Dark Visions Read online

  She removed all the thumb screws she could feel in the dark and then pulled the liner toward her, exposing the back of the brake light assembly.

  Her tiny jail gained a small amount of sunshine from outside. This helped her as she tugged on the brake wires, loosening the bulb.

  "You awake back there?"

  She jumped and almost dropped the screwdriver when she heard his voice coming from the front of the car. She didn't answer him. She had no idea what difference it would make whether she was sleeping or not.

  After what she thought was a minute or so she heard him talking. She guessed he'd wanted to make a phone call on his cell without her hearing anything. His quiet mumbling wasn't coherent by the time it reached her in the trunk anyway. The sound of the highway racing by under the car was a steady drone.

  With the bulb in her hand, she looked through the small hole where the brake wire had previously been. The red plastic brake light cover was all she could see. The hole was too small to accommodate her hand. All her efforts were useless. Dead end. A small hole to nothing.

  With the little light coming into the trunk now she could work on the lock mechanism.

  After at least five minutes, with nothing but sore hands, she gave up. Besides, what could she do if she popped the trunk open while they were going sixty miles an hour on the open highway, she wondered?

  The next time her kidnapper went to let her out he'd stumble upon what she did to the brake light and the trunk cover unless she could replace everything exactly as it was. Somehow, she was making this worse on herself.

  The road was starting to get bumpier. The car hit a couple small potholes adding pressure to her shoulders. One was big enough to make her wince.

  She took the end of the screwdriver and slid it through the hole where the brake light had been. She applied pressure to the top corners of the red cover, trying to get it to break off. Maybe she could signal someone driving behind them.

  More bumps hit the wheels. She rolled around for a better position and pushed harder. The floor of the trunk was merciless. Her right shoulder was on fire, the energy in her arm waning.

  A corner popped loose, followed by another. From her limited view of the outside she could see they were on a two lane highway, with little to no traffic.

  They hit what felt like speed bumps in the road and at that exact moment, the screwdriver was knocked from her hand. She had thrust hard to dislodge the rest of the plastic. The brake cover gave way and was lost to gravity as they hit the bumps, and in the same instant she fumbled the screwdriver, letting it go. It clanged to the road and disappeared from view.

  Shit, that was my only weapon, she thought.

  Sarah angled herself to get a better look outside.

  She couldn't believe the sheer coincidence when her eyes spied upon a police cruiser following them. She could only hope he pulled them over for a missing taillight. As much as she hated cops, this may be a chance to get away from a maniacal twist creep.

  "What're you doing back there?"

  Her stomach did a flip. She turned and looked at the underside of the trunk lid.

  Gravel kicked the wheel wells as he pulled onto the shoulder. Sarah dropped her head back to the hole she'd made and saw the police car had its lights on.

  The cop was pulling them over.

  Here was her chance.

  This would all be over in minutes.

  "I know you can hear me. Listen and believe me when I say that I can make you die slowly. I want to explore all of my sexual fantasies on you first. If you signal that cop, I will teach you the definition of torture."

  She heard his car door open as he got out.

  "What can I do for you officer?"

  He was using a fake accent.

  "I saw your brake light cover fly off. Thought I'd pull you over to let you know you also lost what looked like a screwdriver a little ways back there."

  Sweat ran into Sarah's eyes. She raised her hand to wipe it away. Should she scream and take her chances? She barely breathed as she waited to see what would come next.

  "Yeah, I knew it was loose. One of my errands in town was to get that fixed."

  "Your plates say you're from Florida. That's a long way to head into town up here in Alabama."

  Silence followed for a few seconds. Then Sarah felt her nerves vibrate her limbs when she heard the officer speak again.

  "Open up your trunk. I want to get a look at that bulb."

  Chapter 23

  Amelia hadn't moved when Caleb walked back into the living room.

  "Who was at the door?" she asked.

  "Jehovah witnesses. It was hard to get them off the porch. Two guys with all these questions about religion."

  "Is there anything new about Sarah? Has she called from Mary's?"

  "Nothing yet. I'm going to jump in the car and go find her."

  Amelia turned toward him. She used the back of the couch to get into a sitting position. "Where're you going to go?"

  "I'm not sure yet," Caleb lied. Then he thought better of it. "I think I'll give that Psychic Fair a visit."

  Amelia shook her head. "Sarah wouldn't be there. That's the last place she'd be."

  "What are you going to do?" Caleb asked.

  Amelia picked up the remote control and flipped the television on. Caleb watched her as she turned the volume down low and searched for the local news.

  "Get rid of this headache and start making some phone calls, I guess. I'll start with Mary's dad and then work through the few friends Sarah has."

  "Why don't you call hospitals? Maybe she was admitted somewhere last night."

  He looked away as Amelia glared at him. "You seem full of all the answers this morning. Why don't you call the hospitals?"

  "Because, I'll be in the car driving around."

  "Are you okay, Caleb? Let me rephrase that. Are we okay? Are we acting like parents with a daughter that didn't come home last night?"

  "What do you think?"

  "I look at your hands and they're shaking. Your eyes are glancing left and right. You're fidgety; moving around like you can't stand still. It's okay, you know, we'll get our Sarah back."

  "How can you be so sure? Are you aware of something I'm not?" Caleb asked.

  "You know that's not the case. I just don't want to overreact. Besides, I need the first hour of the day to be calm for the sake of this splitting headache."

  Caleb couldn't hold it in any longer. How could she be so selfish? Sarah didn't come home last night. The police were looking for her for crimes he was sure she didn't have anything to do with.

  He didn't want to think about the other call he received earlier that told him not to involve the police.

  For his daughter's life, he would keep the police out of this as long as he could.

  "You have to ask yourself what you're doing as a parent to get your daughter back. What kind of commitment are you willing to make?"

  "What are you talking about now?" Amelia asked, her eyes not leaving the news channel. "You know as well as I that I would do anything for Sarah."

  "So get up and start doing something." His voice was louder than he intended.

  He didn't want to attack her. He wanted to weep at how unfair life was. He wanted to laugh at the craziness of it all. How could he have two daughters and both are kidnapped?

  He also needed to leave as soon as he could. Every second counted.

  "You're not being yourself," Amelia said. She set the remote down. "I think the first phone call I make is to the police department to see if they heard anything about Sarah."

  "No! Don't do that," he shouted. "Besides, I'm going to stop there first. It's only seven blocks away. You and I both know the amount of paperwork to fill out on a missing person which is something you can't do on the phone."

  "Then I'll join you," Amelia said as she rose from the couch.

  "No. You stay home."

  Amelia stopped. She started to rub her temples in circles. "Why's that?"
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  "In case Sarah calls or someone else. Just promise me one thing." Caleb walked over to her and grabbed each arm above the elbow. He stared into her eyes. "Promise me you won't involve the police yet. You remember how bad they bungled the case with Vivian. Let me handle them for now. Okay?"

  Amelia nodded.

  Caleb turned, grabbed his car keys and ran for the door without another word.

  Chapter 24

  An uncomfortable silence filled the trunk. From inside, Sarah felt a car whoosh by on the highway.

  The heat seemed to be rising. It was almost unbearable.

  She braced herself as she heard a key slide into the lock. That's funny; he used the fob to open the trunk earlier.

  Then she heard a soft thunk sound.

  "Ah, man. When I looked at that car go by I must've turned a little. The key broke in the fuckin' lock."

  "Step aside," she heard the cop say.

  Now she knew why he chose to use the key.

  "You don't have to get uptight. I just broke my key."

  Sarah could hear the agitation in her captor's voice. Something was going to happen between these two soon. She pushed herself to the back of the trunk and closed her eyes.

  "Wait for me here. I've got pliers in my cruiser."

  Another car whooshed by.

  A few moments later she could hear the pliers at work. Metal protested as she listened to one of them working on the broken key. Not ten seconds later a horizontal light creased what little darkness was left in the trunk. A soft blast of cooler air brushed her cheeks as the trunk opened.

  She looked up. No one was there.

  She heard sounds of a scuffle. She pushed the trunk lid all the way open and sat up. Too much light came too quick. She had to rub her eyes and squint.

  The men were fighting on the shoulder of the highway. It looked to Sarah like they were struggling for the gun that was now missing out of the cop's holster.

  She started to get out of the trunk. A shot rang out. Sarah instinctively ducked.

  She jumped out of the trunk and fell to the ground. Her legs weren't quite ready for the weight. She crouched behind the car.

  She wanted to help the officer, but was in no shape to do it. She also didn't want to die if that gun went off again.

  She looked around to see if she could get someone's attention. Up and down the highway she saw only one car and it was traveling away from them.

  She thought about the police cruiser. It would have a radio. Maybe another weapon.

  Sarah hobbled and crawled to the cop car. The door was unlocked. She swung it open pushed herself up into the driver's seat. A small burst of energy hit her with the anticipation that this kidnapping was over. A laptop was on the passenger seat. A shotgun was bolted into the dash. She decided the radio would be her best bet. Sarah locked herself in the police car and started pushing the radio buttons.

  Something hit the windshield. Sarah jumped backwards and smacked her head on the headrest.

  There was a hole where a bullet had passed through. The guy who'd kidnapped her was standing in front of the car aiming the gun at her.

  "Get out," he said. "Or the next one goes in your head."

  Sarah unlocked the door slowly and eased it open. She got out and stood beside the cruiser on legs that still couldn't be trusted.

  "Now get in the back seat."

  She moved towards the car she'd been in.

  "No," he shouted, waving the gun at her. "The backseat of the cruiser, you fuck."

  She turned around and got in the back of the cop car. The front door was still ajar. She could hear him ask the cop for his car keys. She couldn't see the officer from the backseat. Her captor still held the gun out in front of him.

  She leaned back. There had to be a way out of this. She had been so close.

  She could barely hear the cop ask, "What about me?"

  "Wrong place at the wrong time."

  Sarah reached for the door handle. She had to make a run for it.

  The gun went off.

  Twice.

  Chapter 25

  By the time Caleb made it to the Psychic Fair's parking lot, he was fuming. To remain calm he'd been reciting a mantra, no police, no police. After he found a parking spot and stepped from the car, he continued this mantra.

  People gathered near the entrance doors. The fair looked busier today. He wondered if he'd get to speak with Dolan. Then he smiled at such a thought. Of course he will. Dolan won't be able to refuse him. Not after he saw his name in Sarah's notebook circled the way it was.

  He got in behind a small crowd and waited in line. Once he got to the ticket table, he bought a pass to allow entry, and swung open the doors to the Psychic Fair.

  He saw Esmerelda right away. She was standing by a booth he guessed was hers. A girl about Sarah's age was talking to her. They turned away and started down the aisle heading away from him.

  He was sure neither one had seen him.

  He decided to follow them. Halfway down the aisle he caught up. Without letting them know they were being followed, he began talking.

  "Tell me what's happened to Sarah. You can start with your warning of danger and then tell me where she is." Not knowing what to do with his hands, he crossed his arms on his chest.

  Esmerelda turned around. "If I knew where your daughter was, I wouldn't just tell you, I'd inform the police too."

  "We don't want the police involved."

  Esmerelda looked at her companion. Caleb turned to her and asked, "Who are you?"

  "My name is Mary Bennett."

  Caleb unfolded his arms and pointed a finger at her.

  "Did you send me a text last night?"

  Mary looked at Esmerelda, then back to Caleb. She nodded.

  "What is going on here?" Not worried about making a scene, he shot out questions. "What have you people done? Who are you? Where do you have my daughter? You're going to pay for this."

  Spittle shot from his mouth as his agitation rose.

  Esmerelda and Mary backed away a little. It looked to Caleb that Esmerelda wanted to say something.

  "Tell me where Sarah is," he said.

  An audience gathered. People were watching. Esmerelda looked past him, over his shoulder. Caleb spun around in time to see two security guards approaching.

  "Look, I want my daughter. What is it? Money you want? Just tell me."

  "I'm on your side," Esmerelda said. "I'm not the enemy. I don't know who took Sarah, and I don't know where she is."

  "Then explain the text I received. Why would you send it?" he asked looking at Mary.

  Hands touched his arms. He shook them violently to release the grip.

  "Don't touch me," he said in a deep snarl.

  "Okay, mister, just calm down," the guard on his right said.

  People were everywhere. No one was talking. Everyone just stood and stared.

  "My daughter was kidnapped last night. We were warned about it by her," he said, pointing at Esmerelda. "While this kidnapping took place, I received a text from her." He pointed at Mary. "But they won't tell me where she is."

  The guard stepped forward, halfway between Caleb and the two girls.

  "I'm sure there's an explanation. Why don't we go in the office and sit down. We can all talk about it there."

  "No. I want to know where Sarah is now."

  Esmerelda stepped forward. "I already told you, I have no idea. No one here does."

  "You sound like a lawyer. Don't worry, I won't sue. Just tell me where she is before I lose my fucking temper," Caleb said.

  "Okay, mister. Let's go."

  Both guards tried to manhandle him. Caleb wasn't as agile as he used to be, but he managed to get out of the vice grip of the guy on the left.

  He swung his weight, planted his foot and used his shoulder to knock the guard on his right off balance. Then, staying low, he whirled around and knocked the other guy off his feet. He hit him square in the stomach. Caleb heard the wind rushing out of his
mouth.

  "Leave me the fuck alone. I came here to find my daughter. I will not lose another daughter."

  The one guard was trying to catch his breath while the other had both hands in the air, chest high. He was nodding his head. "Okay, okay, take it easy," he said.

  "What seems to be all the fuss here?"

  "Who're you," Caleb snapped at a tall man approaching from behind Esmerelda.

  "My name is Dolan Ryan. I run this fair."

  "Then you're the one I want to talk to," Caleb said. He pointed at Esmerelda. "Your psychic here is somehow involved in the disappearance of my daughter and so are you. She wrote your name down in her notebook. The same notebook the police have in their possession. That's why I'm here."

  "Why don't we go to my office and talk this out."

  Caleb looked around. People were everywhere, standing, watching, listening. He nodded his head.

  Dolan turned and walked away. Caleb followed him to an office in the back. They all filed into the small room. One of the two guards came inside and shut the door behind him.

  Caleb filled Dolan in on the warning from Esmerelda and the text he received from Mary. Esmerelda told them about Sarah being on the news and Mary explained why she sent the text and how she knew Sarah.

  After everything was out, Caleb was dumbfounded. He'd had no idea who Sarah was or had become. He knew Amelia would have no idea that Sarah was out saving strangers from trouble. He told them about the police coming to his door this morning looking for Sarah.

  "How do you explain your name in her notebook?"

  "We kind of bumped into each other. I saw my name in her book too. I asked Esmerelda about it, but we couldn't come up with any reason why."

  "If my daughter writes down some kind of prophecies and then acts on them, it would make sense that you are involved in some way. Your name was circled."

  Everyone was silent for a few heartbeats. He realized he didn't even know his daughter. He wondered if it had anything to do with Vivian. Maybe he closed down emotionally after she was murdered and he hadn't been available for Sarah. He felt that he had let her down, which motivated him even more to find her.