Chapter96 Flip-Flopping

To her surprise, Anna readily agreed to go to the barn. Beth figures Anna's eager to have all this over with, too. Anna isn't happy, however, that she can't take Jean-Louise Wadell with her…Jebediah told her to keep Jean-Louise with her wherever she goes; and, she'll be fine. Beth, who's still under the belief that Chelsea's spirit is in Anna's doll, also wants Anna to keep Jean-Louise with her. Cindy reminded them that the last time Anna took Jean-Louise to the barn, Tommy wouldn't let them enter. Besides; Cindy isn't so sure that it's Chelsea in the doll…but, she hasn't told Beth and Anna that. Anna reluctantly agrees to let Beth hold onto Jean-Louise when she goes to let Cindy and the others into the barn. They're just about ready to go out back, when they hear Professor Rhyies calling, "Ms. Lidestrom, come out here please; quickly!" Cindy and Beth rush out the back door; with Anna following behind. As they run off the porch, they see Sheriff Faulkner and Deputy Hopkins standing outside the barn… with its doors wide open…both with their guns drawn; aiming into there. Cindy calls out, "What happened?" Professor Rhyies replies, "We're not sure; the doors just flew open a moment ago." "Beth; you and Anna wait back here with the Professor," Cindy instructs them as she runs over to the sheriff and deputy. Cindy stops behind the two officers; looking over their shoulders to peer into the darken barn, as she asks, "What's going on guys?" Sheriff Faulkner answers, "Darned if I know. The dang on doors just popped open." "What's in there? Did you see anything?" "We haven't seen anything yet, Ms. Cindy." "Don't you think it'll be awfully hard to hit?" "What will be hard to hit, Kiddo?" Deputy Hopkins asks; still aiming his gun into the barn. She kids, "Whatever it is you guys can't see?" The deputy…still holding his gun out in front of him…looks at his chiding niece and replies, "Very funny, Kiddo. We're just taking precautions here." "I see. Precautions for what, Uncle Mike?" "Just in case Tommy decides to do anything." "Oh. And, if he does…what?" "What ‘what'?" "What are you going to do…kill him again?" She smiles; as the two law enforcement officers turn and look at each other while reholstering their guns. "You know what, Kiddo…nobody likes a smart ass." "Well; that's not always true, Mike…I like you." The sheriff teases; making an attempt to draw attention away from the fact that he's feeling embarrassed for getting ready to shoot at a ghost. "Tell you what…I'm going into the barn, now; so, do me a favor guys?" "What's that, Ms. Cindy?" She teases one last time, "If you see Tommy walk up behind me…promise me you won't shoot at him." Cindy chuckles as she slowly walks into the barn. The sheriff and deputy look at each other again; then, follow her in. Not even a minute passes before Beth and Professor Rhyies see them come charging out of the barn; and, they run over to meet them half way. "Cindy, what's wrong?" Beth nervously asks. "Where's Martin, Beth?" Cindy asks Beth, as she looks back at the barn. Confused now, Beth answers, "I don't know. Inside I guess; why?" "Uncle Mike, could you see if Martin's inside?" "You got it, Kiddo." Deputy Hopkins runs into the house. Anna's frightened, clinging onto her mother's waist; while Beth becomes anxious, and demands to know. "What's going on, Cindy; what happened in there?" Cindy, who's been looking back at the barn, turns to Beth and explains, "Someone dug up Tommy and Mary's remains and took them." Beth's silent for a moment before responding, "Wait…you don't think that Martin…Cindy; that's crazy! Why would Martin take their remains? No…he didn't do it." Deputy Hopkins comes running back. "Martin's not inside…and, his car's gone." Beth shakes her head in disbelief. "No…there's got to be some other explanation. Martin wouldn't do that, Cindy." "Martin wouldn't;" Cindy takes Beth's hands in hers, "unless he's under Tommy's influence." "What are you talking about, Cindy; under Tommy's influence?" "Remember when he possessed Professor Rhyies, Beth? I think Tommy may be controlling Martin now; to move their remains." "How could Martin have done that, Kiddo?" Deputy Hopkins asks his niece, "We just recently decided to look for the remains; and, Martin didn't even know anything about it. So, how could he have found out and moved them so fast?" "I don't know, Uncle Mike; maybe Tommy overheard our plans and had Martin move the remains before we were able to find them." "Pardon me, Ms. Cindy;" Sheriff Faulkner suggests, "but, could it be possible that Tommy and Mary's remains were moved before? After all, no one's been in the barn for sometime now. Those remains could have been dug up anytime." "And, by anyone." Beth adds in defense of her husband. "Why does it have to be Martin who dug them up, Cindy?" "Beth; Martin's the only one who isn't here now. I just…" Beth interrupts, "Now; Cindy…now…Martin's not here now. Like Lloyd said; who's to say the remains weren't moved before?" "Fine, Beth; let's say they were moved before. Who moved them then…you…me …the Professor? Maybe Sheriff Faulkner; or, my Uncle Mike? Beth, think about it; we've all been together most of the time. The only one who isn't with us regularly is Martin." "So, that means he's guilty, Cindy; because he's not with us all the time? He does have to go to work you know…his job doesn't offer time off for hauntings!" "Calm down, please; Beth. First of all, it isn't a matter of being guilty; it's not his fault if he moved the remains. Like I said; he'd be under Tommy's influence when doing it…Martin would have no idea what he was doing." Beth starts to calm down; and, wonders if Cindy may be right. It does seem possible…under the circumstances…since Martin was the only one who had the opportunity to find and take the remains from under the barn. "Okay, Cindy; maybe you're right about it being Martin. But, why use Martin; why didn't Tommy move them himself?" "He can't, Beth; for the same reason why we were going to dig up their remains. If Tommy were to remove the remains himself, he'd have to acknowledge the fact that Chelsea never killed him; and, that he was the Woodland Falls killer. He needed someone to move them for him." "Then, Ms. Lidestrom, he does in a sense realize what happened; if he knew the whereabouts of his remains," the professor concludes. Cindy's quiet, as she grabs the hair behind her head…pulling back on it as she looks up into the night sky…and, starts thinking. Just then, they hear Martin pull up; and, they head out front. Martin's starting to unload bags of groceries when he sees them, and calls out, "I thought we could use some supplies. The refrigerator and pantry were looking kind of bare." As they're exchanging glances; Martin struggles with an armful of loaded bags. "I could use a little help here." Sheriff Faulkner and Deputy Hopkins help Martin; while Cindy and Beth walk over to the car. Cindy starts looking for any kind of evidence indicating that the remains were transported in there; but, doesn't find anything. She gets a baffled look on her face…which Beth notices. "What's wrong, Cindy?" "I'm beginning to wonder if Martin did take those remains." Beth shakes her head and throws her arms up in the air, as she laughs, "God, Cindy; you're driving me nuts here! First, you accuse Martin of taking their remains; and now, you're saying he didn't?" "‘Maybe' he didn't, Beth. There's still the possibility that he did." As the others return, they can see that Beth's annoyed with Cindy. "Alright you two," Deputy Hopkins inquires, "what's going on now?" "I'll tell you what's going on, Deputy Hopkins; your niece is driving me bonkers with her flip-flopping all the time. First, she was sure it was Martin; and now, she tells me she doesn't know if he did it or not." A confused Martin asks, "Did what? What's going on?" "Well, Martin, it's like this; we were going to dig up the Tommy and Mary's remains to show them to Tommy…but, when we went to the barn; they were already dug up. Cindy thought you may have been possessed by Tommy and moved the remains; but now, she's not sure." Martin's voice cracks after being stunned by the accusation. "Me? I didn't dig up their remains! I'm not possessed by him! Are you crazy?! I didn't do anything!" "Martin;" Cindy tries explaining to an irate Martin, "relax. If you did dig the remains up, you wouldn't remember anything about it. And, it certainly wasn't intentional on your part…you're not responsible for it. Tommy would be the culprit in this case." "But, I didn't do it!" Martin loudly insists. "Its okay, Martin;" Beth looks at Cindy, "she's not sure you did it anymore. Ain't that right, Cindy?" "So, if it wasn't Martin, Ms. Cindy; then, who do you reckon it was?" Sheriff Faulkner places his hands on his hips as he awaits her response. Cindy looks down to the ground, folding her arms across her chest, and starts pacing back and forth. Then, she stops, looks back up at the group, and tells them her latest theory. "I've been thinking…" Cindy hesitates again. "I don't think we're going to like this; are we, Kiddo?" The deputy tries to prepare himself. Cindy lets out a short, nervous laugh. "No; I don't think you will." "What is it, Ms. Lidestrom?" The professor starts his ritualistic cleaning of the lenses. "Who do you think moved their remains?" Cindy takes in a deep breath - quickly exhaling - and sighs, "Mary." "Mary?" Sheriff Faulkner repeats with a befuddled look on his face. Beth suddenly bursts out laughing…not an amused kind of laughter; but, more like a ‘nervous breakdown' kind of hysteria. The others stand there watching Beth continue laughing, while holding her clasped hands up in front of her mouth; shaking her head side to side. When her laughter starts to subside, Beth starts ranting… "You see?! You see it, right?! Here we go again…flip-flop!! She's driving me nuts here! Let's get it together here, Cindy! Just make up your fucking mind and stick to it already! God damn it!!" Martin goes to put his arm around Beth's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "Take it easy, Hon…try to calm down and relax." Beth pushes Martin's arm off her shoulders. "Calm down and relax, Martin? How the fuck am I suppose to calm down and relax?! What? Don't tell me I'm the only one here getting pissed off with her indecisiveness with this? Christ…first, there's one spirit… then, there's two. Tommy wants to be stopped…but, now he doesn't! I mean, really; what the fuck?!" Beth looks down to the ground, holding on to her chest with her hand as she takes in a deep breath. Martin tries to approach her again; but, stops when Beth raises her other arm and gestures him to halt. Beth pulls her hair back…running both hands down along it; starting from her forehead to the back of her neck…then, leaves her hands behind her neck…fingers interlaced…as she turns to look at Cindy. "Alright then; where were we? Oh, yeah…Mary moved the remains now; right, Cindy?" Cindy nods. Beth briefly looks to the ground, shaking her head, and chuckles. She looks back up at Cindy, and continues her tirade, "How the fuck could Mary move the remains, Cindy?! Didn't you say that Tommy couldn't remove the remains because that would mean he'd have to face the realization that he killed Chelsea; and, was the killer? Christ, Cindy; what the fuck now? I mean, isn't Tommy still pretending to be Mary; or, what?!" Cindy doesn't respond. Beth starts laughing crazily, looks down to the ground, and back up to the sky, while taking in another deep breath; then, exhales, looks back at Cindy, and hollers, "How the fuck could Mary move the remains, Cindy?! They're the same person, remember? Tommy's Mary after all…right, Cindy?!" Again; no response from Cindy. Beth, lowering her voice, asks again, "Tommy still is Mary; isn't he?" Cindy still doesn't respond. Beth spins around, throws her arms up in the air, and walks away. "Great; she's changing her mind again!" Professor Rhyies, still cleaning his glasses, walks over to Cindy. "What is it, Ms. Lidestrom; what are you thinking now? Do you think Tommy and Mary are separate entities?" Cindy hesitates before replying, "Well…yes and no." Beth sarcastically interjects, "There's a surprise. Didn't see that one coming." "Hold on there now, Beth;" Sheriff Faulkner steps in, "let her finish before you go getting your knickers all knotted up there." He turns to Cindy, "Go on now, Ms. Cindy." "Thank you, Sheriff." Cindy takes in a breath and explains, "Tommy Steinman's both Tommy and Mary; true…but, Tommy's Tommy; and, Mary's Mary." Professor Rhyies inadvertently snaps his glasses' frame in two; and, Deputy Hopkins tells him, "Looks like you ruined another pair of glasses there, Professor. Hope you've got a good vision plan." "What?" The professor looks down at the broken frame, holding a piece in each hand, and realizes what he's done. "Oh. Yes, well…it doesn't matter. What is it you were saying, Ms. Lidestrom; I'm afraid you've lost me. What do you mean by Tommy is Tommy, and Mary is Mary?" "Professor, Tommy Steinman was…and, still is…a paranoid schizophrenic; but, he's not your typical subject." "Besides being a ghost, Kiddo?" Deputy Hopkins quips. "Your typical paranoid schizophrenic can have several personas…maybe even dozens; depending on the severity of their condition. But, these personalities usually take turns; lying dormant while another one's exhibited. And, in most cases, there's always one dominant persona. I don't think this is the case with him. I think he has two personas…Tommy and Mary…which are equally dominant over his other personas; and, don't take turns." "Meaning what, Ms. Lidestrom?" "I think Tommy and Mary are always present. Instead of Tommy and Mary being two different personalities, I think Tommy separated his own personality; placing it into two different embodiments. Just think of Mary as being his second vehicle." "What in the tar nations? A second vehicle, Ms. Cindy?" The sheriff has a puzzled expression on his face. "Tommy never came in contact with Mary before that night; so, he never had time to formally acquire her personality. Mary's the last person Tommy saw before his demise; so, her image must've been burned into his mind at that time. Being the sadistic individual that he was; he probably became fascinated with her violent offense against his attack. Mary was a clean slate for him to work with…and, he could've created any type of persona for her…but, instead; he chose to use her to house part of himself." "A very interesting theory, Ms. Lidestrom." The professor cups his hands behind the small of his back and walks over to a nearby dogwood tree; looking up briefly before back at Cindy. "Assuming that you're correct …and, he somehow managed to separate his own personality into two individuals…why?" "To stay the victim." "Stay the victim; Ms. Lidestrom?" "In order for him to leave his past behind him…and, escape the harsh reality of him becoming the monster that he evolved into…he needed to remain that four-year-old little boy. He's used Mary to dump the rest of his vial self into." "So, Ms. Lidestrom; you're saying that by utilizing Mary this way, he could deal with matters that would jeopardize Tommy's state of being if he were to be exposed to them? I suppose that could explain how Mary would be able to move the remains without affecting Tommy's ‘Tommy side', so to speak." "Not to mention why she's such a little bitch." Cindy adds. "Quite interesting indeed, Ms. Lidestrom." "So; how do you reckon we deal with him, Ms. Cindy?" "Chelsea and Tommy have to confront each other; that hasn't changed. What we have to do is figure out how to draw four-year-old little Tommy out from behind Mary the guard dog." Martin asks, "But; aren't they still the same person?" Cindy answers, "The same person divided among two, Martin." Just then, Sheriff Faulkner receives a call on his cell phone from Corporal Nyce. "What's that? …Holy Armadillo shit! How in the tar nations did that happen? …Okay… Uh huh…Right…No, that's all right…Thanks. Take it easy, Bill." The sheriff hangs up; and, Deputy Hopkins asks, "What was all that about?" "That was Corporal Nyce. Evidently, Grotto was found dead earlier today in his hotel room. Suicide; so they say." The deputy scoffs, "Suicide? Yeah, right; how the hell does someone in protective custody of the FBI commit suicide, Lloyd? That's bullshit. You know what happened; don't you?" "Yup…I reckon ol' Jackie boy managed to finagle his way; and, had Charles taken out." "God damn Steinman gets his way again. Boy; that bastard doesn't like to lose." "Wait a minute, Uncle Mike; that's it!" "What's it, Kiddo?" "Tommy's a Steinman…he doesn't like to lose either…and, he needs to get his way. We need to draw Tommy out by exploiting that trait in him. But; how? What could we do to make him feel that he has to come out; or else, he'll be beaten if he doesn't?" "Well, whatever we have to do, we better hurry up; we're running out of time here, Kiddo. Let's not take too long to come up with a plan." "Uncle Mike, you did it again; you're a genius!" "Sure…thanks…what I do?" "‘Take too long'…that's it." "What's it, Ms. Lidestrom?" "Mary said that it took Anna longer than she expected to get back here. That means…" Cindy goes over to Anna and kneels down, taking Anna's hand in hers, and asks, "Anna, Honey, think…before you came back here; did you stop off anywhere?" Anna bites down on her bottom lip; looking as if she's concentrating heavily. Beth notices this, and kneels down beside her daughter. "Sweetie, it's okay; you can tell Cindy…did you stop off anywhere?" Anna nods. "Where, Sweetie?" "Jean-Louise took me to a cabin." Cindy and Beth, feeling they know what cabin Anna's talking about, look at each other. Cindy asks Anna, "This cabin, Honey; do you remember where it was?" "I'm not sure. It was in the woods somewhere…by a lake." "Cindy; you don't suppose?" "Yes, Beth; I believe so…the infamous cabin…the perfect meeting place."