Morgan left him. Her choice again. Not his.
Too late now to make things right with Morgan, he needed to concentrate on his future—with Maria.
Elizabeth hadn’t been gone five minutes before Agent Davies yelled at him to come into his office. Tyler hadn’t even managed to sort through the stack of files on his desk, or look at the Psychic Slayer evidence and information.
“Are you going to get your head back in the game, or is your brain still on vacation?”
“I’m here. I need to catch up on the new case Sam is working on. I don’t know all the facts, but I’m curious as to why Sam’s hell-bent on finding Morgan.”
“She’s the key to this case. All the women were psychics in some fashion or another. They worked in local shops giving readings, providing spiritual guidance, and telling people’s fortunes. Not exactly the same as Morgan, but our guy seems to be eliminating them, so that they can’t talk.”
“What do you mean, so they can’t talk? What do they know?”
“The profiler we brought in suspects he’s cutting out their tongues and gluing their eyes shut so they can’t see or talk about what he’s done. The profiler believes the guy committed some terrible act. Probably murder. He probably committed this act some time ago, got away with it, and now believes the psychics can see what he did and will tell the police, and he’ll be arrested. Since the murders began the night of the press conference where Detective Stewart stated Morgan could not only see the crime, but name names, the profiler believes this instigated the murderer to start his crime spree.
“He strangled victim number one in her shop. They struggled, and she ended up dead. The others were planned. Our guy came prepared to kill them. In each case, it appears he pays for a psychic reading and strangles them. He’s escalating. The last three were butchered as I described.”
“Well, I see how this ties in with our using Morgan, but you said it directly relates to her. How and why?”
“Sam checked your voicemail while you were on vacation. Our guy called and left you a message. We have a recording of his voice. The tech guys are trying to see if they can determine where the call originated, and if they can isolate anything in the background to give us any kind of clue.”
“What was the message? What don’t you want to tell me?”
Sam walked in the door. He’d had a hell of a couple of days and didn’t feel real generous toward Tyler.
“He wanted to thank you for letting him know she’s in San Francisco. He pretty much said that he’s going to rid the city of all the seers, so they can’t tell. Tell what, we have no idea.”
Sam sat in the chair next to Tyler facing Davies behind his desk. He sighed, tired and a lot disappointed he’d cut his visit with Elizabeth short this morning.
“Do you think he knows her?” Tyler asked.
“At the very least, he’s talked to her. Maybe through her website. Which I’ve confirmed does belong to her. The site is tied to her credit card. The bills for the credit card are sent to a post office box in Texas. The post office where the box is located won’t give us any information on Morgan without a warrant. The only thing I could get the clerk to tell me is that she doesn’t pick up the mail there. It’s forwarded. He wouldn’t tell me where. I don’t have enough to get the warrant. She isn’t a witness or a suspect in any ongoing case. I don’t have a legal reason for the post office to tell me where the mail is forwarded, and if they have any information on Morgan we can use.
“I’ve been trying to find Morgan because I don’t know if she knows there’s a threat against her. Actually, there are two, if you count her father, who’s called twice since you’ve been gone. I also don’t know if she’s living anywhere near San Francisco. For all we know she could have a shop here like the other women. This guy could find her before we do.”
Sam rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and slapped his hand down on his thigh. “You’d think with all the technology we have at our disposal we could find one woman. If she wasn’t hiding from her father, it might be easier.”
“If you haven’t found her, this guy won’t either,” Tyler said.
“Yeah, I guess after everything she’s done for us, we should just leave her in the dark. We don’t owe her a heads-up that there’s some nut out there who may or may not know her, who wants to kill her.” Disgusted, he glared at Tyler. “Oh yeah, and let’s not forget her father is looking for her. I’m not so sure his intentions are all that good. Hell, he may be the one killing all the psychics for all we know.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Nope. He’s gone, too. We haven’t been able to find him. His place is in a rural area. There’s a barn with some horses, but Weston hasn’t been around the few times I’ve gone out to question him. The neighbor says he’s been feeding the horses, but he doesn’t know where Weston went, or when he’ll be back. He says Weston takes off all the time.”
“So we don’t know if he’s our guy or not. Either way, he wants to hurt her. I know it.”
“Did you ever once ask her where she lives? Did you ask her what she does for a living? Did you ask her anything personal about herself that didn’t have to do with her being psychic? Did you ever talk to her like your friend, and not some informant on a case?”
“Sam, I . . .”
“Did you ever ask her how she was? Did she need anything? The woman has been living on her own, since she was twelve for all we know. Her father killed her mother and she witnessed it. Her hometown press vilified her, so much so that she took off. At least, that’s what we think. How do we know what really happened? Maybe some whack-job from her hometown kidnapped her and kept her for his own entertainment for years.”
Tyler’s face paled and he pulled away from him.
“Obviously, you hadn’t thought of any of this. You’re too busy being hurt that she left you. Too busy being angry she’s different than everyone else, and you didn’t know what to do about her. You want her . . . don’t shake your head . . . and at the same time, you want to shove her away. Maybe you’ve done just that.
“The thing here, Tyler, is that we don’t know. We don’t really know anything about her. What we do know, now, is there are one, and probably two men, who want to find her and possibly kill her. You want to be pissed at her because she’s different. Fine. Be pissed. It doesn’t make you any better than those people from her hometown who threw rocks and called her a witch.”
“I’m not pissed at her. And she’s not a witch.”
“No. She’s just a woman. You’re angry with her because she left you after the press conference. She left, and it pisses you off that she’s gone and you have no idea how to get her back. I’ll bet you’ve spent every day since telling yourself you don’t want her back. You’re better off without her. Now, you can move on with Maria, and you won’t have Morgan in your head and on your mind. Except she is, and you can’t escape. And that pisses you off, too.”
Damn if Sam didn’t know him really well, too well. He couldn’t deny anything Sam said. Doing so would only prove to Sam just how deep his denial ran about everything.
Angry she’d left, she hadn’t leaned on him after her name went out in the press. She hadn’t trusted him enough to make things right. Now look what happened. He hadn’t been there for her in the past, so how could she rely on him now. She’d given him her time, her gift, and her reassurance. He betrayed her by giving out her name. He should have told Stewart to go to hell and accept the information they had without question.
Sam read his mind as usual. “I know what you’re thinking. She didn’t come to you. She didn’t trust you enough to tell you about her past, or her father. If she knew these murders were going to happen, she didn’t tell you. She just cut herself off from you.”
Sam stood and looked down at Tyler. “You know, I’ve been thinking about that day and her vanishing act from your head. I wonder if she left you, or if you pushed her out. Maybe it’s a little of both. She got upset and left
, but you won’t let her back in. I don’t know how it works, or how she does it. I do know we need to find her. So, open up that mind of yours and call out to her, think about her calling you, do whatever it is you used to do that made her call you when you needed her. We need her now. She needs us.”
Sam turned to leave when his cell phone chimed, letting him know he had a text message. He read it and turned to Davies. “I have to go to Colorado.” He glanced at Tyler. “The autopsy for Shannon McKay, aka Mystic, is in an hour. Be there. Look for yourself what this guy is doing to these women. Then, imagine it’s Morgan on that cold slab because we didn’t warn her.”
Tyler didn’t need to see the dead woman. The minute he found out about this case, he’d been terrified the next victim would be Morgan.
“Maybe she already knows,” he said without looking at Sam.
“You think it works like that? If it did, then why doesn’t she call and solve every case we work? It would save us a hell of a lot of time and manpower. Hell, we could just have her solve all the world’s problems.
“People are dying. This guy specifically called you about Morgan. You may think she’s better off wherever she is because we can’t find her; so neither can her father, or this maniac. Well, that’s not good enough for me. It shouldn’t be good enough for you.”
“It’s not good enough for me. I want her safe, and if I knew where she is, I’d protect her with my life. It’s my fault she’s in danger and I’d do anything to take it back, but I can’t. So, let’s work the case and find this bastard and stop him before he gets close to her.”
Sam’s cell phone rang. He punched the talk button and listened.
“The jet is on the runway waiting to take off. You’ll be home tomorrow morning,” Jack said.
“What’s going on? Is it Jenna? One of the kids?”
“No. Don’t say anything to anyone. Morgan wants to see you. Only you.”
Stunned, Sam dropped back into his chair, rocked by the news.
“How do you know this?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“I’m leaving right now.”
“Come to the house. I’ll take you to her. I mean it, Sam, don’t tell anyone. It’s important.”
“You have my word. You will explain this to me when I get there.” He hung up before Jack gave him excuses for keeping secrets.
When Sam stood, Davies shouted, “Where the hell do you think you’re going? We’re in the middle of this mess.”
“I’m sorry. It’s an emergency. The jet is waiting at the airport. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” He headed out the door before anyone stopped him.
Davies looked to Tyler. “Do you think something’s wrong with Jack, or his family?”
“I don’t think so. It’s got to be something else.” Tyler shrugged. He and Sam could probably use the space right now. “I can handle things until he’s back tomorrow. I’ll go to the autopsy, get the details, catch up with the detectives at the SFPD, light a fire under Detective Stewart, and I’ll go from there. I’ll catch up by tonight, so Sam and I can hit the ground running tomorrow morning on the same page.”
“You didn’t mention trying to find Morgan in that speech.”
“She’s definitely a priority. He’s right. I’m pissed at her for leaving us in the lurch like this. We could use her on this case. If she’d been less difficult about keeping things on her terms, we might actually have her phone number. Instead, we’re wasting time trying to find her.”
“Isn’t that why she left the messages? To keep you from making demands and asking a lot of questions about how she did what she did. It seems to me, over the last two years the two of you had settled into a routine. She’d call with the clues, and you’d take them and run with them. I know you’ve talked a few times personally. Makes me wonder what it is about her you’re afraid of that you never pushed her for her number or to meet in person.”
“I’m not afraid of her, if that’s what you mean. Why the hell is everyone on my case about her today? First Elizabeth, then Sam, and now you. You let me know how you feel about a psychic dogging your every move and talking to you in your mind after she’s been doing it for the better part of six years. Then, you tell me how you feel after you’ve gotten used to hearing her in your head, and she up and disappears on you in the blink of an eye.”
Davies smiled across the desk at him, but Tyler ignored the look, knowing he’d given away too much information.
“Sam mentioned you could think about her and she’d call you. Do that.”
“I can’t. She isn’t in there anymore.”
“So you say. Do some deep breathing, meditate, chant, whatever. Anything, for god’s sake, to get her to call you.”
Tyler rolled his eyes and stood. Like he hadn’t already tried that a dozen or more times. “I’m going over to the medical examiner’s office. I’ll check back with you later.”
“Ignoring it won’t make it go away,” Davies yelled after him as Tyler left his office.
How could he ignore her when she consumed his every thought? If she hadn’t called him by now, she wouldn’t. He’d find her another way.
Chapter Twelve
* * *
SAM CALLED ELIZABETH on his way to the airport. “Sweetheart, can you meet me at the airport with Grace? Jack sent the jet. I need to go to the ranch for a meeting.”
“But I thought you were in the middle of a case. Why are we going to the ranch?”
“I have a lead on the case. I’ll meet someone who lives near the ranch. We’ll stay overnight, and you and I can spend time together.”
She met him at the plane with Grace an hour later. They spent the time on the flight snuggling on the couch and playing with Grace. Family time. Exactly what Sam needed to recharge. They flew to the private airstrip Jenna had built several years ago. It saved time rather than flying into the small airport more than an hour away from the ranch. This way, they were only ten minutes away. Grateful for the short drive, the lid on his boiling anger rattled by the time the plane landed.
Sam didn’t worry about leaving Elizabeth at the ranch while he went to see Morgan. She’d enjoy seeing Jenna and the new baby. Willow was only a few months old and Elizabeth could fuss over her with Jenna while he went to see Morgan.
They drove to the ranch in the spare SUV Jack left at the airstrip. He, Elizabeth, and Grace walked in the front door of the family home and greeted everyone. He made it clear to Jack why he was there. “Let’s go. Now.”
“Nice to see you, too, brother. You can’t even say hello to your sister-in-law and your niece.”
He’d seen them all a few weeks ago, but Jack was trying to get him to calm down. He walked into the Great Room and stood in front of Jenna and Willow. They made quite a picture rocking in the old family rocking chair. Jenna, always stunning, seeing her with little Willow curled up on her chest sleeping took his breath away. He loved his wife and daughter, but he had a special place in his heart for Jenna. He always had.
“Hello, beautiful.” He leaned over to kiss Jenna on top of her head. He whispered to his niece, “Hello, mini beautiful.”
Elizabeth found Sam’s greeting for Jenna and Willow sweet. He turned to mush around them. Jenna had encouraged Sam and her to get together. She’d helped her open her restaurant in the Merrick Building. They’d become sisters over the last couple of years. She already had two brothers, so it was nice to have a sister. Sam needed to take a breath. He’d been running on empty for too long now. Jenna had a way of calming him when no one else could.
Jenna took Sam’s hand so he couldn’t walk away. “Hello, Sam. I’m glad to see you. Jack surprised me a little while ago. He said you two have something to do, but he won’t tell me what it is. What are you two up to this time?”
“Is Jack going with you to see the person involved in your case?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yeah, he knows someone who might know something about the murders. We’ve got to go.” He pulled away from Jenna
and kissed Elizabeth and his sweet baby girl, Gracie, and headed to the door. “Let’s go, Jack.”
Jack smiled at his wife and Elizabeth. “Looks like it’s time to go.”
They left the house and their confused wives behind and walked to the stables. The women would be fine. They had a one-year-old, the twin boys, a baby, and Elizabeth’s pregnancy to talk about and keep them busy.
“Why are we going to the stables? Do you have to check on the horses before we go?” Sam asked.
“No. We’re riding over.”
“Over to where?”
“Next door.” Jack sidestepped to avoid the punch he thought Sam might throw. Sam only glared, fists at his sides.
“It’ll take about forty minutes to ride, but I figure you need time to let your anger subside. You can’t see Morgan if you’re angry. She can’t handle it.”
One of the ranch hands waited by the stables with two saddled horses. Sam mounted his horse as Jack got up on Blue.
“Are you telling me Morgan lives next door to you?” Sam asked angrily.
“Didn’t I just say that?”
“I ought to kick your ass for keeping this secret. How long has she lived next door?”
“A little more than two years. Do you remember the house and property that came up for sale down on Sycamore Drive? Tyler wanted to buy it.”
“Yeah. It sold before he had a chance to make an offer on the place.”
“Morgan bought it. To be fair, I didn’t know she lived there, until about a year ago.”
“You’ve known for a year how to find her. You know what happened a few weeks ago with the press conference and her leaving Tyler. Why would you keep it a secret that you knew how to get in touch with her?”
“Because she asked me to. No one, except me, knows that she lives there. I mean it, Sam. No one knows. She’s there alone. I found out she lives there by accident. I wanted to see if the new owner would let me put some horses in the empty pastures. I went over to ask, and I found her. At first, I didn’t know it was her, but she sure as hell knew me. She knew things about the family. When she said her name is Morgan, I knew it was her.”
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