Madam Gray had vanished from Jonathan. The world around him phased in and out until he was sitting cross-legged on the bench at the park. Little boys and girls playing a game of tag. Milla is nowhere in sight. Jonathan sat upright, drumming his fingers on his knees. A woman sat down beside him. She looked at him intently with those same blueish-black eyes.
"You ought to get out of town." She told him. "Staying in Little Cove will cloud your judgment." The woman hardly made any eye contact. She spoke briefly then left, without giving him a second glance. But he listened. He got on a bus heading out of town. Jonathan rode until he was two towns over. He got off the bus in front of a café. He felt lighter. As he walked across the street to the Motel, Jonathan became aware. There were more people in this town. People passed him on the street without bothering to glance his way. He was invisible outside of Little Cove.
The room he got was much cleaner than the shabby little motel back in Little Cove. But more importantly, Jonathan wasn't manic. He sat at the desk. Rather disappointed with himself. He had nothing tangible. Only vibes and strong feelings. His mother always told him to trust his gut. Whenever he did he found something out he could've gone the rest of his life not knowing. Staring at the single tangible evidence concerning Thomas's death was the note Brenda gave him.
Brenda... he could never see through her. Back in LA criminals had a way of revealing themselves to Jonathan through all the little things they leave behind. Whether it be fingerprints or missed crumbs. It always comes back. Being in front of them always sealed the deal. Jonathan has come face to face with some of the best liars. He can always hear the contradiction in their voices. Which made weeding out their crimes all the easier. Brenda on the other hand. She was blank. Could she see that he was trying to get a read on her?
The words of Madam Gray rang in his mind. Brenda is not your ally. He picked up the note. He focused on the words, rubbing his thumb over them. What is it? Jonathan wondered. What am I missing?...
...
..
.
Jonathan stood in Brenda and Thomas's living room. Jonathan moved around them, but they were unable to see him. Thomas looked panicked as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the note. Brenda, who was washing dishes, wiped her hand off on her apron and looked it over nonchalantly. She mouthed something, but no words came out, when Thomas started yelling his voice was muffled. All Jonathan could make out was 'They're after me.' Jonathan moved closer. He watched Brenda stare up at Thomas, her face void of all emotion. Simply blank while Thomas ranted.
Brenda blinked, and her eyes shifted in Jonathan's direction. She squinted in his direction.
"Who's there?" Her voice was clear as day. "Show yourself." Jonathan wasn't sure how to do that, even if he could he didn't trust what she'd be able to do while he was in this state. He's never been lucid in a vision before.
Brenda squared her shoulders. "Why are you here?"
"Why aren't you taking your husband seriously?" Jonathan asked. Brenda moved closer to Jonathan, who had his back pressed against the wall. It was bright in this vision due to the sunlight coming in through the windows. Why can't she see me? Wondered Jonathan.
"I've been through this dream before." She said. "It can't stop it." His left eye twitched at her words.
"I find that hard to believe." Brenda folded her arms over her chest.
"Well, it's the truth. I can't stop this dream, even if I try." Brenda swallowed hard. "I had it seven times already. Sometimes I hope it would turn into something else." Brenda turns her back to Jonathan, looking back at Thomas and staring down at Brenda's spot. He continued shouting slamming the note on the table then leaving the kitchen. Only to return seconds later and start over again. "Every time I go to sleep I'm stuck in limbo. Forced to remember the one time I didn't believe my husband." Brenda sniffled. Jonathan could see the top lid of his left eye twitching. It was powerful and wouldn't go away no matter how hard he rubs it.
"Why didn't you believe him?"
"Maybe it was easier to believe it was all in his head. I thought this would be something we would be laughing about years later." Brenda turned to him. "I answered your questions, now you answer mine. Who are you?"....
...
..
.
Jonathan was sitting at the desk in his motel room. "That was new." Jonathan jotted down all he witnessed before it could fade away like a dream. He also began documenting his entire experience in Little Cove.
An hour in, Jonathan gets a message from Brenda.
-Where are you?
He stared at the message for a long time.
-I'm trying to figure everything out.
Brenda was typing for a long time, and then she just stopped. Jonathan shut his phone down. He was going to toss it, going back and forth on whether it was worth the effort. Still in the mindset where he thinks everything obeys the same rules he's set for himself. The rules of normalcy don't apply here.
Jonathan called June's sister. She answered on the second ring. Jonathan didn't have to ask to speak to Milla because she was already on the phone. He'd hoped by being so young the death of her mother wouldn't be so hard for her. However, Milla sounded weak with grief.
"I miss you and Mommy." Milla began to cry. Her aunt quickly comforted her. Milla's sobs were distant but loud. She only cried like that once when Jonathan's mother died. There was nothing he nor June did that could soothe her. She'll cry herself to sleep. And there is nothing Kendra could do to ease her pain.
"I'm sorry, Jon. Can I call you back later?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. And thanks for picking up the slack."
"Of course. I love Milla." There was a pause, where only Milla's sobs filled the silence. "Look, Jon. I understand you and my sister had some problems. But that's between you and her, as far as I'm concerned you're a damn good father, so if you want to call or visit, you can."
"Thank you, Kendra," Jonathan said. "That's actually why I'm calling you. I have some things to sort out down here. I don't know when I'd be able to see Milla, it may be another month it may be much longer than that. I just need you to promise me something."
"Uh... sure."
"Take good care of Milla. Make sure she knows how much I love her." There was a long lull. Milla had quieted down momentarily.
"Is everything alright, Jon?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. I have to go, kiss Milla good night for me." Jonathan hung up the phone. Jonathan was grateful for Kendra. Sometimes to the point of him wondering what life would be like if it was Kendra he married instead of June. Either way, it was something he didn't want to bother his mind with. He looked at the picture of Milla on his screen one last time before he tossed it into a lake. There was no more time for distractions. The quicker he solves this, the quicker he's home to his daughter.