Protector - Laurel Dewey [51]
“This door leads into the living room,” Weyler said, pointing to an adjacent door. “But if you go down that corridor and turn right, you’ll come upon the entry hall and stairway. There was no trace of an intruder in this area.” Weyler lead Jane down the short corridor and stopped at the staircase. Jane looked over and noticed an old desk standing several inches away from the side of the stairs, in a direct line with the front door. She stopped momentarily and scanned the desk with her eyes as Weyler started up the stairs. “Stay there for a second,” he said.
Weyler ascended the staircase that was conspicuously missing patches of carpeting. He stopped on the darkened landing in front of Emily’s bedroom door and awkwardly lowered his 6’4” frame. “If I hunch myself down so I’m about Emily’s height, it’s conceivable that she could have stood here in this shadowy area and witnessed the murder. The bodies were found approximately twelve feet behind you where that carpet section has been cut out.” Jane turned around to face the cozy living room, filled with several overstuffed chairs, a comfortable dark green sofa, cherry wood coffee table, central fireplace and a handsome liquor cabinet. The plush carpeting where the bodies fell had been cut away and taken to evidence, exposing a twenty-five foot square section of dark wooden flooring. “Back up ten feet,” Weyler instructed. Jane complied. “Now, look up here. Can you see me?”
“No, boss.”
“That’s what I thought. That’s a possibility right there.” Jane raised her eyebrows slightly as she entertained the idea of Emily standing in the dark recesses and watching her parents being butchered to death. “Come on up.” Jane reluctantly joined Weyler upstairs. “The child’s bedroom door was open when police arrived.” Jane followed Weyler into the bedroom. He flicked on the light switch. They were greeted by plush ever-so-pink carpeting that complemented both the pale pink walls and rose print comforter edged with ivory lace. A curved section of carpeting was removed that trailed from the outside landing and into the closet. A trio of windows graced the wall in front of them. Jane couldn’t help but notice that the center window had shoe scuff marks and a few scratches on the bottom section, telltale signs of Emily’s nocturnal visits onto the roof. Sundry toys and dolls dotted the floor. A cream colored nightstand sat next to the bed. Upon it sat a small lamp with a lampshade that had cutouts of stars encircling it. Jane walked over to the lamp and turned it on while at the same time, turning off the light switch on the wall. Thanks to the innovative lampshade, a band of star shapes projected their illuminated bodies across the wall and ceiling.
“I guess this brings the stars inside,” Jane said.
“That’s nothing. The kid’s got this projector called Starlight Starbright. They found her with it in the closet. It was turned off but when you put it on, these ethereal sounds come out of the speakers and it projects a revolving display of stars across the walls and ceiling. It’s quite impressive.” Weyler smiled. “Emily’s very covetous of it. She carries it around in a little navy blue case.”
Suddenly, a swath of dark blue flashed in front of Jane’s eyes. It was the exact fragment of navy blue she’d seen before in the staccato blast of images. But this time she could clearly make out the outline of a carrying case. Jane closed her eyes, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead.
Weyler observed Jane. “What’s wrong?”
Jane kept her eyes closed, realizing that a fragmented connection had been made; a connection between a split-second of color and the accompanying image it belonged to. Jane felt her heart beat faster. At that moment, she was certain she was slipping out of her body and into a precarious dark hole where one questions their sanity. She