Read Online Christmas At Timberwoods by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online
Authors: Fern Michaels
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dream.”
“What dream?” Felex asked quietly.
Angela smiled in an odd way. “Wrong word. Not a dream. It was a nightmare.”
“When was that?” Heather asked.
Angela shrugged. “A few days ago. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, you can’t do anything. There’s no stopping it. It’s going to happen. Period.”
The effect of the pills in her empty stomach was dulling her senses.
“Maybe it isn’t too late,” Lex said. “I want to help if I can.”
Angela felt herself responding to the man’s genuine concern. Then, discounting it as another effect of the pills she’d hastily swallowed, she sighed. “You won’t listen. I already saw it. When I see it, that’s sure to be the end. You can’t change what I see. I don’t know why I went to the mall offices yesterday. I just had this need to tell someone, to get somebody to listen to me. I felt I had to try. Well, I’m not trying anymore. I’m never going to try again. I can’t change anything.”
Lex sat quietly, listening to the tone of Angela’s voice. The slight sing-song quality alerted him. “Are you—did you take any medication, Angela?”
“Just some tranquilizers. I’m jittery, I need something. What business is it of yours, anyway?”
“Angela,” Lex said softly, ignoring the girl’s defiance. “Ms. Andrews has given me a rough idea of what you told her. I’d like to hear more. Just from you.”
“Well, forget it. I don’t want to go over it again. It was bad enough when I went home and fell asleep and had the horrible vision.”
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something Heather or I could have done to keep you from having a nightmare like that. We didn’t know,” he sympathized.
Heather’s eyes flew to Lex. He wasn’t going to let her off this easily, was he?
Lex continued to speak, his voice soft and soothing. “But how did you know it was Timberwoods Mall in this vision of yours?”
“Because I was there. I was standing outside and all of a sudden there was an explosion and then another. Buildings collapsed. First one and then another!” Her voice rose in hysteria and even the tranquilizers couldn’t calm her down. “And fire,” she continued. “Thick black smoke. Flying glass. People were trapped in the stores. The exits were blocked. Children vanished and their parents were searching for them in a red mist. I tried closing my eyes, but all I could see was blood and fire . . . and no way out!” Her voice rose to a wail.
“Easy does it.” Lex reached out and took Angela by the shoulders. He held her steady, could feel her quaking and trembling.
But now that Angela had started, she couldn’t stop. “People were trapped under mountains of stone and rubble. Everyone was screaming. I couldn’t see to get to the trapped ones because of the fire, but I knew they were there. I could hear their screams . . .”
“Angela, Angela, hush, it’s all right.” Lex looked over Angela’s head to Heather, who was sitting quietly with a stricken expression on her face. The girl’s words were vivid, her panic was genuine. Heather believed her.
Angela calmed, wavering for a brief moment, indecision written on her face, a plea in her eyes. Then it was gone. “Come on, I did my good deed by telling you, and now that’s it. Get out of here. I’m out of it. I don’t care if you believe me. Why should you be different from the rest of them? Close the damn mall or let it blow up.” She broke out of Lassiter’s grip. “I have to get out of here before my mother shows up. All this water and the ruined carpet are going to cause her to blow. I don’t want to be around, if you know what I mean.”
“No, wait a minute. We’ve received a letter—a bomb threat. We have to know—did you send it? Did you?” Lex shook her a little, instinctively trying to break through her agitated withdrawal.
“Let go of me! I didn’t send anybody anything!” Suddenly Angela was grateful she had burned both copies of
“What dream?” Felex asked quietly.
Angela smiled in an odd way. “Wrong word. Not a dream. It was a nightmare.”
“When was that?” Heather asked.
Angela shrugged. “A few days ago. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, you can’t do anything. There’s no stopping it. It’s going to happen. Period.”
The effect of the pills in her empty stomach was dulling her senses.
“Maybe it isn’t too late,” Lex said. “I want to help if I can.”
Angela felt herself responding to the man’s genuine concern. Then, discounting it as another effect of the pills she’d hastily swallowed, she sighed. “You won’t listen. I already saw it. When I see it, that’s sure to be the end. You can’t change what I see. I don’t know why I went to the mall offices yesterday. I just had this need to tell someone, to get somebody to listen to me. I felt I had to try. Well, I’m not trying anymore. I’m never going to try again. I can’t change anything.”
Lex sat quietly, listening to the tone of Angela’s voice. The slight sing-song quality alerted him. “Are you—did you take any medication, Angela?”
“Just some tranquilizers. I’m jittery, I need something. What business is it of yours, anyway?”
“Angela,” Lex said softly, ignoring the girl’s defiance. “Ms. Andrews has given me a rough idea of what you told her. I’d like to hear more. Just from you.”
“Well, forget it. I don’t want to go over it again. It was bad enough when I went home and fell asleep and had the horrible vision.”
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something Heather or I could have done to keep you from having a nightmare like that. We didn’t know,” he sympathized.
Heather’s eyes flew to Lex. He wasn’t going to let her off this easily, was he?
Lex continued to speak, his voice soft and soothing. “But how did you know it was Timberwoods Mall in this vision of yours?”
“Because I was there. I was standing outside and all of a sudden there was an explosion and then another. Buildings collapsed. First one and then another!” Her voice rose in hysteria and even the tranquilizers couldn’t calm her down. “And fire,” she continued. “Thick black smoke. Flying glass. People were trapped in the stores. The exits were blocked. Children vanished and their parents were searching for them in a red mist. I tried closing my eyes, but all I could see was blood and fire . . . and no way out!” Her voice rose to a wail.
“Easy does it.” Lex reached out and took Angela by the shoulders. He held her steady, could feel her quaking and trembling.
But now that Angela had started, she couldn’t stop. “People were trapped under mountains of stone and rubble. Everyone was screaming. I couldn’t see to get to the trapped ones because of the fire, but I knew they were there. I could hear their screams . . .”
“Angela, Angela, hush, it’s all right.” Lex looked over Angela’s head to Heather, who was sitting quietly with a stricken expression on her face. The girl’s words were vivid, her panic was genuine. Heather believed her.
Angela calmed, wavering for a brief moment, indecision written on her face, a plea in her eyes. Then it was gone. “Come on, I did my good deed by telling you, and now that’s it. Get out of here. I’m out of it. I don’t care if you believe me. Why should you be different from the rest of them? Close the damn mall or let it blow up.” She broke out of Lassiter’s grip. “I have to get out of here before my mother shows up. All this water and the ruined carpet are going to cause her to blow. I don’t want to be around, if you know what I mean.”
“No, wait a minute. We’ve received a letter—a bomb threat. We have to know—did you send it? Did you?” Lex shook her a little, instinctively trying to break through her agitated withdrawal.
“Let go of me! I didn’t send anybody anything!” Suddenly Angela was grateful she had burned both copies of
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