“It’s on the stove. I’d just turned it off.”
“I’ll pour us a cup, and then you can read the leaves.”
She fumbled around for just a few minutes before placing a steaming cup of tea in my hands.
“Thank you. I don’t have to read the leaves, though. Your emotional trauma is sending out huge waves.”
“What? I didn’t have an emotional trauma. I hit my head and just imagined that story,” Leslie protested.
“Really? Then why did I remember it just like I was there?” I sipped my tea, watching her carefully. “Besides, having tea is more to soothe and calm a client. It allows you to relax while the person about to read the leaves can read you.”
“Trade secrets, huh?” Leslie laughed nervously.
“Common sense mostly. You’ve blocked this particular memory for so long that now it’s surfaced, you can’t hold back what you’re feeling.” I nodded to myself in confirmation of something I’d thought when I first met her.
“You have a huge shield that you’ve built to not only block the memory, but to block the gift. You said you were hit on the head?”
“Yes. When that happened, I fainted and hit my head pretty hard, giving myself a concussion. I never felt anything…different, though.” She picked up the cup of tea, frowning as she eyed it.
“Did your mother confirm if anyone in your family had psychic abilities?”
“How did you know?” Shock filled her features. “Oh, right. You’re psychic.”
“It’s something that’s pretty normal when someone has had head trauma, or severe trauma in general. You might have had sensitivities before, but what you went through rewired your brain. This whole time you’ve been holding back not only what happened, but things you could sense.” I waited for her to process what I’d said.
“So most of who and what I am now all stem back to this incident when I was five? Is that why I gravitated toward becoming a cop?”
“Maybe. It’s not always about a certain career, but it could be why you’re better at your job than others. You may have allowed parts of your abilities to seep through as you needed them without realizing it.”
“If I’m a sensitive, why didn’t I sense that Jerome was a jerk? How could I have missed something that simple?” Leslie groaned.
“When it comes to our personal lives, most of our intuitions don’t work as well, or are muffled so they’re not as obvious for us. He didn’t set off any alarms, but you weren’t sure about things so you did move more slowly than you might have otherwise,” I explained patiently. “Do you want to see what happens when you let that shield down?”
“Um, I guess so.” She shrugged. “It’s going to change my life one way or another, so I might as well get it over with.”
My tea had cooled enough that I finished the last two sips in one gulp. “Let’s sit on the floor over here so we don’t have a repeat if you faint.”
I offered her a hand over to my special mediation center.
She took a deep breath and grabbed my hand like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.
Settling in on the carpeted floor, I crossed my legs, waiting for her to get comfortable.
“Now what?” she asked nervously.
“Close your eyes and clear your mind. Breathe in the scent of the candles and concentrate on what you see and feel.” I lit the candles and did the same thing myself.
The moment my eyes closed, her energy hit me.
“Calm your thoughts, they’re all over the place. Don’t think about the trauma or anything but what you’re feeling right now.”
“Breathe in and out slowly, allowing all the negative energy out and pulling the good energy inside,” I instructed.
We’d had so much negative energy lately, I’d had a hard time keeping my home cleansed of all the evil.
With each breath, Leslie’s body became more relaxed as all the toxins were drawn out by the candles. Years of built-up negativity would take more than a few cleansing moments.
“All right, that’s good. Now, let’s focus on what you’re seeing with your sixth sense.”
“It’s all really dark, and I’m in a type of maze. I feel really alone. If I go straight, I feel that it will lead to only a life on the job. If I take the path to the left, I sense light and happiness. There’s a little girl laughing, just out of sight, and I want to know what’s making her so happy.” Leslie frowned as she continued. “On the right, I see Jerome holding out flowers, asking me to forgive him. It’s a mix of light with shadows, but he’s really sincere. He just doesn’t understand why my job is so important.”
“Which path do you want to follow today, Leslie? These paths are a way of showing you what’s possible in your future. There’s no wrong choice, so what does your heart and mind feel like they need to explore the most?”
“The straight path right in front of me is tugging at me, but I don’t want to end up all alone. Yet, I have to see where it leads.”
“Okay, now start walking. What do you sense or see down this path?” I prompted.
“It appears to be dark, but as I move farther down the path, there are flurries of light. My sister’s here with her new family and the baby you predicted.” She smiled at the thought.
“They’re all here as I receive some award. It’s the FBI, and the Chief of Police from Dallas. They’re giving me the Medal of Valor for bravery for catching the worst serial killer in history. Ryan’s here, but he looks really sad. You’re here with a guy and you’re pregnant.”
“It sounds like a really great future,” I commented, waiting for her to tell me why it hadn’t been as good as she’d thought.
“Everyone is congratulating me, and now they’re leaving. The room is empty except for me. I have nothing but the medals in my hand to show what I’ve done with my life.”
I watched all the different emotions play across her face, then, a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I thought I would feel whole when it was all over and I could move on with my life. Instead, it appears that everyone moved on without me, and I’m left with the scars of what this case has done to me.”
“Leslie, I’m going to ask you to open your eyes for a minute to refocus.”
When she did, the sadness in her gaze was mixed with regret.
“I don’t want that to be the outcome. I know I’m not going to be the same, but it’s like this case has consumed me.”
“Okay, shake it off and we can start over.” I gave her a concerned look. “Are you doing all right so far?”
Her mouth tightened. “That one seemed like the worst option, so the others have to be better, right?”
“I can’t guarantee that. You’ll have to view those paths for yourself. We can do it another time,” I suggested gently.
“Nope. I need to see something with a better ending,” she responded with a shaky voice.
“Re-center yourself, but this time you must move to either the right or the left.”
“Ready.” She gripped my hands tightly, not realizing that she was pulling me into her journey as well.
“I need to feel happiness,” she declared, walking into the path glowing with light.
When she pulled me in, I could see exactly what she was seeing, but I could also sense her emotions.
This path was filled with people laughing and children running around.
Leslie sat on a porch with a newspaper in her hand. “Listen to this, everyone. The Zodiac Master has vanished without a trace. When it appeared that the police were unable to give him a worthy opponent, he finished his mission and retired. It’s said that he ordered almost four hundred deaths. There has been no evidence to tie him to any specific crimes, but notes from all the killer-victims allude to his skills. We hope that fades into the background, letting the people of the world return to their normal lives.”
“We didn’t catch him because we quit. We chose our personal lives over the lives of his victims. Even if we can’t stop him from taking lives, I’d al
most choose the first gloomier future to know that he was brought to justice.”
As she spoke those words, the path disappeared and we returned to the beginning of the maze.
“One last option to find out what my future should be.” She grimaced before running through the last maze.
In this path, Jerome stood in front of her with his hand out to her. She took it and walked with him to the front of a gazebo where a minister stood, waiting to perform the ceremony.
“This marriage almost didn’t happen. One fight over misunderstood boundaries almost doused their passion. But they came together to work out their problems, and realized they were each other’s missing pieces. A promotion helped with the compromise that will let her do what she loves, while giving Jerome the peace of mind that she will be safe when she isn’t by his side. The only regret is a sad event with the death of her partner, Ryan, as he sacrificed himself to save her again. God bless this union.”
I was pulled from the possible future by Leslie shouting, “No! That can’t be how it ends!”
Sobs racked her body as the last vision brought home how completely terrible this case was. It could happen if she went back to Jerome, but it wasn’t the only possibility.
“Leslie, it’s not real. He’s still alive. That doesn’t have to be your future. Even if you were to take Jerome back, there are a million little things that you could do differently to change the outcome.” I leaned forward to give her a comforting hug.
“What if I make the wrong choices and Ryan ends up dead no matter what I do? None of those paths work. Someone ends up dying. The Zodiac Master is never caught if I choose happiness, or I’m going to be lonely, but with the satisfaction that my friends are all alive, as well as the him. How is any of that a real choice?” Leslie cried in frustration.
“The viewings that we see can be difficult. I want to put aside the different paths that you saw and tell you exactly how much of the gift you displayed in the last hour or so.”
“I’m confused. My gift? What does what I saw have to do with my gift?”
“Most people can’t do what you just did after years of trying. It’s hard for them to describe what they’re seeing or feeling. Many can draw off of memories and recreate those easier since they’ve already lived them. You went above and beyond by pulling me into your vision. I asked a lot of questions when I went to see my family. From what they told me, this is a very rare thing that you did so easily.”
“I guess I’m more obsessed with what I saw than the fact that I actually did it,” she confessed, wiping her tears with the neck of her shirt.
“You’re pretty impressive. I think with a little more guidance, you’ll be able to start communicating with spirits, and visions will start coming to you much easier.” I grinned. “I’m not even sure that I know enough to be your mentor. You’re going to need someone who has a lot more experience with this.”
“Adam probably knows someone that could help me, and might be willing to teach you as well. I think he’s plugged into the psychic community.”
“I might have to meet this guy eventually. Now, I’m going to order a pizza. After a session like this, we need to replace the energy we just used up. It’s a lot of work because we’re using parts of our brains that normally have little to no use.” I stood, offering her a hand up.
“A meat lover’s pizza sounds like a great idea,” Leslie gushed.
“How about a half veggie, half meat?” I stretched to work out the kinks from my body after sitting for so long.
“Great. I have so much more to discuss and ask you. I feel like I’m energized.” Leslie bounced with a vibration that came from being connected to the universe.
“Can’t wait, but first tell me more about this guy. Was he the one I was married to?” I asked as I pressed the app for the pizza delivery.
Chapter 4
Ryan
Leslie had been avoiding everyone since the death of Dana in New York. It wasn’t like I needed her to finish up the crime scene, but it just wasn’t like her to completely disappear without a word. Then again, I’d only known her for a couple of months, but it just felt like she was avoiding something.
Being my partner, I’d done all I could to draw her out, but the work had to continue if we were ever to have a hope of finding the killer.
“Still no word from her?” Adam whispered to me as the meeting was about to get started.
“Nope. She’s responding to all text messages with a single reply that she’s alive.” I flipped through the handout that Agent Watson had given everyone. It didn’t really contain much more than we already knew. “Did something come up for him to call us all back in today?”
“He mentioned Kevin may have found the weapon, but we’re not sure yet because there are multiple issues,” Adam whispered hurriedly as Agent Watson walked to the front of the room.
“Everyone, thank you for coming in today. I hope that you were all able to catch up on sleep. Maybe do your laundry and pay the bills, because this month has started out with a double body count. Can someone turn the light off?” He pointed to those closest to the switch.
“It took a few days to determine the pattern, but we think we’ve discovered it for the month. It’s twins. The murderer is leaving behind two bodies, except for the first ones. They were on opposite sides of the country.” Agent Watson flashed the map of the U.S. onto the wall.
“The murders were committed at various times and places, so there isn’t the same type of theme that we’ve seen in most of the other murders. In fact, the only scene that sticks out as being part of the Zodiac murders was committed in Springfield, where the Gemini symbol was spray painted on the wall above the bodies.” He clicked at the screen, and the murder scene flashed before us.
“We’re not sure why each of the victims have exactly five knife wounds, but I had Kevin run a search for all murders involving the use of a knife since the month began. There have been five, each consisting of twin sisters, and in case you didn’t know, the Gemini is known for its sets of twins.
“Kevin and I have reached out to local law enforcement in those cases, but they have no leads. Detective Fox, I want you and Detective Boxe to go to these two crime scenes. You should be able to determine and confirm that this is the work of our killer. Maybe with the two of you looking at it from your unique perspectives, you’ll be able to shed more light on what we need to look for.”
“Yes, sir. Isn’t it going to get harder for the killer of the month to hide what they’re doing? It seems that looking for Gemini twins who may be in their crosshairs would be easier to track,” I advised.
“That’s what I’m hoping for. The Zodiac Master doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I don’t think he has any way to know exactly what we’re doing, but he’s anticipating us following normal police procedures. He’s counting on that. The only real information that we’ve come across has been when someone was thinking outside the box and stumbled into his playground,” Agent Watson informed. “There’s no way to know if this is what we’re looking for, but the signs seem to point in that direction.” He paused, waiting for the laughter as the agents caught on to his joke.
“Our work on identifying the Zodiac Master is a little more difficult since we don’t know how he’s recruiting his killers. We’ve got an entire team working solely on analyzing the deceased killers’ homes and electronics for possible ways they may have communicated with him. So far, he remains a mystery. Does anyone have anything to add to the briefing that I haven’t covered?”
Adam stood up. “My part of the team has been concentrating on other cults that have similarities to these types of killings. We do believe that there’s a tie-in to the Urban Energy Corporation. From the research that Kevin pointed us to, we’ve been looking over the original founders and what their motives were. There haven’t been any major discoveries, but we’ve only been working on it for the past three days. I should know more in a few days.
“We also had to do a
cleanse from the previous case. I’ll send them the information and have them look for any connections between the dead twins and the Urban Energy Corporation. If we can tie them to an actual crime, it would go a long way toward getting them to actually give us information that hasn’t been released to the public.”
“Leslie and I can fly to the first crime scene this evening,” I offered.
“It can wait until morning, but I want you to each take a crime scene so we can cover more ground. Since the majority are only a few hours’ drive away, we’re sending a few local teams to see what we can find out here,” he reasoned.
“Yes, sir. We’ll let you know what we find after we talk to the local police.”
“Can you go with Leslie?” I pleaded with Adam. I had a feeling that she was going to need more backup then I could provide from across the country in Oregon.
“Probably. I’ll run it by Agent Watson, but I don’t see why not.”
“Great. I’m gonna go by her house and see if I can get her to answer the door for me.” I acknowledged my worry, making it real.
“She’s going through a lot, so be patient,” Adam advised.
“I know. My best friend died and I showed back up. That’s why I’ve waited the last few days before barging in and asking what’s going on.”
“It’s not just Jerome. She’s also been to Flora’s and learned a few things that she didn’t know before about our case.”
“If it’s information, why isn’t she here letting us follow the leads?”
“Um, it’s not that kind of information. It’s of a more personal nature. She’s connected herself with the spiritual world. I’m not sure to what extent yet, but I knew when she tugged me into her vision. She’s got a lot of healing to do, and this last killer didn’t cut her much slack.”
I nodded that I understood, but the only thing I knew that he’d actually said was that she needed to process all that had gone on while we were out of state.
“No worries. I’ll be patient, but the boss might not like it.”
“He’s been updated on her emotional state.” Adam frowned, looking in Agent Watson’s direction.
Gemini: Murders of the Zodiacs Page 3