Oblivion (33 page)

Letting go was easier now because he had no choice. He spied a stack of lotto tickets on the counter in front of Evie’s head. He concentrated on the small pencil lying next to the stack, watchful of Margene, who had her back to them, counting the till.

He felt his energy depleting fast but still managed to propel the pencil to fill in six spots on the lotto slip in front of his pa’s stack of one dollar bills. He watched the pencil fall and roll away. He would have gotten up and left had he not seen what Everett clutched in his other hand.

Jace used the last of his energy to pull the tattered paper out of his father’s other hand, grown lax in his stupor. It was a picture, he saw, as it fluttered onto the bar. It was ragged and worn. The picture was of his mother holding a baby; him, he thought.

He’d never seen the picture before. His mother’s look of joy was obvious. Why his father carried it was a surprise. The picture probably reminded him of better days when Dawn Turner was alive.

Jace was overwhelmed to know his father still mourned his wife as deeply as he did. In that moment, he forgave his father for spending every dime they had on whiskey, neglecting them shamelessly, and not caring about anything else but his own pain.

“Good luck, Pa,” he whispered softly and turned away from the bar, retreating with a tight feeling in his chest.

He was rewarded with Evie raising his head at that moment and latching back onto the photo.  Margene wandered over and snatched up the betting slip, running his numbers and taking five ones off the bar. Jace watched her put the lotto ticket under his pa’s drink and walked back through the wall to the street outside.

He had one more stop.

Jack Miller’s house was a modest ranch with a nice, well-tended yard. He walked up the driveway and saw the shiny new red bike lying in the grass and shook his head. Dougie never knew when he had it good.

He found his brother in his room. Dougie was working on a model kit, one of his favorite hobbies. They could never afford them when Jace was alive. His brother pilfered them from the discount store every time the clerk’s back was turned.

The model he worked on was an old Chevy truck, similar to his. He saw his brother biting his lip in concentration as he struggled to affix the tiny doors to the model vehicle. He looked around the room, seeing his brother was being well-taken care of.

The probation officer obviously had a soft spot for his little brother. It was evident everywhere he looked. New toys, sporting equipment, and a brand new desk top computer told him all he needed to know. The piggy bank was new. It sat on top of his dresser. He was pleased.

“Dougie!” Deborah Morgan called out from beyond the door. “The trash needs to go out!”

“Yeah, yeah,” his little brother muttered under his breath, still working on the doors, wanting to finish.

“Dougie! Now!” The imperious order from beyond the door didn’t negotiate. Lindsay’s mom was like a Pit Bull about chores.

Dougie rolled his eyes and moved away from his desk, leaving his project. Jace’s eyes twinkled to see his brother hop to it. He eyed his project and decided his little brother could use some help. The doors were always the hardest.

He focused, pulling the last of his energy to glue the tiny doors on both sides of the plastic model. At the rate Dougie was going, he’d be there all day struggling with it. He heard the door open and close, looking to see Dougie pulling out the aluminum cans to the curb.

Jace almost did a double-take when his little brother picked up the shiny new red bike on his way back and wheeled it into the garage. He felt pride at that moment. Dougie did know when he had it good. He wouldn’t push it. Jack Miller’s didn’t fall out of the sky and he was glad his brother recognized that. In that moment, he knew Dougie was going to be alright.

He left his brother’s room and sought out Sara.

He found his sister in her room and rolled his eyes. Deborah Morgan was spoiling his sister rotten, just like she had Lindsay. The fashionable bedding and teenage digs were every young girl’s dream. His sister was lying on her bed scrapbooking. Deborah Morgan obviously got his sister hooked on it.

Sara was putting a family album together. Her dark eyes were sad as she assembled pictures of them in the book. He could see she struggled with deciding which ones to use. The pictures were old and crumpled, some of them ripped.

He waited until she got up to use the restroom and rearranged the pictures she chose, assembling them better than she could have. When she returned to her project she frowned slightly, and then smiled and kept the arrangement he put together for her.

The pictures were of Christmas morning years ago. He was ten, Sara was six, and Dougie was just a baby. They cut down their own tree in the woods. Jace didn’t have any money for ornaments and decorations so they made their own out of whatever they could find.

They strung popcorn and soda pop tabs for garland. The ornaments were fishing lures from their Father’s tackle box. They all sat in front of it looking proud as the picture was snapped.

Jace could recall it was one of the best Christmas’s they ever had. He bought his sister a doll and Dougie got a light up truck with sounds that year. The church dropped off a box for Christmas dinner and they spent it alone. His father spent that night in the drunk tank for getting loud on a barmaid at Hooligan’s.

Sara was busy decorating the page. He left her room, content to know his family was well cared for and would be alright. He didn’t look back as he left Jack Miller’s house. He was proud of the job he’d done. Some things he regretted in his life. Some things he didn’t. Raising his brother and sister was one of the best things he’d ever done. He saw that now and felt full of pride. They wouldn’t forget him or the lessons he tried to teach them when he was alive.

Jace knew he had hours before his energy returned. He spent his time in the park, sitting on a swing, watching the birds. His mission was coming to an end. The two weeks would be up on Sunday. He would be able to see Lindsay graduate on Saturday and then he had to go back.

Merrick was probably getting crap from Raymond about his absence. He didn’t care. He’d deal with Raymond when he got back. He had four days to make Cameron pay for what he did and wouldn’t waste a minute of it.

The other ghosts were probably driving his former friend crazy right about now. Artie was just as annoying as a ghost as he had to have been in life. Sal had a way of making his presence known too. They would all put their two cents in until Cameron was driven out of his mind.

Jace counted on it. Cameron was losing it. He could see that in the bathroom as he cried trying to escape him. He thought of the party planned at The Point on Saturday night. Lindsay was reluctant to go, but he told her it was necessary. Cameron and all his friends would be there. Jace decided they would crash the party.

~ ~ ~

Marnie was busy looking at the bridal magazine when Lindsay poked her head in the room to check on her, relieved to see her future sister-in-law looked pleasantly distracted. Lance was off seeing some old friends after Dougie’s court date.

She left the apartment to pick up something for dinner. Jace hadn’t returned and she felt a bit of worry. He had to leave soon. She knew he wouldn’t come back. Whatever reason he was still around was coming to an end.

She hefted her groceries up the stairs and saw Sheriff Wilson pull in. He’d been retired all of a week and was true to his word, sitting in the lot in his own car, watching and waiting for Cameron to make a move.

“Hey, ya got a minute?” he said as he rolled down the car window.

“Yeah, just let me put these things inside,” she said and went in and deposited the groceries on the counter.

She approached his vehicle with a worried feeling. She still wore the wire and had yet to get anything on Cameron. His court date was coming up. She knew there was a chance the charges would get dropped. It was becoming a do or die now in getting a confession out of Cameron.

“What’s up?” she asked as she slid into the car.

“We got a problem,” he told her with a tense expression.

“What now?” she asked in irritation.

“The prosecutor is buckling, Lindsay. We need something and we need it fast,” Wilson told her, his expression disgusted. “I intercepted a call meant for Dan about an hour ago. Unless we get a confession; Cam walks.” 

Lindsay looked sick. “I can’t believe this! How can he get away with this?”

“It’s a little thing called evidence, Lindsay,” Wilson informed her and shook his head. “We got no blood evidence, no witness, and unless he confesses the charges will be dismissed.”

“He hasn’t tried to approach me since that day in Merriman’s.”

“We need to step it up.”

“How do you want me to do that?” Lindsay said in anger, blue eyes filled with fear. “He knows I know he did it! He firebombed my mom’s car for turning him in! What more do you want me to do?”

“I want to see this kid get his for this as much as you do, Lindsay,” the Sheriff said quietly with a sigh. “We have no choice but for you to confront him on his own turf and push it. You need to get in his face, force him to admit it.”

Lindsay looked terrified. “I can’t! There has to be another way!”

“I wish there was but you have to push it now, and fast.”

“He’s crazy! I go get in his face and there’s no telling what he’ll do to me!”

The Sheriff looked resigned. “There’s no other way. You got the wire on. I’ll be there. You don’t need to worry. I’ll be right there with you.”

Lindsay felt fear gnawing t her belly to think of confronting Cameron, getting him to admit what he did. Thoughts of his turning on her and killing her made her tense. She realized she did have an ace in her hand. She had a ghost on her side. Jace could help her. He wouldn’t like it but he had to see there was no other way.

The haunting of his killer wasn’t going to do it. They needed to step it up like the sheriff said. They graduated on Saturday. She heard through the grapevine Cameron was being shipped off to his grandparent’s house after his court date. They were running out of time.

“If I do this I want to be assured of my own safety,” she said tightly. “You might be waiting in the wings, but this guy is a nutcase.”

“I’ll get you hooked up with a live wire,” he said and smiled in a reassuring way. “I’ll be listening in the whole time. He gets crazy on you and I’ll be there.”

“If anything goes wrong,” she trailed off and looked out the window in despair. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Gary smiled in relief. “I’ll come by tonight and hook you up.”

“My brother can’t know about it. We need to meet away from here if their home,” she warned him. “If he finds out I’m still helping you, he’ll have me shipped to Georgia on the next flight out.”

“Meet me in the park tonight at seven,” he said and she got out of the car, feeling nervous as she watched him leave the lot.

She was feeling alarmed as she went back inside, knowing there was no choice. Thinking of Cameron getting away with what he did to Jace made her more than resolved now. Despite her fears, she had to do this. Time was running out. Cameron would be gone after his court date. They would never get another crack at him.

As she expected, Jace was furious to hear the plan.

“No way are you going to confront him, Lindsay,” he fumed as he listened to Sheriff Wilson’s plan. “He’s ready to lose it and I don’t want you anywhere near him. I got it covered.”

“We’re running out of time. His court date is Monday, Jace. You’re leaving Sunday. We gotta do this.”

“I won’t put you in that position, Lindsay,” Jace argued and paced in her bedroom. “Too much can go wrong.”

“Too much already has!” she snapped and glared at him. “You’re dead, Jace! The guy who killed you is going to walk out of court on Monday free as a bird unless we get him to confess. We don’t have a choice.”

Jace looked at her and she could see his indecision. “Lindsay, if he hurt you I don’t know what I would do.”

She smiled, forcing herself to look calm despite her fear. “The Sheriff will be right there listening in. You’ll be there with me. What could go wrong?”

Jace didn’t say anything, just looked at her with a tortured look for a minute. “Everything could go wrong.”

“It’s now or never,” she pointed out. “I plan on going to that party Saturday night. It’s perfect. He gets a buzz on and I corner him. He’ll start running off at the mouth.”

“Lindsay, I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me,” he said quietly. “This isn’t your fight, but mine. I don’t want you taking these kinds of chances.”

“Jace, if it’s the last thing I do for you; I’m going to get Cameron,” she promised and looked at him with finality. “He took away everything from you, from me, from your family. I want him to pay.”

“He will pay, Lindsay,” he told her and shrugged. “That’s one thing I can tell you for sure. This is going to come back on him one day, even if you can’t get a confession. Where I am; it’s a done deal. Nobody gets past that.”

Lindsay could see he wouldn’t tell her more about the mysterious place he was now. He hesitated to say a whole lot, not wanting to blow her whole image of death. He thought he’d scare her. She wasn’t scared. She was exhilarated to know there was a place like he described.

“I’m not as patient as you, Jace,” she said and bit her lip. “I want to see it happen before I leave here. I need this to get over you.”

“Alright, we’ll do it,” he agreed and shook his head. “You just do everything I say, Lindsay. This is getting dangerous. Cameron knows I’m back and he’s made threats against you. We take no chances. You got that?”

“I got it,” she said and smiled. “Don’t worry about me so much. I can do this, Jace.”

“We need to go up to the cabin and let you practice with that gun.”

“Let’s go now. I have to work tomorrow.”

“I meant what I said. You get in a tight spot and there’s only so much I can do.”

She looked at him and saw how uneasy he was. “Then we need to make sure I can use that thing.”

“Let’s hope you shoot a gun better than you shoot pool,” he teased and she glared at him.