1. Facing Demons

This is the first chapter from a novel I am currently in the process of writing titled "Under A Cold Iowa Moon".

She woke abruptly once again, face dripping with beads of sweat and the shrill of terror ringing in her ears. It was the third time in barely a week Catherine Davis had been visited by this intensely frightful dream.

 

Catherine had experienced deeply moving premonitions from her early teens, yet none until now seemed to exude such a powerful hold on her psyche. The recurring images begin the same way, giving Catherine the sensation that she is floating across acres of overgrown corn fields, then following the path of an ivory shawl drifting on the wind until it becomes cradled in the swirl of a river eddy. This culminates in fleeting visions of gathering crows, falling leaves and a young woman lying motionless on the ground with her palms facing skyward as if pleading for mercy.

 

Hands still trembling with nervous energy, she resolves to make herself a coffee in her federation style kitchen. Spices fill the racks on the shelf above the stove and saucepans of various sizes hang from hooks above the counter. Wispy white lace curtains frame the window, looking beyond her herb garden to the glimmering azure waters on the bay. Lowering herself into her favourite chair, a rather austere regency recliner, with hand turned cherry-wood armrests and burgundy, almost felt-like padded lining. Catherine re-unites herself with the characters engaged in an intricate game of deception and power amid the pages of a best selling thriller.

 

Several hours later the blinding sunlight seeping through the bay window of her den, rouses Catherine from her slumber, she had spent the remainder of the night in the chair, the book still perched delicately on her lap. The air is still somewhat filled with uncertainty, although beginning to be drowned out by the chatter of children waiting for the bus to ferry them to school, just a few metres down the street. This reminded Catherine she must also be on her way, today would not be easy nor would tardiness be acceptable.

 

Cumberland County Courthouse, Fayetteville, NC

 

“Ms. Davis, can you please explain to the court about what you described to police as a vision you experienced on May 16^th, 2007.” came the words from District Attorney Stephen Monroe, closely followed by “I will remind the jury that Ms Davis is a registered clairvoyant and had no prior knowledge of specific details in this case. Furthermore information she has provided to police in the past has enabled several cases to be closed.”

 

“It was approximately 2 am” Catherine began, “I walked to the front door because I could clearly hear someone calling out “No, please god No” but the street was barren and I suddenly felt consumed by a bitterly cold shudder”.

“Please continue Ms. Davis” interjected Monroe.

“I could see a house with a pale blue door, it had 215 in brass numbers just above an antique style lions head knocker. The door itself was slightly ajar, beyond the staircase behind it there was a passageway leading to the kitchen and den. In that passageway there was a body lying face down with a large knife protruding from about 4 inches below the left shoulder blade. The person was wearing dark denim jeans and a red and white football style jersey.”

Monroe again interrupted by saying “ What else did you see?”

 

“There was a wall mounted phone near the archway that divided the kitchen from the lounge that appeared to be off the hook, one of the windows in the kitchen was broken, although the glass fragments seemed to be scattered on the ground outside rather than on the floor. The sink had what looked like small traces of blood on the taps and plug.”

“Objection” boomed the voice of Defence Attorney Carter Newman, who appeared ruggedly handsome with his chiselled features and wearing a charcoal grey tweed suit. “This testimony is tantamount to conjecture and speculation, it’s no more relevant than a gambler having a dream as to which horse or number to bet on”

“Your honour” pleaded Monroe, “Ms Davis’ testimony is aimed at providing the jury with a clear picture of the crime scene and is not being misrepresented as fact, however it is my intention to substantiate elements of her statement with the testimony of the investigating officer”

“Over-ruled, I’ll allow the testimony subject to corroborating evidence, but don’t expect too much latitude” chided Judge William Albright.

Once again Monroe urged Catherine to continue.

“My visions then lead me to an upstairs bedroom, where a woman was lying in a pool of blood; there were several wounds to her chest and neck area. Her hair was rather randomly draped across her face and pillow, suggesting she may have wrestled with her attacker. The sheets were ruffled and the pillow on the far side of the bed to where the woman was lying, seemed to still have a slight depression in it. There was also a jewellery box on the floor, beneath the dressing table, as though it had been knocked over in a hasty exit.”

“It was at this point the vision ceased?” Monroe queried.

“Yes”

Mr. Newman, rose rather rapidly to his feet and seemed somewhat terse as he spoke “Ms Davis, for the record, in your vision, who was the woman you saw lying in the bed?”

Holding back tears, Catherine replied, “It was my niece, Melinda Cooper”

“Any further questions for the witness?” Judge Albright’s voice echoed through the courtroom, followed by a brief silence and then “Ms. Davis you are excused, you may step down”.

 

Detective Sargent James Alvarez was next to take the stand, at 6 feet 4 inches, he cut an imposing figure and though he was in his early forties his face looked as though it had been weathered by a multitude of dust storms.

Monroe peeled himself out of his chair and strode towards the witness box. “Please tell the court about the events of May 16^th, 2007.”

“Approximately 2.30 am Ms Davis contacted the station stating she was concerned for the safety of her niece, she explained that she had a vision that unnerved her, but her true concern came after making several attempts to contact her niece by telephone to no avail. A black and white was then dispatched to her niece’s home at 215 Lansing St, Hope Mills some 15 minutes later to investigate.”

Monroe panned the jury as if trying to read their thoughts before urging Detective Alvarez to continue.

“The patrol unit arrived at the location at 3.05 am to find the front door was partially open, on entering the building they located a deceased male on the floor in a downstairs hallway, at which point they exited the property to secure the area and I was then required to attend the scene along with CME (Chief Medical Examiner) Sandrine Thomas.  It was then that the body of a woman was found in an upstairs bedroom.”

“Was anything unusual about the crime scene?” queried Monroe.

“Yes, it appeared that there was an attempt to make it look like a bungled burglary.”

“How so?”

“A window in the kitchen, at the rear of the ground floor, had been broken but there were no glass fragments inside the house, meaning it could not have been broken from the exterior of the building.”

 

Monroe picked up a folder from the desk and approached the bench “The state tenders these crime scene photos as Exhibit A. Please continue Mr Alvarez.”

“Initially due to the level of detail in Ms Davis’ ‘vision’ expressed to us, our suspicions were elevated. A later examination of telephone records however confirmed Ms Davis’ statement in regards to placing repeated calls to her niece’s home and thus ruled her out as a suspect. There was enough evidence collected to support charging Damien O’Connor with the murders of his wife Melinda Cooper and Russell Winters whom we believe were having an affair.”

“Can you describe the alleged murder weapon?” asked Monroe, who seemed to be growing in confidence.

“It was a large chef style knife, with a long but lightweight handle that I would consider burgundy in colour. The blade of the knife was approximately 4 –6 inches in length graduated in depth of around 10 degrees from handle to tip.”

“How did you determine this was indeed the murder weapon?”

“It was removed from below the left shoulder blade of Mr Winters’ body and placed in an evidence bag after he was officially pronounced deceased at Highsmith-Rainey Memorial Hospital.”

Monroe then raised an evidence bag containing a knife from the desk for the jury to see and then asked “Is this the same knife that was removed from Mr Winters?”

“Without a doubt, Yes” replied Alvarez.

“The state tenders the knife as Exhibit B. No further questions for this witness your honour!” uttered Monroe, his demeanour now markedly more relaxed than when he arrived earlier in the morning.

As Detective Alvarez was facing cross-examination by Carter Newman, Catherine slipped out of the courtroom, determined to make it home in time to prepare for her flight to Des Moines.

Author's Note

The above story segment is from a novel I am writing, it is placed here merely to get an idea of whether or not it is detailed and interesting enough to consider release at some point. Please give me your honest opinion and any constructive comments that may improve the presentation and interest of the story.

Reviews

[poet2angels (lynda)]

This is amazing....I am not a story writer...so I am mesmerized by your ability to keep me interested and your talent in description of every last detail so vividly..It adds to the suspense...I am anziously awaiting the next chapter!!!
I am soooooooooo proud of you my talented cuz!!!!!

Lynda

[An Open Venue]

I think this is captivating; I found you voice and writing style easy to follow. My only worry is that clairvoyance can be predictable and I hope you take it into some unexpected twist and turns. :)

Venue