Deadly Visions

by Aubrey Harper

  In the distance, I could see Dax slipping away. What was he doing here? And was he the one responsible for the dead body by the water?

  Chapter 4

  Dax had disappeared but I couldn’t follow him. It was a good thing that I knew where he was staying. I got into my mother’s truck and drove to the local inn. I waited for Dax to show up. It took him a good fifteen minutes to show his face.

  He looked shifty as he made his way up to his room. But not before I caught up to him, right before he unlocked the door.

  “What are you doing here?” He asked me.

  “Did you see me by the lake? Because I saw you.”

  “That’s none of your business. I have to go, I don’t have time for this.”

  He opened the door and then proceeded to shut it in my face. If he thought he’d get off that easily, he had another thing coming. I took out my cell and pretended to call my brother.

  “I wonder what the sheriff will have to say about you slipping away from the crime scene,” I said loud enough for him, and anyone who was close by, to hear.

  He quickly opened the door and ushered me inside.

  “What’s your deal, lady? Why are you following me?”

  “Me following you? You were the one stopping by my mother’s shop and then running away like a coward. What are you hiding? Did you kill that guy by the lake?”

  “If I did, do you really think this is the safest place for you to be?”

  He certainly had a point there.

  “I’m not afraid of you. Plus, I’m supposed to save you for some reason.”

  Dax laughed at that. “Really? Are you for real?”

  “It’s hard to explain, but you’re in danger. That body by the lake? That’s just the beginning it seems.”

  I looked around the pitiful little room he was in. “Besides, what are you really doing in Picking Hill?”

  “As I said, that’s none of your business. I think you should leave.”

  He tried to usher me out, but I stood my ground.

  I took out my cell. “I guess I’ll call my brother and tell him who his number one suspect should be.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Why? Are you going to kill me like you did that guy by the lake?”

  “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  “That’s a start. So why were you acting so shifty when I saw you, and even before that, if I’m to be honest?”

  Dax ran his fingers through his short brown hair. His blue eyes looking the other way.

  “What did you mean when you said you were supposed to save me?”

  “I had a vision. Someone shot you to death. That’s all I know.”

  “Let’s say I believe you, did you see who shot me?”

  “It looked like a guy, but I couldn’t see his face. I could only see the back of him.”

  “How convenient. So what are you, some kind of psychic?”

  “Actually, yes I am.”

  “C’mon, you must be joking, right?”

  “No joke. I’ve had visions before, and they always come true, one way or another. Usually, I manage to save the person I saw, though. If you want me to save you, you’re going to have to be honest with me.”

  Dax looked amused more than anything. He certainly didn’t look like someone who was taking any of this seriously.

  “If you’re such a psychic, why don’t you prove it, huh? What am I thinking right now?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t work like that. I mainly see the future or what’s about to happen.”

  “How convenient. And I’m dead in the future, right?”

  “That’s all I’m getting for you. Sorry. If something extra traumatic is about to happen, that’s the only thing the universe gives me about that person.”

  “The universe?”

  “Call it what you will. You’re in danger, that’s all I know.”

  “Well, I’ll keep my eye out for a guy with a gun. Is that good enough?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess it’ll have to be. But you haven’t even told me your last name, so I’m not sure how much help I could be if you don’t tell me anything.”

  “My job…is delicate. I can’t just blab my mouth. People’s lives could be in danger.”

  “I know of at least one person whose life is in danger: you.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “It didn’t look like it in my vision.”

  “Well, no offense but I don’t believe in all this psychic crap.”

  “No offense taken. I did all I could. You’re on your own now.”

  “Thanks. That’s all I wanted in the first place.”

  “Good luck.” I turned to go.

  Just before closing the door on me again, Dax spoke up. “But let’s just say I wanted to look into some of your claims. What’s your last name?”

  “It’s Ranger. Callie Ranger. You won’t find much about me online. They usually don’t give me credit once the case is solved. But the cops I work with know I’m the real deal.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” He closed the door in my face.

  “I’m off the hook now?” I said to the universe.

  The universe didn’t reply, but it definitely didn’t feel like this was over just yet. It actually felt like it was just starting.

  “What happened? Where have you been this whole time?” My mother asked, as soon as I entered the soap shop.

  I explained about the body by the lake. I left out the part where I saw Dax running from the scene. I just hoped he actually wasn’t the killer, otherwise, I’d feel like a fool.

  “Bradley already texted me. He said the sheriff got rid of you as soon as you got there.”

  “Well, I ran into that Dax guy. I told him about my vision.”

  “How did he take it?” She cringed as she asked the question.

  “He didn’t believe me, of course. But at least he wasn’t a total jerk about it. No eternal hellfire to loony bin talk, so that was nice.”

  My mother breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. But did you ask him why he was coming to my shop?”

  “I asked, but he didn’t exactly answer. He’s definitely hiding something.”

  “You don’t think he might be involved in that thing by the lake?”

  “No, I didn’t get that impression. But even still, if you see him coming by here again, I want you to call me or Brad. It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”

  She nodded in agreement. “I just wish my children wouldn’t put themselves in these situations. It was bad enough that your father ran toward danger. And we all know how that ended.”

  My father was a firefighter. He was lost when one of the factories close by caught on fire. The wall gave in and killed three firefighters. It was a bad time for all of us.

  Brad wanted to be either a firefighter or a cop, and we kind of convinced him that being a cop in a small town like Picking Hill was probably the better, safer, option. But now that Picking Hill had its first murder in God knows how long, maybe pushing him toward becoming a cop wasn’t such a wise choice.

  “Did Brad say anything about the dead guy?” I asked.

  “No. He just said that they found a body by the lake and to be careful. Why?”

  “I need to find out who he is, or was, in this case. Maybe it will bring me closer to knowing who wants Dax dead. Who knows, maybe it’s the same guy from my vision that killed the guy by the lake?”

  “We don’t even know if it is murder. It could be a drowning, right? Besides, didn’t you say this Dax fellow didn’t even want your help?”

  “No, he doesn’t. But as long as I’m here, I might as well do something.”

  My phone beeped then. It was my boss at Psychics R Us.

  “Ugh. I have to work. Can you drive me home?”

  “Sure. It’s been a slow day anyway. Nobody will miss me for fifteen minutes.”

  After mother dropped me off, I went up to my old room and got on th
e phone. I spent several hours talking to desperate people. Lonely people. And people who were just doing it for fun. The ones who were treating the whole thing like a joke I didn’t even try to read for. I just gave them a bunch of things off the top of my head. Whether they were true or not, I had no idea.

  I took a break and got something to eat. Then I went right back to work, because I had nothing else to do anyway. I’d grill Brad after he got off work. At least Dax knew that his life was in danger. Even if he didn’t believe me, he’d be aware of that fact in the back of his head.

  I texted Brad to come over as soon as he was able.

  He came around after seven, already in his civilian clothes. Mom had already been home from work for an hour or so. Now she was in the kitchen cooking something up. Soap. Food. Flowers. She was always doing something. I told her to take a break, but she said rest is for the dead.

  “So, spill it,” I said to Brad as soon as he came through the door.

  “You know I can’t talk about official police business.”

  “C’mon, you’ve never followed that rule. Remember when you first started, you’d tell us all the crazy things the locals were up to behind closed doors?”

  “That was different. This is a murder investigation, so I gotta keep a tight lid on everything. The sheriff made that very clear.”

  “So it is a murder? He didn’t just drown?”

  Brad went toward the kitchen. “I’m not talking to you about this. I’m gonna say hi to mom and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “You must stay for dinner,” mother said as soon as we were in the kitchen. She had obviously overheard us.

  “Spaghetti? Really?” He said.

  “It’s Callie’s favorite,” she said.

  “Yup, it sure is. Especially the way you make it,” I said.

  We ate together, all three of us, like we were family again. But before I even had a chance to finish my first plateful, the doorbell rang.

  “Who could it be at this hour?” Mother asked.

  “I’ll check it out. Settle down, ladies. There’s a man in the house.”

  “Ugh. Really?” I said as I followed right behind him.

  It wasn’t a killer at the door. It was just Lucas. He actually looked well put together. And then I remembered that we had a drink date.

  “You completely forgot, didn’t you?” Lucas said.

  “Can you blame me? Have you heard about that guy they found by the lake?”

  He nodded. “Unfortunately. He did some work for my father.”

  “That’s awful. We’ll talk about it over drinks. Just give me ten minutes, okay?”

  I did the best I could in those ten minutes and then I was ready to go.

  Lucas drove us to the local dive bar. It was called Pick Bar Pick Grill (yeah, that was the actual name on the building). It looked about as depressing as I’d remembered it.

  We sat at the bar. I got myself a rum and coke. Simple. Classic. Something that wouldn’t make me regret it the next day. Lucas got a beer.

  “So that guy worked for your father? I didn’t recognize him. Was he a local?”

  “He moved here a few years ago. He did odd jobs here and there until my father finally took him on. Our business was starting to grow anyway, so it was perfect. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Peter Hill. He went by Pete. Why?”

  “Just curious. Did the police tell you how he died?”

  “Yeah. He was shot in the chest.”

  An image flashed into my mind. I saw Dax again. Getting shot in the chest and falling to the ground. This time, I could see there was water nearby. By the lake, just like Peter, perhaps?

  “Are you all right?” Lucas asked me when he saw me holding my head.

  “Yeah. No. I don’t know. I just had another vision.”

  Chapter 5

  “You still get those?”

  “Of course. Why would you think I wouldn’t?”

  “So what’s this particular vision telling you?”

  I explained to him about the guy I saw by the lake.

  “I assume he doesn’t believe you?”

  “You assume correctly.”

  “So what do you plan to do about it?” He asked.

  “I’m still trying to figure that out. I mean, I warned him. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

  “Maybe tell your brother about it?”

  “I have, but now he’s a bit busy with the murder investigation and all. So this Pete guy. Did he have any enemies?”

  “Not as far as I know, but he did keep to himself most of the time.”

  That seemed like a hard thing to accomplish in a town as small as Picking Hill.

  “Do you know where he lived?”

  “Pete? He rented an apartment in town somewhere. I’ve never been to his place. I told you, he liked to keep to himself.”

  That didn’t sound suspicious at all. A stranger coming to town and keeping his head down? I needed to talk to Dax. He was definitely holding something back.

  “Now, can we talk about something normal? What have you been up to these past few years?” Lucas asked.

  “This and that. Nothing too exciting. I’ve been living in Chicago for a few years.”

  “How’s that been? Must have been an adjustment after living in a small town for most of your life. I don’t think I could do it. Being in a city of millions, it just seems like it would get lonely. Here, everyone knows everyone else.”

  “It was weird at first, but it helped that I made a friend. She’s actually my roommate. But you get used to it, just like anything in life.”

  We spent another hour reminiscing about old times. Times that I wasn’t keen on reliving. I wanted to move forward with life, not go backward.

  Lucas drove me home. He tried to lean in for a kiss but I gave him my cheek instead.

  “Did I do something wrong? Do you have someone back in Chicago?”

  “No and no. But I’m just not ready for another relationship. Besides, I’ll be only here for a couple of days, so it doesn’t seem fair to you either.”

  “Fair enough,” Lucas said, not looking too heartbroken. I hoped that he wasn’t putting on a brave face for my benefit. I refrained from reading him psychically. That way lay madness.

  Mom had waited up for me. A cat in her lap and the TV on at a low volume, even though she was the only one home.

  “So, how did it go? You’ve been gone for over two hours.”

  “We had a lot to catch up on. That’s it, mom. We’re not getting back together.”

  “I didn’t say you were. Though I’d like it if you’d reconsider. Why go back to that cold, windy city, when there’s a warm one here waiting for you?”

  I ignored her and went up to bed. I thought about the vision of Dax I had. The new vision was haunting me, not letting me go to sleep. I tossed and turned for most of the night, until I finally had enough.

  Would it be crazy if I went to the inn to check up on him? Yes, yes it would. The inn was probably closed anyway. They wouldn’t be letting anyone back in at this hour. I went back to bed and told the universe that I’d talk to Dax tomorrow for sure. I fell asleep not soon after.

  I woke up late in the morning. The cat was scratching on my door so I let it in. We cuddled for a bit but it was obvious the poor creature wanted food instead of cuddles. I fed Mr. Fred. There was a note in the kitchen from mom. She’d made some pancakes and there were some leftover.

  I ate pancakes, thinking about my next move. I had planned on being back in Chicago by now, but here I was. When they found that body yesterday, I knew that something was different about this vision. And the fact that Dax was there when they found the body, well, that certainly made things more complicated.

  He wasn’t at the inn. The receptionist, a snotty girl I knew back in high school, refused to tell me where he went. She probably didn’t even know.

  I thought about breaking into his room and taking som
ething that belonged to him. That sometimes helped me get a psychic reading on a person, but I wasn’t a human GPS. I had a feeling the universe had already shown me everything it wanted as it pertained to Dax.

  Walking to mom’s store, I ran into one of my old high school bullies. Well, she tried being a bully but I beat her up and she never tried it again. There were whispers in the hallways after that, but never again was I bothered face to face and physically threatened.

  “Callie, so good to see you,” Sally said. She looked much like she did in high school. Blonde. High maintenance. Way too much makeup.

  “Hey, Sally. Are you still with Chad? I see you have a ring on your finger.”

  She flashed the diamond in my face. “I’m married to Dan. He’s a doctor. Chad burned bright for a few years after high school, but then he lost his way. Believe me, I didn’t want to stay on that sinking ship. But enough about me. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in years.”

  “I’ve been living in Chicago these past few years. I’m going back there pretty soon. Just visiting.”

  “Good for you. You never seemed like you belonged here. Well, it’s been nice seeing you, Callie. Have a good one.”

  And with that, she was gone. It was only after she was gone that her words started worming their way into my brain. You never seemed like you belonged here. Hmm. I knew she meant it as an insult more than anything, but that wasn’t the way I was going to take it. Besides, I didn’t really care what Sally and her ilk thought of me anyway.

  “You missed quite a show,” my mother said as soon as I entered the store.

  “What happened? Was there another murder?”

  My mother shook her head. “Of course not. I’m starting to worry about you, Callie. Murder this, murder that. Is there anything else you think of?”

  “It’s kind of hard when I get visions of people dying.”

  “Speaking of, that Dax guy stopped by earlier today.”

  Now she had my full attention.

  “What did he want? What did he say? Did you call Brad? Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Slow down there, Callie cat. He just came in to buy some, drum roll please, soap.”