The Truth Healer: A Riveting Spiritual Psychic Thriller

by J Gabriel-Smith

  As soon as the Mercedes was out of sight, Chloe checked the coast was clear before getting out of her car and tip toeing around to the side of the property. It was hard for her to see if anybody was left in the house. There was a side gate that Lucy and Tom could jump over, but Chloe couldn’t be certain there weren’t security cameras scattered around.

  As she tried the handle of the gate, she tensed up as she heard voices coming from the garden. They were mumbling in Hungarian so Chloe didn’t have a clue what they were saying, but she did hear a younger girl’s voice. She was trying to detect some of the words and ‘mangalica’, ‘megvet’ kept being repeated. She also heard the word ‘gigi’s.’

  It was frustrating her that she couldn’t see what was going on, so she scanned the area for something to stand on. There was a crate with some empty bottles in it by a communal bin area, so she rushed to get it before she missed them. As she climbed up onto it, she peered over the wall and caught sight of a man and woman dressed in maid and porter outfits. They were talking to a young girl, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, sitting on a garden chair.

  The young girl had brunette hair with straggled highlights weaved through it. A thin strand of hair was finely plaited down each side and pinned up away from her face. She looked like she’d been crying as her bronzed cheeks had clear streaks running down them where the tears had washed away the layer of night residue. She was wearing a khaki cami top with a short denim skirt, and her wrists were decorated with numerous plaited bracelets, which echoed the ones Chloe had seen at the Sinti village in Austria.

  The maid seemed to be consoling the young girl, and after wiping away her tears, the young girl appeared to be head towards the side gate to leave. ‘Oh no!’ Chloe panicked, tipping up the crate in her haste to jump off it, twisting her ankle in the process.

  She quickly limped back to her car, before watching the young girl come out and wait at the bus stop across the street. After ten minutes, the bus came along and the young girl jumped on. Chloe decided to follow it, stop by stop, until it finally reached a more run down area of the town, where the girl disembarked.

  As Chloe pulled into the shabby neighbourhood, she felt the locals’ eyes penetrating her car with suspicion as she crawled along their litter strewn streets. She knew it wouldn’t be long before someone came to investigate, so she just stayed long enough to see the young girl enter a dilapidated building. It had white chipped paint and boarded up windows. Surely she couldn’t live there, Chloe thought. It made her skin crawl just looking at it.

  After a few minutes the young girl came out again with an older man in his thirties. He had a shaven heard, slitty eyes and a large tattoo down one arm. He was holding out his hand while she handed him some money. He counted it, before giving her one of the notes back, with a pat on the back. He then beckoned someone from inside the house. Chloe watched as another young girl appeared at the doorway, before stepping out nervously onto the street. She was slightly younger looking with dirty blonde hair tied back into a loose plait. Her eyes were glued to the floor, only briefly looking up to acknowledge the other girl who held out her hand for her. The younger girl then slowly placed her hand in the older girl’s hand, before walking with her back to the bus stop.

  Just as Chloe was getting ready to follow them, she was suddenly interrupted by a knock on her window from a disgruntled lorry driver, who was trying to get past her car. ‘Oh yes!… sorry….I move now…me go.’ Chloe apologised, trying to appease him. She shunted forwarded in her flustered attempt to get the car started, only narrowly missing an overflowing bin in front. After finally managing to manoeuvre out of his way, and escape his threatening finger pointing, she turned her car around to find the bus stop empty. ‘Bugger!…I’ve missed them.’ she cursed. ‘I’m never going to find them now!’

  A disgruntled Chloe looked at her watch. ‘Jeez!…11.30!’…how did it get….’ She put her foot down on the accelerator and raced back to the hotel. ‘Please don’t let me have missed them.’ she prayed.

  After climbing the stairs to her room two at a time, she switched on her tablet, to be met with silence. She couldn’t hear Lucy or Tom’s voices. They must be here by now, she thought. She must have missed them! Why did she have to go out for so long? She was so annoyed with herself….what if they had gone off to Jozsef Halasz’s house alone? She had to find them…but where?

  She furiously pressed rewind on the recordings, until, joyfully, she could hear them talking. ‘Yes!’ They had arrived thirty minutes earlier. They were discussing their relief that the guards at the border had waved them through, only taking a quick glance at Sadie, who was busily reading a book with her sunhat on.

  Their plan was to head over to Vorosmarty Square, before driving over to Jozsef’s house at 3pm, so Chloe hot footed it out the door and hailed a taxi.

  After being dropped off at Vorosmarty Square, Chloe could see hoards of people gathered around the Lion Fountain, and as she willed her eyes to lock onto Lucy’s familiar jacket, she homed in on the three people she was desperately searching for. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’

  Lucy and Tom were each holding Sadie’s hand, looking like every other ordinary family. Sadie seemed to be pointing at various people, and as Chloe squinted she noticed one poor tourist becoming a victim of a lost wallet. Poor Sadie would have known every trick in the book, and unfortunately, what the child pick pockets would suffer if they didn’t deliver the goods.

  After watching them head off to a nearby restaurant, Chloe sat down to devour a hot dog on a bench opposite. She gasped as her ice cold lemonade stung the back of her dry throat, before relishing the quenching of her thirst. She could feel the sun burning her thighs, so she dolloped a generous amount of sun cream onto the red blotches that were starting to form, with an extra squirt going on each arm.

  She hoped Lucy and Tom wouldn’t be much longer, as she could feel the wrath of the heat starting to pulsate on the top of head, signalling the onset of a dreaded migraine.

  After forty-five minutes Chloe could see them paying, and as they left the restaurant, they seemed to be headed towards Vaci Street, taking in the various antique and fashion shops, before making their way down to the Metro station. Chloe sped up to make sure she boarded the same carriage as them, managing to shield herself behind a group of teenagers. The Metro stopped at Castle Hill, where they got out and boarded the Funicular to get to the top of the hill.

  She followed them along the cobbled streets, as they explored the gothic tunnels and medieval baroque houses. Tourist faces were looking around in awe, but Chloe watched as Lucy and Tom couldn’t hide their glum exterior. Their frustration at not knowing where to look was evident. They were, though, looking on fondly at Sadie, as she walked around freely, taking in the spectacle. It was a far cry from her life of confinement and misery.

  After twenty minutes of meandering, Chloe followed them back down the hill and back to the hotel.

  Back in their room, Chloe listened in as they planned their route to Jozsef Halasz’s house. They were debating as to whether they would go into the house this time, but they both agreed it would be too dangerous this time. They had Sadie to look after now, so they couldn’t risk putting her in danger again, let alone themselves.

  As they collected their car from the car park, Chloe hastily followed behind, driving back over Chain Bridge and back to Briskolc.

  As they arrived outside Jozsef Halasz’s house, Chloe parked further up the road than she had before, and nervously hoped the black Mercedes convertible didn’t pull up while Lucy and Tom were there. Chloe could see them turn around to Sadie, gesturing for her to get down in the back, whilst they covered her with a blanket.

  After checking no-one was around Chloe watched them creep out of their car and walk quickly over to the side gate of the property. To Chloe’s dismay, she lost sight of them, so she snuck out of her car and swiftly darted over to a bin store that overlooked the gate.

  Lucy was p
ointing to the crate Chloe had been standing on and, after what looked like a slight bicker as Tom tried to stop Lucy from getting up onto it, Lucy managed to free herself and peer over. After a few moments, Lucy jumped off the crate, gesturing for Tom to move quickly. They both ran down the street and around the corner out of sight.

  Chloe gulped as she saw a black suited burly man with beady eyes, come out of the side gate and look around. She started quietly freaking out. Oh God no!… How are they going to get back?!

  Luckily, a screeching cat ran out from behind a fence, which seemed to satisfy the burly man’s curiosity, so he turned and closed the side gate behind him.

  After a few seconds, Chloe could see Tom’s head reappear around the end wall, and as soon as he saw the coast was clear, he hurriedly walked back holding Lucy’s hand. Chloe watched as Lucy then seemed to stop as if she’d dropped something. She turned to nip back and get it while Tom made his way back over to the car. ‘Oh come on Lucy…what are you doing?! Chloe groaned.

  Tom started the engine, mouthing for Sadie to stay down. Chloe could see him getting anxious as to Lucy’s whereabouts, after she seemed to have been gone for an eternity. ‘What’s he doing now?!’ Chloe panicked, as Tom stopped the engine and went back out to look for Lucy.

  Just as he was passing by the side gate, two men suddenly came flying out of it, grabbing Tom by the throat and throwing him up against the brick wall. Chloe put her hand over her mouth as she let out a squeal. This wasn’t in the plan! Where was the protection?!

  ‘You husband?!’ one of them shouted in broken English.

  Tom nodded, struggling to breathe.

  ‘We have your wife….why are you here?’ the second one demanded, leaning his full weight against Tom.

  ‘We..we….were l..lost.’ Tom stuttered, fearing to tell them the truth.

  ‘We do not believe!’ they said in unison, before looking at each other and pulling back their fists. With one rib cracking punch to his gut, and one blow to his head, Tom buckled over in pain, spitting out blood as he fell to the floor.

  As one of the men stood over him cursing, the black Mercedes re-emerged from behind the wrought iron gates and sped off down the road. Chloe could see a man in the back seat with his arm around an object. As she got a clearer view, the blanket slipped off of one corner and she could see the tip of a bare shoulder and some mousy blonde hair. They had Lucy.

  Just as Chloe thought she was safe to run over to Tom, a white van wheel spun around the corner and pulled up beside Tom. The two men that had assaulted him picked him up and bundled in to the back of the van, before speeding off to catch up with the Mercedes.

  ‘No, no, no…..this isn’t supposed to be happening! Chloe shrieked.

  She had to follow them, otherwise she’d never know where they were going. She jumped back into her car, started the engine and put her foot down on the accelerator. As she drew level with Lucy and Tom’s car, she spotted Sadie’s head popping up, so she leapt out of her car and ran over to their back seat door. As she grappled to open it, Sadie was crouching down shaking.

  ‘It’s ok Sadie, I know who you are. I’m friends with Lucy and Tom. I promise you can trust me, but you need to be quick as we can’t lose sight of the nasty men who have taken them.’ Chloe urged, reaching out her hand to her.

  Sadie tentatively raised her head up. Chloe could tell she wasn’t sure of her, but at the same time was too scared to stay where she was, so she held out her hand for Chloe to pull her out.

  ‘Good girl, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, now come on quick, jump into my car.’

  Chloe buckled her in and sped off to the junction that the Mercedes and van had turned right at. They had only been gone a minute so she prayed she’d find them. ‘Where are they?’ she willed. She could see a queue of traffic ahead. ‘No, please no!’ she shouted, as she hit a traffic jam, where a lorry appeared to have got stuck turning a corner.

  Sadie looked on terrified. ‘Sorry sweetheart, it will be ok.’ Chloe reassured her, resting her hand on her knee. As Chloe got out of the car to try and see how long it would take, she caught sight of the perpetrators at the front of the queue. ‘Yes!’ she rejoiced, leaping back into her car.

  As the traffic started to move again, and they drove out of Briskolc, the surroundings started to become familiar to Chloe. She realised they were heading towards the shanty town she had visited earlier that day. She had to be careful not to be seen, so she parked up a few side streets back and watched as Lucy was man handled into a white run down building. The same building Chloe had seen the young girl enter.

  The white van remained closed, and the two thugs that had beaten Tom, followed the others into the house, leaving Tom inside the van. Chloe was at a loss at what to do. She knew one thing though….if she didn’t do something soon, something dreadful might happen to both Tom and Lucy. Tatiana hadn’t warned her about this. She wanted to call her, but if she didn’t act now, it may be too late.

  ‘Sadie, I need you to be a really brave girl. Don’t move …..I will be back in five minutes….I promise. Now lock the doors when I get out, and if you get scared by anything or anyone tries to get in, honk this horn here.’ Chloe instructed, pointing at it.

  Sadie nodded and locked the doors as soon as she left the car.

  Chloe ran across the street and walked with her head down sticking close to the buildings. She quickly stepped into a doorway, as she saw a shaven headed man come out of the house. It was the same man she had seen earlier. He seemed to be extremely unhappy and was shouting back up the stairs. Another man then appeared and pushed him against the side of the house.

  As Chloe got a better look, it looked like the same man who was driving the Mercedes earlier. He was holding his arm up to the shaven headed man’s neck, and as his sleeve cuff fell back, Chloe could see he was holding a gun.

  She immediately leant back into the doorway and took a deep breath. This was too much for her, and she had Sadie to think about. She had to ring Tatiana as she wasn’t sure she could do this.

  ‘Tatiana, Tatiana, I need your help.’ she desperately whispered.

  ‘Ok Chloe, calm down, where are you?’

  ‘I..I’m outside a run down house in a shanty village near Briskolc. They have taken Lucy and Tom, and now I have Sadie in the car with me. Tom is locked in the back of the van and I don’t know what to do.’ Chloe blurted out, fighting back the tears.

  ‘Now Chloe listen to me. What do you feel you need to do right now?’ Tatiana asked calmly.

  Chloe was shaking her head. ‘I don’t know, that’s why I’m ringing you!’

  ‘No …you have rung me as you know what you need to do, but want my confirmation that it is ok for you to do so.’ Tatiana advised, sitting in a chair opposite Truth Master Benedict.

  Chloe paused, taken aback by the lack of help Tatiana was offering.

  ‘Well, I need to get Tom out of the van, but I am scared that the men will come out of the house and catch me.’ Chloe exclaimed.

  ‘You need to do it then Chloe…remember you are being protected. You will not come to any harm.’ Tatiana assured her, nodding at Truth Master Benedict.

  ‘Are you sure?…it’s just this is getting very close to the mark. These are seriously bad men Tatiana.’

  ‘I know it is frightening, but we picked you Chloe as we knew you would be able to handle it…and you will. We are looking out for you.’

  Chloe let out a sigh. ‘Ok…ok…I’ll do it! I’ll speak to you later…I hope.’

  Chloe hung up the phone, and poked her head out from the doorway to check that the men had disappeared from the front of the house. She had no choice now. She had to get Tom.

  As she was waiting for the right moment, a group of children playing herded past her, so she took this as her cue to make her way over to the van door.

  With her hands shaking, she pressed down on the handle and opened the door. She found a gagged Tom, handcuffed with tape. He had a nasty gash to h
is head and was rocking back and forth. ‘Tom.’ she called out in a loud whisper. He looked up, terrified at what she was going to do to him. ‘It’s ok Tom…I’m Chloe. You don’t know me, but I am here to help you. I know you are looking for your daughter Rosie. I have Sadie in the car with me. We have to go now!…I will explain everything later.’

  Chloe beckoned him out as she looked around nervously, but he just stared back at her in shock and bewilderment. ‘Come on Tom, we have to go!’ she demanded, in a desperate plea

  After a few seconds, he finally shimmied himself forwards, so Chloe could help him out and guide him back to the car. As he limped alongside her in pain, there was sudden yell from the house.

  ‘Quick Tom, get in, they have seen us!’ Chloe shouted, as she fumbled to open the car door that Sadie had locked from the inside.

  ‘Sadie, open the door!’ she screamed.

  Two of the men were racing towards them, as Sadie leant forward and unlocked the door. Tom managed to climb in and pull the door behind him, but as Chloe ran around to her side, the men were only feet away.

  She frantically tried to open her door, knowing that there was no way she was going to able to start the car in time to get away. ‘Help me, help me Harry.’ she called out. Just as she thought she had left it too late, a lorry came out of no-where, blocking the fast approaching thugs’s path. She looked up momentarily stunned, before quickly taking her chance and clunking the car into reverse. ‘Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!’