“I could totally see you as a nurse.”
She looked pleased by his words. “Really? My parents threw a little fit after I enrolled. They say nurses work long hours for not nearly enough money. But planning parties isn’t fulfilling. When I started looking over the nursing catalogs, it was the first time I felt passionate about anything in a long time.”
He envied Jenna. He felt passionate about his business, but he wasn’t sure helping people was what motivated him to succeed. He was loyal to and protective of the people he cared about, but he didn’t have the inherited gene to want to make the world a better place. Was giving a shit about humanity a learned trait? Could being in Jenna’s presence somehow inspire Declan to change?
He didn’t feel awkward as they drifted into silence. Jenna was easy to be around. She exuded confidence without coming across as full of herself. Despite only meeting her a few weeks earlier, he felt as if she had been a friend for much longer.
“You’re probably wondering why I asked you here,” he started. She nodded, waiting for him to continue. “I have an idea about your brother’s case.”
“What’s your idea?” She didn’t push, patiently allowing him to take the lead.
“I think we should bring Derek’s friends back together.” His “idea” was more of a half-baked scheme he had come up with on the fly. The case was stalling and he needed a way to revitalize the investigation. Cloak-and-dagger conversations were not providing enough evidence of guilt.
“Back together? I’m not following.” She leaned on her elbows and tilted forward, eager to hear his thoughts.
“You said you asked Liam and Adam for their help on the investigation, right?” Without waiting for her assent, he rallied on. “My instinct is telling me they know something. If being a psychic isn’t exposing their secrets, maybe simply being in the same room again will.”
Her fingernails dug into the wood grain of the table as she absorbed his words. “But how do we make that happen?”
His eyes went to the ceiling. “I didn’t get that far yet. But I thought maybe you could come up with something. I’m not saying bringing them together will solve your brother’s murder, but maybe we can figure out who I should be focusing my energies on.”
“Okay. I’ll think of something.” She released the tension in her hands. “You and Kate have been around criminals; you probably are much better at spotting suspicious behavior.”
“About Kate…,” he said reluctantly. How much did he actually want to reveal about his fight with Kate? “Things are weird between us now.”
Jenna guffawed. “You don’t say.”
“I mean even more weird than before. We had a fight and we’re not talking right now,” he said carefully.
Her brow furrowed. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday,” he answered shortly.
Jenna tapped her fingers on the table in front of them. “Isn’t it early to say you’re not talking?”
He avoided her eyes as he spoke. “The fight was a bad one. Kate and I text about a hundred times a day, so I would say not hearing from her at all today means she’s not going to be ready to forgive me anytime soon.”
Jenna waited for him to continue, but he didn’t offer up the details of the fight. He was mentally exhausted after his visit with Radha. Where did his sister get off voicing her opinions on his life? Of course, he was in love with Kate and had felt that way for a long time. But… what if Radha had a point? Did he ever stop and think what he felt for Kate wasn’t real? Was he in love with a lie? Instead of taking the time to get to know Kate and reflect on his feelings, he defined their relationship based on premonitions he had before even meeting her. Maybe if he’d never had those premonitions, he would’ve never felt anything besides friendship for Kate.
“You have my promise that our fight won’t affect the investigation. Kate may be mad at me right now, but she won’t stop working your case because of it. Neither will I,” he swore.
“Have you been inside my head?” The question was so unexpected, Declan shot back in his seat in surprise. Most people didn’t believe in his abilities and in turn, never bothered asking if he had sifted through their memories.
“I can’t always control—”
She stopped him with a flick of her wrist. “You’ve explained the rules to me. I’m not offended either way. I was just curious about what you know about me.”
“I had a vision of you with Derek,” he admitted quietly. Declan didn’t elaborate. He was too embarrassed to confess how he had many visions of Jenna. He had come to know so much about her. Declan’s abilities allowed him to dig deeper. Jenna was more than a grieving sister. She had a life full of people who loved her. Anyone she met gravitated toward her, wishing to stay in her orbit for as long as humanly possible.
“You did?”
He chewed on his lower lip before continuing. “I wasn’t surprised. But I was motivated. I could see how much you love him.”
“What was the memory?”
“You were on vacation somewhere,” he said, closing his eyes for a flash to conjure up the memory. “I assumed an island, sort of got a Caribbean feel during the whole thing. You were afraid to zipline and Derek convinced you to tackle your fears. Once you starting going down the line, you couldn’t stop laughing. Your parents were there, taking pictures of the two of you the whole time. Derek lifted you up, spinning you around in the air once you got off.” He tried to recite the memory without any inflection, but he found the task daunting. His family was a fucking dysfunctional mess, so there was some jealousy at first over witnessing a Brady Bunch moment. But then feelings of pity surfaced. The seemingly perfect family still had hell unleashed on them when Derek was murdered.
Jenna shuddered visibly once he was finished. “I know I told you I was a believer, but it still can get me.” Without warning, she took her hand in his. A shock of electricity jolted through him. The palm of her hand was warm and soft. He resisted the urge to run his thumb across the skin. “Thank you for understanding. So many people think I should let this go. They tell me to allow the police do their jobs. But I can’t sit back and do nothing. Derek would’ve never done that. And although it’s too late to save him, I want justice for him.”
He gave her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. With the contact was an unspoken promise: He wouldn’t rest until she had the answers she needed. Declan wasn’t saving the world, but he’d throw on his hero cape for Jenna.
Chapter Fifteen
Adam waltzed into the kitchen as Liam finished snorting a line of white powder off of the granite countertop. After rubbing at his nose, Liam passed the straw to Adam. Without a word, Adam snorted up the rest of the residue left behind on the surface. Once finished, they both jumped at the sound of Derek launching through the kitchen door. When Adam held up the straw as an unspoken invitation, Derek shook his head fervently.
“What the hell are the two of you doing? Bri is going to freak if she sees this,” he said with irritation.
“Oh please, like we’ve never seen Bri tripping at a party,” Liam said dismissively.
“What is that anyway?” Derek asked as he started to gather up paper towels. After moistening the towels, he started to scrub at the offending countertop.
“I picked up some H from Delorenzo before leaving the city,” Liam answered.
“Fuck, Liam. Are you crazy? That’s not a party drug,” Derek said with disgust.
Adam shrugged. “You can’t get hooked on H if you snort it.”
Derek gave him a skeptical look. “I didn’t know you were such a goddamn expert on heroin addiction.”
“I’m just saying, D, don’t jump to the conclusion we’ll be trading our cars for needles anytime soon,” Adam said, looking nonplussed.
“Lighten up. Don’t let Bri drag you down. You were always the first one in college to try out shit,” Liam reminded him.
“We’re not in college anymore, d-bags. And don’t lecture me about Bri. You�
��ve both made it very clear how much you hate her,” Derek said heavily while checking behind him. His expression conveyed the fear of his girlfriend being in earshot.
“No, Bri is great. She probably is fed up with us always being around and stopping you from getting your freak on.” After sending Liam a meaningful look, Adam tried to lighten the mood.
Liam’s expression remained annoyed. “We don’t hate her, but she’s been a raging bitch since we got here. She’s ignored everyone and hid up in the room to pick fights with you.” Liam pointed to the second floor. “Sorry, but this house has thin walls.”
“She has been off, but don’t make the vacation worse for me. I’m trying to figure things out with her and I don’t need any input when you’re both fucked up.” Dark circles rung Derek’s eyes and his posture was hunched. Brianna had been putting him through the emotional wringer.
“We only give out our best advice when we’re high,” Adam said with a laugh.
The tension remained in Liam and Derek’s faces. Liam said, “Break up with her, D. She’s making you miserable. She’s too high-maintenance. She doesn’t want you around your friends. She doesn’t want you around Jenna—”
Derek cut him off swiftly. Mentioning his sister had struck a nerve. “How do you know that? Did Jenna say anything to you?”
Adam’s eyes bulged in Liam’s direction, trying to convey, “Shut the hell up.” Liam didn’t take the hint. “She messaged Adam before we left. Jenna said you asked her to come along, but she said Brianna made it clear she wasn’t welcome.”
Derek’s expression turned thunderous and he quickly backed out of the kitchen without a word. Liam and Adam watched him angrily stomp up the stairs. Adam picked up a dishtowel left on the counter and tossed it hard at Liam’s face. “Asshole. You had to stir up shit when we still have a couple days left here.”
Liam gave him a mocking smile. “Bring it. He needs to cut her loose. I may not have lady parts, but I know a cunt when I see one.”
Adam laughed, but quieted as he heard a crash sound from upstairs. At Adam’s questioning look, Liam merely shrugged. As they both heard another bang from the upstairs, they crept toward the stairs to investigate.
***
Declan’s vision couldn’t end at a more inconvenient moment. He felt like he was on the cusp of unraveling at least some of the secrets between the friends. He had pored over the interrogations given to police following Derek’s murder and no one had mentioned any fighting. The fact that the guys were snorting heroin was also cause for alarm. He’d been clean for a few years, but he didn’t suspect heroin had suddenly become a party drug. What happened to the good old days when the kids were just smoking joints and popping ecstasy?
There were too many loose threads and he still wasn’t able to tie them together. Did any of the shit that went down at the house in Dewey Beach have anything to do with Derek’s death? Maybe Derek’s death had been a drug thing and Brianna had zero involvement. But Derek hadn’t brought the drugs and from his vision Declan didn’t see him using. The drugs could lend credence to the theory about Derek’s attack being random. His friends might have acted suspicious and secretive following his death because they didn’t exactly want to advertise to the cops they were high on heroin when Derek was killed.
Declan’s phone rang next to him. After seeing Jenna’s number on the screen, he scrambled to answer. “Hello.”
His heart pounded in anticipation. There was a very good chance it wasn’t a social call, but he still felt excited over the possibility of hearing her voice again. When they talked, all the other noise in his life was silenced. He found himself inside her head more often than not, probably one of the reasons his investigation was stalling. But before bed, he’d picture her: creamy skin, apple cheeks, bow mouth, and her memories would become his dreams—memories affirming her natural wholesomeness wasn’t only wishful thinking on his part.
Lately, one memory in particular had replayed often in his mind. Jenna and her ex-boyfriend had visited a dog rescue. Her boyfriend at the time—tall, dark-haired, and generic—had wanted to visit a breeder. He complained and persisted while at the rescue, but she had ignored him. Being kind hadn’t made her a pushover. She could get what she wanted without ever raising her voice. And despite her boyfriend’s derision over Jenna wanting to adopt a malnourished Blue Heeler mix, she had decided right then and there she was taking that dog home with her. While alone with the dog at the kennel, she whispered promises to his sad face. She swore he would only know love for the rest of his life. The fierce way she spoke made Declan wish he could trade places with the dog.
“I may have done something stupid,” Jenna blurted out without a greeting.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“I’m getting impatient. I know I am. I call the detective on the case twice a day. I call or text you all day long. But I’ve watched Dateline before. I know how quickly a case can get cold. And I refuse to let the monster who took Derek away from us walk free for a minute longer than possible.”
“You don’t have to sell me on anything, Jenna. I want you to have answers too,” he said.
“I rented the same beach house in Dewey Beach for next weekend,” she said with a sigh. Before he could question her further, she added, “I invited Derek’s friends.”
“What?”
“Okay, I know it sounds crazy—”
“Crazy?” he demanded in disbelief. “It sounds dangerous. You have said more than once you suspect one of these people killed Derek.”
“I know. That’s why I want you to come with me.” He responded with a long silence. Jenna continued on, “We talked about getting them all together again in the same room.”
“I was thinking a bar or a restaurant. Not the beach house where your brother was last seen alive,” he muttered. “Will his friends even show up?”
“I emailed them to explain I wanted to have a memorial service down there. I said recreating the week he died would help me gain closure. They will look like assholes if they don’t show up.”
Declan didn’t add that they already seemed like assholes. A part of him could understand her logic. Going back to the scene of the crime made sense. Even if his visions ultimately exonerated Derek’s friends, there was still a killer out there. If the murderer was still living in Dewey Beach, maybe he could talk to the locals and the cops about potential suspects. Kate was supposed to investigate the local crime scene, but he had no idea about her progress. A week had passed since their fight and she still refused to take his calls.
“If I had done it, I wouldn’t show,” he said quietly.
“Well, you’re not a killer, so I’m not sure you’re an expert on the mindset of a murderer.” Her tone was sharp at first. After a deep breath, she said, “I have too many questions and I need answers. Not only about Derek’s death, but also about Brianna being pregnant. If she’s carrying around my niece or nephew and didn’t tell anyone, I want to confront her.”
Jenna was set on going. Nothing Declan could do or say was changing her mind. The only thing he could offer was his presence. Although he wasn’t sure how much protection he could provide Jenna against a crazed killer. What was his big plan to save her? Psychic vision the person to death?
Moreover, Declan was troubled over the idea of Jenna being inside the beach house where her brother spent his final days. What kind of psychological damage would that inflict?
Honestly, he’d feel better if Kate and Jared were along for the ride. Jared probably had loads of guns. Big, scary guns would be much more effective if things went sideways in Delaware. He’d given Kate a week to cool off. How mad could she be about Nikki? And Kate would want to still help Jenna, despite her anger at Declan.
With feigned casualness, he asked, “Have you heard from Kate?”
“Yes. She’s called to check in a few times. She had a vision of Liam and Adam doing heroin.”
Leave it to Kate to steal his thunder, he thought. Now he didn’t ha
ve anything else worthwhile to offer up to Jenna. Before he could tell her about his similar vision, she said, “There were a few robberies over the summer in a town nearby Dewey. In one incident, an older man was threatened with a knife when asked to hand over his wallet. Kate was looking into the suspects on the case to see if it’s connected at all to Derek. She hasn’t found anything yet.”
“Have you talked to her yet about going to Dewey?”
“No,” she said in a rush. “I know the two of you aren’t on speaking terms. I wasn’t sure what was more awkward: being in the room with the two of you or being surrounded by my brother’s potential killers.”
Jenna was pretty endearing. Maybe his fight with Kate could be the best thing to ever happen to him. He was no longer under any obligation to follow her rules. He could sleep with whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And he had to admit Jenna was on a completely different level than Nikki. After sex with Nikki, he felt annoyed—annoyed with himself for not having the willpower to resist her and annoyed with her for being a narcissist.
Conversely, he liked Jenna. She was beautiful—a basic fact—but she had a lot of other charming qualities. She obviously had a sweet side, but also fire when she needed to fight. She loved her brother and wouldn’t stop until she got justice for him. She advocated for those who were lucky enough to be loved by her.
His missing persons clients came to him with different motivations. He had hoped love was the usual motivator, but sometimes that wasn’t always the case. Many wanted closure. They wanted to close the chapter and move on. And more often than not, money was involved. Very few insurance companies paid out on policies without a death certificate.
“Okay, I’ll talk to her and see if she’s able to go. Before then, text or call me once you hear from Derek’s friends. Let me know who is planning to come down.” He swallowed hard at the visual of him in a room with the people from his visions. How would the weekend go down? Would it play out like a game of Clue with Declan shouting out that it was Brianna on the beach with a knife? Yup, this idea of Jenna’s could go spectacularly wrong.
Deadly Prophecy: A Second Sight Series Spin-Off Page 12