Confabulation (4 page)

CHAPTER
6

"Well, Carolyn, you’re eyes look fine. Have you been having any headaches lately?"

"There’s been like a buzzing that I can feel in my head. It hurts, but it’s more a feeling that my head is vibrating, or something in it." Carolyn rubbed her hand on the back of her head.

"Hmm. Well, like I said, there isn’t anything wrong with your eyes. You say it only happened the one time?" Dr. Aaronson stood and moved toward the door,

"That’s right, just once." Carolyn followed the doctor out of the room.

"Well, if it happens again, we’ll pursue some other avenues. For now, I think you should get some more rest. Do you need a sleep aid?"

"No. I’ve been sleeping fine. I’m okay."

"Good. Well, like I said, let me know immediately if it happens again."

"Thanks, Doc." Carolyn left the office and climbed back into her car. She adjusted her mirror and stared at her eyes. "Nothing wrong with you guys, eh? That’s good. I was probably just tired." She adjusted the mirror to see behind her again, and she pulled out and headed toward her house.

Carolyn drove with top down in her Audi convertible on the sunny day, and decided to take a more scenic route home than usual. Driving always relaxed her. Gave her time to her own thoughts, but still have something to do.

She found herself traveling some familiar roads. On her right, she passed the Bandai Corporation headquarters where she had taken her first job after graduation. She’s started low on the ladder in public relations, but progressed to management soon. Her career was going well, but something gnawed at the back of her mind during her time there.

She believed in the company and the environmentally friendly products they produced, but she kept thinking that her skills could be put to better use. After speaking with a former roommate over lunch one day, she found herself fascinated with Debbie’s work with the disabled. After that, she volunteered a great deal of her time to local charities.

She wrote press releases, updated web pages, and helped organize fund-raisers when she had time. Spent more time on that work than her day job. When she was offered the opportunity to work full time, she couldn’t resist. Sure, it’d be less money, significantly less, but she looked at her finances and knew she could do it.

That’s what led to her interest in investing. She had saved a good deal of money in her brief time at Bandai, but letting it grow on its own wasn’t going to get her to early retirement. That 403(b) contribution just wasn’t cutting it.

At first, she invested in aggressive mutual funds, while watching the stock market. Watched it dive a few years back. That hurt. One day, she was watching market news, and she could swear she remembered a story about a stock that was a good bet. She couldn’t place it thought. Next day, the stock jumped. Next time she heard a good tip, she jumped on it. It worked.

She watched lots of market news. It became a hobby. She took in so much, sometimes she couldn’t even place where she’d heard the tip. She invested mainly in construction companies. Found that her information was most reliable with them.

When she got back home. she pulled carefully into her garage that was littered with half-finished home improvement projects. She meant to finish them, but work always got busy and the projects got dropped. She set her keys on the kitchen bar after keying in her alarm code, and then made her way to the front door to pick up her mail.

She leafed through the stack of small envelopes, and decided to deal with them later. The drive had done wonders for her mind, but the feelings in her shoulders and back told her that her body needed some of the therapy that her mind had received.

She undressed and stepped into the shaded sunroom on the back of the house and started the hot tub. She walked back to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine, and picked up a Nora Roberts novel she had purchased recently, but not had the time to read. She never seemed to take the time to read anymore.

After a few minutes, she slid into the warm bubbles and let the tension slide away. As she settled in and reached for the book, her mind quickly reviewed the recent events. "I’m sure it was nothing. A couple of days from now, this will just be a relaxing day that I wish I could relive."

CHAPTER
7

Henry ended the call and ordered a blueberry muffin from the waitress. Dennis was understanding as usual when Henry told him he’d be out of a work again today. He’d been worried his lame excuse about a headache would meet some resistance. But, he kept the call short and didn’t discuss it much. He wouldn’t have gone to work anyway.

He’d chosen to spend the morning at the café on the ground floor of Kelly’s building. The food was plain, dry and lacking flavor and the coffee was a blend of oil and acid. But, the right booth gave him a view of the external elevator that the lawyers used, and shielded him from sight. He sipped his coffee and stared out the window. Added a packet of sugar to cut the taste.

"Here ya go. Anything else?"

Henry looked at the enormous muffin. Wondered how they made something so bad look so good and laughed. "Not right now. Thanks."

The waitress smiled and walked away. Henry watched the elevator door. Waiting to see her come out, or see if someone suspicious went in. Not that he knew what a killer would look like, but he hoped he’d know it when he saw it. The morning dragged on. Henry chugged coffee and ordered more food just to make the waitress stop asking him.

He watched different people pass in and out. Watched their faces, examined their clothes, noted the color of their shoes. Time crawled, but he kept watching, struggling to keep his mind focused by watching details. After lingering over a man with a tight suit, and shoes in a color between pink and purple, he took another sip from his coffee and looked at his watch. "Eleven-thirty! Crap."

Henry picked up his bag and placed ten dollars on the table. He got up and walked to the door of the café, waving to the table and his money when the waitress looked at him. He turned left out of the building and heard a familiar voice of one of the partners calling his name. He didn’t stop. Didn’t want Kelly to know he’d been there.

He walked across the street and around the corner to his car. The voice stropped calling. Henry looked back. He wasn’t followed. He slipped into his car and took deep breaths. He sat there for a couple of hours, checking his messages at work and at home while he waited for the lunch rush to end. He knew he might miss something while he waited, but he had to keep his monitoring secret.

At one-thirty he began circling the block, checking to see if anyone was still in the café. First pass it was still pretty crowded. Fifteen minutes later, it had cleared out. He parked his car a street away, made his way back to the booth, moved the dirty dished to the next table and ordered a piece of pie.

"Sure thing. You know, someone was asking about you earlier."

"Yeah? What did they want?"

"I don’t know. I told ‘em I hadn’t seen you. I figured, if you wanted someone to know you was here you would’ve told him yourself."

"Thanks,” he checked the nametag, “Lonnie."

"No problem. I’ll get you that pie."

The pie was surprising. Nothing great, but the crust didn’t break his teeth. He waited in the café until four-thirty and then headed home. "One day down, however many I need to go."

Henry stood from the table and flashed a smile towards Lonnie. As soon as he was out of the café, he made his way out of the building while watching for people he knew. Sure he wasn’t spotted, he turned to his right and ventured into the building's parking garage.

Crouching behind an out of place diesel truck, Henry decided he was in the best possible location to watch Kelly’s car. He could see her parked in the level below, and he was close enough to an exit to get to his car on the street if he saw her getting ready to leave. Satisfied, he pulled the cushion from his briefcase, and settled in for the wait.

Waiting, his mind wandered. He knew waiting was the right thing to do, but Kelly was in there. Maybe with someone who wanted her dead. Sure, he could see when she left, but if something happened, he’d just know it sooner. Wouldn’t be able to stop anything. He gritted his teeth, and swore to find a better answer. At that moment, he knew he was doing the best he could.

He watched Kelly’s car, but he started to feel a pain behind his eyes. He’d had migraine before, but this felt different. Like someone was pushing. Lights and shadows danced across his vision. He tried to blink or run them away, but they remained.

The headache grew. Henry closed his eyes and held his head.

Then it was gone.

He opened his eyes. No light or shadows.

Everything fine.

Hours passed. Henry hid from those who he recognized, and simply smiled at those he didn’t know. He wondered when Kelly would finally come out. She came home late from time to time, but she always calls. He checked his phone. No messages. He called the house. No messages.

He checked. It was seven-thirty. Her car was still there. He wanted to call. Wanted to check on her. He knew that would just cause another argument. He sat.

He waited.

CHAPTER
8

"Weird.” Douglas sipped on his beer and stroked his short beard. "Why didn’t you tell me about the vision thing before?"

"Well, it only happened that one time. It’s not like I was worrying about it before. Hasn’t happened again either. I guess it just never came up." Carolyn took a drink. “Until now.”

It’d been a few days since the episode, and nothing had happened. Just typical days full of work and news. Same old stuff. Then last night, she’d gone to bed, and muted the television. She opened her eyes, and could see her room. Looked like it always did. But, she felt asleep. Not that she knew what being asleep felt like, but she was certain she was. And that she wasn’t alone.

She looked around the room, trying to find something out of place. Something that would tell her it was a dream and she was alone. The white haze fill her view again. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t make her body move.

"You said you heard something?"

"Yes. A female voice kept telling me that it wasn’t real."

"What wasn’t real?"

"I don’t know. She didn’t say."

Douglas took a bite from his chili and cheese covered extra-long hot dog. Chugged the beer to clear his mouth. Belched. “Excuse me.” Took a sip. "Well, like I said, that’s weird. But you don’t seem worried about it."

"I know.” She shook her head. Kept playing with her fries. “For some reason, I don’t feel threatened by whatever this is. I mean, I’ll go to the doctor again, I’m not just ignoring it, but I’m not worried about it. I’ve been pretty lucky lately, and my hunches have been pretty good. I’m sure everything will be okay."

"Well,” Douglas slipped the last bite of the dog into his mouth, “since you’re having such good fortune, I can assume you’ll be picking up the tab, right?"

"You mooch.” She pushed her food away. “Yeah, I’ll get it this time. But, the two dogs and the three beers you had, hardly compare to the basket of fries and water that I had." She finished her drink. “We’ll make this even later.”

"Even? You got the pleasure of dining in the company of a true food lover." Douglas gulped down the rest of his beer and took a handful of fries.

"Pig." She laughed. "You know, if you choke, I won’t Heimlich you."

"Very funny.” He coughed into his hand. “You know you wouldn’t know what to do without me around." He chewed and finally swallowed the large bite. “Carolyn. I know you’re not worried about any of this, but I am.”

“What? Why?”

“If there’s nothing wrong with your eyes, I just, I want you to make sure there’s not something else wrong.”

“What are you talking about?”

Douglas tapped his head.

“Great. You think I’m crazy. Nice.”

“Hey, I’m just worried about you.”

“Well, I’m not crazy.” Carolyn sat silent until the waitress returned. She signed the slip and stuffed her copy and the card into her wallet. Without speaking she stood from the table and headed toward her car. "I’m not crazy," she thought as she walked past the scattered tables.

She thought about the vision problem. About the weird feeling that she was asleep. The voice. It was strange, but she was sure she was fine. Everything felt fine. Still. She paused at the driver’s side door and looked at Douglas who had walked past her toward his own car. "Doug. You’re right. I’ll go just to make sure nothing’s wrong."

"I don’t think anything’s wrong with you, deary. It’s just that, if it were me, I’d want to make sure. And, I worry about you.”

"I know. Thanks. I’ll give you a call in a couple of days."

"Take care of yourself. And don’t worry about anything. I didn’t mean to spook you. It’s just my nature to check everything. Call it a beneficial bad habit."

"At least that one’s beneficial habbit, you face stuffing pig."

"Oink, oink."

A few more barbs flashed between the two friends before Carolyn glanced at her watch. "Crap, I have an appointment."

"What's up?" Douglas sucked on the shake he grabbed on his way out.

"I have a doctor's appointment.” She nodded toward Douglas. “You'll need one too if you keep treating yourself like that."

"Well, a little voice told me to eat until I passed out. I decided it was a good idea."

Carolyn scowled before grinning. "You're lucky I know when you're kidding."

"I know." He laughed and continued cackling as she stepped into her car and drove away.

Carolyn drove down the highway toward Dr. Herferd’s office. Dr. Aaronson had recommended Dr. Herferd after Carolyn’s last visit returned no sign of a physical reason for seeing things. She had an appointment scheduled with a radiologist later in the week, but Dr. Aaronson recommended she see a therapist in the meantime.

She pulled of the highway at the Grethel Street exit, and turned right into the professional office park. The maze of red brick buildings, with a questionable numbering scheme, made it less than simple to find the office she was looking for. As she turned the fourth corner of her trip through the labyrinth, the dull hum began again and she pulled into a parking space. She had no desire to be driving if the white haze should return, so she stopped the car and waited.

The haze didn’t come, but she could feel something in her mind. A voice, but not something she could hear. More like her own thoughts, but foreign. She, it, didn’t want her to take the appointment. Wasn’t needed.

Carolyn sat still in the car. She took deep breaths to try to relieve the tightness in her chest. Either she was crazy, or something was talking to her. Thinking to her? She looked around, but there was no one there. She felt her skin begin to itch and she tightened her grip around the steering wheel. "What the hell is going on?"

She was sure whoever was behind it was a friend. How was she sure? Did she think that? "A friend. Really? You’re the cause of my problems. You can help by going away." Carolyn didn’t stop to consider the wisdom of arguing with something that she couldn’t be sure was really there.

There was more. She was sure there were others. Other what, she wondered. Other thoughts. Carolyn shook her head. Held her head tight. None of this was okay. She needed help. She was sure of it now.

No. She wasn’t crazy. The thought filled her mind. She couldn’t shake it loose. Couldn’t think of anything else. She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t crazy.

“Okay. I get it.”

Her mind cleared. She could think again. She waited, but nothing else happened. She was alone again with her thoughts. He own thoughts. She started her car and headed down the road. She checked her mirrors, but didn’t see anyone lurking near her.

A few turns later, she saw the door of Dr. Herferd’s practice. She pulled into a parking space and reached for the key. She started to turn the car off. Hesitated. She couldn’t understand what happened to her. Why her thoughts seemed to be created by someone or something else. But she was sure she needed to do what she heard, or thought. She pulled her hand away and put the car in reverse.