Binding Ties (Book 3 - Katie Prentice, Ghost Interpreter)

Chapter Seven

Katie

Neil had thought it was an excellent idea for us to consult with the Detroit Police Department, and he told Griff that the time we spent in Michigan wouldn't count as holiday time for him. It would count as regular police time. Griff and I decided that we were glad that the Academy didn't start until the beginning of August. After consulting with the Detroit Police Department, we would still have time to take a few days in Montreal for our honeymoon.

But it was Neil's willingness to provide some interdepartmental consulting that saw me at nine o'clock the next day sitting in the suite's living room facing twenty different homicide detectives. "I have to admit", I said, looking around the room, "that I've never done this before. I have, of course, talked to ghosts and done readings. But I've never done this one after the other. For those of you who don't know how this process works, I'll hold an item from the evidence locker and, when I do, I'll see the person's death. I'll be able to tell you how the death occurred and, if the victim saw the person killing them, I'll be able to tell you the physical description of the murderer. In short, I experience it from the eyes of the deceased. I'll take you in turn, letting you decide what order you want to go in. But I'll consult with you in the washroom, as I have found in the past that consultations like this often results in me tossing my cookies. Griff, can you stay with me? You have been there in the past when I have done this, and you better know what I need to look after myself."

"Absolutely, sunshine", he said.

I turned back to the group. "I need you to all write your name down on a list as you come into the bathroom for your consultation, at the same time as writing down the victim's name. I don't want to know the victim's name myself, nor do I want to know any details of the murder. I will tell you what I find, and you can decide if it fits the scenario." I looked around the room. "Who's first?" I said. I stood and walked into the ensuite, followed by Griff and an officer who introduced herself as Melanie. She carried an evidence bag with her.

When we got into the washroom, I sat on the edge of the tub. I held out my hand for the contents of the evidence bag. "Let's do this thing", I said.

Melanie put a stuffed bear into my hand. I was instantly swept to a little girl's room. She was hiding in the closet. She could hear the doors being thrown open, cupboards being rifled through. Then she heard a shot. She jumped and stuck her thumb in her mouth. The men were getting closer. She knew there were at least two of them. She could hear them talk to each other in another language. 'Ubey', and something else. The little girl didn't understand. The men went into her parents' room, and she heard another shot. There was a silence for a time. The men were still searching. They went into her brother's room, and there was another shot. Tears of terror were flowing down her cheeks, and she sat very still. She wet her pants, and she thought her mother would be mad at her. She was too old to be peeing herself. The men came into her room, and she shrank back into the wall of the closet. But the pee was spreading, and the men laughed when they threw open the door and saw her cowering inside. She looked up at the men, and one of the men lifted his gun and shot her. As pain crashed down over me, the little girl closed her eyes. The men laughed again, said 'ubey' again and some other words. I couldn't make them out.

I floated to the surface, thrust the bear away from me, turned and threw up in the toilet. Griff got me a glass of water and I swished my mouth out, and spat the water into the toilet and flushed.

I reached for my sketchpad and my charcoals. I told Melanie what had happened as I quickly sketched a rough drawing of the man who killed the little girl. I printed 'ubey' at the top of the paper, and handed the drawing to her. "Does the man look familiar?" asked Griff.