Visions: The Mystical Encounter Series (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 1) (12 page)

“Are you sure?” he asked, reaching for his cell phone. With a nod, I sucked in my breath as he dialed her number.

I sat beside Barry as he started to explain to Nicole. An audible gasp sounded through the phone when he revealed where Johnny was buried. I closed my eyes, wishing I could stop her pain, but nothing was going to erase ten years of grief.

Barry pressed end and faced me. “She’s calling her uncle now,” he explained.

After what seemed like forever, she called back, confirming a meeting with the detective. She set it up after school tomorrow since he wouldn’t be back in town until that afternoon. With assurances to her uncle that she wasn’t in immediate danger, he agreed, but that meant we’d have to wait the entire school day. It was going to be a very long day.

“You think it’s safe to go back home yet?” I asked hopefully. There was homework looming over my head, but I didn’t think I would be able to concentrate. I was so exhausted.

“Yeah, I need to be getting home anyway.” Barry sighed. “Let’s go say good–bye to Grandma, and then I’ll walk you over to your house. We’ll go through the front door. I think if we act normal, he won’t be as suspicious.” With a shrug, he added, “I’m afraid if we act like we’re sneaking back, our cover will definitely be blown.”

“Good idea.”

Trying to compose my face to reflect one of certainty, we went inside and told his grandma good–bye. She was such a nice lady and didn’t even question where we had been. I wasn’t sure if she could sense our apprehension, but she certainly didn’t seem to suspect anything.

After talking briefly to her, Barry walked me over to my front door as promised. I noticed the curtain moving on Mr. Barton’s window and what little confidence I had suddenly drained from my body as my hands started to shake.

“Barry, he’s watching us through his window,” I whispered under my breath.

Peering directly at me, he said, “I know. Calm down, he can presume. There’s no proof and like I said, I’m sure he doesn’t want the police coming over.” Leaning closer to me as he was talking, he reached down and placed his lips on mine.

Forgetting about everything else, I simply enjoyed the moment. His lips felt so warm and tender against mine that all I wanted to do was stay there and kiss him all night. As the kiss became deeper, my hands found their way to his head. His hair was soft as I ran my fingers through it, which elicited a small moan from him. Pulling me closer, feelings ignited deep inside as my body seemed to crave more. I gasped, which caused the kiss to become aggressive. His tongue slid across my teeth, causing me to open my mouth to invite him in. Our tongues danced with each other as his hands wandered all over my body. They caressed my neck, trailing a path down my back where they eventually landed on my hips. Everywhere his hands touched left a tingling sensation, and my body seemed to be greedy, wanting more.

Panting, I had to break away. Staring at each other for a few seconds, neither one of us said a word as we both tried to catch our breath. When my breathing finally began to even out, I reluctantly whispered, “I need to get inside.”

Lowering his head onto mine, he sighed. “Fine…‌I’ll see you tomorrow at school then.” He kissed me on top of my forehead, running his fingers along the side of my face. With the smile I love, he leaned over and kissed me quickly one last time before taking off. Once I got inside, I knew I had a long night ahead of me, followed by an even longer day.

~12~

Signs

Completely exhausted before crashing, I figured my sleep would be dreamless. At least that’s what I’d hoped, but it ended up being wishful thinking. Johnny invaded my mind yet again. But that dream had a different sentiment. When he faced me, there weren’t any streaming tears. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned upward as if trying to smile before whispering, “
So close
.”

With a catch of my breath, I woke up abruptly. I glanced at the alarm clock and wanted to scream as the red lights flashed four–fifteen. Three hours and fifteen minutes wasn’t enough time to get me through the day, but it was useless to try going back to sleep

Of course being sleep–deprived didn’t help any the next day at school. By fourth hour, as I struggled with consciousness, I realized I should have stayed home. After finishing some of the homework assignments, I dozed off around one in the morning. It was no wonder I was tired today.

In class, as I sat fighting to stay awake, I wished I had at least tried to sleep. It was pointless being here since I wasn’t even listening to Mr. Wilson. His flat, monotone voice did little to hold my attention as my mind kept reverting to last night’s dream…

After the shock abated, my brain registered the fact I wasn’t frightened anymore. Johnny’s hopeful expression, when he mentioned being close, was more astonishing than scary. He was encouraging us to continue. That was how I interpreted it, anyway.

While trying to shield a yawn, my eyes closed for a second as I pondered what Johnny said. I knew we were
close
to finding his body, that was a given, but did he mean something else‌—‌like figuring out his murderer?

I tried not to get aggravated, but it was hard. He could give better clues to work with, rather than these cryptic signs. Understanding why he only speaks a couple of words at a time, instead of complete sentences, would also be nice. Trying to stifle another yawn, my eyes grew heavier as I figured that question had no answer…

“Miss Reiner, would you like to repeat the last sentence I spoke?”

My chair jarred underneath me as Nicole kicked the legs from behind. The vibrations shook me out of my slumber as my eyes opened to the scrutinizing stare of my teacher, Mr. Wilson, hovering over me. Quickly realizing I had dozed off in class, I heard people laughing as I straightened up in my seat. Although slightly embarrassed, I also felt a sense of relief since I didn’t have a glob of spit hanging from my mouth.

“Um…‌Sorry, sir, I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I replied, hearing more jeers around the classroom.

Mr. Wilson’s eyes swept across the room, silencing everyone with his penetrating glare. Turning back toward me, he simply stated, “Make sure it doesn’t happen again, or you’ll be spending your time in detention with plenty of time to mull it over.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he turned around to walk back to the front, I shot Nicole a look of appreciation. She nodded back at me, but wore a concerned expression upon her face. Turning my attention back toward the front of the room, I was thankful for her warning. If it hadn’t been for her, I probably would have slept through his scorning and ended up in detention. That certainly would have delayed us going to the police station, and I didn’t need any more delays.

What I needed was to get the case solved so I can get some sleep.

After the bell rang, Nicole rushed up to me, asking if I felt okay. As we took off toward the cafeteria, I started to explain how we broke into Mr. Barton’s house yesterday, but stopped. I wondered if Barry would want me telling. She started to ask something about Johnny, but we were interrupted when Barry and Caleb started walking toward us.

As Barry and Caleb approached, I knew Nicole desperately wanted to talk, but she hid her anticipation well. While Caleb finished his story, Barry shot us an apologetic look. We stood there patiently waiting until Caleb finally quit talking. Poor guy had no clue none of us wanted to listen to him. He didn’t seem to notice, though. As he left to stand in the food line, Nicole demanded, “All right guys, spill. How do you know where Johnny’s buried?”

“Well,” Barry replied in a hushed voice. “Heather discovered where, but I can’t really explain it.” Glancing at me for backup, I gave him a wary smile.

“It’s hard to explain, but I know. I could sense it. Did your uncle seem receptive to the idea?”

“Well, I told him that I needed to talk to him. That
we
needed to talk to him, but I didn’t elaborate.”

Caleb, along with the rest of the crew, had rejoined our table promptly shutting down any further discussion about Johnny. While they joked and discussed such trivial issues, I thought how nice it would be to live without being constantly bothered by things. To not live a life surrounded by other people’s despair and worry. I couldn’t even imagine how that felt.

I tried not to dwell in my own self–pity because that wasn’t going to change anything or make anything better. I just had to cope with what nature gave me and go forward with it. I would drive myself insane if I tried to figure out why I, of all people, was given such unique talents.

I think Barry was right in saying I needed to channel it for the greater good. If I could turn my negative to a positive, then I’d be able to cope with it better and perhaps live the rest of my life in some type of peace. While observing their friends and listening to their voices, I was going to start living in the now, as Barry puts it, and put an end to these internal battles.

Just as I started to feel confident, Nicole’s cell went off. As she drew her eyes together, she mumbled, “It’s my uncle.” As she left to answer it, my heart skipped at the possibility of the appointment being cancelled. Something may have occurred to cause a delay. Barry shot me a sideways glance, but other than the quick reassurance nod, he acted like everything was normal.

“What’s this I hear about you falling asleep in Mr. Wilson’s class,” Caleb asked, pulling me from my mental meltdown.

Suddenly blushing, I had to smile. As embarrassing as it was, I wondered if the entire school knew by now. Barry smirked at me as I explained, “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I stayed up late working on homework.”

“You’re lucky he didn’t give you detention. He usually does, which means he must like you or something,” he continued with his teasing.

Quickly realizing that I wanted the attention off of me, Barry interrupted, asking Caleb a question about the upcoming weekend. Grateful for the escape, I slipped back into my comfort zone of playing the listener.

The anxiety churned in my stomach when Nicole returned to the table. The casual way she flipped her hair concealed her own apprehension. I wasn’t sure how she did it, but the way she disguised her emotions was skillful. She should go into acting. When she shot us a quick smile, my body relaxed knowing the meeting was still a go.

I breezed through the rest of the lunch period. My focus improved, either from the food I’d eaten, or knowing that we’d overcome the first obstacle. Whatever the reason, it was refreshing to have my second wind. Funny, how positivity could affect your alertness.

When lunch ended, Nicole waited for the rest of the gang to leave before speaking. She confirmed our meeting, explaining the call was him verifying the time. At least we were still meeting him right after school. Barry’s driving us there, which will take a few minutes longer than I anticipated, since his office was in the next town over. My adrenaline started racing again as the realization sunk in that we were getting toward the end. In a way, I could sense Johnny’s own excitement. I was sure that was my own imagination, but the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together creating a disheartening, but beautiful picture.

~13~

Interrogation

“Can I help you?” The monotone voice of the receptionist rang through the semi–deserted room. The place was vacant except for one couple off to the left. They had that don’t–mess–with–me attitude, acting like they’d punch the first person who’d dared to cross them. Tattoos sleeved his arms while studs and spikes lined her lips and eyelids. But that wasn’t the intimidating part, it was their hostile expression. I tried not to stare.

“We’re here to see Detective Steve Tanner,” Nicole stated. Her voice was filled with such confidence; I was impressed. She sounded as if coming here was an everyday norm for her.

“Just one minute, I’ll let him know you’re here,” the receptionist said with a hint of a smile.

As the lady picked up the phone, I was overcome by exhaustion. Apparently, my lack of sleep had caught up with me again. I needed to sit, and quick. After panning around the room, I stumbled over to some chairs in the corner, far away from the hostile couple. My second wind had completely drained away, leaving me worn out.

When I sat down, a sense of déjà vu occurred. I shivered at the remembrance of the stale–colored, block walls. That scene was far too familiar, as it brought back the painful memories of talking to the detective back home. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, mentally praying I wouldn’t have to fight as hard to convince Nicole’s uncle about my abilities.

Back home, it was disastrous trying to get them to listen to me. The detective mocked me the entire time I tried explaining what I had envisioned. Finally, I had enough. Throwing my hands up in the air, I blurted out the information I knew and stormed out. Halfway down the hallway, I heard the detective’s voice yelling after me. Even though I didn’t want to, I halted. Every piece of me wanted to continue walking away, getting as far away from him as I could. But that wouldn’t have been fair to April. When I turned around, to my surprise, the detective stood in front of me appearing chagrin.

Apparently, my precise description of the lake spawned enough interest to listen. Once his mind opened to the possibility that I may know something, he began the search. Three hours later, they found April’s body. After all the hype settled, the detective never once apologized for his rudeness toward me. Instead of being angry, I found enough justification in knowing I helped lead them to April’s killer.

The pressure from wondering how well I’d be accepted by Nicole’s uncle was strangulating. When things were out of my control, I usually didn’t let them consume me, but this meeting had to go right. Detective Tanner disbelieving me wasn’t an option because Johnny’s depending on me. I couldn’t disappoint him.

The heaviness filled my chest as the anxiety kept rising. This was the time I usually grabbed my cigarettes, and I yearned for that stick that was buried deep inside my handbag. I could practically taste the menthol as I blew away the built–up anxiety.
Yes, I could definitely use that cigarette.