Dark Visions Read online

  Chapter 58

  Dolan looked up at the sound of a vehicle. Alex's silver Honda slowed and stopped a few feet from them. A dismal cloud cover had made its way above them over the last ten minutes. A soft drizzle started to fall leaving a film of wetness on their skin. It felt like a cleansing, a cool break from the sun.

  Dolan opened the back door for Sarah and helped her in. Then he jumped in the front and slammed the door.

  "Thanks for coming to get us."

  "No problem. I brought some food and a drink for Sarah."

  He lifted a lunch bag over the seat and handed it to her, followed by two bottles of water. "That should be good until we can get you to a hospital. How're you feeling? It must've been hard."

  "I'm okay," Sarah said. "Don't take me to a hospital just yet. Not until we catch up with the asshole that snatched me," Sarah tore open the lunch bag. "And what's that smell? Cologne of some kind?"

  Dolan and Alex looked at each other. A big truck passed them causing the little Honda to shake.

  "We're not taking her to safety?" Alex asked.

  Dolan had worked with Alex for years, but he hadn't seen this edge to him. Looking closer, Alex was actually shaking.

  "No, not just yet. We need to be near the apprehension of the kidnapper. Sarah has information about the kidnapper's boss."

  Alex almost jumped. To cover it, he looked in the rearview mirror. "You okay Alex? Is this too much for you?"

  "No, no, I'm fine. I've just never been this close to the action. You're the one who works with the police out in the field while I'm at the fair. So, understandably I'm a little out of my element."

  Dolan nodded his assent, but didn't believe him. Something else was on his assistant's mind.

  Alex put the vehicle in gear and merged back onto the two lane highway. Dolan gave him directions to the Texaco station where the police were converging.

  Dolan needed to think about what Sarah told him when they were waiting on the side of the highway. She had spoken about her powers and how the information came to her. She'd told him details regarding the people she'd saved so far. He remembered reading about her a couple of times in the newspaper because the police had linked her with two different incidences. The cop who responded to the car that flipped over the bridge and into the river was the same officer who showed up on the scene of a beating at a baseball diamond. He'd claimed to recognize the girl because of her appearance and the bandanna on her head.

  Dolan had asked Sarah how she knew what and when to do in the beating incident. She said it was all written in the note. All she had to do was be on Meadowvale Street before 9:00pm and stand by the baseball diamond with an aluminum bat. Step from the dug-out area on the home team side at 9:02pm and swing the bat with all her strength in the midsection area. It was already dark, but when her watch clicked over to 9:02pm she did just that.

  The police were twenty paces behind the guy she knocked the wind out of. He would've gotten away if it hadn't been for her. Sarah told Dolan that this venture into the night with a baseball bat had scared her more than any of the others. But she'd made a commitment with blind faith, knowing the message giver wasn't putting her in harm's way, as long as she did exactly what the note said.

  Dolan pondered all this while still trying to figure out why he agreed to let her continue this dangerous search for a boss. Someone out there was a boss of the perp and according to Sarah, she's the only one who can stop him.

  Alex said they were coming up to the gas station soon. Dolan pulled out his cell and speed dialed Sam. They talked briefly and then he hung up.

  "Looks like he followed the guy to an abandoned farmhouse off..."

  Dolan stopped talking when he saw the gun.

  "I know where it is. I guess we're about five minutes from there."

  "What're you doing?" Dolan asked.

  "It's been a long time coming. I envied you, looked up to you. But you've always put me down. Treated me like second class. I could've helped the police too. I could've participated more, but no, you get all the fame and then you whine about it. Too many people want readings, you'd say. You even have a name for them."

  "Look, Alex, I don't think this is the right time to be going through an employment issue."

  "Employment issue? Employment issue? Is that what you think this is all about? Wow, then you really are a fucking head case."

  Alex paused to clear his throat. Dolan kept his eyes on the gun. The Texaco passed by without incident. Dolan didn't want to play the role of a hero and he hoped Sarah wouldn't either.

  "For the past few years I fed you information on the whereabouts of kidnap victim's because I knew where they were. I thought you'd think I had great psychic powers myself, but you never did. You just told the authorities where the girl was and took the credit."

  Dolan lowered his hands to the dash instead of holding them in the air. "Are you saying you're the boss of this asshole that kidnapped Sarah?"

  "You're getting it now. Wait until everyone hears that your Psychic Fair has been involved with all the kidnappings just so you'll look psychic. With Sarah dead and the FBI about to kill Gert, I only need to remove you."

  "Sarah dead? How do you intend to do that?"

  Real nervousness settled into his marrow. Dolan realized the look he saw in Alex's eyes earlier wasn't fear. It was insanity.

  "Pull out your cell phone. Do it slowly."

  Dolan did as he was told while Alex tried to keep his eyes on the road and watch him at the same time.

  "Now toss it out the window."

  Dolan complied. He wanted to snatch a look back at Sarah, but didn't risk it.

  Alex checked his mirror and then applied the brake.

  "What're you doing now?" Dolan asked.

  "Letting you out."

  "I'm not leaving Sarah alone with you."

  Alex brought the Honda to a complete stop. "You don't have a choice. Now get out."

  Dolan folded his arms and looked straight out the windshield, trying to portray an image of defiance.

  Sarah's scream accompanied the loud report of the gun. Dolan felt like he'd been punched in the side by a sledgehammer. He looked down and saw a red dot on his left side. The dot was spreading fast. He looked up at Alex. Now his eyes held a cool resolve.

  "Head or gut. I've always wanted to say that, but I didn't. I just decided gut this time. The next bullet will be head. Sarah, don't you move. I will shoot to kill if you try anything."

  Alex lunged across him and opened the passenger door. A warm, numb feeling was oozing across his midsection. Blood was on his hands now. He knew he needed to apply pressure.

  Then something hit his shoulder and he landed on the gravel lining the side of the highway. For a second he thought he'd been shot again but it had only been Alex pushing him out of the car. When he looked up, he saw Sarah watching him from the backseat window, her pale face askew with concern and fear.

  Another shot rang out. Dolan felt it in the ribs.

  His breathing became ragged.

  Darkness fell early as he went under.

  Chapter 59

  Amelia wore large sunglasses to cover her swollen eyes. She remembered how Sarah always called them Mickey Mouse glasses because they were the size of his ears.

  Trees whipped by the Suburban's tinted windows. Caleb sat beside her, his head back, eyes closed. The FBI department psychologist sat across from them in a seat that swiveled 180 degrees. She had it turned around to face them.

  Amelia wanted to avoid Tracy's stare so she looked out the window at the landscape. She was curious how all this would change Sarah. Everyone would be changed in some way, she thought.

  After the phone incident in the motel room Tracy had been handling her differently, like she was talking to a china doll.

  She felt Caleb's hand creep into hers. She tightened her grip to reassure him she was still with it.

  "Before we get there, can we talk," Tracy said, her voice so soft it came out whisper.
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  Amelia didn't respond right away. She wasn't in the mood for conversation. She didn't want to talk about the mysterious phone incident. Nor did she want to hear what Tracy was thinking. They were on their way to pick up Sarah, what was there to talk about?

  Tracey had gotten the call that Sarah was safe. She was with Dolan and they were on their way to meet the FBI. Amelia and Caleb were immediately whisked into the Chevy Suburban they were in now which was taking them to rendezvous with their daughter. Caleb had helped her to the vehicle. They were mere minutes from meeting with their daughter which meant no more department psychologist. No more questions.

  Amelia turned her head and looked at Tracey.

  "Go ahead. What else would there be to talk about?"

  Tracy looked from Caleb's face to Amelia's and back to Caleb. "Vivian."

  Hearing her daughter's name from someone else caused her to recoil with a flood of memories. Back to the day she was shopping with Vivian. Then, not being able to find her. Police involvement. Cameras in the mall were scanned. FBI coming in on the case when there were sightings of Vivian crossing state lines. A month of sorrow, guilt and worry. Holding baby Sarah in her arms and swearing it would never happen to her.

  Thirty four days after she was kidnapped, Vivian was found on a dirt road twenty-two miles from the mall where she was taken. She'd been raped and murdered. The killer was never caught. There's never been a DNA match. No idle talk in a prison somewhere. No confession from a guilty heart. Nothing. Just her Vivian dead and no killer.

  Tracy leaned back in her seat. "Does Sarah know about Vivian?"

  "What's this got to do with anything?" Caleb asked. "We're about to pick Sarah up. This is a great day. We get our daughter back."

  "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if what Sarah writes was somehow connected."

  "It isn't," Caleb said.

  Amelia looked back out the window. She wanted Vivian to call again.

  She would have to ask Sarah if she knew anything about Vivian.

  Vivian said on the phone she was with Sarah.

  But Sarah wasn't dead and Vivian was.

  It didn't make sense to her.

  Chapter 60

  Gert drove up a cracked and broken driveway that was surrounded by dry baked earth that hadn't seen farm equipment in years. Dust surrounded the BMW as he slammed on the brakes. He stopped on an angle in front of the steps that led to the broken front door. The abuse of an unrelenting summer sun had peeled the dirty white paint on the door. It sat askew, held to the frame by the bottom hinge.

  Gert forced it back enough for him to enter the darkened interior but not enough to break it. He wanted to make it more difficult for pursuers to enter.

  The interior of the farm house was dark at first. As his eyes adjusted he could make out old pieces of furniture. It looked like an antique shop that hadn't been dusted since the items were set out.

  He heard the helicopter buzz by outside. The rotors were so loud it was all he could hear for a moment.

  He entered a room that looked like a kitchen at one time. Now it just had a pile of wood in the center of it with outlines of where the cupboards and counter used to cover the walls. Paint was chipped and peeled all over the room. He could see well because the only window was in the south wall allowing the sun access.

  Soon the cops would storm the place. There was no way he'd be able to make it on the run; too many cops to hide from. Languishing in prison would kill him. He couldn't do the time. He thought of himself as a control freak and being an inmate was a surrender of control. The only one who ever controlled him had been his brother.

  He looked across the room and saw an archway that opened to another hall. Two entrances to the kitchen and a pile of debris about three feet high in the center of the room made it a great spot for an ambush.

  Gert sat under the window, his back against the wall and listened to the helicopter make its passes.

  He pulled his gun out, along with the remaining ammunition and waited, resolved to the end that was before him.

  Chapter 61

  Sam didn't want to be a hero. But he was the only one at the farmhouse and the perp didn't know it. After radioing in his position, he was told to stand down. Backup was on the way. An FBI negotiator and the HRT were minutes away.

  What the hell would they need a negotiator for? He thought. Sarah's safe and no one is talking this asshole out of this farmhouse.

  Sam had seen this kind of situation a thousand times and almost every time the perp died. Usually by a self-inflicted shot after a few hours of fruitless negotiation. Or some idiots choose death by cop, whereby he comes running out of the farmhouse shooting. And some sit it out until the FBI storm the building. In this case, Sam knew they'd be glad to return fire because this asshole steals little girls and kills cops.

  This one man was headed for trouble and Sam would be his only chance. If he could get him in handcuffs in the next five minutes, then he could live to pay for his crimes.

  This was also personal, Sam knew, because it marked the end of the task force. This criminal had done a lot of damage, caused a lot of pain and even Sam wouldn't escape some consequences.

  An arrest like this could win Sam some much needed credibility.

  He checked his watch as he approached the broken building from the rear. About three to four minutes was all he could hope for. He'd gotten a pretty good look at the place when he passed it after watching the BMW pull in. A small copse of trees planted on the north side gave him shelter as he ran up to the wall. At the back of the house a shell of a window long since broken revealed a barren room. With both hands applying pressure on the sill, Sam began to lift himself into the room.

  His peripheral vision caught movement to his right. With a one quick motion, he released the sill, dropped his body to the ground and pulled his gun.

  The possibilities were quite thin for who would be standing beside him near the back wall of an abandoned farm house. With no one around for miles, it had to be the perp, but his eyes told him different.

  Alex, Dolan's assistant, was standing behind Sarah, holding her by the back of the neck.

  Sam kept his gun raised.

  "What's this?" he whispered. Why was Alex here? He thought they were with Dolan on their way to meet the FBI.

  "This is a problem," Alex said. "You are a problem."

  "I'm here to arrest her kidnapper. Why would you bring Sarah here? And why are you holding on to her that way?"

  "Drop your gun, Sam. We all don't need another dead cop on our hands."

  Alex moved sideways a little, exposing a weapon that he held pointed into the small of Sarah's back. Sam had no idea how Dolan's assistant was involved in any of this, but he did what he was told, bending slowly to place his gun in the foot long grass. When his eyes met Sarah's he was surprised to see a cool confidence there. He didn't see fear which made him wonder if she knew something neither one of them did.

  "Okay Sam, here's how it has to work. The FBI will be in the area within a minute or so. I need you to leave us alone, but we're running out of time, so I want you to run, not walk."

  "I'm not leaving Sarah alone with you."

  "Then you'll die where you stand while you foolishly try to be the good guy against all odds. Turn around and get going."

  Alex moved the pistol away from Sarah and aimed it at Sam. He looked at Sarah again. She smiled and nodded at him.

  After about five seconds of silence, Sam started walking backwards. He couldn't think of another way to handle this. He wasn't even supposed to be here.

  He jumped at the sound of a gun being discharged.

  Alex had fired at him.

  Sam turned and ran for cover.

  The next bullet knocked him off his feet. He heard Sarah screaming as he lost consciousness.

  Chapter 62

  Alex turned and pushed Sarah towards the open window.

  "Climb in," he said as he reached down and picked up the cops gun
.

  Sarah stumbled and then righted herself. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You don't have to. It could end right now."

  "Just get in before I kill you here." Alex stood back and waited as Sarah sized up the window. "Tell me, what happened to your hair? You're one ugly fucker." Alex shook the gun back and forth for emphasis as he looked her up and down.

  Ignoring his question, Sarah folded her arms. "I asked you why."

  He knew what she was doing; stalling for time. With the cavalry coming any second she'd have a better chance of getting out of this outside the building than inside.

  "I can see threats aren't really intimidating to you. You're willing to test me. I like that in an adversary. In a few words, here's what is about to happen. We're going through that window. Then we're going to find Gert and he will be killed with Sam's gun. If Gert returns fire, you'll be in front of me. If he misses, then the cop's gun will be needed for you. I walk out of here the hero."

  Alex turned at the sound of a vehicle approaching. It was an old dull blue pickup truck loaded with hay. He looked back at Sarah. "Everyone will see that I tried to save you," he said in a voice that sounded contrived. "But Gert shot the cop while he was running away in the field and then shot you before I got the chance to get to him. Everyone who knows of my involvement is gone and I take over where Dolan left off. Get it?"

  "There's only one catch."

  "What's that?"

  "I'm not going to die today. You are."

  Anger rose in him with such power he punched the wooden wall of the farmhouse.

  "You've got some balls kid. I almost shot you right here for that comment. You're going through that window. You've got one second to decide."

  Wind buffeted his hair. It cooled his brow where a sweat broke out as he anticipated the FBI's arrival.

  "I'll go in because I know that all I've got to do is remember to not thump, rip and tear. It's better to be savage."