Visions of Death

by B. T. Lord

  As much as she loathed to admit it, there was a part of her that was eating up the attention, even if she was terrified for the reason behind it. It was dope that she actually had bodyguards looking after her. Okay, maybe not actual bodyguards like Rihanna or Lady Gaga had. But nobody else on Eagla had anyone patrolling their houses.

  How awesome was that?

  The only downside to all of this was Tim’s inability to make his night-time visits. She missed their trysts, but staying alive eclipsed getting it on under the sheets. She was sure he’d get over it. And once the deputy caught Mal’s killer, life could get back to normal.

  DeeDee laid back down against the cool pillow and willed herself to fall asleep. She thought of snow topped mountains and meadows filled with flowers to relax her. When that didn’t work, she tried the mindful breathing stuff she and Mal had found on YouTube.

  Still nothing. If anything, she was more wide awake.

  Once again, she sat up and leaned over to turn on the light. Maybe reading would lull her to sleep. She was halfway through this delicious romance that featured a gorgeous pirate, a kidnapped heiress and lots of hot sex all over the pirate ship. Even if it didn’t help her sleep, it would at least help her forget the danger she was in.

  Just as her fingers touched the button, she felt a strange sensation come over her. She looked around the dark bedroom, her brow furrowed in bewilderment. It was so weird that she suddenly felt she wasn’t alone in her room.

  This was stupid. Of course she was alone. Lucky used to sleep with her, but the large Maine Coon cat had died the previous year. So who else would be in here with her?

  Yet the feeling wouldn’t leave. Convinced she was overreacting to all that had gone on these last few days, DeeDee pressed the button on the lamp. To her dismay, it didn’t turn on. A shot of fear ran through her until she remembered the bulb had burned out that afternoon. God, how dumb could she be. She’d completely forgotten to replace it. Since she was wide awake, she might as well replace it now. That would help ease her overactive imagination.

  She threw back the covers and slid out of bed. She started towards the door when she suddenly froze mid-step. She tilted her head and stared at the door. Was there really someone standing there?

  No, this was insane. There couldn’t be anyone there. She’d been awake for hours. She would definitely have heard someone come in. Yet her senses were telling her there was someone there.

  DeeDee took a step back, frantically trying to convince herself her mind was playing tricks on her. The stress was getting to be too much.

  That’s what you told yourself about the dream.

  The damned dream. And that shadow thing in the damned dream. Shivering as she remembered the paralyzing cold and dread when it had touched her cheek, she caught her breath as a terrifying thought occurred to her.

  Was that what was in her room?

  As if in answer to her unspoken question, DeeDee stared in horror as two red dots suddenly appeared in the darkness. A moment later, a form detached itself from the deep shadows and started moving towards her.

  She fell back against the bed, terrified and mesmerized by the redness of the eyes that seemed to want to swallow her up whole.

  Then she opened her mouth and began to scream.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “The Reids are making arrangements to take DeeDee off the island,” Cade said as he stood in Ellis’s office the next morning. “Nightmare unhinged her. Threatened to leave the island on her own.”

  “Where is she going?”

  “Aggie has a sister in Bethel. They’re going there.”

  “The ferry doesn’t leave for two days. What will they do in the meantime?”

  “Aggie’s staying in her bedroom with her.” Cade pulled his hand through his hair. “You any closer to figuring out who did this?”

  Ellis shook his head. “I’ve interviewed all of Mallory’s friends who said she was enjoying herself at the bonfire. Her parents agreed that she was feeling fine that day. She was picked up by DeeDee and Tim at eight o’clock and stayed at the beach until eleven when the party broke up. DeeDee commented that something made Mallory suddenly turn pensive near the end of the evening. So pensive in fact that she insisted on walking home so she could think. She disappeared into the night and was never seen alive again. Forensics haven’t completed their analysis yet, but there were no signs of struggle on the road leading to her home, or at Watson Pond.”

  “What about my boat?”

  “They’re still working on it, but preliminary results show no human blood stains.”

  “I didn’t much appreciate giving that lady samples of my DNA, fingerprints and hair.”

  “They needed those items to compare to whatever they might find on your boat.”

  “’A course they’re gonna find all that stuff. It’s my boat!”

  “Don’t worry, Cade. That’s just standard operating procedure.”

  “I’m officially telling you I didn’t do it.”

  Ellis hid his smile. “I didn’t think you did. Your alibi of staying over your mother in law’s place checked out.”

  Cade sucked in his breath. “You didn’t believe me?”

  “Part of –”

  Cade put up his hand. “I know, I know. Standard operating procedure.”

  Ellis sat back in his chair. “I believe Mallory was killed by a local. There are several reasons to think that – reasons, I’m sure you understand – that I can’t divulge right now.”

  “’A course she was killed by a local. That girl invented the word ‘rude’.”

  Ellis turned a surprised eye towards him. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

  “No one likes speaking ill of the dead.”

  “It never occurred to you that might have helped in the investigation?”

  “I’m telling you now, ain’t I?” Ellis clamped down on his frustration. “A lot of people had a problem with her. She was only nice to the summer visitors who came to the shop. And ‘a course to Trudy Fields. She’s the woman who owns The Elegant Swan.”

  “I spoke to her by phone. She had nothing to add. She said Mallory was fine this past summer.”

  “She got herself a big home in Charleston, South Carolina where she spends her winters.”

  “Must be nice,” Ellis noted. “Have you noticed anyone acting suspicious since Mallory’s body was found?”

  Cade tilted his head, thought for a long moment, then shook it. “I been putting the word out. Telling folks to talk to you if they know or suspect anything. The fact that they haven’t means they don’t have anything to say.” He saw Ellis’s look. “I’ll keep pushing though.”

  “That would be very much appreciated, Cade.”

  “I’ll get right on it. We’re having a meeting this afternoon. I’ll bring it up.”

  After Cade left, Ellis stood up and looked out the window onto Harbor Street. Although the sun was out, the temperatures were still chilly. And with many of the shops boarded up for another two months, the sidewalks were fairly empty.

  Faced with the frustrating prospect of re-interviewing everyone, he was about to turn away when an old Dodge truck rattled to a stop a few doors down from the card shop. He knew the truck belonged to John; he’d seen it the day before when he and Richard had come in for their interview.

  He watched as John swung out of the door and furtively looked about him before scurrying down the alleyway that led to Dara’s apartment.

  Knowing how disliked she was by the islanders, Ellis wondered what the young man could be up to. And what it meant for the young psychic.

  Dara grimaced when she leaned over to dust behind the lamp. After the incident with Richard the night before, she’d come upstairs and taken a long, hot Epsom and lavender bath. It had soothed her bruised tailbone and calmed her nerves, though now, with her bending up and down, a slight throb was returning. She stood up and decided the rest of the dusting could wait while she sat with a hot pack.

&
nbsp; She was in the process of digging it out of one of the kitchen drawers when she heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it was Richard returning to harass her yet again, her hands began to shake. Although her car was parked outside, she could pretend she wasn’t home. As long as she didn’t open her door, she was safe. She sat down on the edge of the couch and prayed frantically that Richard would give up and go away.

  “Dara, it’s John! Open up. It’s just me, I swear. I need to see you.”

  She wasn’t sure if she could trust him. He and Richard were joined at the hip – always had been since they were kids. But he did save her yesterday. And there was something in his voice, an urgency, that told her he really did need to see her.

  Questioning whether she was making a huge mistake by letting him in, her eyes rested on the duster. With its wooden handle, she could always use it as a weapon if she needed to. If nothing else, she could fill Richard or John’s face with dust while she dashed back up the stairs.

  She made her way down the steps, holding the duster tightly in her hand. She saw John standing on the porch through the glass. From her angle, she saw no one with him, but that didn’t mean Richard wasn’t hiding where she couldn’t see him.

  “Please open up. It’s important.” She didn’t move. “I spoke to Richard last night and told him what an ass he was for harassing you. I made him promise to leave you alone.”

  “He never listens to anyone.”

  “He’s in hot water with his old man because of a bar fight he got into in Portland last month. If his dad finds out he threatened you, he’ll throw Richard out of the business.”

  “So what?”

  “Richard loves fishing. He’s been dreaming of taking over the business once Mr. Huntson retires ever since he was a kid. Believe me, Dara, he won’t want that wrecked.”

  Dara sighed. John sounded very convincing.

  “Okay. I’ll let you in. But if I find out you’re lying…”

  “I’m not. I swear.”

  As Dara stood on the darkened stairway, information started flooding into her mind. She suddenly understood why John had come to see her. She felt his fear through the glass, through the door. It seeped into her pores until she wanted to throw up. If she were any other kind of person, she would tell him to go screw himself. She was tired of being treated like a leper. But he needed her. She could feel it. And she couldn’t in good conscience turn him away. Not if there was a chance she could use him to convince the others to continue to ignore her.

  She leaned forward and unlocked the door.

  “Thanks Dara. I really appreciate this.”

  “Uh huh.”

  She followed him upstairs.

  “Sit on the couch,” she ordered when they entered her apartment.

  Usually, this was when she handed the client the tarot deck and asked them to shuffle the cards. But not today. Today, she would show this jerk how good she really was.

  She sat down opposite him.

  “I came today because—”

  She immediately put her hand up, cutting him off mid-sentence. “Don’t tell me why you’re here. As part of a reading, I’m the one who does the talking. You just listen. Okay?” He nodded.

  She made herself comfortable before lifting her eyes and staring at him. He was nervous and growing more nervous the longer she gazed at him, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed being a bit of a jerk for once and watching him squirm. Finally, when she thought he’d had enough, she said, “You’re here because you’re terrified you’re going to be killed like Mallory was. You need me to tell you if that’s true.”

  John’s face turned white. “How the hell do you—”

  “I’m the witch, remember?” she answered bitterly.

  “Aw shit, Dara, I said I was sorry about that. Richard can be a complete moron sometimes.”

  “But you both believe it. All your friends believe it.”

  He shifted in his seat. “Well, you have to admit, you and your family have always been –” he caught her look “—um, well, you always knew stuff.”

  “There are millions of people like me, you know. It’s called having ESP - extrasensory perception. And mediumship abilities. Believe me, I didn’t ask for it. If I could, I’d get rid of it in a heartbeat.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just kinda unnerving. Put yourself in our shoes. You have to admit, it was a little weird sitting with you in school and knowing you could look at one of us and know everything about that person, including what was going to happen to them.”

  “That’s not how it works, John. I don’t suddenly know everything about a person, or what they can expect in their life. I’m not some kind of psychic peeping tom. I only see what I’m supposed to see.”

  “Will you be able to see – you know – the reason I’m here?”

  In that moment, Dara knew she had a choice. She could lie and scare the pants off him like his friend had scared her the night before. It would be so easy to tell him both he and Richard were next on the killer’s list. But she couldn’t do it. As much as she loathed how John and his friends made her feel, she couldn’t stoop to their level. She slowly shook her head.

  “You can’t see if I’m going to die?” John practically wailed.

  “Actually you are going to die.” Just as she thought he would faint, she added, “But not until you’re in your eighties.”

  Okay, so maybe she could stoop down to their level. At least a tiny bit.

  “Are you sure? You’re not just saying that, are you?”

  She gave a sigh. “I’m not lying, John. You’re not going to be murdered like Mallory was. So you can rest easy.”

  She was taken aback to see his eyes fill with tears.

  “Just for the record, I never thought you were weird, Dara,” he said. “You’re like those psychics I see on TV. You’ve got a gift, that’s all.” He stood up. “I’m sorry again for what happened last night. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  He dug into his pocket, withdrew some cash and put it on the table between them. “Thanks. You’ve made me feel – well, I appreciate it.”

  “Sure,” she said, suddenly feeling very tired. She watched as John got up and started towards the door.

  “Is it true about DeeDee?” she impulsively asked. She’d heard the gossip in the coffee shop that morning and knew, as part of that particular clique, John would know the truth. “Does she really think she’s next?”

  John’s shoulders sagged slightly. “Yeah. She’s been having these whacked out dreams. Tim thinks she’s just letting what happened to Mal get to her, but she’s convinced she’s going to be killed.”

  “I heard she’s leaving Eagla.”

  He nodded. “Her aunt and uncle live in Bethel. She and her mom are heading out there for a few weeks.”

  “If she’s so scared, why is she waiting for the ferry? I’m sure her dad could find someone to take her over to Portland.”

  John smiled. “You know DeeDee. She’s probably bringing twenty pieces of luggage that’s sure to sink even the sturdiest fishing trawler. Actually, I get the sense her family is just humoring her. She can take anything and blow it up to epic proportions. Her dad isn’t about to shell out good money when he can wait two more days and pay the ferry fare.”

  “But her friend was murdered. She may have a legitimate reason for being frightened.”

  “She’s got a bunch of her dad’s friends patrolling the house night and day. Tell me she isn’t eating up all the attention that’s giving her.” Dara had to agree. “Do you think she is next?”

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  “I’ll be sure not to tell her that.”

  “You know John, there doesn’t need to be a next victim. Mal could have been the victim of someone who just didn’t like her.”

  Yet even as she said it, she instinctively knew her words weren’t true. Whoever killed Mal didn’t like her. Probably hated her to do what they did to her face. But there was more to it than that. A r
eason that suddenly gave Dara the chills, causing her to veer her mind away from the unpleasant thoughts.

  “If it was just that, most of the island would be suspects.”

  Dara smiled. “Yeah. Mallory didn’t exactly go out of her way to be nice to people.”

  “I don’t suppose your powers could tell you who did kill her. It would go a long way to calming everyone down.”

  “If I knew, I would have called Deputy Martin a long time ago.”

  John nodded, then let himself out of the apartment. She closed her eyes and listened to John’s steps walking down the creaky stairs. Glad to be alone, she frowned when she suddenly heard him returning. Damn. He was probably going to ask if anyone else in their group needed to fear for their life. She really wasn’t up to doing another reading for him.

  “Did you forget something?” she asked, hoping the tone of her voice would send the message that she wanted him to leave.

  “Just making sure everything is okay.”

  Her eyes flew open and she caught her breath when she saw Ellis standing in the doorway.

  “Are you spying on me?” she demanded, aghast at such a thought.

  “No. I happened to look out the window of my office and saw John slip down the alleyway into your courtyard. As far as I know, the only thing back here is the entrance to your apartment. Is everything alright?”

  “No offense, Deputy, but I am twenty-one.”

  “And you live alone which is why I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve known John since grade school.”

  “Sorry if I offended you. He just looked a bit nervous. Though I suppose if he was coming up here for a card reading, he’d be a tad anxious at what you’d see.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t do a card reading for John.” Technically, she wasn’t lying. She hadn’t picked up a card to tell John anything. “Besides, if I did, I don’t see how that should concern you. Tarot card readings aren’t illegal.”