Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1) Nellie Steele (tools of titans ebook txt) 📖

She nodded, “Okay.” Turning, she opened her car door.

“Josie,” he said, as she climbed into the car, “it‘ll be okay. You’ll be okay.”

She nodded in place of a response, closing her door and starting the car. He watched as she pulled away. Josie took a deep breath as she watched him disappear in the rear-view mirror as she drove away. Focusing on the road, she concentrated on getting home; trying not to dwell on the strange conversation that had just occurred.

When Josie got home, she decided a soak in the tub might relieve some tension that had built up from the meeting earlier. Slipping out of her clothes and into her bathrobe, she started the water running into the tub. After she got the temperature right, she let the tub fill while she put her hair up and checked her email. Finding nothing urgent, she headed back to the bathroom, stopping along her way to grab the music box. She placed it on the vanity and opened it. The music filled the air as she disrobed and stepped in the tub, shutting off the water as she settled in.

She laid her head back on the rim of the bathtub, closing her eyes, trying to relax as she listened to the tinkling sound. The warm water surrounded her, wrapping her up like a warm blanket. Her thoughts drifted first to the man she had met then to their conversation. She realized she still had not learned his name; she never asked for it and he had never given it to her. Perhaps it would be helpful to establish that fact; maybe she could find some information on him and this Celine person he was referring to. She considered what they had discussed. It was surreal, the conversation made no sense to her even after trying to analyze each detail after getting distance from the event.

She took a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts from her mind. Opening her eyes, she stared at the music box playing on the sink. She reached over, her fingers just able to catch the necklace inside. Holding it up to the light she admired it, it really was beautiful. The red rubies sparkled in the light. She put it around her neck, careful that the water wasn’t high enough to touch it when she settled back into the tub.

She closed her eyes again, letting her hand run over the necklace. This time she let her mind wander over more pleasant thoughts. The warm summer sun heating her face as it rose over the ridge while she sipped her morning tea on the porch. The quietness of the area during her morning jog. Another memory entered her mind and she let herself dwell on every detail, bringing a smile to her face. She lay on a beach, the sun shining down on her, the aroma of salt in the air. Waves crashed nearby, she saw her dress lying on a nearby rock, discarded for a swim. The warm water lapped at her toes. Her smile grew; it was such a happy memory.

Josie shot upright, her eyes wide. The memory that had been so comforting to her, she realized, was not her memory. She had never visited that beach. She had never owned a dress like that. She swallowed hard; it seemed she had just experienced another one of her visions.

A voice from a distance broke her thoughts. She focused her mind on the noise. “JOSIE!” Footsteps pounded up the stairs. “JOSIE!” the voice called again. She recognized the voice as Michael’s.

“Just a second!” she called back, hurrying out of the tub and toweling off quickly before slipping into her bathrobe. She opened the door of her en suite, finding Michael standing inside the doorway of her bedroom.

“Josie! Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I texted you as soon as I was out of my meeting, then I called, I texted Damien and he hadn’t heard from you, then I tried calling you again and got no answer, I’ve been worried sick.”

“Oh, sorry, I was taking a bath, I didn’t have my phone.”

“Seriously? It didn’t occur to you to update me or Damien to tell us you were home and what the doctor said?”

“Sorry, no, I guess I just wanted to get home and decompress. I wasn’t thinking.”

He sighed. “Okay, well, anyway, what happened at the doctor’s?”

“Oh, um, nothing really. He didn’t prescribe anything, just said to relax and wait for Wednesday’s session and we’ll go from there.”

Michael cocked his head to the side in disbelief. “He called you into his office for an emergency appointment and then didn’t prescribe anything and told you to relax and wait? What was the point of you going?”

“No idea. I guess once we talked he decided to try another session before prescribing anything.”

Michael was annoyed, throwing his hands in the air with frustration. “All of that and he did nothing. On Wednesday I’ll go in with you and have a word with him. This is ridiculous.”

“He’s the professional, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“Well, I’m glad you consider him a professional because so far, I’m not impressed.”

Josie remained quiet, hoping his frustration passed before she was forced to tell more lies about her morning excursion.

Michael eyed her for a moment. “Why are you wearing that necklace?”

“Oh,” Josie said, clasping at it. She forgot she put it on while in the bath and, in her rush to get out, had never taken it off. “I just put it on while I was in the bath, no particular reason.”

Michael didn’t answer for a moment. “I guess,” he said, loosening his tie, “I’ll let you get back to your bath. I’m home for the rest of the day, I’m going to grab my laptop and do some work downstairs.”

“Okay,” Josie said, giving him a weak smile. As he left, she turned, grabbed her phone and headed into the