“You can’t tell anyone about our dreams together. Not even your closest friends. This is extremely important.”
I frowned, recalling all the details I had already confessed to Autumn. “I can do that, except I already told my best friend everything. It’s a little too late to take it back.”
He looked distressed and shook his head slightly before responding. “It appears that I may have placed you straight into the lion’s den. You’re in danger, and I’m afraid it is my fault.”
I looked even more confused than ever, but didn’t want to interrupt. I feared he will lose his momentum and shut off. I desperately wanted to know what was going on, needing some pieces to click in place.
“From here on out, please keep our meetings a secret. At least for now, just until I can figure out exactly what might be happening?” his eyes pleaded.
“I never would have gotten involved if I had known it would put you in so much danger. I know that you hardly know me, but I need your trust. I have your best interests in mind and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The words were on the tip of my tongue to respond, when my senses hit high alert and I whipped my head around frantically looking for the disturbance. It all happened so fast. Suddenly the gardens became pixilated and I only had a moment to meet his beseeching eyes before everything around me swirled to shimmery pieces and blew away.
I was jolted back to reality by a frantic shaking that I soon realized was Autumn. I squinted up at her in a kind of haze before asking, “What?”
She looked anxious and keyed up. “You fell asleep again. I wanted to make sure you were ok. You didn’t murder me again did you?”
I cringed internally at the jab but brushed it off. “I’m fine. It was just honest to goodness sleep this time around. All the dreaming was getting to be exhausting.”
This seemed to placate her and she dismissed her worry. “We have been so busy; I haven’t had a chance to check on you. I just let the last customer out and shut the door for the night. Did you find anything good in these stacks?”
“Hmm, some of it is very informative. I wanted to ask you about divination.”
At the mention of divination, her eyes lit up. “Divination is a very interesting subject, what do you want to know?”
“What is your divination, assuming you have one, I mean.”
“Of course I have a divination. Mine is pretty run of the mill though. I use water as a means of interpretation, also called hydromancy. I can demonstrate if you want, I just need to get a bowl of water.”
Intrigued, I nodded encouragingly and Autumn scurried off to get a bowl of water. She was no doubt hoping to show me and tell me as much as possible before I shut her off like usual. I still couldn’t shake the feeling of the massive wedge I had unknowingly driven into our friendship so long ago.
I couldn’t imagine this side of my best friend and I was now drowning in a lake that everyone else I knew could swim across just fine. It was disconcerting, to say the least.
I didn’t have long to let my mind wander though, because Autumn was back with a creamy colored incandescent shell bowl brimming with water. She sat it on the table and paused, waiting for the water to settle.
Then she pulled out a small vial of something and placed three drops in the center of the bowl. She set the vial aside and raised a finger to my lips.
“Shh. I need to concentrate,” is all she said before turning her focus on the bowl.
I was not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I gazed warily over at the bowl and its oily drops melding in the center. It took several minutes before anything happened. What I saw in that next few moments was now tattooed in the forefront of my mind for all eternity.
Even through the waters wavering reflection I saw the horrors occurring within it. A black cloaked figure stood over someone slumped in a corner against a concrete wall. The location looked like a dingy tunnel or small basement of sorts. It was damp and moisture dripped from the seams in the concrete.
I strained, but couldn’t manage to capture the identity of the cloaked figure. The figure was cuffing the prisoner, I assumed and placing his chains up above him into the ceiling loops.
I didn’t have a chance to more thoroughly observe the massive cuts and bruises to the prisoner. I was so startled at his identity that I let out a horrified gasp in distress.
Autumn immediately snapped to attention and the spell was broken. The vision in the bowl dissolved away as if it had never been there at all. I knew better though. It had been Jared and he was so not ok. I sat there in stunned silence as Autumn’s expression turned on me with concern.
“Nells, are you ok? Do you know that person? I didn’t mean to freak you out. I can explain everything, I promise.”
I couldn’t begin to tell her or let her explain it to me. Everything was moving so fast, too fast. I couldn’t discuss this with her, let alone comprehend how she just did that. It was too much. I muttered an apologetic “sorry” and then turned tail out of the store, the bell jangling behind me.
Chapter 7: The mysterious and the missing
Once I was out on the street in the nippy night air, I let out a slow breath to calm myself. I didn’t want to go home yet and I didn’t want to face Autumn.
I had too many questions and I suddenly felt a million miles away from my best friend. I warmed my hands and started for the coffee shop, the uneven cobblestone beneath my thin flats.
Picasso’s was only a few blocks down from the Green Vixen. The walk was short and I managed to make it in a just a few minutes. I was thankful that my flats were intact, given the roughness of the sidewalks.
Living in Old town was great because it was so close to everything and had a lot of old world charm. The little cottages and old brick row buildings had character. On a warm night you could see horse drawn carriages with couples in love occupying them. The eclectic collection of shops made this an area unlike any other in St. Charles.
I opened the door to the coffee shop and instantly smiled at the bombardment of smells I encountered. The sweet and pungent smell of coffees and specialty drinks surrounded me as I headed for the register.
Luckily, none of the regulars were around and it was just college students running the shop. That meant I could sit in silence and soak up all the insanity I endured tonight.
I placed my order and took my wild orange spice tea to a small table nestled in the back to settle in. My tea was sweet and piping hot and it was the perfect thing for my tattered nerves. I closed my eyes and let out a slow deep breath to try and ease the tension warring inside me.
My eyes jerked open at the sound of a chair shuffling on the floor nearby. What I didn’t expect, was the man pushing it up to my table. I just sat there dumfounded with a quizzical look on my face.
The man, however, smiled and greeted me with a hello as he made himself comfortable at my table. He seemed oblivious to my inner turmoil and introduced himself. “I’m Boone.”
The man seemed nice enough, and he was certainly easy on the eyes. He was a tall drink of brown hair and blue eyes, a sight from the leather jacket down to the motorcycle boots. He had that sexy confidence about him that made him magnetic.
It was hard to believe at a time like this I could be so intrigued by a man I didn’t even know. A lot of that had been going around lately, I mused to myself.
“I am Noel, but I wasn’t really looking for company tonight,” I answered with an apologetic look on my face, hoping to appear sincere.
“It’s nice to meet you Noel. I am very sorry to bother you, but I have a bit of a confession to make,” he replied with a pained expression on his face as if I slapped him.
I didn’t respond, hoping for him to get to the point so I could get back to sorting my messy life out. For a moment, I felt sorry for him. If it had been any other night, I would have at least indulged him for a conversation, just not this night.
“I was actually looking for you, Noel Kennedy right?�
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This brought my full attention to him. This man knew who I was. My first thought was danger. Maybe leaving The Green Vixen for the coffee shop in such haste was a bad idea.
A million thoughts pierced through the veil surrounding me and I was afloat in them. I was about to broach the subject of how he could possibly know me, when he continued on.
“Forgive me for the intrusion; it’s just that I am looking for my friend, Jared. The last time I spoke with him, he had just met you. Have you seen him?”
“No, not really,” I admitted frowning in confusion.
“I didn’t hear from him today so I went by his hotel room, but he wasn’t there. His cell phone is still in the room as well as all his stuff. I got worried and went looking for you since I don’t know anyone else he would have come across,” he said, running his hands through his messy hair.
“I’m at a loss, and I hoped you could help me.”
I put up my finger to signal just a moment as I digested this new information. Jared could really be missing, maybe prisoner like I saw when Autumn was using her divination. This just made the bile rise inside me.
I couldn’t actually tell him what I saw. He would think I was a nut job and I could lose my only hope at finding Jared. Trying to compose my thoughts, I plucked out a generic response.
“I haven’t seen him, but if you want, we can go back by his hotel and I can tell you if I maybe notice something you missed,” I offered.
He seemed to be thinking it over, and then nodded. “Alright, that seems reasonable. I am parked out front whenever you are ready.”
I knew that I was taking a huge chance by leaving with this guy. For all I knew, he could be the real danger. Something inside me suggested otherwise, though. It was that gut feeling you get when you just instinctually know something. I chased down the last of my tea and followed this mysterious man out into the night.
When he stopped just outside the coffee shop and reached for my hand, however, I hesitated. We were standing in front of a motorcycle the color of midnight that looked way too small to fit the two of us. There was no indication of helmets even. I took a step back and began to shake my head.
“Um no, I don’t think so. I don’t really do motorcycles. They aren’t very safe.”
“Trust me princess, this is one of the safest places for you to be right now. This isn’t my first ride, I am a pro. Besides, we are just going a few blocks down,” he said to me as he reached for my hand.
I finally let out a deep breath and nodded. I felt a small calming spark when our hands met. Surprised, I shook it off. Letting him lead me to the scary metal skeleton, I silently mounted behind him.
Feeling the hum of the engine growl beneath me sent a shiver of uneasy anticipation through my entire body. We were off so quickly that all I could do was wrap my arms tightly around his muscular torso and squeal in giddy surprise.
The cobblestone was bumpy and I had to grasp Boone tightly to stay upright. I nestled my head between his shoulder blades and let my ponytail whip in the brusque air behind me. I barely had time to process the elation I felt at this exhilarating ride before we grinded to a swift stop and Boone choked the engine.
For a few heartbeats, I just sat there, arms wrapped around him in contentment. Then I noticed what I was doing and hurry off the shiny black bike. Boone just shook his head in amusement and led me towards the hotel.
My legs were slightly wobbly and my hair windswept. I was struggling to keep up with his large strides and was relieved when we reached the door. He was the perfect gentleman and opened the door wide before gesturing for me to enter.
I was not sure what it was about him, but I found myself inexplicably drawn to him in a way I really shouldn’t. I tried to bring my focus back to the task at hand and Jared, bringing my thoughts full circle by an internal splash of cool water.
I was a little surprised when we completely bypassed the front desk and stopped in front of the large brass elevators. I looked at Boone quizzically and he waved a key card in front of him.
“I got a room key earlier when I first got into town. I am always listed on his rooms as an authorized person,” Boone explained.
I just furrowed my brows in more confusion. “You guys stay in hotels often?”
“Yeah, it’s an occupational hazard. We are what most call road warriors I guess. We spend a lot of time on the road and Jared is my partner.”
“Ah, that makes sense. What do you guys do, sell pharmaceuticals?”
This made him laugh heartily. “No, definitely not, that will be the day.”
Just then, the elevator came to a stop and chimed. We entered and Boone pressed the button for level thirteen. I was silent the whole way up, hoping he would explain. Alas, we reached the thirteenth floor and stepped out of the elevator. We walked down the long narrow corridor and to our left.
The green patterned floor was gaudy against the striped walls and retro wall sconces down the hallways. We stopped about five doors down and Boone used his key card to open the door. I had a brief second of uneasiness warring within but quickly let my curiosity win out and followed him inside.
The room inside looked a lot like I imagined it would. It was just like any other ordinary hotel room. The only indications of occupancy were the cell phone on the desk and the bag at the foot of the bed. The cheap polyester bedspread was made and there was a mint on each of the pillows.
That was when a wave of familiarity flooded through me. This was the hotel room that was front and center in my dreams. My breath caught and I drained white as a sheet.
“What is it Noel?” he asked.
“I have been here before. It is going to sound like I am crazy.”
“I doubt you can find or say anything that will make me think you are crazy. Try me.”
“I dreamed twice of this room. Each dream, there was a circle I was in and he would leave out of the door with a symbol over it. I have never dreamed of anything so bizarre.”
“That makes sense,” he replied.
“I’m noticing you aren’t one for words. Not a fan of long conversations over a glass of wine I bet,” I said thoughtfully.
“I guess you would be right. With me, less is more. I don’t need a conversation to tell me what I need to know about a person,” Boone said.
He was holding eye contact with me the entire time he said it and there was a smoldering intensity blazing within. My breath hitched and I had to shake my head to break the connection.
Chill bumps raced across my skin and I made my way towards the window in an attempt to break the connection. I pulled the curtains open. I reveled in the view of the Mississippi river and the nights lights reflected in it.
When I finally turned around, I was all business. “So did you find anything out of the ordinary when you got here earlier? How about his phone, any missed calls?”
“The only missed calls are from me and our boss. Nothing unusual and I checked the call log. I even checked with the front desk for incoming and outgoing calls. There was nothing.”
“Do you mind if I look through the bag?” I asked gesturing at the zipped duffle.
“Actually I would rather you didn’t. There are some work supplies in there, and it is a breach of security to let you look. I’m sorry, but the rest of the room is fair game,” he replied before continuing.
“I will check the door for sigils though and see which one you saw. I have a black light in the super-secret bag of his. It should show us blood residue.”
“Blood residue? He made the symbol in blood? What the heck is a sigil? That is way crazier than I thought,” I replied.
“I will try to explain some of this after I check out the sigil.”
I watched him as he pulled out the black light and turned it on. He made his way over to the entry door and scanned over it.
“There isn’t anything over this door. Let me try the bathroom door.”
Boone scanned above the bathroom door and I gasped. The same symbol I
saw in my dream appeared. He saw it as well and studied it for a minute.
Then he turned off the black light and turned to me. “I need a few seconds to look for the circle to make sure what I see is correct.”
“Oh, ok. I do need to use the restroom if you don’t mind,” I said.
He didn’t respond, just gazed thoughtfully out the window into the night. Taking that as a go ahead, I made my way into the tiny attached bathroom. The sink sat just outside, the small hairdryer attached to the wall. The thin door shut with a little force and a click.
Inside, it was equally as clean. The only thing I could see was an opened soap next to the miniature shampoo and conditioner. I let out a harrumph and hurried to use the facilities.
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