***
Kate walked to the front of her house and unlocked the door. As she was about to pass through her doorway, she stopped mid-step. An SUV had screeched against the curb as it parked haphazardly in front of her house. Kate gasped as she saw her mother’s boyfriend, Dan, slam his car door and hurry in her direction. As he moved closer, Kate could see the torment on his features.
“Dan, what are you doing here?”
“Kate, thank god you’re here. I’ve been looking for you all morning. I went to your mom’s house, I tried to call you…”
She interrupted him. “I can’t find my phone. I think I may have left it in Declan’s car last night. What’s going on?” Kate’s eyes surveyed him from head to toe. He was sweating profusely; she could make out the perspiration rings on his gray t-shirt and at his hairline. His dark hair was thinning and she could see the gleam from the top of his head as he panted in front of her. His anguished brown eyes locked on hers and she inhaled sharply. “Just tell me. What is it? Is it Mom?”
“No Kate, it’s Jared. He’s been…” Dan stumbled over his words. “Shot. It happened a short while ago.”
“No,” she moaned. She rocked back and forth and cradled her body by clutching at her elbows. Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips quivered as she silently repeated, “no,” again and again.
Dan continued on, “He was at an abandoned house when it happened. The cops have no idea why he was even there. Someone at the house must’ve been waiting for him. He was surprised from behind and was shot before he could pull his gun out.”
“What? How could this happen? How did my mom find out?” she whispered. Her eyes flew open and she took a step towards Dan as he fidgeted on her front porch.
“I’m guessing they tried to call you first, but when they didn’t succeed, they found your mom’s number as one of his emergency contacts in his phone. She rushed to the hospital to be with him while I tried to track you down.” He held out his hand to her. “I’ll take you there now.”
“But, he’s okay, right? If he was shot in the back, it means he’ll still be fine, right?” she demanded.
“Kate, I’ve been dating your mom for some time now and I consider you family, but you need to be with her right now. She’ll talk to you about what happened,” he said uncertainly.
“No!” She gripped his forearms and her eyes bore into his, refusing to look away. “Tell me right now. Is Jared okay?”
She watched him swallow and he hesitated for a long minute before he said sadly, “He was shot from behind, but it wasn’t at his back. He was shot in the head. I’m so sorry, Kate, but Jared died instantly.”
Kate’s knees gave out and she crumbled to the ground. “No, he can’t be dead! This can’t be real! I can’t survive without him.” Her body convulsed as she cried out for Jared. She slammed her fists onto the cement porch, her knuckles growing bloody and raw with each punch.
Dan wrapped his arm around her and hoisted her upright. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say right now to make this better. Let me take you to your mom. You should be with her and have her there while you say goodbye to him.”
His words caused a fresh onslaught of helpless weeping. Her body was limp as he assisted her down the porch stairs and supported her weight as he led her to his SUV. She muttered to herself, “Please don’t let this be real, please don’t let him be gone from me forever.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What did I do? How did the future go from Jared being in jail to him dying?” Kate demanded as she crumpled up another tissue and threw it on the coffee table.
Declan had listened to her without interruption as she relayed her latest premonition to him. He’d arrived at her house an hour after Jared’s early morning departure for work. Jared had been relentless about Kate staying protected and Declan had been ever present at her house since they returned from Atlantic City a week before. They worked during the day on her investigation until Jared got off work in the late afternoon.
Declan’s face was expressionless, leaving Kate at a loss of what he could possibly make of her altering the future. She was convinced her efforts to stop Jared from landing in jail had sent him careening down a more treacherous path.
“Did you tell Jared about the vision?”
“Of course I did,” she huffed. “I went as far as jumping on his back to keep him from leaving for work this morning. After shaking me off, he insisted he’d take the warning very seriously and wouldn’t go to any abandoned houses without backup.”
She’d been inconsolable after waking up in the middle of the night after the vision. She thought the premonitions about Jared going to jail were sent to her because she needed to stop him from committing murder. The thought of him dying in place of her unknown assailant was inconceivable.
Jared had tried to reason with her and swore he’d be cautious while investigating her attack. Although her vision hadn’t revealed exactly what he was doing at an abandoned house, she was certain it had something to do with her case. The man who had hurt her found a way to lure Jared somewhere he’d be vulnerable and shot him.
“Hmm…” Declan mumbled and looked thoughtful.
“I can’t lose him. I don’t want this to be our lives forever and to be considered star-crossed lovers who’ll never get a chance at real happiness. I have to protect him; and if that means not telling him anything further about our investigation, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Settle down with the drama, Juliet.” Declan took the box of tissues out of her hand and placed it on the coffee table. “Having a premonition is a good thing. It means we have the upper hand and can change things.”
She sniffled. “I thought you believed we can’t fight fate.”
“I did, but I’m starting to see things a little differently now. We may never truly understand the intentions of the visions. Just because you saw a vision of Dan telling you Jared is dead doesn’t mean you have to prepare yourself for his death.” He directed his dark eyes at her. “I thought when I had the vision of us together in bed…”
She cut him off. “Kissing in bed. Just kissing,” she amended.
Her words brought on his smirk. “I was there, too, Kate. I remember what we did. Anyway, my point is I thought the premonition meant we were supposed to end up as a couple. But now I have to wonder if I had the vision because we were meant to work together. You know, combine our abilities to save the unwashed masses.”
“Despite the circumstances, I’m glad that your visions brought us together.” She stared at the ceiling as she continued, “I really want to believe no one is going to die, but it’s hard; especially when I couldn’t stop my own stabbing from happening. But even the possibility being out there—I won’t survive him dying, Dec…”
“You’re getting worked up and it’s clouding your judgment. Doesn’t the vision seem off to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the center of your mom’s universe. I can’t imagine her leaving it up to Dan, a virtual stranger, to deliver the news your boyfriend is dead.” Before she could interject, he rallied on. “I agree that Jared has become obsessed with solving your case, but it hasn’t caused him to lose brain cells. Do you think he’d be that stupid to fall into an obvious trap and let someone get the jump on him?”
“Dan isn’t a virtual stranger; he’s been seeing my mom for close to a year now. I’ve investigated him like anyone else in my life. I haven’t seen anything suspicious in his memories. They were mostly boring middle-aged guy stuff like bowling with his friends, going to dinner with my mom and clocking in at the wholesale food club where he’s a manager.”
“It feels off to me. I think it’s too early to freak out and assume Jared is going to be killed. We should take a closer look at Dan to make sure he’s not involved in your attack instead,” he advised.
She nodded and quelled the urge to cry again. She had to be strong if she was going to protect Jared. Although she agreed with Declan and
found it unlikely Jared would do something so reckless, she couldn’t deny how his judgment had been clouded lately. He was single-minded when it came to solving her case. He was constantly consulting with Detective Thompson and Declan to get more leads on who could be targeting her.
The police had still been focusing a lot of their energies on her father’s potential involvement. No new evidence had surfaced, but his lack of an alibi and a motive was enough to arouse suspicion. Kate and her dad still weren’t speaking, but she’d invaded his mind to see if the police could possibly be right. As hardheaded as Robert Edwards could be, she could see him cracking in her visions. He missed her and seemed to regret lying to her about the inheritance. She needed more time to cool down, but she still had a soft spot for her father. Growing up, he’d been a good dad; strict, but still caring when she needed him. She wouldn’t toss their relationship aside because of the problems they had over the last couple of years.
Investigating Gabriel Evans was a dead-end. Besides being a greedy bastard willing to threaten a stranger for money, he wasn’t otherwise involved. The cops were reviewing his emails and phone records, but it looked as though he’d told the truth. He had only communicated with Fred through email and hadn’t spoken with him on the phone. The IP address of the emails was traced to a computer lab at a college campus about thirty minutes from Franklin. The police had tried to use Gabriel to draw Fred out, but he’d cut off communication and hadn’t returned any of Gabriel’s emails.
Kate was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know where to best focus her efforts. There were too many suspects with the evidence leading her in different directions. She hadn’t seen Michelle in any visions lately and it was chilling. What had she and her son endured at the hands of the masked man in the weeks since her abduction?
Finding Michelle would solve everything. The woman and her son would be safe and her tormenter would be apprehended. With Kate’s psychic gifts, she’d hunt him down like a dog and put him down on the spot. No one would take Jared from her again.
***
Darlene Edwards’ face fell as Kate walked through the door of her childhood home. She assumed the stress of the last couple of days was clear on her expression. She’d been relentlessly trying to head hop to find out where Michelle could be. Her whereabouts remained a mystery. Kate was well aware of what kind of pain her assailant could inflict and prayed the mother hadn’t been killed in the meantime. If she’d died, it would be another tragedy Kate would have to live with.
She was trying to remain tough for Jared’s benefit. If she broke in front of him, she could just be hurtling him towards a future where his life was put on the line. She’d sought out Darlene because Kate knew her mom would indulge the need to cry and rage over the unfairness of her situation.
Without a greeting, Kate crumbled, facedown on the couch, and curled into a ball. Darlene sat nearby and stroked Kate’s hair in a steady back and forth rhythm. Her mother waited for Kate to speak. She inclined her head towards the TV, remaining quiet and staring blankly as the news played. She hated the news—despised knowing there were more horrors out in the world than the ones taking over her life. It was the reason she preferred to get lost in reality shows and cartoons.
“I had a vision of Jared dying,” she whispered without preamble. It pained her to say the words out loud. It was as if uttering the simple statement was tempting fate to steal him away from her.
“Oh no, Katie. What happens?”
“I don’t see him die, but I’m at my house and Dan breaks the news to me because you’ve gone to the hospital with Jared.”
Her mom’s mouth opened in shock at the mention of her boyfriend.
Kate didn’t want to cause a rift between Dan and her mom, but she should know of his part in case Declan was correct and Dan was a suspect. Kate added, “He said Jared was shot and he’d take me to him to say goodbye.”
“Did you tell Jared?”
“Yes, and he says he’ll take all of my visions very seriously, but I feel like it won’t matter. Like we’re destined to be apart and nothing I say or do will change that.” Kate bit down hard on her lip and mumbled, “It makes me wish that we never met. Maybe he could’ve been happy without me and married to Nikki by now. I’ve dragged him into something dangerous and I hate it. I hate that he’s willing to risk everything for me.”
“Katie,” her mother admonished, “you’re upset and it’s understandable, but you’re not thinking clearly. You have to put yourself in Jared’s shoes for a minute. He lost his parents when he was in first grade. He loved them deeply and they died. He was too young then to do anything about it and it haunts him. He’s older now and he’ll fiercely protect anyone he loves—meaning you. He’ll protect that love with his life because he understands what that kind of loss does to a person. If he truly loved Nikki, he would’ve never given her up to be with you. He chose you.”
“And I’ll have to fight to keep him,” Kate said softly. “I’m willing to do it. I love him, Mom, but I also love him enough to set him free if it’ll keep him out of danger.”
“Letting him go isn’t the right answer. You love each other and being together will only make you stronger against your enemies. You were given your gifts to protect people; including Jared. If you were sent a vision of him in jeopardy then it means you have a chance to fix things.”
Kate was eternally grateful for her mom. She was a constant in Kate’s life and would always be there with her unwavering love and support. She had a few dark moments after her attack and questioned whether her life was worth fighting for. Her recovery had been painful and she’d suffered from panic attacks as she relived the events of that night. Her mom had talked Kate back from the edge more than once.
“I thought it was bad worrying about my own life. In a way, it was easier than this because I feel like what happens now is out of my control. Jared could’ve been in jail, but because of my actions, he has one foot in grave.” She sat up and lifted her chin defiantly. “I will find him and strike first; before he has a chance to get close to Jared.”
“I’m proud of you. You’ve transformed into this fearless and incredible young woman.” Her mom took the chenille blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over both of their legs. “But I want you to stay out of danger. You’re no help to anybody if you put yourself at risk,” she warned.
Things had been simpler before. Before meeting Jared Kate had been a recluse, staying mostly at home and denying her psychic abilities. She thought embracing her gifts would be giving up her chance at a normal life. Jared had shown her the potential of doing good and thinking beyond her own tiny corner of the world. He had that rare ability to bring out the best in people around him.
She’d battle for him because he deserved a chance at a life as much as she did. His parents had died decades ago, but his grief still felt raw. She’d gone with him to the cemetery several times and she felt the suffering coming off of him in waves. It had gotten worse since she’d been stabbed, as if that act drew out all the old painful feelings he’d buried. He was still her Jared and he was still able to kiss away her sorrow, but there was darkness surrounding him, trying to edge its way into his light.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Michelle was alone in her makeshift cell. Her abductor had left the light on at the top of the basement and the bulb cast eerie shadows on the objects placed in the basement. There wasn’t much in her cell with her, only random objects that wouldn’t help her escape—a milk crate, a bucket and a pile of old clothing. Her abductor had fed her; half of a cheese sandwich and a bottle of water sat at her side.
When she’d been taken, her captor must’ve thrown in her purse alongside her. She reached for the leather handbag and dumped out the contents of on the floor. She sifted through each object, possibly looking for something she could use to make an escape attempt or perhaps a weapon to use against her captor. Unfortunately, the items were of little importance. She had a box of tissues, a tin of breath mints
and a few small toy cars. She held the toy cars in her hands for a minute and gazed wistfully at them. She choked back a sob as she hurriedly threw them back out of view inside the purse. After she regained her composure, she turned her attention back to the remainder of her belongings.
She searched through her wallet and, by her gasp, it was obvious the woman was surprised to find her cash and credit cards still in place. The motivation of the abductor must be something besides monetary gain. Besides her tired appearance, she appeared unhurt. It didn’t look as though she’d been physically assaulted during her captivity.
She dropped the wallet to the ground and several of her cards were strewn across the filthy basement floor. She balanced each card between her fingers as she slid them into their respective slots inside of her wallet. Her license disappeared quickly from view, but not before her name and address was visible: Michelle Hamley, 2567 Hillburn Street, Martinsville, New Jersey…
***
“I want to go on record as saying this is an insanely bad idea,” Declan protested as they drove through the dark streets on their way to Michelle’s Martinsville address. The plan was to break into her house in the hopes of finding evidence about who could’ve possibly taken her, and where he could be hiding her. Kate’s gut was telling her that whoever had taken Michelle had a personal relationship with the woman and her son.
With her last name revealed, Kate had attempted to research Michelle Hamley online. However, the search proved fruitless. Michelle was a ghost in the online world: no Twitter feed, Facebook profile and no significant Google results when her name was entered. Since Kate was trying to keep Jared out of the loop, she’d requested Declan use his police contacts to run a criminal background check on Michelle. The woman had no police record either.
Once Kate had hit a brick wall, it had taken some conniving to get Declan to act as her accomplice. As a return favor, she was in charge of shopping for Camilla’s birthday present. Her birthday was next week and Declan was still falling over himself trying to impress her.
The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four Page 15