New Revelations: Second Sight Book Two Page 3

  The humming came to a stop and a middle-aged woman entered the room. Her hair was held back with a red bandana, but a few frizzy blond strands peeked out of the back. Her eyes were wild and her panicked gaze darted everywhere as if she expected someone to jump out of the shadows. Taking a deep breath, she finally focused on the picture on the table. “What are you drawing Max?”

  As soon as she said the name, Kate felt alarm shoot through her. When she first entered his head, his thoughts were completely jumbled. She decided that this was the reason she initially had no idea whose memories they were. Since it had been days since he disappeared, Kate had assumed Max had been killed. Stopping her own inner monologue, she tried to concentrate on the scene taking place in front of her and glean as much information as possible.

  Max was uncertain about the woman, but not scared. She seemed to sense his reluctance to speak with her as he mumbled, “The park.”

  She clapped her hands together. “How wonderful! I love the park!” Max winced at her enthusiasm and a hurt look passed over her face.

  Max replied, “Can we go there?”

  His heart sank as she frowned at him. She gave him a stern look before speaking. “Max, I explained this to you over and over again. It’s not safe for you! The bad guys who killed your parents are still looking for you! We must stay here and be very quiet until the police catch them.” She chewed on a thumbnail before continuing, “I could never live with myself if you were hurt.”

  “But what about my grandma? Can’t I stay with her?”

  “They know where she lives, Max. She told me to take care of you until it’s safe again,” the woman assured him.

  Tears filled his eyes, but he gave a small nod. He couldn’t believe his mommy and daddy were really gone and he would only get to see them again in heaven.

  Max thought back to the first time he met the woman. The woman had come up behind him while he was trying to shake a gumball out of the machine at the mall. She let him know that his mommy and daddy were in trouble and he had to go with her right away. He didn’t see his grandma and figured he better go with her to stop anything bad from happening to them. When they drove away from the mall, she let him know the truth. His mommy and daddy were dead and they asked her to take care of him. She asked him to call her mommy, but he told her no way. Instead, she made him call her ma’am.

  “It’s almost time for bed, sweetheart. Finish up your picture and I’ll be in to read you a story,” she said in a singsong voice. The humming began again and a distant look entered her eyes. As the woman turned away, Kate felt the vision dissolve around her….

  ***

  Her heart was pounding as she opened her eyes. It was pitch black in her room. Looking at the clock, she saw it was barely after three in the morning. Kate swore under her breath as she knocked over a glass of water while reaching for the lamp. In the drawer of her nightstand she stored her hot pink leather journal. It helped to have the book nearby in order to jot down her visions as soon as she woke up. Immediately, recording the things she saw while sleeping helped her remember as many details as possible.

  After Kate was finished writing down Max’s memory, she exhaled slowly as a way to get some of the tension to leave her body. No one seemed to understand how much she abhorred her gift. The reason was because most of the time the visions left her with more questions than answers.

  The good news was she could tell Max’s parents that their son was alive. The bad news was she had no idea where he could be. It wasn’t like the woman had handed over her address to Max. Kate only wished she could get the information she needed instead of seeing these random glimpses into memories.

  Kate planned to give the police the description of the woman, but didn’t have high hopes this would lead to Max’s recovery. Although she had the woman’s facial features memorized, her hair and body type would be hard to describe because of the bandanna and oversized clothes. Also, police departments didn’t always put much manpower into tips called in by psychics. The key reason her visions about Cori were taken seriously was because of Jared’s involvement with the case.

  Kate tried to quell the sadness threatening to overtake her. The poor boy thought his parents were dead while some crazy lady held him hostage in her home. She couldn’t really get a feel on the woman’s motives, but knew Max was unharmed at the time of the vision. However, the woman was psycho enough to snatch him from a shopping mall, so Kate knew it was imperative he was returned to his parents promptly. Her erratic attitude made it seem possible the woman could snap any minute.

  Recognizing she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, Kate hopped out of bed and slipped on a pair of fluffy slippers. Maybe a few hours of online research would lead her in the right direction and Kate could unearth the identity of Max’s abductor. After Cori’s kidnapping, Kate had vowed to no longer be a casual observer. She would do whatever it took to help the people in her visions.

  Chapter Four

  Later that week, Kate sat in her Rhetoric course unable to keep her eyes open. Every couple of minutes she had to give herself a hard pinch to wake up. One time, the pinch was hard enough for her to yelp out a startled “Ow!” It wasn’t a surprise that from that point on, her classmates kept sending her looks that translated into how much they deemed her a mental case.

  The week had worn on without another vision of Max. Instead, Kate’s brain had been overcrowded with memories from Jared’s past. She would never tell him this, but one of the challenges lately was not having visions of him. She guessed it was from the excitement and infatuation that came with starting a new relationship.

  In other circumstances when she wasn’t trying to find an abducted child, Jared’s memories would be fascinating to her. Not many girls were basically able to view a biography of the guy they were dating. It allowed Kate to learn much about him without having to grill him about his past.

  She enjoyed watching him grow up and it was sort of shocking to see Jared as a sullen loner in high school. Kate had early on categorized Jared as a super stud and she had never bought his tales of being an outcast growing up. Although it sucked he had a rough childhood, it definitely reduced his god-like status in her mind. Feeling like an outsider was something she could easily relate to and if anything, his past made her feel more drawn to him.

  It was a relief when the professor finally dismissed the class. Once Kate arrived at the campus café, she planned to order an extra large coffee with boatloads of sugar to help wake her up. Tonight, she had plans with Jared to go out to a hibachi restaurant with Julie and Gage. Normally, Kate would be nervous about going on a double date with Julie and her Neanderthal boyfriend, but Max had consumed her every waking thought. Although she handed over the information to the Blaine police department, Max was still missing. Max’s mother had provided her number in the letter she had sent Kate. She had phoned Farrah to pass on the vision of Max. After her initial excitement over the possibility that Max was most likely unharmed, the conversation had become strained.

  Her online searches yielded no more information and Max’s mother did not seem to know the woman based off of Kate’s description. It had been difficult to explain to Farrah that she couldn’t just hone in on his location. Since Max didn’t know where he was, Kate couldn’t find him without seeing a clue from subsequent visions.

  After ordering her coffee, she took a long sip and sighed at her inner musings. Getting stressed about a lost boy thousands of miles away wouldn’t get him home any sooner. There was no guarantee she would have another vision of him, so her best hope would be to center her attention on him each night. Meanwhile, it was comforting to know the investigation was still ongoing and there was the potential police could find Max.

  As she made her way across campus towards her car, Kate paused to grab her keys from her purse. As her body was turning, her heart momentarily stopped. Less than twenty feet behind her was the scruffy looking guy she had spotted earlier in the week. He was walking slowly while looking do
wn at his smartphone. However, Kate had a feeling the sudden fascination with his phone was all for show. As she was grabbing her keys, she noted he kept glancing up to watch her movements. Holy crap, she thought, and tried to avoid hyperventilation. Calling out for help seemed a little premature—it was easy to imagine her humiliation over falsely accusing someone of following her. Her best bet at the moment would be to continue to her car without causing a scene. However, her sense of self-preservation motivated her to slip the pepper spray Jared had given her two nights ago into her palm.

  The campus crowds thinned out as she moved closer to the parking lot. Her dawdling had left plenty of time for students to get to their next class or head to their cars. The closest figure appeared too far away to hear her in case she needed to cry out for help. With a quick look over her shoulder, Kate almost cursed aloud when she saw the guy was still tailing her. His phone was still in his hands and he would look down at it each time she glanced behind her.

  The thought of being a victim again forced her to quicken her pace. Turning the corner as she passed the last academic building, Kate sprinted towards the tree-lined area next to the parking lot. She pressed her body against one of the larger elm trees and tried to stay as still as possible. This was easier said than done given that her body quaked with fear. Gripping the pepper spray in her hand, Kate didn’t have to wait long until she heard quick and urgent steps close by. Without a second’s hesitation, she jumped out from behind the tree and held out the can in front of her body. Her face contorted into a menacing mask as a way to disguise her trepidation.

  “Whoa! Hold on there! I swear I’m not trying to hurt you!” the boy shouted with obvious alarm as his eyes connected with the pepper spray. His phone dropped out of his hands and smashed to the ground.

  “You have ten seconds to explain why the hell you’re following me before I scream rape and give you a mouthful of mace,” Kate threatened. Her breathing came out ragged and she could not stop trembling as she gripped the container.

  The boy frowned and did not meet her eyes. “I’m so sorry I scared you. I guess I went about this whole thing the wrong way,” he mumbled.

  Kate looked him over while still keeping her finger on the trigger. He was definitely rough around the edges and she felt she had just cause to be alarmed. A few scars were visible on his neck along with one at the edge of his full lips. Besides a tribal band on his left bicep, she noted a scorpion tattoo on his forearm. He was super muscular and she guessed he could easily knock her out before she even had the chance to think about making a run for it. She hated to judge a book by its cover, but this dude looked like he should be serving ten to twenty at the state pen.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded when he didn’t elaborate on his statement.

  “I’ve been following you.”

  Kate fought down the urge to vomit when he uttered those words. What the hell were the chances she’d end up being targeted by another nut job in a month’s time? Did being psychic send out a mix of pheromones that attracted all the crazies in the Franklin area?

  Before she could demand more answers, he continued, “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m like you.” Relaxing his stance and placing his hands in his pockets, he shot her a sheepish smile. It was crooked and certainly had the effect of reducing his threat level in her mind.

  Her hazel eyes locked with his onyx eyes. “What do you mean you’re like me? You’re also obsessed with The Bachelor and have a fear of public restrooms?”

  He let out a low chuckle. “No Kate, I’m psychic.”

  Her stomach starting doing flip flops and she wasn’t sure if it was from him knowing her name or his claim to be psychic. Unconsciously, she lowered the pepper spray and stared at him with shock. “How the hell…”

  He cut her off. “I’ve been researching you. I live almost an hour from here in South River and heard about Cori Preston. When I read about a psychic being involved in the case, I wanted to see if you were the real deal.”

  He broke out his crooked grin again. This time it was decidedly less charming. She felt rankled over this complete stranger admitting he was basically stalking her. “And you are?”

  “Yeah, right, sorry; guess I should have introduced myself,” he said awkwardly before adding, “You know the whole threat of mace in my face must have thrown me off. My name’s Declan Brayden.” He gave her an expectant look.

  Knitting her eyebrows together, Kate questioned, “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  Her response shook his confidence momentarily. “Well, not to boast, but I am pretty well-known in psychic circles.”

  “So, say you are a psychic…” she paused and gave him a pointed look. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re following me.”

  “I told you I was trying to scope you out,” he responded quickly. His tone of voice was deep with a raspy quality. As he spoke, he kept waving his hands for emphasis. His over eagerness cast doubts on his believability. “I had to see if you were an actual psychic or just another scam artist. I’ve got in touch with others like us in the past. You wouldn’t believe how many supposed ‘psychics,’” he said using air quotes, “are actually full of horse shit.”

  “And what did you gain by following me?”

  “Well, first of all you live a pretty boring life,” he said deadpan. He let out a nervous laugh, but stopped when he saw her scowl. “Anyway, you seem pretty normal. The only places you seem to go are school, work and home. Oh, and that detective’s apartment.”

  Declan paused as a couple of students made their way down the pathway. Stepping out of their way, he moved closer to her. “I haven’t figured out what you could possibly achieve from claiming to be psychic. Most fake psychics run scams to extort money from people and that doesn’t seem to be your M.O.”

  Kate shuddered as she imagined him watching her undetected. The school had been the only place she noticed him. She had never seen him at her job or around her house. The thought of him lurking outside of Jared’s apartment building set her on edge again. Declan didn’t exactly blend into the background which meant he must’ve put in a lot of effort into keeping his identity concealed. Kate hid her discomfort with disdain.

  “Ever hear of calling someone or e-mailing?” she demanded. “It would’ve been a hell of a lot less creepy than stalking.”

  “Again I apologize, but I wanted to know more about you before we met,” Declan stated flatly and shrugged indifferently. It was startling how unashamed he was after admitting he tracked her movements around town.

  “So, what do you want?”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, now that you believe I’m a real psychic, what do you want from me? I’m assuming you didn’t travel almost an hour away simply for my autograph…” Declan was making her nervous and her usual defense when placed in uncomfortable situations was to let Snarky Kate come out to play.

  “Well, aren’t you curious about meeting other people like us? Have you talked to other psychics? Want to swap stories?”

  “No actually. I kind of assumed I was one of a kind. That’s what you want from me—to swap stories?” She knew the disbelief rang through her tone. “Not to mention, you checked me out, but how do I even know you’re a legitimate psychic? You could be an undercover reporter trying to prove I’m a fake.”

  Declan nodded in assent. “True, I see your point. I just thought we could maybe help each other. It’s hard to come by another psychic and I’m curious to see what it’s been like for you.”

  Mulling over his words, she suddenly felt a sliver of hope. What if Declan was legit and she was able to use his visions to locate Max? She wasn’t having any luck, but maybe he could tap into the boy’s mind. He hadn’t elaborated on his own second sight, but if he found a way to connect with Max before Kate did, the boy could be back home with his parents in no time.

  He appeared to take her silence as further dissention and took a business card and pen out of his jeans pocket
. He scribbled down his phone number. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in. Why don’t you go home and check me out online?” Declan suggested. “I’ve been involved in a lot of cases over the years, so you’ll see I’m not trying to pull one over on you. When you’re ready to talk again—give me a call.”

  As Declan handed her the card, Kate glanced over it before shooting him a tentative look. “What is it?” he questioned noticing her expression.

  Kate gestured to the front of the card which was a sub shop rewards card. “You have nine hoagie stamps—that’s a big accomplishment. You only have one more until you get a free sandwich, you’re just gonna hand this over to me?”

  Declan chuckled. “Well, you’ll just have to give it back to me when I see you again.” He kneeled down and picked his phone off the ground. After examining it and seemingly satisfied it wasn’t broken from the fall, he placed it in his pocket.

  “You seem awfully confident that you’ll hear from me?” She placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side.

  His conceit was irritating. “Well, once you get past all of my fan club websites, you’ll realize I’m the answer to all of your problems.”

  Rolling her eyes, Kate adjusted her purse. It was time for her to leave and gather her thoughts. “We’ll see about that. I may just end up keeping the card and treating myself to a free hoagie on your behalf.”

  Declan smiled. “Can I walk you to your car?”

  “No thanks, if it’s all the same to you,” she said and turned her body away from him. Kate warned him, “And don’t ever follow me again. I won’t hesitate the next time to use the mace.”