Kaleidoscope

by Chariss K. Walker

  While we dined, no questions were asked or answered. It wasn’t planned; it was just a mutual understanding. When we returned to the business center, the meeting continued. I had decided over lunch that I no longer blamed Adom. I’d also decided to tell him everything that had happened in the last month. He had a great deal of knowledge about how the company as a whole organism worked, and I wanted his opinion.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I started from the beginning, telling Adom all the events that had transpired since I told Nelson about my ability. I included Casey, reporting to Roussillon three weeks early, and the FBI. By the time I finished, Adom knew everything I knew and I saw a pattern—all of it happened after I told Nelson.

  “No wonder you came to see me, Dr. Mike,” Adom said as he shook his head in wonderment.

  “I didn’t have a choice. Everything pointed to one question—who knew about my ability. The answer: only three people—Nelson, you, and me. I had to find out who you’d told because I didn’t think Nelson would tell anyone.”

  “Do you still believe that, Dr. Mike?” Adom raised his eyebrows with the question.

  Do I?

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Do you still believe that Dr. Nelson Fitch hasn’t told anyone?” Adom repeated.

  “Adom, Nelson helped me in many ways since that initial appointment when I told him about the ability. Through his guidance, I’ve lost the aversion to this gift. I can actually see it as a gift now rather than a curse.”

  “How does he do this, Dr. Mike?” Adom asked. His normally even and calm expression was determined; his lips parted in expectation.

  “Nelson taught me how to observe the visions. His instructions have enabled me to remain objective, even though the visions can be horrible. Before, I felt trapped in the middle of the scene as if it was happening to me too. Now, I’m detached. I’m aware that I’m only observing it. Through the practice of that technique, it has freed my intuitive ability. When I was in Marseille, the kaleidoscope showed me a personal image. That was the first time it had done that. If it hadn’t been for that vision, I’d be locked away at the company research facility, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It protected me.”

  “No, Dr. Mike; it is not the first time that the images have been personal. It’s the first time you remember the images to be personal,” Adom corrected. “You’ve had this ability your entire life, but somewhere along the way you turned it off. After I reactivated the gift, it returned as a broken version of what it had been. I can’t say for sure what caused this, and I’m sorry that you’ve struggled all these years. I can assure you that the techniques Nelson taught you are classic examples of what the research facility teaches. Is it possible that The Rodante Group instructed Nelson in these methods? Do you think he has been the eyes and ears of the company for many years? Has he made reports on you since college?” I didn’t have an answer and wasn’t sure that I wanted to know the answer.

  “Once the arrangement starts, there isn’t an easy way out of the agreement with the company. They have you in a binding contract, and they’ll exert force when necessary to keep you there,” Adom said with sadness in his tone. He paused to study my reaction. “You see, Dr. Mike, I know them from a very different perspective than you do. You’ve worked for GMS as a degreed specialist for many years. It gave you a limited viewpoint of them while they’ve been able to watch your every move. I’ve seen them from many angles: a young confused man with a new ability that I didn’t understand, a hungry student desiring an education that I couldn’t afford or obtain any other way, and a businessman indebted for the opportunities presented over the years. I’ve never been able to leave their employment, Dr. Mike, nor will I ever be able to leave them.”

  Suddenly, I had a new appreciation for Adom. In the years since that fateful first brow tap, I’d never imagined that he didn’t have a choice. He’d had to live with the consequences of a decision made when he was only a child. It was a deal with the devil and no way out.

  “Well, Adom, where do we go from here?” I asked.

  “I have no choice. I must return to my life and the company I own because all of it is attached to my family, the people that I love most. You, on the other hand, don’t have a family to consider, but you might want that one day. Either you can let them take you to their research facility or you can elude them. If you choose the second option, you’ll need a lot of help. They know everything about you: where you live and work, your habits and routines. They know your friends and family. They could take you at any time. They have endless options while you have limited choices. In order to succeed, you’ll need a new identity,” Adom explained.

  “You’re right, they know everything about me. I have no place to run or hide.”

  “You need a friend or ally in the federal government. If it were me,” Adom continued, “and if I didn’t have all the attachments and commitments that I have, I’d run,” he said with conviction. Then, he laughed loudly at himself because he knew the suggestion was not only impossible, it was unlikely. I chuckled with him and some of the tension seemed to ease.

  “I can offer you two pieces of help, Dr. Mike,” Adom continued. “First, a suggestion that you refrain from meeting with Nelson for the time being, and when you do meet with him again, only share the kaleidoscope images and utilize his obvious expertise in helping your growth in this area. Don’t give him any details about your personal life, experiences, or plans. Secondly, if you decide to run, I can liquidate your assets and transfer them to your new identity. It’s called a transfer of wealth. You will need that service if you decide to evade the company.”

  “Why would you do that? No, forget why; how would you do that?”

  Adom chuckled softly and then replied, “Consider it my way of repaying a debt. After all, I am the one who made the first official report. The actual ‘how’ is better left unknown, but I do have the means and the expertise, Dr. Mike. The company paid handsomely for my education in many areas. On this, you’ll need to trust me. I cannot begin to start this action, however, until you have a new identity. Again, you’ll need someone in the government to help you with that. It’s much more difficult than it once was. It can be bought, but there’s always the chance of a scam. It’s better to have a friend on the inside.”

  A friend on the inside… there was Joseph Talbot. Did I dare to trust him? Hell, Joe might not trust me. That’s the real rub. Once Joe finds out everything I’ve hidden from him, he might just shoot first. Then again, he might want to help. He’d said he could take off his FBI hat if I needed a friend—and I do. That’s more obvious now than ever before.

  “Thank you for the offer to help, Adom.”

  “Then you’ll plan to run, Dr. Mike?”

  “I’ll plan to think about running.”

  We shook hands and parted as allies.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next morning, I landed at JFK around ten o’clock. No one was waiting at the gate when I exited the plane. When I got to the brownstone, I took a hot shower and dressed in jeans and a sweater. It was supposed to be spring, but temperatures all over the world had been unseasonably cooler. The sweater felt nice, and the warmth soon lulled me to an exhausted sleep. After the nap, I searched for a dojo within walking distance.

  Nelson had left several messages trying to set an appointment, but I’d missed the suggested times. I decided to drop by his office on the way to the dojo. I worried that it might be a trap. If he made reports to the company, the appointment time might be a set up. Now that Casey wasn’t around to keep tabs, someone else close to me would do it.

  In Roussillon, Sensei Fukui had warned against predictable behavior—Predictable can get you killed. When I arrived at Nelson’s office, he looked surprised to see me, “I can spend an hour with you, Mike. Sarah’s expecting me home for dinner tonight. Does that work for you?” he asked.

  “Yes, that works perfectly.”

  Nelson didn’t ask any
personal questions. I found it odd that he didn’t have any questions regarding my whereabouts, but I wanted to take advantage of what he could teach. We went straight to work.

  “I’ve been thinking about our conversation at Cavenders when you mentioned feeling more intuitive,” Nelson said. “I’d like to point out a few things that might help you understand how intuition works. The mind is a machine, or, more aptly, a computer. It organizes the details of our lives and compartmentalizes those particulars into manageable bits of information. For analysis sake, I’m going to call the bits of information ‘spoons.’ Let’s say that the mind juggles ten spoons each day. There’s a spoon for work, one for family, one for a hobby, and so on. In your case, maybe you used six of the ten allotted spoons to deal with your ability. Perhaps, it took six spoons to stifle or deny the ability, to keep it hidden from family and friends. When using that many spoons for one objective, it leaves a void in other areas. Those areas suffer. For example, perhaps there wasn’t a spoon left for socializing or personal commitments. Perhaps there wasn’t a spoon left for the natural intuition and insight that we develop at certain stages.

  “It’s about acceptance. You’ve heard the analogy that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Well, the same concept could apply with denial and acceptance. Acceptance is a more natural state whereas denial requires concentrated energy. It’s apparent you’ve reached a certain level of acceptance regarding your gift. You no longer need to allocate so many spoons as a defensive mechanism. Some spoons are now free to develop in other areas such as intuition. With that in mind, I have some additional tips to help develop intuition.”

  “Ok,” I replied. “Where do we begin?”

  “First, it’s important to be accepting of your intuition, just as you’re now more accepting of your ability. With intuition, we know without knowing how we know. Don’t discount ‘gut feelings’ or that ‘knowing.’ Be accepting of it as another avenue of reasoning,” Nelson answered.

  “I’ve been trying to do just that, but sometimes it feels as if I’m making leaps and conjectures out of thin air.”

  “Use these guidelines: Be observant of the people and situations around you. You’re working on this already as you observe the images but continue to use it in everyday situations. Concentrate on improving the senses of sight, smell, and sound. Try to see and hear things that others miss. Become a better listener by hearing what isn’t said as well as what is. And finally, use a step-by-step process to analyze everything. When your intuition is telling you something, ask what else supports its conclusion. Do your other senses of sight, smell, and sound back it up? These steps will help develop intuition and will assist as the passive observer of the kaleidoscope images as well. Practice them. Any questions?” Nelson asked as he rushed to end the meeting.

  “I should've been taking notes, Professor,” I said and then laughed. Rarely had anything been interesting other than work and classes regarding my profession. It felt good to want to benefit from what Nelson taught.

  “Not to worry, Mike. Here’s a copy of the key-points. I printed it out for our two o’clock appointment in anticipation that you’d want it,” he said. He laughed as he handed over the paper and then stood up to conclude the meeting.

  After I left Nelson’s office, I headed in the direction of the new dojo. When only a few blocks from Nelson’s office, three very large heavy-set men blocked my path. They formed a shield and moved forward, forcing me against the storefront. The tactic blocked me from the view of any passersby.

  Fuck! The company has sent in the big guns after all and I’m not ready for this!

  I looked around, but there wasn’t any place to run. Before I could react to the threat, however, the one closest stated their intention. His deep voice was smooth and melodic, almost hypnotic, “Mr. D’Angelo requests the pleasure of your company, Mr. Lewis.”

  Of course! I’d been so concerned with my own ass, I hadn’t even considered what happened after Casey’s death in Marseille. Her parents wanted answers. The D’Angelos discovered I was with their daughter when she died. They’d sent three very large Italian men to bring me in.

  I held up my hands as a gesture that I’d willingly go with them. The three men chuckled softly as if there was any other way for me to go. It was a reminder that I needed skills to protect myself. I couldn’t risk capture by the company’s trained goons or Italian knee breakers.

  I was corralled into a stretch limo where one of the men put a black bag over my head before we headed to an indistinct destination. This was a one-time trip and Mr. D’Angelo didn’t want anyone to find his or her way back unless invited. The car drove into a basement garage and I was ordered to get out. All three men escorted me to the elevator, and we rode up many levels. After the door opened, one of the men took my elbow and led me forward. Just outside an elaborately ornate door, he pulled the bag off and knocked softly before entering. He nudged me forward.

  Inside, Mr. and Mrs. D’Angelo stood near a gas fireplace that emitted low warmth. Mrs. D’Angelo wore a long black silk skirt with a matching jacket and cream silk blouse. She was obviously in mourning for her only daughter, but she looked elegant in spite of that. I could see where Casey got her exceptional looks. Mr. D’Angelo was also dressed in a suit, the kind worn to black-tie events. Looking around the place, I doubted that he owned any other kind. There was obvious wealth everywhere. They waited patiently for the escort to close the door before acknowledging my presence. Finally, D’Angelo eyed me suspiciously.

  “I understand you were with my daughter in Marseille,” he stated flatly. I nodded. “My wife and I want to know the truth of how she died.”

  I shifted my feet uncomfortably, more from the pain of Casey’s grieving parents than from any real physical discomfort of standing on trial before them. Mrs. D’Angelo noticed and said, “Please, sit down, Michael. May I call you Michael?’

  “It’s Michael James Lewis, Mrs. D’Angelo, but please call me Mike.”

  I moved forward to the loveseat near the sofa and waited for them to sit. They sat stiffly and I joined them. I decided it might be best to come as clean as possible with Casey’s parents. With a certain degree of censorship, I could tell them the truth. They needed closure.

  “What I’m going to tell you is everything I know about your daughter’s death. Some of this isn’t currently known by the authorities, but I trust you’ll keep it that way.” Mr. and Mrs. D’Angelo nodded in unison and then looked at each other and nodded again. I began, “I met Casey at Cavenders coffeehouse about six weeks ago. We had dinner together that night at Fleur-de-lis and she went home with me. We spent the next two evenings together.”

  I looked at each one closely to determine if what I’d said was offensive. D’Angelo nodded for me to continue. “On Saturday evening, I returned from my routine workout at the gym to find Casey in my kitchen preparing a meal. I hadn’t given her a key, but she looked so lovely, I failed to ask how she got in.” I paused again, hesitating to share the intimate details of our history.

  “We understand that this is sensitive, but please just tell us exactly as it happened. Do not spare our feelings!” Mrs. D’Angelo sobbed. D’Angelo also nodded agreement while he patted his wife’s shoulder to comfort her.

  “Just tell us, Mike. We know our daughter better than anyone and we only want the truth,” D’Angelo said. “Please, go on.”

  I told them everything I could about the time spent with their daughter. When I got to the part where Casey put a sedative in my wine glass, I omitted the kaleidoscope warning. There wasn’t an easy way to tell that.

  “You must understand that I did pick up Casey’s wine glass… I don’t know why she wanted to drug me… I didn’t know she worked for anyone other than you, Mr. D’Angelo.” I shared what I’d learned from the FBI and Casey. I hesitated again as I thought about what to say next.

  “Please tell us, Mike,” D’Angelo said, sensing that I might leave something out.

  “Ok, Mr.
D’Angelo, but I have to warn you this is bizarre. The FBI said Casey was in every city where my job was located for the last four years even though I’d never met her until six weeks ago.” I waited for that to sink in. “No one knows who she worked for or what it had to do with me or the work I do. And, I’m sorry that I don’t have more to tell you,” I finished.

  “You are a geophysicist.” D’Angelo said thoughtfully. I nodded even though it wasn’t a question. “And, you work for Geomatics,” D’Angelo stated, having already done his homework. I nodded again. Mr. and Mrs. D’Angelo stood simultaneously. I rose with them. The meeting was over. “Thank you, Mike. You’ve given us something to work with, a place to begin. It’s more than we were able to get from the authorities. I don’t know if you’re trying to find out who’s behind this, but I give you my word that I won’t rest until I’ve brought whoever is responsible to justice,” D’Angelo vowed.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I was dropped-off at the same location where I was originally accosted and continued to the dojo. As I entered the main door, I noticed two smaller rooms, one on the right and one on the left, before the larger practice arena. An instructor taught a group of several young boys and two girls the importance of being observant. I listened for a few minutes and then entered the arena.

  I didn’t see anyone, so continued walking towards the back and noticed that there were two identical rooms just like the ones in the front of the building. The one on the right was empty, but an instructor and a thirty-something-year-old female were in the room on the left. I sat on a small bench in the hallway between the rooms. After the class concluded and his student left, the instructor introduced himself as Sensei Wakahisa. I later learned the name is briefly translated as “forever young” or “long life.”