Chapter 3

The front door flew open before either Nora or I had an opportunity to knock on it.   A petite, slight blonde with captivating, rich blue-green eyes that watered just enough to remind me of the ocean greeted us with nervous warmth. 

It wasn’t until she’d invited us into her home that I realized that her vision was impaired.  She informed us that she could see shapes and colors, but not much in the line of details.  This made her legally blind.  It was because of this affliction that she was unable to determine exactly what was happening in her home and why she needed our help.

“I can clearly smell him even if I can’t clearly see him,” she explained as she served us tea with such ease and expertise that we were hard pressed to remember her vision impairment.  “When he gets close enough to touch and I reach out, there’s nothing there.  It’s so frustrating.  If he were a technological wizard, I’d think that he was using some type of equipment to project his scent and his image.”

“I was just considering that as a possibility,” I admitted.

She turned to me and smiled. “Sadly, Marcus could barely work his cell phone.  He uses his muscles, not his brain, to get through each day.”

“What type of work does he do?” Nora patiently asked.

“He’s in construction,” she replied.  “Mainly roofing.  He works for a builder who has him traveling quite a bit.  That’s the root of why we fell apart.  He was never home.” She sighed.  “It got pretty lonely, but I stayed faithful.  Unfortunately, he didn’t reciprocate the consideration.  He’d had too much to drink the night he left.  He foolishly asked me to grab his phone for him when it rang.  His girlfriend was on the other end.”

I’m not sure why it bothered me to hear her story as much as it did.  I’d dealt with plenty of cheaters in my years of being a detective.  Even so.  There was something about the fact that she’d been left home waiting for him while he was out playing with other women that cut to my core.

“So, he left on his own accord?” I asked in an effort to realign myself back with my normal professional behavioral pattern.

Her voice sounded sheepish as she admitted, “Actually, I kicked him out.”

When Nora quickly asked, “Would you consider taking him back?”, I gave her an odd look.  What was she thinking by asking such a question? Not only was it unprofessional, but why would this poor woman want to reunite with a man who so blatantly cheated on her?

It was at that moment that clarity as to why the situation affected me like it did came about.  Hadn’t I done to Lance what Marcus had done to Amy?  The circumstances may not have been identical, but, if Lance spoke truth, he’d been faithful to me.  I, on the other hand…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

“Is there a chance that he wants to come back?”  I asked with a steady, business-like manner.

“He did for the first month or so.  Now, if he does, I wouldn’t know.  He stopped contacting me a few months back,” she said. Then, she quickly added, “It’s okay though.  Believe it or not, I feel less lonely now that I’m alone than I did when we were together.”

“How long ago did he leave?”  I asked.

“It’s been almost six months since he left and at least four since he’s contacted me,” she said.

“When did things start happening in the house?” Nora asked.

“About a month ago,” she replied.

I leaned forward.  “Tell me just what it is that you’ve been experiencing.  Is it just the visions of Marcus?  Or is there more?”

“More, actually,” she said.  “Things get moved about. That’s never good when you suffer impaired vision like I do.  I try to keep the house just so.  It lessens the risk of injury for me and breakage for my belongings.  I’ve also heard him calling my name a few times.  It was faint, like a whisper, but it was his voice.”

“Are the occurrences nightly?” I asked.

“Night, day,” she explained, “but never steady or consistent.  That’s been the problem.  Whenever I call the police, things go quiet.”

I stood up and looked at Nora.  “I’d like to take a look around the place if that’s okay.  Nora has some paperwork for you while I do that.”

“You’ll take the case?” she eagerly asked.

I nodded.  “I can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best to get to the bottom of what’s going on.”