by John O'Riley
Josephine leapt up to her feet and walked briskly back in the direction she’d just came. She rinsed her feet off at a resting point and then hopped into her car. Even this far away, she could feel the vortex and it was still tempting. She didn’t know why she tortured herself like this. A craving had awakened inside her and made her want to go back to the beach. She’d tapped into the power about half a dozen times without anyone catching her in the act but she shouldn’t tempt fate. Josephine wondered if she could connect with the vortex from this far away. She reached out with her mind and power flooded through her. She reveled in the feeling and didn’t notice that the topaz in her ring instantly turned green. Before she could really enjoy herself, darkness crept along the edges of her vision. She turned her gaze to the ring and focused on it, instinctively probing the enchantment for weaknesses so she could unravel it.
Josephine abruptly awakened and quickly took stock of her surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention to her. Fortunately, she had lucked out. Josephine could feel the power enticingly close-by and the craving stirred within her again. She started the engine and quickly backed up. She needed to leave this place quickly. Vortexes were like catnip to category six wizards. It was generally a good idea to stay away from temptation. Josephine could still feel the vortex until she’d driven for about a dozen blocks. She chastised herself for her foolish behavior and returned to her condo. Josephine decided to make a couple batches of brownies so she could give away some treats to Howie and several other officers at the station.
Chapter 5
Josephine had six large plastic containers filled with mouth-watering brownies that she’d baked yesterday stacked on her kitchen counter. It was still early in the morning so she decided to take a jog at the beach. Her recent visit there had served as a reminder of just how much she missed it. Josephine put the brownies in the trunk of her car and drove down to Siesta Key beach. She went jogging and only a smattering of people were there. Most of them were exercising like her but other reclined on beach towels or waded in the shoreline.
Josephine’s body tingled as the power from the vortex thrummed temptingly against her. She didn’t jog too far before returning back to her car. The Florida heat was already reaching its peak. She drove about six blocks then pulled over and turned off the engine. She was parked in front of a bank and no one would notice if she passed out. Josephine reached out with her mind and could sense the vortex. She’d never tried to access it so far away before. She wondered if it was within her reach. She shivered with delight when she finally connected with it. Power coursed through her body and her topaz ring turned green in warning. She flowed power into a shield to see if she could isolate the ring from her body. The knockout spell activated and she grinned when she realized that her spontaneous plan had worked. The knockout spell couldn’t get past the energy barricade she’d placed.
Josephine felt her mind expanding and she became aware of all the subtle energies flowing around her. Her awareness continued to expand and she made sure to focus on placing more energy into the barricade around her topaz ring. The knockout spell was continuing to emanate against the protection she’d summoned. Josephine was annoyed by the constant attention required to keep herself conscious. It was detracting from her enjoyment of being linked with the vortex. Her awareness continued to expand farther out and she could sense the life around her. Her concentration wavered and the knockout spell seeped past the cracks in the barricade surrounding the topaz ring. Her body went limp and darkness quickly gathered along the edges of her vision. Before she could reestablish the barricade, she had passed out.
Josephine awakened a short while later feeling refreshed. She looked down at her topaz ring and frowned at it. She would have to try this again some time. She looked around her to make sure no one was paying any attention. Josephine smiled with satisfaction as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the police station. She parked her car and pulled out the containers of brownies.
Josephine stepped into the lobby and warmly greeted Anita, the receptionist. Anita was a short woman with dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, a generous smile, and a myriad of freckles on her face.
“Hey, you!” Anita grinned as she rose from her chair.
She ran out from behind her desk and gave Josephine a warm hug.
“I’ve brought some brownies for you.” Josephine handed her a container.
Anita squealed with delight. “You’re wonderful! Thanks!”
“You’re welcome. How are things going?”
“Pretty good. It’s been very quiet lately,” Anita said. “How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been kind of troubled, actually. I’m having trouble with a case,” Josephine said.
“Really? That’s never happened to you before,” Anita said with a puzzled frown.
“No, it hasn’t. That’s why it bothers me so much.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Anita reassured her.
“Thanks. Can I go back and see the others?” Josephine asked.
“Go right ahead.” Anita pulled out her remote and unlocked the door.
Josephine went back to the small office area where five desks were scattered in different locations of the room. Only one was currently occupied and it was Howie’s.
“Josephine! It’s good to see you!” he said.
“Hi, Howie. I felt like baking.”
She handed him a container of brownies and passed the rest around to each desk.
“Thanks for the tip on the yellow roses. Cindy was absolutely thrilled!” Howie said.
“I’m glad I could help.” Josephine sat down on the chair in front of his desk. “How are things going? Anything new happening?”
“Cindy and I found a new house we want. It’s larger with a nice yard,” Howie said.
“That’s really good. I’m happy for you.” Josephine was about to continue when she sensed something strange behind her and lost her train of thought.
She turned to see Detective Riley enter the room with a teenager who looked to be maybe eighteen. He was lanky with black hair and brown eyes brimming with anxiety. Josephine opened her second sight and immediately saw a strange magical shield around him. It wasn’t the typical protection and it was practically skin-tight. An instant later, she recognized the power of a fellow category six. His head turned and his gaze locked with hers. He halted and stared at her with a dazed expression for several seconds. Detective Riley spotted her and frowned with displeasure.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“I visit the station from time to time,” Josephine replied.
“You shouldn’t be visiting unless you have a job to do,” Alex said.
“You didn’t tell me there was another category six in the county.” Josephine arched a brow at the detective with bemusement.
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
Josephine turned to face the kid. “I’m Josephine, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Gary,” the teenager said reluctantly.
Since he was a category six then he could be much older than he looked. He could be anywhere in age from eighteen to forty.
“We should go out for lunch sometime,” Josephine said.
“I don’t think so. I’m pretty busy,” Gary said nervously. “I’ll talk to you later, Detective Riley.”
Alex went over to his desk and started typing on his computer, pointedly ignoring Josephine.
Josephine waved cheerfully at Howie as she left the room. She drove back to the condo while thinking about Gary and wondered why Alex had kept him a secret from her. She headed over to Jake’s house, made a pot of coffee, fixed some macaroni and cheese from scratch and let it simmer until Jake finally came home.
“Hi, Grandma.” Jake smiled warmly at her and gave her a brief hug.
“Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?” Josephine asked.
“It was long but interesting,” Jake inform
ed her.
“Is Gary the reason why your day was interesting?” Josephine inquired.
“Yes,” Jake confirmed. “You’re not the only category six working the case anymore.”
“I see.” Josephine’s eyes glittered with fascination.
“He certainly is skittish,” Jake remarked.
“Yes, I noticed that,” Josephine acknowledged. Her eyes widened with realization as she thought back to Gary’s strange shield and suddenly figured out what the purpose was. “Gary’s one of those types whose second sight is always on! He needs a shield to keep from constantly being bombarded by psychic energy from everyone around him!”
“Yes, that’s true,” Jake acknowledged.
“The poor man. How old is he?”
“He’s thirty-four.”
“Interesting.” Josephine slowly paced the room. “I assume that Alex showed him the evidence from the previous crime scenes on the case I couldn’t solve. I’ll bet he didn’t pick up any clues from the evidence.”
“Nope, he didn’t,” Jake said. He sniffed the air with appreciation. “Did you make dinner?”
“Yes, I made macaroni and cheese,” Josephine replied.
“You’re the greatest,” Jake said.
The two of them sat down with plates of macaroni and cheese.
Jake took a bite and grinned with delight. “This is fantastic!”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Josephine loved it that he enjoyed her cooking.
Josephine returned to her condo and called Helen to tell her about Gary. Helen was suitably impressed and Josephine ended the conversation feeling upbeat and excited. She still felt the buzz from her connection with the vortex earlier. She wished she could go more often but knew she was tempting fate by visiting the beach too frequently. After Josephine hung up, she spent a couple of hours working on a knockout enchantment contained in a wand. Even though she couldn’t flow much power at one time, she spent a much greater time working with it than most wizards. Josephine wasn’t even exhausted by the time she’d finished with the wand. Most wizards would need to recuperate for awhile after using magic for fifteen minutes straight. It was one of the benefits of being a category six. The aequitas enchantment in her topaz ring kept her from working with stronger magic and that really irked her. She locked up the wand in the desk of her guest bedroom where she kept about half of her tools.
When Helen and Alice came over the next morning, Josephine brought them up to speed as they played cards. They lapsed into a companionable silence, finished their coffee, and went to the gym. When they returned to their condos, Josephine fixed herself a quick snack then drove down to the bank on Siesta Key and parked her car.
She tapped into the vortex easier this time and her ring instantly turned green. She immediately formed an energy barricade around the ring and concentrated on keeping it isolated. Josephine enjoyed the buzz she was receiving from the connection to the vortex but also felt dizzy and knew the knockout spell was seeping past the energy barricade somehow. She focused more of her attention on shielding the ring and the dizziness dissipated. She felt like laughing with delight as power rushed through her. Her awareness expanded like before and she became aware of the thoughts of those around her. No one was paying any attention to her. No one had an inkling of what she was doing. Josephine’s attention slipped and the knockout spell took affect. She awoke a short while later feeling wonderful. Tapping into the vortex really did wonders for her wellbeing and there was no damage to her vehicle or to anything around her which proved that the fears surrounding the volatility of category six wizards were unfounded.
Josephine pulled her car out and headed back to her condo. She found a message on the machine from Detective Riley. She wondered if the serial killer had struck again. She dialed Riley’s cell phone number and waited for him to pick him.
“Detective Riley,” he said.
“It’s Josephine. I’m returning your call.”
“There’s been a murder. I need you to take a look at the crime scene,” he told her.
“Is it the serial killer?” Josephine inquired.
“No. This is different.”
“Are you sure?” Josephine asked.
“Yes, I’m positive,” Riley said.
“Maybe this murder is related to the others. You won’t know until I read the trace energies,” Josephine said.
“Trust me. This is different.”
“I’m going to keep an open mind,” Josephine promised.
Alex rattled off the address. Josephine thanked him and hung up the phone. She hopped in her car and shortly after she pulled out into the street, it began to rain. After several moments, the rain intensified and sluiced over her vehicle. She could barely see ten feet in front of her. A truck was following so closely that she suspected he wanted to kiss her bumper. Josephine’s fingers tightened reflexively over the steering wheel as she struggled to see. Sheets of rain plummeted to the ground and pounded against her car. She wanted to pull over but there wasn’t room at the moment. She slowed down even more and the truck blinked his lights at her.
“This guy is unbelievable!” Josephine exclaimed.
She slowed to an almost standstill so he would pass her and he eventually did. She finally pulled into a shopping center parking lot and waited for the rain to stop. Josephine listened to the rain pounding against the car and gazed outside. She wondered how long it would last. Moments like this made her consider buying a cell phone. She chewed nervously on her lower lip as time dragged on. It was a good twenty minutes before the rain thinned out a bit. Josephine decided she could probably navigate in this weather now. She still had difficulty finding the address because it was in an unfamiliar part of the city. By the time she found the villa where the murder had occurred, she was extremely late.
She trudged across the street and saw Howie standing in front of the door. He ushered her inside the house. Josephine stepped into the living room which was small and cramped with a large couch taking up most of the room and several pedestals taking up positions in the corners and boasting large angel figurines. One of the figurines was lying on the floor beside the deceased woman. She was average height and build and wearing a blue blouse and jeans. Her long black hair had a smear of blood near the nape of the neck where Josephine could see a wound. The angel figurine positioned beside the woman had blood splattered on it. Alex and Jake were standing halfway across the room and watched her with silent anticipation.
“It’s obvious how she died,” Josephine said quietly.
A cold, uncomfortable sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. She hated to see murders and sometimes wished she didn’t have the gift of psychometry. The detectives had already tried using their own limited abilities on the crime scene but had failed. Otherwise, Alex would never have called her. Josephine opened her mind to the subtle energies in the room and could see numerous strands floating around them. Josephine began to hear the voices of the victim as well as her friends and family. Anger and fear commingled with flashes of images and bits of random knowledge. Josephine distanced herself from the psychic input so it wouldn’t overwhelm her. She needed to remain objective so she could more easily sift through everything. Josephine lost awareness of her surroundings as she analyzed the bits and pieces of clues that flashed in her mind’s eye.
Josephine flinched when Alex cleared his throat but she was deeply entrenched in the psychic stimuli. She didn’t realize how tense she’d become until she closed her second sight and the trace energies were no longer visible to her. A faint pounding had started in her temple, her hands were clenched into fists, and her throat had constricted into a painful knot. She swallowed and forced herself to relax.
“The victim’s name is Sandy Dupris. She’s been dating Max Winthrop for quite some time now. Her last relationship was abusive and Max started losing his temper and hitting her about a month ago. She had reached the point where she was ready to confront him and end the relationship. She knew he’d probably lose hi
s temper so she had half a dozen wands with telekinetic enchantments embedded in them hidden in one of the drawers in her kitchen. She thought she would be ready for him but he took her by surprise. He killed her with the first hit from behind. He had seemed to take it well until her back was turned,” Josephine said in a hoarse voice. “Max lives on Pinecrest Circle.”
“Okay. That’s good enough,” Alex said.
Josephine took an unsteady breath and slowly let it out. The negative emotions and jumble of dark images always took their toll. She wished she didn’t have to do this or that there was some way it could be easier.
“If that’s all, I think I’ll be going,” Josephine said quietly.
“Yes, that’s all,” Alex told her.
“Bye, Grandma.” Jake gave her a quick hug.
“Bye, sweetie,” Josephine said.
She slowly walked out of the room feeling weak and drained. Josephine climbed into her car and sat there for a moment. She took several more deep breaths, started the engine, and slowly pulled out onto the street.
Chapter 6
Josephine drove aimlessly for a while as the turbulent emotions she’d picked up from the murder tore through her. The rain started to pick up again and she decided to stop by the beach. It always made her feel better. She took off her shoes and stepped outside. The rain gently tapped against her skin as she walked along the shore. Performing psychometry on murders always drained her and this one was no different. She abruptly halted when she saw a man lying on his back floating a couple of feet from the ground. She cocked a bemused brow and stepped closer to him. Soon, she recognized Gary whom she’d seen at the police station. She noticed that the rain mysteriously bounced off a point about an inch away from his body which left him completely dry.