The Prediction, page 10
“I’ve had that experience.”
“The view isn’t always good. You know?”
“Yes. Blurry. Only bits and pieces. It’s frustrating.”
She couldn’t describe the relief at having someone know exactly how she felt. “You do believe me.”
He thought for a minute. “You don’t like me. But we have this in common.”
“Ted!” Her mom cast a frightened glance at her.
Thea hugged her mom. “I’m not going anywhere. And Dad’s wrong. I do like him. I love you, Dad. I wish you hadn’t been so determined for me to keep secrets and to keep secrets yourself. We missed a lot in all these years.”
“Yes, we have. I should have talked it over with you and your mother. Things might have been different. We might have been closer. I only had experience with my mother’s reaction, so I feared you and your mother’s dislike of me, so I kept it secret. It feels good to have you both know.”
He’d given her his blessing. She didn’t know how to feel. Too much had happened in the past few days. “We both still love you. We have the future, and we need to find out what’s going on. You need to help. No more secrets. Who wants to harm you?”
“You have no idea who or when from your vision?” he asked.
“No.”
“Do you, Ted?”
“I can’t think of anyone at all. When did you start getting this vision?”
“About a week ago. We have to do something,” she said.
“Okay. What?”
She ignored his exaggerated patience. “You come up with something.” She didn’t tell him she’d hired Monroe, because she knew he wouldn’t like it one bit.
“We have to do something.” Her mom paced the hospital room.
Thea sat and watched them discuss her prediction. Out loud, it sounded improbable.
“How can we stop a murder when we don’t know when or who or why it’s going to happen?” her mom asked.
“I wish you would quit saying murder. It’s...weird,” he said.
“You need to think, Ted. Who would want to harm you?”
“That’s bizarre. Murder doesn’t happen to people like me.”
“You’ve seen lots of patients. I’m sure some of them have been...challenging.”
His lips twisted. “You could say that. None of them were murderous. Sulky, depressed, delusional. Not homicidal.”
“Think.”
They sat in silence while he ran patient faces and backgrounds through his mind. “I can’t think any of them would harm me. One patient was angry at me, but I don’t think... He never made threats against me or anyone else.”
“We need to check out all possibilities, no matter how far-fetched you think they sound.”
“I don’t think we have much time,” Thea said. “Whenever I get these feelings, usually whatever happens will happen soon.”
“Ted, think.”
“Well, I suppose we could check out the guy who became angry at me and see what he’s doing now.”
“It’s nine o’clock in the evening. What are we going to do this late? You’re supposed to be resting. I’ll call him in the morning,” her mom said.
“Do you think I’m going to be able to sleep now? He’s probably awake.”
“You need to rest. Let me call him.”
“I can’t. The person deserves doctor-client privilege until I’m satisfied he’s the one.”
“And what if he tries to kill you in the meantime?”
“For heaven’s sake, Anna. Get a grip. Nothing’s going to happen tonight. I’m here in the hospital, and Thea said something about it happening at home.”
“Have you thought about any of your coworkers here at the hospital? You must have made some enemies,” Thea said.
“Thea. Shame on you.” Anna tempered her admonition with a smile.
Thea stood up. “Well, you should at least consider them. Just in case. By the way, I asked Dr. Monroe Carter for help, Dad. He used to be a private investigator. He placed some security at your house.”
“Thea!”
Thea ignored the twin admonitions from her parents. She wasn’t going to wait around for them to talk her out of the guard watching the house, or Monroe helping. “I’m going to go. You need your rest.”
Her mother followed her to the door and gave her a quick hug. “Goodnight, Thea. Thank you.”
Thea looked at her father, perched on the bed, watching her. She couldn’t read his expression. “Goodnight.”
“See you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“We’ll talk about Monroe then.”
She left, wondering if he asked to see her tomorrow because he wanted to see her, or because he wanted to talk more about her prediction. Probably wanted to yell at her for involving Monroe. She smirked at the way she’d snuck in mention of Monroe’s security at the end of the conversation. She hadn’t given her parents time to object.
CHAPTER 17
Luke waited for Monroe, hoping he’d have something interesting to say to take his mind off his own troubles. They were going to discharge him in the next day or two. He greeted Monroe with a wide smile as he came in the door.
Monroe wasn’t his usual joking self. “Thea’s father is in the hospital, too.” He plopped down in the visitor’s chair.
Luke noticed the bitterness in Monroe’s voice. “Dr. Whitaker?”
“He had a heart attack. Thea’s with them now. She might stop by to see you when she’s done there.”
Luke couldn’t believe he’d fallen in love with the daughter of the psychiatrist who’d evaluated him after the accident. How ironic.
“I saw him a few times,” Monroe said.
“You saw a psychiatrist?” Luke was surprised. Monroe always appeared on top of his game. And yet he’d seen Thea’s dad?
“You’re not the only one with problems, you know.”
Luke ignored Monroe’s bitter tone. “Didn’t you know he was Thea’s dad?”
“I saw him years ago before I met her here at the hospital.”
“He’s the doctor they sicced on me after I woke up from the accident,” Luke said.
“Lucky you.” Another twinge of bitterness edged his voice.
Luke hesitated, and then plunged in. “Why did you see a psychiatrist?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear Monroe’s answer, but he owed him. The least he could do was listen to the friend who had saved his life more than once.
“You don’t want to hear this right now, believe me.”
Luke mustered up some courage. “Sure, I do.” He saw Monroe struggle with the idea. “Look, I’ve moved up to this brand-new room with assurances I’m not going to die anytime soon. I can handle it.”
Monroe hesitated.
“It’ll give me something to think about besides myself.”
That seemed to convince Monroe. “I can make predictions. Sometimes I see visions. Sometimes I hear things.”
“Make predictions? Like Thea did with my accident?”
“You believe she can see visions?”
“She saw my accident.”
“You didn’t cause this accident, did you? I mean, to make sure Thea’s prediction came true?”
“Why would I do a stupid thing like that?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “How long have you been able to see the future?”
“Since I was born.”
“Did you know about my accident?”
“I can’t predict everything that’s going to happen. All of those thoughts would fill my mind past capacity.”
“Small pea-brain that it is anyway.” They both laughed in a strained way. “I haven’t been much of a friend, have I, Monroe?”
“You’ve been a great friend. I could always count on you to keep the heat off of me.”
They both laughed again. It felt good to Luke. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. “Tell me more.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me. When did you first realize what you could do?”
“I was about three or four years old. Mom told me she was going to the store to get groceries. After she left, I kept seeing this blonde lady and Mom together. Mom came home without any groceries, but her hair was shorter. I asked her if she got her hair cut. She said yes. I asked if a blonde lady cut it. She said yes and gave me this funny look. That funny look troubled me. I think that’s the moment I decided not to tell anyone about my visions. I don’t know why Mom lied and told me she was getting groceries instead of a haircut. It’s puzzled me all these years.”
Monroe’s story fascinated him. “And you never told anyone?”
“At first, only Dr. Whitaker. Then later my family, but they kept quiet about my ability.”
“Thea’s dad. What’s he like, aside from the hospital persona? I only saw him that one time, and they had me drugged for pain.”
“Pigheaded.”
Luke laughed but apologized when he realized Monroe was serious. “Sorry, Buddy. Usually you’re so elegant.”
“I thought I was eloquent.”
“You were. Very.” They laughed liked schoolchildren smoking during recess.
“After my disastrous encounter with him, I didn’t tell anyone else for a long time.”
“I can see why.”
“Now I use it. It doesn’t use me.”
Luke’s awe increased. “Can you control when you get a prediction?”
“To a certain extent. I can block them out most of the time. That is, if I want to.”
“Why do you want to block them? That would be so cool to know what’s going to happen.”
“Do you think Thea thought it was cool to know about your accident? To see the blood and guts spilled on the pavement?”
Luke looked at his hospital identification armband and twirled the plastic casing. “Guess not. I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Can’t believe you and Thea...How didn’t I know this about you?”
“I can keep a secret. No one knows except my family and Dr. Whitaker, and now you. Thea suspects, but we haven’t had much time to talk about it.”
“Yes, but I’ve been your closest friend. Then again, you were always weird.” He laughed without the same joy of moments ago.
“That’s me. Weird.”
Luke saw the hurt look cross his friend’s face. “I’m sorry. You’ve always got it so together. Nothing ever bothers you.”
“Of course things bother me. But you’re right. I try not to let it show.”
“Well, I know I’ve been selfish, but it’s time I grew up. If you ever want to talk, I’m here. At least for the next few days.” He held out his hand, and they shook.
#
Thea wasn’t in the mood to visit Luke, and Monroe was still in his room when she arrived.
“What took you so long? Did you tell him?” Monroe asked her.
“What do you think?” She blistered him with a look. “Hi, Luke.”
“Hi. Glad to see you two are getting along so well.”
“He’s a jerk.”
“She’s a girl.”
“Is this the usual skit you put on for sick people?” Luke sat in the standard hospital chair beside the bed, his arm in a cast with a sling. Dark smudges ringed his bright eyes.
Thea ignored Monroe and smiled at Luke. “I’m glad you’re out of ICU. How do you feel?”
“Like I was in a car accident.”
“Funny. I heard that’s exactly what happened.”
Luke fluttered his eyelids. “These rumors do get around, don’t they?”
“See you tomorrow,” Monroe muttered, and left the room.
“What’s wrong with him?” Luke asked.
“Feeling sorry for himself, no doubt.”
“Monroe? You’ve got to be kidding. Monroe’s the most unselfish guy I know.”
“Sure, he is,” Thea said peevishly.
Luke grinned. “You guys had a fight.” He sounded happy with the idea.
“We’re always fighting. He’s an idiot.”
“And a jerk.” Luke’s smile grew.
“Yes. That, too.”
“I always knew the two of you would get along.”
“We don’t get along. We argue all the time.”
“I see.”
“Quit laughing.”
The nurse came in to check on Luke. “Let’s get you tucked in for the night.”
Luke stopped laughing and groaned. “I hate going to bed. It hurts to move.”
“We’ll give you some nice pills to take away the pain.”
Thea gave him a wave and said, “Nighty night.”
“Come back and see me.”
“I will,” she promised as she left the room.
CHAPTER 18
Sleep became more impossible as the night wore on. Around four in the morning, Ted got up and sat in the chair. The nurse came to check on him, and he told her he was fine. She left him alone.
Thea’s relationship with Monroe surprised and concerned him. She’d been firm about the guard, and Ted hadn’t time to convince her otherwise, since she left right after she’d brought up the subject. He smiled at the thought of her maneuvers. When he got back home, he was going to get rid of the security. He wasn’t sure what Anna thought, but they didn’t need it.
Ted was proud of Thea’s resourcefulness in trying to save him. His own coldness toward her when she was young frightened him, even more than his fear that she would face the same humiliation and loss of freedom he’d suffered. Was he more like his mother than he wanted to be? Had his mother had visions of her own? He would never know.
He believed Thea about the murder attempt. She’d never been wrong about her visions. When she was four years old, she made her first prediction. So solemnly, she had looked at him, her dark bangs hanging in her eyes, eyes so much like Anna’s, and asked, “Daddy, why did the cat die?”
He looked at the Persian cat sitting in the window seat, swishing its tail back and forth. “The cat’s right here, darling.”
“I know. But she died.”
Later, a car hit the cat, and the cat died.
After that, the predictions came regularly, until one day he told her to quit talking about her visions. She stopped being the outgoing, open girl she’d been, and their conflicts escalated as the years passed. He couldn’t do it over. One of the laws of life.
Was he going to die? Her predictions were always right. Could he prevent it? He thought about the phone call he would make to his former patient as soon as he could. The prospect wasn’t likely, but he couldn’t think of anyone else.
Other than that one patient, and Thea and Dale, he had never had any conflict in a relationship. His relationships were too distanced. Some of his patients had been angry, but none of them to the point of homicide toward Ted himself. And Dale wouldn’t kill him. If he did, an investigation into Ted’s past might bring out Dale’s secret. Ted wouldn’t even consider Thea as a suspect, even though she probably had the best reason to kill him. Why come to him and tell him what she planned? That didn’t make sense. Which brought him back to the beginning with few possibilities.
None of his colleagues gained from his death except Dr. Brad Hanson. However, he refused to believe Brad would be so desperate that he’d kill in order to get Ted’s position. Besides work, Ted had few friends or acquaintances. His life was dull. If one of his patients came to him and told him about a life like his, he’d recommend they get out and socialize, or get a hobby. How easy it was to point out what others should do. He was good at it. How had outgoing Anna put up with him all these years?
Which led him to her illness, and his mind skated past the subject. It was much easier to think of someone wishing him harm than to think about Anna being sick.
He went back to bed and dozed, startled awake each time someone came to check on him. At seven, the nurse told him he had a slight fever and needed to rest.
“I need to make a phone call.”
She frowned at him. “Is that why you’ve been so restless?”
“Yes. As soon as I make the call, I’ll sleep.”
“See that you do. I’ll speak to the doctor about your fever when he comes in this morning.”
“Please close the door on your way out.”
She frowned but did as he asked. He knew she would be back soon to check on him because she hovered around him constantly, which he found irritating. He checked the reverse directory on his cell phone to find the number. The phone rang twice before Monroe picked up.
“Hello.”
“Hello. Is Monroe Carter there?”
“This is he.”
What should he say to him? He hadn’t planned, and that was so unlike him. There was a pause.
“Who is this?”
“It’s Dr. Whitaker.”
“Ah. Thea’s dad.”
Ted thought he detected some sarcasm, but Monroe had been hard to read even when they were face-to-face. “Thea told me you brought her to the hospital to see me.”
“Is that why you called? Because I know Thea?”
“How do you know her?”
“We’re friends.”
“Where’d you meet? How long ago? Are you close?”
“Well, it depends what you call close.” Now a definite drawl sounded in Monroe’s voice. “You’ll have to check with her for the details.”
“If you’re trying to make me angry, Monroe, you’re wasting your time. I have more important things to do with my energy.”
“Why did you call?”
“Thea told me someone was going to kill me, and you were an obvious suspect.” That shut him up, Ted thought in satisfaction as the silence lengthened.
“You’re accusing me? You’ve got to be kidding,” Monroe finally said.
Ted didn’t respond. He’d learned the art of silence long ago, even before he’d become a psychiatrist.
“Come on, Ted. You know me better than that.”
Ted noticed Monroe didn’t call him doctor. “What I know is you were furious with me when you quit treatment.”
“That was years ago!”
“And you still sound angry.”
“I can’t believe this.” Monroe spaced the next words out. “I’m angry because you consider me a suspect. Do you believe I could kill someone?”
