The smell of coffee and baking savory goodness lured Sidney and Isaac down the stairs the next morning. They found Jamie in the kitchen pouring a cup of freshly brewed dark roast.
“Morning.” She held out the cup to Sidney.
“Oh, thank you.” Sidney inhaled a big sniff of it and took a seat at the kitchen island.
“And one for you.” Jamie handed a fresh cup to Ike.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Jamie scooted the creamer and sugar closer to them, and Sidney watched her move around Simon’s kitchen with ease. She knew where things were here in his kitchen. She was obviously comfortable cooking here.
“I’ve got a breakfast casserole in the oven. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“It smells wonderful.” Sidney smiled and added a splash of creamer and a packet of sugar to her coffee.
“Thanks.”
“Is Simon still sleeping?”
Jamie sighed. “I wish. No, he only got a few hours of sleep when he wasn’t tossing and turning.”
“Oh, jeez,” Sidney groaned.
“Then he jumped up at the crack of dawn, got dressed in his fatigues, and hightailed it out of here. He said that he had to go to the base to speak to his commanding officer about everything that’s going on. I guess all this has the potential to ruin his military career somehow?” Jamie sounded truly worried. “He’s very concerned about it.”
“It was probably the smart thing for him to do,” Isaac set his coffee cup down and looked at them. “Military police most likely already got wind that he was picked up by the local boys yesterday. If Simon didn’t come forward voluntarily and soon, it might look bad on him.”
“He can’t get into trouble with his CO over this can he, Ike?” Sidney asked.
“Well, I’ve never been in the military, darlin’, but I imagine he could.”
“Even though he hasn’t been charged with anything?” Jamie jumped in.
“He was questioned as a suspect in the investigation of the murder of a woman he once had an affair with. A woman who was married to his former commanding officer. To the military, that’s a serious thing. But like I said… I’m only speculating.”
Jamie looked as worried as Sidney felt. Behind her, the oven timer dinged, causing Jamie to jump, and Sidney realized for the first time that she wasn’t the only one on edge here.
Jamie turned and took the delicious-looking egg and sausage casserole out of the oven.
“Can I help you with anything, Jamie?”
“No, there’s nothing to help with. Thanks, though.”
Jamie was placing slices of bread into the toaster when Simon came through the front door and headed toward the kitchen. Her brother’s expression was unreadable, but Sidney could tell from his walk that he still carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He entered the kitchen and kissed Jamie on the lips.
“How’d it go at the base?” Sidney couldn’t stop herself from asking.
Simon let out a heavy sigh. “My CO is reserving judgment until I’m either charged or cleared. But we did discuss my possible retirement either way.”
Jamie looked horrified. “Retirement? Could they force you to do that?”
“If they feel I’ve embarrassed the Air Force enough, they could.” Simon sounded matter-of-fact, but Sidney wondered how he was really feeling. “At least if I’m cleared it would be an honorable discharge.”
“How do you feel about that, Simon?” Ike asked the question that was at the forefront of Sidney’s mind.
Simon hesitated, and Sidney could see his mind working. Finally, he shook his head.
“I don’t know. I’ve got mixed feelings. But I’ve also got my twenty years in the service, you know?” He shrugged a shoulder. “Not that I truly need the pension now with what Carlton left us when he died.”
He was talking about the 3.2 million dollars their estranged father had left behind. The cash had been split between them and the three other siblings they hadn’t known they had until after the man’s death.
“Maybe it is time to get out and think about taking a civilian hospital position. Or maybe starting up a practice somewhere. Assuming, of course, that I’m not sitting in a prison cell for something I didn’t do.”
“That’s not going to happen, man.” Ike’s tone held a measure of certainty that Sidney knew the rest of them didn’t share at the moment. But she was so grateful he did, and she wondered if perhaps he’d seen something with his superpowers.
“Well, breakfast is ready.” Jamie sounded somewhat defeated. “Come on. Let’s sit down and eat.”
“I’m not very hungry, baby,” Simon said with a shake of his head. “You all go ahead though.”
“No, Simon. You have to eat.” Jamie’s voice was insistent, like she wasn’t about to take no for an answer. “You can’t keep up your strength if you don’t. And you barely took two bites of food when your attorney brought you home last night.”
Simon looked at her with the most serious of expressions. “Why are you still here, Jamie? After everything you’ve been through, I wouldn’t blame you if you ran back to Blue Ash without a look back in my direction.”
“Nice try, but I’m not going anywhere. You’ve been with me from the moment I got here four days ago.” Jamie placed a hand on Simon’s cheek. “I know you didn’t kill that woman. More than that… I know you could never hurt any woman, ever.”
Sidney watched her brother stare into Jamie’s eyes. Then a small grin hit his lips. “Some vacation this turned out to be, huh?”
Jamie smiled at him. “Yeah, well, maybe you’ll owe me a real get away when this is all over. Like a hiking trip to Hocking Hills.”
Simon smiled, and it was the first genuine, bright smile Sidney had seen from him since they’d arrived. “You’ve got yourself a deal, gorgeous.” He planted a passionate kiss on her lips.
Sidney sat staring at them with the goofiest grin on her face, but she didn’t care.
“What are you smiling at?” Simon’s tone was gruff, but Sidney could hear the playfulness in it.
Her smile got bigger. “You guys are just so stinking cute together!”
Groans and eye rolls went around the kitchen like a chorus, and they all sat down to a meal of Jamie’s breakfast casserole and toast.
When breakfast was finished and the kitchen cleaned, Isaac prepared to leave Simon’s to go on a little Psychic Batman solo mission. He wasn’t at all certain what he was hoping to find, but he knew his objective was to find proof that Simon didn’t kill Cassandra Hinton. Hopefully, that proof would be tangible, but he’d gladly accept information gleaned from his psychic abilities.
“Please be careful, baby.” Sidney sounded worried. “Remember that this isn’t your city or your police department. They don’t know how wonderful you are down here.”
Isaac grinned at her. “I will be careful, darlin’. I promise.”
“Where are you even going? Do you have a plan?”
“Somewhat. I have a map of the general area where Cassie Hinton’s body was found along the river. I think I’ll start there. Try to vibe the crime scene. Then I thought I might try to talk my way into the morgue to touch her.”
“You really think you’ll be able to pull that off?”
“Only one way to find out.” He smiled at her, but he could tell that she was in no mood for his flip optimism.
“Just make sure they know you’re a cop too. Don’t get into any trouble with the police, okay? We don’t need for you to get arrested too.”
“You sound like Lt. Hayes.”
“Isaac—”
“It will be fine, Sidney. I will be careful. I promise. I won’t be gone long, and hopefully I’ll come back with some information Preston Anthony can use to get Simon completely cleared of this mess.”
She nodded, and Isaac took her into his arms and kissed her.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.”
He left the house then and climbed into his car. Before he even started it up, he studied the map he’d printed off Simon’s computer that morning and then punched a destination into his GPS system.
The drive around Dayton wasn’t completely unfamiliar as he and Sid had visited Simon down here before. But it was sort of like flying blind. Isaac knew Cleveland like the back of his own hand after being a cop there for so many years. This was all new.
He pulled his car off of West Riverview Avenue and down a side road, getting as close to the northern bank of the river as he could. According to the news reports he’d read, this was the stretch where the body had been discovered by a man walking his dog.
The yellow police tape came into view, and Isaac parked his car. He got out, being careful to keep an eye out for any fellow law enforcement. No one in sight, he made his way down to the taped off area.
A twig snapped under his foot as he approached the crime scene. Not wanting to disturb the actual scene inside the tape, Isaac slowly walked the perimeter around the outside of it.
Dragonflies darted and twirled, skimming just above the water, and Isaac’s gaze moved along the river’s edge. The body was found wedged against a small grouping of rocks on the very edge of the river. Rocks that Isaac zeroed in on.
A pervasive sense of sadness crept in on him. It slithered around him like a snake, squeezing out the sunlight. Uneasiness slinked down his spine.
Isaac drew in a deep breath and mentally pushed the sensations away.
“Hey, you there! Back away from the police tape.”
The voice was gruff, the words almost a shout.
Isaac lifted his hands and took a few steps backward. Then he turned slowly and faced a uniformed officer.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” The officer had his right hand sitting on the butt of his gun, which was thankfully still holstered at his hip.
“I’m Detective Sgt. Isaac Taylor with the Cleveland Police Department. My shield and ID are in my pocket. My gun is holstered at my back.”
The officer did a double take, looking him over real good. “Shield and ID. Slowly!”
“Yes, sir.” With movements slower than slow motion, Isaac reached down and pulled out his badge and ID, and held them out to the officer.
The cop’s eyes never left his as he took the items from him. Then he examined them like there might be a test later. He sighed and looked Isaac in the eyes again.
“Detective.” He handed the items back to Isaac. “You’re a little out of your jurisdiction here.”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m off-duty too. I know that looks bad. I just heard about the body that washed up here and I was curious. You all got any leads on the case yet?”
“With all due respect, Detective, I’m not authorized to answer any of your questions. I’m not even sure if you’re authorized to be asking any. Our crime scene is not a tourist attraction, and I’m going to ask you to leave now.”
Isaac smiled and raised a hand again. “No problem. Didn’t mean to step on any toes. I’ll be going now.”
He made his way back up to his car and got in. He glanced back at the officer only to find the man still watching him. He started up his car and drove back out onto the road. Then he punched a new destination into his GPS.
Time to visit the morgue.
It took him close to twenty minutes to find the place, and on the whole drive over he tried to come up with a believable story that would get him inside to view the body of Cassie Hinton. He couldn’t claim to be family there to identify her. That would surely get him into trouble. But he had to think of something.
He was still mulling it over when he finally ventured inside the building. As luck — or a lack thereof — would have it, an older gentleman in a lab coat stood just inside the entrance like a guard dog.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I was hoping to get in to view the body of Cassandra Hinton.”
“Are you family, sir?”
“Well, no, I’m not. But I am a police detective.”
“Oh. Well, one of your colleagues is already here. Let me just call him over. Maybe he can clear this up.”
“Uh, no. Don’t do that.” Isaac’s protests fell on deaf ears. The man called over a uniformed officer who was down the hall speaking to someone else.
“Officer Torres, this detective says he’s here to see the body of Cassandra Hinton.”
Officer Torres stared Isaac in the face and then frowned. “Who sent you?”
Isaac softly cleared his throat. “No one. Um, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m not a cop here. I mean, I am a cop. I’m a detective. I’m just not from this city.”
“Do you have any ID, sir?”
“Yes. I’m Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor from the Cleveland Police Department.” He pulled out his shield and ID and handed them over once again. “I was hoping to get a look at the body of Mrs. Hinton because I believe I may have information that could help in this case.”
Or he might, if he could ever get his hands on her to possibly see her final few moments of life.
“Well, I’m not sure how things work up in Cleveland, Detective, but down here we don’t go bulldozing our way into the investigations of other departments.”
“That was not my intention. I simply wanted to—”
“If you do have information, I’m sure you know this is not the proper channels to go through to share it.”
“Yes, I do know that. But this is different, you see. If I could just—”
Officer Torres pulled out his cellphone and began to dial. “You say you’re from Cleveland PD, huh?”
Isaac took in a deep, defeated breath and sighed on exhale. “Yes. Ask for Lt. Gavin Hayes at the third precinct.”
He folded his arms across his chest and waited while the call was made. Then he stood by and listened as Officer Torres gave Lt. Hayes an earful about his rogue, wayward sergeant.
“This guy’s got no respect for doing things via the proper channels,” Torres was saying. “Thank you, Lieutenant. One moment.” He thrust his cellphone in Isaac’s direction.
Isaac took it, careful not to touch the man, and brought it to his ear. “Yes, sir?”
“What did I tell you not to do down there, Ike?”
Gavin’s tone was unamused.
Isaac nodded. “You told me not to get into trouble with the Dayton cops, sir.”
“Uh huh. And what have you just done?”
“Somehow gotten into trouble with the Dayton cops.”
“So you see my problem here then?”
“Yes, sir. But you don’t understand,” Isaac turned away from Officer Torres in search of a little privacy. He lowered his voice and said, “If I could just touch the dead woman for a second, I might be able to see the killer and clear all of this up. Sir, you know Simon. You know he did not do this.”
Over the phone, Isaac heard Gavin’s over-exaggerated, overly loud sigh.
“All right. Give me a few minutes. I’ll call you back on your cell.”
“Okay.”
The line went dead and Ike returned the cellphone to Officer Torres. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“Yeah. Think next time you get the urge to screw with another department’s case.”
Isaac walked a few yards away and took a seat on a bench. Torres watched him with a bemused expression. No doubt wondering why the crazy Cleveland cop didn’t simply leave the premises.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Officer Torres’ cellphone rang and Isaac watched as he answered. His own cellphone rang an instant later. It was Lt. Hayes.
“Sir?”
“I’ve gotten you access to Cassandra Hinton’s body. You’ve got five minutes, and Officer Torres is going to accompany you.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Just do your thing and get out of there, Ike.”
“Will do. Thanks, Lieu.”
“Yep.”
Isaac put his phone away and stood as Officer Torres walked toward him with the strangest of expressions on his face.
“I thought you said you were Cleveland PD?” Torres sounded confused.
“I am.”
“Then why is the FBI pulling strings for you?”
The FBI?
Isaac was taken aback by that question. But he realized that Gavin Hayes must have put in a call to Special Agent Emmett Fox, who in turn called the Dayton PD, authorizing Isaac’s request to view the body. He was going to have to really thank his lieutenant for reaching out like that to help him help his brother-in-law.
“Friends in high places, I guess.”
“I guess,” Torres repeated. “Well, apparently I’m your official escort, so let’s go. Doc’s waiting.”
Inside, the medical examiner waited with a body already pulled out of one of the coolers. Isaac took a deep breath as they approached.
He was so focused on talking his way inside that he hadn’t really thought about what would happen once he had. Of course, he hadn’t been expecting to have an audience for this part.
He glanced at the ME and at Officer Torres, both of whom were now watching him expectantly.
“I don’t suppose I could get just a little privacy here?”
“We can step away, but I’m afraid I can’t leave you alone in here.” Torres looked apologetic.
“That works.”
They both stepped off toward the door, effectively standing behind him, and Isaac was grateful for the breathing room. He took a second to steady himself, and then he reached out and placed two fingers on Cassandra Hinton’s cold, bare shoulder.
Light and shadow flickered behind his eyes.
Razors sliced open his flesh and he clenched his teeth against the pain.
Hands around her throat.
An older white man kissed her lips. His hands tightening; her throat closing.
Isaac let out a loud gasp.
He stepped away from the table, his hand going straight to his own neck.
“Hey, buddy! You okay?” Confusion and concern warred in Torres’ voice.
Isaac struggled to get his breathing under control. He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Listen, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”
He turned and rushed out of the room.
Back out in the hallway, Torres followed after him. “Hey. Detective Taylor? You sure everything’s okay?”
Isaac took a deep breath. An attempt to steady himself after that onslaught, but it wasn’t having much affect. “Yes. Thanks again for your help. I should be going now.”
“Hey, who is she to you? I-I mean… you just seem a little upset now.”
Isaac shook his head. “No. She’s no one to me. It’s not like that.”
Torres stared at him and then glanced around. “You um…” He looked Isaac over again, an awkward question written all over his face. “You…”
“Yeah?”
“What you just did in there… you…”
Isaac could see the question before it finally made its way out of Torres’ mouth.
“You some kind of psychic or something?” Torres’ voice was I-can’t-believe-I’m-asking-this low. “One of those people who… you know… sees things?”
Isaac stared at him wondering what he knew about it. He licked his lips and straightened his collar. “Maybe.”
Torres nodded. “That’s why the FBI pulled strings for you. You’re for real.”
It wasn’t a question, but Isaac wasn’t sure how he felt about it. It made him uneasy because it brought a new and glaring issue roaring to the forefront of his mind.
How the hell was he ever supposed to stay anonymous if people — both friends and strangers alike — kept getting sucked into his psychic orbit? People he helped with his abilities, people who were around when he helped them. Hell, even people he caught with his abilities… they all talked.
This was how all those rumors Janelle Mandrake mentioned got started. How Emmett knew that he was becoming known for his abilities among law enforcement circles throughout the city.
“Did you see something about this case?” Torres asked.
Isaac pushed the unpleasant thoughts to the back of his mind. He would obsess over it later. Right now, he had more important things to think about. Things like the flash he’d just experienced of Cassie Hinton’s last moments. Things like that man.
He’d seen that older white man somewhere before.
But where?
“Yeah, I saw something. And I have to go now.”
“Well, I was ordered to be your escort so… mind if I tag along?”
“Do I have a choice?”