New Revelations: Second Sight Book Two

by Heather Topham Wood

  Glancing down at Declan’s hand entwined in hers, she shook her fingers free. It felt dirty to hold his hand while fighting with her boyfriend. Kate couldn’t let Declan get in her head and plant fantastical notions. Her emotions were too raw from her fight with Jared and she may end up seeking solace in the wrong place.

  When she talked to Jared again, they could work everything out. Declan had made it clear from the beginning he had wanted something more. If she continued to allow him to create a wedge between her and Jared, she could lose the best thing that ever happened to her.

  Wordlessly, she studied Declan as he drove. As much as she felt turmoil over his part in the discord with Jared, it would be a lie to deny that she felt nothing for Declan. He was the only other psychic she knew and she was extremely grateful for his help with her gift. Plus, there was the fact he was easy on the eyes. Kate couldn’t pretend he wasn’t physically attractive. The bevy of women to darken his door weren’t showing up for his sparkling personality. He had a dark sensuality that was undeniably alluring. His eyes were warm as he looked at her and she blushed as if he could read her mind.

  Clearing her throat, Kate began, “Can you tell me more about the future visions?”

  The side of his mouth turned up. “What do you want to know?”

  “How many have you had? What have they been like? Did they all come true?” She relentlessly questioned him.

  “It hasn’t happened often. Maybe a dozen times,” he answered. He shot an infuriating cocky grin her way. “Not all of the visions have taken place yet. But I have a feeling they will soon.”

  Kate hoped he noticed her eye roll. “Moving on...” Kate trailed off. Instead of looking at Declan, she watched the trees lining the highway. “Why do you think you have them? Have you tried to change the outcome?”

  “You can’t fight destiny,” he said and gave her a meaningful look.

  “Declan,” she admonished, “what if you were given this ability to try and change the future?”

  “Look, I did have a premonition about my uncle having a heart attack,” he said tightly. “I told him to get checked out. His response was to call me a weird little jerk-off and to go get bent. He died of a massive coronary three weeks later.”

  “Wow Declan. That’s horrible. I don’t know what to say,” she said softly.

  “The truth of it is we will probably never know why we were given these abilities,” he shrugged. “People have near death experiences everyday. Why were we the ones selected to have visions? And when I see the future, am I supposed to try to fix things?” he questioned rhetorically with a shake of his head. “Or maybe it’s just a big cosmic joke and I have to let fate run its course.”

  Kate prayed that wasn’t true. It made her especially thankful she had never experienced a premonition. It terrified her to think she could see something painful happening to someone she loved and be powerless to do anything about it. With any luck, she would never develop the ability to predict the future. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. A flash of Jared saying that he loved her would be most welcomed.

  “Did you notice any constants when you had the visions?” she inquired. “Anything you were doing that could have brought them on?”

  Declan nodded. “I guess you could say that my emotions were heightened at the time. I wasn’t in the same relaxed state like when I have most of my visions. It happened twice after I…” He gave her an uncertain look before continuing. “Well, I guess I should tell you that I used to do a lot of drugs—especially after my accident. I’m clean now, but I used to try all kinds of nasty stuff. I have seen omens when I’ve been high.”

  “Then maybe they were just hallucinations,” Kate countered.

  For some reason, she was having a tough time accepting the idea that Declan could see the future and she couldn’t. It made her question her abilities and wonder at the reason she had yet to harness this power.

  “Good point,” he replied with sarcasm, “except for the fact that the visions came true.”

  “I’ve been psychic for over two years now. In all that time, I’ve only seen people’s memories of the past. It’s one of the reasons I find it hard to believe you’re not full of it.”

  Declan shrugged. “Maybe it’s just your blasé personality.”

  “If my personality sucks so much, stop hitting on me,” she retorted.

  “Touché, little Kit Kat, touché,” he laughed. “If you saw what I did in the vision, you would understand why I can’t get the thought of us together out of my head.”

  “You only want me because I’m taken.” Kate shifted in her seat and gave Declan a tight smile. “If the chase ended, you wouldn’t be interested. Besides, aren’t you seeing Trish?”

  “Nah, she was getting way too clingy. She scared off this girl Sarah I was also seeing. Trish sent her a threatening email saying she would ruin her life if Sarah didn’t stop sleeping with me,” he explained

  “Lord, you’re a walking PSA for safe sex,” she groaned.

  “Don’t worry, Kate,” he said with a cocky grin. “The moment you say the word, they’re all gone.”

  “God help me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  They arrived in Chambersburg ahead of schedule. When they pulled into town, Declan had called Melanie’s sister to see where she wanted to meet. Delaney was with her parents and giving an interview to a newspaper reporter about her sister’s disappearance. She would let them know once the interview was over and they could come by the apartment she shared with Melanie. Deciding to kill some time, they headed to a burger place for dinner.

  Trying to save calories, she skipped the fries with her cheeseburger. However, she swiped a few off of Declan’s plate while he went to the condiments bar. She also snuck a look at her phone to see if Jared had called. Nothing yet. Before she could send him another text, Declan returned to the table. Kate slid the cell phone into her purse and took a bite of her burger.

  “You surprised me today,” Declan admitted. “I thought you would be more freaked out about the drug thing.”

  She chewed thoughtfully, hoping to bide herself some time to reply. “Well, you know, I figured I’d respect your boundaries and not badger you with questions about it,” Kate said pointedly.

  She hoped this gave Declan the message that she didn’t appreciate him always crossing the line when it came to her life. As an afterthought, she said, “Anyway, it doesn’t really matter now if you’re clean.”

  He leaned back in his chair and stared at her openly. She squirmed in her chair. “You’re a terrible liar. You must have already known about my past. Did you have the detective run a background check on me?” Declan mistook her silence for affirmation. “I wouldn’t be mad if that’s the case. I did follow you around for a week.”

  “No, I didn’t have Jared look into you.” Although she was definitely going to do that now and shuddered at the thought of what could pop up on his criminal record. “It’s sort of awkward to admit…”

  Declan didn’t let her finish. With a knowing smile, he stated, “You’ve had visions about me.”

  “Nothing like yours, I assure you,” she replied haughtily. “But I did see some things about your past that helped me understand you better.”

  “What did you see?”

  “It only happened once…” she stopped and wished she could somehow avoid this conversation. It was always awkward when she had to admit having insider knowledge due to a vision. She was never sure about how the person would react to finding out she saw something private about them. This thought reminded her of when she told Jared about her vision of his parents. It had meant so much to him and he had expressed amazement over her powers. Kate had feared he would’ve been repulsed. It was only one of the many reasons she had fallen hard for him.

  Kate turned her attention back to Declan. “The vision was a fight between you and your mother. She threw you out of the house after the accident,” she explained. His frown prompted her to ramble on. “I mean
you can be a douche, but she did treat you pretty harsh. It seems like you were able to turn things around for yourself. That’s great.”

  He laughed heartily at her discomfort. “You can stop acting like a weirdo—I’m not bothered that you had a vision about me. I’d be surprised if you didn’t—considering how much time we’ve spent together. Besides, I have visions about you all the time.”

  She almost spit out her food. Oh god, Kate thought silently, was this how it felt like to be on the other side? She didn’t even want to know what memories Declan had seen. She was an unconventional person, so there were plenty of humiliating memories that could pop up in his mind. Now Kate understood why people would feel strange around her when she mentioned her second sight. Everyone had something to hide. The only one who freely invited her into his head before was Jared.

  Instead of replying to Declan, she felt the urge to call her boyfriend again. She stopped when Declan placed his hand over the top of hers. “Kate,” he addressed her softly. His dark eyes were serious. “I get that you’re upset about Jared, but I have a good feeling about today. We’ll find Melanie and we’ll be celebrating later when we’re $25,000 richer.”

  Kate ignored Declan’s reference to the reward money and instead thought about Melanie’s family and how much they must be missing the girl. Temporarily, she had to stop obsessing over her fight with Jared. If he stayed in her head, she would never have a vision about Melanie. She made an oath to concentrate on Melanie alone for now and deal with everything else later.

  Melanie and Delaney Pirola’s apartment was not difficult to find. It was strange, but it felt as if she were visiting an old friend. The sisters’ apartment had popped up so many times in her past visions, she had the layout memorized. The apartment featured two bedrooms, a full bathroom, eat-in kitchen and oversized living room. The sisters had been roommates for the past three years since both moved out of their parents’ house across town. The apartment was the site of so many happy times—she imagined it must be very painful for Delaney to continue to stay there without her sister.

  Delaney bared little resemblance to the happy and smiling girl from her sister’s memories. Her hollow eyes stared past the psychics as she greeted them at the door. A ghostly smile looked more like a grimace as she thanked them for making the long trek out to Chambersburg. Previously healthy blonde hair was limp against her shoulders and the normally immaculate dresser looked like she simply grabbed whatever was on top of the laundry basket. The sweatshirt was frayed at the edges and the yoga pants were old and discolored from frequent washes. Delaney worked as a bartender and had not returned to the restaurant since Melanie went missing.

  Kate’s heart sank as she took in further evidence of Delaney’s despair. Fast food containers littered the counters along with stacks of missing person flyers. Melanie’s door was firmly shut and Kate didn’t dare ask to peek inside. She picked up one of the flyers and took in Melanie’s familiar image. Delaney cleared off a spot on the couch and gestured for them to both sit.

  She addressed Kate first. “Declan has told me everything you saw. All of those memories…they really happened. My parents aren’t buying it, but I want you to know that I believe with every ounce of my being that you saw into my sister’s mind.”

  “Thank you,” Kate whispered.

  Tears sprung to her eyes and when she felt Declan take her hand, she did not pull away. Kate wasn’t overly surprised over Delaney’s pronouncement that her parents weren’t believers in the paranormal. Melanie’s memories of her parents had been joyous, but Kate had the sense that they were more rigid than Melanie let on. It could prevent them from relying on psychics to bring home their beloved daughter.

  Delaney twirled a strand of her hair and bobbed her head back and forth between them. “Can I ask you both a question?”

  “Of course,” Kate responded.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure that Declan has told me each memory that you and he have seen. After talking to him, I realized that none of the memories included CJ. Has Melanie thought about him at all?” Delaney’s anxiety was visible as she bounced her leg up and down and nervously chewed her thumbnail.

  “CJ?” Kate questioned and glanced sideways at Declan. Declan shook his head. Kate continued, “No, the name isn’t familiar. Who is he?”

  “It’s Melanie’s ex-boyfriend,” Delaney explained. “They were together for a year and a half and broke up a few months ago. I just find it strange that someone she was with for so long has never appeared to you.”

  Declan leaned his body forward as he addressed Delaney. “Yes, I now remember talking to you about the ex-boyfriend. He has an alibi for the day she went missing, right?”

  Delaney bit her lip hard. Kate wondered if the girl had drawn blood. “He does. But I find it sketchy. This girl comes out of nowhere and says they’ve been dating for weeks and she was with him the entire day and night of Melanie’s disappearance. Melanie told me he was still calling her, begging her to take him back. I know my sister and even though she never said so…” Delaney looked like it physically pained her to speak. “CJ had gotten violent with her before.”

  “Did you tell the police this?” Kate questioned. The thought of someone hitting sweet Melanie left a sour taste in her mouth. It reminded her of Max and how he had been another innocent victim of a violent person.

  “Yes, but I only have my gut feeling that he’s involved in some way. I don’t have any proof that he took her or had been hitting her. With his alibi checking out and his willingness to help look for Melanie, he seems to have taken himself off the suspect list,” Delaney said with malice. Delaney typically had Melanie’s same charming and even temperament. If she despised CJ this much, it certainly made him suspicious.

  Delaney looked at both of them with pleading eyes. “Listen, I don’t get why Melanie isn’t thinking about what happened to her. But Melanie has been missing for ten days. Declan told me you don’t see visions from people who died—which makes me guess that someone has her incapacitated. My sister would never just leave—no matter how bad things got.”

  Pushing aside some papers on the coffee table, Delaney held out a photograph. Declan took it from her. “This is a picture of CJ taken about two months before my sister broke up with him. If you can’t get the information you need from her, maybe he could shed some light on what happened to Melanie.”

  Melanie sat next to a lean boy with chestnut hair on the very couch she sat on. His arm was slung haphazardly around her shoulders and Melanie had her signature megawatt smile for the camera. His coloring was light and a smattering of freckles dotted his nose. His long legs stretched out in front of him, hinting at his height. The boy looked innocent enough, but that didn’t count for much. She’s seen enough true crime shows to know that the quiet and nice boys could easily turn out to be the ones hacking up people in their basement.

  Kate took a mental inventory of the visions she had of Melanie over the course of the week. The more she thought about it, the more Kate considered the possibility that Delaney may be on to something. In Melanie’s memories, it was as if CJ never existed. Even boys she had dated in middle school had walk on parts in Melanie’s recollections. Why would a year and a half relationship not even warrant a mention?

  From Delaney’s description, Melanie and CJ’s relationship sounded tumultuous. Maybe the reason Melanie had never thought about the boy was because it wasn’t a happy time in her life. If Melanie was only remembering the best times of her life, perhaps CJ didn’t warrant a mention. Another prospect that crossed her mind was Melanie running away to escape CJ’s abuse.

  Delaney picked up a piece of printer paper and passed it to them. “This is taken off of Brad Foster’s Facebook page. He goes to the gym where Melanie works and has been relentlessly hitting on her. If CJ doesn’t have anything to do with it, then I thought he may be another possibility.”

  The man in the photo was short and muscular. He was wearing a tank top and spandex gym shorts. Kate loath
ed that style of shorts and didn’t understand why anyone would possibly think they look good. Between his receding hairline and leathery tan skin, it was hard to identify his age. In any other situation, it would be comical to imagine this guy, most likely having a mid-life crisis, trying to score a date with the pretty gym instructor.

  “What do you know about him?” Declan inquired after they both had time to study the picture.

  Delaney sighed. “Not much. I’ve tried to get in touch with him and he consistently ignores me. I’ve sent several emails and called him twice since Melanie’s disappearance. He hasn’t responded in anyway. Melanie’s coworkers at the gym also tell me he has stopped going since she went missing.”

  “Sounds shifty,” Kate remarked as she nervously tapped her foot. Brad was another unfamiliar face that Kate didn’t recall from Melanie’s visions. If he had a crush on Melanie, his behavior was certainly questionable. Why wouldn’t he cooperate and do everything in his power to assist in finding her?

  “I thought so too. Unfortunately, refusing to talk to the bereaved sister of your missing fitness instructor isn’t a crime,” Delaney replied with her eyes downcast. “I hate to falsely accuse anyone, but I will do whatever it takes to get Melanie back home.”

  “Can we keep these?” Declan held up the photos of Brad and CJ.

  Delaney nodded and seemed to make a conscious effort to hold back her tears. Her strange bond with Melanie filled Kate with a need to comfort the girl. Kate reached over and gripped Delaney’s forearm. “We’re going to find your sister, no matter how long it takes.”

  “Thank you,” she sobbed. “Do you need a place to stay for the night? I know it’s late and you have such a long drive ahead of you. You’re welcome to stay here…”

  Declan interrupted her. “No, we’ll be fine—I already booked a hotel room.” Declan was the first to get to his feet. “Thanks for getting me the numbers for Melanie’s friends and coworkers earlier. I set up meetings with a few of them for tomorrow. CJ even agreed to grab a coffee in the morning to talk. We’ll see if anyone could be hiding something,” Declan said.