Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 10:52:33 EDT
From: MystryAuthr@aol.com
Subject: Chapter 29 of All Lost Things

Here is Chapter 29. We're winding down quickly, probably only a couple
chapters left. I say probably because one never knows what will pop up
unexpectedly. At any rate, we're nearing the end. It's been a great ride
and I thank all of you for coming along with me. Don't forget to check out
the site. You can now order your autographed copies of Bleeding Hearts only
on the BH Site. Remember, I love feedback! Email me at Aterovis@aol.com.

http://www.steliko.com/bleedinghearts


Chapter 29

	As the chilling sound of the baby's wail washed over me I felt as I
was rooted to the spot. Micah seemed similarly affected since he didn't
move so much as a muscle. Our frozen state was broken by the sound of
footsteps clattering down the stairs from above us. My first thought was
that it was Amalie. With a yelp I broke away from Micah and threw myself
down the staircase. In my haste I missed a step and slid down the last few
on my posterior.

	I was sitting on the floor in no small amount of pain as Judy came
flying into view. Her eyes were wide and she looked for all the world like
a dog straining to hear where a noise was coming from.

	She stopped when she reached Micah and grabbed his arm. "Do you
hear that?" she asked urgently. He nodded and she released his arm and
continued her descent at a breakneck speed, nimbly hopping over me at the
bottom.

	"Come on, Killian," she called. I stared at her retreating back and
wondered for the hundredth time what I was doing here. I pulled myself
painfully to my feet and limped off after her. I found her standing in
front of the basement door staring at the knob as if willing it to open on
its own accord. I wasn't about to open it so we both stood there listening
to the crying that was definitely coming from behind the door. I don't know
how I was so sure, it didn't seem any louder from here; in fact, it was
just as loud from almost anywhere in the house. But as I stood there in
front of the door I knew without a doubt that we had found the source of
that unnerving sound.

	With a sudden flash of movement, Judy reached out and threw open
the door. Immediately the crying stopped. I looked at Judy who was still
staring intently down the dark stairs.

	"I don't want to go down there." I said shakily.

	She glanced over at me and shrugged. "So don't," she said as she
snapped on her flashlight and started down the steps.

	I let out a ragged sigh that somehow came out as more of a whimper
and started after her. She pulled the chain at the foot of the stairs and
the dim bulb came on, swinging eerily and not doing anything to really
dispel the gloomy darkness. It was enough to show that nothing had changed
since we'd been down here earlier. There weren't even any scuff marks in
the dirt except for those we'd left before. Despite the normalcy of the
appearance, there was a tightness in my chest that threatened to choke me.

	"Can we go?" I managed to squeak.

	"You feel it too?" Judy asked.

	"Feel what?"

	"That oppressive heaviness."

	I nodded and eased myself onto the first step.

	"Something here is connected to the cupola stairs," she said
slowly, "The pain feels familiar but I can't feel anything definite, just a
sense of...fear and...helplessness. It's hard to put into words."

	"You don't have to, I feel it too. Please, can we go?" By now I had
worked my way about halfway up. Judy gave a curt nod and started up the
stairs. I gratefully spun around and took the last stairs two at a
time. Micah was waiting in the hall.

	"Anything?" he asked.

	I shook my head.

	"Nothing concrete," Judy answered as she shut the door
carefully. "Just some almost indescribable emotions. It's hard to put them
into words."

	"So what do we do now?"

	Judy smiled. "We go to sleep just as planned. I'm hoping I'll get
some messages in my dreams. The planes tend to converge in your dreams."

	"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," I said. "And I'm not sure I
want to."

	Judy slipped her arms around my shoulder and steered me towards the
stairs. "You'll be fine, sweetie. You're doing great, you're being so
brave!"

	"I don't feel brave," I mumbled as I glanced over my shoulder to
make sure Micah was following us. He was. "I just feel scared to death."

	"Bravery doesn't mean a lack of fear," Judy said.

	"I know. Adam's always saying that bravery means being scared out
of your wits but doing what you have to do anyway."

	"Exactly."

	"I don't really like being brave. I think I'd rather be a coward
and run off and hide, like Kane."

	She laughed. "Kane isn't really a coward, but I have to admit he's
a little lacking in the bravery department. In his defense, he is still
very young."

	"I was confronting a murderer at his age."

	"Yes, I know. I was there, remember? And as I recall you very
nearly became one of his victims."

	"So that just proves that bravery isn't always the smartest
course."

	"Maybe not, but it's often the best course."

	"What's often the best course?" Steve asked as we entered the
bedroom. I wondered why he hadn't joined Judy in her flight down the stairs
but before I could ask he went on, "And where did you go in such a hurry?"

	"Bravery is often the best course, and you didn't hear the crying?"

	"Crying? The baby was crying again?"

	"Yes, even Micah heard it."

	"I didn't!"

	Judy turned to Micah. "Are you a sensitive?" she asked him.

	"Not that I know of," he answered.

	"I heard it before!" Steve wailed. "Why didn't I hear it this
time?"

	"I don't know," Judy said thoughtfully, "Maybe you weren't
listening, or maybe you're just tired so you aren't as receptive."

	"If you hear it again, tell me so I can see if I hear it."

	"Ok, from now on we'll all announce anything out of the ordinary
that occurs. That way there can be at least two people to witness it if at
all possible. Now, I suggest we get some sleep," she rushed on as I opened
my mouth to comment, "or at least try to get some sleep."

	Steve had set up four makeshift beds on the floor, spaced evenly
around the room. I was in no mood to be stuck off by myself in one corner
so I drug my bedding over next to Micah's and crawled into them without a
word. Micah gave me a smile but no one else commented. Steve stood by the
door until the rest of us were all tucked in, then he turned the light
off. Then, using his flashlight as a guide, made his way to his own spot
and settled in. When his flashlight flicked off and complete darkness
settled over the room like a blanket, I reached out my hand and fumbled for
Micah's. His strong hand slid into mine and I instantly felt
comforted. Almost without thought I found myself snuggling into his
chest. His arms wrapped around me and much to my surprise I soon felt
myself dozing off.

* * *
	My dreams were filled with strange and disturbing images for the
rest of the night. When I awoke the next morning only two if the strange
visions remained with me, however. In the first I found myself standing in
the yard of the huge house, except the yard was very different. The trees
around the house were much smaller and the forest surrounding the property
was much deeper. It was night and a wispy white mist swirled through the
trees and over the water of the creek. I watched while a small rowboat made
its way up the stream. Its sole occupant was wearing a heavy hooded cloak
that made it impossible to see his face. I was certain, however, that it
was a man. He tied the boat up to a rough dock and ran towards the house,
which was dark except for a dim light in the cupola. For some reason I felt
a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.

	The second dream was far more disturbing. A woman was on her knees
in the dirt digging frantically with her bare hands. Her thick dark hair
hung down, covering much of her face. She was surrounded by utter darkness
except for the flickering light of a single candle. It was obvious the
woman was very distressed. I realized who it was from the sudden flash of
reflected candlelight off the intricate gold brooch she wore on her
bosom. It was Amalie. As I watched helplessly I realized that there was
something just on the edge of the candle's light. It was a baby, wrapped in
a blanket.

	I was laying half asleep still thinking about the haunting image
from my dream when it came back to me that I wasn't in my bed at home and
remembered where I was and whose arm was draped across my body. I sat up
with a jolt, waking Micah in the process. He blinked blearily up at me as I
looked wildly around the room. Steve was still asleep in his little nest of
blankets but Judy's was empty.

	"Good morning," Micah said with a sleep heavy voice. He reached up
and pulled me gently down for a kiss. I couldn't help but smile. "Did you
sleep ok?" he asked.

	"I had some strange dreams. I need to go find Judy and tell her
about them."

	"Ok, I think I'll just lay here and rest some more," he said.

	After a quick detour to the bathroom, I began looking for Judy. I
finally found her in the back yard staring out at the creek.

	"Good morning," I said quietly, so as not to startle her as I
walked up. She glanced over at me with a small half-smile.

	"Did you dream?" she asked without preamble. I nodded. "Tell me
about them."

	"I only remember two," I said.

	"Then those are the ones that are important. Tell me yours and I'll
tell you what I saw."

	I took a deep breath and related the dreams as well as I could
recall them. When I had finished she stood thoughtfully for a few seconds
before speaking.

	"It's all coming together now," she said so softly I almost had to
lean in to hear her. "The second dream fits in with what I saw. The
first...well I don't understand where it fits at this time but I'm sure it
must."

	"What did you see?"

	"I saw Amalie. She was in the cupola and she was holding a baby in
her arms. It was cold and one of the windows was missing a pane so the baby
was wrapped tightly in blankets. She was staring out the windows although
it was getting darker and darker and she couldn't possibly see anything
even if there had been anything to see. Finally she turned from the windows
and I could see that she had been crying. She walked to the stairs and
started down but either she missed a step or she slipped or something
because she suddenly pitched forward. The stairs are so narrow and she fell
so suddenly she didn't have time to do anything. She landed on the baby
with her entire weight. I didn't see anything after that but it had to have
killed the baby."

	"Oh my God," I whispered.

	We stood for a while in a kind of horrified, saddened
silence. Finally Judy spoke, "So now we know what happened, or at least
part of it. Let's go tell the others what we've pieced together."

	I wasn't entirely clear what we had pieced together but I followed
her back into the house. Steve and Micah were just coming downstairs.

	"Who's up for some breakfast," Steve was saying but as soon as he
saw our faces he stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?"

	"We have an idea of what happened," Judy told him.

	"What? How?"

	"Killian and I saw some visions last night in our sleep. I think
they were images of what happened in this house over a hundred years ago. I
think Amalie became pregnant and had the baby here in the house, possibly
even alone while the Captain was out to sea."

	"If the Captain was out to sea, whose baby was it?" Micah asked.

	"She could have been pregnant when he left and they simply didn't
know it. Or it wouldn't have been that uncommon for a young, beautiful
woman left alone for much of the year to have a lover. Maybe it was
his. There's no way for us to know at this point, although maybe that has
something to do with Killian's first dream." She quickly told them about
the man in the boat and then finished up with the big news. "My dream and
Killian's second dream are the ones that really brought the picture into
focus, though. One night, after the baby was born, it seems Amalie was
watching for the Captain's return in the cupola. She fell down the steps
while holding the baby and it would appear the baby died. Killian saw her
digging a hole, probably to bury the baby in."

	"Holy shit," Micah said under his breath.

	Steve wasn't ready to accept what she had told him just yet. "How
do you know this is what really happened and not just a bunch of dreams
brought on by circumstances?"

	"It fits the facts we have and the feelings Killian and I have been
having. In fact, I think she buried the baby in the basement."

	"What?" Micah and I exclaimed at the same time while Steve stared
at her in silent horror.

	"Why would she do that?" I gasped.

	"It was winter, probably very cold outside. The ground may have
been too frozen for her to dig or maybe she just wanted the baby close to
her. She probably wasn't thinking very clearly. The baby I saw was very
small, obviously not very old and post partum depression isn't a new
phenomenon even if they didn't call it that back then."

	"So there's a baby buried in my basement?" Steve asked in a
somewhat shaky voice. I knew how he felt.

	"It seems likely. The only way to find out for sure is to dig."

	"What?"

	"We'll have to dig and see."

	"And what if we do find something? What do we do then?"

	"Well I suggest we have a minister hear when we do the digging. If
we find the baby then common decency would demand that we rebury it. I
would suggest maybe by its mother in the private cemetery right here on the
property."

	Steve still looked like he could pass out at any second.

	"How does this explain Amalie's haunting?" Micah asked.

	"I think it explains it very well. Usually what we call a ghost is
really a spirit that is caught in this plane, unable to move on for
whatever reason. Maybe by choice or maybe it's simply caught in this one
and doesn't fully realize it is deceased. Often a great trauma is the cause
and what greater trauma is there than losing a child?"

	"But Amalie didn't die right away," I interrupted. "Would she still
be that...emotional about the death of her baby months or years later?"

	"Her baby died in her own arms, maybe she even blamed herself. Then
her husband never returned. She probably lost the will to live and simply
faded away."

	"But why come back? What's her unfinished business?" Steve asked,
breaking out of his stupor.

	For once Judy didn't have an answer ready on the tip of her tongue,
but suddenly I thought maybe I did. "She can't leave the baby," I said.

	Everyone turned to look at me. "I don't think she meant to leave it
buried in the basement. But then she didn't want to be away from it so she
never moved it. And I bet she never even told anyone about the baby. If she
was alone here in the house then no one would ever even know she had it. If
anyone even knew she was pregnant then they would probably assume she'd
miscarried since she had before. We know that she became reclusive after
the Captain never came back, almost never leaving the house. When she died
she was buried in the cemetery but she couldn't stand to leave the baby
alone. I think that's what she's been trying to tell us. She wants us to
know about the baby."

	The words had barely left my mouth when the sound of door after
door being slammed shut began to reverberate throughout the house. It went
on for several seconds and then a sudden silence descended on the house.

	"Was that a sign?" Steve asked; his eyes as wide as mine felt.

	A creaking sound from behind us caused us all to spin around in
time to see the basement door slowly swing open.

	"I think we can assume it was," Judy said with satisfaction in her
voice.

* * *
	We didn't stay in the house very long after that. It was a Sunday
so I didn't have to go to work, but there was nothing really to do there
now that we knew, or thought we knew, what was going on. Arrangements had
to be made to dig up the basement floor and ideally the woods should be
cleared before we did that in the event we did find a baby down there. I
think we all wanted to be able to rebury it as quickly as possible. I
wondered what exactly would be left of a tiny little baby after all this
time. Probably not much more than a miniature skeleton. Would we even find
that much? And what if we didn't? That would mean our whole theory was
blown and we'd have to start from scratch. There was nothing I could do
about any of that now and it was terribly morbid to think about. I decided
I needed something to distract myself. I forced myself to think about
something else. Of course, the first thing my brain latched onto was Judy's
cryptic comments about someone lying to me.

	It was someone who was important to the case, she had said. I had
narrowed it down to Caleb, Finnegan and Asher. I desperately didn't want it
to be Asher. I needed to go over my notes and probably talk to them again
but I couldn't bear the thought of seeing Asher right now.

	I went up to my room and got out the notebook that I had kept a
running account of my investigation in, such as it was. I read over
everything I had written, especially what each person involved had told
me. I decided that it was possible Terry and Becky had lied, and if so then
maybe they were the killers. I would start with them. If that came up bust
I would move on to the main players.

	I was half-way to the Haynes' house when I remembered that Caleb
was staying with them and there was a good chance I'd run into him. I
wasn't sure how I felt about that but decided it was too late to turn back
now and besides, I'd have to talk to him sometime. I just hoped and prayed
that Asher wasn't there too.

	Someone must have heard my prayers because when I pulled up Asher's
car wasn't in evidence. Becky must have heard my car pull up because she
was at the door as I climbed out.

	"Are you here for Caleb?" she asked as I walked up.

	"Actually I'd like to talk to you if you don't mine."

	Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Talk to me? Why? Caleb is out of
jail, isn't this all over?"

	"They still don't know who killed Ira Cohen," I pointed out.

	"Who gives a damn? We're all better off without him. Why do we have
to dredge all this up again?"

	"Because no matter how terrible a person Ira Cohen was, no one has
the right to be a self-appointed judge, jury and executioner. That's
murder. And besides all that, I think someone has lied to me in the course
of my investigation and I don't like being lied to."

	"Are you saying I lied to you?"

	"No, I'm not saying it was necessarily you. Was it you?"

	"I don't have to stand here and listen to this."

	"Did you kill Ira Cohen because he was abusing Caleb?"

	"This is insane! I would never kill anyone!"

	"Mrs. Haynes, I know about your son." I said in a softer tone. She
froze and all expression left her face. I felt horrible but I forced myself
to go on. "It couldn't have been easy moving in next door to an abusive
father and his helpless son. I wouldn't blame you if you just couldn't take
it anymore. You did it for Caleb, after all."

	"I didn't do anything for Caleb, not enough anyway, and not when he
really needed it. We gave him a home when he needed it and he always knew
he was welcome here anytime. We gave him food when he was hungry. We were
here for him to talk to us if he needed to. But when it came down to really
doing something, we never even confronted Ira. Maybe if we had done
something more none of this would have happened."

	"There was nothing you could have done," someone said from behind
her. She turned around and I caught a glimpse of Caleb. His eyes locked on
mine and I could feel the anger seething just barely below the
surface. "You've done more than anyone would have ever expected you to. You
come on back inside and rest. I'll talk to Killian."

	She moved in obediently and I wondered if she was used to following
orders from the men in her life. Caleb took her place in the door way, then
after thinking about it, stepped out and shut the door behind him.

	"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled.

	"I'm trying to find out who killed your father."

	"The only reason I could possibly want to know that is to give them
a medal. I heard that crap you told Becky, what a load of shit. Whoever
killed him did the world a favor."

	"I can understand why you would feel that way, Caleb, but we have
to find out who did this."

	"No," he said firmly, "We don't. All Asher asked you to do was
prove I didn't do it. And you did that. Thanks. Now just drop it and let us
get on with our lives."

	"Why did Asher ask me to clear you? Why was it so important to him?
Were you dating then?"

	"He was my friend then, and that's it. He's a good friend, you
would know that if you weren't so busy pushing him away. He tries to help
his friends. Maybe you can't understand that because you don't know how to
be a friend."

	I bit down on my lip so hard I thought it would bleed. I struggled
to control my temper and managed, somehow, to succeed. "What happened
between Asher and me is none of your damn business," I said with an almost
credible calmness. "It has nothing to do with this. So instead of talking
about my relationship with Asher why don't you tell me about your
relationship with Finnegan Byrne?"

	"That's none of your damn business," he echoed my words from just a
moment before; whether it was accidentally or purposefully I wasn't sure.

	"Actually, it is my business. You see, I've been thinking and one
thing doesn't make sense to me. If you and Finnegan were lovers then what
happened? Why are you suddenly with Asher? Did you get bored?"

	"Finn told you we were lovers?" he seemed caught off guard.

	"Yeah, that was his statement to the police, wasn't it? He told
them you were lovers and that's why you went to his house that night you
ran away from the group home."

	"No, he told the police we were friends."

	Now it was my turn to be caught by surprise. I was stupid not to
have checked up on that. "He told me you were lovers."

	"Why would he tell you that?"

	"Were you?"

	He didn't answer right away. It was obvious he was weighing his
options. I couldn't help but think that whatever he told me wasn't going to
be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Finally he seemed
to make up his mind.

	"We had sex sometimes, but we weren't in love. It was just a
physical release, we were horny and we were there and it just happened."

	"Spur of the moment with no planning?"

	"Yeah."

	"Lucky for you then that you had condoms and lube on hand."

	"I may not be a boy scout but I'm always prepared."

	"Obviously."

	"What's that supposed to mean?"

	Instead of answering I asked another question of my own. "How does
Finn feel about your new relationship with Asher?"

	"How would I know, we haven't talked about it."

	"So you just dropped Finn?"

	"What do you mean dropped him?"

	"He said you were good friends; that you confided in him. Now that
you have Asher you don't need him anymore?"

	"Look, I don't know what all Finn told you and I don't know why he
told you what he did, but it's not like Finn and I were best friends. He
was just there. We talked sometimes, we had sex sometimes, but that was as
far as it went. I haven't had time to talk to him since everything happened
and he got me released. I mean I thanked him and all but that's it."

	"So you're saying that Finn lied to me?"

	"Not lied exactly, just stretched the truth a little; blew things
out of proportion."

	I wanted to leave here and drive straight to Finn's but had a
feeling that as soon as I was out of sight Caleb would be on the phone. For
a second the thought actually went through my mind to cut the Haynes' phone
line, but then I decided I'd watched too many movies.

	I began to quickly formulate a plan in my mind. For it to work I
had to throw him off course. "Ok, you're probably right. Or maybe I just
misunderstood him. Look, Caleb, I want to apologize if I've come across too
strong. It's been hard with you dating Asher now and all, you know? But I
want Asher and me to stay friends and if that's going to happen then we
need to get along too, so truce?"

	I held out my hand and he eyed it dubiously, but finally took
it. We shook hands but he pulled his hand back as quickly as he could as
soon as I released it.

	"I'm going to see Asher next," I told him. "We have some stuff we
need to work out. Thanks for talking with me and being honest with me." I
hoped I sounded sincere. He eyed me guardedly for a few seconds but I guess
he finally decided I was being serious because he gave me a little nod and
turned back towards the door.

	"See ya, Caleb," I called as I started back to the car. He gave me
a little wave and let himself in. I was sure he was already heading for the
phone.

	I drove my car a little ways up the road until I was out of site
and then quickly pulled into a dirt logging road that cut off to one
site. I jumped out and made my way back to the old Cohen farm and let
myself into the barn. I found a place to hide and settled in. Now it was
just a matter of waiting to see if my plan worked and my hunch paid off.