Seer (24 page)

Later, some of the parents came back, and they got the full treatment. A
ubree even captured some of the smaller women, dropping down from the roof, grabbing them, and then jumping back onto the roof, pulled up by the cables. If there wasn’t a small woman to grab, she might grab a shrieking Dolores instead. I was worried someone would get hurt, and I didn’t want to think about what my insurance would do, but I didn’t interfere, and not once did Aubree drop anyone.

I was impressed.

Solange took to popping up from behind to grab me after I had given away the candy, if the kids were older, and certainly for the adults. That caused more shrieking, some of it from me when she surprised me.

It was nearly ten before the streets emptied. Dolores and Aubree posted a “Closed, Keep Out” sign on the gate at the end of my driveway, and another at the exit, shut everything off, and came inside.
In a moment of silly play, Aubree and Solange then chased a shrieking Dolores all over the house, catching her, mock-biting her neck, and then letting her go again. I laughed hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. But then all three of them rotated to me, and it was my turn to try to escape from them.

I
shrieked like a little girl. I hadn’t had so much fun in a long time.

I knew I was dreaming. I’d been dreaming of Aubree on and off for a while. They always seemed current, sort of like a live news broadcast, and in the dreams, she was walking through dingy neighborhoods. I didn’t understand the dreams. It didn’t make sense that Aubree would be in those neighborhoods late at night.

This one started like the others, and I was watching through Aubree eyes for a while as she wandered aimlessly.

But then the dream shifted, as if I had zoomed out, and I was watching from above Aubree’s head and behind her, almost like I was playing a video game and Aubree was my character in the game. Then the view shifted, turning to the right, and a half a block away, hiding in the shadows of a dark house, was a man. He was watching Aubree. I watched the man for a while, and he moved closer, staying to the shadows and moving cautiously.

He pressed his hand against his throat and spoke. I couldn’t make out his words.

The dream shifted, zooming up a side street, and there was another man. Then it shifted again, and if it had been a video game, I might have gotten vertigo from all the zooming around. There was a third man, and then a fourth.

The view zoomed back and forth from man to man. They were all dressed in dark clothing, but then the dream lightened, and I saw a holstered gun. I saw knives. I saw what looked like army camouflage.

The view zoomed again, from one of the men to another as two stalked Aubree, herding her to two more waiting for her.

I woke, screaming, “Aubree! Run!”

It was Friday night — Saturday morning, now, I suppose. I was with Solange. She woke with my screams and immediately was sitting up beside me, holding.

“Sidney!” she said. “What’s
wrong. Sidney!”

“It’s Aubree! It’s Aubree!” I said, my mind in a complete panic. “She’s in trouble.” I turned to Solange. “Aubree is in trouble!”

“Shh,” said Solange. “Aubree can take care of herself. Calm down, Sidney.”

“You don’t understand. They’re going to kill her! We have to call the police. We have to call
Detective O’Keefe!”

“Sidney, calm down. How do you know?”

“My dreams. You know about my dreams. Detective O’Keefe will believe me.”

“I believe you, Sidney. Tell me what you saw. How many men?”

“Four. They’re stalking her. They’re acting like special forces or something. We have to call Detective O’Keefe!”

“You need to tell me what you know, Sidney. Quickly.”

I explained the dream, speaking rapidly. Solange asked only a couple of questions, which I answered, and then she was rolling out of the bed and picking up her phone.

“His number is on my phone,” I said.

“I have my own contacts,” Solange said. She speed dialed a number. “My room. Now.” She hung up and then dialed another number. It took a moment before someone answered.

“You’re being hunted.
” She paused. “Sidney is a seer.” Pause. “Four. She said they’re special forces.” Pause. “I’m on my way.”

“No!” I screamed. “What can you do? I don’t think she needs a lawyer! She needs the fucking cops.”

The door burst open, and Giselle, Solange’s cook, was there.

“I’m on my way,” Solange repeated into the phone. She hung up.

“Giselle, I am stepping out. You will help Ms. Welsh put something on then take her downstairs. Give her whatever she wants, but she is not to leave the house or touch a phone or computer. Do not let her out of your sight.” She turned to me. “Do what Giselle tells you.”

“You have to call the cops!” I screamed.

“I will as soon as you promise to do what I said.”

I nodded frantically. “
Promise. Hurry!”

It took Solange thirty seconds to exit the bedroom, half of which was spent searching my clothes for my phone, pocketing it with her own. She was still pulling clothes on as she ran down the hall. Seconds later I heard the sound of a high powered automobile engine being pushed to its limits.

“She has to call the cops!” I screamed.

“Ms. Welsh,” said Giselle, “Ms. Casper knows what she is doing. Let’s get some clothing on you.”

“She took my phone!”

“You won’t need your phone. Everything is going to be fine.” Giselle spoke soothingly while helping me into a pair of undies and a bathrobe. “Let’s go downstairs. We can have a little late night snack.”

I didn’t want a snack. I wanted to call the police. What did Solange think she was going to do? Wave a contract at them?

But Giselle was patient but insistent
. I soon found myself in the kitchen, cradling a cup of tea. I managed to decline any food, but the tea was soothing.

Giselle spent most of the time telling me, “Ms. Casper knows what she’s doing, Ms. Welsh. I’m sure she called the authorities from her car.” I didn’t get any of my questions answered, and she didn’t let me near a phone.

However, she lied to me when she said she didn’t have a phone, as her pocket rang perhaps ninety minutes later. She fished out her own cell phone, and I gave her a dirty look. I didn’t hear the other end of the phone, but Giselle said, “She is distraught but has been no trouble.” A moment later she held the phone out to me.

“Solange?” I said, my panic returning.

“She’s fine,” Solange said. “Everything is fine. The men in question are in custody.”

I began crying in relief. “What did they want with Aubree?” I managed to ask.

“Everything is okay, Sidney,” Solange repeated. “It isn’t completely clear what they wanted. I’m sorry, but neither Aubree or I are going to be able to answer your questions.”

“Why not?”

“Would you believe it?” she asked. “National security.”

“Seriously?”

“They weren’t going to kill her. One of our clients is a defense contractor. I’m sorry, I can’t say anything else, Sidney. You understand.”

“I suppose,” I said. “But they were the bad guys?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “They were the bad guys.” She paused. “We’re going to be a couple more hours, giving statements and what not. Giselle is going to give you a little something to help you sleep, and you’re going to let her tuck you in.”

“I want to talk to Aubree first.”

“But then you’ll let Giselle put you to bed, and you’ll do your best to sleep?”

“I’ll try.”

“All right. Here she is, then when you’re done, give the phone back to Giselle.”

A moment later, Aubree said, “Hello, Sidney. Thank you for the warning.”

“What were you doing there?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to answer any questions. But I am fine. Solange is fine. We’re safe, and the men in question are
in custody. The authorities are taking it from here.”

“You’re sure you’re fine?” I asked.

“Fit as a fiddle,” she replied. “The right forces swooped in, and it was all over in seconds. Now, put Giselle back on the phone.”

I held the phone out
. Giselle spoke briefly, then hung up.

“There?” she said. “You see? I told you Ms. Casper knew what to do.
Now, you wait right here. I am going to get you something that will help you sleep, and then I’ll tuck you into bed.”

It didn’t occur to me at the time, but she was treating me like a little girl, and I responded in a fashion consistent with my treatment.

“All right,” I said. I even pulled my feet up on the stool and cradled my tea cup in my hands, hunched over it.

Giselle was gone for a minute or two. When she returned, she filled a glass of water, handed me two little pills and the water, and then watched as I obediently took them.
Giselle led me back upstairs, helped me into a night gown, and then tucked me into bed. She encouraged me to roll over so she could rub my back.

“Everything turned out fine, Ms. Welsh,” she said. “You just relax now, and when you wake up, it will be morning. Ms. Casper will be here holding you, and all will be right as rain.”

I didn’t think I would actually sleep, but I did.

* * * *

It was full daylight when I was next coherent. Whatever Giselle gave me must have been incredibly strong. I woke fuzzy-headed and didn’t move right away. From beside me on the bed, I heard the page of a book turn.

I opened my eyes, a little confused at first,
then I remembered. I rolled over.

“Good morning,” Solange said gently. “Everything is fine, Sidney.”

I blinked up at her. Solange put her book aside and began stroking my head. I rolled over further and clasped my arms around her waist, then shifted so my head was in her lap. She continued to stroke my hair and speak soothingly to me.

“What time is it?” I finally asked.

“A little past ten,” she said.

“No one got hurt?”

“None of the good guys got hurt. Sidney, I know you want to know everything, but I can’t tell you.”

“I didn’t
know you had clients like that.”

“I am a lawyer, Sidney. All my clients receive client-attorney privilege.”

“You know what I meant, Solange.”

She paused. “Yes, I know. It’s not our normal business. Now, we’re going to put it aside. All right?”

“All right,” I said. I lay quietly with my head in her lap for a while. I was very groggy, which I didn’t like, and deeply troubled, which was even worse. “Solange?”

“Yes?”

“Give me something to look forward to.”

She bent over and kissed me.

“Will you let me take you somewhere for Christmas and New Years Eve?”

“I’ll pay my own way,” I said. “Where are we going?” I rolled over to look up at her. She was frowning.

“We’re taking my jet,” she said. “Airfare is covered.”

“I can pay my share.”

“Actually, frankly, you can’t,” she said. “We could fly commercial, but I dislike flying commercial. So you aren’t going to fight me about this part.”

I closed my eyes and let her stroke my hair for a while, sort of drifting.

“Are you sleeping, Sidney?” she asked very quietly.

“No,” I said. “But I need help waking up.”

“I think I like you half asleep while discussing things that would otherwise be a fight.”

“No fight,” I said. “If you’re covering airfare, I’ve got the hotel.”

She didn’t respond, and that woke me up. “Damn it, Solange,” I said. “I will not be kept!”

“Sidney! Sidney! Please relax. I have a place.”

“You have a place?”

“A house in Mexico,” she explained.

“Like this?”

She laughed. “No. It’s a nice house, but not like this. It’s on the cliffs over the ocean, and there’s a path to a public beach. There’s a swimming pool. I use is as a perk for my employees. There’s a small staff to manage the place, including a cook if we want.”

I looked at her lap and considered lying back down, but now I was sitting up.

“Would you like to shower with me?”

* * * *

The shower helped me wake up. I let her take me to lunch, and we continued our conversation. “Would it just be us going?”

“It’s not a big house, but there are five bedrooms.”

“You said it’s not a big house?”

“Most of the bedrooms are small. They’re just for sleeping. It would be cozy if each bedroom had a couple, but six to eight is still comfortable.” She paused. “Sidney, you never talk about your family.”

“Neither do you.”

“My birth family is gone. To some extent, I consider my employees as family.”

“Especially Aubree?”

“Yes, but not just her. And now you.”

I smiled at that.

“What about you?” she asked. “You’ve mentioned an aunt and uncle.”

“That didn’t go well,” I said. “That’s why I don’t talk about them. While I turned down their offer to take me in, I never really forgave my uncle for letting me grow up in foster. It might have been okay, but he didn’t even really check up on me. My mom was an only, and my dad just had one brother. My grandparents all died early. So my uncle was my only family.”

“Oh honey.”

“Others have had it worse,” I said. “I’m not complaining. But I didn’t really forgive him. And then it wasn’t him who offered to let me live with them; it was my aunt. And I think he was relieved when I turned them down. They didn’t even try to talk me into it. I think my aunt offered without asking.”

Solange didn’t say anything, but she took my hand.

“My aunt sort of kept an eye on me after that. They didn’t help with college, not really, but she made sure I had clothes and took me to lunches. Stuff like that. She sort of helped to smooth away some of my rough edges. But then she had kids of her own, and she focused on them.” I looked away. “I came out to them at Christmas my sophomore year of college.”

“It didn’t go well?”

“My uncle threw me out, right then and there.
”