uh, well, no, they don’t because her body was never found so nobody knows that, Dori.”

  “I know that, Father, because she’s told me. The last thing she can remember is losing consciousness as she was being strangled.” Dori looked him straight in the eyes. He looked away. It was too much for him to digest at one time.

  Bert took the pause as an opportunity to speak. “Father Romero, I know this is a lot for you to consider. It goes against some of what you believe. However, I’m also a medium, Father, and I have seen Mrs. Campbell’s spirit twice now when visiting the church. She doesn’t talk with me but keeps moving away, but she’s here, Father.”

  Two people who see ghosts, thought Father Romero. What’s next, he wondered. It didn’t take long to find out.

  “Sir, we have reason to believe that Janice’s body very well may be in the old well which is encased in the floor of your shed,” Bert told him. “We need your permission to move the shed and have the authorities access the well. Then we very well may solve the case of her disappearance.”

  Bert could see that the man, as expected, would need more convincing. He would not want to create a stir among the congregation without very good reason. He told Father Romero that he would be meeting with the police detective who worked the case, the next day, to discuss these same things. He said that if the detective was convinced, he would probably order the well to be entered. Bert wanted the Father to think about that, overnight.

  With thanks and good-byes all said, Bert, Norah, and Missy drove back to their motel. They reflected on the meeting. Norah nodded at him and smiled in approval.

  A package was waiting for them at the motel. Upon opening it in the room, they found a pink “Race for the Cure” baseball cap. The note from Don Campbell said that this was the only thing he could find which was likely to still have Janice’s scent. He said she wore it all the time. Bert had asked during their phone call if there was anything he could send.

  With the pieces seemingly in place and night fast approaching, Bert took Missy for a quick outing as the sun disappeared over the western horizon. He wondered what his client, Robert, was thinking tonight. Would the knowledge that Terry admitted to being molested awaken anything in Bobby Boy?

  Back in the motel room, he chatted with Norah for a while before going to bed. She looked at him in the loving way that always touched his heart, and she told him how proud she was of his handling of the meeting. He told her how thankful he was to have her in his life and what a blessing it was to still be able to connect with her. When the light went out, tears flowed on both sides of the great divide which separated them. Both wanted what they could not have.

  Chapter Thirteen: Revealing

  Shortly after noon on Saturday, Becky arrived back at the Hayden’s cabin in Red Lodge. She had already called Lizzie and arranged to have tea at their house after she returned. A quick unpack of her bag in the cabin, and Becky donned her coat for the short walk to the house. It was still cold, but there was a slight warming trend on the way. The temperature was just above freezing on this sunny day and patches of melting snow replaced the previous icy spots.

  Inside the Hayden’s house, Lizzie gave Becky a warm hug and welcomed her back. They sat at the kitchen table, discussing Becky’s trip to Boise and reviewing the plan for Summer. On this Saturday, Guy was working at the airport and Summer was visiting one of her classmates. She would be home within the hour. Becky described in some detail the grisly murder in Boise and how much Summer’s drawing seemed to foretell the scene.

  “Lizzie, my bosses don’t perceive that Summer is psychic, so I just don’t know if that similarity means anything or is just a coincidence.”

  Lizzie responded, “Well, Becky, you’re the one who is here and dealing with Summer. I trust your judgment over theirs in that matter.”

&n
bsp; “Ordinarily, I’d agree with you,” said Becky. “But Norah is also psychic so has some authority in that arena. She thinks there is some other explanation. They suggested going over pictures, especially religious pictures, with Summer. Just to see if anything seems to trigger a connection to the one drawing.”

  “That seems to make sense, Becky. Her one drawing is becoming more explicit since you had her expand upon it the other day.”

  “The good news, Lizzie, is that I don’t think the priest, Finegan, has any interest back here at all. He’s married, has a child, and said he’s not returning here. I believe him.”

  “That’s a big load off my mind,” said Lizzie, “but then who is that other guy watching, then?”

  “I don’t know, Lizzie. Maybe nobody and just coincidence; maybe me.”

  “You,” she said. “Why would anybody be watching you, Becky?”

  “My ex was a very jealous guy, that’s partly why we divorced, Lizzie. He’s the only one I can think of who might be crazy enough. Probably just a coincidence, though. We’ll see if it continues and go from there.”

  “Okay, sounds good. Oh, I see that Summer is home. I’ll have her sit down with you in a minute.”

  They both welcomed Summer back and chatted about her time at her friend’s house. The little girl was very engaged and bubbly. She’d had a good time, obviously. Becky took her cue from Lizzie and asked if Summer would look at some pictures with her. She told the girl that she’d like to know what she thought of them.

  Becky had brought along her laptop and she began to find various church websites, starting with those in Red Lodge. They scrolled through pictures of the outside, inside, and various events, paying attention to the people. Summer became interested as a kind of game, telling Becky what she thought of them. Other than that, she had no unusual emotions about any of them. The one exception was that she did become a little subdued when looking at the priests in their full vestments.

  They continued this exercise for almost two hours, without any discernable result. Summer was getting tired of it and wanted to go to her room and play. Becky and Lizzie moved to the living room and watched the fire burning softly in the fireplace. They collaborated on how best to proceed.

  Becky was reiterating how she, as well as Bert and Norah, felt like a key to figuring out what was tormenting Summer was to understand the two drawings. Just then she received a text from Bert, asking if she’d made it back to Red Lodge okay. She answered him back and they exchanged a couple of quick messages about the cases. After his last reply, Becky had a sudden flashback to an earlier message from Bert. The one he sent with several pictures of the Nebraska City church. She hadn’t taken the time to really look thoroughly at them, but a couple were jogging her memory. She thumbed her way up to the pictures.

  After saving the pictures to her laptop in order to make them larger, she asked Lizzie if Summer could come back down and look at the ones which Bert had sent. Lizzie was a little puzzled, but she went upstairs to get her daughter.

  Upon return, Lizzie sat on one side of Becky and Summer sat on the other. Becky explained to them both that her boss had sent some interesting pictures of a church and she wanted to see what they thought of it. She pulled up a couple of pictures of the inside, showing the rows of pews and some of the ornate interior architecture. Lizzie commented on how beautiful the inside was, while Summer sat silently. She was just focused intently upon them. That changed when she brought up a picture taken of the exterior.

  Bert had taken one of several pictures from the parking area, showing the entire front of the church. When Becky opened this one for Summer, the child pushed back into the couch as if to get away from it. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth quivered. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she made no sound. She jumped up and went around Becky to her mother and sat tightly against her, burying her face against her mother’s side as Lizzie hugged her tightly. Lizzie was shocked by the reaction and looked closely at the image.

  Her eyes followed the flow of the granite blocks up the front, past the large wooden, double doors, along the two guard towers which formed the left and right corners, to their top fortification, which both rose above the peak of the main church. On the peak, standing between the two towers, was a statue of the Holy Mother, her arms outstretched to both sides. She was holding onto a large chain in each hand, which was connected to the tower on each side. Bert’s explanation said that it represented the Holy Mother’s connection of the past to the future, the old church to the new. Lizzie realized that she was looking at the refined reality of her daughter’s one drawing.

  Summer was casting quick glances at the picture and then burying her face back against her mother. She began to sob, at first subdued, but soon uncontrollably. Lizzie asked her what was wrong, but Summer just continued to cry. Finally, she just uttered, “Be-be, Be-be, Be-be.”

  Lizzie and Becky’s eyes met. Both were wet with tears. Both knew the other was thinking the same thing.

  Becky spoke first. “This is it, Lizzie. This is her second drawing. I have no idea how she’s connected to it or even knows about it, but that’s part of what haunts Summer. I can feel her connection and her sense of fear. She’s afraid of that church for some reason. We have to find out why.”

  Lizzie nodded in agreement, but emotion prevented her from saying more than, “Yes, I know. We have to take her there.”

  ***

  Darkness had settled upon Red Lodge. The winter stars twinkled brightly in the night sky. The temperature was a balmy 25 degrees, reflecting the warming trend that was expected for a few days. Becky had stoked the fireplace in the cabin, settled into her pajamas, made herself a hot cocoa, and called Bert. Time to bring them up to date on the new development.

  “Hey, boss-man,” she said when Bert answered. “We have new news for you guys. We’re going to be joining you there. Soon.”

  “Oh, really! To what do we owe that pleasure?” he asked.

  “We just miss you guys and want to see you,” she replied with a laugh. “I haven’t gotten to know Missy yet, either. Need to get in her good graces.”

  He laughed back. “Well, I know you two will hit it off, swimmingly.”

  She became serious. “Actually, Bert and Norah, we have had a development here that concerns the Catholic Church there. Summer had a serious reaction to the outside pictures you sent. Her one drawing has obviously been a fledgling attempt to show the statue on the top. The minute she saw the real picture, she became very emotional. Both her mother and I saw the connection. We just don’t understand it.”

  Bert was quiet on the other end of the call. Finally, he spoke. “That’s absolutely amazing, Becky. Now it makes us wonder if she really is psychic and is somehow channeling into the case here.”

  “We’re asking the same questions here, guys,” Becky answered. “Is it possible that she could somehow help solve your case there?”

  They discussed Summer’s potential clairvoyance and how to tap into it. After that, Bert ended the call. Becky’s question followed everyone to bed that Saturday night.

  ***

  Earlier that Saturday, in Nebraska City, Bert and Missy, accompanied by Norah, had taken their morning sunrise stroll around the field. It was also warming up a bit there, too, and the wind chill in the light breeze was barely noticeable with the 26-degree temperature. Missy had a blast when she found a rabbit to chase. It barely managed to escape her teeth as it dove under a brush pile in the ravine.

  Back at the motel, Bert had his usual breakfast of fruit and sausage in the motel dining room. Then he called police detective, Bryan Louden. They arranged to meet at Jonnie’s Café at 10:00.

  On the way to the café, Bert asked Norah if she still had the perception that Summer wasn’t psychic. She was slow to answer but shook her head and said she just didn’t have that feeling. She still felt there was some other explanation.

  He nodded in understanding. This was one time, though, that he wasn’t sure if his wife was
correct. How else do you explain the goings-on with that child? He parked the doghouse in the lot of the café and went inside with Norah.

  Detective Bryan Louden entered a short time later and came over to their table. Despite his civilian clothes, the handgun and badge attached to his belt gave away his occupation. He introduced himself and shook Bert’s hand. He and Bert had a short but lively talk about college football. Louden, of course, was a Husker fan and was enthused about the prospects next fall with a new coaching staff. Bert had equally high hopes for the Wyoming Cowboys. They soon tabled the discussion to talk about the Campbell and Sturdevant cases.

  Bert got right to the point. “Detective Louden, I’m asking you to order the opening and inspection of the old well which is encased in the floor of the shed at the Holy Mother Church.”

  “Why do that, Mr. Lynnes?” he asked. “We saw nothing around that well during my investigation to justify an inspection. We had no evidence of any foul play taking place at the church, so nothing to base any warrants upon.”