After the waitress took their orders, Gage turned to her and Jared with a patronizing grin. “I’m glad to finally meet you, dude. Katie isn’t exactly one to date.”
“Gage…” Julie began in a warning tone. Julie gripped his arm, but Gage’s expression never wavered.
“I’m just saying, Kate will probably be a lot less uptight now that she has a man around,” he said with a smile. His emerald eyes scanned the menu with practiced nonchalance.
“I’m not uptight, I just have a low tolerance for general douchieness,” Kate replied in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Gage leaned back in a chair and let out a guffaw. He put down the menu and studied her. “You still seem tightly wound,” he addressed her before turning to Jared. “You’re making sure our Katie is satisfied, right?”
Jared looked momentarily flustered and opened his mouth to reply, but Kate beat him to it. “Only you, Gage, would think my sex life is appropriate dinner conversation.”
“Sorry Katie, but I can smell your sexual frustration from a mile away,” he laughed.
Throwing down her palm hard against the table, she noted the whole table jump. The couple across the way had to pick their jaws off the floor as they began to take note of the interaction. Picking up her chopsticks, she pointed them maniacally at Gage. “One more word and I swear I’ll shove these chopsticks so far up your…”
Jared turned to Julie who had a far away look in her eyes. “Are they always like this?” he questioned in an alarmed tone. Jared shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked on the verge of bolting for the nearest exit.
Shaking her head, Julie gave him a faraway smile. “Sorry, I didn’t notice if they were still at it. I usually tune them out when they’re fighting and replay old episodes of The Vampire Diaries in my head.”
Kate took a deep breath and lowered the chopsticks. She figured it was best to calm down. It was hard not to notice the alarmed look on the faces of the couple across the way. The man seemed to be signaling the waitress about switching tables. Gage slapped Jared heartily on the back. “Dude, I was totally kidding. I just get a kick turning Kate into a complete spaz.”
Jared gave him a tight smile and turned to her. He clutched her hand and shot a full blown grin her way. Any tension she felt was relieved as she began to giggle at the silliness of the situation. Maybe Gage was right and she was sexually frustrated. It was absurd that a few off color remarks had sent her in a tizzy.
The rest of the dinner went surprisingly well. Their hibachi chef was hysterical and he was generous with the saki. After a few shots of the alcohol, she was even finding Gage tolerable and actually laughed at a few of his jokes. Before they parted ways, Kate was in high spirits and suggested they make this a regular thing and make plans to all go out together soon.
Kate leaned contently into Jared as they walked to his car. “Are you being affectionate or am I helping you stay vertical?” he laughed looking down at her. At least he had no problem being her designated driver for the night.
“You smell delicious,” she sighed into his shirt.
Jared laughed loudly before helping her get into his car. He lingered in front of her after buckling her seatbelt. “Remember the last time you were drunk and I drove you home? Same rules apply.”
“Does that mean you’re going to take me to get coffee again and refuse my advances? It’ll be just like old times,” she said flippantly. He shook his head and closed her car door.
After settling into his seat, Jared tilted towards her. “When I do take advantage of you, I’d like you to be fully conscious.” He pecked her on the lips before throwing the car in reverse. “We’ll stop for that coffee though. I thought we could maybe take a ride somewhere if you’re up to it.”
“I’m up for anything, baby,” she said huskily followed by a fit of laughter. Tucking a loose wave behind her ear, she thought about how she made a horrible seductress. “You probably have serious doubts after tonight about dating someone like me.”
“No doubts at all,” he said and she could tell he honestly meant it. The time she got to spend with Jared made her irrationally happy. Not only was he kind and handsome, but he put up with her immaturity and quirky sense of humor. Plus, she thought as he handed her a warm cup after stopping at Dunkin Donuts, he knew exactly how she took her coffee without being prompted.
Kate knew that what she felt towards Jared was strong and her life had completely changed since the moment he rang her doorbell months ago. She understood that the smart thing would be to take things slow. Kate hadn’t dated anyone since high school and Jared had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. Yet to tone down the intensity of her emotions was impossible.
Kate hadn’t noticed where they were headed until he parked the car. It was dark, but a few spotlights shone on the walkways and the parking lot. After a couple of seconds, Kate recognized the local park where Jared had taken her last month when they worked together to find Cori.
“Our lake!” she cried hopping out of the car and running towards the path. She almost tripped, but luckily her boyfriend had quick reflexes and caught her. His arm wrapped around her waist and he embraced her in a way that left her faint.
“Slow down there champ. Remember the geese weren’t the biggest fan of you last time,” Jared said dryly. It was his favorite thing to joke about.
He took her hand and led her towards the lake’s edge. She had never been inside the park at night. Long shadows were cast from the trees and the bugs created a loud symphony of chirps and rattles. It was equally parts romantic and creepy. “You didn’t take me out here to kill me, did you? I hope you’re not that furious over not mentioning the other psychic sooner.”
He put a finger to her lips to silence her. She was about to come up with a witty retort to the condescending gesture, but decided against it when she noted the seductive gleam in his eyes. As flattered as she was over his intense stare, Kate hoped this wasn’t the special night he had talked about. She imagined her mortification if a park ranger caught them getting it on. Looking around, she guessed they could always get friendly with each other in the gazebo. But that didn’t exactly scream romance. Plus, who knows what kind of crawly things made their home in that thing at night? Feeling pressure on her mouth, Jared’s kiss silenced her inner monologue.
His hand worked his way through the soft waves of her hair. Pulling her into his body, she could feel the firmness of his muscles. Kissing him back, she ran her fingers through his hair and sighed into his mouth. Breaking the kiss, Jared let out a little laugh. “I love when you do things like that.”
“What?” Tilting her head, she gave him an inquisitive look.
His hand rested on her cheek as he looked deep into her hazel eyes. “Sigh when you’re kissing me. It makes it hard for me to ever be upset with you.”
“Good to know. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I end up doing anything that really will make you mad,” Kate teased.
“About the whole new psychic thing…”
She interrupted him. “You’re not going to say anything that ruins our happy place, are you?”
“No, but I want you to realize you can talk to me about the psychic stuff. Things are getting hectic at work, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have time for you.” He paused and said thoughtfully, “That vision of Max must still be bothering you.”
The mention of Max was instantly sobering. Closing her eyes, she could envision the boy’s tortured brown eyes as Max listened to the woman say his parents were dead. “It’s been tough,” she conceded. “But I’ve seen nothing else since that one night. I’m hanging my hopes partially on this other psychic. He didn’t elaborate, but he hinted that he could help me with my visions.”
Jared didn’t reply which encouraged her to continue talking about Declan. “His caseload was impressive. I can’t imagine he’s gotten this successful without having some way to control his gift,” Kate said thoughtfully.
He hugged her and gave a quick kiss on the
top of her head. “It wouldn’t hurt hearing him out. We should’ve figured there were more actual psychics out there. Just be careful,” Jared cautioned. “People are bound to try and take advantage of you.”
“Like Franklin’s best-looking detective?”
“You know it.”
Chapter Six
Max didn’t like this place. He missed his mommy, daddy and his dog Molly. He didn’t like the weird lady who kept asking him to call her mommy. Even if his mommy was in heaven now, she wasn’t his mommy. She could be so nice to him, but then be really mean too. She hit him hard twice already for not listening to her rules. She spanked his bottom hard enough that he cried for hours afterward when he sat down. His mommy and daddy never hit him, even after the time he poured all the red paint on Molly.
She now sat across from him at the kitchen table staring off in space. Sometimes she would mumble words Max could barely make out. He pushed around the cereal in his bowl and worked up the nerve to ask her to call his grandma. She explained the bad guys wouldn’t let him see her, but why couldn’t he talk to her on the phone? Maybe if he could just talk to his grandma for a minute, Max could tell her that she had to come get him. Everyone knew his grandma was one of the nicest people in the whole world. She would never let him stay here if she found out what the mean lady had done to him.
“Can I call Grandma today?” he asked in a small voice.
It took the woman a moment to snap out of her daze and answer him. “No.”
“But why?” He heard the whine in his voice, but none of her rules made any sense to him.
“I don’t have her phone number,” she barked and narrowed her eyes at him. This was usually a sign she was going to lose her temper. Max imagined he could still feel the sting of her slap the last time when she got mad.
“Maybe you could call my house? I know my number by heart and she might be there taking care of my doggy,” he pleaded and tried to keep from crying. The world had turned upside down for him overnight. If this woman was supposed to take care of him, then why would she keep him from talking to his grandma?
“I said NO!” A primal scream came out and her movements became wild. In a rage, she grabbed the cereal bowl in front of him and smashed it against the wall. The glass shattered and soggy cereal mixed with milk slithered down the wall. Max cowered under the table and began to sob. Why would his mommy and daddy leave him with this nasty lady?
***
Kate woke up in a tangle of sheets with sweat dripping off of her. Her heart was racing and she fumbled for the light switch. She was tempted to call out for her mother or dial Jared’s number, but this wouldn’t bring Max home from his nightmare. The woman who took him was unbalanced and she would probably end up seriously injuring the boy if Max didn’t get away from her soon. With resolute steps, she fished the sub shop card out of her purse along with her cell phone. Not even bothering to look at the time, Kate dialed the number.
“Hello.” After several rings, a sleepy voice finally answered.
“It’s Kate…Kate Edwards, we met yesterday?” she prompted.
Her head began to pound the more she gained consciousness. In hindsight, those saki shots were a huge mistake and she desperately hoped the rolling nausea from the vision wouldn’t lead to a full scale vomit fest. She sat on the side of her bed and held her head in her hands while waiting for Declan to reply.
“Yes, Psychic Kate, I do remember and why…” he paused and she heard some shuffling and possibly the sound of an aggravated female groan, “exactly are you calling me at four in the morning?”
“I need your help finding a little boy. He’s in trouble and I can’t figure out where he is,” she explained in a rush.
No need to beat around the bush. If he wasn’t able to help her Kate would have to move on and figure out on her own how to get Max home. The woman was deranged and could end up killing him. Her twisted features appeared in Kate’s mind. She planned to do another sketch and send it to the police department working on Max’s case. Nonetheless, the woman could be anywhere with Max and there were probably thousands of women who looked similar to the abductor.
Declan’s dry tone interrupted her thoughts. “Guess what you found out online was pretty enlightening. I’m trying to rank as the number one searched psychic on the web.”
“Yes and going on the web is a much more normal way to research someone than following them around. Anyway, are you able to meet or what?” Her fuse was short. A hangover and unsettling vision didn’t make for a happy Kate.
“Now? Well, I’m sort of indisposed at the moment,” he sniggered and female laughter rang clearer through the line. Great, the one psychic she meets is a conceited cretin. Before she could give a retort, Declan continued, “How about you meet me later at Jersey Mike’s? I’ll treat you to lunch and we can talk?”
“Whatever, that’s fine. There’s one in town on Bath Avenue. I’ll see you there at noon.” She fell back onto her bed and closed her eyes. By rubbing her temples, she hoped it would ease her headache.
“Sounds like a plan,” Declan agreed. After she didn’t reply, he continued, “Oh and Kate?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t forget to bring my free sub card.”
***
Declan gave her an arrogant grin as she walked over to the entrance Jersey Mike’s later that afternoon. Leaning against the building, he perfected the look of casual cool. His hair was spiked in several different directions and he wore a t-shirt of some band she was not hip enough to have ever heard of. A couple of teenage girls laughed nervously as they walked by. They looked ready to swoon when he winked at them. He held out his hand as she approached.
Kate questioned sardonically, “What do you want? Me to give you five?”
“Ha-ha, hand over the sub card, sweetheart and I’ll let you live,” he joked.
She slapped the card into the palm of his hand. “I’ll take an Italian hoagie with no onions and roasted red peppers.”
When they entered the sub shop, it was quickly filling up with the lunch crowd. Kate explained to Declan that she would snag a table while he did the ordering. Agreeing, he headed towards the counter while she sat near the back of the restaurant. It was hard to not fidget as she waited for him to return with their sandwiches. A million questions were running through her head. It had never occurred to her that she would ever actually meet a legitimate psychic. His appearance in her life made her feel foolish for never considering the possibility of looking for others like her. The only major research she had done was read a few books from well-known psychics. Their stories were so dissimilar from hers that she figured maybe her case was unique.
A few minutes later Declan took the seat across from her. As he arranged the sandwiches, she did a quick study of him. He was good looking, but not classically handsome. Between the scars and the multiple tattoos, Kate speculated that many people would find him intimidating. Declan was not what she would picture as a psychic—more like someone who would end up crushing skulls in a MMA match. However, when he met her eyes, his smile was disarming—a direct contradiction of his bad ass exterior.
Kate spoke first, “Thanks for meeting me. Sorry about the late night call, I had a vision and it freaked me out.”
Before taking a bite of his sandwich he started, “So, you’re working on a new case?”
She nodded and launched into a detailed explanation. “I’m not sure what you know about me or even if your gift works the same as mine. My visions usually only happen at night when I’m dreaming. I never really know who I’ll end up seeing, but sometimes if I concentrate on a person before bed, the vision will be about them. Occasionally it will be a recent memory while other times it will be a vision from the person’s past.
“Anyway, a mother in Washington sent me a letter about her missing son last week. He was taken from a mall while out shopping with his grandmother. His name is Max and I already had two visions about him. This psycho lady is keeping him in her house and f
eeding him all of this B.S. about how his parents were killed and she was asked to look after him. She’s growing more and more abusive…” she trailed off.
Her throat constricted and Kate took a shaky breath before carrying on with her story. “I gave the police department in Blaine the woman’s description, but Max has no idea where he’s being kept.” She paused and dug a photograph out of her purse. Sliding it across the table she stated, “Here’s a recent picture. If there’s anything you can do to help…”
Declan didn’t let her finish. “I could tell you your first mistake right off the bat.”
She sat back in her chair, startled at his tone. “Come again?”
He pointed to the picture of Max that sat between them. “You’re trying to get in the wrong person’s head. Now that you saw his abductor, you should be working on her. It’s not likely she’s going to just blurt out her address to him.”
Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. “You do have a point, but it’s not like I can automatically read her thoughts even if I have a vision of her. I was inside Max’s head, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes I’m just observing the scene, kind of like watching a movie.”
“That’s how it is for me too,” Declan assured her before asking, “But have you noticed any consistencies with your visions?”
“I never see a memory from someone who has died. Otherwise everything else seems kind of random,” she said with a shrug.
Kate’s sandwich remained untouched on her plate. It was surreal to be sitting here with another psychic and having a seemingly normal conversation about the weirdness that had surrounded her life for the past two years. It was comical to imagine what other diners would think about the two of them if they eavesdropped on their conversation.
New Revelations: Second Sight Book Two Page 5
