Her Eyes (29 page)

"Pam?” he whispered, barely audible above the fighting duo.

The two rolled, Claudia head-butted Catherine, sending a red torrent from her nose. She came back again with a punch. Claudia nailed Catherine again, landing two solid strikes against the other woman's jaw.

The shock of hearing Claudia's statements wore off, and ready to separate the women, Mike started forward again. He hadn't realized the two had rolled to the wall where the pistol lay. With nightmare-like precision, Catherine straddled Claudia while aiming the gun at her face.

"I think I'll shoot out those fucking eyes of yours."

Claudia had both hands up, trying to grab the pistol. The two were still too close for Mike to shoot and he wasn't sure if the shot would cause Catherine to pull the trigger anyway. He aimed his pistol.

"Don't do it, Catherine."

Mike had never believed in anything supernatural. Even Claudia's strange revelation didn't offer him anything beyond a weird situation. Maybe Pam was her middle name. He wasn't sure. When the temperature of the room started dropping, Mike thought it was the air conditioner, but that was before she appeared.

At first, he barely glimpsed an image in the mirror. It wasn't enough to break his gaze of Claudia on the floor, tangled with Catherine. As the room's temperature grew colder, the air itself changed, grew static, fuzzy. Both women stopped for a moment, as if they knew something was about to happen.

A face appeared in the mirror, Claudia's face, although she lay pinned on the floor. They eyes were Claudia's, but with no trace of green only glowing bright gray. It grew brighter as the outline of her features changed into light.

Mike gasped as the head grew more defined, then took on a three-dimensional shape as it pulled free from the silvery glass of the mirror. The image looked exactly like Claudia, but held a ghostlike quality. Its flesh wasn't fully formed, transparent in places with a slight glow.

The image spoke but the voice sounded distant. “She set me free.” The woman reached down, grew brighter, and grabbed both of Catherine's arms before she could take a single shot. The ghostlike form whirled Catherine around and tossed her against the opposite wall.

"Now we're even."

The ghost smiled at the flesh and blood Claudia on the floor. Like smoke, she vanished, growing dimmer until nothing remained.

"Thank you, Claudia.” His Claudia spoke from where she lay on the floor.

"No!” Catherine stood and charged at Claudia.

Mike reacted quickly, grabbing Catherine and forcing her to the floor as sirens screeched through the night. Help was on the way. Mike started reading Catherine her rights while she cursed beneath him.

"Frank,” cried Claudia. She went toward the heap of a man on the floor. “Please don't die, Frank. I crossed back over for you!"

Orange. Catherine hated the bright orange jumpsuit they forced her to wear. Her brown roots were showing, a good two inches before her dyed blonde hair began. Her nails were plain. They didn't let her paint her nails here. They didn't let her do anything.

"Hey, move it.” A large butch-looking woman shoved Catherine forward in the lunch line at Barston Federal Women's Correctional Facility.

Catherine went forward, her tray being filled with some brown goop the attendant claimed was Salisbury steak. She'd been sentenced yesterday. Today was the first day of the rest of her life behind bars. This would be her food, the butch woman behind her, another face she'd have to look at for life. Well, the sentence was two consecutive life sentences.

"I wish I were dead."

"That can be arranged if you don't move your boney ass.” The woman behind her gave her a hard slap on that butt. “Maybe I'll visit you later, and we'll discuss that ass."

"You look beautiful,” said Mike.

He walked through the reception hall lined with lilies and ribbons. A few women stood in the corner dabbing their eyes with tissue, but Mike couldn't take his eyes off of Claudia.

"You make a perfect bride, Claudia."

She stood there, smiling in her white lace dress. Tears filled her eyes, but these were happy tears. Mike knew that. This was truly the happiest day of her life, at least so far. He hoped she had many more. Claudia was a wonderful person who deserved all the good life could offer.

"Thank you for everything.” Frank held out his hand and shook Mike's. “You're a good man."

"You two belong together. I'm glad everything worked out.” He gave one last glance at Claudia. “I am happy for you."

Mike moved down the line, leaving the happy bride and groom. He stepped out to the garden of the Royal Oaks where the reception was being held. Everything had turned out for the best. He still hurt a little, but Claudia was happy. He couldn't ask for more.

He had made his peace with Claudia in the hospital while waiting for Frank to recover. She told him a wild story, something his logical “facts only” mind couldn't comprehend. Knowing he hadn't lost Claudia to another man made him feel better. Frank had almost lost his true love to Mike.

"Hi, there. I guess you couldn't stand the crowd in there either."

Mike looked up to find a woman wearing a long blue dress. She was beautiful, with a smile that struck his heart and made him forget to breathe. A strange fluttering started in his stomach, and for a minute, he thought he heard violins. Of course, that was music from the reception.

"I'm Mike. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Melanie. Friend of the groom. I work at the courthouse."

"Tell me, Melanie, you haven't had amnesia or any bad accidents lately? No head trauma or dreams of a past life?"

"No. And now I think you're very strange."

Melanie started to walk away, giving him a sideways glance as she looked for a safe place away from this odd man. He couldn't blame her for that. That wasn't exactly a good opening line.

"Forgive me. I'm a detective, not a weirdo off the street. I guess I've just ran into too many odd people."

She giggled and the sound was like music. Her eyes sparkled with a deep brown. Her expression seemed thankfully forgiving. He hoped he still had a chance.

"Forgiven. Just don't pull out any foil hats or start looking for UFOs or I'm out of here."

"Would you like to take a walk?” He offered her his arm. “I promise to behave and stop acting so weird."

"I would love to."

She slid her hand onto his arm. It felt good there, right. Mike wasn't sure if he believed in past lives or ghosts or anything Claudia had tried to explain to him after the hotel incident. He had started believing in love at first sight. Sure, he had fallen for Claudia hard, but more for the idea of this injured woman who needed him. Melanie, now she was something totally different.

Jennifer Cloud was born in Asheville, North Carolina where she met her husband who encouraged her to write after finding a partial manuscript.

She now resides in Florida with her husband and two daughters. She writes suspense, paranormal works, and some fantasy.

From earliest childhood Regan was an avid reader, and upon discovering Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens she was hooked on books that carried the reader away to a different time and place. Preferring the quiet of her room and a good book to spending time with people she traveled far beyond those four walls.

Her first foray into writing, aside from tedious English assignments in high school and college, were two non-fictions intended to be of assistance to people with disabilities. Both were a struggle and convinced Regan she was most certainly not a writer. She did continue reading anything and everything she could get her hands on and in 2003 “discovered” reviewing with Love Romances reviews. From her first reviews she became involved in interviewing various authors as part of the site's interview feature.

When her “day” job with a local police department in Northern California became far too burdensome due to internal management, rather than escape into her reading, she began to write. Much to Regan's surprise, the words flowed and eventually led to
Spell Across Time: The Pentacle
, followed by
The True Story of the Wicked Witch, Miranda's Heart, Treasures Antique Store: The Photograph
and
Indentured Bride
. Her current title,
Her Eyes
, was written with close friend, critique partner and best selling author Jennifer Cloud.

Regan is a member of the San Francisco Chapter of Romance Writers of America and a contributor to their upcoming “how-to” book.