― Virginia Woolf
Breakthrough
There were rare times in my life when I saw the future stretching out before me as a shimmering dream full of wonder and enchantment. I think in particular of the first few weeks after Moll and I were wed―those were halcyon days with no clouds on the horizon.
I recall telling Moll about it back then and saying happiness for me was a sunny day with somewhere to go―and go we did― we definitely travelled and had hopes and dreams and great expectations. But I was wrong about one thing though―the most essential thing really―the thing I couldn't grasp.
Happiness wasn't a dream destination or something tangible I could have or hold―happiness was actually someone and that special person for me was Moll.
And that's why these past two months have been so horrendous, living without her and thinking her gone.
I was thinking of these things while preparing to phone Malachi and Sara. Truth be told, I was actually fearful the past few weeks might turn out to be some grand illusion and by appealing to outside help my whole house of dreams might come crashing down.
I was afraid of what Malachi might say―he was already suspicious of the circumstances and said he had never experienced a situation quite like ours. What if that were code for thinking I was delusional and he was in reality working behind the scenes to have me committed?
But as I looked at Moll standing before me, anxiously anticipating solving the mystery, I knew I had to press on and get to the bottom of things or neither of us would ever be satisfied.
I heard Malachi's voice come over the phone and the lame explanations I hastily prepared went out the window.
"Malachi, it's Ned. There's been an unexpected development. I know it's short notice, but is it possible for you and Sara to come out to see us tonight?"
"Of course, Ned. I told you if anything changed to contact us. We'll be there within an hour."
I looked at Moll and smiled. She visibly relaxed and fell into my arms.
I kissed her, burying my face in her hair, inhaling the fresh scent of the outdoors.
"They'll be here in an hour," I whispered in her ear, "lets make coffee and relax by the fire. We need to de-stress so we can calmly and rationally tell them our story...and hope they don't think we're mad and have gone completely off the radar."
She smiled up at me. "I think they already have put the puzzle pieces together―I wouldn't underestimate their abilities."
Moll's words turned out to be prophetic. Both Malachi and Sara seemed unfazed by our story.
Malachi didn't at all seem surprised. "There were elements we detected when we visited that reminded me of what we call a living haunting. Sometimes people are haunted not by ghosts of the deceased but actual living persons."
Moll was excited. "So, you actually believe my version of events?"
Malachi nodded. "It makes perfect sense to us as opposed to a resurrection of the dead which I for one don't anticipate until the Final Judgment."
Sara intervened."The real question is how did you get to that supermarket parking lot wandering around with a brain injury?"
"It's a matter for the police," Malachi said flatly.
"The police?" I said, shocked. "I don't want our lives upended by turning this into a circus. I can imagine the media getting hold of this type of story and running with it. We'd have no privacy."
"Don't worry about that," Malachi assured me, "we've worked with Jason Trent, chief of police and he has a pair of detectives, Sarah Morris and Ross Parrish, who are very professional and discreet. They can keep the investigation low-key and respect your wishes."
I was still unconvinced. "But why the police, Malachi―isn't there some other way to track what happened to Mollie?"
He let out a deep sigh. "It's not that simple, Ned. Obviously, Moll was mis-diagnosed. To be blunt―someone screwed up―she wasn't dead. And that's just the beginning."
"I don't get it," I said, shaking my head.
"Well, not only was Moll not dead but she was suffering from an untreated brain injury. There must have been some negligence involved or Moll couldn't have disappeared between the emergency ward of the hospital and the crematorium. And it was probably covered up and you weren't notified. That's a felony."
Moll was sitting beside me and began shaking. I put my arms around her. "My God, Moll―I had no idea what horrors you must have endured."
"It wasn't that bad," she reassured me, "I wasn't really suffering as much as I was wandering around in a haze. I felt half-in and half-out most of the time―except when I'd reach out to you and that seemed to calm me."
"That's what I want to ask you about," Malachi intervened, "How exactly did you reach out to Ned?"
"I'd sit and think about him and I'd kind of go into a dream and then suddenly he'd appear before me. The more I reached out, the more I'd be able to focus and start to remember details of our lives."
Malachi nodded. "That's the point when you began appearing to Ned and contacting him in the spirit."
"Right, only I called it bi-locating. I was in the woman's shelter at this time and recovering physically, but I wasn't strong enough physically or mentally to completely make sense of things."
Sara patted Moll's hand. "You went through a lot―it took a lot of strength to pull yourself together and start to make sense of things."
"I know," Moll whispered, "I was there in the shelter when you and Malachi were talking about our situation. I began to think I might be dead and Ned would be better getting on with his life. I saw Jill Preston, our neighbour, confiding in Ned and I thought it might be better for me to stop trying to communicate with Ned and let him find a flesh and blood woman."
Sara smiled compassionately. "But he did find the right woman―he found you again. You came back to him."