Read Online Caught Dead Handed by Carol J. Perry - Free Book Online Page A

leave the station. Get rid of that horrid black thing.”
    She buried her face in her hands. The only sound was a slight creak from the cat door as O’Ryan came inside. After a moment my aunt stood slowly, extending her hand toward me. “Come with me to the study, child. I have several books you should see. We should have talked about this sooner, I know. I just . . . hoped it had gone away for good. This dreadful gift of yours.”
    â€œGift? I don’t understand.”
    â€œA gift . . . or a curse maybe . . . Hush. Come along.”
    I followed her from the dining room, through the kitchen, and out into the long front hall. A recent vacuuming had left neat tracks in the plush surface of a burgundy rug. My thoughts were a jumble. I concentrated on the gently curving indentations and dutifully followed my aunt upstairs, into the book-lined study.
    I sat at the big mahogany desk that had belonged to Great-grandfather Forbes. I rubbed my palms along the smooth polished edges of the desktop, then folded my hands like a schoolchild. And waited.
    Aunt Ibby pushed aside several volumes of Encyclopædia Britannica, revealing a hidden row of books at the back of the shelf. Soon the only sound was the ticking of a brass ship’s clock on the wall and the intermittent swoosh as she slid each slim book across the desk. Soon four of them were spread in front of me.
    â€œHere,” my aunt said. “Look these over. Then we’ll talk.”
    I read the titles. Mirror Visions, Crystal Enlightenment, Gazers World, The Mirror and the Man.
    Questions crowded my mind. “But what—”
    â€œRead,” she said. “Just skim through them. It won’t take long.”
    I began to read. At some point I became aware of a new sound. Purring. O’Ryan had crept into the room and was curled up at my feet. I read on.
    At last I closed the fourth book. “So,” I said, “you think there may be something to it? The seeing of visions, or whatever they are? Is that why you collected these?”
    â€œNot just these,” she admitted. “A lot more.”
    â€œBut why? You think I . . . people . . . actually see things in crystals? In mirrors? In obsidian?”
    â€œParticularly obsidian, in your case. Does looking into that cursed ball remind you of anything? Bring back any memories?”
    I frowned and shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. And yet . . . there’s something. Something kind of nibbling at the corners of my mind. I just can’t seem to bring it into focus.”
    â€œI never wanted to have to tell you this,” Aunt Ibby said. “But I think I must. You’ve had these visions before, Maralee. When you were a child. And they were real. I’m afraid this gift, or curse or whatever it is, may be coming back.”
    â€œI don’t get it.” I reached down and patted O’Ryan’s soft fur. “I don’t remember anything about crystals when I was a child. I don’t remember any visions.”
    â€œThing is, of course, we didn’t believe you. We thought you just had an unusual imagination.” She seemed to be talking to herself. “The pictures you told us about. The pictures you saw only on Sunday. You thought it was some kind of special TV.”
    She laughed, a small, mirthless sound. “You were only five. A cute little girl all dressed up for Sunday school. Seeing pictures grown-ups couldn’t see.”
    I hesitated, then reached a hand toward my aunt. “Aunt Ibby, are you all right? Maybe we’d better talk about this some other time.”
    â€œNo. No, I’m fine.” She stood, holding herself erect. “Come on. I’ve saved something all these years. Something I think you need to see. Perhaps it’ll help explain what’s happening to you. Maybe together we can make some sense out of all this.”
    Again, I followed my aunt upstairs. We walked past my