by Pandora Pine
Managing to roll over, Carson saw it was nearly 9am. Shit! The store opened in ten minutes and there was no way he was going to make it in time. “Cole!” he tried to yell, but it sounded more like a croak.
Carson tried to get out of bed, but his legs tangled in the blankets and he fell face-first onto the floor.
“Carson? Are you all ri-” Cole pushed the bedroom door open and burst out laughing.
“Very funny,” Carson managed with his face mashed against the cold floor. His head was throbbing with his heartbeat. He managed to pull his legs onto the floor and get his arms under him.
“God, look what the cat dragged in. You look like shit, brother.” Cole offered him a hand. “Must have been one hell of an early morning. I never even heard you come in.”
Carson reluctantly took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet. While Carson had gotten Corny’s flashy attitude and quick wit, Cole had gotten his height. His brother stood well over six feet, while Carson was only 5’10 standing on tiptoes. “It wasn’t an early morning. I was in bed by 8pm.”
“Ohh?” Cole slapped his back. “I’m glad you finally got back on the horse. Brett was a colossal dick.”
Shaking his head, Carson grabbed a clean looking t-shirt from the pile on the floor. Pain slashed through his head again. “I was not getting back on the horse.” That didn’t mean Cole was wrong though. Brett, his last ex, was a colossal dick. In more ways than one. “I’m sick.”
Cole took a step closer. He took Carson’s face in his hands and seemed to be checking him over. “You don’t feel hot. What’s wrong?”
“Coffee, and then I’ll tell you.” To be honest, Carson still wasn’t sure what the hell happened.
When he made it into the kitchen after a trip to the bathroom, Cole had a travel mug filled with coffee waiting for him.
“Spill it.” Cole raised an eyebrow at him.
“Mrs. Salazar was my last appointment of the night and I was closing up shop after she left.”
“She still think her husband is cheating on her?” Cole crossed his arms over his broad chest.
Carson nodded. “I was in Mom’s reading room when I heard a clap of thunder.”
Cole looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “There was no thunder last night.”
Carson shrugged. “I blew out the candles, set off Mom’s Tibetan chimes and then ran my fingers over the crystal ball.” Carson shivered. He could almost feel the residual electricity running through his body again.
“So, what happened next?”
“There was more thunder and a bolt of lightning that lit up the entire shop. I couldn’t pull my hand off the crystal ball and I saw…” Shit, Cole was going to think he’d lost his mind.
“Saw what? Justin Timberlake? A witch on a broomstick? What?” Cole took half a step forward toward his brother.
Carson shook his head. “I saw a handsome man at a Christmas party and then he got shot and died right in front of me.” He looked up at his brother who was staring open-mouthed at him. “Jesus, say something.”
Cole’s eyes narrowed. “You’re serious.”
Carson ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. “Yeah, I’m serious. He had dark hair and bright green eyes. There was a banner in the lobby of the building that identified the company as Gemtronics. The people that came to his aid after he was shot were dressed up, like they were at a holiday party and then the light just faded from his eyes.”
“You had a vision, Carson. Like the ones Mom had,” Cole half-whispered. “That explains why you look like shit this morning and have a pounding headache. Don’t you remember? The same thing used to happen to her.”
“I don’t know.” But Carson did know. He could feel it in his bones. He did remember that his mother wouldn’t feel well the mornings after she’d had a vision. Bertha would usually play those mornings off as having had a bit too much wine the night before, but Carson knew the truth now.
The way he felt this morning was a physical manifestation of the vision. It was the price to pay for seeing what the crystal ball had shown him. “When it was over, I dropped to the floor and I could hear the bells ringing.”
“What do you mean? You rang the bells before you hit the deck?” Cole looked confused.
“No,” Carson shook his head. “When I’m in the shop, I always ask Mom to ring the chimes if her spirit is there with me. I was lying on the floor, there was no way I could have rung them.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Cole sounded truly stunned.
“It’s nine. I have to go open the shop.” Carson grabbed the coffee his brother had made for him and headed toward the door.
“Carson, wait!” Cole called after him.
“Yeah?” Carson was exhausted and he’d just gotten out of bed. He had no idea how he was going to get through an entire shift in the store.
“What are you gonna do about this vision?”
He hadn’t really thought about that. “I don’t know.”
Cole nodded. “A man died. You can’t just let that go. Mom showed you this vision for a reason, right?”
That’s what Carson was afraid of. “What can I do?”
“You said the name of the company was Gemtronics. Start there.”
“I guess I could Google it. What if it’s in Nebraska or California?” He found himself half hoping it was, but something deep inside told him it wasn’t.
“I doubt Mom’s gonna send you on a wild goose chase to California to save this handsome guy’s life.” Cole grinned at him.
Save this guy’s life? Carson Craig wasn’t exactly the hero type. Was he?
4
Truman
Truman had barely slept a wink all weekend. Cassie had texted him a few times on Saturday just to see how he was doing, but after telling her he was fine for the fifth time, what else was there to say?
Physically, he really was fine. His ass had been sore from hitting the conference room floor, but it wasn't like that was going to kill him. Not like Mike Davenport might if he ever came back for the revenge he promised.
After Mike had stormed out of the building, Truman's boss had come running in, too late to do anything but stare at the mess in the conference room. He did manage to call 911.
Truman and Cassie gave separate eye-witness accounts to officers from the Lawrence, Massachusetts Police Department. They'd both been able to go home for the afternoon after they'd written up their own internal incident reports.
Originally, before Truman had gotten the news that he had to fire an employee, he'd planned to go see a movie on Friday night and was going to spend the rest of the weekend decorating his small house for Christmas and making out a list of presents he planned to buy for his friends and family.
After the incident in the conference room, he'd scrapped all of those plans and had gone straight home. He'd spent Friday night with a pepperoni and bacon pizza and the internet looking up places to take a self-defense class and locations in Salem where he could buy and learn how to use a hand gun.
Truman was a card-carrying, tree-hugging, liberal if there ever was one, but after seeing the level of rage in Mike's eyes he didn't think it was possible to be too careful. Maybe he wasn’t totally serious about buying a gun, but looking at pictures of them online made him feel more in control of the situation.
Hearing a whimper from his feet, Truman set down his laptop on the couch and looked at Sadie, his dog, who was looking up at him and shaking. "Shit, baby girl! When was the last time Daddy walked you?" Truman hopped up from the couch and slipped into his snow boots.
There wasn't a big accumulation of snow on the ground from Friday’s snowfall, but there was a bit of ice. The last thing Truman needed was to go ass over elbow and end up with a broken leg. He would be easy pickings in a cast.
Living in fear wasn't something he was used to. Being a gay man brought its own set of unique challenges. He'd been bullied as a child, but once he'd started filling out his lanky frame with m
uscle, he’d been better able to defend himself.
He'd stopped growing at 6'3" and had been the star quarterback of his high school football team, not that he still re-lived those glory days twelve years and a Bachelor's degree later.
Being a star athlete didn't take away the stigma of being gay in small-town Massachusetts, but, it did make life easier for him to navigate until he got to go away to college.
Slipping into his winter parka, he grabbed Sadie's leash and hooked her up. The tiny Yorkshire Terrier walked the cobbled sidewalk like she owned it. All of the neighbors knew and loved Sadie and some even carried treats for her in their pockets.
Truman loved his Salem, Massachusetts neighborhood, but today, he found himself looking over his shoulder for danger. For Mike.
"Come on, sugar plum. Do your business so we can go home." No one was out on the street this afternoon which made Truman feel even more edgy. He imagined his neighbors were all out Christmas shopping like he should have been doing.
Sadie turned her nose up at him and continued to sniff every tree they came to. Fifteen minutes and twenty trees later, Sadie finally did what she came out to do. Truman bagged it and turned to head back to his small house.
He still hadn't told his parents what had happened at work on Friday. Sundays were for family dinner in the Wesley house. His two sisters, Amelia and Emily, would be there with their husbands and kids.
Truman loved spending time with his niece and two nephews, but he just didn't have the heart for it today. He'd called his mother earlier this morning to beg off, giving her the excuse that he thought he might be coming down with a cold.
With the kids coming over for dinner, he knew she'd tell him to keep himself and his germs at home. It never felt good lying to his mother, but he felt like he'd run out of options. There was no way he wanted to explain what happened to him in front of everyone.
He escorted Sadie up the stairs and was quick to snap the deadbolt on his front door. For the most part, Salem was a safe city. Most of the crime centered around illicit drugs and the ever-growing opioid epidemic.
Truman wondered what it was going to take for him to feel safe again in his own home. Worse, he was going to have to go back to work again in the morning. He'd love to call in sick tomorrow, but with it being December, he'd used up all of his vacation time.
Kicking out of his snow boots, he took off his coat and unsnapped Sadie's leash. He grabbed the Chinese food menu from the cork board near the counter. "Come on, Princess." He patted the empty spot next to him on the couch and tried to focus on what he wanted to order for dinner.
Tomorrow would come soon enough. There was no sense in worrying about it now.
5
Carson
The flashy world of private investigators looked exciting on television but in real life, it sucked in spades. How the hell did people sit in a car for five hours without going to the bathroom?
Christ, if this went on much longer, Carson's bladder was going to explode.
He was sitting in the parking lot of Gemtronics, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Thankfully, the company was located in a business park on the Andover border, and wasn't in the heart of the city where the police would be patrolling and looking for loiterers.
There was an athletic shoe plant here as well as a nice little restaurant that seemed to cater to the two large office buildings.
He'd parked his car in a visitor spot as close to the front door as was possible, so that he could see the people who came and went. So far, he hadn't seen the handsome green-eyed man who'd appeared in his vision.
After his talk with Cole, he'd given up the illusion that what he'd seen was a dream or a hallucination. It was a psychic vision. His first real vision. Whether it was sent to him by his mother or was a manifestation of his own power, he didn't want to examine right now.
The other thing he wasn't too keen on examining was the fact that the stranger in the vision might not even work here. He could have been the plus-one of an employee. If the man didn’t work for this company he’d be back at square one. For now, he was willing to run on blind faith that his mother would lead him to the mystery man.
After he'd Googled Gemtronics and found out that it was located here in Massachusetts, he'd done an image search for the company. It had brought up pictures of this very office building and pictures of the factory floor and the motherboards the company made for onboard GPS units that were installed in upscale luxury vehicles.
Carson had also seen pictures of high level executives of the company, but his green-eyed man wasn't in those pictures either. He’d concluded the man he was looking for was just a regular guy working a nine-to-five shift.
He was about to give up and hoof over to the café to take a leak when he saw a dark haired man run out the front door of the building. He was wearing a black North Face parka with the collar pulled up against the wind.
Carson wasn't one hundred percent certain, but he thought that was the man he’d seen in the vision. He watched as the man hurried across to the Workday Café and slipped inside.
“Thank Christ,” Carson muttered, hopping out of his Honda. He knew there would be a bathroom inside. He could only hope that at 1:30pm, there would also be a line long enough for him to be able to go to the bathroom and not miss his mystery man slipping back out.
When Carson walked inside the Café, he was greeted by a blast of warm air. He’d been sitting outside in the cold for hours only running the heat sporadically so he wouldn’t run out of gas. Yet another part of stakeout life not portrayed by cop dramas on television. He was freezing his keister off and the warm air felt heavenly on his face.
His eyes scanned the lunchtime crowd and he was able to pick out the man he thought was the guy from his vision. He was up at the counter ordering from the macaroni and cheese counter. From where he was standing, it looked like the pasta was made to order with several toppings and types of cheeses. Carson’s stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since the box of chocolate munchkins he’d grabbed at Dunkin’ Donuts on his way out of Salem at 7am this morning.
By the look of it, the man was getting his food to eat in. Carson watched him work his way through the line. He loved the way his mystery man had a smile for everyone. He laughed with the cashier as he handed over some cash and then maneuvered his way through the crowd to an empty seat at a table filled with other people.
Feeling safe enough that the man would still be here after he came back from the men’s room, Carson ran to do his business. Thankfully, the man was still sitting in his seat when he came back out moments later. His heart was still pounding in his throat though.
Knowing he needed to eat, he made his way up to the macaroni and cheese counter, just like the other man had done. He was torn between the chili mac and the buffalo mac. His mother loved all things chili so he decided to go with that.
Once Carson paid, he looked around for an empty table close by so he could watch the man from his vision eat, but as luck would have it, the only open seat in the place was the one directly across from him. Carson could feel his heart start to hammer again.
Setting his tray down, Carson took off his coat and hung it on the back of his chair. “Wow, this place is packed, huh?”
The stranger startled and looked up at Carson. “You’re talking to me?”
“Carson Craig.” He held out his hand. He’d just met the man, but Carson would say he looked scared. Of what? Of the person who shot him in the vision? Carson almost growled out loud. He felt an urge to protect this man with his entire being.
“Truman Wesley.” The startled look on his face relaxed a bit as he gripped Carson’s hand.
A wave of attraction, the likes of which he’d never felt before barreled through Carson’s body. It was electric, nearly binding him to Truman like the electricity had glued him to the crystal ball on Friday night. Holy shit…
Truman yanked his hand back like he’d been burned. He stared at his palm as if he were looking
for signs of an injury. Shaking his head, he picked up his fork and dug back into his lunch.
Carson did the same, not wanting the man from the vision –Truman – to notice there was anything wrong. “Cold today, huh?” God, that was totally lame.
Truman shrugged. “I’m one of those crazy people that like New England winters.” His green eyes glittered as he spoke.
Carson couldn’t help being mesmerized by his new friend. Truman’s eyes really were the gateway to his soul. They were warm and genuine and Carson could get lost in them forever. “I’m more a fan of summer myself.” He took a bite of his lunch and moaned out loud.
“Good, huh?” Truman grinned at him.
“Beyond good. My mother was a good cook, but this would have her bribing the chef for the recipe.”
Truman laughed. The sound was full and deep. Little lines appeared around his mouth.
Carson could tell this was a man who was used to laughing all the time. The fear he’d seen in Truman’s eyes when they’d met was a new thing.
“They have the mac and cheese bar everyday during the fall and winter months.”
“Mac and cheese every day? Count me in!” Carson rubbed his hands together in excitement. There was no greater meal than macaroni and cheese. He’d only known Truman for ten minutes and they already had that in common.
“All of the food here is good. I usually get a salad, but I needed some comfort today.” Truman snapped his mouth closed with an audible click. He looked shocked as if he hadn’t meant to confess that to a total stranger.
“We all need a little comfort in our lives from time to time, Truman.” Carson loved the way the other man’s name rolled off his tongue.
Truman smiled at him, his green eyes were shining brightly again.
Suddenly, he shivered, remembering what it had been like for him to watch the life slowly drain out of those gorgeous green eyes.
“Well, I’ve gotta get back to the office.” Truman stood up and grabbed his tray. “It was nice having lunch with you, Carson.”