Dream's Intuition

Chapter 6 - October

CHAPTER 6

            The days fly by and October hobbles over the horizon.  It has been two weeks since Kay sent me the email and no one has heard or seen her since that Tuesday when she disappeared into the rain. 

            I get ready to go to work.  I no longer tear through Kay’s closet and I keep her door closed at all times.  Part of me expects her to waltz through the front door and everything to be normal, like this is some sick joke my over zealous imagination has played on me.

            I lock the apartment door behind me, I am early so I decide to walk.  There is a chill in the air and it is clearly evident that summer is over.  I pull my jacket tighter around me and do up the large four black buttons on the front.  I will definitely be taking the bus home tonight.

“Good morning Ken.”

He gives me a wave from behind his paper, “I almost miss those days when you were late, at least I got a latte out of it. And my headache was brought on a little later.”

“I’ll see what I can do for you tomorrow then.”

My phone’s red light is flashing as it usually does every Monday morning and with no doubt my mailbox would be full as well.  I start my computer and enter my password into the phone pad.  The automated voice talks to me.

“So I need your stuff,” I silence Ken with a waving hand and he lowers his voice to a hush, “just put it in my in box, I have to step out for the morning.”

He walks away and I press 1 to listen to my first message.

“Good morning Fiona, this is Constable Murphy.”  Had I given him my work phone number? I couldn’t remember. “You can reach me at the station by asking the dispatcher to give me the message, I’ll be working until 12ish today.  It’s in regards to the person that you had reported missing…” I don’t listen to the other messages, I call him back.

            Murphy enters my office and I wave him over to my desk.  I pull a birthday card out of the top drawer and hand it to him, “she gave it to me for my twentieth.”  He opens it up and reads the greeting to himself.  “Thanks.”

“Is there anything you can tell me?”

“I’m sorry, but at this time it is an open investigation and there is nothing concise, I’ll let you know when we have something.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, that did not sound too optimistic.  I had currently been watching a lot of cop dramas and that was usually the commentary that escaped the lips of some rookie cop following a body.  Kay’s lifeless body flashed into my mind.  Lying in a white zippered bag.  The colour drained from her face and lips.  Her black hair matted against her head.  Her eyes dull and glazed over.  I shake my head, but the image remains.

            Murphy says thank you again and leaves.  He mentioned that he had other samples that her mother had mailed him.  Her mom lives in Barrie.  Kay had not seen her since last April, she must be devastated. 

“Snap out of it! You’re acting like she’s dead!  Do not assume the worst.  It is Kay after all.  She’s tough and independent.”  I repeat this to myself multiple times throughout the day when I start to lose focus.  I bury myself in my work, it is a great distracter to my imagination.

            I squeeze into the bus, and right away the florescent orange hair calls out to me.  I take my place staring at the large orb in front of me.  Pieces stand on end, as if she had an electric current pulsing through her body.  She’s hunched forward on her seat reading a book.  The paperback was pressed up to her nose and I could see the corner of her eyes squinting, she needs glasses.  The bus roars into motion, and pulls out from under its stoop.    I notice her jerk her head left, then right ever so slightly.  The entire ride home is a rhythmic movement of the pumpkin pulsing back and forth.  It is almost as comforting as the buzzing of my television.

            I step through the front door to my apartment around 5:30PM.  I had gone to the grocery store and picked up some fresh vegetables for a stir fry.  I drop the bags on the kitchen floor and change into a jogging suit.  I am a really messy cook, I always end up splashing myself and ruining perfectly good clothes.  I coarsely chopped the onions, mushrooms, and peppers.  I throw them in the fry pan with some baby corn and noodles.  I heat up some teriyaki sauce in the microwave with some cayenne.  My throat is sore and this will soothe it.  I make myself a big bowl and curl up in front of the TV to a new favorite genre – cop drama.  They are investigating the murder of a girl in a gully.  Her nails are still manicured nicely which accentuates the blood in her nail beds.  They don’t show the face, that is hidden by a long flowing mess of black hair.  I change the channel.  It’s a reality show where women are fighting for the love of one man it’s an hour of running mascara and school girl behaviour.  I decide to watch this instead, it doesn’t hit so close to home.  For the umpteenth time that month I fall asleep to the soothing glow of the TV screen.