Free A Dream of Death by Harrison Drake Page A

real conversation. Our breakfast rushed, we were
back on the road with little time lost. I knew Chen believed in fate—that
everything happened for a reason and that each person had a specific role to
play as the wonders and mysteries of the universe unfolded. Perhaps I shouldn’t
have predicted the downpour of rain; Chen was not one to take such matters
lightly.
    But… how did I know about the rain? Why did Chen call me out
of the blue to assist on a case hundreds of kilometres away while I was in the
middle of a serial killer investigation? How did I know the details of the
scene and its location? And how, in the midst of a major case, did I get leave
to travel to Algonquin Park to assist on an excavation? I often joked with Chen
that the universe had better things to do than micromanage the minutiae of my
life. But maybe Chen was right.
    Or maybe it was all just a coincidence, especially the rain.
    No matter how many hours of thought I put into this, I would
never be able to determine the reason for it all. There was no choice but to
follow along blindly and hope that all would become clear in time. I had my
doubts. And my fears. A part of me never wanted to realize the truth, whatever
it might be.
    Chen was steering us down a narrow road. The thick canopy of
trees overhead lent an aura of twilight to the otherwise bright day. A small
sedan approached as I was lost in thought, staring out the windshield without
an ounce of attention paid. I didn’t notice the vehicle’s headlights turn on.
They didn’t draw my attention until they began flashing, drawing my attention
outward once again.
    It was the same pattern I had seen in my first dream. But
this time, the pattern started at a different point. I shifted in my seat,
panicked hands rendered useless from a rush of endorphins as I clawed my belt
for my cell phone. I removed it and fumbled at the keypad, taking three
attempts to unlock the device. I typed ‘Morse code’ into the internet browser
and within seconds I had the Morse code alphabet in front of me. I remembered
learning it as a kid, just for fun, but it was long since forgotten.
    Deciphering the message was not a simple task, especially
since I had to fend off Chen’s questions. He hadn’t mentioned the lights, and I
was going to assume he couldn’t see them.
    The pattern was clear in my mind. Long, short, long, short,
short, short, long, long, short, short, short, short. The problem was where did
the pattern begin? How was it broken up into individual letters?
    I started at the end—four shorts in a row was an odd
combination and limited me to H, II, EEEE, ES, or SE. And that was only if the
long before the four shorts wasn’t connected.
    “Five minutes out, Link.”
    Chen’s announcement caused further panic. I needed to know
what it meant, what my dreams were trying to tell me. I worked fast but it was
to no avail, there were too many possible combinations. Why had I seen the
lights, what triggered my vision? I was thinking about the dreams, about fate,
about finding the truth.
    That was it, it had to be.
    I looked back to the alphabet: T, long; R, short, long,
short; U, short, short, long; T, long; H, short, short, short, short. TRUTH.
    Stifling a victory cry I checked it again, then verified my
findings again and again until we arrived within walking distance of the scene.
Chen parked the vehicle and I was left to consider the significance of the
message at another time.
     
    * * *
     
    The road had been rough, rocks and mud and fallen branches
in the path of our vehicle. Chen had guided us through and over all of the
obstacles with a master’s touch and I, I had not noticed a thing. Looking back
up the path we had come down I was amazed by my own determination and single
minded focus.
    Chen escorted me to the scene. Fresh markings on the trees
had been left to guide our way. Through the foliage I could make out a yellow
line, stark contrast to the green and brown that filled my vision. There