Read Darque Wants Online

Authors: Diana Steele

Darque Wants (2 page)

BOOK: Darque Wants
8.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

 

Amber watched the little kids jump on the chairs in the back of the café. One of them had a spoon in his mouth and was making faces at the smaller girl. She giggled and then stomped her feet. It made Amber wistful for her youth.

 

She thought about Jeffrey’s children- Francine, Carlos, and Zena. She had always found it endearing to see them sitting inside the red Radio Flyer wagon that Jeffrey pulled on many occasions down Butler Street. Theirs was a residential neighborhood, and it had both a quiet, family appeal to it as well as a hip and innovative touch. She could only imagine how difficult it would be for them to face their new lives, the ones that would exist without a daddy.

 

“I’m pretty sure that the cops are convinced it was a murder. He did have a bullet wound in the chest, and unless it was self-inflicted…” Bethany’s voice trailed off. She only knew Jeffrey as an acquaintance, but nevertheless, she had no reason to question his stability, and she certainly didn’t think that he had committed suicide. Bethany took the last gulp of her coffee that was now cold. She spooned the wet sugar that had collected at the bottom of her mug into a heap. Then she folded a napkin into a triangle and sat motionless at the table.

 

“I’ve already gotten an intuitive hunch that something made Jeffrey feel scared. But in the end, anything is possible.” Amber tilted her head in a contemplative motion. Then she took the lid off her Grasshopper and tilted the cup back so that she could enjoy the last bit of smoothie that remained.

 

“Amber, you have the gift. Can you pick up on anything yet?” Bethany was the only person in Berkeley who knew about Amber’s tendency for visions. She was respectful toward her friend and she never tried to put her on the spot. However, she did have an unrelenting curiosity, and she craved information that could lead to revealing the secret to Jeffrey Holiday’s murder.

 

“Well, I saw something earlier, but it wasn’t much. You know how it goes. Sometimes I get one big flash, and other times I get a series of smaller ones. Sometimes I can figure out a lot all at once, and other times it seems like it takes forever.” Amber sighed and then looked at Bethany, who had since put her head in her hands and was looking particularly glum.

 

“Well, all you can do is try,” said Bethany. Then she looked absently out the window. Amber could sense that something was wrong, something that didn’t have to do with the death of Jeffrey Holiday.

 

“You okay? I mean, besides this whole Jeffrey situation?” Amber’s voice was tinged with concern.

 

“I’m okay, I guess. But…” Bethany paused, trying to decide if she wanted to burden Amber with her financial woes. Then she continued, figuring that it was always better to confide in someone rather than bury negative emotions. “Well, you know that Tommy hasn’t been getting much work lately. I am completely in the dark as to why, but he apparently has had no new clients in the last month and a half.” Bethany looked stressed and she tapped her spoon nervously as she spoke.

 

“I thought he had a bunch of those homes over in Brookside to work on.” Amber tilted her head with a quizzical expression on her face. Tommy worked as an electrician, and he usually had a slew of jobs lined up through the San Francisco Bay area.

 

“Yeah, I thought that he had a bunch of them to work on, too. But I guess half of them backed out and then the other half only paid him for part of the work so far. Regardless, he went up to San Francisco today to meet with a guy named Dominick about a housing project that he needs workers for.” Bethany played with her spoon and Amber stood up to peek out at Brodi who was fast asleep on the ground under the dog rail.

 

“I can remember the two of you considering a move to San Fran, anyway. Is that still a possibility?” Amber liked to help her friends come up with creative solutions. It pained her to see anyone she knew struggling to make ends meet because she knew what that was like. She could recall pulling up sofa cushions as a kid, helping her mother look for coins so that they could scrounge enough money to buy a quart of milk.

 

“I don’t know, Amber. We’ve been in Berkeley for almost twelve years now and money was never really an issue. I can’t figure out why it’s become such a touchy subject over the last year, and I also don’t know why our bank account has been dwindling before my very eyes.” Bethany raised her brows and looked suspiciously at Amber.

 

“So maybe this housing project work will get you by until something else pops up.” Amber felt like Bethany might not be telling her everything about Tommy that she wanted to. She let it go for now, figuring that enough was going on without adding any more drama into the mix.

 

“I hope so. The way it sounded, this guy Dominick is the project manager, and the entire housing project is being set up by a guy named Mateo Quinn. Apparently the guy is a millionaire and he loves to do these philanthropic projects.” Bethany shrugged and then looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost five and she was hungry. “I’m going to head out. I bought some salmon from the farmer’s market earlier so I’m making a seafood and salad dish for dinner. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow.” She picked up her tote and then pushed in her chair.

 

“Okay, Bethany. Try not to stress. Remember: think positive and the rest will fall into place.” It was advice that Amber often found hard to implement, herself, yet she knew that it worked, and she tried consistently to make affirmations a part of her daily routine. She found that especially during stressful times, such as those that often surrounded periods of high visionary content, the positive affirmations made all the difference in her ability to be productive. She wondered what was really going on with Tommy, and then she mused about the name
Mateo Quinn
. It sounded like a character from a romance novel.

 

Amber sat alone for a few minutes as Bethany left the café. It was starting to get dark and she wanted to get home so that she could do a meditation and eat some dinner. She started to push in her chair and then stopped. It was happening. She caught herself this time and held onto the table before she had any chance of falling. Then she took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes.

 

The sounds from the café grew muddled and she lost herself in the vision. It was Jeffrey Holiday again. He wore the same pained expression on his face, and he stood motionless in a murky pond. As he moved closer, she could see that he had a small leather bag in one hand, and that it was cinched closed at the top. His other hand was pressed against his chest.

 

Amber waited to see what he did. Sometimes, without any effort, the vision would evolve quickly. Other times, she might sit motionless for a half hour, and the images would linger at a stand-still.

 

This time, the pace was quick. Jeffrey climbed out of the muddy water, his pants ripped open and his shirt wet. He threw the leather bag onto the shore, and then moved his hand off his chest. When he did, a bright red blood stain appeared.

 

Amber winced and then rocked gently in her seat. She could feel the bullet hole that entered his chest, could smell the blood as it trickled down his chest. She shuddered and then the vision was gone.

 

“Miss, are you okay?” A young kid, about sixteen, stood beside Amber’s table. He wore a black café apron and he held Amber’s empty Grasshopper cup in his hand. Amber looked up at him, surprised.

 

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Sorry. Do you need this table?” she asked, standing up.

 

“No. You’re fine. I just saw you shaking and it looked like you were crying.” The young guy smiled, slightly embarrassed, and then walked away. Amber rubbed her eyes with her fists and then picked up her bag. Brodi was standing, wagging his tail when she stepped outside.

 

Amber untied him from the dog rail and then adjusted her scarf. She looked straight ahead and then waited on the corner for the light to change. She and Brodi crossed the street and just as she was about to round the corner for her block, she noticed a man standing outside Bobo’s Guitar Shop. He was tall, and he wore a long linen overcoat with a pair of black pants. Amber saw that he looked her up and down a few times just as she was about to pass him. It didn’t really bother her; she was an attractive woman and was used to gathering attention from men. Yet tonight she was tired and not in much of a mood for striking up conversation.

 

“Hi. You’re Amber Flint, right? How are you today?”     

 

“Yep, I am absolutely Amber Flint. And I’m doing okay, how about you? ” Amber smiled.

 

He put his hands in his pockets and studied her face. She had large green eyes that she liked to embellish with a little bit of mascara. She wore her hair down, and its long, thick tresses hit her shoulders. She was petite, but strong, and she had a whimsical sort of charm to her aura.

 

“I’m Christopher Burton. My wife, Rita, takes dance at your studio. I’ve peeked in a few times but usually I just hang out in the car and wait.” Christopher rocked gently on his heels and paused. Then he looked up at the sky for a few minutes as Amber gave Brodi a few pets on the back.

 

“Well it’s nice to meet you. Rita is great to have in our class.” Amber’s stomach growled and she looked at Brodi who was waiting patiently at her heels.

 

“Thanks. She speaks highly of you, and I think that it’s helping give her something to do with all these late nights I have sometimes with work. But anyway…I was wondering if you heard anything about Jeffrey Holiday.” Christopher furrowed his brow and waited for Amber’s response.

 

“I probably know about as much as everyone else.” Amber shrugged her shoulders and then looked at the ground. She had seen images that nobody else had, and yet she was unable to share her knowledge. Even though Bethany knew about Amber’s gift, her friend was an exception to her rule of secrecy. Amber didn’t reveal much to other people, and especially not to strangers.

 

“I work all the way down in Big Sur, and we caught wind of the story already. Such a tragic tale.” Christopher shook his head and then reached into his pocket. “Well, I won’t hold you up. I was just on my way into the music store to look at guitars. I thought that a nice guitar might be a good gift for Rita so that she has something to do with all these late nights I put in at my art studio.  Here’s my card, I’m Burton, obviously, and my partner is Mateo Quinn. Come down and check us out if   you’re ever in the market for a new piece of art.  

 

“Thanks.” Amber slipped the card into her jacket pocket and then started to walk away. As she crossed the street and observed her house in the distance, her curiosity prompted her to pull the card out. 
Burton and Quinn Studio
was etched in the center, and an image of a bronze rearing stallion covered the background. Amber stuffed it back in her pocket, not thinking much of it, and opened the door to her house.

 

A vibrant sunset fell over Berkeley.   Amber stepped outside. No sooner had she done so, her friend Amy appeared. 

 

“Hey, Amber!” Amy yelled from across the street and Amber waved back. She loved living in a community where the people knew each other by first name. It made her feel like she belonged. It also made it a little trickier to keep her gift a secret.

 

Amber recalled a day when she was about seventeen and still living in Oklahoma. She had gone through a rough week with spontaneous visions that surrounded another case of a missing child. It was already difficult for her to experience the physical weakness and the dizziness that accompanied her insights, but to make matters worse, she had nobody to talk to. She finally, by the request of her mother, decided to confide in a therapist.

 

“You know, Amber, I’m not so sure why you don’t just consider letting people know about your visions. Why not just be honest about it and try to imagine them supporting you and understanding your gift?” Dr. Mabel Danner sat back in her chair and looked at Amber with big, empathetic eyes.

 

“I guess maybe if I had the right people to talk to, that would work.” Amber wasn’t so sure that she wanted to tell people that she had a tendency to get knocked off her feet with images of missing people. She didn’t want to feel like she was strange, or that people would treat her differently. At the same time, she decided that maybe Dr. Danner had a point. Why not try and be a little more open about everything?

 

Amber sometimes wished that she could be more open with other people. She knew that she was surrounded by caring people in her neighborhood, but she just couldn’t bring herself to be more open about her visions with anyone except Bethany.  Looking over at Amy across the street, she felt the urge to ask her over for a drink, to have her sit down and maybe talk about Jeffrey’s disappearance. But as soon as she mustered the nerve to ask her over, Amy disappeared back inside.

BOOK: Darque Wants
8.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Colors by Russell J. Sanders
Lady of the Shades by Shan, Darren
Artful Deceptions by Patricia Rice
Strangers by Dean Koontz
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Dark Crystal by A. C. H. Smith
KNOX: Volume 4 by Cassia Leo
Because You're Mine by K. Langston