“Fingers. They’re why the chief called you in, and I’ve been over this pile of rubble several times. Came up with buttkus.” He picked up a small, misshapen piece of concrete, hauled back and tossed it into the rubble. The sharp clunk of it landing against a scrap of metal echoed in the quiet of the late-morning stillness. Adam. Cranky. Not the best situation.
“Right,” I said, trying to feel through the waves of heat that gave the wreckage a surreal appearance. I closed my eyes and the tip of my index finger found the diamond nestled in my navel, rubbed it through the fabric of my shirt. My good luck talisman. I needed a sign, something to guide me, but nada. Not a single clue, intuitive or rational, popped into my head. Not surprising since most of my psychic ability was centered in my fingertips.
Looked like I was going to have to tackle this sooty, messy, pile of debris the hard way. “I’m going to start over there.” I pointed toward a large slice of board sticking up from the rubble. “Maybe it’s the sharpness, or that it stands out from the rest of this mess, but what the heck, I have to touch something.”
“I’m right behind you.” The change in his pocket jingled as he jumped down from a thigh-high mound of debris. I’d taken a less active path. Annie’s borrowed sneakers weren’t up to a whole lot of scrabbling, and they were a good half size too small. Still, I was grateful she kept them in Adam’s car because I’d opted for heeled sandals and a short skirt this morning—trying to look professional for my meeting with Chief Hayes. What can I say? I’m a Libra and we do enjoy our sexy shoes. Given the circumstances, my Doc Martens would have been a better choice.
The piece of wood that had caught my attention loomed over me, jagged and scorched, reminiscent of something from a science fiction movie. I set my fingers against it and got a single, hazy image. “All I see is the fire. And there’s the sensation of an explosion and intense heat.”
Adam grunted, jotted down some notes. I didn’t tell him about the ripple of apprehension that crawled over my skin. There was something hinky about the image, and not from the wreckage per se. It was how my fingertips picked up the picture, all foggy around the edges. That had never happened before. My fingers had always transmitted clear, precise images.
I moved to a different spot on the charred wood hoping to get some more helpful information. “Okay. I’m seeing a guy with a hardhat, burly, construction worker, looks like the stereotype. Weird. The blast should’ve altered the energy field too much for me to catch any pre-explosion images.”
This picture was hazy too. The anomaly sent another blast of anxiety through my body. I shook it off. Probably had something to do with the heat wave that had captured North Carolina for the past week.
“You’re on target. The builder sent their best people to check things out after the arson team was done.” He pulled off his shades and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Headache?” I asked as I smoothed my skirt tight against my thighs and hunkered down to touch the ground.
“Yeah. This case is a bear.” He slid his glasses back on. “Whatcha got?”
“Same thing. I don’t know, Adam. I’m not getting anything you can use. Maybe my gift isn’t right for this kind of work.”
I stood and lifted my hair off my neck. A light breeze stirred, helped to cool the sweat that had pooled along my neckline. I transferred the fistful of hair to one hand, slid my other hand in my skirt pocket searching for a clip. No luck. I sighed and dropped the heavy mass of damp curls as I moved to the other side of the hunk of wood, reached out and touched.
“Okay, this is different. I’m seeing a person in a black outfit with a hood. Totally covered.” I shook my head. “That doesn’t make any sense does it? And he seems to be…crying.”
“Not probable. Something’s off with you today.”
How the hell was I going to work with the cop shop if they didn’t believe what my fingers “saw?” Not that I didn’t agree with him, but still. And this was Adam. He’d worked with my gift before, accepted it. I shivered, the sensation of goose bumps all wrong in the intense heat of the day. This image had been off too. What could be wrong with my fingers? Damn. I shoved the panic into the cellar of my mind, and shut the door. Later. I’d deal with the panic later.
“That’s what I see.” The edge in my voice was palpable, sounded harsh against my ears. “Guess the heat’s getting to me. Who would be wearing a hood in this weather?” I muttered, and then faced him, shaded my eyes with my hand. “I think we should stop, at least until it cools down. Maybe come back tomorrow?”
Sweat trickled down Adam’s face and the sun had turned his fair skin an unhealthy shade of pink. “Pick you up at six tomorrow morning. No way in hell am I reporting back to Hayes with a whole lot of nothing.”
As soon as I got home, I gulped down an icy glass of water, and then got busy creating a salad. By the time I’d added fresh herbs, avocado, pecans, cranberries, mushrooms and garbanzo beans to a bag of baby greens, there was way too much food for one person—so I did my usual speed dial for Annie.
She answered on the first ring. “How’d it go this morning with the Chief and Adam?”
“Okay. No. That’s a lie and...look, I made a huge bowl of salad. Want to join me for lunch and hear the unfortunate details?”
“On my way.”
“Perfect,” I said to the buzz of a dial tone. Annie spent a bunch of years working for one of those secret three-letter government agencies, but nowadays she has a successful private inquiry business that puts her skills to good use. She accepts my hinky touch thing and I accept her secrecy. Sort of.
Her footsteps clattered on the stairs just as the microwave dinged. I pulled out the warm sourdough rolls then set them on the table with a crock of butter.
One end of my kitchen bumps out into a bay window creating just enough room for a tall, round table and four chairs. Yesterday I picked up a bouquet of pink, red, blue, and purple anemones—their soft, black centers a sharp contrast with my asymmetrical purple and red pottery. The table looked great—except, no dishes or napkins. I spun around to grab them.
The delicious fragrance of warm chocolate followed Annie into my kitchen. “What’d you bring,” I asked as I lifted the blue-checked cloth covering the basket in her hand. “Oooohhh. Brownies.” I took a deep breath, savoring the scent and my taste buds prickled with anticipation. Annie made the best brownies, gooey, with pecans and a caramel drizzle.
She put her finger on my nose and pushed me back, away from the basket. “Salad first.”
I looked at her. Really looked. “You cut your hair. Ohmygod! You didn’t tell me. We always talk about radical hair changes.”
The heat wave was having an unusual effect on all of us. Yesterday Annie had shoulder length, blonde hair and looked all feminine and sexy as hell. “It’s short. Really short.”
I circled her taking in the new hairstyle from every angle, reached out to ruffle the curls that were only about three inches long. “You know, I think it looks really good. But it’s going to be a terrible annoyance when you try to buy adult beverages.”
“I know.” She took the napkins out of my hand. “I didn’t mean to let him do this when I went in for my regular trim this morning, but it was so hot outside, it just happened. I haven’t gotten used to it yet I’m liking the feel of a bare neck. And the innocent look. Wonder if I can come up with a sweet expression to go with it?”
“Have you forgotten who you are? I mean the part about being a retired sniper?” I asked.
She eyed me over the rim of a soda can. “There is that.”
“Uh-huh,” I continued. “The very excellent ex-agent who saved my life not so long ago.”
“Had to save you. I wasn’t ready to give up these great salads,” she mumbled around a mouthful of lettuce.
I hadn’t taken a bite. Couldn’t seem to stop staring at the new Annie. She shot me a green-eyed glare, so I picked up my fork and speared some salad. “I like the hair a lot, but I hate that you did it without
me. A major transition and I missed it. ”
“You were busy at the station. What do you think Adam’s gonna say about it?”
“I, um, think you maybe want to ask a different question. Adam will say you look just like his little sister, which you are, so no surprise there.”
“And what is this question you think I should be asking?”
“Oh, maybe how your hunky beau, Sean Martin will like it?”
She gave me an eye roll. “What’s the scoop on your meeting with the Chief?”
“Changing the subject, much?”
She licked her lips and shoveled in another bite of salad.
“It won’t do any good to ignore me because eventually you’ll explode if you don’t spill about Sean.”
“The chief? Adam? Stay on topic, huh?”
“Adam is babysitting me as we check out sites of industrial demolition. It seems there’s been an unexplained bunch of construction problems lately, and Chief Hayes is having a hard time with the whys and wherefores.”
“So he asked you to help?”
“Against his better judgment and totally at odds with his common sense, yes he did.”
“Don’t hold it against Hayes, El. He’s a fair man, you know that. I’ll give him a call, see if there’s any way I can help out.”
“That’d be great. And I know he’s a good guy, but sometimes I get tired of being strange.”
There was a pile of crumbled sourdough roll on my plate. Embarrassing. I pushed the rest of the role aside, picked up my fork and stabbed another mouthful of salad then just gave up and started clearing the table.
“Something happened.” Annie caught my arm. “You’re face is all pinched like you’re about to hyperventilate, and you didn’t eat.”
“There’s something wrong with my fingers.”
Annie swallowed, watched me, her gaze wary. “With the magic?”
“Yeah. Hazy images. Never happened before. And then there was…”
She wiggled her fingers in a come-on gesture.
“It wasn’t anything. Really. Okay, so maybe something. When I left the chief’s office this morning I snagged my heel on a bit of loose carpet, lost my balance and grabbed the doorframe.”
Annie sucked in a breath. “Uh-oh. What’d you see?”
“An officer with a nasty, smug expression. The image held a strong sensation that he’d gotten away with a whopping big lie. And he was…odd. Or maybe it’s me. All of the images I’ve gotten today have been…foggy.”
“Help me understand. Foggy is bad?”
“Yeah, scary bad.”
That nagging sliver of unease worked its way into my brain again, and opened the cellar of my mind.
Okay, I know you’re freaked but there’s probably nothing you can do about the foggy, it being a gift and all.” Annie wrinkled her nose. “Was there anything concrete about the officer that you could share with the chief?”
“Not a thing, so I took the silent way out. Didn’t say anything to either Adam or Hayes. Probably it’s no big thing. The Chief is smart and will catch the guy if it’s anything serious.”
“Hmmm. True, and officers lie just like the rest of the population. I’m more concerned about why you think this guy is odd?”
“Don’t know exactly. It was a dark night, cemetery, goose bumpy sensation. Nothing rational, so I’m thinking it’s best to forget it.”
“I agree. You have enough going on—first assignment for the department and all.”
“I know. I’m feeling…exposed.”
She nodded. “I get that. What’s your plan for the rest of the day?”
I looked up from loading the dishwasher. “Nothing really.”
She leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms. “Un-huh. Start talking.”
One thing about Annie, she knew a blatant lie when she heard one. “Mitch is going to stop by on his way home from the airport
I pointed to her chin where a dollop of caramel had landed. She grabbed her napkin and swiped it across her chin, then grinned. “Guess we know what you’ll be doing this evening.”
“Um-hum. I need to keep busy so I don’t get all whacked out about seeing him. I thought I’d pay a visit to either North Construction or C. J. Builders, see if anything interesting pops up, maybe touch things and test my fingers. Maybe it was the heat causing the distortion in my sight. What do you think?”
“Death.”
A chill skittered along my arms. “Death?”
“Yeah. Yours at the hands of Hayes and Adam when they find out you’ve been investigating on your own.”
“Not investigating exactly. I just want to get a feel for the players. No telling what my fingers will pick up, and it would be an opportunity to test the images I’m getting. See if they’re hazy when I touch people, or just stuff.”
“You could touch me, test out your fingers,” she said then added an emphatic nod. Probably trying to convince herself it was the right thing to do, but the hesitation in her voice told me otherwise. Annie had secrets.
“No. That would be disrespectful to our friendship. And, we’re close. I think I need to test it on something…unfamiliar so I know for sure it’s my fingers creating the image, not my rational thought process.”
“Makes sense. Still—”
“Hayes officially added me to the team.” I poured soap in the appropriate compartment, closed the dishwasher and punched the start button.
She shook her head. “I’m gonna guess he didn’t authorize any solo events.”
“We didn’t discuss details, so I’m free to explore.” I slipped my keys into the side pocket of my handbag and slung it over my shoulder.
“Okay. What’s your plan?” she asked.
“Plan?”
“Yeah. You can’t just go barging in without a plan.”
I shrugged. “I’ll be lost. Ask for directions. Hayes and Adam will never know I did this and it’ll give me a chance to play catch up. Adam’s been working this case for a few days. Knows all the players. I don’t. Puts me at a disadvantage. And with the finger malfunction…”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re really nervous—make that scared to death?”
“Well, yeah. What if my fingers are messed up and I can’t do this? It’s the first time I’ve been asked use to use my gift—officially. And what’ll it do to my coaching business? I depend on the ESP link to do the right thing for my clients.”
Annie pulled her cell out of her back pocket. “First things first. How about you check in with Adam?”
“No. I don’t want anyone to know. I need to do this. Alone. At least until I figure out what’s wrong.”
She looked suspiciously like she was going to call Adam no matter what I thought, so I kept talking. “How about I promise not to do anything but drive by the offices, maybe park, see if anything interesting happens?”
Both hands were tucked behind my back, fingers crossed.
“Do not get out of your car,” she said as she stood and tucked her cell away. “You can test those magic fingers someplace safer.”
“I’ll be careful.” I pointed to the pocket where she’d slipped her phone. “I can call you if anything looks, or feels dangerous.”
Annie tried to tuck her a curl behind her left ear. It sprang free. “I really don’t like you out by yourself, even for surveillance. You have this way of getting into trouble. But if you have your cell and we’re in touch—”
I tried not to look relieved. “Great. “
Annie’s nose wrinkled up. “You know, your experience with surveillance work is limited. I’m not sure—”
“I am sure. My new phone takes good pictures, so I can document anything suspicious.”
“I’d be a little more comfortable if you weren’t so excited.” Her lips clamped together. “It’s not a thrilling task, and I know you. You’ll get bored, add your own excitement, and all hell will break loose.”
I shrugged, pulled a clip out of my handbag, and clamped my
hair in a tail. “You’ll be right there on the other end of your cell phone watching over me. What could possibly go wrong?”
Also by L. j. Charles
The Gemini Women Trilogy
The Knowing
An excerpt
One
“The vision comes with the last snowfall of spring.”
It sounded ridiculous. I knew that. But if I didn’t at least try and explain the creepy things going on in my life I’d never get any help. And I needed help. Desperately.
Dr. Cautell sat across from me. Perched on the edge of her chair and protected by the expanse of her heavy oak desk, she clicked her pen. Twice. Three times. The sound echoed in the silence and skittered along my nerves. Probably one of those torture devices psychiatrists use to make people talk.
It worked.
“Look, this is North Dakota not California. I’m not prone to—" I flapped my hands in the air— “flights of fancy.”
“Tell me more about the visions, Ms. De’brie.” Dr. Cautell looked like someone’s grandmother—not mine. Her gray hair was cut pixie style, and still held remnants of faded blond. Her eyes, a clear, piercing blue, tried to probe into my soul.
“They’ve come every year for the past three years. Wake me up in the middle of the night. I get a clear picture of a murder. Some murder, somewhere.” I licked my lips and wished for a bottle of water. Make that a dirty martini with bleu-cheese stuffed olives.
She inclined her head for me to continue.
“I don’t see the killer. Just the murder. But I know what’s happening. Through his eyes, his hands.” I shuddered, all three visions hovering at the edge of my mind.
“Dreams can seem real.” Her voice was soft, soothing, and lightly laced with slow vowels that carried a touch of lament. The Dakota accent. It didn’t put me at ease.
“Nope. Not a dream. I dream all the time. Never remember a thing, well, rarely. This is different. I’m there. It’s like looking through his mind, knowing he’s going to kill. Watching him kill. Feeling him kill.”
a Touch of Ice Page 29