The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (34 page)

             
Roy nodded, “Two of our people went and checked both the room and that locker.”  Then he stood up and put a fatherly hand on the young patrolman’s shoulder, “Both were clean and dry son.”

             
“But Charlie and I...  We saw it, there was water everywhere…” Ryan stammered.

             
Veronica spoke up, “You mentioned a smell before you opened the door of the refrigeration unit, right?”

             
Roy’s eyes went wide, “The vapors.  They must still been in the room from the night Wells died.”

             
“What vapors?” asked Ryan in confusion. 

             
His two superiors quickly filled him in.  Once they finished he sat down heavily and shook his head.  “But, Charlie and I saw the exact same thing.  People don’t share hallucinations.”

             
“Were the two of you discussing the recent deaths?”

             
Ryan frowned, “You’re thinking those strange fumes got to us and we talked each other into seeing the same thing, aren’t you?”

             
“Do you have a better explanation?” Roy asked sitting down next to him. “Those lockers are part refrigerator, and the doors have a good seal.  There’s no way anyone could’ve gotten the water inside the unit, and kept it there, while they closed the door.”

             
“Then how come Wells looked like his whole body had been under water?” demanded Ryan.  “What if there is a way to fill one of those lockers, and someone stuffed him inside and filled it with that weird water?  Maybe they ran a tube between the locker and the seal.”

             
Veronica raised an eyebrow, “Now there’s a thought.  They could’ve carried the water from the stream in a tank on their back like a diver or an exterminator.  Did anyone check the drains in the floor?  There might be traces of the water down there.”

             
Roy shook his head, “No, but we’ll have that looked into just in case.  Though considering the darkness of the water, it probably would’ve left a stain on the floor and in the locker.”

             
“We left that locker open.  Maybe it evaporates with the liquid,” Ryan suggested. 

             
“Possible,” Roy admitted, “After all, we only found stains on Wells’ clothing and skin.  The rest of the room was spotless.”

             
“Cloth and skin are more porous and absorbent, than metal and linoleum,” Ronnie agreed.

             
Roy looked from one to the other of his officers.  “Interesting thought. It would certainly make things confusing on the surface.  Now, assuming you’re right, what about Chase?  How did the killer get the car filled up with the contaminated water?  You’d need one helluva big tank to fill that wreck.”

             
Veronica had an answer for that.  “Overpower him, then use the hose on site and mix it with the contaminated water.  No one was able to check for the level of concentration of the mystery element after you opened the door and the water rushed out.  The only water left was a bit in the car, and what was in Chase’s lungs.”

             
Roy looked at her admiringly, “Okay, but what about the locker last night?  Why fill it up again?”

             
“A trap for the next unsuspecting person to go in there,” suggested Ronnie.  “Make it look like they suffered a hallucination, especially when nothing’s found afterwards”

             
“Nearly worked,” Ryan sighed.

             
Again Roy seemed impressed.  But apparently he still had one or two points on his mind. “But why make the killings so elaborate?  What do any of the victims have in common?”

             
“The teenagers may have been a trial run,” suggested Veronica.  “Maybe the killer has something bigger planned.”

             
“Why kill Paul and Dr. Wells?” asked Roy.

             
“The killer might have gotten worried that either one may have discovered something important, and silenced them by using the same method,” supplied Ryan helpfully.

             
Now her boss’ eyebrows shot up, “You may have something there.  It’s because of Wells we even found out about the mystery element in the water.”

             
“Do we know what it is yet?  Have we heard back from New York?” asked Ryan.

             
“No.  The boys at the lab are still working on it.”

             
“Have they had any problems with hallucinations?” asked Veronica curiously.

             
“No, but they only had a small sample,” Roy replied.  “I’ll give them another call and see if they’ve learned anything.  They might need to send a team in Haz-Mat suits to get a larger sample.”

             
Ronnie breathed a mental sigh of relief.  At least other avenues besides Alex were being considered.  She only hoped that none of them would start pointing in her love’s direction again.

              It was early evening when Veronica came home to Alex on the floor with another woman.  The stranger was in her early 50’s, with blonde hair and striking features. The two of them were seated in the Lotus position, holding hands with their eyes closed.

             
“Excuse me…” she began.

             
“This Marianne Matheson, my teacher,” Alex explained, eyes still closed.

             
“Yoga?”

             
“Psychic,” Alex replied, and finally looked up at her.  “I told you, I’m out of practice, Marianne was my mentor.  With everything that’s been going on I decided to call and ask her to give me a refresher.”

             
He still remembered their first encounter.  He’d been only nine years old and she had greeted him without speaking.  He had returned the gesture.  From that day on they spent many an hour like that.  She was a warm and caring woman, with talents even stronger than his in some areas.  Her ability with Psychometry was unlike anyone he had ever met.  In time she taught him that skill.  Eventually she also helped him reclaim a talent his mother had taught him.  Sharing dreams… even daydreams.

             
His mother had first demonstrated this gift when he was having a nightmare.  She had sensed his distress from her own sleep, and had projected herself into his dream to alter it. And somehow he had been aware of what she had done.  They talked about it the next day.  In time they found they could even share daydreams, creating landscapes and adventures as well. 

             
He had tried to share this gift with his sister and father after her passing.  But because he had started studying stage magic, Sharon simply accused him of using hypnotism on her.   With his father, he was never sure whether he reached him or not, so he simply stopped trying.

             
When he found out Cassandra was a sensitive he had tried it with her with great success.  They had spent many a rainy day in those worlds they created together. 

             
The first time he tried it with Marianne she had been surprised, but not alarmed.  She had actually found it amusing. “Well, I’ve not met many who can create a reality on the psychic plain,” she told him proudly, “Let’s see how far we can take it, shall we?”  In time she had taught him to add more realistic elements to the landscape, like touch and smell.   

             
“I didn’t know psychics had mentors,” Veronica commented studying the woman carefully. 

             
“Alexander was more than a student,” Marianne Matheson replied opening her eyes and looking up at her warmly.  “He worked with me and my husband for several years as part of our team.  Our job was to investigate people or places affected by paranormal activity.”

             
“Was he of any use?” asked Ronnie.

             
“Very,” Marianne nodded enthusiastically.  “He was one of our best…”

             
“Until Harlequin House,” Alex supplied quietly.

             
Ronnie shot him a look of concern, “Is that the place that nearly killed you?”

             
“Yes,” he replied calmly. “Marianne and her husband were among the team who rescued us.  We’d never gotten out of there alive, without the two of you.”

             
“Chalmers didn’t,” his mentor sighed.

             
“Alex told me,” said Ronnie quietly, “I’m very sorry.”

             
“Thank you,” Marianne smiled and turned to her student. “You’ve lost none of your strength, but you’ve put up too many barriers.  They need to come down.”

             
“So I’ve been told,” Alex agreed. “That’s why I called you.  I need to know how to protect myself once I’ve lowered them.  Something’s going on around here, that’s almost as strong as Harlequin House.” 

             
Marianne’s eyes widened, “That bad?”

             
“It could just be that I’m just out of practice, and it just seems that way,” he admitted. “But I don’t think so.  Plus, I’ve been reached out to.”

             
“What does that mean?” asked Veronica.

             
Marianne answered before he could. “Someone who’s been hurt by this menace has become fixed on Alex, believing he can help them.  Now we can try to get them to transfer their hopes onto another, but that could be hard if not impossible.  Our best bet is to get Alex back to flexing his psychic muscles and strengthening them.”

             
Ronnie wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that.  “So where do you start?” she asked.

             
Marianne smiled, “Well, first of all he’s going to need someone to help anchor him. When the visions are intense or really strong it’s easy to lose yourself in them.  The bond I’m sensing between the two of you should be more than sufficient.”

             
Veronica’s eyebrows shot up, “Me?  But I’m not…”

             
“Exactly!” the other woman beamed.  “You won’t be affected by what’s happening and can keep him from being overwhelmed by what he’s experiencing.  Just your presence should be sufficient, but other times a little more is required.  Come we’ll start right now.”

             
Ronnie wasn’t sure about this, but Alex had always been there for her when she needed him the most.  Now she was being offered to do the same for him, so she joined them on the floor.  Marianne linked their hands and began the lesson.

              The next morning Alex and Marianne walked into a seemingly deserted Police Station.   The only person visible was Pam at the Reception/Dispatch desk, and she looked frazzled.

             
“What’s going on?” he asked.

             
“Roy’s got everyone in the Squad Room.”

             
“What’s happened?” asked Marianne curiously.  She had stayed overnight with Alex and Ronnie.  The training had lasted until almost midnight and it had taken a lot out of her.  She was so exhausted she barely noticed the phone ringing at 5:30 AM summoning Veronica to the station. 

             
It was now eight o’clock, and there had been no word from her. 

             
“We’ve got an Amber Alert,” the blonde dispatcher replied, “A messy separation.  Father grabbed the daughter from school yesterday and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.  Supposedly he was abusing the child and his wife threw him out.  We’ve been trying to locate them since last night.”

             
Marianne looked to Alex, “They may need help, are you up to this?” she asked.

             
He nodded and led the way to the Squad Room and entered. The space was packed with uniformed officers to the point of being standing room only.  Even without his abilities, the tension in the room was easily felt.

             
At the front of the room were two white boards and a podium.  One of the boards was covered with photos, while the other had a time-line of events and sightings.  Roy was standing behind the podium giving his team an update on the situation.  He was looking very tired.

             
Alex spotted Veronica standing off to the side of her boss.  She, too, looked tense and worried.  She happened to glance in his direction, and her face lit up. 

             
Roy must have noticed this because he paused in the middle of speaking to follow her gaze.  As soon as he saw Alex he scowled, and then went back to addressing his officers. “Now we want to find Katie and her dad as quickly as possible.  They could’ve crossed several states since yesterday, but we…”

             
An officer entered the room and held up a doll, “Chief, we have a confirmed sighting from last night.”