Kayla's Chronicles- Will Travel For Murder

by Candy O'Donnell

  “Yes, I will go inside and eat. I will take my pill, and I will rest. I promise.” She did the Scout’s honor sign.

  “Good, here comes your meal now.” Tyler briskly walked away and past the man carrying her food tray.

  “Thanks. Can you set it on the table over there?” She had the door open when he entered and set it down for her. After searching through her purse on the side table, Kayla came up with a twenty-dollar bill. “Thanks, again.”

  “Thank you, miss.” He seemed to dance out of the room after receiving the cash.

  Kayla went to the tray and lifted the lid to find the missing photo sitting near mashed potatoes and green beans. A quizzical look fell over her face when she looked back at the door of her room when it slowly closed.

  Chapter Seven

  Later that day, Kayla sat staring out the window of the dining room inside the hotel with eyes searching the menu. Dinner was being served, and the dining room appeared as if half its occupants were in attendance chatting and eating delicious food. Everything smelled terrific, and Kayla’s stomach was growling, but her thoughts were somewhere else. She was festering on something else, something much more sinister was playing tag in her mind, and she already knew what it was, and after listening to Detective Tyler talk about the bodies found in the river, Kayla felt she needed to keep digging for the answers. She had taken her second pain pill and was beginning to feel very little pain.

  After stabbing a sautéed potato, she stuffed it into her mouth with eyes that moved over the landscape just outside the window pane. At first, she thought she saw the man who came up behind her, and when she blinked, he was gone. What was it about New Orleans that seduced her senses? Whatever it was, Kayla was about to embark on a journey into the unknown where ever her dreams guided her.

  After overhearing a couple speak about the dead bodies pulled out of the river, and when the man speaking cleared his throat and added, “They must have been killed recently. Everything on them was still intact.” The woman nodded, and after standing to leave, Kayla finished her dinner and went back upstairs to her room to dress in warmer clothing. The weather in the city was a lot colder than expected. She had to ensure a cold was not going to creep up, her dad would find someone to blame for that one.

  After hurrying down the steps and out the front door, Kayla pulled it open to see Detective Tyler approaching. When he looked up to see Kayla, she smiled and proceeded to brush past him and begin her journey of the city once again.

  “Kayla, my boss wants to have a word with you. If that’s okay.” His body stood rigidly, and Kayla thought it might crack under the pressure of her gaze. “Please, he has a few things to say.”

  “Okay,” she was led to the waiting unmarked blue car with a few dents on the right side. Detective Tyler opened the passenger door and waved her inside where she sat on a dark blue, cracked vinyl seat and waited for him and slid into the driver side. “What’s this all about anyway?”

  “You’ll see.” He pursed his lips together and forced a fake smile. When it subsided, he glanced into the rear-view mirror as his taunt face foretold something foreboding awaited her at the station.

  “I’ll need to have my father on the phone with whatever detective decides to interrogate me. It’s my wish or else I’ll lawyer up.” She crossed both arms over her chest after buckling her seat belt. Kayla peered out from under her knit green cap at Detective Tyler.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Kayla.” He slowly drove along the frozen roads and ice-cold streets to the police station where Kayla sat in the tiny room with three cameras capturing her every move. When she dialed her dad, she finally got him on the line, and his silence permeated the room until the detective’s partner rushed into the room and sat across from her glaring at every limb she rotated.

  “Hello,” whispered this man wearing plain clothes who entered before Detective Tyler who sat in a beat-up chair near this uptight detective. Kayla’s dad cleared his throat to ensure they knew he was on the line.

  “It’s my dad, Thomas Decker.” Kayla set the cell phone in the middle of the worn table, “And he’s on speaker.”

  “Whatever you have to say to my daughter, you can say to me as well, detectives. Be careful what you do say to my daughter, Kayla. I’m a willing participant in overruling your words with dire consequences.” His tone had a touch of irritation, and an overtone of anger.

  “Okay, sir, my name is Detective Bernard, and I’m here with Detective Tyler.” He spat in an elevated tone.

  “I knew Detective Tyler’s father for decades. We worked together long ago. What is it you wish to ask of my daughter, Kayla Decker?” He jumped into why they were there.

  “I understand what you are attempting to do, sir.” Detective Bernard’s voice came back like a snake ready to strike.

  “I don’t believe you do, Detective Bernard. One call from me and you will have a bad night or a bad morning.” Thomas was confident with his words.

  “Is that a threat, sir?” Detective Bernard dropped to the table a stack of papers with eyes flaming.

  “It’s a promise, detective. I never make threats. Threats are empty words, but promises are usually fulfilled magnificently.” Thomas Decker’s voice had a hint of truth to it.

  Detective Bernard looked up at Kayla with twitchy eyes and a restless nose. “I think we should begin.”

  “Be very careful what you say. I’m warning you. After the warning, you will be pulled out of there by Simpson, your boss.” Kayla’s dad’s voice cautioned. She had a feeling this detective’s superior was on the line with her dad, and all he had to do was press a button and this guy, Detective Bernard would be dragged out by his toenails.

  “How did you know about the murders, Kayla?” Detective Bernard questioned. He was tapping his pen on the table.

  She looked up at the detective with his dulled green eyes, pale skin, and protruding belly. “What do you mean?” She answered with a question.

  “How did you know where those bodies were dumped? You must have received some kind of notice about what took place at the river. What was it?” Detective Bernard glanced down at the phone. No voice came out of it when his eyes landed back on Kayla.

  “I had a dream about the murders.” She said so matter-of-factly. “It was a dream that led me here to this beautiful city.”

  “What?” He was surprised when redness rose from the bottom of his chin to his forehead where wrinkles suddenly formed. “A dream!” His words screamed out.

  “Yes, ever since I was a little girl, I used to dream about such things as murder and death. I dreamed about my own mother’s death too.” She set her right arm on the table and stared into this man’s cold eyes. “It’s how I receive my information.”

  Detective Tyler tried to hide his grin behind his hand, and he wasn’t all that successful when Detective Bernard glanced at him and frowned. “What?” Tyler slid his metal chair back, and when it hit the wall behind him, a grunt came out of Detective Bernard.

  “So, you had a dream about this couple in the river, and then what happened?” Bernard was more than intrigued by what Kayla was saying, but he was much more disgusted, and it showed over his face when he pressed his lips together in a thin hard line.

  “Yep, it’s what I do.” Kayla tried to smile, but it came out all wrong. “I don’t know how it happens, it just does. Have you ever had a never-ending nightmare that took place throughout the week?”

  “No, I cannot say that I have, Kayla.” This detective had heard enough and was now rubbing his forehead with one hand.

  “That is where I receive these murders from, my dreams.” She sat back with both arms in her lap waiting for this detective to arrest her for a crime she didn’t commit.

  “You dream about murder. Did you accept a call from someone here in New Orleans about this so-called murder?” Detective Bernard sat with back arched and arms leaning over the table as his stare pierced her soul.

  Kayla wasn’t about to be taken
in by this man who obviously knew what he was doing, and most likely she had been doing for too long, but Kayla was better at interrogation than Detective Bernard was. She was after all raised by a cop, and a good one at that. “How is your daughter, sir?” Kayla asked the detective.

  “What?” Detective Bernard’s face softened upon hearing her ask about a precious part of his family.

  “Did she ever recover from whooping cough?” Kayla was pushing him now, and finally, she wasn’t the one in the catbird seat. “I do hope it never comes back again.”

  Detective Bernard sat back in his chair and twisted his head around to look at Tyler who shrugged. “Did you tell her?”

  “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say a word.” Detective Tyler pushed his body against the wall, and when his shoulder touched it, he crossed one leg over the other and attempted to remain calm and in control.

  “I’m sure your wife was frantic about it. I know my dad would be. He would give anything to help his only child.” She slipped the last sentence in for good measure knowing all too well this man still didn’t believe Kayla or her dreams.

  Detective Bernard came back with. “I don’t know how you know about my family or about my sick daughter.”

  “Take care of your blood pressure, detective or another heart attack will erupt when you least expect it.” Kayla thought she was now overstepping her bounds. “I had a short dream last night about your previous heart condition. It’s the stress that’s doing it because you’re overworking yourself and you worry too much about not being at home with your family, especially your daughter. You should find a desk job, it will help with that.”

  She thought steam rolled out the top of this detective’s head. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, Kayla, but stop. I will not put up with whatever you are playing me with.”

  “You need to stop this right now, Detective Bernard. My daughter would have dreams when I was still walking the beat, and whenever she dreamed about me, I listened. She saved my hide twice.” His breathing was all they heard once his words halted.

  “I still want to know how she knew about the dead bodies in the river.” This detective sat with hands clasped before him. White knuckles were soon apparent.

  “Kayla just knows things, detective. It’s like how do we know not to rush into a residence. It’s because our gut instinct tells us not to, and when we listen, our lives are better off for it. How do we know a case will play itself out a certain way, and how do we know which direction to head in or who to talk to? We just listen to our gut instinct. Isn’t that correct, Detective Bernard?” Kayla’s father sounded convincing.

  “Yeah, my kid told me about a dream she had concerning my heart a year ago. She told me not to go to work that day. I did anyway, and then it happened. I found myself on the floor of the jail hallway clutching my pain filled chest.”

  “I bet you wished you listened to your daughter.” Thomas Decker whispered through the phone.

  “Yes, I do wish that I listened to her now. I’m back on my feet without anything to worry about.” He paused before asking, “What are you telling me, sir?”

  “My friends call me Mouse, by the way. I’m silent like one.” Thomas pronounced.

  “Except now.” Detective Bernard actually cracked a smile.

  “Always listen to those you love and those who love you. If someone is telling you or begging you not to do something or don’t go somewhere, listen to their words. It might save all of you a whole a lot of heartache. Kayla’s dreams have saved me because I clutched to my heart what she said as truth. I knew she was right, and I never allowed my pride to get in the way. Kayla has a way of seeing things differently than the rest of us do. Many out there has her gift, but there are those us who don’t.”

  “I suppose so. What if my own daughter wants me to sit at a desk from now on, and stop going out in the field living my dreams?” Detective Bernard asked Thomas.

  “Listen to her, Bernard. It might save you from a lot a disaster or even death. Can I ask you a question, detective?”

  “Sure.” Bernard’s face was no longer red.

  “Do you want to see your little girl grow up and get married someday, and would you like to be the one walking her down the aisle?”

  Kayla looked up at Detective Tyler with her head cocked to one side. He waggled his shoulder in return.

  “I definitely do. What kind of question is that?” Bernard was becoming angry again.

  “Don’t take this out on me, detective,” Thomas warned. “It’s not my fault; you don’t listen very well.”

  “What are you getting at, Mouse?” He was visibly irritated, but listening anyway.

  “I cannot imagine not walking my daughter down the aisle so she could marry the man she will spend the rest of her life with. I turned down a promotion for my daughter’s sake, and I’m happier because of it.”

  Detective Bernard sat unwilling to say anything else about change and perhaps plopping down in a chair the rest of his career.

  “Your daughter just might save your life for good. That is, only if you choose to listen to her.” Thomas interjected more of his knowledge.

  “I get it. I get that you love your child so much you changed the course of your occupation to fit her ‘so-called dream.’ I cannot do that. I need to move forward and continue to make more money to put my daughter through her music and dance lessons.”

  “She will stop doing them once you’re dead, detective.” Thomas’ words penetrated him so profoundly, this detective was on his feet with teeth clenched together.

  “I’m through here. Enjoy the rest of your stay and try not to get in our way, Miss Kayla Decker.” Detective Bernard hurried from the room after slamming the door behind him.

  “You touched a nerve with him, dad.” Kayla giggled.

  “It takes only one nerve for someone to change. By the way, how did you know about his daughter and her illness?”

  “I read about his daughter in the paper yesterday. It was practically front-page news, dad.” She pulled her arms closer to her body as she stared at the phone.

  “I agree with you, sir. I’m a believer in your daughter now.” Detective Tyler pulled his chair closer to the table.

  “At least she has someone in her corner. I’m happy to hear that, Detective Tyler. I believe your father would have kept an open mind to her too.” Thomas said his goodbyes and hung up.

  “What now?” Kayla asked.

  “We get you back to the hotel without a hitch, I hope.” Tyler stood and slowly moved to the door. “Is all that true, Kayla?” Tyler obviously still had a suspicion about what she dreamed at night.

  “Yeah, it’s all true. If I dream it, it has a ring of truth to it.” She picked up the cell phone and slid it into her jacket pocket.

  “I bet it’s unnerving to see such things without knowing where they are or even if you can save them.” He held the door open for Kayla when she slid out and into the busy police station. Detective Bernard had a phone to his ear, and when he spotted Kayla, he raced to his desk with a cup of coffee held in one hand. “Bernard might not ever listen to you, but I will. I want to know if I’m about to step into a danger zone.”

  “You’ll be the first to know, detective.” Kayla winded her way behind Detective Tyler to the front of the police building where a couple was entering with tear filled eyes.

  “I should get you back to the hotel now.” He stepped ahead of her, and when he looked back, Kayla was deep in thought.

  “Can you drop me off at the place where the bodies were found? I want to check out the scene and get a feel for it. It might jog something about the dream I had about Harris and the woman.” She waited when he opened the car door for her. “Thanks.”

  The sun was sinking in the distance when she stared up at it before getting in the car.

  “Mary was her name.” He spoke in a low tone.

  “What?” Kayla waited until he slipped into the driver seat.

  “Harris
had a fiancé named Mary. She was the one with him in the river.” Detective Tyler started the car when they buckled themselves in.

  “They both had blond hair and blue eyes. Harris had bright blue eyes, and he felt honest in every sense of the word.” Kayla stared straight ahead.

  “Are you sure about that?” He wheeled the car from the parking lot and onto the street.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure about that, detective.” She opened her mouth again and thought about what the couple was arguing about behind her in the dream. When something suddenly came back to her, she mumbled, “Mary thought Harris was cheating on her, Tyler.”

  “I’m sure he wasn’t, Kayla. Harris was a millionaire and his family had been a prominent part of this area for centuries.” He turned the steering wheel to avoid a patch of ice on the road.

  “Really, I would like to know how deep their roots run through New Orleans.” Kayla thought about Harris and Mary and what she left behind back home. “Maybe there are some connections we could trace through the family tree. I’d like to check out the local library on historical New Orleans when we have time.”

  “We have one of those. Where would you like to go first?” He looked over at her.

  Kayla answered, “To the Crescent City Connection. That is where we will discover a lot about what took place with the two lovers.” She sat in silence throughout the car ride back to the spot where the bodies were discovered, and when the vehicle came to a stop, Kayla climbed out and made her way to the place where she first saw the dead speak in her dream.

  She stood with eyes closed, inhaling the chilly air deep into her lungs. “It’s strange standing in the same place I dreamed about. I’ve never done this before, ever.” Kayla popped open her eyes and watched cars roll over the bridge in the distance.

  “Ever? You remember everything about your dreams, right?” Detective Tyler asked when he pushed both hands into his coat pockets.

  “Some details evade me, and some objects fade with time, but yeah.” She turned to look up at him. “When I was a kid, my dreams were filled with death. All kinds of sadness infiltrated my senses, and when I would wake up, that horror still played inside my head.”