Dark Visions

Waking from a nightmare was not the ideal beginning for twenty-six-year- old Carrie Reynolds’ birthday. At least, it was not what she had hoped for. “What the hell was that all about?” she asked herself as she climbed out of her sleigh-like bed.

She ambled to her vanity and examined her peaches-and-cream complexion in the tall mirror. “I look like a raccoon or hung-over from a drunken binge,” she whispered, concerned about the dark rings around her blood shot eyes.

She quit primping to enter her adjoining bathroom and begin her morning ablutions, ending with a long, invigorating shower. Twenty minutes later, she was drying off when the telephone rang.

“Hello,” she answered cautiously, her voice barely rejuvenated by the hot water.

“Happy birthday, baby girl.”

“Thank you, Mom. How are you?”

“I’m great, but you sound tired.”

“I just had the strangest dream. More like a full-blown nightmare.”

“Oh, really! That is strange. What was it about?”

“It was about people yelling at each other, I think”¦and a loud noise””I think it was some kind of an explosion””then I woke up.”

“Did you get drunk last night?” her mother asked with a chuckle.

“Mom! You know I don’t drink liquor.”

“But you had Italian food and wine for dinner. Spicy food and alcohol”¦”

“No, Mom, that wasn’t it. It was nothing, I guess”¦but it seemed so real.” Carrie shook off the bizarre incident to ask, “So”¦who’ll be coming to my surprise party tonight?”

“What party! You think just because I love you”””

“I’ll be there”¦when? Sixish?”

“Perfect! See you then.”

After hanging up, Carrie talked to the air. “Mom, I love you, but you’re a ding-bat.”

Before leaving for the mall, she briefly put her Corgi, Mitzi, into the enclosed backyard, then fed her and locked her in her kitchen kennel. Mitzi was accustomed to being alone during the day while Carrie was at school, working or shopping, so it was no hardship. All that alone time meant she would be mighty eager to see Carrie on her return. Carrie liked to be enwrapped by her warm, undemanding love on coming home.

Carrie quickly changed into her “shopping mall” outfit and bolted out the door, heading for the shopping center. While she allowed her car to defrost, she was shocked to be confronted by an unwelcome guest.

“Stick em up!”

She swung around to find a tall, hooded man aiming a .44 Magnum at her face. “Give me your wallet,” he demanded. His deep voice approached a growl.

Willingly, she handed over her property. She included everything, even her gold and diamond watch, an early birthday gift from her maternal uncle, Doug Reynolds, police supervisor/trainer.

“Is that everything?” her assailant yelled, cocking his weapon.

“Yes! I swear that’s all I have,” she whispered, while scanning the area for anyone who could help her.

The robber also saw her searching for a rescuer. “There’s no one here to help you, pretty lady. It’s eight A.M. Most people are still in bed or gone to work.” He then gave the slim, dark-eyed girl a more careful once over and with a sick sneer added, “And I bet you’re a real devil under the sheets, uh?”

She immediately knew what he wanted and grew more horrified at her impending fate. “Oh, please, mister”¦just take my money and jewelry”¦and leave. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I know ya won’t,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back toward her apartment.

“No!” she yelled and resorted to her as-yet-untried self-defense training. Abruptly applying a palm jab to his nose, she made him drop his weapon, but a kick on his shin only angered him.

“You’re gonna regret that, bitch!” he said again in a near-growl. He then grabbed her around the throat and pinned her against her vehicle. Just before she passed out, her savior arrived in the form of Uncle Doug and his new trainee, twenty-eight-year-old Officer Mark Ety.

“Stop! Police!” yelled Mark, pulling the creep off his partner’s niece, then slapping cuffs on the guy who now lay face down in the snow.

Doug immediately checked with Carrie. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Thank God you were in the neighborhood.”

“God had nothing to do with it,” Doug said, nodding toward his handsome partner now placing the prisoner in the cruiser’s backseat. “My new sidekick trainee saw what was going on from the top of the hill. He has the eyes of a hawk.”

Mark then retrieved Carrie’s belongings from the ground and helped her to her feet.

“Thanks,” she said, shyly.

“Mark, this is my brother’s daughter, Carrie,” Doug said.

“It’s a strange way to meet someone, but it’s a pleasure,” the blue-eyed hunk said, smiling.

“Thank you.” She blushed. “I’m so embarrassed.” She pushed her long, raven hair from her face. “I must look a mess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mark said, again showing his Colgate grin. “You look fine.”

She returned his smile and told her uncle, “I best be on my way. I don’t want my entire birthday ruined by a criminal.”

“That would be a shame. But before you go, I need to get a statement. Also you need to come into the station and sign papers so we can hold him. It shouldn’t take long to get the info now,” Mark said.

Quickly before she forgot””as if she ever could””Carrie told them what happened. Doug listened while Mark took the report. When he snapped his notepad closed, he tipped his hat and said, “Have a happy birthday,” before entering the cruiser for the ride uptown.

At headquarters, while Doug wrapped up the paperwork on the robber waiting in the cage, Mark went to his desk and ran a quick background check on Carrie. “Not even a minor traffic violation,” he said, pleased, before returning to his duties.

* * * *

Carrie spent the morning and afternoon at the mall, shopping, getting her hair and nails done and daydreaming about the wavy-haired lawman who saved her life. Then, wonder of wonders, while she was walking to her vehicle, loaded down with parcels, she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned, delighted. “Hello, Officer Ety.”

“Please, call me Mark. I’m off duty now. No uniform””see!” Grinning, he did a complete turn for her amusement.

She laughed. “You’re much more handsome in plain clothing. I’m on my way to my surprise birthday party at my mother’s.”

“Then I won’t keep you any longer.” He turned to leave, but something about him called out to her.

“Wait!” she said, carefully considering her words. “I’d really like you to meet my mother.”

“Hey! I’d like that, too. How about leaving your car here and riding with me?”

“Sounds great! Just let me put these packages in my trunk.”

“Let me help.”

Afterward, Carrie climbed into Mark’s Taurus, and they headed for the country, following her directions.

“What made you become a lawman?” she asked en route, making idle chitchat.

“I love seeing the bad guys lose.”

“That’s how Uncle Doug looks at being a cop, too. He was just seventeen when my father disappeared. I really don’t think he’s over it yet. And he hates my mother, Myra.”

Though Doug had hinted to Mark earlier about his loathing for Myra, he had not disclosed the details of the family feud. Mark knew he was not yet close enough to the Reynolds’ family to pry, so he changed the conversation to something more upbeat. “So what is there for a newcomer to do in Perry County?”

“A whole lot of hiking, bowling, movies, bars”¦”

“Down home’ stuff?” Mark asked, grinning his inspiring toothful smile.

“Yep, it’s all “countrified’ entertainment. The only things we do not have are the “Grand Ole Opry’ and such, but we do have lots of “Blue Grass’ and “Country music’ bands.”

“Then we’ll have plenty to do,” he said, taking her petite hand in his.

Fifteen minutes later, Carrie directed Mark to turn off the main road and onto a gravel driveway. The home sat atop a small hill overlooking a now- frozen stream and meadows filled with cows and geese battling the cold. After they exited the vehicle, Mark gazed around at the acreage and said, “This is nice”¦and quiet.”

“I grew up here. Mother’s never left. Sometimes I wish she’d move into town. For safety and health reasons or the blizzards we get, but she’s never gotten over my father’s deserting us when I was six. I think she stays here hoping one day he’ll return.”

“It sounds like she’s a very sad woman. It must have been hard for you also”¦growing up without a father.”

“I really miss him. One Sunday morning I woke up, and he was gone. Mother and I started going to church from then on. We never miss a Sunday service.”

“Did your father leave a note?”

“No. He just left.”

Once the two reached the front porch, Carrie’s mom opened the door and greeted them with a cheery, “Welcome, welcome, welcome,” hugged Carrie and over her shoulder asked, “And who is this?”

“Hi, Mommy,” Carrie said. “This is Mark Ety, one of Uncle Doug’s trainees.”

Mark smiled and extended his hand. “Hello, Mrs. Reynolds, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It is gonna be a great party. Let’s introduce your new beau ta everyone.”

Mark moved easily into the large gathering of Carrie’s friends and relatives. After introductions and greetings were completed, Myra brought out a three-layered devil’s food cake with butter cream frosting, lit with candles, and carrying Carrie’s name on the top. Myra sat down the cake, then shouted, “Let me get the camera!”

“Oh, Mom, we go through this every year,” Carrie said, turning bright red.

“That’s why we have to do it,” a female guest offered.

“When you’re the only child, you get spoiled,” another friend added.

Two hours later, Mark edged outside to enjoy the quiet of the dusk. He was soon joined by an older couple sneaking a smoke. “I didn’t catch your occupation, son,” the senior citizen said.

“I’m a police officer.” Mark’s voice rang with pride when he announced it.

“That’s very dangerous work, isn’t it?” the woman asked.

“Yes, but I love solving crimes.”

“Well, maybe you can find out where that no-account father of Carrie’s went to,” the man added, but his wife tried hushing him.

Mark moved nearer. “As I understand it, no one has seen or heard of Mr. Reynolds””ever?”

“Nope! He just left in the middle of the night with some clothes. Didn’t even send a few dollars a month to help take care of his only child.”

“Shhh, Pa,” the woman whispered, “that’s water under the bridge. Myra and Carrie got help from the county. They’ve done okay being alone.”

“You’re right again, Ma.” Calming down, the man said, “Don’t mind me, son. We better git back to the party.” The man flipped his cigarette butt to the ground.

“Talk to you later,” Mark said as the couple re-entered the house.

Mark thought about the disappearance of Zack Reynolds. It was strange, but not unusual. Being a lawman, he was accustomed to similar sob stories. The loss of Carrie’s father, however, bothered him. It also bothered Carrie, Mark believed. So, while he walked the yard, he made the decision to do his best to locate her deadbeat dad. His personal quest.

“It’s nice out here, ain’t it?” said a voice from behind, breaking his concentration.

“Yes, it is. You startled me, Mrs. Reynolds,” he said to Myra.

“It’s Myra. You looked like you were deep in thought.”

“I was thinking about the nightmare Carrie had this morning,” Mark said cautiously.

“Did she tell you about it?”

“No, one of the guests did.”

“Oh, really?” she said, crossing her arms. “And what else did this talkative guest tell you that he or she didn’t tell Carrie’s mom?”

“Nothing!” Mark was taken aback by Myra’s abrupt attitude change. But his cop’s intuition warned him to tread lightly. This must be a delicate matter to Carrie’s mother. Perhaps she thought he was getting too familiar too fast. “I’m just concerned about Carrie. I’m sure the bad dream was a passing thing.”

“I’m sure it was, too.”

“Is that an outhouse over there?”

“Yep, it is,” she said, laughing lightly. “It has always been sort of special to me. But when kids see it nowadays, they think it’s a dog house or a giant bird house. Where I grew up, they were a familiar sight. Necessary, too.”

Mark chuckled at her hillbilly perspective. “You’re from Kentucky, aren’t you?”

“Tennessee! That’s better’n Kentucky any corn-lickin’ day.”

He laughed again. “Myra, I want you to know I really like Carrie. She’s special. I knew that the moment I first laid eyes on her.”

“That she is. I sure hope ya don’t do Carrie wrong like her daddy done me.”

Before Mark could answer, Myra wrapped an arm around his and pulled him toward the door. “I just started some fresh coffee brewin’. We better git inside “fore it’s all gone.”

“Sure!”

Strolling into the house, arm in arm, Mark felt he had made two friends that day. Over coffee, he used his innate powers of persuasion on the guests and found out more about Carrie and her parents. While talking, he watched Carrie from across the room. From every perspective she stood out from the rest of the guests like a precious gem, seeming to shimmer and sparkle. Yes, she was

different from any of the other girls he had known. He asked himself, is she “the one?’ Have I finally found my soul mate? Though it would be mighty premature, he did not want to waste any time”¦he wanted no one else to step in”¦and right then he made up his mind to pop the question on their very next date.

It was midnight when they returned to Carrie’s vehicle. “Thanks for a great time,” he said, stealing a kiss inside his car.

“You’re very welcome,” Carrie answered in a husky whisper, returning his kiss with fervor.

“So how about some bowling and beers tomorrow night?”

“Okay. I’ll see ya at six-thirty,” she said, and gave him an even more passionate, goodnight kiss.