Chapter Eleven

Step By Step By Step

Dani

I had another dream that night, not a nightmare, but very vivid. It gave me the answer to what my next step would be.

I was near the familiar, old mansion, anxious but not afraid. I climbed the rickety steps to the porch, looking at my feet so I wouldn’t trip on a broken plank. When I reached the top, someone called my name. A man looking very much like my father stood on the porch. He was dressed in a blue uniform with an orange tree embroidered on the pocket.

I was not the least bit afraid. “Are you my father?”

“No.”

“Then who are you? You look like my father.”

“I’m your grandfather.” Sorrow filled his voice.

“Why am I here?”

“You have come to save me.” He spoke poignantly.

“How can I do that?”

“You must see for yourself.”

“I must see what?” I still didn’t understand.

“You must open your eyes and see.” He raised his hands and pivoted from side to side.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to see.”

“Come. Come.” He turned and walked through the dark, open doorway, disappearing inside the old house. I think he expected me to follow him, but then I awakened.

The next morning the dream was still vivid in my mind. Before I joined Dad at breakfast, I knew what I had to do.

I told Dad about the dream. “I wasn’t afraid at all, but Grandfather had a sense of urgency about him, as if I needed to save him soon. And he did say save to me, whatever that means. I thought a lot about this after I woke up. I have to go to that house.”

Dad paused his eating and shook his head. “I’ve heard that derelicts hang out there. Also, the place must be falling apart after so many years of neglect. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“I need to do this, Dad. He told me to come. I know that’s what he meant.”

“Well, you can’t go alone. Can it wait until this weekend when I’m off work?” He was concerned for my safety.

“I’ve got another plan. Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know tonight, okay?”

“Okay, but don’t try anything foolish today.”

As I was leaving, I heard him telephone Grace DeMarco. I assumed he was updating her on my plan, but I think he was calling her on a regular basis lately.

I put my plan into action after work. Officer Joel Adams wanted to make it up to me for the way he reacted when we first met. I decided how he could redeem himself, and I called him before I left the parking lot. His phone rang twice.

“Officer Adams.”

“Officer Adams, this is Dani Reynolds. Remember me?”

“Of course, I remember you. How could I forget? I didn’t expect a call from you this soon. Are you canceling our dinner date?”

“I’m not canceling it, but I’d like to change it.”

“Do you need to make it for some other day?” I heard disappointment in his voice.

“No, I want to do something else instead.” I thought he’d be curious.

“What might that be? A party? A movie?”

“No, nothing like that.” I teased a bit.

“You have me interested. What do you want to do?”

“I’d rather tell you in person. Is there a time we could meet for coffee again? It won’t take long.”

We met that afternoon at the restaurant near the police station. Joel was already seated when I arrived. “Can you tell me now what you’re planning for Friday? You really have me wondering.”

I took a deep breath and began. “I want you to keep an open mind. I don’t know you very well, but I have a feeling you might want to do this as much as I. Since I sincerely need somebody’s help, I think you’re that somebody.”

“Okay Dani, get to it.”

“First of all, please don’t say anything until I finish. It’s very important you understand this is not something I’ve imagined or thought about casually.”

“Will you just tell me, already?”

“Okay, okay. Remember, silence until I’m finished.”

I paused and took another deep breath. “You know my grandfather was accused of killing the Cunningham family, and your grandfather tried to find and convict him. Even though we’re on opposite sides, we both have a genuine interest in finding answers. I’m about to tell you something that you’ll find extremely difficult to believe. At first, I too was very skeptical.”

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about this.”

“I changed my mind. Now listen and don’t speak.”

I told him about the nightmares and the séances. Then I told him of my class assignment. Lastly, I told him about my recent dream of seeing my grandfather at the old house. True to his word, he said nothing while I spoke. His facial expressions must have changed a hundred times during my recitation.

“Now comes my plan for Friday night. You’re a policeman, so you’ve confronted dangerous situations during your career. I don’t know if this plan is dangerous, but just on the chance it might be, I’d like to have someone along who’s more equipped than I am.”

He was still staring at me, not saying a word. I dropped the ball. “I want to go to the Cunningham House, and I want you to come with me.”

He said nothing. I should’ve known. Nobody would believe a wild story like I just told him.

“Uh, wow! You really are serious, aren’t you? Wow! Uh, can you give me a minute?”

He arose and walked out the door. I had scared him off. He could at least have said goodbye. I went back to drinking my coffee, trying to decide what to do next. A few minutes later as I was looking down at my cup, someone sat down across from me.

Joel had returned. “I’ll do it.”

So I hadn’t scared him away after all.

It was his turn to explain. “Look, you blew my mind, whether you meant to or not. I still don’t know what to think. I do believe you’re passionate about this case. I don’t know if everything you told me is true. Like you said, we don’t know each other very well. You might be some sicko trying to lure me to a deserted location to take advantage of my innocence, or you might be telling me the truth. But you and your story have intrigued me, whether you’re a sicko or just a concerned granddaughter. Besides, I definitely want to find out what happened at that house.”

“You mean you’ll go with me?”

“Yes.”