After the meeting is over, I come out of the room to find that Dean already left. Thinking this might be a good time to talk to Sheila, I decide to knock on her door.
"Sheila?"
"Come in," she answers from inside.
I push the door and enter the room. The fact that a teenage boy is sitting on the chair next to her bed nearly startles me.
"Oh, hey doc!" Jonah greets me. Both of them have big, happy smiles on their faces. It looks like they finally patch things up with each other.
"You two know each other?" Sheila stares at Jonah quizzically.
He glances at me before he replies, "Yeah, she's the doctor I told you about."
As if sensing my intention to talk one-on-one with the girl, he stands up. "Well, I think I better head home now. It's already quite late and my father's going to kill me if I'm not home by ten."
Lucas is right. Doctor Brighton's supposed confession seems to give certain ease to the people in this town. A few days ago, everyone would've locked themselves in their home by eight. But now, it's a different story. I just don't think if that's really a good idea.
Jonah picks up his jacket, which was hanged on the back of the chair, and walks to the door. He waves goodbye to me and Sheila. The girl waves back with a somewhat shy smile on her face. Then, as soon as he goes out of the room, things turn quite awkward for the two of us.
"So, how are you?" I ask, trying to melt the ice.
"The doctors told me I can move to the regular ward tomorrow, so I guess I must be doing pretty well," she replies.
"That's great," I say with a warm smile. I stop right beside her bed and take a seat on the chair Jonah was sitting on. "Look, I have a couple of questions for you. Can you help me with that?"
Right then, I can see fear starts building up in her blue eyes. "Sure," she replies, her voice soft.
"Look, I know the one who prescribed you the Adderalls was Doctor Brighton. But how exactly did you get it?" I don't exactly know what to expect when I ask the question, but I just feel it's necessary.
She pulls her arms closer towards her body. "I... I get it from him... I call him when I need new supplies," she replies softly, now avoiding my gaze. I'm not a human lie detector, but the way she speaks and acts convinces me she's hiding something.
"Are you sure?" I ask her once more although I try my best not to push her too much.
She nods repeatedly in a response that I find a little too fast. "He came to our basketball practice once in a while as a guest coach. One day, he found out that I've been having some trouble with my grades and offered me the pills. That's how it started," she explains.
She's definitely hiding something, Alexis.
I know. Just a little over a week ago she was so adamant in keeping her secret. But now she suddenly tells me everything? I didn't even ask her about the details, yet she tells me every single thing. The fact that she tries to shield her gaze from me when she talks convinces me she's hiding something.
She doesn't necessarily lie about everything though, maybe just the part that it was Doctor Brighton who approached her. The way I see it, there are two possible reasons why she might lie. Either the person behind this scared her too much or she's trying to protect that person. Whichever it is, I don't think she would have the courage to step up and tell the truth anytime soon. So, I resort to my last weapon, one that I certainly don't want to use unless necessary.
I take a deep breath. "Now, what I'm about to say might sound strange."
She turns her gaze to meet my eyes.
"A few days ago, before you collapsed, you saw Jill, didn't you?" I ask.
She gasps as her expression turns shocked. "N-n-no... It can't be! It was just a dream, I was dying so I was hallucinating... I must be!"
"She tried to save you and you said you were sorry," I pause when I see her jaw drops.
"H-h-how do you know that?" she stutters.
I take a deep breath, before dropping the bomb. "I can see ghosts."
She gulps, terror fills her eyes.
"And sometimes," I continue, "I have visions about what happened when there are ghosts involved. Like the night of your... accident."
She stays silent, probably not knowing how to react nor what to say.
"Sheila"—I lean forward—"Jill cares about you, she always does, and I know you care about her too-"
"Of course I do!" she cries out her frustration. "It might not look like it, but we were good friends up until a few years ago." A single tear drops down her round face.
"May I ask why you apologized to her?" I ask.
She purses her lips together before she answers, "She came to talk to me a day before her death, asking me to stop taking the pills. I thought she was just envious because my grades are finally getting better than hers. So, I said some things that would certainly hurt her." She takes a deep breath, then lets out a long sigh. "Now, I know she truly cared about me..."
"It's okay." I place my hand on hers to comfort her. "Look, Sheila, I'm trying to find Jill's killer."
Her look turns surprised. "I thought Doctor Brighton did it?"
"I have reasons to believe the person who sold the drugs had something to do with her death and Doctor Brighton was framed for it," I pause for a while before I continue, "Well, either that or this mystery guy she's been seeing. So please, if you have any information that can help me catch the real killer, now is a really good time to say something."
She doesn't answer right away. Instead, I can tell she's weighing the options. Then, she exhales sharply. "Look, I can't tell you much. But if it any help, Jill used to keep some of her stuff in the haunted house."
Her words caused me to jerk my body back a little and narrow my eyes. "The haunted house?"
"Yeah." She gives a firm nod. "The one on The Hill? We used to play there when we were in middle school."
Her explanation leaves me baffled. Seriously, these kids never cease to amaze me!
"So, how did she end up keeping her belongings in the haunted house?" I ask.
"It started with this stupid dare Stephen made us do. We were supposed to go there and take a photo as proof. But then, we discovered that the place was like a palace. It was really cool and surprisingly not scary at all. We found a lot of different books in there too. The books are way better than the ones we could find in the library." Her lips curve up in a small smile. "Jill and I love to read, so..."
Within seconds, she realizes something important and her smile is now gone without a trace. "Well, loved to read."
She takes a deep breath before she continues, "Anyway, we used to ride our bikes there every weekend. At first, it was only to read. But then, as we grew up, we began to have secrets, you know? Secrets we don't want our parents to find out, like boys and such."
I flash a smile. "Yeah, I know the feeling."
"So, this one time, Jill's parents found her diary and read it without her permission. She was so furious about it and ever since then, she always hid her personal stuff in the haunted house, figured they'd be safe there. We both did, at first. But, I haven't been there in a long time."
Hmm. A diary, huh? I wonder if she was still writing a diary days before her death. If she did, there might be something in it that can help me find her killer.
"Do you think she still kept her stuff there?" I ask.
"Well, I saw her riding her bike towards the Hill. She even brought Annie with her, so I guess she must've planned to stay there for quite a while. It was a few weeks before her..." her voice trails off, unable to finish the words. Her head hangs low and she purses her lips together to hide her sadness. I put my hand on hers to comfort her again.
"Thank you, you've been a great help," I say.
Her testimony sure helps to fill in the blanks. That fateful day, Jill went to the haunted house to spend some time alone. The killer must've known her location by tracking her phone as Stephens did. Perhaps, it was Stephens after all. Maybe he was drunk and didn't remember the fact that he murdered Jill a few days before our eventual meeting. It's unlikely, but still a possibility. One thing for sure, that person must've been close enough to her to know the details of her iCloud account, or else he wouldn't have been able to track her phone.
But, it also raises a lot of new questions. Why did the twins let her in the house without going all poltergeist on her? What kind of stuff did she hide there? Would I find anything that may help me find her killer? Most importantly, how am I supposed to find something when I don't even know what it is? Among all the questions in my head, I choose to ask the most important one.
"Just one more thing, do you possibly have any idea where exactly did she put her stuff inside the house?"
She shakes her head. Then, with an apologetic smile, she says, "Sorry."
I flash a polite smile, trying to hide my slight disappointment, and shake my head. "That's okay. Thanks."
Great. Now I have to turn a house as big as a palace upside down in search for something I have absolutely no clue what it looks like. How exactly am I going to do that?
Remember our two little friends?
Ah, yes. I guess it's time we pay another visit to the haunted house.
***
The next day, I'm planning to go to the haunted house on the hill, but not before helping Claire setting up Nana's stall in the Fair.
"Where should I put these?" I ask. I take out a pair of gnomes from the box and pull the bubble wrap away before holding them for Claire to see. When I turn the gnomes to admire them, I jolt back a little when I see the rather creepy smiles on their faces.
"Careful with that!" Claire scolds me. "Those are our mascots. Just put it on the table."
"O-kay," I reply, still astonished as to why they choose creepy gnomes—yes, there are more of them in the box—as their mascot. Don't they ever watch Chucky?
Shaking my head, I put the gnomes on the six-foot-long table. All the stalls in the fair are identical; about 8-foot by 8-foot with 2-foot-high red satin covering the right, left, and backside of the tent, while the pyramid-like roof is covered with a red and white striped satin. Of course, each tenant is allowed to decorate it, which is what we're doing.
Right now, Dean is climbing the ladder to hang our banner. The large banner has a big 'Calloway Pies' written on it, complete with a caricature drawing of Nana's face. In the meantime, Claire is sitting on the floor, writing—or more like drawing—the menu on her small blackboard, while I'm in charge of setting up the table. I take out another pair of gnomes and walk towards the table to put in.
Suddenly, five dogs on a leash come running out of nowhere.
"Watch out!" I cry as the dogs are about to hit the ladder.
"Whoa, guys, stop!" Shawn, who is barely holding the leash, pulls them in an instant. Thank God the dogs stop right before the ladder, or else Dean would've fallen seven feet to the ground.
"Sorry, Dean," Shawn apologizes.
"No big deal," Dean shrugs it off, but the look on his face tells me he's still hostile about the dogs. With a careful move, he continues to tie the banner to the stall, his eyes still glance at the dogs with awareness every once in a while. He finishes it quickly and excuses himself to take the rest of the decoration in his car.
"What are you doing, sis?" Shawn approaches Claire with an innocent look on his face.
Claire looks up at him, her expression annoyed. "What are you, blind? And why aren't you helping?" she scolds.
"Sorry," he shrugs with barely any remorse, "As you can see, my hands are tied." He gestures at the leash he's holding. "I'm in charge of these little cuties for the day."
That's when, to my surprise, one of the dogs starts to walk towards me. I gasp loudly and freeze on the spot. I tighten my grip on the gnomes I just take out from the box, trying my best to not let the gnomes fall. My hands are getting really sweaty as a result of the small black-and-white Boston Terrier that is now sniffing my legs.
"Uhm, Shawn? A little help please?" I say, my voice trembles a little.
"Oh, right. Mona, come here!" Shawn commands. The little dog turns to look at Shawn, but it still won't move away from me.
"She doesn't bite, does she?" I ask, not having the courage to move an inch.
"Of course not!" Shawn walks towards us and bends down to pet Mona's head. "Won't you, Mona?" He proceeds to bring his face closer to Mona's and thrust his lower lip forward. To my surprise, Mona licks Shawn's face in agreement. In the meantime, I take a few steps back to get away from the dog and quickly put the gnomes on the table.
"Good girl." Shawn rubs Mona's head in return and the dog's expression tells me she loves it. But after a while, Mona ignores Shawn and walks closer towards me again. She finally stops right in front of me and proceeds to look up at me with her, well, puppy eyes.
"Shawn?" I ask.
Shawn stands up straight and turns his gaze at me. "It's okay. She just wants you to pet her head. She loves that," he replies.
With a lot of caution, I bend down a little.
"You sure she won't bite?" I ask once more, still unsure.
Shawn lets out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, Lex. She won't. Dogs won't bite you unless you hurt them or their owner, you know?"
Then, I extend my hand very carefully before giving her a pat on the head. Once my fingers touch her fur, she switches into a sitting position and seemingly enjoying my gesture.
Right. Dogs won't bite you unless you hurt them or their owner.
Alexis, do you know what that means?
I know! That must've been what happened when The Boogeyman attacked Jill! I know right now it's still a speculation, but Annie must've bitten the killer when he attacked Jill, most probably on his legs, causing him to 'walk funny'!
"Jesus Christ, Shawn! Get your dog away from my menu!" Claire yells.
When I turn to look her way, I see one of the dogs—an apricot Chihuahua—is sniffing Claire's blackboard.
"Monty, no!" Shawn commands. But, instead of doing what he's told, the dog continues to step on the board, its paws erasing some of Claire's drawing.
"Shawn!" Claire screams angrily.
"Oh, shit. Monty, no!" In his panic, Shawn pulls the dog's leash, but that only causes Monty to panic and crash into Claire's paper cup. The coffee from the cup spills into the ground and before Claire can do anything, the coffee has reached the board, inadvertently ruining the painting.
"Oops," Shawn says with an apologetic and slightly awkward smile.
"Argh!!!" Claire screams loudly with anger. She throws a killing glare at her brother.
"Sorry?" he mutters softly.
Claire stands up straight. "I am so going to kill you!"
I'm actually expecting her to jump onto Shawn and choke him to death, which honestly would be an interesting thing to watch. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Claire simply takes a deep breath and huffs.
"I'm going to grab some rag cloth and get some more coffee," she says, her anger still fills her usually sweet voice. "When I get back, I better not see you or your dogs anywhere near my stall!" she warns before stomping away.
Once she's out of our sight, I let out a small laugh and stand up. "Where did you get these dogs anyway?"
"They're from Jim's Animal Shelter. They're opening up a stall over there." Shawn gestures to the land furthest from the Fair's entrance gate. Wooden fences surround the vacant land. From afar, I can see some other dogs running around inside the fences. "Lucas always help with the shelter's stall every year. But he has some work to do, that's why I'm filling in for the day."
"Oh... Speaking of Lucas," I suddenly remember the thing I've been meaning to ask for a while, "What's the deal between him and Dean?"
"Well..." his mouth forms a straight line before he continues, "Don't tell Lucas I told you this, but Dean used to bully Lucas and me back in high school."
"What?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's not really anybody's fault. It was just high school, get it? Dean was captain of the basketball team while me and Lucas were in Math Club. It was jocks versus science geeks. It was only fitting for him to make jokes about us," he recants. Then, he mutters to himself, "And lock us in the science lab once in a while."
"That's... not really a good reason to bully someone, right? In fact, there is absolutely never any good reason to bully anyone! He shouldn't have bullied anyone in the first place!" I don't know why I raise my voice.
Then, lowering my voice, I continue, "How did Lucas allow himself to be bullied anyway? I mean, the guy certainly knows how to defend himself, so why didn't he just stand up for himself? Why didn't you?"
Then, an unexpected smile grows on the corner of Shawn's lips. "I'd like to think he did it for me. I mean, yeah, he could stand up for himself which he did, at first. But every time he fought back, Dean and his gang only took it out on me more. So, one day, he just stopped fighting." Slowly, his smile turns into a sad one. "I'm a coward, I know."
"No, of course not!" I try to lift his spirit. A small wave of anger starts to fill me. If there's one thing I hate the most, it's bullies. "The bullies are the ones who are really cowards. I bet they were only jealous of you for being smart. I mean, look at you now! You're a successful cardiologist-to-be, and frankly, one of the best!"
The proud smile on his face tells me my words work. "You sound like my sister."
"Yeah, I may have learned a thing or two from her." I chuckle. "But, I still can't believe Claire would want to date a jerk like that. Claire always said good things about him, so I certainly didn't expect him to be a bully."
"He's not the same person anymore, of course," Shawn assures me. "After he came back from LA, I'm happy to say he's now a much better person than he was in high school. After all, the past is nothing but a memory, right?"
I shrug. "If you say so."
Shawn and Claire are more alike in ways they don't even know. One thing that stands out is how they always seem to be able to forgive people so easily. Seriously, I don't know how they do it.
Well, maybe Dean really has changed. After all, people do change for the better, just look at Lucy St. John and Henry Volker. So I guess, it could've happened to Dean too.
Shawn glances over his shoulder and sees his sister re-enters the Fair's gate. "You know what? I better get going," he says in a rush and bolts away from our stall.
"Oh, and Alexis," he stops and turns around, "These guys are up for adoption if you're interested." He glances at the five dogs, then smiles at me.
"I'll think about it," I reply with a smile.
Author's Note:
Here it is, as promised. So, what do you think about this chapter? I hope you like it.
There are only a few chapters left, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! :)