Harmony Cliffs Ch. 05

Jensen sighed. "I shouldn't even have been there. I was supposed to be long dead by then."

"You were going to kill yourself." All eyes turned to Clay. "That's why you were there, isn't it?" Clay continued. "Why you stopped at Harmony Cliffs. To throw yourself off."

Jensen groaned. "I was tired, kid. Tired of running, tired of drifting from one place to another, not belonging anywhere. I didn't have anything until Lana. She saved me. Gave me more than a bum like me ever deserved. Then she died and..." He drifted off, shaking his head. "I'm done, kid. I'm just done."

The nurse took that as his cue to poke his head in. "He really should be resting now."

"Just another minute," Clay told the nurse, before turning back to Jensen.

"Look," Clay urgently whispered, "Lana's still out there. She's trying to find you."

Jensen sat up. "The fuck are you saying, boy? I watched her die."

"And she's dead. I know. But I swear to God, I've seen her. If it wasn't for her, I'd have jumped off that cliff just like you wanted to."

"What are you going on about?" asked Jensen. He looked to Munoz, who only shrugged and shook her head.

Clay struggled for words. "Do you trust Lana?" he finally asked.

"When she was alive? Damn straight."

"Then please," Clay insisted, "just take this." He took out the sand dollar and pressed it into Jensen's palm. "She wanted you to have this. All you have to do is hold onto it and she'll explain everything. I promise." Jensen looked at the sand dollar and then looked back to Clay, clearly still confused.

"Who are you, kid?"

"Me?" Clay asked. He had to think about that for a while. "Right now, I'm just trying to set things right. Maybe later, I'll figure out the rest."

Clay stood up to go, but then he paused. Turning back toward Jensen, Clay started humming. He had no idea why, but after arriving here, and after hearing that song in his dreams all week, it just felt like the right thing to do.

After only a few bars, Jensen started humming too. It was almost like a reflex for Jensen, like he was surprised to be humming along, but the reaction felt so natural that of course he had to join in. Munoz had the exact same reaction when she joined in a few seconds later.

All three of them just stood there, humming the same song in full, and in perfect unison. And not a single one of them could say why.

***

Clay and Munoz drove in silence as they headed back to De Lilla. It was a long 200-mile drive, the sky was getting dark, and Clay was getting drowsy watching the scenery go by. Clay was looking forward to his first decent sleep in quite a few days. And yet somehow, he couldn't quite doze off.

"It doesn't add up."

Clay turned to Munoz. "Sorry, what's that?" he asked.

"His story. There's something missing."

Clay sat up. "What do you mean?"

"Jensen was in De Lilla for all that time, and nobody came for him until just after Courtis tells him to leave town? No way that's a coincidence."

"Well, there was something about a new boss, right?" Clay recalled. "Maybe it just took that long for anyone to come looking."

"But that still doesn't explain how they knew where he was. And they didn't even go looking for him in De Lilla, he was out on Harmony Cliffs!"

"So, what?" Clay asked. "You think Courtis tipped him off?"

"Possible," admitted Munoz, "but based on what I've heard about him, Courtis sounds like he was a man of his word. And I know he didn't call for a hitman, not without making sure his daughter would stay out of it."

"Okay, so what do we-?" Clay cut himself off before finishing the question. He watched with Munoz as a police car came flying down the other side of the highway, lights and sirens on full blast. The police car turned onto the exit marked "Coastal Access."

"Munoz-"

"I'm on it," she answered. Munoz floored the pedal, taking the next exit to get back on the highway in the other direction. She took the "Coastal Access" exit, which led straight to Harmony Cliffs.

By the time they arrived, the police had already set up a barricade of cars and yellow tape by the wooden fence. Cops were holding the barricade against a handful of onlookers. Munoz parked nearby, and Clay followed as she approached the scene.

"Munoz!" Deputy Wilson waved her over. "Where the hell have you been? Cobb was calling for everyone to get here!"

"Sorry, I was out of town on a case. What have we got?"

"Used to be a missing person," Wilson hissed, "now it's a hostage situation." Clay worked to overhear as he scanned the faces in the crowd. He immediately recognized two of them: Mr. and Mrs. Wells.

"Becca," Clay said. He turned to Wilson. "Where's Becca?"

Wilson turned to Clay. "There's no need to panic, Clayton. We're doing everything we can and she's gonna be fine."

"Who's holding her?" Munoz demanded.

Wilson's voice dropped to an even lower whisper. Clay couldn't make it out, but he could see Munoz' posture go rigid as Wilson whispered into her ear.

"Clay, come with me!" Munoz commanded as she ducked under the yellow tape line. Clay followed her, ignoring Wilson's objections as they ran down the path toward Harmony Cliffs.

Clay and Munoz arrived to find a standoff at the cliff. On one side - at the end of the path - were Chief Cobb and Sgt. Stanton with their guns drawn. On the other side - standing on the edge of the cliff - was Olivia Prescott, holding Becca face-down on the ground with a gun to her head. Olivia looked awful, like every nerve in her body had been shot from lack of sleep.

"Mrs. Prescott," Cobb pleaded, "it doesn't have to be like this. Just let her go and we can forget this ever happened."

But Olivia didn't seem to be hearing him. She was anxiously looking all throughout the sky. "Where are you, Lana?!" she screamed out. "I know you're out there! You come out here or I swear I'll send this bitch to join you!"

Munoz slowly got her own gun out as she walked to Cobb's side. "How long has she been like this?"

Cobb turned to see her. "Munoz," he hissed, "where the devil have you-?"

"Sir?" Munoz interrupted. "How long has she been like this?"

"LANA!!" Olivia screeched to the heavens. A brief moment passed. Nothing happened.

"Becca, are you okay?" Clay called out, just before Munoz shushed him.

"I'm fine," Becca called back, before Olivia shoved her back into the ground.

"We only got here half an hour ago," Cobb muttered to Munoz. "She's been like this the whole time. Keeps yelling for someone named 'Lana.'"

"It's her sister," explained Clay. All eyes - even Becca's - turned to him.

"You... you've seen her?" asked Olivia.

Clay slowly walked closer, his hands plainly visible. "Yeah," he answered, "and I'm guessing you've seen her too."

Olivia collapsed a little bit as the stress weighed down on her. "Ever since Aaron died... every time I close my eyes, she's there," she whimpered. "I can't sleep, I can't focus, I can't think of anything else WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" she implored the stars. Another deafening silence followed.

"It was you, wasn't it?" asked Munoz. "You took the dirt on Tommy Jensen."

Before Cobb could ask what was going on, Olivia answered, her eyes wide. "She told you."

"No," Munoz replied, "Tommy Jensen told us. But he didn't know you tried to have him killed."

"I didn't want him dead!" Olivia insisted. "I just wanted him out of town. For Lana's sake."

"So you killed Lana," Clay breathed. He regretted that, as Olivia pressed the gun harder into Becca's head.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Olivia wailed to the heavens. "I swear to God, I didn't mean to and I'm so sorry." She seemed to shrink as violent sobs racked her body. "My husband is dead, my son is robbing me blind, and I haven't slept in days. I'm so sorry, I'll do anything, just make it stop."

And then, over the sounds of Olivia's tears, something slowly faded into earshot. Clay knew the voice and the melody straight away, and he was almost relieved to see that everyone else could hear it as well. They all turned to see the luminous nude form of Lana Courtis as she walked up the slope to Harmony Cliffs.

Nobody said a word. They all simply watched as Lana walked over to face her sister. One was forever young and more beautiful than she had ever been in life. The other - however fit and attractive she may have been for her age - was still well north of 70. The former Olivia Courtis stood up, fear and anxiety in every wrinkle of her face.

Lana's mood was impossible to guess. Was she singing out of melancholy or to comfort her sister? Was her expression one of sadness or disappointment? Everybody looked on, all of them speechless, as Lana slowly walked over to stop within arm's reach of her sister. Lana stopped singing as the lullaby came to an end.

After an awkward and terrifying pause, Lana slowly pulled her sister into an embrace. Olivia did not return it.

Everyone stood there waiting as Lana held Olivia in her arms. They waited for some violent action to happen. Clay wondered if Lana was killing her through comfort, as she had done to so many of his friends and nearly done to him. But no, everyone stood in confused silence until Lana released Olivia and stepped away, that same enigmatic look on her face.

"Is... is that it?" Olivia asked. "Is that all? No screaming? No yelling? You're not even mad after what I did to you?!" Lana stayed quiet. She didn't move a muscle.

"Look, just tell me what more you want. Tell me what more I can do, or just say that we're even. Tell me we're okay." Lana said nothing. "Just talk to me, Lana! Talk to me! Say something!"

Just then, the wind changed direction in a forceful gust. And someone else was there on the cliff. It wasn't like he faded into view or anything - it felt more like he had always been there and nobody had noticed until now.

The young man's naked flesh glowed with the same radiant pale light as Lana. Nobody else recognized him, save only for Clay. He knew that posture, the way he stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out into the horizon. The man was every bit as young and handsome as the day he first arrived.

Lana walked over, but everyone watched in shocked confusion as she paused in front of Clay. She leaned over, and Clay felt an old familiar warmth as she kissed his cheek. The two of them traded a soft smile. Then Lana looked over to give Munoz a grateful nod.

Lana turned to continue walking toward Tommy. He turned to face her, and the two of them smiled radiantly at the sight of each other. They embraced tightly. So tightly, in fact, that they seemed to blend into each other somehow. Their features became indistinguishable, steadily clouding over until they were both only visible as one blurry circle of light. Then the light slowly faded, leaving nothing behind.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone there watched the two specters fade away. Then Olivia took one step, then another, slowly following Lana's path.

Munoz raised her gun. "Don't move," she commanded.

Just like that, everyone seemed to remember where they were. Olivia looked as if she had just come out of a trance.

"Munoz," Cobb said cautiously, "stand dow-"

While Cobb was in the middle of that order, Olivia had made the snap decision to run for the cliff.

"Olivia, no!" Cobb called out. But then Olivia fell to the ground, tripped up as Becca grabbed her ankle.

"I got her!" Becca shouted out as she pulled Olivia back from the cliff. But then Olivia came back to her senses, and she somehow still had her gun in hand. She whipped her arm around to point the gun at Becca, but she caught Olivia's wrist just in time.

"Drop the gun now!" Munoz commanded. It was still too dangerous for anyone else to get too close while the two of them were wrestling on the ground with a gun between them.

"Let go of me, you bitch!" Olivia moved around, trying to use Becca as a human shield, but Becca kept pulling Olivia downward, dragging the older woman to her level on the ground.

A shot rang out as Olivia's gun fired.

"Becca!" Clay cried out. Becca was okay - the gun fired harmlessly into the ground, missing her completely. But the two women kept struggling for control, rolling toward and away from the cliff as Becca kept trying to beat the gun out of Olivia's hand.

The whole time, Munoz kept her own gun trained on the scuffle. "Let her go, Prescott, or I will shoot!"

"For God's sake, Olivia!" Cobb called out. "There's no need for this!"

Finally, Olivia found the leverage to roll on top of Becca, straddling her to pin her to the ground. While she still had the element of surprise, Olivia moved to pistol-whip Becca. In that instant, Olivia was sitting perfectly upright, and her gun was pointed away from everyone else.

It was only a split-second, but Munoz had been waiting for that window.

Olivia heard the gunshot echo all throughout Harmony Cliffs. She felt warmth spread out of and over her chest. She heard a few sounds and voices as she fell, but they all sounded muffled as they traveled further away. The only voice she clearly heard was by far the softest - a voice she recognized instantly, though she had long forgotten the sound of it.

"Goodbye, Liv."

***

Munoz was carrying out the last box when she saw Clay waiting outside. Clay raised his hand in greeting. "Hi, Munoz."

Munoz stood there in the doorway. "How'd you know where to find me?"

Clay pointed to Blue Betty, parked just outside the bed-and-breakfast where Munoz had been staying. "Pretty hard to miss," he answered.

With a sigh, Munoz carried the last of her belongings over to the van. "Well, you're just in time to say goodbye," she told him.

"You don't have to leave."

"Clay," she replied, "I killed Olivia Prescott."

"To save Becca! Cobb was there, he can vouch for you!"

"He already has. But even without a murder charge, I still disobeyed orders looking into Tommy Jensen. And Olivia's son is still around. Trust me, Clay, my time here is done." Munoz slammed the car door shut, either to emphasize the point or to make sure it closed. It was hard to tell.

Clay shook his head. "After all the lives you saved? It shouldn't be like this."

Munoz looked him in the eye, a mirthless smile on her lips. "You know what happened, Clay. And you know there can't be any official record of ghosts or visions or whatever."

"Yeah, I know." Clay slumped, but Munoz gently nudged his chin back up.

"Then you know damn well you deserve the credit here."

Clay gave a grateful smile. "So what's next?" he asked.

Munoz shrugged. "I really don't know. Portland? Seattle? Reno?"

"San Francisco?" Clay suggested.

Munoz first response was to laugh. But then she thought about it. "Maybe," she finally said. "I just don't know if I really belong there anymore."

"Everyone belongs somewhere," Clay said, recalling the words. "You just have to find out where."

With a fond smile, Munoz and Clay pulled each other into a hug.

"Good luck, Munoz."

"My name's Eliza. You take care. And stay out of trouble!"

Clay waved goodbye as Eliza stepped into her trusty Econoline and turned the engine on. He was still there watching as she drove into the horizon.

***

Everyone came out to prom that year, mostly because nobody could bear to call it off. Plans had already been made, the dresses and tuxes had already been reserved, and all the students came with their dates to the De Lilla High gym.

But nobody's heart was really in it. Mere weeks after so many of their friends and loved ones suddenly died, it was too hard to ignore the spaces where they might have been. So everyone just milled around the fringes of the gym, blending in with the streamers and the balloons, leaving the dance floor empty no matter how many times the DJ told them to get in there.

Finally, Becca turned to Clay. "Let's get out there."

Clay let out a short laugh. "What?"

"Come on, let's dance."

Clay hesitated a bit longer. "I don't know how."

Becca gestured to her chair. "You think I do? Come on. We'll be gone after graduation, remember? Let's make the most of it."

With a resigned sort of smile, Clay emptied his punch glass and wheeled her over to the dance floor. He looked okay in his secondhand tux, but Becca was simply breathtaking. She looked incredible in her glittery seaweed-green dress, and her wheelchair sparkled with clear plastic spoke beads she had put on for the occasion.

The two of them started by trial and error, finding new ways to flail their arms in time. When Clay tried to lead, it was more like he was pushing her backward, trying to maintain eye contact while keeping his feet clear of her wheels. It was awkward and embarrassing, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, Clay was surprised with himself - if he'd ever had someone to join in making a fool of himself, he might

have tried it a lot sooner.

And even if everyone was laughing at Clay and Becca, at least they were finally laughing again. The ice had been broken, everyone slowly drifted back onto the dance floor, and they all had a great time like there was no tomorrow.

-

The carpool let Clay off at his place, and Becca came along with him. She went straight for the bathroom, to make preparations for what came next. Becca emptied her catheter bag, disconnected her catheter, ran through the checklist of everything she could do to make sure there were no "accidents". After a moment to refresh her hair and makeup, she rolled down the hallway to knock on Clay's door.

"You're ready?" he called from behind the door.

"Yeah. Can I come in?" she asked.

"Just a minute!" A brief pause followed, and Becca caught a faint scent. She sniffed the air: was that peppermint?

"Okay," Clay called, "come on in!"

Becca slowly opened the door, halfway scared of what she'd find. The moment she entered the room, she was deeply impressed. He'd turned down the lights. He'd lit soothing peppermint candles. He had condoms, lube, and Kleenex waiting on the nightstand.

She took a moment to take it all in, and her silence made Clay nervous. "Is it too much?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to make this-"

"-special," she finished, wheeling her way in. "Clay, this is amazing. All of it."

Clay moved to close the door. "Is there anything else I can do? If there's anything else you need, I-" Clay cut himself off. From that glint in her eye, Clay could tell he was stammering again. "Sorry, I'm

just..."

"Nervous?"

"Little excited, little nervous."

"Anxious."

"Right. Yes, anxious."

Becca gave him a reassuring smile. "Me too." She reached out, and he took her hand.

"So, what now?" Clay asked.

"Well, maybe you can help me onto the bed?"

"Yeah, sure." Clay helped Becca lift herself out of the chair and onto his bed. He watched as Becca pulled up her knees and legs to take her shoes off before setting them on the floor and laying her legs back down on the bed. The whole time, Clay admired how lean her legs were. They looked so well-toned and curved in all the right places for how little she must have used them.

"I don't mind if you stare," said Becca, "but maybe you'd like to come join me?"

Clay blushed as he snapped out of it. "Oh! Right." He carefully took off his shoes and jacket before joining her on the bed. He laid down and she pulled him closer. As if by instinct, he put his hands around her waist and held her close. For that brief moment, the two of them savored being this close to each other, surrounded by peppermint scent in the hot summer air.

He wanted to say more. To ask if she was sure, if she really wanted this to be with him. But then she smiled at him with those silver-green eyes, and he knew. Clay knew it would all feel so right before he even took that first kiss.