In a way, a Valentine’s Day story.
“Alright, Mr. McGee, I’ve had just about enough. Come over here. We need to talk.”
“Enough of what? What did I do?”
“You really need to stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you can see right through me, like you know everything about me, like…I don’t know. Just stop it!”
“I don’t understand. I was only paying attention to your talks. You’re a good guide. I’m learning a lot. Besides, as one of my teachers once said, ‘even if a lecture is not that interesting, you should at least act like you’re paying attention.’”
“This is beyond acting, Mr. McGee. What do you know about me? What’s so freaking interesting?”
“All I know is what’s in the guidebook and what you’ve told us.”
“I don’t believe you. You must know something. Either that or maybe you’re trying to undress me with your eyes.”
“I…I…I wouldn’t do that. I swear. I’m just trying to focus on what you’re saying. I have a little hearing loss, you see, and I have to concentrate.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. That’s a likely story. Just stop it and I’ll forget the whole thing.”
“But you’ve got me wrong. I’m a married man. I have no intention of doing anything more than listening to you. I have a documented hearing loss. I can have my audiologist send you a report…”
“Just try not to look at me, then. OK? It’s creeping me out.”
“Alright. I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Mac sounded hurt.
“Well…maybe I was a little hasty. It just seems weird.” Muriel caught Mac by the hand and looked him in the eye. “I just don’t know what to make of it, you know?”
The contact sent an electric charge up and down Mac’s spine. He froze where he stood for several seconds.
“Mr. McGee? Are you alright?”
Mac was accustomed to knowing about his wife and kids. He was around them all the time. Muriel was a stranger. Someone he hadn’t met until the day before. Now, here he was, in the middle of explaining he didn’t know anything about the young woman, and suddenly he knew too much about her. Enough to totally “creep her out” if he were to share any of it with her. She’d have him arrested as a stalker. How could he possibly explain what he knew, much less how he came to know it. Until a few moments ago, he would have said there was no such thing as a “psychic.” Now, apparently, he was one.
“I’m…uh…fine…” Mac stammered. “I’ll try to act less interested in the future. OK? See you tomorrow morning? Alright?”
“I guess so. OK. Good night, Mr. McGee.”
“Good night then.”
Mac met his wife in their room. He tried to explain what happened. “Cheryl, I had no way of knowing anything about Muriel’s personal life until she touched my hand. Then it was like a flash. Like I downloaded her memories into my head. I’m pretty freaked out. I really didn’t want to know about her. But now I do.”
“I don’t get it. You’ve never had anything even remotely like this happen to you before. Are you sure this isn’t your vivid imagination at work?”
“Good God, I wish it was. What’s happening to me? How can this be?” Mac sat on the bed, his head in his hands.
“We’ll figure it out. There must be a reason. What did you see?”
“First of all, her name’s not Muriel. It’s Jolene. Jolene Watson. And she’s in danger, Cheryl. She’s only working as a guide to stay out of sight. She saw something terrifying. A woman was murdered. The murderer knows who she is. If he ever finds her, I’m afraid she won’t have long to live.”
“Oh. My. God. Mac. Are you sure?”
“Tomorrow, Muriel will be wearing her tan Solomon hiking boots, green cargo pants, a Cincinnati Reds ball cap, and a green and orange plaid flannel shirt.”
“How do you know?”
“The same way I know she’s in danger. If she’s wearing something different, we’ll talk.”
“We’ll talk either way, dear. And you better not let Jolene take you away from me.”
Mac laughed, “You can find humor in any situation, Cheryl.”
—–
The next morning, Muriel showed up for the excursion wearing her tan Solomon hiking boots, green cargo pants, a Cincinnati Reds ball cap, and a green and orange plaid flannel shirt.
“Now what?” Cheryl whispered in Mac’s ear.
“Now I suppose I must go against every fiber of my introverted personality. I need to meet and greet everyone around here. Maybe someone knows more than they’re letting on.”
“Good luck with that, Mac.”
“Good luck with what?” Muriel broke in.
“Oh, Mac was saying he hasn’t met everyone in the group. Maybe you could do a round two of introductions before we start the hike?”
“It wouldn’t hurt. I think there are a few others in the same boat.”
After Mac shook everyone’s hands, except for the little hippy that just ran up and hugged him, Mac looked breathless. Cheryl suggested they hang back and take their time.
“Well, did you learn anything?” Cheryl was careful to keep her voice down.
Mac took a couple of deep breaths. “That was…way too fast,” he whispered. “I’ll need the rest of the day to sort it all out. I picked up a few irrelevant facts, though. Glen and Cathy are on their second honeymoon. Candy, the hippy chick, is into older men. I could have told you that from the way she murmured, “just say the word, Mac,” in my ear. Herb is only here because his wife wanted him to come. Carol, his wife, inherited twenty million bucks from her uncle. Sounds like golden handcuffs to me. Steve and Becky are newlyweds. Steve thinks he’s Bear Grylls. Becky agrees. And they role-play. Ah, youth. Then there’s Fritz and Theo. Self-explanatory. Oh, and Parker hopes to hook up with Candy before the trip is over. It seems I might have a rival.”
“Stop clowning around, Mac. Any bad actors?”
“It doesn’t seem so. No red flags. But like I said, it will take me some time to process everything. I’m not used to reading minds.”
“Have you read my mind?”
“Last night.”
“Any revelations?”
“Your first kiss was Mikey Graves in third grade. And your first…”
“OK. OK. I’d forgotten about Mikey, but now that you mention it, you’re right.” Cheryl cut him off. “No need to go on. I believe you can see into other people’s minds, as embarrassing as that might be.”
“Oh. You have no idea, honey. The newlyweds…” Mac shook his head. “I probably shouldn’t say. But I have a couple of ideas for us tonight.”
“If you two are done chatting, I’ll begin my morning talk,” Muriel began.
“Sorry,” Cheryl replied. She was happy Mac didn’t get a chance to elaborate.
“Maybe you should put a sock in it for the rest of the hike, Mac,” she whispered.
“No problem,” Mac winked.
—–
“If it’s not anyone in our group, what about the other groups? What about the lodge staff? Is there anyone here who knows who Muriel is other than us?”
“I’ll keep meeting people. You keep an eye on Jolene…I mean Muriel. See if anyone shows a little too much interest in her.”
“Oh, great. Now I get to play Nancy Drew or something?”
“Or something…I’m new to this too.”
“Any thoughts on why this is happening to you?”
“Only one. Remember I’m part of a test group for that new drug intended to head off Alzheimer’s?”
“Yeah…but certainly you don’t think?”
“I’ve ruled out practically everything else. For a long time, I’ve thought that any drug might have a side-effect that only one-in-a-billion people will experience. Since this drug affects the electrical activity of the brain, maybe I’m that guy. It’s supposed to prevent Alzheimer’s, but they told me I might have some brain-related side effects – auditory or visual hallucinations, headaches, nervousness, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, blurred vision, balance problems, ringing in the ears – I’ve already got that – the list goes on. Reading people’s thoughts wasn’t on the list. I haven’t felt any of listed side-effects unless all of this is just a hallucination. Or maybe this stuff has amped-up my brain activity in a weird way. Or maybe I’m just demented or going crazy.”
“Don’t say that! You were spot on about Muriel’s outfit. And you were right about Mikey. I never told you that before. And somehow, I’m sure you could tell me more about my history than I want you to know.”
“We’ve always said the past should stay in the past, so I won’t go there. What other explanation could there be other than the drug trial?”
“Maybe it’s a tumor… like in that movie with John Travolta.”
“It’s NOT a tumor! I had an MRI before they put me in the trial. By the way, that movie was Phenomenon.”
“Well, your memory is intact.”
“I’d say it’s better than ever. I can now recall the lives of dozens of people. And most of those lives are as boring as mine. Whatever this ability is, maybe it’s not a gift.”
“It’s a gift if it ends up saving Jolene’s life.”
“Do you think we should tell her?”
“Not yet. We need more to go on. If we say anything now, she’ll think you’re a nutjob.”
—–
“Cheryl, I called the folks at the drug trial.”
“And?”
“And…they think I’m a nutjob. They want me to stop taking the pills and come in as soon as we get home.”
“Are you going to stop taking the meds?”
“Not until we get to the bottom of this. Besides, I only have a few more doses left. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?”
“Not really. Except I noticed there is a new tour group coming in tomorrow morning, Mac.”
“I haven’t met anyone who works here that knows about Muriel’s past. Let’s stay on top of this.”
“What if we don’t find anyone before it’s time for us to go? Should we tell her then?”
“We might have to, Cheryl. But then again, what purpose would it serve?
“None that I can think of. After we’re gone, she’s right back where she started. In hiding. Without a mind-reader knowing her real name. She would be no worse off.”
“You’re right, of course. Still, I would feel horrible if we read about her death in the news.”
“Only because we know her – a little – and know something about her. Think of the thousands who die every day we don’t know anything about.”
“I get it. Let’s just hope we can find out something concrete in the next two days.”
—–
Mac and Cheryl could not find anyone who had any reason to harm Muriel. Everyone liked her. Mac got no impressions that included the name, “Jolene.” It was time to go home. The shuttle bus was waiting. Reluctantly, the two boarded the bus for the airport.
About 35 minutes later, the doors of the bus opened on a group of people waiting for the return trip. Mac and Cheryl were the last to leave. As Mac turned to help Cheryl climb down the steps, a young, bearded man in a leather jacket bumped up against him, apparently eager to board the bus. His hand brushed by Mac’s face as he rudely grabbed for the handrail. Mac stopped short. He saw the name, Jolene, in the man’s mind.
“Hey, are you going to get off the bus or not?” The man sounded annoyed.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mac stammered. “I just remembered I left my ticket in the room safe. I feel so stupid. Honey, would you please wait for me here? I’m just going to take the shuttle to the lodge, grab my ticket, and head straight back.” He checked his watch. “I think we’ve got plenty of time.” His eyes darted to the impatient man. “See you soon, Love.”
Cheryl knew what was going on. Mac never called her, Love. “OK, Mac. I’ll see you in an hour or so. Love you.”
The ride back seemed to take all day. All Mac could think about was getting to Jolene before the man in the leather jacket. He had the advantage. He knew where Jolene’s room was. The guy didn’t know and would have to ask. Mac also had an excuse for sprinting off the bus to get his “ticket” before the bus shuttled back to the airport. He was glad the guy bought his story and let him exit the bus first.
Mac knocked at Jolene’s door. No answer. He headed for the gathering area for hikes. Her group was just about to leave. Mac had dreaded the possibility of telling her what he knew.
“Mac…what are you doing here? I thought your shuttle left already,” Muriel called out.
“Muriel, we need to talk…I mean, I’d like to say goodbye properly. Over there.” He pointed to a large standing stone by the path. The hikers looked confused, to say the least.
Muriel turned to the group and said, “It’s OK. I’ll be with you in a moment.” On the way to the spot, she stage-whispered, “What’s this all about?”
“We don’t have much time, Jolene,” Mac began. Jolene’s face turned to ash.
“How…?” She started to ask.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mac tried to reassure her. “I’m on your side. I know you witnessed a murder. There’s a man coming for you. I can see things…” Mac sighed. “There’s not enough time to explain. It doesn’t matter how I know this. Look over your shoulder…casually…try not to attract attention. The man in the leather jacket. Asking questions. Do you know him?”
“Maybe…Oh. God. I…” tears formed in Jolene’s eyes. “What should I do?”
“I thought we’d have more time. Just get your group out on the trail as fast as you can. I’ll try to stall him. Maybe you should call the police.”
The group left just before the man in the leather jacket approached Mac.
“I thought you’d be on the bus by now. Are you lost, old man?”
“No. Are you? You look like you don’t belong around here.”
The man grabbed Mac by the arm. “Now, you listen to me, smartass…”
Mac placed his hand gently on the man’s hand and spoke in hushed tones. “Look, Rick, you don’t have to be so rough. The woman leading that hiking group isn’t the one you’re looking for. The one you seek – Jolene – isn’t here. See that cliff over there. Jolene fell off that cliff a couple of weeks ago and died. It was tragic. Go have a look for yourself. You can still see the blood stains at the bottom if you lean over far enough.”
In hindsight, Mac regretted what he thought next but didn’t verbalize: And slip and fall.
“Stop trying to hold my hand, you old weirdo!” The man in the leather jacket swung around and headed for the cliff.
Mac and several other onlookers were horrified when he leaned over the railing and fell 237 feet to his death while screaming, “Joleeeeeene!”
—–
“What happened at the lodge, Mac?”
“I’d better not say, other than I managed to warn Jolene in time. It seems the cops think a man named Rick Jeffries jumped to his death while shouting his ex-lover’s name. And I have some thinking to do about my new abilities.”
MurrayWorks 