Vision of Shadows (10 page)

“Bristol!
Bristol, are you okay?”

I was hyperventilating, heaving for breath.
I felt like I was suffocating, that the earth was going to swallow me alive. I thought of poor Jared, lying in that hole, hurt, bleeding, and dying as someone covered him in dirt. I could still hear his desperate pleas as he called out to his mother. I fell into Payne’s arms and wept. He stroked my hair until I was able to calm myself.

I had
, on occasions, experienced the last moment of someone’s life. It had never been pleasant. It was something I avoided whenever I could. It was exhausting and terrifying.

“He’s here,” I said as I managed to support myself once again. Leaning back against the rock we had moved, I looked into Payne’s eyes.  “He died here.”

Payne hesitated. I could feel the fury within him growing hotter by the moment. “What did you see?”

I closed my eyes at the memory.
“He was lying here, dying. He was hurt.”

“Hurt how?”

“I’m not sure,” I snapped as I pushed myself up and stalked away. “I don’t know what happened. The memory only lasted a few seconds. I didn’t see or feel enough. It was right before… right as he…” I stopped as Payne put his arms around me.

“I’m sorry,” Payne whispered. “I never wanted you to have to go through this. I can’t imagine having to see that…
to feel that…”

“I’m ok
ay,” I said. 

“I’m going to dig a bit,” Payne said. “I need to be able to say that we found him. Why don’t you work on what to tell your uncle and then give him a call? You have a cellphone on you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll give him a call. I’ll figure something out.”

Payne walked
toward the cluster of trees, and I pulled my cellphone out and dialed my uncle’s number. I quickly told him that I was with Payne, where we were, and what we believed we found. I could only imagine what thoughts passed through my uncle’s mind in that momentary pause before he responded. “Don’t touch anything and don’t move. I’m on my way.”

I conveyed this information to Payne
, who nodded and came back over to me. “He doesn’t want us to disturb the evidence. I just dug enough to find the tip of a bone. I won’t do any more,” he explained. “Have you figured out what you’re gonna tell him when he gets here?”

I shrugged. “Not a clue.”

When Uncle Mark arrived, he parked up by the road and made his way down to us. I watched as Payne pointed to the spot where Jared was buried. Uncle Mark pulled on white gloves and told us to stay where we were as he went to investigate. Payne and I found a large rock and sat on it together. Somehow, we ended up holding hands as we waited.

When Uncle Mark approached us, I saw his eyes dart down to our hands. I could hear him groan, but he quickly pushed it aside. “Bristol, how exactly did you two find those remains?” 

“I was just walking with Payne,” I started, trying to keep my voice even and sure. “We met here the other day, and we started to talk about… you know… stuff.”

Uncle Mark glanced at Payne. “Go on.”

“Well, um…” I tried to continue, but I hadn’t gotten much past this point in my mind.

“We heard a dog barking,” Payne jumped in. “It was digging right around that area, going crazy. We got a little closer
, and the dog ran off. I went to see what it might have been digging at and saw the first of the bones. I told Bristol to call you. Once I realized what it was, I didn’t want to disturb the area any more than we had.”

“You mean more than the dog had,” my uncle corrected.

“Yeah.” Payne nodded, keeping a perfectly straight face. “Well, both of us, I guess.”

“Uh-huh,” my uncle said before turning to me. “And what kind of dog was it?”

“Um,” I stammered. What did I know? I couldn’t even remember what kind of dogs Larry and Spock were. “I don’t know. Black. Long tail. Floppy ears. You know. A dog.” I decided to go with a basic description of Eli. 

Uncle Mark paused a moment and just looked at us. I felt like a perp in an interrogation room with a hot light shining in my face while an entire squad of burly cops crack
ed their knuckles, getting in my face with their whiskey-soaked breath. Of course, that might have been a little overdramatic.

Finally,
Uncle Mark reached in his pocket and pulled out a cellphone.  He called the station and started to give out orders. I felt a wave of relief.

“Ok
ay, my people are on their way,” Uncle Mark said. “Now, if that’s not Jared, I’ll be surprised. All the same, we have to proceed carefully and methodically. Gather evidence. If it’s him, we’ll find out, and your aunt will be able to finally put her son to rest.”

“I understand
, Sheriff, that you have a job to do. I’m certainly not going to tell you how to do it. But I know that’s my cousin.” Payne glanced toward where the body lay. “And I think I have a fairly good idea of what happened.”

“And what do you
think
happened here, Payne?” Uncle Mark asked.

Payne turned
toward where the road passed above us and pointed. “That stretch of road up there. Pretty isolated. Sometimes kids go there to play. Jared did with his dog. I told him not to, but he did. Lots of trees to climb.”

Uncle Mark nodded. “Yeah, I’m familiar with the place. As well as the idea of telling kids that they shouldn’t do things that could be dangerous and being ignored.”

“We’re not talking about me here, Sheriff,” Payne snapped. 

“I know
, Payne.” Uncle Mark sighed. “Just trying to make the point.  I’ve lost sleep at night worrying about you and your shenanigans. I’d hate to see something happen to you.”

“I was always told Blackburns don’t worry about McKnights
, and McKnights shouldn’t worry about Blackburns.”

“And I know that you know that’s a bunch of hooey. But anyway, get on with your theory,” Uncle Mark instructed.

“You know Boomers Bar? Not too far down the road. Real classy place.” His tone told me it was anything but. “I know some of Boomer’s customers have been known to use this general area for certain things.”

“Things?” I asked, trying to keep up. “What things?”

“Peeing. Puking,” Uncle Mark answered. “Maybe a few other things one might do when leaving a bar plastered.”

“Ah
-ha,” I said. “Sounds lovely. First off, remind me never to go to Boomers. Second off, why would Jared, or any other kid, want to be there?”

“Boys are different than girls,” Payne answered
. “Especially at that age. What grosses you out make us go
cool!”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

“Strange but true,” Uncle Mark said. “But we’re getting off track here.”

“So we are
.” Payne smiled. “Bristol has a way of distracting me.”

I felt myself blush at his comment and thanke
d God he didn’t elaborate. I had no idea what Uncle Mark was thinking right about then, but I was sure I would get an earful soon enough.

“So, here’s what I’m guessing,” Payne continued
. “I think that one of Boomer’s customers left after tying one too many on, and went there to do whatever, and accidentally hit Jared while driving drunk.”

M
y uncle glanced behind him, where the still officially unidentified body lay. “You’re thinking he was killed by a drunk driver?”

“Yeah,” Payne confirmed. “Then they buried him here to cover it up.”

As Uncle Mark considered Payne’s theory, I could sense a cold fury welling inside of Payne. He was hiding it well, but there was a lethal anger boiling within him.

“It’s possible,” Uncle Mark allowed
. “But there are other possibilities as well. I don’t want you to go off and start accusing
anybody
until we have more facts. Understand, Payne?”

Payne looked up as some of the deputies started to approach. 

“I understand exactly what you’re saying, Sheriff Blackburn,” Payne answered.

There was a moment of silence
, and I waited to see if Uncle Mark would point out to Payne that there was a difference between understanding and obeying. 

Payne and I moved off a bit and watched as everyone did their jobs.  Every few minutes or so, I would catch someone glancing in our direction. I couldn’t tell if they were glancing at me, at Payne
, or at the two of us together. The exception was a young, blond female deputy, who was very clearly looking at Payne. I found myself getting a little pissy over it, but was satisfied that Payne never glanced in her direction. He remained fixated on the area where the remains were being worked on.

Then it happened. My uncle’s face changed. It was subtle, but if you were watching carefully you could see it. He reached down, took something
, and brought it to Payne.

“Payne, this isn’t proof positive but…” My uncle held out a dirty blue cap with “NY Giants” written on the front. 

“It’s his,” Payne said. 

Uncle Mark didn’t argue. “I’m sorry. I had always hoped…”

Payne nodded. “I know you did. I know you never stopped looking. You’ve followed up on any lead, no matter how small. You’ve even looked in on my aunt to let her know that you’ve never forgotten.”

“I haven’t
, and I won’t,” Uncle Mark affirmed. “I’ll find who did this. We aren’t supposed to make promises, but I give you my word I will find whoever did this.”

“I know what your word is worth, sir,” Payne replied.

Uncle Mark sighed. “Come on. I’ll take you home after I drop Bristol off. I’ve got to go see your aunt.”

Payne nodded. “I should go
, too, sir. She’ll need me.”

“Payne,” Uncle Mark said, “you’re only
seventeen. You shouldn’t take the weight of this on your shoulders. I can call another family member to meet me there. Your grandfather…”

“No
, sir,” Payne said. “This is my responsibility. I need to do this. Please.”

Uncle Mark nodded. “Ok
ay, let’s drop Bristol at home first and then…”

“I can walk, Uncle Mark,” I said. “I’d kinda like to. I could use the walk to clear my head. We’re not far from home.”

Uncle Mark didn’t look pleased, but after a moment’s thought, he agreed. He told Payne to give him a few minutes to talk to his deputies, which gave me a moment alone with Payne.

“Thank you
, Bristol,” Payne said. “For everything.”

I smiled back. “I’m just glad I could help. Let your aunt know I’ll be thinking of her. If there’s anything else I can do to help, please let me know.  I’ll find you if I hear anything that might help.”

Payne nodded his understanding. If Jared were to tell me anything, I’d bring it to him. 

“I intend to see you again
, Bristol,” Payne said. “When there are no ghosts getting between us.”

The intensity of his gaze made me quiver. All of the visions I’d had over the years came rushing back to me. It was easy to dismiss the ones of him killing me. They seemed completely irrelevant now
. But the others, the ones where he and I were
us,
they seemed not only possible but scarier than ever. I’ve never had any problem talking to the dead. Ghosts had never scared me, not once in my life. But the idea of being the object of Payne McKnight’s affection, that scared the living daylights out of me.

Payne could read the panic in my eyes. If anything, it amused him. He leaned down and gave me a gentle kiss on my cheek. “See you,” he said. And then with a last wink, he turned and headed
toward Uncle Mark.

I watched him go. I couldn’t help but admire how he filled out his jeans. I knew without a doubt that I was way out of my league.

I turned and headed home. As much as I liked watching Payne, I did not want Payne to see
me watching him. 

Besides, I had to get some distance from everyone for a different reason. As I walked, I tried not to glance at the boy who walked beside me, his little dog trotting along between us. 

“It’ll be over soon,” I told Jared. “You’ll be put to rest. Your family will mourn you, and they’ll never get over you, but they can at least start to heal.”

“I know,” Jared said. “Thanks.”

“Can I ask you a question? I got the impression that Payne believes there’s a certain someone who might be responsible for your death. Someone, I guess, who’s known for drinking and driving. Any idea who?”

“Yeah, he’s thinking about his dad,” Jared said. “But I really have no idea if he’s right or not.”

A Chat With Grandpa

My head was spinning as I made my way back to the house. This was a lot to take in on a Monday. No matter how many times I tried to wrap my
mind around it, I couldn’t believe it. Payne McKnight had nearly kissed me. Payne McKnight had
wanted
to kiss me! And if he got the chance, I was pretty sure Payne McKnight was
going
to kiss me. I was getting all gooey inside just thinking about it.

I d
idn’t do gooey.

I never
really thought I would ever have a chance at a boyfriend. I could never let any other guy near me. Just the thought of someone else’s hands on me felt like I was being unfaithful to the boy I felt I belonged to, even though we hadn’t met.

Besides, I had always assumed I’d have to hide my secret from any guy I dated. I figured any normal guy would frea
k out and run away while crossing himself and screaming for an exorcism.

Payne didn’t do
any
of that.

In fact, he handled it really well. Maybe too well?
Maybe
…

Oh hell, I
didn’t want to keep analyzing it at this point. Couldn’t I just be giddy about the
Payne nearly kissed me
thing without going crazy as to why? Isn’t that what a normal girl would do? 

Like I know what a normal girl would do.

Maggie would though. I was looking forward to calling her to spill all the deets. Well, most of them, anyway. I knew I better leave out the part about talking to Jared’s ghost. If I was going to needle her for info on Payne’s dad, I’d have to be discreet. But hey, I could be discreet.

That’s when I saw my grandfather on the back porch
, waiting. He was wearing a smile that made me think of a cat that had a mouse cornered. I guess that made me the mouse.

My hope was to simply say hello to Grandpa as I passed by into the house. 

“Well,” Grandpa said. “I’ve heard you’ve had a busy day. Finding the body of poor, little Jared McKnight while keeping company with his older cousin Payne. That’s one hell of an afternoon, Bristol. I’d love to hear how that happened.”

“Nothing to tell, really,” I said. “We we’re just talking
, and we found him. I feel really bad for Payne and his family.”

“Me too,” Grandpa said. “Got nothing but sympathy for the McKnights. The whole bunch of ‘em.”

“Why do I feel he’s not being completely truthful about that, darling?” Someone else said. Jay materialized next to Grandpa. He sent me that killer grin that gave me goose bumps.

“I can’t believe,” Grandpa went on, completely unaware of Jay’s ghostly presence, “that the two of you were just walking along together and happened across Jared McKnight’s body. People have been looking for him for years. It’s quite an accomplishment.” He gave me that cornered mouse look again.

“Well,” I said. “There was a dog involved.”

“Uh
-huh.” Grandpa arched an eyebrow. “A dog?”

I nodded. “Yup
. Cute one, too. I’m not sure what kind, but it was black and had a long tail and ears…” I put my fingers near my head to simulate dog ears and panted a little. “You know, a dog.”

Jay giggled while Grandpa goggled.

“You know, Bristol,” Grandpa said. “You can trust me. You can tell me anything. It’s all right.”

I stopped my dog impression and gave him my best fake smile. “Thank you
, Grandpa,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yeah, right.

“What I mean,” Grandpa continued, “is that here in Spirit, you wouldn’t be the only one who is…
special.”

“Watch yourself,” Jay warned. “I believe he’s trying to trick you into reveali
ng something about yourself you may not want to.”

“Grandpa,” I said
. “I like to think that we’re all special in our own way. Even you.”

Grandpa chuckled. “How very Lifetime Channel of you.”

“You watch Lifetime?” I asked. 

“What
is
Lifetime?” Jay asked.             

“Bristol,” Grandpa continued, “you may think you’re fooling me, but you’re not. I know there’s something different about you.”

“It’s because I’m from New York City,” I explained. “They make us tough down there.”             

“I ain’t talking about you being able to hail a cab better than everyone else,” Grandpa
grumbled. “I’m talking about you having a little something extra. A talent if you will, that most don’t have, if you know what I mean.”

“Well, Grandpa,
I might. It’s been awhile, but there was this one thing I used to do, sometimes.”

“Yeah?” Grandpa leaned closer.

“Well, I used to able to burp out the alphabet,” I said. “It’s been a long time since I tried. Getting past the L-M-N-O-P part was always the hardest.”

Grandpa looked furious. 

Jay grinned. “How charming.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Grandpa barked. He shook his head.
Clearly, he was trying to keep his temper in check, and I wasn’t helping. I was good that way.

“Bristol, I think it’s time I explained about Spirit,” Grandpa said. “Why Spirit is different than anywhere else. How our family is tied to Spirit
, and why we never leave.”

“My parents left,” I corrected.

“Yeah,” Grandpa acknowledged. “Look how that turned out for them.”

His words felt like a kick in the gut. Still, it didn’t seem like Grandpa was
trying
to be mean.

“Let me tell you a story,” Grandpa said and patted the seat next to him, right where Jay was sitting. Jay found it very disturbing
, and I really couldn’t blame him. Instead, I took a seat across from Grandpa on the bench.

“Is this a story with unicorns?” I asked. “I love stories with unicorns.”

“Girls,” Grandpa said. “My grandsons want stories about dragons. My granddaughter wants unicorns.”

“Dragons can be nice,” I offered
. “Especially the cute ones who talk.”

Grandpa rolled his eyes. “No talking dragons, or dancing unicorns, or singing squirrels, or anything like that. This is about your family and the McKnight family. I’m sure by now you’ve realized that our families don’t exactly get along.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that,” I said. “One or two thousand times.”

“
All right,” Grandpa said. “So first thing you need to understand is both the Blackburn and the McKnight families have been around for a long time. We were both here when Spirit was first founded. Even back then, the McKnights had the money, and we did most of the work. McKnights have always owned things. Because of that, they think that they can own people.”

“Grandpa,” I chastised. 

Grandpa ignored me. “Look, my point is the hard feelings that exist between our families have been around for a long time. And believe me, it’s mutual. They hate us as much as we hate them.”

“Grandpa,” I repeated, this time with the extra dramatic flair of an eye roll
. “I understand
you
don’t like them. I don’t really know them. Payne seems, at least so far, to be okay.”

“So far?” Grandpa smiled. “I figured as much.”

“What?”

“Y
ou haven’t fully decided to trust him yet,” Grandpa said. “Good. I hadn’t thought so. I heard you talking before in your room, having a very interesting conversation.”

“You what?” I felt
a stab of panic.

“Take it easy,” Jay cautioned. “I doubt he realizes who you were talking to.” 

“Talking to that hamster of yours,” Grandpa said. “Glorified rat is what it is, if you ask me.”

Jay broke out in laughter. I tried my best not to look at him, but he wasn’t making it easy. 

“So,” Grandpa said, “if I could continue. Back then there were others… I suppose they existed on both sides if I’m being honest here, that thought the feud was silly. You had an ancestor, James Blackburn, who made it his mission to mend fences. Went out of his way for nearly a year trying to be nice to the McKnights. Brought them fresh vegetables from his garden. Looked out for some of their elderly. One day, he saw a horse on his land. He recognized it as belonging to one of the McKnights. Figured it had gotten loose and wandered onto his property. So, he did the neighborly thing and returned it. Unfortunately for James, the horse belonged to some kid named Penelope McKnight. She was a very spoiled, stuck-up, piece of…. Well, you’re kind of young for that kind of language.”

“Grandpa,
I’ve heard all the bad words.”

“Maybe
you
have,” Jay said. “But I’m not sure that I know them all. Maybe I would like your grandfather to enlighten me.”

“The point is,” Grandpa continued, “she knew that if the horse had gotten out, it was because she hadn’t secured the barn door. She accused
James
of stealing it. Can you imagine that? Here was this guy who normally got laughed at because of all the nice things he did for the McKnights, and they accuse him of stealing her horse! What sense did that make?”

“Not much, I suppose,” I admitted. “What happened?”

“Well, they knew it would never be proven,” Grandpa said, “so they just decided to teach him a little lesson themselves. I understand they broke both his arms, several ribs…. You get the idea.”

“Yeah, I do
, and it sounds horrible. But really, Grandpa, does it really matter?” I asked. “I mean, how long ago was this? How many greats would I have to put before Uncle James’ name before I got it right?”

“A good point
.” Grandpa smiled. “And you’re right, it was a long time ago. I’m just trying to say that Blackburns have tried to make peace with the McKnights on more than one occasion.”

“Well, I’m not,” I insisted. “I’m not trying to make peace between the families. I’m going to judge each McKnight for themselves. I saw a few McKnights at school the other day. Maggie told me their names were Archer and Blasé I think.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen them,” Grandpa mumbled. “I know they’re both good looking boys but, Bristol, let me tell you, they’re—”

“Bullies,” I interjected
. “I know. I saw them picking on this kid, but when Payne got there he defended him against his cousins.”

Grandpa seemed to consider my words. “I understand what you’re saying. But that doesn’t mean…”

“Grandpa,” I said, “I’m not about to run off and marry him. We’re not even dating. I can’t even imagine going out on a date with him. I can’t imagine him wanting to…”

“Hey,” Grandpa said. “Don’t sell yourself short.
I think anyone in this town would be lucky to take you out. You’re a Blackburn! And more importantly, you’re my granddaughter. I don’t think you realize how lovely you are.”

I was taken aback. Not just at his words but at the sincerity behind them.
It was also clear the sense of pride that had been behind the words “my granddaughter.”
I glanced at Jay, who was watching me intently.

“He speaks the truth, Bristol,” Jay said. “You are a very beautiful young lady with a charming personality. I am filled with jealousy at the thought of any young man courting you. Trust me, if our circumstances were different, I would spend all my time trying to find a way to curry your favor.”

I blushed deeply at Jay’s words. Old fashioned as they were, they made me feel very special. 

Grandpa huffed. “
All right now. Don’t go getting all girly on me.”

I laughed. “I would never think of it.” 

“Let’s get back to the story, shall we?” Grandpa asked. 

“There’s more?”

“Yes, I was just giving you a little background. Setting the stage.”

“Ok
ay,” I said. “The stage is set. What happened next?”

“I’m getting to that,” Grandpa barked. “So you get the fact that neither family got along. Usually, they both kept their distance from one another. When they couldn’t, problems ensued. The biggest problem was when a young girl named Annabelle Blackburn, who was just about your age, maybe a year older, caught the eye of Tristan McKnight.”

“Ah ha,” I mumbled. 

“Ah ha is right
.” Grandpa smiled. “Annabelle was a very beautiful young girl. Long, dark hair, breathtaking blue eyes, and like you, rather strong willed. As the story goes, Tristan was the guy that every girl in town wanted for themselves. He was known to be very polite, smart, a hard worker, and of course, the best looking guy in town. Just like me.”

“Yeah,” I deadpanned
. “You’re a hottie.”

“I do believe I’m going to be sick,” Jay said.

“The point is,” Grandpa continued, “Tristan pursued Annabelle like it was his life’s work. As I understand, she didn’t keep him waiting long. Pretty soon they were inseparable. It was like a storybook romance. Their families wanted to burn that particular storybook. Annabelle’s family warned her that Tristan would betray her. That he just wanted what he couldn’t have.”