Author's Note: Sorry I'm late. I assure you it was none of my fault, it's a
cruel world, I blame the society, blah blah. I hope the editing works fine
now, too. If there's still something weird, tell me. I'm using a Japanese
computer that shows things a bit differently.
Thanks go to chibiukyou for the nice review, Aino-kaachan for always being
so supportive and a lovely little twincest manga called Every Day, Every
Night that I found from the used books' store the other day. I guess this
chapter was supposed to have more yaoi stuff, but the plot, ah, it just
couldn't be left out. Doncha worry, gentle reader. The yaoitic stuff will
follow as soon as the boys are both awake and back to their own selves
again - which is next chapter.
Wait, was that enough suspense to maintain my position as the Queen of Cliffhangers? XD
****
Chapter Six: Breakthrough
I realize I'm holding my breath. I've seen those eyes stare unseeing into space, but now they are fixed straight at me, and there is hatred in its purest form behind that blatantly dead cold stare. There is no way Tsuzuki would ever look at anyone - at *me* - like that. But then, who.? Right after uttering the question aloud, it's suddenly all too clear what the answer is: the features are all Tsuzuki's, but I've seen Mrs. Harvey's eyes once and the memory is still vivid in my mind.
After staring numbly for a second in surprise and fear, my danger sense kicks in. I gasp sharply at the first feel of cold fingers on my back. This is bad, I have no idea in hell what she is capable of. She's way too close, I need to get away, she's touching me with Tsuzuki's fingers and I can't take it!
"Get away from me!" I think aloud, my voice rising to a panicked shriek. I focus on creating shields, barriers, anything that'll keep my mind safe from hers. It gets harder when I have to struggle to push her - his - hands away. Tsuzuki is bigger than me, and the ghost uses it to her advantage. I'm in a bit of a compromising position at the moment, unable to get on my feet and dangerously close to losing my balance altogether. I try to leap to the side, to slip away from the grasping hands, but the ghost grabs my shirt with a force that I didn't expect at all. Tsuzuki's not that strong, unless. Unless she's using his powers. I'm thrown down, my head meeting the floor with a nasty thump. My legs are still on the mattress, and as the ghost that looks like Tsuzuki starts advancing, I try to kick her away, in vain.
I almost see stars from the forceful strike to my head, and as I struggle to get the ghost off me, I lose concentration. The fingers travel across my chest, painting lines of freezing pain. I try to scramble backwards, to get away, but then the hands grab me in a firmer hold, holding me in place. As I continue to struggle, I hear an angry growl and the ghost tightens her hold, nails burying in my skin. I cry out in pain, and before I manage to block it away, the feelings come crashing in, like a rain of ice.
I feel the loneliness, the endless checking on everything in the house to pass time, talking to the sofa cushions because no one else would listen.
I feel the helplessness, as someone throws me down on the bed and accuses me of things I have never even thought of doing. I feel the small, strong fingers tighten around my throat, painted nails burying into my neck.
Then I feel, like a sudden lash of a whip, a hate so deep it is almost sorrow, the maddening hate and scorn that screams -
"Everything! I gave you *everything*, I cut myself into pieces and fed them to you with my own hands!"
I swear I can actually hear someone screaming, out loud. Where did that voice come from? It sounds familiar somehow.
A sudden feeling of physical pain brings me back to real world - intense, tangible pain, located on my shoulders. I'm pinned down, almost literally. The ghost is keeping me in my place, forcing me down on the floor so hard that I can hear the floor slowly start to give away under me. It takes all my power to hold the ghost's emotions back, to keep them from crushing me now that she's practically forcing them on me. I barely have strength to notice that I'm shivering for the effort, that my shirt is pushed all the way up to my throat and the cold makes goose bumps rise on my skin. My upper body twists, uncontrollably, as the nails dig in deep and start again creeping towards my throat, the ghost now sure that I have no energy left to fight them.
Then, unexpectedly, the voice returns.
"I never thought a bad thought of you, I loved you more than anything! It was not enough, I was not enough - you selfish bastard!"
The voice, now weakened from the previous scream to no more than a hateful hiss, belongs to Tsuzuki.
Through the pain my rational thought whispers, 'It's Mrs. Harvey talking to her husband, it's she hating her husband', but I can see Tsuzuki's lips moving, forming the words, and they hurt just as much as if they were meant for me. Why wouldn't they be? I take him for granted, the one person who cares for me -
No. It's not Tsuzuki. Collect yourself, Hisoka, you're a shinigami, you know weird shit. Concentrate. All you need is a little power, and you can get this monster off of you before she destroys every chance you have.
Just as an idea dawns in my mind, the hands start squeezing my own shirt tighter around my throat. I act immediately, not pausing to ponder if it's going to work, because it's too late for that. I open my eyes, and reach forward, grabbing a hold of Tsuzuki's hair, and at the same time, reach inside of him, for his power, merging it with mine. I have done this before, when he was near death. This isn't much different. Still, the sudden rush takes me by surprise. The thing that looks like Tsuzuki lets out an unworldly howl, and throws me back down on my back, forcefully. No matter. I have the power I need. When the hands start returning to my throat, I push them off, as simple as anything, and only the loud crashing sound as something hits the opposite wall makes me realize just exactly how much power I released.
I sit up, panting, feeling empty and faintly sick. I barely have time to gasp before I realize that making a visible crack on the wall didn't stop the ghost and it's going to counterattack -
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, comes a splash of cold water. I hear a deep voice shout something in a language I don't recognize. A shriek that has nothing to do with Tsuzuki's real voice escapes the thing that looks like him, and it falls on the ground, head landing at my feet. I turn around, shivering, spooked.
There is a man standing at the door, a black-bearded, tall man who is wearing a leather jacket one size too small and dusty black trousers. He looks European, and around his 40s. His arm is still outstretched, and in his hand is a small bottle. There is a grim expression on his face.
"I knew saving a little holy water for later would come in handy. Looks like the dead bastards are all over the place," he then says, in precise, although accented Japanese. He raises an eyebrow and whistles, then pockets the empty-looking bottle. With two steps, he's by my side, and crouches down to look at Tsuzuki, then flashes a quick look back at me.
"Everything alright there, lad? You ought to be glad you're still breathing. These are evil goddamn things we're up against. Holy mother of Christ, how many are there, anyway? Here." He reaches out to help me pull the shirt back down, but I dodge and move away from both him and what looks like Tsuzuki. I can't stand anybody's touch right now, I've never liked it but now I really can't bear it.
The sound of quick footsteps echoes from the hall, and then Watari bursts in the room, the owl flying after him.
"Bon! Bon, gods, bon, are you alright? How is Tsuzuki?" He sits down next to the huge man with a black beard, who is currently straightening Tsuzuki's limp body.
"He looks like he's going to be well enough," the man says, and I'm not sure whether he's talking about me or Tsuzuki. My fingers shake as I quickly pull the shirt down to cover me, wishing I had something bigger I could just wrap into and disappear for a while.
Then Watari looks at me, cheeks flushed from running, and runs a hand through his hair.
"*What* happened here? What's wrong with Tsuzuki?"
"It was Harvey's wife." My voice sounds raspy and weak to my ears. Then, because I just can't hold it back, I pour out all I know. "Watari-san, you have to listen, I tried to block it but I couldn't, I saw her thoughts and Tsuzuki was right, she was murdered, I don't know how or why but I could feel it!"
"Shh, calm down, bon, calm down. It's okay now." Watari pats my thigh, and turns to the man who is still examining Tsuzuki with grim interest. "This gentleman is Allendorf-sensei, the ghost expert from the Western Department. He knows what to do."
"Well, first of all, we need to get this young man here up on his feet," the bearded man says, "and that's just Allendorf, by the way, I'm only a priest when there's need for one."
"Kurosaki Hisoka, Summoning Department," I say in a small voice, and sniffle.
"Charmed," Allendorf says, not looking up. He's started to sprinkle something around Tsuzuki. Sand?
"Bon - did you say Mrs. Harvey was *here*?" Watari looks confused, and more than a little worried.
"Not only *was* she here," Allendorf says with a snort, "she apparently still is. Whatever you did to this young man here certainly wasn't a banishing spell, lad - Kurosaki, was it? Grim name for a young tyke like you - but it knocked him around good and proper. Holy water should keep the soul of the late Mrs. Harvey stunned for another ten minutes or so, so let's see if we can kick her out before she realizes what we're doing."
I feel cold. I grasp Tsuzuki's abandoned cover and pull it over me, clutching it tightly.
Watari's gaze flickers from Tsuzuki to Allendorf. "If Harvey's wife was here all the time - what were *we* fighting against?"
Allendorf shrugs, concentrating on his work. He's formed a circle of sand around Tsuzuki's unmoving body.
"I think I understand," I think aloud, quietly, "and Tsuzuki was right. Mrs. Harvey was murdered, but the murderer wasn't her husband. She was strangled by a woman. I saw the hands. They were small. And the hate she felt - it wasn't all for her husband. She loved him, even after death. It was for her murderer."
"But the information I got from Tatsumi.!" Watari frowns, goes over to his laptop and switches it on. "What about the evidence of suicide? You think her husband, or her killer staged it? The medical record -"
I shake my head. "I haven't figured that out, either. But one thing I do know." I look up at Watari. "The ghost you were facing was the killer."
Watari is silent for moment. Then he bites his lip, looking thoughtful. "Of course. If the killer hated Harvey's wife, she would want to make sure she never got her hands on the letter and go snatch it herself. Good thinking."
"It still doesn't change the fact that bringing this letter to Harvey's wife is probably the only thing that is going to make her forget her anger," I say, excited by the whole process, the feeling that things are getting back on track. "Otherwise she's just going to keep raging and trying to kill her husband, or killer, over and over again."
Watari and Allendorf look at each other, and Watari sighs.
"You see, bon, that is the problem. We thought the ghost we saw at Harvey's mother-in-law's attic was Mrs. Harvey, and figured that since she had found the letter, she should finally be freed."
"You didn't!" I stare incredulously at the two of them. "How could you do something like that? You *destroyed* the only thing that could've sent Harvey's wife away! The only thing that might have given her peace!"
"Now, now, we don't know if it's the *only* thing yet," Allendorf says, his voice slightly offended. "We did it because it seemed like the smartest thing to do at the time. It's my job, don't forget: to destroy the anchor, so that the ship is free to fly. So we burned the letter, and the ghost vanished. How could we have known there was more than one ghost? It was, as it turns out, most unfortunate, but ultimately unavoidable."
I let my gaze drop on the floor. Now what? How are we going to bring Tsuzuki back, and send Harvey's wife where she belongs?
"So this means our work was for nothing." Watari sighs. "We only did the killer a service. I don't think she's gone for good, she's just lurking around the corner, wanting to make sure poor Harvey's wife goes back to being as dead as she meant her to be. As long as Harvey's wife is around, so shall she be, I'm afraid."
Allendorf scratches his beard. "But her ghost was hazy, lacking distinctive characteristics. How are we to find her again?"
"Never mind the killer, what will we do about Harvey's wife?" I almost yell at the man. "She's possessed my partner! I want him back! I'm not sure if he can take it much longer!"
"Watch your mouth, Kurosaki-kun," Allendorf replies sharply, "and use your ears. What I'm trying to do here is to bring him back as soon as possible. I believe I already mentioned as much."
"We have to find the killer, bon. She and Harvey's wife are connected, you know that." I don't know when Watari came over to me, so it makes me jumps a little when his hand falls on my shoulder. He's very serious. "If we want to find her, we have to first find out who she is. You are the only one who has the power to do it. You told me you already did it once."
"No," I reply immediately, "No, Watari-san, I can't do it again. I don't have the strength. You don't know how much it *hurts* -"
"It is going to be different this time," Watari says assertively. "I can't say I'm a professional when it comes to empathy or mind reading, but I know it is different when the subject is unconscious. The ghost is still stunned, now is the chance. Please, bon. If we have to stun the ghost again, it will be another hit on poor Tsuzuki, too. You said it yourself, we don't know how much time we have before his strength fails. We have no time to lose."
I take a deep breath. And think of the state Tsuzuki is in; as if being possessed by a ghost wasn't enough, I just threw him to the wall, using his own powers. How can I even think of putting any more strain on him?
"Alright then. I'll do it. Step back."
Allendorf reluctantly leaves his work. "Don't touch the salt," he says to me. Salt?
I let go of the cover I've been holding and let it rumple on the floor. Then I swallow down a nasty lump in my throat. Okay, this is it. I reach out my hand and place it on Tsuzuki's brow. His eyes are closed and he's pale and unmoving. Gods, I almost wish he hadn't woken up at all, because now I'm afraid of the next time he is going to open his eyes. Are they going to be blue or purple?
I push my thoughts aside. I lower my shields and let his thoughts slip into mine. No, not his; Harvey's wife's. The fall is not as sudden as before, but I do feel it: suddenly the world seems to be a cruel, cold place. But this is just the surface. I want to know more. So I plunge deep, blindly searching for the memories that I need.
And, in a heady rush, I dive into Mrs. Harvey's last night.
Wait, was that enough suspense to maintain my position as the Queen of Cliffhangers? XD
****
Chapter Six: Breakthrough
I realize I'm holding my breath. I've seen those eyes stare unseeing into space, but now they are fixed straight at me, and there is hatred in its purest form behind that blatantly dead cold stare. There is no way Tsuzuki would ever look at anyone - at *me* - like that. But then, who.? Right after uttering the question aloud, it's suddenly all too clear what the answer is: the features are all Tsuzuki's, but I've seen Mrs. Harvey's eyes once and the memory is still vivid in my mind.
After staring numbly for a second in surprise and fear, my danger sense kicks in. I gasp sharply at the first feel of cold fingers on my back. This is bad, I have no idea in hell what she is capable of. She's way too close, I need to get away, she's touching me with Tsuzuki's fingers and I can't take it!
"Get away from me!" I think aloud, my voice rising to a panicked shriek. I focus on creating shields, barriers, anything that'll keep my mind safe from hers. It gets harder when I have to struggle to push her - his - hands away. Tsuzuki is bigger than me, and the ghost uses it to her advantage. I'm in a bit of a compromising position at the moment, unable to get on my feet and dangerously close to losing my balance altogether. I try to leap to the side, to slip away from the grasping hands, but the ghost grabs my shirt with a force that I didn't expect at all. Tsuzuki's not that strong, unless. Unless she's using his powers. I'm thrown down, my head meeting the floor with a nasty thump. My legs are still on the mattress, and as the ghost that looks like Tsuzuki starts advancing, I try to kick her away, in vain.
I almost see stars from the forceful strike to my head, and as I struggle to get the ghost off me, I lose concentration. The fingers travel across my chest, painting lines of freezing pain. I try to scramble backwards, to get away, but then the hands grab me in a firmer hold, holding me in place. As I continue to struggle, I hear an angry growl and the ghost tightens her hold, nails burying in my skin. I cry out in pain, and before I manage to block it away, the feelings come crashing in, like a rain of ice.
I feel the loneliness, the endless checking on everything in the house to pass time, talking to the sofa cushions because no one else would listen.
I feel the helplessness, as someone throws me down on the bed and accuses me of things I have never even thought of doing. I feel the small, strong fingers tighten around my throat, painted nails burying into my neck.
Then I feel, like a sudden lash of a whip, a hate so deep it is almost sorrow, the maddening hate and scorn that screams -
"Everything! I gave you *everything*, I cut myself into pieces and fed them to you with my own hands!"
I swear I can actually hear someone screaming, out loud. Where did that voice come from? It sounds familiar somehow.
A sudden feeling of physical pain brings me back to real world - intense, tangible pain, located on my shoulders. I'm pinned down, almost literally. The ghost is keeping me in my place, forcing me down on the floor so hard that I can hear the floor slowly start to give away under me. It takes all my power to hold the ghost's emotions back, to keep them from crushing me now that she's practically forcing them on me. I barely have strength to notice that I'm shivering for the effort, that my shirt is pushed all the way up to my throat and the cold makes goose bumps rise on my skin. My upper body twists, uncontrollably, as the nails dig in deep and start again creeping towards my throat, the ghost now sure that I have no energy left to fight them.
Then, unexpectedly, the voice returns.
"I never thought a bad thought of you, I loved you more than anything! It was not enough, I was not enough - you selfish bastard!"
The voice, now weakened from the previous scream to no more than a hateful hiss, belongs to Tsuzuki.
Through the pain my rational thought whispers, 'It's Mrs. Harvey talking to her husband, it's she hating her husband', but I can see Tsuzuki's lips moving, forming the words, and they hurt just as much as if they were meant for me. Why wouldn't they be? I take him for granted, the one person who cares for me -
No. It's not Tsuzuki. Collect yourself, Hisoka, you're a shinigami, you know weird shit. Concentrate. All you need is a little power, and you can get this monster off of you before she destroys every chance you have.
Just as an idea dawns in my mind, the hands start squeezing my own shirt tighter around my throat. I act immediately, not pausing to ponder if it's going to work, because it's too late for that. I open my eyes, and reach forward, grabbing a hold of Tsuzuki's hair, and at the same time, reach inside of him, for his power, merging it with mine. I have done this before, when he was near death. This isn't much different. Still, the sudden rush takes me by surprise. The thing that looks like Tsuzuki lets out an unworldly howl, and throws me back down on my back, forcefully. No matter. I have the power I need. When the hands start returning to my throat, I push them off, as simple as anything, and only the loud crashing sound as something hits the opposite wall makes me realize just exactly how much power I released.
I sit up, panting, feeling empty and faintly sick. I barely have time to gasp before I realize that making a visible crack on the wall didn't stop the ghost and it's going to counterattack -
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, comes a splash of cold water. I hear a deep voice shout something in a language I don't recognize. A shriek that has nothing to do with Tsuzuki's real voice escapes the thing that looks like him, and it falls on the ground, head landing at my feet. I turn around, shivering, spooked.
There is a man standing at the door, a black-bearded, tall man who is wearing a leather jacket one size too small and dusty black trousers. He looks European, and around his 40s. His arm is still outstretched, and in his hand is a small bottle. There is a grim expression on his face.
"I knew saving a little holy water for later would come in handy. Looks like the dead bastards are all over the place," he then says, in precise, although accented Japanese. He raises an eyebrow and whistles, then pockets the empty-looking bottle. With two steps, he's by my side, and crouches down to look at Tsuzuki, then flashes a quick look back at me.
"Everything alright there, lad? You ought to be glad you're still breathing. These are evil goddamn things we're up against. Holy mother of Christ, how many are there, anyway? Here." He reaches out to help me pull the shirt back down, but I dodge and move away from both him and what looks like Tsuzuki. I can't stand anybody's touch right now, I've never liked it but now I really can't bear it.
The sound of quick footsteps echoes from the hall, and then Watari bursts in the room, the owl flying after him.
"Bon! Bon, gods, bon, are you alright? How is Tsuzuki?" He sits down next to the huge man with a black beard, who is currently straightening Tsuzuki's limp body.
"He looks like he's going to be well enough," the man says, and I'm not sure whether he's talking about me or Tsuzuki. My fingers shake as I quickly pull the shirt down to cover me, wishing I had something bigger I could just wrap into and disappear for a while.
Then Watari looks at me, cheeks flushed from running, and runs a hand through his hair.
"*What* happened here? What's wrong with Tsuzuki?"
"It was Harvey's wife." My voice sounds raspy and weak to my ears. Then, because I just can't hold it back, I pour out all I know. "Watari-san, you have to listen, I tried to block it but I couldn't, I saw her thoughts and Tsuzuki was right, she was murdered, I don't know how or why but I could feel it!"
"Shh, calm down, bon, calm down. It's okay now." Watari pats my thigh, and turns to the man who is still examining Tsuzuki with grim interest. "This gentleman is Allendorf-sensei, the ghost expert from the Western Department. He knows what to do."
"Well, first of all, we need to get this young man here up on his feet," the bearded man says, "and that's just Allendorf, by the way, I'm only a priest when there's need for one."
"Kurosaki Hisoka, Summoning Department," I say in a small voice, and sniffle.
"Charmed," Allendorf says, not looking up. He's started to sprinkle something around Tsuzuki. Sand?
"Bon - did you say Mrs. Harvey was *here*?" Watari looks confused, and more than a little worried.
"Not only *was* she here," Allendorf says with a snort, "she apparently still is. Whatever you did to this young man here certainly wasn't a banishing spell, lad - Kurosaki, was it? Grim name for a young tyke like you - but it knocked him around good and proper. Holy water should keep the soul of the late Mrs. Harvey stunned for another ten minutes or so, so let's see if we can kick her out before she realizes what we're doing."
I feel cold. I grasp Tsuzuki's abandoned cover and pull it over me, clutching it tightly.
Watari's gaze flickers from Tsuzuki to Allendorf. "If Harvey's wife was here all the time - what were *we* fighting against?"
Allendorf shrugs, concentrating on his work. He's formed a circle of sand around Tsuzuki's unmoving body.
"I think I understand," I think aloud, quietly, "and Tsuzuki was right. Mrs. Harvey was murdered, but the murderer wasn't her husband. She was strangled by a woman. I saw the hands. They were small. And the hate she felt - it wasn't all for her husband. She loved him, even after death. It was for her murderer."
"But the information I got from Tatsumi.!" Watari frowns, goes over to his laptop and switches it on. "What about the evidence of suicide? You think her husband, or her killer staged it? The medical record -"
I shake my head. "I haven't figured that out, either. But one thing I do know." I look up at Watari. "The ghost you were facing was the killer."
Watari is silent for moment. Then he bites his lip, looking thoughtful. "Of course. If the killer hated Harvey's wife, she would want to make sure she never got her hands on the letter and go snatch it herself. Good thinking."
"It still doesn't change the fact that bringing this letter to Harvey's wife is probably the only thing that is going to make her forget her anger," I say, excited by the whole process, the feeling that things are getting back on track. "Otherwise she's just going to keep raging and trying to kill her husband, or killer, over and over again."
Watari and Allendorf look at each other, and Watari sighs.
"You see, bon, that is the problem. We thought the ghost we saw at Harvey's mother-in-law's attic was Mrs. Harvey, and figured that since she had found the letter, she should finally be freed."
"You didn't!" I stare incredulously at the two of them. "How could you do something like that? You *destroyed* the only thing that could've sent Harvey's wife away! The only thing that might have given her peace!"
"Now, now, we don't know if it's the *only* thing yet," Allendorf says, his voice slightly offended. "We did it because it seemed like the smartest thing to do at the time. It's my job, don't forget: to destroy the anchor, so that the ship is free to fly. So we burned the letter, and the ghost vanished. How could we have known there was more than one ghost? It was, as it turns out, most unfortunate, but ultimately unavoidable."
I let my gaze drop on the floor. Now what? How are we going to bring Tsuzuki back, and send Harvey's wife where she belongs?
"So this means our work was for nothing." Watari sighs. "We only did the killer a service. I don't think she's gone for good, she's just lurking around the corner, wanting to make sure poor Harvey's wife goes back to being as dead as she meant her to be. As long as Harvey's wife is around, so shall she be, I'm afraid."
Allendorf scratches his beard. "But her ghost was hazy, lacking distinctive characteristics. How are we to find her again?"
"Never mind the killer, what will we do about Harvey's wife?" I almost yell at the man. "She's possessed my partner! I want him back! I'm not sure if he can take it much longer!"
"Watch your mouth, Kurosaki-kun," Allendorf replies sharply, "and use your ears. What I'm trying to do here is to bring him back as soon as possible. I believe I already mentioned as much."
"We have to find the killer, bon. She and Harvey's wife are connected, you know that." I don't know when Watari came over to me, so it makes me jumps a little when his hand falls on my shoulder. He's very serious. "If we want to find her, we have to first find out who she is. You are the only one who has the power to do it. You told me you already did it once."
"No," I reply immediately, "No, Watari-san, I can't do it again. I don't have the strength. You don't know how much it *hurts* -"
"It is going to be different this time," Watari says assertively. "I can't say I'm a professional when it comes to empathy or mind reading, but I know it is different when the subject is unconscious. The ghost is still stunned, now is the chance. Please, bon. If we have to stun the ghost again, it will be another hit on poor Tsuzuki, too. You said it yourself, we don't know how much time we have before his strength fails. We have no time to lose."
I take a deep breath. And think of the state Tsuzuki is in; as if being possessed by a ghost wasn't enough, I just threw him to the wall, using his own powers. How can I even think of putting any more strain on him?
"Alright then. I'll do it. Step back."
Allendorf reluctantly leaves his work. "Don't touch the salt," he says to me. Salt?
I let go of the cover I've been holding and let it rumple on the floor. Then I swallow down a nasty lump in my throat. Okay, this is it. I reach out my hand and place it on Tsuzuki's brow. His eyes are closed and he's pale and unmoving. Gods, I almost wish he hadn't woken up at all, because now I'm afraid of the next time he is going to open his eyes. Are they going to be blue or purple?
I push my thoughts aside. I lower my shields and let his thoughts slip into mine. No, not his; Harvey's wife's. The fall is not as sudden as before, but I do feel it: suddenly the world seems to be a cruel, cold place. But this is just the surface. I want to know more. So I plunge deep, blindly searching for the memories that I need.
And, in a heady rush, I dive into Mrs. Harvey's last night.