Impotent Death: A Paranormal Mystery

Chapter Three

     I woke up to find myself lying sideways on Ruth's bed with the lower half of my legs hanging off the edge. Ruth's small hand was gripping my shoulder and her pale face was right in front of mine.
     "Makayla? Are you okay?" she asked nervously.
     "What happened?" I tried to sit up, but Ruth forced me to stay down.
     "You fainted. I think it was shock," she said briefly.
     "Oh." That was a little embarrassing. "But what was I so shocked about...?" My memory was fuzzy after having just passed out.
     "Uh..." Ruth hesitated. "You fell down right after I told you Kevin Lee Raymond was innocent."
     "Oh, no! That's what it was! No, no, no, no!" I groaned and tried to sit up again, but Ruth pushed me back into the bed.
     "Calm down. Why are you so upset about it?" she asked. "It doesn't surprise me at all. Kevin is super nice, I can't imagine him killing anyone. He told me he was framed. The night of the murder he woke up after being drunk and found Robyn—"
     "Ruth! Can you stop with all this for a minute? A ghost did not come to you and tell you Kevin Lee Raymond is innocent of murder! That's impossible! So, please, drop it!"
     "Just listen!" she pleaded. "We need to help him. He can't move on until he finds a way to expose the person who actually killed—"
     "'Move on'? What in the world are you talking about?" I demanded loudly.
"Makayla, try to be a little quieter," she said with a glance at the door. "Mom and dad will hear. And you just fainted, so maybe try to act a little calmer so it doesn't happen again."
I was about to protest, but the tranquility in my sister's voice somehow calmed me. I was able to get my thoughts in order.
"What do you mean he can't 'move on'?" I repeated softly.
She grimaced. "I actually can't remember what exactly he meant by it... it was kind of confusing. Kevin, can you explain it again? Oh, okay. That's a good idea. He wants me to repeat it word for word to you."
"Um... okay."
Ruth finally let me sit up against the pillows in her bed so I could more comfortably listen to her.
She watched the same corner of the room and talked for a whole minute, pausing in between phrases to listen. "First of all, it's so good to meet you, Makayla. You seem like an incredibly clever young woman. I'm very thankful for your sister. She possesses a rare gift. I've never met someone who can see spirits on a regular basis like she can. If not for her amazing ability, I would have no chance at proving my innocence.
Makayla, what I'm about to tell you is important, so listen closely. When someone dies, their spirit parts with their body and goes into what is known as the spirit world. If the person the spirit belongs to has lived a good life, they will move upward into heaven. If not, they stay trapped between the mortal world, where you currently are, and the realm of heaven. Because I was convicted of murder, I can't progress into heaven yet. I need your help, along with your sister's, to prove me innocent of a crime I never committed." Ruth went silent for few moments before asking, "Is that it? Okay. See, Makayla? How could I come up with all of that by myself? Kevin was talking to you through me. That was really smart, Kevin. So, Makayla, don't you want to help him?"
I felt like I was being left out of a conversation. Ruth seemed to be talking to two people while I was only talking with her. This was by far the weirdest thing I'd ever experienced.
Though for some reason, after hearing Ruth tell me what Raymond wanted me to hear... I wasn't as scared as I was before. It was like he actually spoke with me through her. The way he spoke was distinctly different from Ruth's way of speaking. I could tell.
     "So, will you help him?" she asked. Her soft blue eyes begged me to say yes.
     I bit my lower lip. "Look, I don't know, Ruth. This is all so crazy. And even though I guess I actually do believe you—for real this time—I just don't know if we should. It would be really hard... I don't even know where to start."
     Ruth was quite before saying, "Kevin told me that we need to start by learning as much about the murder as possible. That shouldn't be too hard, our dad's writing a book about it."
     "That's true," I said with a laugh.
     "So we're doing it, then? Me and you?" she asked hopefully.
     "Well... I have a lot of homework. And I still need to unpack," I said in a rush, getting up from the bed. I knew I was making pathetic excuses, but I couldn't commit to this. I just couldn't.
I turned to leave, when Ruth spoke again.
     "Please. I never ask you for anything. Please do this one thing for me this one time." I had never heard her sound so desperate.
"I..." I sighed heavily. "Fine. But don't get your hopes up. This won't be easy."
"I know we can do it," Ruth said confidently. "For Kevin."
Ruth may be doing it for the ghost, but not me. I was doing it for her.
     And I guess those kids at school were right; there really were ghosts haunting this house.