Chapter 4

In Seattle Tim landed on the back seat of the police car and realised it was not the same policemen as before. "Of course not that was evening. So these don't understand the strangeness, think it a great laugh no doubt." He listened to the chatter and realised that both Jake and Josh were in the house and lost no time in getting back there. He landed properly in the basement and noted the light was on and Ben was no longer gagged but still tightly chained, there was no food in sight. He got up closer to Ben and realised he was either a sleep or unconscious and decided to find out which and slide quietly in.

There was darkness as he found before but a glimmer of something which was suddenly followed by confusion of voices melding to one voice, which sounded like Ben's shouting questions while the other version of the same voice was giving answers against his will. He assumed it was a nightmare and came out quickly. Noting the change in Ben's breathing he sat down in front of him calling his name wondering if he could hear him.

He got a frustrated mumbled reply, which he just about understood as "Saw you in my dream now my damn nightmare. If you're dead go haunt elsewhere!"

Tim smiled and said gently, "Yep. I'm dead... What do they say - if you don't succeed then try, try again. Guess what … Derek tried again..." He expected a reply of some kind but got nothing and decided to explain some of what had happened finding it a relief that at least someone could hear him. "I found out about his plans for Meg and tried to stop them … damn phone wouldn't work properly so I couldn't warn Meg but died trying." He suddenly realised it would not help if Ben knew he'd been killed in the lounge area of Surf Central where Meg was staying and shortened his story. "I thought Derek was a police officer and we fought but he got me with Tess's help though she wasn't there when he killed me.

With her help he buried me in the monument, which collapsed in front of everyone today. I guess I got so mad at the whole thing I became a ghost. I tried haunting Tess hoping she could break then help only Derek killed her because she got scared now they've found my body. Her body's locked in the garage block of 137 Southern Avenue everyone thinks she's away. I need you to remember the address Ben because she's a ghost and is going to try to unlock Maria's memories so she can help."

He noticed Ben was becoming agitated but not returning to consciousness and got worried so said soothingly. "It's all right. I'll make sure Derek does not harm them and get help. There is a police car outside, the other officers were going to check on Jake and Josh but I guess they are only on night duty. So just sit tight try not to fight them again I don't want you with us." Having felt the twin's anger separately he added with feeling. "I'd hate to see you as a really pissed off ghost!"

He left with Ben's slurred words "Yes ... Mother dear!" ringing in his ears and found Jake sitting on a chair cursing while Josh was finished tidying up the kitchen.

The phone rang and Jake reluctantly went down the passage to answer it. Tim stood nearby trying to hear both ends of the conversation and started wondering whether he would hear them if he was in the middle and realised what could happen so stopped and concentrated on Jake instead.

Jake was answering long silences or so it seemed to Tim as he listened. " … … .. No he's not too good ……… He tried to escape and we stunned him a couple of times….. … Hell! You're going to kill him anyway! … … Yes he will be all right… … … No of course he can walk we just kept him down a bit… … … Ok! Ok we will feed him better when he wakes up! … … No you don't have to do that!……… Yeah well remember we can finger you just as you can us!……… Yes! we have proof you organised it all……. Yes! Tomorrow night! … … Of course we will be here later."

Jake slammed the phone down muttering "No where else to go!" and made his way back to the kitchen calling out "Derek wants his brother walking and ready by the end of the week so you had better get some food when you buy the plates and stuff."

Josh looked up from sealing the last bag of bits making Jake exclaim. "It's all right I will leave him alone while you are gone! Can't do a thing with this damn arm anyway! Get some beers and videos and we can have a night in for a change!" he ended sarcastically.

Silently Josh checked around the floor still not believing just how difficult it was to get ride of the fine shards of glass and china, nor how the mess was created. He still couldn't get his brother to believe he'd just walked in on it, but he wasn't going to argue the point and as he passed his brother he gave very reverent mock salute and then picked up the basement key as he passed the door. He was definitely not leaving them behind.

Jake watched from the kitchen doorway and called out "Spoilsport!"

Josh turned and smiled proving they knew each other too well before walking out the front door wondering which video to get and whether the fight about drink and drugs was going to be worth it.

Still convinced his brother had played a joke on him just to spook him and still cross at the fact Ben had managed to 'get one over him' Jake walked slowly down the passage. He kicked hard on the basement door as he passed it in the hope Ben would be scared of retaliation then carried on into the front room to watch whatever was on the tv till the beer came. He found the remote and a comfy chair and settled down.

Relieved Tim made his way back to Sunset Beach to check things.

Chapter 5

Tim stopped near the monument as the workmen were busy knocking the rest down to clear the site and noticed a bunch of flowers left to one side amongst the police warning tape and wondered if Meg had left them. Voices drew his attention to the group of serious looking men surveying and discussing the cracks in the ground and knew everyone was carrying on unable to see or sense him. As he watched frustration built up in him so yelled at them that he was here but nothing happened.

Unable to stand it he stormed off to the police station, walking through everything and everyone till he found the crime lab. He stopped, calmed down and watched them working on Spencer's uniform, which had gone in with his body. From the chatter he knew the officer was all right but would take a while to live down the humiliation of being robbed of his uniform and noticed the other clothes waiting to be looked at.

He studied them and recognised them as his and automatically looked down at his legs realising for the first time he was wearing those clothes and they were marked with damp concrete.

"How the hell! I've got them on!" He yelled looking from one set to the other, then his started to disappear and yet he did not get that fading feeling he got when he was about to transfer from one place to another. With a shock he suddenly realised he was seeing himself for the first time as he really was - energy.

He did not like it, got scared and thought forcefully; 'No! I'm wearing clothes for heavens sake! I'm me!... As I was!' something rippled through his body. He came back - solid - in the clothes he had been wearing on the day he died as did the wet concrete on them. His frustration and anger rose and he shouted out loudly so it rolled round the room. "Derek did it! You dim wits! He hated me! You know damn well he tried it before!"

A technician looked up suddenly smiling and then said to his partner who was sitting behind to Tim. "Need a hand looks like fingerprints on the belt. If we could get them off cleanly it will be a start. I assume we've got the officer's prints to check them against." His mate nodded and he got up to get something to help.

Tim exclaimed realising the truth, "Blast! I thought you could hear me!" Then called out to the man who'd just come in "Hey! Ricardo go and find Maria she needs you!" and felt himself ripple as though to getting ready disappear and travel he steadied his thoughts back to the room and waited.

Ricardo stopped and perched himself on the corner of the nearest table and called across to the others. "Anything useful yet?"

Tim swore knowing it was too much to expect after all, his mother Carmen the supposed fortuneteller hadn't heard him so why should he.

The technician looked across and called back. "Give us a chance Ricardo! Possible finger prints on of the Officer's belt, and some different fibres caught on the blanket the body was wrapped in. Best bet find the men who owned or made the thing the body was in! How is everyone out there?"

Ricardo got off the table and started to walk back out of the office saying. "Extremely depressed I know Tim was a pain but it has hit Meg and her family pretty hard... I think Hank regarded him as a son... Anyway Tim did not deserve this, whatever he did do to Meg in the past. Thanks. I'll leave you to it."

Tim stood quietly in the middle of the room thinking about Ricardo's words and the sadness in his voice and the aura around him. Then brought himself back to the present and his job and thought of Meg and found himself in the middle of the Shock Wave.

Raw uncontrolled anger rose very quickly to boiling point as he saw Derek walking towards Meg, she was talking quietly with her family and Casey. Tim ignored the people walking through him as he shouted waved his arms at Derek telling him to get out of there and leave Meg alone. A cup fell and smashed on the floor beside Tim and Hank spun round at the noise and saw Ben for the first time and said sad and heatedly "Ben this is not a good time! You are not wanted here."

Derek, in his best Ben attitude, carried on coming but not so close that Hank would feel threatened and said gently and disarmingly. "I was at the ceremony and I wanted to come and give my condolences. I know Tim and I did not get on, but I do understand Meg's loss and wanted her to know that I feel for her and all of you at this time. You cared about him from an early age and hoped he would become your son-in-law and eventually take over your farm before you were forced to move here. So you and Joan must feel his loss greatly.

Hank knew that he and Ben did not see eye to eye on a lot of things but felt the sincerity of his words and stepped back to let him into the group. As he did another cup hit the floor just behind the waitress, she looked round totally perplexed because no one was near the table then looked across at Hank and the group wondering how to explain it. Because no one reacted this time so she decided not to make a fuss and cleared the mess up.

Tim knowing Derek had not heard or seen him moved closer to the group trying to get to Meg, warn her or protect her. He came close to Derek almost touching him when suddenly he was pushed back as though something was telling him it wasn't safe to be so close. He called in his mind knowing he would stay put. "Ben?" wondering if the twins might be connected but didn't feel any reply, he considered trying again then remembered Derek's past of killing when trapped and decided to heed the invisible warning and thought about Tess.

oxoxo

The flash of darkness cleared and he found himself on the beach; Benjy was running along water's edge daring the waves to make him wet laughing at the near misses. Looking around he spotted Maria sitting with Carmen watching Benjy, and a rather wet looking Tess standing behind them. He came close to them and asked with gentle laughter in his voice; "What happened? I did not know ghosts could get wet."

Tess stepped back away from Maria and Carmen and sat down on the sand Tim followed suit and waited. Tim noticed she looked soggy not just wet on top and wondered if the squelching noise he heard was because he expected it or because it was real. Looking closer he noticed the odd patch was drying out and listened as she spoke glad to hear her voice was normal.

"It's silly really. I thought of being beside Benjy like you told me too. Well! He was in the water swimming and I landed further away from him out to sea not on the water's edge. It's horrible I seemed to melt into the waves, it became more and more difficult to move, it took me ages to concentrate on Maria who was on the shore calling to him and finally I got out. I was a sort of puddle, mixed in with the water, then gradually I managed to stand and the wet feeling is gradually going."

She shivered as she remembered and some water appeared to run down her but she did not notice her voice became wistful as she carried on "He sat on her lap happily chatting to each other as she dried him off. Tim ... I'm going to miss him so much! I was such a fool... I should have believed you, done what you told me to... I am sorry... I knew what Derek was like."

Tim put his arm round her shoulders glad he could do it, even if it did not feel quiet the same as before and said; "I know it does not help much but Maria loves Benjy and he loves her."

"He will forget me. To him I'm just the nanny not his mother…."

Her voice was shaky so Tim decided to push his idea and said. "Have you tried to get inside her mind?"

Tess gave a short laugh; "Yeah! Oh boy! It's crowded in there, lots of little softballs, not surprising really. Anyway I could not get into any so I just put some ideas into the space I think it's just a case of time I'm afraid."

Tim sighed. "Not too long I hope. Derek rang up Seattle and something is happening at the end of the week. I think they will start treating Ben a bit better to get him ready…."

"For what?"

Tim was surprised she had to ask. "To die here of course. I expect Derek still wants a show of some kind. I saw Derek talking to Meg at the Shock Wave from the look he gave her I think he still wants her. You wouldn't know he had just killed you and they had just found my body... Hell! he is so twisted he could do anything! I want to put a stop to it now!"

Benjy came running towards Maria calling "Mummy! Mummy is Nanny Tess coming here?"

Maria looked up and around her as she spoke. "I do not know. We got separated before the ceremony started I thought she might have found us by now. Thought it must have been upsetting for her after all she was going out with Tim. I'll try her number."

She rang and was told the phone was off and looked puzzled saying "Tess only does that if she's at home. I'll check home and messages. She rang and got their answer machine then tried the messages and listened she disconnected and said even more puzzled. "Tess left a message saying she's gone to stay with her sister for a couple of days. Strange it sounded as though she wasn't at the ceremony but I know she was there I walked with her to the edge of the crowd and then we got separated!"

Benjy's face suddenly showed sadness with a trace of fear as he remembered how she'd gone out and never came back and cried out. "She'll be like you and dream daddy gone!" He backed away from them, Maria called him back gently. "Benjy! It's all right, Tess will be back in a few days then you will have her to yourself while Daddy and I go on holiday."

Slowly Benjy started to come to her but backed away again as Carmen said crossly, "Maria! I've told you not go on the holiday. There will be trouble if you do. What's this about dream Daddy Benjy? Come talk to me!"

Maria spoke first; "Benjy had a dream the first night Ben was away on a trip. We told everyone it was a business trip but he went to Seattle to check up on Tess's past. Both of us had been feeling uneasy about her in spite of Ricardo's checks but that's all past. Anyway Benjy's dream was that Ben left him and he could not find him as you know Ben came back but Benjy's still has these dreams, not every night though. He did not say anything about the others till this morning when he went into Tess's room and told her that his dream Daddy had been hurt but could not explain further. I took him to Ben to prove that he was all right but as he was still on edge I kept him off school and we ended up in worst state after seeing Tim's body."

Carmen held out her arms to Benjy, wanting to hold him so she could feel his true feelings. He stopped just out of her reach, she did not want to frighten him by insisting he come to her so she asked gently, "Is your dream Daddy like your... What shall I call him your day Daddy the one you can actually touch?"

Benjy nodded "Yes. He's kind and gentle... I am happy when I feel him in my dream till I lose him. So is day Daddy." His voice wavered and the half smile disappeared and he carried on. "But ... Before he went on a trip he gave me a lucky coin, I gave him my favourite blue crayon but he made me cry when he came home..."

Maria said gently and quickly not wanting him to feel the hurt again. "Strange he remembered that I'd forgotten it till he mentioned it this morning. Ben had a rare memory slip about the blue crayon Benjy gave him. It took him a few minutes to remember and Benjy was hurt by it. True Ben was less sensitive than usually, he explained after that he'd been sorting out his feeling etc and it had just got buried. Does any of it make sense to you?"

Carmen smiled and nodded "I think its just Benjy's realising that people have two sides, and Ben is like everyone else. Don't forget he'd lost you and then found you with Ben who'd been a sketch you'd drawn and no doubt talked about, so that made Ben very special when he was made real. Nothing to worry about, Benjy it's all right to dream about daddy just remember they are really just one person, now run on a head while we get up and we will stop at the Shock Wave to treat you to a special tea."

Tess and Tim looked apprehensively at each other realising time was going by and nothing might happen till tomorrow. Tess suddenly gasped saying "Of course! Carmen knows about Derek! When she collapsed at home it was because she recognised Derek. Derek was scared she might remember when she came round in hospital but she didn't remember anything. If I can get through to her"

Tim called back to her, "No! Tess. Carmen's a closed book I tried her this morning and got nowhere."

Tess suddenly got excited. "I don't care! I'll try it while we go to the Shock Wave. We've got nothing to lose!"

She walked up beside Carmen whispering in her ear Derek's name over and over again till she almost disappeared into Carmen's shoulder. Suddenly Carmen spun round going right through Tess; looking around puzzled as if something was just on the point of...

Tess waved her arms in the air and yelled. "Got her!"

But in that instant Maria looking concerned at her mother and tapped her on her shoulder making Carmen jumped and shake her head at her daughter's concern before they both walked after Benjy.

Tess and Tim stood together and looked at them walking away radiating disappointment – nothing seemed to be working.