The Glimpsing (36 page)

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning.
 
The sun was crawling into a crisp blue sky.
 
Already it was beaming, laying down its bright yellow glaze on the veneer of the neighborhood.

Janice sat in her car, gazing down a wide parcel of gray-white road flanked on both sides by more than a half-dozen luxury homes.
 
The road terminated in an enormous cul-de-sac, in which sat Portia’s house, a comparatively small residence that rested on a gently elevated ridge.

No cars lined the street, but there were two small children riding their bikes along a bleach-white sidewalk. Other than the soft whistle of a gentle breeze and a lawn tractor buzzing in the great distance, the neighborhood was supremely quiet.

Janice let the car slowly drift towards Portia’s house.
 
A great part of her didn’t want to be here, but leaving was not an option.
 
No longer could she let her fears keep her from the truth.
 
She needed answers from Portia, and she needed them now.

A week earlier Janice had sat in her apartment, phone in hand, debating whether or not she should begin her own investigation into Jack’s disappearance—an investigation that would center not on the police’s prime suspect Thomas McCain, but on Portia instead.
 
But Janice had been torn that day, feeling that investigating Portia might be tantamount to opening Pandora’s Box, exposing herself to supernatural forces that could be far more terrifying than the skull she’d seen on Portia’s face.
 
In the end, she did proceed forward, but only with extreme caution, only as one tinkering with Pandora’s Box, but not willing to fully open it.

Janice had begun by calling Gabrielle, since it was she who’d had the most intimate contact with Jack in the days leading up to his disappearance.
 
They’d spoken for almost two hours, though only a fraction of that time was actually spent conversing about Jack.
 
The rest of it was spent—and this much to Janice’s
delight—
on far more spiritual matters.
 
Gabrielle had revealed that she’d been struggling with a great deal of guilt, as well as a strong sense that something terrible was about to happen to her.
 
She’d asked a number of questions about God, and wanted to know if she could be forgiven for a particularly bad decision she’d made.
 
Janice had not only assured her that she could be forgiven, but promised that God would protect her from whatever it was she felt was
coming, no matter how awful it was.
 
They then prayed together.
 
That day, Janice found little that would help her discover Jack’s true whereabouts, but what she helped Gabrielle find was far more precious.

Janice continued her investigation by speaking with Mark Pirelli and several more of Jack’s close associates.
 
She also visited Magnolia’s Restaurant, where she saw firsthand the great Magnolia tree, of which Jack had reportedly had such a striking hallucination.
 
Again she found little.

Her fortunes changed, however, when, with the aid of the Internet and a great number of antiquated entertainment magazines, she began delving into Portia’s past.
 
Janice found of particular interest a series of events surrounding Portia’s eighteenth birthday, which was the same general time the painting had been created.
 
According to an official statement released by Portia’s publicist, she had taken ill with an undisclosed disease and was temporarily suspending her modeling career.
 
However, no one in the gossip media was buying that story.
 
Articles in both the Star and Enquirer suggested that the real reason for Portia’s hiatus was due to a very serious depression, one that had been brought on by Portia’s discovery that her boyfriend and current agent, a man named Collin Freely, was having an affair with a sexy brunette named Susanna Fischer.
 
It was stated that Portia had become so despondent about the matter that some feared for her safety.
 
The event dominated the gossip headlines for almost a full week before gradually fading away.
 
Then, about a month later, Janice stumbled upon a news story that left her stunned: Collin Freely had mysteriously vanished.
 
She did an Internet search for a picture of Collin and was stunned once more at just how familiar he looked.
 
Soon afterward, she realized that she’d seen the man before.
 
He looked very much like the younger man in Portia’s painting.

It was all becoming clear now.
 
The first of the original two men in Portia’s painting, the older man, was easily identifiable as Thomas McCain, one of Portia’s more recent boyfriends.
 
The younger man was Collin Freely, a much more distant boyfriend.
 
The thing that brought them together, however, was a very unfortunate trait: both men had been unfaithful to Portia.

That now explained the appearance of the third man, the man whom Janice believed was Jack Parke.
 
He too had been unfaithful to Portia, and just like Collin and Thomas, had appeared in the painting.

It all made perfect sense.
 
There were three men that existed in Portia’s painting; three men who had been unfaithful to her; three men who had all mysteriously disappeared.

Janice now understood that she had been correct about the painting all along.
 
It really was Portia’s weapon, an instrument of her vengeance.
 
It really had been causing Jack to glimpse.
 
And that glimpsing, very likely, was the reason he had disappeared, the reason all three men had disappeared.

At that point, however, Janice decided to stop her investigation.
 
Clearly supernatural forces were at work here.
 
And pursuing the matter any farther meant she really could be opening Pandora’s Box, exposing herself to dark forces she was not equipped to handle.
 
So she had to stop.
 
Besides, just what could a 55-year-old housekeeper do in the face of such things?

But that was the way Janice felt before she heard the news, before she discovered that Gabrielle had gone missing as well.

It was that very realization that brought Janice to Portia’s house on this beautiful blue-skied morning.
 
She knew Portia had to be involved with both Jack and Gabrielle’s disappearances.
 
And as such, she could no longer simply sit back, gripped by fear.
 
She had to fight past it, had to confront Portia.
 
The truth simply had to be made known.

The car had now drifted into the cul-de-sac.
 
Janice peered up at Portia’s house, which seemed strangely humble and quiet.
 
Still, as she approached closer, she couldn’t help but feel a certain level of alarm.
 
In her last encounter with Portia, she’d glimpsed a horrid skull in the woman’s face.
 
Just what might this encounter bring?

It didn’t matter.
 
She had a moral obligation to act.
 
Yes, she was just an elderly housekeeper, but with God’s help, who knew what she could do.
 
Perhaps like Moses of old, He’d turn this little old lady, into a miracle worker.
 
And who knew, maybe, just maybe, she would do something spectacular, something that might actually bring Jack and Gabrielle back safe and sound.

She pulled the car forward, not bothering to wheel it onto the hill of the driveway, but parking it curbside.
 
She exited, peered up at the looming house, and breathed a nervous sigh.
 
Today, Pandora’s Box would be opened.
 
And whatever horrors came screeching out, Janice knew she had to stand up in the face of them.
 
It simply had to be done, for Jack’s sake, for Gabrielle’s sake, for God’s sake.

She walked up the driveway, stepped onto a short cement path, and approached the front door.
 
She stood there a moment, composing herself, mentally preparing for what was about to take place.
 
And then, after another nervous sigh, she extended her hand and pushed the doorbell.

Moments later, Janice saw a curtain in one of the downstairs windows pull back.
 
She tensed as she heard Portia’s muted footsteps quickly approaching the door.
 
It swung open.

“Janice!” Portia exclaimed, immediately flying at the woman and swallowing her in a hearty hug.
 
“I can’t believe it’s you!”

Janice stood there, slack-armed and stunned.

“It’s so good to see you!” Portia continued, rocking the little woman back and forth.

Coming to herself, Janice finally managed to raise her arms and return Portia’s hug.
 
“Yes,” she offered weakly.
 
“It’s good to see you, too.”

Portia leaned away, but was still holding on to Janice’s arms.
 
“Just yesterday, I was thinking I needed to call you and catch up on things.
 
How have you been?”

“Good,” Janice said, “considering everything that’s happened.
 
How have you been?
 
You look wonderful.”

Portia’s cheeks went rosy.
 
“Well, thank you Janice.
 
I’ve been just lovely.
 
I can’t say I’ve felt this good in quite some time.
 
And seeing you
is
like the cherry on top.
 
What brings you?”

“Several things, really.”

“Okay then, come right in and we’ll talk.”

Janice nodded.

Portia took Janice by the hand and led her into the house, where they immediately entered the living room.

“Can I get you something?” Portia offered.

“No, thank you.
 
I’m fine.”

“Okay.”
 
Portia gestured with her hand and Janice sat down on the loveseat.
 
Portia plopped down on the oriental couch, drawing her legs up once more.
 
“So, what’s going on?”

“Actually, it’s Gabrielle I wanted to talk to you about.”

Portia grinned happily.
 
“What about her?”

Janice paused, seemingly perturbed.
 
“You… haven’t heard?”

Portia turned her head slightly. “Heard what?”

Janice shifted,
then
grimaced.
 
“Well… I’m sorry to be the one who has to tell you this, but… Gabrielle is missing.”

Portia reared, then dropped her legs from the couch, frowning.
 
“What?
 
No, that can’t be.
 
She left for Brazil just yesterday.”

“Her family was expecting her, but she wasn’t on the plane when it arrived.
 
She never even made it to the airport according to the flight records.”

Portia gazed off, bewildered.
 
“No.
 
That doesn’t make sense.”

“Have you seen her recently?”

“Yes, late Saturday afternoon.
 
She must have left here sometime after 8:00pm.
 
She came here to tell me she was going home to San Salvador.
 
She said she was leaving Tuesday.”

“You didn’t go with her to the airport?”

“No.
 
We decided to say our goodbye’s here.
 
Neither one of us wanted to make a big scene at the airport.”

“I see.
 
Well, I’m sure the authorities will be contacting you, especially since it seems you were the last one to see her. ”

Portia seemed dazed.
 
“Yes.
 
No, that’s fine.
 
Whatever I can do to help.
 
Have they checked her house?”

“She had packed but,” Janice shook her head, “she’s not there.
 
According to the report I saw, there were no signs of forced entry.
 
No one at the studio saw or talked to her over the weekend either.
 
She just… vanished.”
 
She stared at Portia solidly but Portia was gazing off, obviously becoming upset.