“Oh, man, I’ll bet that pissed her off. So, here’s what we do,” Muffin began. “You give me the names and any other pertinent info, and I check them out. If I find anyone who looks suspicious, we’ll take a closer look.”
Twenty minutes later, Max pulled into the parking lot of the Beaumont Gazette. A cream-colored Mercedes was parked in one of the slots. “Boy, you must’ve given somebody on your staff a really good raise,” he said.
“Oh, no, that’s Destiny Moultrie,” Jamie said with a sigh as the woman climbed from her car. Destiny had not picked a good time to show up. “She’s going to be our new Divine Love Goddess Advisor.”
Max frowned. “Come again?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Destiny raced around to the passenger door as Jamie climbed out. The woman was wearing her bathrobe and bedroom slippers. “Oh, thank God I found you,” she cried. “I drove by your house, but you weren’t home. I figured I’d check here just in case.”
Jamie could see the woman was upset about something. “Um, Destiny, this is my partner, Max Holt.”
Jamie didn’t miss the knowing look in Destiny’s eyes as she looked his way. “It’s about time you showed up,” she said. Max arched both brows in question, but Destiny turned to Jamie and grasped her hands tightly. Jamie was surprised to find them icy cold.
“I had a vision.” Destiny glanced to her side. “Ronnie, get lost, this is important.”
Jamie winced inwardly. Just what Max needed to hear, she thought.
“The name is Max Holt, not Ronnie,” Max told her.
“Destiny isn’t talking to you,” Jamie quickly said. “Ronnie is from the spirit world.”
“Actually, he’s between worlds,” Destiny said. “He doesn’t know he’s dead, so he follows me everywhere.”
Max simply nodded as though it made complete sense. “Okay.”
“I’ve been eating garlic pickles all day,” Destiny told Jamie.
Which explained her breath, Jamie thought.
“I know it sounds crazy, but when I eat garlic pickles I dream a lot.” She looked from Jamie to Max. “Sometimes I have waking dreams or visions where I see things.”
“Destiny claims she’s psychic,” Jamie told Max. She wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she expected, but she was surprised when Max merely smiled politely.
“Nice to meet you, Destiny.”
“Same here.” Once again, she turned to Jamie. “Anyway, I awoke about an hour ago, and—” She paused and shuddered. “I saw this woman. Her skull was crushed.”
“You’re right, Destiny,” Jamie said. “A woman was found dead this morning. Remember, we discussed it.”
“No, Jamie. You don’t understand. I’m talking about another woman. A second victim,” she added. “It hasn’t happened yet.”
CHAPTER FIVE
JAMIE FELT A SENSE OF FEAR, A FEELING OF DREAD wash over her. Then she reminded herself she didn’t believe in psychics. Yes, but Destiny had told her things, things that couldn’t be explained. She suddenly realized Destiny was shivering, despite the warm night. “How do you know these women are not one and the same?” Jamie challenged.
Destiny sneezed. “I just do. The second woman will put up a fight. There will be scratches on the killer’s arms.”
“Did you see the victim’s face or the face of the killer in your vision?” Max asked, surprising Jamie.
“Believe me, I tried.”
“This sounds a little far-fetched,” Jamie said, no longer knowing what to think about the woman’s predictions.
“It’s true,” Destiny said.
Max looked thoughtful but remained silent.
Jamie wanted to send Destiny on her way, but the woman appeared too upset to drive. “Destiny, we need to get you inside,” she said. “You don’t look so good.”
Max followed them. Jamie noticed he didn’t seem a bit skeptical when Destiny announced that Ronnie was right behind her. Jamie turned and eyed Destiny suspiciously. “If you’re so certain this murder is going to take place, why can’t you see the killer?”
Destiny paused and looked at her. “I’m blocked, okay? Everything is murky. I don’t know where or when the murder is going to take place, but one thing is for sure—” She suddenly sneezed. “It’s only a matter of time.”
IT WASN’T UNTIL JAMIE HAD GOTTEN DESTINY INside and sat her down in the small kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee that she stopped shivering. “All I keep seeing is this poor woman,” she said. “Fighting for her life,” she added, followed by another sneeze.
Jamie grabbed several tissues and handed them to her.
Max leaned in the doorway listening. Jamie gave him a cup of coffee and he quietly thanked her, all the while watching Destiny closely, as though trying to make up his mind about something. Jamie wondered if he was trying to decide whether Destiny was the real thing, and she couldn’t help feeling surprised. Did Max actually believe what she was saying? Of all the people in the world, Max Holt struck her as the last person on earth who would believe in psychics.
Jamie joined Destiny at the table. She had her eyes closed. “What are you doing?” Jamie asked.
“Looking for a face,” Destiny said. “All I’m getting is a view of her, the victim, from her shoulders down. Struggling and fighting for her life.”
“Is she wearing something unusual?” Max asked. “Maybe something with a monogram on it?”
Jamie glanced up quickly. Was Max merely trying to humor her?
“I’m not getting anything.” A fat tear rolled from Destiny’s left eye and slid down her cheek. “There’s no use trying to force it. It either comes to me or it doesn’t.”
“What about the garlic pickles?” Jamie asked.
Destiny shrugged. “That’s something my grandmother used to do. It sometimes works, but not always.”
Jamie tried to think, tried to open herself up to what she was hearing. What she knew about psychic phenomena was next to nothing. But she was certain Destiny believed somebody was about to die.
Max put down his coffee cup. “Jamie, may I have a word with you?”
Jamie looked at Destiny.
“I’m okay. Besides, I need a minute to myself.”
Max and Jamie didn’t speak until they’d reached her office and closed the door. “Max, I know all this sounds and looks strange, but—”
“Not really.”
Jamie couldn’t hide her astonishment. “Are you saying you believe in this sort of thing?”
“I don’t disbelieve. I think there are some things in this world that can’t be explained. And I believe the woman saw something. She’s obviously hysterical.”
“She spooks me, Max. I mean, she shows up in my parking lot in her bathrobe with stories of visions and murder and some guy named Ronnie from the spirit world. You don’t think that’s strange?”
“Have any of her predictions come true?”
Jamie told him about Destiny’s vision concerning Lamar. “I want to believe her, but she has a ghost following her around, for Pete’s sake. I don’t know whether to take her seriously or call a doctor.”
Max put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Listen, I’m not saying she’s the real thing, but I think she bears listening to. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to put Muffin on the case. I think we should use every possible means to catch the killer before he strikes again. If what Destiny says is true,” he added.
“I’m scared, Max,” Jamie said. “I honestly can’t bear the thought of my column being responsible for Luanne Ritter’s death. I don’t care if everybody in this town did hate her; she was still a human being. And the thought of somebody else getting killed is more than I can handle.”
Max took her in his arms. “Then we’d better get to work.”
JAMIE UNLOCKED THE FILE DRAWER IN HER OFFICE and pulled it out. She found what she was looking for right away. She joined Max and Destiny.
“Max and I thought maybe you could look through some of these ads and
see if you get a feel for them.”
Destiny looked doubtful. “I’ve never been real good at psychometrics, but I’ll give it a try.”
Max slid forward in his chair. “Jamie, before you get started, I’d like for you to make a copy of the ads so I can fax them to Muffin.”
“Sure, Max. It won’t take but a couple of minutes. Please help yourself to more coffee if you like. Also, there are soft drinks in the refrigerator and maybe a couple of stale doughnuts.” Jamie hurried into the reception area where the copy machine and fax were situated along one wall near Vera’s desk. She felt like she had stepped into a bad science fiction movie.
When she returned, she found Max and Destiny talking softly. He seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying. “Here are the copies.” Jamie handed them to Max, and showed him to the fax machine. “Call me if you need me.”
He nodded and went to work.
Finally, Jamie joined Destiny on the sofa. “Okay, here’s what we’ve got.”
“There’s only one problem, Jamie,” Destiny said. “Even though I’ve never been really good at this sort of thing, it works better if the object is handled by the original person only.”
Jamie gave her a blank look. “Come again?”
“In this case, the actual author of the ad.” She reached for one of the sheets of paper. “The way psychometrics works is that you feel the energy from the person who touched the object.”
Jamie tried to hide her skepticism. “You’re saying since I was the last one who touched these ads they will hold my energy?”
Destiny nodded. “At least some of it. What we can do is look at the ads and see if anything stands out. Maybe something will come to me. It might help later in a vision, who knows?”
Max returned and reclaimed his seat. “Okay, I faxed the info to Muffin, and she’s already at work on it.”
“I’m afraid we’re not having much luck,” Destiny said. Jamie nodded in agreement. “We’re just looking through the ads, seeing if anything sounds unusual or, um, ominous. For example, the heading on this ad reads ‘Looking for discreet relationship. Must be open to new experiences.’ ”
“You’re right, that’s scary,” Max said.
Jamie realized he was teasing her. “We don’t know what it means,” she said. “ ‘Open to new experiences’ could mean he’s into kinky stuff.”
Destiny pondered it and finally shrugged. “Or maybe he just likes sailing or horseback riding,” she said. “That could be one way of looking at new experiences.”
“But why would he insist on discretion?” Jamie asked. “Doesn’t that sound a little paranoid?”
Max shrugged. “It could mean he doesn’t want people to know he found a date through a personals ad. That doesn’t mean we don’t check him out, though.”
“How many ads do you have there?” Destiny asked.
“Only seven, since I just copied the ones from the men. I have all their addresses and phone numbers. The way it works is, they pay for the ad, which includes a couple of dollars extra for postage, and when I get a reply I forward it to them. It’s a new feature, of course, and I’m hoping it’ll catch on. As least I was until I heard about Luanne Ritter’s murder.”
“Did you happen to notice any return addresses from those who responded to the ads?” Max asked.
“There weren’t any,” Jamie told him. “They obviously wanted to keep it confidential. Small town and all,” she added.
“Take a look at this ad,” Max said after a minute.
Jamie shuffled through the pages. “Yeah, I remember that one.”
Destiny leaned forward and read, “ ‘Till Death Do Us Part.’ ”
“Did you not think that sounded strange when you read it?” Max asked.
Jamie shook her head. “No. It could simply mean this person is looking for a lifetime partner, which is what a couple of the ads say. Now that someone has been killed it sounds pretty menacing, and we definitely need to check it out.”
“Don’t you have anyone who sounds like a guy I’d want to meet?” Destiny asked, surprising them both. “Hey, I’m new in town; I wouldn’t mind meeting a nice guy. He’d have to be open-minded, of course.”
Jamie almost welcomed the change of subject. “My editor Mike Henderson has a crush on you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“He’s a little young.”
“Young is nice. Two of my husbands were old and died on me. It’s such a hassle planning a funeral.”
Max cleared his throat. “I believe we have work to do, ladies,” he said.
Jamie nodded. “Okay, this ad reads, ‘Don’t Pass Me By,’ and another one, ‘Walking on Sunshine.’ ” She suddenly chuckled. “Oh, listen to this. ‘Offer Good for a Limited Time.’ ”
Even Max chuckled at that one.
“They all seem to be searching for the same thing,” Jamie said. “A woman looking for a good time who might be interested in a long-term relationship.” A sheet of paper fell to the floor. “Oh, I almost missed one. Listen to this. It reads, ‘Deeper Than the Night.’ ”
“That sounds nice,” Destiny said.
“Yeah, listen to his ad. He says, ‘No matter what path you choose, keep it simple, but throw your heart into it.’ ”
Destiny sighed. “Wow, that’s deep.” She glanced to an empty space in the room. “Oh, stop acting jealous, Ronnie. Remember, you’re dead? It’s not like I can go bowling or coon hunting with you.” She rolled her eyes at Jamie. “That’s Ronnie’s idea of a good time, if you can believe it. At least the last guy that attached himself to me had a little class. He was an English professor.”
Jamie just stared at her.
“How old is this guy who claimed to be deeper than the night?” Destiny asked.
“Thirty-five and never been married.”
“Which means he doesn’t have children,” Destiny said. “Believe me, I’ve had my share of stepchildren. I should take the ad home and put it beneath my pillow tonight. Maybe something will come to me. You should give me his name and address. I could drive by his house; see if I get any vibes.”
“These are confidential.”
“You didn’t mind letting me hold them a few minutes ago,” Destiny objected.
“That was different. I was seeking your, um, professional opinion. If you want to meet this guy, you’ll have to go through the proper channels like everybody else. Only, I’d hold off until we look into the murder.”
Max checked his wristwatch. “It’s after midnight. We need to go home and get a good night’s sleep. By morning, Muffin will have a lot of the information I requested, and we can start from there.”
They left the building a few minutes later, once Jamie had locked up. Destiny pulled away in her Mercedes as Max helped Jamie into the passenger’s side of his car. He joined her in the front seat a moment later.
“Max, we need to talk about Destiny,” Jamie said. “I know she sounds convincing, but surely you don’t believe in the supernatural.”
“I simply try to keep an open mind,” he said. “I’ve seen and heard of instances where psychics have taken investigators right to the crime scene. In fact, I was personally involved in one of those instances.”
Jamie looked at him. “You were involved with a psychic?”
“The son of a close friend of mine was kidnapped for ransom five years ago. A woman just appeared at his front door with all the information the police needed to find the boy. They still call on her from time to time.”
Jamie felt the goose pimples rise on her arms. “But what about this Ronnie, this dead spirit that Destiny claims follows her everywhere?”
Max grinned. “Yeah, that’s pretty strange, but from what I’ve read, and this is only what I’ve read, some people get lost between worlds when they die suddenly or violently because they’re confused and don’t know they should go to the light.”
“The light?” Jamie shook her head. “Max, do you know how that sounds?”
He laughed.
“Yeah, I know, but there have been cases reported. Some priests believe in it. Why do you suppose exorcisms are performed? It’s believed that a dead spirit can attach itself to a live human. I read all this stuff when I was a kid. I was really fascinated with that sort of thing.”
“You’re really scaring me now.” Jamie said shuddering. “I don’t think I want to talk about it anymore.”
“I know it all sounds far-fetched like you said, but I believe the woman in your office tonight saw something that frightened her. I don’t think she was faking it.”
“I’ve lived in a small town too long,” Jamie said. “I believe in what I can see. Could we change the subject?”
“Yeah.” Max looked at the dashboard. “Muffin, are you there?” he asked.
“Yes, and I’ve been listening to every word. I’m with Jamie. This whole thing gives me the creeps.”
“Then let’s talk facts. You got anything yet?”
“Do you know what time it is?”
“I know it’s late, but—”
“So, go to your hotel and get a good night’s sleep. I should have something for you in the morning.”
Jamie was glad they were headed in a different direction. That’s exactly what she wanted to hear: facts. “You’re not staying at Frankie and Dee Dee’s?” she asked.
Max shook his head. “I need a place to work while I’m in town, and I wouldn’t be able to think straight with Frankie and his wrestling buddies around. Besides, I’m not into arm wrestling.”
“Where are you staying?”
Max shrugged. “Where am I staying, Muffin?”
“You have reservations at the Carteret Street Bed and Breakfast.”
“It’s really nice,” Jamie said. “Probably not as nice as you’re accustomed to,” she added, suspecting Max had stayed in some of the best hotels in the world. “But you should be comfortable there.”
“You have a suite on the first floor,” Muffin said. “It has a sitting room, courtyard, and private entrance on the east side. Guaranteed late arrival; you’ll find a key waiting for you beneath the doormat.”
Max looked at Jamie. “You should stay with me tonight.”
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