In Plain Sight

by R E Gauthier

  “I think it is best left unsaid for now.”

  Mack looked at her with a far-off expression and she thought maybe she hadn’t heard her until she said,

  “Okay I’ll let you off of the hook for now. You look more relaxed than last week I never did get to ask you how your weekend went.”

  Nikki didn’t really want to tell her that she’d been spending time with their young PIO because she knew what she would say.

  “Well I have been seeing someone since Friday after you left.”

  “Really...? Who...?” Mack asked.

  “Sara our PIO, we started talking and...”

  “Sara...? Nikki what were thinking getting involved with her?”

  “Mack she’s fun and I needed to unwind, we’re both adults and don’t worry I would never say anything about the case to her.”

  “I don’t need to tell you why this is a really bad idea. The last thing we need is interpersonal conflict on this case.” Mack shook her head and swore under her breath.

  Nikki knew that her best friend would be upset but now she wondered if maybe she looked upset because Sara was with her and not Mack.

  “You said you weren’t interested in her...I”

  “Seriously Nikki you think I’m jealous? I can assure you it’s the furthest from the case. Sara is quite pretty I’ll admit but I’m not attracted to her.”

  “But you are attracted to our little author,” she said before she could censor the words. She immediately regretted saying anything when she saw the thunderous look on Mack’s face.

  “I think we’re done here for the night.” Her best friend said curtly; effectively closing off anymore discussion on the matter.

  “Well tomorrow comes early and I have those files to sift through so I better get back to my room.” Nikki said while rising, she avoided the angry look on Mack’s face

  Mack also got to her feet and prepared to part. “Yes I have to try and get a better night’s sleep, I feel like I haven’t slept in two days.”

  “My guess is because you haven’t?” Nikki teased.

  Chuckling Mack drew her in for a hug.

  “I’m sorry Nikki; I just can’t talk about her anymore right now. Everything is so raw and fresh where she is concerned.”

  “I understand Mack, but when you’re ready I’ll be right here for you.”

  They walked to the elevator when Kelsey thought about her earlier plans and said her goodnight to Nikki and made her way to the hotel’s front desk.

  She walked down the hall to her suite, and stopped at Miranda’s door so she could listen and make sure the author slept soundly. She listened intently for any sounds and continued towards her own room, when she heard what sounded like a muffled scream come from inside.

  It only took her seconds to decide to use the key card she’d asked the clerk for and let herself in. Making her way in the dark room she followed the sounds of whimpering and sobbing until she found Miranda huddled on the floor beside the window, wearing only a t-shirt and underwear. She was shaking and saying something and Kelsey tried to make out the words. She was at her side and on the floor gathering the author into her arms before she could think of what to do next. She rocked the distraught woman and tried to sooth her plaintive moans by rubbing her back and telling her she was there to take care of her.

  Miranda kept whispering “I’m so sorry,” over and over again. She then got up with surprising strength and shook Kelsey’s hold on her as if it were nothing. Then she ran for the bathroom and once inside sank to the floor and started her rocking and sobbing again.

  Kelsey got up and slowly approached and tried to reassure the distressed woman.

  “Miranda, honey it’s me, Kelsey and I am here to take care of you and keep you safe, I promise. Now let me get you back into bed okay?” Not waiting for a reply from the blank staring woman she bent and scooped her into her arms and carried her carefully back into the bedroom. Once there she slowly lowered her onto the bed. She then straightened and quickly disrobed down to her underwear and t-shirt. She carefully climbed in behind the now sitting and shivering woman and put her arms around her coaxing her to lie back down. She took the sheets and duvet and pulled them over the two of them as she cradled Miranda in her arms.

  In a few minutes, Kelsey felt Miranda relax and the shivering stopped, and a minute or two more she could hear the rhythmic breathing of sleep and she blew out a rush of held breath.

  “That’s right sleep now; I’ll be here to chase all those bad dreams away, Sweetheart.” She whispered into the hair and gently kissed the moist, cool temple.

  This isn’t the time to worry about the consequences of her actions but to let the emotions out and act on the feelings bubbling up from deep inside.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tuesday September 3, 2011

  “Quiet your mind and listen to your heart, what do you hear?”

  The dream had her nerve endings firing on all cylinders, her body on fire, and her mind trying to make sense of it. She felt pressure in her lower belly and then lower; that pressure building until she thought she would burst. Her body moved on its own in an instinctive rhythmic rocking. She didn’t want to wake up but her senses were coming alive, her nose smelled citrus, lavender and another scent she didn’t recognize. The nerves in her hands, groin and chest came alive with sensations of touching, the friction of cloth on overly sensitive skin, heightening her awareness even more. She heard the breathing hers and another taking in air rapidly and holding it and then expelling it in soft pants, her heart pounded and she felt another beating like a bird trying to escape its cage. Before another thought could stop it from happening she felt the pressure in her groin increase and then release. Her fingers dug into soft flesh and moans rose up in her ears. Her own and someone else moaned low and guttural. Who am I with?

  Awake with a start, Kelsey lay in the bed holding someone. In her dream she held a woman as well. Miranda had fallen asleep in her arms. Reality struck home immediately. I’m in Miranda’s bed and I’m holding her in my arms as I had another orgasm. Oh my god no, this cannot be happening.

  “Kelsey...?” Miranda whispered.

  “Ahhh... Don’t move,” Kelsey growled, she didn’t know how this had happened and now that it had her brain scrambled to figure out her next move. The bed lurched and groaned as the she extricated herself from the covers and bounded to the floor. She grabbed her clothes beside the bed and bolted for the open bathroom door.

  Once in the bathroom, Kelsey took one look at her face in the bathroom mirror and swore under her breath. Her heart still beating rapidly and her body’s nerve endings were humming, unlike her last orgasm alone in her hotel room, this time she didn’t feel satisfied. How the hell did that happen? She had never had a dream like that before it was so vivid and the images and closeness to Miranda’s petite body made it only more real. Now what am I suppose to do? How can I face her after what I just did?

  Miranda looked at the closed door and knew that what just happened had rocked Kelsey as much as it had her. She had felt the agent grind and climax against her, so she knew its effect on the tall, gorgeous woman. She too had climaxed after having such a delicious dream. How the hell did she get in my bed? That question remained unanswered as the bathroom door opened and Kelsey exited and turned to leave.

  “I am so sorry Miranda,” she said and the door of the room opened and closed behind her before she uttered another word.

  “Okay so you’re sorry. Sorry because you wish it didn’t happen? Sorry because you wanted it to happen but not that way? Or just sorry it was me?” Miranda asked softly to the empty room. What the hell is happening to me?

  ***

  A couple hours after leaving Miranda’s room, Kelsey stood dressing in her suite. Even after her shower; her body was still strumming with awareness. Jesus that dream had been powerful, powerful enough to drive my mind to reenact it over and over again several times since I left her. But was it hers or was it mine? Did I read
her again while she slept? Her phone rang and brought her out of her head and back to reality.

  “Hello”

  “Mack, its Doc and I just wanted to see if we will be having Miranda’s hypnosis in your room or hers, we could have it upstairs in the smaller conference room, although we won’t be able to shut out the light as well in there.”

  “Well I haven’t given it much thought. Which is best?” She hoped that he would say in her own suite because she couldn’t step foot inside Miranda’s room without having what happened between the two of them play havoc with her mind and body. God she couldn’t even have a run, take a shower or get dressed without reliving it in Technicolor and full animation, being in the same room where it occurred would be torture.

  “Well it might be best to keep it consistent and have it in your room. That’s only if you don’t mind.”

  “Nope I don’t mind at all.” She said blowing out her held breath. She had dodged a bullet and she knew it.

  At precisely nine thirty, a knock at her door made Kelsey jump. She rose to look through the peephole and saw an apprehensive Miranda wringing her hands waiting to be let in. As she opened the door, Doc was also there to enter so she knew she wouldn’t have time to talk privately with the author, a fact she was both disappointed and relieved with.

  The first half an hour was spent talking about any thoughts or dreams she had had since the session ended the day before. Worried that she would have to mention the fact that Agent MacGregor had been in her bed she decided it was best to just find out why.

  “Well I cannot remember any dreams that would be connected to this case but maybe Agent MacGregor can shed some light on how she got in my bed this morning?” She looked into the Kelsey’s eyes for the first time.

  “Well...ummm well I was going past your room last night when I heard you scream. I let myself in and you were having some sort of night terror.” Kelsey said looking right into her eyes, unblinking.

  “Do you remember anything about that Miranda?” Doc asked.

  Looking from the agent to Doc, feeling confused.

  “A night terror, what is that?”

  “Typically the difference between a night terror and a nightmare is that the night terror usually involves movement or wakefulness with behaviors such as screaming, sleep walking, panic, mumbling, and thrashing and usually the person cannot be awakened or comforted.” Doc said as he looked to Kelsey to have her confirm her observations.

  “Miranda you were shaking and rocking back and forth, sobbing and mumbling that you were sorry. I couldn’t console you and when I tried to hold you, you fought me and ran to the bathroom and dropped to the floor still sobbing and mumbling. I did manage to get you to your bed and you only calmed down when I held you in my arms.”

  “Do you remember anything about what you were thinking about or feeling before you fell asleep last night” Doc asked hoping to jog the author’s memories.

  “I can only remember feeling safe and peaceful, nothing sinister or evil that would terrorize me.”

  “Were you thinking about that night or Kate prior to going to bed?” Doc asked.

  “Well I did try to think what happened that night, how I got to the hotel, I had a horrible headache. So I tried some deep breathing and meditation and fell asleep.” She looked at the tall agent who was staring off into space. We need to talk alone.

  “Okay then let’s start there today. I want you to recall how you felt safe and at peace. Go back to that feeling. Close your eyes and try to take yourself to that place.” Doc said soothingly and then signaled for Kelsey to leave. She watched the agent rise and leave, she closed her eyes and started breathing deeply, relaxing her mind.

  Doc had discussed it with her earlier that being in the room during the hypnosis process may cause her to go into the same suggestive state as Miranda. She quietly left while Doc continued to lull Miranda into a deeper state of induced sub-consciousness.

  She took that time to quickly text Nikki to tell her she would be busy with Miranda’s hypnosis session and would need her to lead the team briefing again. She got an immediate reply saying that they decided to postpone the next briefing until they had more new information. She said she was closing in on several names she could ask the former Head of Kent Place School about. Kelsey texted back that she appreciated her doing this and to let her know if anything new developed. She had just ended their call when Doc texted telling her she could come back in.

  Kelsey quietly opened her suite door to walk into the darkened room.

  “Okay Miranda so you are back at the condo and where do you head first?”

  “I go to the bedroom to pack my bag.”

  “How do you get there?” Doc asked using the prearranged questions Kelsey had given him and organizing them in a way that it would give them as much needed information as possible.

  “I go through the kitchen and up the back stairs.”

  “Is there a clock to tell you what time it is right now?”

  “Yes it is ten minutes after eleven.”

  “Now you are in your bedroom, what do you do?”

  “I go to the closet and take my duffle bag out and start filling it with my clothes and then get some stuff out of the bathroom and the clothes from the drawer by the bed.”

  She jumped on the word ‘closet’ that’s where she was sure Miranda had been when she saw the killer.

  “Are you alone or is someone there with you?”

  “I am alone but I hear a noise downstairs, I think Kate is home. I have to hurry to get finished.”

  “Why do you have to hurry?”

  “I don’t want to talk to her, she will try and make me stay and I don’t want to stay I need to go.”

  “What are you doing now?” Doc asks as he glances at Kelsey.

  “I’m going back through the closet to the bathroom and down the back stairs so that Kate won’t see me. I hear her come up the front staircase.”

  “Where are you right now?”

  “I am back downstairs and in the study to get my laptop and writing stuff.”

  “So do you are leaving now?”

  “No, I realize I left my sneakers and yoga mat in the bedroom closet.”

  “Do you go up the back or front stairs?”

  “I go up the back so I can keep Kate from seeing me.”

  “Do you see Kate?” Doc asks.

  Kelsey sees the author eyes dart about like she is seeing something unsettling her. She whispers, “Doc...” to get his attention. It’s quite obvious that Miranda is very upset now.

  “What is wrong Miranda, why are you upset?”

  “I don’t want to do this anymore!” The author says covering her eyes with her hands and shaking her head.

  Kelsey could sense her fear and sees blackness as she watches the author look around frantically. What do you see Miranda?

  “Miranda please tell me what is going on, look at the bedside clock, what time is it?” Doc asks.

  Kelsey knew from what he told her that he would use a diversion tactic to return Miranda back into a state of safety away from the part of the scene that is upsetting her.

  “It is eleven thirty.”

  “Okay where is Kate?”

  “She’s by the bed.”

  Doc knew by the short answers that the author was stressed and he knew he had to handle this carefully and keep the fragile progress moving forward without upsetting Miranda further.

  “Okay Miranda is there a light on in the room?” He continued to try to divert her attention away from Kate again before coming back to her.

  “Yes the light is on.”

  “Is Kate alone in the bedroom?” Doc asked trying to lead her back to the scene and what had initially upset her about seeing Kate.

  “No. She is there with her,” she said quietly.

  “Who is there Miranda? Who is with Kate?”

  “Shhh, be quiet, she will hear me, oh god I need to go, she’s going to hear me.” Miranda’s eyes darting a
bout for a possible escape.

  “Where are you right now?” Mack asked.

  He looked at her and shook his head; he didn’t want Mack to interfere. It was crucial he alone spoke during the sessions.

  “I’m hiding in the closet I can’t go, she’ll see me.” Miranda said looking terrified.

  Doc frowned and made the motion to Mack he had to end the session now.

  “Miranda I need you to take deep breaths for me; in and out.”

  Miranda breathed deeply and he saw her relaxing.

  “That’s right, now breathe deeply and relax. You’re here safe with us, not in the closet. Now listen to my voice and count with me ten-nine-eight-seven-six... and one, now open your eyes; you are back in the room with us.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “The one thing separating dreams from reality is action.”

  Kelsey just sat and let the reality of what she had just heard sink in. Who’s the woman Miranda had spoke about being with Kate, had she seen the killer? They were so close to possibly breaking this case wide open and might even solve it. She wanted to yell out, you know who killed Kate. But knew she had to stay quiet. She knew she shouldn’t have opened her mouth during the hypnosis but she just knew Miranda saw the killer and she needed to know who she saw. Doc had sent her several annoyed looks over the last few minutes and she knew he would give her an earful when they were alone.

  “So Miranda you did very well but I think we should stop here for now, maybe rest, take a bath anything to take your mind off of remembering. Do you have a headache right now?”

  Kelsey knew she could answer that because she had a pounding headache since the author had stepped in her suite.

  “Yes I have had headache since I walked in here earlier.”

  “Well a bath and some meditation will help. Mack would you like to add anything to what I have told Miranda?” Doc asked.

  “Ummm, no I don’t think so.” She said while trying to keep herself from looking into the author’s eyes but looking at her chest or legs only brought back memories of this morning in Miranda’s bed. Feeling awkward she tried to think of something she should be doing and then her eyes locked onto the confused blue-grey ones.