The Crossover (28 page)

“What storm, Carl?”

“We got the bastard, finally. Special Branch picked him up early this morning.”

The news was a major relief. I became more emotionally invested in the case after the death of Jo. Monet and I had a few questions.

“So how did you find him, Carl?” Monet asked.

Carl’s response initially upset me.

“Jo led us to him,” he responded, standing in the doorway.

I felt a little heartache.

“But Carl, Jo’s dead,” I said somberly.

Carl reached into his pocket and presented me with my wallet and my phone. I was confused.

“Clay, there is something I want you to hear.”

Carl took my phone and pressed a few buttons. We listened.

“Jo, relax. You know how bad traffic is in London. Do you know what he looks like?”

“He’s tall, wears a pony tail and drives a black A5. I don’t even know what an A5 is.”

Monet and I flashed back to Jo’s date in London. We vividly remembered that call. Somehow, I inadvertently recorded the conversation.

Carl sat next to me on the sofa. He explained.

“Our forensic team reviewed the recording and there was evidence of a potential rape. The killer must have thought Jo was transmitting so he laid low. He couldn’t carry out his plan that night because he thought someone was on the other end listening. Unfortunately, Jo was the only one who could ID him so he came back for her. The lowlife that stole your phone had no idea that crucial information was on the SD card. He was just a random thief. I don’t know what business you had at Milton Keynes but you were in the right place at the right time. It’s strange how things like that work out.”

Monet and I were stunned and emotionally overwhelmed. Carl left us to stew on that. It would take the rest of the evening before we could resume normalcy, but we did. I was glad the story never made the News. Carl kept his promise that the killer would go down as one of the most dangerous murders you never heard of. He would die in prison without the notoriety he so desperately sought.

The night before Monet left we took an evening stroll around the estate. It was a beautiful night under the starry sky. We returned home to see Carl’s daughter, Gabby, on our doorstep.

“Clay, I think your assistance is required. Go see what your little friend wants, babe,” Monet said.

I approached Gabby and dropped to one knee.

“Hmm, I bet you lost your bouncy ball in my backyard. Am I right this time?”

Gabby nodded yes.

I let Monet inside and Gabby followed me around back. I took a stutter step as I entered the back yard. I was taken aback.

“Oh, my god,” I gasped.

Gabby ran to collect her ball and she thanked me before going home.

The solar light in the far right corner started to flicker for the very first time. I walked towards it with a very heavy heart. The flickering flashed bright in the night. I started to think of Jo and got a little teary-eyed. The light came on. Emotion got the best of me. I was so happy. Jo had finally found peace.

I went inside and observed the beautiful lights from the kitchen window. The one in the far right corner was the brightest among the four. It was mesmerizing. This revelation I would keep to myself.

I went upstairs to join Monet in the bedroom. Monet had a few questions for me.

“Did she find what she was looking for?”

I looked out the bedroom window and observed the lights once more.

“Yeah, babe, she found it,” I replied, staring out the bedroom window.

I sat on the bed and Monet placed her leg over mine.

“Is she home?”

“... Yeah, she’s home.”

Sometimes lost souls need a little help from the living… for the crossover.

J
o, in the short time you were here we got to be good friends. Never in a million years did I think I would be writing a book based on your character, at least not under these tragic circumstances. I hope you approve of the way I portrayed you in this book, and particularly our friendship. I have a daily reminder of you and I will never forget you. Gone too soon.

T
he Crossover is a recount of a personal paranormal experience, and those of my closest friends and family. I changed the names of the ghosts that haunted our family home in the 1950s to keep their names out of print. I am not one to glamorize the paranormal but there are a few events that I cannot explain. The story of the solar lights was witnessed by neighbors and still remains a mystery. And finally, the exact words I heard that day (headphones) were the following.

Dear Lord, don’t let us perish.

In real life there was another woman’s voice that accompanied those prayers. The words she spoke were sinister, vile and unrepeatable. I deemed her message unsuitable for this book.

Thanks to all my friends who shared their personal ghost stories with me over the years. John Manders, Alex and Cathy Drinkwater, Alison and Chris Port, Terry Hogan and Vickki Baker, Harvey Turnbull, Bev and John Bertram, Marianne Davis, John Armeau, The Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana. Special thanks to my family.

The book mentioned in the story
The Seduction of a Military Wife
was published as
The Seduction of Monet Dawson
on 4 September 2013. It is the prequel to
The Crossover.

— E. Clay

My father, the late Rev. T

“God Plus One is a Majority”
From a Sermon in 1988

My Mother Brenda and I

Book Signing at
Barnes and Noble
2013

Other titles by the author:
Flagrant Misconduct, My Name is Elijah, Insider Threat
and
The Mogadishu Diaries.
Available on
Amazon
and
Barnes and Noble.

This literary work depicts real life situations and is not intended to glamorize or promote infidelity.

www.new-paradigm-publishers.org