It was a very warm night. The sky was overcast so the moon and the stars were hidden, making the darkness deeper and blacker. He sat by his desk and stared out his window, and then he got up and went to it as though something called to him. He was possessed by the mysteries inherent in the birth of shadows. It was impossible to ignore them.
Of course, his thoughts went to Diane Jones. Would she do what he had dreamt? Would she go walking alone at night on her street? Since he would be unable to concentrate on his work anyway, he couldn’t resist going out and up to her avenue. He felt that if she did come out, he could protect her. After all, for what other reason had the dream come to him?
Of course, his grandmother’s dying admonition returned: “You mustn’t think you can do too much, and you must be afraid of what you can do.”
Perhaps he was thinking he could do more than he could, and that arrogance, as his grandmother had suggested, was dangerous. But what was the point of being clairvoyant if he couldn’t use his foresight to help those he cared for and loved? Warning or no warning, he belonged on that avenue; Diane needed him. Being honest with himself, he had to admit that he liked the idea of her needing him. He wanted to be her hero, her protector.
The moment he stepped outside he experienced a deep feeling of dread. It made his legs heavy, his walk down the sidewalk in front of his house and to the street cumbersome. He deliberately remained within the illumination of streetlights, rushing to pass through the darkness that lay between the large circles of light that were thrown over his road and the other streets in the village. He felt protected by light. None of the shadows that lingered under the trees and around the houses could get to him as long as he remained within the illumination that seemed to burn away the darkness.
The lit storefronts, the bright pole lights in front of the bank, the neon marquee at the movies, car headlights, all of it was welcomed. They were his allies in the battle against the evil that hovered and waited somewhere in the night. Nevertheless, he felt the need to move quickly through the village and get to Diane’s avenue as soon as possible.
Almost as soon as he reached it, however, he stopped and pulled back into the shadows, for he saw Ted Davis’s car coming down the street, and he had no idea what Ted would do if he caught him on her avenue. When the car went by, he saw that Diane was sitting in the front with him. He watched it turn left at Main Street and head up toward Highland Avenue where he knew her close friend, Nancy Wilson, lived. Most likely she intended to study with her, he thought. Plenty of students were teaming up to study, since there were only days left before finals.
He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t walking over there by herself. Ted was taking her. David hoped his warning had gotten through to her, or maybe they all realized the dangers now that Charlie Williams had taken some action, even if that action was only to pick up and question Gerry Porter.
He looked back down her street. He had a feeling of déjà vu, and not because he had been on this street before, but because it looked like it had when it appeared in his terrible dream. He wasn’t going any farther. There was no point to it now, although he did sense that he wasn’t alone. He stood there searching the darkness, looking for what was now that familiar shadow of evil that haunted him, even in his dreams. It was out there; he felt certain.
He walked back to Main Street and turned to go home, but he wasn’t a dozen yards before he heard his name. Merle came out of the luncheonette.
“What are you doing?”
“Just went for a walk,” he told him. “Had to get out for a while. The studying got to me,” he added. There was no point in telling Merle the truth, he thought.
“I haven’t done any studying yet.”
“What are you hoping for, a miracle?”
“Shit, I’ll get by. Always do.” He looked back at the center of town. “Saw your friend a while ago.”
“Friend? What friend?”
“Gerry Porter. He came in and watched me play the pinball machine for twenty minutes. Then he left as if someone put a stick up his ass.”
“Where did he go?”
“I don’t know. He must have told me five times about Mrs. Zorankin breaking her hip. Maybe he went to look in on Diane Jones,” he added, smiling licentiously.
David didn’t say anything. He looked back at the center of town, too, and then started away.
“See ya,” he said. “I gotta go study.”
“Jesus, a regular honor society student,” Merle said. He was still standing in front of the luncheonette when David reached the top of the hill and looked back. Then David hurried home because he did feel guilty about not studying.
He tired himself out going over his English and social studies notes. Twice he fell asleep at his desk. Finally, he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and then got himself into bed. He left the hall light on for his mother and left the rest of the house in darkness.
She came home later than she usually did, especially on a weekday night. He was surprised because he knew she had trouble enough getting up in the morning for work. It was close to two in the morning when he heard the door open and close and he heard her in the kitchen. She was making so much noise he thought she might be drunk. That struck him as potentially a funny sight, so he struggled out of bed and went to his bedroom door to peer out at her.
Fred Myers was seated at the kitchen table, and his mother was making coffee. Two o’clock in the morning, she was making coffee? He stepped out.
“What’s going on?” he asked, wiping his eyes.
“Oh David. We didn’t want to wake you,” she said. She just stood there looking at him. He looked at Fred, but Fred didn’t break into his usual warm smile.
“Something wrong? How was the show?”
“Oh the show. Forget the show.” She shook her head. “There’s a terrible uproar in the village. We would have been home an hour ago, but we stopped to help. The state police are here, and there are policemen from the other hamlets as well.”
“What happened?”
“Diane Jones…that beautiful girl…she’s missing. Her parents are frantic. There are people searching the village, looking in every alley.”
For a moment David couldn’t respond. Had he really gotten up and out of bed? Was this really happening or was this part of his vivid dreaming? His mother fumbled the coffee cups, but caught them before they shattered on the floor. This was no dream.
“What happened?” he repeated. “How could she be missing?” He had seen her with Ted. This was some mistake.
“She went studying at her friend’s, and she left there about ten o’clock, but she never got home.”
“What do you mean, she left there? Didn’t her boyfriend take her home? Ted Davis, he drove her. I was in town. I saw them go by.”
“What where you doing in town?”
“I was in town; I was in town,” he repeated impatiently. “I saw them.”
“He drove her there, but he didn’t wait for her. She walked home, but she never arrived. Fred’s friendly with her father,” she added as a way of explaining how she knew all the details.
David turned to him. Fred shook his head.
“Hated to leave him down there. They’re just driving up and down the streets, going around the backs of houses. A bunch of us went down the tracks a ways,” he said, “but we found nothing but a couple of hobos waiting for the next freight.”
“They even started looking in the garbage bins, especially the ones by the K and W Market,” his mother said. Then she bit down on her lower lip and shook her head. Strands of her salt and pepper hair had broken free of the barrettes and hung down along her ears and the sides of her face.
“Why especially the K and W Market?” he asked, anticipating the answer.
“That’s where Gerald Porter works,” Fred said.
“What about Gerald Porter?”
“They think he might have done something to her,” his mother said.
“No. They
’re wrong. Gerald Porter did nothing.”
“How can you be so sure, David?” His mother smiled at him as though he were an idiot. She didn’t wait for his response. “Oh, it’s so late. You better go to sleep, honey.”
“Sleep? No, I can’t go to sleep. I know what happened to her. I’ve got to go down there.”
“What?” His mother looked at Fred, who shrugged. “How would you know anything?”
“I dreamt it. That’s what I dreamt last night; that’s why I screamed. Dammit, I thought she was safe. I thought it was all right.” He pounded his thigh with his right fist, but he did it so hard that his mother winced.
“What are you talking about? He’s having another dream,” she said to Fred.
“Oh, God,” David said. “Grandma.”
“Grandma? David, you’re not making sense. Go to sleep. I’m sorry we woke you. Go ahead.”
He looked at his mother as though she were crazy. There was no point talking to her. He went back into his room and closed the door behind him. For a few moments he stood in the darkness. Then he went to the window and looked out at the night.
It got her, he thought. And it’s still out there. He had been wrong to assume she would be safe. He should have remained out there, waiting for her. What kind of protector had he been? His stupidity negated all the power of the dream. Not only had he betrayed her, but he had betrayed his own visions.
He put on the night lamp on his small table and went to his dresser to get out his underwear, socks, and shirt. He would get dressed quickly and go down to the police station. He would talk to Charlie Williams and get him to go with him into the woods. He would lead him to the pond.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t be in it. Hopefully, what he had dreamt was just a dream. But he was filled with a sick feeling that made him move slowly, reluctantly, just the way someone who knew the inevitable, horrible truth would move.
He wasn’t anxious to discover what he already knew.
His mother and Fred Myers looked shocked when he stepped out of his bedroom again, this time fully dressed. She was just pouring the coffee and nearly spilled it. Without saying a word, he started through the kitchen.
“What are you doing? Where are you going this time of the night?” his mother asked.
“I’ve got to see Charlie Williams. I’ve got to show him…what I dreamt.”
“Show him what you dreamt? Are you crazy? Get back into your bed. He’s crazy,” she said to Fred.
“David, it is late,” Fred said softly. “You can tell him about your dream tomorrow.”
“But I know what happened,” he said. Fred stared at him, a half smile on his face. David looked to his mother. “Listen to me,” he said. “Sometimes I can see things before they happen. I don’t know why or how, but I can. It’s something I told you about a long time ago, but you didn’t believe me. Only Grandma believed me. She knew what I could do.”
“Do you hear what he’s saying?” his mother asked Fred. “Maybe I’m dreaming.”
“I hear him. David, what gave you the idea you could do such things?”
“I have done them. I dreamt about Mr. Hoffman dying the night before he died. I even told Grandma. I’ve been able to do other things, too. I haven’t time to explain it all,” he said, impatient with their skeptical and amazed expressions. “They’ll never find her without my help. I’ve got to go down there,” he added and turn to leave.
“He’s gone crazy. The boy’s gone crazy.”
“Wait, David. Hold on,” Fred said. He looked at Roselyn. “All right. I’ll tell you what. I’ll drive you down to the police station.”
“What?” his mother said. “Fred, what are you talking about? Look at the time.”
“He’s going to go anyway,” Fred said.
“No he’s not,” his mother said. “He’s not making a laughing stock out of me. David, you get back into your room this minute, do you hear me? This minute.”
“I gotta go, Ma.”
“If you set foot out of this house and do what you’re saying you want to do, you won’t go out a single night this summer. Do you hear? I mean it, not a single night.” She waved her right forefinger threateningly. More strands of her hair had broken free, and she had a wild look: Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was turned up emphatically at the corners.
“I gotta go,” he repeated and walked out the door, but before he reached the front gate, Fred was out after him.
“I’ll drive you,” he said, “and take you back. At least let’s do that for her.”
“Okay,” David said. He got into Fred’s car, and Fred started it up. “I know this sounds crazy, Fred,” he said, “but I gotta do it.”
“It sounds crazy all right,” Fred said, but he turned and smiled. David liked him. If he had a father living with them, he would like him to be this easy going, he decided.
When they reached the center of town, David saw what his mother had been talking about. There were three state police vehicles and at least a half dozen local police cars from the other hamlets. Some local volunteer firemen were out as well. A small group of men were gathered in front of the station. A number of them carried flashlights. Fred pulled up alongside one of the state police vehicles.
“Thanks,” David said, but now that he was down here and saw all this activity, he wondered how he would get these men to understand what he wanted them to do. He looked desperately for Charlie Williams. When he couldn’t spot him outside, he hoped he was in the station.
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Fred asked.
“No, that’s all right.”
David started out of the car. He closed the car door and headed slowly for the police station entrance. When he opened the door and stepped in, he confronted three state policemen, Mrs. Jones, Patrolman Louis Nesselwitz, and Gerry Porter and his mother, who sat beside him on the bench. Charlie wasn’t there.
“What do you want?” Louis Nesselwitz asked.
“I’m…looking for Charlie Williams.”
“Kinda late, son, isn’t it?” the state policeman nearest him asked.
“Yes sir. I need Charlie Williams.”
“Charlie’s out looking for Mrs. Jones’s daughter,” Louis said. “What the hell are you doing up so late? Your mother know you’re out?”
“I need to see Charlie,” David replied.
Mrs. Jones approached him.
“Why, David? Does it have something to do with Diane? Does it have something to do with what happened before?”
“What happened before?” the state policeman asked. He came up beside Mrs. Jones.
“One of the boys was attacked by someone right near our house.”
“Gerry had nothing to do with that,” Mrs. Porter said. “Charlie knows. You know, too, right, David?”
“Yes,” David said.
“How come nobody said anything about all this?” the state policeman asked Louis. Nesselwitz didn’t reply. David saw this as an opportunity.
“Charlie Williams investigated it,” he said. “That’s why I gotta see him.”
“Maybe you had better tell us anything you want to tell Charlie,” the state policeman said. He looked more annoyed.
“Only Charlie’s going to understand,” David said, even though he had doubts Charlie would.
“Take him to see Charlie,” Mrs. Jones said. From the tone of her voice, David sensed she was on the border of complete hysteria. The state policeman saw that, too.
“Charlie and your husband went up your avenue, right?” the state policeman said. Mrs. Jones nodded to confirm. She looked as if she said one more word, she would be driven into uncontrollable sobbing. “All right, son. Let’s go.”
“Maybe I should come along,” Mrs. Jones said. David looked up, terrified at that idea. The state policeman understood.
“You’d better remain here in case there is other information, Mrs. Jones. We’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” she said. She sat down again sadly.
When David and the state policeman stepped out of the police station, Fred got out of his car.
“David?”
“It’s all right, Fred. I’m going to find Charlie Williams.”
“Who’s that?” the state policeman asked.
“My mother’s boyfriend. He brought me down here.”
“Maybe I should come along,” Fred said.
“Come along, join the party,” the state policeman said. He directed them to his patrol car. David and Fred got into the front seat, and the state policeman started the car and backed out. Everyone turned to look as they drove off. “You know something about what might have happened to this girl, son?”
“I think so,” David said.
“Didn’t he tell you his idea?” Fred asked.
“No sir. He wants to speak only with Charlie Williams.”
“I’ll tell Charlie first,” David said. He looked at Fred fearfully, knowing that if Fred mentioned the dream, the state policeman might stop and turn around.
No one said any more. They turned up Diane’s avenue and rode about halfway before Charlie’s patrol car was visible alongside the road. About a dozen yards down from it, he and Mr. Jones were standing with two volunteer firemen. They pulled up behind Charlie’s car and got out. Everyone started for them.
David’s heart began beating so hard he wasn’t sure he would be able to tell them anything. All these men would be skeptical about everything he would say. How could he get them to understand something he didn’t fully understand himself?
“David?” Mr. Jones said first. “What are you doing here?”
“He thinks he knows something,” the state policeman said, “but he won’t talk to anyone but Charlie.”
“David, don’t you understand how worried we all are?” Mr. Jones said.
“Yes sir. That’s why I came out.”
“Okay, David,” Charlie said, “what do you know?”
All the men surrounded him now: The state policeman was on his left, Fred was standing right behind him, Charlie and Mr. Jones were directly in front of him, and the volunteer firemen were at their sides. He felt as if his voice would betray him—he would start to speak, but no sounds would emerge. He was that frightened.
Sight Unseen Page 17
