In Sanibel, reports of an earthquake by a few residents had been dismissed as a hoax and soon forgotten.
Peter also vanished into thin air.
Jake had been almost certain he didn’t make it, and when the police had finished their report of Bodey’s shooting by some unknown mugger, nothing was ever mentioned about Peter or any of the other operatives Jake knew had been in the lab.
A year after The Incident, Jake received a postcard from Afghanistan. No return address, no writing, nothing. Just the card. Jake didn’t know anyone in Afghanistan.
Teri was the only problem and Jake felt like her memory had been betrayed.
Someone had moved Teri’s body to her apartment and set it up to look like she had been shot during a home invasion. Of course the police had no leads, only the fact they knew the body had been moved, but from where, they did not have a clue. Jake didn’t make the funeral since he had still been in the hospital, but he knew Teri didn’t mind. He had his own special connection with her that no one could take away.
Jake and Maddy eventually rebuilt the lab, and Bodey had helped get Andee up and running again. The only difference was they never used the disc. It had been a promise Jake had made to Beth, Teri, and himself and he never meant to break that promise.
Eventually a new Government organization came around like Jake knew they would and he took their money knowing full well he would never be able to give them what they wanted. At least not all of it. He also wanted to be sure no one else developed Andee beyond what he knew she could do. It was the only way to protect her.
Andee could still read minds and Jake and Maddy developed a system in which they could get the information from someone’s head just by using a little psychology and some tact. This kept the government happy and Andee safe and under control. Jake was proud he was able to help thwart some pretty scary plans by some pretty awful people. It didn’t even bother him that no one would ever know about them.
* * *
Frank opened the door and took an involuntary step backwards.
“You!” Frank said.
“May I come in?”
“No. You’ll just kill us when you get in here.”
“You’d be dead already if that was my intention.”
“What do you want?”
“Please—can we talk inside. I’d feel much more comfortable if our conversation was not overheard by every neighbor within shouting distance.”
Frank hesitated. The man frightened him, but he’d been scared before. Eve, on the other hand, would be terrified.
“No. We’ll talk around back.”
Frank stepped outside, closed the door and walked around the side of the house to the backyard. He opened the gate and led the way around the pool to a small gazebo painted an off white and overgrown with vines. He sat down and pointed to the seat across from him.
“Now, what’s this about?” Frank asked.
“She needs to hear this also.”
“No.”
“Fine. Maybe you will tell her later.”
“I doubt it,” Frank said.
Frank watched the man sitting across from him and couldn’t understand why he hadn’t killed them yet. He didn’t look angry, as a matter of fact he looked happy. Almost at peace. Maybe it was just the way he handled his ‘job.’ A killer who enjoyed his work. I guess he would find out soon enough.
“I know why you’re here,” Frank said. “And I’m not afraid.”
“You don’t need to be. I’ve already explained I’m not here to harm you. Only to talk.”
Frank hesitated. “Then talk.”
“I know you killed a man.”
Frank winced. “What? What did you say?”
“You heard me perfectly. I know you killed a man. Thirty five years ago.”
“Now, why would you say such a thing?”
“Mr. Lucas, I saw it in your NDE.”
“My NDE?”
“Yes. Your Near Death Experience. I saw it that day in the lab. The day they put you in limbo.” Peter Smith paused. “I was there.”
“You were there?”
“Yes. I wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on, until they played back your experience. Then everything was clear.”
“What was clear?”
“You were the killer. You stabbed him in the throat.”
“What do you want?”
“I wanted to thank you,” Peter said, smiling.
“Thank me for what?”
“That man was my father.”
Frank went numb.
A rushing sound pulsed in his ears and his fingers tingled at the tips. He was worried another heart attack was coming on and he started breathing quickly, panicking.
“Take it easy,” Peter said. “It’s all right. You did me a favor. I was going to kill him anyway.”
Frank could not believe his ears. This whole conversation was surreal. None of this made sense. Only one thought entered his mind.
“Why?” He had said it out loud.
“Why was I going to kill him?” Peter asked.
Frank could only nod.
“He killed my mother. That day. The day he raped Eve.”
Frank flinched like he’d been slapped.
“Yes, I know that too.”
Frank’s mind whirled. How could this be?
“He beat my mother with a baseball bat. I watched him. She never screamed. Never made a sound. It was like she knew it was coming and there was nothing she could do about it. She was resigned to her fate and chose to go out the best way she could.” Peter paused, staring off into the distance, remembering. “Then he came after me. I was five. Quick on my feet but not quick enough. All I remember was the bloody bat coming toward me, then nothing. Later, before they told me he was dead, I was thinking of ways to kill him. Pretty tough for a five year old to think about, but I hated him and I was going to make him pay. I never got the chance.”
Peter was breathing hard now and Frank could see a vein pulsing in his temple.
It was quiet for a moment, the two of them sitting there in their own thoughts. Frank finally said, “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Peter told him. “The man was evil. Everything about him was wrong. He even smelled bad, like rotten meat.”
Frank nodded, “I remember,” he whispered.
“He did horrible things to my mother and me, and I’ll never forgive him. Ever.”
Frank looked into the eyes of his victim’s son. The eyes he told Jake he had seen before. Dead eyes. Only now, they were something else. Not evil, yet not kind. Something in between, but something that was alive. This man had changed and Frank could see it.
The man he knew as Peter, stood, extended his hand and Frank reached up slowly to take it.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Peter said. “I won’t be back.”
Frank nodded, letting his hand go.
“Thank you,” Peter said. He turned and walked away. Frank never saw him again.
* * *
The dream was bad.
Jake was holding Beth in his arms as the life flowed out of her onto the cold, black pavement. The night was moonless, yet he could see in the gloomy light. Beth was mumbling and saying things he could not understand and he bent his head, trying so hard to hear, but the words slipped away, just out of reach.
A large, jarring, thump shook the air, and the ground trembled.
Jake looked around to see, but could find nothing. He noticed Beth had stopped murmuring and the air went still.
He was afraid to see her.
He made himself look down, and Beth was staring up at him. Her eyes were ringed red against her pale face and blood trickled, black, down her chin in the weird light.
She opened her mouth and said, “Jake—the balance.”
He sat up in bed, sweat drenching his body, not sure of his surroundings until he noticed Maddy next to him, gasping for air and holding onto his arm.
Jake got up and crossed to the safe behind the picture of him and Maddy in St. Thomas.
Maddy joined him as he spun the dial. It made audible scratching noises as he tried to focus on the combination. It had been too long since he opened it last and he had to run the numbers twice. Pulling the lever down and swinging the safe’s door open, he found he was holding his breath.
The disc was gone.
Or so he thought. Maddy pushed her hand inside, moved a few things around and came out with a CD jewel case containing the software upgrade for Andee. Jake took a breath and Maddy smiled.
“I guess it was just a good old fashioned dream,” Jake said, turning back and crawling into his side of the bed.
“You mean nightmare,” Maddy said. “Thank God it was only that.”
Jake snuggled up to her as she crawled back into bed, the nightmare slowly fading as they often do. The only thing that seemed to itch at the back of Jake’s mind, as sleep overtook him, was the fact that he and Maddy both had the dream together again.
He dismissed it as he slowly drifted off to sleep, thunder rumbling in the distance.
He slept soundly the rest of the night, where dreams, neither good nor bad, left him for other less weary, slumbering souls.
IT’S OVER, and I know you’re dying for more. Don’t worry, the next in the Near Death Series is right here. Near Sighted is available now at Amazon and most online ebook sellers. Also, a new Near Death Novel will be hitting the stores before you can blink and if you want to be one of the first to know when it goes live, become one of The Heard (yes, that’s a play on the word) and sign up for my email newsletter here. Awesome stuff awaits.
COOL STUFF! If you just can’t wait for the next novel, check out Richard’s other exciting Books Here. “It’s 3:30 a.m. What are you dreaming?”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I’d like to thank my wonderful wife and family for putting up with me during this period of discovery. If not for their support, I may never have had the courage to see this through.
Thanks to my friend and mentor, Chuck Barrett, for his encouragement when I needed it and his constructive criticism. The tale would never have been told if he hadn’t lit the fire in me.
Thank you to my readers: Kin Daniels, Chris Klein, Amanda Hale, Liesl Powers, Tony Villereal, Bruce Kessler, Dianne Hale, Tanya Christensen, Matthew Shafer, Gary Weaver, Emily Hale, Paula Hale, Nancy Beggs, Lynn Hale, Ann Hale, and Mark Brown. Your wisdom and insight helped shape the story and keep me on the path.
Thanks to Devon Bradford for the fantastic picture of the Jacksonville skyline at night.
Many believe Near Death Experiences to be real and to those who have lived through them, very powerful. If you would like more information and to read thousands of actual testimonials, please visit the Near Death Experience Research Foundation at their website,
http://www.nderf.org/
Enjoy an excerpt from Near Sighted, the next installment in the thrilling Near Death Series.
Chapter 1
Jennifer Milan opened the door to her apartment and smiled. The tall, dark haired man she met at the gym smiled back, holding up a bottle of wine and some flowers.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi back.” She held the door open wider. “Would you like to come in for a moment?”
He nodded and stepped into her living room. She watched him study her things and wondered at her luck. She stared at his tight rear and could not believe he was even the slightest bit interested in her. She knew she lacked the features a hotty like him probably fought off daily, but her personality often prevailed in situations of the opposite sex. Just not with this caliber of men.
“Nice place,” he said, turning to her. “Do you have a vase for these?”
Smiling, she stepped to the small kitchen and opened a cupboard. “You didn’t have to buy me flowers.”
“I like to pamper my dates. You are special.”
She felt her face blush as she filled the vase with water. “Benjamin, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Ben. Call me Ben. And your smile is dazzling when you blush.”
“Keep it up, I could get used to this.”
He removed the paper from the bundle of flowers and she trimmed the stems with scissors before placing them into the vase.
“Do you have an opener for the wine?”
“I thought we were going out to eat?” she teased.
“The best place in town,” he said as she searched in the drawer for the opener. “I thought we could relax a little before heading out, though. Get to know each other. Sometimes restaurants can be so—public.”
She thought that an odd way to put it, but said, “And noisy.”
“Yes.” He came around the counter and reached for the opener. “Here, allow me.”
Their fingers touched briefly and the electricity she felt between them at the gym returned. She was normally a cautious girl, but just a look from this one and the panties were probably coming off. She almost giggled to herself as she thought of how bad she was going to be tonight.
He must have seen something in her face. “What?”
She felt herself blushing again, but tossed her head, casually, and said, “Nothing.”
He smiled at her as he worked the wine open. “Glasses?”
Now, she felt like a school girl. Hold it together Jen. He’s just a guy. Hold it together. She couldn’t help it. She could get lost in those eyes. She opened the cabinet again.
“Do you have a hammer?” he said.
She turned from the cupboard and gave him a strange look. “A hammer?”
“Yes.” He continued to smile that beautiful smile of his and she couldn’t help herself. She smiled back.
“I do,” she said. “But what on earth do you need a hammer for?”
“I’ll show you.” His smiled change to a mischievous grin, and she actually thought he was joking with her.
“A hammer.”
He nodded, his eyes twinkling. “Just humor me,” he said.
She grabbed two glasses, set them on the counter in front of him and went to her utility closet as he poured the wine. “All right. One hammer coming up.” She rummaged around in her closet until she found the hammer her father had bought her when she moved out. Along with an assortment of tools he gave her, he said no one should be without a hammer. She remembered the vision of his serious face explaining to her what was important about living alone. If only he knew what she was going to be doing later tonight.
“Will this do?” she asked, handing the hammer over to Ben.
“Perfect.”
He raised the hammer high, and before she could react, brought it down on her head and the world went dark.
Chapter 2
Jake Townsend looked into the mind of the killer and cringed. What he saw was both wondrous and appalling, something beyond comprehension, a psychopath having visions of normal everyday life with flashes of blood and violence. The killer tried, but couldn’t hide everything.
Benjamin Tolaver lay in the chair hooked up to ANDEE, the machine Jake developed to see into the human mind. Benjamin had a grin on his face though Jake could tell he was anxious. The man was sweating.
“Mr. Tolaver,” Jake said, “tell us one more time who Jennifer Milan is and what she means to you.”
Benjamin almost giggled. “You people are amazing,” he said. “I don’t know a Jennifer Milan so she means absolutely nothing to me.”
Jake watched ANDEE’s screens as the man answered and was surprised to see an open meadow with wildflowers blowing in the late afternoon breeze representing what he was thinking. Jake almost flinched when a sudden image of Jennifer Milan flashed up on the screen. She was covered in blood. It was only a brief flash, but it was enough for Jake to see.
The district attorney for Duval County, Rebecca Morney, winced ever so slightly, but then shook her head. She sat off to the side away from the others in the lab and to
ok notes on a yellow legal pad. She was a short, overweight woman with a quick mind and deliberate movements. Formidable in the courtroom, she didn’t let anyone push her around. Her brown, shoulder-length hair matched her mood this morning, looking tousled and tangled in spots. Her pale blouse and brown slacks gave her a sleek business look and Jake couldn’t ever remember seeing her in a dress. She glanced at him and scowled.
The wildflowers had returned and a puppy pranced through the meadow chasing a butterfly. Jake turned to his wife, who had a look of disgust on her face, and gave her a nod. Maddy sighed, but said nothing. He knew she believed this was all necessary, but didn’t like it. She confessed to him she felt like she was letting a killer into her own home and felt dirty. He understood and knew exactly what she was talking about.
ANDEE continued to display the puppies and flowers as Benjamin’s grin remained plastered on his face. Rebecca leaned forward and asked, “Can he see what we’re seeing?”
“No,” Jake said. “The body mold over him does not project an image. He’s basically staring at the underside of the material and the ceiling. He can’t hear us, either, unless I use the intercom system.”
Rebecca nodded and sat back. She turned and whispered something to the detective next to her but Jake could not hear what was said. The detective stood and approached the console where Jake controlled the system.
“May I?” he asked, indicating the microphone on the console.
“Be my guest,” Jake said. “Press this button to talk.”
“Got it.”
The man pulled out some notes and cleared his throat. He pressed the button. “Benjamin?” Jake watched Benjamin Tolaver’s grin falter ever so slightly. “This is Detective Walters.”
“Detective. So nice to hear your voice. When did you get here?”
The vision in Benjamin’s head changed to a pool of black material that resembled tar and then quickly reverted to the flowers and puppies again.
“Just a few minutes ago,” Walters said. “Are you comfortable?”
Near Death (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 1) Page 28