Time: Present Day

Location: Paris, France

Mal was at the whiteboard again. Layla had been released after two days of observation at Orley hospital. Mal had called the Cheval family together at Margot's place to go over what had transpired in the last couple of weeks.

When Carter and Teacher arrived Mal was recapping Layla's experience with Peter and how they had been unceremoniously evicted from the Vatican by Peter's boss. Then, when they went to Syria they knew it would be dangerous but they weren't expecting to be the target of a sniper.

"Tell them Mal, or I will, tell them how you knew there was a sniper there," Layla insisted.

"You knew Mal? But how could you? Don't get me wrong. I'm sure as hell glad you did, otherwise we'd have lost Layla too," Amanda ventured.

"I think I know, it was Carter, wasn't it Mal? Carter warned you!" Margot offered.

"Not this mumbo jumbo again Margot, surely not?" Jean moaned.

"I know you're right Margot, as strange as it seems Jean, it's possibly the only logical explanation. You see I was minding Layla's phone, it rang just before the sniper took his shot, her ring tone was a song, it was a song by Harry Chapin, a song called Sniper. I said something about her liking Harry Chapin, and she said who's he? It was then I noticed that the beauty spot on Layla's forehead had turned red, then she moved and the red dot didn't, it was a laser trace, that's when the penny dropped. I tackled her and you know what happened. The sniper had a few more goes at us but luckily Layla escaped with just a flesh wound to the forehead. It must have been Carter. He's the only one who knew I would know that song. We played his songs all the time as teenagers."

"Okay, maybe it was just a lucky coincidence, that Layla had that song as her ringtone," Jean argued.

"But, you see Jean, not only didn't Layla know the song. She didn't even have it on her phone, check it now if you like. It was Carter I bet my life on it. I probably am, we all are now I think."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"I think Mal is right, Carter is somehow warning us. I've heard spirits can use their energy to influence electrical gadgets. There have been some extraordinary stories I've heard. This one is right up there though," Margot chimed in, in support.

"You must all see by now, Mal dramatically turned over the whiteboard, there is one common factor in all the deaths and near misses we've had, and that's the Vatican. Now, you know I'm a Catholic too, so I'm not just church bashing here. I didn't want to believe this myself, so I fully understand if you think I'm crazy. But let's look at the facts, Amelia died in mysterious circumstances, possibly murdered by a mystery man called Andre with a skull ring with four diamonds on his left hand.

"Twenty years later Amelia's biological son, Carter is also killed in mysterious circumstances, a priest or someone purporting to be a priest is somehow involved, also wearing an identical skull ring on his left hand. Then a few years later Amelia's mother, Monique is also killed in mysterious circumstances, despite all CCTV being switched off, thanks to Monique's quick thinking a priest is also recorded at the scene with yet again an identical ring on his left hand.

"She is killed on her way back from seeing someone at the Vatican, who happens to be Carter's biological father but supposedly didn't know it.

"Layla and I are lucky to escape death again directly after visiting Peter at the Vatican. Then we narrowly escape a bomb at the hospital, the wrong hospital as it turns out, and Amanda is also redirected to the same wrong hospital, the one with the bomb. I can only assume that, unfortunately you Amanda, and possibly everyone who was at the hospital, everyone except Michelle and Margot therefore are now targets. You can believe it or not, but the fact is that Europe is a dangerous place for the Chevals at the moment. For that reason alone I'm suggesting that we all head back to Australia, everyone including Margot and Michelle as well. We can continue our investigations from a safer base in Australia.

"I've booked us all on flights back to Australia. Everyone except Michelle and Margot are on the flight on Wednesday. They are booked on Friday's flight so you two can make some interim arrangements for looking after your shop. I think this is the only safe course of action, but even so I won't really sleep soundly until all of us are back in Sydney."

Chris who had been unusually silent till now spoke up, "Margot, can't we contact Carter, check if what Mal is saying is true. I mean I want to get back home anyway, but making the whole family go back seems a bit extreme. Can't you use your ouija board or something to check if we really are in any danger. The other thing is, if you are right Mal, that sort of means that Peter is somehow involved in murder and that just doesn't sit right. Not with the Peter we know, Amelia loved him, do you think she would have fallen for someone capable of what you're suggesting on this whiteboard Mal? And even if he is somehow involved there seems to me little we can do about it. We don't even know why he might be doing it. Maybe it's because we are asking too many questions, bringing up the past. Peter is pretty high up in the Vatican now, maybe he or someone else doesn't want it known that Peter had a son, let alone a bastard son at that. Sorry Dad."

"Actually, Layla and I have been talking this over quite a bit, and we have come to much the same conclusion, but we think there must be even more to it than that. Whoever it is has gone to some extraordinary lengths, and must have paid an extrordinary price to have these things done. There must be more at stake than one person's reputation. Things that have been done are pretty extreme even for a spy agency, let alone a church, don't you think? I am willing to entertain the idea of having a seance. I want to thank Carter personally, although if it's true he already knows how I feel, about everything I suspect, especially about Layla."

Carter turned to Teacher, "He loves her more than I do, doesn't he?"

"It would seem so Carter Cheval. Do you feel it?"

"I have to stop them. Stop my father from killing my whole family, including Layla, and Mal. But how do I do that, once and for all?"

"You already know one way to do that Carter. You can keep on protecting them but that is thwart with danger. You do not yet know, how to tell the difference between the now and what has past, for you, between what is possible and what is not."

"Show me then, please!"

"Alright, if you are hellbent on saving Layla now, you may be able to bend your father to your will by co-habitation of his body. This is a very risky strategy. You must be sure that you are stronger willed than he, but also be able to escape his body when the opportunity arises."

"What happens if I don't?" Carter puzzled.

"You don't want to even go there, Carter Cheval. You must exit a co-inhabited body before the other spirit does, this is most important otherwise your progress and your spirit could be stuck forever."

"What do you mean stuck, and forever . . . "

"Remember your lessons Carter Cheval, have you learnt nothing ?

Remember I told you how this works, your essence, soul, spirit, whatever you like to call it, when it habits a body it is given a number of exit points, points at which it may leave the body, die if you will. One is chosen from the beginning, but it may be changed to one earlier or later due to circumstances aligning during life and dependant on the progress the essence has made according to the All. These may be characterised as close calls, lucky escapes, near death experiences. These are the only points at which it is possible for a spirit to permanently leave the body. If, therefore, should you inhabit a body without any exit points, then you could be stuck there, theoretically forever, until the All releases you at least. You would theoretically be present in the two realms, you might be stuck in the mortal body but long for release into the spirit world. This is as close as you could come to your religion's notion of purgatory. Your sense of time would be at once, non-existant and yet laborious. It is not a place you want to travel to, Carter Cheval, so be careful what you do in dealing with your father, because he is your father, your genetic structure is somewhat aligned. It may proove more difficult to escape the clutches of the body than you are prepared to face. If you insist on entering this joust with the spirit of your father I, of course, shall counsel you, but once the battle of wills commences you will be on your own. Do I make myself clear? You of course have free will and I cannot stop you. I can merely point the way. It is as always up to you."

Carter noticed that Margot had reentered the room. He hadn't noticed her leave, she had a ouija board in her hands and began to set up the table for a seance.

"I hope you understand but I'll sit this one out," Jean said as he stood to leave the room.

"No, Jean, stay please, you'll see. This is real, you don't have to participate, just sit quietly and observe. You might learn something," Margot pleaded.

Jean moved to the corner resignedly, dragging a chair behind him, he placed the chair, right next to Carter.

"Good, now we need the three people closest to Carter to join me at the table. That would be you Amanda, Layla of course, and Mal, I think."

Margot asked,"Carter Cheval-Ryder are you there?"

The board spelt out 'd.e.f.i.n.e. t.h.e.r.e.'

"It's him, it has to be. He was always asking me to define shit. Ask him if we are in any danger."

The planchette went to 'YES'.

"Ask him if Peter is involved."

Again the pointer moved to the centre and back to 'YES'.

"Ask him. . . "

"Why don't you do the asking Mal? He seems to be responding to you even more than me, and besides you know what you want to know, don't you?" Margot suggested.

"Should we go back to Australia?"

Again 'YES'.

"Do you know Peter is your real father?"

'YES'. . . . 'A.M.E.L.I.A.'

"Do you know why he wants to harm . . .

'D.O.E.S. N.O.T.' . . . 'YES' . . . 'S.E.C.R.ET.S.'

Mal shot Margot a quizzical look.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"What secrets?"

'C.H.U.R.C.H.'

"Why were you killed?"

'S.E.C.R.E.T.S.'

"The same secrets?"

'S.O.R.T'. . . . 'O.F.'

"Why was Amelia killed?"

'P.E.T.E.R.'

"Did Peter kill her?"

'NO' . . . 'L.O.V.E.' . . . 'O.T.H.E.R.S.'

"You mean other priests?"

'YES'

"You mean Peter's bosses."

:'YES'

"Why was Monique killed?"

'S.E.C . . . 'R.E.V.E.N.G.E.'

"Did Peter kill Monique?"

'YES'

"Can we stop them?"

'NO'

"Can you stop them?"

'T.R.Y.'

"What can we do?"

'G.O' . . .'H.O.M.E.'

"Everybody . . . including Layla and me?"

''YES' . . . 'G.O.' . . . 'N.O.W.'

"You mean leave immediately?"

'GOODBYE.'

Music: The Sound Of Silence - Disturbed.

Chapter 68 - The Sound Of Seance.

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