Haunted by the Past (Original)

Chapter 41

"Ok, now, tell me what makes you so sure that she went to the hospital that day," Eli tried and failed at keeping his tone level while he sped along the highway towards our motel.

How was I to explain it to him? It barely made sense to me, but yet I knew that Heather went to the hospital that day. For what reason though? Long forgotten memories of our pre-teen years started to come back to me. Things that I never thought would ever be relevant again. Was that how Heather felt that day when she decided to visit the hospital? No wonder she thought she was being crazy, dredging up the past in a desperate hope of finding a connection. Well, you were on to something, Heather, so it wasn't so crazy after all.

"It's hard to explain. It's a gut feeling," I admitted.

"Nuh-uh, I need more than that. Come on, Dani, talk it out with me," he pressured. "You don't come to conclusions like that without a reason so tell me your reason."

"All right, fine, but don't laugh. It was the sound of the bus brakes," I explained.

Eli turned to look at me with an expression of pure puzzlement. "It was six years ago. There's no way that's the same bus."

"Yes I know," I sighed. "See? It's ridiculous right? But it was the same."

"The sound was only a mental cue," he reasoned.

"You mean from Heather?" I arched my eyebrow in bewilderment. "I never took you to be spiritual."

"I'm not," he frowned. "I meant more it triggered a long lost memory to come back up to the surface, but after the encounter we just had, your mind subconsciously discovered connections you never saw before. Tell me though, what reason Heather would have to visit the hospital? What was she looking for? Who was she looking for?"

I sighed, "I don't know exactly. But what I do know, what I only just remembered, is that Heather spent some time in the hospital, for like a week or two, while Brodie was still in recovery. It was during that time that they had became closer friends."

"Recovery? Recovery from what?" Eli looked at me confused.

"There was an accident," I paused to gather my thoughts. "It was sometime in eighth grade. We were on a field trip, and he fell from a balcony, suffering multiple broken bones. Honestly, he was lucky that he could still walk."

"How does a thirteen-year-old fall from a balcony?" Eli questioned honestly.

"I don't know," I shook my head. "I didn't see it, and while officially it was ruled an accident, there was a rumor he was pushed by some jocks. He told us that he has no memory of the incident so there was no way of knowing whether it was true."

"Jocks? Football jocks?" I could see the gears inside Eli's head turning. "Like for example, Ray Drummond?"

"Shit, maybe?" I bit my lip. "Is that what Heather went to the hospital to confirm? No, that doesn't make sense."

Eli's eyes narrowed, "What about the victims? How do they relate to Brodie?"

"To Brodie? Wait, what are you suggesting?" I glared.

"Dani, think with an open mind. We just uncovered a tangible motive for killing Ray Drummond and Brodie is at the center of it," he argued.

"Brodie would never hurt Heather!" I snapped.

"Fine, but as you said, it doesn't make sense for her to visit the hospital if she wanted to confirm the connection between Ray and Brodie. Let's not forget she made the point of going during the day when Brodie's father was unlikely to be working," he countered. "Not to mention she was marked that very afternoon."