Silent Innocence-Ch 4

Chapter 4


Trying to maintain my composure I pulled the ticket from the machine and looked it over to be sure it was built right.

“That your granddaughter?

“Why yes it is. Julia. She’s going to be all smiles when she gets to her party.”

“I’m sure she will.”

“Well I got to be getting on with the day. Get some rest you hear?”

“Yes ma’m. I’ll do that.”

With that she walked out of the store and drove away to what would probably be her granddaughter’s last birthday party. The power of that knowledge dropped me onto the stool we kept behind the counter. My hands were shaking. What could I do? Nothing. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t go to the police. They would think I was insane, as would Janet if I told her. My only option was to try to stop it myself. How I was going to do that was something I would need time to work out.

I was saved from dwelling on it too long as Paul returned just late enough to catch the first of the lunch rush. Once that crowd had dispersed I asked Paul if I could do some of the side work and cut out early. I was halfway home when I remembered lunch. I turned around and went to the local sub shop.

When I got home Sam was sitting in the living room watching the daily soap operas. It was disheartening to see her turn into a middle aged housewife so soon but life is slow here. I would make it a mission to be sure it stayed that way.

“Hey” I blurted as I opened the door.

“Hey. You’re home early….” She responded as she turned her attention back to the set, “What’d you get me?”

“A meatball sub”

“Lettuce and cheese?”

“Lettuce and cheese.”

We sat and ate our lunch with the overacted drama playing in front of us. Sam occasionally would stop and fill me in about the goings on with her favorite characters. I nodded and tried to look interested but all the while my thoughts were on Janet’s daughter. There had to be something I could do.

After we had finished eating and the credits rolled I told Sam about the dream. I didn’t hold back any details. I even mentioned how I knew it was a dream because I was shoeless. She admonished me for being stupid enough to investigate and reassured me that it was just a dream and not to worry about it. I could tell that she knew as I did that the little girl was in trouble.

“That’s not all. I know who the girl is.”

“Really? Who is she?”

“Janet Feldman’s daughter Julia” I said as I rubbed my hands over my face, “Janet’s mom came into the store today and I noticed a picture in her wallet. It was her.”

“Are you sure?”

“It was her.”

She went on a tirade about how I couldn’t let it happen and to call the police. I told her my excuse of looking like a loon or else being the prime suspect if things did go bad. Her added pressure was something I expected but I didn’t like it all the same. I decided on a place to start and booted up the laptop. A good samaritan in the neighborhood left their wireless network open so I was able to leech the internet off of them.

“Now’s not the time for internet poker Lee.”

“I’m gonna look up the sex offenders in Raton. I figure it’s a good place to start.”

I got to the site for New Mexico sex offenders lookup and popped in the search criteria for our small town. Seven names came up on the list. One jumped out at me immediately. Along with my dreams my psychic abilities include a very reliable intuition. The name Gilbert Doyle seemed to ooze wrongness. This guy was defiantly up to something. The picture next to the name also issued forth an evil aura. He looked like a bulldog with thick salt and pepper eyebrows. His hair was in the advanced stages of falling out and what was left was thin and stringy.

“What is it?”

“This guy is giving me bad vibes.”

“You think it’s him?”

“I dunno but I’d have to say the odds are in his favor.”

I didn’t really have a next step. All I really had was a bad feeling that Doyle was up to know good. It wasn’t much to go on but it was a start.

“Why don’t you call the sheriff?”

Sherriff Jaime Mendez had been my father’s best friend. He may as well have been an uncle. I had told him about my gift by informing him about the big rig jackknifing. I thought he hadn’t believed me but he had waited at the exit nearest to the accident. I couldn’t tell him the time it would happen so he stood there for two and a half hours before the truck blew a tire and caused the old man to over correct and flip his car. He was on the site within a minute but there was nothing that could’ve been done to save the elderly couple. Hopefully there can be something done to prevent the demise of little Julia.

“I guess I’m going to have to.”

I grabbed our communal cell phone and keyed in the sheriff’s number. He answered on the second ring.