My dad looked stunned and I said vehemently, "I know about the secret meetings at the high school and that Murdoch is somehow involved, but that's all I know. What's with all the secrets?"
"Roy, I can't explain right now, you've just got to trust me. Anything I've hidden has been for your own good. Please calm down, son, I don't like seeing you so upset."
"Why not, Dad? Are you afraid I might have an out-of-body experience?"
My father's jaw dropped. "Roy, what do you know about out-of-body experiences?"
"Plenty. They've been happening to me for a long time. I also know there are secrets in this town that I intend to uncover."
"Roy, son, please be careful about what you're saying. If anyone finds out, there will be problems."
"I want to know the truth and I want to know it now!" I shouted.
"Son, you can't handle the truth." My father turned his back on me and walked over to peer out the window.
"What truth can't I handle—that my whole life has been a lie? Listen, Dad, Sheriff Tanner will be here shortly to tell you about Murdoch escaping and that he's not to have contact with me."
Dad jerked his head around. "Murdoch escaped? What are you talking about? How do you know this, Roy?"
"Frankly, I know more than you think. Now the question for you to answer is why it's so imperative that Murdoch not talk to me?"
My dad stalked toward me and grabbed my arm. "We'll talk in your room."
My dad led the way and after we sat on my unmade bed, he said, "Roy, you do have a special gift and Murdoch will do anything to see that you never use it. Sheriff Tanner is on your side and only wants to make sure you're safe. He's trying to keep Murdoch from harming you. You have to believe me son. We're all trying to protect you."
"Why would Murdoch want to harm me and why all the lies?"
"Murdoch has killed many people and he's taken an interest in you because of your ability. Yes Roy, you do have a special gift, and if people knew about it, it would put you in grave danger. Like I said, we're trying to protect you."
"We? What do you mean, we?"
My father was silent, but finally said, "I can't explain yet, but there are others who know of your gift."
Time was running out, and I knew what I must do. I jumped off my bed, ran through the hallway to the living room, and out the front door. I could hear my father yelling in protest as I headed down the trail toward town. I arrived back at the jail after the deputy was killed and the sheriff was feeling for a pulse. I ran to the alley wrinkling my nose at the smell and waited in the shadows for the rear door to open, hoping I wasn't too late. The door opened and Murdoch stepped out. "Murdoch!" I whispered loudly.
"Roy, what are you doing here?"
"I want to know the truth!"
Murdoch grabbed my arm and we ran through the alley until we reached a trail leading into the forest. Murdoch followed the trail a short distance and then veered off into deep woods. Some hours later, we arrived at an old cabin hidden by trees and foliage.
"Come inside, Roy; this is my home. I know you have lots of questions and I'll do my best to answer them."
With trepidation I followed Murdoch inside and he closed the door. I sat in one of two chairs at a small table. The door reopened, but there was no one there.
"Don't worry, Roy. As you may have guessed, there's someone else here with us." The door closed by itself. It appeared that I wasn't the only one with a special gift for leaving the body. At that moment, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the truth.
Murdoch settled into the other chair. He said, "I'm glad we're all here together. I only wish your mother could be here in person,"
"What do you know about my mother's death?"
"Roy, your mother isn't dead; she's very much alive."
"What do you mean? I saw her, she was dead."
Murdoch leaned forward. "The woman you saw wasn't your mother, at least not your real mother. Your real mother is in the room with us."
I was confused.
"Yes, Roy, your birthmother has the same gift as you."
A chill raced up my spine and I could feel the skin on my arms crawl. I barely croaked out the words, "Are you telling me that my whole life has been a lie and that my real mother is here now, outside of her body?"
"Yes, Roy, that's exactly what I am saying."
"Then where is her body?"
"We'll get to that later. She's been communicating with me for some time now."
"Why you?"
"Because, Roy, I'm your father."
Chapter 20: Truth
I'd wanted to know the truth for so long that Murdoch's words seemed surreal…and could I believe him?
"I felt a hand rubbing my back lightly and jerked around. There was no one there."
Murdoch said, "Roy your mother has to leave."
"Why?"
"I'll explain that soon enough." He made a waving motion. "Rose, sweetheart, you must leave. You've been too long out of your body."
The name Rose sent shockwaves through my body.
The front door opened and then closed.
Murdoch continued, "Twenty-two years ago people in Fairview were being murdered. Sheriff Tanner had just been voted in as the new sheriff and he was determined to find the killer. Your mother used her gift and witnessed a man in black committing a murder. She notified the sheriff of what she had seen, but he wasn't convinced. It was then that she confessed to having her special gift. After that the sheriff accused her of being drunk. Weeks later, he called for a town meeting. That night your mother went into labor with you. I called the doctor but there was no answer. Everything happened so fast…"
I could see this was an emotional memory for Murdoch.
He continued, "Your mother delivered you but was in terrible pain, and there was so much blood everywhere that I left the house and went to the town meeting to search for the doctor. When I arrived at the school, I had blood on my clothing and I was in a state of panic, afraid that I might lose my wife and son. The entire town witnessed me walking into the gymnasium covered in blood. The sheriff immediately escorted me out of the building. I explained that my son had just been born and that I needed the doctor. Sherriff Tanner drove me and Dr. Jenson back to my house. Rose was gone. You, my only child, had disappeared as well. I was devastated.
"Immediately, I was accused of murdering my pregnant wife and incarcerated in the town jail. Later, they tried to pin the killing of those two men on me, but no evidence could be produced. I was placed on trial for murdering Rose and questioned repeatedly about where her body was. The trial was rigged and I was found guilty, but they couldn't give me the death penalty because there was no body. The lead juror was Roger Clawson. Strangely, the Clawsons adopted a newborn son right after I was sentenced to the State Penitentiary.
"Later, to my surprise, your mother used her gift to help me escape a few days before my scheduled transport to prison. She wrote what had happened down so I could read it and understand. I discovered that she had been kidnapped and taken to a mental institution and our baby stolen from her. She had been placed in lockdown and it was only a fluke that an orderly forgot to lock her door one night. Using the opportunity she came to me. After I escaped, she made me promise to watch over you until I knew whether or not you were our baby. When you admitted to being able to leave your body, I was sure you were our son. It's only recently that the sheriff ordered your mother out of lockdown. I think he was hoping that when I found out, I'd break into the facility to free her physical body so he could capture me.
"And there's more. The two men who were killed had both reported witnessing a bright light coming from the high school. Your mother and I believe Sheriff Tanner is connected to the killings, and that your mother's gift terrified him because his secrets would be revealed.
"Roy, we don't know what this town is hiding, but we do know that your mother and you have a gift that scares them. Somehow, the Clawsons talked the sheriff into allowing your adoption into the
ir family. The Clawsons appear to love you very much, Roy, but I don't think they can protect you any longer.
Chapter 21: Rose
I listened mesmerized by Murdoch's story. He concluded, "Your birthmother's parents died in a car accident when she was sixteen. She had no relatives and lived in foster homes until she was able to marry me at eighteen. Shortly after we married, she shared her out-of-body experiences with me. Together, we figured out that emotions triggered her episodes and gradually she learned to control them. Every time she left her body, we would talk about the experience to learn how to best utilize her gift. Several times she witnessed seeing a man in black watching her from a distance. She began to wonder if he had a physical body because she never saw him when she returned to her own body. And when she saw him murder that man, she knew he was evil.
"Your mother also has a keen sense for the smell of death. She couldn't even walk past the funeral home." He sighed. "I love your mother very much, Roy, and I'll do everything in my power to reunite our family. This is what you need to remember. Your mother saw the same light in town that the two men who were murdered saw. The mistake they made is in reporting it to Sheriff Tanner. No one can be trusted. Not even the law."
I asked, "Why did you tell Rose she was out of her body too long?"
"Roy, along with your gift there also comes a caution."
Chapter 22: Warning
Murdoch's revelations and warning triggered an onslaught of emotions and I suddenly left my body. He continued talking to my body propped in the chair. "Roy, son, I'm sorry this has happened to you. We haven't much time. There's something taking place at the high school that the sheriff and the townspeople don't want you or I to see."
I returned to my body and repeated my earlier question, "Why did you tell Rose she had been out of her body too long?"
Murdoch sighed. "When we first started experimenting with Rose leaving her body, she once stayed out for so long she almost lost her ability to return. The only conclusion we came to is that the element that leaves the body starts to think it doesn't have a body when it's separated too long. Your mother said there was almost no sensation of a connection to her physical self. Roy, have you ever felt that way?"
"No."
Murdoch reached a hand and touched my shoulder. Softly, he said, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that the people you believe you can trust are all part of some plot that involves you. We don't know what they're up to, or who they all are, but we do know that we have to put an end to whatever is happening at the high school. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to the appearance of the light, but it happens often and everyone seems to think it's nothing out of the ordinary.
"Roy, right now, I need for you to go home and pretend none of this happened. You have to continue your daily activities and act normal so you can investigate the high school whenever an opportunity arises. But remember, you can't trust anyone in this town. I'll continue to have contact with your mother, and when the time is right, we'll free her body from her enslavement at the mental hospital. Don't look for me, son, I'll find you."
Chapter 23: Deception
We waited until morning to make the long walk through the woods back to Fairview. Murdoch said he knew the forest well because he'd lived there a long time waiting for this opportunity. After hours of walking we approached my little house tucked away in the trees. We stood behind the tree line and watched some of the Sheriff's deputies keeping guard.
"Roy, tell them you were lost in the forest all night. Tell them you were terrified I would find you and kill you. They can't know that we've been together. They may not believe your story completely, but it will give them some doubts. We've got to buy time to find out what's really going on at the high school."
"What if my dad…I mean Roger…told them that I know something strange is happening in Fairview?"
"Roger loves you. I don't think he'd put you in danger. Now go, Roy."
"Okay, ah, Dad." I hugged Murdoch and then ran up the hill toward home.
"There he is!" shouted one of the deputies. The other deputy ran toward me and then Roger and Sheriff Tanner stepped out the front door and onto the porch.
Roger rushed toward me. "Where have you been, son? I've been worried sick."
"I left last night to find Sheriff Tanner, but when I got to the jail, I saw a deputy down. And when I heard some other deputies saying that Murdoch had escaped, I figured he was coming to kill me, so I ran into the forest to hide, but it was so dark that I got lost. I've been wandering around all night looking for home. I'm sorry, Dad. I should have listened to you and not left last night."
"Why were you looking for me?" Sheriff Tanner asked, sounding skeptical.
"I wanted to apologize about our last conversation and tell you that I believe you about Murdoch. I'm really sorry, sir."
The sheriff's face softened as he walked over and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I'm just glad you're okay, Roy."
Roger put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me next to him.
Sheriff Tanner said to his deputies, "Let's go, boys."
After the enforcement vehicles pulled away, Roger grabbed my arm. "What the hell are you doing, Roy?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm referring to. You ran out the door last night after we had a conversation about Murdoch not being a murderer. What's going on, son? Did you see Murdoch last night?"
Chapter 24: Light
I denied seeing Murdoch and my dad didn't force the issue. He said that with Murdoch on the loose and a dead deputy, the entire town was in a state of panic.
Despite Murdoch's warning about Taylor and Matt, I still believed I could trust them. More than ever I felt an urgency to discover the cause of the mysterious light coming from the high school.
The morning after my return home I walked to Taylor's house and together we walked to Matt's house. I told them everything that had happened with Sheriff Tanner, Roger Clawson, Murdoch, and Rose. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. After telling my story, I felt better knowing I had two friends I could share this craziness with. "Matt, Taylor, I'm going to the high school tonight and hope the light shows up. People have died or gone missing because of it."
Taylor said, "Roy, I know you want to help, but it's too dangerous."
"I know. That's why I'll be going out of my body. No one will even know I'm there. Taylor, I've got to understand this. I've got to know the truth behind all the lies."
Matt said, "Roy, Murdoch's got to know more than he's telling. How could he live in the forest for years and not know what's going on at the high school? If he's really your father and wanted to help you, why didn't he contact you years earlier? And why did he say your mother is alive, when my mother said Rose is dead?"
"Maybe he waited for me to grow up because he knew I couldn't handle the truth as a kid. Maybe he thought it would be too dangerous to talk to me sooner. And maybe your mother's wrong and Rose is still alive because someone touched me in the cabin. I don't know."
"It all seems fishy, if you ask me," Matt interjected.
I could see that Matt and Taylor didn't want me to go to the high school and they were doing everything in their power to keep me from going. Did they know something they weren't telling me? I thought back to Murdoch's warning that I should trust no one and suddenly I had doubts about them.
"Roy? Roy? What are you thinking?" asked Taylor.
"Sorry guys, I was thinking that what you're saying makes sense. I need to go home and think things through."
I didn't want to suspect Taylor or Matt of being part of whatever was happening in the town, but I decided I couldn't take any chances with them. I rushed home and secluded myself in my room, awash in a sea of emotions.
The more I focused on the pain of not being sure I could trust anyone, the more I felt myself separating from my body. But now I had better control of my out-of-body experiences, so I kept myself together.
That night aft
er Roger and Serena went to bed I finally allowed the separation and walked to the high school. As on every other occasion, I was unable to move through walls or anything solid. The one thing that was comforting, however, was that time stopped whenever I was outside my body. When I returned to myself, everything that had happened had not yet happened, but was about to. This gave me a great advantage because I could see things before they took place.
When I reached the school, I didn't see a light or anything unusual. The school was blanketed in moonlight and the night was calm. I took a seat at the top of the steps knowing that no one could see me. My hearing was getting sharper outside my body and so was my eyesight. A slight breeze rippled and I felt it everywhere on my bodiless body. I felt empowered and able to do anything. As I sat there, I remembered the window I'd broken years ago. I circled to the back of the school to look through that same window. Suddenly, a bright light shone from inside. I looked around and grabbed a rock to break the glass. Carefully, I lifted the window sash and crawled into the classroom, and then stealthily walked down the hallway. The source of the light was around a corner and I proceeded with caution.
I reached the end of the hall and peeked around the wall. In front of me was the closed door of the art room with brilliant light beaming from beneath the door. I felt drawn toward the light, as if it were a living thing. I grabbed the handle of the door.
Unexpectedly, I felt a tug on my shoulder and turned to see the most beautiful being I had ever encountered. It was Taylor. Her beauty was illuminated by the amazing light streaming from beneath the crack in the door.
"Roy, you must come with me quickly," she whispered in my ear.
I let go of the door and followed her to Mrs. Stewart's English classroom.
"Roy, will you listen to me carefully?"
I nodded.
"You don't want to know the truth."
Looking closely at Taylor, I could see in her eyes that she was scared. The only other time I had seen that same look was in Miss King's eyes. And she had disappeared.
Suddenly, the classroom was immersed in brilliant light and through the windows I could see the grounds bathed in that same brilliance. It was so bright that had I been in my body, it might have blinded me. The light was accompanied by an odd silence.