Waiting and Watching (10 page)

“I read her name in the file,” Sgt. Reynolds said as he walked in. “It was Beth Vreeland. According to friends and neighbors, your mother and this woman got into a heated argument at the Tilden Park Country Club one night. We checked her out, but she had an alibi. Ms. Harriman, I just spoke with the head nurse. Your doctor is on his way and will probably release you. Have you thought about pressing charges, because there's a problem. When we went to question Martin last night there was no sign of him. He's in hiding and his mother swears she doesn't know where. You're not safe with Martin on the loose.”

“What is this?” barked the nurse, entering the crowded room. “Grand Central Station? Out! Out! All of you. This is a sick room, not a party. At the most, the patient is allowed two visitors.”

As the nurse waved everyone out of the room, Connie could hear Mr. Lookey say, “This is the same nurse who wouldn't let me bring Sniff in to cheer you up.”

Connie asked, “Is this one the same Sniff I remember?”

“Well, I have to be honest; he's Sniff number three.” By this time, the nurse had hold of his arm to usher him out. “I've loved 'em all the same,” he called back over his shoulder, “so they're one in the same to me.”

Connie smiled as the door clicked shut behind him.

Andrew went back to his hotel and changed to meet Connie and Julio for lunch at the inn. They were all starving and ate heartily in anticipation of another long day.

“When do you two have to get back to work?” Connie asked Julio and Andrew.

“We're both supposed to be leaving tomorrow,” Julio said.

“I might be able to extend my stay a day or two,” Andrew offered. “I'll have to make some phone calls.”

As it turned out, Julio could extend his trip by one day, but only one, as he had to get back for a client's court appearance. Andrew could stay at least another two days. She was looking forward to spending more time with both of them, and of course, they would be able to look further into her parents' case. She felt so blessed to have Julio and now Andrew in her life. The previous night had been terrifying and probably would have set her back, except she'd gained strength by being in the company of her brother, Andrew, and precious Mr. Lookey.

“By the way,” Julio asked, “did Lily tell you she called the inn, warning me that you were in trouble? She told me she had feelings you were in danger.”

“Yes. She told me when she visited me in the hospital.”

“Well, I don't know how exact she is. She kept saying the initials J. R., and I assumed she meant Joe Reynolds.”

“Come on Julio, you are kidding, right?”

“No,” Julio said. “Why?”

“That's Martin. We always called him Junior when he was a kid. That's what Nola called him and so did our family.”

“I don't remember that.”

“That's probably because you were so young and didn't have much to do with him.”

“I can't believe Lily said that. Let me call her.”

After lunch Julio dialed her number. Connie thanked her again for calling Julio with the warning. “Listen, Lily. I still need your help, if possible. I want you to concentrate on my parents' murders from twenty-two years ago.”

“Do you have any possessions that belonged to them?” Lily asked.

“I have my Dad's pocket watch. If we give you that, could you see what happened?” Connie asked hopefully.

“I'd love to try,” Lily said, before saying her goodbyes. They made arrangements for Connie to bring the watch over to Lily's apartment the very next day.

Julio frowned. “We're not doing any voodoo séance, are we?” he asked.

“Julio, she was dead on with my being in danger from someone named Junior. That takes more than a lucky guess. Let's go tomorrow and see what she says. If she can just set us in a direction it would be a start.”

Monday—September 8, 1986

Lily woke up with the thought that today was going to be special. She had a day off from her job at the Tilden Park Inn, and it gave her time to prepare for her evening soiree. As Lily looked around her apartment, she reviewed her plan for setting the appropriate scene for the séance. She planned to borrow a card table and chairs from the resident manager. He'd always had a crush on Lily's mother and would bend over backwards for both of them. A nice man, but in Lily's younger eyes, he wasn't good enough for her mother.

Lily's mother, Barbara, had been a pretty woman when she spent the time and effort to fix her hair and make-up. However, she'd suffered badly from depression and there had been days when she couldn't even get out of bed. At the age of fourteen, Lily watched her mother medicate herself on antidepressants until she died of an overdose.

Their housekeeping arrangements were simple. Lily slept on the couch in their little one-bedroom apartment. She did the cleaning, the laundry and cooked all their meals. Her mother barely had the energy to hold down a job as a beautician. In Lily's memory, it had always been just the two of them, struggling to survive. Lily loved her mother very much and had been devastated by her death.

After her mom died, Lily was desperate to stay in their little apartment; it was the only home she had ever known. Being a minor, Lily had to pay off her alcoholic uncle with regular gifts of his favorite whiskey to become her guardian. Legally, he moved into the apartment, but fortunately for Lily, he spent much of his time at his girlfriend's house. Between his welfare payments, her after-school job and any other source of income she could conjure up, she'd managed to make the monthly rental payments. Once she turned eighteen, she threw out all his rancid alcohol and smoke-scented clothes; had the lock changed and threatened him with his life if he ever came back or tried to contact her again.

It was probably a reaction to her uncle's filthy habits that turned Lily into a clean freak. She was a fanatic for cleanliness and although her apartment and furniture were old, they were spotless. Most of her furnishings came from the second-hand shop around the corner. It wasn't easy being poor, but living near an affluent neighborhood like Tilden Park did have its advantages. By checking out the shop on a regular basis, Lily found some real bargains.

She took her cleaning products out from under the sink and began scouring the bathroom. Cleaning always had a therapeutic effect on her. As she scrubbed her bathroom mirror with ammonia, she looked at herself. What she saw staring back was a reflection of her Irish ancestry. Her alabaster skin was almost flawless. The slight ridge of freckles along the bridge of her nose should have given her a pixie look, but that was belied by a fierceness in her brilliant green eyes. She always imagined she looked more like her father than her mother.

Lily went into her closet searching for just the right attire. Her outfit would help to set the right tone for the evening. She debated on whether to wear the requisite long floral skirt and peasant blouse; finally deciding on a long dark red skirt, bright green blouse that that made her eyes even more brilliant than usual, and a paisley shawl. She untied the string at the top of her peasant blouse and let just a glimpse of her size D cleavage show. Dark red lipstick and loose flowing hair seemed the right touch to complete her look. She wanted to look mystical, but also sexy for Julio. She was happy he was staying an extra day in Tilden Park.

Lily was ready with a little time to spare and had a chance to relax and contemplate the events of the forthcoming evening. Unfortunately, her phone always seemed to ring at the wrong time. Lily couldn't decide whether or not to answer. She really wanted the time to think about the séance, but what if it was Connie or Julio? Reluctantly, Lily answered.

“Hello. What? I can't hear you. Oh, Sammy, it's you. You certainly know how to pick the worst possible times to call. The Harrimans, Connie and Julio, are coming over shortly. You remember them, Dr. Harriman's kids. Their parents were the ones murdered when we were in High School. She's the girl whose life I used to wish I had.” She got no response. “Sammy, are you there?” she asked. “Shit, Sammy, you know better than to call me when you're high. Besides, I can't talk now. They will be here soon and I still have some planning to do.”

Sammy mumbled something which was mostly incoherent. It was his usual complaint about his mother being an effing bitch.

“Yes Sammy, there is no doubt your mother is a bitch. I'll call you tomorrow. Lay off the drugs at least until we talk. Goodbye Sammy.”

The doorbell rang, and it was Connie, Andrew and Julio. Lily could tell the guys weren't happy to be here, at least for this purpose. Without saying a word, she seated them around the card table where she had set up her Ouija Board. Lily explained that she would use the Ouija Board later on in the séance. First she wanted to try and reach Julio and Connie's parents by the traditional method of the crystal ball. Julio rolled his eyes at Andrew and Andrew smiled knowingly.

Lily rose from her chair and turned off all the lights. It was a new moon that evening, completely shadowed by the earth and giving off no light. Only the street lights cast shadows around the small, one-bedroom apartment. Connie handed Lily her father's watch.

Lily closed her eyes for a few moments and then began to describe her vision of a woman kissing a tall, distinguished man with reddish-brown hair. “They are in an office with medical certificates mounted on the wall. The woman calls him John, so I don't think she's a patient and I don't think it's your mother, Connie. Her face is a blur, but she has platinum blonde hair. Her dress is dark blue, very tight fitting and extremely low cut in the front. Now she is bending over the man as he signs a small stack of papers. This watch is laying on the desk next to the papers. I believe we can assume the man is your father. The woman runs her fingers through his hair and he seems quite pleased, with a smile appearing on his face. He turns his head toward her and she kisses him on the lips and he calls her Bess or Beth. That's all I'm getting right now, but this woman is somehow connected to the murders.”

No one said a word, creating an uncomfortable silence as Connie, Julio and Andrew waited for Lily to come out of her apparent trance. They looked at each other, wondering what to do. Andrew could see Connie was visibly shaken. Her face was pale and she appeared to be holding back a barrage of tears. Eventually, she broke the silence.

“I remember Mr. Lookey telling us that our mother had an altercation with a realtor and I am sure that he called her Beth Vreeland.” Julio nodded in agreement. “Julio, it will be interesting to know the details of Beth Vreeland's alibi.”

A loud rapping on the front door made everyone jump. Lily got up from her chair and went to the door, curious to see who it was. She opened the door to find Sgt. Reynolds standing there, accompanied by an older woman. He apologized for intruding and asked if he could come in as he had someone he wanted them all to meet.

“When I heard from Connie that Lily was conducting a séance tonight, I contacted Agnes Sayre, a psychic the police have used in the past. Agnes has had years of experience and has written several books on the subject. She just recently helped the Cincinnati police find a missing child.”

Reynolds apologized to Lily for his assumption that she was a novice. He then introduced everyone to Agnes Sayre. “Agnes,” he explained,” cautioned me about amateurs conducting this kind of ritual. “For instance,” Agnes added, “I see you intended to use a Ouija Board. They can be very dangerous as they are portals for spirits to enter our physical world and that can be positive or negative. Not all spirits are human. Some of them are demonic, and if you create an entry for a demonic spirit, it is often difficult to get rid of it. In most cases, it requires a priest to perform an exorcism and a Catholic priest needs approval from the Vatican before he can ever perform the exorcism. The priest must then prepare in advance by fasting and praying. Most lay people have no idea what is involved.”

Agnes asked Lily for permission to conduct the séance. Lily looked annoyed, but acquiesced. Connie felt badly for her and conveyed her understanding with a sympathetic look. She knew how helpful Lily wanted to be, and that this was her opportunity to demonstrate her clairvoyant skills. Her opportunity to shine.

“Lily, may I hold the pocket watch?” Lily said nothing, but handed the watch over to Agnes as the older woman took a seat opposite her at the table. Connie moved over to make room.

“Would you like to join us, Sgt. Reynolds?” Agnes offered.

“Ah no, I think I'll have a seat over here.”

“Very well.”

After they left, Agnes explained to the group that Sgt. Reynolds had not given her any specifics about this particular case and that she prefers not to be given any information when she's working. She then sat down at the table and carefully folded up the Ouija Board and put it in its box.

“My method of contacting spirits,” she explained, “is through a spirit guide. I will go into a trance and describe out loud to the group what I'm seeing and feeling.” She asked them to listen carefully and patiently at what she was saying as it may not make sense at first. “But,” she assured them, “it will be significant at some point in solving the case.”

Agnes closed her eyes and turned the watch over and over in her hands. She said a short prayer and then recited something in Latin. Everyone sat quietly. The room got very cold and the blinds started moving even though the windows were closed. Everyone glanced around at each other, but no one said a word. Lily even, was stunned. After what seemed like forever, Agnes finally spoke.

“There is danger surrounding the daughter.” She kept turning the watch and then said, “There is evil and duplicity connected to this object.”

After another few minutes, she continued. “Two people were shot. One of them knew the killer. I can't see the shooter, but the gun that killed them belonged to one of the victims.” Agnes paused then said, “The killer is close.”