The Witch's Ladder (13 page)

“
How did you know that?”

She smiled. “I hovered outside the second-floor window.”

“
Oh. I guess that would be a good indication. What happened then?”

“
I looked in the window. I saw you all gathered around Valerie for an experiment.”

As she spoke, Leona tilted her head curiously from side to side as if trying to see through the window. “I know the experiment also involved Barbara, because I saw her here, as well. She stood beside Valerie with one hand on her shoulder. She tried to say something. I think she wanted to warn Valerie—in the back seat. You must not look back there, Valerie. There is something bad there, something very bad.”

“
Yes, Leona, I know. She wanted to warn me about the danger in the back seat of her car. Didn’t she?”

“
Yes. There is much danger. You must not look back there.”

“
Do you know what it is, Leona?”

“
Something bad. Something very bad.”

“
I know. It’s a person, isn’t it? Do you know who it is? Do you know who’s hiding in the back seat?”

Leona shook her head no.

“
That’s okay, Leona. We’ll get back to that later. Tell me what else you remember. What happened next?”

“
Detective Marcella came in. I saw him in the hallway. He watched the experiment, too.”

“
Marcella? He was here the entire time?”

“
Yes, from the beginning. He watched everything.”

“
Did he do anything? Take notes?”

“
He did not take notes. He stood in the hall, playing with the rope, twirling it. Watching. Listening.”

Valerie and Lilith looked up, first at each other and then toward the door, perhaps expecting to see my shadow outside in the hall. Michael even went to the door and peeked around the corner. He returned with a shrug. The two women continued the trans-neuro-manipulation.

“
Go on, Leona. What happened next?”

“
Something drove me away. A strange force pushed me away from the window. It was very powerful. It happened the moment Detective Marcella untied the knots.”

“
The witch’s ladder,” someone said, and several in the room echoed the phrase in whispers.

Leona described how she then found herself inside the room with everyone else, but that no one could see her. “I sat over there,” she said, with a nod toward her usual seat in the corner. “I knew I was still bilocating, but I did not know why I was there.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Nobody killed. I only bilocate when somebody is killed.” Then she added, “Unless Doctor Lieberman helps me to bilocate.” A soft grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. She seemed to fight it at first, but eventually gave in, and her parting lips peeled back to reveal a gorgeous, though seldom seen smile.

“
You like it when Doctor Lieberman lets you go, don’t you?” Valerie said.

“
Oh yes, it is wonderful. He has allowed me to visit such wonderful places. I have seen many happy people: mothers with babies, fathers with sons, children playing with other children. It is always so wonderful. Everybody is so happy, not like when….” Her voice trailed off. Her smile faded, replaced by a grimace of disapproval.

“
Not like when you bilocate on your own,” Valerie said. “Is that it?”

“
Yes. I do not like to bilocate on my own. It is always a nightmare. It is a nightmare I know is really happening, and people are really dying. Sometimes I would do anything to trade places with those people. Then I would not have to see more. I could make it all go away.”

“
Leona, I want you to listen to me. Tell me what happened afterward, when you found yourself back in the room with us last night. What happened next?”

Leona turned her head again toward the window, her eyes still shut. “Travis was here,” she said in a near whisper. “He came in the form of thought energy, there,” she pointed, “on the window. He wanted to tell you something. He knows who killed him, and you know this person also.” She turned forward again. “The killer moves freely among us. Beware. No one is safe. We are all in danger.”

Valerie looked first at Lilith, then around the room at the faces of her fellow shop mates. “Who is it, Leona? Is he in this room? Is he here now?”

She repeated, “The killer moves freely among us. That is all I know. No one is safe.”

“
Leona, after Travis appeared, you went back outside. Didn’t you?”

“
Yes.”

“
What did you see there?”

Leona drew a deep breath in through her nose, and a smile came to her as she let it out. “I love the fog,” she said. She took another breath and savored it. “It reminds me of my home in Honduras. When I was a young girl, I remember how the fog rolled down from the mountains early in the morning into the valley where I lived. It always smelled so fresh and clean. Sometimes it came in so thick I could stand in one place and let the moisture collect on the tip of my nose in tiny water drops. Then I would reach up with my tongue and try to lick the drops off my nose.”

She giggled as she attempted to demonstrate her ability to touch her nose with her tongue. Valerie and Lilith smiled. From the corner of her eye, Lilith saw Gordon and Michael attempting to duplicate the feat.

“
It was very foggy last night, wasn’t it?” Valerie said, realizing the connection.

“
Yes. The fog rolled in off the lake. It shrouded everything. The officer sat in his patrol car, watching you leave. He wrote down the plate numbers of the cars as they drove away.”

“
Why did he do that?”

“
He was counting, seeing who had gone and who remained. He knew two people were still inside.”

“
Michael and Chris?”

“
Yes, but when Michael came out and got into his car, the officer did not write down his number.”

Valerie glanced across the table at Michael. He offered an uncertain shrug.

“
Why is that, Leona? Why didn’t he record Michael leaving?”

“
I told you; the killer moves freely among us. There is no place to hide.”

“
He was already dead, wasn’t he? You were there. You saw him murdered. Didn’t you?”

Leona nodded. “There was no place for him to hide. He looked up and…it happened.”

“
Did he see it coming?”

“
Not too much. He did not have time. I do not believe he felt much pain. The blade cut him quickly.”

“
Then you saw who did it?”

“
Yes.”

“
Who was it?”

“
No.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I did not see.”

“
You just told me you did.”

“
I am sorry. I do not know. I know only that the killer moves freely among us.”

“
Yes, I know. We heard that. Tell us something we don’t know.”

“
Don’t get excited, Val,” Lilith warned. “You’re getting frustrated.”

“
I know I am, but she’s blocking the memory. It’s in there. She knows.”

“
So what do we do?”

Doctor Lieberman said, “Valerie, you’re not likely going to get her to remember something she does not want to remember. Perhaps if we try a more conventional form of hypnosis we can—”

“
No, Doctor. She remembers. She’s blocking it for some reason. I want to proceed.” She addressed Lilith again, who continued maintaining pressure on Leona’s temporal lobes. “Are you in this with me?”

Lilith nodded. Valerie clinched her teeth and gestured back with a nod. “A little more pressure then.” She refocused her attention on Leona’s spinal accessory nerve and pinched harder. “Leona.” Valerie’s voice grew noticeably impatient. “Concentrate. Marcella’s officer was gone. He was dead. There was nothing more you could do. Tell me about Chris. What happened when you saw him? He came out of the building, but he didn’t realize the policeman was dead yet, did he?”

She shook her head. Tears began pooling behind her closed eyelids. “He did not realize.” Her voice quivered. “He thought he was safe because he saw the patrol car there. He stepped outside and headed toward his van when he heard the horn.”

“
What horn?”

“
From the patrol car.”

“
But you said the policeman was dead.”

“
The killer is tricky. I tried to warn Chris. He could not hear me. None of them can hear me.”

“
None?’

“
The damned and condemned.”

“
The people you see when you bilocate.”

“
Yes. They can see, but they cannot hear me.”

“
Could Chris see you?”

Leona smiled and sighed. “He was so beautiful. We always talked after workshop. Sometimes he would come to my apartment and watch television with me. He insisted we watch the Spanish stations to make me feel at home, even though he did not speak Spanish. Is that not so sweet?”

Shekina blurted out, “They were in love.”

“
Shekina.” said Doctor Lieberman.

“
They were.”

“
Enough.”

“
I don’t want to do this any more,” said Valerie. “I’m starting to feel guilty. I think we should stop.”

“
You can’t stop,” Gordon argued. “She knows. You have to continue. She has to tell us who killed Chris.”

“
No, said Doctor Lieberman. “Valerie’s right. They should stop. They’re getting into police matters now. We should leave it for Detective Marcella.”

I stepped into the room and called out, “Keep going.” All eyes turned, surprised to find me standing there. “Let’s hear what she has to say. I’m tired of finding dead bodies around here, especially when they include my officers.” I pointed at Lilith and Valerie. “You two just keep on doing whatever it is you’re doing. Get some answers out of that girl or I’ll haul her downtown for questioning myself.” I looked to Doctor Lieberman, “Do you have a problem with that, Doctor?”

I thought he would call me on it, but he didn’t. He turned to Valerie and Lilith and gave them the nod. Valerie shrugged. Lilith winked, and the questioning continued.

“
Leona, I didn’t know you were in love with Chris. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“
Because,” she answered. “Chris thought everyone would tease us if they found out. He did not want the attention.”

“
I can imagine, but I think you two would have made a lovely couple. I wish you had said something.”

Leona lowered her head and blushed some.

“
Leona, you know what happened to Chris. It’s important that you remember everything so that we can catch the guy who did this to him. Won’t you try to remember?”

She rocked her head back. “Chris walked to the patrol car and leaned into the window,” she said. “He thought the policeman was watching a movie.” She shook her head softly. “It was not a movie. It was Travis in thought form, playing out his last moments. That is when Chris looked up and saw me standing in the headlights and he realized the officer was dead.”

The tears that had collected behind her closed eyelids found life and began rolling down her cheeks. “I tried to warn him, but he thought I did it. How could he think that? He asked me why. I wanted to warn him of the evil standing over him.”

“
What evil?”

Leona didn’t answer.

“
Tell us, Leona.”

Doctor Lieberman said, “This has gone far enough. I demand you stop and let this girl rest. Can’t you see what you’re doing to her?”

“
Come, Leona. Tell us now. Who stood over him?”

“
Valerie, that’s enough.” The doctor turned to me. “Detective, I’m sorry, but if you want to take Leona in for questioning, then I’m afraid you’ll just have to come back tomorrow, and that’s doctor’s orders.”

A rustling of whispers stirred among the group. Valerie looked to Lilith for endorsement, but saw the commitment waning in her eyes. “He’s probability right, Val,” she said. “Besides, we can do this another time.”

“
Let me just say one more thing.” She leaned in to Leona, close enough that their noses almost touched. “Leona, it’s all right if you don’t tell us tonight, but I want you to remember what the killer looks like in case you’re ready to talk about it later. Will you do that for us—for Chris?”

Leona reeled back in her seat with a horrifying gasp. She opened her eyes. I saw them. They were filled with terror. She clutched her rosary and pulled it close to her heart. Valerie and Lilith pulled back in startled reflex, letting go of the pressure points that until then held Leona under hypnosis.