by Deanna Chase
Tears sprung to her eyes and when she felt Declan take her hand, she did not pull away. Kate wasn’t overly surprised over Delaney’s pronouncement that her parents weren’t believers in the paranormal. Melanie’s memories of her parents had been joyous, but Kate had the sense that they were more rigid than Melanie let on. It could prevent them from relying on psychics to bring home their beloved daughter.
Delaney twirled a strand of her hair and bobbed her head back and forth between them. “Can I ask you both a question?”
“Of course,” Kate responded.
“Well, I’m pretty sure that Declan has told me each memory that you and he have seen. After talking to him, I realized that none of the memories included CJ. Has Melanie thought about him at all?” Delaney’s anxiety was visible as she bounced her leg up and down and nervously chewed her thumbnail.
“CJ?” Kate questioned and glanced sideways at Declan. Declan shook his head. Kate continued, “No, the name isn’t familiar. Who is he?”
“It’s Melanie’s ex-boyfriend,” Delaney explained. “They were together for a year and a half and broke up a few months ago. I just find it strange that someone she was with for so long has never appeared to you.”
Declan leaned his body forward as he addressed Delaney. “Yes, I now remember talking to you about the ex-boyfriend. He has an alibi for the day she went missing, right?”
Delaney bit her lip hard. Kate wondered if the girl had drawn blood. “He does. But I find it sketchy. This girl comes out of nowhere and says they’ve been dating for weeks and she was with him the entire day and night of Melanie’s disappearance. Melanie told me he was still calling her, begging her to take him back. I know my sister and even though she never said so…” Delaney looked like it physically pained her to speak. “CJ had gotten violent with her before.”
“Did you tell the police this?” Kate questioned. The thought of someone hitting sweet Melanie left a sour taste in her mouth. It reminded her of Max and how he had been another innocent victim of a violent person.
“Yes, but I only have my gut feeling that he’s involved in some way. I don’t have any proof that he took her or had been hitting her. With his alibi checking out and his willingness to help look for Melanie, he seems to have taken himself off the suspect list,” Delaney said with malice. Delaney typically had Melanie’s same charming and even temperament. If she despised CJ this much, it certainly made him suspicious.
Delaney looked at both of them with pleading eyes. “Listen, I don’t get why Melanie isn’t thinking about what happened to her. But Melanie has been missing for ten days. Declan told me you don’t see visions from people who died—which makes me guess that someone has her incapacitated. My sister would never just leave—no matter how bad things got.”
Pushing aside some papers on the coffee table, Delaney held out a photograph. Declan took it from her. “This is a picture of CJ taken about two months before my sister broke up with him. If you can’t get the information you need from her, maybe he could shed some light on what happened to Melanie.”
Melanie sat next to a lean boy with chestnut hair on the very couch she sat on. His arm was slung haphazardly around her shoulders and Melanie had her signature megawatt smile for the camera. His coloring was light and a smattering of freckles dotted his nose. His long legs stretched out in front of him, hinting at his height. The boy looked innocent enough, but that didn’t count for much. She’s seen enough true crime shows to know that the quiet and nice boys could easily turn out to be the ones hacking up people in their basement.
Kate took a mental inventory of the visions she had of Melanie over the course of the week. The more she thought about it, the more Kate considered the possibility that Delaney may be on to something. In Melanie’s memories, it was as if CJ never existed. Even boys she had dated in middle school had walk on parts in Melanie’s recollections. Why would a year and a half relationship not even warrant a mention?
From Delaney’s description, Melanie and CJ’s relationship sounded tumultuous. Maybe the reason Melanie had never thought about the boy was because it wasn’t a happy time in her life. If Melanie was only remembering the best times of her life, perhaps CJ didn’t warrant a mention. Another possibility that crossed her mind was Melanie running away to escape CJ’s abuse.
Delaney picked up a piece of printer paper and passed it to them. “This is taken off of Brad Foster’s Facebook page. He goes to the gym where Melanie works and has been relentlessly hitting on her. If CJ doesn’t have anything to do with it, then I thought he may be another possibility.”
The man in the photo was short and muscular. He was wearing a tank top and spandex gym shorts. Kate loathed that style of shorts and didn’t understand why anyone would possibly think they look good. Between his receding hairline and leathery tan skin, it was hard to identify his age. In any other situation, it would be comical to imagine this guy, most likely having a mid-life crisis, trying to score a date with the pretty gym instructor.
“What do you know about him?” Declan inquired after they both had time to study the picture.
Delaney sighed. “Not much. I’ve tried to get in touch with him and he consistently ignores me. I’ve sent several emails and called him twice since Melanie’s disappearance. He hasn’t responded in anyway. Melanie’s coworkers at the gym also tell me he has stopped going since she went missing.”
“Sounds shifty,” Kate remarked as she nervously tapped her foot. Brad was another unfamiliar face that Kate didn’t recall from Melanie’s visions. If he had a crush on Melanie, his behavior was certainly questionable. Why wouldn’t he cooperate and do everything in his power to assist in finding her?
“I thought so too. Unfortunately, refusing to talk to the bereaved sister of your missing fitness instructor isn’t a crime,” Delaney replied with her eyes downcast. “I hate to falsely accuse anyone, but I will do whatever it takes to get Melanie back home.”
“Can we keep these?” Declan held up the photos of Brad and CJ.
Delaney nodded and seemed to make a conscious effort to hold back her tears. Her strange bond with Melanie filled Kate with a need to comfort the girl. Kate reached over and gripped Delaney’s forearm. “We’re going to find your sister, no matter how long it takes.”
“Thank you,” she sobbed. “Do you need a place to stay for the night? I know it’s late and you have such a long drive ahead of you. You’re welcome to stay here…”
Declan interrupted her. “No, we’ll be fine—I already booked a hotel room.” Declan was the first to get to his feet. “Thanks for getting me the numbers for Melanie’s friends and coworkers earlier. I set up meetings with a few of them for tomorrow. CJ even agreed to grab a coffee in the morning to talk. We’ll see if anyone could be hiding something,” Declan said.
Kate almost swallowed her tongue. She knew that Declan purposely dropped this bombshell in front of Delaney. He expected her to not throw a conniption in front of the grieving sister. She kept her mouth shut—for the time-being. However, it would be a cold day in hell if he thought they were spending the night together in a hotel room.
Delaney gave Kate a tight hug at the door. Kate was so surprised by the gesture and it took her a minute to respond. She wrapped her arms around the girl and gave a reassuring squeeze. When they moved apart, a slight smile appeared on Delaney’s face.
“It’s incredible, what you and Declan do,” Delaney said sincerely. “Your visions have been the only thing giving me hope that my sister will be back home soon and this nightmare will be over.”
“We’ll call you as soon as we know something,” Kate promised. Delaney hugged Declan as well before going back into the apartment.
Kate waited until Delaney closed the door and she heard her retreating footsteps before turning on Declan. “What the hell is going on?”
“What do you mean?” The innocent tone in his voice seemed to mock her.
She spoke through clenched teeth. “You booked a hotel room? And apparen
tly we’re staying overnight to meet with Melanie’s friends tomorrow including one of Delaney’s suspects. When did you plan on making me aware of any of this?”
“Settle down,” Declan commanded in a low rumble. “Before your boyfriend comes after me with his gun, let me start off by saying I booked two hotel rooms.” Kate followed him as he took long strides through the hallways of the apartment building. “As far as staying over, I didn’t realize it was a big deal. We’re going to make a lot of money when we find Melanie. In the meantime, we have to put in as much time as possible to find out what could’ve happened to her.”
“This isn’t about the freaking money, Declan,” Kate swore under her breath. “I told you from the beginning that I only want to do this to help people. Melanie is important to me and she needs our help.”
“You’re getting too attached, Kate,” Declan admonished. “Think of being psychic like any other job. You help the people you come in contact with and then you move on. You get on with your life—regardless of the outcome. Otherwise you’re going to make yourself crazy.”
“Don’t tell me how to feel,” Kate countered.
“I’m right Kate and you know it. What if you were a doctor? Would you cry each time you had to give someone a bad diagnosis? Go to the funeral for every patient who died?” he demanded.
Staggering down the front steps of the apartment building, she whirled on him. “I’m not in the mood for a lecture. You should’ve let me in on your plans before we left. Now I have to make a very awkward call to both my mom and my boyfriend.”
Her fury had the effect of negating his self-righteous attitude. Using a gentler tone, he begged, “Kate, don’t be mad. You’re right, I should have let you know, but I figured you’d realized we may end up staying over.” When she didn’t answer, Declan suggested, “Why don’t we check out the town before we head back to the hotel and try to have a vision of CJ and Brad?”
Kate crossed her arms across her chest and used her hands to rub at her arms. She felt a chill despite the mild temperature. “I’m really tired. It was a long drive and the meeting with Delaney completely drained me. Can you just take me to the hotel?”
“Sure, we can work there and see if we’ll be able to get a clue about what kind of people we’re dealing with,” Declan remarked as they entered the Hummer. “Delaney seemed pretty sure that CJ isn’t the grieving boyfriend he’s pretending to be. Brad sounds like he can’t take a hint when a girl’s not interested.” He gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.
Kate shook her head. “Declan, I just want to be alone for a little while.”
She picked up her phone and dialed Jared without waiting for Declan’s rebuttal. Her heart sank as his phone went directly to voicemail. “Hi, it’s me. It turns out I’ll be staying here for the night.” She paused and shot a deadly look at Declan before continuing. “I really hope you’re not purposely ignoring my calls. Please call me so we can talk.”
After she hung up, Kate called her mom. Her mom had her on the phone for the entire drive to the hotel and badgered her with a string of queries. The thought of Kate even in the same hotel as Declan made her mother threaten to text her with all the local addresses to pharmacies that carried emergency contraception. Declan laughed heartily as he overheard her reassure her mom that the only way her mouth was going anywhere near Declan’s was if he collapsed and required CPR. Even then it was doubtful, she thought growing irritated all over again at his deception.
After checking in at the hotel, Declan walked Kate to the door of her room. He lingered for a minute as if he was waiting for an invitation. She stared at him coldly.
“I’m right next door if you have a vision and need me.” He rested his hand against the door frame and gave her a lazy grin. “Or if you have any other needs you’d like me to help you out with.”
“Unless I feel the need to punch someone in the face, you probably won’t be hearing from me,” she retorted.
He moved to the adjacent door and stuck the key card in. Sending Kate a wink, he then went inside. She entered her hotel room and closed the heavy door behind her. She leaned against it and closed her eyes. Her head felt heavy and she wondered how a great day had turned to complete shit so quickly. As if Jared wasn’t furious enough about her going to Chambersburg, he would freak out—with good reason—if he knew she was meeting with possible kidnapping suspects the next day. Why didn’t she just have the word “dumbass” tattooed to her forehead?
Kate replayed the conversations with Declan in her head. Was he right about her becoming too emotional over this case? Was this the reason she was ignoring all of the warning bells going off in her head? Kate hadn’t been aware of the danger while investigating Cori’s abduction. Now that she understood the risks, it was foolish of her to make her presence known to men who could be involved in a violent crime. Kate had to wonder if Jared was right in telling her she shouldn’t come to this town.
In one way or another, Kate personally invested herself in the lives of each person she had a vision of. She had to admit Melanie was more than just a client to her. In her head, they had an unreciprocated friendship. Declan had warned her about getting too close and she had repeatedly ignored him.
The hotel bed was piled with fluffy blankets and pillows looking way too inviting to Kate. She collapsed onto the bed and stared at the plaster on the ceiling. Her mind and body were both exhausted. The only thing she wanted was to escape into sleep for a few short hours. Not dream of Melanie, Max, Cori or anyone else. For once, she would love to just escape into her own dreams.
Chapter Nineteen
CJ had worked himself up into an incensed frenzy as he made the long drive out to the cabin. It was almost laughable to think of how easy it was to hide away out here. No one in his family knew about the cabin. His uncle had used it to lure boys away with him and do unspeakable things. His uncle’s threats that he would kill him if he ever told were taken gravely. After his uncle’s suicide, it remained abandoned until he started going up there to get away from all the noise in his head.
The cabin was the key to everything he had planned. Without it, CJ would’ve had to kill her right away. People would probably be shocked to realize Melanie was only forty minutes away from her own apartment. Everyone had wild speculations over where the pretty gym teacher could be. Was she hiding out in the city? Did someone murder her and dump her body in one of the many lakes or rivers that covered the area?
If it wasn’t for his scheme, Melanie would’ve never experienced the pain and torture she had done to him. Every careless smile and girlish giggle had felt like battery acid was being poured on his heart. How could she be happy when all he felt was hurt? How could she move on so easily after telling him each day that she loved him?
CJ had tried to reason with her, but she would never let him back into her life. She was his world and it didn’t even matter to her. She just moved on as if he was nothing to her. Wearing her revealing clothes to the gym and flirting with every guy she crossed paths with. She gave that bald loser in her spinning class more attention than she gave him.
His truck made plenty of noise as it went over the gravel driveway. CJ hoped the sound drove fear into the bitch’s heart. He stomped up the driveway and unlocked the door. The setting sun cast an eerie glow over the interior of the cabin. It was sparsely furnished with only a small kitchenette, bathroom and a bed with a lifeless lump stretched across it.
She didn’t even move at the sound of his entering. Her eyes were unfocused and simply stared blankly at the ceiling above her head. Her arms were above her head and handcuffed to the metal headboard. By bolting the legs to the floor, he had assured Melanie wasn’t going anywhere. She had to be in a hell of a lot of pain stuck in that position, but you would never know it. After putting up the fight of her life the first day he had brought her to the cabin, she had simply stopped.
No matter what CJ did to her, she would not submit to him. It enraged him to no end. He wanted her to
spend the last moments of her pathetic existence pleading for her life, promising him anything he wanted. An unresponsive filthy lump on the bed wasn’t how he pictured this in his mind. Melanie had somehow managed to ruin this aspect of his life as well.
The smell was nauseating. When he realized that he was going to keep her here for more than a night, he had bought diapers. Even the humiliation of her ex-lover diapering her wasn’t enough to get her out of her stupor. It had been two days since he had been able to make the trip into the forest. She had been sitting soiled for hours upon hours as he was enjoying his life. It gave him some satisfaction since she was giving him none.
CJ fed her the last time he came and she ate like a mechanical doll. Open mouth. Close mouth. Chew. Swallow. He had tried to incite her, but she wouldn’t react. He had first burned her by overheating the soup. He then grabbed a fork and repeatedly poked her with it. Her body would tense over the pain, but she did nothing to stop it. He wondered if he had sent her into madness too quickly. This would be his only regret. The sting of her rejection wiped away any other feelings of remorse. Dying miserable and alone would be retribution for her callousness towards him.
This morning he realized it had been more than a week since he took her from her apartment. It had been too easy to take her. Melanie was always trying to be the nice one. When he stopped by her apartment, she invited him in and even tried to have a friendly chat with him. He slipped the GHB into her soda when she went to the bathroom and soon after she couldn’t even stand up on her own. It was effortless to slip away with her in his uncle’s pickup truck and take her to the cabin.
When she came to and found herself shackled to the bed, her screams of outrage were audible through the gag. When he walked over to the bed, Melanie tried to fight him off with her legs. His fists and a knife had stopped her quick enough. After he had raped her the first time, she retreated into herself and seemed to never return.