3.1

Chapter Three

Part One

My eyes sprang open like I'd risen from the dead. Angry I threw off my covers and marched to the window.

Who the crap was coming over to our house and waking me up at this hour? I peeked out my curtain, ready to murder the person who ruined my dream. While the dream itself was strange, it wasn't terribly unpleasant. My lips still tingled like it was real.

I left the window and carefully opened my bedroom door. At the same time, to my surprise, Nana's white head peeped out from across the hall. She didn't look very happy either. "Did you hear that," she asked grumpy. My sweet, Angelic Nana was ready to take down a grizzly bear. Maybe they woke her up from some juicy dream too.

I whispered, "I thought it was just me."

It wasn't uncommon for me to hear knocking at the door. Being a Medium, meant spirits could find me, or attach themselves to me at any point in time. Usually I'd pretend I didn't hear it. I needed sleep just like the next person, but if someone else had heard the knocking then, it was obviously not the dead. If that was the case, then the visitor was most likely for Nana. She had retired from her job as a secretary, but not as the local underground Psychic.

Coming farther out from her bedroom Nana was miffed. She stomped down the hall in her blue silky P.J set and bedroom shoes.

"Who do you think it is," I asked catching up to her. I placed my hands on her shoulders, peeping around her.

"I don't know who in the tarnation would be knocking at this hour," she complained.

I thought to myself that the person on the other side of the door should start praying. Nana was in a mood.

"It's three in the gosh darn morning," she spat.

Rounding the corner, I could see a shadow. Someone was trying to peep through the frosted glass next to the door. As per usual the picture window's curtain was closed. Nana always kept it closed at night.

I wasn't sure which creep was trying to peep in, so I moved around Nana. Most of the time Nana's guests would wait patiently after they knocked. Thinking this was unusual I instructed, "Nana you stay back. I'll get the door."

Pinching my butt, Nana not only cut off my line thinking, but also the door. "My house, my door," she lectured squeezing past me. The knock came again.

She'd already unlocked the door before I could protest. "Danny," Nana replied astonished, "what in the tarnation are you doing bothering your Nana at this hour?"

I poked my head above Nana's and went white as a sheet. Oh, my dear Lord in Heaven! What were they doing here?

Standing next to Ryan was my cousin. Seeing Danny, melted any smile I might have had. My head swam and my whole body was dizzy. With me still half asleep I'd forgotten about yesterday, but not anymore. Seeing his face was like taking a sucker punch to the gut. That blissful ignorance was gone.

Nana unlatched the chain, and quick as lightning my hand shot out gripping her shoulder. I wanted yell at her to stop, but I froze. What was I going to say? I realized, that figurative hole Gavin said I tripped in was looking mighty real at this point.

Maybe it was my reaction that had tipped her off because Nana paused to look back at me. Her hand hovered above the lock on the glass door. When she turned to look at them she dropped her hand asking, "Are you aware of what time it is?"

"I'm Sorry Nana," Danny replied, and then cleared his voice to sound more official, "but ahhh... this is kind of important. Circe, can we talk to you outside?"

My hand on Nana's shoulder slipped off. I stood numbly looking at my cousin. Was he here to take me?

I was too scared to do anything, but then Nana patted my shoulder. My gaze snapped towards hers. I was expecting to see Nana freaked out or pissed, but she wasn't. Nana was calm cool and collected.

"You do realize it's three in the morning," Nana informed them, adding, " Could you not come at a decent time?"

I almost cried with relief. If there was one thing that I knew for certain, it was that you didn't mess with Nana, and right now Nana was on my side.

Ryan smiled his perfect smile. He seriously looked like a spokes model for Crest White Strips, but he didn't know who he was dealing with. Nana looked like an Angelic Betty White, until she was your worst nightmare, and they'd already struck out twice. They woke her up and were messing with one of her grandkids.

He greeted saying, "My name is Officer Ryan Millsaps."

"You think I don't know who you are," Nana questioned. Her response left Ryan with his mouth hanging open like a fish. He wasn't expecting her response. "I know your daddy," Nana declared, "and I know your Granny Millsaps! Wonder how she'd feel knowing you were here at the crack of dawn!" Nana was dishing out some Southern threats.

"We just need her to answer a few questions for us. Nothing serious." Poor Ryan loosened his shirt at the neck. I guess having my Nana call his grandmother didn't sit well with him.

Nana mocked him sweetly, "Then why on God's green Earth did you disturb an eighty-three-year-old woman's sleep?"

Danny put his hands on his hips. "Nana, please. Don't make this harder than it is. We just have to ask Circe some questions."

"Don't Nana me. You got a warrant?" When neither said a word her voice turned dark, "I know exactly what you're doing Danny."

My cousin looked from me to her saying, "I'm just asking her questions!"

Nana scoffed lecturing, "Danny boy, I wasn't born yesterday."

Danny was getting angry. "Nana I'm just doing my job!"

"Your job? Your job is arresting criminals," Nana admonished, "Not harassing the innocent. You should be ashamed of yourself Danny! Out of every cop in this God forsaken town YOU should know better!"

"Nana those are two different things! I'm just doing my job!"

"THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME!" Nana was angry, she was vibrating from it, "Your job is to protect the innocent not arrest them! The cops in this town have always blamed our family for everything! There ain't one good cop in this town who can see past his own prejudices."

At that point she'd woken up Gavin. I could hear his feet pounding down the hallway. He came running around the corner in his cartoon boxers. Hair every which way and sleep still in his eye.

"What's going on," he yelled tripping on himself and banging his foot. Gavin, while hopping on his foot noticed Danny. I saw the look cross Gavin's face and I knew he'd seen red.

"YOU FUCK!" He went at the door like a Pit Bull. I ran between him and the glass door. My hands shoved at him, trying to keep him from getting outside, while Nana had wrapped her arms around him like a monkey.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER YOU DICK," he snarled over my screaming head. Which any other day, would have made me proud, but not today. We struggled and when I thought I couldn't fight any more, there was a thud. Gavin and I both froze.

It was me who screamed, "NANA!"

Nana was sprawled out on the floor like a week's washing. Rushing to her side my brother and I freaked. This was our worse nightmare. What if she hurt herself?

Hand weekly on her for head she begged, "Please Gavin, no fighting."

I helped her stand, and then realized that actually, she might have fallen for dramatic effect. Nothing appeared wrong with her. It was quite the opposite. The fire hadn't left her eyes, as she jabbed her finger at the glass, "Danny Robert Baucom you leave!" The beginning of your death wish in the south, was when an elder used your full name. If they used your full name… you were in some deep doo doo.

Ryan stepped between Danny and Nana. Calmly he explained, "It's just a few questions, we aren't accusing her of anything."

"Over my freaking dead body," Gavin and Nana spat at the same time.

"Danny," I yelled over everyone, "I think you realize that you're barking up the wrong tree. I already told you at the station I was done."

"You were at… at the station," Nana wondered aloud making me wince.

Giving Danny a look of murder, I answered Nana. She was going to find out anyway. "Against my better judgement someone convinced me that it would be a good idea to make a report."

Nana's face filled with tears. "Someone tried…tried," she couldn't even say it aloud, her voice shook so much. Her hands reached out cupping my face, trembling.

My parents' disappearance was hard on everyone. No one really got over it, but it was especially difficult on Nana. In our hearts we all knew they were dead, so she always worried about us too.

"Nana I'm ok," I reassured, wrapping my arms around her.

Her lip trembled and my heart pounded; I was so worried she might pass out or have a heart attack. Looking over her head I saw my brother.

Gavin's face clouded over again, and for a moment I thought he might lose it.

I don't think Danny realized my brother had a very small string of sanity left, and he was about to snap it.

"You set one foot past this door Danny, I swear to God it's over for you," Gavin said deadly, " Cop or not. You are going down."

Like a bear Danny squared up his shoulders, "That's threatening a police officer."

"Police officer my ass!"

A pin could be heard dropping. We all looked at Nana in complete and utter shock. Never in our entire lives had we heard Nana cuss. I rubbed my eyes like I'd been dreaming. I didn't even think she thought those words. It was like finding out your Sunday school teacher was really a stripper on the side.

"You came here just to talk," she roared as if she were Danny's maker, "Is that what you want to have me believe! Then let's talk alright! Let's talk about how you almost got YOUR COUSIN KILLED!"

Danny balked, looking at me like I told her.

"I didn't say anything," I said throwing up my hands. This was exactly what I'd been sweating all day! Nana just knew things. You couldn't keep a secret for long.

Floundering Danny tried to come up with some excuse, but Nana wasn't having any of it. "Don't you dare," she screamed, "Don't you DARE call me Nana again! You are no grandson of mine you hear! You no good, son of a motherless Goat!"

Danny shook his head like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. I couldn't either. Was she really disowning him at three AM, on our porch, in the dark?

"Nan," he cried.

"I think there's a misunderstanding," Ryan interrupted, looking between everyone like he had no idea what was going on. Truthfully, he probably didn't. I know he wasn't expecting this when he drove up the driveway.

"We found two bodies," Danny replied.

"Oh, so you found two bodies," Nana chided, "Well she could have BEEN one of those bodies!"

Danny ran up and put his hand on the door, banging on it . "We just want to see if they were the men," Danny stopped himself when Nana paused, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry! Nana I didn't give her the job because I thought this would happen! I didn't know it would be like this! Really! I'd never do that to Circe!"

Danny did look like a whole lot of sorry. He was like a muscular deflated, rusty haired child.

"It's me who's sorry," Ryan replied joining the apology session. We all looked at him like we'd forgotten he'd been standing there. "I'm sorry Mrs. Baucom," he replied, "We should have called first. I was just anxious. We have two dead men, and your granddaughter was almost killed by two men. We don't know if those were the guys! That's why we're here. We believe Circe. We don't think she did it, but he…you know how he is."

Nana folded her arms under her chest and tilted her head up as if she were sizing up Ryan. "So that's all you want," Nana questioned carefully, "That's it?"

"Yes," Danny cried so relieved that he sagged against the glass.

"Fingers."

Danny jumped back peeling his fingers off her glass door. Nana glared at the two officers a full heavy second, before unlocking the latch.

Gavin recoiled, "Nana!"

"If that's all they want then they can come in and ask," she then turned to the two outside, "Anything else, then you're out of here. You hear me?"

Sighing my cousin nodded, his head hanging low.

We all filed into the dining room. The tension was so thick you could smother from it. Or maybe it was my brother's death stare. I didn't need to ask. He was already imagining choking Danny.

Nana's dining room was pretty big and looked a lot like a country styled restaurant. She liked to feed people. She had four tables. Two smaller tables on either side of the dining room, a two person tables closer towards the kitchen, and in the middle a large family table. Danny chose his usual spot at the dining table. We all had our spots. Well except Ryan, he was a guest.

Pointing at the other end of the table Nana nodded, "Ryan would you like to sit at the head of the table?"

He looked like he wanted to say no but Nana's smile had him awkwardly saying, "Sure thing Mrs. Baucom."

Nana was at the other end of the table. Her little arms folded, and no tea was being offered. In Southern terms that was a sin. Tea in any of its forms were served at all times, mostly cold.

Danny pulled out a vanilla file. While he did so, Ryan took out a recorder, "Officer Ryan Millsaps here with…"

My cousin spoke aloud, "Officer Danny Baucom the date is August the twenty first. I'm here with Circe Bucannon. She is accompanied by her grandmother, Grace Baucom and her brother, Gavin Bucannon."

Danny folded his hands and left his beefy arms on the table. His poor shirt sleeves strained to contain them. "Circe, I understand that the night before last, you were shot at by two men."

"Yes that's right." I pinched my hand under the table, nervously saying, "I told you at the station. I don't remember anything else."

"Were you alone that night?"

Panic coursed through my veins. Those glowing red eyes dug themselves out of my memory the moment he asked those words. I shook my head.

Nana flinched, "And who do you say was with her?"

"Nan," Danny stopped and then corrected, "Mrs. Baucom I'm not suggesting anything. I just need Circe to answer to the best of her ability.

Danny looked up from his paper. My lingering silence must have tipped him off because he innocently asked, "You didn't have anyone go with you last night?"

"I went to the woods alone." Why was he asking the same question I'd already answered? Did he know something I didn't?

"What about when you left the woods," he asked reforming the same question as if I wouldn't notice.

"Danny, I went alone! I left alone. Nobody was with me," I spat exasperated, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Nobody?"

"NOBODY, " I yelled pausing. Oh, my Lord! Was he thinking it was Gavin who killed those men! My anger cleared my nerves and I said quickly, "Nana was here, Gavin was at a bar!"

"Gavin," she admonished as if he'd just said he'd held the hand of the devil and did a jig, "You know you can't be in no bar! You can't hold your dang liquor and you go acting like some fool getting yourself in trouble!"

"Did anyone see you in the bar," Ryan hedged.

I jumped up pissed at Ryan first time in my life. Did he really suspect my brother?

Gavin's explosion took me by surprise. He came to his feet bellowing, "Why is it I'm always having to defend myself with you guys? Shit! I can't even take a dump without you guys accusing me of something!"

"IF you have an alibi then they can't accuse you of anything," Danny interjected.

"I'm his alibi because he wasn't even there," I defended, "I went alone!"

"It's ok Circe. I know the drill," Gavin declared, "yes, I can have the whole bar vouch for me. You want me on camera? Yea, they probably got me on that too! Want to go check? Want to go now?" He stood up and started marching to the door pointing at it.

"We get the picture Gavin please," Danny waved his hand for him to come back and take a seat.

Danny fumbled with some papers until locating the ones he wanted. "Can you at least take a peek at these. Let me know if anything jogs your memory?"

He slid some papers over to me. The minute I saw them, I let out a huge exasperated breath. This was pointless. You see this was the problem with small towns. You might not remember everyone's name, but you did their faces.

"I know all of them," I replied annoyed as I tapped the paper, " Half of them went to our school." I slid them back to Danny adding, "You can probably recognize them all too."

Danny was hell bent on me pointing someone out. "Didn't you say that they knew your name and Gavin's," he tried, pushing harder.

"Danny, it was dark," I said agervated, "I didn't see their faces. I don't even remember hearing their names. Yes, they said they had gone to our school. Yes, they knew Gavin and my family, but they couldn't know us too well. They kept getting my name wrong!"

Both Ryan and Danny leaned in. Cocking his jaw, my cousin commented, "So they went to school with us but didn't know your name…you think the killers went to school with Sarah?"

"I don't know! I don't even know if they specifically did it," I replied thinking about my vision.

"Could you clarify that," Danny hedged.

I bit my lip thinking. How did I explain it? The man who I saw killing Sarah was in a black hoodie, and it was one man. "I think…I think that the two men were hired to murder me, but someone else Killed Sarah."

Danny's eyes flashed. This was new information I hadn't given him before. "So, there are possibly three people involved? Hey Gavin," he asked, his voice more excited, "You got your Highschool year books?"

Gavin moved to my side. "Circe said she doesn't remember."

Danny passed his partner a look mouthing, "Turn it off."

Confused Ryan spoke into the recorder, "Now that concludes the questioning of Circe Bucannon Today on August the twenty forth…at…"

Danny leaned over immediately after his partner turned the recorder off. "Were you able to contact Sarah," he asked.

Casting the only person in the room who wasn't family a glance, I saw Ryan's eyebrows were strung straight up. His response had me deliberate if Ryan already knew I was a Medium, or if he'd just never quite been sure. I was leaning towards the latter.

I bobbed my head and said, "Yes."

Danny jumped up, raked his hand through his hair, excited. I felt bad wiping the smile off his face. "She was killed at night. I didn't see the persons face so it's quite possible she didn't either."

My cousin's arms dropped as did his soul. The poor guy was hit hard by the admission. Placing his hands on the table his head dropped. "You're telling me…you didn't get anything useful at all?"

"Was that my job," I asked a little heated, "I thought I was hired by the family to help her soul pass over. I didn't know it was the Police."

"I think she's done," Gavin stated forcefully, His arm going around my shoulders, "If you want to talk to my sister you can go through Frank." We didn't even need to give Frank's last name. I'm sure Danny saw him often, on account of my brother.

"Ok. Ok, I get it…but if Willy calls you in for questioning, and I don't think he will, just cooperate," Danny replied looking down and gathering up his things, "If you give them a hard time, you'll look suspicious. All you have to say is the same stuff you told me."

"Danny I did! You saw where that went. Willy doesn't care what I say."

"There's no way physically you could have done it," Ryan admitted, quietly. I looked at him confused. What that mean?

"Don't leave town yet, "Danny interrupted, "You don't want to look like you're running."

"I'm not running from anything," I argued with venom, "they tried to kill ME!"

"Circe," Danny cut me off, "for the last time. WE don't think you did it. We're giving you advice, so Willy doesn't suspect you! Can you please not be so defensive?"

My face attempted to stay passive, but my eyes didn't cooperate. I'd cried so much in the past day or so, that it was a surprise I had any left. If I was defensive, it was because it felt like they were blaming me. I was trapped.

I felt damned if I did and damned if I didn't. I wanted to help spirits. Why? Because I had the ability to do so. I always believed that it would be a sin not to use it, but now I wondered if I was wrong. Somehow my gift worried someone, and that person was so scared that they wanted me dead.