Caitlin stepped into her bedroom. Luanne was right behind her. Caitlin wanted to escape the tense scene in the living room and appease her mother, who insisted she go to sleep, but Luanne apparently wanted to make sure Caitlin really was going to try to sleep.
Lance still hadn’t returned from the police station, and Caitlin didn’t like it. She should have gone with him. When the cop had shown up at the front door, she was sure it was to say they found Adam and everything was going to be okay. At least, that’s what she wanted to hear. Instead she had been waiting anxiously to learn whatever development had been significant enough to require him to go down to the police station.
“I can understand that you don’t feel tired,” Luanne said. “I mean, I know I can hardly think about sleep at a time like this, but you agree it’s probably the best thing, right?”
“What if it’s too late?” Caitlin asked.
“No, no, don’t talk like that,” Luanne said. Caitlin sat on the edge of the bed, and Luanne stroked her hair. “Do you have any Tylenol PM or Benadryl or something? Maybe that would help.”
Caitlin wasn’t about to explain that drugs were what had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. If it wasn’t for Pacifcleon, she probably would have had a dream about this. She probably would have had some useful information to give to the police, which was when she remembered she did have useful information for the police. She stood up from the bed.
“I have to go to the police station,” Caitlin said.
“Sweetie, Lance is fine,” Luanne said.
“No, it’s not that,” Caitlin said. “There’s something I need to tell the police. Something I just remembered.”
“Something you dreamed?” Luanne asked, but Caitlin didn’t answer her as she headed down the hall. “I’m coming with you.”
The reception desk was empty when Caitlin and Luanne stepped into the police station. Caitlin craned her neck to try to see someone in the office area.
“Hello?” she called. “I need to talk to Officer Young! Hello!”
“Do you think something happened?” Luanne said. “Maybe they’ve found Adam.”
A door opened at the other end of the building, and Officer Young stepped out.
“Mrs. Walker,” he said, surprised to see her. “Are you looking for your husband?”
“You need to look for Adam in Culver Creek!” Caitlin said. The words flew out of her mouth. She knew she sounded hysterical, but she didn’t care.
“What?” Young asked.
“Culver Creek, Pennsylvania,” Caitlin said. “You need to look for Adam there.”
“Were you following your husband?” Young asked.
Caitlin had no idea what he meant.
“She had a dream,” Luanne explained. “That’s how she knows Adam’s in Pennsylvania. She has psychic dreams.” Then the full import of Caitlin’s words hit her, and she turned to look at her daughter.
“Culver Creek?” Luanne repeated. “What are the chances?”
“I know,” Caitlin said, and she had a dizzying feeling again. For a moment, she was ten years old walking beside her mother as they stepped into the bustling Culver Creek police station, nervous and terrified.
History was repeating itself. Caitlin saw her mother as she had looked all those years ago, proud, head held high as she marched into the police station. She had been dressed up for the television cameras and basked in all that extra attention from the media, from Officer Brighton. While Caitlin had been trembling with fear, her mother was in her glory.
Of course, she had never told Lance the story. He knew nothing about her psychic dreams or the freak she used to be. She had always thought it was for the best, but now the unthinkable had happened, and it was all her fault.
“I didn’t have a dream!” Caitlin shouted at Officer Young.
“Caitlin, dear.” Her mother placed her hand on Caitlin’s arm either to restrain her or to console her. Maybe a little of both.
“I didn’t have a dream,” Caitlin repeated. “I was out there. I was in Culver Creek. Please don’t tell Lance. I mean, let me tell him.”
Young nodded as if he understood perfectly.
“You suspected him,” Young said. “Maybe you saw a call come into his cell phone or it was something he said. So you followed him out there last Saturday. Is that it? Do you think that’s where he took Adam?”
Caitlin frowned. What Young was saying didn’t make any sense. Why was he asking if she had followed Lance? Lance wasn’t the one to go to Culver Creek. She was.
“Last Saturday?” she asked.
Young looked uncertain.
Then Caitlin remembered Adam in the backseat this morning, asking if they could go get ice cream. He hadn’t recognized the ice cream place from a dream. Adam must have gone there last Saturday with Lance—their boys’ day out. But why on earth would Lance drive Adam all the way out there?
“I went there this morning,” Caitlin said. “Adam and I were there this morning.”
“The FBI has already been in contact with the local police in Culver Creek,” Young said, “but if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to let them know this additional information. If you can wait right here, Mrs. Walker, I won’t be a moment.”
Caitlin watched Young’s retreating back as he headed into the office he had come out of. Luanne tried to steer her to one of the waiting area seats, but Caitlin remained standing as she tried to take in everything.
She hadn’t had a dream about Culver Creek, but what if something else, some strange psychic force had drawn her back to that town. Her thoughts twisted in her head. The ghost of a murdered little girl cried out for vengeance. A dark monster bubbled up from the dark creek water. That wasn’t the only thing bubbling up.
Caitlin bolted for the front door of the police station. She flew out the door and nearly flung herself into the scrubby bushes that lined the side of the building as she threw up her omelet dinner. Her mother was close on her heels, and then it seemed a spotlight was shining on her and she heard voices. She looked up and saw a television news crew descending on her.
“Mrs. Walker?” someone shouted. “Caitlin Walker?”
Oh God. It was Culver Creek all over again. She waited for her mother to do her thing and start primping for the cameras, so she was surprised when Luanne held up an elbow to ward off the reporter and cameraman.
“Please give us some space,” Luanne said. Then, using her body, she shielded Caitlin from the cameras and led her back to the car.
“We’re supposed to wait for Officer Young,” Caitlin said as her mother forced her into the passenger seat of the Land Cruiser.
“I’m taking you home,” Luanne said. “If Young needs to talk to you, he knows where to find you.”
Luanne got behind the wheel, then fished around in a giant handbag before locating a bottle of water. She passed it to Caitlin, who gratefully did her best to wash the bad taste from her mouth.
Luanne drove slowly in the unfamiliar car as they made their way back to the house.
“Is it true what you said back there?” Luanne said. “That you didn’t have a dream about Culver Creek?”
“I haven’t had a dream in nine years,” Caitlin said.
“It left you,” Luanne said quietly, “your gift.”
“I sent it away,” Caitlin said.
Luanne might have said more, but she was trying to navigate a busy intersection.
“Back there,” Caitlin said, “with the news crew, I was surprised you didn’t jump at the opportunity to play the celebrity.”
Her mother gave her a funny look before turning her attention back to the road.
“Why would you say that?”
“Oh, come on, Mom. I know what your priorities are.”
“You’re my priority,” Luanne said. “Adam’s my priority, not those vultures from the television station.”
“Age has changed you,” Caitlin mumbled.
“My looks maybe,” Luanne said as she pulled into the driveway, “but not my priorities.”