The rain pounded the pavement like buckets of water dumped all at once. Thunder cracked in the distance. Laura hopped in place, anxious, scanning the street.
Jack’s car finally turned the corner and pulled up along the curb. Laura raced off her front porch and climbed in.
“What happened?” Jack asked, pulling away, not even asking which direction they should head.
“I don’t know, I was on the phone — when I went to check on her, she was gone.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“She’s gotten worse, Jack. I don’t know if I can handle it anymore. I haven’t slept in days; I can barely see straight.”
“What’s the last thing she said to you?”
Laura paused a moment. “She keeps asking to go home.” Jack looked at Laura. They both knew at that moment where she might be headed.
The rain streaked on Jack’s dirty windshield, his wipers on the fastest setting, rocking back and forth as if they might fly off into the night. Jack had a swivel searchlight mounted on the side of his door. He rolled down the window and shined it along the dark side streets. He turned a corner and continued, twisting it back and forth, searching while trying to drive a straight line.
“This is my fault,” Laura cried.
“No, it isn’t. You’ve done everything right. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I should never have brought her out there.”
Jack turned another corner; they headed into the urban area of town. Laura looked up and recognized the street they were on. And where it led.
“I know this road,” Laura said. Their eyes met for a moment, both thinking the same thing.
“This is crazy. She’s so confused. All these thoughts have been put into her head, she’s starting to believe it. It’s all been twisted.”
Jack held his tongue. He didn’t want to upset Laura, add to her plate — it wasn’t the time to bring up the painting he saw at the rec center gallery, inform her that Carmen somehow had a vision of her future incarnation and committed it to canvas. Maybe, when she was ready, he’d let Laura see it for herself. Dispel any doubt, like the kind that was beginning to creep into his own mind, the more he thought about Bishop.
Jack saw something reflect his light in the distance.
“Look,” Jack pointed.
As he drove closer he could see the spokes of Rebecca’s upended bicycle, the tire still spinning.
“How did she know to come this way? That Carmen lived over in this area?” Jack asked.
“Her address is written down in my phone book, Rebecca was looking through it last night.”
Of course. Common sense versus the supernatural was waging war inside Jack’s head. But…there are no coincidences. Are there?
“Is that her?” Jack pulled up along the shoulder.
“Oh my God!” Laura screamed. Jack climbed out of the car into the tall grass. He passed the bike, the chain had come undone again. Rebecca was lying face down in the mud, a few feet away.
“Is she alright?” Laura raced to join him.
They crouched beside her. Jack carefully turned her over onto her back. The heavy rain splashed onto Rebecca’s face, rinsing off some of the mud. Her eyes fluttered. Jack crouched over her to shield her from the rain.
“Rebecca?” they both said at the same time. Laura brushed some of the dirt away from Rebecca’s cheeks and nose. Rebecca opened her eyes and looked up at Jack.
“It broke again,” she said, her voice shallow and weak.
“You had us worried sick!” Laura said, trying to calm down.
Us? It sounded strange to Jack, to hear a woman say us, referring to him.
“Let’s get her in the car,” Jack said. Using all the strength he had left, Jack hoisted her up and carried her. Laura opened the door and Jack slid Rebecca into the back seat.
Laura climbed in next to her, to hold and comfort Rebecca on the ride home. Jack quickly retrieved Rebecca’s bicycle and placed it in the trunk, then got back in the car.
He leaned over the seat to make sure everyone was okay. Rebecca was sitting up, breathing loudly through her nose as Laura wiped mud from her cheeks and hair. Jack spun around to grab the wheel and put the car in drive. He hung a U-turn and sped off.
“Why did you run away?” Laura asked.
“I just…wanted to see…” Rebecca trailed off. Jack’s eyes found her in his rearview mirror.
“What brought you all the way out here, Rebecca?” Jack asked.
Rebecca hesitated, “Just a feeling.”
“Like a gut feeling?” Jack asked. She dropped her head onto Laura’s shoulder. Her hair dripped small round droplets onto Laura’s hand.
“You don’t understand. No one understands.”
“We do understand,” Laura said.
“Everyone thinks I’m crazy.” A drop of rain dripped from the tip of Rebecca’s nose. She blew it off defiantly.
“No one thinks you’re crazy,” Laura said.
“I just don’t want to be scared anymore.”
“Me neither,” Laura said, pulling her close.
Rebecca’s eyes closed from exhaustion. Jack watched the two of them in the mirror. Laura returned his gaze, her expression said “thank you.”
No thanks necessary…
CHAPTER 50
Laura entered the kitchen. “She’s asleep, finally.” Jack sat at the kitchen table, a half empty coffee cup in front of him. She poured herself a cup and sat down in the seat across from him, wiping her hands down her face, emotionally spent. They sat in silence for a few moments.
“Sounds like the rain is letting up,” Jack said, just trying to make conversation. The clock above the sink ticked loudly in the quiet.
“I’m sorry for the other day.”
Jack shook his head. “It was my mistake to bring her there.”
“Thanks for helping me tonight. I just don’t know what to do anymore.” Laura cupped both hands around her coffee mug. She slowly lifted it to her lips and took a short sip. Jack noticed her hands were trembling.
He turned away and looked over at some of Rebecca’s artwork displayed on the fridge. Jack grinned, even her doodles were fantastic. He wondered if Laura ever knew what it was like to have a child, a real child. Rebecca seemed so old in her skin. Was she ever just simple, innocent?
There was a small photo of Rebecca as a baby sitting on Santa’s lap, one of those expensive photos people stood in line at the mall for hours to get. Her smile was big and bright.
Next to the photo was a drawing of a dog. Jack squinted to focus. It bore a striking resemblance to the dog that licked his face at Hester’s home. A Collie, same markings around the eyes. Jack marveled at how Rebecca’s renderings were so accurate; even when she doodled a sketch of a dog, you could not only clearly tell it was a dog, but what damn breed it was.
Laura looked at Jack and followed his line of vision.
“She’s always been drawing. Since she could hold a crayon. When she was five years old, she drew a picture of the baby sitter. It was so lifelike. When I arrived home she up and quit, said Becca was possessed. I reported her. What happens when you hire out of the Penny-saver. Not sure what I was thinking.” Laura took a sip of her coffee, then rubbed her arms briskly, a shiver. “The doctor, Hellerman, he tried to tell me. I didn’t want to listen.”
“What were you afraid of?”
“I don’t know. The more I think about it, the more things I remember her doing or saying that just don’t make sense. Things she knew that she shouldn’t have known. Things about me. When she started drawing, it frightened me. Her talent, it wasn’t natural. I just wanted my little girl. I don’t know. So much shit in my life… I guess, I was afraid somehow of losing her too. If she started believing all this craziness, what then? I needed to be the voice of reason for her.” Laura rubbed her hands together, scratching at her knuckles nervously. “You knew where she was going tonight.”