Dark Visions (4 page)

"Heh! You there?"

Sarah swung to the right and saw a man in a
sport jacket coming her way. She looked back at the guard's shack
and saw the guard coming out now, a scowl on his face.

Then her hand twitched.
Oh no, not
now
.

She felt light headed. The fence was still
beside her. It was what she banged against when she fell into a
complete blackout.

She came to.

The man in the sport jacket knelt beside
her. He was trying to pry a notepad out of her hands. She held
tight, twisting her body away for leverage. The notepad popped out
of the guys hands.

The security guard yelled from his shack
that the police were around the corner.

Sarah opened the pad. Did she write
anything?

Her precognition was on the first page. She
ripped out the paper and handed it back to the man standing over
her.

"The police?" Sarah asked.

"Yes. You're trespassing. But I'd be willing
to drop the charges if you told me what you wrote in my notepad
that you so rudely ripped from my jacket pocket as you fell to the
ground."

Sarah slid the note in the back of her
pants. She looked away from the man without a word and walked
toward the guard shack.

"I need to speak to Esmerelda. That's why
I'm here."

The guard looked past her to the man in the
sport jacket. "All readings are done in the pavilion. The front
entrance is how you get access to the psychics. What you have done
is called a break and enter. You can discuss it with the cops."

Sarah saw a cruiser pulling up outside the
fence and her stomach dropped. She couldn't handle cops right now.
She detested them.

The gate was rolling open and sport jacket
was talking to the police.

Minutes later, Sarah was put into the
backseat of the cruiser.

Both officers got in the front after a five
minute wait.

Sarah looked out the back window as they
were exiting the lot and saw Esmerelda running to the gate. Sarah
waved, knowing Esmerelda could see her.

She wondered what Esmerelda would think of
her being taken away in a police car. Maybe this was the extent of
the danger she foretold?

The cops asked where she lived and headed in
that direction. They explained that this would be a warning. The
next time she was found inside the property of the pavilion without
being a paying customer, she would be charged with trespassing and
have a criminal record.

She nodded her understanding. She wanted
little to do with these guys. She found a few stray hairs on her
forearm and yanked them out hard. The rush was instant. Cooling
her. Calming her.

When they got to her house, her mother came
out to meet them. The police recited a quick rundown of what had
happened and let Sarah out of the backseat, into
the custody of
her parents
, as they put it.

She could see how furious her mother was,
but Sarah ignored her and ran to her bedroom. She retrieved the
note and read the entry.

There were two.

The first one told her about Dolan's
involvement and what she needed to do. An understanding of what was
happening dawned on her.

The second entry read;
Tonight. 9:23pm.
Birk Street North Face. Kidnapping.

She set about the task given to her
regarding Dolan.

When that was done she sat on her bed, her
insides tingling with excitement. What are they going to think when
Dolan finds her note?

This was the first time people's names were
coming through.

Especially when it involved crimes being
committed.

What the police could do with information
like this
, she thought.

She just hoped she could count on Mary to
come through for her.

Chapter 7

Her mother's footsteps pounded down the
hallway. Sarah fumbled with the note she'd written about the
kidnapping. She got it tucked into her back pocket just in
time.

Her bedroom door flew open.

"What the hell was that all about? They
found you trespassing at the Psychic Fair? What's going on, Sarah?
You didn't even want to go yesterday. What were you doing there
today?"

Sarah remained silent. She kept her eyes on
the carpet.

"Sarah, I won't ask you again."

She looked up and saw her mother in the
doorway, arms crossed, anger contorting her face.

"I went to see Esmerelda--"

"Why? Yesterday wasn't enough? And where
would you get the money? Don't tell me this has anything to do with
your blackouts because we all know how obsessive you can get. Just
look at your hair, or what's left of it."

Sarah looked away. That wasn't fair. Already
the conversation was turning into insults. She didn't like
confrontations with her mother. She never won them. She always felt
her mother blamed her for something. The edge of her bed was a good
place to sit and wait for this ordeal to be over.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. Look, I
want your notebook."

Sarah's heart sank. She didn't have it.
There's no way her mother would believe that. Her mother wanted
nothing to do with it before. What changed?

She tried hard to keep her eyes downcast.
Her mother read too much in them.

"I said I want your notebook and I want it
now." She marched towards the bed.

Sarah flinched away. "I don't have it."

"What do you mean, you don't have it? You're
lying to me."

Sarah watched as her mother's eyes narrowed.
She leaned forward, coming to within a foot of Sarah's face. She
spoke through clenched teeth.

"You are going to give me your notebook.
This is not open for discussion. Do you understand me?"

Sarah nodded. She didn't want to say
anything more that might spin her mother into a tantrum. She hated
it when her mother flew off the handle and right now she wasn't
sure what she was capable of.

"Get off that bed and get me your notebook.
I know you know where it is because it's never out of your sight
for long. If you've lost it, find it. Now!"

Sarah did as she was told by standing and
going to her night table. She opened drawers, looked under her
pillow, opened her closet and moved clothes around.

"What're you doing? Look for your
notebook."

"I am. Why do you want it anyway? You never
showed interest before."

"I talked to Mary," her mother said.

Sarah's stomach dropped. Her right hand
reached up to the back of her neck and grabbed hair without her
thinking of it.

She pulled. The pain was quick and intense.
Comfort warmed her heart, adrenaline filled her gut.

This was bad. Why would they talk?

"She called me. I hung up just before the
police pulled in with you."

"What did she tell you?" Sarah asked.

"Everything."

Her mother was being evasive for a reason.
Sarah guessed she didn't know much after all. Her mother was
fishing.

"What's everything?" Sarah asked. She felt
her face heating up, turning red.

"Find your notebook and we'll discuss it. I
know that Mary will be in one of your entries."

Her mother did know more than she was
letting on. That also confirmed how much of a mistake it'd been to
talk to Mary.

She felt lightheaded, her knees weak. There
was no way she would give the notebook up to anyone even if she had
it.

But how was she to handle her mom? She
continued to pretend to be looking. She opened more drawers, looked
under clothes, and even lifted the top mattress to look between the
two.

She realized the only way out of this would
have to be physical. She felt the pit in her stomach getting
heavier.

There was another kidnap victim she could
help tonight. Nothing would stop her from being there.

The police were useless. It had to be
Sarah.

She had never forgiven herself for letting
Kim Wepps get taken after her kidnapping details were found in the
notebook. She remembered reading about Kim Wepps in the newspaper
the day after she hadn't helped her.

"I'd give it to you if I could find it. I
was looking for it this morning and haven't seen it since."

It was weak. She wondered if her mother
would know she was lying by the waver in her voice.

"Come on Sarah, that little book is never
far from your grasp."

Sarah crossed her arms. "Tell me what Mary
said to you."

"She wanted to know where you were. She
asked if you were the one who saved that television woman."

"What television woman?" She asked, acting
naive.

"You know; that accident where the famous
Anchorwoman for NBC was hit by a truck and knocked off a bridge.
Her car landed upside down in a river. Apparently, a girl jumped in
and saved the newswoman from drowning while she was still
unconscious. Then the teenager disappeared. After I talked to Mary,
I went down to your dad's tool box and I couldn't find his
hammer."

"Why would you look for dad's hammer?" Sarah
asked, even though she knew the answer. She felt so nervous at
being found out even though she'd done nothing wrong.

"The news said the teenage girl broke out
the back window of the woman's car with a hammer. The police are
looking for this mysterious helper. They have some questions that
went unanswered. I told Mary that it was impossible you were
involved. But she went on about your notebook and how you saved her
from a kidnapping. Not only that, she said you called her earlier.
To tell you the truth, Mary was surprised that I had no idea what
she was talking about. That's why I have to have your notebook. I
need to see the kinds of things you write in it."

Sarah tried to keep the conversation
flowing. The last thing she wanted was her mother detecting how
nervous she was. "That's so strange. I've never been involved in
kidnappings or anything like that."

The shrill ring from the phone made her
jump.

"Are you expecting a call?" Her mother
asked.

Sarah shook her head no. She silently hoped
it wasn't Mary again.

She followed her mother out of her bedroom
and into her father's den, her pulse racing. Her mother picked it
up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" She looked up at Sarah. "Yes, she's
here. Hold on, please." Putting her palm on the mouthpiece, she
whispered to Sarah, "It's someone from the Psychic Fair."

Sarah lunged for the phone. Her mother
pulled it away.

"How dare you? Who is this and how did this
man get our number? And why is he calling for you?"

"I have no idea," Sarah said as she reached
for the phone again, this time snatching it from her mother's
grasp.

"Hello."

A man's guttural voice said, "Who I am isn't
important. All you need to know is that I saw you today at the
fair. I want to help. But before I can do that, I need to meet with
you. You will have to bring your notebook."

Sarah started shivering.
Focus
, she
thought.

"Yes, I understand. I can meet with you,"
was all that came out.

Her hand twitched. It felt like the
beginning of a blackout, yet not strong enough.

"Good. How about you come back to the fair
and ask for..."

Pain shot through her hand, starting at the
elbow. She fumbled and almost dropped the phone. "Of course. That
would be no problem. I'll meet you there. Goodbye." She hung up.
She didn't get to hear his name.

"What was that all about?"

"I can't tell you," Sarah replied. It was
time to be defiant and take a stand.

"What? Why not?" The look of surprise was
genuine.

"Because the caller asked for secrecy."

"You
can
tell me who you're going to
meet and where. Actually, you can tell me
why
too."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders, trying to
downplay the situation. "Sorry, this is between me and the Psychic
Fair."

Her mother's finger was raised and poised in
front of Sarah's nose, pointing close enough to cause Sarah's eyes
to cross. "Listen to me,
little
girl. You
will
tell
me what's going on. What have you been up to?"

"I don't think so," Sarah turned away. "You
want to know what your problem is, mother?" She rarely talked to
her mother with such a disrespecting tone. She couldn't look her in
the eye when she did. "You still think you're having a parent to
child relationship with me and that has to change. I'm going to be
nineteen soon. We are now in an adult to adult relationship. Now,
I'm leaving. I'm going to meet Mary."

Sarah walked towards the door and continued
out of the room.

"I can't believe this. Are you taking
lessons from your father? You listen to me. You will tell me what I
want to know because I'm your mother--"

Sarah ran down the stairs to the front door,
knowing what would happen if her mother tried to stop her, and
regretting the confrontation in advance.

But no confrontation came. After leaving the
house she walked the length of the driveway as the sun faded
beneath the tree line. There was no wind, not even a breeze. Only
the soft scent of pine assailed her nose.

On the way to Birk Street, she looked over
her shoulder often, and watched everyone that passed.

She always knew she could trust no one. She
couldn't trust Mary. She couldn't trust her mother or she would
have told her what's happening.

Now she had confirmation that a strange man
had been watching her at the fair. He'd called her at home. That
would mean he knew where she lived.

And he wanted her notebook.

While walking towards downtown she roamed
her forearms for any remote hair she could pull out.

Chapter 8

Esmerelda stubbed her foot and almost fell
getting into her trailer. She cut herself preparing vegetables. Her
forehead had a small goose egg from when she bumped a cupboard.