Stolen Dreams - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery - Book Fourteen

by Terri Reid

  “Someday you’re not going to be able to give her what she wants,” he warned.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “And I hope that when that time comes, we have a strong enough relationship that she’ll understand that I’m on her side and want what’s best for her.”

  Stanley folded his arms across his chest and rocked back on his heels, thinking about her words for a moment. Finally, he said, “Keds.”

  “I’m sorry?” Mary asked.

  “Keds,” he repeated. “I wanted some Keds back when I was a boy. They were the sneakers all the boys wanted and I wanted them real bad. My dad said he wasn’t going to pay the extra money for some fancy sneakers when the regular sneakers at the shoe store would do the job.”

  “Did your mom change his mind?” Mary asked.

  Stanley slowly shook his head. “No, my dad was pretty set in his ways about such things,” he said wistfully. “But I never forgot those Keds.”

  He looked up at her and smiled. “You take her shopping for the costume she wants,” he said. “And iffen you need a little extra for it, you come see me. Sometimes a child just has to get what they want.”

  Mary leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Stanley,” she said. “I’ll remember that.”

  She turned to the curb and started towards her car.

  “When you gonna turn that thing in?” Stanley asked.

  Mary looked down at her beloved Roadster and shook her head. “Soon,” she admitted. “I can barely fit behind the seat anymore. And I know we really need something bigger.”

  Stanley chuckled. “Don’t worry, missy,” he replied. “You can go back to a fancy car once you’ve finished paying for their college.”

  She turned towards him and stuck out her tongue. “Thanks a lot, Stanley,” she complained.

  Still laughing, he turned and walked back towards his store. “Anytime, girlie, anytime.”

  Chapter Six

  The seasonal Halloween store was filled with shoppers looking for the perfect costume or porch decoration to frighten unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. Bradley walked over to a life-sized, animatronic zombie that would bring a giant rat to its face, then pull it away, leaving blood and gore displayed around its mouth. “Cool,” Bradley said, bending to lift up the price tag.

  “Gross,” Mary exclaimed. “That is disgusting.”

  He grinned and lifted his eyebrows in delight. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?

  She laughed and shook her head. “No, we are not going to have a zombie on our front porch,” she replied. “It will frighten the kids.”

  “Okay, not on the porch, but how about next to it?” he suggested. “Hiding next to the bushes and then coming to life when they get near?”

  “Bradley, we don’t want children screaming and running for their lives from our home,” she said.

  “But what it we get the good chocolate candy for the trick-or-treaters?” he coaxed. “If we scare them, we don’t have to share.”

  “Bradley,” she said discouragingly, although she had to admit she was tempted.

  “Just think of the Brennan boys’ reactions,” he added.

  She shook her head. “They would want to take it home and put it in their bedroom,” she replied. “And Katie would never speak to us again.”

  Bradley wandered to the next display, a coffin that opened up on its own with a vampire that peered out of it. “How about this one?” he asked.

  Sighing, she shook her head and then laughed. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’ll go help Clarissa pick out a princess costume, and you pick out whatever you want to decorate the front porch.”

  His smile widened. “Really?”

  “Within reason,” she added, one eyebrow lifted in his direction.

  He grinned and nodded. “Of course, within reason,” he agreed. “Cool.”

  “What is it that turns grown men into children on Halloween?” she wondered aloud.

  “We never grow up,” Mike said as he appeared next to her. “We just pretend during most of the year, but holidays like Halloween and Christmas are just too much for us to handle. We simply have to revert.”

  Mary smiled. “I’m surprised you aren’t next to Bradley and the rat-eating zombie.”

  Mike’s eyes widened. “They have a rat-eating zombie?” he asked, looking around the store and finally spying Bradley. “Um, let me know if you need me, okay? I’m going to help Bradley.”

  Shrugging her shoulders, Mary shook her head and walked over to where Rosie and Clarissa were deciding which of the popular princess costumes would look best on the little girl. “I do like this one,” Rosie said, picking up a costume of ice blue taffeta. “And this tiara would look perfect in your hair.”

  “I like it, too,” Clarissa said, deciding between that one and the golden one she held in her hand. “But this one’s pretty, too. And I like the songs better from this one.”

  Mary placed her hand on Clarissa’s head and gently stroked her hair. “Sweetheart, it’s your choice,” she said. “Whichever one will make you happy.”

  “Which one do you like the best?” Clarissa asked Mary.

  Mary sat down on the floor in front of Clarissa and took her time studying each costume and accessory, and then finally turned to Clarissa. “Well, they are both beautiful,” she agreed. “And I think you would look lovely in either one.” She pointed to the blue one. “This one is more popular because it’s newer, so lots of girls will probably be wearing it.” Then she pointed to the gold one. “This one is from an older story, and I agree with you that I like the songs better from it, too. But, some girls won’t remember who she is, so you’ll have to remind them.”

  With Rosie’s help, Mary stood up and shrugged. “You have to decide on a classic look or the popular one,” she said.

  Clarissa looked back and forth one more time and finally picked the blue one. “I want to be like the other girls,” she said.

  Mary nodded. “Then that one is the perfect choice,” she said. “Make sure you get the accessories, too. And then we can find out what your father has picked out.”

  “But how about you?” Clarissa asked. “We should look for your costume.”

  “Well, I don’t think we’re going to find a costume here that will suit me,” Mary replied.

  “Oh, don’t worry about a thing,” Rosie said. “I have a costume that will be perfect for you.”

  “Really?” Clarissa asked, her eyes shining. “What is it?”

  Rosie shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s a secret and you won’t get to see it until Halloween,” she replied with a smile. “It will be Mary’s trick.”

  Mary glanced at Rosie and whispered, “I refuse to go as a fruit, vegetable or anything that resembles an egg.”

  Laughing, Rosie put her arm around Mary. “As if I would do that to you,” she said. “No, my dear, you are going to be very glamorous.”

  Mary looked down at her protruding belly and shook her head. “I don’t know what kind of magic you have,” she said. “But I will be amazed if you can make this body glamorous.”

  Chapter Seven

  The room was dark, and the white noise generator was emitting soft, soothing sounds. Mary had finished a cup of herbal tea blended specifically for inducing a good night’s sleep and was now tucked securely into bed. She pounded her pillow a couple of times and then sunk into it, breathing in the lavender essential oils she had sprayed on her pillow case.

  “Wow, I didn’t realize there were so many things you had to do to just go to sleep,” Bradley commented as he sat up against the headboard and watched her.

  “Well, I’m trying the lucid dreaming tonight, so I want to be completely relaxed,” she said.

  He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her. “I have some suggestions about helping you relax,” he said, sliding under the covers and wrapping his arms around her.

  She rolled over so she was facing him, slipped her arms around his neck, snuggled close and yawned. “Oh, I’m so sorry,�
�� she apologized earnestly. “Really, it’s not you. I guess all this other stuff really works.”

  He nuzzled the side of her neck. “Want me to see if I can counteract the other stuff?” he whispered, tracing kisses down her neck and along her collarbone.

  She moaned softly, nodded, and then yawned again. “Yes,” she said in the middle of another yawn. “But, if you don’t mind, I’m just going to close my eyes. I just can’t seem to keep them open.”

  “Challenge accepted,” he murmured, softly stroking her back as he continued to trail kisses along her jawbone and whispered in her ear. “You are so beautiful. Your skin is so soft and silky. I love to run my hands along your…”

  He stopped kissing her, sat up a little in the bed and looked down on his wife. Her eyes were closed. Her mouth was slightly open, and she was breathing rhythmically and snoring softly. “Challenge lost,” he chuckled softly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He layed back on his pillow, pulled her gently into his arms and held her. “Okay, Mary, go on your dream journey and I’ll take care of things here,” he whispered.

  She smiled in her sleep and snuggled a little closer to him.

  Mary looked all around the old building she was walking through. She was surprised she could think analytically in her sleep. “Okay, let’s test some things out,” she thought.

  She walked up to one of the doors in the hall and placed her hand on the old, crystal doorknob and tried to turn it. But the doorknob didn’t budge. She clasped the doorknob tighter, but all she felt was her own hand. “Come on,” she urged and tried again. She started to feel the facets of crystal in her palm, but the feeling was quickly lost.

  “Okay, maybe this is too advanced for me,” she decided and continued down the dark hallway.

  A dark shadow whisked past her on her left side and she quickly turned towards it. “Wait,” she called, breaking into a run.

  The shadow darted down a corridor on the other side; she caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye. Her heart leapt and she jumped around the other way. “Okay, calm down,” she told herself, purposely taking deep, calming breaths. “You’re reacting, not being in control.”

  Looking around, she realized the corridor ahead of her looked familiar. “Are you the corridor of my dreams?” she joked and chuckled to herself, calming her pounding heart even further. Stepping forward, she noticed that her movements were slow and lethargic. “What’s going on?” she asked as she tried to force her body to speed up her movements. She concentrated on her movements, but it didn’t help. She was moving like she was walking through a vat of molasses.

  “Okay, Gracie,” she said aloud. “How am I supposed to deal with this?”

  “Girl, you are overthinking things.” Gracie’s voice startled her, and Mary jumped when she found Gracie standing next to her.

  “How did you get here?” Mary asked.

  “Didn’t I tell you? This is your dream,” Gracie said shaking her head. “You’re in charge. You wanted me to be here, so here I am.”

  “How cool is that?” Mary said.

  “Yeah, but you better not make me lose any of my sleep,” Gracie added, folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows slightly. “You know how I can be when I’m cranky.”

  Mary grinned at her friend. “I’ll get you back as soon as I can,” she said. “So, what am I doing wrong?”

  “When you walk down the street and you want to walk faster, what do you do?” Gracie asked.

  Mary shook her head. “I’m sorry?” she asked.

  “Are you going to make me repeat everything I ask?” her friend demanded.

  “No, just this part,” Mary replied.

  “When you walk down the street and you want to walk faster, what do you do?” she repeated.

  Mary thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know. I just walk faster,” she said. “I don’t really think about it.”

  Gracie smiled and nodded slowly. “Exactly,” she said. “Good night, Mary.”

  “Wait! What?” Mary called after Gracie’s disappearing form. “I don’t think I understand.”

  Staring at the spot that used to be her friend, Mary shook her head and threw her hands up in the air. “I wasn’t ready for you to go,” she shouted. “I really didn’t understand the answer.”

  She turned and looked down the passageway. “I’m really getting tired of this dream,” she said aloud, and then she hurried down the corridor. After a few steps, she stopped and looked down at her feet. “I’m going fast,” she said in awe and nodded slowly. “And I wasn’t thinking about it. I was just doing it. Brilliant.”

  She continued down the corridor and spotted the doorway that shrunk when she encountered it. She placed a hand on the doorknob and pulled. But nothing happened. She twisted it and pulled again. Nothing again. “I’m over-thinking it,” she decided, so she stepped away from the door, looked around the corridor and started whistling nonchalantly. Then she quickly turned back, grabbed the door knob and twisted. Still nothing.

  “This not thinking is a lot harder than it appears,” she said.

  Then she heard the sound of a child’s cry coming from the other side of the door and she forgot all about lucid dreaming. She had to save the child. She grabbed hold of the doorknob with both hands, bracing one foot on the wall alongside the door, and tugged with all her might. The baby continued to scream and Mary pounded on the door. “Let me in,” she cried.

  The door started to get smaller and she frantically kicked and pounded to try and get inside. “Please, please!” she screamed. “Let me in. She needs me.”

  Mary woke up with a start and gulped in air, her body shaking. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” Bradley’s soothing voice whispered into her ear. “You’re safe. I’m here. Nothing can hurt you.”

  She inhaled another ragged breath and cuddled closer to him. “I didn’t quite master lucid dreaming,” she confessed. “And I’m a little teed off at Gracie for her attitude.”

  Bradley lifted his head and looked down at her. “Gracie?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied, yawning once again as her exhaustion set in. “Just a little bit of advice. Don’t interrupt her when she’s sleeping.”

  She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, leaving a slightly confused Bradley looking down on her. Finally, he shrugged, bent over and kissed her lips. “Pleasant dreams, sweetheart,” he said, laying his head on his pillow and holding her close to his heart.

  Chapter Eight

  “Mary, why didn’t you tell me the paper was going to do a story about you?” Bradley asked the next morning as he came in the front door with the paper in his hand.

  “Oh, I forgot,” she replied as she put together a sandwich for Clarissa’s lunch. “Jerry called yesterday afternoon with a reporter en route and called in a favor. And then we kind of got crazy at the Halloween store.”

  He looked up from the paper and smiled. “Halloween is going to be great,” he said. Then he returned back to scanning the front page. “Did you know it was going to be a front page story? Above the fold?”

  She put down the knife and walked over to him. “No. Jerry said that it was going to be a feature story,” she replied. “I figured it would be hidden somewhere in the lifestyle section.”

  She peeked over his shoulder, shocked and a little dismayed to find her picture staring back at her. “I look huge!” she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me I look like a walking blimp?”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Because you don’t look like a walking blimp,” he said. “You look adorable and pregnant. Besides, I can’t get past your sexy smile.”

  Mollified slightly, she looked closer. “You think my smile is sexy?” she asked off-handedly.

  He dropped the paper, wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. “I think everything about you is sexy,” he murmured before bringing her even closer and crushing her lips with his. “And if Clarissa weren’t going to be coming down the stairs in
the next minute or two, I’d bring you upstairs and put some action behind those words.”

  Smiling and slightly out of breath, she reached up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl,” she replied with a chuckle.

  “Only my girl,” he said, kissing her once again before letting her go.

  “When you two are done making out, can we have a conversation here?” Mike asked, appearing next to them.

  Bradley pulled Mary back into his arms and shook his head. “No. I just decided that making out with my wife is far more interesting than having an early morning conversation with you.”

  “Yeah, that would be cute and all,” Mike replied, his tone flat, “but we’ve got some trouble.”

  “Trouble?” Bradley asked, releasing his hold on Mary and turning to Mike. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you looked at the article?” Mike asked, turning to Mary. “Did you read what that reporter wrote about you?”

  “No, we just got the paper,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, how can I put this?” he mused. “There’s a shift in the force this morning. You are on the minds of a lot of desperate people.”

  “What?” Bradley asked, scooping up the paper. “Why?”

  He scanned the print and shook his head. “Mary, did you tell the reporter that ghosts are drawn to you wherever you go?” he asked. “And that you can communicate with anyone who has died?”

  Shaking her head, Mary took the paper from Bradley to read it herself. “No, of course not,” she replied. “But she didn’t just quote from me. She went on an internet forum that discusses my work.” She looked up at Bradley. “There’s an internet forum that discusses my work?”

  Mike nodded. “Yeah, you’re pretty popular with the paranormal researchers,” he said. “Not only have you had interaction with spirits, you’ve had witnesses who can verify your contacts with them. They are pretty excited about that.”