Unchangeable

Chapter 6

They find him in the stacks, re-stacking books. He looks up at their footsteps. When he sees them, he frowns. “What has happened?”

The detectives exchange a look that does not help Saul’s  nerves. Ever since the nightmare, he, really ever since the vision, he has been on edge. The nightmare just made it worse.  The look on their faces brings a tremor to his hands and he drops the book he is attempting to stack. One of the detectives catches it.

“Here you go.” He slips it into it’s spot and turns to face them.

“What..?”

“Saul may we go some place private to talk?” He nods. Leading them out, they pass several people browsing the stacks. It isn’t  a real busy time for the library. It will get busier when the schools let out but, there is still to many ears for them to talk in the open. He less them to his office. To nervous to sit, he offers them a seat but they remains standing.

“Has he escaped?”

“No. He is still safely locked up.” Saul breathes out a huge sigh of relief and seems to melt against the bookcase he is standing by.

“We re-interviewed him, or tried to. He was..”

“Strange,” his partner finishes for him. “they all are, to a point, but this guy is..”

“What are you guys talking about?” He stands straight and looks them in the eyes.

“He said something you should know. That someone saw him. While he was murdering the girl.”

Saul sinks to the floor. It isn’t a faint, no, he just folds in on himself. Ending up sitting on his butt, his legs sprayed out, head back against the door. The detectives immediately kneel down by him. “He saw me!”

“It seems so. We thought it best to let you know. You okay? You need an ambulance or..”

“No, just give me a moment.” He takes several deep breaths. “I thought it was just me.”

Again the detectives exchange a look. “Just you..?”

“I sensed his eyes on me. In fact, we made eye contact, or seemed to. I always thought it was just visions, that I wasn’t  really there. How could I be with my body at home, your station or, wherever but.. he saw me saw was I there. If so, what does it mean?”

“Saul, you should have told us this.” He looks up above them, to the wall that contains his family photos. His parents, his sister. It always steadies him some, to look at them.  He then turns back to the detectives.

“I really thought about it but, I wasn’t sure. No, that’s not really honest. I didn’t  want to be sure. Didn’t  want it to be true. This power I have is hard enough to deal with without adding this.” He suddenly realized something. It takes his breath. The detectives see him get white as his blood pools back to his essential organs. Both reach out to touch him, to check his pulse.

“Saul buddy you alright?”

“Not sure. I had a nightmare last night.” He goes on to describe it. “Do you think she saw me too. I thought it just my constant guilt for not being able to change anything but..”

“Maybe, hell Saul, we don’t  know. This is way above our pay grade man.”

“Yeah, sorry. Your right. I need to try to figure it out.”

“Look Saul. You do a real service for us. If there is anyway we can help..”

“Just keep him locked up, okay?”

“That we will do.”

“Aye you going to be alright?”

He works himself back to his feet and leans against the wall.  “Yes. It is just the shock. Thanks for telling me guys. I needed to know even though it was not easy to hear.”

“You’re welcome. You have our number if you need us.”

“Yes. Go on back to work guys. I will be alright.” They hesitate at the door until he moves to his desk and has a seat. Then they leave. He sits there, staring off into space as the clock behind him ticks away a hour.