Visions: The Mystical Encounter Series (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 1) (21 page)

We finally reached the chairs that were lined up for the audience. As Mom took her seat, I told her good–bye, and hurried over to join Barry and Nicole.

Detective Tanner was standing not too far away; talking to a uniformed officer that I’d never seen before. By their tone, the conversation seemed intense. I didn’t pay close enough attention to what they were arguing about since I figured it didn’t concern me. Wanting to slip past them unnoticed, I maneuvered myself in a way that drew the least amount of attention.

I talked to the detective off and on during the past six months. There hadn’t really been anything significant for me to help with, but I thought he liked to keep in touch in case something did occur. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but wonder if his visits had more to do with my mother than me.

When we came home from school one afternoon, they were together on the porch, clearly enjoying each other’s company. The reason behind his visit was to inform me about the final details of the ceremony, but the way he was eyeing my mom, I felt he had ulterior motives‌—‌After all, everything he mentioned could have been done by phone. As he tried keeping his attention on me, his focus kept straying toward Mom. Shortly afterward, I asked Nicole her thoughts about him, and she informed me he was still married, but they were going through a divorce. Regardless, if he still had a wife, then I didn’t want Mom involved. Being caught in the middle of someone else’s divorce never ended well.

“I’m glad you’re finally here,” Nicole said when I reached them. “Can you believe this crowd?”

Her eyes twinkled with excitement, and I couldn’t help but smile back‌—‌all thoughts about Detective Tanner yearning for my mom erased.

“I know, right?”

Barry grabbed a hold of my hand after I sat down, making me smile. He smiled back at me, causing mine to widen. I just shook my head slightly because he’d never understand how much I appreciated his friendship. He was the first person to break the barrier that surrounded me, and the first person to actually understand me. I admired the fact that he looked beyond my abilities and took them in stride.

Whatever happens between us, I know deep in my heart, he’d always remain a big part of my life. Somebody who had been that open to the strange world I lived in deserved my utmost respect. Although I still couldn’t say the words “I love you,” he knew my feelings for him were strong. One day, I would have the courage to express myself. Until then, I hoped he’d continue to understand.

With a squeeze of his hand, I turned away to gaze into the crowd. The seats filled up quickly, and I was shocked to see the Boyers’ sitting in the third row. I couldn’t believe they were all here. I never would have thought Mr. Boyer would be anywhere near me. Perhaps he’d warmed up to my ability since his son came home safe that day. His eyes met mine for a couple of seconds, before I had to force myself to turn away. By the fierceness of his stare, it was clear that hadn’t been the case at all.
What was that man’s problem?

That cold stare brought back memories of the week after Johnny’s body was exhumed. They didn’t treat me differently too long, but it was unnerving. After the novelty of finding Johnny’s remains and helping with Ryan’s safe home coming wore off, most people went back to their normal way of treating me. The difference between the two towns amazed me. Nobody talked to me back home, but here it was so different. I still had the same friends I had before anything became public. Not a single one of them betrayed me.

Maybe that’s the difference between a happy ending versus a sad one. Or, maybe it was the simple fact that Barry and Nicole were there backing me up the whole time. Back home, I never really had any friends to stand behind me. It felt nice.

While I scanned the crowd once again, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Nicole was right. There were a lot of people here. One person was missing, though‌—‌Barry’s mom. I had yet to meet her, but I found it strange she would miss the event.
Wouldn’t you want to see your son honored?
I had hoped today would be my chance to finally meet her. With Barry spending his weekends over at his grandma’s house, the opportunity had never presented itself. I found it odd that she never came around. You would have thought she’d visit his grandma once in a while, but I had yet to see her there. I finally knew what she looked like‌—‌sort of. There was a small, oval picture of her sitting on the bookshelf, and I wandered over to it one day to sneak in a peek. The picture was a younger version of her, but at least it gave me an idea of what she looked like.

Whenever I asked Barry about her, it was like driving down a dead–end road‌—‌never getting anywhere. Being reluctant to talk, the conversation fizzled away with me always dropping it. At first I was afraid he was embarrassed for me to meet her, but I no longer think it was me he was embarrassed for. Never wanting to sour our evening together, I didn’t press him for information. But before too long, I would have to meet her.

While I glanced toward the right, I noticed the detective was still arguing with that guy. Curiosity finally got the better of me, and I asked Nicole who the person next to her uncle was.

Much to my surprise, her face hardened as she flatly replied, “That’s the police chief.”

With a disgusted snarl, she turned her head, not adding any more details. The mayor made his way to the podium, so I let it drop. I tried diverting my attention toward him, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the detective and police chief parted ways. As Detective Tanner made his way over to us and sat next to Nicole, I didn’t miss the scowl on his face. They definitely did not get along.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to start the ceremony today with a moment of silence for Johnny Matthews,” the mayor stated.

As everyone bowed their heads, I kept thinking about the special connection I had with him. These people hadn’t talked to him since the day he went missing, but I was fortunate enough to have an exchange with him, just six short months ago. Euphoria tingled through me; the more I thought about how incredible that was. Yes, Johnny, I thought to myself, you deserve this. After everything you went through, you deserved to be remembered.

“Thanks, Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we come together to honor a little boy who was taken away too early from this earth. Ten years ago, this place suffered a horrible tragedy. One of our own went missing. For ten years we didn’t have many clues to go on. Six months ago, however, a newcomer came to our town. She brought with her hope…‌”

As the mayor was giving his speech, I began to feel really uncomfortable. I hated being focused upon. I shifted around in my seat, feeling rather self–conscious as multiple pairs of eyeballs shifted their gaze between the mayor and me. I felt like crawling through the hole in the back of my chair and hiding in one of the tunnels in the new equipment.

Barry must have known how I was feeling because he gave my hand a squeeze. While we sat there, he never let go. He would glance at me once in a while and smile. If anything was going to calm my nerves, it would be him. His warm hazel eyes, with that sexy grin, broke my concentration every time. When he throws that half–grin my way, all I can focus on was him.

People started clapping, interrupting my fantasy about Barry. Evidently the ceremony was over with as the crowd started to disperse.
How’d I miss it?
The mayor backed away from the podium and headed directly over to us.

“Fine job, guys…‌Fine job indeed.” He reached out and shook Barry’s hand. Then automatically without thinking, he patted me on the back and rested his hand there.

A shiver went through me as the daylight faded away to darkness, revealing me standing in a narrow, darkened street. The area was deserted with tall, but dark buildings surrounding me. On the side of the adjacent buildng sat a platform, housing a rusty metal door. That wasn’t the front side of the building, it couldn’t have been. It lacked the welcoming allure that most storefronts had. An alley, I thought to myself, I was in an alleyway, but not alone. The mayor was there talking to some guy who’s voice had a familiarity about it, but I couldn’t quite recognize. His face, darkened by the shadows, wasn’t visible enough. I watched silently as the stranger placed an unmarked envelope into the hands of the mayor. When he leaned forward, enough light filtered through to spark recognition of the police chief. That was why his voice seemed familiar. Uneasiness washed over me as I heard the police chief tell the mayor “This should hold you over for a while.”

As the mayor removed his hand, I snapped back to reality. When he started to walk away, I peered at Barry while trying to compose myself. Barry, in a hushed voice, immediately asked if I was all right. With a quick nod, he questioned what I had seen. I opened my mouth to tell him, but had to close it quickly when the Matthews approached us.

“Heather, we could never thank you enough. You’ll never be able to know just what you’ve done for us.” Mrs. Matthews said as tears started welling up in her eyes. “For years there has been a void, and now I think we can start to move on. What you’ve done with the money was such a noble gesture. His memory will live on forever,” she said as her voice cracked toward the end, refusing to let her finish.

While reaching out to give me a quick hug, she whispered “thanks” before hastily walking away. Her husband turned toward me with eyes filled with appreciation, and simply said, “Thank you” before taking off after his wife. Still shaken from my previous encounter, I let out a slight breath. At least her embrace didn’t reveal another vision.

With a glance at Barry, I nervously asked, “Did anyone notice me?”

“No, I don’t think so. You weren’t facing anyone but me. What did you…‌?”

A flood of people came up to us, interrupting us again. With an apologetic look, I turned back to the crowd and answered the questions being tossed at me from every direction. As I tried my best to listen to what everyone was saying, my mind kept reverting back to what I had seen. I couldn’t help but wonder what shady business went down between the mayor and the police chief. Part of me questioned if I should even get involved. I mentally debated whether to tell anyone else except Barry, but something definitely felt wrong.

Standing there having to talk to people was torturous. I tried my hardest to wear my fake social smile, hoping it would suffice. All I really wanted to do, however, was get away from everyone and tell Barry what I had seen. He kept glancing back at me with his own apologetic look, but I knew the suspense was killing him just as it was me. Finally, when the last person left, he came over to me.

“Barry,” I said in a low whisper. “You’re not going to believe what I saw…”

My mother, who was clearly ready to leave, interrupted us. I groaned before tossing Barry a desperate smile. As he leaned into me, he quickly hugged me while whispering, “I’ll come straight over.” Walking away, I glanced back toward Barry, knowing once I told him what I’d seen; this town would never be the same.

Thanks for reading Visions!

To be informed when the second book Deceptions is released, and to receive any further updates please join my newsletter at
Kimberly Readnour's newsletter

Any questions or comments can be directed to
[email protected]

Follow me on Facebook
www.facebook.com/KimberlyReadnourAuthor

Aknowledgements

Thanks to each one of you, the readers, for having enough interest to read my debut novel. Writing this book has been a fun journey. Originally written for my daughter’s eyes only, I am thrilled to have the opportunity for a wider audience. My wish is that you enjoyed the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to my daughter, Logan, for giving me the inspiration to write stories. You helped me discover my passion. With all the hobbies I’ve tried throughout the years, and there has been many, writing turned out to be the one to stick. I owe that to you. I can never thank you enough for getting me to publish this novel. If you hadn’t kept pursing after me, it would have continued to sit forever locked in the computer.

Thanks to my beta-readers Staci Vecellio, Brandon Prosser, and Denice Loveless. Each one of you brought something to the story. Staci, you gave me the encouragement to follow through with publishing, and to finish the second book. If it wasn’t for your encouraging words, I wouldn’t have listened to Logan. A big shout out to Brandon for letting me pick your brain for all police material. I’m thankful you’re not only an excellent policeman, but also an avid reader. Denice, thanks for giving the manuscript one more read to fill in any questions. Your advice was invaluable in making the story solid. Thank you everyone!

To the rest of my family a big thanks for all the encouragement you have given me during this time.

Kathie, my editor, I cannot thank you enough for turning my words into the story it became. A good editor is invaluable, and I feel blessed that you were able to be mine.

About the Author

Kimberly is a newly published author of Visions, a planned three book trilogy. She is a former Registered Nurse who hung-up her stethoscope to pursue other avenues. Within the last five years, she has discovered her passion for writing. Now, whenever there is downtime, you will find her tucked away with the computer, creating the stories floating around her head.

Kimberly lives in the Midwest with her husband and two children. The oldest is away at college, but when she returns, they enjoy hiking, camping, and simply hanging out as a family.

Table of Contents

Prologue

~1~

~2~

~3~

~4~

~5~

~6~

~7~

~8~