Dreamscape (28 page)

“Any luck with DeNair?” Agent Grimmett asked.

Ramona walked down the stairs. Dressed in jeans and a sweat shirt, the strain showed heavily on her face. With each step she took it was as if a black cloud loomed, shadowing all around.

“Ramona, how are you doing?” Jackson asked more from etiquette. Jackson didn’t have a doubt how she felt. It was written all over her face.

Jackson waved his hand at Agent Grimmett to retreat out of the room. He had no intention of giving in to Ramona. The time had come, and this time he prepared to do battle. He waited until the door clicked behind Agent Grimmett then turned his full attention on Ramona. He stared at her.

“I want you out too,” she said. She walked past him into the living room.

Jackson maintained control of his emotions and followed Ramona. This case had forced issues that Jackson had left evasive until now. Questions had lingered in his mind since that night in Florida. He strove to understand. His understanding at this moment placed this woman smack dab in the middle of his investigation. The old lady had said that all were connected, all had to work together. So far, that plan hadn’t gone too well.

Ramona placed another piece of wood on her fire, poked around it to entice the flames. Without turning around she said, “You can go. I wasn’t joking. I’ve hit my limit. Since I’ve helped you the whole of my life has fallen apart. All the world thinks I’m either some mystic or a mental patient. Take your pick. Doesn’t matter.

“My supervisor from work called. Did she ask how Leila was doing? No, she informed me that I’ve used too many sick days within a certain time period. I didn’t notify them as I was supposed to with the absentee leave. She went over the policy with me over the phone. She’s writing me up for staying home with my child. Never mind I have to have my job to support my daughter. So, Agent Dunn,” she turned to face him, “you can leave. I’ll take care of my daughter.”

“Would you like to tell me how you plan on doing that?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” she said simply.

“Then Ms. Damsun…,” Jackson began. He walked around the couch, surveying the room, assessing the situation. “I’ll make it plain what I expect.”

He picked up an older vase from another time period, dried flowers placed within. A large picture of a magnolia hung on the wall over the burgundy leather couch. Heavy mauve drapes adorned the sliding glass door subtly expressing her Southern roots. He placed the vase back down.

Jackson walked around to face Ramona. “Hit a nerve? Is that how you get to sleep, telling yourself how bad you’ve been treated. Poor little Ramona, life has treated her so badly.”

Ramona swung around trying to slap his face. He ducked. She uttered through her teeth, “You know nothing about me.”

“I know more than you think. I know that your daughter was protected by some guardian angel of hers. Could things be that bad? You have your daughter. By all accounts, he had her dead to rights. You and I both know that something or someone supernatural intervened.”

“I have a clue, Ramona. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know you have to do this. To stop this monster we have to work together.” Jackson breathed deeply. “There’s always a price to be paid.”

Ramona stood motionless. “You don’t know what price has to be paid.”

Before the words finished echoing, the room froze in time. Ramona swung around. The flames in the fire weren’t flickering but static; the clock’s second hand motionless.

* * * *

A surge of panic ran through Ramona. She swung back around. A brilliant light filled the space where Special Agent Jackson Dunn had stood. Walking forth from the light, an old woman emerged dressed as the last time Ramona had seen her, her dark hair pulled back in a bun, her old blue dress….

“He’s right you know, Mona,” the old woman said.

“Grandmother?” Ramona said when she found her voice.

“You’re surprised?” the old woman asked, shaking her head. “Mona, Mona, where has your faith gone? Why are you so afraid of losing something that isn’t yours to begin with?”

“Leila,” Ramona whispered.

“Oh, my dear, you have forgotten much,” the old woman said sadly. “The child is fine, but even if she wasn’t who are you to question? You know that once your purpose is completed it is time to go home. Her purpose isn’t completed. Mona, Mona. Unquestioned faith. Once you understood well.”

“I don’t understand anymore, Grandmother. I don’t. I’m tired. I’ve tried. Nothing has gone the way I thought it would. I don’t know what to do, Grandmother. I don’t,” Ramona cried. She fell on the floor to her knees.

“Yes, you do. The answer you seek is within. You know what you have to do. You just do not want to do it.”

Tears swelled in Ramona’s eyes. “You ask too much.”

“No, Mona Ann,” the old woman said as she backed up into the light. “Open your heart to find your faith. Find it without question. Then you will find the peace that you’re truly seeking. Do not let earthly matters cloud your judgment, Mona. Do what you must. You know what you have to do.”

The light dissipated.

* * * *

Jackson let out his breath. The fire warmed the room, burning brightly now. The clock chimed in the new hour, but Ramona had disappeared, no longer in front of him. His mind raced. What the hell happened? One minute he held a conversation with her, the next she’d gone. He ran upstairs opening the door to Leila’s room. Sitting on the corner of her daughter’s bed, Ramona sat caressing her sleeping daughter’s head.

“Ramona? How…?” Jackson uttered out of breath.

Not looking up, Ramona continued massaging her daughter’s forehead. “I might not stop you from doing your so-called job, but I can stop you from being in my house, Agent Dunn. I want you out. Send the other one back in and leave.”

Jackson didn’t have a choice. At this point, he’d gone in over his head. With a sense of failing in his mission, he departed.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sleep had not come easy, but Thorpe woke early to the sound of running feet slamming down the stairs. A moment later, his son jumped over the back of the couch Thorpe had slept on, pouncing on top of him.

Thorpe rolled his tongue over his teeth. “Nope, can’t say that she will.” Thorpe picked up a piece of the broken figurine. She’ll add it to the list, a growing list. Too early in the morning to deal with this, and also too late….

Cindy rushed in. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I thought I heard something. What am I going to do? This is irreplaceable. It was my grandmother’s. Doug, you did this on purpose.”

Thorpe hadn’t even woken up properly. He sat up on the rug against the couch. From the look on Cindy’s face Liam didn’t need to hear the approaching conversation. “Liam, why don’t you get dressed for the day? I’ll take you and your sister out for breakfast.”

Liam exchanged looks between his parents, his loyalty obviously tested. Hazards of the upcoming divorce. Liam scooted out quickly.

“I didn’t say it was okay for them to go. It could be dangerous. I don’t think so, Doug. Not now. You put us in this situation. After sleeping on it, I believe it’ll be better if for now the kids don’t see you. Their safety comes first. Obviously you haven’t cared about that.”

“What? You’re going to use this against me? You can’t. I’m taking the kids out for breakfast. The FBI’s a safety precaution until we catch this maniac. And if you’re thinking of using it, be prepared to tackle all of law enforcement. I haven’t done anything wrong here. I can’t be held accountable for a maniac’s actions when I’m doing my job. A job, I might add, I’ve done well before we were married. Get off of it. I’m not in the mood to deal with your antics.”

“My, my, a little cranky. Is that little tart not fulfilling your needs?”

“That’s it, Cindy. That’s enough.” Thorpe stood. He grabbed his pants and put them on. “I’ve jumped through hoops for you. Through all the years, I’ve given you everything I could. What we could afford. I moved down here for you and the kids. To make it better for you and the kids. To make you happy. Nothing ever makes you happy. Nothing. Even now, you try to make it out like it’s my fault. I didn’t ask for the divorce. I wasn’t the one sleeping around. Sending me to counseling. Trying to make me think it was me. It wasn’t me, Cindy. I’m who I am, who I’ve always been.”

She gave a fake laugh. “You think you have it all down. You haven’t seen anything yet, Dougie dearest. Made me happy. I never saw you. You said you were working. Yeah, right. I wasn’t happy, Doug. You left me home with two small children.”

“So you didn’t have to work,” countered Thorpe, his voice rising on every word. “We were supposed to be in this for better or worse. We were supposed to be working together for a cause.”

Cindy tied her robe tighter around her. “I’m not going to argue with you now, Doug. Save it for court. You’re going to need it.”

“Why, Cindy? What are you talking about? I thought this wasn’t going to get nasty. I agreed not to bring in your lover boy for the kids’ sake. I thought we were going to try to be civil.”

“I’m not going into it right now. You’ve hurt me for the last time.”

“Hurt you? Don’t you have to have a heart for that?” Thorpe asked, walking out into the foyer. He yelled up to the kids. “Anyone for breakfast? Five minutes.”

“Go ahead, take them out. We’re leaving later for the rest of the week,” Cindy said, standing in the doorway.

“Where?” Thorpe asked sharply.

“After your little announcement yesterday,” Cindy said using her hands to demonstrate, “we’re all in harm’s way. This maniac that you’ve made mad but can’t seem to catch might try to harm your family. Great job, there, Dougie boy. Well, James thought it safer to leave town. We’re taking the kids to Vale on a skiing trip. James has some connections. He’s made all the arrangements. We leave this afternoon.”

Doug reigned in his temper. The kids came down the stairs, probably hearing every word they’d spoken. He shrugged. “Sounds like fun for the kids. Hey guys. At least I can enjoy much of today with you.” He turned back to Cindy. “I’ll have them back this afternoon.”

* * * *

Douglas Thorpe couldn’t sleep. He left his rental cottage and went for a walk on the beach, the time once again late, four in the morning. A full moon lit the path for his walk. He needed time to sort things out. All the details of what he’d known as his life ran through his mind.

The kids had departed. Reluctantly, he agreed with Jackson that Cindy’s trip relieved pressure off of him for the better. Even if DeNair had them in his sights he’d be out of his element. It would be easy enough for the FBI to pick up the group. Their safety at least would be one less worry, even if it came at the expense of James riding in on his white horse to protect his woman.

Cindy made him uneasy, though. His divorce lawyer had called. Their court date had been set. Cindy had made new demands. These had become a common occurrence, but the last demands had a different tone.

“Look, Chief,” Will Healy told him, “you’ve given her more than you need to. You could use her adultery. I know you said no to start with. I know you feel if she doesn’t want to be married to you, you’re not going stand in her way. She keeps pushing your buttons for some reason. If you give in to her now, you won’t have anything left. She’ll wipe you out completely. I can’t let you even contemplate this demand.”

“That’s too far,” Thorpe assured his attorney. “I don’t know why she would even think I would consider this.”

She had something up her sleeve, plotting. He knew her well enough—or thought he did. Two reasons came to mind. One, she had always been too smart. She would never waste her time, or more importantly, money asking for something she didn’t think she would get something out of. Second, he sensed her desire to destroy him for some unknown reason, as if her purpose at the moment had been focused on vindication.

Cindy had stepped over the line, calling into question his relationship with Ramona. Maybe Cindy knew him better than he knew himself. Maybe she picked up feelings he hadn’t even admitted to himself yet. But whatever he was feeling didn’t concern her anymore.

So, in the middle of the night, Thorpe had to get out of his place, needed air. He walked along the shore line. Waves rolled in over the rocky sand and back out into the ocean. He stood in the night’s darkness, illuminated only by the moon’s light reflecting off the magnitude of water in front of him. The wind coming swiftly off the water’s edge cut through him. A far cry from the day this all started, the day Annie Crandell’s body was discovered on the same spot he stood now.