Reunion (A Psychological Suspense with Murder, Mystery and the Paranormal) (17 page)

“He-llo.” Her voice cracked and croaked.

“Good morning, Maria. This is Julie Divulge. Did I wake you?”

“Uh, well, yes, but that’s fine.” Maria sat up and cleared her throat. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry. You sound sleepy. I’ll call back later! I didn’t mean—”

“No, really, it’s fine. I need to…” Maria yawned. “…wake up anyway. So, what is it you’re calling about?”

“I called to find out if you thought you could assemble everyone in a couple of days for an interview. Also, I’ve made arrangements to meet with Doctor Mitch Heinz, the Schools Superintendent, for lunch and I was wondering if you would like to join us.”

“Sure. You move fast, don’t you?” Maria stood up and started to gather her clothes for the day with her cell phone pressed between her ear and shoulder. “I have to say, I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you,” said Julie.

“Oh, and as far as my classmates are concerned, we’re all on standby right now so I don’t think the interview will be a problem. Just pick a time and place and we’ll be there. But, what did you have in mind with the superintendent?”

“Well, I was thinking about you and your friends all night and I thought a lot about how we could make this a memorable occasion. Then I realized that if you were going to do this at the school you’d need permission from the school board. And if they happen to say yes, then there would be a lot of clean up and maintenance involved. So, I took the liberty of calling Mitch, who just so happens to be accustomed to my prying, and arranged to have lunch with him today. He doesn’t know why yet. He’s probably just being cordial so I’ll stay on his good side.” Julie laughed at herself.

“That’s awesome, Julie! Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. So…can you be ready by eleven thirty?”

“Does Rockies serve lunch?

“Breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“Then it’s a date. How about noon?”

“Perfect,” said Julie. “I’ll see you there.”

“Great. Thanks again.” Maria couldn’t believe how smoothly things were going. She hung up, glad that things were falling into place. She put her phone back on her nightstand, next to her picture of Darrin and continued getting ready for the day.

• • •

Larry told Chris’s parents the story as described by the two young boys who had witnessed the bizarre events leading to his death. He explained to Mr. and Mrs. Haden that the city believed it was in their best interest to protect Chris and their privacy from the media by not releasing the report of his death. Not to mention protecting the city from further exposure of its already tarnished image, Larry thought to himself.

He continued by advising the bereaved couple that the county was willing to pay a sum of $150,000 toward their expenses, if they would be willing to sign a nondisclosure document. Larry did not go into the details of how it prohibited them from publicly revealing what had happened to their son. They naturally requested time to discuss the circumstances with their lawyer and Larry was able to help them call him right away. Mr. and Mrs. Haden were in shock but Larry had strict instructions from his superiors that they had to sign the document before the body of their son could be released to them. He explained everything to the lawyer and after some time in a private room, due to the inexplicable and supernatural nature of the death, they eventually agreed and signed.

• • •

Julie Divulge smiled and waved when she saw Maria and Mitch enter Rockies Bar & Grill. Their lunch date went well, ending with Mitch giving the survivors his blessing to hold the reunion in the school. He had taught science at the high school twenty years before, and had often worried about what would become of the students who witnessed the massacre. The closure of the school had ushered in a new and unexpected life for him and all the other teachers as well.

No one knew exactly what the long-term effects of such an experience would have on the children, the faculty, or the town. As far as Mitch Heinz was concerned, he’d changed from that day forward. After the massacre, he felt constantly on edge, looking over his shoulder every time he’d hear the faintest noise. In addition to the increased paranoia, his perception of the innocence of youth became permanently altered. He no longer thought the best of every child. He believed a reunion would give him a long overdue sense of finality. He also thought of it as a chance to find out if the students turned out okay.

Mitch felt that a reunion would be an ideal opportunity to bring closure to the school’s shadowy past. He offered to donate the labor necessary to clean up the exterior of the old building and a portion of the interior. He promised that the district’s maintenance crews would be dispatched to get the site in working order as soon as possible, and mentioned that, if things went well, there could be a chance that the board would consider reopening the school.

Julie promised that she would publicize the event in a way that would respect the group’s privacy, yet gain public support. On behalf of the group of survivors, Maria gratefully accepted the offers from both parties. They all began to feel hope that this reunion celebration could finally bring closure to the twenty-year-old massacre.

• • •

Julie and Maria agreed to begin the interview the next afternoon. Maria called Tanner, Kate, Lana and Bryan. They all consented. No other students had responded to the call for the reunion and Bryan remained unaware of the decision to have it at the school. He too had been required to sign a nondisclosure contract with the county regarding the investigation into the murder of Chris Haden.

• • •

The next day, Julie Divulge assembled a camera crew to shoot the interview. They cleared an area in front of the school and placed half a dozen chairs in a semicircle with the building behind them. Julie intended to have the local newspaper print the transcripts from the interview. In addition, she hoped to sell the video to national television broadcasters. Her team had planned every detail from the seating arrangements, contracts, lighting and order of speakers. Until now, it seemed as if the town had tried to forget the past. Julie, however, wanted to bring a sense of closure to Crescent Falls and the survivors.

• • •

Tanner hopped out of his Jeep and walked toward the school. As he approached, he watched the production team setting up power cords and lights, while Julie paced back and forth, reading her notes. See, this is easy, he told himself. No problem.

He heard other vehicles drive into the parking lot. He turned and saw Lana pull up in her Land Rover and Bryan in his municipal vehicle with Kate. He watched Lana get out of her car and throw her purse over her shoulder. She’s gorgeous, he thought. She always was. And she’s still as sweet as ever. He smiled and she waved as she approached the building.

• • •

Nick entered unnoticed through the back and parked his truck in the far corner of the parking lot. He had followed Kate and Bryan from Bryan’s place and slouched down in the cab, intent on accumulating evidence of Kate’s infidelity. But he wasn’t going near the school if he could help it. They’re crazy, he thought. If they only knew about the ghost, they’d never go there. He lifted a cold beer from a small cooler filled with ice, twisted off the cap and took a long swallow, then spied Brian walking with Kate as if he owned her. There he is, son of a bitch, he shouted inside his head. His blood heated up, bubbling like a volcano. Suddenly, he looked toward the school, searching for the spirit, peering up at each window for a sign.

• • •

The survivors congregated under an old maple tree near the staging area.

Tanner stood near Lana and gazed at the school, remembering the last day he had walked through that parking lot. He recalled Nick and Randy Tooley fighting and how the junior high kids had raised the flag. And now, he thought, it looks so small, so insignificant.

Tanner watched Kate and Bryan approach the group and said, “Hi.” They said hello, but kept to themselves. Bryan was wearing his uniform—Kate had on white slacks and a yellow blouse. They appeared to be in a deep conversation.

Tanner noticed Maria walking across the courtyard; she was smoking a cigarette with her head down.

“Hi, guys,” said Lana.

Maria lifted her head. “Hey.”

“Beautiful day, huh?” asked Tanner.

“I guess,” replied Maria. She looked at the cameras and lights and said, “So what do you think? Is this a little over the top or what?” She blew her last exhalation out the side of her mouth, stubbed out the remains and tossed it into an old trash can.

“Yeah, it’s a little more hype than I anticipated,” said Lana. “But it’ll be fun. What do you think, Tanner?”

Tanner was looking at the tree, reminiscing about his youthful adventures that had taken place in its branches. The tree gave him a good feeling. Studying it seemed to help relax his protective barriers. He answered Lana out of the side of his mouth. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Lana and Maria laughed.

He turned his head and responded to their snickering. “What I meant was, I’m fine with this setup. As in, I don’t have a problem with it. Is that better?” He looked back into the branches to visualize the path he used to take when he climbed to the top, but still listened with one ear to the others.

“Okay, Tanner,” said Lana. “Whatever you say!”

Julie approached from behind them.

“Hey folks! You all look great!” She touched Lana’s shoulder as she circled around the group. “Thank you so much for coming.”

Tanner nodded and the girls chuckled.

“So, is this a bit much?” asked Julie. “You know, lights, camera, action and all that?”

Maria said, “Oh, I think we’re all fine with it. In fact, we were just talking about it. Looks like you’re taking this pretty seriously.”

“I am,” said Julie, who was dressed in a navy dress and jacket and heels. “I mean, it’s been twenty years since you’ve seen each other, and all things considered, I think you deserve to have a chance to let the world know that you’re all okay.

“I think people are curious as to how you’ve coped over the years. They want to believe that life can return to normal when all hell breaks loose. And after talking with you, I believe it can. I believe you’ve all grown from your experience, as traumatic as it was, and for the most part, turned it into something positive.”

Maria interjected, “Well, as you can see, there are only five of us here, and since we haven’t heard from the others, it’s hard to gauge how we’ve all turned out, statistically speaking. But if this small sampling is any indication, I’d say you’re making a fair assumption.”

Kate and Bryan turned and joined the conversation.

“Well, I for one think that nothing should stop us from enjoying every minute of life. It’s obviously unpredictable and ephemeral.” Tanner grinned, enjoying the sound of his wisdom.

“Ephemeral? What the hell is that?” asked Bryan.

“It means temporary, fleeting, brief.” Tanner leaned toward Bryan and added, “And by the way, sorry about my driving the other night.”

“That was you?”

“Yup! I was sort of in a hurry.”

Bryan laughed and said, “Aha! Well, if you use another big word like that I just might write that ticket after all!”

“Okay, no more big words. I promise.” Tanner laughed, flipped his ball cap off and adjusted it back in place. He was wearing his usual jeans, T-shirt, sandals and hat. He didn’t feel the need to impress anyone but himself. He looked at his old classmates and felt very relaxed.

Julie interrupted. “Okay. Okay, everyone! You’re getting ahead of me.” She laughed pleasantly. “Why don’t you all just take a seat and I’ll go over a few rules and discuss the contractual agreement so we’re all on the same page, okay?”

They all agreed and each settled into one of the six elevated director’s chairs. Tanner peeked at Lana and his heart flickered, warming him with the thought of their earlier encounter.

• • •

As Kate sat down, she caught a glimpse of her husband’s truck in the parking lot. There was a shadowy figure inside the vehicle. It had to be Nick, she thought. She leaned close to Bryan and whispered, “Nick’s here.” She watched Bryan’s reaction.

His eyes widened, scanning the parking lot. He spotted the yellow truck and squinted. “I see him.” He looked away to avoid staring and said, “He appears to be incognito.”

Kate felt unsettled by her husband’s behavior. What the hell was he doing, she wondered?

• • •

Kate and Bryan’s interaction did not go unnoticed by the shadowy observer. Nick felt his insides cooking. The stress of the last few days had left him feeling especially anxious. The thought of walking toward the school and confronting Kate and Bryan in front of the crowd, however, left him as paralyzed as if the mass of bystanders were pillars of kryptonite. He was afraid he’d have an anxiety attack in front of all those people. So he sat still, afraid to move from his concealed location.

He wondered how she could leave him after all they’d been through? And how could she leave at a time like this? Didn’t she know what was inside that building? Didn’t she know that David Ray was back? Nick reached into his cooler and grabbed another beer. He focused his eyes on Kate, lifted the drink and guzzled it down.

• • •

Kate watched Julie walk in front of her interviewees and hold up a copy of the contract her station had prepared for the group. She tried to stay engaged with the interview process, but remained distracted by Nick’s presence.

“Okay everyone, take a minute and look over the contract. We tried to keep it simple, so look past the legal mumbo jumbo and understand that this interview is for entertainment purposes only. Furthermore, it’s meant to clarify that the management of our station is not responsible for, nor is promoting, the views expressed in this interview.”

Kate nodded, acknowledging Julie as she tried to read through the contract.

Kate sat next to Lana in the semicircle. She leaned toward Lana and asked, “So what do you think? Is this all on the up and up?”