Mike studied what remained of the support beams and loft of the barn. “My guess would be the fire spread up first, instead of out,” he said slowly, pointing to the scorch lines on the beams. “The loft caught and the floor panels were weakened, so the trough fell through the floor on top of the body. But whoever was there was dead before the fire started.”
“So, you think the fire was set to cover up a murder?” Bradley asked.
Mike nodded. “Yeah, I’d put a month’s salary on that one.”
Bradley looked around the area. “You see any ghosts walking around out here?”
Mike shook his head. “Nope, and that makes my theory even stronger. That body wasn’t killed here, he was brought here.”
“Perfect crime, except the trough got in the way.”
“Yep, pretty much how I see it.”
“You wouldn’t consider staying on this case with me?” Bradley asked as they made their way out of the wreckage and walked to the cruiser.
“Just try and take me off this case,” Mike said.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Ian, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Stanley asked, watching as Mary lay on the couch and Jeannine hovered above her.
“No, Stanley, I haven’t the damndest idea what I’m about here,” he said. “But I’m doing what seems to be logical.”
Mary patted Ian’s arm. “We have confidence in you,” she said. “Don’t we Jeannine?”
Jeannine chuckled. “Sure we do. Besides Hawaii is lovely this time of year.”
“Oh, that’s easy for you to say,” Mary said. “You can float on clouds. I’d fall like a rock.”
“You aren’t going to Hawaii,” Ian grumbled. “Now if you’d just give a man a moment of silence we could get things going here.”
Mary bit back her laughter. “Sorry, I’ll be quiet.”
“Me too,” Jeannine said. “Sorry dad.”
They both burst into giggles.
“Oh, and it’s a jolly time for everyone until someone gets possessed,” Ian lectured.
The laughter continued for a few more minutes, then Mary took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and turned to Ian. “I do apologize,” she said. “I get this way when I’m nervous.”
Ian nodded. “Understood,” he said. “But if you could both concentrate, I think I’m ready to try this.”
Mary took another deep breath and nodded. The mood in the room changed as Mary closed her eyes and began the deep rhythmic breathing Ian had suggested.
“Aye, that’s grand, Mary,” he said. “Now, I want you to hold my hand. There you go. If things get a bit dicey for you, you know I’m here for you. Okay?”
Mary nodded.
“Now, Mary, do you give Jeannine’s spirit permission to enter your body?” he asked.
Once again, Mary nodded. “Yes, yes I do.”
“And Jeannine,” Ian continued. “Do you promise to do no harm to Mary while you inhabit her body? And promise not to misuse the privilege Mary’s granted you?”
“Yes, I promise ,” Jeannine said.
“Mary, I want you to picture yourself in a room, a cozy room, that’s comfortable and friendly,” he said. “Look around the room; it’s filled with all of the things you love. There are photos of your family and friends, books you’ve read, movies you’ve watched and even your memories are stored in this room.”
Mary smiled.
“Ah, that’s fine now,” Ian said. “Now, Mary, walk to the door of the room and let Jeannine inside to be with you.”
Mary moved through her cozy room, all colored in gold, browns and deep reds. There were overstuffed leather chairs and brightly colored thick rugs. Chenille throws waited for snuggling and a blazing fire was within a stone hearth. She ran her hands along the leather bound books in the oak bookcases and caught the scent of a burning candle.
The door was oak and curved at the top. It had a brass handle and a small window framed in brass. She peeked through it and saw Jeannine waiting. She opened the door. “Jeannine, my friend, come in,” she said.
Ian watched Jeannine’s spirit float down into Mary’s body.
“Did it work?” Rosie whispered.
Ian turned and nodded in Rosie’s direction, then put his finger over his lips to remind her to remain quiet.
“Oh, that’s right,” she said, “I’m supposed to be quiet.”
Stanley rolled his eyes. “Shhhhhh,” he whispered harshly.
Ian grinned and turned back to Mary.
“Jeannine, if you can hear me, I want you to squeeze Mary’s right hand.”
He felt the light squeeze on his hand. “Excellent. Now I want you to listen to my voice and only my voice,” he said. “You are in a safe place and your friend Mary is right there beside you. I want you to relax. Close your eyes and take deep cleansing breaths.”
Mary’s rhythmic breathing changed to deeper, fuller breaths.
“Aye, that’s good, that’s good,” he said. “Now I want you to clear your mind and just think of the things I’m saying to you and nothing else.”
“Mary, are you with me too?” he asked.
Mary nodded her head.
“Good. I want you to relax too,” he said. “It’s going to be like you’re a passenger in a car. You will see what’s going on, but you don’t have to worry about driving. Just relax and watch, okay?”
She nodded again.
“Now Jeannine,” Ian said. “I want you to go back in your memories. I want you to go back to the day you and Bradley went for the ultrasound.”
Mary smiled and moved her left hand over her stomach. “A girl,” she whispered. “Bradley, we’re going to have a girl.”
She laughed lightly. “No, you can’t paint the nursery Bears blue, it has to be pink.”
“Really, Bradley, I’m not an invalid. Women have babies all the time, all over the world,” she sighed heavily. “Okay, fine, I promise.”
“Now Jeannine,” Ian said. “We’re going forward to the next morning. Tell me about that day.”
“It’s a beautiful day outside,” she said. “The sun is shining, the grass is green and I’m going to have a baby girl. Bradley made me breakfast in bed. Not only is he going to spoil me, he’s going to make me fat. He must think I’m giving birth to a small horse.”
She giggled.
“Okay, he’s gone to work,” she said, “Good thing, because he doesn’t know my secret.”
Rosie and Stanley sat up in their chairs and looked at Mary.
“What secret?” Ian asked.
She giggled. “He’s been so worried about me and the baby, he forgot his birthday was next week,” she whispered. “I’m having Harvey Wasserman help me put together a man cave for him down in the basement. Harvey knows everything about computers there is to know and he is building a computer just for Bradley. Bradley’s going to be so surprised.”
“When does Harvey come by?” Ian asked.
“After Mercedes, his wife, goes to the gym,” she said. “Mercedes can’t keep a secret.”
“So, Bradley just left,” Ian said. “Let’s go back there.”
“Okay, he kissed me good-bye,” she sighed. “It was a really good kiss…
Mary stood at the bottom of the stairs. She looked around and realized she was in Bradley’s house. Bradley was on the stairs, adjusting his tie as he carelessly jogged down. He kissed her on the cheek as he passed, then walked over to the mirror on the wall to check his tie. She walked up behind him and nearly choked when she saw Jeannine standing where she should be. She was inside Jeannine, living her memories. How the hell did that happen?
Bradley moved past her and opened the closet by the door. She watched him unlock the small safe against the wall and retrieve his gun. He checked the safety, placed the gun in his holster and closed the closet door.
“Now, you remember what you promised,” he said, walking back to her.
“No heavy lifting, no heavy cleaning and no heavy breathing,” she said with a grin
He pulled her into his arms. “I’ll give you heavy breathing,” he whispered just before he crushed her lips with his.
Her already hyper-active hormones soared into high gear. She wrapped her arms around him and held as tightly as she could. “Let’s go back upstairs, darling,” she whispered against his mouth. “You can be a little late.”
Okay, this could get a little awkward.
He put his hands on her shoulders and eased her away. “Do you want me to lose my job?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, because then you could stay home and be my sex slave.”
His deep laugh did nothing to ease her desire. “There is nothing I would want more than to stay home with you, Jeannine,” he said. “But I’ve got to go and make the world a safer place for mankind.”
Mary pouted for a moment, but he kissed her again and patted her on the bottom. “Stay out of trouble.”
“I will,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She watched him pull his car out of the driveway. He waved to her as he drove down the street.
“Okay, Jeannine, what happened next?’ Ian asked.
She paused for a moment. “Oh, I realized it was trash day,” she said. “So I went out to the garage and started to pull the garbage can out to the curb.”
“Started to pull?” Ian asked. “Did something stop you?”
“Yes,” she said. “Mr. Turner, our neighbor stopped me. He grabbed hold of both of my hands and pulled them off the garbage can.”
“What did he do next?”
“He told me Bradley warned him that I might try to do some heavy lifting and he promised Bradley he would watch out for me,” she said. “I explained that rolling a wheeled trash can from the garage to the curb really did not constitute heavy lifting. But, he wouldn’t let me do it. He just pulled it down the driveway himself.”
Mary watched the middle-aged man with the thinning comb-over and slight muffin-top wheel the garbage can to the curb. He pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and patted his top lip and forehead. “A little warm out here today, isn’t it?” he called.
Mary smiled and nodded. “Yes, it is,” she said. “I hope it cools off.”
He walked back up the driveway and stood in front of her.
“Yes siree, sure is hot out here. A man could sure work up a thirst.”
Mary smiled. “Would you like to come in for some fresh lemonade, Mr. Turner,” she asked.
“Now how many times have I asked you to call me Bob?” he said.
She smiled at him. “Bob, would you like a glass of lemonade?”
“That would be a fine treat.”
They walked into the house and Mary led the way to the kitchen. “I made some cookies yesterday,” she said, as she poured him a tall glass of lemonade. “I know it’s early, but they are oatmeal raisin, so they’re like a breakfast food.”
“Well, can’t see that a couple of cookies would hurt,” he said as he sucked in his abdomen. “Sweets don’t faze this body. Built rock solid. It’s the genes.”
“You are so lucky,” she replied, biting back a smile.
She turned and took another glass out of the cupboard in order to take a moment and school her features. Pouring herself a glass of lemonade gave her another few moments to gain her composure.
When she turned, she was surprised to find Bob right behind her. She jumped back, but found herself pressed against the counter. “Can I help you?” she asked.
Bob stepped back and blushed. “I was just taking another couple of cookies,” he said. “I wanted to get them before you turned around.”
She smiled, but moved away so there was plenty of space between them. “I have plenty. Would you like me to put a dozen in a plastic bag for you?”
Bob nodded and smiled. “That would be great.”
“How long did your neighbor stay?” Ian asked.
“Just a few minutes and then he left, with a dozen cookies in a bag, and a half dozen more in his hands,” she laughed. “He is such an odd man.”
“Odd in what way?” Ian asked.
She shrugged. “Well, he keeps to himself. Never has anyone over to visit. He even works from his home. No one knows what he does. He’s just odd.”
“But he came into your house,” Ian reminded her.
She nodded. “Yeah, he comes over quite a bit,” she said. “I think he’s just lonely.”
“Okay, Jeannine, what happens next?”
“Bob left and Harvey brought some more boxes over and put them in the basement,” she said and giggled. “Poor Bradley, every time he heads toward the basement door I pretend I get a cramp and he rushes over to take care of me. He hasn’t been down there in weeks.”
“What other things do you keep down there?” he asked.
“You know, house control stuff,” she replied. “The fuse box, the water heater, the furnace, the alarm system controls, the vacuum cleaning system…”
“The alarm system controls?” Ian asked. “Do you use your alarm system?”
She shook her head. “Yeah, the house is armed pretty much all the time,” she said. “I think being a police officer makes you paranoid. I have to press a code every time I want to open a door.”