Remembrance (The Mediator #7)(39)

doce


“I think I remember that the coroner ruled that her death was caused by asphyxiation,” Father Dominic said.

“Asphyxiation?” I was confused. “Who strangled her, the horse?”

“Susannah, you watch entirely too much television.”

This is untrue. I don’t watch enough television. I don’t have time, due to my studies, budding career, romantic life, and, of course, busy NCDP-busting schedule.

“When she fell from the horse,” Father Dominic went on, before I could argue, “I believe her spinal cord was severed, cutting off her breathing. I suppose she might have been saved if her body had been found soon enough, but she wasn’t . . . in any case, she died from lack of oxygen, which is what medical examiners call asphyxiation.”

“Ew.” I gave an involuntary shudder, thinking of Lucia’s face, which, though usually twisted in anger when I’d seen it, had still been cherubically round. She had a mouth that, unlike my stepnieces, was shaped exactly like the rosebuds in the bouquet Paul had sent me, only smaller and pink, not white.

“That’s a horrible way to die,” I said.

“I agree. But I doubt the girl suffered long, if at all. An injury like that would have instantly paralyzed her.” He heaved a little shudder himself. “And the girl’s soul never revealed herself to me, asking for help . . . or for justice. Apparently she’s chosen to reveal herself to you, now, though, hasn’t she, Susannah?”

“She tried to kill me. That’s the opposite of asking for help, Father D.”

“Spirits aren’t always aware that we have the ability to help them,” Father Dominic said. “And even then, they’re often sometimes too frightened—or stubborn—to accept our guidance. Jesse, you’ll recall, wouldn’t have dreamt of accepting your aid while he was in spirit form. He was the one rushing to your defense. And yet, in the end, it was you who—”

“Jesse wouldn’t accept help if he were bleeding on the side of the road. It kills him that he had to accept scholarship money and student loans to pay for him to go school.” Which was another reason I couldn’t tell him anything about what was going on with Paul. He’d want to handle the whole situation himself, which would, of course, end in disaster.

“And if the girl you’re talking about and the one I met yesterday are one in the same,” I went on, “she’d rather choke me to death than let me help her.”

“Still,” Father Dominic said, after a beat. “You know we have a duty to—”

“Help Kelly’s stepdaughter,” I said. “I know. And help Lucia, too.” I’d already switched on my computer and typed the words Lucia, asphyxiation, and horse into the search engine of my computer. “Oh, great,” I said when I saw the results. “Porn. Why is it always porn? Thank you, World Wide Web.”

The priest winced. “Susannah, please.”

“No, look, Father, if your dead girl and mine are the same, I don’t blame her for being pissed.” I began to fish my phone from my bag, intending to compose a text to CeeCee. Her investigative skills were superior to mine. “Can you tell me anything more about her death? Anything else at all?”

“It was a long time ago, Susannah. Before you moved to Carmel. I suppose I could ask Father Francisco . . . he’s still the headmaster at Sacred Trinity. I believe the funeral was held at the chapel there. I wish I could remember her last name. I believe I heard from Father Francisco that the family moved away afterward. Well, that would be understandable. Who would want to stay in the area after a thing like that?”

“Oh, no, who would?” I wasn’t even trying to mask my sarcasm. “Did they shoot the horse, too? Because I’m sure everyone blamed the horse. They always do.”

Hey C.C., here’s more 411 on Lucia. Went to Sacred Trinity approx. 9-10 yrs ago. Died in horseback riding accident. Coroner listed cause of death as asphyxiation.



PS Is everyone insane? Not counting you, of course. And Jesse.

NOV 17 12:45 PM



“Was Becca there when it happened?” I asked Father Dom.

“It says right here in her file that she attended the Academy of the Sacred Trinity all-girls Catholic school in Pebble Beach for first and second grade. As I said, that would have been around the time of the tragedy. She then switched to Stevenson School the following year. One has to assume there’s a good reason for her to have made such an abrupt transfer—”

“Becca did mention an accident,” I said, thinking back to our conversation the day before. “She said her mom left ‘after the accident.’ ”

The poor child.” Father Dominic shook his head. “So much sadness in her life, and in such a short time.”

“I think Lucia’s the one who got the real short end of the stick there, Father.”

“True. A year after, Becca transferred from Stevenson to a charter school, but that appears to have been a failure as well, because now, of course, she’s here.”

My mind was whirling. This was a lot of information. A lot of information about which there was nothing on the Internet.

Well, that made sense. Sacred Trinity wouldn’t want to be associated with something so sad, and they had the money to make sure any reference to it stayed off Google.