From Chapter 1

It's two in the morning, and I'm standing in the middle of a freeway. Sirens are blaring, red and blue lights flashing and reflecting back to blind me. A helicopter overhead, with its spotlight shining upon a scene of twisted metal and mayhem, seems far too surreal at this hour of the morning. I hear the captain barking commands to the firefighters as they cut, rip and tear a car apart. Medics stand by with lifesaving equipment....they'll be too late to save this person.

As I stand in the middle of the freeway, in the middle of the night, in the middle of chaos, I feel a calm slowly creep around me. This feeling is usually followed immediately by confusion and fear. I begin to sense another presence approach me. I seem to intuitively know it is the deceased driver of the mangled car that scattered across the freeway. I try to communicate with the driver, whom I now feel very near me, by opening and heightening my sense of awareness. I tune in to him, and as I make that psychic connection I tell him he has a choice to make. He can either get back into his body or go towards the light and love that will soon beckon to him. Those are his choices, as I know them to be.

I instinctively feel his confusion and his fear. I can sense he's not sure what's happening to him. His energy seems to keep coming back toward me. I explain to him that he died in a car accident. His energy seems to be still for a moment, and I feel his acceptance of what I've told him. He lets me know that he feels a pull to go toward the light because he hears his Dad, who died last year, calling to him. He wants me to tell his mother that he was wearing his seatbelt and that he loves her. I make a mental note of his request and tell him that I'll make sure his mother knows....

As the accident is being cleared, a police officer approaches and asks if we will assist in delivering the death notification. This will be his first one, and he heard we were real pros at this kind of thing.... We inform the alarm dispatch room that we're moving to another location to deliver a death notification. I can hear it in their voices - they don't envy me right now. Although I've done hundreds of these kinds of calls over the years, it never gets easier.

The sun has just broken free of the horizon, and as it begins to rise it heats  the early morning air. As we approach the front door of an older, ranch-style home, we let the officer take the lead. I stand behind the officer with my partner behind me as the officer knocks on the door. A woman still in her bathrobe answers. I get the distinct feeling she wasn't prepared for the three of us so early in the morning. She stands still for a moment, not knowing if she wants to greet us or shut the door on us.

I nudge the officer from behind and he introduces all of us. I ask if we could come inside for a moment to talk to her. It takes a moment for her to realize that this isn't a social visit. She pales a bit, her hand shakes as she opens the door to invite us into her lovely home. The first thing I notice upon entering is the large number of pictures on the walls. We all take a seat in the living room, and the officer begins to ask the lady a few basic questions to make sure we're at the right location. Unfortunately for this woman, we are.

As the officer continues with his questions, I take a moment to look around. I see a familiar face hanging on the wall, and as I make that mental connection, I feel that cool burst of air mixed with energy again. I double check to make sure the air conditioning didn’t kick on or that I'm not near some sort of breeze. Once I rule that out, I can safely assume that the young driver is here with us, watching, sending his love out to his mother. The officer clears his throat and starts to say why he's there, but he stops, looks to me, his eyes plead for me to step in and take over. I feel the cool flow of energy swirl around me even more now as I prepare to deliver my speech.

"My name is Sherri. I'm with the Phoenix Fire Department. I'm sorry to inform you that your son has died."