The Mind’s Eye

by Perry Prete

  Nicole stood in front of the mirror again and stretched to give herself some breathing room in the dress. "Girl, my tits are gonna spill out." She was about to pull the dress up higher over her cleavage when Simone repeated what Nicole had done earlier and slapped her hands.

  "You need to show off what you've got. Trust me." "Because I haven't got anything else?" Nicole questioned. "No. Because you're a woman."

  Nicole nodded in agreement, placed her hands on her hips and gave herself a little pose in the mirror. "I'm not half bad."

  Simone stood beside her friend, "I'd fuck you," and put her arm around Nicole's waist.

  *****

  He kept his distance, at least half a block, as he followed Katy down the sidewalk. It was just after six, the busy city streets were now almost deserted of car and pedestrian traffic, and he found it difficult to maintain his discreet surveillance without being obvious. Several times, he considered abandoning his prey. He felt it was easier to find another girl than to risk getting caught. He set new restrictions with this girl. If she turned around once to look at him, he would break off the pursuit. If anyone on the street even looked at him the wrong way, he would call it off.

  The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows. The afternoon heat had since retreated, and the night's chill had begun to set in. Katy had left the coffee house, done some shopping and was walking back along the sidewalk to where he had first spotted her hours earlier. Her walk was slow and casual; Katy was enjoying her walk back to wherever she was going.

  As Katy's pace slowed, he found it difficult to keep his distance. The sidewalks were almost deserted, and she would almost notice any odd behavior on his part. As he decided to discontinue the pursuit, Katy did something completely unexpected, she made an abrupt turn and started walking directly towards him.

  He panicked, stopped in his tracks and was about to make an about face then decided to continue his path. Katy was now walking towards him, the distance between the two of them closing fast. He watched her retrieve her phone from her purse and heard her greet the caller. They were now less than a dozen feet apart. Katy looked up, their eyes met. He stepped to his right, she to her left, there was nowhere to go, and they bumped into each other. Katy's phone fell to the sidewalk. Instinctively, he bent forward to pick up her phone. He stood and offered her the phone as she rubbed her right shoulder.

  "Thanks." Katy's voice was sweet, soft and pleasant. She took the phone and held the phone up to her ear, "I'll call you back." She disconnected from the call and held out her hand, "Katy."

  "Will." He shook her hand. It was the first name that came to him. For the first time, he looked at the girl he was following. Katy was slender, long wavy dark hair, perfect skin, soft features, she was a little taller than he was. He had been staring at her for hours and never really noticed how pretty she was. Her fragrance that he had become familiar with filled the air around him.

  "Short for William?" she asked.

  "Yup."

  "What about Liam? I love the name, Liam."

  He had to think fast, "My father was William Senior. My mother called him Liam. I'm William Junior. Mom called me Will to avoid any confusion."

  Katy squinted her eyes, "You definitely look like a Will." They both chuckled.

  Katy continued, "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. I don't know my right from left, and when I'm on the phone, my mind is in la-la land. Hope I didn't hurt you." she said apologetically. "Did I hurt you?" Katy reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

  Will laughed. "No, I think I have the weight advantage." He returned the gesture and gently touched her right shoulder where they made contact, "Did I hurt you?"

  "Not at all. I'm stronger than I look. I work out." Again, she offered her hand. "Katy." Will shook it again.

  "I know."

  Katy covered her eyes, "I'm sorry," and let out a barely audible giggle. "Don't be. Nervous?" he asked.

  Katy shrugged her shoulders, "No. Just, umm, not sure." Katy cast Will an odd look. "Do we know each other? You look familiar."

  Will's heart began to race, "I have the type of face that everyone seems to recognize." He quickly changed the subject. "Is your phone OK? Didn't get broken or anything?"

  Katy looked at the phone, "No new scratches, screen isn't cracked. It's all good." She pocketed the phone. "Listen, if you don't have any plans, I'd like to buy you coffee for bumping into you. My way of saying "Sorry"."

  "Are you hitting on me?" Will sported a wide toothy grin.

  "You have a nice smile Will." Again, Katy let out a soft giggle. "And caring eyes."

  "Son-of-a-bitch. You are hitting on me."

  "Maybe a little." She touched his shoulder again. "Besides, I have no plans tonight now. The guy I was talking to on the phone when we bumped into each other just stood me up."

  "His loss."

  "Well Will, you just got yourself a free coffee."

  "It's a little late for coffee. I'm being a little forward. How about grabbing a bite?" Will looked around the street. He pointed to a restaurant. "How about that place over there? You like Greek?"

  *****

  Nicole parked her car around the corner from Athena's and walked the short distance to the restaurant. She tossed her keys in the small clutch that Simone had told her went well with the dress. Nicole brushed the dress down on her thighs before she started the short walk to the restaurant. After the first few steps, Nicole cursed wearing heels. She hadn't worn heels in months and was having a difficult time walking with any elegance. She could already feel the blisters forming on her feet. But Simone had been right; the shoes certainly did make her outfit look better. She slowed her walk, planted each step to prevent turning her ankles. As she slowly made her way, Nicole felt her stomach flip one way, then the other, then push up her throat until she could taste the acid in the back of her throat. "Why am I doing this?" Nicole stopped in her tracks, looked at the restaurant further up the block and wondered if she was doing the right thing. She stood motionless for a moment then decided to take the risk and continue.

  The night air was a little brisker that she thought and prayed they didn't have the air conditioner on in the dining room. A walk that should've taken less than a minute took several minutes because of her unbalanced gait in the high heels. As she neared the restaurant, her pulse quickened, she took a deep breath and felt better. Nicole pulled the door open, stepped inside and was relieved to feel that the AC wasn't on. A quick glance at her watch and she knew she was early. The hostess approached as Nicole walked to the entrance of the dining lounge. Nicole saw a familiar face in the dining room, sitting by himself, head down, cell phone in hand. Instead of speaking with the hostess, Nicole pointed to the man she knew already sitting alone.

  The hostess led Nicole to Paul's table, pulled the chair out for her, Paul stood as she took her seat. She politely asked if they wanted a drink before they ordered. Paul quickly stuffed his BlackBerry into his jacket pocket.

  "I'll have a tea please," Nicole requested as she placed her clutch bag on the table. "Milk and sugar."

  The hostess nodded in agreement then turned to Paul, "Coffee please," with that, she spun around and left the two alone.

  Paul turned his attention to Nicole, "You look," he took in a deep breath, "Nice."

  "Not too much?" Nicole looked down at her dress.

  "I would say, it's just about perfect. A significant change from your work attire."

  "This is all my friend's doing. She picked everything out for me." "Please pass along my thanks, next time you see her."

  Nicole glanced at her watch again, "We both got here early. I half expected you to show up as I had dessert."

  "If I didn't leave early, I probably would've forgotten about the time and kept working. But seeing how great you look, I'm glad I ditched work. Was it your friend I met who helped you get dressed? Do you think she knows how great you look? Cause honestly; you do look, um, well, terrific."

  "Ya
, she knows. In fact, Simone got a little handsy with me as I was getting dressed." Nicole recalled how Simone adjusted her cleavage. "Sometimes I think if I let her, she would make a move on me."

  "Lucky girl."

  Paul and Nicole shared a small laugh; then she felt a sudden stabbing pain cutting through her skull. She dropped her head, closed her eyes and slumped forward. Nicole went to brace herself by placing her elbow on the table, missed the edge and almost fell to the floor. Paul jumped to his feet, caught Nicole and helped her back into her chair. Several other patrons came to assist Paul. The other customers all made sure Nicole was safe before going back to their seats. There were hushed tones from the others as they looked on at the disturbance.

  "You OK?" Paul's voice was soft but firm.

  Nicole kept her eyes closed; she felt a wave of nausea course through her and moisture forming over her entire body. She could barely keep herself sitting upright.

  The hostess returned with a glass of water and stood behind Nicole, and once she had Paul's attention, she mouthed 911. Paul looked up, and past Nicole was softly shaking his head side to side. The hostess placed the glass on the table then stood back in case she was needed. Paul didn't rush Nicole and just kept quiet until she felt well enough to respond. Several minutes passed before she could raise her head and look at Paul. She cleared her throat, squared her shoulders and sat upright. Nicole skin was no longer ashen, she had stopped sweating, and she looked up at Paul with bright, clear eyes. She looked as pretty as the moment she walked into the restaurant. Nicole placed her hand on Paul's shoulder, "I'm OK."

  Paul took his seat, never taking his sight off his date.

  Nicole took a sip of water and placed the glass back on the table then rubbed her forehead, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. It was like someone shoved a knife into my head." She looked at Paul, squinted, raised her eyebrows, "Gone." Nicole unfolded her napkin and dabbed the moisture from her forehead and her palms.

  "Gone. You mean gone as in no more pain, no nothing?" Paul questioned. "Seriously, it's gone. The pain, the stabbing, it's all gone. I feel fine.

  Really. Embarrassed, but fine. And hungry."

  "K, we're going to the hospital. You need a CT scan or something. The average person doesn't collapse then thirty seconds later say they're hungry."

  Nicole smiled, reached across the table and grabbed Paul's hand trying to reassure him, "I'm fine. Hungry and fine. Maybe I was just super nervous about meeting you for dinner." She placed the napkin back on the edge of the table, and it fell to the floor. She bent over to pick it up and noticed Paul was wearing shoes, black polished dress shoes. "No running shoes today?"

  "I wear running shoes at work because I'm on my feet all day, regular shoes kill my feet. Besides, there's less paperwork if you run after a suspect and catch him instead of just shooting the bastard in the back. The department frowns on suspects getting shot as they run away. Go figure." Paul laughed.

  Nicole shared his laugh, "My friend made fun of your choice of footwear with your suit when you came to the office."

  "Hey, I'm not the one squeezing my feet into tiny shoes with a three-inch heel. I watched you walk in. It looked like you haven't worn those shoes in quite some time."

  "No reason to wear them until tonight." They shared a soft laugh. "I will tell you what I need. I need another tea."

  *****

  Sam sat across from Carl who flipped open his notebook to the first page, "You were right about the pad. It made a difference. I can't believe reporters stopped using them."

  Like a student reading to a teacher, Carl read his notes aloud to Sam. When he finished, Carl waited for Sam's response. Sam reached across and took the notepad and scanned the notes.

  "Well?"

  Sam smiled approvingly. "I like the notes you made about the detective's reaction. Could you have done that with just the recorder and would you have remembered what he did without making notes?"

  Carl laughed, knowing full well that Sam was trying to prove his point. "You're right. New is not always better."

  "Besides the fact, your handwriting sucks and is barely legible, you done good kid." Sam closed the pad and slid it across the table back to Carl. "So, what now?"

  Carl thought for a moment, "I know I surprised the cop with the fact we found the similarity in the physical makeup of the hands. I don't think they considered that one. I caught him completely off guard."

  Sam pointed the same bony finger at Carl he used the night before, "He owes you one. Keep that in your back pocket. One of the best things you can do now is cultivate the relationship with this guy. Give and take, tit for tat. You gave him something, hopefully, as time goes by, he will do the same for you."

  Carl felt proud. More so than he had in a long time. "I have more stuff to go over before I can finish this story. This crime stuff is a lot more fun than writing business."

  "Newbie's always get the crap stuff to write about. That's how you hone your skills. You can't play in the big leagues until you know what you're doing." Sam paused and looked at Carl in the eyes, "What do you want to do?"

  "With?"

  Sam laughed, "Your life, career."

  Carl didn't pause and didn't have to think about his response, "Move.

  Move to a bigger city with a real newspaper. I love the job, I mean love this job. The pay sucks, but the challenge is incredible. Stories are always changing. It's never the same day."

  Sam stood, smiled broadly, "Spoken like a future Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter." He tugged at Carl's jacket lapel, "I love your suit. I do. I think I had the same one back in the '60's. In fact, this might be my old suit." Sam laughed and pushed his cleaning cart down the aisle. "Don't ever let anyone change your style young man. You look the part. Now be the part."

  Carl spun around in his chair, his smile broad. He flipped open the notepad and started to transcribe the notes into his laptop.

  *****

  Katy walked alongside Will down the sidewalk after leaving the restaurant. The sidewalks were almost deserted as they walked.

  "Thank you for paying for dinner tonight. I didn't expect for you to pay. I asked you out remember?" Katy kept pace with her new friend, walking close enough to Will but not touching him.

  "I don't mind. It's a great night, food was good, and it was nice to get out for a change."

  "The place was nice. Thanks again for joining me. Weird how that lady almost passed out when we went by their table. I hope she's gonna be OK." "I'm sure she will be. I don't think they needed our help. Not like I would know what to do anyway. There were enough people there to help." Will hadn't paid attention to the events in the restaurant. His mind was trying to suppress the urges he had when he first saw Katy walk by him at lunch.

  Over conversation at dinner, Will's kept his mind focused on what she was saying instead of what he wanted to do to Katy. Over the course of the night, those thoughts diminished but didn't completely disappear.

  "What about you? Could you have helped? I never asked what you do," Will was genuinely interested in what Katy did for a living.

  "Me. Well, I'm studying law right now. My dad is, was a cop, just retired. He wanted me to become a cop too. I always liked the courtroom part of the law; I wanted to become a prosecutor. You know, putting away the bad guy, making sure the innocent go free. All that bull shit." Katy laughed as she walked. "You're not a bad guy are you Will? I'd hate to have to put you away." Katy smiled again and hip-checked Will.

  Will stumbled a bit, "A bad guy, me? Not on your life. I'm the poster child for good. Didn't I buy you dinner? Didn't I pick up your phone when I bumped into you? Doesn't that prove my goodlyness?"

  "Goodlyness? Is that even a word?" Katy was laughing out loud. "Goodlyness? Please tell me you're not an English major?"

  "Nope. Worse, I'm a writer," Will was laughing along with Katy.

  "A writer. Really? And you come up with "Goodlyness". How interesting.

  Anything I would know?"r />
  Will laughed again, "I doubt it. I ghost write."

  Katy took the lead, turned and was walking backwards as they spoke, "What's a ghostwriter, Mr. Goodlyness?"

  "Well, college or university students will author a paper and ask me to fix it to make it look better. You know, polish it, use the correct grammar, sentence structure, find the right goodly words to use." Will smiled at Katy. "I get paid per word and on how bad the initial paper is. If it turns out to be a lot of work, I charge more. I also write technical papers for manuals. When companies want to make instruction manual a little more user-friendly, they pay me. After paying for dinner tonight, I better pick up more work."

  "Now you're just pushing it. So, I have you to blame for the "Slot A into Tab B" crap?" Katy softly shoved Will causing him to stumble slightly. He caught himself, grabbed Katy's arms and pulled her in close. She kissed him on the cheek and pushed herself away laughing.

  "Not yet, Mr. Goodlyness. This is still our first date. Let's see where this goes."

  Will touched his cheek where Katy had kissed him. "I'll never wash my face again," he said with a half-smile.

  Katy skipped ahead, "Are you coming?"

  Will was standing still, "Where are we going?" he asked. "I don't know.

  Maybe dessert."

  *****

  Paul cradled his cup of coffee in both hands and listened to every word Nicole said. He barely spoke as she told him about her job and her life. Nicole finished her second cup of tea as the server brought her a fresh pot of tea. She let the tea bag steep before pouring another cup, all the while telling Paul about her ability and how she fooled everyone at the party.

  Nicole rubbed her temple and Paul bolted from his seat. She motioned for him to sit.

  "Really, I'm OK. But I'm famished. I just need to eat." Nicole was still attempting to convince Paul that she wasn't injured and didn't need to go to the hospital. "Dinner will be here soon." She touched Paul's hand again, "If I have another episode tonight, we'll go to the hospital. You can drive me. In fact, it's a promise. Let's just drop this and enjoy our evening." Nicole gave Paul her best sad face, "Please."