Johnny waited at the door for several minutes and was about to knock again
when he saw movement in the window to his left. He saw the curtain swing
closed meaning someone had been watching them. He waited for another few
seconds before he heard the lock being unlatched. The door opened a crack,
barely allowing Johnny to see a face peering out at him.
"We're not interested in buying anything," a gruff male voice said.
"We're not interested in selling you anything," Johnny replied. "Are you Alex Desmond?"
"Depends on who you are," the man replied suspiciously.
"My name's Johnny Smith."
There was a moment of silence then the door opened a little more, revealing a tall, lean man with short salt and pepper colored hair. He looked to be at least fifty years old, with dark serious eyes and a grimace that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face.
"So what do you want?" he asked, his eyes narrowed into slits. The man glanced at Bruce and Dana then returned his attention to Johnny.
"We were hoping to talk to you and your wife," Johnny replied.
"About what?"
"Your niece, Jessica."
To Johnny's surprise, the grimace on the man's face seemed to increase, and his eyes narrowed even more. His face seemed to turn slightly red in color, and Johnny realized this was going to be a lot harder than he had imagined.
"Who's at the door, Alex?" a woman's voice asked from behind Mr. Desmond.
"No one," he called back over his shoulder.
"Then who are you talking to?" she asked as she walked up behind him. The woman pushed past the man at the door, showing her to be a much shorter, but slim, woman. She stood about five feet tall with short red hair in slight disarray. She had warm, inviting green eyes and when she smiled to greet them, she had dimples on each side.
"Just go back inside," Mr. Desmond said.
"Nonsense," she said, waving a dismissive hand at him then turning her attention to Johnny. "Hi, I'm Laura Desmond."
"Johnny Smith," he said, nodding at her in greeting, hoping to avoid a handshake.
"You look familiar," the woman said, tilting her head as if that would make her remember why. Suddenly, her eyes lit up in surprise. "You're that boy from Cleaves Mills. The one who as the visions. I've seen you in the papers."
Johnny nodded reluctantly. "That's me."
"What brings you to Bangor?"
"Jessica," her husband answered with a snap.
The woman's smile faded slightly. "Oh. What about her?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Johnny replied. "Someone sent me something about her, but didn't say why or what I was supposed to be looking for, so we're here trying to find out about her."
The older couple regarded the three visitors for several seconds. They glanced at each other, and while Alex's face straightforwardly told Johnny their presence was not welcome, Laura's looked more open.
"Please come in," Laura said finally. "I'll make us some coffee, and we can talk."
~~
"You have a very lovely home, Mrs. Desmond," Johnny commented as the older woman poured coffee into the white mug on the table in front of him.
"Thank you," she replied, a smile of pride briefly appearing on her face.
The group sat in the Desmonds' dining room, each with a steaming cup of coffee in front of them. Laura Desmond returned to the kitchen through a swinging door that squeaked in protest as she pushed through it. Alex Desmond sat at the head of the table with a disapproving look on his face. Johnny opened his mouth to engage the man in conversation, but the glare in Mr. Desmond's eyes told Johnny it was a bad idea, so he let his eyes wander around the room instead.
It was decorated simply, but elegantly with white lace curtains and table covered accenting the darkly stained table and chairs. A large china cabinet filled with plates and glasses sat in the corner of the room, and the hardwood floor was recently polished.
Mrs. Desmond came back into the room with a mug in her hands, taking a seat next to her husband. Johnny sat at the other end of the table with Dana and Bruce flanking him on either side.
"So what exactly about Jessica did you want to know?" she asked tentatively.
"As much as you're willing to tell us, Mrs. Desmond," Johnny replied.
"Laura, please," she said.
"Laura," Johnny repeated.
"Who sent you something on her?" Mr. Desmond spoke up, his voice laced with suspicion and his arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"We don't know."
"You don't know?"
"It was sent to Johnny anonymously," Bruce said. "We've been trying to figure that out as well as why it was sent."
"Well, we didn't send it," the man snapped. "So why bother us?"
"Alex, be nice," his wife scolded him.
"Why should I?" Mr. Desmond snapped. "They come knocking on our door uninvited, waiting to know about our personal business, and I should be nice?"
"Alex!"
"No, Laura," he said, rising from his chair. "You can sit here and talk to these people if you want because you've seen his picture in those stupid papers, but I want nothing to do with it. I washed my hands of this a long time ago."
With that, Mr. Desmond grabbed his coffee and stormed out of the room. Mrs. Desmond followed him with her eyes before turning back to the other three.
"I'm sorry about my husband. This has all been hard on the both of us. He was good friends with Mike, Jessica's father," she explained.
"No need to apologize," Johnny told her. "We understand this isn't easy, but we greatly appreciate your taking time to talk to us."
"Thank you," she said. "Alex has been angry about this for a long time. He was the one that pushed for the lawsuits, not me."
"You didn't want to sue Jessica?" Dana asked, moving forward in her seat in interest.
"Not at all," the woman replied. "Jessica is the only family I have left. Yes, I was upset about what happened, but family is more important to me than money."
"But not your husband?" Dana prodded.
"No, that's not it at all. Alex blamed Jessica for what happened. He doesn't understand that she's ill. It's hard for him to get closure without someone being held accountable."
"Laura, do you have any idea why someone would send Jessica's picture to me?" Johnny asked.
"No," she answered, shifting in her chair and turning her coffee mug in her hands. "Her parents' death was open and shut. She's been locked up ever since."
"Could someone think she's innocent?"
"I don't see how. She had the weapon in her hand when the police arrived. They told me that- that she was ripping it from my sister's body when they walked in."
Mrs. Desmond's voice began to crack, and she held up a hand at her guests to indicate she needed a moment to compose herself. She wiped away a stray tear that began running down her cheek. Bruce grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said, wiping her eyes and nose. "You'd think after all this time, it would be easier, but it's not."
"It's okay," Johnny tried to comfort her. "Take your time."
Laura sniffled and wiped her nose again, taking a few deep breaths. After a few minutes, she seemed calmer and nodded at Johnny that she was ready to continue.
"Did Jessica have any uncles aside from your husband?" Johnny asked. Bruce and Dana looked at him quizzically, wondering where this question was going.
"No," she replied, an equally confused look on her face. "Lillah and I were my parents' only children, and Mike was an only child. Why?"
"She didn't have an Uncle Bobby?"
"No," she answered, her eyebrows creased in confusion. Suddenly, the question seemed to make sense and her face lit up. "But that's what she called Robert Simmons, her doctor. He and my sister were good friends, so she called him Uncle Bobby. Is that important?"
"No, but it makes sense to me now," Johnny replied, shrugging off the curious looks from his companions.
"Who controls the Richardson estate while Jessica is in the hospital?" Dana jumped in.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I've tried to distance myself from that information. I really don't want to know. Alex probably knows."
"But I doubt he would be willing to give us that information," the redhead sighed.
"I wouldn't count on it. I love him, but he's a stubborn man."
"Who would know?"
"Probably Doug Carlisle, Jessica's lawyer. He was the executor of the state at the time of their death, so I would assume he would know."
"Thank you," the redhead replied, making note of the name.
"Laura," Mr. Desmond interrupted, stepping into the room. "We have to go if we're going to make those dinner reservations at five."
Laura looked at her husband, then back at her guests, as if debating on who she should go with. Her husband gave her a pleading look, so she sighed and rose from her chair.
"I'm sorry, but we really must be going. It was very nice talking with you, and if we can be of any further assistance, please let us know."
"Thank you for your time," Johnny said, rising from his chair with Bruce and Dana doing the same.
The couple led the others to the door, said brief goodbyes then sent them on their way. Johnny briefly looked back at the house as the door closed, and he saw Laura look out the window at them. He smiled at her and nodded, hoping that she would understand he was grateful for her time. She returned the smile then let the curtain fall over the window, obscuring her from his view.
"Now what?" Bruce asked as they reached his car.
"I guess we go talk to the lawyer," Johnny said.
"Johnny," Bruce sighed, leaning against the driver's side door, "did you ever think that we're wasting our time? I don't mean to be a pessimist-"
"Yet you do it so well," Dana interrupted.
Bruce fixed her with an irritated glance before looking back at Johnny. "We barely have any information about what's going on here. Hell, we don't even know what we're looking for. Maybe someone is just messing with you."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because you're a celebrity. There are weird people out there that get off on making the famous miserable. Maybe someone just wanted confirmation that the girl is crazy and isn't just faking it. For all we know, those people sent the picture to you," Bruce continued, pointing back at the Desmonds' house.
"I don't think they did."
"But you don't know for sure. Johnny, I know you're all for helping people, and I'll always be there to help you out, but this one is going nowhere. We're snooping in these people's lives for no reason."
"For once," Dana said, "Bruce and I agree on something."
"There is a reason, or else someone wouldn't have sent me that picture," Johnny argued.
Bruce sighed. "Well, if that person wants your help so much, maybe he should've specified what he wanted. You shouldn't have to go around guessing what these people want."
"You guys really want to give this up?"
"Yeah, John. I think you've done what you can, but until this person comes forward and links everything together, you shouldn't get yourself so deep into these people's lives."
Johnny looked back and forth between them, knowing that no matter what he said, he'd lost this battle. He slowly nodded his head, and sighed.
"Maybe you're right. Let's go home."
Johnny walked around to the other side of the PT Cruiser while Dana walked over to her convertible. Bruce hopped in the driver's seat as Johnny reached his car door, and as Johnny grabbed the handle, his senses were overtaken once again.
He saw himself, standing next to Bruce's car. Johnny knew who was watching. The man who sent the picture was watching them from across the street. Once the vision ended, Johnny's head shot up, glancing around for the man. There was a dense collection of trees where Johnny thought he saw the man. He squinted, hoping that would help him see better, then he let go of the door and walked towards the trees.
"Johnny, where are you going?" Bruce asked, sticking his head out the window.
Johnny walked over to the edge of the trees, reaching out and touching one. The man was gone.
"Nowhere," Johnny replied, glancing into woods just in case.
He turned around and went back to Bruce's car, getting in the passenger side door.
"What was that?" Bruce asked.
"Nothing," Johnny replied. "I thought I saw something."
"Probably just an animal," his friend said as he started the car and pulled away, heading back towards Cleaves Mills.
"Yeah, probably," Johnny echoed, knowing that wasn't it at all.
"I think it's best we just go home and forget about this," Bruce said after a few miles of silence. "If the guy really wants your help, he'll contact you."
"Yeah," Johnny said vacantly, not really hearing what Bruce was saying. He had no intention of letting this go. He knew there was something more here he needed to see, and he wasn't going to give up until he found out exactly what it was.
"We're not interested in buying anything," a gruff male voice said.
"We're not interested in selling you anything," Johnny replied. "Are you Alex Desmond?"
"Depends on who you are," the man replied suspiciously.
"My name's Johnny Smith."
There was a moment of silence then the door opened a little more, revealing a tall, lean man with short salt and pepper colored hair. He looked to be at least fifty years old, with dark serious eyes and a grimace that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face.
"So what do you want?" he asked, his eyes narrowed into slits. The man glanced at Bruce and Dana then returned his attention to Johnny.
"We were hoping to talk to you and your wife," Johnny replied.
"About what?"
"Your niece, Jessica."
To Johnny's surprise, the grimace on the man's face seemed to increase, and his eyes narrowed even more. His face seemed to turn slightly red in color, and Johnny realized this was going to be a lot harder than he had imagined.
"Who's at the door, Alex?" a woman's voice asked from behind Mr. Desmond.
"No one," he called back over his shoulder.
"Then who are you talking to?" she asked as she walked up behind him. The woman pushed past the man at the door, showing her to be a much shorter, but slim, woman. She stood about five feet tall with short red hair in slight disarray. She had warm, inviting green eyes and when she smiled to greet them, she had dimples on each side.
"Just go back inside," Mr. Desmond said.
"Nonsense," she said, waving a dismissive hand at him then turning her attention to Johnny. "Hi, I'm Laura Desmond."
"Johnny Smith," he said, nodding at her in greeting, hoping to avoid a handshake.
"You look familiar," the woman said, tilting her head as if that would make her remember why. Suddenly, her eyes lit up in surprise. "You're that boy from Cleaves Mills. The one who as the visions. I've seen you in the papers."
Johnny nodded reluctantly. "That's me."
"What brings you to Bangor?"
"Jessica," her husband answered with a snap.
The woman's smile faded slightly. "Oh. What about her?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Johnny replied. "Someone sent me something about her, but didn't say why or what I was supposed to be looking for, so we're here trying to find out about her."
The older couple regarded the three visitors for several seconds. They glanced at each other, and while Alex's face straightforwardly told Johnny their presence was not welcome, Laura's looked more open.
"Please come in," Laura said finally. "I'll make us some coffee, and we can talk."
~~
"You have a very lovely home, Mrs. Desmond," Johnny commented as the older woman poured coffee into the white mug on the table in front of him.
"Thank you," she replied, a smile of pride briefly appearing on her face.
The group sat in the Desmonds' dining room, each with a steaming cup of coffee in front of them. Laura Desmond returned to the kitchen through a swinging door that squeaked in protest as she pushed through it. Alex Desmond sat at the head of the table with a disapproving look on his face. Johnny opened his mouth to engage the man in conversation, but the glare in Mr. Desmond's eyes told Johnny it was a bad idea, so he let his eyes wander around the room instead.
It was decorated simply, but elegantly with white lace curtains and table covered accenting the darkly stained table and chairs. A large china cabinet filled with plates and glasses sat in the corner of the room, and the hardwood floor was recently polished.
Mrs. Desmond came back into the room with a mug in her hands, taking a seat next to her husband. Johnny sat at the other end of the table with Dana and Bruce flanking him on either side.
"So what exactly about Jessica did you want to know?" she asked tentatively.
"As much as you're willing to tell us, Mrs. Desmond," Johnny replied.
"Laura, please," she said.
"Laura," Johnny repeated.
"Who sent you something on her?" Mr. Desmond spoke up, his voice laced with suspicion and his arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"We don't know."
"You don't know?"
"It was sent to Johnny anonymously," Bruce said. "We've been trying to figure that out as well as why it was sent."
"Well, we didn't send it," the man snapped. "So why bother us?"
"Alex, be nice," his wife scolded him.
"Why should I?" Mr. Desmond snapped. "They come knocking on our door uninvited, waiting to know about our personal business, and I should be nice?"
"Alex!"
"No, Laura," he said, rising from his chair. "You can sit here and talk to these people if you want because you've seen his picture in those stupid papers, but I want nothing to do with it. I washed my hands of this a long time ago."
With that, Mr. Desmond grabbed his coffee and stormed out of the room. Mrs. Desmond followed him with her eyes before turning back to the other three.
"I'm sorry about my husband. This has all been hard on the both of us. He was good friends with Mike, Jessica's father," she explained.
"No need to apologize," Johnny told her. "We understand this isn't easy, but we greatly appreciate your taking time to talk to us."
"Thank you," she said. "Alex has been angry about this for a long time. He was the one that pushed for the lawsuits, not me."
"You didn't want to sue Jessica?" Dana asked, moving forward in her seat in interest.
"Not at all," the woman replied. "Jessica is the only family I have left. Yes, I was upset about what happened, but family is more important to me than money."
"But not your husband?" Dana prodded.
"No, that's not it at all. Alex blamed Jessica for what happened. He doesn't understand that she's ill. It's hard for him to get closure without someone being held accountable."
"Laura, do you have any idea why someone would send Jessica's picture to me?" Johnny asked.
"No," she answered, shifting in her chair and turning her coffee mug in her hands. "Her parents' death was open and shut. She's been locked up ever since."
"Could someone think she's innocent?"
"I don't see how. She had the weapon in her hand when the police arrived. They told me that- that she was ripping it from my sister's body when they walked in."
Mrs. Desmond's voice began to crack, and she held up a hand at her guests to indicate she needed a moment to compose herself. She wiped away a stray tear that began running down her cheek. Bruce grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said, wiping her eyes and nose. "You'd think after all this time, it would be easier, but it's not."
"It's okay," Johnny tried to comfort her. "Take your time."
Laura sniffled and wiped her nose again, taking a few deep breaths. After a few minutes, she seemed calmer and nodded at Johnny that she was ready to continue.
"Did Jessica have any uncles aside from your husband?" Johnny asked. Bruce and Dana looked at him quizzically, wondering where this question was going.
"No," she replied, an equally confused look on her face. "Lillah and I were my parents' only children, and Mike was an only child. Why?"
"She didn't have an Uncle Bobby?"
"No," she answered, her eyebrows creased in confusion. Suddenly, the question seemed to make sense and her face lit up. "But that's what she called Robert Simmons, her doctor. He and my sister were good friends, so she called him Uncle Bobby. Is that important?"
"No, but it makes sense to me now," Johnny replied, shrugging off the curious looks from his companions.
"Who controls the Richardson estate while Jessica is in the hospital?" Dana jumped in.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I've tried to distance myself from that information. I really don't want to know. Alex probably knows."
"But I doubt he would be willing to give us that information," the redhead sighed.
"I wouldn't count on it. I love him, but he's a stubborn man."
"Who would know?"
"Probably Doug Carlisle, Jessica's lawyer. He was the executor of the state at the time of their death, so I would assume he would know."
"Thank you," the redhead replied, making note of the name.
"Laura," Mr. Desmond interrupted, stepping into the room. "We have to go if we're going to make those dinner reservations at five."
Laura looked at her husband, then back at her guests, as if debating on who she should go with. Her husband gave her a pleading look, so she sighed and rose from her chair.
"I'm sorry, but we really must be going. It was very nice talking with you, and if we can be of any further assistance, please let us know."
"Thank you for your time," Johnny said, rising from his chair with Bruce and Dana doing the same.
The couple led the others to the door, said brief goodbyes then sent them on their way. Johnny briefly looked back at the house as the door closed, and he saw Laura look out the window at them. He smiled at her and nodded, hoping that she would understand he was grateful for her time. She returned the smile then let the curtain fall over the window, obscuring her from his view.
"Now what?" Bruce asked as they reached his car.
"I guess we go talk to the lawyer," Johnny said.
"Johnny," Bruce sighed, leaning against the driver's side door, "did you ever think that we're wasting our time? I don't mean to be a pessimist-"
"Yet you do it so well," Dana interrupted.
Bruce fixed her with an irritated glance before looking back at Johnny. "We barely have any information about what's going on here. Hell, we don't even know what we're looking for. Maybe someone is just messing with you."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because you're a celebrity. There are weird people out there that get off on making the famous miserable. Maybe someone just wanted confirmation that the girl is crazy and isn't just faking it. For all we know, those people sent the picture to you," Bruce continued, pointing back at the Desmonds' house.
"I don't think they did."
"But you don't know for sure. Johnny, I know you're all for helping people, and I'll always be there to help you out, but this one is going nowhere. We're snooping in these people's lives for no reason."
"For once," Dana said, "Bruce and I agree on something."
"There is a reason, or else someone wouldn't have sent me that picture," Johnny argued.
Bruce sighed. "Well, if that person wants your help so much, maybe he should've specified what he wanted. You shouldn't have to go around guessing what these people want."
"You guys really want to give this up?"
"Yeah, John. I think you've done what you can, but until this person comes forward and links everything together, you shouldn't get yourself so deep into these people's lives."
Johnny looked back and forth between them, knowing that no matter what he said, he'd lost this battle. He slowly nodded his head, and sighed.
"Maybe you're right. Let's go home."
Johnny walked around to the other side of the PT Cruiser while Dana walked over to her convertible. Bruce hopped in the driver's seat as Johnny reached his car door, and as Johnny grabbed the handle, his senses were overtaken once again.
He saw himself, standing next to Bruce's car. Johnny knew who was watching. The man who sent the picture was watching them from across the street. Once the vision ended, Johnny's head shot up, glancing around for the man. There was a dense collection of trees where Johnny thought he saw the man. He squinted, hoping that would help him see better, then he let go of the door and walked towards the trees.
"Johnny, where are you going?" Bruce asked, sticking his head out the window.
Johnny walked over to the edge of the trees, reaching out and touching one. The man was gone.
"Nowhere," Johnny replied, glancing into woods just in case.
He turned around and went back to Bruce's car, getting in the passenger side door.
"What was that?" Bruce asked.
"Nothing," Johnny replied. "I thought I saw something."
"Probably just an animal," his friend said as he started the car and pulled away, heading back towards Cleaves Mills.
"Yeah, probably," Johnny echoed, knowing that wasn't it at all.
"I think it's best we just go home and forget about this," Bruce said after a few miles of silence. "If the guy really wants your help, he'll contact you."
"Yeah," Johnny said vacantly, not really hearing what Bruce was saying. He had no intention of letting this go. He knew there was something more here he needed to see, and he wasn't going to give up until he found out exactly what it was.