Innocent Adversary

By Lou Daniels

Secrets or senses.

Emmy Moore is a psychic medium. When a man comes for a reading she's suddenly flooded with images from the item he gave her to hold. She sees a man being murdered, but worst, it's linked directly to the man in front of her.

Pulling herself back from the images she finds a gun pointed at her

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane Lewis
• Release date: Nov 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798989337415

Book preview

1

EMMY WAS FEELING UNEASY. SHE SAT AT THE HEAD OF A LONG conference table in a meeting room she rented out at a nearby hotel. To her right sat a man who had booked an appointment. In-between them, the table which was laid out with her usual items. Two tall, polished crystals cut at the top into points placed side by side, an array of different healing stones and a deck of Tarot cards all sitting on an expensive designer silk scarf. Inhaling deeply, she smiled at him. It was a smile she had cultivated over the years and one that hid her true feelings. It was especially useful now when she calmly asked, How may I help you?

Without a word the man pulled his hand out from his jacket pocket. In it he held an object which he laid down on the table. Then, slowly he slid it toward her. Emmy watched non pulsed by both his action and the object. She was used to people bringing all sorts of things to her. Mostly memories from those who had passed away.

He removed his hand from the table watching her intently. Unperturbed, Emmy stared down at the object. She could feel the energy in the room shifting and to an untrained eye she seemed to be staring blankly at it, but he knew better. He had been trained to notice the barest nuances.

The energy became heavy, and Emmy realized it was emanating from the stranger. She lifted her eyes to him, noticing a dark shadow that seemed to encircle him. Her smile never faltered but her eyes slightly widened when over his shoulder an apparition appeared.

It was a woman. Emmy judged she was in her thirties. Beautiful and exotic looking, she reminded Emmy of a gyspy. She was about to mention the woman when the apparition put her finger to her lips while at the same time a shiver ran down Emmy spine in understanding. Shifting her gaze back to the man she realized he had been watching her closely.

What do you see? he asked.

Her smile never faltered.

Nothing. she answered shaking her head knowing he wouldn’t just accept that for an answer. She added, I thought I saw something, but it was just the light reflecting off of that picture.

He quickly turned around then slowly turned back. She hadn’t fooled him.

He would have pursued what she had seen except he didn’t have time. He needed to get an answer quickly.

Tell me about this. he commanded, referring to the object.

It was an odd-looking key Emmy thought, definitely not a house key. Perhaps for a jewelry box? She slowly picked up the key connecting with the cool metal. She held it between her thumb and forefinger. Rubbing the key back and forth she was instantly flooded with images.

A Man. No, not a man, men. Two men. Fighting. The scene was blurry, but Emmy could see clear enough. Then the scene quickly switched, and a man was lying on the floor, blood pooling next to him. Another scene quickly followed showing a man lifting a napkin to discover something. Emmy was able in that instant to get a glimpse of the man’s face. With a sharp intake of air, she pulled away from the vision and stared across the table at the face she had just seen, her fingers tightly holding the key.

Slowly letting her breath out Emmy calmly asked, What do you want me to tell you about this object?

Her voice sounded far away, even to her own ears. She was floating in a detached space where only a true seer ever ventured, but now, being in that state was the only reason she was able to keep herself emotionally detached.

In the past she had little exposure to the energy of true evil. However, she knew that she was tapped into it now. It both fascinated and horrified her at the same time.

What do you see!

His fist slammed down on the table. The force knocked over one of the tall crystals, yet Emmy wasn’t paying attention to him. Her focus was once again on the apparition who appeared behind him.

She was showing Emmy something although Emmy couldn’t figure out what it was. Then suddenly the spirit gasped and disappeared, breaking the connection.

Confused Emmy looked back at the man sitting across from her. It was then that she saw the gun trained on her. Without thinking she jumped up from her seat. She stood frozen looking down the barrel of the gun pointed at her heart. Panic welled up inside her as she stared in confusion at the man.

A popping sound from behind sliced the stillness. Without thinking Emmy whirled around to discover a man standing in the doorway with a gun, a silencer protruding from the barrel. Turning back quickly, she watched as the man across from her crumbled in his seat, his head falling backward. Her eyes widened at the red that began trickling from the middle of his forehead.

Horrified by the sight she turned back to the man that had shot him. He was watching her intently. Dressed all in black with a ski mask covering his face, Emmy had no idea who he was. Yet when their eyes locked, she at once felt sucked into their depths and transported to another place and time. Staring into his dark eyes she became overwhelmed. Then without warning she collapsed.

Shit.

Dae swore under his breath as he lunged forward and caught her before she hit the floor. He dragged her over to the wall propping her up against it. Then he scanned the room, his eye catching sight of something on the floor. Picking it up he realized she must have been holding it before she fainted. He slipped the key into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone looking at the man in the seat as he did. After punching in some numbers, he listened.

Please verify.

20505. I have the merchandise, but an item was broken.

Hold a moment please.

Dae looked over at Emmy as he waited.

20505 you may proceed, we’ll send someone to pick up the broken item.

Dae squatted down in front of Emmy. He put his fingers to her throat feeling her pulse then reached out and pulled her arm toward him as he got under her body and slung her over his shoulder. He quickly headed out of the room and made his way to the service exit speaking low as he went. Reaching the doors, one opened in anticipation. The man holding the door nodded as Dae passed through the door then hurried to slide the van door open. Another man along with a woman took Emmy from Dae and heaved her into a seat. Dae took a quick look around. Satisfied, he jumped in and closed the van door.

It was landing hard in the seat that shook Emmy awake and through her haze she realized she was in a van. The people moving about were wearing ski masks and dark clothing. Feeling disoriented she sat upright and began to shake as a scream welled up in her throat. However, she never got the chance to emit a sound before a hand from behind pressed firmly over her mouth. Her survival instinct kicked in. She started fighting using her arms and legs, blindly lashing out as they tried to subdue her.

Ouch! That hurt! She heard a woman say before everything went black.

2

EMMY SLOWLY OPENED HER EYES. SHE BLINKED A FEW TIMES,

her sight going from blurry to focused while fragmented memories came back in a rush. The face of the man in the reading, the gun pointed at her, the red trickling down his forehead, the man in the ski mask and last, the people who kidnapped her. All the images combined scared her yet they gave her no clue to what was happening. Quickly she closed her eyes wondering if there was someone in the room with her.

She felt the metal chair under her and realized someone had placed her in it. She was slumped over a metal table with her arms holding her in position. Emmy was afraid to move. Her arm blocked some of her view but what she could see was a plain painted concrete wall. Feeling disoriented she listened to try to pick up any noise but was greeted only by silence.

What was happening?

Again she opened her eyes, only this time they were barely slits. She looked around as far as she could without moving and then felt her way around with her psychic antenna. When she was confident that she was alone she opened her eyes fully and lifted her head. Pushing herself upright, all her senses came alive.

Where am I?

Other than the metal table in front of her and two metal chairs, one of which she was sitting on and the other on the other side of the table, the room was completely empty. Her eyes traveled around the room making their way up to the ceiling. Turning slowly left in her seat then right, she saw that all four corners of the room had cameras mounted and pointing to the table. On the back wall was a large window which was black with privacy glass. She stared at it wondering if someone was watching, her fear rising.

Sliding her chair quietly back she was about to stand when an apparition caught her eye. He appeared in the corner of the room near the door. Staring intently at him she could see him clearly except for his face. That she could see only a hint of. She studied his frame and his clothing, wondering if she had seen him before. Her mind began to work however she couldn’t make any connection to him. He seemed to give her a slight smile for trying and held up an object.

What’s he showing me?

She couldn’t make it out at first, then she realized it was the key the man had handed her in the reading. Puzzled, she wondered why was he showing it to her? Then he put his finger to his lips for silence.

Emmy’s eyes widened in panic. The man had given her the key and she had been flooded with images. She remembered holding the key but then everything happened, and she couldn’t remember what happened to it. She must have dropped it she thought. It was the only thing that made sense.

Emmy could feel her anxiety skyrocketing. Deep breaths, take deep breaths. All she wanted to do was get out of there. But where was she?

Standing up she looked directly at the camera suspended over the door. Was someone watching? She sucked in a deep breath and with shaky legs walked over to the door. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob and turned. It didn’t budge. It was locked from the other side.

She suddenly felt faint. Leaning against the door she began breathing deeply to dispel the clammy sensation that was washing over her. She had to get out of there, but first, she had to get control over her body.

Moving back to the table Emmy plopped down in the chair. She could really use some water she thought. After a few minutes of self-talk to calm herself down she began to feel a bit better and wondered how she was going to get out of there. Emmy looked again at the cameras and an idea came to her. She didn’t know if it was a good idea or not, but she had to do something. What if the guy in the ski mask came back to shoot her? At least when she hit the pearly gates she could say that she had tried.

She stood and picked up the chair she had been sitting on. She went over to one of the cameras and stood under it. Looking up Emmy was assessing the best way to hit it out of commission. Without another thought she lifted the chair and swung it upward, heavy, striking the camera. It swung back and forth dangling by wires, and Emmy had no idea if it was still working or not, but she wasn’t waiting to find out. She went to each one and did the same thing. Then she headed for the window. Positioning herself in the middle of it, she threw the chair with all her might and moved back quickly in case any glass flew. The chair bounced off the glass and fell to the floor with a clammer. Emmy picked up the chair and threw it again. Nothing. Determined, she picked up the chair and swung it like a bat at the window. On contact the vibration jolted her and she dropped the chair. Taking the few steps forward to the window she saw that there wasn’t even a scratch where she had struck it.

Think, come on Emmy think, she silently said to herself. The only weapon she had were the chairs. Quickly she positioned them so they were both on her side of the table facing the door. Stuffing her hands in her pockets she felt something. Feeling the object Emmy realized it was the mace she always carried. Whoever had brought her here either hadn’t checked her pockets or had been fooled by the fake lipstick case. It wasn’t much but at least it was something and maybe it could buy her some time.

Suddenly she was beginning to feel detached, and she sat down abruptly. Was she going into shock from this nightmare? She didn’t know what shock felt like, yet it could be she reasoned. Then unexpectedly an image of eyes floated before her vision.

It was the man in the mask.

She didn’t know him she was totally certain of that. She would have remembered him because she really didn’t know any Asian men. Yet she couldn’t help but feel that he was significant in some way to all this.

***

Everett Harris stood behind Dr. Campbell who had summoned him. Dr. Susan Campbell was an older woman in her fifties who had made the Agency her lifetime career and probably would die there Everett thought unkindly. But he had to admit, she was good at what she did. And right now, she was watching Emmy Moore on the monitors.

Susan knew what the woman she was watching was feeling. Hell, she had been trapped too all those years ago, yet she remembered the feeling like yesterday. Memories she had not thought of in a long time surfaced.

Biology Behavioral Scientist.

Susan stared down at the certificate she was holding. A well of pride bubbled up in her chest and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. This degree meant everything to her. She had studied hard for it, no, actually hard was the wrong word. She had devoted herself to getting this degree, yes, that was more accurate. And now here she was, holding her future in her hands. The ceremony at Georgetown had ended just minutes ago. Susan watched as the others who graduated along with her got hugs from their families while she stood alone without any. She had family, just none she would want to have here. She’d left them back in West Virginia eight years ago after high school and that was fine with her.

Now that you graduated high school you got to get a real job child. Charlotte Campbell had said with a twang as she fried fish. The stench made Susan wrinkle her nose.

But momma, I’m going to go to college. Susan replied.

Charlotte turned to her daughter and with a little laugh asked, With what?

I’ve got a scholarship momma remember?

Charlotte remembered all too well. That man, who was he again, oh ya, the guidance counselor from the high school. He had the nerve to come to her house to talk to her about her daughter. What did he know about her daughter? He was telling Susan she could go to college. No, she couldn’t. Who was going to help out around here? Charlotte was getting sick and tired of doing all the work.

Now Susan, I told you before you can’t go. They may pay for the schoolin but who’s gonna pay for everything else you may need? There ain’t no money here for that.

I want to go momma.

I know you do baby but it’s just not in the cards. Now go fetch your brother, dinner’s soon.

After dinner, her mother had announced, Susan, I’m going over to Marleen’s for a bit.

Okay momma. she replied through her closed bedroom door. The tiny room was just big enough for a twin bed and a small bureau. Susan had to use the space under the bed for most of her things. As soon as she heard the screen door slam, she pulled out the suitcase she had hidden under her bed and carefully packed it.

Susan kept looking around the bus terminal scared that someone might see her. When the bus driver announced they were boarding she nearly jumped out of her skin. Looking at her watch it one minute to nine. The departure time was nine p.m. sharp, the clerk had said. Susan couldn’t get out of there fast enough. She knew once she was gone her mother would have no way to contact her and that suited her just fine. In fact, Susan knew her mother wouldn’t notice she was missing until sometime tomorrow after she slept off her drunk.

Miss. Campbell?

Shaken from her thoughts a man not much older than herself was standing in front of her in a suit. She had a tough time seeing his face because he stood with the sun behind him. She put her hand up shielding her eyes, squinting. She didn’t recognize him. Waiting for her to reply he silently observed her. When he realized she wasn’t going to answer he continued.

Miss Campbell my name is William Bullard. Dean Bench told me I could find you here. Congratulations by the way on your graduation.

What do you want Mr. Bullard? Susan asked curtly.

Right to the point I see. he chuckled. She stiffened at his words.

Miss. Campbell, I’m here because I’d like to offer you a job.

***

Something’s happening. Campbell said when she felt rather than saw Harris behind her.

Why do you say that? Everett asked looking over her shoulder. The woman in the room was just sitting in the chair.

Look. Campbell said swiveling her chair pointing to more monitors on her right.

These are monitoring her brain function, heart rate, breathing and other body functions, however now they’re all elevating or lowing. That’s not usual on its own. Isn’t she supposed to be a psychic or something?

Yeah, a psychic. Everett repeated in a mocking tone.

Campbell ignored him and pointed to an area on the screen where Emmy was focusing.

She keeps staring at that part of the room as if something is there. According to the monitors she reacting to something. Is she a real psychic?

I doubt it. Why? Do you believe in them? Everett asked as he peered a bit harder at the space Campbell pointed to.

No, but there are people who do believe in them and actually think they can talk to the dead.

Yeah, but I doubt she’s one of them. Everett said dryly before adding, How are you monitoring her functions?

When she was brought in, we placed the usual on her. By the time she notices we’ll have all the information we need. If she’s distracted, she won’t notice a thing for a while. Can you keep it that way? I have established a baseline while she was out, but I’d like to compare that with what’s going on right now and then compare it again when she’s interviewed so I can get a better idea of her training.

That seems to be the question of the day. Everett absently said. His arms were folded in front of him as he continued to watch. Her facial expression kept changing. He wondered what that was all about. His thoughts were interrupted by a young man in his mid-twenties.

Mr. Harris, they’re waiting for you in the conference room.

I’ll be right there. Everett answered.

Susan, Everett said addressing Campbell as he started walking away, I may need you later."

3

EVERETT TOOK