The Dream Machine: Book 6, The Eddie McCloskey Paranormal Mystery Series (The Unearthed) by Evan Ronan Read Free Book Online Page B

scenarios.”
    Trust but confirm, as my brother Tim always said. I’d come back to that later with Dr. Zane, from a different angle.
    “The rape dream doesn’t give anything away,” I said.
    “Almost like Alison didn’t want to give anything away.”
    “Hold on, are you saying she’s a lucid dreamer? She can control her dreams?”
    Manetti shook her head. “No. She isn’t.”
    “But how could you know? How do you test someone to see if they’re controlling their own dreams?”
    Manetti hesitated and I knew she was holding back. “We just know she’s not, Eddie. Zane tested her six months ago.”
    “When she dreams about people, does she usually know them?”
    Manetti leaned back in her chair. “She hasn’t known any of them so far.”
    “So far.” I pointed at the screen. “Let’s show her this. Maybe she knows them and that solves our problem.”
    “We need to talk to Zane about that.”
    “Why?”
    “He doesn’t let the subjects see their dreams. He’s afraid that will invalidate the results on a go-forward basis.”
    “To be frank, I don’t give a shit.”
    She nodded. “And we’ll need to go through her parents.”
    “I’ll let you deal with that.”
    “Thanks.” She flipped me off.
    I smirked. “Show them your badge. They’re going to trust you more than they would me.”
    “In this day and age,” Manetti said, “nobody trusts the government anymore. Now let’s get back to work.”
     
     

Twelve
     
    The morning came fast and early.
    When the alarm on my phone jerked me awake, I came to in a cot that wasn’t quite long enough in the bare, tiny room with no pictures or decorations, I had that horrible where-the-hell-am-I feeling.
    I stepped on my overnight bag as I put my feet on the floor. It took me a moment to remember. I was in Delaware, at some out-of-the-way, undisclosed federal building.
    7:15AM. Three, four hours of sleep.
    I groaned as I stood and stretched. It was all coming back to me now. Manetti had brought me to this room, pointed down the hall at a full bathroom where I could shower. And the dream of the rape came back to me. The dark figure, dressed all in black, face obscured and blurred. The woman, terrified, helpless and ultimately, defeated. Before it was over, she had given up fighting. Relented under the harsh physicality of the man.
    I’d never get it out of my head.
    Grabbing my bag, I ambled down the hall and shut the door and turned the water on full blast till it was practically scalding. When it comes to waking up, nothing beats a shower, not even caffeine. I let the steam build and got in, feeling the hot pin pricks of the water. It was too hot but I stayed under as long as I could then turned the temp down.
    Ten minutes later I wasn’t quite a new man, but it would do. I dropped my bag in my room, and as I was putting my sneaks on, Manetti knocked on the door.
    “Ready for the cafeteria?”
    “Yeah,” I think I said.
    “I don’t know when we’re going to be able to eat again, so better get some food.”
    My stomach did a somersault. I mumbled something that I didn’t even understand.
    Manetti led me to the stairs at the other end of the hallway, past some patient rooms. We descended to the first floor and went through an atrium into a cafeteria the size of a fast food restaurant.
    Manetti bought a meal-sized box of cereal, banana, water, milk, and coffee. I absently grabbed a coffee.
    She paid for everything. I let her because she was just going to expense it anyway. Let the government pick up the tab for a change.
    We grabbed a table in the farthest corner, away from everybody else, if there had been anybody else in the room. I sat facing the large windows and let the steam from the coffee drift up and hit my face.
    “When can we see Alison?”
    Manetti poured the milk into her cereal and stirred it up. “I’ve already talked to her parents. They agreed to let me show her the dream.”
    “Must have laid on all that Manetti charm.”
    She