“Hello...I see...What do they think it was? But that’s impossible... They said they wouldn’t interfere... Alright... Yes... Goodbye.”
Standing up to take in the view while he thought, the man reached for a button that would ring his personal assistant, Anita. He was tall and had piercing steely green eyes, which were slowly failing him, so he had to wear glasses, but of course they were the best money could buy. He even had a back-up pair made. The tailored suit he wore was a blue pinstripe with an elegant tie of soft maroon. He wore quartz studded cufflinks that sparkled in the lighting of the office. He believed they would concentrate his power. He had many stones of different types that provided power for different things. One of his favorites was a six foot tall amethyst geodesic fountain in the corner of his office, surrounded by several plants.
“Yes, Mr. Beckham?” answered his assistant.
“I’ll be going out in ten minutes, Anita. Have the car pulled around, would you please? Thank you.”
“Certainly, Mr. Beckham,” she said.
Beckham watched a seagull hover close to the building. Birds were always good omens. Except owls at night. That was a bad sign. Hawks could be messengers of bad if they crossed in front of your car. That meant danger ahead. He always slowed down after seeing one, not that he ever saw them in the Bay Area much, but that’s what he would do if he ever did see one.
Beckham thought about the new turn Hawkins’s research had taken and wondered if that had anything to do with the occurrences of the night before in Santa Rosa. He had been keeping a close eye on his new investment and wasn’t pleased that things had gone awry. Noah Meade was tops in his field. How could he have let a low level entity control him like that? That wasn’t supposed to happen and Beckham didn’t like surprises.
He checked his briefcase to make sure his gun was in it. Then he straightened his tie, smoothed back his dark hair and left the office at quarter past ten. Except for the partial nerve paralysis on the left side of his face he could be considered almost handsome, and because one side of his face seemed lopsided, he never smiled. But that suited him just fine. He wasn’t the smiling type.
– – –
Shauna enjoyed sharing a room with Fern. She was like a younger sister and asked Shauna all sorts of questions, questions that, had she not felt sisterly feelings might otherwise have been annoying. Fern wanted to know all about her and Hawk’s romance. How they knew they were right for each other, did she think they might get married, how many kids did she want to have. Shauna was patient but vague in response to questions regarding her and Hawk. It was no longer any secret, but she felt talking about it too much took something away from it somehow.
Shauna helped her with her make-up and gave her some points on men in general. She even lent Fern a beautiful batik skirt she’d gotten back in Six Rivers at a faire on the plaza some years back. Fern was overjoyed and swirled around the room so the skirt flew about her in a large circle.
Shauna had some questions of her own about young peoples’ lives these days. She wanted to know if it hurt to get her nose pierced.
“Oh, yeah! Tears spurted out my eyes so fast when the guy did it, but it only hurt for a minute, then it was over. But it was way more painful than getting your ears or belly button pierced. I’m gonna get my nipples pierced next. They say it’s a real turn-on like when you’re in a hot tub and the metal rings heat up.”
“I think I’ll stick with just my ears,” said Shauna. “I’m not good with pain. I’m sure the worst part is looking forward to it, though. Did you know I have a tattoo, Fern?”
Shauna pulled up her pant leg and pulled down her sock. There was a little fairy smelling a flower.
“Oh, that’s so cute.”
“I got it when I graduated from high school. My friend Tanya and I got them done at the same time, only she just got a fairy. It looked just like Tinker Bell.”
“Are you two still close?” asked Fern.
“Unfortunately, no. We went to separate colleges and grew apart after a few years of writing letters. She still sends me a birthday card. I’m not as good at remembering those things. I feel so guilty.”
There was a quiet knock on the door. It was Rob. He said everybody was meeting for coffee and whatever over at the diner. The two women finished getting ready and locked up behind them as they headed for the diner. They were the last ones there.
“Glad you girls could finally make it,” joked Rob. The waitress who’s nametag said “Trixie” asked them if they wanted menus or just coffee. Fern wanted herbal tea, which they amazingly did have, and Shauna ordered a coffee. She also wanted to see a menu. Then Fern decided she’d have one too. Shauna felt a little catch at her heart that maybe fern was emulating her. It gave her a vague feeling of uneasiness. She felt uncomfortable in a mentor type role to anyone. She wondered why. After all, Fern was a lovely girl and incredibly smart. And she also had a very young person’s perspective on everything about life. It was like she was hyper aware of the world. Shauna felt she would really make a difference if the world would just give young people a chance to have their day. She felt like a part of a very powerful force, the kind of force that could turn the whole world around maybe.
Shauna had zoned out the rest of the group until her coffee came. She added sugar and cream to it and took a sip. The menu said they had biscuits and gravy, and although she rarely even ate breakfast, she didn’t know when she’d get the next chance to eat, so she went all out. Then she began to tune in to what was being said and caught that they were talking about New Orleans.
“What about New Orleans?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound a bit dim. “Are we going to go that far?”
“No,” said Peter. “I was just talking about my trip to New Orleans last year helping to re-build down there. You know there is still so much that could be done for those survivors. They suffered a group catastrophe that will resonate within their hearts for decades.”
“I heard something about that,” said Shauna. “I know some other people that went down there. They said it would take many years just to finish cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina hit. That was one nasty hurricane!”
Hawk was finishing up his apple pancakes with real maple syrup said, “I was thinking of going down there after we’re done with this project. I mean if we’re gonna go and we have no choice in the matter, we may as well go down fighting, right?”
“Hell, yeah!,” shouted Rob, and people turned their heads in their direction. As Shauna looked around smiling her eyes caught on a man who looked out of place. She felt his energy. Within herself she felt a vague sense of unease. Her food came and she turned away from the man. It would come to her if it was important.
When they were finished they paid their cheques and filed out the door. Shauna paused a split second next to the man. He was in his fifties and wore a dark suit and coat. He seemed upscale for the little diner. Maybe that’s all it was. But she stayed a second longer to speck him out when Fern bumped into her from behind.
“Sorry,” said Fern. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, sorry,” said Shauna, and moved along to get outside. The air was fresh and clear. There was a nice coolness to it. She liked the way it made her nose feel- kind of tinglish. Like it felt between her legs when she was feeling hot for Hawk. She smiled deeply to herself. Just then Hawk appeared next to her.
“What are you smiling about, young lady?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said, still smiling. She kissed him right in front of everybody. He liked it. They were meeting in Hawk’s and Rob’s room. They’d had a couple extra chairs sent in and everyone took a seat. Hawk and Shauna stood up in front.
“Well everyone, we’re all pretty free until tonight, so go ahead and walk around or shop or whatever. Go to the movies maybe.”
“I just need to talk to Peter before you go,” said Hawk.
“Anyone have any questions or anything?” asked Shauna.
Noah stood up and Rob followed
him out the door. Fern went to her room to read. Peter stayed behind.
“Did you listen to the tape from last night yet?” Hawk asked Peter.
“Nope.”
“Shall we do that now? I want to hear that part with the other entity again.”
Peter walked over to his room to get the tape and player. Hawk took Shauna in his arms. “What do you think you were doing back there? I have an image to protect ya know,” he said.
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t care anymore. I like showing affection. Everyone knows about us anyway by now. They aren’t dummies.”
“You little vixen. You deserve severe punishment for insubordination,” he said and gave her behind a mild swat. She kissed him again. Peter arrived, clearing his throat. They broke their embrace and focused on what was at hand. Peter set up the tape player and they listened to the beginning.
“Peter, fast forward to that entity why don’t you?” said Hawk. Peter hit the fast forward button a couple times until he got to the end of the last reading, which was just finishing up. What they heard next was horrifying. It sounded like Heavy Metal music played backwards with garbled words in a deep guttural tone. It was indecipherable. Shauna felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn’t stand to listen to it any longer and quickly reached for the stop button.
“Oh, my God. What the hell was that?” she said.
“That was absolutely unearthly sounding,” said Peter.
“Listen guys, I know it was harsh to hear, but I think we should at least try listening to the rest of it. Can you handle it?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Hawk,” said Shauna. “I think my ears are bleeding.”
“I guess we should, though,” said Peter. “It sounded like something I once heard on a bad acid trip.”
Hawk hit play and once again the mind-bending sound filled the room. He turned it down, but tried to pick out words of any kind. The sound of it made him clench his teeth. Shauna had her hands over her ears. She thought she might cry. Something about the sound reached down to her very soul and got inside her bones. She thought she heard swarms of bees mixed in with the voice or voices. Sweat pilled up on her forehead. Hawk squeezed his eyes shut, as if it were driving him mad.
Finally it ended. A tear slid down Shauna’s face. She hadn’t been prepared for that. It felt like she’d been psychically kicked in the gut with a heavy boot. She felt herself trying to breathe, but couldn’t get air into her lungs. She reached out for hawk’s hand. He was trembling. Peter had his eyes closed and seemed to be chanting something under his breath. The wind gusted outside the room. Hawk went to sit next to Shauna on the bed and put an arm around her. She leaned into him, feeling her strength returning slowly.
Peter spoke. “I said a chant of protection over us. I hope you don’t mind. It’s something Noah taught me. There are some very nasty ones on the other side, too. They carry a very low vibration that can make your spirit sick, and even take some of it on for themselves.”
“I think I felt its presence in this room with us,” said Shauna. “I think it’s gone now though.”
“Noah should hear this,” said Hawk. “Maybe he can tell us what it means.”
They decided to listen to the other readings before the rude interruption. It sounded normal. Peter stopped it before the entity came in. If Noah wanted to hear it then it would be all cued up for him. Hawk asked Peter to go see if he was still in his room. He and Shauna sat there in shocked silence. Peter came back and reported that Noah must have gone somewhere with Rob since he wasn’t in the room. He began to put away the equipment and said he was going to the local library and see if he could read up on local disasters. They would all meet up later, about an hour before the meeting. Hawk and Shauna discussed how best to spend the day.
“I need to do something outdoors to relieve myself of all this negative energy,” said Shauna. “How does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me. Lets take a little hike around the river area. I noticed a path not too far from here that looked promising.”
They grabbed light jackets and tied them around their waists. The sun was out, but the wind was gusty and cool. Locking the door behind them, they made their way down the three blocks to the path Hawk had seen. It led them downhill, close to the river. The first thing Shauna noticed was the rusted out hulk of an old pickup truck with its nose sticking up out of the water near the edge. Hawk told her it must have lain there since the flood which had lowered it to this grave.
By the end of their walk they had seen many cars and trucks thus fallen. They were like shipwrecks in the cold muddy water that moved swiftly on its way to the ocean. She supposed that’s why the hotel had all new carpeting and paint; it had flooded. The river had flooded over two miles beyond its banks. Shauna wondered if they were just going to leave all these pieces of junk in the river or if there was a plan to somehow get them out and haul them to the junkyard.
Hawk suggested they find a place to get a sandwich and soda to which Shauna heartily agreed. They still had a couple of hours left before the meeting that night. There was a nice little café a few blocks down the main street near the hotel where they got what they were looking for. Shauna had a salad and a cold green tea, while Hawk had a pastrami sandwich and root beer. When they were finished they went back to her room and talked about the readings ahead.
They were just getting cozy on the bed (Fern had gone off somewhere) when the phone rang. Shauna picked it up, then handed it to Hawk, “It’s for you.”
“Hello?”
“Hello Dr. Hawkins. This is Alan Beckham. I’m the benefactor behind your research. You spoke to my associate last week.”
“Well, it’s nice to finally get to speak with you.” Hawk had put on the speakerphone so Shauna could hear the conversation too.
“Yes, well, I have heard there was some trouble with one of the readings last night, Doctor.”
Hawk didn’t bother to ask how he knew. This guy must be keeping an eye out for his investment by having them watched.
“So you know what happened?”
“Yes. I have it on tape. Have you played that one particular segment back Dr. Hawkins?”
“I have. It was very disturbing I have to say. That’s never happened before that I know of.”
“And what is Mr. Meade’s opinion of it?”
“Uh. He hasn’t heard it yet. Just me and Dr. Troy and Peter Tolson. I didn’t think at the time that we would get something that sounded like it was from the burning pits of hell.”
“I understand. But I assume you do intend on following through with everything as scheduled, correct?”
“We haven’t discussed it as a group yet, but yes, even Mr. Meade is undeterred. He’ll be taking extra precautions from now on to make sure nothing like that can happen again. This time it took us by surprise. We won’t make that mistake again. Hopefully we’ll make up for lost time tonight. The room was barely big enough to hold everybody last night.”
“I know.” And Mr. Beckham hung up.
Hawk sat with the phone in his hand and stared at it.
“What do you make of that?” asked Shauna.
“I don’t know. All I know is this Beckham guy makes me nervous. What’s his game anyway?”
“Does he have to have a game?”
“Who knows? I guess I don’t like the idea of being spied on, even if the guy gave me all the money I could ever need for the project.”
“I know how you feel. But he certainly does have a right to know everything that’s going on.”
“Then why doesn’t he just give me his phone number and I can tell him myself?”
“Point taken.” Shauna started massaging his shoulders. Slowly he loosened up to her touch. He closed his eyes. Before he knew it she had him face down on the bed and was giving him a five course massage with scented oils. She’d also put on one of her massage tapes to further relax him. Shauna knew just where to go. She had such a healing touch. His muscles were taught with tensio
n. Massaging him relaxed her almost as much as it relaxed him. Shauna loved the feel of his tanned skin under her fingertips. The headache that had started coming on with the phone call melted away.
When she was done with him he turned her over and did the same for her. They would both be ready for tonight no matter what happened.
Chapter Fourteen
People started arriving just after they’d gotten everything set up. This time they had more chairs added. They couldn’t change venues and this was the biggest meeting room the hotel had, so they had to make the best of it. By the time Noah went up to the front it was standing room only once again. Hawk hadn’t gotten a chance to let Noah hear the tape, but filled him in on it the best he could. It was hard to describe the chaotic noise the tape had emitted, but Noah at least had a better idea of whom or what he was dealing with.
Noah began. “Hello, everyone. I’m glad you could come. My name is Noah Meade and I’m a trance channeler.” He continued with his introductory speech until he got someone named George who wanted very much to speak with his daughter, Mary Ann. A woman towards the back came forward to get the mic from Shauna. George wanted to say he was sorry. He had been a drunk and had treated Mary Ann and her two brothers badly. He had even gotten physically abusive with their mother in front of them. Mary Ann wasn’t very forgiving. George told her he had learned so much since he had crossed over six years ago. He understood now that he was repeating behavior from past lives and hadn’t learned what he needed to learn, but he would be given another chance to realize that drinking wasn’t the answer, even though he had many excuses for it, such as a rough childhood of his own.
He told Mary Ann that he knew she had a hidden bottle of vodka hidden in the bathroom and asked her to please consider throwing it away. She was embarrassed in front of the crowd and insisted he was wrong about that. He said she hid it inside a box of feminine napkins under the sink. She, and the audience, was shocked. She immediately left the room, not wanting to hear more.
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