A Deep and Dark December(15)

Elmer shook his cane at Graham. “Since before your daddy was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye.”

Erin pressed her hands to her face. “Tell me this isn’t happening.”

“He’s the best lawyer in town,” Keith said.

Graham muttered, “God help us.”

“He’s the only lawyer in town,” Erin said, dropping her hands.

Elmer pointed his cane at Erin. “Not true. My granddaughter just passed her bar exam.” He rocked back on his heels. “A proud moment indeed.”

“Brilliant,” Graham said. “And where is she?”

“She’s… ah… celebrating. Just received the good news today.” Elmer checked his pocket watch. “Can we get on with the business at hand? Bingo at Saint Paul’s starts at eight and I don’t want to get stuck sitting beside Alvin Buttertin again. He farts like a rabid dog and blames it on the person next to him.” He nudged Keith’s arm. “Can’t have the ladies thinking I’ll stink up the boudoir, am I right, son?”

“Er… sure.”

Graham jabbed a thumb at Elmer. “Are you sure you want him for your lawyer?”

She sighed. “Why not?” How could things get any worse?

“Then have a seat by my desk and we’ll get on with it. I’ll have to ask you to leave, Keith. Police business. Sorry.” Graham didn’t sound sorry as he showed Keith the door.

“I’ll wait to drive you home, Erin,” Keith said as he left. “I’ll just be out front.”

“Uh-huh. You do that.” Graham shut the door and came around to sit behind his desk. “Do you mind if I record our conversation, Erin?”

“No.” She struggled to catch up. Everything was happening all at once. “I guess not.”

He pulled a recorder out of his desk drawer and started it. He rattled off the time, date, place, and other salient information. “Okay, Erin. Start from the beginning. Tell me why you went to the Lasiters.’”

“My boss gave me the file on the Lasiter house.”

“Where do you work? What’s your boss’s name?”

“Oh, right. Earlier today my boss, Ramie Singh of Kavender Investments, gave me the file on 321 Amiable Lane, also known as the Lasiter house. My job was to meet with Greg Lasiter to exchange the keys to his house for a check for fifteen hundred dollars. This saved the company time and money from having to forcibly remove Greg…er, Mr. Lasiter, from the house and change the locks. We had an appointment to meet today at four o’clock at Mr. Lasiter’s house.”

Should she mention the vision she had when she’d received the file and then again after she spoke to Greg? The visions had been wrong… no, incomplete. Greg had fallen in almost the same position in her vision as he had in reality. She closed her eyes, bringing up her vision and picturing it side by side with what she remembered. It was like putting two photos next to each other and comparing them. His body position was the same. The gun in his hand the same. But Deidre wasn’t in her vision. The table and chairs weren’t either. Why were they so different?

“Erin? Are you all right?”

She touched a hand to her forehead and opened her eyes. “No. I mean, yes. I’m fine.”

“You had an appointment with Mr. Lasiter,” Graham prompted. “Then what?”

“I had to walk to his house because my aunt had my car. It wasn’t far, only a few blocks.”

A blinding flash of light. A jolt. She was suddenly back on Amiable Lane. The wind tangled her hair and slipped into her coat. She shivered. The sky was black, the clouds almost close enough to touch. She could smell the ocean and the sweet scent of impending rain. Her mind skipped like a scratched record and then she was at the back of the house, on the porch. She’d never been at the back of the house, but she somehow knew that’s where she was. She reached a hand out to knock on the door except her arm was longer, her hand larger. She wasn’t herself. She was a man.

This was new. She’d never taken over a body in her visions. Trapped. There was no other word for it. She was trapped in this body and this vision. Would she be able to get out of it? Somewhere in another time she shivered.

The man’s other hand—her hand, his hand—held a gun snug in the pocket of his coat. He gripped the gun harder, the squeak of his leather gloves almost deafening in the silence. Annoyance. Anger. Shame. He had to stop Deidre. Should’ve gotten rid of her sooner. This had gone too far. Deidre had taken things too seriously. But oh, how he wished he could screw Deidre just once more. He loved the way Deidre’s breasts bounced when she was on top, riding him. The way Deidre made him feel when he was with her, inside her. He was a king with Deidre.

He knocked on the door, plastered on a smile. Deidre answered. He’d always remember Deidre in this moment, the way she smiled up at him, happy, worshipful. Like he was a freaking hero. But then Deidre had to go and ruin it all by getting pregnant. He pulled the gun from his pocket— Blinding light shattered the vision. Pain split Erin’s head. She fell forward, vaguely aware of Graham saying something, holding her. And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the light and pain were gone.

“Erin. Can you hear me?”

She blinked up at Graham, the light fixture overhead haloing him. What’s happening?