Shattered: A Psychic Visions Novel (36 page)

“He’s leaving,” Trevor said quietly. He reached across and covered her hands with his own. “Are you sensing something?”

“Anger – no make that rage,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand. The stuffing seemed to go out of her. “I probably shouldn’t have done that, should I?”

“No, probably not, but it’s done now.”

“Right.” She twisted her features. “And now what, we wait?”

“No, I’ve already contacted Drew. I had my phone taping that scenario. Should have some interesting video to look at on the monitor. Maybe someone somewhere gave something away.”

“Not likely. They are all professionals.”

“Who was the man sitting beside your father?”

“Oh that’s George, the other henchman. He doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. Whereas Will thrives on it.”

He stared out the window.

“What are you thinking?”

“The men present an interesting wall of dark energy.”

“Will yes, but who else?” she asked.

He laughed. “Do you really think your father isn’t a man of energy?”

She stared at him. “I think we said before that he was but with a business bent. As in that’s how he’s managed to become so successful.”

“He’s that all right, but I think his skills are so much more. I’m just not sure in what way.”

“I remember seeing him years ago and thinking that inside he was a really lonely man.” She laughed, humor overlaid with bitterness. “But then he’d do something mean again, and I’d forget about those times.”

“I’m certainly not going to excuse his behavior, but you might want to remember there would have been times when life was very difficult.”

“Maybe. And maybe they were only difficult while he tried to figure out how to get rid of his families.”

“What?” Her father’s voice boomed. He stood beside them alone. Hannah could see the rest of his party standing outside by the vehicles. He’d approached quietly when she and Trevor were deep in conversation and neither had noticed. Her father collapsed on the chair beside her. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

He shook his head slowly. “No. You did say it. I’m just struggling with the concept. You actually think I killed my first wife? My kids? Your mother?” His voice rose in shocked horror at the end.

She didn’t know if he was a damn good actor or what, but he gave the appearance of being in pain. She glanced over at Trevor. He sat back and surveyed her father as if he didn’t know what to make of this sudden turn of events but was willing to see it through.

“Did you?”

There. She’d asked. Clear and concise so there was no misunderstanding. And she waited.

For the first time in all these years she’d known him, words appeared to fail him. “No,” he finally managed to get out, his face stark white with shock. “No, I didn’t.” He rested his face on his hands on the table. “Jesus, how long have you thought that?”

“I don’t know. I only just found out about your first family,” she admitted, not sorry to be here having this conversation now. “I’m sorry for them…and you.”

A strangled sound escaped his mouth. But he shook his head wildly. “I never did anything to your mother.” He held out a hand. “I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”

“And your first wife and two kids?” She didn’t know where she was getting the courage for this but it was obvious this was the right time to have this discussion. She glanced around at the restaurant. Most of the patrons were focusing on their own lives, but a few still stole glances in her direction.

Her father, however, looked shattered. A good word considering what happened to her all the time. But she felt sorry. For misjudging him. For what he’d lost.

“I gather you didn’t?” Not that a murderer would confess.

“No, I never did. I loved her. Them,” he said in a soft voice. “They were my life.”

“And yet…”

“Yet what? They were hit in a head-on collision by a semi on bad winter roads,” he said, his skin a pale wan color. “I was at work. And in one moment they were gone. As in all gone.” He turned to stare at the full restaurant, but she knew he was looking down the long line of his memories. Maybe he blocked them so he didn’t feel the pain. Like someone had done for her. Now she could deal with the remaining blocks. Maybe tonight.

No, she glanced over at her husband and realized there was something else she planned to do tonight. But they needed to go to a drugstore first.

“I’d have done anything to have died with them,” he whispered.

A sheen of moisture clung to his eyes. She closed her eyes, hating the pain she’d brought up. She hadn’t planned on it. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him. She’d wanted her own nightmare to stop.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That must have been tough.”

“It was the worst day of my life.”

She couldn’t imagine. To lose everyone all at once. “Then why marry her sister?”

He glanced down at the empty table and said, “Because she reminded me of my first wife. They looked alike, and I was so damn lonely for what I’d lost.”

“But it wasn’t the same, was it?” she said smoothly, remembering her mother’s loneliness.

“No, not at all. It was a mistake. I couldn’t give her what she needed, and obviously she couldn’t give me what I needed.” He gave a broken laugh. “I thought I’d healed, was whole going into it, but knew immediately I hadn’t. And she knew too. I’m so sorry she was unhappy. I tried hard to make her happy, but it wasn’t to be. We’d have divorced if she’d lived. We’d talked about it but hadn’t gotten to that point. And yes, that house was hers. I gave it to her. It returned to me upon her death. However, it was intended as your birthday gift, which is tomorrow. Once I set up the paperwork so your new husband can’t get his hands on it, it will be yours.”

“Really?” She gasped. “Thank you,” she said warmly. “I really love that place. Why the guard though?”

“Because it was empty and needed looking after.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “You never understood that, but assets require care too.”

“I do understand.” She glanced over at Trevor to see him paying attention but not showing any reaction. She didn’t know if he believed her father or not. She did. Yet she had no real reason to do so. But it was hard to fake that kind of loss and unfortunately, she could see him marrying her mother for the reason he stated. He was an indomitable force, and if he thought he could get his old life back – albeit slightly different – then he’d do whatever he could to make that happen.

She sighed. It was hard to find acceptance and forgiveness for all he’d done, but she knew it would be much easier now.

As if having shoved the heavy memories back into place and ready to move on once again, her father stood up. “I’m late for a meeting. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What’s tomorrow?”

“The meeting with the financial advisors,” he said smoothly, shooting Trevor a shark’s grin. “You didn’t think you’d be there alone, did you?” He smiled at Hannah. “Besides, it’s my only child’s twenty-fifth birthday, surely you won’t begrudge me some of your day.”

And once again back in control, he strode off toward the exit.

*

Interesting turn of
events. Trevor pondered the implications of her father meeting the financial advisors at the same time. There was an ethical issue involved. He’d requested and been assured a private meeting. So much for the assurance. “It just might be time to find yourself a new financial advisor.”

“Really, do you know one?” she mocked. “Not too many people know how to manage big money well. Not that I have big money.”

“Of those few, you need to find an honest one but…” he frowned. “I do know someone. He handles Stefan’s investments too.”

“Another friend of Stefan’s.”

“Absolutely. And another energy worker although his passion is his wife so…” At her blank expression he laughed. “Not to worry. I’ll set up a meeting later in the week.”

“If I don’t like him,” she said with a certain tartness he was coming to really enjoy.

“Don’t use him. Find someone else.” He smirked. “But I can guarantee you he’s honest and his energy work makes it so much easier for him to do well in the slippery industry.”

“Then it’s hard
not
to choose him.”

“But no reason to change if you are happy with the men we meet tomorrow.”

The waitress finally returned with two over heaped plates of food. “Here is your meal.” She placed the food down in front of them.

“Oh, thank you.” Hannah laughed at Trevor. “I didn’t even have to order.”

“I ordered for both of us while you were talking with your father.” He looked up from his meal. “How are you feeling about that conversation?”

She dug into her meal and didn’t answer. He waited for her to get through a little of the food to take the edge off her appetite then questioned, “Well?”

“I think I believe him,” she said slowly, still chewing the last mouthful of food. She swallowed. “What about you?”

He nodded. “Good. I do too.”

“If we both believe him, who do we think is responsible for all that’s going on?”

They both answered together. “Will.”

T
hey drove back
to the house later that afternoon. All she could think about was having a nap. Surely there was time for that now. “Maybe it was the heavy lunch or the zillion stops we had to make on the way home but I’m tired,” she said, yawing.

“Go lie down,” Trevor said, unloading the bags from the car. “I’ll take care of this.”

She yawned again, grabbed the small bag of stuff she’d picked up and exited the car. “If you don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind. Go.”

At his word, she stumbled up the stairs and collapsed on the bed. She didn’t know when the fatigue had started to pull on her, but it was bad right now. Hell, it had been bad two stops ago, and trying to make it through the last of the errands had been painful. She’d tried to nap in the car, but that hadn’t worked so well. She kicked off her shoes and stretched out. And into a heavy sleep.

And found herself being chased by men with wild looks on their faces. And behind them, screaming, was an old creepy woman in long skirts with a head scarf. She was brandishing a stick of some kind. Rationally Hannah knew she was dreaming but it didn’t matter. She was in an all-out panic, and her feet were moving as fast as she could possibly make them. Her heart raced and her chest squeezed so tight she couldn’t breathe. A door opened up ahead. She raced inside and turned to slam the door shut. The dogs behind her continued to bark and bray outside the door.

And the old woman was wailing.

She turned around and looked at the room she was in.

And screamed.

“Hannah!” Trevor’s voice slowly penetrated through the panic in her mind. “Wake up.”

She stared at him in a panic, recognized him and slowly, shudders wracking her slight frame, calmed down. “What the hell was that?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said. He sat down on the bed beside her. “I was bringing your bag up from the car when I heard you.”

She could feel the intensity of his gaze. She rubbed her temple. “In my dreams, I was being chased by wild dogs and an old woman chased them. Then someone opened a door that offered freedom. I ran inside, closed the door and tuned around – then screamed. But I don’t even know what I was screaming at.” She shuddered. “I do remember the old woman wailing outside and damn it, she looked like the creepy woman from the grayscale world.”

He stroked her hair back. “It doesn’t matter. There’s a lot that’s been going on in your life lately. So much that nightmares are almost a given.’

She lay still shaking. “I was so damn scared. Fell asleep first then boom – that nightmare, it came out of nowhere.”

“And think of all the things in your world this last week that have come out of nowhere. The new information you’ve learned, the skills you know about instead of thinking they are part of your life. Dreams can be bits and pieces of other people’s worlds you picked up as you traipsed through their backyards.”

She nodded but her lips trembled, she was afraid she was going to cry. “I know that, but…”

She opened her arms, feeling very much like a child who needed the comfort of a hug. She shifted over to the side so he could lie down beside her. He lay on the bed and gathered her up in his arms and held her close. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”