by Paris Morgan
“It’s okay, I get it. I can be a little intense. If I promise to do better, will you let me join you?”
They exchanged glances, giggling. “Of course. But girl, we’re going to have to do something about your wardrobe.”
“What’s wrong with my wardrobe?” I hurried to catch up with them.
“It’s got this dark vibe. You’ve got to let the sunshine into your soul.” Shelly laughed at me.
“What if I don’t want sunshine and roses?” I crossed my arms defensively.
“Seriously? No one wants to be depressed by just looking at you.” Kara gave a little bounce. “I’ve got it! Let’s go shopping. I know just the store that’ll have something to dress you up, and retail therapy always brightens my mood.”
“Wait a minute. I thought we were going to get a drink?” I protested.
“We are, and then we’ll get one of the drivers to take us into town. Then we can drink and shop.” Shelly clapped her hands in delight.
“Lord help me. I’ve fallen into the clutches of a couple crazy women,” I muttered under my breath.
“Lead on, temptress.” This was a day I was going to regret.
***
My head hurt so badly as the small amount of light seeped in through the window.
I got up to adjust the blinds, and noticed the clothes scattered all over the room.
That’s why my head hurt. The girls had talked me into shopping, a trip to the salon, and drinking lots of alcohol. I don’t think I’d had a hangover like this since college.
A knock on the door made me groan. “Go away.”
“Leslie, come on. We’ve got a video conference with Agent Watson. He’s going to update us and tell us about the case,” Ryan pleaded quietly.
“Ugh! Why couldn’t he pick a day when my head didn’t hurt like it’s being split in two?” I flipped the lock and pulled the door open before flopping back onto the bed. A pillow covered my eyes just as Ryan turned on the light.
“Wakey, wakey,” he singsonged.
“Did you turn two in the past twenty-four hours?” I threw the pillow at him as I covered my eyes with my hand.
“Nope.” He walked over to the window and opened the blinds. “It’s just what we always said to wake people up at our house.”
“Then you can wake up in hell for all I care,” I groaned as the room became brighter. “Tell Agent Watson I’m on vacation.”
“That’s a pity, Detective. I do like the new highlights.” Agent Watson grinned at me from the laptop Ryan had sat on the top of the dresser.
“Oh, that’s evil.” I glared at Ryan as I sat up, making sure that all my body parts were covered.
He ignored my words and handed me a cup of coffee.
“Agent Watson, what’s going on that couldn’t wait for a more reasonable hour?”
“She doesn’t know that it’s one in the afternoon, does she?”
Ryan just grinned. “Nope.”
“Well, doesn’t really matter much. It’s more what we haven’t found yet, Detective. There have been no murders linked to a Virgo killer. Not even a whiff of something anywhere in the U.S.”
“He’s saving them all up for a grand finale, isn’t he?” I took a sip of coffee, hoping it would calm the pounding in my head.
“That’s what we’re thinking. Sort of like the Taurus killer, who only killed in groups of four or more,” Agent Watson agreed.
“Since we know he was involved in Kara’s disappearance for those few hours, then we can assume that he’s not done with us yet.” I grimaced as the pounding continued.
“With all the digging that we did last month, we may have sent him into hiding. He might not be able to communicate with his people as easily as he did before,” Ryan suggested, sounding hopeful.
“No, that’s not it. He’s waiting patiently. Mary Ann said he wants me for himself, as in a relationship with him. I’m his target, which is why I’m not going to care anymore.” I got out of bed and sat the coffee cup on the nightstand.
“You’re going to have to pursue this guy on your own. I’m not interested in playing his game. I’m going to enjoy life. If he doesn’t like that and kills people, then so be it, as long as it’s not me.” The bathroom door shut behind me and I leaned against it, hoping that my attitude of not caring worked.
The shower’s spray felt good, but the pounding in my head didn’t stop.
“Good grief. What do you want?” I asked the cosmos.
“For you to let me out of this closet!” Mary Ann yelled.
“Ow.” I put a hand to my head. “Don’t do that. I’ve got a pounding headache.”
“I know. I’ve been pounding for an hour. There’s something you need to know.” She spoke more softly as I listened.
“What is it?”
“He’s going to kill Mac. Yesterday’s excursion really pissed him off. You were happy, not worrying about the case, and that’s not what he wants to happen.”
“How do you know he’s going to hurt Mac?” I turned the water off, paying close attention now to what she was saying.
“Because he told someone that he needed to get your attention again.”
“Who did he tell that to? He had someone kill guys the past two months. It’s not likely he’d have a third month with men dying.”
“I don’t think he’s as worried about sticking to that plan as he is trying to make you work on the case.”
“That’s crazy. I only went out one day. It’s not like I can get a mani-pedi every day.” I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me.
“Ryan, Mary Ann says that he’s going to try to kill Mac.”
“Leslie, do you believe her?”
“I’m standing here in a towel, so yeah, I think she’s telling the truth.” I went back inside and closed the door.
“Thanks,” I whispered as I realized that the pounding had stopped. Maybe Mary Ann had been the reason for all of my headaches.
***
Chapter 6
Ryan
“What on earth was she talking about?” Agent Watson demanded an explanation. “Mary Ann is dead, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, that’s kind of a sensitive subject. Technically, she is dead. Somehow, there was a possession, or transfer, when Mary Ann died, and now she’s hanging out in Leslie’s head,” I explained as Leslie disappeared back into the bathroom.
“Why wasn’t I told this when it happened?” He took a deep breath and waved the question away. “I’m guessing that Adam knows?”
“Yes, sir. He’s suggested that Leslie use her connections to the psychic world just like you would a CI. Which is why the information about Mac is so important.”
“I’ll send word though the proper channels for Mac to be careful. But since he’s undercover, there’s not much we can do without alerting the people we need information on.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll let her know when she’s in a more agreeable mood.”
“You do that, Ryan.” He started to end the transmission, but stopped. “Oh, and Ryan? Watch out for her. I don’t like this new ‘don’t give a crap’ attitude.”
I shook my head in agreement.
“We’ll keep you updated if we hear anything on this end.”
“Yes, sir.” I closed the laptop, and then stood there, confused. Was Leslie expecting me to hang around, or would she want me to leave?
“Uh, Leslie? Agent Watson is going to pass on the information. I’m just going to wait in the hall until you’re ready to discuss stuff.”
“Thanks, Ryan. There’s no reason for you to hang around, though. I have to meet up with Kara and Shelly,” she called through the door.
I wanted to bang my head against the wall in frustration. Why was she acting like this? She’d accused me of acting like a two-year-old not long ago, and now she was the one being childlike.
The door shut behind me and I stood there for a moment, trying to decide if I should go see Adam or wait around.
Getting another perspective on her weird behavior seemed like the best course of action, so I went to find Adam.
***
“Do you know why Leslie’s acting all crazy?” I questioned as I burst in the room where Adam was working on the computer.
“Um, I’d say it’s that time of the month, but we’ve known her for a while. She doesn’t get too crazy at certain times of the month, so it would have to be something else,” Adam joked. “Exactly how crazy are we talking here?”
“Well, she was throwing down all kinds of attitude, and being really sarcastic and mean. More than her usual sassiness. She basically told me to go to hell.”
Adam looked up from the screen. “That’s not like her at all. It could just be a hangover?”
“I’d think it was that, but she walked out of the video conference with Agent Watson to go take a shower.” I was at a loss. “Oh, and Mary Ann thinks Mac’s in danger. The Zodiac Master has a hit out on him.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” Adam jumped up and into action.
“Agent Watson said that he’d pass on the information.”
“Well, that’s not good enough for me.” He started pacing as he dialed Mac’s number.
“Hey, our mutual friend just gave me a heads up that you’re on the list of those going down. Watch your back. He’s determined to make an example of you,” he informed Mac.
I couldn’t hear what Mac said, but he must have been agreeing because Adam was nodding.
“Before you go, I have a question. Has our mutual friend ever stopped caring about justice?”
Adam grew grave and ended the call.
“He’s worked with Leslie for years, and has never known her to ignore someone needing help. There’s something else going on, but he said to give her some space, and just to keep an eye on her.”
I motioned to all of the equipment in the room. “Pretty sure we’ve got that covered. What else can we do?”
“Find out who our killer of the month is. I have a feeling he’s going to do something to prove he’s still in control to Leslie. I told Agent Watson that we need someone walking the perimeter each night. He wasn’t too keen on the idea, but promised to see what he could do.”
With a flop, I landed on the couch, watching Adam pace. “Do you ever get the feeling that maybe Agent Watson doesn’t have our best interests in mind?”
Stopping in his tracks, Adam turned to face me. “What makes you think that? I thought you liked him.”
“I do…well, I did,” I corrected. “He was just a low-level guy when we were in California, and now that he’s taken over, it’s like he’s become someone else. He was a nice guy then and now, but I keep getting the vibe that we can’t completely trust him.”
“Good. I wondered when you and Leslie were going to pick up on that. My bullcrap meter has been going off from day one, but he does seem to do the job. Just not as thoroughly as he could.”
“You mean that your psychic vibes go off when he’s around?”
“In a way. I’ve been around a lot of directors, and the good ones don’t stop until the guy is caught. We’ve had so many close calls and suspects die that we figured there was an inside person. I’m beginning to think it’s someone way up at the top.” Adam pulled up a computer screen that held the background checks on everyone we’d been looking at.
“You added him to the list? What did you find?”
“It’s more what I didn’t find that bothers me. With his salary, he’s living right on the line with only a few loans. His family is still in California, but he doesn’t even call them. Like, not ever.”
“Wow! I can’t imagine doing that. I’m not even a father yet, and I already want to make sure that things are going good by calling Shea daily.”
“Exactly!” Adam slapped his hand on the table. “He’s not calling his family for one of two reasons. One, to make the person blackmailing him think he doesn’t care. Or two, because he doesn’t really care, which is really cold.”
“The impression I got from him was a nice, warm-hearted guy just doing his job.” I scratched my head in bewilderment.
“Those who lie the best are the ones who can become anyone. I personally think the Zodiac Master has something on him. His boss, the lady that got transferred after the Aries case, there’s no mention of a black mark on her record. She just gave up the case with no explanation. They made it look like she left because she had to. What if she didn’t want to give information to someone who was killing people in exchange for protection for her family?”
This changed the way I had looked at everything. “If he’s on the bad guys’ side, how are we going to protect our people without him knowing?”
“We’re not. He’s protecting them fairly well. It’s those of us out here in the field that he can offer as bait to the Zodiac Master, or inform the suspects that we’re coming at the last minute.”
Adam tapped the computer he’d set up next to the laptop. “I’m using two different systems for my searches. One is what I want the FBI to know about, and the other is what Galen fixed up for me before he left. It hides the IP address and bounces it around so that it can’t be traced.”
“He and Mac had a conversation over a private network, where he suggested that we start using this instead of the FBI stuff. We can remotely access the files we need using Agent Watson’s ID so it looks like he’s the one checking on stuff, but we get the information.”
“So is everyone running some sort of secret operation and I’m the last one to know about anything?” I fumed, put out at being left behind.
“No. Some things are easier to communicate through the psychic network, but even Leslie isn’t able to hear what Galen and I are thinking. We’re pretty sure it’s a family thing. Not that we can’t communicate with others, but it’s easier, and we can do it without thinking about it because we’re family.”
“Still makes me feel like I’m being left out, but that’s my issue. Just remember us normals can’t communicate like that and have to be told stuff.” There, I felt better.
Maybe I was starting to pick up on all these hormones from being around women more. It was making me feel inadequate.
“Hey, Ryan. Feeling inadequate is something we all feel.” He winked. “Just wanted to keep you in the loop.”
I looped him in with a couch pillow to the head.
“Let’s get back to work on this stuff and see if we can find something that will give us a break.”
***
All afternoon while we were digging through financial records and files, I kept replaying the word through my head: Inadequate.
“Hey, Adam, I’m going to go walk around for a bit and check on Leslie from afar, so I don’t get something thrown at me. But I want to make sure she’s alive.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be right here. Any chance you could pick up something from the kitchen so we don’t have to cook?”
A glance at the clock showed it was getting close to dinner. “Sure, I’ll see what they have available.”
The light outside was so much brighter that I had to put a hand over my eyes until they adjusted. Leslie had been right, it was really sunny out.
Nothing seemed out of place as I made my way to the kitchen to let them know I’d be back to pick up our food.
Wandering around aimlessly, but with an eye out for trouble, I found myself heading to the counselor’s office.
Lu’s door was shut, but the one next his was open.
“Um, are you busy?” I gave a light tap on the door.
The woman smiled in welcome. “Not at all. Come on in. I’m Peggy, and you are?”
“Ryan, and I’m in need of an impartial opinion.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” She closed the door behind me. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“I keep hearing the word ‘inadequate.’” I let out a nervous chuckle. “Everyone keeps saying how good it is to talk about your problems, so I thought I’d try it.”
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“Everyone needs a listening ear on occasion. So, you’re saying that you feel inadequate?”
“Not really that I feel inadequate, but that I’ll be inadequate. I’m expecting my first kid and don’t think I’ll measure up.”
“Congratulations!” Her face lit up at the news. “That’s wonderful. A new birth is always a joyous time, but with it comes more worry, and those feelings and doubts spring up quickly. Everyone has them at some point.”
“That’s not really helpful, though.”
“Okay, let’s see if we can dig a little deeper into what’s causing the worry or feelings of inadequacy to the surface. What do you think the baby is going to do once it arrives?”
A sheepish look came over my face. “Eat, sleep, poop.”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. So what part of that don’t you think you can handle?” She watched me closely. I was beginning to sweat, and she wasn’t even interrogating me.
“It’s just that I won’t be there as much as I’d like.”
She smiled. “Most parents are worried that because they’ll be at work, they’ll miss out on their first word, or their first tooth making its appearance, but you know what?”
I guess she was expecting an answer, because she didn’t say anything else.
“What?”
“Babies are more attuned to your voice and how you act while you’re with them than a list or recording of all the times you weren’t home. No one can be with their child twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.” She laughed. “If they did, we’d have more crazy parents that would have to be admitted to the asylums.
“Our children learn from us, but they need the input from lots of others as well. In a perfect world, all children would have two sets of grandparents and two parents. While that isn’t possible most of the time, the children still grow up well-adjusted because of the love that the parent puts into the child.”
“Then why are there so many who end up in prison or committing crimes?” I burst out before offering an explanation. “I may not have mentioned that I’m in law enforcement and see a lot of crap.”
