Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Do you know anyone named Jenny?”

Jeremy looked at me. My question had taken him by surprise, but he got over it quickly.

“Maybe I do.” His eyes were a blank.

“Oh, my God,” I muttered.

It was late the next night. I’d been on pins and needles all day waiting to hear Jim was safely on his way home. I called Ben early that morning and left messages. He was out on a case and wouldn’t be back until later, they’d told me. I asked them to please get him to call me—it was an emergency. I was still waiting to hear from him.

About an hour before I’d had another vision. I knew the next victim, and when the murder was going to happen. It was the girl with the long braids I’d seen in front of the school. I’d known it all along but hadn’t been sure until then. I also knew the girl’s name. Jenny.

“She’s my friend.” He plunked down on the chair, sensitive to my mood. Jim was in trouble and unreachable. Now I was asking about his little friend.

His words came spilling out. “How did you know her name? I never talked about her. She’s afraid of you. Afraid of everybody. Her parents don’t take very good care of her and beat her. She heard rumors about us, this house, and hid from you whenever I brought her here so you wouldn’t see her.

“Are you mad at me because I kept her a secret?”

I could hear the clock ticking on the wall and wondered how much time Jenny had. How much any of us had.

“She promised she’d never speak to me again if I snitched on her,” he added in his own defense, and sighed at the look I gave him.

“No.” I took his hands in mine and met his worried eyes. “I’m not mad at you. Where does she live?” It was the direct question that scared him.

“There’s something wrong, isn’t there? Something to do with Jenny?” His hands tightened on mine. “Is Jenny in trouble?”

“I don’t know for sure,” I fibbed, “but yes, something is wrong. Something to do with a skinny little girl with long dark hair. She wears her hair in braids?”

“How did you know that?” His eyes opened further. “You’ve seen her?”

“I’ve seen her.” My voice chilled even me. How could I tell him his friend was going to die, was dying perhaps even at this moment out in the forest?

“In one of your dreams, wasn’t it?” He knew, he understood. “She’s in real danger, isn’t she?”

I smiled sadly and nodded. “I have to call the police before it’s too late. Where does she live?” I got up to dial the number. I couldn’t wait for Ben any longer. I couldn’t wait for Jim either. Jenny might be dying and every second was wasting time. I had to try to save her, no matter what the police would think. It would be in all the papers, I realized with a sinking feeling, especially if I came out in the open like this, smack dab in the spotlight. Again. The weirdos and the desperate would flock to me like crows to carrion.

I wouldn’t be able to hide.

Speaking into the phone, I tried to remain calm. It wasn’t easy. I had to save Jenny’s life. I wouldn’t stand by and allow another innocent child to die if I could prevent it. Thank God, this time I might be able to do something. If it wasn’t too late.

“Captain Sinclair, this is Sarah Towers.” Out it all came.

When I hung up the phone I looked at Jeremy. His face was pale and he was trembling.

“Can I go look for her? Can we go find her now? Please?”

“No, we’ll let the police handle this. It’s very dangerous.”

“Is Charlie doing this?” I could see he was trying desperately to understand what was going on, but he couldn’t, it was beyond him and there weren’t any words to explain away his fears.

“No, not Charlie.”

Without another word, he went to the window and pressed his face against the glass, so I wouldn’t see his tears.

I’d gave Jenny’s address to Sinclair and told him everything I knew, or thought I knew. I begged him to hurry. He’d seemed surprised to hear from me and more surprised when I told him what I had to tell him. But he’d listened to every word and had signed off with a brisk goodbye and a thank you. I don’t know if he’d believed me. I prayed he had.

I went to stand by my son. I put my arms around him.

A short time later we heard sirens in the distance.

“They gonna save Jenny?” he asked.

“I hope so.” Yet my mind was in turmoil. I knew something no one else knew. The thing in the woods had never been beaten. I wanted to run out into the night and save Jenny myself. I wanted to do something.

But I was afraid. Afraid to leave Jeremy and I couldn’t take him with me. Afraid to face the monster I’d seen in my vision the night before.

Jeremy was scratching at the glass, making a racket that put my teeth on edge. “Jenny doesn’t deserve to die. She’s never had anything, Mom. She’s never had anybody to love her.” He was crying and I held him tighter because I was scared he was going to dash out into the night and attempt to find her himself. Save her.

“Don’t. It won’t do any good,” I told him. “It never does any good.”

“How do we know, unless we try, Mom!” His words died in the stillness around us and echoed back to haunt us. I didn’t have time to answer before the sirens became so loud I couldn’t speak above them. They were growing into a great growl and then there was dead silence.

When the loud banging came at the front door both of us jumped.