Mystery at Devil's Elbow

Tammy sat across the desk from her editor. The desk was piled high with papers, but she could see over them clearly. Basil sat in his overstuffed office chair chewing on a cigar that had gone out. Tammy was sitting on the edge of her seat to find out why he had called her to his office.

“Just got off the phone with the guys at the Kansas City Star. They’re picking up three of your articles. They really liked them,” said Basil.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Tammy.

“No, that’s who I was speaking with while you were admiring your recent article.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Congratulations, now get back to work on the next installment.”

Tammy saluted sharply and walked out of Basil’s office. Her stomach was doing cartwheels, but she also felt overcome with shock.

The day after Lisa was found, JD and Doctor Taylor visited her hospital room. The two men walked in just as Martha was looking toward the door. Lewis stepped up behind Martha just before the men walked in.

“Hello Martha and Lewis, how’s Lisa doing?” asked JD.

“She’s better,” said Martha.

“I have Doctor Bill Taylor here. You remember him from before, don’t you Martha?”

“I sure do, doctor, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Fisher.”

“And Lewis, you never met Doctor Taylor. Doctor Taylor, this is Lisa’s father, Lewis.”

Lewis reached out his hand, and they shook. “Good to meet you, doctor.”

“I’d like for Doctor Taylor to talk to Lisa for a few minutes if you don’t mind?”

Lewis looked over at Martha who nodded yes.

“We don’t mind,” said Lewis.

“Good,” said Doctor Taylor.

Lisa was coloring in her book at the table next to her hospital bed.

“Why don’t the three of us stand back here in the corner,” said JD.

Lisa, with white streaks in her hair and blue eyes was still in her pajamas, looked up from her coloring to see Doctor Taylor.

“You remember me, Lisa?” asked Doctor Taylor.

“Yeah,” said Lisa.

“I hear you had more thoughts.”

Lisa looked at him with a frown. “Sure did.”

“Can you tell me about them?”

Lisa took a breath. “The Watchers called me to visit them on the hill to meet a new friend.”

“Does your friend have a name?”

“No, just friend.”

“How did he talk to you?”

“He doesn’t talk like you. I hear him in my head just like the Watchers.”

“Why did the Watchers want you to meet him?”

“He’s their friend too.”

“What does he look like?”

“A tall man covered with red hair.”

“Did you just meet him?”

“No, he wanted to talk to me.”

“So, you walked over to the hill?”

“No, the Watchers sent a beam of light that took me to the hill.”

“How did a beam of light do that?”

“I don’t know. The beam shined on me in my room, and then I was on the hill.”

“What happened next?”

“We sat on the hill and talked.”

“What did you talk about?”

“The skeletons.”

“What did he tell you about the skeletons?”

“My friend said those girls went to live with his people. And when they died, his people brought them back so they could rest at home.”

The doctor stood there with a solemn look on his face and wrote furiously on his notepad. “Where does your new friend live?”

“He said he lives in another world called Europa.”

“Where’s Europa?”

“He said it’s a moon of Jupiter.”

“Why do the girls go there?”

“To be their wives and momma to their kids.”

“They go there and create a family?”

“Yeah, my friend said there are so few women born to their race.”

“So, they take the girls?”

“No. They ask the girls.”

“Do all the girls go with him?”

“No, only a few.”

“Did he hurt you while you were talking?”

“No, he never hurts anyone.”

“What about your hair color?”

“The Watchers said that was temporary from something called radiation.”

“So, you’re gonna get better?”

“Yeah, he and the Watchers both said I’d be fine.”

“It was nice talking to you, Lisa.”

Lisa returned to her coloring, and Doctor Taylor turned to her parents.

“Can I speak to you in the hall?” he asked.

The adults followed Doctor Taylor outside into the hall and shut the door.

“What do you think, doctor?” asked JD.

“I’m convinced that she got out of the house on her own. She went to the hill because that’s where you saw the two people. Somewhere she bumped her head, and this whole exchange you’ve heard is a dream she had,” said Doctor Taylor.

“How do you explain her getting out when all the doors were locked from the inside?” asked Lewis.

“That must be a mistake. You must be able to leave the house, but the doors remain locked,” said Doctor Taylor.

“None of our locks work that way,” said Lewis.

“What about her hair and eyes?” asked Martha.

“I think that’s part of the trauma of the whole experience,” said Doctor Taylor.

Martha frowned and shook her head at this incredible response.

“Thanks for coming to speak with Lisa. I’ll take you to your car and come back to talk to you guys,” said JD.

JD walked down the hall with the doctor.

“That doctor doesn’t believe a word she said,” whispered Lewis. “The medical doctor assured us that she didn’t have a head injury.”

“I don’t believe her hair color and eyes were part of some trauma either. I’ve never heard of that.”

After a few minutes, they saw JD walking back up the hall towards them.

“Well what do you think?” asked JD.

“I don’t think the doctor believed any of it,” said Martha.

“It seemed that way, didn’t it?” said JD.

“Probably best just to let this go,” said Lewis.

JD nodded, “I’ll update my report on this and keep Lisa’s name out of it.”

“We’d really appreciate that, JD,” said Lewis.

“What about the missing woman?” asked Martha.

“The FBI has the investigation, and they’ll keep looking for her. I don’t think we’ll find her for another 40 years,” said JD.

Lewis and Martha both looked at JD with shock.