Читать книгу The Vision - Linda Blum - Страница 5

“How have you been sleeping?” Hope asked handing Judy a muffin.

“Not great, until last night,” Judy said.

“Why what happened last night?”

“I had multiple orgasms.”

Hope choked on her muffin.

“Thanks for sharing.” She scowled at her.

“Well you asked,” Judy said innocently.

“What about the nightmares?” Hope asked trying to change the subject.

They ate muffins and drank tea while Judy told her about her dreams. Hope grabbed her notebook and began writing down the details. She believed that keeping a log of Judy’s dreams was important.

“I have reserved some books at the library on dreams. They should be in...” Hope reached for her calendar checking the dates. “In a few days, I’ll read them and tell you what I find out.”

“Okay detective.”

Hope glared at her.

“I’m sorry,” Judy apologized.

Kidding aside, Judy really did appreciate her efforts. Hope had always been there for her, and vice versa. Even when Judy’s clairvoyant abilities began to resurface, Hope never doubted nor questioned this. In fact, she was so intrigued that she read every book and article on the subject and whenever she was around Judy’s uncle she would talk to him endlessly about his psychic abilities.

Judy was thankful that she had Hope, as well as Ren and her uncle Will who understood what she went through. Not many people believed in her clairvoyance, so Judy never openly discussed this with anyone.

Judy looked at her watch. “I better get going or I’ll be late for my interview.”

She got up, grabbed her coat and purse and headed for the door. Hope shouted out to her as she was leaving.

“Call me later.”

The traffic was busy, but flowing smoothly and quickly. Judy felt like she was always in a race whenever she drove on the highway. It wasn’t until she passed construction signs, that the traffic slowed down and actually drove the speed limit. She was just getting used to driving this new pace when she noticed vehicles up ahead putting on their brake lights. Judy eased on her brakes and began crawling along with the other cars. Once she was out of the construction zone, the drivers resumed their normal racing speed. Thankfully she got to her destination with time to spare.

Her interview was with a business in the downtown core of the city. Kitshener was a mid size, once German, city with a population that was quickly on the rise. Many different ethnic groups came to live here over the years, but even with its melting pot of cultures, Kitshener still remained a German town with its heritage intact.

Judy had lived here her whole life and had watched, with unsettledness, the growing pains the city had gone through. Some of it was good, some bad. At times she wished it would remain the small peaceful town it once had been.

The one thing about living here was it was difficult to get around, especially for a person like Judy who was directionally challenged. The zigzag-like lay out of the roads left travelling very confusing and difficult. Certain roads may be deemed east, but in actuality they were southeast. For most people, especially newcomers, they relied on landmarks to get to where they were going instead of referring to compass directions. People often wondered why the roads were not mapped out in a grid-like pattern, like most of the surrounding cities, but it appeared that the settlers developed roads based on waterways and landscape. When they settled on a piece of land, and had to get from one area to another, they just made a road, which was not necessarily in a straight line.

It had been awhile since she had been downtown and it amazed her how much things had changed. At one time the downtown was home to the drug lords, prostitutes and strip joints, just one of the negative consequences of a city in the midst of urban sprawl. Now, it was full of professional buildings, banks and a market. The politicians really cleaned it up like they said they would.

She passed a business called The Love Connection. On the front of the window was a sign that said, “Need a date? We’ll help you find your mate.” Right beside it was the business she was looking for, “All Smiles Photography Studio”.

The owner, Martha Quinn, greeted her when she entered. She was a tall, thin brunette who always smiled. In fact, throughout the whole interview she had one permanently glued to her face, making Judy wonder if she was for real.

Martha gave her a tour of the studio, letting her watch a photo shoot with a small child. It amazed Judy how the photographer could make even the shyest of children smile. It seemed to take a lot of skill, patience and creativity to achieve the best picture.

“In no time at all, you’ll be a fully fledged photographer too,” Martha commented joyfully.

I could do this. I love children and am a big kid myself so maybe I found a job that I will actually like, Judy thought. The more Martha explained what the job entailed the more interested she became. Until a sudden nagging feeling that all was not right in photography land came over her. Judy tried to tune into her feelings to find out what was going on, but got sidetracked when Martha started asking questions.

An hour later, Martha offered her the job and Judy accepted, however, something inside her was setting off warning signals.

Judy was the first one home and was greeted by Sam with the customary butt and crotch sniff. As she stood in the hallway warding off the dog’s welcoming, an unsettled feeling came over her. She realized this was due to her new job, a job she probably shouldn’t have taken. She sighed as she headed for the den.

When Ren came home, sounds of music drifted through the house. Over the years he got to know how Judy was feeling by the music she played. Based on what he was hearing he concluded that the interview hadn’t gone well. He followed the music to the den where he found Judy sitting by the bay window. Her arms were wrapped around bent knees and she was absently staring out the window.

“Well? How did it go today?” he asked reluctantly.

Judy turned to look at him and sighed. “I got the job.”

“Boy, you seem really enthused,” he said sarcastically. “I knew something was up when I heard your choice of music.”

Judy told Ren about the job and also about Martha.

“She’s hiding something,” Judy said.

“Why did you accept the position then? You know when your intuition tells you something is wrong, then something usually is!”

“We need the money,” she replied flatly.

Ren shook his head. Here we go again, he thought.

“Judy, I wish you wouldn’t do this. Why don’t you hold out for a job you like instead of taking the first one offered to you? You know you usually quit ”

“How am I supposed to know what I like? Life doesn’t offer you a chance to go after what you want when you have bills to pay and have a child to take care of,” Judy sighed. “Besides, this job pays well, offers a good benefit package and we could use both of those right now.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but face it, you want more than a good paying job with great benefits. You want to make a living doing something that you like.”

“We have very little money and a lot of expenses for me to hold out for something I like,” she shot back.

“We’ll get by we always do, so stop worrying.”

“I’m trying to, but it’s not easy with all the bills piling up.”

“I get paid next week.”

“They’re due now.”

“They’ll just have to wait.”

“I don’t like doing that.”

“Neither do I, but that’s all we can do.”

Ren felt like he was playing a verbal tennis match with Judy. She served him with a worry thought, he returned with a solution, she shot back another worry and he returned with yet another solution. Ren watched as Judy paced. He could tell her mind was working non-stop, trying to figure out a comfortable solution.

“Jude, calm down. Everything will be all right,” he said reassuringly.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied.

He couldn’t stand watching her pace anymore, so he took her by the hand and made her sit on the couch beside him.

“You’re impossible to reason with when you’re like this. What do I need to do to make you stop worrying?” he asked.

“Just shoot me! Then my brain will stop.”

“Where’s the gun?” he said teasingly.

Judy glared at him.

“I have a better idea,” Ren said.

Gently he knocked her down, pinning her on the couch in a wresting hold. She struggled to get up, but he was too strong for her.

“Are you going to quit worrying?” he asked.

“Let me up,” Judy whimpered.

“Not until you agree to stop this nonsense.”

“All right already,” Judy whined.

Ren got up and pulled Judy in his arms.

“You should be banned from watching wrestling,” Judy said rubbing her arms. “It seems to be influencing you.”

“No way, it teaches me all about submission holds.” He smiled wickedly at her. “Besides, I like it when you submit to me.”

Judy threw a pillow at him. “Wrestling definitely has to go.”

“Over my dead body,” Ren replied.

“That can be arranged.”

“You’d miss me too much. Who else would tease and wrestle you and be there for you.” He paused as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “And give you the pleasure that I do.”

His words touched on something deep within her. Even though they were just fooling around, both physically and verbally, she realized what he said was true. They had been married for ten years now and the longer they were together the closer they got. They were best friends and no matter what happened they supported one another.

Judy began feeling better after their tussle. She was enjoying a quiet evening with her “boys”, as she fondly referred to her husband and son, until Ren had to leave. He forgot his planner at work and had to go pick it up. He was about to head out the door when Jay asked if he could tag along. Ren hesitated at first, not wanting to leave Judy alone, but she convinced him that she would be all right.

When they were gone, Judy decided to start reading the new novel she had just bought. She went over to the bookshelf and found it wasn’t there.

“Where did I put the darn thing?” she asked herself.

While looking around for her book, her breathing suddenly became short and stifled. Something is wrong she thought. She stopped her search to tune into her feelings and find out what was going on. Images of twisted metal and Ren and Jay covered with blood flashed in her mind.

“Oh no!” Judy cried. “They are going to be in an accident.”

She ran to the phone to call Ren’s cell, but got his voice mail. Judy began to pace. What can I do to warn them? Suddenly a vision of Jay came to mind.

“That’s it”, she said to Sam, who followed her every step. “I’ll try to send him a message telepathically.”

Judy recently became aware that she and Jay could communicate telepathically. She only experienced this type of communication once before. It happened many years ago when her mother was dying. After her death, Judy never had it happen again, until now. It freaked her out but Jay, of course, thought it was cool.

For some reason, they couldn’t do this all the time. Judy figured their emotions got in the way stopping the communication. Right now she needed to get the message to Jay, so she tried to remain calm and focused.

She said a prayer and then took a couple of deep breaths. When she felt ready, she pictured Jay in the car. Scenes of the accident crept in her mind, but she pushed them aside. She focused on her son and told him to tell his Dad not to take the expressway, as an accident was about to happen. She kept saying this in her head over and over again hoping that he got it.

After a few minutes of continuously repeating this, she felt utterly exhausted. She tried Ren’s cellphone again, but the machine was still picking up. Judy tried to remain calm, but couldn’t. She grabbed the phone and dialled her uncle’s number. He was better at detaching from his emotions so his psychic abilities stayed intact. The sound of a busy signal rang in her ears.

“Damn!” she yelled.

She tried again in haste to reach him, but was unable to. Feeling scared and helpless she went into the living room, sank down onto the couch and stared anxiously out the window, willing Ren’s car to pull into the driveway. She leaned her head against the backrest, closed her eyes and prayed for Ren and Jay’s safe return.

Judy’s eyes flew open when she heard a loud knocking sound. Sam barked and ran to the door with Judy following quickly behind. She reached for Sam’s collar and opened the door. Standing before her were two police officers. One was an older man about forty. He was tall, solidly built and had black hair with grey streaks throughout, giving it a salt and pepper look. His eyes were deep green with tiny lines that surrounded the edges. When he looked at her, Judy noted they seemed distant, probably caused by years of seeing too much suffering. A younger officer stood beside him. He was shorter and broader with buzz cut hair. His solemn expression made Judy feel uncomfortable.

They didn’t enter right away since Sam was growling, trying to determine if they were friend or foe. The older man slowly put his hand out and the dog stopped growling to sniff it then moved around to his crotch.

“Sorry about that,” Judy apologized pulling Sam away.

“Are you Mrs. Storm?” the older officer asked.

“Yes,” she answered quietly.

“I’m Officer Bender and this is Officer Fenelli,” he said pointing to the young man. “May we come in?”

She nodded her head and then stepped aside to let them in. Judy’s stomach began to churn as she watched both men. Officer Bender ran a hand nervously through his hair and began to speak.

“Your husband and son were involved in a terrible accident.” He hesitated before continuing, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but they’re dead.”

Judy’s ears were ringing and she felt faint. She stood frozen, not believing what was said.

“No! It’s not true. Ren and Jay are on their way home,” she said reaching for a chair to sit down.

The younger officer grabbed her arm gently to guide her.

“We are so sorry Mrs. Storm.”

Judy felt ill.

“Mrs. Storm, we need you to come with us to identify their bodies,” she heard Officer Bender say.

Judy shook her head trying to clear the dreadful images that were coming to mind. No they’re wrong, she thought. I’m going to go find them. She stood up getting ready to leave, took a few steps then crashed to the floor.

Officer Fenelli was beside her within seconds. “Mrs. Storm, are you all right? Mrs. Storm....” he shook her gently.

Officer Bender quickly joined him. He bent down to gently pick her up and then set her on the chair. Reaching for a tissue, he handed it to her to wipe the tears rolling down her face.

“Can we call anyone for you?”

Judy stared blankly at him. She knew she should phone someone, but couldn’t remember anyone’s name. Her brain wasn’t working.

Officer Bender knew she was in shock as he had seen this reaction many times over the years. He went to grab her coat and motioned for Officer Fenelli to help him. Gently they lifted Judy up and placed her in the coat before guiding her outside to their car.

On the drive over to the hospital, no one spoke. When they arrived, Officer Fenelli stayed at the front

desk to speak with the nurses while Officer Bender lead her to the morgue. A man wearing a white lab coat greeted them. He nodded his head in acknowledgement at the officer then gave Judy a sympathetic look before introducing himself. Officer Bender told Judy to stay right there as he walked into an office with the man. She heard the sound of hushed voices and knew their conversation wasn’t meant for her to hear. Within a short time, both men appeared and lead Judy into another room.

The room was vast in size and very aseptic. There was a wall of mid-sized metal doors straight ahead and to her left was an examining table. On the wall, was a cupboard filled with containers and beside them were various medical instruments. She assumed their use was for performing autopsies. The thought of this made her stomach churn. She became even more nauseous when they walked straight ahead to the set of metal doors. The man opened the door and pulled a table out.

On it was a white sheet covering a body. Judy’s heart pounded wildly when he pulled the cover off to reveal Ren. Feeling dazed, she stood looking down at him. Slowly she reached out to touch him, but when her hands met the coldness of his skin she jerked them away. Reality began to sink in and she felt sick. Her mind was so fixated on Ren that she didn’t notice the other door being opened behind her. The man gently turned her around. Judy gasped when she saw Jay’s little body lying on the table.

“No!” she cried.

Officer Bender reached for Judy, but she stumbled back.

“Get away from me!” she screamed.

She ran for the door but Officer Bender caught up with her.

“I know this is hard, but you have to accept the fact they are gone.”

The room began to spin as she tried to walk. The last thing she remembered was Officer Bender grabbing her just before she fainted.