CHAPTER FIVE
"First I want to ask you something, McKinnon. You picked those first three files because they were the ones most likely to cause me problems, didn't you?" Her question was more curious than accusatory.
He grinned as he answered her. "Guilty. I figured if you could handle Baker and a couple of young wives, you'd make it. I was right."
"Then you should know the ring is for the benefit of the young wives. It belonged to my Grandmother. I didn't come into this job with my eyes closed, and I knew hostile wives could be a problem. The ring won't pacify them all, but it will help a little."
"What about lecherous men? Have you thought of that?"
"Oh, yes. And prepared for it too. There was a very good Judo school in Hamilton and I've got my black belt. I'm not concerned."
Although it was too dark to see now, Charly felt his opinion of her rise several notches. Finishing her granola bar and V-8, she tidied away the food. Reaching across in front of McKinnon, she took the flashlight from the glove compartment.
"Okay, T. G., who's first for the bathroom? It's quite large, really, but doesn't have a shower."
Giggling, she corrected her statement quickly. "Well, it did have, but we've missed it."
"Judo or not, I'll go first, if you don't mind. God knows what the storm stirred up in the bush. He climbed out of the car and she realized it was much colder now.
While he was gone, Charly tipped the seats back as far as they would go, thankful for the recliners. She placed the rug on his and pulled the sleeping bag up to hers. After all, he had a blazer. She just had her long-sleeved jumpsuit.
When he returned, she took the flashlight from him and asked, "Any beasties out there?"
"None that I could see, but don't be long. This is rabies country."
"Thanks, McKinnon. You really know how to put a person's mind at rest. See you."
The jumpsuit she had found so comfortable and professional now became a thorough nuisance as she tried to keep it out of the wet bushes. And the air was cold! She returned to the car in record time, to find McKinnon stretched out on his reclining seat, his blazer off and folded for a pillow. He had also removed his shoes and had spread the blanket over his legs. His shirt sleeves were rolled back to his elbows, and in spite of the cramped quarters, he looked quite comfortable.
"This hotel isn't bad, Miss Benson. I might even give it three stars in my review."
"It isn't morning yet, McKinnon, so don't be too hasty. The beds don't leave much room for tossing and turning. In fact, I think it would be safe to say turning is probably out of the question."
Removing her shoes, Charly settled herself into her sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable under the steering wheel.
"You have more room than I have, T. G., but you also have more body to arrange, so I guess we're even."
It was dark now, and Charly could see nothing. She was quite comfortable in her sleeping bag, and having company while she was stranded was an extra bonus. He really was quite human.
"It's too early to sleep yet, Charly, so how about telling me what you were doing during the storm? I've been very patient up until now."
"Agreed. You have been patient and I knew you were going to ask, but I still don't know how much or how little I'm going to tell you. It just isn't something I'm comfortable talking about to most people."
"Why don't you just start at the beginning and see what happens? Believe me, I'll be an attentive audience, as well as a captive one."
"Okay, McKinnon. But please remember, this isn't easy for me. How much do you know about metaphysics?"
"You mean s?ances, witchcraft, black magic, and stuff like that?"
"No, I don't. I mean dream analysis, reincarnation, and spiritual realm as an actual part of the physical realm, telepathy, etc."
"I read a bit about it years ago, but I discarded most of it as someone's fantasy. With the exception of reincarnation, that is. I need more information, but it makes sense to me."
"Well, when I was about five, my parents joined a metaphysical study group. They brought home a series of instruction cassette tapes on meditation, dream analyses, holistic healing, etc., and played them over and over. I guess I absorbed a great deal of it, because I began having precognitive dreams when I was about seven. They were about fires, plane crashes, car accidents and stuff like that. The dreams usually happened about a week before the incident. When I would hear about it, I would become very upset, I guess thinking that I should have been able to prevent them from happening. But I never knew where they were taking place; just that they were going to happen."
"My parents started taking me to the meetings so that I could better understand what was occurring. Soon the precognitive dreams stopped, but not the other dreams. I learned how to analyze the symbols in my dreams so that I could understand my behaviour and change what needed changing. I also was able to get answers to questions or problems through dream analysis. It's just too vast a subject for me to get into right now, but you spend one third of your life sleeping and a great deal of that time dreaming. There is so much knowledge and understanding to be gained from dreams, you couldn't begin to guess at the extent of the benefits."
"I think the single most important thing that I learned from the study group was the fact that thoughts on the physical plane are deeds, or things, on the spiritual one. I know it sounds fantastic and a very difficult concept to grasp without the background study, but it's the basis for what I was doing this afternoon."
"First of all, I stopped the car because I suddenly got a cold chill. To me, that meant that we were in extreme danger. Now comes the part you'll have trouble with. I simply put myself into a meditative state, something else I learned at a very young age, and envisioned a large, golden ball of light energy around the car, you and me. I held the thought for a minute or so. It's a bit like generating a positive force field, but there's no way I can prove that it works. My parents and I have been doing this for years, during blizzards, when one of us was going on a trip, and we've never been in accidents. Makes us feel good anyway. Today was the first real demonstration of a positive reaction."
Pausing, she glanced at him then asked, "Have I thoroughly confused you?"
"Not entirely, but you've certainly given me a great deal to think about. I may get my books out and have another look at them. It sounds like an interesting way to spend a rainy day."
"That's the funny thing about it, McKinnon. If your mind accepts the theories, it becomes a way of life and you find every aspect of your life changes. It becomes impossible to lie, cheat, or hurt anyone in any way, by thought, word, or deed. I was so young when I was introduced to it all, I just assumed that everybody knew and practiced these things. But when I tried to talk to the other kids at school, they laughed at me. Up until today, I haven't discussed it with anyone but my parents. Thanks for listening. It was good to talk about it."
"So one might say you are a good witch?"
"You're really determined to make me out to be a witch, aren't you, McKinnon? Okay, here's some witchcraft for you. Think of something you want, but don't tell me what it is. As soon as you get home tomorrow, write it out on a piece of paper and seal the paper in an envelope with the date on it. Then write on another piece of paper the following words: My conscious mind accepts the fact that I desire and deserve the following: then you add whatever it is that you want. And it can be anything from changing a bad habit to acquiring a gold watch. When you write it out be sure to write 'I have', not 'I want', as though it were already a fact."
"Now, for the next thirty-three days, you write the same thing out just before going to sleep. Then wait for the results. One thing it is especially good for is training yourself to remember your dreams."
"Here's another exercise for you. Sit back, close your eyes, and follow my instructions. You are about to be introduced to the most powerful force on the planet. It's called the Universal Law of Att
raction and it applies to all of us, all of the time."
"Imagine that there is a powerful magnet in the core of you. Whether it carries a positive or a negative charge depends on you - your thoughts - but mostly your feelings. Then imagine that the Universe is a huge shopping mall. You can have anything you want - good health, money, healthy relationships, new car, or new furniture. You are only limited by your feelings of self-worth, your imagination and your ability to believe."
"Suppose you'd like to have twenty-five thousand dollars. Visualize a big bubble. Inside of the bubble, see yourself holding a cheque for twenty-five thousand dollars. See the big smile on your face, feel the happy feeling in your gut."
"You have just created an event that will take place, depending on how badly you want it and provided you keep your inner magnet positively charged. Once a day, take a couple of minutes to visualize the bubble again and feel the excitement holding that cheque will bring to you. See a shimmering green light like the Northern Lights, surrounding the bubble, becoming stronger and bigger each time you practice the procedure. Then thank the Universe for giving it to you, as though you already have it, and let it go. It isn't your responsibility to figure out how this will come about - that's the job of the Universe. It is only up to you to feel worthy and to believe. You can open your eyes now."
"One of the quickest and best ways to generate and maintain a positive charge on your internal magnet is to give gratitude and thanks, once a day, for at least seven things for which you are grateful. What you focus on is what you bring to yourself, be it poverty or wealth, illness or good health, sadness or happiness. The Law of Attraction is always working so we must be aware of what we are bringing to ourselves."
"When it comes to health, anything is fixable, using only your mind. I know that sounds totally unbelievable, but there are many documented cases where people have cured themselves of 'incurable' diseases, without medical intervention. When you know that your entire body is composed of completely new cells approximately every seven years, it stands to reason that you can replace diseased cells with healthy ones, simply by focusing on health rather than illness. As the diseased cells are replaced with healthy ones, your general condition gradually improves, until you are well. The trick is to focus on health, give no thought or energy to the illness and give thanks daily for the healing."
"Anyway, I think that's more than enough for one lesson. We had better get some sleep in case we have a ten-mile walk in the morning."
"I suppose you're right, but it isn't going to be easy after everything you've told me. My mind is busy trying to process it all."
Settling herself more comfortably, Charly yawned, stretched and muttered, "Shut up, McKinnon." The day had been long and exhausting, but now she was warm, comfortable and happy, and ready to go to sleep.
"Goodnight to you too, Charly." He also shifted to try and settle more comfortably. Silence settled over them.
Charly was just beginning to doze off when she began to feel her body come alive with sexual feelings and sensations. She had been thinking about the people who were now homeless from the tornado and about the cleanup that would take days and weeks. So she knew that the thoughts were coming from McKinnon. She tried to shut her mind off, but it was useless. As her desire grew, she could almost imagine him making love to her, and the warmth that began to flash through her body threatened to make her do something she would regret in the morning. Knowing she had to stop him immediately, she turned her head in his direction, and spoke softly.
"McKinnon, are you awake?"
"Hmm. You want something?" She could tell from his response that he had been on the verge of sleep.
Clearing her throat, she pulled her thoughts together. "There are a couple of other things I should have told you, McKinnon. As I just told you, we all have energy fields, magnetic energy. There are about thirty-six different frequencies of energy. When two people are properly mated, their energy fields balance and enhance each other. I have reason to believe we are on complimentary wavelengths, McKinnon. I also should have told you that psychic energy and sexual energy are so similar that the difference between them is almost non-existent."
Sighing, she asked, "Would you please shut your mind down, or think about something else? For some reason, I'm picking up images from you - no specifics, just general feelings. It's not exactly conducive to sleep. And I apologize for intruding, but occasionally these things happen and I have no control over them."
"You really are a witch. But the fact that I was thinking about making love to you is mostly your fault. You walked around in front of me wearing tight denims, and you let your glorious hair tumble down your back when you knew I was watching. I'm sorry for keeping you awake, but believe me, I was having a good time."
"Oh, I believe you, McKinnon. I was there as well. Remember? Anyway, go to sleep. We'll maybe discuss this further another time."
Once more, quiet settled over the car. Charly closed her eyes and settled down more snugly into her sleeping bag. Then she just had to say one more thing.
"You're an okay guy, McKinnon."
"So are you, Charly. So are you."
Waking to a bright and sunny morning, Charly immediately looked over at McKinnon, to find that he was watching her with a half-smile on his face.
"Hi, Witch," he said softly.
"Hi, yourself," she answered, grinning, aware that she felt no embarrassment over last night's mind reading. Her hair had come loose in the night, and she could feel his eyes wandering over it as it lay in a tangled mess around her shoulders.
"Would you mind if we bring the Caddy next time?"
"Not at all, but can we come up with a less destructive excuse for being stranded?"
Leering at her, McKinnon drawled, "I could always run out of gas."
"To get down to business, how long before we get dug out of here, do you think?"
"Well, I suggest we take a hike back down the road after breakfast and see how extensive the damage is there. We already know it's very bad ahead of us."
McKinnon had thrown off the rug, straightened the seat up and was replacing his shoes. "Guess you don't have any shaving gear with you, huh?"
"Just one more reason why you should have hired a man." She smiled at him, enjoying the opportunity to tease him.
"No thanks. I'm becoming used to our little female Inspector."