ANGELS AND GHOSTS

The Compulsive Obsessive and The Spirit

No riding on the bike this morning, and even though it was a perfect morning to strip off, jump on the bike and pump out a solid fifteen miles; it wasn’t a perfect morning, because the morning was simply the morning after. The morning after it all came crashing down … although not all of it crashed down, just a few parts, the most significant parts. Mia imagined speaking to herself; I’m in love … Gosh, that’s exciting!

-Ummm, I’m in love with a girl … Errr, that’s okay isn’t it; it’s 2015.

-Well, she says that we don’t have a future … Ummm, ummm, you want me to wipe the benches?

-And, and the girl I’m in love with, she, she kills people … Jiminy Cricket, look at the time; I better go and see my neurologist!

Mia gazed at the kitchen clock; 9.16 am. 9.16 am on the twenty-third of June, 2015.

Was this moment in time now the most significant moment in her life?

She didn’t know what time it was the previous night when Rachael had revealed her startling news; it didn’t matter though, because that moment had been the second worst moment of her life, and she didn’t feel compelled to put the worst moments of her life in her personal diary, because the diary was supposed to be about the nice things. Mia pulled out the diary and flicked to the days, knowing exactly where each day was.

March fourteen; this is the morning after the best day of my life!

“Hmmm,” Mia frowned, “The first time we got physically involved.”

March twenty-first; last night was the best night of my life!

“Gosh, the restaurant night without panties.”

More declarations followed… No, seriously, this is the best day of my life! All of the declarations having the common theme, one person involved in all of them. Doing the Can-Can naked was exhausting, because it was such a physical dance; but while you gasped for breath and spluttered out laughs, it also brought you to life, because you were being who you weren’t, you were kicking down the barriers that had shackled you throughout your entire life, and the girl, that girl … Mia bowed her face as she imagined another little duckling going down … Ping! Maybe, just maybe, July the nineteenth, 2014 was her most significant day, because that was the day she stopped being who she had been, and it had also been the day that the Wicked Witch had entered her life.

After showering, Rachael looked at herself in the mirror. Yesterday had been a day of wins and losses, although she wondered which was more significant. Coupling with Sophie had been a growing ambition, and that had been achieved, so big win, yeah? Gently pushing Mia back had been growing in importance, for both their sakes; and it appeared that she may have pushed her back, so another big win?

So why was her reflection frowning at her?

Rachael placed her hands on the vanity unit and bowed her face, because she knew why. For the first time in years, she’d been forced to look at her life, she’d been forced to acknowledge who she was, and the reflection had every right to frown. There were no long-term goals, no future ambitions, no plan; just shimmy along, do the day and then work through the next one. It used to work too, ignore the past and race into your future, although the previous day had been a stinging indictment of who she was.

Her life had been semi-destroyed on June the eighth 2006 by the world’s greatest asshole, then her mother’s sister had helped to repair parts of her. Then she got into a relationship with her mother’s sister and fell in love with her, and just when the brass bands began to play and the streamers went whistling through the air, Jenna had to go and die on her.

And the Avenging Angel had been born.

In reality, Rachael was pleased that she had expunged twenty-two monsters from the planet, and maybe the world was a little bit safer because of her efforts; but monsters still came, born every day. The monsters could be products of unhappy childhoods, or sexual abuse, or dysfunctional families, or quite simply, just because they were evil right from the beginning. People like her were only a handful, while the monsters were the multitude, and one day the dam wall would break, and what she had been doing for the past five and a half years would be quickly swept away, as the monsters took control.

At the age of twenty-eight, she could retire if she wanted to, but do what? Sit around and do nothing; sit around waiting for Him to invade her waking hours? Sit around thinking about the one great love of her life dying in her arms? Annoying little flashes hit her; Where are you going to end up? What do you want to do with your life? With her arms still braced on the vanity, Rachael raised her gaze and stared at her reflection as the monumental flash hit her; Hey you, do you even like yourself?

Rachael blew out a sigh, realising that yesterday had been significant in many ways. She shuffled out of the bathroom, confused and distracted, although she knew that whatever her life was, whoever she was, that could be dealt with at another time, for the Avenging Angel was spreading its wings in her mind.

Steven Shaun Johnson was dead, and Catherine Elizabeth Clemens had killed herself, but there was one left, one more who needed to pay for his sins.

*

Mia saw the car pull up, so she picked up her handbag and walked out the door. Today could be an important day for Jenny, and Mia would do everything she could to help her resettle and find eternal rest; but the fact remained that today was still the day after yesterday. Mia closed the door and then checked that it was locked. It was, and she checked again. Mia rubbed her thighs, then checked the door. Sighing, she dropped her face and whispered, “It’s locked.”

It was still locked when she checked it again.

She closed her eyes as she felt the throb in her head, and she rubbed her thighs, bent down and placed her handbag on the ground, then checked the door, whimpering helplessly, “Please don’t, stop this.” She shivered, felt lost, felt weakened by her inability to control her actions, and she wanted to unlock the door and then lock it properly, but Rachael was probably staring at her by now. “Go, just go please …” She blubbered as she rubbed her thighs twice, checked the door, although in the confused part of her mind, it wasn’t a proper check, it was only a three-quarter check; so she checked it again, then rubbed her thighs.

Waiting for her, watching her, Rachael sighed then lowered her face into left hand. The last few months had seen Mia’s compulsive obsessive behaviour almost vanishing out of her life, but on this morning, it seemed worse than ever. Rachael felt guilty as she watched her, Mia still rubbing, fiddling, shaking her head, and Rachael knew that the previous day’s discussions could be responsible for her antics. Thankfully, Rachael saw her hobble toward the car, although she blew out a disheartened sigh, then wound the window down. “Mia, your hand-bag.”

Mia retreated, picked up the handbag, checked the door, then walked to the car.

“Hi.” Rachael said as Mia got in.

“Good morning.”

Rachael noticed the watery eyes, “You okay?”

“Yes.”

Mia didn’t seem in a conversational frame of mind, that was okay though, for effectively, today was a working day for Rachael. Seven Shorty’s to check out, and as Catherine Clemens had appeared so frightened of the Shorty who had been involved in the murder, Rachael was hopeful that he would be one of the one’s from Middleton. Rachael had no intention of bringing up the previous day’s discussions, because she had come clean and put her cards on the table, so she was happy to let the matter rest.

Mia wanted to remain focussed on the task at hand, but she also wanted to spell it out for her friend. In reality, she would be prepared to bow and scrape, to beg and plead to keep Rachael in her life. I will give you space, I will give you time, freedom, whatever you want … but no, please don’t, please don’t kick me out of your life … I wouldn’t survive, I couldn’t survive …

Strangely, Mia thought of the ducklings, so cute, so innocent, their little white tails raised as they waddled along … and the girl sitting next to her killed people.

They crossed into Middleton, and Mia let her mind wander. Helping Jenny was her primary concern, and if she helped to set Jenny free, maybe she could then contact Rachael; ’Hello, if you’re going to leave me, can I engage your services to kill someone? … Who? … Well, if you leave me, I would want you to kill either me or you, I haven’t decided yet …’ Mia knew that the thoughts buzzing around in her brain weren’t serious, all the same, she shook her head, thinking, ‘Not even funny, because she’s been through that once already …’ although Mia flinched, then she tensed as a word floated into her mind, Huh, what? Mia winced, confused, knowing that she’d heard it, or been conscious of it, but it didn’t make sense.

The word, or the voice floated into her mind again; Mia …

Mia closed her eyes when it came again, this time the word lingering … Mia …

“Rachael …”

“What?”

Mia shivered as the realisation hit her; Jenny had called her by her name. “Can, can you pull over?”

Rachael indicated then pulled over to the side of the road. “What’s the matter?”

Mia looked at her timidly and said, “I’m not sure.” She stepped out of the car and stood straight, closing her eyes. A minute ticked by, and Mia whispered, “Jenny, hi, what is it?”

Cars hurtled by on both sides of the road, and Mia looked in front of her, then behind her. The voice, Jenny’s voice had come to her, and alarmingly, Jenny had called her … by her name. Mia felt so tense, and she assumed that this must be important, so she tried to focus as she whispered again, “Jenny, tell me, help me.” Her mind was clear, although she tried to rouse her, tried to engage with the silhouette in her mind. “Jenny, please, help me.”

The voice had engaged with her eighty yards down the road, so Mia began walking back, walked past the billboard, so confused, no people walking on the gravel siding, and the cars were whizzing by too quickly to allow the feeling to expand. Mia closed her eyes and bowed her face, waiting, waiting for instructions or directions. Mia felt so awkward, she felt that maybe she wasn’t in a receptive enough frame of mind to engage with Jenny, because the person sitting in the car behind her knew that she was hopelessly in love with her, and that person was looking for an escape route. The conversation in the car had been polite, yet guarded; no sparkling conversation, no smutty one-liners and no swearing. Mia wanted to direct all her energies towards fighting for her, fighting to keep Rachael Terina in her life, but no. Come on girl, this is about helping Jenny, so focus …

Jenny had called out her name, and Mia knew that her most important duty was to help the young girl whose life had been so cruelly ended. She drew in a breath, turned, and began walking back towards the car, then stopped, as a throb, or a clang rattled around in her mind. Mia winced as the voice chimed in, the voice issuing a single word, Mia … She rubbed her brow, Mia … closed her eyes, wanting this to happen, needing it to happen. Mia felt dizzy, then surprisingly, only a moment later, she felt serene, or, or … occupied, as they engaged, then inter-locked and connected. Then the voice, the silhouette, Jenny, issued a nervous announcement … Mia, that’s him …

Mia snapped her eyes open and found herself staring at the billboard.

The billboard read;

HOW DO WE GET THINGS MOVING AGAIN?

VOTE 1; IVAN CUMMINGS!

Mia stepped up to the billboard and stared at the picture of the man. She knew his name, because he was one of the men they were going to see on this very day. With a swelling sense of purpose, Mia asked, “Jenny, this is him, this is the man who killed you?”

Inter-locked, connected, although Mia desperately wanted confirmation, “Jenny, this is him?”

Her mind was clear, although right at that moment, she didn’t want it to be, she needed Jenny front and centre. She pulled the bracelet out of her pocket and held it in her left hand, then she drew in a breath as her right hand reached out and touched his image. Mia closed her eyes as she braced her hand on the billboard, then she shivered as her mind rattled. Mia sensed that Jenny had recoiled in terror as soon as she touched his image, so she ripped her hand away and stared at the image. A fluttering, dipping breeze appeared out of nowhere, the breeze strong enough to blow her hair away from her face, then Mia stiffened as she felt a presence surrounding her. For a bewildering moment, it felt like Jenny was standing next to her, and Mia regathered quickly as she asked splutteringly, “Him, he’s the one who killed you?”

It seemed like, it felt like the presence was growing stronger, and Mia shook her head in disbelief as Jenny whispered into her mind. Yes Mia, that man killed me.

Shivering, Mia bit her bottom lip as she ran the message through her mind. It had only been a few days ago that Jasmine had put her under hypnosis out at the site, and bizarrely, she had given a reasonably detailed account of what happened to Jenny; and now, it felt like the girl was standing by her side.

Rachael got out and walked back, then stopped abruptly when she saw Mia on her knees by the billboard. She scampered over and dropped down next to her, then placed a hand on her shoulder as she asked shakily, “You okay?”

Mia held onto the presence for as long as she could, then she looked up, and with tears forming in her eyes, she said quietly, “This is him.”

Rachael looked at the billboard then helped Mia to her feet. “What are you saying; this is the guy who killed her?”

“Yes.”

Bemused, Rachael shook her head and spluttered out, “Well this guy is on our list, but you’re positive?”

Mia wiped a wrist under her eyes, then looked at her as she said, “Jenny, Jenny called me by my name, she said my name Rachael, and yes, she said that this man killed her.”

“So, so you heard the voice?”

“Yes I did.”

Dumbfounded, Rachael raked a hand through her hair as she asked, “This is him, no doubts?”

“He’s the one Rachael.”

A thought pinged into Rachael’s mind, and she shook her head as she asked, “What are you saying; the voice, Jenny called you by your name?”

Mia looked up timidly and replied, “Yes, yes, and that’s the first time she’s ever called me by my name.”

“Fuck,” Rachael mumbled. “Mia …”

“What?”

“When you went under, you know, under hypnosis, it was like you were talking to her, and I’m sure one time you said something like, Hi, my name is Mia and I want to help you.”

Mia’s right hand crept up and covered her mouth as the significance of Rachael’s statement became apparent. She had heard the voice in her dreams for months on end, and ever since she had stumbled into the clearing, she had heard the voice in her waking hours. During the hypnosis, apparently she had communicated with the girl, and then Catherine Clemens had given a detailed account of what had happened to sixteen-year-old Jenny; but all the while, in the back of Mia’s mind, doubts had lingered, because she had been hit by a car and her brain had been damaged, and a small part of her was saying, It’s nothing to worry about, because you sister, are simply losing the plot …

But now this.

The girl, Jenny, calling her by her name, and if that wasn’t freaky enough, the girl was also identifying her killer.

Rachael stared at the billboard then turned to her. “Okay, well if you’re positive, let’s go and see him.”

Mia bowed her face and sighed. She wanted to brave and strong for Jenny, although with Catherine Clemens confessions and Rachael’s admissions still rattling around in her mind, she wavered. She looked at the billboard, lowered her gaze, then said quietly, “Ummm, to be honest, I’d prefer it if I didn’t have to see him.”

“Okay, well I’ll drop you home.”

*

On entering the unit, Rachael searched for his office number and rang.

“Councillor Cummings office, how may I help you?”

“Hi, my name’s Rachael and I’m involved in a Women’s forum, and I was just wanting to meet Mr Cummings to get his ideas on a few issues that are important to the women of this district.”

“What’s your full name?”

“Rachael Terina.” she replied.

“Is that T-e-r-i-n-a?”

Rachael gritted her teeth and cursed quietly, “You fucking idiot.” All the shit she was dealing with had caught her un-focussed, and she’d just blurted out her real name. She was involved in this, she was front and centre in this whole mess, and if things didn’t pan out as she wanted them to, she would eradicate the man that she had just made an appointment to see. She could just imagine the cops saying, Show us his appointment book, and we’ll speak to everybody the victim has seen in the last few weeks.

“Hmmm, let me see; Mr Cummings is very busy at the moment, but I could possibly squeeze you in for fifteen to twenty minutes at two o’clock, if that’s okay Miss Terina?”

Rachael winced at her hearing her name, then said, “Perfect; thank-you.”

Mia looked up and asked nervously, “What’s happening?”

“I’m booked in to see him at two o’clock.”

The statement had Mia feeling both good and bad. A sixteen-year-old girl had been brutally raped and murdered, and it appeared that the main person responsible for the horrific deed had lived in the community for the next thirty years as if nothing had happened, but now, justice may be coming for him. That was the problem though, for Mia knew the person who would be coming for him. “So, so what are you going to do?” Mia asked timidly.

The previous days discussions were still in Rachael’s mind, and she knew that she had to be subtle. “I can tell if a person is telling the truth or lying, so you know, I’ll ask a few questions and see where we come out.”

“I’m positive that he’s the one, I mean Jenny said my name and then she said that it was him.”

“Okay, well I’m booked in to see him, so …”

“Rachael, if you feel that he’s lying, what will you do next?”

“Mia, one step at a time.”

“Okay, I’m just saying that Jenny said that he is the man, so in the very near future, we need to go to the police.”

Rachael knew that Mia was suggesting that their involvement should end, so she nodded and muttered, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Mia stiffened. Probably right … probably? Even though she had agreed with her, Rachael was being evasive, so Mia wanted to lay it on the table. “Rachael, this is a matter for the police.”

Rachael began walking towards the door, muttering, “I’ll let you know what happens.”

Mia knew that on this day there had been a frosty distance between them, and while she didn’t want the distance to become greater, she had to make her feelings known. She stood and said, “Rachael, I want your assurance that you won’t do, do …” Mia stumbled, ducklings in her mind, then she declared, “I want your assurance that you won’t do anything!”

Rachael stopped and cocked her head to look at her. “One step at a time.” and then she walked out of the unit.