First Visions (21 page)

The smile slipped when she noticed Logan
looking at her like she was an escaped mental patient across the
table. “Wow, someone needs to lock your cray cray ass up and throw
away the key.”

Thankfully, the wedding soon ended. Kate
found herself completely mentally and physically drained. She
couldn’t wait to go home and overanalyze the Jared situation. She
was unsure about sleep since Jared had penetrated her brain. It was
definite she’d have a vision of him that night. She only desired it
would be a good one and not another traumatizing one like the
previous mental picture of him and Nikki.

After pulling her car in front of their
house, Kate turned to her mother. “Since you let that juvie wannabe
steal my cake, I’m having a major low blood sugar attack. Think I’m
going to the convenience store and buying a box of TastyKakes.
Maybe a coffee too. Want anything?”

“Kate, it’s awfully late for you to be
driving around town alone. You should’ve simply stopped before we
got home if you were that hungry. Why don’t you just come inside
and find something to snack on?”

Kate checked the time on the dashboard; it
was a few minutes after eleven o’clock. The convenience store was
only a few blocks away and the round trip would probably take less
than fifteen minutes. In addition, she had pent up nervous energy
and wanted a few minutes alone before her mom started grilling her
about her disappearance at the wedding.

“You only buy health food and we have nothing
good to snack on,” she accused and then added, “I’ll be right
back.”

“Fine, I’ll wait up for you. I’m dying to
hear all about those
gardens
you were exploring for more
than an hour,” she said giving her a pointed look.

Kate gave her an innocent smile as her mom
exited the car. She wasn’t sure how much of the night she intended
to disclose to her mother about Jared. It seemed too new to share
and she didn’t want to jinx anything by gushing about him. For all
she knew, he could have a crisis of conscience and be thinking what
happened between them was a huge mistake. However, if his parting
kiss was any indication, he was likely fantasizing about her as
well at that moment.

Entering the convenience store, she grabbed a
couple of candy bars and a box of Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes.
Looking down at her stockpile, she sighed and returned them to the
shelves. Instead, she picked up a single package of the Kandy
Kakes. If she was going to get all hot and bothered with Jared, she
had to cut back on the junk food. After preparing a large coffee,
she brought up her purchases. The clerk took in her disheveled
wedding attire and shook his head while ringing her up.

She barely made it to the car before
devouring the entire package of Kandy Kakes. Taking a long sip of
coffee, she drove her Toyota out of the parking lot. Besides
daydreaming about Jared, she was anticipating the moment she’d be
getting out of her dress and shoes. Unlike her skanky bar outfit
though, she would unquestionably be saving this dress. If things
progressed with the detective, it would serve as a reminder of
their first kiss. Kate laughed at herself. She was practically
already imaging them married with a couple of hell raisers with
gray eyes.

Her mood shifted dramatically as she parked
her car curbside in front of her house. She wasn’t sure what it
was, but she immediately felt uneasy. The hairs on the back of her
neck stood up and she had the strongest sensation of being watched.
The night was still, but something felt off and she couldn’t put
her finger on what it could possibly be. Her stomach knotted up and
she knew if she didn’t do something fast, she was in danger.
Panicked, she slammed the car door shut and began to hurry towards
her house.

The silence was shattered by a quick movement
and the sound of someone rushing towards her as soon as her feet
hit the sidewalk. She swung around to react and fight off her would
be attacker. Her mouth snapped open to cry out, but Kate did not
have the chance. Something slammed against her skull and her body
collapsed.

Although it was almost two o’clock in the
morning, Jared tossed in his bed wide awake. He had returned to his
apartment after seeing Kate and now couldn’t stop thinking about
her. He had surprised himself by going to the wedding to seek her
out. Initially, after things ended with Nikki, he focused solely on
work and checking out leads on Cori. However, reflections of Kate
never drifted too far from his brain. He knew it would probably be
for the best if he kept his distance. It seemed disrespectful to
breakup with Nikki one day and immediately jump into something with
Kate. He also was reminded of how much he had hurt her and wasn’t
sure if she would even want to give him a chance. Not only had he
turned down her advances, but also destroyed her chance at
anonymity in Franklin.

Since he woke up that morning, he was
miserable the entire day. All he wanted was to see her and tell her
she had been on his mind persistently. Explain that what she had
felt wasn’t one sided—that he had felt something from the moment
she answered the door with that beaming smile. It was a marvel to
Jared that Kate was one of those rare girls who seemed to have no
clue how absolutely beautiful she was. If she gave him another
chance, he planned to remedy that as soon as possible. Jared was
exhausted and disillusioned over Cori’s abduction and he craved the
comfort of being with her. All the reasons why he shouldn’t be with
her didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. Without a second
thought, he had sent her a text asking to see her. It seemed like
an eternity before she replied about her being at a wedding at
Cedar Brooks.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Jared
had hopped in his car and drove straight to the reception hall.
When he laid eyes on her, it was difficult to think straight. She
looked breathtaking and he was touched at her concern for Cori, a
girl she had never met. Then, when they kissed, it was nothing like
he’d experienced before. It was hard to contain his desire for her
and he was glad he’d finally come to his senses. She was young and
sweet and it wouldn’t be right to pressure her into taking things
farther than she was comfortable with. He wanted to take his time
with her and make certain they both enjoyed things. His aunt had
instilled within him the importance of treating woman with respect
and the lesson had stayed with him throughout his past
relationships.

After he returned home from the wedding, he
had received a message from his aunt to give her a call as soon as
he arrived home. She picked up on the first ring. “Jared, I’ve been
waiting for you to call!”

“It’s not too late? Don’t you country folk
retire at like five in the afternoon?” he chided his Aunt
Lizzie.

“You sound cheerful, I’m guessing your
reading was right then,” she said with a hint of smugness in her
tone.

“Could you remind me again which reading
would that be?”

His aunt called him almost on a regular basis
to give him updates on his future. Although she wasn’t psychic, she
owned a set of tarot cards and their revelations were like her
religion. His open-mindedness had some boundaries and relying on
card symbols to make major decisions about your life felt like a
stretch. Most of the time, he humored her since most of the
interpretations were vague enough where it could fit into any
aspect of any person’s life. However, he never counted anything out
absolutely and knew there were things in the world that defied
explanation. Kate Edwards was further proof of this assertion.

“I knew you weren’t paying attention!” she
accused in mock indignant tones. “I’m going to have to convince
William to get us internet access and then I can email you with the
revelations after I lie out the cards for you. You really need to
think about getting your own set.”

“Hmmm…kind of busy for that right now, Aunt
Lizzie, but I’ll consider it.”

“Does your new girlfriend read tarot cards?”
she asked innocently.

Jared stilled and asked, “What did you
say?”

“Well, I don’t know how serious you are yet,
but I know it has to involve Kate for you to be in good spirits.
When I talked to you a few days ago after your break-up with Nikki,
you sounded positively dreadful. That’s when I dealt the cards on
your behalf. The Queen of Wands came up and although I didn’t say
so at the time, I knew it represented Kate. I’m sorry, but you know
I never felt Nikki was the right one for you….”

He made a noncommittal grunt. His aunt and
Nikki’s family had only met a couple of times over the course of
their relationship. When Nikki’s father had brought up the subject
of religion upon their first meeting, they had all looked at his
aunt like she was a mad woman when she declared herself a Wiccan.
His aunt was shrewd and picked up on their judgments. From that
point on, joint family gatherings were awkward enough it led to
Nikki and Jared typically spending holidays apart. For the first
time ever, he actually looked forward to introducing a girl to his
sole living family member.

“It’s fine, Aunt Lizzie. Anyway, what does
the Queen of Wands mean?”

“It represents a woman who will become
influential in your life. She’s stubborn and strong-willed, but
also chaste, intuitive and kind. The kindness of the Queen of Wands
should never be mistaken for weakness though. She sits on a throne
constructed from rocks and carved into the shape of lions.”

Jared almost laughed and resolved to pay more
attention to his aunt’s tarot card ramblings. Admittedly, most of
the time he balanced his check book or read through his mail when
she phoned about a reading. “Yes, I suppose that fits. The answer
to your unspoken question is
something
did happen with Kate,
but I’m not sure how to label it just yet. I’ll keep you posted
though.”

His aunt grew quiet. “Jared, you know I only
want you to be happy. Without you, I would’ve never been able to
survive losing my sister. I hope…things work out for everyone.”

“You sound doubtful? What aren’t you telling
me?”

“Jared, the Tower came out too,” she said
dramatically.

He normally didn’t recall what each tarot
card looked like, but he could visualize the Tower. If he
remembered correctly, it featured a stone tower being struck by
lightening and catching fire. Bodies were falling out of the tower
and the figures were screaming. Oh fuck—that couldn’t be good, he
thought gritting his teeth. “What’s the interpretation?”

“Typically, the Tower is a representation of
chaos, crisis and hard times. It’s usually a warning of an upcoming
catastrophe in the person’s life,” his aunt relayed with a hefty
sigh.

“It’s not always bad, right?”

Jared had to admit his aunt was getting into
his head a little bit. If the reading held any merit, he hoped the
card wasn’t related to Cori. Although he was barely on speaking
terms with Nikki, he still cared for her younger sister a great
deal and didn’t believe he could stomach anything atrocious
happening to her.

“No,” she admitted softly. “It may be nothing
to worry about. Some interpret the Tower as simply meaning a change
or a renewal which could apply to your love life.”

“Well, if the Queen of Wands also came up in
the deck that would probably make the most sense,” he reasoned.

“I hope so,” she said and then added, “Jared,
promise me you’ll be careful. If anything…unfortunate does happen,
please come to me. We have plenty of room up here and you’ve been
promising a visit for months now. Don’t let anything break you
completely.” Reluctantly, he made the promise to her and they soon
ended the call.

His aunt’s forewarnings of doom was another
reason he couldn’t get to sleep. When Jared finally began to drift
off, he was startled to hear his phone ring. He wondered if Kate
was giving him a call after returning home from the wedding. A part
of him was concerned she was having second thoughts about seeing
him. It was difficult at times to get an accurate read on her due
to her combativeness, it could be a barrier to knowing her true
feelings. Yet their final kiss was scorching enough, he suspected
neither of them would be too quick to put the brakes on anything
developing between them.

Although it would have to wait until Cori was
found, Jared had already begun planning an amazing first date for
her. He knew the security guard at the local sculpture grounds and
could get them onto the property after it had been closed to the
public. He could pick up a sampling of food from the Italian
restaurant she had mentioned wanting to try the day they went to
the diner and they could eat amongst the statues. He had been there
for work once when it was closed and it was pretty amazing to
explore when no one else was around.

Looking at his phone, he was surprised to see
it was work. His apprehension grew as he thought about his aunt’s
tarot reading and wished to god this wasn’t a call to inform him
they had found Cori’s body. He picked up quickly. “Hello.”

“Hi Jared, its Marc.” Jared recognized the
voice of one of his supervisors from the detective bureau. “I have
some bad news for you.”

“What is it?” he demanded and tightened his
grip around the receiver.

“You know the girl you were working with on
the Preston case? We got a call from her mother tonight. It looks
as though she was abducted in front of her house.”

Jared fought the urge to vomit as Marc
relayed the information he had. Kate went to the convenience store
about three hours earlier after dropping her mother off at their
home. Darlene had grown anxious when, after forty-five minutes,
Kate had yet to return. She was shocked when she looked outside and
saw Kate’s car parked out front. After stumbling upon her cell
phone and purse on the sidewalk, Darlene had immediately phoned the
police to report her missing. Patrol officers were dispatched to
the scene and detectives were on their way to the Edwards’
home.