“Doctor Ridley are you checking me out?” Cade stated quietly. Ellie smiled and moved closer.
“Yes, yes I am. I know exactly what is under that uniform sir.” Ellie said with a wink. Cade growled quietly.
“Mmm…I like you calling me sir. We might have to do a little role playing, you as my submissive. I kind of like the sound of that.” He whispered in her ear. Wetness pooled between her legs and a blush moved across her face. The idea of Cade having her bound and doing what he wanted turned her on. A voice behind them had them both jumping apart like teenagers and fiddling with files on the table.
“Sheriff, you have a call from the ME.” The woman stated. She looked to Ellie, narrowed her eyes at her and then looked back to Cade with a sweet smile. Oh, for God’s sake. Did every single woman in town drool over Cade? In their defense, he was easy to drool over, still it was annoying.
“Thank you, Stella, I appreciate it.” Cade stated nicely not noticing the ogling he was getting. The woman turned and stomped out of the room. Ellie started laughing.
“Come on hot stuff” Ellie said in her best sultry voice. “Let’s go see the ME.” Ellie said still giggling as they headed out the door.
Chapter 14
Cade followed Ellie into the ME’s office and led them down a long corridor towards the back of the building. The bay had been turned into a temporary autopsy room until all the bodies could be identified and moved to the proper county of origin. Luckily it was almost winter so the temperatures had been cooperating so far. Cade opened the doubled doors and entered the large open bay area normally reserved for the ME van and any large equipment needed for crime scene investigation. 20 gurneys with sheets covering bodies were lined up in neat rows and Dr. Martin was standing with her back to them working on one of them.
“Dr. Martin.” Cade stated, announcing his and Ellie’s arrival. She didn’t respond and as they reached her, he realized she had headphones in her ears and had not heard them enter the room. She jumped and dropped her dictation tape recorder and then threw off her headphones.
“Good Lord Sheriff. You scared me to death.” She stated throwing a hand over her heart. Cade picked up the recorder and handed it to her.
“Sorry about that doc. You really shouldn’t be in here alone with those headphones up full blast. Someone could really sneak up on you.” Cade stated with concern. He may not be attracted to the nerdy doctor but he liked her a lot and felt a friendship with her.
“Oh, what would someone want with little old me. I’m no one important.” She stated shaking her head then seeing Ellie for the first time. ‘Oh, who is this?” She said pulling off her latex gloves and holding out her hand towards Ellie. Ellie moved up beside Cade and extended her hand.
“Nora Ridley, you must be Dr. Megan Martin. I have heard a lot about you.” Ellie stated. Megan smiled and blushed.
“NeqneH” Megan said. Cade looked at her with confusion but then watched Ellie cue her face up.
“That’s Klingon isn’t it, Hello, right?” Ellie stated with a smile. Megan’s eyes widened and then a big smile crossed her face.
“You speak Klingon?” Megan said with astonishment. Ellie laughed.
“No, but my roommate in college watched every single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation so many times I have them memorized.” Ellie said shaking her head. “I picked up a few words when her friends would come over for their gaming parties.” Ellie finished. Cade watched Megan turn to him.
“Where did you find her, she is so not your type?” Megan giggled. Cade scowled at her and then at Ellie who was smirking at him.
“What do you mean she isn’t my type? And anyway, it doesn’t matter because we aren’t together, I meant we aren’t dating.” Cade tried to say quickly. Megan giggled again and shook her head.
“Of course, you are. You are both oozing sexual tension. I don’t care and it isn’t any of my business. I like her.” Megan said and smiled at Ellie. “Now, I’m sure you are not here for my dating advice. She stated and turned back to what she was working on.
“Still not a lot to go on but we are waiting for DNA results from some of the bodies that still had DNA left. Some of the skulls still had their teeth so we are going with facial recognition program that is new and we should have a few hits in the next few days. I do however have one for you that we can identify right now, and that is the older one.” Megan stated moving over to the body next to a machine. “This one is about 22-23 years old. The most significant thing about her is that she had a baby. Her pubic symphysis is 8 mm which means she had recently given birth and probably died within weeks of delivery. From what I can tell, she was strangled.” Dr. Martin stated pointing at the neck. “Her hyoid bone is broken which is an indication of strangulation.” Dr. Martin finished as she moved over to the computer. Cade stepped up beside her as did Ellie who looked at him shyly and smiled. Dr. Martin had been able to pick up on he and Ellie’s attraction to each other and she was not the most aware person when It came to relationships. He didn’t mind if people knew, but he knew Ellie was still skittish about even being in town.
A few clicks on the computer and Megan turned to smile at them both.
“Ready?” She asked. They both nodded and suddenly an image of a white female with reddish hair appeared on the screen. He heard Ellie gasp and then turned to see her grasp his arm with one hand and her head with the other.
“Ellie, Ellie talk to me baby.” He said as she started gasping for air.
“What’s happening to her?” Megan asked with concern, helping him lay her on an empty gurney. He wasn’t sure if Ellie would be comfortable with him telling someone else about her visions.
“She has episodes.” Cade stated cryptically. He could see by the look on Megan’s face she didn’t believe him. She nodded and held Ellie’s other hand as her body flailed and tried to catch her breath. There was nothing he could do but hold her hand and pray she woke up.
✽✽✽
She was riding down the street on her bike, she had been here before but had she really? Was this reality or just a dream? She saw the church and the parking lot. “HELP ME” someone said. Yes, she had been here before, but when. She couldn’t think. She just followed her instincts and got off her bike and followed the sidewalk inside to the lobby of the church. Her father’s car had been in the parking lot. He was in his office with a woman. She remembered but had she seen it or was she dreaming it. Ellie moved down the hallway and stopped at the crack in the door. She saw her father standing behind a woman having sex with her. She wasn’t enjoying it; she knew what they were doing. The woman made eye contact with her and cried out. Suddenly something was around the woman’s neck and she was turning blue, her eyes were bulging and her tongue was protruding from her mouth. The woman went still and her father backed away. She turned away so she wouldn’t see her father’s body. The woman slumped to the floor but her eyes stared straight into Ellies. “HELP Me” She heard the woman whisper. Ellie was on the floor and someone was choking her, she couldn’t breathe. She felt her life draining from her but then a warmth started to seep into her and a voice, strong and clear.
“Ellie honey come back to me baby, come on that’s it. Take a breath, that’s it. Look at me baby open your eyes.” The voice was deep and soothing. She followed the voice and there was no longer pressure on her neck or body. Her eyes started to clear and when she could see again, Cade was staring down at her, along with a short brunette woman with glasses who had a look of worry on her face. She started to feel her limbs again and her breath returned to normal.
“Cade.” She whispered. He smiled at her and nodded.
“Yes, honey it’s me. Shit, you scared me.” Cade said closing his eyes and continuing to hold her hand
“Follow the light with your eyes Nora.” The woman said. Megan. They were in the ME’s office. They had been talking about the case and she had passed out having a vision. She closed her eyes. How was she going to explain that to a doctor? Megan had
a light shining in her eyes so she followed her instructions. “That’s it. Good, nice muscle movement. Tell me, where are you right now Nora?” Megan asked sweetly.
“I…I’m at your office, in Rhinelander.” Ellie stated hoarsely. She tried to sit up but both Cade and Megan pushed her back down.
“Whoa baby, stay put. You stopped breathing for like a minute. We were about to start CPR when you took a deep breath.” Cade said squeezing her hand and then leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. Ellie blushed and then looked at Megan who smiled at them both.
“I knew it. Good job you two. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me, but I really need to know what happened so if it happens again, I know what to do.” Megan stated blinking at them both. Ellie looked to Cade and then back to Megan. She might as well tell her since she had just seen her at her worst.
“I have visions. I can usually control them but since I’ve been home, they have become erratic and unpredictable. I’m not sure why.” Ellie said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Cade allowed her to sit up this time but stayed close to her side.
“Maybe being in the close proximity to trauma you suffered as a child, has caused your visions to be stronger and more pronounced. You may know more than you think and your mind is blocked but it is trying to untangle itself.” Megan stated with a bit of excitement on her face. Ellie looked to Cade and then back at Megan.
“I was thinking the same thing but I…I didn’t think anyone would understand.” She stated looking to Cade who looked slightly offended that Ellie hadn’t shared her feelings with him. She still didn’t trust him after the amazing night they had shared and she felt bad for not talking to him about it. “My grandmother was having issues with her visions before she died, she thought it was her age, but what if it wasn’t? What if someone or something was blocking her visions because she was getting close to the truth? I was about to finish the last journal when you…” Ellie started to say until she remembered they were in mixed company and blushed. “Anyway, I wonder if we should have my grandmother exhumed?” She said with a bit of a hitch in her voice. Cade rubbed her back and watched her as she took a deep breath.
“That is pretty extreme, do you really think someone might have killed her? The other thing is, you have to get your father’s permission since he was the one who had her buried.” Cade stated. Ellie felt sick to her stomach. What she had seen in that vision had made her sick but she knew she was going to have to face him again.
“I think we need to go see him anyway. I had another vision about that woman and my father. I think he killed her.” Ellie stated, speaking like an FBI agent and not the daughter of the pastor she had just accused of murder. Cade turned her to face him.
“Tell me what happened.” He said holding her eyes. She flicked her eyes to Megan who started mumbling about having to go find a soda and make a phone call. Once she had left the room, Cade turned back to her. “Tell me.” He said with authority. Ellie recanted the original dream and then the newest.
“I don’t understand how I could have seen something like this. I don’t remember but I can see it clear as day. Do we have a name?” Ellie asked. Cade moved over to Megan’s computer, typed something into the key board and hit enter.
“Leslie Cooper, age 23. Looks like she was a student teacher from Badger Falls High School teaching chemistry. She disappeared Aug 23, 1996 from the school and was never found again. Her mother Kathrine Beemer reported her missing after she didn’t arrive for dinner on Sunday with her and her husband. Originally, they accused the step-father Bruce Beemer because there were family issues but there were no leads and no evidence. The mother runs a shelter here in the city for women and children who are suffering from domestic violence and sexual assault.” Cade stated as he scrolled a little farther down.
“I wonder if she would have been there when Alex went to high school? He would have been a senior then.” Ellie pondered. Cade took her hand and started to lead her away from the bay towards the main building when Megan came back through the door.
“If you decide to have your grandmother exhumed let me know. I wasn’t the ME who was here at the time but I was just looking up the reports and it looks like there was a gag order put on her examination. If I were you sheriff, I would start getting a warrant to have it released. It would make things go faster. Ellie, it was super nice to meet you. Live long and Prosper.” Megan stated holding her hands up in a Vulcan salute. Ellie put her hands up in a salute back.
“Live long and prosper.” Ellie stated with a giggle. “Let’s have coffee sometime.” Ellie said. Megan smiled widely.
“I would love that. I don’t have a lot of friends in this town.” Megan said sadly. They left the ME’s office and she could feel Cade watching her.
“What?” She said as she felt him turn her and back her up against his car.
“You, are a nerd.” Cade said smiling at her and kissing her softly. She pulled back and looked around.
“Cade, what are you doing? We are in public.” Ellie said, frantically trying to pull away from him. He held her tight.
“One, there is no one around. Two, I don’t really care if people know. I have wanted to kiss you all day.” He said leaning in for an even longer kiss. She was stiff at first but his tongue darted into hers and she melted into his arms. The cool air blew around them but all she felt was heat from his hands, body and lips. He finally pulled back and looked down at her as she looked into his dark chocolate eyes.
“You amaze me Cade Masterson.” Ellie said breathlessly. “Now what?” She had to get them both focused on the case. He smiled at her and then pulled back releasing her from his hold.
“Well, I suppose we go talk to Mrs. Beemer about her daughter.” Cade stated. He had grabbed a copy of the file from Megan and flipped through the pages. “After that, we could go talk to the school and then, we should probably go talk to your father.” Cade stated looking grim. She felt her stomach drop but she knew she had no choice. That vision was going to be her nightmare tonight if she didn’t get it out of her head.
“Ok, this time I’ll be ready.” Ellie stated. But she didn’t know if she would be. Dealing with her father always scared her to death.
Chapter 15
The Council members gathered in the meeting room awaiting their leader. They had all been summoned because the scare tactic on Elinora Ridley had gone amiss and she had run right into the arms of the good Sheriff. They were starting to ask questions that everyone had thought were long buried with Elinora’s crazy grandmother but they had been wrong. They thought she had been silenced but her powers and visions had been stronger than they thought. Her granddaughter had returned and now their business was in jeopardy.
More than one person in town would be exposed and it would cause a rift in the area that no one was prepared to deal with. The leader arrived and explanations were given. The leader listened and the passed judgment on to those who had failed. They were escorted from the room and no one who was left said a word. The leader gave the orders to the rest of the group and everyone nodded as they were dismissed.
✽✽✽
Ellie followed Cade up the sidewalk towards the shelter. The shelter sat on a corner and looked like just an average house on the street. They reached the front door with a secure lock, code pad and a door bell. Cade pushed the button and few moments later, a female voice sounded from behind the door.
“Can I help you?” The woman said. Cade looked at Ellie and she shrugged her shoulders. Ellie stepped up.
“Yes, we are here to speak with Kathrine Beemer.” Ellie said sweetly. Silence. Finally, the voice spoke from the other side.
“Do you have a warrant? This is a secure facility and we have rules for confidentiality that we have to follow for the safety of our clients.” The woman said in a dismissive tone. Cade raised his badge to the camera.
“Ma’am, we are in the middle of a murder investigation. I don’t have time to go get a warrant and this has to do wi
th Mrs. Beemer’s missing daughter.” Cade stated with a growl. Ellie hid her smile because Cade was the nicest guy, she had ever met but, she figured being the Sheriff and having been in the Army had made him have to be just a little tougher.
“Please wait.” The woman stated snidely. Cade sighed and looked at Ellie.
“Are you ok? You look pale. Maybe I should go talk to your father and you should go back to the B & B for some rest. You were up a little late last night.” He stated winking at her. She giggled.
“Whose fault is that Sheriff? You shouldn’t go knocking on people’s doors at 2am.It’s just rude.” She said playfully. He nudged her.
“Who is the one who attacked me the minute I was in the room?” Cade said back. Before she could answer the voice came back on over the intercom.
“Step inside and wait.” The woman said. The door clicked and they opened the door and moved inside a small waiting area. The shelter was called Rainbow house and brochures for their services sat on the side table between two soft chairs. A small refrigerator had bottles of water and a basket with granola bars, fidget toys and gold fish crackers sat on top. A glass window was in front of them and a door leading to the back of the house was to the left. A large woman sat typing on the computer and she blatantly ignored them, occasionally glancing up with a glare and then back down to her computer. The door behind the woman opened and a tall, thin older woman in her 6o’s moved through the door. Her eyes landed directly on them and Ellie felt sadness but she also felt something else, deceit, fear, maybe anger. She spoke to the woman behind the desk quietly and then looked up, waving them through the door.
“We will go directly to my office Sheriff. The women and families who live here don’t need to be afraid of a man or being seen by law enforcement and, who are you?” She asked to Ellie. Ellie stuck her hand out but the woman just stared at her impassively. Ellie pulled her hand back.
Visions Of The Past Page 11