by C. M. Sutter
Her phone buzzed in her coat pocket as she drove toward her downtown apartment. Kate reached in, pulled it out, and checked the screen. Sergeant Monroe was calling from her own cell phone.
Almost embarrassed to answer it because of the letdown yesterday, Kate picked up out of nothing more than curiosity.
“Hello, Sergeant Monroe.”
“Kate, I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Sorry, I had an appointment. What’s the problem?”
“Do you have time to stop by the sheriff’s department?”
“Um… sure, I guess so. When?”
“How about right now?”
“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Chapter 22
I tried to organize the notes I had scratched out from the call I received a few minutes earlier. Detective Amoroso in Nashville had contacted me about a strange coincidence. He told me a call had come into his police department a half hour ago about a possible missing woman. Dispatch forwarded the call to his desk. The description the caller gave him was of a petite forty-three-year-old female with red hair.
Normally, as with any case, Detective Amoroso’s hands would be tied with the typical twenty-four-hour waiting period on a reported missing person. He’d told me he thought about Kate’s dream and then took another look at the vague sketch I had faxed over of the woman’s description. It piqued his curiosity enough to give me a call. He dispatched two officers to the woman’s workplace with the sketch from Kate’s dream. He said he’d let me know more once they were back with the police report.
I rubbed my forehead in thought. “I’ll call Kate and get her feel on the situation. Let’s touch base again in a bit.”
We ended the phone call, and I immediately dialed Kate and asked her to come down to the station. Water for tea heated in the microwave. I poured it into a carafe, then occupied myself with busywork as I waited for Kate to arrive.
Jack gave me a concerned look. “So, how do you think she can help?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Hell, I don’t know if the woman in Kate’s dream and this one are even the same person. The missing woman’s coworkers called it in. They said she had been complaining of a headache. She snuck out to buy a bottle of aspirin and told them she’d be right back.” I glanced at the clock. “That’s coming on nearly an hour ago, and nobody has seen her since.”
“And they did the usual? Called her cell and house phone?”
“I don’t know everything yet. I guess the officers are still interviewing the coworkers. I’m sure they’re asking the necessary questions.”
I picked up the ringing desk phone. Jan, on the other end, said Kate had just arrived. I clicked off, crossed the room, and welcomed Kate into the bull pen.
She extended her hand and shook mine. “Sergeant Monroe, you sounded upset on the phone. What can I do to help?”
“Let’s have some tea and sit in the conference room. We need to talk.”
I led the way, each of us carrying our own cup of tea. Kate sat on the same chair as yesterday, and I took a seat across from her. I’d rather face the person I was talking to than sit at their side. The only topic of conversation I wanted to focus on was the redheaded woman in Kate’s dream. My cell phone sat on the table within inches of my hand. Detective Amoroso told me once he had confirmation that the sketch was, or could be, the missing woman, he would let me know. He was hoping, if that were the case, Kate could provide more details of her dream.
“Kate, we need your help. Actually, Nashville needs your help.”
“Why? What happened?”
Kate’s expression changed. She perked up and was definitely intrigued. Maybe working with law enforcement actually was her true calling.
“You remember Detective Amoroso?”
“Of course I do. He’s a wonderful man and a well-respected detective. Did something happen to him?”
“No, he’s fine.”
She breathed a sigh.
“A woman has gone missing in Nashville. That in itself wouldn’t be particularly unusual except, after hearing the description of your dream …” I paused. “Kate, the woman is in her early forties, is small, and has red hair.”
Kate shook her head and pressed her temples. “It’s no good. The drawing isn’t detailed enough. How are they going to be certain it’s her?”
“I don’t know. The only thing I’m sure of is that Detective Amoroso sent officers to her workplace. They took the sketch along to show the employees, but it may be too early to assume anything sinister has happened. The woman told her coworkers she had a headache and was leaving to buy a bottle of aspirin. She said she’d be back in ten minutes. That was nearly an hour and a half ago.” My cell phone rang. “Hold on, it’s Detective Amoroso.”
I opened my notepad and began writing as he spoke to me. The officers had learned more about the woman from her coworkers. Even though the sketch wasn’t detailed, they agreed the woman in the drawing could be their friend.
“Okay, yes, I understand.” I glanced at Kate—she looked to be deep in thought. “Will do. Please keep us posted, and I’ll let you know if there’s anything else she can bring up from that dream.” I clicked off the call.
“What does he need from me, Sergeant?”
“Please, call me Jade. Detective Amoroso would like you to dig deeper into that dream. The coworkers think the sketch could be her. Her workmates said she’s divorced, lives alone, and has two kids that are away in college. Apparently, the officers went to her home, and the residence was empty. They spoke with her neighbors, and nobody has seen her or her car since she pulled out of the driveway at seven a.m. to go to work.”
Anxiety covered Kate’s face. “What is the woman’s name?”
I checked my chicken scratching from the initial phone call. “Her name is Deidra Nelson. Does that name mean anything to you?”
Kate nodded. “The redheaded woman in my dream wore a locket.”
“That’s right, and it was engraved.”
“With the initials DAN. I thought it was a man’s name, but now I’m sure it’s her own initials. You need to find out what her middle name is.”
“Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Focus, Kate. Can you see where she was in your dream? You said there were pallets and garbage cans. There were multiple buildings. She ran and hid from the man, but he kept finding her. Take a deep breath and think hard.”
“The man in my dream wasn’t Robert, though. I didn’t recognize him.”
“That’s okay. The dream may not be related to Robert. Do you remember anything else, like how she was abducted or where? Was the location Nashville?”
Kate took a minute and closed her eyes. She pressed her fingertips against her forehead, and her brows furrowed, almost to the point of touching. She let out a deep sigh.
“There isn’t any more than what I originally told you. My dream took place at night, and the darkness made everything fade in and out. Her face was often blocked by shadows, and she moved around a lot. I caught glimpses of objects here and there, like the pallets and garbage cans. The buildings could be in any city. They weren’t unique, and I didn’t notice any writing or advertisements on them. All I can say is she didn’t die during my dream.”
“Okay, take a break and shake it off. I need to call Detective Amoroso back.”
I watched as Kate got up and rolled her neck. She looked so helpless. She went to the window and looked out. In that moment, as I witnessed her anxiety, I wasn’t so sure that being a psychic was much of a gift at all.
I made the call to Detective Amoroso and told him about the locket. He informed me of Deidra Nelson’s middle name—Ann. We could assume with almost one hundred percent certainty that the missing woman in Nashville was the same woman as the one in Kate’s dream. After speaking to him, we planned to reconvene at three o’clock via conference call. Detective Amoroso and his officers were going to be conducting more interviews with friends, family, and coworkers until then. From the lack o
f information they had so far, he’d said, it appeared that Deidra Nelson had vanished into thin air.
Back in the bull pen, Kate sat on one of my guest chairs with a cup of tea at her side and wrote in her legal pad.
“Did something come to mind?” I asked.
“I’m making notes for the conference call.”
“Such as?”
“Even though I had the dream about the blond woman first, the dreams could be related. The redhead was in a city, and the blond woman was in a cornfield. Maybe the killer is moving across the country and killing as he goes. I need to put my ideas on paper so I don’t forget them. I’d like to know where Deidra worked and where the nearest store was where she might have gone for the aspirin. Did they check that out? Did they pull up store surveillance?”
I patted her shoulder. “Now you’re thinking like a cop. That’s a big help, and those are valid concerns. I’m sure Detective Amoroso will update us during the call. Go ahead and write down anything you can think of that may be relative.”
Ten minutes later, Kate stood and reached for her coat. “I should go. I have a reading at one thirty. What time would you like me back here?”
“Two forty-five should work. That will give you a few minutes to look over your notes before we begin. Detective Amoroso wants to speak with you personally during the call. Your back-and-forth conversation could possibly trigger a memory.” I led Kate to the door. “Your help means a lot, Kate. See you in a few hours.”
Chapter 23
Robert
The gravel sounded under his tires. Robert pulled over to the side of the road and waited for his brother to catch up. He watched through the side mirror and rolled down the window when Tony stopped behind him.
“What’s up?” Tony asked when he exited the truck and walked up to the car.
“This bitch is driving me crazy with her wailing, and I don’t want people from other cars noticing.”
They had just passed Hopkinsville, Kentucky, when Robert pulled over.
“What do you want to do with her? Should we find an out-of-the-way road and gut her in the woods?”
Robert gave that idea some thought. “Sounds tempting, but not yet, dude. I want to have a little fun before we carve her up. I’ve been locked up for ten years, brother.” Robert laughed wickedly and grinned at the woman to his right. He curled his lips and flicked his tongue at her. She spat at him. “Hang on.” Robert reached across the console and punched her in the face. Her head bounced off the side window. She moaned in agony as Robert went back to the conversation. “Yeah, I definitely need the duct tape to close that mouth of hers. The bitch just spat on me.”
Tony chuckled. “Sounds like the typical fiery redhead.”
She’s getting gagged and tied up, then she’s going on the floor in the backseat so nobody sees her.”
“Put her ass in the trunk.”
“Yeah, maybe I will.”
Twenty miles north of Hopkinsville, the landscape became less populated with people, and dense woods took over. Mailboxes along the road were scarce, and houses were few and far between. Robert kept his eyes peeled for a forgotten path or an overgrown driveway that led to an abandoned homestead from days gone by. Ahead on his right, a dirt path led into the woods. Robert clicked on his blinker and turned in. The woman flailed, probably fearing the unknown.
“This is your only warning. Shut up now or have your throat slit open wide enough to drive your car through—your choice.”
The car fell quiet. He continued on until the path ended at a pond overgrown with tall grasses at the water’s edge. A stone foundation was all that remained of what looked to be a house. Broken, sun-faded, and rotted boards lay scattered across the dry ground like pickup sticks. Robert pulled in and parked.
“Don’t even think of moving,” he said to the woman as he exited the car and stretched. He cracked his knuckles and walked over to check out the pond.
Tony pulled the truck in behind him. “Nice, secluded place,” he said as he got out and looked around. “Sure you don’t want to mess her up right now? Nobody will ever find her.”
“I like to savor the anticipation for a while. Let’s take our time with her. Pull up a map of Indiana on your phone.”
Tony typed in a few words then handed the phone to Robert. Robert lifted his sunglasses and squinted at the screen.
“Why can’t I see a damn thing?”
“Find a shady spot. You can’t read any cell phones in the sun.”
Robert grumbled and found a tree to stand under. “That’s better. How do I move this map around? I want to see how far we are from Evansville.”
“Give it here.” Tony closed the map and typed in the distance from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to Evansville, Indiana. “It’s less than an hour and a half away.”
Robert pondered that information. “Yeah, let’s keep going. We’ll get a motel room in Evansville tonight. After a decent dinner, we’ll have our way with her and then finish her off. Sounds like a good time.” He jerked his head toward the car. “Let’s get her into the trunk.”
Tony walked around to the passenger door and pulled it open. He grabbed the woman by her bent arm and yanked her out. A grunt sounded as she fell to the ground. Dirt covered her face and coated her eyes. Robert tore a piece of duct tape off the roll and stretched it over her mouth right as she began to scream. He rolled her over and hog-tied her, then pulled the rope extra tight. He smirked and wiped his dirty hands on his pant legs.
“I knew that rope would come in handy.”
Tony popped the trunk, and they dumped her in.
Chapter 24
With two carafes filled, one coffee and one water, and Styrofoam cups, stirring sticks, creamer, and sugar within reach, we waited at the conference room table for the call. We each had notepads, Kate’s already bullet pointed with questions.
The phone rang at 2:57. Kate looked at the clock and wrote down the time. I thought that was odd.
We exchanged greetings with Detective Amoroso, then got down to business. He started by reiterating the points they knew so far. Deidra Nelson’s house was empty, and none of the neighbors had seen her since she went to work that morning. According to them, her life was normal, and she was a happy, optimistic person. She wasn’t the type to run off without telling anyone and had Thanksgiving festivities already planned. Her college-age kids were coming home for the holiday. Deidra’s coworkers at the garden-supply store echoed the same sentiment. Other than that morning’s headache, Deidra was a happy, positive person with no obvious concerns or problems.
I watched as Kate took detailed notes. She was fully invested in this missing woman.
Detective Amoroso went on to say that Deidra owned a blue 2015 Mazda 3 sedan.
Kate spoke up. “Detective, have her coworkers mentioned any particular store near their workplace that they usually frequent?”
“We actually compiled a list from each employee. There were fifteen stores that they came up with in total, and we’re checking into each of them. Some were open at the time, others weren’t. Some have cameras, and some don’t. It will take a little time to complete the interviews. The neighborhood is populated with businesses. Being right off the highway like that, there are a lot of stores, restaurants, and hotels in the area.”
“What highway is that?” I asked.
“Highway 41. Is that relevant?”
I stole a glance at Kate. She looked more than worried.
I responded, “Possibly, but we aren’t one hundred percent sure yet.”
“Kate, do you get a sense that Deidra has left Nashville?”
“I do, sir. I feel she is being held against her will, and they’re heading north.”
“Tell me more about the dream you had. Is there any way to pinpoint where you saw her?”
“Not really. My dream took place at night. Granted, darkness takes over at five thirty in November. I saw her being chased around a cluster of buildings. She was running for her life and tryin
g to hide from the monster that has her.”
“So, at some point she must have escaped?”
“I don’t have any information leading up to that. My dream began with her running and looking for a place to hide. The man chased her, but there wasn’t anything I recognized about the city or area. There weren’t any landmarks in particular, only the sound of trains nearby.”
“That could be anywhere. Your dream didn’t include anything from her actual abduction?”
“Sorry, Detective Amoroso, but no. All I saw were bits and pieces. It boiled down to a petite redhead in her forties. I saw the locket with her initials on it, and the rest was of her running from her captor.”
“Sure, no problem, Kate. Don’t let this stress you out. Did you see the man?”
“Only in the shadows. He was big and had facial hair. His eyes were full of malice.”
“Facial hair, as in a beard?”
“He had a beard and mustache and his hair was long. It was pulled back in a ponytail.”
“That’s helpful information, Kate. Anything else? Did you see him well enough to work with a sketch artist?”
“Not really. I was lucky to get what I did of Deidra. Sir?”
“Yes.”
“She was abducted in broad daylight. You said the area is full of businesses. I’d think her abduction is on video somewhere that sells aspirin. It shouldn’t be that hard to find.”
“I agree, and the department has officers checking into that as we speak. We put a BOLO out on her car too. I’ll call with updates as we learn more.” Detective Amoroso said good-bye and clicked off.
I pushed back my chair and stood. Kate did the same. I gathered the carafes to take back to the beverage station.
“It tugs at my heart, Jade.”
“What does?”
“Not knowing. Would this have happened anyway if I hadn’t dreamed it? In the past, I was called in to help after somebody already went missing. Now it feels like my dreams are what sets everything in motion. It’s like I’m instigating the crime.”
