“I don’t remember anything after that,” she said between sobs. “I woke up here, looking like this, and I don’t want to remember any more about how it happened!”
Grace reached out to grasp Beth’s hand in both of hers, stroking the back of her palm to calm her. Grace was willing to attempt a reading on Beth in her current state because she wouldn’t have to relive the memories with Grace during the reading.
Grace brought her awareness to her hands and visualized a dark material sliding away from her fingers and palms and up her arms, leaving her hands in direct contact with Beth’s small one. The vision came quickly.
Grace felt the fear that filled Beth’s body as she moved with her toward the man in the car. The man appeared to be in his mid-fifties, somewhat distinguished in appearance, with gelled and styled salt and pepper hair. A strong jaw accented his broad smile, filled with capped teeth. His high cheekbones were topped by piercing gray eyes that stared at Beth, the smile not reaching them at all. It was a handsome face, but something lurked there beneath the surface giving rise to the “creep vibe” Beth described.
The broad smile broke when a teenage boy distracted Beth’s attention by grabbing her arm and attempting to pull her away. Grace was aware of the pressure on Beth’s arm, but it was nothing compared to the pressure pushing her to go with the man in the car.
Without warning, the man’s eyes morphed to a dark shade of brown, and his features contorted into a mask of rage. Without taking his gaze from Beth, he reached over to the seat next to him. He pulled out a long knife and lunged out of the car to strike cat-quick at Beth’s face, arms, and torso.
When the boy rushed in to attack the man with a pistol, the man jumped back into his car and slammed it into gear. He drove away with a screech of tires. As the pain in her face and arms flared to agony, Beth collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Grace came back to herself, feeling Danny’s hand resting on her shoulder as she struggled to pull herself together and separate herself from Beth’s memories. Working past a fatigue that weighed down her whole body, she visualized the dark material sliding back down her wrists and hands, cutting off her connection to Beth.
“Are you okay?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, I will be in a sec.” She sighed, turning her focus to Beth in the hospital bed.
Beth’s tears were slowing, and her breath was more regular. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything else.” The disappointment was evident in her voice.
“That’s okay,” Grace said, letting her sympathy show in her tone. “You’ve been through a lot, and what you shared with me will help with the case.”
“Are you sure?” Hope lit her teary eyes. “Will you catch him?”
“I’ll do my best. I promise,” Grace said.
“Thank you.” Beth settled back deeper into the bed. “I’m really tired. Is it okay if I rest for a bit?”
“Yeah, sure thing.” Grace let go of Beth’s hand and stood to leave.
“Will you come back and see me again?” Her voice slurred with sleepiness.
“Yes, I’ll come back to see you,” Grace said as she moved to the door. “Sleep tight, Beth.”
“Mmhmm,” was the answer from the bed as Beth slipped into sleep.
Grace found DL outside the room waiting anxiously.
“Any luck?” His tone was hesitant but his face hopeful.
“Not much, but it’s a start,” Grace assured him. “I’ll reach out to Officer Winiarksi with what Beth was able to remember and see if it matches up to anything he’s found on his end. We’ll be able to compare notes when we meet on Tuesday.”
DL nodded his thanks and turned to reenter Beth’s room. Danny joined Grace as she started back through the maze, happy to be heading out of the hospital.
“Did you read anything from her?” Danny asked.
“Yes, I did. It looks like we’re going to need outside help on this one.” She shuddered, remembering the inescapable pull she felt from the man with changing eyes.
Chapter 7
Danny charged out of his room. “It’s Billy. And DL is with him.”
“Oh, boy. Let’s hope they can be civil to each other long enough to get into the house.” Grace opened the door to find Billy and DL standing a good distance apart on the steps, eying one another.
“Hey, Gracie.” Billy slipped by her into the house while Grace turned to greet DL, who was standing with crossed arms on the stairs.
“Good to see you, DL.” Grace moved out of the way so he could enter.
“I hope this isn’t a colossal waste of my time, Grace.” DL confronted her after moving a few steps into the house. “I should be out there trying to keep an eye on my kids, not trying to convince another closed-minded cop that my girls are in danger.”
“Let’s give Billy a chance to show us what he found. He brought some things with him that’ll help us understand what might be happening to your girls.”
DL raised his eyebrows at her but didn’t contradict her.
“Billy’s getting his stuff set up on the table. Why don’t we get you introduced, and you can review what he brought?” Grace led DL over to the table and got Billy’s attention.
“DL, this is my friend Billy, an officer with the thirty-second precinct. He has information that might help us understand what’s going on from a broader perspective.”
DL nodded to Billy. “Yes, Billy and I met on the way here.”
“And this is DL,” Grace continued. “He’s the one who asked me to take on the case. His girls are the ones disappearing.”
Billy shook hands with DL with no outward response to the tattoos or DL’s stern demeanor.
“My condolences for the girls who were lost,” Billy said. “How’s the one in the hospital doing?”
“Beth is doing fine.” DL took a seat at the table. “She’ll be able to go home soon and wait for her surgery to be scheduled.”
“Beth,” Billy repeated. “I’m happy to hear that.”
Billy turned to Grace. “And how did your interview with Beth go?”
“It sucked, but I got through it.”
“Sounds like you faced your demons head on,” he said with satisfaction.
Grace shrugged. “I’m not sure you would say that. I almost threw up all over DL’s shoes by the time I made it to her room.”
DL barked a laugh at her statement but didn’t disagree.
“The hospital smells always get to me,” she continued.
“Yeah, that smell gets me, too,” Billy admitted. “Too many policemen in the family, too many visits to the hospital for gunshot wounds. I’m not looking forward to it being me any time soon.”
DL looked at Billy, his face softening and his body becoming less rigid as he absorbed Billy’s statement.
“Beth wasn’t able to tell me much about what happened that night,” Grace said, looking pointedly at DL before returning her gaze to Billy. “As you can imagine, she was still pretty emotional about the experience and couldn’t share more than a brief description of the man who attacked her.”
“Would you recognize him in the mug books? Do you want to come down to the station? Have the police artist draw up a picture of him?” Billy asked.
Grace considered it for a few seconds. “No, the guy Beth described isn’t someone who’s been in trouble with the law before—too clean cut and professional looking. But what does that mean we’re looking for? Someone up the food chain in drug rings or a crime family?”
“It would be a high risk of exposure for that type,” DL said. “No need to go trolling for girls on the street corner. Might be sex trafficking, but why such an open and obvious approach?”
“It’s possible he likes it personal—the thrill of the chase,” she proposed.
“Maybe,” DL said.
“Did Stan find out anything? Any other girls or women missing the last two years?” she asked.
“Yes.” Billy sounded satisfied. “Turns out Dayan Springs has more t
han two dozen main locations for prostitution inside the city limits. Plus several hot spots which come and go.”
“I didn’t know that,” Grace said. “Was Stan aware of that before he looked into this for you?”
“I’m sure he was.” Billy laughed with chagrin. “Because he bet me fifty bucks he would get me the information I needed in two shifts. Fool that I am, I took him up on the bet and lost." Billy rubbed his nose absently.
“Turns out, last year, a city councilman’s wife got upset about her husband’s late night escapades and threw a massive stink. The Chief did a crackdown on prostitution in response. It was more for show than for real effect. But Stan helped by identifying the prime prostitution areas based on earlier arrest records and interviews with patrol officers across the various precincts.”
“Well, it’s great for us. Sorry you lost fifty dollars, though. Did he find something to help our case?”
“Stan said it was weird. In the past year, since he last checked, several prostitutes dropped off the radar. But they weren’t arrested for prostitution or possession. He followed up with a few patrolmen, too. They confirmed those girls hadn’t been around for some time.”
“They wouldn’t notice this earlier?” she asked.
“There’s turnover at those locations. But when asked, they admitted a few of the most senior girls were no longer working those areas.”
“I take it there wasn’t a major social program underway to remove ladies from the streets in the last year?” Grace asked.
“No, Stan confirmed that too. The data aligns with what you thought. But nothing conclusive, yet.”
“So where does that get us?” DL asked.
“We have three facts.” Grace ticked them off on her fingers. “One. Young homeless girls disappearing. Two. Prostitutes aren’t seen at their regular locations anymore. And three. A girl whose attacker convinces her to approach him against her will. And then he tries to hurt her when someone intervenes.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re connected,” Billy countered.
“I know. But I’d like you and DL to compare notes in person and test for a connection.”
“Stan and I marked on the map where the missing prostitutes frequented. Each of these areas circled in red marker are where these women were last seen. Or at least are places they worked the most often.”
Billy pointed to several circles positioned at different locations on the map.
“That’s all we’ve identified in common for the women.”
The circles clustered around six or seven main areas. The number of circles, and some of the locations, surprised Grace. Even though Billy had told her about the number of places in the city where prostitution was happening, seeing it on a map like this made it real.
“DL, why don’t you add the information about your girls to the map?” Grace suggested. “It might let us see if there’s a pattern to the locations.”
DL stood to take the piece of notepaper he had showed Grace earlier out of his pocket, this one updated with locations.
“Is it okay to write on the map?” DL asked Billy.
“Sure,” Billy agreed. “Sounds like a great idea to help us visualize the whole story. How about you mark the girls’ information in blue. Then we can keep the two groups separate.” He held out a blue marker.
“Yeah, that makes sense.” DL took the marker and compared the map to the list in his hand. “Can you help orient me? Where’s the intersection of St. Luke’s and Grossman?”
Grace’s attention came back to the discussion as she heard DL say, “That’s the last one.”
She nodded to herself with satisfaction when she saw all but a few of the blue and red circles overlapped each other. She walked around the table, trying to get a view from all sides.
“I was right. They’re connected, at least by location.”
“You sure were, Gracie. But what does it mean?” Danny leaned in to look at the map.
“That’s what I’m hoping we can figure out with all this brain power in the room.”
“There is a pattern, at least a general one,” she said to the room.
Billy shook his head. “I didn’t believe you were right, Grace, even after finding several women matching the profile.” He motioned toward the map with a marker.
“It was great idea to put them on the map, Billy,” Grace said.
“Yep. But adding DL’s information in another color helps. It shows the overlap well without losing the original information.”
“But what does it mean?” DL asked. “I mean, beyond the obvious overlaps. How will it help us find the guy who’s doing this?”
“I don’t believe it will,” Billy admitted.
“Didn’t your original list have dates?” Grace asked.
“Yes, dates the girls disappeared.” DL reviewed his list of names. “Or at least approximate dates.”
“I’ve got dates, too.” Billy shuffled through his notes. “Approximations for when the prostitutes went missing or dropped off the radar.”
“If we add the dates to the map, starting with the earliest one and moving through to Beth, we might see a pattern,” Grace suggested.
Billy and DL worked through their lists, adding dates to each circle on the map.
“It’s not making sense,” DL said, when they finished, examining all the marks on the map. “It’s only a random mess.”
“We’re just missing something that will pull it all together,” Grace said. “We should let this sit for a few days to see if something comes together. In the meantime, I have another idea on who I can connect with to get additional help.”
Chapter 8
Grace walked up the sidewalk to the front door of their townhouse, the heaviness after Beth’s reading still dragging on her. Every time she used her abilities, it left her drained, achy, and cranky afterward. She was getting better at using less energy during the readings, engaging less of herself. But there was still a price to pay later.
She spotted an envelope taped to the door and yanked it down before unlocking the door.
“What’s that?” Danny peered around her to see the note.
“Looks like a note from Sophie.” Grace dropped her car keys and backpack on the side table as she opened the envelope and scanned the note inside. “She says she has a client at seven tomorrow night but will be here right afterward. Typical Sophie to leave a note rather than a text or voice mail.”
“Great!” Danny turned to go up the stairs. “I’m glad she’ll still make it to my party!”
“Danny, wait a minute. We need to talk. I really think we should reconsider having Sophie be part of your birthday party.”
Danny turned away from the stairs to face her, giving her a hurt look. “Gracie, you promised we would share our secret with Sophie tomorrow. You promised me as a birthday present.”
The guilt squeezed her chest. There weren’t many material things she was able to give him these days. So when he asked for a party and for her to invite Sophie, she hadn’t had the heart to say no.
“I need to talk to Sophie about DL’s missing girls and the man that was mesmerizing them. She might be able to help us figure out what’s going on. And talk to her about my abilities, to see if she can help me figure out more about what’s going on with me.”
She scrubbed a hand over her face. “We’re risking enough just for me to talk about my ability to see ghosts. I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to know I have one living with me, especially you.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to trust someone besides Billy. Particularly someone who might know a thing or two about what’s happening with me.” Danny’s face reddened. “Things aren’t always about you, Gracie. Maybe I would like to have more than two people in my life that know I exist!” He turned and ran up the stairs.
Grace stood in place as Danny ran to his room and slammed the door. Great, Grace. Way to spoil his birthday!
With Danny sulking up in his room, she went through the town
house, moving from one crystal geode to the next. The geodes were around all the rooms, sitting on tables and bookshelves and in nooks and crannies. They ranged in size from small knickknacks to a large centerpiece on the dining room table.
She touched the surface of each geode with the fingertips of her right hand, focusing her attention on the inner glow emanating from the crystal. To a casual observer, it would appear the glow was a play of the light over the crystals or they were working lamps. The larger crystals had electrical cords running from them to outlets to encourage the idea, but there were no light bulbs in them.
Grace concentrated on sending energy into each geode as she touched them. Not too much energy, as drained as she was, but enough to make the spark a bit brighter in each. A real recharging needed to wait until she recovered. But she always made it a habit to walk through the house each time she came home to make sure every crystal got a small boost to be sure Danny always had access to as much energy as he needed to manifest whenever he wanted.
This was something she and Danny stumbled upon a few months back. She was trying to learn as much as she could about her abilities and how to deal with them. Danny knew about storing energy in crystals from his science classes. They worked together to see if Grace’s ability was able to do something similar.
Danny helped set up what he called a “systematic evaluation” of different crystal types to find the best ones for storing her energy. They narrowed it down to a few types. Now they were one of the most frequent visitors to the local shops specializing in crystals.
Grace wasn’t able to get the energy back for herself. But once she stored it in the crystals, Danny could use it to become corporeal. The more physical presence he wanted, the more energy it took. Over the months since their discovery, Danny learned to use only enough to have a physical presence to work with his computer.
He was also able to become corporeal by touching Grace and using her energy directly. But they tried to avoid using the direct method too much. It was harder to regulate the energy flow under direct contact, and it could lead to a habit of manifestation whenever they touched.
Glamorous: A Grace Bishop Novel (Grace Bishop Novels) Page 4
