TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES (A ROSE GARDNER MYSTERY, BOOK 1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Chapter Twenty-Five

We woke up around eight and Joe was antsy. I had no idea what he had planned for Crocker’s big meeting, and he refused to tell me.

I made French toast for breakfast, just to prove myself capable of cooking, but Joe was too preoccupied to eat. He excused himself several times to make phone calls in his room. He told me to make myself at home, but to stay inside and away from the windows. He worried I’d go out anyway. Muffy still hadn’t come home.

Around ten-thirty, he sat beside me on the sofa, pretending to watch a documentary about prairie dogs on the Discovery Channel.

“I’ve been thinking about your visions,” he said, holding my hand. “Can you make your visions happen?”

“No, they just come. I always fought them, but the one I had with Ashley, I didn't fight and it had more details.”

“Have you ever tried to have one? To make it happen?”

“No, Momma said they were a sign of my demon possession.”

Joe snorted. “It’s a good thing I didn't know your Momma. You are not demon-possessed.”

After the last night in bed with Joe, I wasn't so sure about that.

“Why don’t you try it,” he coaxed, “on me?”

I was torn. Nothing good had ever come from a vision. Why would I will one to happen?

“Come on, give it a try. What do you have to do? Touch me?”

“No, they don’t work like that. They just happen. I don’t see visions for me, though. I see visions for other people, through their eyes. The one with Daniel Crocker was the first time I’d ever seen myself in a vision, and the first time I’d ever seen something really bad. Usually it’s things like where someone misplaced their keys.”

“Sounds useful.”

“It's a nuisance because whatever I see just blurts out of my mouth.”

“Like when you told me about Hilary’s dog.”

I nodded. I didn’t want to think about Hilary but I had to know. “Is Hilary your girlfriend?”

“No, we have a working relationship.”

I wondered what that meant, but said nothing.

“So what do you say?” Joe said. “Let’s try it.”

“What?” I asked confused. “A vision? I don’t know… I wouldn't even know how to begin.”

“Since you see visions for other people, maybe you could concentrate on me.”

“All right,” I agreed with great reluctance. I turned to face Joe on the sofa, sitting cross-legged and held his hands in mine. I closed my eyes and thought about Joe working for Crocker and the big meeting. I concentrated really hard and tried to picture Joe’s face in my mind. A little flicker appeared in my head. And then I felt a vision coming. I squeezed his hands and kept concentrating.

I saw a warehouse. It looked like a mechanic’s garage. A couple of men carried small bundles and loaded them into a delivery truck. Crocker and some other men came into view and I felt myself being slammed against the wall, Crocker’s face in front of mine.

“This is your last chance, McAllister. Tell me where she is or I’m gonna kill you.” Crocker held a gun up to my forehead.

“I don’t know,” I heard Joe’s voice say.