Garden of Sorrow (Book 4 of Psychic Visions, a paranormal romantic suspense) (10 page)

She turned to look around the room, afraid he'd read her thoughts. Stefan had tried to show her how to put up a wall to block her thoughts from being read, but she'd not yet succeeded.

And Kevin wasn't relationship material, not with a job like his. She'd loved and lost too many times to ever contemplate going there again. At least that had been her position up to now.

Besides, could she trust her emotions right when they were in chaos? With her desire escalating every time she was around Kevin, did she have a choice?

"Alexis?" Kevin called out, his voice darkly sensual.

Slowly she turned and gazed at him. His eyes, like charcoal magnets, pulled her deep into their depths. She was drowning in sexual awareness and didn't even care in that moment.

They might have been the only two people in the room for all the notice they took of their surroundings. Pure streaming energy flowed between them.

"Alexis?" he repeated, his voice velvety smooth and full of secrets. Secrets he invited her to share.

Oh boy.
Alexis closed her eyes briefly and drew herself back, shudders sliding over her skin in withdrawal from his unspoken promise.

"Damn," his voice cracked in agonizing acceptance. His shoulders sagged. He turned to look out into the darkness. He swallowed convulsively, looking everywhere but at her.

She whispered into the agonizing silence, "I'm not ready."

He dropped his gaze, a pained grin showing. "I know, but I'd hoped."

Her lips curled knowingly, spiking the energy once more. "Thanks. And…I'm sorry."

The evening ended soon after. She was careful not to physically touch in case she risked starting something she wasn't ready for. The trip back to Stefan's was fast and silent.

After a quick good-bye, Alexis got in her car and headed home, comfortable in her skin for the first time in days. If there were going to be ghosts in her life, then she wanted to have a say in when and where they appeared to her.

Lissa.
Her name floated painlessly on the air – for the first time in over a year. Feeling lighter, sweeter and so full of love, Alexis swore she could hear Lissa's laughter tinkling around her. It had to be her imagination but the memory of it brought tears to Alexis's eyes. She knew in her heart, that Lissa was okay.

Alexis could finally move on.

***

"So what do we know at this point? Caucasian female?" Captain Mark Gosling dropped the report on his desk, continuing to read aloud. "According to the initial report, the probable cause of death is a broken neck. Age…" He flicked a couple of pages. "Approximately eight to ten years old, based on mixed dentition. Buried in a yellow dress and there's an M…embroidered on the collar." The captain frowned.

"Maybe the start of her name?"

Kevin stood quietly, his copy of the coroner's initial report in hand, waiting for his friend and boss to go over more salient points. He shrugged. "Maybe. Anything helps at this point."

"I don't like the next bit, though." Blustery, loud, yet infinitely capable, the captain had no problem showing his displeasure. "X-rays show the kid had multiple fractures…on left arm, right wrist, and badly broken left tibia. Not to mention broken and badly healed index finger on the left hand and two cracked ribs."

Damn. Kevin knew chances of all those injuries being accidental were slim. "All those had healed, so the assumption is that the child was possibly abused over a long time period.
Damn."

Kevin sat down in the armchair opposite the desk. "We're waiting on the lab results. There's a possibility of collecting DNA from the teeth. We also determined that the grave was not the primary crime scene."

"Which isn't unusual. But there's no proof that this is a murder case."

"No," Kevin spoke slowly, organizing his thoughts. "We're still waiting for more test results to come back to understand how long the skeleton could have lain there. According to Scott, those particular gardens have been there, basically undisturbed at that level, for fourteen years. Around that time, backhoes were brought in and major work done."

"Therefore, the body has been there less than fourteen years, presuming the work went as deep as the bones we found." Kevin pulled out his notebook to check his notes. "Identification is top priority."

"Do what you need to do. Keep me posted. A child's skeleton in our city gardens. What next?" The captain turned back to the tall stack of files sitting on the corner of his desk.

What next indeed?

T
he voice startled her.

She'd spent a few happy days with no strange phenomena, she had almost convinced herself that the anomaly was over.

So focused was she on transplanting fresh color into the huge beds, she never paid any attention to the multitude of noises around her. The colors of the young plants were not as vivid as they should have been. They badly needed nutrients. Alexis mentally calculated the amount of nitrogen they'd need.

Help. Help me, please.

Alexis spun around, still on her knees. There was no one there. Far off on the other side she could see another colleague working hard. But the voice had been too soft, sad even, to be him – and way too close to Alexis.

Something – or someone – was there. Another spirit? She took a deep breath and made a quick decision. Rather than just let things happen, she'd try to control how it happened.

Hiding in the shadow of a large bush she sat down and closed her eyes as Stefan had taught her to do. Slowly, she took several deep breaths, letting the stiffness slide from her spine and drain into the ground beneath her. Feeling the stress and nervousness ease, she visualized walking through a beautiful meadow, every step freeing her from the physical reality of her existence. She reached a waterfall and a beautiful glistening pool waiting for her there. She couldn't resist, she sat on one of the rocks surrounding the water. She dipped her toes in and felt more relaxed than she had in a long time. From this position of peacefulness she widened her consciousness ever so slightly.

Instantly, sensations forced their way in – fear, pain, loss, grief and sadness. Alexis slammed the door shut, gulping for air. It was one thing to practice, but quite another when reality kicked you in the stomach. Briefly opening her eyes, she was relieved to find herself still alone. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and tried again. This time she opened the door just a smidgen.

The rush of emotions was still there, but not quite so demanding.

Alexis opened her eyes and gasped. There was a completely different look to the world – surreal colors, with less definition but with a brighter, eerily translucent color blending.

A young girl stood in front of her – the same little girl Alexis had seen in the ditch. Alexis sighed softly. The cherub was tiny, blond and beautiful. She appeared to be dressed in a yellow party dress with matching ribbons in her hair, except the grass from the park lawn showed through her dress, giving it an oddly alive look.

"Hello," Alexis whispered softly.

The angel smiled creating a golden light that warmed Alexis's heart.

"Hello, Alexis."

Alexis studied the waif intently. She was spectacular. There's no way she wouldn't have remembered her if they ever met. "You know my name?"

"You're the garden lady who makes the plants laugh."

Alexis leaned back in astonishment. "Do I?" She loved the sound of that. "Do you hear them?"

"I listen, sometimes, and watch,"
the child said.

A wistful longing crept out in her voice, breaking Alexis's heart. "Do you have a place to go? You know, like a home?"

"No,"
the little girl whispered forlornly. "
I can't go home. Ever."

Alexis struggled with that last single word
. Ever.

Then the child spoke again. "
I have to stay here so he won't do it again."

"Do what?"

"He says if I stay with him, he won't have to hurt any more little kids."

"Who? Who is hurting kids?" Alexis tried to keep her voice calm, peaceful. But damn it was hard. She hated to think someone was hurting children. And what would this little girl have to do with stopping him?

The translucent angel stared back, solemn but silent. Alexis tried again. "Doesn't he like little girls?"

"Oh, yes. He loves little girls…and boys."

That didn't make sense. Alexis didn't want to scare her off, but needed clarification. Slowly, she asked. "Then why does he hurt them?" The sunlight slid into something else, stormy, cloudy, and a little eerie. Shadows rippled in the background.

The little girl's form hitched and wavered, before rippling away in a fast fade-out.

"No wait, don't go."

The shadows shifted. Other little pale faces formed before dissipating in the fog.

"
I'll come back…if I can get away,"
echoed the ghostly whisper.

She was gone.

The blackness was absolute.

Alexis closed her eyes, trying to shift realities, and slowly returned to her surroundings. Icy chills filled her. Stefan had warned her that she might never feel warm again as long as ghosts were among her closest confidants. Each person experienced a different reaction. Hers seemed to be freezing and tiredness.

Shivers raced down her spine. As much as she didn't want to, she also felt obligated to tell Kevin about her experience. Surely every bit of information counted. Not that she had much to offer. Still the station was only a block away.

From a coffee shop situated beside the police station, she stopped to pick up two of the largest coffees they had. Walking inside the police station, sipping coffee, she moaned softly as the warm cream-laced brew slid all the way down, curling her chilled insides with delight.

"Can I help you?"

She took one more sip before answering the police officer at the front desk. "Yes. Is Detective Sutherland in, please?"

"Just a moment. Who's inquiring, please?"

Alexis gave the female officer her name and sat down to wait. Maybe he'd be too busy to talk to her.

"Alexis, nice to see you." Kevin stood smiling in front of her. "Is one of those for me?"

She handed him the second cup. "I hope you like it black." She took a sip of hers, collecting her thoughts. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

He instantly became businesslike. "Sure. Do you want to come into my office or take a walk over to the park?"

She perked up. "The park's a great idea."

Kevin held the door open for her.

They walked companionably for a few moments. When they reached the park, and were almost at the same spot where she'd seen the little girl, the words blurted out. "I saw her again."

"Who?"

"The little girl, Daisy."

He searched her face, as if to read what she
hadn't
said. "What happened?"

A sigh gusted out heavily. "I followed Stefan's instructions on opening the door consciously, but just a little bit at a time. That made it easier." She rubbed her arms. "Except after this time, the cold's much worse. Not as tired, maybe, but definitely colder."

"Hence the hot coffee?"

She nodded at his astuteness. "Daisy said she couldn't leave. She couldn't leave until he stopped hurting little girls." Alexis paused, thinking. "No, that isn't quite right." She concentrated on the little girl's words. "She said she has to stay so he won't hurt any more little kids." She finished in a rush, relieved to have remembered.

She paused a moment, staring morosely at the beaded drops on the surface of her take-out lid before continuing. "She also said that he doesn't hate little girls and boys; he loves them." Alexis sipped at her drink as despair wafted through her already muddled emotions. She'd never get warm at this rate. The child's odd words had sent another chill directly to her very soul. Maybe it wasn't the vision that was giving her the chills but more likely the concept of child abuser. Like how wrong was that?

"Could be a serial killer, or could be something else altogether. Not sure if that fits what little we know – if that's her body we found."

"What did you find out?" Alexis gazed at him warily.

"The child has been embalmed. As far as we can figure, she was stolen from her grave right after burial – or from the funeral home before her burial – and then was buried here."

"What? Why?" Alexis froze in shock. Why would anyone do such a horrible thing? She sat down on the closest bench. This new information rocked her to the core. She shook her head in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I don't know why."

"So she might not have been murdered either, right?" The rest of the conversation came back in a rush. "She said I'm the lady that makes the plants laugh. What's the chance that the gardens, and me the gardener, are a connection between the children?"

Heaviness settled in the blossom-laden air.

"It seems a stretch, but it could be. Then again, it's probably too early to make a connection." He shrugged. "We've run a DNA sample through the database, in case her death was a criminal case. I'll check to see if there are any missing bodies mentioned in the case files, or if this has happened somewhere else. Another possibility is facial reconstruction. If we can get a picture of her face, created from her skull, then we can send that to the media in hopes of identifying her that way. But that is expensive."

Alexis hated to think the child lay there all these years and no one knew. From what she'd seen in her visions, the child hadn't had a great life, and to think she might have been buried, dug up and then reburied was just too much. This child had been through enough.

They had to help free her.

***

It was late when Alexis headed to bed that night. She dropped into dream sleep immediately.

In her dream state, she walked through a beautiful wildflower meadow with sunshine and yellow finches. Lissa walked beside her. It felt wonderful. The two of them were full of bubbling girl talk. Alexis couldn't tell her dream from her memories. They seemed the same.

She loved it.

Alexis ignored the subtle changes going on around her. The joy at spending time with her sister overrode any other worries. Then Lissa froze, staring into the growing blackness moving over them.

Where had that dark wall come from? The sun had been shining only seconds ago.
Lissa? What's wrong?

Alexis spun around looking for answers. She could find nothing. Literally nothing. There was only a smoky black fog surrounding the two of them. Lissa never answered. Alexis swiveled, searching Lissa's starkly pale face. Alexis placed her hands on her sister's shoulders and shook gently.
Talk to me. What's going on.

Go! Get back.
Lissa pushed Alexis's hands away and tried to turn Alexis around, shoving her forward.
You have to go back.'

Go back where? What are you talking about?

The sun went out as if on a switch, leaving the two of them in total darkness. A terrible sense of foreboding washed through Alexis.
Lissa, what's going on?

He's here. Alexis, wake up. You're not safe. Wake up. Wake up!

Alexis woke up.

Her heart raced, trying to escape her rib cage. Her lungs gasped for air while her mind pleaded to know what had just happened.

Only her nightmare wasn't over.

Someone was in her room.

Fear and sweat poured off her skin. Huddled under her covers, she shivered. Excruciatingly quiet, terrified of moving and attracting attention, Alexis desperately tried to calm her ragged breathing.

He hadn't moved.
Why? What was he doing? Who was he?
Fear shut down her ability to think.

Macabre laughter filled the tiny room – or was that in her mind?

You can't fool me. I know you're awake. I can smell your fear. That's very smart of you. Be afraid. But you're not so wise to talk with my Daisy. She's mine and don't you dare forget it.

The disembodied voice faded, taking with it the horrific sense of an intimate brush with evil.

Alexis waited several long minutes. When she was sure he wasn't coming back, she tried to sit up and turn on her light.

Only to find out she couldn't.

She wrestled uselessly inside her body, trying to force it to shift. Alarms sounded, until she relaxed back, gasping at the nasty twist. She could breathe and blink, but she couldn't move her arms or legs. Panic ripped through her.

Dear God. She was paralyzed.

She screamed – soundlessly.

Into the chaos of her mind came a voice.

Alexis. Try to stay calm.
Stefan's voice brought an instantly comforting realization. She wasn't alone. Stefan had come to help her – at least telepathically.

That's better. Focus. Now. What's the matter?

I'm paralyzed.

In another part of her mind, she could hear and feel the overwhelming emotions screaming to whoever could hear. But it was disconnected from her as if it were someone else. How odd. Then someone found her volume switch and turned it down. Whoever it was, adjusted it downward yet again.

Explain.

Calmer and with her mental functions allowing her to think, she tried to answer Stefan's question. Talking to Stefan with her baby telepathy skills demanded all her focus. Shakily at first, then with building strength, she gave him the details. She was forced to relive the horrible memories that were now permanently etched in her mind. And feel them again.

You're not physically paralyzed. You're paralyzed by your fear.

"Feels the same," she muttered aloud. It took a minute for it to register. She'd spoken out loud.

See. The fear is easing. That's why you could speak that time. Continue to work on relaxing your mind, and know that you are safe. I'm here in your mind with you. Your muscles will slowly unwind as you calm down.

It took another ten long painful minutes before she could move her hands.

Good. It's improving.
She continued to calm her mind, relaxing her muscles. With the worst of the fright under control, she took one deep, ragged breath and released it slowly – only to freeze again at the powerful banging on her front door.

"Alex! Alexis, open this door. Damn it, open up."

Kevin.

"I can't," she whispered, knowing her voice couldn't reach the front door. She hadn't recovered to that extent.
Stefan
?

I'll tell him.

Emptiness filled her mind as Stefan withdrew. Terror resurged to the surface as she realized she was alone again. Shudders raced down her body. She grappled with the horrible sense of aloneness.