Ed licked his lips. "A guy I know. He said it was fun. Said it would help me get what I wanted."
While they spoke, I drew up feelings of safety and contentment and tried to get the emotions to calm Ed. I may as well have been using a feather to knock down a wall, and I was left feeling shaky enough to join Logan at the table.
"Who's this guy?" Logan asked.
"Don't know him well. His name's Terry, but I don't know any more than that."
"What did you want from Terry?" Logan asked.
Ed looked at Logan with his forehead creased. "Man, I wanted what everyone wants. Money and an easy life, maybe a little to smoke up now and again."
"What else did Terry say about it?"
I continued to watch as Logan and Ed volleyed back and forth.
"I don't know," Ed said. "I don't know, get it out of here. Away from me."
"He must have said more."
"I thought it was a good luck charm. He talked as if it was some sort of drug. We were both wrong. That's not what it is."
"You believe in good luck charms?" Logan asked.
"It doesn't matter, that's not what it is."
"What is it?"
"It's possessed. He sold me evil bottled up."
"So you believe in possession?"
"No. I mean I didn't before."
"Now you do?"
"It's crazy, but I'm telling you." Ed slid down the wall and tried to make himself smaller. "That thing is possessed. You need to get it away from me."
"Why did you think it was a good luck charm?" I asked, trying to drag his attention away from the necklace.
"Terry said it would help me get what I wanted. He said it was good, and it would help me. I thought it would bring me luck, or help bring money into the house." Ed focused on me, but, inevitably, his gaze went back to the table.
"Tell me why you killed your girlfriend?" I asked.
"She— it was an argument, and she was yelling. I snapped. I lost it. I'm not even sure what happened. I don't even remember what happened."
"What made you think it was the necklace?" Logan asked.
Ed didn't say anything. He sat in the corner, pale-faced and sweating. It looked like he was trying but failing to look away from the plastic bag.
"What made you think it was the necklace?" I repeated Logan's question and reached for the bag.
"It... something came out of it." Ed's voice quavered. "It filled me up, filled up the room. Then it was over."
Not wanting to drag Ed down a bad Path, I didn't pick up the evidence. Instead, I leaned back and scratched my temple to let Logan take over the conversation completely, and I read from where I sat.
A range of colors swirled across the room. Memories of old Paths that hadn't worn away, along with Ed's additions to the tapestry. The necklace was encased in soft red halo.
Maybe traces of Ed's homicidal actions? I moved around, adjusting to view the necklace at different angles, but saw nothing beyond its own smooth glow.
I rubbed my eyes and leaned back. A red blaze flashed from under the plastic and winked out again. It was like one of the small sparks that flew away from welders, but encased. I moved again, trying to catch another glint, but couldn't reproduce the results.
Color rippled, and the Path flowed smoothly around the room, no matter which current I rerouted or layer that I peeled back, I couldn't find that dazzling light.
A rushed knock made me jump and the Path poured over me.
Gripping the table for support, I heard Ethan's voice at the door. "Can I have a word?"
I had a tenuous hold on my power, but, with a struggle, I anchored myself down long enough to force the torrent away. Weariness crept over me as colors went dreary.
Logan had been my partner long enough to know when I ran into trouble, and he waited at the table. Once I gave him a small nod and stood, he snatched up the evidence, and we left the room. Seeing Ethan made me put in the effort to appear alert, but I had to lean against the wall for support.
"When our friend Ed came into the station, he made a phone call right away," Ethan said.
I frowned, knowing where this leading.
Rider joined us in the hall, sticking close to my side.
Ethan cleared his throat. "The thing is, instead of calling his lawyer, he called his shrink, and the man's here to see Ed."
Logan crossed his arms. "Psychologist?"
"Psychiatrist, but in residency," Ethan said.
The groan escaped me before I knew it was on its way.
"What is the difference?" Rider asked.
"A psychiatrist is an MD, medical doctor." I gestured to the room with Ed. "Basically, Ed called for medical help."
"Is he injured?" Rider asked.
"Not exactly," I said.
Arms crossed, Logan looked at Ethan. "What's the decision on how to handle this?"
"Given his actions and behavior, I'm inclined to let the doctor in to see him." Ethan shifted and avoided looking in my direction. "When this comes to trial, it could cause trouble if we don't."
A hint of grin showed up on Logan's face. "How'd the DEA take it?"
"The agents weren't too happy, but they can get their drug test with the doctor in the room," Ethan said.
Logan relaxed and rocked back on his heels. "That puts us out of play. At least for now."
Chapter 9
"Did you get what you need?" Ethan asked.
"Well, yes and no," Logan said. "With all his raving about the necklace, we'd like to get a closer look at it."
"It's a murder case," Ethan said, "so all of our evidence can be moved to the top of the heap for processing. It has to go to the lab, though. It's not an in-house job."
Inwardly, I winced. "Is there anything our office can do to help?"
Criminalistics laboratories were great, but I knew they would take time. The evidence would also be passed around. They would wear gloves and take precautions to avoid contamination, but with the type of work we do, the more people around it, the less we can get from it.
Ethan hesitated. "For as often as Ed mentioned this thing, if the case goes to trial that necklace is going to be involved somehow. If it's tested separately from the rest, and not in the state lab, it's going to look bad."
He wasn't wrong, but it wasn't an ideal outcome.
Ethan looked at me and I tried to make my face look neutral, but I'm not sure it worked.
"Now," Ethan said, "I know you all have pull, and you could take this thing out of here tonight if you really wanted to, but it might be better all-around if you leave it with us."
Looking at Logan, I could tell he wasn't interested in messing up Ethan's case for the necklace.
"He killed someone," I said. "We're not going to do anything that would jeopardize your work."
I hadn't realized that Ethan was tense until I saw him relax.
"Are you done with the evidence?" Logan asked me.
Feeling a dull ache settling in, I knew I shouldn't push myself further. "I could use a few more minutes, but I think I've done what I can for now. Maybe some caffeine will help." It wasn't likely, but a girl could hope.
Logan passed the necklace on to Ethan. "Are you sending Ed's doctor in now?"
"He has to wait for his supervisor. I'm not really sure," Ethan said.
I threw in the reasoning without thinking. "It sounds like he or she is under direct supervision. They must be early in their residency."
Logan eyed me.
I shrugged. "I knew a few people that were pre-med in college."
"Mind if we talk to some of the officers that were on scene?" Logan asked Ethan.
"Sure thing," Ethan said, "follow me."
Ethan introduced Rider and Logan to the two officers that made the arrest. The men looked like they had been keyed up, but had lost ground to fatigue. I stood well back, knowing that meeting me could make the introductions go downhill fast.
"Agent Heidrich, I'll show you where we keep the coffee." Ethan held
out his arm, letting me go first.
I started towards the direction he indicated, but dropped back to walk beside him in case I went the wrong way.
Ethan took me to a small kitchen, more of an alcove really, and poured me a cup of coffee.
While I mainlined caffeine, Ethan held up the evidence bag. "It's an awkward looking necklace, but I didn't notice anything about it that stood out."
The shape wasn't that important for me to see since there would be pictures somewhere that we could examine. For me, the Path was most important.
I feigned interest with itching to reach out to the Path and explore the thing properly. "Anything special about the design?"
"It's odd is all. Almost like an animal wearing a bird mask."
A uniformed officer came over. "Sorry to interrupt, sir. That psychiatrist's boss showed up and he's really anxious to talk to the man in charge."
Ethan looked resigned. "I'll be right there."
The officer retreated and I could hear him speak to someone down the hall.
Ethan cleared his throat. "This could take a while. Will you be here when I get back?"
"It's hard to say what my partners are up to, but there's a chance." I poured another cup of coffee, pausing long enough to add sugar this time.
"Do you think you and your partners will be taking over the case?"
I almost fumbled the cup. "The homicide?"
Ethan gave an imperceptible nod.
"We have an interest in a few of the details, but from what I've seen, there would be no reason for us to be involved in the actual homicide investigation."
"Good to know." Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "So we won't be working together?"
"We may bump into each other, but no, I don't think we'll be working together."
"Good to know."
Wondering if it was worth chancing the Path, I gestured to the bag Ethan was holding. "Is that being mailed to the lab tomorrow?"
"Driven there. Later today in fact. I'll make sure it gets to the front of the line." Ethan looked like he was going to say more, but the officer came around the corner again. "I'm on my way." Ethan said the words before the officer could speak. "It was good seeing you again, Agent Heidrich."
Before I could help myself, I grinned. "The agent thing is really going to have to stop."
In all, it hadn't been bad that our work bumped into each other. Sure, it would have been nice if there wasn't a dead body involved, but we can't have everything we want.
Ethan looked as though he might take my hand, but stopped. "We'll figure it out." Ethan joined the officer and disappeared around a corner.
I topped off my cup while listening to Ethan introduce himself. When I peeked down the hall, he wasn't in sight. Taking the opportunity, I sagged against the wall and closed my eyes. The coffee and sugar made me jittery, but it wasn't giving me any strength back. Real sleep was going to be needed if I was going to be useful. Why did I have to stay up so late last night?
My mind wandered back to Ethan and the kiss next to my car. Ahh, that was why.
It had been worth it.
The noise down the hall lowered, allowing Ethan's voice to filter through. He wasn't yelling, no one was, but the irritation in his voice was clear.
I couldn't quite make out the conversation, but I heard the word 'rights' and 'violation' from more than one mouth. When I knew my feet wouldn't fall out from under me, I moved down the hall to see what was happening.
Ethan was talking to a tall, overweight man dressed professionally. Due to his age, I figured he was not the resident, but the supervisor. The man's face was calm, and the words didn't have much in the way of heat, but I could tell he was less than pleased.
I felt bad for Ethan, but I was glad this wasn't my problem, and since I had drunk more coffee than any person should ever try to drink in a short period of time, I searched for a restroom.
When I found my way back to the room, the conversation was still going. Since the only inappropriate action had been taken by the DEA, and we had put a stop to that, there was no reason for this aggravation.
Maybe I could pull up the Path enough to share some calming emotions. Moving towards Ethan, I figured I'd find out fast. There was a desk close enough that I could sit and be effective but unobtrusive.
"Cassie?" The voice came from behind me, and it was familiar enough to root me to the spot. The voice lowered. "What are you doing here?"
Zander. Of all people, why did it have to be my ex? It didn't take much of a leap to figure out that he was the resident.
My jaw clenched, and I turned to face him.
"Zander, it's..." No, I wasn't going to say it was good to see him. The last time I saw him, he was trying to have me committed to a mental institution. Forcibly. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I'm here for work. What on earth are you doing here?" The concern dripped out of his voice, making me want to cringe.
Trying to keep my face passive felt futile. "Work."
He stood a few inches taller than I did, and his hair was cut shorter than when I had last seen him. He looked professional, standing there with two cups of coffee and worried eyes watching me. Intently. I could feel him trying to locate a tremor or sign that I would lose grip with reality.
"You work at the police station?" Zander let a hint of skepticism into his voice.
"No, I am here for work. I work with the Department of Treasury." It was a defensive response.
There had been a few times when I had pictured myself running into the man I had once planned to marry. There were things I was going to say, but none of that was coming to mind.
Zander sat the coffee down. "Is there someone I can call for you?"
"For what?"
"The Department of Treasury?" Zander had the nerve to look put upon. "Cassie, I'm concerned for your wellbeing."
My mouth fell open. He thought I was delusional. How do you even respond to that?
"I was concerned when we were together, and I'm worried about you now. Your mother and your grandmother have the best intentions, I'm sure, but they-"
My face grew hot at the mention of my family. "Take your concern and shove it, Zander. I don't need it, and I don't want it."
"We need to pull you back into the real world, Cassie. I know that with your file, the Department of Treasury wouldn't hire you."
"What file? I have two speeding tickets from high school."
Zander looked down at his hands and appeared to study them before looking back up at me. "After your mother took you away, I was distraught. She was feeding your delusions."
I crossed my arms and glared at him. My 'delusions' of Reading the Path. I hated him for not believing me. We were supposed to be happy together and to trust one another. When he proposed to me, I wanted to be open and honest about everything. It was stupid of me to be that trusting.
Clearing his throat, Zander continued. "Since I knew you were a danger to yourself, and perhaps those around you, I spoke with the psychiatrist at the facility we discussed."
"You discussed." The words had heat, but I kept them under my breath, wondering where this conversation was going.
He didn't look directly at me when he continued. "They made a few notes but suggested I reach out to the local police. Which I did."
"You did what?" The words came out loud and piercing, but I didn't care.
Zander held up his hands in the universal calm down gesture. "It was for your own safety. You were going down a dangerous path."
"You arrogant, pompous ass-"
"Is everything okay?" Logan appeared, but without his usual smile.
Zander barely paid him any attention. "We're fine. Give us a few minutes." He took my arm and tried to lead me away.
I drew myself back. "We don't need any time. We're finished here. This has been finished for years."
"Doctor Fin?"
Zander looked away from me, his concerned face turning impassive. "I'll be right there, Doctor Grant." H
e turned back to me. "May I call you? We can talk."
"Are you kidding me? No!"
When he walked away, I felt like kicking him as he passed.
Logan was silent for a few minutes while I tried to get a grip on my fury.
"Old friend of yours?" Logan asked.
"That. Was Zander."
"The ex?"
"Yes."
In the past year of being partners, bits and pieces of my life with Zander came out, so Logan knew how things ended.
"Wish I had known that before I walked up," Logan said
"Why's that?" I took a few steadying breaths of meditation. With the anger slipping away, my heart felt heavy. It's possible that I wouldn't have resented Zander so much if he hadn't made me doubt my own sanity.
"I might have had a few more words to say," Logan said, keeping his eye on the man.
That earned him a small grin. "Standoff at high noon?"
Logan relaxed and looked more like his usual self. "Depends on what he had to say. Ready to get out of here?"
"Definitely. Where's Rider?"
"He'll be done in a minute. Did you get anything from Ed's necklace?" Logan asked.
I sighed. "Mostly a headache. It has an aura, and there was a spark, but I have no idea what it was." I rubbed my head and tried to focus on the case. "It was there for a second, but I couldn't find it again."
"We've done enough here. I'll grab Rider so we can go to the office." I could feel the weight of Logan's eyes on me. "Or maybe back to your house."
"I'm fine," I said. "It's been a long morning is all."
Chapter 10
After Logan left, I looked around the office, trying to spot Ethan. Instead, I had more than a few officers discreetly shooting glances my way.
My face grew hot. I hadn't realized that Zander and I had drawn so much attention. I turned to go to Ethan's office and almost ran into him.
"Oh, sorry." I took a step back and smoothed my hair back away from my face. "Um, I was looking for you."
"It's my lucky day." Ethan sounded like he meant it. "Let me know if it's none of my business, but is everything okay with you and the doctor?"
My embarrassment grew to new levels. "Oh, yeah. It's fine. It was a..." I almost said misunderstanding, but the weight of that lie might cave in the ceiling. "It's fine," I repeated.
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