The Red String of Fate Page 4

  “No, not like a date or anything. I just gotta get some stuff off my chest.”

  Vee had to wonder what star she was born under to have been the first person to show up after a scene like that. As much as she didn’t want to go, it’s not like she had anywhere else to be, and it was hard for her to say no.

  “Sure,” she said, “I know a pretty good place near campus. I don’t have a car, though.”

  “I can drive,” Jon said. “Just give me directions.”

  From the start of the ride all the way through their bowls of ice cream, Jon hardly relented in his assault on Valerie. Everything from her interests to her family weren’t safe, and Vee could only nod and mumble her sympathy. Eventually, however, Jon put the ball in her court.

  “I mean, what would you do in that situation?” He said.

  Vee had to jolt herself into a more conscious awareness. He had just told her how he and Valerie had watched some chick flicks with her girlfriends and couldn’t stop fawning over how hot the actors were, but when Jon pointed out how one of the actresses had a nice bod, he got torn apart for having eyes for other women.

  “Um,” Vee said, “I do think it’s a little hypocritical to be so defensive after having done the exact same thing.”

  “Right? That’s what I’m saying!”

  Jon continued to rant for over 40 minutes. Vee was amazed he could go on for so long, especially considering she assumed girls were the ones to be so chatty about their breakups. ...Was this even a breakup? Once Vee had the chance, she wondered if it was okay for her to ask. “How long have you been together?”

  “Two years, on and off,” Jon said, taking another bite of mint chocolate chip.

  “That’s a pretty long time. Why’d you get together in the first place?”

  “She’s hot,” Jon said.

  Vee sighed. “Is there really no other reason? Don’t you love her?”

  “Sure,” Jon said, looking more serious than Vee expected out of him, “but is it wrong to love somebody because they’re attractive?”

  “Maybe if that’s the only reason,” Vee said, “but there has to be other things holding a relationship together. What do you like, other than her looks?”

  Jon sighed through his nose and sat back. He had to think for a moment, but his words were sincere.

  “Val is really smart. And she’s really passionate about the things she likes.”

  Vee couldn’t help but feel a little washed out when she was the exact opposite. “That’s great!” She said with mustered enthusiasm. “When was the last time you told her that?”

  “I dunno,” Jon said, “probably a while.”

  “Then start there,” Vee said. “Maybe not right away, because both of you are still heated. But if you still love her after you’ve had time to cool down, make sure she knows how you really feel. I bet she probably feels the same way, or else why would you keep getting back together over two years?”

  Jon grumbled, dramatically rolling his head and rubbing his eyes. Vee felt a little like how he looked. If she was honest, she didn’t really buy into the advice she was giving. Even though it was pretty obvious she and Jon were very different people, Vee saw enough red flags from him—and enough from Valerie through his tirade—that she doubted they’d be able to peaceably continue in a relationship for an extended period. At least, Vee knew she couldn’t handle the hot-and-cold attitude of frequent breakups. Maybe they’d be able to work through their differences, though she couldn’t help but wonder if the emotional effort would be worth the outcome.

  “Okay, I get it. You’re a pretty good listener, you know that?”

  Vee chuckled. “Thanks.”

  “No, I really mean it. I’m sorry you had to hear all of that, but I feel a lot better with it out in the open.”

  “Glad I could help,” Vee said, “And thanks for the ice cream!”

  The following weeks were better than Vee expected them to be. As she got more involved in the club, she discovered journalism had a surprisingly hands-on, interactive appeal that kept her engaged and perhaps even eager to go back day after day. She had gotten to know most of the members and even went out for drinks a few times. Not that she did any drinking. Her professor seemed pretty happy about it too, even if it meant Vee was perhaps less focused in her class after that point, making their office-visits even more frequent.

  Vee was somewhat pleased to find out that Jon and Valerie had gotten back together, and after a while, Nick began offering her rides home again. Things were much less awkward between them than she thought they’d be, and Vee was actually enjoying whatever bit of friendship had formed between them, which naturally extended to Kayne after some time. He joined in on the after-club rides when he didn’t have work, and once, they brought a gaming console to play a round of party games at her place.

  Kayne was a bit more spontaneous than Nick. Where Nick was mellow and kind, Kayne was a bit more firey and liked to tease. After spending enough time in the club, it was pretty obvious how much they loved each other, and even they poked fun at the adage of “opposites attract.” It wasn’t until after a club meeting a week or so prior to the cabin trip that Vee really got the chance to talk with him one-on-one, though.

  Nick had to leave early that night because his parents were in town from out of state, though both he and Kayne had previously signed up to put away the equipment and clean up the room. Having nothing better to do, and because she hoped to get to know Kayne a bit better, Vee offered to take Nick’s place. They were both grateful.

  “Say, Kayne,” Vee said, rearranging desks for classes the next morning, “How did you and Nick meet?”

  “It’s not very interesting,” Kayne said, “but I could throw in a few lies in there to spice it up for you if you’d like.”

  Vee laughed as he threw her a wink. “Save the tall tales for another day.”

  “Your loss. We just met at a bar a year or so ago and really hit it off. It was pure coincidence that we were both students.”

  “And that you both liked journalism?”

  Kayne shuffled a bit. “Well, not exactly. Nick is pretty set to be a journalist his whole life, but I joined the club purely to support him.”

  “Oh,” Vee said, “but I guess you don’t dislike it, or else you wouldn’t have joined.”

  Kayne smiled at that. “You could say that. It’s not like it’s a bad profession. I’ve enjoyed a lot of what we do, I’m just not sure it’s really ‘me,’ y’know?”

  Vee’s eyes glazed over a bit. “Yeah, I know. I’m not really sure this is what I want to do with my life either. What do you want to do?”

  “It sounds dumb, considering we’re in college and all, but I’ll probably end up doing some kind of blue collar thing in the end. I like using my hands, and the dirtier the better.”

  “That’s not dumb,” Vee said, “and consider it this way—with a degree under your belt and the necessary skills, you can easily go into management. Depending on your profession, that doesn’t even mean you’d be sitting at a desk doing paperwork all day!”

  “That’s like, my biggest fear, but you’re right. Managers get the bigger paychecks, and I know just as well as anybody that the diploma makes all the difference.”

  As they hoisted the last bit of equipment into the closet, a small scrap of paper fell from Vee’s jacket pocket. Kayne picked it up, glancing at it before handing it back.

  “What was that?” He asked.

  “Oh,” Vee said, accepting it from him, “Professor Wellington, my biology professor gave it to me.”

  Kayne’s eyes grew wide. “Professor Wellington?”

  Vee smiled. “Yeah! Have you had her?”

  Kayne returned the smile. “No, but I’ve heard a lot about her.”

  “She’s really great,” Vee said, “she’s really easy to understand and cares a lot about her students. She was the one to recommend I join a club, so you could say it’s thanks to her that I’m even here.”

  �
�I take it you two are pretty close, then.”

  Vee got a little embarrassed at that. “Well, I’m probably in her office ten times more than your average person. ...And I guess I’m more cued in to her personal life than most, if not all of them. So...yeah. I think we’re definitely closer than your average professor and student. I’m super devastated that she’s off at some science convention this week, though. The TAs just don’t explain things clearly enough.”

  With everything cleaned up and put away, Kayne changed the subject. “Are you excited for this weekend?”

  “You mean the trip to the woods?” Vee asked.

  Kayne’s excitement bubbled to the top. “Uh, yeah! Wouldn’t it be cool if we got some real-time ghost footage?”

  Vee rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure we’ll get anything like that. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if you took the roll and edited in some creepy faces once we get back.”

  “Actually, I hadn’t considered that,” Kayne said, “but thanks for the idea!”

  Vee grabbed her bag and started walking with Kayne out the building. “So you don’t buy into the idea of a haunted cabin?”

  Kayne laughed. “No way. I’d be surprised if anyone in this age really believed in ghosts.”

  “But the Prez seems to think there will be something worth shooting up there. I mean, this is supposed to be a journalism excursion, so what the heck are we supposed to write about?”

  Kayne considered the question. “Hmmm. Architecture, maybe? The housing market crash in the 2000’s? Dang, I should be writing these down!”

  Vee laughed. “Hey, don’t steal all the ideas! Leave a few for the rest of us!”

  Kayne laughed with her. “I’m glad you decided to come. I was surprised when you were so eager to go, even after just about everyone else had something going on or else expressed no interest.”

  “Actually, I’m a little embarrassed about that. If I had known so many people wouldn’t go, I probably would’ve backed down as well.”

  “You’re not gonna flake out on me, are you?”

  “Nah,” Vee said. “Even if I’m not really into ghost stories, I’ve always enjoyed exploring the woods. It’s been a while since I’ve done something like this, and it seemed fun to be able to do it with the club.”

  Kayne grinned. “I feel the same way.”

  As they got outside, Vee stopped to wrap up the conversation. “I guess we’ll see how many people end up flaking in the end, though. I suspect we’ll probably lose one or two more by the end of the week.”

  Kayne sighed. “Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise me. I’ll see what I can do about recruiting a few more, though. You can count on me!”

  Vee waved goodbye as she began the walk to her apartment.

  - 6 -

  Landon listened carefully as Vee recounted the experiences. He made sure to stop her at places, asking clarifying questions, and move her along when she got on tangents. In the end, he felt like he got a pretty good grasp on her interactions with each of the people who went with her on the trip, and the trip itself went just about how he would’ve expected it to. The issue seemed to lie in the fact that none of the suspects seemed like they harbored any ill-will toward Vee, neither did Vee really think any of them to be guilty. It was just hard to see it any other way. He let out a sigh.

  “You really can’t remember anything that would’ve made you a target?”

  Vee shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “And you don’t have a criminal background yourself, do you?”

  “Nothing of the sort. I hardly had friends before joining the club, much less enemies.”

  Landon considered her story once again, trying to see it from different angles. He would’ve explored that some more, but shining lights flashed through the cracks between the window and the drapes. Landon knew what that meant. He headed to the front door and stopped at the threshold, lackadaisically watching as two gentlemen stepped out of a vehicle, followed by a handful of uniformed policemen in their patrol cars.

  “Alright, Landon. You got us. Bring us to the scene of the crime.”

  The one who spoke was an older gentleman in his fifties or sixties. He had a square jaw flecked with whiskers that had probably grown out since that morning, though there were a few patches that hadn’t been shaved properly. His hair was only barely holding on to its original color, the rest having turned from brown to gray. He held himself with an air of authority, though the way he spoke felt laid back.

  His partner, on the other hand, seemed like his converse. He was young, right around the same age as Landon. His hair was dirty blond and his chin retained its clean shaven appearance. He scowled a bit at Landon as they entered, and Landon could tell he was clenching his jaw. He only seemed to regard Landon with sidelong glares, and impatiently took long, defiant breaths.

  “Thanks, Jim,” Landon said, as he motioned them to follow him towards the cellar. “You too, Detective Hollowclap. You got here pretty quick.”

  Detective Hollowclap looked away, as if pretending he hadn’t heard. Jim just smiled and clasped Landon on the shoulder.

  “We had a case near the edge of the city. Tell us about what happened here.”

  Landon was grateful to have Jim and his partner on the job. While Landon had a definite in with the police thanks to his aunt being the Chief, James Bimmel was more than a trusted confidant. He was like a father to Landon, standing by his side even if the most difficult situations. He wished he could say the same about Detective Hollowclap, but the man had a chip on his shoulder for Landon. He couldn’t be positive, but Landon felt it had something to do with Jim’s trust in Landon. Jim would always take Landon’s side and defend his opinions, even over his own partner.

  Landon gave a sidelong glance toward Vee, who hovered nearby. Neither detective, nor any of the cops with them, appeared to notice her at all. So why could he? If it had something to do with his ability to see strings, why was Vee the first ghost he’d ever been able to communicate with? He was well aware that his ability held a lot more secrets than he knew the truth to, but this was so far out of the scope of what he would have considered to be relevant that it left him at a loss for explanations. Perhaps he’d give energy into forming some theories later; right now, he needed to focus his attention on the current case.

  “A handful of college kids were partying over the weekend. Looks like things got pretty ugly.” Landon led the detectives to the cellar, pulling out his cell phone’s flashlight as he did so. “I’m afraid you’ll find my fingerprints on the latch here. I honestly didn’t expect to find what I did.”

  Landon watched as Detective Hollowclap scowled at the scene of the crime. Jim let out a long, tired sigh. Landon wasn’t sure how he felt—it was probably a mixture of the two.

  “What the hell happened here?” Detective Hollowclap said.

  Landon rocked slightly on his heels. “A girl in Lyndzi’s club didn’t come back with her group.” Landon added after a pause, “And while I can’t be sure considering there’s no body, I’m willing to bet this blood belongs to her.”

  “So this is a Little Miss Jacobsen case, is it?” Jim said. “I’ll bet on that.”

  Detective Hollowclap wasted no time heading back up to the kitchen to order grunts around. Immediately the officers began spreading tape and bagging bottles or other objects to be used as evidence. Detective Hollowclap made arrangements for forensics to come, as well as a search team. Landon was impressed at his competence, despite his attitude. Jim took a backseat, checking out the blood and surrounding area.

  “Looks like she was probably dragged out in a bag,” he said. “Dust displacement is too large for footprints, lucky bastard. Can’t see any residual traces of blood along the ground or door, though. You probably already took note of all that though, didn’t you?”

  Landon nodded.

  “What do you make of it?”

  Landon considered what to say. Should he tell Jim about Vee? Maybe later. There were too many ears a
t this moment. “Hard to say,” Landon said, “considering I haven’t met any of the suspects.”

  Detective Bimmel looked at him. “I suppose you’re going to do that now?”

  Landon smiled, a tad grave in his expression. “I think so. I’d like to let you handle finding the body.”

  “Sure thing, but I ain’t telling Miss Jacobsen her friend is dead.”

  Landon breathed slowly and steadily. “Fine.”

  “Tell me what we’re looking for. Lyndzi gave you info, right?”

  Landon wasn’t one to lie as much as obscure truth when the situation called for it, so he skipped answering that question. “Her name is Vee Bern. She’s about 23,”

  “22,” Vee corrected.

  Landon continued as if he didn’t hear. “And roughly 5’5”. Thin. She has short hair, cut above the shoulders.”

  “Actually, I’m 5’3”, but I can see how the floating could throw you off.”

  Landon considered throwing her a glance. He wished he could say, “Oh, and do you want me to tell him you died with your hair in a ponytail, too?”

  “Right. Leave it to us, then. You go do what you’re best at.”

  Landon nodded, then headed for the entrance.

  “Wait!” Vee said, stretching out her arm behind him as he passed through the door.

  A sensation similar to the one he felt when entering hit his body again, only less forceful. He felt a tad colder, and in initial shock sent shivers up his spine. Only, his body didn’t warm up like before. He spun around, ready to glare daggers at his ghostly client, but she was gone. He stood up straight, confused, when he heard Vee speak up behind him from the porch.

  “Landon!” She said, “I’m out!”

  Landon spun around once again, facing her head on. Even floating off the ground, she only hung eye-level with him. He was tall, of course, but 5’3” seemed to be pretty short up close. He took a breath and walked through her, choosing to take the most direct path out in case he looked even more strange than he already did. He noticed a few cops had given him strange looks when he flipped around, so he didn’t want to attract more attention.