“How does he know that?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. All we need now is to be sure Dr. Little doesn’t get to the exact moment Lucas LaPiere died. We have to get close. Dangerously close. The whole point is to recreate what we’ve already seen, when a servant named Caprice witnessed Prosperine’s acts. That will require us to be seconds away from Lucas’s death without going all the way. The slave girl Elberta died moments before Lucas. Dr. Little would have to pinpoint it that precisely. We need to watch her die, but he must bring you back just seconds later.”
“And how does that help my case?”
“By showing everyone in the courtyard that Prosperine is a murderer. Once she kills Elberta, Dr. Little takes you to 1837, where you saw her kill Caprice. That was when she called you Lucas, said you were buried in the courtyard, and told you to go back to hell. If we can recreate that scene, it proves she murdered Tiffany. I know it’s supernatural proof, and many people won’t believe it, but if I can get Detective Young to attend the session, I think he’d be on our side.”
“That’s a long shot, Landry. Detective or not, no jury will buy into past life regression. I can’t get my arms around it myself, and my life depends on it.”
“It’s not a long shot, Jack. It’s your only shot. There’s no other way to prove your innocence.”
“Or kill me,” Jack muttered.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Fingers crossed, Landry called Detective Young and asked what time he was off duty tonight.
“Seven. Are you asking me out on a date?”
They both laughed. “You got it. Can I buy you a drink? I promise I won’t beg for favors this time. I’d like to talk to you about something you’ll find hard to believe.”
“You, the ghost hunter, talking about something hard to believe? Who’d have thought?”
The solitude of Patrick’s Bar had served Landry well two weeks ago when all this was just beginning, so he chose it again. He was nursing a cocktail at the same corner table when the cop joined him, placed his order and asked what was up.
He described Tiffany’s hypnosis and how not only were the bizarre events of that day witnessed by several people, they got it all on video. “Here’s a copy,” he said, handing Young a flash drive.
Landry said Tiffany’s brutal death was at the hands not of a twenty-first-century murderer, but a vicious madwoman in 1837. “Like Tiffany did, Jack has a powerful connection to the building. He witnessed her murder, but he wasn’t the perpetrator. The DA’s case against him is very strong, but he’s innocent and I think I can prove it. I’m working on another hypnosis session at the building — Jack’s this time. I’d appreciate it if you would be there.”
He omitted Jack’s vision of Tiffany’s death, where Madam LaPiere called him Lucas and blamed his infidelity for her crimes. That made little sense now, but it would be impactful if past life regression revealed it.
Landry finished and Detective Young spoke. “I didn’t get this case for a reason. My boss assigned someone else because he knows you and I are friends. I can be objective while still realizing that things you delve into are real, but we cops are trained to be skeptics. No offense, but everyone else at headquarters thinks Bayou Hauntings is entertainment created by altering video and audio footage. Don’t get me wrong. All the folks watch your shows, but nobody believes they’re real.”
Landry said, “Good thing I’m thick-skinned. That’s the second time today I’ve heard that my shows are bogus. But on the other thing — does your boss think you’re too close to me to be objective?”
“I think so, and you can see why. The story you just told me is fascinating. That’s why I came when you called — every time I’m around you, I get goosebumps. I’ll watch the video, although I’ve seen lots of altered videos. Seeing it in person is what will convince me. Maybe the captain will assign me to the case; regardless, I’ll attend the session and report whatever I see with my own eyes. My experience may help your friend, and it may not. Is that good enough for you?”
“That’s all I ask.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Jack came to work the next morning brimming with confidence and self-assurance. He’d gone to two meetings after work yesterday, prayed for guidance, and concluded that his life was worth nothing if he didn’t try hypnosis. Inevitably, he would serve decades in prison and perhaps even die there. What kind of life was it compared to the glimmer of hope that Landry’s plan held? The options were obvious, and so was Jack’s conviction that hypnotherapy was his only chance.
The plan for today was to return to the LaPiere mansion, since going there was the only way Landry knew how to contact the enigmatic Empyrion Richard. They drove onto the property, saw him standing by the cemetery, and stopped.
He walked to the Jeep and asked, “What day would you like to hold the session?”
“How do you know that’s why we’re here?”
He smiled. “Why else? In your mind, a chance to exonerate your friend here far outweighs the dangers.”
Landry suggested the day after tomorrow, knowing both Fred Little and Doc were ready to move. That suited Empyrion, and Landry asked who would open the building now that the lockbox was gone.
“It will be fine,” he replied. “I’ll meet you there at seven.”
With nothing to lose, Landry asked if
