Shaking Off the Dust Read online

  I grabbed Takeshi’s hand as soon as we’d got in the car and he pulled me so I leaned against his shoulder. He stroked my wrist in a calming rhythm. I almost thought I’d fall asleep, but when we reached the airport, we were separated to opposite sides of a small private plane.

  Tom stood in front of me and smiled. “Want to pass messages to Takeshi? He and I developed a little bit of a system when we were working on my estate stuff. I could cover that so that you’d know the basics.”

  I nodded ever so slightly.

  “Forget those guys, Hannah. They’ve read all the stuff on you, so they know you think you can see and talk to a ghost. Don’t be afraid of talking to me. Worst case, you go in a loony bin.”

  “That’s my Tom. You always know just what to say.”

  Takeshi turned his head towards me with a question in his eyes.

  “Begin.” For the rest of the flight we worked on signals. The most important one was when he told Takeshi anything pertaining to me, he touched his right elbow twice. If it was an emergency pertaining to me, they used both elbows at once. We decided that would work for me when it pertained to Takeshi. After I learned each signal, he demonstrated how it would feel.

  “Now,” Tom concluded. “You can see and hear me so I won’t need to use the signals, but if for some reason you lose that ability again at least we have established some communication skills. It’s a shame you don’t know the Morse code.”

  “Thank you, Tom,” I said as the plane landed.

  The next hours were a blur. We were shuffled into a van and driven to FBI offices. I won’t even discuss the strip search I endured. They drew blood, made me pee in a cup, all under the watchful eye of an older, larger woman. I stepped through metal detectors and was scanned, x-rayed, my teeth were x-rayed, my fingerprints taken and all my jewelry was confiscated. Hell they even scanned my eyes with some sort of gizmo.

  I was finally brought before an older man, who I assumed was a psychiatrist or psychologist. Tom sat on the table laughing his ass off.

  “So not funny,” I grumbled. “You’d better figure out a way to convince him.”

  Tom stopped laughing and I watched him walk through the adjoining walls. “Fine, desert me.”

  While he was gone the psychiatrist asked me basic questions on my feelings, my family, was I depressed, did I take street drugs, had I ever been diagnosed with a personality disorder. You know, the basic psych-eval stuff.

  Tom came wandering through the wall with the mirror on it and shrugged his shoulder. “There’s a veritable crowd of people behind there. Don’t they realize we watch cop shows? Anyway I got lucky and Bill just got here and was introduced around. So there’s a William Kapin, Homeland Security and liaison to the Spanish government for the plane crash investigation. Rachel Smiley and Jack Rogers are FBI and are watching you. They answer to Thornton. As far as I can tell Thornton is bad news. He’s pushing them to use some mean tactics. Bill doesn’t like it at all and I keep hoping they will come to loggerheads. Bill and Thorton have some kind of history. Either Bill used to be FBI or is on loan from FBI, I can’t figure it out. When Homeland Security was created a lot of people got reorganized.

  “They’ve got Takeshi in a room on the other side of the opposite wall. Thornton is hounding him, questioning his loyalty to America, trying to spin a Japanese espionage game.”

  I burst out laughing and the psychiatrist looked at me with the sad eyes of a professional watching a psychotic losing touch with reality.

  I stared into the mirror. “Tom, show the doctor how cold he can get in this room.”

  “You are so wicked. I am learning to adore you.” He sat in the poor man’s lap.

  While Tom did his thing, I waved at the mirror.

  “Bill, Rachel and Jack, why don’t you join us in here? It’ll be easier for you to hear. Oh and don’t ever question Shimodo’s loyalty to this country. He’s doing valuable research for the brain-injured. Show me how you compare to that.”

  The psychiatrist jumped out of his chair and I could see goose bumps on his arms. He was frightened now, but he looked angry too. “That was a mistake, Miss Campbell,” he hissed at me.

  “Tom.” I shifted uneasily, afraid of what this angry man might do next.

  Tom did something I’d never seen him do. He put his hand through the man's chest and left it there. Within seconds the man had backed away to the door, yelling for someone to let him out. They opened the door and I was left alone for a while.

  “Does that hurt them?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a sensory manifestation, but I doubt it can harm them.” He sat on the desk and touched my face.

  “But you can’t be sure?”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t do it again. Not here. I don’t want anyone afraid of us. It doesn’t help your case that you’re trying to solve the plane bombing.”

  “Fine. I’m going to check on Takeshi.”

  They left me alone for a long time. Most of the wait was punctuated with visits from Tom. He kept me up-to-date as the first twenty hours passed. The room was cold, and I asked them to turn up the heat and for something warm to drink. Every time I’d think about laying down my head to rest, a guard would come in with a cup of coffee. I requested water, but they claimed to forget. I was shivering, tired and thirsty, so I drank the coffee. By the time I was on my third cup, I needed to use the facilities. I started ranting about going in the cup when the large female guard came in and took me to the bathroom. When they brought me back into the interrogation room, two men were sitting across the table. Tom was there, looking at them.

  “This is Bill, and this one is Jack. Bill just got here from Spain. He’s been a liaison since the bombing of flight 1029. Jack is running stateside investigations.” Tom sat at the edge of the table.

  The blond man spoke, “Miss Campbell, my name is—”.

  “Jack. How was your flight from Spain, Bill?” I asked sweetly.

  They glanced at each other. Both men had the same body shape, medium height, with broad shoulders. Bill appeared to be in his late thirties with dark brown hair that was thick and curly, brushing along his collar. His eyes were a pale blue, but nothing got past them. He wore tan dress pants, no jacket and his tie was loosened on a pale tan shirt.

  Jack was younger, if he was thirty I’d be surprised, blond and buzz cut. His eyes were brown and his mouth wide, but thin. He smiled at me. He wore a dark blue suit, which was snug against his barrel chest.

  “Very impressive, Miss Campbell. We saw the reports from the studies they did on you at the university with Dr. Shimodo’s group. You scored high for telepathy.” Jack wasn’t impressed.

  “And you’re a big believer in telepathy, Jack?”

  “No, I’m not. Tell me what I’m thinking now, Miss Campbell?”

  I couldn’t stop the words. “I don’t know Jack shit about you. If I could read minds then I would, but I can’t. I’ve been gifted with seeing and hearing a ghost. So he tells me what he’s seen and heard.” I glared at them both. “You should know all this by now. All these questions about my true loyalty to the country, my liaisons with foreigners, my emails and spending habits, are all a waste of our time.”

  “Miss Campbell, your conversation recorded when your scan was done was filled with information that only someone involved with the people on that plane, or those involved in the plane crash, might know.”

  “You have my explanation. It won’t change no matter how many times or ways you ask the questions.”

  “But we will keep repeating the questions, Miss Campbell,” Jack insisted.

  “He’s getting on my nerves, Hannah. The girl in the other room is badgering Takeshi with the same ten or twelve questions over and over, too. They won’t let either of you rest. They are using the lack of sleep and food to wear you out.”

  “I noticed.” My eyes would hardly stay open. “Bill, Jack, have you ever felt the presence of a ghost?” I waved my hand from Tom to my two interrogato
rs. “Let them know you’re here and wake me up when you’re done.” I went to lay my head down on the table, but they stopped me. It had been so long since I’d slept. They had taken my watch away, but I felt every minute of it. My eyes burned and my head throbbed.

  “Sorry, Miss Campbell, we need to know where you got all that information on the plane crash and especially on the baggage handler. Every detail,” Jack demanded.

  I could see Tom had them both by the ear. It was comical to watch. Within seconds they flicked their ears. After a minute, Bill touched it to see how cold it was. Jack glared at me with a flicker of anger in his eyes. He was going to show me how nothing bothered him.

  “Don’t blame me. It’s Tom. He has a habit of boxing the ears of anyone who insults me.” I squinted down and tried to see his watch, but it was a blur at this distance.

  Tom got bored with ear holding. They’d gotten the point. He left saying, “Just yell if you need me. I’m going to hunt around after I check on Takeshi.”

  The two men stayed with me, repeating the same questions, making me repeat the identical answers until I was hoarse and my speech slurred. I complained of being tired so they offered me coffee. “It’s been lovely chatting with you boys, but I’m going to take a nap now.”

  “No, we need to discuss this longer.” Bill’s manner was less abrupt and his voice almost seemed kind. Even in my sleep-deprived state, I thought he was the good cop in this good-cop-bad-cop scenario. I knew I had it right when Bill left and returned with a turkey sandwich and bottle of water for me. I smiled at him.

  Tom popped in and out. I looked forward to the break from the monotony of the same old questions. When he was there, I’d ignore my good cop, bad cop. I could tell they were curious as to what information I was getting. Tom was as excited as a high school geek about being in FBI headquarters. He enumerated all their security measures.

  “They locked your rings in a protected evidence room. It’s huge. There’s even a freezer set up the size of an entire wall, with a backup generator where they are storing the more fragile DNA evidence from crimes. There’s dozens of ghosts down there.”

  “Did you talk to them?” I asked, surprised.

  “Do I have to? I’m exploring a lot of the building. Between you and Takeshi and the rings I can travel through most of this place.”

  “It might help. Go find anything that can aid us, Tom. Try to make friends or something.”

  My two interrogators watched me. “What was that about?” Jack demanded.

  “I thought I was a traitorous bitch who really didn’t talk to ghosts.” I sounded hateful, but I was tired and didn’t care anymore.

  “That’s the current theory.” Jack smiled.

  “I doubt it,” I mumbled.

  They left me alone a few minutes later, saying they’d be back. I was exhausted. I felt my heart leap from fast to very fast. I put my head down and started to cry.

  Tom popped in a few minutes later and saw my tears in a puddle on the table. “Hannah?” He came close to examine me, his hand grazing my cheek.

  I started panting and felt cold. I wondered how pale my face had gotten, it seemed to happen with these episodes. My head was too dizzy to move.

  “Is it your heart?”

  “Yes,” I said in a whisper. That’s all the volume I could get and still breathe.

  I heard the door open not long after Tom popped out and one set of footsteps.

  “Wake up, Miss Campbell, we have more to discuss,” Jack ordered.

  I heard another set of lighter footsteps running into the room.

  “Dr. Shimodo is going nuts in there. He is shouting for us to help his girlfriend, insisting that Hannah’s sick. He is adamant that her heart rate is out of control and is demanding to be brought to her to help.” A woman’s voice. That must be Rachel.

  Jack reached over, then lifted my head, and I threw up on him. I hadn’t planned on that. The woman felt for my pulse. “Shit, Jack, her pulse is in the one-nineties. I’m bringing Shimodo in until EMS gets here. You need to call now.”

  I think I sort of zoned out, because I felt cool fingertips at my wrist. “Hannah, I’m going to lift your head and try carotid massage. Just try bearing down for me.” Takeshi leaned in and I felt a cool paper towel wipe my face. I managed not to throw up as he lifted my head and set it against his chest. He massaged the left side of my neck.

  His voice was fierce. “Have you been withholding her medication? We’ve been in your custody for over thirty hours. Did you provide her with her heart medications? Are you trying to do her harm? She can’t help if you kill her with your tactics. Didn’t you read her report? She was hospitalized for cardiac arrhythmias. The first week of her medications are crucial and no time to be withheld from her.”

  He used his other hand to lay his palm across my forehead. “Hannah, you’re going to have to try and bear down.”

  I tried, but I was too tired.

  He stopped massaging my neck. “How much longer before EMS arrives?” He sounded worried.

  “Minutes,” Rachel answered.

  “Tom?” Takeshi called quietly. “Use both your hands on her face and back of her neck, your coldness my cause a vagal response if you hold it long enough.”

  While Tom cooled off my face, Takeshi started pressure points to my wrist. I don’t know how long it went on, I’d lost all track of time.

  The paramedics arrived and applied an EKG monitor, cutting my shirt off. I didn’t even care. They put me on a cot. Tom and Takeshi never stopped what they were doing.

  “Her heart rate’s one-ninety-four. We need to shock her out of this rhythm, BP’s seventy-six,” the paramedic announced and started to apply pads. I was not looking forward to another jolt of electricity passing through my body, but my head was so fuzzy, everything seemed to be noise in the distance.

  Tom’s hands chilled my body. I shivered hard and when it passed, I felt my heart rate drop. It was still rapid, but not as fast.

  “That’s better, one-forties. Have them recheck her BP,” Tom said.

  “What’s her blood pressure now?” Takeshi asked.

  The medics took my pressure. It had improved. I felt better after the oxygen.

  “She should be on a beta-blocker. These people withheld her medications.” I’d never heard Takeshi’s voice take that tone. Of course, I hadn’t known him that long, but I would have guessed it was an uncommon occurrence. Takeshi knelt down by the cot and held my hand as they started the IV.

  “I forbid you from ever doing that again.” He bent over and kissed my forehead. “They better take exceptional care of you.” He surveyed the table where I’d thrown up and the empty coffee cup. “And I bet you gave her nothing but coffee since she’s been here.”

  I was so proud of him, I thought, as I fell asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  I woke up to someone pinching me hard. I tried to pinch them back, only they were out of my reach and kept bothering me with questions. My eyes wouldn’t stay open.

  I was awake, with a start, in a small room. It didn’t resemble a regular hospital area, but it was a hospital bed.

  “Tom?” I croaked and he was with me.

  A pleased expression spread across his face. “Let me tell Takeshi you are awake. He’s been worried. Then I’ll flash right back.”

  I examined my surroundings. There were IV fluids hanging, going into my arm. Recognizing all the medications, I settled in to wait for Tom.

  He blinked back, sitting on my bed, but avoiding touching me. “He was relieved. He demanded Rachel allow him to come see you. She was calling Jack when I left.”

  “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “Almost eight hours. I kept signaling to Takeshi that you were asleep. He worried, but that pleased him. They put him in a holding cell for about six hours after you were taken to the hospital. He slept a couple of hours, but mostly he bugged me to find out if you were doing okay. You certainly have sparked his protector traits. He was like
a crazy man for a while. He lectured them for a full hour. Soon as I’d think he’d finished he’d start up again. I believe it was a way to vent his frustration, but I was impressed.”

  “It’s his nature to care about people, Tom. He stuck around you and that took true commitment.” My lips twitched as I tried to keep a serious face. He really had become a friend, and I enjoyed his company.

  He laughed. “He does more than care about you, Hannah. He’s a man in love if I ever saw one. I’m jealous, because I think I could have fallen for you myself, if I’d bothered to get to know you when I was alive.”

  “We all protect ourselves, Tom. You didn’t let anyone get close. I did the same thing. I still do. It’s too hard to pick up your heart once it gets kicked around.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Hannah. You’re in love with him and, no matter what you say, you’re praying it will last a lifetime.”

  “I never implied I wasn’t. And for me it will last a lifetime. All I meant was that I would understand if it doesn’t last for him.” My eyes began to tear up, but I blinked them away. “Now, tell me everything you found out.”

  He quirked up his eyebrows. “It’s been amazing, because I can see everyone’s computer screens and hear phone conversation. Hell, I cruised right into the director’s office and listened while he was briefed and read along while he went through several reports.”

  “Cough it up, Tom.”

  “Oh, by the way, they are watching you. Jack and Bill have been taking turns at a monitor next door. The camera is on the sprinkler up there.” He pointed to the ceiling.

  I followed his arm with my eyes and waved. “Which one’s watching now?”

  He popped out and in again. “It’s both. Jack must have gotten Rachel’s phone call that you were awake.”