by Anne Patrick
Jo watched Mr. Harrison comfort his wife. She couldn't even begin to fathom the heartache the couple must be feeling. This was the part of the job she hated the most. After stepping to the table, she sat down across from them. "Please keep in mind we're in the preliminary stages of identification here. It's possible this woman isn't your daughter, but judging from age, blood type and the fact our Jane Doe only has one kidney, I'm afraid it is Stephanie."
Mr. Harrison glanced up at the casual use of their daughter's name. "Who could possibly do such a thing."
The tears in his eyes prompted Jo to glance away briefly, wishing she had the answer.
"I'm afraid she is one of four victims that have been found in the Caldwell County area," Austin informed.
"Are you saying our daughter was murdered by a serial killer?" Mr. Harrison asked his expression hardening.
"We believe so, yes," Jo answered.
"Do you have any suspects?" The sharpness of his voice prompted his wife to whisper something Jo couldn't make out. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then asked in a much softer tone, "How long has this been going on?"
"The first victim was found two weeks ago and, although, we're making progress, we have no suspects yet," Austin said.
"You're with the FBI?" Mrs. Harrison asked, looking at Jo.
"Yes, ma'am. I work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I'll be consulting on the case."
"Agent McDaniels is one of the FBI's most prolific profilers. Your daughter's case couldn't be in better hands," Sergeant Thomas said.
Jo glanced up, somewhat surprised by his compliment. Had he been so sure of her abilities three years ago maybe three young children and their parents would be alive today.
"What do we do now?" Mrs. Harrison asked, her tearful gaze resting on Jo.
"The sheriff and myself will accompany you to the nearest hospital so that we can get a specimen of blood drawn to be used in comparison to the DNA of our victim."
"How long before we know for sure if it's Stephanie or not?" Mr. Harrison asked.
"Cases such as this are always a priority, so three to four days at the most. We brought the sample with us and will drop it off along with your blood at the local field office here so that it can be sent to our lab in Washington." Jo made a mental note of how many boxes of candy she was going to owe her friend. She then reached across the table and took Mrs. Harrison's hand. "I'm so sorry for your pain and I promise you, Sheriff Garrett and I are going to do everything in our power to see that this man is brought to justice."
Mr. Harrison glared at Jo. "The only justice I want to see is that animal's corpse on the ten o'clock news."
Neither Jo nor Austin offered a reply, understanding better than most the man's outrage at such a senseless and horrendous crime.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Austin glanced over at Jo as they left the Salt Lake City field office. Throughout the course of the morning, she'd kept what little conversation they'd had on a professional level and he couldn't help but wonder if she was still distracted by the sergeant. His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he'd interrupted between the two. He'd been right in his assumption, there was a history between them, but judging from what he'd managed to hear, it was more on a professional level than a personal one.
Which brought him back to the present, and why all of a sudden she wasn't her usual outgoing self. "You okay?" he finally got the nerve to ask as they approached the rental car.
"I'm fine."
He unlocked her door and held it open for her. "You don't seem fine."
She smiled for the first time in hours. "It's just that I haven't done that in a while."
"Been the bearer of bad news, you mean?"
"Yeah. I'm not very good at it. I usually work in the background. By the time I interview the parents and spouses, the initial shock of losing a loved one has worn off."
Her sensitivity came as a pleasant surprise. "I would have thought you were used to it after working at the state medical examiner's office."
"That was a long time ago. I'm not the same person I was then."
Austin fell silent at Jo's words, wondering if she referred to the gift she discovered she possessed while working there. He wasn't entirely convinced she was being straight with him. Why in the world would she make something like that up, though?
They were on their way back to the airport when Austin decided to broach the subject. "What's it like, Jo, when you use your gift?"
She met his curious gaze. "It's like watching a horror movie in 3D, only you're not just seeing the murder take place, you become a participant."
He'd read stories in the Bible about people having visions of future events, but didn't recall any about the past or ones with dead people in them. Whether her visions were real or not, she believed they were and he was going to give her the benefit of the doubt. At least for the time being. "How does it affect you…I mean afterwards?"
"Let's just say I won't be my usual charming self."
He laughed. "How can I help…I mean when the time comes?"
"Just be patient with me. I may say or do things that seem crazy or unethical."
Though he was tempted to ask her to elaborate, he didn't. He knew all too well how possessed a cop could get when they let a case get under their skin, and he suspected it was much worse for her, psychic or not.
*****
On the flight home Austin let Jo sit next to the window and he took the aisle seat. A light lunch of rye crackers, imported cheese, and bagged peanuts was served in route. Since neither of them had an appetite, they declined the stewardess's offer, accepting only the soft drinks.
He glanced sideways at Jo, who sat with her laptop balanced on her legs, her fingers pounding away at its keys. "What are you working on?"
"My case journal. A collection of thoughts and observations I gather during the course of a case. I refer back to it when I begin developing my profile."
"What kind of observations?"
"The way the parents reacted to the news, for instance. How distraught they were, the comments they made. It gives me insight as to how close the victim was to her family and helps in understanding the victim's personality."
"So what did you come up with from the Harrisons?"
"That they were very close to Stephanie."
He was slightly unnerved by the casual use of the victim's name. Cops usually tried to disassociate themselves from the victim. He'd never been very good at it, though. "You seem pretty confident there will be a match."
"Aren't you?"
"Yeah, but I thought maybe you'd used your special talent to come to your conclusion."
"I can't control when it happens, the images just sort of pop into my head, but if I concentrate I can sometimes initiate a vision when I'm with the body or at the crime scene. Along with the images, I can sense what they were feeling just prior to their death…their fear and anger for instance, and how hard they fought to stay alive."
He pondered her words and thought of her reluctance last night. "Should I be worried about this afternoon when I take you to see the other victims?"
She tossed him a lovely smile. "It'll be okay."
*****
Jo took the woman's hand in hers and closed her eyes. It was several seconds before anything happened. Then as if watching a television with poor reception, blurry images began to flash in and out of her mind. The only sound she heard was that of her own breathing. Then came voices—lots of them, as if she was in a crowded room where several different conversations were taking place. A rash of chill bumps rose on her forearms as she began to sense someone watching her. The adrenaline surging through her veins made her pulse quicken. It wasn't long till she began to feel dizzy, her breath becoming labored. Then her knees grew weak and she felt her legs start to buckle.
Austin grabbed her by the waist. "I've got you."
Her eyes flew open and she turned and came face to face with Austin. "I'm okay," she barely managed, raising her hand to his solid
chest.
"Funny, you don't look it. What do you say we take a break?" He attempted to guide her away from the gurney.
Jo resisted, struggling against him. "No. I'm okay." She forced herself to take slow even breaths. "Why don't you wait outside? I'll be all right."
"Fine, have it your way, but I'm not leaving you alone in here."
She nodded, glad he insisted on staying. She didn't want to be alone. Stepping back to the gurney she took the woman's hand again and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she became dizzy and felt a pair of hands grab and steady her. Eyes tightly closed, her eyeballs darted back and forth as if watching a tennis match. The voices were gone now, but she wasn't alone. They were in a different location, somewhere dark and musty. Suddenly she felt a sharp prick just below the hairline on her neck. Then it was as if she was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. She felt something tightening around her neck squeezing the breath from her. She opened her mouth, gasping for air, the oxygen to her lungs shut off. Her heart began to pound as fear settled in. She knew she was going to die.
"Jo, are you okay?"
Jo heard Austin's voice, but couldn't respond. Her voice, like her body, was completely paralyzed. She began to gag and tried to raise her hands to her throat. But they wouldn't move. The pressure on her neck increased and she could feel herself struggling to hold on, clinging to a life she didn't want to end. There was no pain, only fear, and the desperate struggle to survive.
Jo struggled to let go of the vision, but the fear and anger were too strong. More powerful than anything she'd ever felt before. Her lungs seemingly empty of air, she continued to gag and claw desperately at her neck.
"Jo! Snap out of it," Austin shouted as he grabbed hold of her arms.
Physically and emotionally drained, she collapsed in his arms.
*****
The foul odor of smelling salt assaulted Jo's senses and she immediately raised her hand to swat at the person evil enough to use it on her.
"Are you okay," she recognized Austin's voice.
She opened her eyes and glared up at him. "I was until you stuck that crap up my nose."
"She's okay."
Jo glanced up at the other half dozen men positioned around her now and found the familiar face behind the voice. "I can't believe you let him do that to me, Brad."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea. I still remember the black eye you gave me when I used it on you after our first autopsy."
"Okay people, show's over." Austin offered his hand and she took it.
Standing on wobbly legs, Jo watched as the others disappeared from the room, leaving her alone with Brad and Austin.
"You scared the living daylights out of me," Austin said.
"I told you, you should have waited outside."
"Do you mind telling me what is going on here?" Brad demanded. "Why wasn't I notified that you were coming to view the bodies?"
"After the attitude, you copped with me after I took the urine sample yesterday I was afraid you'd think I was taking over your morgue."
"Look, Jo, we're all professionals here. I'll be the first to admit that mistakes occasionally happen, but I assure you none were made here."
"Well, you're wrong then because this woman was drugged."
"You're crazy, Jo"
"I'm not crazy. I'm telling you this woman was drugged."
"How could you possibly know that by a visual examination?"
"It doesn't matter how I know. I just do. Now, either you order another set of tox screens on all the victims, or I'll go over your head."
"You can't be serious."
She folded her arms and met his glare.
"I won't forget this, Jo. You're making me look like an idiot."
"Better you look like an idiot than have this morgue filled with murdered women and no clues as to who killed them."
"I'll see that the state lab has them by this afternoon."
"No, I want them sent to Washington." Taking a pen from the pocket of Austin's uniform, she walked to the counter and jotted down Lindsey's name on a pad. "This is the name of the person I want the samples sent to."
"Fine." Brad shoved past her and out the double doors.
Jo then turned to Austin, "Can we go now?"
*****
When they reached the car, Jo collapsed in the passenger seat, her head back and her eyes closed. She'd known it would be tough, but she hadn't counted on it being this draining. Whoever the victim was, she'd had a desperate desire to live and had fought subconsciously to the very end.
"Are you okay, Jo," Austin asked, several seconds into the ride.
She lowered her head into her hands, and then ran them back through her hair, slowly gaining her composure. She turned in the seat and offered a weak smile. "I'm fine. I just hadn't counted on our victim being so strong."
"Then she was a fighter?"
"Oh yeah. She undoubtedly would have given our perp a fight had she not been drugged."
"I grabbed you some bottled water from the vending machine." He reached beside him on the seat.
She accepted it with a forced smile. "Thank you."
"You looked pretty wiped out in there."
"It usually isn't that bad," she said mostly for his benefit, suspecting he may be feeling a little guilty for having asked her to do it.
Though the victims weren't always as strong as the one she'd just encountered, they all had an exhausting effect on her both physically and mentally. That being the main reason she tried to avoid cases where she was forced to use her ability.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do the others," she added, hoping he wasn't too disappointed in her. "Maybe we can go back tomorrow, once I've had a good nights sleep—"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea."
Surprised by his sudden change of heart, her eyes leveled on him. "It could take weeks to identify these women through NCIC, Austin. I'm the only way we're going to learn anything from them before he decides to strike again."
He met her gaze. "What did you learn from her, Jo, other than she had a strong personality and that she was drugged?"
"I'm not sure yet. I need to see where her body was dumped."
"What good is that going to do?"
His constant questioning of her methods was starting to wear on her nerves. "You asked me to do this."
"Yeah, and I wish I hadn't," he snapped. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror, Jo?" He reached over and flipped down her sun visor. "Look at your neck. You almost ripped out your jugular during your little trip into the Twilight Zone."
Startled by his words, she glanced up at the mirror and pulled back the collar of her white blouse. Her eyes widened at the sight of the dark red scratches down the front of her neck; some were bloody from where her fingernails had pierced the skin.
Jo shoved the sun visor back into its original position and turned to stare out the window, alarmed by her discovery. In the past, the visions had always been graphic, but they'd never caused her to physically harm herself.
"Why didn't you tell me how dangerous this ability of yours is?"
She fought to control her own emotions. What had he thought was going to happen? "I realize the strain you're under, Austin, but venting your anger on me isn't going to help. As I said earlier, it usually isn't as bad as it was today. I need you to keep your head, though. I'm going to need your support. I can't have you questioning my every move. I need to be able to do this without explaining my actions every step of the way."
"I understand that, but I requested your help on this case. I can't help feeling responsible for what happens to you."
"I'm a specially trained federal agent," she was quick to remind. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."
"If that's true, explain all those scratches on your neck."
"I got carried away. It won't happen again."
When he offered no reply, she unscrewed the lid of the bottled water and took a drink, the cool liquid soothing to her raw throat. She turn
ed to him. "So are you going to take me to the dump site?" Jo refused to give up. She had to complete the journey now.
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"I'm fine."
"All right then." He met her gaze. "But I want you to promise not to take it as far as you did earlier."
"I promise."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Austin drove her to the first dumpsite located six and a half miles from Claremont and pointed out where the body had been placed. First Jo knelt and touched the ground with the palm of her hand and closed her eyes. She then sat positioned against the tree, just as the body had been found eleven days ago.
"Must you do that?"
Annoyed at his interference she opened her eyes and glared up at him; "Please, Austin, I have to be able to concentrate."
He gave a heavy sigh and crossed his arms.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the tree, forcing herself to take slow, even breaths. Her mind clear of all thoughts, fuzzy images began to pop in and out of her mind.
She watched as the dark figure opened the back of a van and lifted a bulky blue tarp into his arms. He then carried it into the woods, laid the bundle on the hard ground, and began to unwrap it. With latex-gloved hands, he pulled the body from the tarp and positioned it against the tree. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a string from a plastic bag and tied it to the toes of her nude, decapitated body. He then carefully positioned her hands at her sides, palms to the ground, his hand lingering momentarily on her left hand.
He stood and peered down at the body, surveying his handiwork, making sure he left no additional clues. Smiling, he picked up the tarp, and after checking the ground where it had laid, he made his way back through the grove of trees.
"I don't think she's his first victim," Jo announced, glancing over at Austin.
He turned to face her. "Yes, she is. Jane Doe number one, five-six, one hundred-thirty pounds, medium complexion, brown hair," he rambled from memory.
"Then there's a body out there somewhere that hasn't been found. He seems too confident with this one like he's had practice."