“This is it,” he told me, switching off the knocking engine and pushing open his complaining door.
I climbed out as well, and we stood in the small patch of grass that served as a backyard, quietly studying the rear entrance of the building. A short flight of wooden stairs led up to a whitewashed exterior door. The porch light, fitted with a dim yellow bulb, still burned in the crisp shadows caused by a small overhang jutting from the brick wall to cover the landing.
“The apartment next to hers,” Ben told me, “and the one directly above are currently unoccupied.” He pointed to each of the windows. “The other upstairs apartment belongs to a forty-year-old woman who’s stone deaf. Besides, she wasn’t even home.”
A ghostly flash of noise battered my eardrums for a moment. The briefness and ethereal quality of the mechanical rumble told me it was only in my head, but I knew immediately what it meant.
“And the air conditioner was running,” I stated. “No one could hear her over the noise if she screamed.”
“Yeah,” Ben paused and looked at me sideways. “The other neighbors didn’t hear a thing.” We started walking toward the stairs. “Anyway, the outer doors automatically lock, and there were no visible signs of forced entry, so we assume she either knew the killer and let ‘im in, or he had a key or somethin’ of that sort.”
“Locksmith, maybe,” I offered as we climbed the stairs and came to rest on the landing.
“We’re checking into that,” Ben replied. “The upstairs neighbor was the one that found ‘er when she was comin’ in later that evenin’. Her door was propped open, and the neighbor thought it was a little strange.”
“Deliberately propped open?”
“Looked that way.”
“Odd…” I mused aloud. “That would seem to indicate that whoever did this wanted the body found quickly.”
Taking out a key that had been provided to the police by the landlord, he opened the exterior door, and we stepped into what could be referred to as a small, shared mud room. To either side, there was a door, each with a large, sectioned pane of glass. Peering through the left window, one could see that the apartment was empty. Through the right, the small kitchen appeared lived in. Shiny copper pots and pans hung from a ceiling rack in the center of the room, and there was a can of vegetarian chili sitting on the counter in front of a small microwave-a last meal that was never eaten. Ben took a small lock blade from his pocket, opened it and cut the Police Crime Scene seal on the door. Stowing the knife and using another key, he unlocked the door.
“Uhhh, Ben.” I reached out and grabbed his arm as he started to push the door open. “I’d better warn you about something.”
“Warn me ‘bout what?” He turned to face me.
“This…” I started. “This might get a little weird, for lack of a better word.”
“Are you talkin’ about that hocus-pocus shit again?” he asked, still holding the doorknob.
“One,” I shot back. “Yes, if that’s what you want to call it. Two, it’s not shit.”
“Okay, okay,” he answered, knowing that he’d raised my ire. “Sorry. But I already told ya’ I don’t really believe in all that stuff.” He slipped his hand up to smooth his hair and let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, look, I’ll give it a try your way, but don’t expect too much from me. I operate in a world where physical evidence is what makes the case.”
“Fair enough. For the sake of argument though, you might want to take notes. Also, if I zone out on you, don’t touch me. That would break my concentration.”
“Okay,” he answered and pushed the door open. “Whatever you say.”
I knew he was still unconvinced, but I also knew I could trust him to do as I asked. In any event, as soon as the door swung open, there was no turning back.
The first thing I felt was the hair on the back of my neck as it stood on end then was rapidly followed by every other hair on my body mimicking the action. My skin began to burn as if I were baking under a sun lamp. Proceeding forward, I stepped through the entrance, followed closely by Ben. I scarcely heard the faint click of the door as he pressed it shut.
“Be careful of that crap they used to dust for prints, it’ll stain…”
I held up a hand to cut him off and walked quietly through the kitchen, working my way to the counter. I began to consciously control my breathing, slowly and deeply in through my nose and out through my mouth. I relaxed and imagined a spire of light, white and pure, running from the soles of my feet to the center of the Earth. In a matter of moments, I was “grounded,” and I cleared my mind, allowing it to become a blank, unblemished slate. I slipped easily into a shallow trance, and when I felt relaxed, centered, and in control, I reached out to touch the unopened can of chili on the counter. When my hand made contact, I invited the last few moments of Ariel Tanner’s life to play themselves out upon the empty screen I had created.
My vision tunneled, and colors bled away, running like paint being poured from a can. I could hear the melodious humming of a female voice, pretty and distinct. I looked around to see where it originated, only to realize that it was coming from within me as I assumed Ariel’s role. A part of me struggled to remain earthbound, and I knew that the humming was occurring only inside my head. My conscious self would have to narrate what I was seeing for Ben.
“I, Ariel, am humming,” I told him. “I’m happy and I’m getting ready to fix myself something for dinner.”
“Whaddaya mean ‘you, Ariel’?” Ben was perplexed. “What are ya’ talkin’ about?”
“Just listen,” I instructed him.
What was that? A noise. Maybe there’s someone at the door. I’d better check.
The scenario continued to project itself inside my mind, and I turned and walked to the door. I was vaguely aware of Ben quickly shuffling out of my path and following along behind me.
“There might be someone at this door,” I continued talking aloud. “She heard a noise, and she’s checking on it. She’s opening the door.”
That’s funny, no one there. I was sure I heard something. I guess I just imagined it. Oh well, I need to eat soon. I just took my insulin twenty minutes ago.
“There’s no one there.” I went on, “She thinks she must have imagined the noise.” I turned and walked back to the counter. “She’s a diabetic, and she has to eat something because she just took her insulin.”
“Yeah, we found it in the fridge,” Ben told me hesitantly, and I didn’t admonish him.
What?! What’s going on? Who’s there? STOP! Let me go! Don’t do that! Get that away from my face! What’s that smell? I’m gagging. Stop it!
I could feel her struggling as she was grabbed from behind, and I was forced to tense my own muscles to keep from lashing out in a mirrored response. A phantomlike, sickly sweet odor tickled my nostrils, urging me to drift off into sleep. I shook my head, fending off the woozy sensation. “Someone grabbed her from behind. She’s struggling, but he’s too strong. She smells something. He put something over her face. Chloroform or something…”
Dizzy. Sleepy. I’m falling. Falling.
“She’s blacking out,” I stated urgently.
Ouch! What was that? Something bit me on my arm. Did a mosquito get in here? No. It felt like a needle. Oh, I feel strange. What’s happening to me? Why does my head feel like this. I’m dizzy. Why is the room getting so dark?
“Pain,” I almost shouted. “Something on her arm. A bite? No, a needle. The bastard drugged her. Look at his face, Ariel! Dammit, look at his face!”
The sequence ended in a black fog, and I stumbled against the counter. I sensed Ben reaching for me uncertainly then pulling back, apparently remembering I had told him not to touch me if I tranced.
“I’m okay,” I told him, regaining my balance and pulling off my glasses in order to rub my eyes. “He drugged her. Did the medical examiner check for drugs?”
“Should have. Tox screens are SOP,” Ben answered. “I still don’t have a report yet. You sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I answered. “Let’s keep going. Maybe she saw his face at some point.”
“Look, Row,” Ben started. “Uhhh… Are you tellin’ me that you’re actually seein’ what Ariel Tanner saw the night she was murdered?”
“Believe it or not, Ben,” I looked at him squarely in the face. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“Jeezus,” he said, “I’ve seen some strange shit, but this…” his voice trailed off.
Though I had explained to Ben some of the more minor aspects of WitchCraft, this was the first time he had
