Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Remi took a deep breath, trying to gain some sort of courage to help him do what had to be done. “She’s heard you, Mildred. She’s heard all your tears, your anger, and your love. She knows.” He tried for a smile. “She was also very adamant that I make this visit and let you know that she’s happy—very happy. She doesn’t want you to worry any more. It hurts her that you’re so sad.”
“How can I not be? After…after what he did to her?” Mildred hissed, her fury toward Peterman rising to the surface. “That angel was terrified of rats! I can’t…I can’t….”
“She has a pet rat, now,” Remi said, shocking both of them—maybe he shouldn’t have said that? From her spot out by the swing, Veronica nodded at him, giving her approval. “Its name is Petra; she carries it everywhere. Trust me, she was the victor in the final war between her and Eric Peterman.” He looked over to his right, looking at her again. Another deep breath. “Her body is here. It’s been here all along. I can show you or…or if that’s too hard, I don’t have to. She told me to let it be your choice.”
Mildred gasped, and a hand reached up to clutch her throat. “H-h-here? She’s been…here?”
Remi nodded. “She wants you to understand how happy she is,” he said. “She’s worried that this will hurt you too much since you can’t see how beautiful her new world is.”
“Show me,” Mildred finally whispered. “Show me where my baby sister is.”
Remi turned and walked down the stairs that led to the front porch. Ryder and Mildred followed him as he walked the short distance, less than eighty yards, to the spot where Peterman had taken revenge on an innocent girl. The ground was covered with fallen leaves and, on top of that, Remi knew that Peterman had covered the metal plate with several inches of dirt before he’d left that night. He pointed to the spot where Veronica’s spirit stood, hand in hand with Gary. Birds chirped in the background and an old tire swing hung from a sturdy tree limb not far from where the three of them stood. The huge oak tree that secured the tire swing also held a little girl’s treehouse, long abandoned but still well maintained.
“Here?” Mildred asked in disbelief and horror. “He brought her here? Killed her in her most favorite place in the world?” Tears streamed down Mildred’s face as she struggled to catch a breath.
Remi watched as Veronica, Petra, and Gary disappeared and then reappeared on the small porch of the treehouse. The rat, even larger than before, jumped from Veronica’s arms and scampered back and forth along the railing. After a few seconds of fun, it jumped onto Gary’s shoulder. He politely took it off and handed it to Veronica.
A smile spread across Remi’s face as he thought their interaction resembled him, Gilley, and Ryder. “He brought her here because he thought it would be a way to hurt her and her family even more,” Remi told her. “He was wrong, though. She wants you to know he was wrong.”
“Does…does she want…to stay?” Mildred asked softly.
Remi watched for Veronica’s hints and then answered, “She’d like to stay if it wouldn’t be too hard on you. She understands if it’s asking too much. She’ll be at peace regardless of where her remains rest.”
“Here, then,” Mildred answered. “She’s been with me all along, hasn’t she?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mildred turned to look at him, tears pooling her eyes and staining her cheeks. “Thank you, Remington. Thank you so much for giving me the peace I’ve been searching for.”
After exchanging hugs and saying their goodbyes, Remi and Ryder made their way back to the Jeep. Mildred stayed by the oak tree, speaking in a voice too low for them to hear. As soon as they were inside the vehicle, Remi released Gilley and then turned to look at the porch of the treehouse as Ryder backed out of the driveway. Veronica, like before, made Petra’s little feet wave goodbye to him. He smiled and returned the wave, knowing it would be the last time he saw Veronica, Petra, or Gary.
The last few weeks had been…a mirage of horrors that he’d never be able to forget. He hated what Veronica had done to him…what she’d awakened inside of him. Yet, he loved Veronica. Hell, he even loved that damn rat.
Turning to look at the man he loved, he asked, “Think your private investigative business will have room for an inexperienced, doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, psychic?”
Ryder kept his eyes on the road in front of him. “I don’t know. What does his ass look like?”
Remi smiled, feeling all warm and loved. “It’s awesome…bubbly, yet firm. The globes are perfect, with just a touch of peach fuzz.”