“You have good intuition, Mitchell, and you’re great at understanding people. Whether that comes from your mother being psychic, your police training, or something else altogether doesn’t really matter. It’s you.”
“Thanks, Piper.”
“Focus,” I say.
He lets out a deep breath. “You don’t understand why I’ve never told you about Jerry, and you’re wondering how much I’ve told him about you.”
“See. There you go.”
“That was pretty easy considering you asked me why he knows about you but you don’t know about him.”
“Okay, that’s true, but points for actually listening to what I said.”
He laughs and laces his fingers through mine. “Jerry’s schedule is busier than mine. I look like a slacker in comparison. Dolstead is a small town, but it has its share of problems. The former police chief was Jerry’s uncle.”
“Did Jerry get the position because of nepotism?”
“More like because everyone in Dolstead knows everyone else. The Cooks are like royalty there. When Jerry and I graduated from the academy, there was no doubt he’d go to Dolstead to work in his uncle’s department. And when his uncle was shot in the line of duty, everyone looked to Jerry to fill the position as chief.”
“His uncle died?” I ask.
“No, he retired. The bullet did some major damage, and he was never the same after that. He doesn’t get around well, which means remaining on the force wasn’t really an option anymore.”
“That’s awful.” He still hasn’t told me why I never heard about Jerry. There’s only one reason I can think of. “He’s a nonbeliever, isn’t he?”
Mitchell turns to look at me. “He’s never encountered a psychic before, but I’ve told him all about you. He’s very openminded. He’s not going to judge you, Piper. Especially since we’re together. You’re going to like him. I promise.” He squeezes my hand, focusing on the road again, which is very windy. “We should be close,” Mitchell says.
I’m glad to hear it because I’m getting very nauseated. I lower my window a bit and lean my head against the glass to allow the wind to cool my forehead.
“You okay?”
“I will be once I’m out of this car.”
Mitchell pulls up to a home on a cul de sac. “We’re here. That’s Jerry’s car.”
“The police chief drives an unmarked car?” I ask.
“Jerry probably doesn’t want this guy to be on high alert. My patrol car is going to spook him enough, and I’m from out of state.”
We get out of the car, and Jerry and Mitchell do that one-handed hug, handshake combination thing men do.
“Dang, Mitchell, I’m getting wrinkles, and you somehow look younger than when I last saw you.” Jerry lets go of Mitchell, and his gaze falls on me. “You must be Piper. He told me you were beautiful, and he wasn’t wrong.” Jerry steps toward me and wraps his arms around me.
I’m so stunned by the hug I don’t have time to stop myself from reading him. My eyes immediately close.
Mitchell always was the lucky one when it came to women. I just hope this one knows how much he loves her. It will destroy him if she breaks his heart.
He lets go of me, and I open my eyes. “Oh,” he says, looking panicked.
“Piper? Are you alright?” Mitchell asks me.
“It’s great to meet you, Chief Cook.”
Jerry shakes his head. “None of that. It’s Jerry to you.”
I nod.
“So, I looked up Benjamin Silver after you texted his address. The guy is a jeweler, forty-five years old, lived here for his whole life, and his record is squeaky clean. I’m not sure how capable of murder he is.”
“Piper’s visions tell a different story,” Mitchell says.
Jerry bobs his head. “Well, okay then. Let’s do this.”
We approach the front door, and Jerry rings the bell. “I’m guessing he’s going to be at work,” Jerry says. “His store is in a strip mall that’s open on Sundays.”
If it were just Mitchell and me, and we were in Weltunkin, I’d say I smell gas or something that would get us probable cause to enter the house. I want to read something of Benjamin Silver’s so we can find him and stop the third murder from happening. But I can’t ask Jerry to ignore the law or even bend it for me. I won’t jeopardize his friendship with Mitchell.
“Let’s go to the store,” I say. I should be able to read something there that has Benjamin’s energy on it.
“I’ll lead the way,” Jerry says. “It’s not far from here. About fifteen minutes.”
The second we’re back in Mitchell’s patrol car and on the road again, he says, “What did you read off him?”
I hold up a hand. “I didn’t mean to read him at all. He surprised me.”
“I know. I should have warned you Jerry’s a hugger.”
“That would have been nice, but all I got from him is that he’s a great friend. He cares a lot about you.”
“He’s a great guy. He offered me a job after my stint in Maryland.”
“Really? Why didn’t you take him up on it?” I’d think Mitchell would jump at the chance to work with his friend, but the look on his face tells me all I need to know. He came to Weltunkin because he wanted to work with my father, the great Detective Thomas Ashwell, and meet me. “Oh. What about now? I mean as chief, I’m sure Jerry would make room for you at the DPD.”
“I have no doubt he would, but I’m not leaving Weltunkin.”
Chills spread down my arms and legs, and I frantically rub my arms.
“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to freak you out, Piper.”
“No, it’s not that. We’re getting close to Benjamin Silver. I’m sensing his energy.”
“You can sense him already? That’s incredible.”
No. My senses are practically screaming at me. “He’s not here. He’s not in Dolstead. It was what you said, Mitchell. Benjamin Silver is in Weltunkin, and he’s not leaving.”
“You’re certain?”
I nod. “We’re wasting time. He’s not here. We need to find him in Weltunkin.”
“If he’s still there, and Janet and Tony’s baby is the third victim, it means she lives in Weltunkin, too.”
I know. “Janet never saw her baby. She couldn’t bring herself to even look at her. For all we know, they could have lived next door to each other, and neither would have been the wiser.”
“What do we do? We’re pulling into the strip mall now,” Mitchell says, taking the parking spot beside Jerry.
“We’re here. I might as well read something of Benjamin’s to see if I can track him down. If Dad and Officer Wallace don’t know who Janet’s daughter is yet, we have nothing to go on once we’re back in Weltunkin.”
“Let’s do it.”
We get out of the car in a hurry, and Mitchell fills Jerry in on what I just discovered. “That’s incredible,” he says. “Let me do the talking. I’ll get Piper something of Benjamin’s so she can try to locate him.”
“Thank you,” I say. It’s nice to have someone eager to help me without having any proof of my abilities.
Jerry opens the door to Silver’s Silver and Gold. Mitchell smirks at the name of the store. He would find humor in that.
Jerry goes right up to the woman at the jewelry counter. “Hey, Darcy. When did you start working here?”
“Chief, always good to see you. I started last week. I needed to pick up some normal hours to be home with the kids more. What can I do for you today?”
“My friends and I are looking for Benjamin Silver.”
“Oh, Mr. Silver isn’t here. He’s away at an auction.”
It’s a good cover story, I suppose, and as a new employee, she wouldn’t question her boss. But how do I convince her to hand over something that belongs to her new employer? “Mr. Silver was having some trouble with one of his appraisal tools,” I say. “I’m actually here to pick it up and get it fixed for him.”
Jerry
cocks his head at me but quickly recovers with, “That’s right. Mitchell here is a friend of mine, so when I found out he and his girlfriend were in town because she’s working for Mr. Silver, I had to come by and say hello to an old buddy.” He claps Mitchell on the shoulder.
They really are like two peas in a pod. I mentally roll my eyes at myself. Mitchell is rubbing off on me far too much. My thoughts sound like him now.
“Oh, I guess he forgot to tell me about that before he left. Um, maybe it was his diamond segregator.”
“Yes, that’s it,” I say because I don’t know the first thing about appraisal tools.
“Follow me.” She opens the partition to allow us behind the counter with her, and then she leads us into the back room, which is behind a pocket door that looks like a wall. The almost secret passage reminds me of another case Mitchell and I worked in the not so distant past. It was a mansion converted into a television set for a reality show.
Darcy motions to the almost microscope-like device on the counter along the side wall of the room. “It’s right there,” she says. “I have to go back up front in case any customers come into the store.”
“No problem. Thank you, Darcy.”
“Actually, hang on.” I pretend to look at the machine, which I have no idea how to use. I need to bring this with us so I can keep reading it and get Silver’s precise location. “I can tell I’m going to need to bring this to my shop in order to fix it.”
“I see. I’ll call Mr. Silver and let him know,” Darcy says.
“No, that’s okay. I’ll call him. He’s already aware that I’d most likely have to take it with me. I’ll ring him now and let him know.” I pull my phone from my back pocket and dial Dad.
“Hey, pumpkin.”
“Mr. Silver, it’s Piper Ashwell. I’m at your store now, and as I mentioned was a possibility, I’m going to have to take the diamond segregator with me to fix it properly.”
Dad picks up on what I’m doing right away. “Good, you found something to read. That’s great because this adoption was the most secretive thing I’ve ever seen. There’s literally no record of Janet Silver having a child.”
“Perfect. Yes, I’ll tell Darcy. Thank you. I’ll be in touch once I’ve fixed the machine for you.” I end the call and turn to Darcy. “He said you should hold any work orders until he returns.” I hope that makes sense. I’m totally winging this.
“Oh, okay.”
I motion for Mitchell to grab the machine.
“Thanks for your help, Darcy,” Jerry says as we exit the store. “That was really quick thinking, Piper.”
“Thanks. Chief Johansen isn’t always as impressed with my improvising.”
Jerry laughs. “I wish you weren’t leaving. I could use your help here.”
“How did you know we’re leaving?” Mitchell asks.
“You’re taking the tool. That means Piper is going to use it to track Silver.”
“Is there anything you haven’t told him about me?” I tease Mitchell.
“Plenty,” he says.
Jerry laughs. “My offer still stands, but I’m going to extend it to both of you now.”
“Thanks, man, but Weltunkin is home.”
Jerry nods. “Understandably so. Don’t be a stranger, though.”
They exchange another one-armed hug. This time, Jerry doesn’t try to hug me. “It was really nice meeting you, Piper.”
“You too.” I step toward him, doing my best to shut down my senses, and give him a hug. “I won’t hurt him,” I whisper. “I love him, too. Just don’t tell him I told you that. His ego is big enough.”
Jerry laughs. “I like you, Piper. I really do.” He looks past me to Mitchell. “Don’t let this one go.”
“I don’t plan to,” Mitchell says.
We get into the patrol car, and instead of starting the engine, Mitchell turns to me. “You ready?”
I’m never ready to have a vision from the viewpoint of a killer, but what choice do I have? I take three deep breaths and close my eyes. Then Mitchell hands me the diamond segregator.
The same woman from my previous premonition fills my head. Her hands are bound behind her back. “Why are you doing this?” she asks.
“Because you’re your mother’s daughter. Your birth mother. My sister. She turned out just like my mom. Ruined her family the same way our mother ruined ours. She deserved to die for what she did.”
“You don’t even know me. My birth mother—”
“Isn’t who you think she is. I know you better than you know yourself. You’ll turn out just like Janet. That’s why I have to kill you, Cassidy.”
Benjamin raises the tire iron in his hand and smashes it down on Cassidy’s head.
Chapter Nineteen
I wake up in my bed with a damp washcloth on my forehead. “No. No, no, no!” I bolt upright, and Mitchell rushes into the room.
“What is it?” he asks.
“I saw him kill her. Exactly like he killed Janet and Tony.” I’m breathing heavily, and my head is pounding.
“Calm down. Do you know if your vision was of the past, present, or future?” He sits on the bed and takes my hand in his.
“I-I don’t know.” I look around for the diamond segregator. “I need to have another vision.”
“Piper, you’ve been unconscious for about twenty hours.”
“What?” That can’t be. I fling the covers off me. “Mitchell, I need to read that segregator now! Do you hear me?”
He shakes his head.
“Don’t you dare. If we weren’t together, you wouldn’t stop me. I’m the best shot we have to save Cassidy.”
“Cassidy? That’s her name?”
“Yes. Silver called her by her name in my vision. Now give me the segregator, or so help me I’ll—”
“Don’t make empty threats, Piper. That’s low.”
“Stop letting your emotions prevent you from doing what you know we need to do, and I’ll stop letting mine dictate my behavior.”
He groans as he gets up and walks into the living room. I follow him. The segregator is on the coffee table. I should have guessed as much. I sit down on the couch, where Jez is sleeping.
“She’s been watching you for hours. She finally fell asleep about ten minutes ago.” He takes my left hand in his. “I’m keeping you grounded this time.”
I nod because it’s a good idea. I can’t afford to be knocked unconscious again. That is if Cassidy isn’t already dead. I center myself and place my right hand on the segregator.
Cassidy is tied up on the cement floor. Benjamin approaches her, the tire iron in his hand.
“Why are you doing this?” she asks.
I yank my hand from the segregator to break free from the vision. There’s no need to see it again when I know exactly how it ends. “It hasn’t happened yet. It’s the future, but it’s close.”
“Tell me what you saw. Every little detail. We need to find her.”
“She’s on a cement floor. I think it’s a garage.”
“All the other locations were private, so why a garage?”
“Maybe it’s detached from her house,” I say.
Yes.
“It is. My senses just confirmed it.”
“So we know her name is Cassidy, and her house has a detached garage.”
It’s not nearly enough to go on. I need to see more. “He has the same tire iron he used to kill Tony and Janet. Cassidy doesn’t know she was adopted. Silver seems to know more about her than she does. He said she’d turn out like Janet. He was referring to how she cheated on her husband. He said their mother broke up their family the same way. It’s the affairs that caused all this. It began with Benjamin and Janet’s mother cheating on their father and destroying their family. I think Benjamin found out about Janet’s affair with Tony, and that’s why he killed them both. Then he went after their daughter because he’s convinced she’ll turn out like her mother and grandmother.”
“Wow, take a breath
,” Mitchell says. “That was quite a mouthful.” He grabs his phone. “Wallace, the daughter’s name is Cassidy. She lives in a house with a detached garage. She’s here in Weltunkin. That’s all we know, and Benjamin Silver has her right now. I need everyone on this. Including O’Reilly. We need an address.” He pauses. “Thanks.” He ends the call. “Your dad is at the station. Everyone is going to look into this.”
They won’t find her. It’s not enough to go on. They’d have to search real estate sales. It’s going to take too long. I start breathing heavily again.
Mitchell grabs both of my hands. “Hey, this is not all on you. We know who she is because of you. We’re on this. We’re going to find her.” His certainty comes through his energy.
“How can you be so sure?”
“It’s us, Piper. We do amazing things together. How can you not see that?” He wipes a tear I didn’t even realize had escaped my right eye.
A thought comes to me. “I saw Cassidy. I can ID her.”
“Lewalski,” Mitchell says.
I nod. “Let’s go.” Officer Lewalski is the sketch artist at the station. I’ve worked with him before. If I can describe Cassidy to him, we might be able to find her sooner. I doubt she’d show up in the system for committing any felonies, but we could blast her picture to all the real estate agencies in town to see who sold her a house.
Mitchell uses the siren and flashing lights to get us to the station as quickly as possible. The station is swarming with police officers. All of them searching for Cassidy. Including Officer Lewalski. Mitchell and I walk right up to him.
“I need you to sketch Cassidy,” I tell him.
Dad walks over to us and rubs his hand up and down my back.
“I’m okay,” I tell him.
Officer Lewalski gestures to the seat on the opposite side of his desk and grabs his charcoals. “Start with the eyes.”
It takes about twenty minutes for Officer Lewalski to get the features correct, but he is extremely talented, and when he’s finished I could swear Cassidy posed for the drawing. “That’s her.”
Officer Lewalski uploads the image into his computer. “Incoming, everyone,” he calls out. “I’m running her through the system.”
Fight Fire with Foresight (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I. Book 12) Page 16