Premonition Chapter One

Kari Winchester sighed softly as she clicked the delete button to erase another unwanted e-mail message. Despite the newspaper’s excellent junk mail filter, several unwanted messages appeared in her inbox daily. She especially liked the ones that offered to increase her penis size. Since she’d never possessed that particular appendage, she didn’t know how it could be increased.

Some people really needed to get a life.

She deleted another, then another. She was about to click on a fourth to send it to the trash when the subject heading caught her eye—“Lake Tahoe Casino Now Open After Remodeling.”

Lake Tahoe was an easy and beautiful drive from Sacramento. Kari made trips there or to Reno two to three times a year, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. Lately, she hadn’t gone anywhere not related to work. She’d been so busy at the newspaper the last few months, anything fun had been pushed down on her priority list.

There’d been little fun in her life lately. Maybe it was time she pushed it back up the list.

Kari clicked on the e-mail to open it. A beautiful, full-color picture of the hotel and casino appeared on her screen. She’d been to the Tahoe Towers on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe once. The décor had been incredible then. She could only imagine how lavish it must be after the remodel.

She scrolled down the page to see more pictures of the hotel. The lobby had been completely refurbished in shades of ruby, emerald and sapphire with gold accents. Another picture showed the same color scheme had been duplicated in the five restaurants and the guest rooms. A person couldn’t help but feel pampered lying beneath that silken canopy over the king-size bed.

She should go. She hadn’t taken more than a day off in over six months. It was time for some fun. The trip would be more fun with a man, but she’d have to settle for going alone or asking a girlfriend to go with her. Kari could barely remember the last time she’d had a date, much less been involved with a man.
Her last relationship had been a disaster. It had started out wonderful, but quickly ended when one of her visions occurred. She’d tried explaining to Bobby what she saw in her mind. He’d looked at her as if she’d grown two extra heads.

So much for that relationship.

After pressing the print button, Kari walked over to the printer to pick up the message. As soon as she touched the paper, her legs threatened to buckle. Her vision blurred as a form took shape in front of her eyes. She saw a dark-haired girl….dirty, her clothes torn, lying on the ground. She couldn’t be more than eighteen years old.

She was going to die.

The vision faded as quickly as it had appeared. Heart pounding, Kari closed her eyes and concentrated on what she’d seen. Tall trees. Rocks scattered across uneven ground. A small creek bubbling nearby. All of those combined had to mean the girl was in the foothills between here and Nevada.

But where? There were literally hundreds of square miles in the foothills. She had no idea where to begin looking.

Kari’s first instinct was to call the police and tell them about her vision. She quickly ignored that instinct. She’d contacted the police many times over the years when one of her visions revealed someone in trouble. Since she had no “proof” of anything, they’d politely escorted her to the door with a don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you attitude. If she could’ve actually saved someone’s life, found the person responsible for burning down a house, stopped the bank robbery, perhaps the police would’ve taken her visions seriously. Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened.

Her visions were real. Everything she saw in her mind actually happened, but the visions came too late to change anything. She couldn’t pinpoint an exact time. She couldn’t always find the area where her vision took place. Whenever she did, she arrived too late to do anything. The event had already happened.

She was determined the same thing wouldn’t happen this time with this girl. Kari would not let her die.

Unsure of what to do first, Kari returned to her desk so she could study the e-mail closer. Somehow, the hurt girl had something to do with the Tahoe Towers. She’d looked so young in the vision, much too young to work in a casino. Perhaps she was the daughter of a guest or an employee, or perhaps the owner.

Her stomach churned at that thought. It always churned when she was right. Laying the piece of paper on her desk, she brought up her Internet browser. Minutes later, she’d discovered that Brenda Blackstone, seventeen-year-old daughter of the Tahoe Towers’ owner Leon Blackstone, had been missing since early yesterday morning.

“That’s her,” Kari mumbled. “Brenda Blackstone is the girl in my vision.”

“Are you talking to yourself again, Kari?”

She jerked from surprise at the sound of her editor’s voice behind her. Kari looked over her shoulder at Gifford Lansing. His mouth quirked with a teasing grin.

“Hey, Giff.”

He leaned over and peered at her computer screen. “Catching up on the news?”

“Kinda.”

“I did a story on that girl. You obviously didn’t read the morning edition.”

“When do I have time to read the paper?”

Giff chuckled. “Is that your way of telling me I work you too hard?”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

“I know a con when I hear one. I suppose you’d like to have tomorrow off.”

He’d brought up the subject of time off. Kari decided she should strike now, while he was in a good mood. He was a terrific boss and a good friend, but she knew when she could push him and when she couldn’t. “Actually, I was hoping I could get more than tomorrow.”

“A three-day weekend isn’t enough?”

“I was thinking about going up to Lake Tahoe. I brought back eight hundred dollars the last time I played. If I’m on a roll, I might want more than three days.”

“You stay longer than three days, you’ll lose it all.”

“Not if I don’t spend my winnings. And I don’t. I only spend the casino’s money.”

“So sometimes your trips are only two hours long.”

“True.”

Giff straightened. His eyebrows drew together as he rubbed the salt-and-pepper goatee on his chin. Kari recognized that look…the I’m-not-sure-if-I-can-do-this-right-now look. He had to give her the time off. Brenda Blackstone’s life depended on it.

Literally.

“I suppose I can let you have Monday too. Robin can fill in for you. She’s been doing well with Sue’s help. Maybe it’s time to let her create some of the smaller ads on her own.”

Relief rushed through Kari’s body. She prayed she wouldn’t need that extra day, but just in case… She smiled. “Thanks, Giff. I appreciate it.”

He winked at her. “Hope you break the casino.”

Once Giff left, Kari called up the website for the Tahoe Towers. Bypassing the pages on the hotel’s many amenities, she continued searching until she found a telephone number. So what if she created display ads instead of writing hard news stories? Leon Blackstone didn’t have to know exactly which position she held at The Sacramento Bee. If she had to tell a white lie to get in to see him, it would be worth it to save Brenda’s life. Face to face, she’d somehow convince him she was telling the truth and had seen his daughter in a vision.

Kari picked up her phone and dialed the casino’s number.

* * * * *

Slade Blackstone stood when his father entered the living room. Lines of worry bracketed Leon’s mouth, and his normally intense dark brown eyes looked dull. His silver-streaked, shoulder-length hair lay on his shoulders instead of pulled back in a neat ponytail. The last thirty-six hours had been a nightmare. Worry over Brenda had taken the life from his father’s spirit, making him look every one of his fifty-seven years.

“Any luck?” Leon asked.

Slade shook his head. He hated disappointing his father. “No, sir. The police still don’t have a lead.”

Leon sighed heavily as he dropped onto the couch. “Why isn’t someone contacting us, demanding a ransom?”

Slade returned to his chair. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands together between his wide-spread knees. “Maybe they want you to worry a while longer so you’ll be more willing to pay.”

“Goddamn it, I’ll pay! I just want—“ His voice cracked. “I just want my little girl back.”

Leon closed his eyes tightly. Slade could feel the pain, the sorrow, coming from his father’s soul. He wished he could help the man he admired more than any person he knew.

Slade hadn’t been crazy about the idea of his father marrying a woman nineteen years his junior. It seemed a betrayal to his mother. A mere two years had passed since his mother’s death when Leon met Alora. Slade didn’t think that was nearly enough time to get over the loss of the woman whom his father had always said was his one true love, his soul mate. She hadn’t been much of a soul mate if he could forget her in only two years.

Alora hadn’t wanted anything to do with Slade, and that had suited him fine. The less he saw of her, the better.

Then Brenda had arrived. Slade became a big brother at sixteen…a reluctant big brother. He had no room in his life for a stepmother, let alone a stepsister who had to have her diaper changed every ten minutes.

One look in the newborn’s big blue eyes, one touch of her dark head of hair, and he was a goner. He adored his baby sister.

Leon opened his eyes and looked at Slade. “You’ll keep me posted? I want to know any bit of information, no matter how tiny.”

“Of course. Meka will call me if the police get any kind of lead.”

“Meka is a good man.”

“Yes he is, and a great cop. He’ll do everything he can to find Brenda.”

“I know he will.”

Slade sat back in his chair and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. “How’s Alora taking this?”

“Not well at all.”

“I can understand that. Brenda is Alora’s only child.”

“She’s my child too.” A spark of anger appeared in Leon’s eyes, reminding Slade of the strong man that he usually saw when he looked at his father. “We should comfort each other now, not argue. She blames me for Brenda’s abduction.”

“Dad, it isn’t your fault—“

“Hell, I know that!” He waved a hand toward the master bedroom. “Tell her that. Tell her she isn’t the only one who had a child stolen from her.”

Leon surged to his feet and began to pace. “She said I should’ve had a bodyguard for Brenda, that she’s always been a walking target.” He stopped pacing directly in front of Slade’s chair. “Tell me how I was supposed to convince Brenda she should have a bodyguard. The girl is totally independent and always does whatever the hell she wants.”

Slade stood and looked his father straight in the eyes. “Alora made Brenda that way by spoiling her rotten.”

“And I allowed it to happen.” Leon’s shoulders slumped. “I allowed Alora to give Brenda anything she wanted. I was always so busy with the hotel, I left the child raising to my wife.”

Slade doubted if Alora would’ve had it any other way. Still, he wouldn’t allow his father to feel guilty. “Dad, Brenda is strong as well as independent. She’ll get through this.”

A look of anguish crossed Leon’s face. “What if… What if they hurt her, Slade?”

Slade had wondered the same thing. It ate him up inside to think of what some deranged man could do to his baby sister. But he wouldn’t allow his father to see his concern. Slade had to remain strong since his father couldn't. “If anyone tries to hurt Brenda, she’ll scratch out their eyes. I’ve been teaching her some karate moves. She can take care of herself.”

For the first time since his father walked into the room, his features relaxed. He chuckled. “Yes, that’s true.”

“Hang in there, Dad, okay?” Slade clasped his father’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll check in with Meka again.”

The door to the suite opened. Slade glanced at Leon’s assistant, Madeline, as she walked into the room. She crossed the floor and held out a piece of paper to Leon. “This call came through the front desk. A Kari Winchester from The Sacramento Bee claims she knows something about Brenda’s disappearance.”

Leon’s gaze flashed to Slade. “A reporter wanting a story?”

“Or the kidnapper pretending to be a reporter.”

“A woman? A woman kidnapped my daughter?”

Unusual, but Slade knew it wasn’t impossible. He’d worked on kidnapping cases in the past where a woman was the mastermind. “She probably wants to talk ransom.” He took the paper from his father’s hand. “I’ll follow up on this, Dad.”

“Get my girl back, Slade. I don’t care how much this Kari Winchester wants. Just get my baby back.”

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