Deadly Visions

by Aubrey Harper

  “That doesn’t seem too newsworthy,” I admitted. “It doesn’t seem like I missed much at all.”

  “But I think that was a cover. He was asking some pretty weird questions. He asked me if I knew anything about the guy that had been killed. He tried to make it sound like casual conversation, you know like people talk about the weather, but I saw right through him.”

  “Did you tell him anything?”

  “Of course not. Not that there was much to tell.”

  “Did he ask about me?”

  “No. Don’t look so disappointed. Are you in love with this guy? You don’t even know him, sweetheart.”

  “I’m not in love with anyone. And you know very well why I’m interested in him: because I had a vision of him dying. Yesterday, I had another one. With a little more info. I have to warn him. So have you seen where he went after leaving here? Did he walk or did he have a car?”

  “He actually drove. But he went to that side of town,” she pointed to the side of town where the body had been found.

  “Can I borrow your car? Just call me if you need it back.”

  “I don’t want you to go after this guy,” my mom said. “He’s not what he’s pretending to be. Though I’m not sure what he’s even pretending to be, if I’m to be honest.”

  “Yeah, yeah, so can I have the car or not?”

  She handed me the keys.

  “But please be careful, okay?”

  “I always am, mom.”

  I drove to the lake and spotted a car there. There was still police tape where the body had been found. I found a lone figure looking out at the lake, looking very much alive.

  “What are you doing here?” He asked me as soon as he saw me.

  “I have as much right to be here as you. Maybe even more, in fact,” I was quick to say.

  “You know I didn’t mean it like that. So, are you following me?”

  “Get over yourself. But yeah, I was looking for you. I had another vision last night.”

  “Do I survive in that one?”

  I shook my head. “I saw you fall down by water. I think it’s by this lake. So if you want to live, I suggest you keep your distance.”

  “Is that right? How convenient.”

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t think you know what it means. None of this is convenient for me. If it was up to me, I’d be back Chicago, under warm covers, with a warm cup of tea in my hand. But no, the universe had other ideas. I didn’t tell you this, but when I get those visions, they come with headaches, until I try to actively stop them from happening.”

  “That’s a cruel universe.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  He turned his gaze toward the water again. “You know, I looked you up. I talked to a few of my friends in law enforcement.”

  “And what did they tell you? That I was a fraud? A fake? A liar? Just a girl who needs some attention?”

  “That was the official line, I won’t lie. But once I talked to them off the record, they were a lot more forthcoming. It turns out that you actually did help with a few cases. They hated to admit it, but you knew stuff that no one else did about the crimes they were trying to solve.”

  “That’s good to hear. If only that were the official line, right? So do you believe me now?”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore. I know I never believed in any of this psychic stuff, but the guys I talked to seemed pretty shook when they talked about what they saw you do.”

  “I see the future, Dax. Everything I’ve seen has come to pass. Some stuff that I even tried to stop, ended up happening just like I saw it.” The dead girl’s face flashed through my mind. I tried to shake it off.

  “So I still might end up dead even if I believed you and tried to stop it?”

  “If you listen to me, your chances of survival will be much higher. I suggest you start by staying as far from this lake as you can. Or you could leave Picking Hill altogether.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “And why not? Isn’t your life worth more to you than whatever it is you’re doing here?”

  “It’s not that simple,” he said.

  “Seems pretty simple to me,” I said. “Stay here. Die. Go away. You just might survive. Unless you get killed by some other lake in some other town.”

  “So leaving town isn’t even a guarantee? What good are your visions then?”

  “I’ll have you know that my visions have helped more than they haven’t, so if you…”

  Just then, I heard police sirens in the distance. Dax heard them too. He headed for his car, but pretty soon there were cop cars on either side of us.

  Brad was there, pointing a gun at Dax.

  So was the sheriff.

  “On your knees,” the sheriff yelled. “And Callie, will you please move out of the way?”

  I watched in shock as they cuffed Dax and took him away.

  “A few people saw him around this area around the time we discovered the body. He’s a person of interest now, Callie. I suggest you keep your distance,” Brad informed me.

  A person of interest in a murder. I knew he was hiding something, but I didn’t think it was the fact that he was a murderer. I needed to get to the bottom of this, if only for my own sanity.

  Chapter 6

  My first instinct was to follow the cop cars right to the police station. But then I got an idea: maybe being in a jail cell was the safest place for Dax right now. After all, I saw him fall dead by a body of water, and a jail cell was the furthest you could get from that, at least in Picking Hill.

  I decided to go on a little field trip. I didn’t feel like going back to my mom’s store. I drove until I saw that familiar sign. Just Wright Construction.

  To my pleasant surprise, Lucas was out on the job, but his father was there.

  “I can tell Lucas you’re here if you want?” Mr. Wright said.

  I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. I actually wanted to talk with you.”

  He looked a bit taken aback by that. “I can’t think about what. But shoot.”

  All the while, he was making himself look busy. He was writing something and filing it away. And then he repeated the action. Was he trying to ignore me?

  “Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering about that body they found by the lake. It’s awful, isn’t it?”

  “He was a good egg, that Pete. I can’t believe someone would want to hurt him like that. But here we are.”

  Mr. Wright looked genuinely sad about the man’s passing.

  “Do you know why anyone would want to hurt him? Did you notice something weird around town recently?”

  “You sound like a cop. I already answered all those questions, when the sheriff asked them that is. I’m not sure why you’re so interested. Unless you’ve become a journalist since the last time I saw you, I don’t see why I should.”

  “No, I’m not a journalist.”

  “So you’re just curious? Well, a man is dead, Ms. Ranger. I don’t think it’s the time for curiosity and gossip.”

  “You know why I’m asking. Don’t make me say it.”

  “Ah, those visions you supposedly get? Either they’re the devil’s work or you’re off your rocker. Either way, I don’t know why I should answer any of your questions. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like for you to leave. And while you’re at it, keep your distance from my son. He doesn’t need your brand of crazy in his life.”

  “For your information, Lucas asked me out for drinks, not the other way around. And don’t worry, I won’t bother you or your son again.”

  With that, I left Just Wright Construction, feeling a strong urge to cross out the Wright and put a Wrong in its place.

  I ran into Lucas just as I was heading out.

  “What’s wrong? You look angry.”

  “Ask your father,” I said and drove out of there. I didn’t deserve to be treated like that, no matter how nosy I was.

  I decided to drive to the police st
ation after all. I needed to know if Dax was indeed the killer. If he had confessed to the crime, then my work here was done. I could book a trip back to Chicago and be done with it.

  I found Brad in the station, sitting at a desk.

  “Hey, bro, what’s going on?”

  “Your boyfriend is in interrogation right now.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend. So is he guilty or not? If the only thing you have against him is that he was there when you found the body, I don’t see that holding up in a court of law.”

  “Don’t worry, the sheriff will get his answers, one way or another.”

  The sheriff and Dax were coming out of the back side by side. Dax no longer had any handcuffs on.

  “You’re free to go, Mr. Smith,” the sheriff said. “But please don’t try leaving Picking Hill just yet, all right?”

  “Will do, sheriff,” Dax said. Then he shook the sheriff’s hand. “Thank you for everything you do.”

  Brad and I gave each other equally confused looks.

  “What was that about?” Brad asked the sheriff once Dax was out the door.

  “Not in front of her,” the sheriff said, giving me one of his “get out of here” looks.

  “I’m going, I’m going, geez,” I said and hurried after Dax.

  Dax was on his phone.

  “Need a ride?” I asked him.

  He shook his head. “I can get my own ride. Thanks.”

  “So what happened in there? The sheriff just let you go like that? What did you tell him?”

  “None of your business.”

  “C’mon, I’ll give you a ride back to the lake. And then we don’t ever have to speak again.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yup. Now let’s get out of here. I can feel the sheriff’s gaze on me as we speak.”

  He laughed at that. “You know, he’s not as bad as he seems.”

  “I’d love to know why you would think that.”

  Once we were in the car and on the road, Dax was my prisoner without even knowing it.

  “So, what actually happened back there?” I asked.

  “I already told you that I’m not talking about that.”

  “Are you an undercover cop or something?”

  He looked at me like I was crazy. “Where would you get that idea?”

  “So it’s true, isn’t it?”

  He sighed. “I’m not a cop.”

  “What then? FBI? You’re FBI, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know that? I’m starting to think that you actually might be a psychic.”

  “I am an actual psychic, but that’s not how I knew. I just guessed. I mean, why else would the sheriff just let you go like that and be so nice to you at the same time? The sheriff is many things, but nice isn’t one of them.”

  “You can’t tell anyone. Got it? Lives could be at stake.”

  “Lives already are at stake. Yours being one of them. But what I’m wondering is why are you undercover in Picking Hill? Nothing ever happens in this town.” Then I got an idea. “It has something to do with that Peter Hill guy, doesn’t it?”

  Dax rolled his eyes. “Your guessing game is strong. But yeah, before I could even start my mission, everything went to hell. I blame you.”

  “Me? How is any of this my fault?”

  “You distracted me with your stories of psychic visions. I need to focus on the real world. And my job is far from done in this town, so I suggest you keep your distance. It’s for your own safety.”

  We were at the lake now. I kept my doors locked because we weren’t done with this conversation.

  “I can’t leave Picking Hill until I know you’re safe.”

  “I give you permission to leave,” he said. “You warned me. Shouldn’t that be enough? Now please unlock the door.”

  “It doesn’t work like that. If I leave now, knowing that you could still be in danger, the visions, and not to mention the headaches, will be back with a force.”

  “I’m an FBI agent. Being in danger is kind of part of the job.”

  I unlocked the car.

  “I’m staying in Picking Hill,” I told him just as he was about to shut the door behind him. “I’m going to stay here until they find Peter Hill’s killer.”

  That got his attention.

  “You can’t do that. You’d be interfering not only with a police investigation but with mine as well.”

  “Just watch me. Picking Hill is my hometown. My mother and brother live here. I won’t leave them here until I know that the killer, whoever it is, is off the streets.”

  “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” Dax said.

  “Close the door, please. I have a murder to solve.”

  Dax looked at me in disbelief, but he closed the door anyway. I drove out of there, leaving Dax standing in the middle of a parking lot, looking dumbfounded.

  If he thought he could dictate how I lived my life, he had another thing coming.

  Of course, as he disappeared in the rearview mirror, I thought that I’d probably made the biggest mistake of my life. What was I thinking? I had never solved a murder in my life. My whole kitsch was trying to stop people from dying, not solving their murders after the fact. I usually left that kind of thing to the police.

  But this was different. This was my hometown, and I wasn’t about to leave knowing there was a killer still on the loose.

  I parked the car in front of mom’s store. I sent off a quick text to Lily, updating her on everything that had happened so far.

  She sent a text back telling me to be careful.

  “Bradley tells me you drove off with that Dax fellow?” My mom said as soon as I entered the store. She was working on half a dozen packages. I guess the online orders were picking up.

  I helped her with the packages, gluing on the shipping addresses.

  “He’s…not what he seems,” I finally said after she continued to ask me about Dax. “He’s actually an FBI agent, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

  “An FBI agent? Interesting. Bradley didn’t tell me anything about that. He just said the sheriff would have his head if he talked about it. If I’m honest, I was thinking the worst when I heard you had driven off with a perfect stranger.”

  “Well, the universe wants me to save him, so he’s not a complete stranger. I met him before I met him, in a way.”

  My mother raised her eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “The only one thinking about my love life currently is you, mom.”

  “Did he tell you anything about that body they found by the lake? He must know something if he’s FBI like he says he is.”

  “No, he was pretty tight-lipped. He told me to leave town. That he and the local police had it under control. But you know I can’t do that.”

  “The headaches?”

  “That and you guys. I’m not about to leave my family alone here while there’s a killer on the loose.”

  Mother smiled. “You’re so sweet, Callie. But I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine. It was probably an isolated incident. Who knows what that guy was up to.”

  “Well, I saw Dax getting shot as well. And it was eerily similar to how that Peter guy died. I can’t ignore that. Maybe if I find Peter’s killer, I can find Dax’s.”

  “Callie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s dangerous, you silly girl.”

  “Well, I can take care of myself,” I was quick to say.

  “I don’t know this Dax guy very well, but he’s making a lot of sense. Why don’t you spend some time with your family instead of trying to play detective?”

  “Why can’t I do both?”

  I spent the rest of the day helping mom around the store, and then when it slowed down, I’d surf the net on my phone, trying to find out who exactly this Peter Hill guy was. But I came up with nothing. I made a mental note to grill Brad about that. I needed to know who he was before I tried t
o figure out who wanted him dead.

  I stayed behind an hour past closing time, helping mom clean up around the store.

  Once we got home, I was famished. There was leftover spaghetti in the fridge that was calling my name. Mom was in the kitchen cooking up some kind of dessert. She was pretty tight-lipped about what it was.

  Then my phone rang. I thought it might be Brad, telling me about another murder in town. But it was my friend Lily.

  “What’s up?” I asked her as soon as I answered. I hoped everything was okay back home.

  “I’m here! I’m here, Callie!”

  “Here where exactly? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m in Picking Hill. Well, close enough anyway. I need a ride if you don’t mind. Of course, I could take the bus, but you know how much I hate them.”

  I knew that Lily hadn’t had a good history with buses.

  “I’m coming. You’ll have to wait a bit, though.”

  “That’s fine. The people here are so friendly.”

  I told mom what was happening.

  “You should take Bradley with you. I don’t like you going out so late at night by yourself.”

  “Mom, please. I live in Chicago. I think I can handle whatever Picking Hill decides to throw my way.”

  And with that, I was going to the train station to pick up my best friend. Why she decided that this was a good time for a surprise visit remained to be seen.

  Chapter 7

  “What were you thinking coming here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, of course, but why?”

  “I couldn’t very well leave my best friend to her own devices with a possible killer running loose, could I? What kind of friend would that make me?”

  “How did you manage to get time off? That must not have been easy.”

  “I just took a couple of sick days. Easy peasy actually, since I never use them anyway. So what do the locals do here for fun?”

  I gave her a look. “You’re not being serious? I’m exhausted just looking at you.”

  “That bad, huh?” She said, putting down the mirror above her seat. “You’re right. I look like a mess. But it’s nothing a hot shower and some sleep won’t fix. I’m excited to meet your brother. He’s single, right?”