Shaman - the Awakening (2 page)

The real reason was of a more personal nature. He could no longer take the harassment from the police department and the media, when I was considered a prime suspect in the prostitute abduction case. I later vindicated myself and helped the police find the killer, but the damage had been done. I didn't blame him. He had a family with kids to consider.

When Dr. Green took my case, she was well aware of the publicity and high profile that came with having me for a patient. Although I was proven innocent, or should I say proved my innocence, there were still people who had their doubts. This was before the FBI took an interest in me. Dr. Green was young and single, with a new practice. Her having a high profile patient like me would do wonders for her career and resume. The publicity wouldn't hurt either.

It was early when I arrived at Dr. Green's office. She was still with another patient. I waited in the sitting area and read through the National Geographic on her table. She had better magazines than any of the shrinks I had visited and played dream games with. There was Sports Illustrated, Car and Driver, Vogue, Gentlemen's Quarterly and Time, just to name a few. Even better, they were all up to date; how I abhorred reading a Sports Illustrated article about an event that had happened several months ago, like articles about the past Superbowl in June!

I had been hooked up to just about every CAT scanning device and REM machine out there. I'd been hypnotized and traumatized by their science, but I'd come out standing tall. My mother had wanted me to have a normal life, free of the nightmares and sleep walking. Without her concern and help I would have never met Dr. Banks, who assisted me greatly in controlling this ability of mine.

Dr. Green didn't need proof of my abilities. She was well briefed by Dr. Banks, a leader in his field, who also published several books and publications for medical journals. He was a highly recognized, award-winning doctor. He had taught Dr. Green at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Green had two employees working in her office. There was a middle aged woman, who handled most of the general receptionist duties. She answered the telephone, greeted the patients, checked them in and did filing. The other employee was a muscular young man, who worked on the computer and kept the office in order. I believe he was there for security purposes as well. He was the reason why so many of the magazines were geared towards men. He looked like a former jock of some sort.

A young woman exited the Analysis Room (AR) with Dr. Green. She was in her early twenties and extremely thin; perhaps anorexic. I could see her clavicle bone clearly through the blouse she was wearing, and her facial bones protruded sharply, as though shaped with a chisel.

“…Continue with that and I'll see you again next week,” Dr. Green said to the thin young lady as they approached the receptionist desk. She then turned her attention towards me with a smile.

“Hello, Christian. How are you?”

“I'm doing well, Dr. Green.”

“That's excellent. You can go in; I'll be right with you.”

She had a folder with the young lady's name on the label; Audrey Bynum. Dr. Green remained at the receptionist desk as I walked towards the AR. I had heightened my profiling and investigative skills after working with the police and the FBI, but even before then my vigilance was quick and accurate. I could walk into a room and describe everything I saw at a later date. It was a side effect of the dreamscaping. I learned how to pick apart and memorize visual scenes from my dreams, with the assistance of Dr. Banks.

Dr. Green's office was very comfortable, as most analysis rooms, except she didn't force her patients to lie on a couch or anything. I could walk around or do whatever I felt like at the moment. Her office looked like a living room. There were three leather recliner chairs and a plush leather sofa, all black, a coffee table in the center and lamp tables on each side of the sofa. She even had a flat screen television with a DVD player.

There were no clocks on the wall, or anywhere in her office. There was a huge window which she kept covered by automatic shades and curtains. The shades were designed to completely eliminate the daylight from outside. I had seen this before in the more expensive psychoanalysts' offices that I'd visited through my childhood.

She had two typical portraits on the wall; a rendition of Whistler's painting; `The Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rockets and Van Gogh's `Starry Night over the Rhone', which I found to be quite interesting. The theme of both of these paintings was dream states. The word Nocturne suggests a tranquil, dreamy mood. She also had a 1919 copy of `The Interpretation of Dreams' by Freud in a glass case on the wall. It must have cost a fortune. It was clear Dr. Green, like Dr. Banks, had a particular interest in dreams.

She also had an expensive, black wooden desk in the corner of the room with Newton's Cradle which some call Pendulum Balls, on the desk. I always found this applied physics apparatus interesting. Dr. Green was not only smart, but had a very interesting mind of her own. She explained the Pendulum of Life with Newton's Cradle which was so insightful. I looked forward to our meetings; especially since the Bureau paid the bill. It was a stipulation of my agreement, which they had no problem in supplying.

Dr. Joaquinna Green was an African American woman, about 35 years of age, with long black hair which she wore pinned up in one of those modern, feminine hairstyles. She was a tall, about 5'10”, with a curvy, athletic body. You could see that she worked out. If I was to describe a celebrity who looked similar to her, it would be the actress Paula Patton. Dr. Green was wearing a grey power suit with a pink blouse and black high heel shoes, which accented perfectly sculptured calves covered by smoke grey stockings.

She didn't wear jewelry; no necklace or watch. She used her cell phone to time sessions inconspicuously. She wasn't worried about going over the allotted time, but she was concerned about other patients waiting. I was usually scheduled for an hour. As I stated before, I was her star patient and she had an added interest in dreams. That's why Dr. Banks referred me to her. This was her specialty, just like his.

“So, how's everything with you, Christian?”

“Everything is well, Dr. Green.”

“How's work?”

“Well, you know how that is. I'm induced into a dream trance and I live inside the dreams of psychopaths. No, I'm sorry; problematic individuals.”

She smiled when I corrected myself. “And how are you coping? Are you still doing yoga and meditating?”

“Yes,” I replied as I paced the room.

“What's bothering you today? You seem a little edgy,” she said She could tell I had something on my mind. Usually I'd play with the Pendulum Balls while we talked.

“I did want to speak to you about one of my colleagues.”

“Okay, tell me about it,” she replied while sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.

She had my folder next to her while the recorder captured the session. She was polite enough not to write while we were in session. She gave the clients her full attention. That's what she liked referring to us as, instead of patients. She wanted to eliminate the stigma which accompanied the use of the word patient.

We discussed my relationship with Dianna for the rest of my session. Dr. Green provided me with a lot of food for thought. She thought it was a good thing to have Dianna as a close friend and encouraged it, but stated that we both needed to really think long and hard about taking it further than just friends. She pointed out all of the ramifications of having a relationship with someone you work with. She gave the pros and cons, but as usual left the decision making up to me. After our session she gave me a Christmas gift. This I hadn't anticipated. She must've had given one to Ms. Bynum when I came inside the AR, or on some other occasion.

“Thank you, Doc, but I didn't get you anything.”

“It's alright, Christian. The point of Christmas is to give without expecting to receive.”

The Doc had a way of putting everything into perspective and making it seem better. I still felt a little guilty because I didn't buy her anything. Now I had to purchase two additional gifts; one for the Doc and one for Dianna. I couldn't show up for dinner empty-handed on Christmas Eve.

When I left the Doc's office in Bethesda, I went directly to the Mazza Gallery on Wisconsin Avenue to shop for gifts, but was overwhelmed by the mob of people who were there. It took time and effort to find parking, so I gave up. I could only imagine how crowded it was inside! I continued down Wisconsin Ave. and stopped in a jeweler's. I saw a nice pair of diamond studs that I purchased for Dianna, and a Moldova watch for the Doc since she didn't have one.

I had only purchased one gift for Christmas before, and that was for Talayah, my niece in Atlanta. She was in grade school and we had a special relationship, since I was her only uncle. I didn't have anyone else to purchase gifts for, so I spent a little over my budget. I always sent my mother and sister cash; they had just about everything they could ever want.

It was late in the day and I didn't really have the time to spend looking for gifts. I also couldn't bear the crowds. The Doc has some big medical text book term for the condition; she calls it enochlophobia. I'd never heard of the word until she presented it to me. All I know is that I don't like being around a lot of people.

While on the way home I received another call from Dianna. She wanted to know if she could come by to pick up the flash drive. I told her I would be home in twenty minutes. She said she'd see me in two hours, so I stopped in the music shop on Connecticut Avenue and picked up some sheet music, vinyl albums and some CD's. I was thinking about getting back into teaching music again, but private lessons.

When I arrived home I was tired from dealing with the traffic and shopping, so I put on some jazz and lay down on the sofa until Dianna arrived. I was contemplating my discussion with Dr. Green about Dianna and me. Then I picked up the cello and bow, and began to play. It always eased my mind and helped me to think. I would close my eyes while playing and just go to a special place without dreams or the outside world. It was my private place. After about 45 minutes of playing, the doorbell rang and my serenity was shattered. Dianna had arrived for her flash drive.

“Good evening, Dianna; come in.”

“Good evening, Chris; please, don't stop playing because of me,” she stated, smiling as she entered.

“I was just trying to relax a little,” I replied.

“It sounded great! Take Five?” she inquired, correctly naming the piece I was playing.

“Yes,” I responded.

“Can I hear more?” she asked.

“Sure,” I stated and continued on the cello. I completed `Take Five' and then went into my rendition of `Summer Time', all on the cello. She was incredibly impressed, and smiling from ear to ear.

“I had no idea that you could play like that! I mean, your profile stated you taught music, but you can really play,” Dianna said smiling with enthusiasm.

“Thanks Dianna. Do you play?”

“No; not at all, but I do love jazz.”

“Excellent; that's something we have in common,” I replied.

“We have more in common than you know,” she replied with the most beautiful smile, still amazed. I returned the cello and bow to their designated place on my music wall and brought the flash drive to her.

“It seems you have the advantage on me. You read my file, but I haven't been privileged to see yours,” I said.

“Yeah, I know; you have to be an agent to get that privilege, and even then it has to be approved. All consultants' files are open for review,” she replied.

“I see,” I said, smiling.

“So, are we still on for Christmas Eve, because I purchased everything for our dinner?” she asked.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

“Good; then I'll talk to you later,” she said and leaned in, kissing me on the cheek. We were proceeding slowly but surely, and I liked it. I walked her back to her vehicle, and said goodbye as she departed.

It was finally Christmas Eve. I had been anxiously anticipating its arrival to have dinner with Dianna. She was the first woman who had shown interest without me implanting or suggesting interest through dreamscape. I was totally hyped about seeing her again!

It was a perfect winter's evening. There was an expected chance of snow in the forecast, and all was well. I telephoned my mother and wished her a Merry Christmas. She was living in Atlanta with my sister and her family. My sister and I didn't get along very well. We'd had a falling out several years ago, and the relationship never seemed to repair itself. I spoke to my niece and wished them all a Merry Christmas. Usually families are very busy on Christmas Day, opening gifts and visiting each other, so I decided to get it out of the way in advance.

I had already dropped off Dr. Green's gift yesterday and had Dianna's wrapped and ready to be presented. I also purchased an expensive bottle of wine and placed a bow on top of it, just for dinner. I called Dianna later in the afternoon to check on her, and to see if she needed anything for the evening.

“Good afternoon, Dianna. How are you?”

“Hello Chris. I'm fine, how are you?”

“I'm doing well. I was calling to see if you needed me to bring anything besides the wine this evening.”

“No, I have everything we need, except I neglected to inquire about what type of foods you eat? Are you allergic to anything, or are there any foods you don't eat,” she asked.

“Yes. I'm sorry, but I don't eat pork.”

“Well, that's good to know. I don't eat pork either. I told you we have a lot in common,” she replied.

“What time should I arrive?” I inquired.

“Is 5:00pm good for you?” she responded.

“Yes, that sounds great.”

“Ok, then I'll see you then,” she said and hung up the telephone.

I didn't have a Christmas tree or any decorations around the house, just a wrapped gift from Dr. Green and six Christmas cards. I received cards from my mother, my sister's family, Dr. Banks and family, Dr. Green, Steve Weiss and one from the Guitar Store on Connecticut Avenue. I spent a lot of money in that store and was on their mailing list.

I lived modestly on my consultant's salary. The only expensive things that I owned were my instruments, which also doubled as decorations. I drove a black, two door, 1964 Volvo P1800. I called it a classic, but most would just refer to it as junk. She was worth about $4,000.00 but purred like a kitten, and the interior was perfect. Up until now it all had sufficed me without a problem. My FBI salary with benefits and perks was excellent, but I wondered if I had gone overboard spending for Christmas. I wondered if the gifts I purchased for Dianna and Dr. Green were too much, and if the ladies would take offense at them. I didn't want them to read something else into those presents. Or was that just my paranoia running away with me again?

I arrived at Dianna's house on time at 5:00pm. She lived in Vienna, Virginia. It was nice out here in the suburbs. She lived in a brick three story town house with a parking garage. She had a Christmas Wreath on the door and on the doormat was a picture of the Magi's following the Star of Bethlehem. I rang the bell and she came to the door in the most stunning attire. She was wearing a Christmas red velvet dress with black high heeled shoes. The garment was made to hug her body and show off her curves. It rested far above her knees and displayed her voluptuous thighs and sexy legs. This outfit screamed sexy! I was in awe and couldn't stop staring at her.

“Wow,” I exclaimed as soon as she opened the door. She flashed a giant smile and attempted not to blush, but I guess I gave her the greeting and response she was looking for.

“Thank you very much. You look nice as well. Please come in,” she replied.

“This is for you. Merry Christmas!” I said, handing her the bottle of Dom Perignon with a bow and her wrapped Christmas gift.

“Thank you; I have a gift for you under the tree as well, but we have plenty of time for that,” she stated and kissed me on the cheek. Apparently she has a full itinerary for the evening.

“Dinner is ready and warming in the kitchen, but I wanted to ask if you would accompany me to church this evening before dinner?” She surprised me with that one.

“I haven't been to church in years. I'm Catholic and believe in the Trinity, but there has been some distance between me and the church lately,” I replied.

“It's never too late. I'm a Catholic school girl. So, will you escort me to church this evening, Mr. Sands?” Her eyes twinkled as she flirted with me.

“It would be my pleasure, Ms. Samboro.” I played along, feeling my face spread into a teasing grin.

“Thank you very much,” she replied with a smile, and grabbed her coat.

We drove my vehicle to her local church, which was only 20 minutes away. It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would have been. They had a special service for the coming of Christ. It was great!

“I enjoyed that immensely,” I stated to her on the way back to her house.

“I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, so did I.”

We savored a lovely dinner together back at her place. She prepared an exquisite five course meal. She had Christmas jazz songs playing on the satellite stereo station. We opened a bottle of champagne in front of her wood burning fireplace and talked.

“I must inquire, Dianna; why aren't you spending Christmas with your family?”

“Well, they decided to go back to Sicily for Christmas and I preferred to stay here. I wanted to get to know you better. Is that alright with you?”

“Absolutely, and thank you. Everything has been wonderful,” I replied, and then she kissed me. I reciprocated.

Later, she read the works of some of her favorite poets for me. We opened our gifts after midnight and began kissing again. We started making out in the living room and ended up in the bedroom. We remained there for the rest of the night. Then, around 03:00 AM while we were asleep and snuggled in bed together, our cell phones rang. That ended our silent night. It was a message alert from the FBI. The entire task force would be alerted when it was time to come in for an assignment. The timing couldn't be any worse.

We got up at the same time to check our phones, which wasn't necessary. The message was the same on all phones. It simply stated,
Please respond to the Task Force conference room today, December 25 at 0900. Wheels up at 1100.
The message alert never went into details about the emergency or assignments. We always packed clothing for a week's stay at the destination. This didn't give Dianna and me much time together this Christmas, but at least we had been able to spend a wonderful evening and night together.

“Good morning, bright eyes. How are you,” Dianna inquired with a smile? She replaced the cell phone on the nightstand and made her way to my side of the bed.

“I was doing excellent until the phone rang,” I responded.

“Well, let's see if I can make it better,” she said as she moved herself on top of me in the bed and began kissing me.

I still found it hard to believe she was here with me. She was just as gorgeous waking up in the morning as she was later in the day. She didn't wear much make up, perhaps a little gloss lipstick but that was about it. She had natural beauty and didn't need to fix herself up with makeup. I guess that's why she looked perfect even after waking up.

“So, who did you get those beautiful cat eyes from?” she inquired.

“My mother has green eyes,” I stated.

“Do you look like her or your dad?”

“It depends on who you speak to. What about you?” I asked.

“I favor my father,” she replied.

We continued making love for about an hour, and that was cutting it close. I still had to drive back to Foggy Bottom and get my luggage for the trip. Most of us kept a suitcase packed and ready, because we never knew when that phone call was going to come or how much time we had to respond. The good thing was that it was Christmas morning and there shouldn't be any traffic on the road. Only the lonely and the weary would be traveling this early a major holiday.

When she got out of bed, all I could do was watch and admire the shape of her. The curvature of her shape was exquisite! It was like watching the Venus de Milo. She was perfect from head to toe. I got excited all over again just watching her walk from the bed, and she knew it. She turned around smiling, knowing I was watching, and asked, “Well, are you coming or what?”

She wanted me to join her in the shower. It did make sense, since we were in a rush. We could save a lot of time showering together. Then I thought to myself,
You truly are a nerd to even consider thinking about saving time, when all she wants to do is continue making love in the shower
.

I finally departed her place at 0600 hours with a humongous smile on my face. Since there was no traffic, I could make it back to D.C. in 30-40 minutes by bending the speed limit a bit… or maybe more than a bit, I hoped. I could use my credentials if stopped by law enforcement for speeding, but I could only go so fast in the old Volvo I was driving. There was no traffic, as I had suspected, but it had snowed last night and the roads were slippery. I made it back to Foggy Bottom an hour later. I grabbed one of my recently purchased suits from the closet, and threw it on. I had purchased three suits since I became a consultant for the FBI. I really wasn't a suit wearing kind of a guy. I picked up my prepared luggage and departed.

The FBI instructed us on what to pack while on assignment. Our luggage contained the standard items: one black or blue suit with a tie, oxford shirt and oxford dress shoes which we wore during departure. Two suit slacks to coordinate with blazers, two pair of khaki pants, three oxford button-down shirts, two FBI polo shirts, one FBI sweat suit, a pair of casual shoes, a pair of sneakers and unspecified underwear and toiletries.

We purchased whatever additional items we needed while on assignment. We all had a government credit card to utilize while on in the field, which was restricted to compensation for per diem and expenses. I grabbed two packets of strawberry Pop Tarts and a bottle of Starbucks Cappuccino from the fridge, and departed for Quantico, VA. I arrived in Quantico with little time to spare. Everyone else was already in the conference room, waiting for the briefing.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” I said as I entered, and everyone responded in kind. There was coffee and Danishes in the conference room which everyone was partaking in. I smiled at Dianna and she smiled back.

“Hello,” I said, grinning as I sat across from her at the conference table. She was looking as pretty as when I left her earlier that morning.

I sat down next to Amber. Paul, who was usually Amber's partner, sat on the other side of her, and Max was next to Dianna across the table. We were waiting for Steve to arrive, so we exchanged chit-chat.

“So, what did you get for Christmas, Amber?” Max inquired.

“What Christmas? We scaled down this year and just made it more a religious gathering, like it was supposed to be.”

“Wow, Mrs. Scrooge; you didn't get anything for your son?” Max demanded.

“You asked me what I got for Christmas. He made out like a bandit,” she replied.

Amber was extremely funny and cynical. A recent divorcée with one son, she had moved her mother in to live with her.

Paul was on his cell phone, texting his wife and kids. Paul was from a big family and had 5 little ones of his own. Max was a bachelor with a lot of female friends. Most of Max's family lived in New Orleans, so he probably spent Christmas the same way Dianna and I did.

Just as I ran out of people to entertain myself by regarding, Steve finally entered the conference area.

“Good morning everyone, and happy holidays. I'm sorry to call you in on Christmas morning, but duty calls. The bad guys never take a break, so neither do we,” Steve stated as he walked to the front of the room and began briefing us on our new case.

“Thus far, the local Bureau has had several abductions and no bodies. There is no certainty whether the victims are still alive, but we can hope for the best. The locals are calling the subject the Night Stalker,” Steve stated before being interrupted.

“You mean like the old television show?” Paul inquired.

“Yes; they are all women, and they are believed to have been abducted at night. We believe the subject is counting down in sequence, in reference to the dates he's abducting the victims,” Steve replied.

“The first abductee was taken on September 5, the second on October 5, the third on November 3 and the fourth on December 3. The pattern is 5, 5, 3, 3 and the locals believe the next projected date will be January 1 and then February 1, if we can't stop him. We're not certain why he or she is counting down this way or what the sub is counting down towards. This is all we have to go on for now. We will work towards constructing our own profiles once we land in New Mexico. Any questions thus far?” Steve inquired, but no one responded, so he continued.

“Paul and Amber will look into the victims' backgrounds and scrutinize the local police department's files. Check to see if we can find any connections that might have been missed. Max and I will visit the victims' families, friends and persons who were in contact with them. Chris and Dianna will visit the victims' residences and places of work, so Chris can do his thing,” he said, referring to when I conduct dreamscape.

I hadn't been able to keep my eyes off Dianna during the entire meeting. At first I thought I was making her uncomfortable, until I saw her smile and fling her hair. I think Amber and Steve noticed it, but then again, I was in a room filled with expert profilers. It wouldn't be long before they discovered our secret.

“We have six days before the first of the year, which is the next projected abduction date. At the latest, we have until nightfall on the 1
^st
. Are there any preliminary questions?” Steve inquired.

Everyone responded, “No, sir.”

“OK then, I'll meet you at the shuttle bus at 10:30,” he stated in closing.

The briefing was over around 10:05. I went to my office to check my email until it was time to depart. I was sitting on the side of my desk, reading some correspondence, when Dianna walked in. She closed and locked the door behind her. She was smiling and shaking her finger slowly back and forth as if to scold me for being a naughty boy, but she was grinning at the same time.