Ripple Effect: A Novel (37 page)

Reinhardt’s eyes fill with concern and she almost opens her mouth to say something.

I keep talking. “He pushed me to the ground and started ripping at my clothes. Taking the Exacto knife from me, he started cutting my skin, branding me with his scars. He was touching me everywhere and––” I cover my mouth and start crying, so much fear filling me. “He was going to do it, but Kelly yelled my name and Agent Reinhardt shot him. Kelly pushed him off me and I curled into a ball.” My head shakes in horror. “I blacked out after that.”

Reinhardt has, at some time, covered her mouth with her hand. Owens has the same look of anger that Kelly had. “He was going to do what, exactly?” he asks, not wanting to.

“Rape me,” I whisper as my heart breaks in half.

“People like this are very sick and demented,” Reinhardt says quietly after a moment. They waited patiently for me to get my uncontrollable sobbing leashed.

I stare at her and abruptly ask, “What’s your story with him?”

Owen’s clicks the recorder off. Looking at Reinhardt, he would like to know as well.

“Agent, why did he let you live?” I wonder, sniffling.

She nods, as if expecting this question to come. “Longhorn . . . he was sick, always has been. We were friends in high school, up in Oregon. I was a cheerleader; he was on the track team. Brilliant man, really.” Her voice mutes as she looks down.

“Agent Reinhardt?” Owens asks. “Celeste?”

Her eyes meet his, but instead of being cold or blocked off, they are filled with emotion. She looks away from him. “I was so in love with him, but he was always chasing other girls, so I dated another man. When James found out about that––he wouldn’t have it, couldn’t stand it! He called me horrible names, shot nasty accusations at me. I guess I was
the slut
. In the end he kidnapped me. It was the summer after graduation. He raped me, and put me in a cave with two other girls to starve to death. I didn’t know the girls; they were from a different school.”

Owen’s reaches his hand across me and holds Reinhardt’s forearm. “Celeste,” he whispers, “this happened to you?”

She gulps loudly and looks away to hide her emotion. “He was my best friend and he did that to me.”

Sorrow fills me as I stare at her, tears leaking down my cheeks. She really does understand my fear! “How did you get away?”

“My life has been a game for him ever since. He set me free and told me to come and catch him. I stumbled down a darkened mountain, covered with rain. I told the cops but I couldn’t remember where the site was. Luckily they found it, got his DNA, and went searching for him. It felt like every year after that an FBI Agent would knock on my door and ask me about James Longhorn, the man who had killed
another
three girls and was a nationally wanted serial killer.”

Owens examined her face, his look upset. “When did you become FBI?”

“Four years ago.” Reinhardt sits up again and tries to restore her dignity. “I graduated with a Masters in Criminal Science and applied with the Bureau. The agent that always contacted me when they found remnants of Longhorn wrote me a letter of recommendation, and I became Special Agent Reinhardt.”

“He was your partner that died, right?” says Owens.

My eyes widen. “Longhorn didn’t kill him, did he?”

Reinhardt shakes her head. “He was old. Died of liver cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

She tries to smile and sits back. “I can’t believe that he had a brother. In the police force. No wonder he evaded us so well.” Her eyes narrow. “He was probably his alias, if they were twins. No wonder we could never tag him at the scene. James was always somewhere else when something bad happened.”

“You really had no idea?” Owens is completely shocked.

Reinhardt looks at Owens and shrugs. “I knew he had a brother, but he said they despised each other. His brother lived with his father in Alaska––or something. James lived with his mother in Oregon. Apparently it was a nasty divorce and they didn’t even keep their last names the same.” She shakes her head, annoyed at herself. “I searched for any genetic matches to his DNA and another came up, but it said deceased.”

“You couldn’t have done anything if he was supposedly dead,” Owens says to her.

“I know, Lee, but I feel stupid right now. I should have caught on earlier. No wonder he was always a step ahead of me.”

His eyes soften as he looks at her. “Celeste, you stopped the rape of Cecily and killed the man that has haunted you. Don’t beat yourself up because they outsmarted the Bureau a few times.”

“You mean
me?
” she says. “That they outsmarted
me!
”

I clear my throat to gain their attention. “Wasn’t it hard to live, knowing that he was watching you?”

“Extremely.” She nearly laughs with hysteria. “Sometimes I would see a man who looked like him in college or see him in a coffee shop. He was everywhere, taunting me, haunting me. But he never confronted me. He just stalked me.”

“That’s why you joined the FBI? To catch him?” I ask her. “Does anyone even know that you had personal involvement in this case?” I look at Owens and he shakes his head.

Reinhardt takes a steady breath. “The only agent who knew is dead now. My file tells all, but no one looks at it. No one knows that a serial killer stalked me. Quite frankly, I always assumed that people wouldn’t care. So instead of being terrified, I set out to stop him.” With a respect I thought she would never have toward me, her eyes meet mine. “Like you did. It’s a survivor’s instinct.”

Owens is lost in staring at her, his mouth parted and his eyes wide. Never did he expect this woman to go through such an ordeal, surely. He’s even lost for words. Clearly he is awestruck by her heroism. Not only did she save me, but she also faced the man who had haunted her for so many years, finally ending his streak.

I sit forward and cringe from the burning pain of my stomach, but ignore it. “If you know what it feels like to have no one believe you, then why did you treat me so poorly when I wanted to help?” I ask, becoming cross. I can’t help but to feel betrayed.

“Cecily, I didn’t want you to get killed or hurt,” she says softly. “It’s not that I thought you couldn’t do it.”

Tears fill my eyes and I try to push away my upset, but can’t. “Where were you?” My lip quivers and I look down at my hands. “He was on me, tearing my clothes to shreds, and you were at that stupid cave. You should have believed me! If you were there, at the mine,
this
wouldn’t have happened!” I point to my abdomen, crying now.

“Cecily, we should have listened to you about the mines, there is no doubt.” Reinhardt grabs my hand. “I was down into the mine the minute I got there. I knew that he was assaulting someone. It was all too familiar; the pleas you made, the cries of agony . . . I remember being there, in that spot––on the cold ground!” Reinhardt shakes her head and hides the fact that she’s tearing up. “I swore that I would never allow for that to happen to another girl.”

Owens nods. “She rushed down there without any notice. She heard your cries and ran down there, not wasting a single second.” He looks at her, but through different eyes now. She’s more human to all of us, it seems, and less bossy commander lady. “You had a pistol and that’s all, right?”

“Yes,” she replies. “And I have to say, Cecily, you are one of the bravest girls I know. It takes guts to face men like Leison, and you did it. Even when everyone said no.”

I want to throw up. I want to take a million showers to get his filthy hands and stench off of me, which will be permanent. “Will I always have nightmares about what he’s done to me?”

“You’ll grow out of it, as will I,” she admits. “His days are done, Cecily. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”

My eyes roll at that statement. I will forever be scared. He was going to slit my throat after he raped me. There isn’t an on-and-off switch with horrific memories.

“Anything else?” I ask tiredly.

“That’s all,” Owens says. They both stand up.

Reinhardt gives me a kind smile. “Bye, Cecily.”

I watch the two agents leave together. Owens opens the door and guides Reinhardt with his hand. It would be cute if they got together. Especially since Reinhardt isn’t as evil as I thought she was.

Kelly squeezes into the room and waves to his uncle. “See ya,” he says. “Christmas, right?”

“Yeah, tell Grandma
goodbye
for me, will you?” requests Owens. “I won’t be able to stop by.”

“I will.” Kelly then comes toward me. I think of how weirdly coincidental it is that Owens is Kelly’s uncle and Reinhardt’s partner, who has been chasing the man who was threatening my life. “How are you,” Kelly asks, sitting on the bed beside me.

“Better now that you’re here.” I grin.

“Cecily,” Kelly says as he holds my hand tightly in his. I look at him and see that his eyes are filled with emotion. “I . . .”

I touch his chest with my free hand and stare into his blue eyes. “I love you too, Kelly. I think I always have, actually.”

Kelly seems confused, but he smiles and kisses me regardless, sending warm chills down my skin. His kiss warms me from the inside; dispelling all of the fear that Leison had made me feel, all with a single brush of the lips. He lies beside me on the hospital bed. I rest my head on his chest and he pulls me tightly to him.

“Don’t you think that all this rain is perfectly––” He pauses as he finds the word “—cleansing?”

I close my eyes and smile. “It is just what this place needs.”

Adie reaches her hand to me, just like she has every time before, and I take it firmly in mine. A smile lifts on her face and I return the gesture.

“I think I feel funny,” I whisper. A machine that tells me if I’m alive or not is beeping as it takes my pulse and oxygen levels. We are both sitting in an operating room, one that is really bright.

At least I had a week to recover from the injuries I sustained from the Leison incident.

Adie laughs quietly. Even though she looks sicker than a dog, she’s gorgeous. “I saw them put something in your IV,” she whispers back.

For some odd reason, I think that’s the funniest thing ever. “They’re sabotaging me, eh?” I smile as I look at her nervous face. “Why is it so bright in here? And what is up with these hospital gowns? I don’t recall them being so
ugly . . .
”

She looks at me seriously. “I love you, little sister.”

“I love you, big sis.”

Then, everything goes black and I’m asleep.

*              *              *

“Hello, golden bridge,” I say, pounding my foot once upon its surface to ensure that it’s real. Once it proves itself, I start to slowly walk onto it.

Outer space is an odd place. There’s no oxygen, no gravity. And there’s emptiness, yet so much fullness at the same time. It’s so dark, but so bright. There is no atmosphere in space, so there are no colorful sunrises or sunsets. But there are nebulas, and asteroid belts, and moons, and planets. The stars are outstanding!

I wave at Saturn and its enormous rings as I pass by it, not sure of where I’m going. This road is curvy in some spots, straight in others. I wish it would make up its mind.

Then I spot a peculiar star, pink in color. Pausing in place, I stare at this star, recognizing it from somewhere else.

“It’s the Diamond Heart,” a man says. I look at him and see that it’s Kelly––I think––wearing all white.

“I knew this was just another dream.” I laugh. “That doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

He comes closer and I notice that it is not my Kelly, but a very similar one. Confusion fills me. “But you’re so much like him,” I whisper.

“My name is Kelly,” he explains with an adoring smile. “I died long ago.”

“You aren’t his great uncle, are you?” I ask him, shocked.

Kelly nods. “I am Kelly’s deceased uncle.” He steps closer to me, watching me through longing eyes. “Cecily,” he whispers, as if I am an antidote to some poison, relief to a broken heart.

“Why are you so familiar to me?” I stare into his blue eyes that twinkle with recognition. For some reason I want to touch his face, to kiss his lips––even though I don’t know him . . . or do I?

He just smiles. “It’s wonderful to see you.”

Another man in white comes walking toward me on the golden bridge of mysterious people. Beside him is a dog, one that resembles my old Bandit.

“Cecily,” he says, his voice filled with joy. “My little girl.”

Realizing who he is, tears fill my eyes. “Papa?” I ask in disbelief. A flash of his death hits me––his white lips and pale face, him telling me to be brave, that he’d be with me forever in spiritual form––and I gasp loudly. “Papa!”

With a familiar smile––a healthy one at that––he nods and I know it’s him. With his sparkling brown eyes, matching hair, and loving personality . . . It’s my Papa, I’m sure of it!

“You did it, Cecily,” he says with pride. “As I knew you would. You were the hero––you were the brave one.”

I smile, but am totally confused. “Did what, Papa?”

“You saved those girls. That man can no longer kill. You stopped the horror he unleashed, that’s what you did! I never doubted you.”

I look down so that he can’t see the tears that fill my eyes. He saw all that?

Papa watches me. “I’m proud of you, Cecily, just as I have always been.”

I remember what Elsie said about me dying once and returning back to my time. Realization hit me then. Could she be right, like legit?

“Have I been here before?” I ask him suddenly.

With a smile, he nods. “You’ve been here, my daughter.”

“Was I dead?” I ask.
Is Elsie right?

“You died in an alternate time, yes. I sent you home because you weren’t done there.”

I gasp. “So the angel I saw that night was truly me?”

Kelly laughs lightly. “Yes, it was you. In the other time you had died a very dark death. After learning what made you so dark to begin with, you chose to go back and reverse it. The
you
that you saw, well, she was the real Cecily, coming back to stop the hands of evil.”

“Did Leison kill me in the other time?” Worry filled me.

Papa shook his head. “You committed suicide, not purposefully. You fell from a cliff.”

“What else happened?”

“Hazel and Adie died, along with Sabrina, Stacy, and the other victims. After seeing what was to happen, you decided to stop it.” Papa smiled softly. “You went back to be the hero—to stop the ripple effects of your death from becoming permanent.”

“When I woke up, I felt rejuvenated––like I had been given a second chance. It’s because I’m the real Cecily now. Not the demon imposter, right?”

Papa smiles. “You did wonders with that second chance.”

Suddenly, I become scared. If I am here, then that means . . . “So, I’m dead again!?”

Kelly and Papa laugh. “No, sweet girl. You aren’t dead,” Papa says.

“Why am I here then?” This makes no sense! Are they lying to me?

“You’ve come for a pat on the back. A job well done,” Kelly responds.

I smile with relief. “Well, thanks . . . but can I go home now?”

Papa smiles and nods. I see a flash of emotion in his eyes. “You may go home, my beloved daughter. Remember that I am always with you.”

“Goodbye, Cecily. I knew that you’d find your home again,” Kelly says, happy for me.

Smiling, I glance at Kelly. “Thanks for sending me your nephew, I think.”

Things are still foggy. I can’t remember what happened in the spirit realm the first time I was here, when I died. I am guessing that . . . I was once very much in love with the Kelly here.

Reaching out to him, he holds me in his arms and smiles at me, though he’s sad that I am leaving again. This feeling enters me, like I love him, and I kiss him––only once. It’s simple and sweet and feels so right, but he isn’t my Kelly. The man that I love is in the living realm.

“Goodbye,” I whisper to him. I flash him a parting smile.

“I will always love you,” he promises and kisses my cheek.

I pat Bandit on the head one last time and follow the golden bridge toward the earth, toward my home.

*              *              *

Light beeping wakes me from my medically induced slumber. This feels real, all of it. My head rests back on the stack of pillows and I stare up at the white, corkboard-looking ceiling. I feel like all I do is lay around in hospital beds these days.

Kelly stands beside me, watching me. I look at him and smile.

“How do you feel?” he asks.

I evaluate myself. “My hip hurts a lot.” It was where they took the bone marrow from. I move slightly and the pain increases, causing me to wince. “How’s Adie?”

“She’s just fine,” he says quietly. “They’re almost done with the transfusion.”

My head nods and I crack a small smile. “I’m glad.”

“How’s the head feeling?” he wonders, worry seeping into his voice.

I laugh. “My head is fine, sir. How’s your head?”

Kelly points a finger at me. “This isn’t about me.”

My hand reaches out and tugs at his shirt. “Kiss me,” I whisper.

Gladly, he bends down to me and touches his lips softly to mine. That simply will not do. I pull his head closer and really kiss him. Everything feels so right when he kisses me, like he is the only man I will ever love. I now understand how Mom feels about Papa.

“Kelly,” I say to him, his face only a few inches away from mine. “Never let me go.”

“I will never let you go, I promise.” He smiles and kisses me again, this one filled with fervor and heart clenching emotion.

Pulling my face from his, our lips break their molds, and I look up at the IV and back to Kelly. “I need some more morphine,” I confess.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you! I’m sorry, Cecily.” Kelly frantically looks around. “I’ll get the doctor! Don’t worry!”

“Kelly, just push the button for the nurse,” I say, laughing. I’ll just have to ignore the pain in my hip.

Rolling my eyes, I yank him back to me and begin kissing him again, giggling between each kiss.