Alice made herself a well-earned cup of coffee and thought about what tomorrow would bring. John was on the night shift this week, so he’d be in bed most of the day. Burrows would more than likely say she was flying down to see who the boys were that Joe had picked out. I could always email her the pictures, Alice thought.
With that thought in her mind, the phone rang, and as if Alice’s telepathic thoughts were working on Burrows, she picked up the phone to hear Burrows’ voice.
“Alice, is it a good time to talk?”
“Sure.” Alice was going to have a hell of a time not telling her Joe had found two of the boys. “I was just thinking about you; I was going to call to say I’ve got all the photos you sent over, I’m looking through them now.”
“Good, well the best of luck with those. I’m actually phoning to ask if you could ask Joe why he openly had one of his fantasies with your neighbor, Mrs. Hodges. The Homeland boss is none too pleased about it––that Joe appears to be making his affairs public. Now that he’s working with us, we thought he’d keep his nightly adventures to himself by erasing her memory; the less the public knows about the Magic Man, the better it will be for all concerned. Also, there are a couple of old cases they think Joe might have been involved in, years ago.” She couldn’t believe she was passing on Brubaker’s request. “Tell Joe he doesn’t have to help them if he doesn’t want to; in fact, I think they’ve got a nerve to even ask him, but I’m not the boss. So they want to know…”
Alice interrupted her. “I think I can tell you why he used Mrs. Hodges.”
“He’s told you about the Hodges woman?” Alice’s frankness and the fact that she and Joe had talked about it in her dreams surprised Burrows.
“He didn’t trust the FBI wasn’t still looking for him, so he gave them a test—unfortunately, they failed.” Alice shrugged. “Joe set Hodges up so she’d go to the police with a similar story as ours. He wanted to see if the police would pass the story on to the Feds, and they did. Within a couple of hours, the same two FBI agents who interviewed us were at Mrs. Hodges’ house.”
Burrows knew that; she had read their report. “That’s the only reason?” She was trying to look at it from Joe’s side. “He wanted to see if the FBI is still on his case?”
“Yes. He trusts you and Agent Jones, but he thinks your bosses might be using you two to get to him.”
Burrows’ jaw dropped open when Alice said Joe thought the bosses were using her and Agent Jones to find him. It had been her thought, as well. “Joe could be right, but it’s not our bosses in Narcotics, or the FBI––it’s coming down from Homeland Security. Frank Brubaker, the deputy director of Homeland Security, is in charge of watching the Magic Man’s movements. That’s what he told me, anyway.”
“So, it sounds like they are still looking for Joe, then?”
“Looks like it. Until Joe comes in and signs his pardon, and agrees to what the government wants of him, he isn’t safe.” Burrows hesitated, not knowing if she was saying too much. “I think there’s a few in the Bureau who still see his gift as a threat, but not all of them.”
“They wouldn’t kill him, would they?” The question was out before Alice had thought about it.
“I hope not,” she replied sadly. “I hope Joe can work with us; as I’ve said before, his gift could do so much good for the FBI.”
“I’m sure Joe thinks the same,” Alice said in a more positive tone.
“Good. So, I can tell Brubaker that Barbara Hodges was a test to see if they were still shadowing him––he won’t like that.” She laughed, and felt a little proud that Joe had the balls to put the FBI to the test. “Something else, though, from now on, will Joe keep his fantasies to himself?” There was a slight smile on her face at the prospect of Brubaker reading her report where the Magic Man was keeping tabs on him.
Alice was dying to know more about Mrs. Hodges’ fantasy. “Was Mrs. Hodges’ case exactly like ours, I mean John’s?” she asked timidly. “I mean … did she get up and turn the alarm off and open the door?”
“Unless your husband had sex with the Three Musketeers, the Cardinal of France, and the Queen of France, then no––other than she woke up downstairs on the sofa and her underwear was folded on top of her slippers. And yes, the alarm was off. That was similar to yours. The difference, apart from what the dream was about, was that she remembered every little detail of her dream.” A thought came to her. “Did Joe, in your husband’s dreams, help John release the prisoners, or did he just watch?”
Alice recalled her dream where she had caught Horse, Tony, and Vince making out with John, and Old Joe had been outside the cell, looking in. And, when she was in a cell with them making love to her, in her dream, Old Joe was just watching. “No, I think Joe only watches.”
“Didn’t he tell you that he was watching from afar?”
“Yeah … why do you want to know?”
Burrows settled back in her chair. “Well, the thing is, Joe has always portrayed himself as more of a watcher, than a doer. But with Mrs. Hodges, he took on the role of her Uncle Joe. And in the story she told––in more detail than was necessary––Joe had sex with Mrs. Hodges right after the Cardinal did––while she was still aroused, is what she said. And then again when one of the Musketeers came into their bedroom looking for the jewels the Queen was smuggling to England.” Burrows smiled as she recalled the story. “She ended in bed with the Musketeer, and as soon as he left, Uncle Joe took her again.” Burrows was still smiling. “There were four Musketeers who shared her bed while Uncle Joe watched and waited his turn. Now this story gives us a different view on Joe, from a watcher from afar, to a sexually active old man.”
Alice was thinking about her dream where Dopey and Doc were making love to her, and Old Joe was in the next bed, mounting Snow White; but, at the same time, he had been watching her. “I guess the Magic Man can be who he likes, but I always took him to be a voyeur more than a doer.”
“Yes, that’s what I thought, too, but Mrs. Hodges even says her Uncle Joe had a huge erection. Now why do you think Joe would want us to see him as an old man with a sexual appetite and a big cock?”
Burrows’ bluntness shocked Alice. “I guess he’s playing games with the Feds. If he wanted to, he could have erased her memory and neither you, nor the Feds, nor Mrs. Hodges would have been any the wiser. So, whatever Mrs. Hodges told you was what Joe wanted her to tell you.”
“Exactly. What Mrs. Hodges told us was a fantasy story that no one would have believed, if we didn’t know how the Magic Man worked his magic.” Burrows giggled. “Honestly, how Joe comes up with these fantasies, and why the women believe them, I’ll never know.”
Alice thought if Burrows was to pick one of Joe’s story books she’d find out, and she wouldn’t be laughing then.
Burrows took a more serious tone as she got back to business. “Joe doesn’t want to piss Brubaker off, it is best if he keeps his nightly activities to himself. That’s if he still wants to help us.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Burrows read out the two cases to Alice that Frank Brubaker had asked her to relay, and she and Alice both gave their opinions on each case. Alice took notes. They ended the conversation with Burrows, once again, telling Alice that Joe didn’t have to say a word that would incriminate him.
Chapter29
Alice retired to bed early because John had gone to work, his first nightshift of the week. She found she couldn’t settle; her day had been remarkably exciting, and there
was a lot on her mind. Her life had changed drastically over the past few weeks, from being an assistant to Agony Aunt, to helping the Magic Man, to working with the FBI. Now, she was worrying about Homeland Security. She couldn’t sleep, and she couldn’t push the picture out of her mind of Barbara Hodges and the Cardinal of France having sex, with Joe waiting his turn.
Alice turned over on her side and punched the pillows to puff them up. Go to sleep, she told herself. So what if Joe had sex with Bar
bara in her dream, you can’t be jealous of someone else’s dream. I should feel sorry for that woman, she thought. She’s been sleepwalking, and when that happened to John, we both went frantic until Joe spoke to us and explained what was going on, and asked us to trust him. I guess that’s where he is now, getting Barbara to trust him. He won’t treat her like he treated John. With John, he wanted to punish him for his bad driving. I bet the Three Musketeers are in her dreams now, with her Uncle Joe waiting his turn. She gave a little sigh. And he’ll tell her it’s only a dream. The sigh turned into a yawn.
An image came to her of her dream––of her Robin Hood fantasy––where she had to strip naked and jump in the bath with the three monks. Alice remembered Joe stripping, and even though his prick wasn’t erect, it sure as hell wasn’t small. Burrows had said Uncle Joe had a huge erection. Doesn’t she know there are no small pricks in a fantasy? She tossed and turned, ending on her back, looking up at the ceiling.
If I didn’t tell Joe in my dream that I wanted out, those two soldiers and the three monks would have screwed me, and possibly Old Joe would have, too, like he did in Barbara’s dream. Alice could feel that she was getting aroused; however, she knew that Joe wouldn’t be coming tonight to whisk her off into some erotic fantasy. She had told Joe to get out of her and John’s dreams, and stay out, and so far he had. But, if Joe did come to her, and she picked the Three Musketeers book, would Joe the Magic Man be her Uncle Joe and make love to her like he did in Barbara Hodges’ dream? “Oh, go to sleep you silly girl,” she said loudly. Alice looked at John’s empty side of the bed. “Trust you to be on nights tonight!”
Alice woke to the sound of John opening the garage door. She looked at the clock––7:50 a.m. Alice would normally go back to sleep until John came to bed, but she knew it was going to be an exciting day. She got out of bed, trying to recall if she had had a dream during the night. She was a little disappointed she couldn’t remember, but told herself it was for the best. If she was going to be working with Joe, then there should be no more sexual fantasies between them.
It surprised John to see Alice up so early. “Didn’t wake you, did I, honey?”
“Morning, love … no, I was already up. I think Joe knows two of the boys from those pictures I looked at yesterday,” Alice said energetically as she went straight to switch on the computer, and brought up the photos. “One is Scott Bailey, and the other one is Alfred Cohen.” Alice flicked through the pages of photos. “Well, look at that!” Alice showed John the photo of Scott Bailey. “It’s just like Joe said.” She clicked on to the next page. “Oh my God!––there’s Alfred Cohen.”
John stared at her in astonishment. “How the hell can he do that?” He shook his head. “You looked at those photos yesterday, and out of all of them, he recognized those two from Jessica’s dream.” He scratched his head. “And he told you their names in your dream?”
Alice shrugged; she didn’t want to get into a discussion about Joe’s gift. “That’s why they call him the Magic Man, I guess.” That was her answer, now, every time she couldn’t explain a situation. She quickly changed the subject. “I’ve got a lot to think about before I call Burrows, so, I need to grab a quick breakfast, and then get busy making notes.”
“I’ll be out of your way shortly; I’m going to bed as soon as I have a bite to eat.” He gave her a kiss. “I’d like to stay up and hear what Burrows is going to say, but I’m beat. You can fill me in when I get up.” John noticed the bananas on the counter. “Maybe, I’ll just have one of these,” he said as he broke one off the bunch, and then headed off to bed.
Alice was waiting for Joe to say, knock, knock, or ding dong.
“Oh good, you are up early.”
Before he could say anything more to her through their telepathic thoughts, Alice cut him off. “I was talking to Burrows yesterday, and she said Homeland Security is involved with the Magic Man file.” Alice looked at her notes. “Someone called Frank Brubaker is keeping an eye on you, and he didn’t like the way you made Barbara Hodges go to the police.”
Joe sat up in his bed. “Homeland is watching me?” His thoughts crackled nervously in Alice’s head. “And who is Frank Brubaker?”
“The deputy secretary of Homeland Security.”
“He’s more than likely trying to find me.” Joe didn’t like the idea of Homeland’s involvement; their focus was usually on stopping terrorist attacks on the U.S. “I guess they see me as a threat.”
“Looks like a possibility. And, you’re not going to believe what Frank Brubaker asked Burrows to ask me to ask you. He wants to know if you had anything to do with two cold cases that sound like your work. Burrows said you didn’t have to answer them––she wouldn’t.”
“They are trying to find me, so the more information I give them, the easier they think it will be to catch me.”
“That’s what Burrows and I think. By the way, I told Burrows the Hodges woman was a test to see if the Feds were still looking for you. She laughed, and agreed that this Brubaker was watching her and Agent Mike Jones, closely, hoping you’ll slip up. Also, Brubaker told Burrows he wants you to sign,” Alice looked through the notes, “to sign a paper and agree to their terms, and then they will give you your pardon.”
“Ask Burrows to find out what the terms are, and I might consider it––not that I’ve broken any laws.”
“One of these cases has you down as a rapist, if it was you.”
Alice went on to tell Joe about the two cases. The one, where the thug blackmailed the woman into having sex with him, Joe admitted his involvement. He had made the guy go to the police and confess. But, he couldn’t tell anyone, not even Alice, how he’d found out about it. He’d have to think up another lie— and the bigger the lie, the more confused Brubaker’s team would be. When he heard about Peter the Fisherman, he laughed. He wasn’t even born when that event had taken place, but he wasn’t going to let on to that. He told Alice he’d get back to her straightaway––he just needed a moment to think things over.
“Will you be back before Burrows calls?”
“I’ll be back before then to go over my story with you, and when Burrows phones, I’ll pop into her mind to see she what she thinks when you tell her.”
Chapter30
Burrows went into work early, and the first moment she had to call Alice, she did. “Hi Alice, got any news for me?” She had her fingers crossed. “Has Joe contacted
you?”
“Agent Burrows, if you are standing, you’d better sit
down.”
“I’m sitting,” Burrows said, her expectation rising. “You
sound excited.”
“You bet I am ... Joe has picked out two of the boys from
the photos; he said they were definitely in Jessica’s dream, and
recognized them straightaway.”
“Please tell me you are not joking.” Burrows was in a
daze as she tried to get her head around it.
“Their names are Scott Bailey and Alfred Cohen, both
from a university in San Diego.” Alice was bursting with pride.
“Are you going to arrest them?”
“I only asked Joe if he could get into Jessica’s dream, as a
long shot; I didn’t think he could actually do it.” Burrows
murmured, dumbfounded. “He truly is a gifted man.”
“Are you going to arrest them?” Alice asked again,
impatiently.
“What?” She was too shocked to think straight, and felt a
little light-headed. “No! That would be up to Special Agent
Campbell, the agent in charge of the four rape cases.” She shook
her head again. “I just can’t believe it.”
“Will Agent Campbell want Joe to get into the boys’
dreams to get them to confess?” Alice’s mind was racing ahead. “I don’t know … he’ll have to build up a case. I’m sorry
Alice, I can’t think straig
ht when my head is in a spin. I guess he
might want Joe’s help; he’ll want to look at those photos first.
That’s if he believes what Joe has done isn’t just a con job. I can’t get my head around this yet––even I think it sounds like
something from the twilight zone.”
“So, do you want some more good news?” Alice asked,
trying to sound casual.
“There can’t be any better news, but go ahead, I’m all
ears.”
Alice tried to cool down; she took a deep breath: “That
case up in Sacramento three years ago? That was Joe’s doing.” “What did he say?” Burrows couldn’t wait to get off the
phone so she could report the good news to her boss, and then
pass it on to Agent Campbell. She was having a hard time
concentrating on what Alice was saying.
“Joe was in a diner, and there was a group of young men
two tables behind him. He heard one guy bragging about having
sex with a woman. He’d told her if she didn’t, her husband would
be in a fight in prison, and they would say he started it so he
wouldn’t get early parole.” Alice was reading from her notes the
story Joe had just told her 15 minutes earlier. He had made it up
for the Feds, half-lies and half-truths, but Alice was none the
wiser. “Joe went up to them and asked where the bathroom was,
and he put his hand on the young man’s shoulder, said thank you,
and later he popped into his dream. The next time the guy went to
visit the woman, Joe made sure the guy apologized to her. And
then he made him go to the police and confess.”
Burrows was nodding her head. “Just like that––he put his
hand on his shoulder and he got into his mind. Is that how Joe
wants me to tell it to Frank Brubaker?”
Get Out Of My Dreams (Joe the Magic Man Series Book 1) Page 21
