Susan remained quiet as they climbed into the SUV and continued their ride home. After a few moments of strained silence, Justin asked her, “Why are being so quiet? What’s wrong?”
She answered without looking at him, “I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Well,” she began, “actually, I was kinda worrying. What happens if I can’t find enough evidence to either prove or disprove my theory? What about everything else that is happening? If I stop investigating, will it all stop? Will all the ghostly visitations cease?”
Justin quickly pulled the SUV to the side of the road and throwing the gear shift into park, turned to Susan. “You can’t really be considering quitting,” he said taking her shoulders and turning her to face him. “Do you really think you could live with this mystery for the rest of your life, if it went unsolved forever? I know you, baby, you might be able to do it for a while—a short while—a very short while, but eventually, not knowing the whole truth would drive you insane.”
Shrugging his hands off her shoulders, Susan’s voice cracked when she spoke, “If I continue with this, the investigation itself might drive me insane.” Reaching up, she brushed her hands over her face, then stared in disbelief at her fingertips, which were wet from tears she didn’t even know she was crying. “Look at me, I’m already falling apart.”
Gathering her into his arms, Justin held her tight while he whispered in her ear, “Baby, if we take it one day, one step at a time and work together, we will figure this entire mess out.” When she pulled back to look into his eyes, he said, “I promise.”
Susan laid her head on his shoulder and clinging to his shirt, spoke, “I know that we’re close to solving this mystery, but I feel as though someone is working against us. It’s out there, whatever it is; trying to keep us from finding the answer, holding us back, and always hiding the truth just out of reach, but somehow still in plain sight.”
“I know, I’ve felt it too. I think it’s Archibald’s malevolent spirit,” Justin whispered. He looked through the windshield and said, “We better get going, it’s getting darker.” When she sat back in her seat, he put the SUV into drive, then pulled back onto the country road and headed toward their home.
Glancing at his wife, he could see the gears of her mind working out all of the problem’s angles. Silence filled the SUV again, but it was no longer strained. It did not surprise Justin when after only a few moments, Susan began to baulk at the confinement of the car and became restless in the passenger seat. She no sooner sat still after changing position, than she was moving again, unable to get her body comfortable in the vehicle as she struggled to get her thoughts arranged in her mind.
