by Jill S. Behe
“It’s like when you have to qualify with your gun, Levi. You need to practice shooting to maintain that level of proficiency. I haven’t done that with my talent. I’ve let it lapse, so to speak. I don’t like to use it, and tend to forget I have it, most of the time.”
“Okay. I get that. Go on.”
Decker butted in. “She felt something bad was going to happen the day of the big storm when someone took a shot at her out here.”
“Did she, now?” He looked at Teal. “But you didn’t perceive it was Decker’s gun, I take it?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t get any indication about the fake water company guy, either. Oh, he made me uncomfortable, scared the daylights out of me, actually, but I didn’t sense any evil intent. I also didn’t have any forewarning of the hit and run attempt.”
“Huh.”
Decker put his arm around Teal, shifting her closer.
“Liz had a special sense of things about to happen, too.” Decker explained. “She also chose to ignore most of what she felt. Once in a great while she would mention something to me, but it was rare.”
“She didn’t know…predict, her own death? She could have warned you.”
“Maybe she did and I wasn’t listening. At that time I was preparing for a court appearance in a case I’d closed in Miami. I was halfway back—still in the air—when she was killed—if you gave me the right timeline. She didn’t seem over-anxious the day I left.”
Teal shook her head. “She would have made sure you were paying attention, if she’d known.”
“See, now that is a very interesting statement. Is it your gift giving you that information? Why wouldn’t she have known?”
“While Decker was speaking, I got an impression that she hadn’t known, and that if she’d had any indication, she would have made sure he knew about it.”
“I see. And why didn’t she know? Was her…thing unreliable, too?”
Teal shrugged. “Could be. But as with me, if she didn’t use it much, she may not have been aware of it. Or, possibly she felt something not quite right, but blocked it out. Her husband was leaving on an important trip. She had other things on her mind.” She shrugged. “There’s a long list of possibilities.”
“Blocking? What do you mean?”
“When my abilities first kicked in, I had an emotional breakdown, of sorts. My Gran helped me learn how to build walls, mental walls, to block out the stuff that was too overwhelming. I can make the wall thin enough to get some impressions, or so thick nothing can penetrate. Liz might have done the same thing, if she knew how. I don’t know her background, or how well-trained she was. That being said, she may not have been aware of a threat.”
“So you can turn it off and on?”
“In a manner of speaking. If I don’t put up walls, sometimes I’m bombarded. It’s a self-preservation technique.”
“What kinds of things do you need to block out?”
“Other people’s emotions, moods. Thoughts, and screams can be very loud. Anger and violent tendencies are the strongest hits. Grief, depression. They can all overwhelm if I don’t buffer them. Most of the time, the wall I use is medium-thick. I can sense some, but not all. Other times, depending on where I am, it can be blinding until I make the wall thicker.”
Levi shook his head. “I don’t understand it, but…how does that help us?”
She shrugged, again. “I can only tell you what I’ve felt.”
“Things that concern this case?”
“Perhaps. When Decker and I were walking his loop, we came to the spot where he found Rosalinda. At the same time, I had an impression that it was also connected to Liz’s death.”
“Liz?” He looked over at Decker. “I thought you said it was D’Agostino?”
“Thought it was.”
“Now?”
“I can’t say I’m convinced it isn’t, but it’s looking more and more like it wasn’t a hitman.”
Levi grunted, and shifted back to Teal. “How? How does it work? Do you see things?”
“I rarely see anything. I get a sense of what’s been, almost like a voice in my head, whispering. A lot of times, those voices don’t make any sense. Like trying to put a puzzle together, and not having all the pieces. The more pieces you have that fit, the more you’re able to see the real picture, but the more you put together, the more the missing ones stand out. On occasion I can sense things that haven’t happened yet, or are just about to happen. Those are rare, too.”
“Huh. Okay. I’m beginning to get the gist of it.”
“Here’s something you might not get.”
He looked at Decker. “About?”
“My ability.”
“Your—?”
Decker nodded. “Yeah. I get impressions of things, too.”
“Here I thought you were just smarter than me. You’re telling me it’s more than that?”
“I’m not smarter than you, or your gut. And, I didn’t start getting these hunches until after I got shot.”
“Still. Gives you an inside edge.”
“As does your belly.”
“Huh. Yeah. I guess.” A wink at Teal. “And you! Got some witchy thing goin’ on?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I can see why Decker walked out on you.”
“What?” Levi’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t mean it in a derogatory way.”
“Uh huh. I am not a witch. I don’t have a crystal ball, or play with Tarot cards.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“As I said before, I get impressions. Once in a great while, more than that. Most times nothing comes through when I really need it to. Even when I do get something, it can be quite maddeningly cryptic.”
“I get it. It’s not reliable.”
A nod. “There are other times when it’s too explicit, or people try to take advantage. Which is why—” She paused, frowning. “Which is why I stopped helping the police in Tucson, and left my then-husband—who proceeded to divorce me.”
Levi set his cup down, staring at her, thinking, then snapped his fingers. “Of course. The name Teal rang a vague bell in my brain when you first moved here. Now, I know why.”
Decker regarded one, then the other. “Why?”
“I’m sure you had access to them. Teal Padgett’s name was in the National Police Bulletins for a few years back in the early 2000s.”
Decker looked at the lady beside him. “Padgett?”
She kept her temper banked. She’d wait him out before letting it loose, and gave him a nod.
He stood to pace the living room.
He, too, had been aware of the name, but hadn’t associated it with his Teal.
Until now. “You’re that Teal Padgett?”
“I am.”
He stopped in front of her. “We never discussed your ex in any detail, nor your exact reasons for the divorce.” He knelt. “If you decide you want to talk about it, I’ll listen without judgment. But, it’s not a necessity for me to know all the details.”
Her temper evaporated, and she slid a hand along his jaw. “Thank you.”
“Huh.”
Decker frowned over his shoulder. “Not a chance, my friend.” He knew that tone. “Absolutely not.”
Levi feigned innocence. “What?”
Decker moved to sit next to Teal, again. “You may not tell Bethany.”
“Aw, come on, Decker. This is even bigger than you two going on a date.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “There is a reason Teal chose to go back to her maiden name, you know.” He glanced over. “Hannigan is your maiden name, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. Yeah.” Levi huffed. “Sorry, Teal. I’m an inconsiderate slob.”
Mouth pinched, one eyebrow arched, she pointed. “Guilt won’t get you off the hook, Chief Kincaid. Especially not it’s pretense. And, if your wife does get wind of it, and the media picks it up, there will be nowhere for you to hide.”
He chuckled. “She plays pre
tty good hardball.”
“You betcha.”
“I promise, my wife won’t hear about it from me. Speaking of Teal…. Your neighbors were very helpful.”
“Trying a quick change of subject, eh? How so?”
“We canvassed the area, as you know, after your run-in with the fake meter reader, and again a few days later for a follow up. A Miss Emmeline Forsythe said she saw someone acting shifty—yes, she said shifty—the morning of the event. You had left your house a little earlier, and that was why she noticed the person. This person we’ll call he, drove an old green car that almost didn’t start when he got back in it. He didn’t stay long, just skulked around the house twice.”
“An old green car? Sounds like the one that tried to run me over at the grocery store.”
Levi nodded. “She also told us the same car showed up after you and Decker went inside your house—I’m assuming it was the night of Bea’s viewing—but it left about thirty minutes later.” He began to smile. “She also noted that Decker didn’t leave until much much later.”
Teal snickered. “It’s hard to call her a busybody when she looks out for me so well.”
Levi continued, “That same evening, your neighbor on the other side of the street, uh, can’t recall her name—”
“Genevieve Devereaux.”
“Ah, yes. I knew it had a Frenchy sound.”
“I don’t know that she is.”
“Beside the point. Anyway, she remembers a car parked in front of her house that same night, just after you and Decker arrived home. The driver sat watching your house for quite a while before taking off. She didn’t see anyone lurking around, but mentioned an old banged-up green car parked down the street earlier in the day.”
“Wow. You’ve got a great neighborhood watch system in place, Teal.”
“Yes, you could call it that. Nothing much gets past those two.”
“So. Where do we go from here? We’ve got three dead women, and no suspects. There’s a mysterious water company impersonator running around, and a would-be hit and run driver.” He wagged his thumb at Decker. “You’ve come to the conclusion that all this has to do with you. Why?”
“This all started about the same time I decided to ask Teal on a date. Well, I was flirting whenever I saw her at the library.”
“Actually,” Teal interrupted. “It started with Liz.”
“You mentioned Liz before. How—?” Levi frowned. “You’re sure?”
Teal nodded, looking at Decker.
“But that was five years ago.” Levi shifted in his seat. “Any suggestions as to why there was such a long gap.”
“Haven’t a clue, at this point. As I said, I’m not a hundred percent convinced, but Liz seems to think so, and as she’s the one who’s dead, I’m guessing she probably has a good idea who it was.”
“Sounds like a reasonable explanation.”
“Was that sarcasm, LT?”
“Just shoot me. Shut up, Deck. Liz talks to you?”
“Bang. Yeah, Liz talks to me.”
Chapter 30
Levi stared at his friend, then rubbed his hands over his face. “What have I gotten myself into this time? Geez, did I hear you right?”
“You heard me both times.”
“Okay, then. What did she say?”
“She came to me in a vision. I wasn’t asleep.” Decker frowned. “At least, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t. Anyway, I asked her about the girls that had been killed. She was adamant that they’d all been killed by the same person. I didn’t believe her, at first. I’m leaning more and more to the other side, though. Little by little it’s becoming more obvious she was right.”
“It sure made sense, at the time.”
“It did. When Teal and I were on our walk, and she felt the place where I’d found Rosalinda, she told me—and we hadn’t confided in each other about our abilities, at that point—that Liz and Rosalinda had been killed by the same person.”
Levi cleared his throat. This was getting way beyond his scope of comprehension. “Did Liz tell you who killed her?”
“No. She’s not allowed to tell me that.”
Levi snorted. “Of course not. That would make it too easy, too logical, too—” He shook his head.
“I have a supposition.”
“Please elaborate.”
“Teal is of the opinion that I have an obsessive stalker.”
The cop looked over. “She is, is she?”
Teal wrinkled her nose. “Not just a stalker.”
Levi snorted. “Got that right.”
“Chief, do you want to hear our explanation, or continue to make snide remarks and jokes?”
He held up his hands. “I apologize, again. But, from my perspective, this all sounds incredulous. You may hear snide-ness, or disbelief—and believe me, that part can’t be said strongly enough—but I am listening. Please continue. Why do you believe he has a stalker, and what might the motive be for killing indiscriminate women that Decker’s come in contact with?”
“It’s not just any woman, but a woman of an age. A woman in whom he shows an interest.”
“Okay, but he was married to Liz for over thirty years.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And?”
“They’d just moved up here from Colorado Springs.”
“What does that have to do with it?”
“I don’t have all the answers. I don’t understand it all, myself. This is just a theory.”
“I get that. I’m playing devil’s advocate.”
Teal gave the man a look, but resumed. “Perhaps this person was interested before Decker was married, but lost her chance with him when he married Liz. Then he moved away, and she had no access to him. That would mean a woman more near his own age.”
Decker was shaking his head.
Levi massaged his chin. “The only fly in the sticky tape is why the killer waited five years after they moved back here before making a move on Liz. And if your theory is correct, why wait another five years after Liz’s death?”
Decker supplied his opinion, “I wasn’t in the market for female company. Not until recently, anyway.”
“What’s that mean?”
“While Liz was the center of his universe, Decker was off limits, so to speak. Then, again my opinion, the obsession got out of control.” Teal answered for him. “This person was now so obsessed that the only option available—in her mind—was to free him by getting rid of the only obstacle standing in the way: Liz. Once she’s gone, this person would, most likely, think he’d start paying attention to…the killer. But he’s grieving. He’s not paying attention to anyone.
“The killer, obviously, is patient. She wasn’t worried because there was no competition, no threat. Until…he does start being interested someone in else, except it’s not her.”
“Right. Right. I get it. In her mind, he wasn’t pursuing anyone at all, so she didn’t have to worry. But now his interest in the opposite sex is turned on again.”
“Correct.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait. You’re changing the— We started out with a gender neutral he. Now you’re using she. What’s the deal?”
“This is all speculation, Levi. However, in order for logic to be maintained, the stalker would need to be female.”
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why would the stalker have to be female? Surely, these days, a man could be pursuing Decker. Couldn’t he?”
Teal and Decker exchanged a look.
Teal shrugged. “I suppose that’s possible. He is an attractive man. It just never crossed my mind that a man would be so obsessed with Decker, especially knowing his preference, that he’d start killing off any female that was seen as competition.”
“Devil’s advocate, remember. Now, just to clarify, these…women, we suppose, Decker’s coming into contact with aren’t after him for a relationship. But the stalker perceives them as such.”
“Yes. In the killer’s mind, th
e fact that these ladies attract his attention—sexually or not—and he interacts with them—non-sexually—jacks up her jealousy. Those women become a threat to her peace of mind.
Decker blinked. “God. The Barrett.”
“Your rifle? What about it?”
He looked at Levi. “How did I use it? What was its purpose?”
“You shot people.”
“No. Think about it.” He ran his hands though his hair. “I eliminated a threat potential.”
Levi blew out a breath. “Holy shit.”
Oh my god. He’s right. She hadn’t thought about that aspect of it. “That would exactly line up with what I think is going on with her, too.” Teal’s mind reeled at the new information. “See Levi, Decker only spoke briefly with the first victim. Sent her in to talk to me, as a matter of fact. Then he gives Bea a ride home. Both are taken out within days of that initial contact. I really don’t understand about Bea. He’s talked to her in the library before.”
Decker muttered, then stayed quiet.
“Okay. So now we come to the current contact. Her radar must have gone completely off the screen when he asked me out. She’d set him free, and he didn’t appreciate her efforts. At least that’s my supposition as to what’s going through her head.
Levi leaned forward. “So, you’re saying any female Decker pays special attention to—who is of a date-potential age—has been, and will continue to be, in danger?”
“That’s not something I can answer, but seems likely, given the track so far. Still, only my opinion.”
“But that specific group includes you?”
“Um, yes.”
The cop gave a nod. “You sure you’re not a psychologist?”
She sent him a smile. “Positive.”
Decker stood to pace. “This is insane.”
“Of course it is. But Teal’s…theory makes a weird kind of sense. Bat shit crazy, but feasible.”
“Feasible? There’s nothing feasible about what’s happening.”
“It sure clears up a few things for me, but damn, we’re still no closer to figuring out who’s doing this.”
“We may be closer than we think.”
“You have someone in mind?”
Decker shook his head. “I’m thinking the perp might be close enough to take a bite out of our asses, and we don’t have a clue.”