A Vision of Murder (6 page)

 The wind still passed
through the trees overhead, sending the branches into frantic dances in the
shadows. Tree limbs scraped down my back and clawed at me like angry hands.
Though Dunn was struggling just as much, he didn’t blame it on vengeful ghosts.
I reminded myself once again that I was imagining things.

But it was so easy in these
crypt-like woods. Murdered spirits were so angry, so vengeful.
So easy to imagine….
No
, I stopped myself,
I
cannot do this. I cannot continue seeing her behind every eerie tree trunk.
She’s not there. No spectral being peered with dead eyes between branches at
me, no ethereal spirit lurked in dim shadows of overgrown briars, no mysterious
figure was following me even now, approaching quickly from behind….
Despite
myself, I gasped, jerking around.

Nothing.
I forced myself to regulate
my breathing.

“What was it?” Dunn asked.

“Nothing, I… just got caught
on some briars.”

“Easy to do in here,” he
muttered.

“Have you been here before?”

“I come hunting here every
once in a while. No one really comes around here other than that time of the
year. It’s actually a perfect place to….”
He stopped suddenly. “What’s
that?”

“It’s just me,” Simms called
before pushing his way through the weeds and underbrush to us. “You couldn’t
find a needle in a haystack in here. You’re going to have your work cut out for
you.” He pointed his flashlight at me, blinding me momentarily.

I looked back the way that
we had come. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was going to be extremely
difficult to find the girl in this weather. I could only do so much. But it was
worth a shot. I concentrated.

The girl was walking through
the weeds, laughing and talking. A nearby pond glittered blindingly in a
lightning flashed. She jumped and faked screamed. “How far is the cabin from
here?” she asked, her eyes questioning.

“There’s a pond… a huge pond.
And she said or asked, something like, ‘How far away is the cabin?’”

“I know where that pond is,”
Simms said. “It’s a fair piece from here though. I think there’s a trail
somewhere over that way.” He gestured into the darkness, but I was lost.

“Lead the way,” Dunn said.
“Simms
came
hunting with me a couple times.”

“And I just so happen to
have an excellent sense of direction,” Simms bragged. “I never get lost. Not in
the woods. Some would call me a tracker.”

“Really?”
I asked, not very
interested. I was too busy trying to keep up with the longer-legged men.

“Really,” he stated
definitely. “In fact, I used to do some tracking. I was hunting guide back in
the day. Before the police force beckoned.”

“I wish I had been able to
do all the traveling you did,” Dunn said enviously. “He’s been all over the
place.”

“Yep,” Simms agreed.
“Never stayed in one place too long.
Till I got this job,
that is.”

Simms was in an unusually
good mood. Whether excitement over the prospect of another link in the case or reliving
his glory days, I couldn’t tell. I knew I had never seen him talk so much.

Finally, we reached a trail
through the woods. After that, it was much easier and quicker. Within fifteen
minutes, we were standing by the edge of a wide pond. The wind caused the water
to be choppy and sharp, but it didn’t glitter in the lightning flashes as it
had before. The storm covered it only in blackness.

“There are
a couple
of old cabins out this way,” Simms said, “but we
can’t go on anyone’s land without a warrant.”

“Isn’t this someone’s land?”
I asked.

“Not this area. This area is
part of a state forest. We crossed out of the land we hunted on right before we
hit the trail.”

“Who lives in the cabins?”

“Most of them are owned by people
who rent them out as vacation homes, but there are a few on private properties
around here that are pretty rundown.
Just some of the poor
folks in town living there.
Like the Robins and the Wrights.”

My mind flashed back to the
boy in my dream. Gary Wright. He lived nearby, I knew.
In a
small cabin, alone.
Most of the cabins around the edge of the state
forest were on or off of Beautiful Crescent road.

“The girl
in the cabin.
It was on the other side of town, wasn’t it?” I asked. But I already knew the
answer. The state forest seemed to wrap around the town in a hugging embrace.
On the other end of town, there were more vacation homes. That was where the
body of the most recent victim had been found.

Dunn nodded. “Not very close
to here and on private property. But if you’re right and there’s another body
in this area, then we may have a problem.” Two girls found so close to a state
park might mean something more than just random murders….

Narrow paths wound in and
out of the woods and a derelict fence created a border between the private land
and the houses in the distance.

“Whoever’s been making all
these paths is doing so illegally. Looks like their crossing from private land
onto the state park without going through one of the gates.”

I turned suddenly, as if
called, towards a narrow path just visible under the great branches of a
spreading oak tree. “Down there,” I said. Both policemen froze, eyeing the path
warily.

The sharp snap of a stick
echoed through the forest like a gun shot. Thunder boomed loudly overhead,
causing us to duck.

“We don’t have much time,”
Dunn said. “That next storm will be here any minute.”

Simms led the way down the
path, then me, then Dunn. It was slow going, being a constricted and
waterlogged path. It curved and wound through the woods like a snake, often
doubling back on itself around large trees.

The path doubled back around
the third large tree. The girl was reluctant to leave the path, dangerous as it
seemed, for a walk through weed-choked woods, but she finally agreed. “Are you
sure this is safe?” she asked, as they ventured forth. A large log stood ahead.

“Here,” I said. “I think, I
think she left the path somewhere around here.” I couldn’t be sure, but this
looked like the general area. The storm rumbled menacingly overhead, grumbling
and complaining like an old man.

“I think this is as far as
we can go tonight,” Simms said. “Why don’t you take her back to the car and get
her home? I can keep watch out here until you get back in case anyone shows
up.”

I felt bad about the two of
them spending the night in such an uncomfortable way. “I’ve told you, it’s not
going to happen tonight. It already happened.
Months ago.”

“We’re just going to keep an
eye out, just in case,” Dunn said. “Now, let’s get you back to the car.”

I didn’t argue. I was ready
to get out of that place… and yet… in a strange way, I didn’t want to leave.
Not until she was found.

We traipsed back through the
trees slowly. The storm broke over us when we were within sight of the car. I
couldn’t help but run, despite Dunn’s urging to be careful. The icy cold rain
ran in rivers down my back and my water soaked hair continued to drip on my
shoulders long after we made it to the car. Dunn turned the heat on despite my
protests. My involuntary shaking seemed to convince him that I was freezing,
but in reality, it was fear causing me to shake.

I felt safer somehow around
Dunn and Simms, as strange as that was. Being around anyone seemed to keep the
ghosts away. I dreaded entering my dark home and going through the storm filled
night alone.

Gradually, as we drove
farther and farther away from the dark trees, I relaxed.
Please,
I
prayed silently,
please stay there tonight. Don’t haunt my dreams again.

But I knew that though her
body lay in that lonely place, her spirit did not. The rain may drip down on
her skeleton at this very moment, twisted and covered with flowery vines and
thorn bushes, pinning her bones to the earth, but the rest of her, the essence
of her, lingered nearby.

The storm would move on
overhead, drifting away to blue sky and sun and then to snow and frost covered
ground, but she would have stayed. She would have stayed there always, if I
hadn’t told them where she was. Now, though, she would leave that place for a
better home, safe in the ground.

Yes, her bones would lie
beneath hallowed soil, but her spirit would still walk this earth as long as
her killer did. I didn’t like to think of her out there alone. How I wished we
could have found her this night!
She won’t be there much longer,
I
comforted myself with the thought,
though it has already been too long.

 It did make me feel
slightly better that she would be at rest, even though I knew she would never
be at peace. Murdered souls never are while their killers go free….

“It follows
me under the sun”

The rain still drummed down
on my window when I woke the next morning. Though I had feared haunted dreams
again, I was so exhausted upon returning that I promptly fell into a deep and
trouble-free sleep. I woke happy, feeling almost carefree.

It’s all going to work out
, I thought.
After this,
it will all be different. I will retire and walk away and leave it behind and
have a normal life.
I tried to convince myself that my life would change,
but I knew inside that it wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change. I would still do what I
always did. I couldn’t just stop.

I sat up in bed and
stretched luxuriously. My blonde hair hung heavy around my shoulders. It was so
nice to be free for a moment. I knew the men were out there, in the rain,
probably looking for the victim at this point, but I didn’t have to think about
it anymore. She was their responsibility now, not mine.

Or was she? Would she ever
stop being my responsibility? The vision of her face as she stared blankly
ahead entered my mind again, but I firmly pushed it away.
Not now, I’ll
think about it later.

I felt young again, as if
the walk last night had restored me back my youth. I usually felt much older.
My blue-green eyes gazed back at me in the mirror.
Serious,
steady.

I had always been what my
mother called a “thinker”. I had grown up far out in the country near a very
small town. Everyone knew one another. My family was known about town to be a
little odd. My mother blamed it on the psychics that cropped up every once in a
while, sometimes skipping several generations. We hadn’t had a psychic for
years until I came along.

The thought of my mother
brought tears to my eyes. I missed her so much, more so than my father, who had
left when I was a baby. She was as much a victim of the rumors around town as I
was. But she had been born and raised there and nothing I could say would
convince her to leave. The night she died, I packed my bags and left that town,
never looking back. But it had just been to another small house, another
lonesome location in a long string of homes.

My reflection in the mirror
echoed the sadness that I felt. I refused to think of
sad things. “What must be done, must be done,” my mother always said, her slim
fingers at work. She was always busy with something, knitting, sewing,
peeling
potatoes. I shook my head to clear it, my long,
blonde hair fanning out around me.

The rain still pattered down
on the gray windowpane. I ran a hot bath and soaked for almost an hour. My
muscles felt sore, though if it was
from the
long walk through the woods the night before or the final release of tension
and stress, I could not say for sure.

At long last, I forced
myself to crawl out of the tub and into a clean pair of pajamas. I made myself
a cup of hot chocolate and some cinnamon toast and waited for the phone call.
It
came
a couple of hours later.

“Miss Walker?” Dunn asked.

“I think you can safely call
me Emily by now.”

“Alright,
Emily.
We started looking this morning, as soon as it was light enough. Since we
didn’t know exactly where the body might be, we fanned out. We found her about
an hour ago.”

I swallowed, but didn’t
reply.

A heavy sigh came across the
line. “You were right. It looks like she’s been dead for quite a while. Back at
least a few months.”

“Do you have any leads yet?”

“A couple.
We’d like to know what you
think, though.”

“When do you want to see
me?”

“Maybe later today if that’s
alright.”

“That will be fine.”

We discussed the details and
I agreed to meet him after lunch. They were going back to comb the area more
thoroughly, but I doubted there would be much left there for them to find.

I don’t want to see the body
, I thought. I had already
seen her dead once. I didn’t want to go through it again.

Mrs. Dodd had stayed up
quite late the night before. It had been almost ten o’clock before that psychic
got home. She could barely see the lights through the raging storm outside.

“Where has she been?”
she mumbled under her
breath
, as she stretched the blanket over her knees.
She was more than a little put out that she had to wait
up so late for
that girl.

The pattering rain in the
light of day, if you could call it light of day, threatened to send her back to
sleep. She sat, dozing in her chair, still watching the house next door.
How
awful,
she thought,
that Lorene has the day off. It makes things so much
more difficult.
Even now she could hear her daughter puttering about the
kitchen, the sound of her laughter echoing the television in the living room.

“Mother.”
Lorene suddenly appeared in
the doorway. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You look exhausted.”

“The storm kept me up last
night.”

Lorene eyed Mrs. Dodd
critically, her lips pursed. The old lady widened her light blue eyes
innocently.

“Are you sure you haven’t
been up to something? You’re not bothering the psychic, are you?”

Mrs. Dodd shook her head in
response.
“Haven’t said a word to her.”

“Good.” Lorene nodded
happily, almost breaking a smile. “I thought I might make us some lunch. How
does that sound?”

Mrs. Dodd didn’t bother to
ask what her daughter was going to make. Whatever Lorene made was always
healthy and tasted disgusting. Luckily, Mrs. Dodd had several local boys under
bribe. They provided her with needed supplies, which she kept hidden throughout
the house.

“That sounds wonderful,
Lorene.”

Lorene had already started
to leave, but paused at her mother’s kind words and looked back distrustfully.
Kindness from her mother when it came to food was definitely suspicious.

Mrs. Dodd realized her slip
and silently determined to complain as much as possible about the food when it
was ready. Settling back in the chair, she dozed off, despite her determination
not to do so. That was the problem with getting old.

“Mother!”
Lorene called.
“
Mother, come
quickly! It’s Mary!”

“Mother!”

“What?” Mrs.
Dodd woke with a start.

“Mother!
I’ve been
trying to wake you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.
Just dreaming.”
  

“Well, it must have been
quite a dream. The soup’s ready.”

“What kind of soup?” Mrs.
Dodd remembered to snarl just in time.

“Tomato,” Lorene said
pleasantly, “with cheese toast.”

Sounds delicious
, Mrs. Dodd thought,
just
right for a rainy day
. “Sounds awful!” she proclaimed. “Lorene, you know I
don’t care for tomato soup on a day like today!”

“Why Mother, you love tomato
soup!” Lorene exclaimed, though it appeared to make her a great deal happier to
have to deal with a complaining old patient instead of a kind one.

“You should know I don’t
want it on a wet day like this!”
Mrs. Dodd
grumbled all the way to the table. She took a sip of the warm soup,
ummm
… delicious
. “And yes, I do believe it’s
cold.”

“Mine is quite warm.”

“Well, that’s nice. I hope
you enjoy your warm soup while I choke down this cold rubbish.”

“Well,” Lorene tried again,
“let me warm it for you.” She reached for the bowl, but Mrs. Dodd stopped her.

“I’d rather eat it cold than
what you’ll do with it. Probably scorch my throat when you’re done. Isn’t the
news on yet?” Mrs. Dodd asked fretfully.

“Why yes, I do believe it
is, mother.” Lorene rose and turned on the local news. The two ate
companionably for the next several minutes.

“Breaking news!” the anchor
announced excitedly on the small television screen. “Another body has been
found in the small town of Temple.”

The two ladies’ eyes rose
and met above their soup.

“Did they just say another
body?” Lorene asked breathlessly.

Mrs. Dodd frowned at her and
urged her with one hand to turn up the television.

“… The body of what appears
to be a young lady was found near the state park grounds today in the small
town of Temple. This is the second body to be discovered within the week. The
last was the yet to be identified body of another young victim who was found in
a cabin near the park grounds. We have no other news at this time. If you have
any information, please contact….”

Lorene turned the volume
back down, her eyes glittering with excitement.
“Mother!
I can’t believe it!
Another murder!”

“How do you know
it’s
murder?” Mrs. Dodd asked grumpily. But she knew her
daughter well. Lorene loved things like this. Nothing seemed to make her
happier than the news of a local murder. She perused the papers on a daily basis
for such incidences, thrillingly relating them with each gory detail to the old
lady.

“I must call Mrs. Stokes
right after lunch. She may know more about it. Her son-in-law, Simms something
or other, works on the force.”

Mrs. Dodd agreed silently.
Yes,
you must Lorene
. She planned on listening in on the conversation. It was
important, after all, to discern how much the police knew.

“Lorene!” she groused
loudly. “You’ve made the cheese toast too cheesy again!”

“Sorry mother,” Lorene said
automatically, but her eyes were far away and dreaming.

In a cabin in the woods, a
young man sat silently.
This is not good
, he though morosely. He had
seen the policemen in the woods as he went for a walk to the lake.
It was always good fishing when the rain was falling light
like it was that morning.

But, when he saw those
policemen, he ducked quickly behind a tree. Peering through the branches, he
watched them walking back and forth, not far from the trail.

Pushing his hat back on his
head, he backtracked quickly to the cabin he lived in alone. His hands were
shaking. He was nervous and edgy.

He didn’t like those
policemen snooping around his woods. Licking his dry lips, he went to the
window again. They hadn’t come for him yet, but he was sure it was only a
matter of time before they did. There was only one thing to do.

The station was dismal that
afternoon. I arrived earlier than need be and ended up having to wait on the
detectives. The door flew open with their arrival.

“Well,” Dunn
said,
a sheaf of loose papers in his hands, “it was several
months ago, probably somewhere around March or April.”

I nodded in response.

“Any chance you could tell
us what killed her?”

I paused and thought for a
moment.
She was stepping over the log when she fell to the earth
.

“She was hit… from behind. I
told you before,” I said slowly, still seeing her fall slowly to the ground.

Simms grinned at me, his
eyes speculative.
Another test
, I thought
, and I passed it.

“That’s what we think as
well. There’s not much to work with at this point, but it was definitely a
female. From the clothing it seems that she was probably young as you
suggested. We’re still waiting on an ID, same as with the other girl. But this
one had a crack in her skull, several in fact.”

“Couldn’t it
have just cracked while it was lying out there?”
I asked.

“Not the way these cracks
look. I would say most definitely cause of death. It helps that you think so,
too,” Dunn said with a sad smile.

“Any
suspects?”

“We were hoping that you
could give us some leads?”

“That didn’t answer my
question.”

Simms smiled in spite of
himself. “Yes, we have some suspects. There are always some odd characters
around town that you wonder about, kind of check where they were when this might
have happened, but that’s for our information.
You
just let us know anything you can add.”

“There’s not much more that
I can tell you at this point.”

Dunn interjected suddenly,
“Do you think the two murders are connected?
Same killer?”

“Oh, yes, there’s not a
doubt in my mind.”

“Any idea
why he left her body there?”
Simms questioned, almost to himself.

“They were walking through
those woods.”