Haunted Tales (19 page)

“How long does it take to fill a bowl of candy?” Stanley
muttered. “She
don’t
have to arrange it pretty-like.”

Rosie giggled. “Why of course she would want it to look
nice, and maybe she’s visiting with some of the neighbors,” she whispered back
to Stanley. “She’ll be in any moment.”

Bradley tapped his fingers impatiently and then shook his
head. “This is taking too long. It’s been nearly ten minutes,” he said, and he
hurried to the front door and pulled it open.
 
The lights were now on, and he could clearly see the chair and the bags
of candy dropped by the side. His stomach dropped.

“Mary!” he yelled, walking to the edge of the porch and
scanning up and down the sidewalk. “Mary!”

He ran down the stairs and up to the sidewalk. “Mary!” he
yelled. “Mary!”

“Bradley what’s wrong?” Margaret asked, standing in the
doorway.

“Mary’s gone,” Bradley said.

“She said she needed to talk to you,” Timothy said, his
voice filled with self-recrimination. “As soon as she came into the house, she
said she needed to talk to you. And I told her it could wait.”

“Okay, we need search the neighborhood,” Sean O’Reilly said
as he walked onto the porch and was joined by his two brothers, Art and Tom.
“She can’t have gone too far. Everyone have their cell phones?”

Bradley reached to his back pocket and shook his head. “My
cell phone,” he said.

He ran back up the stairs and into the house, grabbing his
jacket that he’d thrown over the couch. Pulling the phone out of the pocket, he
looked at the screen. “She tried to call me twice,” he said, clicking on the
message.

He listened to the message and turned to Mary’s brothers. “I
think she’s been taken,” he said.

Maggie, standing in the corner of the room, tugged on
Clarissa’s arm.
 
But Clarissa,
concentrating on her father, ignored her.
 
Maggie tugged on her arm again. “What?” Clarissa asked impatiently.

“There are some ghosts in your house,” Maggie said. “And
they’re trying to talk to your dad.”

Clarissa grabbed Maggie’s hand.
“Where?”

Clarissa gasped.
 
The
two ghosts stood next to Bradley.
 
One
was a woman with her head partially bashed in and blood covering her face, and
the other was a man with a pale face and blood covering his clothes.
 
“Mary!” the woman was shouting. “Mary!”

Clarissa pulled Maggie across the room with her. “What?” she
asked. “What did you say about my mom?”

Bradley turned to Clarissa. “Clarissa?”

“There are ghosts here,” Maggie said to Bradley. “And they
know about Mary.”

Kristen turned to Maggie. “We saw a soldier take her,” she
said. “Tell your dad a soldier has her, and he told her he was taking her to a
jungle.”

“They said the soldier has her,” Clarissa said. “They said
the soldier is taking her to the jungle.”

“A jungle?”
Bradley asked. “What
jungle?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Kristen huffed. “I’m
not from Freeport. Where do you have jungles in Freeport?”

“She’s not from Freeport,” Clarissa said. “She doesn’t
know.”

“The woods,” Andrew suggested. “He’s taking her to the
woods.”

“The other one said he’s taking her to the woods,” Clarissa
repeated.

Bradley looked around the room. “Our best guess is that
she’s being taken
to a woods
, either
Krape
Park or Oakdale,” he said.
“Probably
in a heavily wooded section.”

“He has a knife,” Clarissa said, her eyes filling with
tears. “He has a knife on mommy.”

Kristen punched Andrew. “You didn’t need to tell that little
girl about the knife,” she said.

“Yes, I did,” Andrew argued. “That’s how he killed me, and
it’s how he’ll try and kill her.”

“Okay,” Sean said. “How do you want us to do this?”

“We’ve got at least two highly likely places,” Bradley said,
“one on the south side of town at Oakdale and the other one in
Krape
Park, following the road up to Flagstaff.
 
I want at least two cars going to
Krape
Park and two to Oakdale.
 
No loud noises. We don’t want to panic this
guy.”

He turned to Sean. “You take
Krape
Park,” he said. “Call me if you see anything.”

“Got it,” Sean called. “Art, you can come with me, we’ll
take the front.”

Timothy threw Tom his keys. “You drive,” he said. “We’ll
follow Sean.”

“I’m going,” Clifford said, standing up and pulling his keys
out of his pocket. “Stanley, you can come with me. We’ll go the back way to
Oakdale.”

“Okay, I’ll see you there,” Bradley said.

Bradley was running towards his car when Ian stepped out of
his car.

“Hey, I thought the party was inside,” he said.

“No time to explain,” Bradley called to him. “Jump in the
cruiser with me.”

Running to his car, Bradley quickly turned it on and shoved
it into drive. He waited only a moment for Ian to get in, and then he pulled
down the street towards Highway 26.

“Mike!” he yelled, and Mike appeared next to him.

 
“Go to her,” Bradley
said. “Be with her.”

“On my way,” Mike replied and faded out.

Mary stared into the rearview mirror and looked at the
driver.
 
Beneath the smeared, black
paint, she could see the familiar features of the friendly waitress who had
helped them the other day.
 
But her eyes
were now slightly dilated, and her jaw was clenched tightly.
  
She looked like someone who was in a trance.

“Viv?”
Mary asked.

“I’m not Viv,” she barked out, her face emotionless and her
voice several octaves lower than Mary had remembered. “I’m Private Victor
Kutchens
. My family calls me Vic.”

Is she just playing a
game, or does she really think she’s her dead brother?
Mary wondered.

A movement in the passenger’s seat across from Viv caught
Mary’s eye, and she turned to see the ghost of a young man appear. He was
clothed in a military dress uniform, and he bore a striking resemblance to the
woman driving the SUV.

“The real Vic?”
Mary whispered.

The young soldier turned to Mary and nodded. “I’ve been
trying to help her for years. It’s like she goes away and this other person
comes out. This person isn’t like me at all,” he said. “But she doesn’t realize
when he takes over. It’s like she goes to sleep, and he comes out.”

Mary had read that multiple personalities can be caused by
trauma, and it sure sounded like Viv had had plenty of
trauma
in her life.
 
But, whoever the bad Vic
was, he obviously thought Mary was a threat and needed to be eliminated.
 
Her only hope was to try and get in touch
with Viv.

“I think I met your sister, Viv,” Mary said. “Doesn’t she
own a diner in Polo?”

“She bought that diner with blood money,” Viv snapped.

Mary was struck by the anger in Viv’s voice.
 
Did she have so much guilt about buying the
diner that she hated herself?

“I’d think, as her brother, you’d be more understanding,”
Mary replied. “I mean, she lost everyone in her life. What else could she do?”

“She could have died with me,” she growled. “She could have
laid down her life and died with me.”

“I never felt that way,” the real Vic said. “I was grateful
she had money to start a new life.”

Mary nodded sympathetically at Vic.

“You wanted her to lay down her life, like you laid down
your life for Mitch?” Mary asked Viv.

Viv clenched her jaw again and shook her head. “No, what I
did was valiant,” he said. “All Viv did was take what she wanted. She was
selfish.”

“In a way,” Mary said. “But in a way some could say that you
were selfish when you chose to risk your life and leave your sister all alone.”

Viv swerved the SUV to the curb and turned in the seat. “Do
you want to die right now?” she screamed. “Do you want me to kill you right
now?”
 

She grabbed the knife and held it at Mary’s throat. “I can
do it,” she threatened. “I’ve done it before.”

Mary leaned back as far as she could, her heart hammering
against her chest. “No,” she stammered. “I’m sorry.”

Viv turned back in her seat and pulled back onto the road.
“I did what every soldier should do,” she said. “I sacrificed for my country.”

“And Viv did what every survivor has to do,” Mary replied.
“She tried to move on with her life. But it looks like you didn’t let her move
on.”

Viv shook her head. “No, it’s not like that,” she said,
shaking her head. “You’re confusing things.” Her voice got frantic. “Just shut
up and let me drive.”

“I’m sorry,” Vic said. “I’ve tried to reach her.
 
Tried to reach her when she
went after that poor young man.
 
I’ve tried to reach her since the accident with Kristen, but, she can’t
or won’t hear me.”

Mary nodded, still trying to calm down.
 
How long had she been gone from the
house?
 
Fifteen minutes?
 
She knew that they’d eventually figure out
she was missing, but would it be soon enough?
 
Suddenly, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She
turned and saw Mike sitting next to her. Tears of relief filled her eyes and
slid down her cheeks.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said gently. “How are you doing?”

When he saw her hands were tied, he gently wiped away her
tears. “Don’t worry; the cavalry is on its way. And I’ll be here for moral
support.”

Viv turned left on
Lamm
Road, and
Mary realized they’d be at Oakdale in a few short minutes.
 
She had to buy herself some time.

“I have a question before we get to the jungle,” Mary said.
“What turned you from a hero into a killer?”

The SUV screeched to a halt, sliding up against the edge of
the road.
 
Viv turned around again, her
face twisted. “I am not a killer!” she screamed. “I’m a hero! I protect people.
I help people. I’m not a killer.”

“So, Kristen Banks,” Mary said, trying to keep her voice
calm. “Did you kill her?”

“No!” Viv screamed. “I loved her. I loved her, but she
wouldn’t even acknowledge me.
 
So, I went
to her and tried to get her to see reason.
 
But then…”

Viv shook her head. “I don’t know. It all happened so fast,”
she said. “I was holding her, and then she was falling. I didn’t push her. I
didn’t mean to push her. I loved her.”

“Why did you go to the school?” Mary asked.

“I had to see her,” Viv answered. “I knew Danny was coming
home, and I had to get her to change her mind.”

“How did you know about Danny?”

“His mother came by the diner,” Viv said. “She told me.”

“Did she tell Viv?” Mary asked.

“No, no I was at the diner,” Viv said. “It was me, not Viv.”

“But I thought Viv bought the diner with blood money,” Mary
pushed. “How could you be there?
 
Weren’t
you dead?”

“I’m not dead!” Viv screamed, pounding her fist on the
steering wheel. “I’m here!”

“Okay, I was just a little confused,” Mary replied softly.
“So you found out that Danny was coming home, and you wanted to see Kristen and
get her to change her mind.”

“I was much better for her than Danny would ever be,” Viv
said. “I was a better man all around.”

“I read the letters you sent her,” Mary said, “when you were
overseas. I could tell you cared for her, but it seemed to me the letters were
written more to a friend than a lover.”

“What?” Viv asked, looking at Mary through the rearview
mirror.

“The letters didn’t change until after you died,” Mary said.
“And then, suddenly, they were filled with expressions of love and passion. It
was strange. Why would you change like that?”

“I loved Kristen,” Viv said. “I know I did.”

The SUV pulled back onto the road, and they continued in
silence for a few minutes.
 
Finally, Viv
turned down Baileyville Road towards Oakdale. Mary knew she only had a short
amount of time before they were hidden in the woods.

“I’ve been thinking about those letters,” she said. “And the
more I think about it, the more I realize the letters were from a friend to a
friend,” Mary said. “As a matter of fact, the letters were more about Mitch
than anything else. It was like the two of you had a mutual admiration
society…”

Mary stopped and realized what she was saying. “Mitch,” she
said slowly with dawning realization. “Vic didn’t love Kristen, he loved
Mitch.”

Vic turned in his seat and nodded at Mary. “Yes, you’re
right,” he said. “And now you figured out my greatest secret.”

“Okay, I’m in, now what’s going on?” Ian asked as they moved
through the residential streets toward Highway 26.

“Mary’s been taken,” Bradley said. “We were working on a
case, and we thought it was safe.”

“She’s been taken?” Ian repeated.
“How
long?”

“Fifteen to twenty minutes ago,” Bradley said. “But the
guy’s already murdered twice.”

“Are the two ghosts in the back of your car the victims?”
Ian asked, looking over his shoulder to see Kristen and Andrew behind him.

“Does everyone you know see ghosts?” Kristen asked Bradley.

“Ah, well darling, he can’t hear you without Mary around,”
Ian said. “But if you could fill me in on any details, that would be helpful.”

“He said the jungle,” Andrew inserted, “but it looks like
he’s taking her to Oakdale.”

“But it’s not he. It’s she,” Kristen said. “It’s not Vic,
it’s
Viv.”

Ian turned to Bradley. “I don’t know if this is going to
make sense,” he said. “But he is not a he, he’s a she.
 
It’s Viv not Vic. And she’s taking Mary to
Oakdale.”

“What the hell?” Bradley asked, turning on the sirens once
they got on to Highway 26 and headed out of town. He punched on his radio.
“Connect me with the Polo Police Department,” he said. “I want to have a
detective in the room with detainee Mitch
Howse
so I
can ask him some questions concerning a crime in progress.”

They waited in tense silence for several minutes before they
were connected to a speaker phone. “Okay, Chief Alden, we have him here,” the
voice on the other end said.

“
Howse
, Viv
Kutchens
has kidnapped Mary O’Reilly,” he said. “Viv’s dressed as a soldier and has Mary
at knifepoint.
 
We are heading to
intercept her, so if there is anything you can do to give us insight and maybe
save Viv’s life, I would suggest you start talking right away.”

“She thinks she’s Vic,” Mitch said into the phone. “It
started after she learned that Vic had been killed in action. She’d appear at
my house, dressed like Vic, talking like Vic, and she’d visit with me for a
couple of hours. But she’d never remember anything about it later.”

“Sounds like dissociative identity disorder,” Ian said.
“They used to call it split personalities, but now they understand more about
it.”

“When she was Vic she was pretty hard on Viv, blamed Viv for
everything,” Mitch continued. “I was always arguing on Viv’s behalf.
 
Then, one day she came to the house. She had
blood on her clothes, and she told me that Kristen Banks was dead.”

There was silence on the other end for a few moments. “It
was an accident,” Mitch said. “And what could I do? Vic was the one who was
there at the school, but Viv would be the one who got punished.”

“So, you covered it up,” Bradley said.

“Yeah, there was nothing we could do about her death,” Mitch
said, “and everyone said it was an accident. So I just went along with things.”

“Then what happened?” Bradley asked.

“After a while, Vic went away,” Mitch said. “And Viv seemed
to be leading a happy, normal life. But then, a couple of weeks ago, Vic showed
up at my house again.
 
He was dressed in
old Army fatigues, and he was upset because someone was looking into Kristen’s
death.”

“About the time Andrew started looking into it,” Bradley
surmised.

“Vic was talking about protecting Viv,” Mitch said. “And I tried
to tell him that I’d take care of her, but he kept going on about making sure
nothing happened to Viv. I tried to keep everyone away from the school, but
somehow…”

“Vic killed again,” Bradley said.

“She’s sick,” Mitch pleaded. “She’s real sick. Please don’t
shoot her.”

“I’m not promising anything,” Bradley said. “She’s got my
wife. But I’ll do my best to bring her back and get her the help she needs.”