Deadly Dreams

Deadly Dreams
Story word count 1995
This story is my entry for the Short Shots: Contest for March.

“Please come in Mrs. Parker. Here is a chair that I think is comfortable.” said Dr. Paula Mansfield the psychologist that she had chosen to see.

“Thank you very much doctor. I just couldn’t understand a few things and someone recommended you. I am so glad that you had time on short notice.”

Dr. Mansfield’s office was comfortable looking. The furniture consisted of a beautiful cream colored couch with a coffee table in front of it. Her maple desk looked very organized with Lucy Parker’s folder on it. Beside it was a tape recorder and a lap top computer that had a screen saver of fish swimming in it.

“Yes I did have a cancellation so your appointment was scheduled in fairly quickly.” responded Dr. Mansfield as she picked up a note pad and pen. Dr. Mansfield was such a beautiful lady that one could have mistaken her for a model. Her shiny brown hair gently touched her shoulder part of a mint green colored suit. Her matching shoes and bags could have come out of a top fashion magazine. In her oval face were such outstanding brown eyes that had a hint of makeup.

“Can I get you some coffee, tea or water?” she asked as she walked to a table with fruit and glasses beside them.

“No I just had a late breakfast. Thank you.” Lucy said as she sat down.

“Would you like to tell me a little about yourself, just to let me get to know you better? As I mentioned on the phone I do record some of my patient‘s sessions but they are identified by a code number and kept strictly confidential. ”

Lucy stopped looking around and glanced down at the floor to collect herself. “Well my mother died about 2 years ago. My father was the owner of Tyner’s Clothes Emporium. He worked there a lot after mother died until he died suddenly six months ago.”

“I have seen the store. I think I have been in there to shop a couple of times. And I am sorry for you loss.” responded Dr. Mansfield as she nodded for Lucy to continue.

“I have been married for almost a year to one of the managers I met at dad’s store.” Lucy said lovingly as she touched the wedding ring that was on her finger.

“Um hm. A newlywed I see.” said Dr. Mansfield as she smiled.

“But recently I have been having these dreams that fill me with such fear that I wake up like a shaking puppy in a storm,” said Lucy as she started to cry. She reached for a Kleenex that was in a box conveniently placed on the table.

“What kind of dream? Is it the same one exactly or a different version?” asked Dr. Mansfield.

“It is almost exactly the same. I am at our cabin near the coast at Grey Horse Lagoon. We went there a lot when mother was alive but as time went on, we let friends use it and we almost lost interest. “she stopped as if trying to recall the cabin.

“We went there about a month ago to fix it up and clean it so we could use it. There was some minor storm damage and growth of weeds, and such but nothing a few trips couldn’t take care of. Justin, he is my husband really loved it, especially the pier that he said he wanted to fish off.”

“Is that when your dreams started?” asked Dr. Mansfield as she picked up a cup of coffee to drink.

“Yes about that time. I am walking down the path on a cold evening. There are many clouds in the sky. The tide has just gone out so you could really get a good look at the bottom. You could almost see the fish swimming around. I always thought that it was a pity to catch fish. They looked so happy and free there. “ said Lucy with a lovely smile.

The phone rang. Dr. Mansfield returned the smile and put the pen down. She clicked off the tape recorder. “I am very sorry, but I thought I told Gigi not to let any call come in. “

The rest of the half hour went smoothly. Lucy agreed to come back the next week with a picture of the area that her dream consisted of. She had not felt this calm in a couple of weeks. As she left the office she went to the desk to make a new appointment and noticed a phone number Gigi had written for Dr. Mansfield to call later. It was of Justin’s private office phone. The same phone number was showing on the ID part of the office phone also. Lucy accepted her appointment card and left for a small trip to the massage parlor that Justin had given her as a special gift.

The next weekend Lucy decided to go to the family’s cabin earlier than Justin with the excuse that she wanted time to clean out her mother’s sewing mannequin and equipment that was left there after her mother died. She found the old tape recorder she used when she was practicing her solo for church. She explained that she wanted to take some pictures as Dr. Mansfield had asked her to do. Justin agreed so fast that Lucy was surprised that he would want to take two cars. He was usually trying to save money at every opportunity.

Lucy walked down the trail that went to the family pier in the lagoon. She had walked the path many times as a girl with her father and never felt any eeriness. It was late afternoon and she heard only crickets and some birds calling. Still the hair on her arms stood up a little. As she reached the pier her cell phone rang which made her jump.

“Hello. Oh Justin! Where are you?”

“Lucy, I am so sorry, but the delivery at the store has been messed up a little. If I cannot get away tonight, because of the weather, I think I will stay at home after I get off from work. I can get some of those boxes in my storage place recycled. “

Lucy remember that after they married, they merged all of their extra materials in a storage place to be donated later. She was happy that he remembered their agreement to do that before the end of the year.

“Okay honey. This will give me time to look at some old photos and have a little closure. I’ll let Adelle and Mario Lewis know I’m alone so I can get help if I need it.”

“Great idea. Tell Mario that I’ll bring that big saw he needs to trim trees the next time I come.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too my sweet little Barbie Doll!”

Lucy felt a cool wind blow on her back and turned to see a little black stray kitten that had been dumped, run across the path. She walked on a path that would go to their neighbor’s house to say hello. She could tell if they were there by seeing their SUV parked near the cabin. She saw no SUV. She knew where they hid their key if there was any emergency.

Lucy walked back to the cabin and got a small salad that she bought out of the refrigerator. Outside the sun had gone down and the night symphony of owls, frogs and crickets began. Usually she could listen and pretend that she was singing with them but instead she just wanted to go home and curl up in her soft bed.

The next day was Saturday. She woke up with a tired feeling and just wanted to go home so she packed up her overnight bag. She checked to make sure that all of the doors and windows were secured. With one last look, she walked to the car and dumped her things on top of the mannequin that was in her trunk. Her trip of two and a half hours crawled by. When she drove up to her townhouse, a lady in a brown raincoat with green shoes and handbag was getting into a car. Lucy drove past her house to get some gas because she was almost on empty.

The next week’s session with Dr. Mansfield was filled with a little talk. Dr. Mansfield offered to try a little hypnotism on Lucy to relieve some of the tension she was feeling from the dream. Lucy agreed. When she left the office, she felt happy and calmer. This time there was no interruption, but as Lucy was reaching for her appointment card she noticed the same phone number on the caller ID.

Lucy and Justin wanted to celebrate their one year anniversary at the family’s cabin because they wanted to be alone. They both sat silently in her car as Justin drove along the clear road. Lucy opened the cabin door and saw the little kitten run towards the lagoon. Justin just laughed. “So you have a new friend?”

“No, but I think we might want to get it checked up and some shots. Then it can be adopted.”

“We’ll see. So Mrs. Parker, how was last weekend? Did you get everything done?” said Justin with a slight smile on his face.

“Oh not near enough.” replied Lucy as she put a bag on the table.

Their night was filled with listening to music and looking at some pictures that they had from their wedding.

“Is our first anniversary cake top layer here?” asked Justin.

“Yes. I’ll get it out of the freezer. It will need an hour or so to defrost.”

The night went on and Lucy said that she felt a little tired. She fell asleep on the couch.

Justin picked her up and headed out of the house towards the lagoon. His smile changed to one of determination. As he walked down the path and paused at the pier, he whispered, “ It’s too bad that you never got me to sign that pre-nup my dear. Your dad was right when he wanted us to postpone the wedding. When I wake up tomorrow, you will be found floating in the lagoon or maybe on its way out to sea. “ With that he tossed her into the water and watched her come bobbing up face down in the water. The moon lit his pathway back to the cabin.

The next morning, Justin walked back to the pier to see if his darling was at the pier or farther away. He could barely see the clothes Lucy had worn floating on a figure in the middle of the harbor. It looked like some boaters were getting ready to find his poor dead wife. He looked at his neighbor’s house and saw a light on. There was no SUV, but he assumed that Mario was taking Adelle out to buy some food. His drive back would be filled with finding the right words of a grieving widower. Poor Lucy had one dream too many plus a little drug in the icing that could not be detected as deadly in an autopsy.

Justin went into his townhouse. He looked in Lucy’s closet and laughed. Soon Dr. Mansfield’s beautiful clothes would share his closet.

There was a knock on his door.

When Justin answered, he saw a policeman and Lucy standing behind him. “Mr. Parker, I arrest you for the attempted murder of your wife. Please turn around and put your hands behind you.”

“How?” he asked in complete shock.

“I taped you conversation with Dr. Mansfield last week. And the clothes you saw was on mother’s old mannequin. I pretended to eat the cake and go to sleep. I kept a sample for analysis. I guess this marriage is over.” said Lucy as she turned to go to the extra police car from the lagoon area.