The Vision. Linda Blum
Читать онлайн книгу.
“I just want what’s best for both of you,” she reassured.
He grabbed a glass and dropped in a few ice cubes. Reaching for the decanter of scotch he poured a liberal amount, raised the glass to his lips and downed the whole drink in one gulp. Judy watched as her uncle refilled his glass again. She hated to see him like this and felt compelled to come to his defence.
“I think,” Judy began bravely. “That Valerie and Uncle Will make a perfect couple.”
Her statement made Vera snort in response and her uncle smile in satisfaction.
“See, others approve of my relationship with Valerie,” he chortled.
His comment noticeably flustered Vera, as her face began to turn a shade of red in response.
Out of the corner of Judy’s eye, she saw Ren standing slightly off to the side of the doorway. He stood very still assessing the situation in the room. She noted the creases in his forehead and the downward turn of his brow, as he contemplated whether to enter. After a few moments, he quietly turned and walked away. Judy couldn’t blame him. She wished she could do the same thing.
Aunt Vera regained her composure.
“Will, I would hardly consider Judy’s acceptance as indication that this relationship is a good thing.”
“A lot of people do think it’s good, Aunt Vera,” Judy interjected quickly. “In fact many of the customers at Uncle Will’s restaurant have been commenting how happy the two of them seem together. Everyone seems ecstatic that Uncle Will has finally found someone.”
Vera was almost at her breaking point. It was taking every ounce of self-control for her to hold back her anger.
“William,” she said curtly. “I feel that it would be in your, as well as Valerie’s best interest not to see each other.”
Will was about to respond, but was cut short when Vera suddenly stood up.
“I must be going,” she announced tersely. “Please think about what I said. I’m sure once you have you will agree with me.”
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her purse and started towards the door. The front door slammed and she was gone. A few seconds later, Ren and Jay appeared in the doorway.
“Is it safe to come in?” Ren asked.
“Yes it is,” Judy said.
Will slumped down on the sofa reeling from his sister’s visit. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushions. He figured after all these years of doing battle with Vera, that he would be sensitized to these outbursts. This one, however, was different. She was meddling in a relationship that meant something to him. He had been dating Valerie for a month now and things had been going good, up until today. Judy watched her uncle and sensed his feelings of uncertainty.
“Valerie likes you. Don’t let Aunt Vera make you start doubting that,” Judy said.
Will knew what she was saying was true. It was just hard to quiet that part of him that made him weary about dating again.
While debating whether or not he should discuss matters with Valerie, a vision of his wife entered his mind. Opening his eyes his gaze instantly fell upon her picture on the table. A wave of longing washed over him for the woman whom he loved and missed dearly. Her smiling face seemed to reach out to him as he stared at it. A tingling sensation, which started at the top of his head, began to spread down the length of his body forming a multitude of goose bumps over his arms. His attention turned to the source.
Beside the table, tiny flashes of white lights flickered giving the appearance of a cluster of fireflies. A shadowy outline began to emerge and the lights fused together into one narrow ray. Will watched as the illuminated shape slowly materialized into his wife, Sally. He could feel his eyes damp with tears as her angelic like figure stood before him.
Judy felt a strong presence in the room also and had noticed the flickering lights surrounding her uncle. Her thoughts immediately turned to Aunt Sally and she smiled.
“Aunt Sally is here,” Judy said.
“That’s Aunt Sally?” Jay commented.
“Yes it is sweetie,” Judy replied.
“Hi Aunt Sally, I’m Jay,” he said staring at the apparition.
Ren watched on in fascination, feeling a bit left out, until he saw a flickering light.
“I saw the light! I saw the light!” he said in excitement.
Judy laughed at her husband’s expression.
“It appears that Aunt Sally is here to kick your butt,” Judy commented joyfully.
Will glared at her. “I doubt it.”
Her visit was brief. She told Will she was happy that he was dating again and it was high time that he shared his life with someone. Will was taken aback by his wife’s directness, but Judy was glad for this. That was until Sally conveyed a message to Judy. Her aunt warned Judy to pay attention to her premonitions and dreams surrounding her mother’s death, stating that she was getting a glimpse of the murderer. Shock rippled through Judy, as well as her uncle, at this news.
“I knew I was onto something,” Judy exclaimed. “Aunt Sally, you must know who did this to my mother.”
She waited impatiently for a response. Her frustration began to build when she couldn’t feel her presence anymore.
“Damn it!” she shouted.
“Judy its okay,” her uncle reassured.
“No it’s not!” Judy exclaimed. “I hate having second sight and being able to communicate with spirits! Both make me so bloody frustrated I want to scream.”
“At least we know that we may be on our way to finding the murderer,” Will said gently.
Judy wasn’t really listening. She was too caught up in the fact that the spirit world would not help her.
Will felt her anger and knew there was no sense talking to her when she was in this mood.
“I don’t understand why Sally didn’t help us,” she agonized.
“Maybe she doesn’t know anything,” Will responded.
Judy gave him a doubtful look. “How could she not know who the murderer is?”
Absently she reached for Sally’s picture. Looking up, she questioned her uncle about this.
“Weren’t you the one who told me that when we die all the questions about life are revealed to us?”
“Yes, but…”
Judy interrupted, “So why wouldn’t Sally know those answers and pass them on to us?”
“I don’t know exactly what happens when we die,” Will replied. “The only way one truly knows is after death. Until then we rely on the ones who have died and come back to life to tell their story. Life after death is a topic that is based on speculation and one’s belief in the matter.”
Her uncle’s response did not soothe the restlessness within her. She felt like she was fifteen again and wrestling with those same questions that always plagued her. The one thing that really bothered her was why her mother never came to her, or her uncle, to let her know who did this to her. Years may have passed, but this question, along with many others, still burned deeply in Judy. Would she ever find out the truth?
Chapter 6
It had been a tiresome first day for Judy at of her new job. She was operating on very little sleep, so her energy level was low. What made matters worse, was the edginess that still remained after yesterday’s visit at her uncle’s. She tried desperately to push the situation out of her mind and concentrate on the work at hand. At least, she never had any