Hello, Claire Voiance Speaking - 1. Where The Hell Did I Leave That?

There's a strange new light in my eyes (there's a strange new light)
Things I've never known
Changing my life
Changing me
I've been searching so long
To find an answer

Chicago - 1974

1

Elisa Davis, informally known as Lis, was five when her parents discovered she was different. Her mother, Madeline, was taking her to the doctor's office for her annual checkup, but was searching for something.

Lis asked, "What are you looking for, mommy?"

"I can't find my keys, and we're going to be late."

Lis thought for a moment, "Did you look in your gray coat pockets?"

"No. I haven't worn that coat since... Shi- Shoot. I went shopping Tuesday."

It was Thursday. Lis was in her morning kindergarten class when Laura went shopping.

"Wait, you weren't with me. How did you know I used that coat?"

"I didn't. I just knew where the keys were. Can we go? You promised me a hot cocoa when we got home if I was good."

Laura looked in her gray coat pockets. The keys were there.

"Okay, let's go then. I think if you're good we'll stop for donuts on our way home and you can pick one to have with your cocoa."

"Yippee!"

The incident was forgotten for a few weeks until the next incident of a missing item. This time it was a dinner outing and the whole family was going. Lis also had an older brother, Kevan. Kevan, eight, wanted to wear his bright green polo shirt, but couldn't find it. He asked everyone if they had seen it. Both his mother and father said they didn't.

Lis told him, "It's in your hamper. You wore it last week."

"But mom did the wash since then."

"Go look!"

Kevan looked. There it was at the bottom. Apparently he'd missed it when he brought his dirty clothes to the laundry room the day before. Not wishing to take the blame, he deflected it to his sister.

He accused Lis, "Stay out of my room next time."

"I wasn't in your room."

Kevan was getting louder, "Yes, you were. You knew my shirt was there. What did you do, put it back from the laundry room?"

Lis was on the verge of tears, "No. I didn't go in your room."

"Mom! You need to tell Lis to stay out of my room."

"I don't think she went into your room, honey. I didn't see your shirt in the laundry and I went in there right after you dropped your things off."

"But she had to have been. My shirt was back in my room."

"She... Neil, come here."

Lis' father arrived, "What is it? We need to get going. This is an important dinner with my boss."

"Okay. We'll talk in the car. Kevan, either wear it dirty or pick something else."

Kevin picked up the shirt, sniffed it, determined it to be clean enough, and put it on. Once in the car, Lis' mom, Madeline, told them about the key incident from a few weeks before.

Kevan didn't believe that was the case with his shirt, "I still think she went into my room."

Dad ended the argument, "Well, we're at the restaurant. You two will just have to agree to disagree."

Only Lis heard Kevan mutter, "Whatever the fuck that means."

"Mo-om. Kevan said a bad word."

"We'll talk about that later. Let's get inside before you dad blows a fuse."

Dinner with the boss went well. The bad word was forgotten for the time being. Kevan held the grudge for another week.

2

"Shit, shit, shit. I'm in so much trouble."

Lis heard Kevan, but didn't mention the cussing, "What's wrong?"

"Don't worry, it's my problem."

"But if you're in trouble, maybe I can help."

"No. You'll tattle on me. Like always."

"I won't. I promise."

"Fine. I 'borrowed' one of dad's magazines and forgot where I left it. Try to help with that."

"Jeremy left it on top of your dresser but it fell behind it."

"Is this another green shirt thing?"

"Yes."

"I told you to stay out of my room. Now you saw the magazine and I'll be in even bigger trouble."

"I didn't see it. Really, I just know where things are."

Kevan tried to trick his sister, "So, you didn't see a magazine with a football player on the front?"

"No. I don't know what's on the front because I never saw it."

Kevan went back into his room and looked behind his dresser. His dad's nudie magazine was there. He shoved it under his shirt and snuck it back into its hiding place.

Back in the living room, he swore Lis to secrecy.

"You can't say anything about this to mom or dad."

"I won't. I promise."

Lis kept her promise. Over the course of the next ten years, she located numerous items Kevan had misplaced. Not all of them were things he should have even had. Actually, most of them weren't. Mom and dad were the beneficiaries of Lis's skill too. But there was one more important thing she found before Kevan went away to college.

That was their neighbor's cat. Lis was then nine years old, and Teddy had been missing for a whole day. Lis's best friend, Natalie MacLeod, was crying one day when Lis went over to play.

"What's the matter?"

"Teddy's missing. I can't find him anywhere. Mom and dad think I let him get out."

"He's in your garage behind some boxes. He must have fallen and got stuck."

"You saw him?"

"No. I just know where he is."

"Like you told me? You know where missing things are, just like that?"

"Yeah. Let's go look."

The girls went into the garage and immediately heard the cat mewling.

Natalie was thrilled, "He IS here."

They moved a few boxes, and Natalie wasn't exactly thrilled any longer. Apparently, Teddy had chased a large mouse behind the boxes. The cat was indeed stuck, but the mouse no longer resembled a mouse, and there was a distinct odor of cat urine and feces.

"Ewww. Teddy, what did you do?"

Teddy didn't answer but ran toward the house and his water bowl.

3

Lis graduated high school near the top of her class. She was accepted as a Criminal Justice major at Tusculum University. Her father was a professor at Tusculum, so it was a simple decision to go there. That it was only five minutes away from their Morristown, Tennessee home made it doubly convenient. Her ability to find missing things became a local phenomenon early in her senior year at college.

On Saturday, September 25, 2021, there was an article in the local Morristown newspaper about a missing child. The boy was nine years old and had been missing from his home since Thursday afternoon. He had been with his mother at the nearby College Square Mall and apparently wandered away shortly after returning home. Mrs. Drummond was frantically looking for her son, Andre, when a police car happened to pass by. The neighborhood was searched, to no avail. The article had a photo of the boy, and the address of his home. Lis didn't need the photo once she read the article. She immediately called 9-1-1.

"Morristown police, what is the nature of your emergency?"

"Hi. My name is Lis... Elisa Davis, and I have information about the missing boy, Andre Drummond."

"Let me connect you with Detective Evans. He's in charge of the search. May I ask what this information is?"

"The short answer is, I know where he is."

"Connecting you now."

"Good morning, Ms. Davis. Detective Anthony Evans. You know where the boy is?"

"Yes. He's in the children's section at the R. Jack Fishman Library."

"The library is closed today. How would you know this?"

"I just know. I have an unusual ability. I know where missing items are."

"Did you kidnap the child, Ms. Davis?"

Lis scoffed, "No. I'm just trying to help. If I was a kidnapper, would I just tell you where he was?"

"You would if you were trying to hide him and got locked out of the library when they closed."

"Fine. Think what you want. I'm sure he'll tell you he just wandered away and has never seen me before. I'd have to believe he's hungry and afraid. I'll meet you there if you want me to. I'm a criminal justice major at Tusculum. I would hope you'd believe I'm not the kind of person to kidnap a young child."

"I'll make arrangements to have the library opened. And yes, I would appreciate you meeting me there."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Lis hung up.

"Unbelievable!"

"What's wrong, dear?"

"I call the cops because I know where the missing boy is, and they accuse me of kidnapping him."

"Missing boy? What?"

"I have to head to the library, mom. We'll talk about it when I get home. If they don't arrest me."

"Neil!!"

"Yes?"

"Go with your daughter. She knows where a missing boy is, and the police suspect her of being involved in his disappearance."

"Well, you have to know her story would be hard to believe. Let's go, Lis."

Lis got dressed, and she and her father arrived at the library just as the manager was unlocking the door. After showing identification and the detective noting her address, they walked in with the manager, Detective Evans, and two uniformed officers. The police hadn't yet contacted the Drummonds in case this was a hoax. One of the uniforms was a woman. She called Andre's name a number of times before he peeked around a corner. Seeing the police uniforms, he came out of hiding.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know the library was closing. I told my mommy I was coming here, but I guess she didn't hear me."

Detective Evans asked him, indicating Lis, "Do you know this young woman?"

"No. Am I supposed to?"

"No. I just needed to make sure she had nothing to do with your disappearance."

"No. I don't know who she is. I walked here myself."

That made sense since he lived on Sycamore Street, which was a short walk away. The detective let Lis leave, and drove Andre home. Mr. and Mrs. Drummond were ecstatic when the detective rang their bell.

"Oh, my God. You're alright!"

"Yes, mom. I told you I was going to the library. But they closed and I got locked in."

"You told... I was on the phone, Detective. I didn't even realize he'd said something to me."

"These things happen. We're all just happy it turned out okay."

"How did you find him? The library isn't open again until Monday."

"We received a call from a young woman that claimed she knew where missing items were. Apparently, children are among the items she can find."

"Are you sure she didn't have anything to do with him disappearing?"

"I asked her to meet us at the library. Your son said he never saw her before and told us he walked to the library himself."

"I have to thank her. Do you know her name?"

"Yes, it was..." he checked his notes … ‘Elisa Davis.’” The detective felt he shouldn't share Lis's address and phone number as well.

After failing to locate Lis, the Drummonds phoned the newspaper and told them about Lis. That was, as the saying goes, both a blessing and a curse for Lis.