Marie Bartek & The SIPS Team - Books 1-3

Chapter 4

Marie jumped when the bell over the door rang as she entered Gale"s shop. “I"ll be with you in a minute,” she heard Gale holler from the back.

She tossed her purse onto the counter. “Hey, it"s me, and I"ve got fresh coffee and mini banana-nut muffins. Where are you?”

Gale let out a grunt. “I"m moving some things around that haven"t shown any promise of being sold.” She came out around the counter carrying an antique rooster weathervane.

Marie laughed. “Well, that"s an interesting piece. Do you have the barn stashed away in the back too?”

“Very funny. Aren"t you full of wit this early Monday morning?” Gale grabbed a muffin and popped it into her mouth.

Marie set the coffee and muffins on the counter and gave Gale a huge smile. “I couldn"t wait to tell you how the evening went last night.”

Gale grabbed two stools and motioned for Marie to sit down. “Well, don"t just stand there with a goofy grin on your face, fill me in.”

They sat down, and Marie shared the details of her date with Cory. She barely stopped to catch a breath. By the time she had finished, half of their coffee was gone and only four mini muffins remained.

Gale asked, “You mean you didn"t sleep with him?”

Marie emphatically answered, “No, I had no intention of sleeping with him. He kissed me at the doorstep and politely waited for me to lock my door. I don"t think he had any thoughts of staying the night either.”

Gale stood up and straightened her jean skirt. “Well, if you feel it was a successful date, then I"m happy for you.”

“Look, some of us have scruples.”

“How very boring.” Gale winked at her. “I am sorry Cory wasn"t as receptive as you had hoped with your paranormal ability.”

Marie shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Yeah, me too. But I think he"s open-minded enough to learn about it.”

Gale whirled around and almost knocked the weathervane off the counter. “I almost forgot to tell you, there was a girl found in the Narrows yesterday morning. I heard it on the fire department scanner.”

“Oh, that"s terrible. I feel so bad for anyone who doesn"t know how to compensate for swimming in the ocean… Wait a minute. You heard it on the fire department scanner?”

Gale sheepishly started rearranging the counter. “I don"t think it was an accident. And quit looking at me that way. Yes, I was with Tim. You have a problem with that?”

“Well, isn"t that a fine bit of information? Why didn"t you tell me you two were an item? I mean, I knew you were all hot and bothered for him. I think it"s great.”

Gale sat back down on the stool. “Yeah, it is kind of great. He"s so perfect, in every way.”

Marie held up her hand. “Stop there. I don"t need any details.” Her mind shifted back to the dead girl. “Why did you say it wasn"t an accident?”

Gale took the last sip of coffee and tossed the cup in the garbage. “Because when Tim came back to his apartment, he told me there was talk that the girl had a mark around her neck and it looked as though she may have been strangled.”

Marie leaned against the counter and shook her head. “That"s terrible. You know, Cory mentioned he had been out early on a call yesterday, but he never said what it was. Plus, he looked as if he had something on his mind when we said good night. He gave me this Chief-like order to lock my doors. Oh wow, do you think there"s a reason we should be concerned?”

Gale replied, “I don"t think so. She could have floated in from anywhere.”

He carefully cuts around the lines, being cautious not to crimp the article. Yes, what a perfect headline. Swail"s Daughter Found in the Narrows. I"ll just paste it on my wall. He skillfully places the article next to a yellowed newspaper clipping from 1996. He has quite a collection. He smiles at the old photograph. Chelsea looked just like you, except she was smarter and listened better, until she started screaming. What a pity we didn"t have more time to chat. He stands up and admires the walls before he walks out of the musty room and locks the door. He"s beginning to feel edgy again, and decides the time is nearing for another drive along the coast.

Yes, what a perfect headline. Swail"s Daughter Found in the Narrows. I"ll just paste it on my wallChelsea looked just like you, except she was smarter and listened better, until she started screaming. What a pity we didn"t have more time to chat

Marie walked into a full waiting room at the clinic. She smiled at her receptionist, Tina Johnson, and noticed her pale face and tight lip. “Tina, is everything okay? Sorry I"m late. Just let me wash my hands, and I"ll be ready for our first patient.”

Tina quickly grabbed the newspaper and followed Marie into the restroom. “Did you see this?” She held the newspaper right in front of Marie.

Marie read the headline. “Oh my gosh. No, I hadn"t. I don"t get the paper at home during the week. Gale and I were just talking about this, but we didn"t know who the girl was. Mayor Swail"s daughter? This is horrible.”

Tina leaned against the sink while Marie washed her hands. Her too short pink skirt and too low-cut blouse clung to her tiny frame. Her bleached blonde hair was due for a root job, and her lime green nail polish was chipping on the ends. “Everyone"s been talking about it. Jimmy Thomas brought the newspaper in after delivering our water. I just love when he unloads all those five-gallon bottles.”

Marie smiled and rolled her eyes. “Tina, it amazes me how you can change the subject as quickly as you do. Now let"s focus more on our patients and less on Jimmy Thomas.” They walked out into the hall and Marie grabbed her clipboard. “Please hand me the file on Jasper and give me five minutes before you call them in.”

She watched Tina sashay down the hall as her mind drifted back to the awful news of the Swail family. Maybe there was something to worry about; finding a local in the Narrows wasn"t something to take lightly. She would have to remember to call Gale on her next break and ask if she read the paper.

When lunch finally rolled around, Marie decided to stretch out on the black leather recliner in her office and eat her salad. She loved the way the cushions vibrated and relaxed her tense muscles. Taking a lunch was important, even if it was at the clinic.

She closed her eyes and began to drift off when she heard a childlike voice that shot her into a seated position like a rocket. With her eyes wide open, Marie saw the same little boy from before standing in the corner next to a woman without a face. They both looked as if they were dressed from the seventeen hundreds. The boy wore knickers that came just below the knees that met his high-stretched socks. His puffy sleeved shirt was worn under a vest. The woman wore a bonnet and a lace ruffle around her neck, which lay over a simple dress with an apron that met the floor. Their voices were muffled, and Marie could only hear about every third word. Her pulse was racing as the sweat ran down the back of her neck.

She leaned forward and asked, “Who are you and what are you trying to say? I don"t understand you.”

The boy and woman continued to make sounds that echoed in Marie"s ears. She felt as if she were in a trance. She asked again what they were saying when the phone rang and jolted her back to reality. When she glanced back to the corner, they were gone.

Marie was dazed when she answered the phone. “Hello? Hey, Gale. Yeah, I was going to call you.”

Gale asked, “Are you okay? You sound like you were sleeping.”

“I"m fine, except now the little boy has a woman with him.” Marie leaned back into the recliner.

“What? Oh no, you saw him again? And there was a woman? Were they saying anything?”

Marie rubbed her temples. “Yeah, but it sounded like mass chaos in my head. But now as I think about it, it sounded like they were saying something about saving someone. I don"t know. It was all garbled.”

“Wow, what the heck does that mean? Not to change the subject, but did you see the newspaper? The dead woman was Chelsea Swail.”

Marie tried to refocus. “Yeah, that"s what I was going to call you about. So much for thinking it was a random body. I can"t wrap my head around it.” She picked up her messages off the coffee table and reread them. “Hey, I was checking my messages, and I see I got a call from Myra. From reading Tina"s chicken scratch, it looks as though someone has contacted her for a possible investigation.”

“Really? If you"re busy, I can call Myra and get the particulars. Maybe we can meet for dinner and talk it over, say six o"clock at Poe"s Tavern?”

Marie got up and walked around the desk to check her schedule. “Yeah, that sounds good. My last appointment is at four. That"ll give me time to go home and shower.” She sat down in her chair and leaned on her desk. “Gale, what"s your take on Chelsea Swail?”

“I"m not really sure. But I think I"ll strongly heed Cory"s advice he gave you and lock my doors, how about you?”

Marie squeezed her tension ball. “I think you"re right. See you at six.”

“See you later. And Marie, I think it may be a good time for you to share these visions with Myra. She"s pretty good at what she does you know?”

“I know. I do need a little help on this subject.”

She hung up the phone and took a deep breath before her next appointment. Maybe Myra could shed some light on how to channel her ability. Lord knows she wasn"t doing a very good job on her own.

Poe"s Tavern was close to the beach and a relaxed walk for Marie. It had been named to honor Edgar Allan Poe, and had great burgers. She spotted Gale and Myra sitting at the outside porch bar. Marie chuckled at how Myra"s feet dangled in the air from the high bar stool. They spotted Marie and waved. The place was packed, as usual, with very little elbow room to walk up the porch steps. She could hear the cheers from the locals rooting for the Charleston RiverDogs displayed on the widescreen televisions.

Gale held up a bottle of beer for Marie. “I ordered you a beer. I didn"t think you were interested in a margarita considering how you recovered from them the other night.”

“Thanks, that"s a very good idea. Do we have a table yet?” Marie kissed Myra and Gale"s cheeks and stretched up on a vacant stool.

Myra answered, “Yes, I"ll let Lacy know we"re ready. I think I"m ready for another glass of wine. Gale, do you need another Merlot?”

“Most definitely, but I"ll wait until we"re at our table. There"s Lacy now.” Gale waved at Lacy Meyers, who wore the standard uniform of jeans and a Poe T-shirt.

Lacy showed them to their outdoor table on the front porch with a full view of the palm trees and Middle Street. There was a light breeze that carried the smell of burgers on the grill and salt air from the ocean.

Marie took a sip of beer. “So, Myra, who contacted you for a possible investigation?”

“Jeri Potts from the library called me. She said there have been occurrences ever since they moved into Battery Gadsden in 1977. When she heard we were starting a paranormal group, she wanted to have us document any paranormal activity.” Myra smiled at Lacy as she set down another glass of wine.

Gale replied, “I"m not surprised there"s activity there. That old g*n battery has been there since the 1800s.”

Marie perused the menu and decided on her usual Gold Bug burger. “We"ll need to get a hold of everyone and organize a convenient time to do the investigation. Myra, can you give me Jeri"s number? I"ll see when she can allow us in the library. We"re still waiting on our trademark, but I don"t see any problem with us doing an investigation.”

“Sure, I have it right here.” Myra handed Marie a sticky note.

Gale ordered another glass of wine. “Since we"re on the subject of paranormal activity, Marie, why don"t you ask Myra what we were talking about earlier today?”

Myra glanced at Marie and raised her eyebrows. “What would that be, dear?”

Marie answered, “Well, you know I"ve been seeing and hearing spirits again. I had another episode today over lunch. Would you be able to possibly help me channel my ability? I"ve never been trained in this area. I see them moving their lips and talking to me, but I only hear every other word.”

Myra patted Marie"s hand. “Of course, I can help you. You"ve been blessed with the gift of a medium, dear. I know you"ve suppressed it all these years, but it"s time to release it. Don"t be afraid. Your third eye can protect you and help others.”

Gale snickered and asked, “Your third eye? What the heck is that?”

“It"s what we psychic mediums call your psychic eye. It"s located right here.” Myra pointed to the middle of her forehead between her eyes. “When activated, the psychic eye emanates an invisible yet strong, laser-sharp blazing beam of light that can pierce through the strongest barriers and locate the truth in its clearest contours. It"s very powerful and not to be taken lightly.”

Gale replied, “Sorry, it sounds funny that"s all. I used to get pimples on my forehead that looked big enough to be a third eye.”

Marie elbowed Gale. “Would you stop? You"re the one who suggested I learn to channel this.” She looked back at Myra. “I find myself in a trancelike state when these spirits appear before me. I sometimes forget where I am when they leave. Is that normal?”

“Oh, heavens, yes. That"s exactly what happens. I can help you to lower your body processes, your breathing, and heart rate to a level where your body energy is similar to the paranormal. I can help you tune in to the other wavelength of the departed soul just like you would tune in to a radio station.”

Gale stared at Myra. “Wow, this is kind of giving me the creeps. I think I"m ready to order my yellow-fin tuna taco now.”

“Yes, I know it can get a bit creepy. But only if you let it.” Myra looked back at Marie. “I"ve always known you were sensitive, Marie. Let"s get together soon. I would love to help you with your gift.”

Marie replied, “Thank you. Maybe you"ll be able to help me figure out what it is they"re trying to say to me.” She took another sip of her beer. “Now, let"s order. I"m starving.”

Gale held up her glass of wine. “I think we should make a toast to us getting the chance to do our first investigation. It sounds pretty interesting.”

They made a toast, ordered their meals, and organized their plan to get the group together to help Jeri at the library. Marie felt more relaxed than she had in months. It was time she faced this head on. She was given this gift for a reason, and if it meant helping someone, even if they were in another dimension, she owed it to herself to try.