Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) (16 page)

“I had a vision,” I said meekly.

Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. A moment passed before she reopened her eyes and stared at me lovingly. “Oh, Heather.”

“It’s a mess, Mom. Everything has escalated from there, and it’s all so complicated. The one suffering is Barry, and it’s
all
my fault.”

I laid my head on her shoulder and cried. She let me sob and didn’t ask anymore questions. I was soaking the sleeve of her shirt, but she didn’t seem to care. She just held me, and I clung to her as if my life depended on it.

A few minutes passed before I pulled away from her. The tears had dried up, but I was a mess. I couldn’t breathe through my nose and desperately needed to blow it. I sniffed, wiping my nose on the back of my hand.

“Here.” Mom leaned over and grabbed the Kleenex box off the hall table. She handed me the box and I took out a couple. “Sweetie, maybe he just needs time to cool down. Can you tell me anything else? I’m having a hard time understanding the connection between Nicholas and Barry.”

“Not really. Tanner warned me to not talk about the case at all. But what I saw in my vision included Barry’s mother, and let’s just say she wasn’t acting very maternal. Tanner handed her over to the feds. Not just the local police, Mom.
The feds.
Tanner wouldn’t let me say anything because he didn’t want the investigation compromised, so I had to keep it from Barry. I still don’t know what I can tell him. That’s what makes it so hard: I can’t explain my reasoning to him, not that it would make a difference.” I let out a humorless laugh.

I glanced at my mom’s face and felt like a little girl again. The difference being, I’d never sat and talked with her about my feelings this deeply. Another breakthrough for us. I wish it didn’t take rotten circumstances to bring us closer together.

“Ironic, huh? My abilities brought Barry and I closer together, yet drove us apart in the end.” I stared straight ahead and whined, “I’m destined to be alone.”

“Don’t say that, honey. That’s not true.” She reassured me as best she could.

That was when I noticed that her usual outfit of scrubs had been replaced by a nice pair of jeans and a cute checkered button–down shirt. A cute checkered button–down shirt that now had a soaked sleeve.

“Are you going out tonight?” I asked.

“Um...no. I got a call from Steve a few minutes before you crashed through the door. He asked if you were home yet. When I told him no, he asked if it would be okay for him to come over later to talk to you. He said he had to tie up some loose ends, but he didn’t think it would take long. He should be here…‌” Glancing down at her watch, she sighed. “Any minute now.”

I stood, groaning, as it suddenly seemed like an enormous effort. My throat was so scratchy; my hands immediately clutched my throat when I tried swallowing. I took a step, but my soaked jeans became like a vise, compressing my legs, making it difficult to move. Another sob escaped. I was such a mess.

“I can call him back and let him know tonight’s not good,” Mom said, reaching out to me. Concern swarmed through her eyes as she searched for my answer. After studying me for a moment, she shook her head, stating, “Yes, I’ll call him and tell him he can talk to you tomorrow. He’ll understand.”

“No, Mom, it’s all right. Let him come over. I have a few questions for him anyway.” I grabbed my shirt and pried it away from my stomach, wincing at the suctioning sound it made. “I’m going to take a quick shower first, though.”

Her mouth opened, but the doorbell interrupted her protest. She frowned before we both glanced at the water pooled on the floor. She sighed. “Go get ready, I’ll take care of this mess.”

I hurried toward my bedroom, and left Mom to compose herself enough to let Tanner in. With the clicking of the doorknob echoing down the hallway, I rushed to my room.

I grabbed the change of clothes and glanced down at the pink striped bag lying innocently against the closet doors.
Well, I won’t need those anytime soon
. I squeezed my eyes shut and allowed the pain to rush through my core.
God, Barry really does hate me.

I sat on my bed and inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly. I stared out my window and wondered if this ache in my chest would ever go away. It was too raw right now, exposed, but over time people accepted things and moved on…‌right? Barry had been my rock the entire time I’d lived in Missouri. Whatever I needed, he’d always been there either as a boyfriend or friend. I’d never had that before, and now I was lost and alone again.

I’d betrayed him and deceived him, and not just a slight betrayal like when he told Nicole about my clairvoyance. No, mine had cut deeper. From now on, even if he forgave me, he would never think of me in the same way again.

I wanted to scream.

Muffled voices carried into my room, reminding me that I wasn’t alone in the house. Maybe I should’ve taken Mom’s advice and had her postpone Tanner’s visit until tomorrow. Although I was curious to know what had transpired in the raid on Barry’s house, part of me didn’t want to hear it. Once he told me, it would make everything real. And reality sucked.

I grabbed my pillow and squeezed it against my chest as a fresh wave of pain hit me. Maybe sitting here thinking about it made me feel worse, I wasn’t sure. I glanced downward and recalled Barry’s first time in my bedroom. He had revealed his caring side to me that day. I had bared my soul to him, and he had listened so intently without ever shying away.
God, he was so sweet.
These recalled memories weren’t improving my mood, but perhaps my heart needed the reminder about the good times we shared. The distaste displayed in Barry’s eyes was hard to picture, considering he’d never acted so disdainfully before. The venomous words he had spat sliced through me, making it impossible to recover.

I sucked in a breath and ran my hands over my face.
Please don’t cry again.
I couldn’t hide my puffy and swollen eyes, but I didn’t want Mom and Tanner to see fresh tears falling down my face. But damn, it was hard to hold myself together.

With all of my strength, I rose to face the situation I had helped to create.

~~~~~

As I entered the living room, Tanner stood. Mom and Tanner’s sympathetic expressions were my undoing. All of my strength disappeared as I bit my lower lip to keep from sobbing again.
Pull it together.

“Heather,” Tanner said gently. “I wanted to stop by to fill you in on what happened and to thank you personally for your help. Plus, I wanted to check on you. It took a lot of courage doing what you did. There aren’t too many seventeen–year–old girls who would have handled things as well as you did. And I know it came at a great price for you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. “I should be used to rejection, but this one is hard to take.”

With tears welling in her eyes, Mom walked over to me. Guilt began piling up, forcing me to turn my head away. As I studied the floor, she came over and wrapped an arm around me.

“Let’s go sit down, honey. You look exhausted,” she said kindly.

I nodded and we walked toward the couch.

Tanner sat back down before clearing his throat. “Your sacrifice wasn’t in vain; they’ve made the proper arrest. The feds staged an exchange between Paul, the owner of the bar where Jillian works, and an undercover officer. We raided Jillian’s house at the same time.”

“What will happen to Barry?” I asked.

Tanner’s mouth flattened as he stared at me. With an exhale, he finally said, “He’ll be brought in for questioning.”

“What!” I shrieked. I couldn’t believe that Barry would be dragged into this mess. There’s no way he was involved, so I figured a simple question or two would suffice.

Tanner held up his hands in protest. “It’s just routine. The feds don’t know him, and it’s their duty to see if he was involved or knew what was happening.”

“But...”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be cleared in no time. If what you say is correct‌—‌that there’s no way he could have known about the contents inside of that shed‌—‌then they’ll let him go home right away. Unfortunately, he’ll have to live with his grandma until things get wrapped up.”

My gut clenched. “I hate this. I caused him all this stress and tore apart his family. God, he will
never
forgive me.” Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over again.

Tanner’s eyes softened. “Heather, you’re not the one who brought this upon him. His mother is. Her wrong doings have caused this to happen, not you.” I shut my eyes; hearing those words hurt. “And besides, just give him some time, I saw the way he eyed you. He’ll come around.”

“Yeah? You didn’t see the look in his eyes before he walked away. He detests me.” I groaned.

“Give him time, Heather. He’ll come around, and if not, than he’s lost the best girl he will ever meet,” Tanner said.

With a glance, I could read the sincerity in his eyes. His kind words brought a sense of warmth throughout my core as nobody had ever spoken to me so kindly. “Thanks, Detective.”

“What will happen to Bart?” I asked. That bastard better not get off scot–free just because he was a cop.

Tanner shifted in his seat. “There isn’t enough evidence to convict him yet.” I protested, but he cut me off, saying, “I said yet. He’s still being investigated.”

I balled my hands into fists and pressed them into my thighs. “What do you mean?”

“The feds are compiling evidence against him. We think Jillian and Paul will testify against Bart in exchange for a lesser sentence. But even with them doing that, there’s nothing to link him to the mayor.”

“That’s totally not fair, they both benefited from the operation,” I protested.

With a nod, he shifted in his seat again.
Was Tanner nervous?
He paused before speaking. “There’s a plan, but it will take both of your cooperation to work. Well, technically I only need Heather’s cooperation, but...” He turned toward my mother. “In the state of Missouri, seventeen is considered an adult in criminal law, but I’d prefer to have your permission.”

Mom raised a fist and tapped it gently against her mouth. Her eyes shifted to me and I shrugged. I was just as confused as she was.

Tanner cleared his throat again. “This can’t leave this room because no one else knows about Bart’s involvement yet. But I’m working with the feds on this, and it was hard enough just convincing them to let me talk to you. We would like to move quickly to prevent any leaks. Understood?”

We both nodded.

“We need a confession from Bart that implicates not only himself but also the mayor. According to Jillian, Bart started blackmailing Paul after discovering Jillian’s grow op and Nicholas’s involvement. If we use Jillian’s statement alone, there would be enough evidence to convict him on extortion, but not the mayor, so we need Bart’s confession to seal the deal against the mayor. What I’m proposing is to have Heather meet with him wearing a wire. Right now he’s angry and seeing you will stir up those emotions. If he sees you, he may slip up and confess.”

“Absolutely not,” Mom said.

Tanner turned his head toward her. “I know this is asking a lot, Vickie, but I promise she won’t be in danger. I would never allow that. We’ll never be far away from her, and we’ll be able to hear if she’s in trouble.”

As Mom protested, I pondered Tanner’s proposal. At least part of me wanted to agree right away because Bart deserved more than a simple slap on the wrist. I wanted him convicted.

“I want to do it,” I said.

“Heather, no,” Mom said.

“Mom, I’ll be all right.”

“But…‌” Tanner interrupted Mom’s protest.

“Vickie, Heather’s a strong girl. You’ve done a wonderful job raising her, but you haven’t seen her perform in the field the way I have. Most people can’t believe she’s only seventeen.”

Mom’s mouth tightened, and I could see her struggle with Tanner’s argument. I had to give the detective credit: he knew exactly how to play into her weakness.

After a few moments, she conceded. Turning to Tanner, Mom asked, “She won’t be in any danger?”

“No, we plan on them
accidentally
meeting in a public place.”

“And you promise to be nearby, just in case?”

“I promise,” he reassured her.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Well then, I guess you have my permission.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow. We have a tail on Bart now, and when the opportunity arises, I’ll come and get you.”

This fairytale notion of having peace seemed unattainable as the pit of my stomach swirled again. I can’t even mourn my break–up like normal girls. I bit my lip to keep from crying again. With a nod, I agreed wholeheartedly.

Tanner rose. “Excellent.” Shifting his attention toward my mother, he smiled tentatively. “Do I still get to see you tomorrow, Vickie?” he asked, a little unsure.

Usually so confident, Tanner’s insecurity intrigued me.

I could see the conflict in my mom’s eyes. She didn’t agree with Tanner’s plan, but the attraction she held for him was obvious. With a small smile, she said, “Yes, looking forward to it.”

“Okay, then.” He visibly relaxed. “I’ll be here around six.”

They walked toward the door to exchange their goodbyes. I backed away toward my room with the intent of going to bed even though it was still early. I just wanted to be done with today. But the growling of my stomach diverted me to the kitchen. I hadn’t had anything solid to eat since lunch at the mall, and that had only been a few bites of salad. I grabbed a quick bite before crashing for the night. My bed called for me. I could picture myself curling up into a little ball, wallowing in self–pity, and succumbing to heartbreak.

~18~

Refocus

“Hey, how are you doing today?” Mom asked the next morning, walking into my room. She sat on my bed. The aroma of coffee awakened my senses as the saucer clanked against my nightstand, but I kept my eyes shut, unwilling to face the world yet.

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “Let me wake up and I’ll let you know.”

“Well, it’s past nine. You never sleep this late, I was getting worried.”