Читать книгу The Vision - Linda Blum - Страница 7

Will looked at his niece with concern, as visions of his sister passed through his mind. His intuition detected that something was going on and it had to do with her mother. He balked at the thought, hoping he was wrong.

“So what’s up?” her Uncle asked.

Judy didn’t answer right away.

Will continued, “I knew from the moment I spoke to you this morning that there was more to it than just what happened last night. So spill it.”

“You’re right,” she hesitated before continuing. “It has to do with mom.”

Will mentally cringed. He wished his niece would put this to rest. At times he thought she had come to terms with her death and moved on, but then she would approach him and want to rehash it again. He realized the whole ordeal was hard on her, but he hoped that one day she could find some closure.

“What about your mother?”

“I’ve been having that dream, or should I say, nightmare again,” she replied.

“You mean the one you had after your mother died?” he questioned.

“Yes, that one,” Judy shook her head eagerly. “Only this time it’s different.”

After her mother’s death she had a reoccurring nightmare that replayed the murder. At the time Judy hoped the dream would reveal the murderer, but it never did.

“How is it different?”

Judy took a deep breath. “This time the murderer is a woman with green eyes.”

Will sat silent, absorbing what she said. A nagging feeling came over him that this information was somehow relevant to his sister’s murder case. The rational part of him, however, chalked it up to wishful thinking. Moments passed as he continued battling with these thoughts.

Judy watched her uncle knowing all to well the questions that were going through his mind, as she too had many queries. Now that he knew she hoped that he could help her.

“So what do you make of it?” Judy asked.

Will turned the question back to her. “What do you make of it?”

He sensed that she believed the dream was giving her clues, but he wanted confirmation of this.

“I think I am getting a glimpse of the murderer,” she answered excitedly.

“I’m going to regret saying this, but I think you may be right,” he agreed reluctantly.

“So what do we do now?”

“Nothing,” Will replied, “We don’t have much to go on.”

A look of disappointment appeared on her face.

“I guess not,” she conceded.

Will sensed that Judy seemed hopeful at the prospect of finding the murderer and believed her dream was the source that would unravel this mystery. This worried him, as she had experienced the same thing after her mother died, only to become disheartened in the end.

“Let’s wait to see if you have any more dreams about this woman, then we’ll decide what to do. All right?”

“Okay,” she agreed then switched subjects. “I have a question for you. How do you get rid of bad energy?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“The events of last night seem to have created a negative energy in the house and I want to get rid of it,” Judy replied.

Will went into the cupboard and grabbed a bag of something and then handed it to Judy. Judy looked it over and was shocked as it looked like pot.

“How is smoking this going to help get rid of the bad vibes?”

Will laughed. “You don’t smoke it.”

“Isn’t this pot?”

He laughed harder at this. “It’s sage. You light it in a bowl and walk from room to room, allowing the smoke to circulate and clear away the negative vibes while saying a prayer.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Judy was just putting it away when she heard the sound of a car. She went to the window and saw a car slowly making its way up the driveway. From a distance it appeared that the vehicle had no driver. Once it got closer, Judy saw the top of a white mane that was barely visible. The driver’s head was shaped in a neat bun that seemed to bob up and down with the unevenness of the driveway.

The vehicle was advancing at a snail-like pace. When it finally reached the house, it abruptly stopped in the middle of the driveway, as the driver contemplated where to park. A spot was chosen and Judy winced as she watched the big tank angle itself between her uncle’s shed and Judy’s car. The vehicle slowly backed its way in knocking down the garbage cans. Judy was afraid that her car would be its next victim and sighed with relief when the car was parked and her vehicle was still intact.

Her aunt emerged out of the vehicle making her way carefully down the path, taking care not to fall. Judy groaned at the grim expression on her face, as well as the determined look in her eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Will asked.

Judy rolled her eyes skyward. “Aunt Vera is here and she looks like she’s on a mission.”

Will grabbed the sunglasses that were on the table, put them on and said, “She’s on a mission from God.”

This made Judy laugh and Will joined in, but only half-heartedly. Tension seemed to gnaw at him as he anticipated his sister’s arrival. He knew he was not her most favourite brother so these visits were always strained. The only reason he put up with her was because of his mother.

Aunt Vera was a devout Christian with strong beliefs and found it hard to accept Will’s psychic abilities. At one time she was very vocal about his psychic occult, as she called it, and accused him of going against God. It annoyed him that she thought this and he didn’t appreciate being nailed to the cross with her “Love thy neighbour as long as you’re like me” attitude either, so he began to retaliate with his own insults.

This was the start of the verbal holy war between them, until Will’s mother stepped in to nip it in the bud. Grandma Nora always acted as the mediator and brought peace to these family situations. It wasn’t hard for her to negotiate an agreement between the two of them. In the end she told the both of them to keep their opinions and beliefs regarding these matters to themselves.

There was a soft knock at the door and for a brief second, Will considered not responding to it. Judy watched as he sat glued to his chair making no attempt to answer it. She knew exactly what was running through his mind.

“Uncle Will,” she scolded. “You know you can’t do it.”

A blank expression crossed over his face. “Do what?”

Judy guffawed at his pretence of ignorance. “Pretend no one’s home.”

“Would I do that?” he asked innocently.

She watched her uncle closely, noting the gleam in his eyes.

“Yes.”

A small smile formed on his lips at her response. It didn’t last long though when he heard the sound of persistent knocking. Will sighed as he got up from his chair.

Judy quickly got to her feet. “Why don’t I get it,” she cautioned. “Maybe if I greet Aunt Vera it will calm her down.”

Her uncle stopped and gave her a doubtful look.

“You never know,” Judy said optimistically.

Uncle Will shook his head. He knew his sister well enough to know that once she got something into her head, watch out.

“Just be careful,” he warned. “She might throw a lightning bolt at you.”

Judy made a face at him as she headed towards the door.

On several occasions she had witnessed her aunt’s indifference towards her uncle. The worst episode was after her mother had died. Aunt Vera had a difficult time losing her sister and turned to the church for help. It was during this period that conflict arose between her and her brother.

When Will was made Judy’s legal guardian, Vera was beside herself. She became adamant that she should raise Judy, contending that her home would provide a more stable environment for her niece. It wasn’t a surprise to Will, or the family, that she would express a wish to do this. She loved Judy and always doted on her. Everyone, however, questioned whether her desire to become nurturer was based solely on honourable intentions, or her biases towards her brother.

Grandma Nora decided to approach her daughter on this matter to find out. Vera reluctantly admitted that her motives were based in a bit of both areas. Nora understood her feelings and pointed out that if Vera truly loved Judy she would put aside her differences and honour her sister’s wishes, as well as Judy’s. Vera begrudgingly agreed, but that didn’t stop her from involving herself in her niece’s life.

In the beginning her visits were cordial. Will knew, however, if his sister ever found out about Judy’s abilities this would change. When Vera finally did find out she was flabbergasted, automatically blaming Will for influencing her. Judy vehemently defended him declaring that he had nothing to do with this. Vera wouldn’t believe any of it of course, as her prejudices towards Will clouded any truths that were being said.

Judy was angered by her actions. She had watched this woman ridicule, judge and persecute her uncle because of his abilities, abilities he was born with, along with many others for that matter. Why some people possessed these capabilities while others didn’t she could not truly say. What she did know was that she could no longer stand back and watch him suffer any more, so she had it out with her aunt.

Judy’s outburst rattled Vera. She had never seen her niece so upset before. When Judy became calmer, they were able to patch things up. Vera’s idea of patching up, however, was to ignore reality and pretend that Judy didn’t possess psychic abilities. As for her brother, she agreed to stop badgering him and try to get along.

After this, Judy talked to her uncle, asking him to try and be more amicable towards his sister. She also requested that he keep his opinions to himself, imploring that her aunt had a right to her beliefs and that he should respect them. Will obligingly agreed.

Both tried to be pleasant towards one another and for the most part their visits went well, that was until today.

When Judy got to the door she took a deep breath, forced a smile on her face and braced herself, as she opened it. Aunt Vera stood before her clenching her purse in her hands. She appeared aloof at first, until she saw Judy then a smile formed on her face.

“Judy,” Aunt Vera stepped inside to give her a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

Will entered the foyer to greet her.

“Hello Vera.”

The smile faded from her face at her brother’s appearance.

“Hello William,” she said thinly.

While Vera was removing her coat, Will graciously came over to help her. When it was removed, she lifted her head with an indignant air and walked away with not so much as a thank you spilling from her lips. A dark look crossed over Will’s face and a few expletives escaped his mouth as he watched her disappear.

“She acts like that whenever she has a beef with me.”

Judy began to protest until Will held up his hand to silence her.

“She thinks I am the devil incarnate,” he seethed.

“She does not.”

Will gave her a look like she was crazy. “Did you see the way she looked at me? Couldn’t you feel the anger emanating from her?” he shook his head, “She’s here to nail me to her cross again.”

Judy hated to agree, but he was right. As soon as she opened the door, she could feel her agitation and knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant visit. She prayed that Ren and Jay wouldn’t come back from their walk yet, as she didn’t want Jay to witness this.

When they entered the family room, they noticed Vera had seated herself in the winged back chair giving her an authoritative look. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and her back was ramrod straight. Judy took a seat beside her, whereas, Will put some distance between them and stood by the bar in the opposite corner of the room.

“There is an important matter I need to discuss with you William,” she stated seriously.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” Will said dryly.

She glared at him. “I have recently been informed you are dating.”

“Why are you interested?”

Vera’s eyes widened at his question. “The woman you are dating is my friend’s daughter.”

“So,” Will replied casually.

“So,” she gasped. “I’ve known this girl since she was little. Her family have been members of my church for years. Her mother and I are in the quilting club together.” Vera stopped to take a breath before emphasizing her final point. “She’s a very Christian orientated person.”

Will stared at her in disbelief.

He raised his eyebrows in question. “So what are you implying sister dear?”

“Nothing,” she stated simply. “Just that it appears you don’t have much in common with Valerie.”

Will snickered. “You mean since I am not considered a Christian, in your eyes you deem me unsuitable for Valerie.”

“Not exactly,” she said evenly. “But since your beliefs differ from hers, I daresay it may cause future problems in your relationship.”

“Your concern is very touching,” he said sarcastically.

“I just want what’s best for both of you,” she reassured.

He grabbed a glass and dropped in a few ice cubes. Reaching for the decanter of scotch he poured a liberal amount, raised the glass to his lips and downed the whole drink in one gulp. Judy watched as her uncle refilled his glass again. She hated to see him like this and felt compelled to come to his defence.

“I think,” Judy began bravely. “That Valerie and Uncle Will make a perfect couple.”

Her statement made Vera snort in response and her uncle smile in satisfaction.

“See, others approve of my relationship with Valerie,” he chortled.

His comment noticeably flustered Vera, as her face began to turn a shade of red in response.

Out of the corner of Judy’s eye, she saw Ren standing slightly off to the side of the doorway. He stood very still assessing the situation in the room. She noted the creases in his forehead and the downward turn of his brow, as he contemplated whether to enter. After a few moments, he quietly turned and walked away. Judy couldn’t blame him. She wished she could do the same thing.

Aunt Vera regained her composure.

“Will, I would hardly consider Judy’s acceptance as indication that this relationship is a good thing.”

“A lot of people do think it’s good, Aunt Vera,” Judy interjected quickly. “In fact many of the customers at Uncle Will’s restaurant have been commenting how happy the two of them seem together. Everyone seems ecstatic that Uncle Will has finally found someone.”

Vera was almost at her breaking point. It was taking every ounce of self-control for her to hold back her anger.

“William,” she said curtly. “I feel that it would be in your, as well as Valerie’s best interest not to see each other.”

Will was about to respond, but was cut short when Vera suddenly stood up.

“I must be going,” she announced tersely. “Please think about what I said. I’m sure once you have you will agree with me.”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her purse and started towards the door. The front door slammed and she was gone. A few seconds later, Ren and Jay appeared in the doorway.

“Is it safe to come in?” Ren asked.

“Yes it is,” Judy said.

Will slumped down on the sofa reeling from his sister’s visit. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushions. He figured after all these years of doing battle with Vera, that he would be sensitized to these outbursts. This one, however, was different. She was meddling in a relationship that meant something to him. He had been dating Valerie for a month now and things had been going good, up until today. Judy watched her uncle and sensed his feelings of uncertainty.

“Valerie likes you. Don’t let Aunt Vera make you start doubting that,” Judy said.

Will knew what she was saying was true. It was just hard to quiet that part of him that made him weary about dating again.

While debating whether or not he should discuss matters with Valerie, a vision of his wife entered his mind. Opening his eyes his gaze instantly fell upon her picture on the table. A wave of longing washed over him for the woman whom he loved and missed dearly. Her smiling face seemed to reach out to him as he stared at it. A tingling sensation, which started at the top of his head, began to spread down the length of his body forming a multitude of goose bumps over his arms. His attention turned to the source.

Beside the table, tiny flashes of white lights flickered giving the appearance of a cluster of fireflies. A shadowy outline began to emerge and the lights fused together into one narrow ray. Will watched as the illuminated shape slowly materialized into his wife, Sally. He could feel his eyes damp with tears as her angelic like figure stood before him.

Judy felt a strong presence in the room also and had noticed the flickering lights surrounding her uncle. Her thoughts immediately turned to Aunt Sally and she smiled.

“Aunt Sally is here,” Judy said.

“That’s Aunt Sally?” Jay commented.

“Yes it is sweetie,” Judy replied.

“Hi Aunt Sally, I’m Jay,” he said staring at the apparition.

Ren watched on in fascination, feeling a bit left out, until he saw a flickering light.

“I saw the light! I saw the light!” he said in excitement.

Judy laughed at her husband’s expression.

“It appears that Aunt Sally is here to kick your butt,” Judy commented joyfully.

Will glared at her. “I doubt it.”

Her visit was brief. She told Will she was happy that he was dating again and it was high time that he shared his life with someone. Will was taken aback by his wife’s directness, but Judy was glad for this. That was until Sally conveyed a message to Judy. Her aunt warned Judy to pay attention to her premonitions and dreams surrounding her mother’s death, stating that she was getting a glimpse of the murderer. Shock rippled through Judy, as well as her uncle, at this news.

“I knew I was onto something,” Judy exclaimed. “Aunt Sally, you must know who did this to my mother.”

She waited impatiently for a response. Her frustration began to build when she couldn’t feel her presence anymore.

“Damn it!” she shouted.

“Judy its okay,” her uncle reassured.

“No it’s not!” Judy exclaimed. “I hate having second sight and being able to communicate with spirits! Both make me so bloody frustrated I want to scream.”

“At least we know that we may be on our way to finding the murderer,” Will said gently.

Judy wasn’t really listening. She was too caught up in the fact that the spirit world would not help her.

Will felt her anger and knew there was no sense talking to her when she was in this mood.

“I don’t understand why Sally didn’t help us,” she agonized.

“Maybe she doesn’t know anything,” Will responded.

Judy gave him a doubtful look. “How could she not know who the murderer is?”

Absently she reached for Sally’s picture. Looking up, she questioned her uncle about this.

“Weren’t you the one who told me that when we die all the questions about life are revealed to us?”

“Yes, but…”

Judy interrupted, “So why wouldn’t Sally know those answers and pass them on to us?”

“I don’t know exactly what happens when we die,” Will replied. “The only way one truly knows is after death. Until then we rely on the ones who have died and come back to life to tell their story. Life after death is a topic that is based on speculation and one’s belief in the matter.”

Her uncle’s response did not soothe the restlessness within her. She felt like she was fifteen again and wrestling with those same questions that always plagued her. The one thing that really bothered her was why her mother never came to her, or her uncle, to let her know who did this to her. Years may have passed, but this question, along with many others, still burned deeply in Judy. Would she ever find out the truth?