by A J Sherwood
“Perfectly,” Donovan assured our boss brightly. “This’ll be fun; just like the old days.”
“By saying that, you make us sound old—” Garrett playfully shoved at him “—which I resent. There is resentment here, Havili. I’m not old. I’m younger than you are.”
“Uh-huh,” Donovan agreed drolly. “A whole three days younger.”
“Younger is younger. Don’t be giving me your shit.”
“As the oldest person in this agency by a whole decade, you can both shut up,” Jim said. His eyes crinkled in a silent smile, emphasizing his crows’ feet. He waved a hand to indicate his salt and pepper hair, as if in illustration of his age. “I need to start the paperwork, so after you get him outfitted, bring him back to me, Donovan. And all three of you be on your toes. I had an email come in from another station, requesting us officially.”
I straightened, trying to read what he felt. Jim was a bundle of curiosity, intrigue, and a touch of nerves, all mixed in with a dark line of dread. “How bad?”
“Not good,” Jim admitted, before explaining to the other two, “You will both discover that when another station requests us as a whole agency, the situation has gone pear-shaped. Some stations don’t like psychics, won’t work with them until their back is against a wall. Our station here isn’t like that—they pull us in often—but when another station makes a formal request for us? Someone who doesn’t normally even acknowledge our existence? Then I know it’s bad, which means my people aren’t going to be treated well while working the case. Some stations we won’t even walk into, there’s such bad blood between us.”
“It gets even more dicey in other areas, because it means we have to travel and stay in a different city if it’s too much of a commute,” I added, my gut sinking like a rock. “Jim, do I even want to ask who’s put in the request for us?”
With a grimace, he sighed. “Clarksville PD.”
I groaned. “Well, shit”
3
Admittedly, I was alarmed by Jon and Jim’s reactions. Jim, as a boss, was probably the most even-keeled person I’d ever worked for. He didn’t get riled up much, and that was saying something, considering the stories I’d heard about what went on before I came here. Jon, of course, was the most patient person I’d ever met, so if even he wasn’t looking forward to this? Then I didn’t want to know. “I take it we’ve had problems with these guys before?”
“You remember that case Carol told you about when you first started?” Jon ran a hand through his hair, messing up the style, a dark expression crossing his face. “The one with the software theft? That was a Clarksville case. We don’t go up there often, maybe once a year, but it never fails that they don’t safeguard the place when I come in.”
“And then they demand he do things he’s not capable of,” Jim added. “Things that aren’t even legal for my psychics to do. The first time I went up, I spent half the time arguing with their paralegal department about points of law. They work with psychics so infrequently, they really don’t understand how to use them right. Each time we go up, the situation improves some, which is why we keep going. That, and we’re under contract to respond if any police department requests us.”
Garrett followed this closely, his blue eyes darting between all three of us as he struggled to both understand and keep up. “You’re under state contract?”
“Federal,” Jim corrected. “Have been for years. Wilson, you’ll learn quick that we only have one of two reactions from cops. Either they love us or they’re skeptical of us. They can accept Carol more readily, I guess because her talents are what people usually see on TV. But Jon? It’s not until he reads them like an encyclopedia that they believe him.”
“News flash: They don’t normally appreciate having a complete stranger air everything about them,” Jon said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as though a headache brewed. “It doesn’t usually make friends and influence people.”
“I didn’t mind,” I pointed out.
“You, my sexy boyfriend, have the patience of a saint,” he said, mouth quirking up into something that resembled a smile. “You are the exception to the rule.”
Well, I couldn’t argue that. I’d seen how people generally reacted to what he could do. It made me sad, really. If I’d just known about him, I could have gotten to him so much faster, shielded him from some of that.
“So when we go up, keeping an eye on our psychics is the priority?” Garrett went into what I thought of as ‘pre-battle mode,’ sharply paying attention to everything said and done around him. I could see it in the way he shifted his stance, his body language more alert than before. His situational awareness was better than anyone else’s, which was part of the reason why I wanted him working with me. “In that case, I really need to properly sit down with both of you and get the full regs on what you do and what you need from me. But Boss, what’s the case that’s dragging us all the way up to Clarksville?”
“I don’t have particulars, just that the case has escalated. Three women have died, and they have no suspects or leads.” Jim ran a hand through his thinning salt and pepper hair, looking stressed already. Never a good sign. “We’re close enough that we can drive the distance, fortunately, but I’ll need all hands on deck for this one. So it’s good timing I hired you today, Wilson. I’m short a man, with Tyson out of the office for the foreseeable future. I’ll make some calls and get us more information to work with, but be ready to roll out.”
That meant rearranging things on our end. We had a few interviews lined up for this week, but not too many. It could be done. Jon clearly thought along the same lines, as he inclined his head toward Garrett. “Get him sorted. I’ll call and rearrange interviews.”
“Okay.” I slipped an arm around Jon and gave him a quick squeeze, trying to defuse the stress a little, which got me a quick smile from him. I knew he wasn’t looking forward to going up to Clarksville, but he hadn’t had me with him before. The situation would automatically improve with me there to run interference for him, which I hoped he realized. It was something he and I could talk about more later.
Jim headed back to his office, a silent signal for us all to disperse. I clapped a hand on Garrett’s shoulder and led him back out and toward the back of the office building, where Sho’s lair was located. As we moved, Garrett leaned in a little and murmured, “I can see why you fell for him so hard, so fast.”
I shot him an amused look. “Do you?”
“He’s handsome and looks at you like you’re better than sliced bread. Hell, if I had a man look at me like that, I’d fall for him too.”
“It’s irresistible,” I admitted truthfully. We’d talked about this a little when I told him I was an anchor for a psychic, but it’s easier to grasp some things when you see them with your own eyes. “Wait, I thought you pansexuals didn’t care what people looked like.”
“Dude, pansexuals focus on the person as a whole. That doesn’t make us blind,” he retorted. “I can appreciate a fine ass as much as the next guy.”
I loved ribbing him. He always had fun reactions. “But you don’t really care, right? It’s the soul and the heart and all that shit that makes someone attractive. I remember you telling me about it. You were downright poetic, although that could have been the beer. You were really plastered.”
“Havili. If you’re looking for a fight, I can oblige you.” He squinted up at me, trying to keep a stern face, but his eyes danced. “I realize I haven’t been close enough to whoop your ass for about three years now, so you might have been pining, but if you need to be sore and bloody, I can do that for you. You just need to ask.”
“I’m absolutely certain that’s not how our last fight went.” I fought to keep a straight face. “I seem to remember you pinned and begging for mercy.”
“Now see, that’s just another sign you’re older. Your memory’s failing you.”
I paused at Sho’s doorway and said casually, “Why don’t we carve out a little time, find some mats, an
d we can work this problem out the old-fashioned way?”
“Only if you promise to do it shirtless and invite me to watch,” Sho said, spinning about in his chair to face us both. “It is guaranteed to be excellent entertainment, not that I know who this gentleman is.”
Our resident IT guy wore his usual oversized hoodie, legs folded and tucked up in an executive-sized computer chair that dwarfed him. His black hair was a little flattened on top from his headphones, which he habitually wore while working. Sho claimed that only Mongolian metal music allowed him to really focus. I knew Sho was in his late twenties, but with his baby face and the way he dressed, he looked like he was barely out of his teens. I’d always found Sho attractive, but he wasn’t really my type. Sho seemed to view me the same way.
From the look on Garrett’s face, Sho might be exactly his type. Garrett tried to play it cool, but I’d seen him on the prowl too many times to mistake that look in his eyes. Oh, I was going to get some mileage out of this later. ‘Soul and heart,’ my ass. With a wave between the two men, I introduced them. “Sho, this is our new police consultant and a friend of mine, Garrett Wilson. Garrett, Michael Sho, our IT wizard.”
“I like this title you have bestowed upon me,” Sho said, waggling his eyebrows. “I require a hoodie that says as much.”
“You make more than I do; buy your own hoodie,” I retorted.
Ignoring me, Sho unfolded himself from the chair and offered a hand to Garrett. “Pleased to meet you.”
Garrett accepted the handshake, cheeks a little flushed. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”
“An old friend, Donovan says.” Sho tilted his head a little as he resumed his seat, gesturing us into the two visitors’ chairs he kept along the back wall. “An old army friend, perhaps?”
“Yeah, we served together for years.” Garrett sat next to me, taking in the array of monitors and computers, the huge TV dominating the far wall, and a dozen other electronic gizmos I could barely identify. “It’s like the Batcave in here.”
Sho’s expression lit up instantaneously. “If I just had an Alfred and a Batmobile, I’d be set.”
“And the billions of dollars.” I shook my head at the two of them. I’d known that if I could ever get Garrett in here, he’d fit right in. He proved me right with every new person at Psy he met. Garrett did better in an environment like this one. “Sho, we need him outfitted. He’ll be training with me and Jon until Tyson’s back.”
“So, Defcon Delta level,” Sho responded thoughtfully.
I filled Garrett in as Sho headed for the bins under the TV, where he kept all his miscellaneous gear. “We’ve got different levels of protection around here. All psychics are a little rough on electronics, as psychic energy isn’t really compatible with electricity. Most psychics aren’t too bad; they don’t emit enough energy to foul things up. Carol, for instance, uses cell phones and stuff, even while doing a reading. Jon’s just an exception to the rule.”
“For generally being around psychics, we have Defcon Alpha.” Sho picked up the explanation smoothly, pulling a laptop and a protective EMP case out and setting it on the chair. “For working here in the office with a psychic, Defcon Bravo. If you’re sharing an office space next door to Jon’s, or if you’re in a location he passes through frequently, Defcon Charlie.”
“And if I’m going to be working right alongside him, Defcon Delta?” Garrett arched an eyebrow at the variety of EMP protective gear coming out of the bins. “So him frying my watch isn’t an isolated incident?”
“Jon fries something on a monthly basis,” I answered with a shrug. “He’s very careful, but sometimes he’s just not paying close enough attention, and zzzzt! Just like with your watch.”
“Gotcha. I’ll try to be on the lookout for him as well, then.”
“It’ll help. When he starts a reading, he has no situational awareness.” Which scared the crap out of me. After working with him for several months, seeing what kind of criminals he was around on a regular basis, I could only imagine how bad it had been before I came on board. “Sho, not sure if this will make a difference, but Jim said Clarksville PD has put in a request for us. We’ll likely be going up sometime this week.”
Sho stopped dead, craning his neck around in creaking degrees like a heroine in a horror movie, sure the boogeyman was right behind her. He was all panic and no disco. “Not again! What’s the case this time?”
“Jim wasn’t sure. Just that they’ve had three murdered women and no suspects or leads. He’s making phone calls now to get more information.”
“Hell.” Sho’s shoulders slumped with resignation. “Well, hopefully it’ll be better now that we have you two.”
“New guy,” Garrett reminded him, pointing a finger toward himself. “Fill me in.”
“Last case was bad,” Sho said. He abandoned the search for a moment and leaned against the cubbies, crossing both arms over his chest. “It was a case of identity theft. Two different companies swore up and down the guy was their engineer, and because he was their employee, they both claimed they had the intellectual rights to an app. The same app. Almost all the evidence was on the computers, and there was only so much of it we could print out. Carol and Jon both were up to their necks with readings, and people kept forgetting that Jon was bad with electronics and getting too close to him. He actively avoided everything as much as he could, but they were careless. I watched them in action, and three different times, they could have avoided an accident if they’d just been mindful. It was hell on Jon, as he kept getting yelled at, and hell on me, as I was the one constantly replacing things. It got to the point he’d just stand in a corner of the room and refuse to come out if anyone from the station was in there with him. It’s sort of funny now, in retrospect, but none of us wants a repeat of that.”
I could see why, and hearing this, it ratchetted up my worry. “If there’s that kind of history, and they’re still calling for him…?”
“Then it’s not a pretty situation up there, and they need a fast close. That’s the only reason why they ever call us, when they want the case solved quickly.” Sho rubbed at his forehead, dark eyes blank as he looked dead ahead. “I’ll need to go up with you, I think. At least the first day. Maybe if we get enough EMP cases up there, we can prevent a disaster.”
“No harm in trying,” Garrett agreed, his smile all charm. “I’ll help.”
Sho ducked his head in agreement, expression a little shy in return. “Thank you. I’ll depend on your help. For now, let’s make sure you’re protected from our menace.”
I stayed planted in my chair as they went through the same process of outfitting Garrett as they had for me. Sho also worked up a temporary ID badge as a placeholder until the official one could come in. He hadn’t done that with me, but it looked like Garrett would need that ID sooner rather than later.
We left the office a half hour later with more things than we’d gone in with, in more ways than one. Garrett had oh-so-casually gotten Sho’s number for ‘work purposes,’ not that I bought that for more than a red hot second. I knew that grin.
Making sure we were out of Sho’s hearing range, I ducked down enough to whisper, “Did you finally find someone short enough for you to flirt with?”
Without compunction, he socked me hard in the rib.
“Oww!” I complained, not because it really hurt—he’d mostly pulled the punch—but for the sake of it. “Why are you abusing me?”
“Because you asked for it, Havili. That man is cuter than a sack of puppies,” Garrett said, his southern accent more pronounced than usual, and he glanced longingly behind him. “Please tell me he’s single?”
“I know he had a boyfriend before, but he’s been single as long as I’ve been here.” A boyfriend Jon had not liked whatsoever.
“Yesss,” Garrett hissed in a relieved breath. “Always awkward flirting with someone and not being sure if they’re just going along for the hell of it or not.”
Trust Garrett to not think it st
range to flirt with a co-worker on the first day of the job. Then again, his easy-going nature about forming relationships with people had made us friends to begin with. I admired his courage. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to do the same. “Garrett. One thing.”
He paused right in the hallway and looked up at me, manner alert. “What?”
“We sometimes have…trouble here,” I said slowly, trying to explain the matter without either over or understating it. “Like I told you before, they try to ambush our co-workers as they leave work in the evenings. I always try to either swing by or call to make sure people got into their cars alright.”
“Like the other night with Jon? If you can’t swing by, call me. I’ll do it,” Garrett volunteered. “No reason to leave an opening for assholes to take advantage of.”
A level of tension that had been riding me for months relaxed at those words. This was the reason I’d wanted Garrett here. Well, one of the reasons. Of course I missed my friend and wanted him around again, but these people were becoming increasingly precious to me. They needed to be safeguarded, only I couldn’t be in two places at once. With Garrett here, I didn’t need to be, and that made a world of difference. “Thanks, man.”
“Wilson!” Jim called from his office. “You ready yet?”
“Coming, Boss-man!” Garrett picked up his pace and headed straight for Jim’s office.
I went hunting for an extra chair so Garrett could sit in our office and work, a happy spring to my step that I didn’t even try to hide.
4
The expected call came in from Jim later that day. None of us were happy about it, but we all grudgingly agreed to carpool up to Clarksville. We rendezvoused the next morning, with people meeting at the office parking lot. I wasn’t at all surprised when Garrett chose to ride with us; he and Donovan had a lot they wanted to catch up on. I was surprised when Sho chose to ride with us, though. Or at least, I was until he and Garrett spied each other and a little spark of mutual attraction raced through them.
