“Do you want me to leave?” Daphne asked.
“No!” Becky took a deep breath. “I have a favor to ask. In exchange for telling you what I know.”
“Ok, what’s the favor?” Daphne asked, but she had a good idea of what it would be.
“I want you to see if you can see my mother’s spirit. If you can talk to her. Find out who killed her.”
Since this is exactly what she was expecting Daphne didn’t hesitate. “Of course, and not just because we want the information. I would have done it regardless.”
Becky relaxed. “Ok, I’m sorry I made it quid pro quo. I wasn’t sure if you would do it and I have to know what happened.”
“Do you have a picture of her?” Daphne asked. “So I’ll have an idea of who I’m looking for?”
Becky pulled out a picture from her back pocket and handed it to Daphne. Daphne recognized her immediately. She was the woman in front of the General Store, the one who had stared at her. The one who Chris had ignored. He hadn’t been ignoring her — he just hadn’t seen her.
“Let’s go.” Daphne said, getting up. “I can’t promise that I will see your mother again, but I did see her, yesterday, by the General Store.”
“I’m coming with you,” Eric said. “Becky can we meet you outside?”
Once she was gone, Eric turned to Daphne, “I’d like to bring my camera and film you talking with Becky’s mom.”
“Why?”
“I think you’ll want to watch it. You’ve asked me a couple times about how you look when you’re talking with ghosts or connecting with them. Although, I’m not suggesting you make a connection with her.”
“So you just want to film it so that I can see it? Not so that you can put it on the news?”
Eric scowled, “I told you. I’m on vacation. Forget I mentioned it, if you really think I’d do something like that.”
Daphne put a hand on his arm to keep him from walking past her. “I’m sorry. You’re right, you already told me that you wouldn’t. You have to understand how I can’t let something like that get out into the public.”
“Why?” He asked, “why don’t you want people to see what you can do?”
“Because it isn’t just me that would be exposed, it would impact my whole family if the world learned what I can do.”
“I don’t understand.” Eric argued. “What you can do is amazing, you shouldn’t hide it.”
“Daphne,” Nicole broke in, “you have a tremendous gift. I can never thank you for what you’ve done for me by using it to uncover the truth about what happened to my daughter. You can trust Eric to not betray your trust.”
“I know, I am sorry. It’s just that avoiding the media is ingrained in me.”
“By your parents?” Nicole asked.
Daphne shook her head. “No, my parents have never told me to hide what I can do. Even though that the few times people did learn, they came out looking like bad parents.”
“How?”
“Most people, my sister included, believe that I’m claiming to see ghosts because I’m starved for attention. Since my parents travel so much, people believe that they’ve neglected me and that I’m just acting out,” Daphne explained. “My sister doesn’t like it because she loses clients when they learn of it.”
“Daphne, it isn’t really my place, but speaking as a mother, you need to lead your life, your way. You have an amazing gift. One that you shouldn’t hide because it might inconvenience others. You have this gift for a reason, you should feel free to use it.”
Daphne nodded her head, not so much in agreement but because she was touched by the woman’s words. She turned back to Eric. “Ok, let’s go, bring your camera.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
They joined Becky outside and piled into Eric’s truck.
After parking behind the General Store, Daphne got out to wander through the parking lot. It only took a few minutes before she spotted the woman she had seen earlier. Instead of a frown, the woman was smiling. She ignored Daphne and Eric. Her attention and smile were only for Becky.
“Mrs. Modena,” Daphne addressed her.
The woman was startled and gazed fixedly at Daphne. “You can see me?”
“I can yes,” Daphne said. She could see Eric had started filming. She tried to ignore him so she could focus on the small woman in front of her. “My name is Daphne, Daphne LaVaigne.”
“Ramona Modena. How can you see me? No one else can. No one.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Do you know that you’re dead?”
“Oh yes, I figured that out when I saw my body bleeding out on the ground, over there.” She pointed to the area between the garbage bins and the stairs leading to the second story. “I tried to talk to them and to Tony and Becky, but they never acknowledged me. I realized that they could no longer see me.”
“Do you know who killed you?”
She shook her head. “No I don’t remember anything. Not until I found myself staring down at my body while the deputies worked around me. The coroner said that I was shot in the chest, so I must have been facing my killer. I just don’t remember.”
“What do you remember prior to waking up?”
“I’d been sick in bed with a cold. I hate being sick. I’d been in bed for a couple days and all I wanted was to get up and do something. Tony was working in the grocery store and I knew Becky was at the library with her friends, studying. I had made some phone calls, which wore me out. It was infuriating. I laid in bed reading and then I remembered that I had to take the trash out. I didn’t want Becky or Tony to have to do it, and I really needed to do something.”
“Do you remember going downstairs?”
“Yes,” she said, drawing the word out as she tried to remember. “I remember gathering the garbage and yes, I remember lugging it down the steps. That’s it.”
“Do you remember hearing anything or hearing someone come up behind you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t remember seeing or hearing anything. I don’t even remember getting shot.”
“Sometimes ghosts can’t remember the exact moment of their death. I’ve had some experience with ghosts who don’t even know they are dead. I also have an ability that allows me to connect to ghosts. I can relive their last moments. Would it be possible for us to connect? Maybe I can see something more?”
“Does it hurt you?” she asked.
Daphne smiled. “It makes me a little tired, but no, it doesn’t hurt me. It might zap you of your energy as well. The few times I’ve done this, the ghost has disappeared for a short time. Not permanently, I think it saps their energy as well. They disappear so they can recharge.”
“Ok then. How?” She asked.
Daphne offered her hand to Ramona who then placed her hand into Daphne’s palm. Having initiated the connection this time, Daphne was prepared for the tingling that turned into a flash of cold as it coursed through her body. She managed to keep her stomach from roiling by focusing on the ground. In her peripheral vision she could tell the world around her was shifting while the day turned to night. As Ramona’s thoughts entered her own, Daphne relaxed and took it all in.
The old lights did little to brighten the parking lot, giving off just enough light to keep someone from stumbling in the dark but not enough to dispel all the shadows. Very few cars were scattered around the spaces, shoppers who made last minute dashes before the General Store closed for the night. Daphne could feel how worn out Ramona had been that night, she was bone tired and still had the aches and pains of a persistent flu. Mentally she could feel Ramona’s impatience with being weak and stuck in bed all day. In each hand she carried a plastic bag, one of which was putting off some pretty unpleasant smells.
“I swear those two must have lost their sense of smell,” She said out loud, remembering the stench of spoiled food in the kitchen. Upon reaching
the bottom step, she turned right and headed toward the garbage cans that sat under the staircase. She cussed, dumped a bag into each can before pulling them to the edge of the parking lot nearest the street. “Amazing, I’m sick and bedridden and they can’t remember to take out the garbage.” After positioning one can she went back for the other. She could feel how weak her body still was. As much as she was tired of lying in bed, she wished she was there now. She pulled the second garbage can over and thought maybe she would take a nice hot bath instead. She could read the next story in the book. She thought about Kevin and calling him again. She wanted to make sure he got her message. He needed to know about the story she read and the pictures she saw, others could see what she had seen. She knew not many in town read those types of books, but it was still possible that someone else would check out the book. Besides Kevin needed to be warned. Her thoughts flashed to a page in a book that showed photos of two men and two women. Daphne could see that they were old photos from the eighties.
Hearing a sound behind her, she turned. She saw a figure step out of the shadows. They wore a bulky coat, so she couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, but the height suggested a man. A hood covered the head casting a shadow over the face. “Who’s there?” She asked, “What do you want?” She didn’t feel fear until she saw the shotgun.
Daphne awoke to find Becky helping her up off the ground. Daphne glanced around but could no longer see Becky’s mother. Like Stephanie and Miguel, she had disappeared once the connection was over.
“What happened, what did she say?”
“She doesn’t know who killed her. She remembers bringing down the garbage and hearing something behind her, there was a man, at least I think it was.a man, he was holding a shotgun, and he shot her.”
“Is she still here?”
“No, I think connecting with me drains them as much as it drains me. I need to sit,” Daphne said, feeling her knees start to buckle. “I need to lie down.”
Eric opened the passenger door and helped Daphne into the back seat of the cab. He handed her a sweatshirt that had been on the floor. “Why don’t you rest for a minute? I’m going to go get something. Becky stay here with her.”
Daphne bunched the sweatshirt up under her head. It smelled like Eric, woodsy with a hint of spice. She wondered what cologne he used as she drifted off.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Daphne jolted awake when Eric openen the truck door. He handed her a power drink and coffee drink. “Do you think these will help?” He asked as he slid in behind the wheel.
“Maybe.” She chose the power drink and guzzled it. The caffeine moved through her system, clearing out some of the fog. It helped, but she knew it would only be temporary. She could feel the fatigue trying to fight its way back in. She needed to tell Eric and Becky what she had learned from her connection to Becky’s mom. Because what she saw made her realize that she had more information to share with them. Because the pieces were finally falling into place.
“I’m not sure where to start, but I’ll tell you what I saw and learned from Becky’s mom. She was frustrated at being sick and stuck in bed for several days, so she made herself get up to take out the garbage.”
Becky flushed. “Dad and I thought that was why she was out there, it really made us both feel guilty knowing that the reason she was in parking lot was because neither of us had thought to do it. If we had just taken it out earlier, maybe she wouldn’t have been killed.”
“It wasn’t your fault, she doesn’t blame you or your dad,” Daphne assured her.
“Go on, what else?” Eric prompted.
“She had just put the bag in the garbage when she heard something. She turned around, and there was someone standing there with a shotgun, and he shot her. At least I think it was a he. We couldn’t see his face or make out his height or build because he was wearing a bulky jacket with a hood. The hood made it impossible to see a face.”
She drew in a breath before continuing. “The thing is, I saw someone dressed the same way leaving the Dunning House the night Russ was killed. He was carrying a shotgun, at least I think he was. I couldn’t see it, but only saw something long and thin dangling from his arm. I think it was the same person.”
“Who?” Eric and Becky asked together.
“Before I say who I think it is, I need to share something else with you. Something I haven’t told anyone else, not even Chris. You may think that I was only dreaming, but I wasn’t.” She paused, but then continued when she saw Eric getting antsy. “Last night, while I was sleeping, I was awoken by an argument. I woke to find myself in someone else’s body. He was an old man in a hospital bed, and he was arguing with his son. The son was Kevin Dunning. The old man told Kevin that he was going to write him out of his will if he didn’t agree to return home and help his brother Keith run the mill. Kevin was furious and refused the old man. The old man told him to get out and send back Debbie. It sounded like Debbie was visiting with Kevin and was helping to care for the man. He had his eyes closed and heard someone come in. He assumed it was Debbie. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pillow being put over his face. Then I woke up.”
“You think Kevin killed him?” Eric asked.
“Kevin? Kevin Dunning?” Becky asked with a bit of a laugh. “Kevin would never hurt anyone.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Your mom remembered something else as she was taking out the trash. She remembered reading a book on true crime. She recognized someone in one of the photos from the book, and she remembered calling Kevin to warn him.”
Neither Eric nor Becky responded, both trying to process what Daphne had told them. So Daphne pushed her theory forward. “Look, this town has hosted too much killing for a town this size. Your mom, Becky, and your dad, Eric, were shot with shotguns. So was Russ. Eric, Sheila and I were shot at by someone carrying shotgun. Stephanie was murdered, smothered by a plastic bag. Chris’s grandfather was smothered in his sleep. I know the MO’s aren’t all the same, but they’re close enough that I think we have one killer. One killer who just uses what is most handy, smothering or a shotgun, when he wants to get rid of someone.”
“Why would Kevin kill my dad or Stephanie?” Eric asked.
“I don’t know, maybe your dad was an accident and had nothing to do with this, but Stephanie told me that Kevin had concerns about her and Chris’s relationship. He thought Chris would sacrifice going to college and marry Stephanie. Maybe he thought that if Stephanie was out of the way, then Chris would go through with college. Chris mentioned that his dad used to live in San Francisco, that he lived there after going to college. That he was only able to go to college because Chris’s grandmother backed her son’s decision against her husband’s wishes. Maybe he thought Stephanie was holding Chris back, like his father tried to do to him.”
“I just can’t imagine harmless Kevin as a killer.” Becky protested. “But you are right, there have been too many deaths in this town. Even the sheriff has mentioned it.” She snapped her fingers. “In fact he mentioned another death by shotgun: Keith Dunning. Although it was determined to be a suicide.”
“Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn’t. It wouldn’t be too hard to make a shooting seem like a suicide. Kevin kills his father and then his brother and inherits the Dunning estate. It’s possible.” Eric stated.
“What about what you said about mom calling him and warning him?” Becky asked.
“It was about a true crime story she had read when she was sick.” Daphne explained, pulling the memory forward. “I can’t remember which one or if she even thought of the story itself. She remembered a page of photos and at least one of them was of someone she recognized. She called Kevin to warn him about the picture and how someone else might read the book and recognize the person in the photo.”
“But you don’t know which book?” Eric asked. When Daphne shook her head he turned to Becky. “Do you know which book?”
&nb
sp; “No, mom read whenever she could, especially if she was sick in bed. I don’t remember any book in particular.”
Daphne closed her eyes and concentrated on what Ramona had thought about regarding the book. She could see the pictures, but none of the images looked familiar to her. But then she remembered Ramona calling Kevin and warning him because someone else might check out the book. “It was a library book!” Daphne practically shouted. “She thought about someone else checking out the book.”
“Great!” Becky exclaimed pulling out her cell phone. “I’ll call and get someone to meet us at the library.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As Eric drove to the library, Daphne managed doze off. The caffeine had given her some energy, but her body needed rest, not chemical stimulants. She didn’t know how long she slept before Eric was shaking her awake. “Daphne, Becky was able to get in touch with Mr. Jeffries, and he’s opened the library. We have a list of books that Becky’s mom had checked out before she died. We need you to see if any of them look familiar.”
She climbed out of the truck and waited while he locked it. “Thanks for letting me sleep. I needed it.”
He smiled at her. “No problem. You earned it.”
The library was a decent size for a town as small as Dunning’s Landing. Stacks of books spread out along every wall. Long tables and chairs filled the gap between books and the heart of the library, the circulation desk where Becky stood with an old man with a shock of pure white hair. His face was wrinkled and very tan. His clear blue eyes held Daphne’s as she and Eric approached them. Daphne smiled at the man, who nodded back to her.
Becky held up a sheet of paper. “We have the list of books that Mom checked out before she was murdered. They are all true crime stories, and there are about sixteen books on this list. Did you see a title or anything at all that might help?”
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