Dreams of Reality

by Sylvia Hubbard

  “I’m not sure what to say. I am unsure how to take this all.” She softly touched the top of his hand and smiled comfortingly.

  “Listen. Just listen.” Small ripples of pleasure surged through her fingertips, up her arm and through her veins. She wondered had he felt the same from her touching him, but didn’t ask.

  The waitress broke the electricity between the, when she brought their food over. Skye withdrew her hand.

  “Thank you for having lunch with me,” he said when the waitress left.

  “It’s no problem. It’s what friends do.”

  “I must admit all of this is very new to me. I’ve never had a female friend. Not even in high school.”

  “Will you be out of town long?”

  “I’m traveling with a good friend of mine to Ohio to meet a lawyer about some personal business. We’ve been working on finding someone for about three years.”

  “Would that be Thomas Blair? I typed the letter last week.”

  “Yes it would be Thomas Blair. I’m mostly traveling with him for support. The mother of the child just died and finally released some vital information. We’re going to search around and hope he finds what he is looking for.”

  “With all the time you put into it, I hope so too,” she said wishing him well.

  “You mentioned something under your breath having a lot of dreams. What did you mean by that?”

  She flushed embarrassed to know he’d been paying close attention to her. “I’ve been having these dreams about being with someone. As wild as I know my imagination can be, I know I could never imagine something so clear. Like I’m really there.”

  Thaddeus heart began to beat faster, but he put the thought that raced through him behind. Impossible! Skye could not be part of Fats ring. Never could she be. “Do you do it often?”

  “Every once in a while.”

  “May I be so bold to ask whom do you have dreams about?”

  She hid her blush biting her lips fighting the flush covering her whole body. “It’s no one,” she quickly lied. “After my assault at a young age, I stopped dreaming.”

  “Stopped dreaming?” he frowned. “And recent events in your life have made you start? Could it have been the move?”

  “I thought of that option to. Taking this step in my life was scary, but I knew it was something which had to be done.” Her voice faltered wanting to elaborate more about the trouble she believe she could be in, but decided maybe next time she would.

  “It’s confusing, but I want to make the best of this decision.”

  He took her hand in his and lightly brushed her knuckles with his lips. “I believe you have.”

  She gently took her hand away and changed the subject. As they ate, he noted everything about her, without seeming too obvious.

  Could she be apart of Fats ring and not know it? He wanted to know desperately, yet he didn’t want to press her remembering how Dr. Johnson said the fragile state of mind they could be in. His Skye?

  He couldn’t fathom the thought, but remembering how the Case looked and his Skye he was becoming more aroused by the minute.

  Deciding to separate the two in his mind, he concentrated on Skye. He wanted to get too much of her, so he could get just enough, but it seemed the more things he noted about her, the more he wanted to be with her, know about her, make her happy.

  This was crazy he knew, sitting here having lunch with her. He didn’t know if he could have just come into town and not see her.

  Not after they had made so much progress last night.

  When they were paying for the bill together, she asked, “I don’t mean to waste what little time you have.”

  This time he put his finger to her lips to stop her. The movement was erotic and sweet at the same time. “Don’t ever think you are a waste of time to me. If you were, I would let you now, don’t you think?” As he spoke the tip of his finger traced the bottom of her lip. When he realized how intimate the touch was, he drew away instantly regretting what he had done.

  She nodded stiffly trying to ignore the madness of emotions she was feeling. “As friends, I believe you.”

  “No matter how important I am to the world around us, when I make time for you, it means I want to be with you. I know I am not obligated, nor am I forced. I want to be here.” Bad timing happened at that moment when his cell phone went off. To further his bad luck, it was Craig’s contact telling him Craig needed to see him immediately at the apartment. Cursing under his breath, she already knew this meant he had to leave.

  “I understand,” she said, really meaning the words as she stood up. He followed her to her car feeling like an idiot. First, he said he wanted to be with her, and then he had to leave when his phone went off. It didn’t look good for the home team.

  “I’ll try to call you before I leave tomorrow night,” he promised. “Mind if I call you late?”

  “No. It was a nice lunch... Thaddeus.” She outstretched her hand. “Till the next time?”

  “Promise. If you feel like talking any time, you can call me over at the River Place apartments. That’s where I’m staying for now.”

  “Sure.” Getting in her car, she took a deep breath wondering if she should be making a big deal about his work coming first. She was very understanding because she would do the same if it concerned her business.

  Instead of going home, she went to the library to look through some more information on the doctors and TAC Enterprises. About five she found the connection between them, when TAC donated over half a million dollars to the study on GHB which Dr. Porter was in charge of. Now all she needed was to put the drug inside her of and Dr. Porter’s secret study together. She was sure there was some law breaking taking place and charging whom ever with a crime would suit her just fine. She only wanted to stop the doctors before they injected more unsuspecting women.

  She pulled up in her driveway to see Dr. Himes and Dr. Porter standing on her doorstep. It looked as if they were just getting there and looked please to see her. Warily she got out the car making sure she stuffed the papers she had made copies at the library deep in her purse hoping they wouldn’t see.

  “You didn’t come in for you appointment, and we were worried,” Dr. Himes explained.

  “So you make house calls? Should I be honored or scared?”

  “Both,” Dr. Porter said seriously. “May we come in to speak with you, Ms Patterson?”

  Their eyes spoke volumes and she had a feeling denying them would lead to more trouble.

  “Yes.” She allowed them to follow her in the house. Putting her purse on a coffee table double-checking the closed zipper she offered them something to drink.

  Dr. Himes said nothing, but Dr. Porter asked for a cold tea. Returning to see them with the paper from her purse she became highly upset. Skye grabbed the papers out of Dr. Himes hands.

  “How dare you!” she screamed furiously.

  “How dare we? How dare you put your nose where it doesn’t belong, Ms Patterson?” Dr. Porter pointed to the television where they had put a tape in showing hallway video surveillance on the second floor of her walking down the long aisle at the medical center dated yesterday peeking in the windows of each door.

  “I-I was lost,” she quickly lied. “I needed to use the bathroom. I didn’t see anything.”

  “Would that be why you’re looking for connections between Fats Coleman and us?” Dr. Himes asked nodding to the papers she gripped to her chest. “You may have not seen a lot, but we think you know enough.”

  Dr. Porter turned her around to look at him. “Maybe even too much and if Dr. Carter know how much you know . . .” He left the subject open.

  “We want you to keep your mouth shut for your sake, Ms Patterson. You can’t afford to open your mouth to anyone,” Dr. Himes warned her from behind as her eyes were locked with Dr. Porters'.

  “You’re a beautiful young woman, Ms Patterson.” Dr. Porter cupped her cheek. His palms felt cold and sweaty. “I have worked decade
s to make my drug perfect and I will not have you make the last years of my life miserable behind bars. Do we make ourselves clear?”

  She nodded slowly too terrified to speak.

  Dr. Himes turned her towards her. “It won’t be just us making the threats either if Dr. Carter ever finds about just how much you know. The money and the people funding this project are dirty. Real dirty and they have ways to make people like you disappear.”

  Dr. Porter pried the can of ice tea out her hands and opened it.

  “Good day, Ms Patterson.” He sipped the drink down and placed the can back in her hand as he followed Dr. Himes out the door.

  Her legs buckled under her in terror. What had she gotten herself into? Rocking in trepidation, her mind scrambled for what to do next. With it being Saturday afternoon, she wasn’t sure if she could do anything.

  ‘Stay calm,’ she told herself. If only that were possible, then she would be able to live her life as if nothing had ever happened.

  Coming to Detroit had been a bad thing, she concluded, but she would have never met Thaddeus if she had not come here. This was not the time to think about him . . .

  Maybe it was. Maybe she ought to let him know.

  Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow when he called she would let him know everything. Right now she needed to be ready for anything. Getting up from the floor of her living room, she went to the front door and turned the dead bolt lock. Skye went straight upstairs and packed an emergency bag with extra clothes and food, plus traveler’s checks she had left over from her trip to Detroit, important papers and extra cash. She made a copy of the files and reports she had been researching and stashed all this in the bag as well. Once she was done with that, she went in her backyard and stashed this in the doghouse that came with the house. Trying to work that night was difficult, but soon she opted for a long bath at eight and bed. Too high strung, she reluctantly took a Valium promising herself she would toss them away in the morning. The idea of getting hooked on them made her nervous, but just tonight she would have to take them in order to get any kind of rest.

  Dreamland hit her instantly with a strange ringing of the phone.

  Chapter 17

  Craig arrived two hours later looking paranoid as he came through the secret entrance of the apartment in the bedroom’s closet. Thaddeus was about to speak until Craig made a silent gesture, then instructed him to follow him right back out the secret entrance.

  They walked down several flights of stairs until they got to the fourteenth floor. He followed him to a service elevator. Once inside, Craig pushed a basement button, and breathe a sigh of relief.

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Thaddeus surmised from all of this.

  “Pooh was found dead last night. His tongue and eyes had been literally ripped out his body. FBI called me and the sergeant up this morning. They believe it’s Laroche Butts. He’s worked for the mob out of a Chicago hit man squad. He’s about seven feet and big as a Mack truck, but no one’s stayed alive to pin him with anything yet. Except one cat knows his handiwork and they said this was his needlepoint.”

  “You think Fats called him in?”

  “According to them, Chenile, Butts’ daughter use to do some thing for Fats and Fats contacted her two days ago. She paid him off with her dad. Fats wanted to send a message to the police. He knows and I’m terrified of what’s going to happen. I think you should cancel out tonight and get out of town until we can bring everyone in. It’s going down tomorrow afternoon. We’ve got enough to connect Fats to this chain and all the doctors as well. Pooh received some good information on tape from Fats, and gave them to me the day before yesterday. Fats was about to get him in on the deal, because Pooh knew of some women on a big list we have no idea about but heard it mentioned several times. We figured once we get all the parties involved, we’ll get it out of someone, or at least stop them, but I think they’ve already started drugging new women already. The clinic was packed Friday with new patients which I believe were these women on this mysterious list. Pooh didn’t have a chance to tell me everything, before he handed me the tapes and said he was so close to Fats now, we’d bust him like a balloon with the shit he knew, but he promised to talk to me later. Next thing I knew the FBI called me in the sergeant’s office.”

  Thaddeus cursed under his breath. “So you think Fats knows everything, including my involvement?”

  “I really don’t know. Pooh did have honest street connections. He probably received Fats trust by getting some of the women on that list. We don’t know everything about all what’s going on. I think he did it to save your ass. No one knows the connection between you and I and we’re going to leave it like this. I suggest you send a messenger to the Network for Fats and tell him you don’t want her services anymore.”

  They stepped off the elevator into the laundry room.

  Thaddeus never expected to end it like this—so soon. He needed more time to evaluate his feelings. He could not walk away now!

  Quickly, he said, “It’s too soon to cancel. She’ll be here soon.”

  Craig checked the time and cursed. It would seem strange if Thaddeus canceled and whatever Pooh had sacrificed to save Thaddeus from suspicion might be all for nothing. “You’re right. Fine, see her tonight and then that’s it.”

  “Now wait one moment. Are we abandoning the girl?”

  “We’ve gotten all the information we need from her. We’ve had her tailed and identified as of two weeks ago. She knows absolutely nothing about her other life. She has hallucinations about being with you and can’t figure out why, but her psychiatrist, who is in cahoots with Fats, just tells her they’re dreams, which she readily believes. I think once we arrest everyone involved, she’ll be left alone and chalk this one up as a strange experience in her life. Let her go, Thaddeus. You’ll never see her again and if you do and press the issue you might cause irreparable damage to her mental status.”

  Thaddeus couldn’t let the Case go, not when he wanted to see her more. He was confused about his feelings for Skye and for the Case. With the realization closing in he was never going to see her again, how could he properly sort out his feelings for Skye. “I’m going to see her tonight and I really think I need to see her again… away from all this when she’s not under the influence. If not for her sanity, but for mine as well. She can’t just forget about me. I know this sounds strange because you aren’t there, but I feel it when she’s with me she wants to be with me and I have a feeling if I don’t end it properly, things won’t be the same for... her.” He almost said, “us.”

  Craig was having deep reservations about this. “Thad, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Determinedly, Thaddeus said obdurately, “I’m doing it. If you won’t give me the information I want on her to see her, then I’ll selfishly find a way to see her because I damn well please.”

  “What if I let you see her from afar, but that’s it.” He was adamant.

  Thaddeus’ cinnamon eyes danced with joy. “When?”

  “Next week.”

  “Too long.”

  “I won’t do it sooner. I don’t think you can get involved with-”

  Thaddeus cut him off, “I don’t give a damn what you think, Craig, I want to see her and know who she is, so I’ll do it tonight and until she’s out of my system. I’ll find her on my own damn time and see her.”

  “Listen you selfish bastard, I won’t let you harm her.”

  “You and what army plan to stop me?”

  Craig could see he could not get Thaddeus to do, as he wanted, so he compromised. “Alright, fine, see her tonight, but keep the microphone on and the panic button close near just in case, then Monday I will take you on surveillance with me on her. She has a doctor’s appointment scheduled and we want to see if she goes to it. We’ll tail her from her home, but only if you swear tonight you finish this ridiculous obsession and promise you’ll never step foot in her life again.”

  Thaddeus leaned against the wall to thin
k. He wanted to protest, but the term selfish bastard hit hard in his conscious. He wasn’t that selfish to cause irreparable damage to her. He would accept Craig’s terms, but he wouldn’t keep his word. This meant too much to him. “I won’t if you do as you promised,” he said.

  Craig didn’t trust a word he said, he shook on it. This was crazy and now he wished he had never gotten Thaddeus involved. He hadn’t expected his best friend to become affected by the woman like this.

  He pushed for the service elevator to come pickup Thaddeus. “You go back up alone. Meet me at the café about noon Monday. Go through the kitchen, to the back door and I’ll be waiting for you outside of the loading dock by the grocery store.”

  The elevator doors opened and Thaddeus stepped in. “Can I just know her first name?”

  “Thad!” he protested.

  “Please Craig. As a blood brother, and friend, do this for me. I just want her first name. I’d just like to call her by her first name for once in my head instead of always referring to her by the case.”

  Craig shook his head hopelessly, then sighed giving in. Just as the doors were about to close, he said the name, and missed the shocked expression on Thaddeus’ face.

  When Thaddeus returned to his apartment, the words of Thomas’ resounded loudly in his mind. “One and the same.”

  How could this be? Why didn’t he realize it until now? What the hell should he do? Sitting down and carefully thinking about all of it, he began to put little by little together. The heavy make up hid everything from him. Whenever he had seen Skye, she usually kept her hair wrapped or pulled tightly back. When the woman he’d see on Saturday’s kept her soft long curly hair loose. Skye always wore frumpy clothes and the woman he saw on Saturday’s wore next to nothing.