The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

The woman was petite with dark, curly hair cascading past her shoulders. Appearing to be in her late forties, she wore a pink skirt with a white, button-down blouse. Her throat was adorned with a set of pearls, her fingers nervously running over one as she walked through the deserted parking garage. Her pink heels tapped with each step she took, echoing off the walls and amplifying the sound.

The lighting was poor in the garage, and a bulb overhead buzzed loudly, lending to the creepy ambience. The woman glanced around and quickened her pace. She jogged clumsily in the heels and had to right her body more than once. Slipping her hands into the recesses of her purse, she pulled out her keyset.

Heavy footfalls behind her forced a gasp from her mouth. Spinning around, she dropped the keys on the concrete floor. Falling to her knees, she fumbled for them several times before successfully gripping them tightly in her fingers.

Daring to look up, the woman noted a young man in a business suit enter a silver Mercedes across the garage. He smiled sheepishly in her direction and offered a wave. His contrite expression told her how sorry he was for startling her. He started the car engine and, a few seconds later, pulled away.

“Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered.

She came upon an older model black sedan. Her shoulders relaxed as she unlocked the door and pulled on the handle. Sliding into her seat quickly, she locked the door behind her and released a relieved breath. Lifting her hand towards the ignition, she went to start the car.

A hand reached from behind her and squeezed her neck. Her reaction was quick and instinctual—she clawed wildly at the skin of her attacker. An arm struck out from behind her and tightened around her arms and chest. With her hands locked to her sides, she still didn’t stop fighting. She bucked wildly, trying to free her body from the rough hold. Fingers loosened over her neck and the hand moved to cover her mouth.

Heavy black cloth was shoved forcibly against her lips and she attempted to shake her head in order to get it away from her. The fight began to leave her as the cloth remained in place. Her last act before losing consciousness was to gaze in her rearview mirror. Instead of seeing who was attacking her, she saw only the darkness of her backseat.

***

“Kate, wake up! Kate, you’re freaking me out; you have to snap out of it!”

The crisp cotton sheets were tangled around her legs and a thin sheen of sweat covered her skin. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as her eyes darted wildly around the room. It wasn’t until they landed on a pair of familiar gray eyes did she feel her terror ease.

She smoothed her palms over her face several times to brush off the remnants of her horror. A pair of muscular arms encircled her waist and pulled her close. She moved her hands away from her eyes and saw Jared kneeling before her on the bed they shared. She leaned against his chest as the vision jumbled around in her brain.

“Kate, I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes. You kept fighting me and throwing your body wildly around the bed. I didn’t know if you were having a seizure or was in the middle of an intense vision,” Jared said and brushed her hair covering her face aside.

“It was a vision,” she managed. She closed her eyes and pressed her ear over Jared’s heart. She wanted to gain comfort from him, feel secure once again. If she could concentrate on the sound of his strong heart, it would dissolve the terror.

The vision brought back too many emotions she’d tried to repress. The woman being attacked in her car forced Kate’s own fears to the surface. “It was horrible. A woman was in a parking garage and someone grabbed her from the backseat once she got into her car. She struggled as he put a gag on her. I think there was something on the fabric…maybe a type of chloroform.”

“Who was it? If you’re seeing a vision then it means she’s still alive.”

“I don’t know,” she hissed.

Jared’s eyes widened with surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I have no idea. This has never happened before. Not since Matt Spencer,” she said in a ragged whisper.

When she got inside a person’s head, she needed a visual image first. Although she could end up in someone’s head she didn’t intend to, like her mailman, she still knew the person. The only time she had a vision of a complete stranger was her first; of Matt Spencer’s abduction.

“If the person is missing, then they’ll be listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Give me as much information as you can, along with a sketch, and we’ll figure out how to help this woman.”

There were a million reasons she fell in love with Jared Corbett, but one of them was her admiration for his rational side. He could remain levelheaded and handle a crisis without breaking a sweat.

“It sounds terrifying to relive the vision, but you’re safe here, Kate.” Jared continued to comfort her. “I know it’s hard, but try to keep your emotions out of it as you think back over every detail. Anything that could help identify who she is and where she was taken can help get her home.”

It would be much easier to curl into a little ball and hide under the covers. But Jared was right. She had to be strong, especially when a woman’s life was in danger. Kate admitted, “Jared, I didn’t know her, but there was something familiar about her. What if I saw her before? What if she was a woman I passed on the street?”

“I suppose it’s possible. We can only guess how your gift works, and we’ll have to accept it’s going to be unpredictable. Maybe we should throw our assumptions out the window and believe someone else out there is deciding what you see.” Jared kissed the top of her head.

His words were giving her clarity. She’d been a control freak since she became psychic. It clawed at her insides to know someone could be pulling her strings and dictating whose head she would see into. But maybe whoever was sending her the premonitions had her best interests at heart. She was scared of fate and it had held her back in so many ways. It was time for her to let go completely.

***

The next day, Kate was unsurprised to wake up and find Declan sprawled out on the living room couch. He paused his Xbox game and squinted at her with curiosity. She stretched lazily before settling into the cushions next to him. She lifted her fuzzy slippers onto the couch and relaxed into the cushions. She had knots from lack of sleep the night before.

She held back a chuckle as she noted Declan’s prop glasses were no longer on his face. “Jared called you?”

“Yes, bright and early. Asked if I could hang here until he gets home from work.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me. Jared did have an alarm put in, and I do have the combination to the gun safe.”

“An alarm didn’t help last time around; and although you have a gun, it’s not useful if you’ve never shot one before.” He rotated his body to face her. “I was thinking though, if I’m going to spend so much time here, I should have my own room.”

“Jared likes you, but I think he draws the line at you living with us.”

Declan brushed at a piece of lint on his black tank top. “He trusts me too much and it’s messing with my head and hurting my game. Shouldn’t he be worried I’ll end up hooking up with you again?”

Kate shook her head. “Jared believes in you and thinks you’re one of the good guys. More importantly, Jared has faith I wouldn’t touch your crabs-riddled ass with a ten-foot pole.” She gave him a sarcastic smile. “Besides, you must realize he’ll shoot you if you try to lay a finger on me.”

“If he was smart, he’d make you wear a chastity belt before leaving for work,” he mumbled.

She gave him a minute to pout and his ego to heal before she spoke. Kate understood Declan may not be in love with her, but he hated the idea of rejection. He was sore over the fact she’d walked away and he wasn’t the one to end things.

Declan’s sour expression indicated it was time to change the subject.

“Did Jared tell you about my vision last night?”

“That’s one of the reasons he left early. He wanted to see if he could find out who the missing woman could be.”

She and Jared had stayed up into the early morning hours trying to identify the woman from her vision. While he was on the phone with the police department, she’d been scouring the internet for information. Nothing had come up about a woman being kidnapped from a parking garage. Sketching out the woman and the black sedan had made Kate note how rusty her artistic talents were, but the drawings were passable. They were close enough to make her hope he could use it to make a positive identification.

“I just don’t get it. Has the same thing happened to you before? Did you ever have a vision of someone you didn’t recognize?” she asked, leaning forward.

“Sure, I’ve had an out-of-the-box vision here or there. Just a few weeks ago I had a vision of the clerk at 7-11, and I didn’t realize who he was until I revisited the store days later.

We’re psychic, Kate, we can’t always expect to have complete control over our gift. You could’ve met this woman somewhere along the way and that’s the reason you saw a vision of her being taken. Maybe she worked at the hospital while you were there or you could’ve seen her around your campus while you were still in school,” Declan suggested.

“There was something familiar about her, but I can’t seem to place her. If only her name was revealed, it would make things a hell of a lot easier,” she lamented.

“Nothing turned up online?” he questioned. She shook her head and he drew his eyebrows together thoughtfully in response. “I hate to even throw this theory out there, but maybe you couldn’t find anything because it hasn’t happened yet. This could be another premonition.”

“You think I’m meant to stop her abduction from happening?”

He shrugged. “It could be. Not that you need that kind of pressure right now.”

“I never thought about how confusing it could get—not being able to distinguish between visions of the past and future,” she sighed. It would be much easier if each vision came time-stamped with a cast list.

“Maybe we could find out more today. You can meditate and try to get back into her head. I have some new cases I could get cracking on, too.”

Kate nodded in agreement. Spending the day trying to incite a vision was the best thing she could offer the nameless woman. Although Kate felt panicked over the possibility that it was a premonition, she couldn’t allow it to mess with her head. The only way she’d be able to function successfully as a psychic was to realize she could only do her best to try and help those who she saw in peril.

Chapter Thirteen

By the afternoon, exhaustion set in and her head began to pound. She leaned back against the couch cushions and rubbed her temples.

Declan sat next to her and shot her a sympathetic look. “It doesn’t always happen. You’ll have another vision of her.”

“I’ve had visions of Julie, my mom’s boyfriend and Jared, but of course I didn’t connect with the one person I want to,” Kate complained. She mirrored his expression. “Nothing helpful for your cases either?”

“No, just vision after vision of Camilla. This girl is ruining my life.” He leveled his gaze on her. “I have to get out of this funk. I’m going out tonight whether or not Camilla will come with me.”

“I can’t lie and say I’m not enjoying watching you suffer. It’s almost like cosmic justice for how poorly you’ve treated the female population.”

“I’ve never made promises to any of the women I’ve slept with. They’ve known exactly what they’re in for when they walk into my bedroom.” He picked up the bowl of pasta he’d made for lunch. “Well maybe not exactly; since they all seem surprised by the fact that I’m a manimal in the sack.”

Kate snorted. “A manimal? You’re such a freak.”

“At least I know how to have fun, something you seem to be in very short supply of these days.” He pointed at her with his fork for emphasis.

“Fun? I doubt that’s possible when I’m trying to find out who wants me to dead and having visions of abducted women.”

“You’re going to end up crazy if you let the psychic stuff take over your life. Remember, I’ve met other psychics before, and some of them have ended up locked up because they can’t figure out what’s reality and what’s a vision.”

When Declan first met Kate he regaled her with stories of other psychics he’d tracked down. His objective had been to learn more about his gift and also find someone to solve cases with. Instead, he mostly found schizophrenics who couldn’t distinguish reality from their visions. He warned her over and over again to maintain an emotional detachment to save her own sanity.

“Jared and I could use a night out…” she started hesitantly.

“Has it been a while since you went on a date?”

She nodded. “We went to the movies last month, but Jared kept making us switch seats because he thought a few men were watching me creepily. I don’t think we remember how to relax without constantly looking over our shoulders.”

“Then, as your doctor of fun, I prescribe to you a night of abandon. No omen talk and no talk about your attack,” he said.

It was hard to imagine a night like that. The past six months had involved doctor’s appointments, police interviews and visions trying to uncover her attacker. As happy as she was to be back with Jared, she wouldn’t mind taking a temporary break from the doom and gloom. She knew he desperately needed a reprieve as well. He was wound tight over the lack of movement in her investigation and it was chipping away at his cool, laidback personality. His determination to track down the person responsible only made her more fearful that her premonitions couldn’t be altered.

Living together should’ve been a time for them to have fun and strengthen their relationship. Instead, she was left feeling she was in the witness protection program; with Jared and Declan as her assigned guards.

“I think I’ll take your advice, Dec. I was given another second chance for some reason and Jared and I deserve to be happy.” She looked around the half-unpacked house she shared with Jared. “We’re finally alone together, and we should be making the most of it.”

“Jesus, Kate, don’t talk to me like we’re two chicks sitting here.” He shook his head in disgust. “I did have a thing for you at one time, you don’t have to rub it that Jared gets to see you naked.”

As he returned his attention to his lunch, she tried not to flinch at his statement. It had been two weeks since she moved in and the most skin she’d shown was the dress she wore to their housewarming party. Their kissing sessions had been off the charts amazing, but as soon as Jared’s hands reached under her clothing, she froze. Her body screamed at her brain to shut the hell up and let things progress. But her head kept winning the inner battle. She was scared for him to see her naked and vulnerable with her body looking like someone mangled it with a chainsaw.

A lesser man may have given her grief over her fears. Jared stole her heart more and more each day, and it came as no surprise how understanding he was about her trepidations about sex. In a weak moment, she admitted how wrecked her body looked and her shame over the scars. His insistence that he thought she was beautiful no matter what had rang true, but she still felt self-conscious. She wanted to give him everything, including her body, and had to find the courage to make it happen.

She perked up at the sound of the front door opening and the alarm disarming. Jared smiled as she waved to him from the couch. He deposited his computer bag by the door and strolled over to the couch. “Is this what you two slackers do all day?” He gestured to the couch and the TV. “Sit on the couch eating Spaghetti-O’s and watching cartoons?”

“We saved you a bowl,” Kate said brightly, picked up a porcelain bowl from the coffee table and held it out to him.

He took it and gave her a grateful smile. As she examined his handsome features closely, she noticed how the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He greeted Declan and settled between them on the couch.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I discovered nothing about the woman you saw in your vision. There were no recent reports fitting your description in the missing persons database, and I called around to a few other departments to see if any reports had been filed. Nothing has been called in.” Jared took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

“Declan suggested that it could be a premonition. I tried to get inside her head again today, but it didn’t work.” Her inability to peek at the woman’s memories did worry Kate. She never had visions of people who died and hoped that fate hadn’t befallen the woman.

“Do you remember any other details that could lead us to her? I know you didn’t hear her name, but did you see any clues in the garage to tell where it could’ve been? Or maybe saw the license plate of her car?” He fired question after question at Kate.

“This is going to sound lame, but it didn’t seem like a shopping mall parking garage. It was more like a garage for a professional building. She was dressed for business, and so was the man she came across.”

“That could be helpful, Kate. It may narrow down the places we should check out,” he said and gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

Declan lifted off of the couch and laced his fingers behind his head. “This has been fun and all, but I’ve gotta go.” He looked pointedly at Jared. “Speaking of fun, I prescribed a night of it to Kate and I’m putting my money on you to make it happen.”

“Goodbye Declan,” she forced out.

After Declan departed, she turned her attention back to Jared. Her boyfriend was silent, gnawing on his lower lip. He was obviously stewing, and she was curious about what was running through his head. “What’s wrong? Something else is on your mind.”

Jared frowned. “There is, but I don’t want you to freak out. It could be a coincidence.”

“Alright,” she enunciated slowly.

“The florist had a hard time finding the order you received before the attack, but they finally tracked it down.”

The reminder of her stalker sending her lilies made her incensed once again. The flowers came with a card attached stating it was for her future spot in a local cemetery named Colonial Memorial Park.

She leaned forward in anticipation as he continued, “The detectives were able to track down the IP address of the computer used to place the flower order. Unfortunately it was done from a public library.”

Kate’s irritation flared. Why couldn’t she have a dumb criminal on her hands? Instead, she had a psychotic criminal mastermind who didn’t leave behind evidence and had a knack for discovering her weaknesses. “That’s a downer, but why would you think I’d freak out about it?”

“The library is five minutes from your dad’s office,” he replied stiffly. Jared watched her closely, most likely gauging her reaction. His face revealed his surprise when a giggle escaped her lips.

“And what? Do you think it makes my dad a suspect? Because that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” It was a strange coincidence since her dad lived about an hour away from Franklin, in Pennsylvania, but it couldn’t be anything more.

“We can’t confirm his whereabouts during the time of your attack. He said he was running a few errands and forgot his phone at home. Your mom had tried to contact him for several hours, and he was the last one to arrive at the hospital.” Kate opened up her mouth to respond, but Jared lifted his palm to stop her. “And there’s the matter of the alarm.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s bothered me from the beginning that you were attacked while the alarm was disarmed. It seemed too coincidental the person broke in at the same time your mom forgot to set the alarm.” Jared gazed past her, seemingly becoming lost in his own theories. “I also know your mom and it seems unlikely that she’d forget something as important as setting the alarm when she knew of the threat you faced.”

“What do you think really happened?”

“I think whoever broke into your house knew the code…” he trailed off while looking at her with regret clear on his features.

“And this is what makes you suspect my father,” she finished lamely. “Jared, my dad is an accountant who drives an Audi. I don’t peg him as the murdering type.”

“Well, did anyone else have the code?”

“Ummm…”

Jared’s features sharpened as he looked at her with suspicion. “Kate, what are you keeping from me?”

“Nothing,” she replied quickly. Hopping off the couch, she hurried to the kitchen and opened several cabinets. After locating the Jack Daniels and setting the bottle on the counter, she took out a couple of glasses. “I think we should have a drink. This conversation is making my anxiety level go through the roof.”

He followed her into the kitchen and took hold of the Jack Daniels. He placed it back in the liquor cabinet and removed a bottle of merlot instead. “The last time you had Jack Daniels, I was holding back your hair for over an hour. How about you have a glass of wine instead?” She nodded and he leaned forward and kissed her gently. Her lips were tingling when he pulled away. “I hate talking about this as much as you do. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of your dad, but that doesn’t mean I believe he’s capable of hurting you. I can’t figure out what his motive would be.”

“He did threaten to wring my neck when I told him I might not go back to college and instead solve cases with Declan full-time. But I think he was simply exaggerating,” she said. After he handed her a full glass of wine, she gulped it down greedily. When she finished, she wiped the moisture from her mouth and admitted in a low voice, “I’m thinking maybe I should’ve chosen a harder code for the alarm system.”

“What was it?”

“With all of the visions, my brain gets full easily and I become absentminded. I set all my codes as my birthday so I don’t forget them.” In hindsight, she was really going to have to fix that. It was a wonder her bank account hadn’t been depleted yet.

He smacked his forehead. “Kate, please tell me you’re joking.”

“My mom said we should change it, but I didn’t want to make the cops come out on a false alarm if I happened to forget the code.”

He was holding back a lecture; she could tell by the tension in his jaw. He exhaled a long breath and smiled tightly. “It’s not as uncommon as you think. Some people set their codes as 1, 2, 3, 4. The problem with your code is that anyone could’ve guessed it and broken in without alerting the security company.” He refilled her glass of wine and took a long gulp out of her glass. Between the two of them, the bottle wouldn’t last another five minutes. “What about physically? Did the person have the same body type as your dad?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose it’s a possibility. He may have been the same height, but it happened so fast I couldn’t really tell. And he was wearing baggy clothes which made it difficult to guess his size.” Shaking her head at him, she complained, “Why are we talking about this? I would know if it was my dad. He never laid a hand on me in my life and it’s impossible to picture him suddenly slicing into me with a hunting knife.”

Her emotions bubbled to the surface and moisture filled her eyes. His arms circled her waist and she was pulled flush with him. He kissed her forehead and said gently, “It’ll be all right. We’ll find who did this to you and it can finally be over.” He moved his mouth down the side of her face until he was kissing her fiercely.

She tilted forward and gave herself over to his kiss. As his lips moved in time with her own, she felt calmer and the tension slipping from her shoulders. His mouth was delicious and she loved tasting him. She tugged the back of his neck to deepen the kiss. She needed to infuse each kiss with as much passion as he inspired inside of her.

Eventually, he pulled back and met her eyes with an earnest look. “Why don’t you tell me about the conversation you had with Declan? Something about needing fun?”

She waved him off. “It’s not a big deal. Declan fancies himself a cruise director and wants to ensure everyone in his vicinity is having a good time.”

“Are you happy living here, Kate? I understand I can be a little overbearing when it comes to keeping you safe, but I hate to think that you’re miserable.”

She cupped his cheeks and touched her nose to his. “I’m not miserable. I love living with you. You’re like the best guy roommate ever: no toilet seat up and no facial hair left in the sink after you shave.”

“But we need fun. Even more so if you only think of me as your roommate,” he said.

“You know what would be fun for me? To take the night off from all the grisly stuff and just pretend we’re a normal couple,” she sighed.

“Let’s do it. How’s tomorrow night work?”

“Wait let me consult my calendar.” After a beat, she said, “Oh right, I’m unemployed, out of school and on voluntary house arrest. I think I should be able to squeeze you in.”