The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) Read online

  “How sure are you about that?”

  “I’m positive. I’ve got degrees in Physical Therapy and Sport Medicine,” she told him. “If he was faking, it was damn convincing.”

  “What time did you arrive at his place?”

  “About 2:30 in the afternoon,” Julie told him. “I headed over as soon as Ronnie called me. He couldn’t have been alone for more than half an hour.”

  “And did you leave him alone at any time?”

  “Yeah, I came here to tell my story about being nearly run down by those kids. Then I spent an hour or two talking to the sketch artist.”

  “Paul Chase was killed during that time over at the Impound Yard,” Ronnie sighed.

  Cassie put a hand on Julie’s and smiled reassuringly. Then she turned to Chief Peterson and said confidently, “Alex was with me on the terrace when I spotted the girl down at the bridge. And I watched him head down there.”

  “For how long?”

  “I waited until he reached the girl and helped her out of the stream,” Cassie answered. “What about her? She can probably tell you what happened afterwards and how long they were together.”

  “We’re working on that,” Roy told her. “Unfortunately, Alex never got her name which is making her hard to locate.”

  “Check with my Uncle Jason,” Julie suggested. “He knows all the teenagers who hang out around there. Hell, you should ask him if he saw Alex.”

  “Good idea,” Roy made a note of that and stood up. “Well, that’s all I have for now.”

  “Were we of any help?” asked Julie.

  “Some,” Roy answered, “You did give us some leads to pursue.”

  Sighing Julie stood up, “Well, if you found any of Alex’s fingerprints on the doors leading into the morgue, keep in mind he was there with Ronnie the day those kids died. Apparently he set off an alarm when he pushed on the doors to go inside.”

  Peterson suddenly turned to Veronica and asked, “Is this true?”

  Ronnie nodded, “Yes, he insisted on coming with me after seeing how upset I was about what had happened. Only the alarm had nothing to do with him pushing on the doors. That just turned out to be a coincidence. But we were close enough to the alarm itself, the sound made him collapse. See he was coming down with something and it had already gotten into his inner ear, according to Doctor Wells who checked him out there on the spot. After that I took Alex home and asked Julie to come and keep an eye on him, while I went back to the scene of the crash. You already know the rest.”

  Julie watched as the chief’s face suddenly relaxed and sighed, “Well, that clears up that piece of confusion.” Then he turned back to her and said, “I was wondering why we only found his prints on the outside of the door and nowhere else.”

  Behind him, Julie saw a look of relief on Veronica’s face.

  “Thank you,” Peterson continued and stood up, “Now if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to talk with second-in-command about the investigation. If either of you remember anything else, you can call either one of us.”

  “We will,” Julie assured him and led Cassandra out of the room and back the way they’d come.

  “It sounds like Veronica’s back on the case,” she smiled once they were well out of earshot.

  “Yeah, I was glad to hear that,” Cassie nodded eagerly and then said, “Are you free this afternoon? If not, I can drop you back off at your place.”

  Julie eyed the girl curiously, “What did you have in mind?”

  “I was hoping you could introduce me to your Uncle Jason,” Cassie replied innocently. “Since I’m buying the Graham place I’d like to meet the man who’ll be taking care of the grounds.”

  Julie smiled. She was really starting to like this girl. “And I was just about to ask if you could drop me off over at his place so I could visit with him. Let’s go.”

  Veronica stared at Wells’ notes as she listened to the message he had left on Roy’s phone. It sounded incredible. But, if any of it was true, this would explain what happened to Alex both at the Morgue and at the bridge last night.

  “Okay, Rookie, what are your thoughts on all of this?” asked her boss, watching her from across his desk.

  “If human tissue is affected by this ‘mystery mineral’, that could explain the confusion in the time of death for those two kids. But, causing hallucinations? I don’t know. I was standing right next to Alex the first time he collapsed, and I wasn’t affected. Neither was Wells or his assistant as far as I could tell.”

  Leaning back in his chair Roy said, “I have a theory about that. What if some people are more prone to these vapors? Like some people are more sensitive to chemical cleaners than others.”

  Veronica thought about this. It made a sense in a way. Alex might be one of those who were more sensitive. Or did his psychic talents leave him more vulnerable to the vapors effects?

  ‘He says he has psychic abilities. Where’s the proof?’ part of her brain pointed out. Having a copper’s mind could be annoying at times. And she quickly dismissed the thought. Alex knew her in ways no one ever had before. And he had let her experience what he felt for her. There was no question that he was gifted.

  Picking up the report once more she said, “If he’d been resistant to the fumes, then what happened last night? He sounded terrified.”

  “The prolonged exposure finally got to him?”

  “Have we heard anything from the lab?”

  Roy ran a hand through his graying hair. “Only that they’re still running tests.

  Apparently, no one’s ever seen anything like it before. But they did tell me one thing. The fact that its concentration in the water is so high, leads them to believe it’s been in the stream for some time.”

  Veronica’s eyes narrowed, so this was why he wanted to talk to her alone. Carefully she spoke, “You mean it would have been in the water when Rachel disappeared from the mansion sixteen years ago?”

  He nodded.

  Keeping her emotions in check, Ronnie asked, “Those human tissue samples that were found, do we have any idea how old they are? Or who they might belong to?”

  “No,” Roy got up and walked over to her chair. “There’s not enough to make a formal identification yet. And as Wells mentioned in his report, we might have a mass grave on our hands.”

  She stood up, “We’d better talk to Jason Cloudfoot and let him know about this. I’m guessing the fumes must be focused around the stream itself, otherwise he probably would’ve seen or experienced something by now.”

  “Or prolonged exposure made him immune,” Roy pointed out. “In either case, I’ll tell him when I see him this afternoon. I’m sure he’ll help keep the kids away. God only knows how many of them saw things and thought they were having a bad drug trip.”

  “Good,” Veronica nodded, “Anything else?”

  Roy paused and looked at her for a moment. She could see the worry in his eyes as he said, “Ronnie, I know you’re hoping that we’ll find her but…”

  “Unless we find her corpse, I’m going to keep believing Rachel’s still out there somewhere,” she told him stiffly.

  After a moment he nodded and said, “Fair enough.”

  Feeling a little awkward, Veronica decided to change the subject. “What about the manor itself? Should we keep it off-limits for the time being?”

  Roy shook his head, “Alex was doing all right inside the building. And Miss Elliott wants him to help her plan some renovations, so I think that area is safe. But, let’s keep it to just those two and our people for the moment. And tell them if they’re going to visit the place, to inform you or someone here at the station first.”

  Ronnie agreed whole-heartedly and left. As she headed down the hallway, she began to wonder once more if her long standing practice of keeping Alex out of investigations was a good idea or not.

  Upon reaching her office, she settled in behind her desk inside and pulled out the sketch of the girl Julie had seen. The image looked very much like Rachel. If
it was her, then where had she been all this time? And if it wasn’t, what happened? Could she have been another victim of those strange fumes and fallen into the water?

  “No,” she murmured, “Please God let her still be alive. I have to know what happened to ‘our’ baby.”

  Half an hour later, Cassie found herself in the middle of the most amazing collection of Native American artifacts she’d ever seen. It was even more impressive than the one she’d seen at Julie’s home. And to make things even better, she was sipping a cup of delicious homemade tea while listening to a tale of Seneca lore.

  “A young brave had been out hunting all day, but the light was fading so he found a clearing and settled down to rest,” rumbled the storyteller’s voice.

  She had been in awe of Jason Cloudfoot from the moment they were introduced. Tall and commanding, the man had an air of peace and spirituality with his surroundings that commanded respect and attentiveness. So she was all ears as he continued the story.

  “During the night, he was awoken by chanting and music unlike anything he’d ever heard before. He went to investigate and spotted a group of people wearing animal skins dancing and chanting around a large fire. He watched and listened for a while, then went back to his own camp and fell asleep once more. But a short time later he awoke again to find the animal-skinned people standing over him. They told him that they knew he’d witnessed their ceremonies and for that he should be killed. So they took him back to their camp. But instead of killing him, they spent the rest of the night teaching him their dances and chants, as well as the many uses of certain plants. When morning came and when the sun began to rise, the young brave witnessed an incredible sight. The people he had spent the night with slowly turned into the animals whose skins they wore. For you see, they were not humans, but the spirits of the woods. And they had taught him their magic and the ways of the Great Spirit. With his newfound knowledge, he went back to his people and became the first Shaman,” he finished with a smile.

  “Oh, that was great,” exclaimed Cassandra.

  “He knows a bunch more,” Julie told her.

  “Which I taught you, child,” her uncle pointed out. “You were always a good listener, better than my sons.”

  Cassie looked around at the headdresses, clothing, tools, that surrounded them. “Didn’t they want to learn about all of this?” she asked.

  Jason nodded, “Oh, they did, but the attractions of the modern world were much greater. But, don’t worry they know their duty. When I retire, they will take over and care for the grounds.”

  “Especially since you’ll be right here to make sure they do a good job,” Cassie smiled. “You see, a little bird told me this place has been in your family for generations and I want to see it stay that way. So as soon as I finish buying the estate, I want to put the title for this house and the land it’s on in your name. You’re family has cared for this land and the estate for so long, I figured it was time someone showed their appreciation.”

  Jason looked questioningly at his niece who held up her hands and said, “Hey, all I asked was for her to let you stay on. I had no idea she had all this planned.”

  Then Julie turned to her and added, “But I’m really grateful for it.”

  “As am I,” agreed her uncle. “Thank you, Miss Elliott.”

  “You’re welcome, and please call me Cassandra or Cassie? I’m not into the formal stuff really,” she explained.

  “Nor am I, so please call me Jason.”

  “I will,” she nodded.

  Just then an object fell off the wall and clattered noisily to the floor.

  “The Atlatl again,” Jason sighed and got up. “I really have to secure it to the wall better.”

  “An Atlatl?” Cassie frowned as he picked up the weapon. It had a sharp stone head atop a long wooden pole. “It looks like a spear.”

  “It is a dart, but you don’t just throw this one by hand. You need the other half to launch it,” Jason smiled and pulled an odd looking wooden staff off the wall. It was long and slender, with a small cup at one end. He proceeded to insert the end of the ‘dart’ into it and held them up. “You see, it extends the wielder’s throwing arm allowing them to give it more force and distance. Would you like to see it in use? My niece is an expert.”

  “I’d love it,” Cassie told him, while Julie hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. But eventually she agreed.

  Out behind the cottage Jason set up a wooden target, while Julie prepared her weapon and took her stance. Her face became a mask of concentration as she raised the weapon and held it as she became even more focused.

  Cassandra found the sight breathtaking.

  A moment later, the ‘dart’ flew through the air and hit the center of the target, smashing it in two.

  “Oops,” Julie murmured, and turned to her uncle and Cassie. “I think I got carried away.”

  “Don’t worry about it, it’s nice to see you haven’t forgotten your training,” he said proudly. “Do you remember your herbs and medicines as well?”

  The black-haired girl nodded as she walked over to them.

  “Good. Let’s go back inside and I’ll answer your questions regarding your friend Alex,” their host told them and went back into the house.

  Julie was about to follow, when Cassandra stopped her. “Did you tell him we were here to ask about Alex?”

  “No, I thought you did.”

  Cassie shook her head and thought aloud, “Herbs, medicines, lore... is he a shaman?”

  I am.

  Both girls turned to face the doorway but no one was there.

  distant thunder

  It was about 4 o’clock according to the clock on Veronica’s desk, when Roy popped his head into her office. “I’m heading out to Jason’s place. You want to come?”

  “Sure I’ve got nothing else on my…” she began when a sound like an explosion cut her off.

  “What the hell was that?” demanded Roy, looking around.

  “Thunderclap?” suggested Ronnie, who looked out the window. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

  At the same time, Alex lay asleep on the couch at home. In the dream he found himself standing in a strange corridor he had never seen before. Yet it felt familiar. As if he had been to this place before, but not this area of the building. There were only four doors, two on each side of the hallway, and no windows. But this was all wrong. There were no stairways or corridors branching off from the hallway. So how did he get here? As he stood wondering, a rumbling like the coming of thunder reached his ears. A moment later there was an even louder sound, like a volcano erupting, that shook the building and he woke up.

  Upon seeing his surroundings he relaxed and murmured, “It was just a dream.” But the sound of that thundering crash was still echoing in his ears.

  The limousine carrying Cassandra and Julie pulled over to the side of the road.

  Casey turned to his passengers and asked, “Is everyone all right?”

  “We’re okay,” replied his employer.

  “Did we hit something?” asked Julie.

  “No, but there was a sound like a thunderclap, or possibly a sonic boom,” the driver replied. “I’m going to check the vehicle out before we move on.”

  Julie got out and joined him, leaving Cassandra in the backseat alone.

  Their visit with Jason had been enjoyable, but not as profitable as she’d hoped. He hadn’t been able to tell them much about what he’d seen the night before…

  Cassandra suddenly realized she was no longer alone. Turning to the seat Julie had just vacated, she saw a young man wearing clothes right out of a Jane Austen novel. “Brandon? What is it?” she asked him.

  He did not reply. Instead he gave her a worried look and then vanished before her eyes. “Oh dear,” she murmured. Something terrible had just happened.

  After checking around the house to make sure everything was all right, Alex wandered back into the living room and over to where his laptop awaited. Check
ing his e-mail’s he found a message from his Dad, back on Long Island, telling him about a recent fishing trip to Wantagh Park with his grandson.

  “Wow, that brings back some memories,” he sighed.

  Wantagh Park with its towering rocket, enormous playground and cement maze had been a favorite spot for him and his sister. There had been metal mushrooms to climb on or ones with the top upside down that you could sit or lie in. But the best thing about the ones with the upside down tops was that they could spin. He and Sharon had spent many a dizzy afternoon on those.

  Beyond the playground lay the docks and the pier, where his father loved to fish. Alex remembered the little fishing line he had used and how he hated baiting the hook. His mother good-naturedly took care of it for him, even though she hated the bloody things herself. But, every time he’d try to lower the line into the water, one of the seagulls would steal his bait right off the hook. Eventually, he’d give up and would join his mother in long walks along the edge of the water.

  The path they took led past a stretch of shore where a vast number of broken stonework lay. These stones fascinated him and he loved climbing over them. Some had writing while others were bare. There were even some pieces of roman-style columns. Where had they come from? Could they belong to a lost settlement of Greeks or Romans who had somehow made it across the Atlantic Ocean to Long Island? He later found out that they were the broken rejects of a company that worked in polished granite and other stones. They had been meant for various building projects but had been damaged at some point and were recycled by being placed on the shore to help prevent erosion.

  Before he could reply, another one e-mail appeared which made his heart sink. It was from the Mathesons. “Bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath. “First my powers start kicking into high gear and now this.”

  He sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. Dr. Matheson, and his wife Marianne, had mentored him in the use of his talents when he was only ten years old. His older cousin Rick, who had been a student of theirs in college, had brought him to their attention. They quickly became his dearest friends, as well as his mentors. And it had been the two of them, with a team of others, who pulled him and the other survivors out of Harlequin House. Unfortunately, they had also been the ones who sent the team there in the first place. It hadn’t been the first paranormal investigation he’d been on, but it wound up being the last.