Murder In Her Dreams Read Online Free PDF

also gain the parents’ support for the library’s
programs. Centered in a well-to-do community, the library enjoyed
broad support, but, with the city’s budget crunch, it too had
experienced cuts.
    At the end of a busy day, she headed home to
supper. Rod came by and they watched West Wing together, the
local news, and then David Letterman.
    Tired after a long day, neither Cassie nor
Rod gave their lovemaking more than a token effort. When he
finished, she fell into an exhausted slumber.
    * * * *
    She stood on the dirt road next to the
shadowed cornfield. Again, the acrid smell of burnt leaves assailed
her nostrils. She tried to move forward, but like a swimmer in
molasses, she struggled against the viscous air. The ground’s haze
formed a thin white scarf between the rows of dried stalks, parting
to reveal the ground and then hiding it. At last, she succeeded in
moving forward, but she almost tripped as her foot encountered
something soft.
    When she looked at her feet, a puddled, dark
pile tangled around her shoes. Fear made her heart race. Ice
encased her numb fingers.
    With reluctance and infinite care, she
stretched out her hand. Something soft and woolly lay there. She
lifted it. Drops of dew wet her fingers.
    Cassie raised the item to see it better.
Bright moonlight shone on a blood red cardigan. Shock and horror
touched her core. Her nerveless fingers released the sweater. The
garment fell to the ground.
    A scream rent the air.
    * * * *
    “Cassie, Cassie? Are you all right?”
    She opened her eyes to see Rod leaning over
her with startled hazel eyes. No cornfield, no bright moonlight.
She lay in her own bed.
    Sitting up, Cassie rubbed sleep-crusted eyes.
“I was in a cornfield...” She chafed her arms, trying to warm
herself.
    “You screamed.”
    “It was the sweater.” She shivered and tried
to shake off the horror.
    “A sweater?” He frowned, his eyes shadowed
pits. “What?”
    “I think ... I think it belongs to Ellie
Latham. Something has happened to her, something bad.” Cassie
stared down at her hands. “I think she’s dead.”
    Rod raised his eyebrows and snorted. “Too
much late night news. You’re too suggestible. They reported the
kidnapping on the news, and you have nightmares. Stop imagining
things.”
    Cassie shook her head. “No, it’s a message.
I’m supposed to do something about it. Stop it in some way.” Her
fingertips tingled, still sensing the softness of the red sweater.
A shudder shook her.
    Rod scowled and glanced over at the bedside
clock. “It’s four a.m., Cassie. The kid’s been missing for more
than twenty-four hours. The odds are whoever took her has already
done whatever they planned to do. She’s probably dead, and you
can’t do anything about it. A lot of these kidnappings are never
solved or not until years later, so let it go.” Rod’s closed face
and hunched shoulders underscored his annoyed disbelief.
    She couldn’t let go. “Rod, I’m sure the dream
is telling me something.”
    “Like what?”
    “Maybe where she’s being held.”
    Rod rolled his eyes. “Yeah, in a cornfield.
Do you know how many cornfields there are in central Ohio, let
alone in the entire state?”
    “I know, but this one had a tall tower near
it.” She screwed her face up in a frown trying to see again the
cornfield and its surroundings. “A microwave tower, I think.”
    “That narrows it down a lot.” The sarcasm in
his voice made Cassie curl up into a tight knot as she hugged her
legs. “All you have to do is get someone to check all the
cornfields along the tower routes. Have you any idea how many miles
that covers?”
    She shrugged and sighed. “I guess you’re
right.”
    “Let’s get some sleep. I’m tired.” Rod turned
over and yanked up the covers.
    Cassie lay back and slid down to lie on her
side, her head propped on one outstretched arm. Images of the
cornfield and the forlorn red sweater kept her from sleeping. A
sense of guilt plagued her.
    She and Rod got