My legs shake the bed. “You know about that?”
He takes my hand again, this time with a subtle tenderness. “We are the same, Alice. I know many things.”
“But why do we only see the last moments before death?”
He laughs. “You must dive deep and give into the experience fully. Once you do, you’ll be able to experience memories from any point in their life.”
“What else? What is possible?”
He leans close to me and whispers, “There are things we cannot discuss here. Eyes and ears are everywhere. In the shadows.”
I nod and ponder everything he’s told me. Can it be true? Did Mother know all of this and keep it from me? What reason could she possibly have to do so if she did know?
“Mother never mentioned that you were blind.”
“That’s because I wasn’t blind when she knew me.”
My pulse races. “I knew it. I gained my sight ten years ago, but then I lost it again last week and I don’t know why.”
“And how did you gain your sight?”
“An accident. I hit my head really hard and was knocked unconscious. When I came to, I had limited vision. A few days later my vision was fully restored.”
“False.” He pats my hand. “Trauma wouldn’t have triggered it. What else happened?”
Denise falls to her death in my mind. I’ve imagined how it happened many times. “A girl died in that accident.”
“Ah, and you killed her.”
I jerk back, stunned. “No! I didn’t kill anyone. We ran into each other and next thing I knew I was waking up and she was dead.”
“Intention has no factor. Her death gave you your vision. That’s how things work for us in this world. It is a travesty, to be certain, but still a fact.”
“You’re telling me the only reason I could see was because she died?”
“Yes, and you’ll have to kill again if you want to see again.”
I gasp. I’m no killer! “You’re plain crazy. Are you telling me that you’re a serial killer? Is that why you’re really in here?”
His voice rises several decibels. “You came here asking for answers. If you don’t like the answers I’m providing feel free to walk out of here.”
“Then how did you maintain your sight? Better yet, how did you gain your sight to begin with?”
“I cannot go into that in here but suffice it to say I never murdered anyone.”
“Animals then?”
“For heaven’s sake, child. I would never harm innocent creatures. Besides, those kinds of deaths do nothing for us. They must be human or some type of being with a soul.”
My heart desperately wants to believe him, but my mind will not climb aboard his crazy train. “This is asinine. I’m starting to see why you’re locked up in here. You’re as crazy as Mother said.”
“Am I? You’re more like me than you can imagine. What you have is inherited from me. You’re different, Alice, but you already know that. They do too. They’ll come after you now that you’re blind again. Protect yourself.”
“You’re insane! No one’s after me.” I’m lying to myself again, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t fuel his madness with talk of the Braille Killer.
“Call me what you want, but you’ll come around soon enough. We’re not from this world, Alice. That’s why they want us dead.”
I thrust my arms in the air. “This is ridiculous! You’re telling me that I’m some kind of alien spawn killing machine. You’ve watched too many movies and you live in a fantasy world far outside reality.”
“And you’d best remember that when you’re around your mother or you might wind up locked away in here with me.”
I get up, find my way over to the door, open it, and then slam it shut behind me. Why did I even come here?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It’s Saturday morning and I find myself back at the police station. My return to the second floor conference room after Wednesday’s circus is anything but comfortable. Lieut. Frost, Detective Roland, and Detective Ryan are in the room again as well, along with Deborah from CSI. I sit in the same chair as before.
The tension in the room is thick enough to taste, so I decide to break the ice with a joke. “So why’d you bring me in again? Can’t get enough of me? Thought who better to lead a blind investigation than a blind woman?”
“Alice we wouldn’t have brought you in if this wasn’t important.” Seth, my unhorsed knight in tarnished, dull-gray armor speaks. His voice tugs at my heartstrings and I just want to scream. “You might want to brace yourself for what’s about to be said.”
Brace myself? Why have they brought me in? The tension from the room seeps into my skin and burrows deep inside my bones. I stiffen like a three-day-old cadaver.
“Sorry. Just felt way too uptight in here.”
“Deborah and the rest the CSI team have been analyzing the notes and items from your storage unit for the last several days and uncovered some disturbing information.” Lieut. Frost is always serious but something in his tone today sends up warning flares.
I straighten in my seat and plant my feet firmly on the floor.
“The room is yours, Deborah.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Frost.” I’m fond of Deborah and have spoken with her on many occasions. Today her voice is laced with caution. “The Braille Killer has sent three packages to Detective Bergman containing friendship bracelets. At first glance they are nothing more than simple hand woven bracelets but as we began to examine them further, we discovered two things of importance.
“The first thing we discovered was that the thread used in these bracelets is very specific and rare. So rare in fact that it was only ever made by a single textile mill, Kyle’s Textiles. I’m sure you all remember that’s where we found the first victim’s mother, Yolanda Johnson, bound to a chair.
“The second thing we discovered was that human hair was woven into each bracelet as well. Once we realized this, we did hair analysis of the three bracelets against our two victims. The science of hair analysis is anything but conclusive with the odds being about one in ten thousand will match but it still allows us to narrow our search significantly. The hair used in the first bracelet he sent a year ago was an identical match to Sarah Johnson and the hair in the second bracelet sent eighteen days ago was an identical match to Cara Strum.
“The third bracelet sent eight days ago is an anomaly. It contains the same type of rare thread, but it also contains human hair from two different individuals. We believe he is planning on killing two people this time and we still have yet to determine who he is, where he is, and who his next victim will be.”
I raise my hand and immediately feel like a kid in school again. “Hold up a minute. First you said that you believe he’s planning on killing two people but then you say you don’t know who his next victim is. You said victim as in singular and not plural. Are you telling me you’ve identified one of his next potential victims already?”
My mind reels and then realization settles in. I understand why they brought me in.
Lieut. Frost confirms it. “Yes, Detective. We believe it’s you for two reasons. The first is that he spelled out your name with the wounds of the first two victims. The second is that we think that one of the sets of hair from the third bracelet may belong to you. It’s identical in color to your hair.”
Me? How many more ways could he violate me? My stomach gurgles. “You think he took a sample from me when I was younger and kept it all this time?” I chew on the end of my thumbnail. I haven’t done that since I was little. “Given his meticulous planning it seems highly probable.”
Deborah pipes up. “It could be that or he’s gotten it from you more recently.”
“More recently?” I search my memories scouring for evidence I find implausible but then I remember the night at the storage facility. Did he cut some hair from my head at that time? I can’t remember but I was so distraught th
at night. “I guess it’s possible.”
“Would you mind providing us with a hair sample so that we can examine it against the hair from the bracelet?”
“Whatever you need, Deborah. You can take it now.”
Deborah’s chair groans as she gets up from it. “I’ll only need a few hairs. I’ll warn you when I’m about to—”
“Ow!” I rub the back of my head.
She pats my shoulder. “Sorry about that. Thought it might not hurt as much if I took it by surprise.”
“Well now you know it doesn’t help.” I lean back in my chair. “There is more evidence that points to me as well.”
“Something you just realized or something you’ve withheld from us?” Detective Roland sure knows how to find a wound and pick at it.
I huff. “Does it really matter at this point? No. What I was going to say is that I noticed the positioning of the first victim held significance as well. Sarah Johnson had her arms folded across her abdomen like an isosceles triangle and her legs spread apart. I believe he placed her that way on purpose, like an ‘A’ for Alice.”
“And the second?” Lieut. Frost’s tone is far warmer than a few days ago.
Seth’s voice emerges from the depths. “A ‘B’ for Bergman. I had wondered why he left her that way, but it makes sense now.”
Lieut. Frost shifts some papers on the table. “How long will it take to analyze that hair sample, Deborah?”
“An hour or so for a good guess. A day for better accuracy.”
“Expedience is key Deborah. Get to it.”
“Yes sir.” Deborah exits the conference room.
“Detective Bergman I will assign an officer to your home until we determine if you really are in danger.”
“No need, sir. I’ll take on that responsibility.”
Seth? My jaw drops, and I have to force it back shut. Why would he volunteer to keep watch of me? I didn’t think he wanted to be around me anymore.
“Fine. You and Detective Roland can alternate watching her.”
The last thing I need is Detective Roland hanging around. “Sir—”
“My decision isn’t up for debate.” Lieut. Frost’s glare warms my forehead even though I can’t see it.
“I’ll take first watch.” Seth’s chair rolls back into the wall. “Alice, you’re with me.”
I pluck Esther from between my legs and rise from the chair. Seth opens the conference room door and I exit behind him. We walk the length of the hallway and down the two flights of stairs to the first floor.
Seth touches my arm just to stop me. “I’m parked out back.”
“Right behind you.”
We exit the building and Seth takes my arm. I want to grab him and hold him and tell him how much I love him, but I stay silent and follow his lead. We arrive at his car and he opens the door for me.
“Thank you. I can manage from here.” I crawl into the front seat and the backs of my legs are on fire within seconds. I grit my teeth, tuck Esther between the door and the seat, and pull the door closed. The handle burns my fingers.
I can’t wait for winter.
Seth drops into the driver’s seat and closes his door. “Wow, that’s hot.”
“I keep telling you to invest in some sunshades.”
“High on my list right now.”
We pull out of the parking lot and head down the road. I know these streets better than most and within a few turns I realize we’re not headed toward my house. “Where are you taking me?”
“My place.” I can tell by his tone and how short he’s being with me that he’s still pissed at me.
I don’t understand why he volunteered for Alice duty. There are plenty of officers who would’ve appreciated the overtime. Sometimes men overly complicate things.
I drum my fingers on the middle console. “Need to pick something up from there?”
“No. You’re staying with me.”
My fingers freeze mid-drum. “Staying with you? Why would I do that?”
“Because I don’t trust anyone else watching you.”
Does he miss me? “You know most of the guys on the force. What would make you not trust them?”
“This Braille Killer could be anywhere and anyone.”
“Oh. I guess that’s true, but I’d smell him coming from a mile away.”
“Why? You think he’s incapable of cleaning up and brushing his teeth?”
Sometimes Seth does have some good points. Maybe he only eats garlic and pickles right before he kills but I don’t think that’s the case. Either way, he could be anyone.
“Suppose not. And, for the record, I can’t think of another place I’d rather be than with you even if you are still pissed at me.”
“I’m not pissed at you.”
I laugh. “Could’ve fooled me. I may be blind, but I can still feel your heat vision every time you glance my way.”
“Look, you broadsided me with a frickin dump truck on Wednesday and crushed my heart. I’m wounded, Alice, not pissed.”
I reach over and put my hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry, Seth. Hurting you was never part of the plan. If I could turn back time and make things right I would.”
“I know. You’re the smartest damn woman I know and so completely stupid and self-absorbed at times too. I often wonder if you’re bipolar and off your meds.”
I pull the dagger from my wounded heart and deflect like I always do. “So does Mother.”
We make a sharp right, bounce over the speedhump leading into Seth’s condo complex, and park. He escorts me up to his condo and we go inside. All I can think about is Tuesday night. Sex gone wrong. At least for me it did. Suddenly I’m in need of a blanket but the cold is much more than skin-deep.
I walk over and crash onto the couch. A TV remote bites into my lower back. I pull it out from underneath me and place it on the coffee table. I exhale and sink into the couch.
Drawers, windows, and doors bang throughout the condo for several minutes and then Seth plops down on the opposite end of the couch. “We’re alone, and everything is secure.”
The mirror from storage unit 109 creeps into my mind and I cringe. Another thing I’ve kept from Seth. He doesn’t understand the visions I have. If I tell him about the mirror, he’ll surely have me committed. Telling him about it wouldn’t help anyway since I have no idea where the killer moved it to.
All I know is that no blind girl is safe as long as the Braille Killer is out there. With the mirror, no locked door or window can stop him. The only thing he needs to penetrate lives and gain entry is the shadows, and in the darkness, shadows reign supreme.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Veronica and I lie on Seth’s bed in boxers and tank tops. The AC is cranked as high as it will go, and the ceiling fan is spinning on high, but the heat is unrelenting. Sweat covers my hairline, soaks my hair, and runs down and through every crevice on my body. I imagine it’s doing the same to Veronica.
Seth’s out working a lead with Detective Roland, so we’re alone inside the condo. Officer Dupree stands guard outside the front door in the main hallway. It’s even hotter out there and I pity him, but there’s no chance of him waiting inside.
Veronica lies on my left side and slowly caresses the inside of my left forearm with her fingertips. It reminds me of when Mother used to rub my back that way during church to keep me from fidgeting. “So how did the second trip to see your father go?”
“Fairly well, all things considered.”
“That doesn’t sound too positive.”
“I know…”
She picks up my arm and kisses my palm. “You know you can tell me anything. Unlike Seth, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll love you beyond death. You’re like the little sister I never had.”
“I love you too, Vee.”
“Then spill it. Tell me everything.”
“Okay…” I roll on my side and lay my head on her shoulder. “When we a
rrived, he was ticked that I showed back up and even more so because Mother was there. But then Mother whispered something to him and left the room. From that point forward his entire demeanor was different. I asked him about my blindness and he told me some pretty crazy things. It made me realize why they’d committed him in the first place.”
Veronica strokes my head. The thought of her fingers raking through my sweaty locks is a bit repulsive, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care. “What did he tell you that was so crazy?”
“First off, he basically told me that my ancestors aren’t from this world. Not in so many words, mind you, but seriously? Do I look like I’m from another planet? Don’t answer that.” I raise my head to look at her. I know I can’t see her, but it’s hard breaking a habit after ten years.
“Now that you mention it, you are a bit goofy looking. Almost like a Salvador Dali painting. All perky on one side and droopy on the other.”
I smack her on the thigh. “You’re one to talk with your elvish ears and pointy nose and chin. You look like you came straight out of a Legend of Zelda game.”
She wraps her arm around my neck and puts me in a headlock. “Don’t make me make you cry uncle.”
I grab the tender part of her right inside thigh between my forefinger and thumb and twist a little. “You do it and I bruise it.”
She releases my head, but I hold onto her thigh. “You want me to finish telling you what happened or not?”
“Yes, mistress. Punish me if you want but leave no details out whilst you do.”
I twist my fingers a bit more and then let go. “Where was I even at?”
“You’re from another planet, blah blah blah.”
“Right. He says we’re being hunted and that if I want my vision back, I need to kill someone. He tried to tell me that I killed Denise and that’s why I got my vision to start with. How crazy is that?”
“That’s top of the list crazy alright. What did Seth think?”
“Same as you. He sided with Mother on having my father committed.”
“I can see why she did it too.”
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