Searching for Faith - A gripping psychological thriller Read online

  “This is definitely my favorite time of the year,” he replied. “Although, we’re supposed to be getting a storm here later.”

  “I heard,” she replied. Several inches, too.

  “So, do you live in the area?”

  “No. I’m just visiting, up from the cities.”

  “Where abouts?”

  “I live in Vadnais Heights,” she replied.

  He leaned against the railing. “I know exactly where that is. I have a friend who lives close by. In Shoreview. What brings you out here? Family?”

  The man was asking a lot of questions, but she sensed that it was his way. “No. I just needed to come out here.”

  He stared at her in amusement. “To get away from the hub-bub of the big city?”

  Carissa looked down below, toward the evergreens, the birch trees, and the winding gorge. “I wish it were that simple. The truth is… I came out here to find someone.”

  His eyebrows raised. “You did? Who?”

  “I’m not exactly sure.”

  ***

  It was a strange answer and even she looked a little perplexed about it.

  He chuckled. “Looks like you have your work cut out for you then.”

  Carissa glanced at him and smiled grimly. “I know, it doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

  Alex was a pretty good judge of character and something told him that if he kept asking questions, her answers would just get more baffling. But, it was in his nature to pry and this was her second trip out to the falls in two days. Not that it was unusual, but she’d been alone both times and had stood in the same spot for hours, deep in thought. And, the truth was, he was bored as all hell and she was a very attractive woman. With her dark auburn hair and piercing green eyes, Carissa was both stunning and intriguing.

  “It must make some sense to you, because you’ve come all this way in search of this person,” Alex replied.

  “Do you believe in intuition?”

  “I’m a forest ranger and work in law enforcement. I believe that there are times when you need to follow your gut instincts.”

  Carissa stared at him so hard, it was as if she was looking right into his soul. “That’s why you left your wife. You went home, unexpected, from work one day. You knew that something wasn’t right. You found out her in bed with someone else.”

  Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. “How did you know about that?” He frowned. “Who told you?”

  Carissa blinked and her cheeks turned red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out. It was very insensitive of me.”

  “Who told you about that?”

  “Nobody told me. I just get these visions. I’m sorry. I should go,” said Carissa, looking embarrassed.

  “What, like psychic impressions?”

  Although Alex had an open mind, he had a hard time believing in the supernatural. That included psychics, mediums, or Ouija boards.

  Carissa nodded.

  “Did my ex-wife, Patty, put you up to this?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. He could see her trying a stunt like that. She’d been wanting to get back with him and it would be just like her to send a ‘psychic’ out to try and talk him into it.

  “No. Like I said, I’m here looking for someone and don’t worry, it’s definitely not you,” she said appearing angry herself now.

  Had she read his mind?

  Alex shoved the insane idea out of his head. He wasn’t about to fall for that mumbo jumbo.

  “I have to go. She’s obviously not here. It must be the wrong time,” mumbled Carissa, reaching into her pocket. She took out her car keys and began walking back down the path.

  “Wait!” he called out to her. “You’re looking for a woman?”

  Carissa glanced back at him over her shoulder. “No. A little girl.”

  Before he could ask her anything more, she was gone.

  Chapter 2

  CARISSA KNEW THAT Alex thought she was a flake. It didn’t particularly bother her, however. She was used to it. As soon as she confided in anyone about her psychic abilities, they automatically assumed she was a fraud or a nut-job.

  She got into her Tahoe and headed back to the cabin she’d rented, in Castle Danger, which was less than two miles away. As she pulled into the parking lot of the resort, her cell phone rang. It was her mother.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, Carissa. Did you find out anything yet?”

  Her mother was the only other person who knew she’d driven up to the North Shore and why.

  “No.”

  “Have you had anymore visions?”

  “A little, but nothing substantial.”

  The only thing that Carissa was sure of was that a little girl was going to be taken somewhere near Gooseberry Falls. And from the urgency she was feeling, it would be soon. In her visions, she’d seen the girl being chased by someone near the bottom of the falls. She sensed that her attacker had killed little girls before and the cops were looking in the wrong direction. It was another reason why she needed to try and help.

  “That’s too bad. Are you sure you have the right place?”

  “Yes. I knew the moment I pulled up yesterday.”

  She’d had her first vision, almost a week ago, which had consisted of the terrified, blonde girl around six or seven, a white van, and a three-tiered waterfall. The following evening, she’d envisioned an endless lake, cargo ships, and a blizzard.

  “But, what if you’re in the wrong state?”

  “I’m not. Last night I dreamt of snow, which is on its way, and a license plate.”

  “You didn’t happen to get the numbers did you?” she asked dryly.

  “No. They were a blur but it was definitely a Minnesota plate.” It was frustrating, only getting bits and pieces at a time. But, at least it was something.

  “Well… I just hope you have the right waterfalls.”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure of it.”

  After doing some research, Carissa found Gooseberry Falls, near Lake Superior. Driving three hours away had been a long shot, but once she’d arrived, everything felt right. Now, if she just knew more about the little girl. Or the monster in her visions.

  “Maybe you should contact the police if everything is clicking into place for you,” suggested her mother.

  Carissa grunted. “They won’t take me seriously, especially a small town like this. Remember the last time I tried talking to the authorities about Stephen Cutler?”

  “But, they found him because of you,” she replied.

  “Yes, but Detective Samuels thought it was just a coincidence.”

  Last summer, seven-year old Stephen had been abducted while riding his bike home from a friend’s house, in the suburbs of Forest Lake, Minnesota. It had been around eight o’clock in the evening and the man who picked him up, Joe Phillips, had been a longtime neighbor. Stephen had trusted the man, so when he was told that his mother needed him to come home quickly, because of a family emergency, the little boy hadn’t thought twice about getting into his truck.

  She wasn’t even sure how, or why, she’d envisioned what would happen to that particular boy. It wasn’t as if she’d come into any physical contact with him or his family, which usually triggered her premonitions. But, two hours after the boy had been missing, an Amber Alert went out and she’d been watching television when they’d broadcasted it. The moment she saw the photo of Stephen, she immediately called the police.

  “I know who has the little Cutler boy,” she’d told the operator on the phone.

  They’d immediately connected her to Detective Samuels, who was also a friend of the missing boy’s family. When she told him of her vision, he’d immediately hung up on her. Knowing that it was a matter of life or death, she drove her SUV to the neighborhood where the search party was looking for the boy, and was able to talk to the boy’s uncle, Tim.

  “There’s a fifty-something year old man who lives in this neighborhood. He owns a white pickup truck and always wears a fishing hat,
” she’d told him desperately. “He’s taking Stephen to his cabin.”

  “How do you know this?” the uncle had asked, skeptical.

  “I saw him take the boy,” she’d said, which had been both a lie and the truth. “You have to hurry and stop him before he kills your nephew. Believe me, he will if you don’t do something.”

  Frantic, Tim called the boy’s father who knew exactly of whom she was talking about. Although the parents insisted that they trusted their neighbor, Carissa pleaded with them to find Joe Phillips. Desperate to locate their son, they called Samuels and insisted that he check out the lead. An hour later, Joe was pulled over on the interstate with Stephen Cutler unconscious in the backseat, unharmed for the most part. When the police inspected Joe’s cabin in Wisconsin, however, they found traces of blood in his basement and later, the skeletal remains of another missing child, buried in the backyard. When interviewed later Carissa admitted that she hadn’t witnessed Joe take Stephen with her own eyes and that it had been a premonition. Grateful for getting their son back, Stephen’s parents didn’t care either way, nor could they thank her enough. Detective Samuels, on the other hand, didn’t like her story, but couldn’t connect her in any way to the perpetrator. In the end, he thanked her for ‘the hunch’ and informed Carissa that she might have to testify in court. It never happened, however. Joe Phillips died of a heart attack three weeks later in his cell.

  “A coincidence?” her mother said dryly. “I swear, everyone is so close-minded and afraid to take stock in anything they don’t understand.”

  “I know,” Carissa said, still thinking back to that case. “I guess I can’t blame them totally. Sometimes I don’t understand these things myself.”

  “The only thing you need to understand is that you’ve been given a gift.”

  She agreed, but the gift had taken a toll on her life. Every case exhausted her, and even though she was only twenty-eight, she sometimes felt closer to forty.

  “I still don’t like the idea that you’re handling this on your own,” grumbled her mother. “What if you get hurt?”

  “Don’t worry about me, mother. I’ll be fine.”

  “I knew you should have gotten your ‘Carry-and-Conceal’ permit. Did you even bring your gun with you?”

  She owned a Ruger and had only used it for target practice. She couldn’t imagine pulling it on anyone. Her mother, on the other hand, was raised in a family of hunters and eventually married a police officer. She owned three of them herself and had taught Carissa how to fire a gun.

  “No, I didn’t bring it,” she told her. “I did bring some pepper spray.”

  “Pepper spray?” she scoffed. “You should have brought the Ruger.”

  “I can’t go waving guns at people, mother. I’m not a cop. With my luck, I’d be the one getting arrested.” The truth was, she’d been planning on bringing hers, but had been in such a hurry to get up to Duluth, she’d forgotten it. Even if she’d brought it along, however, it was unlikely she’d load the thing.

  Her mother sighed. “You can’t rely on those karate lessons. Not if this guy has a weapon.”

  Carissa had taken martial arts classes more for her own sanity than anything else. They helped her focus, and with her mind constantly receiving psychic impressions, it was a good distraction. It also helped keep her in shape.

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “Are you a Black belt yet?”

  “No.” She was almost there though. Almost. “I’d have invited you to the graduation.”

  Her mother was silent on the other end of the phone.

  “Mom. I’ll be fine,” Carissa said, trying to reassure her again.

  “Is that what your psychic abilities are telling you?”

  “Yes,” she lied, for her mother’s benefit.

  Carissa never had any premonitions about herself, but she wasn’t a fool. She was trying to stop a dangerous man from killing a little girl. If she tried got in the way, he wasn’t going to back away peacefully. If she didn’t do something, however, the child would die.

  “Thank goodness for that.”

  “I have to go,” she told her, feeling guilty about lying but knowing that it was the only way to comfort her mother. “I was just about grab a bite to eat.”

  “How is the cabin?”

  “It’s beautiful. I have a great view of Lake Superior,” she told her, staring toward her front doorway. Her cabin was a one-bedroom, much smaller than the others, but cozy. It had a small kitchen, a fireplace, and a deck overlooking the lake. Behind the cabins were small fire-pits, where guests could relax at night, roast marshmallows, or simply enjoy the scenic views. Nothing she could take advantage of at the moment, but Carissa decided that one day, she’d like to return.

  “I saw the pictures on the internet. It looks like a wonderful place to stay. Maybe I should drive up there…”

  “Mom, I know you’re busy this weekend. You said so yourself that you were going to be showing Betsy how to make strawberry rhubarb jam.”

  “That can wait a few more days.”

  Carissa frowned. “You’re not coming up. Besides, it’s only a one bedroom cabin.”

  “So. I can sleep on the sofa. I’ve slept on worse”

  It was useless arguing with her. She was a full-blooded, stubborn, no-nonsense Irish woman. Colleen Marie Jones was widowed at thirty-two and had practically raised Carissa on her own. If she wanted to drive out, she would. “You know this might be a wild goose chase,” said Carissa, trying to backtrack. “I could be out here, wasting time.”

  “I don’t believe that. Neither do you. You’re supposed to be there. This is your calling in life and you’re damn good at it.”

  Carissa knew it was, but there were times when she’d have traded her psychic abilities in for something else. Being able to sometimes see both the good and evil in people was trying.

  “I know. It’s just…I wish I knew more about the child or could see the man’s face.”

  “Are you certain it’s a man?”

  “Yes,” she replied. She didn’t know how, but last night Carissa had somehow been able to tap into the man’s psyche, and what she’d seen there had given her the chills. He was a very disturbed individual.

  Chapter 3

  Superior Views Resort

  Castle Danger, Minnesota

  “MOMMY, CAN WE go outside and look for rocks?” asked Chloe, staring out the window toward Lake Superior.

  “Ask Daddy to take you out,” said Rachel, unpacking the groceries. They’d rented the cabin, for her best friend’s wedding, and had decided to stay for a few extra days, after the ceremony. “I’m a little too busy right now.”

  Chloe looked at her father, who was playing a game on his phone. As usual. “Daddy?”

  “Hold on. Let me just finish this level,” Paul said, not looking up.

  Chloe groaned. “Can I just go out there myself? You can watch me through the window.”

  Rachel, listening in, frowned. Chloe was only seven years old. There was no way in hell she’d let her near the water without someone around to keep an eye on her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t want you out by the lake without one of us around.”

  “I won’t go close to the water,” pleaded Chloe. “I just want to look for rocks.”

  “Wait for your father,” said Rachel, looking at Paul. Frustrated with his game obsession, her voice tightened. “He’s almost finished.”

  Paul looked up from his game. “Yes, I am,” he replied, not missing the irritation in Rachel’s tone.

  Chloe scowled and then her eyes lit up. “Look! Maddy is out there taking pictures. She can watch me.”

  Maddy was Mackenzie’s, the bride-to-be, younger sister, who’d just turned twenty-two. She’d babysat Chloe a number of times and knew how precarious the child could be.

  “I guess if she doesn’t mind,” murmured Rachel. She walked over to the window and caught the younger woman’s attention. They waved at each othe
r.

  “I’m going out by Maddy!” hollered Chloe, racing over to the doorway. She slipped on her shoes and was out the front door before Rachel could stop her.

  ***

  “Hey, kiddo,” said Maddy, taking a picture of a large barge that was making its way across the lake. “What’s shaking?”

  “Nothing. I’m just looking for rocks,” said Chloe, skipping over to her. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” she replied, smiling at her in amusement.

  “Taking pictures?”

  “Yes. Do you see the barge over there?” Maddy said, pointing across the lake.

  Chloe nodded and then began looking for rocks. After visiting the marine museum earlier in the day, she was bored with looking at boats.

  Maddy, noticing her lack of enthusiasm for the ship, chuckled. “Not impressed, huh?”

  She shrugged.

  “I suppose you’re a little young to appreciate stuff like that,” said Maddy, taking one last picture. “Have you ever heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald?”

  “Yes. We saw something about it at the boat museum,” said Chloe. “It sunk.”

  “Yes, it did. They left Two Harbors, which is that way,” said Maddy, pointing. “And were hit with a storm before they could reach their destination. Anyway, my grandfather was on that ship.” She smiled sadly. “I guess he was a deckhand.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “He was? Did he die?”

  “Yes. Everyone died that day, unfortunately.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Actually, I wasn’t even born yet,” replied Maddy. “My mother missed him terribly, though. So did my grandmother.”

  “That’s so sad,” said Chloe, still staring up at her.

  She nodded. “Anyway, that’s why my sister wanted to get married up here. It’s where our grandparents grew up.”

  “That’s cool. Oh… hey! Look at that rock,” said Chloe, leaning down to pick it up. “It looks like it has stripes.”

  “It sparkles, too,” Maddy said, staring at the black and white bands. “It’s very pretty.”