Killing America's Sweetheart: A Natalie Miller Mystery (12 page)

“So, Hanna,
who’s the killer?” I asked again growing impatient.

“I don’t know,” she said in a defeated manner.

“How can you not know? I specifically remember you saying in the dream that you knew who the killer was, how can you not know?”

“Because I can’t remember!” she cried.

Lovely. The best witness to the murder suddenly has amnesia.

“What do you mean, you can
’t remember?” I asked stunned.

“The last thing I
clearly recall is looking up into the rearview mirror and then…nothing. The next memory is watching all the police and media surround this place. I can’t believe how many press vans there were!” she said beaming.

“Han
nah, you’re getting off track, you’ve totally blocked out your moment of death?” I asked.

“I guess so,” she said a bit wearily.

Wonderful. She basically knows what I do.

“What are your last impressions?” I asked, practically pleading.

“Just total fear. I knew I was going to die. I knew that the person wasn’t after the money I had.”

“So, was it Damien?” I asked.

“Oh, that asshole! Do you know he was blackmailing me? He wanted an installment payment, which is what I had in the car. He was threatening to go to the media if I didn’t pay him.”

“Wait, back up. Why was Damien blackmailing you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because I dabble a bit,” she said wrinkling her nose.

“Drugs?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I’m not addicted or anything. I just do them when I need to deal. This whole thing with Simon had totally run its course and the studio’s always on me about my weight. A little coke helps with everything.”

Okay, now things were beginning to make sense.

“So you were on your way to meet Damien and give him the money when you were murdered?”

“Yep. That about sums it up. And now I need you to figure out who killed me,
so I can finally get out of this God forsaken place,” she said with distaste.

“Do you think it’s possible it was Damien?” I asked.

“Look I don’t remember things too clearly that night, but I don’t believe it was him. I was worth more to him alive than dead. He still wanted at least a million more. If he was going to kill me, he would have waited until he had all of the money.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic, it made sense to me.

“I have to be going,” she said as her appearance began to fade. “Please Natalie, help find my killer.”

And with that she disappeared.

Well, fuck me. Now I was seeing ghosts. What the hell was going on? My abilities had always been telepathic and clairvoyance. Now I was having precognitive dreams and talking to the dead. I needed to get some answers about this and I knew just who to go to.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Once dawn broke I quickly an
d quietly showered, dressed, grabbed Honey and headed to my car. I didn’t want to wake Simon and explain to him my reason for leaving. Instead I jotted down a vague note about needing to run an errand and off we went.

It was just a little past 6:30am, when we pulled up to her house. I knew she’d be up, and I was not disappointed. I could see the light in the li
ving room on as we approached the porch.

“I thought that was you,” she replied opening the door and welcoming us inside.

Mom.

I instantly felt better already.

I might have mentioned it before, that my mom has a set of her own abilities. Hers are mainly centered on me and my brother Alex. You know mom ESP. But Grandma (her mother) was a great and powerful clairvoyant. Apparently from what we knew and read, the trait skips a generation. So, that’s why my mom is not as strong as I am. Which I might add, isn’t a terrible thing in my opinion.

“What’s wrong? You look awful. I knew there was something wrong. I couldn’t sleep last night. I almost called you, but talked myself out of it,” she said with great worry.

“I need to ask you about grandma,” I said.

Mom motioned for me to sit on the couch and she sat beside me.

My grandma Silvia had been dead for nearly 20 years, but I remembered her vividly. She took care of me regularly until her death as my mom was a single mother. I knew that she came from Mexico in the mid 1920’s and the circumstances surrounding her arrival in California were pretty dark. Apparently Grandma had foreseen her father’s murder in a vision. She ignored it because she was afraid of being ridiculed, but then one evening she was at home when her stepmother shot her father right in front of her. She tried to shoot my Grandma too, but missed. Fearing for her life, Grandma fled to California alone and scared.

“What about Grandma? Has she been visiting you?
”

“What? No. Does she visit you?” I asked.

“From time to time she does. Especially if there’s a lot going on.”

Oh, that was something I hadn’t known.

“I came here because I wanted to know if Grandma’s abilities ever changed or evolved over the years,” I said.

My mother looked away from me and paused.

“I think they did. I remember her telling me that when she was younger she was a strong telepath, but as she grew older her clairvoyance became even stronger. It was something that developed in her late teens, but fully developed by the time she was in her 30’s.”

Oh, boy. Sounds like Grandma and I share a few more things in common.

“Why do you ask? Has something happened to you?” she said with concern.

“Lately things have just been different. I’ve always been very sensitive when it comes to people’s feelings and
emotions; well you know I’m a bit telepathic and clairvoyant. But, now I’m having dreams and talking to the dead. These are things that I never experienced before. I don’t really understand what’s happening.”

“I see. I wish I could give you more information, but I don’t have the same gifts as you. Mine are really minor compared to what you have,” she said patting my hand.

“I didn’t know you communicated with Grandma,” I said.

She removed her hand and clasped it in her own. “It’s not something I really talk about. I’ve always had a special bond with her, and it didn’t end in death. She comes to me from time to time, mainly to offer support when I’m going through tough times.”

“How does she come to you?” I asked with curiosity.

“In my dreams, i
t’s always through dreams.”

Huh. Well, I learned something new about my mother. Here I thought I knew all there was to know, and she had been holding out me this whole time.

“I don’t think you should be concerned about your new abilities. From what I understand it can happen, especially when you’ve gone through some very emotional periods, like you have. The past three years were very difficult, so it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve awakened a few other abilities. I suspect they’ve always been there, now they are just ready to be fully functional.”

I stared at her with a sour face.

“Not what you wanted to hear is it?”
              That was an understatement.

“It’s just that having the other abilities made me such an outcast growing up, even today people still make fun of me. I can’t imagine what these added
bonuses are going to do. Sometimes, I just wish I was normal.”

“I know it wasn’t easy for you, and being as sensitive as you are has caused a lot of heartache. But, I truly believe that these are treasured gifts, not punishments. I think what you are doing to help Simon Bellamy is wonderful. This is your true calling. I never wanted to tell you how to live your life, but I knew you were miserable as an eligibility worker. Someone like you
is not cut out for that line of work. I suspected about the drinking and drug abuse, but it was Grandma who warned me of how dangerous it was getting.”

“Grandma came to you about that?” I asked in amazement.

“Yes, she also told me that you were embarking on a difficult period, but once you came through it, you’d be better and stronger,” she said rubbing my back.

It appeared that along with having my spirit guide Gilles, who might be somewhat dysfunctional, I had grandma looking out for me too.

I smiled at my mom.

This information
definitely made me feel much better.

“Are you hungry? I was just going to make some papas and eggs,” she said, switching gears to lighter talk.

“Of course and I’m sure Honey is too,” I replied looking for Honey. She was normally right next to me, but when I stood and looked into the kitchen I could see her sitting neatly on her hind legs right in front of the stove.”

“That damn, dog!” my mother called jokingl
y. I laughed and followed her into the kitchen.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

After spending the morning with my Mom, and taking a tiny nap on her couch, (well it was more like a three hour siesta!) I finally dragged my ass up and decided it was time to face the music. Honey and I loaded ourselves into the Corolla and headed two blocks up the street to our destination. After my intense conversation with Zack last night I came to a realization, something in my life needed to change, and I was about to embark on a new chapter today.

I walked inside Super Thrifty just before noon. The store was moderately busy with some of the regulars, like the stay-at-home
moms and retirees. I was here on a mission and it wasn’t to shop.

“You’re not
on until this afternoon right?” asked Sonia, one of the day checkers, as she exited the office.

“Uh, yeah… I
needed to talk with Eric. Is he in?” I asked carefully.

Sonia rolled her eyes in disgust and motioned with her thumb that he was inside.

I opened the door and spotted Debbie entering data furiously into the computer; she looked up briefly to acknowledge me with a nod and went back to her task at hand. I walked further into the office and knocked on Eric’s door.

“Come in!” he called.

I turned the knob and let myself in.

“Oh, what are you doing here?” he asked looking up from the sports section of the Sacramento Bee with his feet resting on his desk. His eyes quickly scanned my face and then went down to my boobs.
What a douchebag!
              I took him in and was immediately turned off by what I saw. Eric was a pathetic looking man, and today he looked even more so. He had what looked to be an old coffee stain on his slightly wrinkled pit stained shirt. Gross. Could the guy getting any more disgusting? Thinking about the discussion I was about to embark on, I decided it was best to close the door.

“
If you want to be alone with me, just say the word,” he cooed in what I’m sure he thought was a sexy voice, but in actuality came off as creepy.

“Eric, I’ve come to tell you that I am
quitting,” I said with all the conviction I was able to muster.

He smiled and cocked his head.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not
. I can’t work here anymore,” I said.

He sat stunned for a moment, looking at me with amazement.

“Why?” he finally asked.

Why? Because you rubbed your dick on my back, that’s why.

“I simply do not feel comfortable here,” I replied.

“Is there a reason for you feeling uncomfortable?” he asked.

Okay, the guy was clearly a moron. Apparently he was clueless about his inappropriate behavior.

“You!
You make me uncomfortable. The incident last night is what sealed the deal for me,” I stated trying to keep my voice calm.

“What happened last night? Are you referring to your Hollywood boyfriend?” he asked with an edge to his voice.

“No, I’m not talking about him. It’s you!”

He looked at me
incredulously.

“Me? What did I do?” he asked innocently.

What a fucker. What did he do? Oh, man this guy was lucky I wasn’t a witch, or I’d curse him with a limp dick.

“You touch
ed me inappropriately!” I said raising my voice.

“Now, Natalie all I did was to tr
y and help you relax. You were overwrought yesterday. I was merely trying to help you ease some tension,” he said holding his hands up in objection.

I laughed a little too hysterically.

“You rammed your dick into my back, you sick fuck!” I cried, losing control of my emotions.

Eric’s face turned nearly three shades darker.

“I thought you were into that sort of thing?” he said quietly.

“Why the hell would you think that?” I replied astonished.

He shifted in his seat, trying to find a good position. Fidgeting from legs crossed to uncrossed, from left side to right.

“Someone told me you were a little wild. That you liked to party,” he finally said.