My Dark Secret
I think it happened on the way back from John’s birthday party… I’m not sure anymore, that week seemed to just run into the next two weeks. But, I do remember the 26th, it was John’s birthday. He always throws a hell of a party. But the more I try to piece it together, the more I slowly figure out.
He had it at Mario’s this year. He sure knows how to have a party. The food was great, the booze was free… I guess it helps to have a trust fund and not have to work. I remember going and talking to the cute red head (I think her name was something Bell) and I am very sure that I drank too much. There was that little appetizer that was so delicious, but I couldn’t pronounce the name to save my life.
We danced and ate and drank. The karaoke was a lot of fun. John has a really good voice and so did ‘Bell… A good time was had by all. I vaguely remember saying good bye and happy birthday to John. I remember the misty rain… walking arm in arm down the street. I only live a couple of blocks from Mario’s, so it isn’t too far. I remember how quite it is…
The more I think about it, the more I am sure ‘Bell left with me. The moon was full and occasionally peeked out through the clouds. It was kind of romantic, if I do say so myself. But that was all I could remember, until lately.
I started having this recurring dream, where ‘Bell and I were walking down the street and turned on to 52nd, about a block from here. A black van careens around the corner skidding to a stop right next to us. I turn toward ‘Bell to protect her and I see her smile… then nothing, fade to black. On top of it all, I could not find ‘Bell. I asked John and he thought she came with someone else, but no one said that they even knew her.
I applied my various skills to the problem and came up empty as well. I don’t suppose it is too surprising. I only have a partial first name (I think) and a description from my memory that is admittedly a tad bit fuzzy. But, still, I have found people with less. The partial plate from my dream van proved more interesting. Black Ford vans matching the partial only yielded one possible. It was registered in Washington D.C. to a government think tank.
Why would I dream about a van that actually exists? Maybe my subconscious is playing tricks on me. Since it was my only clue, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. I almost immediately got shut down… which, of course, made me want to look at it even more.
Time to fire up the proxies and sat-links, no time to get sloppy. Government think tanks usually mean CIA, NSA, or Military. From the DMV records I was able to an address. From the address, I could get the property ownership records, blue prints, and any permits for building. The more I uncovered the more interesting it got.
The property was owned by a foundation called “Outlook for Tomorrow.” Apparently, they lobby for public health issues and are tied into almost every major R&D hospital in the US and abroad. I managed to identify the Trustees for the foundation. That list read like a who’s who of the rich and powerful: senator, a general, couple of industrialists, and couple of doctors thrown in to boot. But I couldn’t find anything that they had done in the past 5 years that made me even more curious.
Through my contacts I hooked up with a hypnotist who specialized in UFO abductions and missing time. He only went by the name of “George.” In certain circles, he is considered a miracle worker. But, I am not sure. Sometimes I think these guys just manufacture the memories they supposedly recover.
At this point, I have nowhere else to go.
It took four sessions with George before I had a break though. ‘Bell’s name is Jezebel Von Slat. And she wasn’t that into me. The part that I last remembered was her smiling at me as the lights fade. What George helped me to remember was the syringe that she stuck in my neck as I turned to try and protect her.
After that first beak thought, things started coming back in my dreams. Bits and pieces at first, then who scenes…