"Okay. Let me get this straight again. You saw the murder, but you didn't see the murder. Is that it?"
Impatience and skepticism exuded from each one of Mike's carefully chosen words, as he sat back down behind his desk, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the irritation from dealing with another strange phenomena on that busy Friday.
Unaffected by his attitude, the young woman smiled warmly, her sequin purple dress reflecting what sunlight came through the large back window, causing light prisms to appear on the nearby wall.
"I wish there was an easier way to explain this but yes. I was there…spiritually."
Sharing a brief glance with his partner, Mike sighed again, inaudibly this time, as he leaned forward to rest his chin on the palm of his hand.
"While you were there in…in spirit, did you happen to catch the license plate number of our suspect's vehicle perhaps? Can you give us a description of the killer, Miss…Williams?"
With her expression turning sad, the lady shook her head, well aware of the suspicion rising in both, the detective sitting next to her, and the one across the desk.
"I did not, unfortunately. What I saw and sensed were the last thoughts of your victim, the places his mind travelled to, as it detached from the body to move on. I sensed great fear, mortal peril, and then a peaceful quietness. When that happened, I deepened my state of mediation, as my mind travelled to the spot…and then I saw the grey car come around the corner. I saw your partner's hands on the steering wheel, his eyes drifting over the road, and I sensed his pain when he…he found the body."
"Stephen, you didn't tell me you were possessed by Miss Williams' spirit when you found Sullenger's body. Don't forget to put that in your report.", Mike retorted sourly and drew in a deep breath, as he straightened back out, "I guess…as admirable as your gift may be, I fail to see where this will help us in our investigation."
With a faint nod, Andrea reached for a pencil out of the nearby holder, playing with it absent-mindedly.
"Believe me, I completely understand your doubts, Lieutenant Stone. My…profession, if you want to call it that, has raised doubts in people's minds for centuries. Your line of work requires hard facts, names, numbers, colors and patterns, while mine requires energy, intangible and invisible attributes and a lot of faith. Your questions do not offend me by any means. It's just that I think I can help you in your investigation because of some of the things I saw in your victim's mind, as he passed on to the next plane."
"But you…he…didn't see the killer?", Steve asked, torn between skepticism and curiosity at their odd visitor. Straightening out the lilac tie against his chest, he shifted in his chair, turning around to face Andrea better.
"If he did, I didn't see it in my vision. But I saw something. I saw animals…sheep, I think. And goats and chickens."
With his eyebrows raised, Mike reached for his coffee and treated himself to a sip, glancing at his partner over the rim of the cup.
"I sensed great peace in your victims' soul when he was at that place. There were many noises, animal noises. And a sweet smell of hay or straw, I think."
"Sounds like the nativity scene to me.", Steve said, innocently looking back and forth between his partner and the intriguing young woman.
"You of all people would bring that up.", Mike grunted in return, surprised to see the young Inspector shake his head.
"No, I wasn't mocking it. I am talking about that nativity scene they put into Jefferson Square Park. Don't they set that up the day before thanksgiving or something like that? I remember it being around early each year. They have goats and sheep there. Maybe Sullenger saw pigeons and thought they were chickens?"
Admittedly so, Steve had raised a valid point, and yet, Mike couldn't quite contain an eye-roll. Pondering on the idea for a moment, he ran a hand through his salt-and-peppered hair, somewhat overwhelmed with the situation that put all his senses on edge.
With Andrea sitting straight across from him, he took a second to study her curious expression. The slim face, the delicate hands, refined features that surrounded a set of warm blue eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul.
"Not to discredit your…vision, or hunch, Miss Williams, but is it possible that you were wrong? Maybe zoned in on the wrong person as your spirit was floating across town? Because see, our victim wasn't at some nativity scene. And I can assure you that where he lived, they don't allow sheep or goats or chickens."
Shaking her head vigorously, the young woman pointed back at Steve.
"Even though you can't physically touch them, these visions of mine are very clear in their own way. Clear enough that I could see Inspector Keller approach, even smell his aftershave, sense the anxiety build in his heart. These visions, and the way I sense people's spirits are like a finger print. It's impossible to mix them up between individuals. In the case of your victim, the…experience of death is so strong, that all the emotions associated with it will overpower everything else that may serve as a distraction."
"Okay…okay…", Mike said hesitantly, and raised his hands in a soothing gesture, "Suppose you are right, and our victim maybe visited the nativity scene, then drove all the way from the park back home, before spending the night at the bar. How will that help us in our investigation? Did our killer follow him from the nativity scene to the place where he was killed?"
"Not at all, Lieutenant.", Andrea countered with a shrug, "The place with the animals…that was his happy place. A place of peace so powerful that his mind visited it again as he died. But there was a man there. I sense that this man and this place…they're tied together, and they held a great meaning in your victim's mind. And I strongly feel that whatever led to your victim's death started right there."
A set of curious green eyes met Mike's for a split second, long enough to exchange the same notion of hope, the faintest of possibilities that their strange visitor's hunch might hold some value in their investigation.
Sensing their hesitation, the young lady leaned forward in her chair, before reaching across the desk to briefly touch Mike's hand.
"You still wear your wedding band, but your wife has passed on. Maybe a few years ago, but less than a decade. Your pain for her passing is still strong, unbearable some days. But there is light in your soul, overpowering the shadows. You had a child together, and you see her in that child. A daughter perhaps?"
Mike's eyes widened, his bottom lip quivering slightly at the astonishing accuracy of her message. With an understanding smile, the lady leaned back again.
"You mustn't be afraid, Lieutenant. My gift has a tendency to be…overwhelming to most people. It would be even worse for a man who dedicated his entire life to the difficult line of work you are in. And you see, despite the gruff…persona you put on, I am relieved to sense much love in you for those who are closest to you. Fatherly pride, a joining of the souls…the youthfulness which you surround yourself with is in turn rejuvenating your soul, and feeding your nurturing spirit."
When Mike fell quiet, completely startled, the lady glanced back over at Steve, who'd followed the exchange with great interest.
"You're the Lieutenant's partner, but you're far more than just that. You're not his biological son, but he cares for you as if you were. In return, he has replaced a deep…painful void in your heart. Burdens of a past you've forced out of your memory, desperately attempting to heal."
Steve felt chills run down his back as she said that, the truth of her words lifting a weight off his soul he wasn't aware he'd carried.
"But I do have to go now, gentlemen. There are several appointments I need to…attend today. I left my business card on Inspector Keller's desk, feel free to reach out if you have more questions. I'd be happy to help in any way I can."
Just as quickly as she'd appeared, the interesting young woman left the two detectives behind, staring at each other for many long moments, wondering what had just happened.