Impotent Death: A Paranormal Mystery

Chapter Twelve

School was on Thursday was every bit as unpleasant as it was on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was now known as "the crazy girl", and everyone besides Liam I came across either laughed at me or said something rude to my face. My new motivation for solving the murder quickly changed from making my sister happy to proving everyone at school was an idiot for not trusting me. Especially Hannah.
     The only kind of interaction Hannah and I had had at school the past few days was glaring at each other. Things had already been awkward enough between us before she'd decided to make my life miserable, so why did she want to make it worse? I really don't understand people sometimes.
     It rained again today when I walked home from school. As I splashed through the puddles of water on the sidewalk, I thought more about the picture of Benjamin and his wife. I needed to look at it again...
     When I got about five houses from my house, I suddenly got an eerie feeling that someone was watching me. I turned around to find... someone watching me. And it seemed they'd also been following me.
     It was a figure dressed in dark jeans and a black sweatshirt. They had a hood on and the lower half of their face was covered by a bandanna, but I assumed it was a man. He was about thirty feet away from me.
     I considered running for my house, but then I thought; could it hurt to talk to him?
     "What do you want?" I shouted at him through the rain. My voice sounded weak and shaky, but I didn't care.
     The man shouted back instantly: "Girl, you need to be careful. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Stop now while you're ahead." With that he turned around and ran in the opposite direction away from me.
     I watched him run and felt a shiver go up my spine. Who was that? What had he meant? I didn't know what I was getting myself into? Yes, I did. There was nothing dangerous about what I was doing.
     The rest of my walk home I was so on edge. I hugged myself tightly, peering over my shoulder frequently, and nearly screamed when a bird flew out of a tree. I didn't understand what that man had been trying to tell me. Why did he think this was dangerous? It's not like Robyn's killer was still alive... he couldn't be.
Just forget about it, I told myself. But that was pretty hard to do; up ahead by one of the front windows of the Raymond Mansion were a pair of men in blue shirts. They had a ladder, and it looked like they were repairing a broken window. 
     I rushed inside without bothering to wipe my wet Vans off on the welcome rug and asked my dad what happened.
     "It looks like someone accidentally hit a baseball through the window," he said, showing me the dirty wet baseball he'd found. "Kind of strange though... who would be playing baseball out in the rain?"
     I looked at the broken glass on the kitchen floor and shuddered. "Maybe it was something else."
     "What do you mean?"
     "I—I don't know." I shook my head and walked upstairs.
     I entered Ruth's bedroom and found her sitting on the edge of her bed. Her bright blue eyes lit up when she saw me, and she stood up.
     "Did you see the broken window?" she asked.
     "How could I miss it? What the heck happened?" I asked her anxiously as I started wringing out my wet hair on her carpet.
      "It wasn't a baseball, that I know." Ruth opened the bottom drawer to her dresser and pulled out a rock the size of a fist. A note was attached to it with a rubber band.
     "Oh my gosh," I said in disbelief. My heart beat quickened as I took the rock with the note from her and read what was written on the soggy paper: "You better stop now while you're ahead."
     "Oh my gosh," I whispered again. "Someone just told me that."
     "Told you what's on the note? Who?" Ruth asked me.
     I shook my head. "I don't know who. It was a man. He was dressed in dark clothes and had his face covered... Ruth, someone out there wants to protect the killer. Someone knows that Kevin isn't guilty, but they don't want anyone else to know it."
     "That's scary," Ruth said quietly, and I nodded my agreement.
     "Did you put a baseball on the ground so dad wouldn't see the note?" I asked her, and I felt sick when she nodded. "Why? Mom and dad need to know about this. It's serious. This note is a threat."
     "But if we tell them, we can't keep trying to solve the murder," Ruth argued. "And we're so close! We can't stop now. Kevin agrees, right, Kevin? He said yes."
     I sighed. "I don't know. This is serious. One of us could... get hurt. People are willing to do a lot to keep secrets, especially secrets like this."
     "How about Kevin keeps an eye out for us? He's a ghost, he could sneak around and spy on people and let us know if we're in danger."
     "Ruth, I don't think—actually, that's not a bad idea," I realized, scratching my chin. "Kevin could keep us safe. Can't he float through walls and stuff?"
     "Yep. He can also teleport," she said proudly.
     My jaw dropped. "Seriously? That's epic! I wish I could do that!"
     "So you wish you were dead?"
     "Never mind," I said quickly. "But I guess... if Kevin can float through walls and teleport, I think we're okay to continue our investigation. We just need to be extra careful."
     "Thanks, Makayla," Ruth said, and she wrapped her tiny arms around me into a huh. I hugged her back.
     "Now—it's time for me to take another look at that picture." I found the picture of Benjamin and his wife again and studied it for a few minutes.
     "Who's in that picture?" Ruth asked curiously, peering over my shoulder.
     "It's Benjamin Weller and his wife, Ann. But something about the picture is really... strange. Actually, I think I just figured out what it is: Ann looks familiar."
     Her high cheekbones and thick eyebrows... I couldn't figure out where I'd seen her face before. And unfortunately, I didn't recognize her name. I stared at the picture for a few more minutes before I realized it was almost 6:00pm. I needed to get ready for my date with Liam!
     "It's almost 6:00, I have to go!" I said, putting my phone away and jumping off of Ruth's bed.
     Ruth followed me to my room. "Where?"
     "Oh, just to eat dinner with someone." I felt myself blush.
     Ruth smiled. "Oh, are you going with that boy you like?"
     "Yes! Yes, I am! I am so excited!" I exclaimed, unable to hold back my excitement.
     "What's his name again?"
     "His name's Liam! He's on the football team, and he plays the clarinet! He also gets perfect grades in every class—and he has this gorgeous blonde hair and dreamy grey eyes—"
     "You should probably get ready to go, it's 5:55 now," Ruth informed me.
     I scrambled to get ready and just as I was putting on the last of my mascara there was a knock at the door. I rushed down and met Liam on the porch.
     His blonde hair was soggy from the rain, but it only seemed to make him more cute.
     He gave a small wave. "Hey! Ready to go?"
     "Yes! Bye, Ruth," I said to my little sister.
     "Kevin will stay with you the whole time. He'll let me know if you're ever in danger," Ruth whispered in my ear.
     "Tell him thanks for me," I told her. "And thank you."
Then I stepped outside in the rain with Liam and closed the door behind me.
     "Man, even after seeing you come out of there, I still can't believe you live in the Raymond Mansion," Liam said as we walked to his car.
     "Yeah, it's crazy," I agreed. But was it really that crazy? Someone had died there, but the killer still lived somewhere else. "That's awesome you can drive! I'm still working on getting my permit."
     "Yeah, it's pretty nice," Liam said while we climbed into his white truck together.
      I pictured Kevin climbing into the backseat and wondered if he was really back there.
"I was thinking we could go to Olive Garden to eat. Does that sound good to you?" Liam asked.
     "That sounds perfect! I love Italian food," I said, probably way too energetically.
     "All right! Olive Garden it is," Liam said. He started up the engine and we drove about fifteen minutes to the nearest Olive Garden.
     It was such a wonderful experience, driving together in the rain that was dumping from the sky. We talked about so many things, and I actually started feeling more comfortable around Liam. I stopped being so nervous whenever I said anything to him. It felt like we'd known each other for years!
     Once we sat down in the restaurant and ordered our drinks, I decided I wasn't going to hold anything back. I was going to tell Liam everything. I felt like he deserved to know. It was so hard to bring it up, but I finally did.
     "So, Liam... have you wondered why I've been saying all the stuff I've been saying?" I asked him.
     He took a sip of his Coke. "Um, what do you mean?"
     I wrung my hands. "Ya know... all the stuff about how Kevin Lee Raymond is innocent."
     "Oh. That stuff. Okay, why are you saying it?"
     I took in a deep breathe. "It's because... ah, it's gonna sound really strange. Just warning you."
     He smiled. "I can handle it. Just tell me." He even leaned forward in his chair, showing more interest.
     "My sister can see ghosts and she's been talking to Kevin Lee Raymond. He told her he's innocent and he's asking us to prove it!" I blurted out all in one breathe.
     Liam's mouth gaped open and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
     I threw my hands up in the air. "Ugh, I knew you would think I'm weird and crazy." Well, that was it. Our relationship was officially ruined. Why did I ever think it would be a good idea to tell him about the ghost?
     I was about to say something else, when Liam said, "You might be a little weird, but I don't think you're crazy. Why did you never tell me about this?"
     "I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. My sister and I have been keeping it secret for a long time. You know, it's not normal to go around saying you can communicate with ghosts and stuff."
     "You make a fair point," he admitted.
     And then our food came. I had ordered lasagna and Liam got a plate of fettuccini Alfredo. We ate for a minute until he broke the silence.
     "How close are you to solving the case? Do you have any clue who the real murderer is if it isn't Kevin Lee Raymond?" he asked between bites.
     "Right now we think it's someone named Benjamin Weller. His cousin is the woman who was murdered, Robyn Weller. He and Kevin were both hotel owners, so we think he framed Kevin in order to steal hotel business from him. But we haven't figured out why he killed Robyn," I explained, then took a large bite of my lasagna.
     "Maybe it was just because she was someone Raymond would've had motive to kill," Liam suggested. "Instead of some random person. It made framing him look more believable."
     I swallowed and said, "That's true. But I still feel like it's too big of a coincidence. Robyn was Benjamin's cousin. Maybe she had something he needed and the only way to get it was to kill her."
     "Like what?" Liam wondered as he took another sip of his Coke.
     I shook my head. "I don't know. Maybe something to do with the hotel. If that was his entire motivation for framing Kevin—which probably took a lot of work—then The Papillon Hotel must have been his pride and joy. Robyn must've had some connection to it we don't know about."
     "That's good thinking, Makayla," Liam told me, and I beamed. "I bet there is a reason Robyn was the victim."
     "Ugh, I wish I knew why!" I cried. "You have no idea how frustrating it's been to solve this murder. Only Ruth, Kevin, and I have been able to work on it. It's been hard interviewing people because they always ask why we're so worried about something that happened 80 years ago."
     "I can't even imagine," Liam said sympathetically. "I wish you had just told me from the beginning. I thought all of it was just for your essay."
     "Well, it was, actually. But I might have to change my topic if we never solve the murder."
     "Nah, don't say that! You'll solve it. I know it! If you have a ghost helping you, you're all set!" he told me.
     I smiled. "Kevin is actually here with us right now. My sister told him to come with us."
     Liam froze. "Wait—you mean Kevin Lee Raymond?" The volume of his voice dropped several notches.
     "Yep. He's here to—um, well—to protect me," I said hesitantly.
     Liam frowned. "From who? I hope not me!"
     I laughed hard. "No, of course not you! Unless you happen to be a serial killer or something..."
     We both laughed.
     "We don't really know who," I said in a serious tone again. "When I was walking home from school today, this mysterious guy gave me a warning. He told me to stop trying to solve the murder. And then a rock was thrown through one of our windows that said 'you better stop now while you're ahead'. It was so creepy."
     "That's really concerning," Liam said gravely. He took another bite of his food. "Maybe you should stop. Have you told anyone about this besides me?"
     I shook my head. "Nope. Only you, me, my sister Ruth, and Kevin know about it. I don't think I should tell my parents. They might get too worried and not let us investigate anymore."
     "But maybe you shouldn't. If someone's warning you to stop, they'll probably hurt you if you don't. And I don't want that to happen." Liam reached across the table and gently took hold of my wrist.
     My heart seemed to drop ten stories and my face felt really hot all of a sudden, but I didn't pull back. His touch was very comforting, even if it made me want to flip out.
     "Do you think the killer's family is behind the note?" Liam asked.
     I shrugged. "Who knows. But at least it means we're getting closer. And, in a way, it proves that Kevin isn't guilty. Our investigation is making someone nervous—someone's worried the truth will get out. And that makes me want to keep looking for answers."
     "Then let me help," Liam insisted. "I don't want you getting into trouble by yourself."
     "Don't worry, I'll have Kevin to protect me. And my sister Ruth—she's amazing. But of course! If you want to help, that would be great," I said sincerely, and smiled.
     Liam smiled too, but it soon disappeared. "Makayla, I just realized something; if your sister is the only one who can talk to ghosts, what if... what if something happened to her? Kevin Lee Raymond wouldn't be able to warn us because he can't talk to us."
     My heart skipped several beats. "Oh, no, you're right! We—we have to get back to her—we have to leave right now!" I said in panic. I stood up to leave, but Liam grasped my arm.
     "Wait! You really think someone just broke into your house and attacked your sister?"
     "They already threw a rock through the window, they aren't afraid to be aggressive! We have to go! Oh, man, I hope she's okay—" I pulled out my phone to call the home phone, but it was... dead. Of course.
     "Makayla! I think you're overreacting a little bit. Just... try to calm down..."
     "Can we please go? Ah, what was I thinking, leaving her alone after what happened today? I was hoping I wasn't the world's worst sister, but now I know I really am!" I cried, burying my face in my hands.
     Liam got up from his seat and wrapped his muscular arms around me. "It's okay, Makayla. We can get some boxes for the food and leave right now, if you really want to."
     "Is she okay?" I heard the waitress ask Liam.
     "Yep, she'll be alright. Can we get some boxes to go?"
     "Sure thing! I'll be back with some boxes. And can I take your card now to pay for the meal?"
     "Of course... here it is..."
     Liam paid for the food, we packed up the leftovers, and we headed out into the rain to find Liam's car. I realized my hands were shaking as I climbed into the passenger seat of the truck. I couldn't keep my thoughts straight, I was so panicked about Ruth.
She's probably fine, a voice kept saying in my head, but I couldn't close off the images flashing through my mind; a figure holding a knife above Ruth's head, preparing to strike... Ruth lying in a puddle of her own blood... Ruth's limp body hanging from the stair balcony...
     "Makayla, you look really pale... you need to take a deep breathe and calm down," Liam said to me as he started up the engine.
     "Not until I see Ruth's safe," was my only answer.
     Never had I wanted so badly to talk to Kevin. I admit, I'd been a little jealous of Ruth's ability to communicate with spirits, but now I was more envious than ever. I kept muttering, "Kevin... Kevin... please talk to me and tell me Ruth's okay..." I hope Liam didn't hear me because I probably sounded like I was going insane. But, in reality, I kind of was.
     "Makayla... it's okay... everything will be okay..." Liam kept saying... until it suddenly hit me.
What if Ruth wasn't the one in danger tonight? What if... I was?