Red Ribbons on Her Wrists

Another confrontation

Smith: So did you confront her brother?

Young: You look uncomfortable, are you alright?

Smith: I'm fine, just please answer the question.

Young: Ever the professional, I'll answer yours, if and only if you answer mine first. Honestly.

Smith: Ok to be honest, I am bit uncomfortable. I'm sitting across from a man who thinks he's in a relationship with a ghost. Part of me wants to run from this place and never come back, but the journalist in me.... Well she wants to know the end. She wants to see your proof of ghosts and to know what happened to Thalia James. I look out the window at the beautiful spring day beyond and silently curse myself for wanting fresh meat instead of grocery store prepackaged. That's how I met him, it was almost as if he was waiting for me. But here I am and I'm determined to hear this morbidly insane story to the end. There I answered truthfully, your turn.

Young: I'm sorry I make you feel uncomfortable, I really am. He looks up at me apologetically and I believe he really is sorry. After sighing and running his hand through that unbelievably gorgeous hair he continues. I did indeed confront Abe, it was... Not pleasant, but it brought more clarity then I could have hoped for. I spent the next few days with Thalia, getting to know her better yet dancing around the subject of her brother. I knew I needed more information about him and since she hadn't left the shop in ten years I thought she was sure to have seen or heard something that would help me to find him. I think it was three days after the conversation I finally worked up the courage to ask her. I was playing Bach while she stared listlessly out the window, a nonexistent breeze tousling her long spirals. In that moment she looked more like an angel then a ghost and I sighed knowing I had to ask, I had to interrupt our peace with striking ugliness.

L.Y. Thalia, do you know what happened to your brother? I knew I could have researched him but it almost felt like an invasion of something very private. I felt I needed her permission to go on. I know you don't want to talk about it, I don't blame you but he's our best possibility of finding out what happened to you. Anything could be helpful, where he works, if he moved away. Anything. I implored her when she stayed silent and continued to stare straight ahead.
T.J. He still here. He works for a landscaping company, but I don't know where he lives.
L.Y. Ok that helps do you know what the business is called? She looked down at her hands and shrugged. That's alright I think I could figure it out, do you care if I try? She shook her head and then looked back out the window. So I got up from the piano bench and approached her cautiously. Sometimes she could still get violent, the outburst wouldn't last long but it was scary when it happened. The lights would flicker, the temperature would drop what felt like twenty degrees and I'd usually end up with some nasty scratches or welts. I gently put my hand on hers and she looked down at them as I intertwined my fingers with hers.
T.J. This will never be enough for you, will it? I knew she wanted to just live like we were but I think even If I wanted it to be different, it just wasn't. I would never be happy until I knew what happened, I would never be able to let go of it, and it would keep us from being together. I also knew this relationship would be hard in general, how do you introduce your new girlfriend to your parents who is an invisible ghost. I couldn't tell her father how much I loved his daughter because he would surely think I was insane. Honestly though I felt I could handle being in the secret relationship if I could figure out what happened. It would make it ok. Stop it, I know what your thinking. She brought her hand up and lightly traced my lower lip. Go ahead see if you can figure out what happened. I'll be ok. I kissed her fingertip and then her lips. Then I went to find out what I could about Abraham James.

Smith: How did you feel knowing that your obsession was starting to hurt your relationship? That your discoveries when bringing up painful memories for Thalia? Did you care or were just one tracked minded?

Young: I don't think I realized how bad all it was effecting her, I'm sure subconsciously I knew I was hurting her but, I couldn't care.. No that's wrong I did care, I just couldn't stop. I found her brother through a simple google search and I tailed him for three weeks. He hadn't gotten married, he looked nothing like the golden boy Thalia had described to me. He was losing his hair and had gotten very fat despite having a very active job. He ate out more then he ate in, he would spend his whole evening in his small living room watching tv. He went to bed around eleven and woke up around six. I knew every in and out of his day but with him I had to be careful, I had to be smart. So I visited my father, swiped his old police ID and then photoshopped my picture over his. I gave myself a pep talk as I sat out in front of his house, just ask what you need to know and leave if he grows to aggravated. I knocked on his door a couple minutes later. He answered with no shirt on his pants sagging from their awkward belted angle under his gut.

L.Y. Hello Mr. James? He nodded suspiciously and gave me a once over, I had thought I looked hilarious in my suit I wore for weddings and funerals with my normally crazy hair slicked back but Thalia thought it was passable, even handsome she added. I'm a private investigator and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering some questions about the day your sister went missing.
A.J. She's dead isn't she? He a asked concerned, it was a look i didn't expect from him.
L.Y. No well were not sure no body has ever been found, I'm just working the case and my last interview said he saw you with her on that day and I was wondering if you can tell me what you know. Abe stood back to let me into his home, beer cans littered the place and the smell was horrible. Body odor, mold and spilled bear.
A.J. Yeah come on in, I'll tell you what I know. Sorry about the mess by the way, I've never been right since she disappeared.