by Pandora Pine
“He’s just angry and hurt.” Carson didn’t mean to make excuses for Truman.
“He doesn’t have that luxury right now. His pride is going to get him killed!” Cole shouted.
“Let me call Cassie today and if she can’t get anywhere with him then we’ll revisit the idea of kidnapping, okay?” Carson couldn’t believe he was even considering the possibility of committing a crime, but if it saved Truman’s life. He’d do it in a heartbeat. No regrets.
After a quick breakfast, Carson headed down to the store. He was sweeping the reading room when a jingle of the front door chimes alerted him to the first customer of the day. “Good morning!” he greeted, walking into the main room of the store. A familiar face was waiting for him. “Cassie?”
“Good morning, Carson. I hope I haven’t come at a bad time?” She looked nervous.
“No, I don’t have a reading scheduled until 11am this morning. Let me just get my brother to come watch the store.” With shaking hands, Carson dug his phone out of his back pocket and sent a quick text to Cole. “I owe you a reading anyway. Come on back.” He held out a hand to escort her to the reading room when he heard his brother’s heavy tread on the back stairs.
“Can you do that now? I mean, for real?” Cassie slid off her coat and sat in the seat she’d taken on Saturday.
Carson nodded. “A little bit with my new found psychic abilities. I’m still learning how to use them.”
“If you don’t mind me saying so, you look like shit.” The look on her face said she wasn’t kidding.
Carson burst out laughing. It was the first time he’d laughed since the last night he’d been with Truman. The sound rang hollow in his ears. “Feel like shit too.” He shrugged. “Have you spoken to Truman?” He wasn’t sure he should ask Cassie since she was Truman’s friend and didn’t want her to break his confidence, but Carson had to know.
“I went home with him on Saturday. He’s as stubborn as a pack of mules. I tried to get him to see reason, but he’s angry and hurt. I haven’t heard from him since.” She took a deep breath and focused on Carson. “I’m here because I need you to be straight with me, Carson. Did you really see what you claimed? Truman thinks you Googled him and saw his Christmas tie or saw pictures of last year’s Christmas party and that’s how you know what the lobby of our building looks like. I Googled it myself and couldn’t find any pictures like that. There was nothing online about Mike Davenport either.”
“Everything I told you on Saturday was the God’s honest truth. I’d never seen Truman before the vision. I’d never seen him in the flesh until he came out of the Gemtronics building all bundled up in his winter coat running toward the café.”
“That was the Monday after we’d fired Mike. He was so rattled by what happened. A fired employee had never gotten physical with him before. He told me later that he was scared to leave the building that day. He didn’t even know why he did it.”
“He did it because we were supposed to meet each other.” Carson shrugged. “I truly believe I’m meant to save him.” And love him… Now wasn’t the time or place to say that though.
"Have you tried to touch the crystal ball since Saturday?" Her eyes wandered over to the clear orb.
Carson nodded. "I could see a blur of red and white flashing lights and hear the wailing sirens of an ambulance. Then I could hear fast medical speak like you hear on ER or one of those medical drama shows. I don't know who the patient was or even if the vision had anything to do with Truman."
"Now what?" Cassie sat forward in her chair.
"Cole thought maybe I could kidnap him."
Cassie started to laugh. "The stubborn bastard would deserve that."
"Is he really that stubborn or is he just that mad at me?" Carson couldn’t decide for himself.
"I don't know, Carson. Did he ever tell you about his ex Mitchell?"
"Is that the perfectionist?"
Cassie nodded. "Yeah. That prick really did a number on his self-esteem. It took him a long time to bounce back from that. When he met you, he changed for the better. There was always a genuine smile on his face and he was so happy. He was encouraging me to find love myself because he wanted me to be as happy as he was with you."
"I never meant to hurt him. I just didn't know how to tell him about this. I mean, how do you tell your boyfriend that you had a vision where you watched him die?" Carson could feel the tears coming back. He'd managed not to cry all morning, but he couldn't bear the thought of Truman cold in his grave.
"I can see how much you love him." Cassie dug into her purse and pulled something out. She pushed an envelope across the table toward him.
"What's this?" Carson flipped the unsealed envelope over.
"It's your ticket to the Gemtronics Christmas party. If Truman doesn't come to his senses by Friday night, at least you'll be able to get into the party without causing a scene.”
"I can't thank you enough for this, Cassie. Maybe now this means I won't have to kidnap him."
"That's a shame, I was kind of looking forward to the ransom notes and pictures of him duct taped to the Christmas tree!" She burst out laughing. "So now that I've done you a solid, what do you see in my future?"
"You're going to marry my brother. Welcome to the family!' Carson slapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes going wide.
"Very funny." She studied him for a second. "Wait! Are you serious?"
Carson nodded, his hands still over his mouth. He could see it all clear as day. "Your dress is one of those high-lo things where it’s longer in the back than in the front. You’re at the beach and Cole is wearing a Tommy Bahama shirt. So am I, but I don't see Truman..." Carson trailed off and burst into tears.
34
Truman
"You went to see him, didn't you?" Truman demanded first thing Tuesday morning.
Cassie was still wearing her winter jacket. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, good morning to you too, sunshine."
"You didn't answer my question." Damn, he was an asshole. This wasn't like him at all. He wasn't this guy.
"Sit down and shut up, Truman." Cassie shrugged out of her coat and went to hang it up on the peg attached to the back of her office door.
Truman had never heard that tone in her voice before. He obeyed and sat down.
"You seem to think this is some kind of a joke. Like at some point Carson, Cole and I are all going to jump out from behind some door and shout, 'Surprise!' Well, this isn't a joke, Tru and this isn't Candid Camera." Cassie slumped into her office chair and turned on the computer.
Truman studied his friend. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. It wasn't like her to call in sick on a Monday. Whatever she'd been off doing yesterday, it wasn't sleeping.
"You look like shit and you smell. When was the last time you ate, slept or even showered?"
Those were good questions. "I don't know. I might have gotten an hour or two last night and I think I showered Saturday morning."
"You realize this is Tuesday, right?" Cassie asked.
Truman half-snarled at her. "You didn't answer my original question."
"You mean your original demand, Inquisitor?"
"Cassie," Truman warned. This attitude wasn’t like him at all. This whole thing with Carson really had him turned inside out.
"Yes, I went to see Carson yesterday. For your information, he looks as bad as you do, although I will say at least he's showering."
"Why did you do that?" He could feel his anger rising. She was his friend. What the fuck was she doing going to visit Carson?
"Are you going to listen to what I have to say or are you going to be so angry at me that you block out everything I have to say just like you did with Carson?"
"I didn't do that,” Truman said softly. He might have done that. Sort of. Maybe.
"Yes, you did. If you didn't, you wouldn't be acting like a fucking pre-schooler who needs a nap and a juice box."
Truman pouted. He knew he was proving Cassie's point
.
"This is your life, Truman. Whether you believe in psychics or not, we're talking about your life here. What the fuck harm will it do to stay home from the party on Friday night? So you miss making an extra payment on your house. Big deal, at least you'll be alive to make the January mortgage payment."
Truman rolled his eyes. It always came back around to Carson and those damn visions.
"Would you believe the message if it came from anyone else besides Carson?" Cassie threw her hands up in the air.
"Are you consulting other psychics? Greek oracles perhaps? A magic eight ball?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice.
Cassie shook her head, when she looked up at Truman her eyes were filled with tears. "I believe what Carson said, not because I believe in psychics, Greek oracles and magic eight balls, but because I could see the raw pain in his eyes. That man loves you and it's killing him to think that he failed you."
"He shouldn't have lied to me." Truman folded his arms over his chest.
"What would you have done if he'd told you about the vision that first day at the cafe?"
"What?"
"You heard me, Tru. If instead of getting to know you over lunch that first day, what if he'd introduced himself as Carson Craig, the West Side Psychic, and told you that he had a vision where he saw you get shot by a gunman at a Christmas party. What would you have done?"
What would he have done? "I would have called him a crackpot and walked away."
"Don't you think he knew that? Carson was between a rock and a hard place, Truman. He needed to find a way to meet you and get you to trust him enough to tell you the story so he could save you. He didn't anticipate falling in love with you."
He had no snarky comeback for that.
"You've got three days left, Truman. Maybe you'll spend a minute or two of that time thinking about how you would have handled this situation if you'd been the one in Carson's shoes."
"You sound like you're on his side."
"There's only one side here, you ridiculous man! No one wants to go to your damn funeral. Now get out of my office! I have work to do."
Truman did what she asked and headed back to his own office. He sent a quick email to his boss telling him he was taking the rest of the day off. He'd spent the weekend bumming around his house doing everything in his power not to think about Carson. Maybe now was the time to do what Cassie said and look at this from Carson's point of view.
35
Carson
Friday morning dawned cold and grey. Carson knew it would. He’d seen the melting snow on Mike Davenport’s boots in his vision, so he knew the weather was going to take a turn for the worse at some point during the day.
He’d sent Truman half a dozen messages over the last few days, but his ex-boyfriend hadn’t responded to any of them. Thanks to the cruel technology of his iPhone, he could see that Truman had read them, but so far, radio silence. The last message had been a simple, “I love you.” If those were the last words they ever exchanged, Carson was glad they were words of love.
No matter how much he and Cole brainstormed, they hadn’t been able to come up with any other ideas, apart from kidnapping Truman, to keep him from going to the Christmas party tonight. Carson wasn’t willing to let Cole be a part of anything like that, and truth be told, doing something like that to Truman wasn’t fair.
His mule-stubborn ex had a right to his own opinion and if he didn’t believe in Carson’s visions then that was the end of the story. Carson would have to find some other way to stop Mike Davenport from killing him.
While he thought things over, Carson was standing in the doorway of his mother’s reading room staring at the crystal ball as if he were trying to size it up.
“One more time for old times sake?” Cole asked from behind him.
Carson shrugged. Hell, what did he have to lose? He sat at his mother’s usual spot and waited for Cole to sit next to him. “Please, Mom,” he whispered before reaching out to touch the crystal ball.
Carson saw a blinding white light. His eyes slammed shut against it. He gave himself a moment to adjust before trying to open them again. This time, the light wasn’t so harsh and he was able to keep them open. The light surrounded him on all sides and there was no sound. He was alone. “Mom?” Carson turned around and could see nothing. He couldn’t sense anyone there with him. “God, if you can hear me, please spare Truman. If you have to take someone, please take me. Please let Truman live.” Carson shut his eyes and let the light hold him.
“Damn it, Carson! Wake up!” Cole was shaking his shoulder. Hard.
“What? I’m right here!” Carson didn’t understand why his brother sounded so panicked.
“Jesus Christ, Carson! You weren’t.”
“What do you mean I wasn’t? Did I disappear?” He felt totally at peace. It didn’t make any sense that Cole was panicking like this.
“No, you were here, but you weren’t responding. I don’t think you were breathing.” Cole sat back, looking like he was trying to catch his breath.
Carson searched Cole’s dark eyes. He could see residual fear there. With everything going on with Truman and the visions, he was going to keep what he’d just seen to himself. He had a feeling white light plus him not responding to Cole might mean he’d been in heaven. “I’m sure that wasn’t the case, Cole. Some psychics who have visions enter a deep state of mediation like the Tibetan Yogis where they only breathe a few times a minute.” He had no idea if this was true or not, but based on the relieved look on his brother’s face, Cole believed him and that was all that mattered.
Cole hopped back to his feet and pulled Carson up with him. “What did you see?”
“Nothing.” Carson braced his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths.
“Come on, seriously. You were barely breathing.”
“I saw nothing, just white light. No sound. No color. Nothing.”
Cole looked stunned. “What do you think it means?”
Carson thought it meant someone was going to die, but he wasn’t about to tell Cole that. “I think it means I’ve gotten all the information there is to give.”
“What’s your plan for the night?” Cole helped Carson sit back down.
This was the part of the conversation he was dreading. “Sit, Cole. I have a lot to tell you.”
“Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a bad conversation?”
Carson shrugged. “Because it is.” Even though he’d been sending Truman messages all week and had been praying to God and any Spirit who would listen, Carson had still been putting things in order. “There’s a folder on the desk in my bedroom marked with your name on it.”
“Okay. What’s in it?” Cole wore a wary look.
“My will,” Cole said simply. Of course that wasn’t all that was in the accordion file.
“Jesus Christ,” Cole murmured.
“Trust me. It’s for the best. “I left everything to you. My half of the house and the store. I’m not going to make you promise to keep it open like Mom did to us. That’s not fair.”
Cole nodded silently.
“I’ve also been to McMurray Funeral Home.”
Cole sputtered, but couldn’t seem to find any words.
“I picked out everything, down to the clothes I want to be buried in and the headstone. All of the information is in the folder, along with a letter to Truman. Will you make sure he gets it?”
Tears tracked down Cole’s cheeks. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this, Carson. We only lost Mom a year ago. I can’t lose you too. You’re all I’ve got.”
Carson set a hand on top of Cole’s. “No, I’m not. There’s someone else on your horizon.”
“Shit, now you sound like Mom.” Cole half-laughed.
Carson laughed along with him. “I know. She came to me out of the blue, but I’m positive I’m right.”
“What’s on the horizon isn’t the point. You’re my brother. I want you in my life. I don’t want to have to touch so
me damn crystal ball to talk to you.”
“This is all just in case.” Carson’s heart pinched. He couldn’t help remembering the way Truman laughed over his just-in-case bag with its overnight supplies and oversized packages of condoms and lube. “I need to know you’re protected if the worst-case scenario happens tonight.”
“So let me come with you, so we have two sets of eyes on the gunman.” Cole’s eyes were filled with desperation and fear.
“No way! I’m not putting you in the middle of this. Having Truman and Cassie there will be bad enough.” Carson hoped Cole didn’t ask why Cassie figured into the equation of people he needed to protect. It was just one more layer of why tonight meant so damn much.
If his stubborn-ass ex-boyfriend would just stay home, none of them would be in harm’s way. Cassie had promised to keep him up-to-date with Truman’s movements tonight, so he’d know what was going on. In the meantime, the only thing he could do was pray.
36
Truman
Truman tugged on his Christmas tree tie. Even though it was tied loosely, it felt like it was cutting of his air supply. He was standing in the lobby of the Gemtronics building watching as his fellow co-workers enjoyed themselves at the party. He was miserable.
He’d spent the last two days lost in a mire of his own thoughts. One minute he was reliving all of the happy moments he and Carson spent together and the next minute he was raging over Carson’s betrayal.
Trying to take Cassie’s advice and put himself in Carson’s shoes had been hard. He was man enough to admit his ex had been between a rock and hard place when it had come to finding the right time and place to tell him about the visions.
Guilt swamped over him again. He remembered telling Carson there was nothing he could do that Truman couldn’t forgive, but he hadn’t been able to forgive this, so far.
Part of him knew that Carson believed in the visions but the other, admittedly more cynical part of himself, believed the idea of a psychic vision was pure bullshit. He was here at the party tonight because that side of himself insisted he come.
