Chapter64 Beth's Part

"So, Ms. Cindy; I reckon we've got ourselves a deadline now. Any suggestions on how we should approach this?" "What I think I need to do is try to make contact with Tommy again." "Why's that, Ms. Lidestrom?" The professor asks. "Do you think he's the killer, Ms. Cindy?" The sheriff wonders. "I don't know, Sheriff; I suppose it's possible. But, killer or not; I believe Tommy's going to be the one orchestrating the re-creation." "And, what makes you think that; Ms. Lidestrom?" "Because, Tommy did a count down on his fingers before the killer came crashing into the barn. He knew exactly when he had to cover his ears. Tommy's definitely watched that night play out before; more than likely on numerous occasions. He's studying it. He'll be the one dictating the series of events that night…I'm sure of it." "Then, Ms. Lidestrom, if your theory's correct; Tommy has the dominant persona among them. You believe he's the main presence?" "Not necessarily, Professor. Most feared persona among them; yes. Dominant one? I don't know. Directing how that night will play out doesn't make Tommy the main presence; just a strong one." "What about Charles and Chelsea, Kiddo; where do they fall in all this?" The deputy asks his niece while pouring himself another cup of coffee. "It's hard to say…at least Charles' part in this." Cindy explains, "I was thinking though; if Chelsea's been looking for Tommy all that time; maybe she wanted to stop this night from happening." "Shoot then, Ms. Cindy; maybe you should try to contact her, to see if she can help us." The sheriff suggests. "If only it were that easy, Sheriff. You know, I got a feeling that Tommy was behind Chelsea's demise; being how her condition progressively gotten worse the closer the target date got. Tommy probably knew Chelsea was going to try to stop him from re-creating that night; so, he did what he had to do to get rid of her." "So; I reckon this would be the second time Tommy killed Chelsea." "Looks that way." "And, our fake Mary; what about her?" Deputy Hopkins asks. "That's still up in the air. Everyone else has been accounted for; who knows who's behind Mary's persona. For all we know, that may be the main presence." "Well then, Ms. Lidestrom; we certainly have our work cut out for us these next couple of weeks. Is there anything else we need to take into consideration before implementing a plan of attack; so to speak?" Cindy gets up from the table, folding her arms across her chest, as she paces back and forth. "Actually, Professor; there are two things that are concerning me right now." "What, Ms. Lidestrom?" "First off; where's Jean-Louise Wadell?" "Anna's doll?" "Yeah." "What about it, Ms. Lidestrom?" "Anna was talking to it." "Now, Ms. Cindy;" the sheriff cuts in, "most children I've seen, do talk to their dolls at one point or the other." "True, Sheriff;" Cindy walks over and puts her hand on the side of his upper arm, "but, most dolls don't talk back." She winks and takes her hand off his arm. "Someone was communicating with Anna before she disappeared. At first, Beth and I thought it was Chelsea; but, now I'm not so sure it was her." "Then who, Kiddo?" "I don't know, Uncle Mike. All I know is that we have to find that doll." "And; your second concern, Ms. Lidestrom?" "Beth." "Beth?" "We know why they contacted Anna, now; they needed her for the re-enactment. But, why did they contact Beth; what does she have to do with this?" "I thought you said Beth was the catalyst, Ms. Cindy?" "I did. And, she still may be. The question is how? How's she connected to this presence? What purpose is she suppose to serve?" "We could probably figure that out by whom her initial contact was. Who contacted her first, Ms. Lidestrom?' "I thought about that myself, Professor. Here's the thing…although Mary made her presence known first through indirect actions between her and Beth; Chelsea revealed herself to Beth first." "I can see how that can put us into a bit of a quandary." The professor replies while wiping his glasses. "There has to be some sort of connection between Beth and at least one of these spirits. I asked Martin if Beth had ever mentioned anything before about having some kind of paranormal experience; but, he couldn't recall any. There's one other thing I'd like to try." "What's that, Ms. Lidestrom?" "I want to run a genealogy report on Beth's family. If I'm right, at some point down her family line, paths may have crossed between one of Beth's relatives and the Steinman children; creating a possible blood tie between them."