Chapter Seventeen

After he left Mari, Jake forwarded the email Mari had sent him to Cordiline, with all the information he’d gathered. Half an hour later Cordiline called, skeptical that the drowning case was related to the snuff films case, but he told Jake he was willing to revisit the scene in the morning and invited him to join him and see if he could use his psychometry to find any evidence.

Jake stared at the hairline cracks in the plaster of his bedroom ceiling, his stomach sour and churning. He wanted to call Mari, but of course, Anni had his phone and every other communication device he owned. Thinking about the issue with his psychometry wasn’t helping him get any sleep either. He had never tried to use his ability before. When he’d worked cases in the past, he had simply touched random objects and hoped he might pick something up. That was not quite the same as actively trying to get an impression. Or was it?

He’d always thought of it as passive acceptance of the memories he picked up, but there was a certain amount of mental preparation going on. A switch in mindset from hoping he didn’t stumble into someone’s past argument when he was out in public, to opening himself up to the possibility of receiving an impression when he was working a crime scene.

Ever since he had noticed that he wasn’t getting any memories at all, from anything, he hadn’t made any active attempt to receive them either. But was that resistance blocking his ability to see into the past? Whether it was as simple as that, he wasn’t sure, but without any further information about his gift or instruction on how to use it, it was the best he had to go on.

When at last Jake gave up on sleep he got out of bed and made coffee, waited for the sun to rise and Cordiline to knock on his door. It wasn’t until he was standing in his dead neighbor’s apartment that he wondered if having the added pressure of Cordiline watching and, in a way, testing him, would help or hinder the process. All he could do was try.

“Certain objects hold on to memories better than others,” Jake told him. He didn’t have to explain, but talking sometimes helped him calm his nerves and get in the zone. Funny how he’d never thought of even having ‘a zone’ before, but he supposed it was true. He had a better chance of getting an impression from an object if he was relaxed, if he was focused.

Cordiline didn’t respond. He stayed where he was, observing. Jake lightly glided his fingers over items in the room. The fact that he had still gotten nothing was stressing him, but at the same time there was no way for him to be certain if it was just that the object hadn’t retained any memories, or if he had permanently lost his ability. He took a couple of deep breaths.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you that they’ve set a trial date for Aled Mustatti,” Cordiline said at last, when nothing seemed to be happening.

Jake’s fingers twitched on the piece of junk mail he’d picked up. “Yeah? Good.” He didn’t know what else he was expected to say.

“They’ve charged him with a whole shopping list of items, including treason and espionage. Really threw the bag at him.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Those are some serious charges.”

“I imagine MI5 are a wee bit pissed off that he was unleashing their experiment without their say so,” Cordiline said dryly. “Guess what he isn’t being charged with?”

Jake glanced over at him and those slate-blue eyes regarded him solemnly.

“He’s not being charged with sexual assault.”

Jake’s gaze didn’t even flicker, he made sure of it. “I’m sure, if they lock him up for treason and espionage, his sentence will be long enough.”

“Granted. Still, you understand how prosecutors like to be thorough.”

“What makes you think anything like that happened anyway?” Jake demanded, angrier than he meant to sound.

“Your boyfriend isn’t the only one who knows how to snoop around.”

“It’s not even your case.”

“No, but as I was on the case initially, I was able to request some of the transcripts to close out my files.” Cordiline leaned against the doorframe, still watching him, his hands pushed down deep into the pockets of his long, dark-blue wool overcoat. “There were ‘biological samples’ found at the scene. That’s the only thing it says in the official report, but I’m pretty tight with some of the guys that work in evidence.”

Jake clenched his jaw. “Is there a point here?”

“Why didn’t you tell them what happened in your statement?”

Jake laughed bitterly. “Are you serious? If you had been drugged and tied to a bed would you tell anyone about how being jerked off against your will can actually happen? Why would I tell anyone about that? He’s already going down for the other shit, I don’t need any vindication for him being a dirty bastard on top of it. You know how it would go. Those cops would snicker behind their hands and figure I probably wanted it anyway, just because I’m gay. It’s not worth the aggravation.”

Cordiline shrugged. “If that’s the way you feel, that it’s okay for him to get away with that,” he said keeping his tone casual.

“Oh, fuck off. You can take that reverse psychology bullshit and shove it up your ass.” Jake put his hand on a jar that was sitting on the table and a jolt went up his arm like he’d touched a live wire. Cordiline disappeared and the room darkened.

Jake turned around and looked over at the two men sitting on the sofa.

“So, do you want something to drink first?” The voice coming from his mouth belonged to Jim Sullivan, his former neighbor.

The man he spoke to was small and fair-haired, totally unassuming. His smile was languid, knowing. Like he was humoring him about something. “Sure, do you have black tea?”

The man sitting next to the blond guy on the sofa snorted. He had sharp, dark eyes, reddish hair and a pinched look to his mouth that made it seem like he was permanently sneering. He also had a small tattoo on his arm. This was the man that had strangled Wade in the snuff film Mari found, he was sure of it. The guy in the mask. And now that he got a good look at him, Jake also realized he knew him.

As Jake tried to place him, he was slammed back into the present and he let the jar go with a gasp. Strong, warm hands were on his upper arms, and he let himself be maneuvered into a nearby chair as the fallen jar rolled across the wooden floor toward the kitchen units and thunked to a solid halt.

“Are you all right, Chivis?” Cordiline crouched in front him, his brows drawn down and his gaze intent.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” he got out. His voice quavered and he cleared his throat. For all that it had been a short vision, it was one of the most vivid he’d ever had. It had felt incredibly real and he was still trying to sift details before he forgot them. “I think I’ve seen him before, John.”

Coraline went still. “You saw someone here, saw their face?”

Jake nodded toward the couch only feet away in the living room. “I saw them both, the guy wearing the mask in the videos, and the one I’m assuming was behind the camera, through Jim’s eyes. The guy shooting the videos I’ve never seen before, as far as I know. But I recognized the tat on the other guy. And I recognized him . I’ve seen him somewhere, recently. I just—” Jake stopped talking for a second, thinking, then said, “I think I’ve seen him downstairs, at the bar.”

“They’re local then.” Cordiline mulled this over. “Do you think you could help our photographic people do an e-fit of him?”

Jake shrugged. “Possibly. I’d recognize him if I saw him again anyway. If we don’t get a hit on him, though, there is always the possibility that he’ll show up once the bar re-opens this weekend.”

“Okay.” Cordiline nodded slowly. “We can try that, Jake. But we’ll get an image in circulation as well. Even if they aren’t connected to his death, if we can talk to them they might be able to tell us something. You’re sure about the tattoo? It’s the same one you saw, just now?”

“Yes, it was pretty distinctive. Like a SIM card, or a microchip maybe.”

“Well, that’s something to go on, at least. Do you get a sense of the time period they were here, or is it just — ?” He waved a hand vaguely. “Could it have been any time, I guess is what I’m saying?”

“I can’t tell you when they were here, it doesn’t work like…that.” Jake stopped talking. He was often frustrated by not knowing how old a memory was, unable to pinpoint a time until there was something very specific in the memory to tell him. However, he had a vague feeling now that he did somehow have a sense of how old this memory was.

“I think it was recent.” He stopped again, frowning, replaying the memory frame by frame in his head. He looked down at the table and picked up the envelope he’d been touching earlier. The postmark was just over a week old. “This was on the table in the memory, so it must have been not long after it was delivered, and you’ve established when he died, so I’d say they were probably here the night Jim was killed.”

Cordiline rose to his feet and patted him on the shoulder. “Well deduced. A good detective never loses his instincts. We’ll get you booked in to talk to the e-fit guys and circulate a description.”

Jake smiled. Now that the initial violent shock of being thrown into and out of the memory was wearing off—along with the realization that he’d actually seen the killer outside of his building before—he was excited. They were getting closer. If he could get a positive ID it would only be a matter of time before they brought him in, and Jake would have kept his promise to Mari.

Of course, thinking of Mari damped down his sudden elation. He had no idea where they stood now. Mari had seemed accepting that he needed to make a change in his habits, and he’d made promises, but that didn’t mean everything was patched up between them or that they would go on as they had before.

“You can tell that pretty boy of yours to stop fraying his wits at both ends then,” Cordiline said, as if reading his mind. “We’ve got his bad men for him. I’m sure that will astonish him.”

Jake managed a cynical smile. “I’m sure it will. For the moment, I don’t even know if he’s talking to me.” He rolled his shoulders to ease the tightness there and stood.

“Your on-again, off-again relationship with the good doctor is becoming something of a pattern,” Cordiline murmured. “What’s biting his backside this week?”

They walked out into the hallway and Cordiline locked up behind them. Jake waited until the detective followed him inside his own apartment before answering, “Let’s just say he did not take it well when I told him I wasn’t giving you any more info from him, and you wouldn’t accept it either.”

“You really think that will stop him? He’s headstrong, Jake. Nothing short of a straitjacket will hold him.”

“No, I’m not that naïve,” Jake told him. “He’s got other reasons to stop, though, and that’s the best I can do for him. Other than that, it’s up to Mari. Until he gets his head around it, I’m as good a target as any for his anger. I’m just hoping he doesn’t hate me too much when it’s over.”

Or even that he’s still alive and sane when it’s over.

“So, you really are serious about him?” Cordiline flopped down on the sofa, looking up at him with genuine sympathy. “What is it with him? I’d not have said he was your type at all. But what do I know, huh?”

Not too long ago, Jake would have brushed him off and told him to mind his own business, but he’d warmed up to the pertinacious detective and managed a dry chuckle. “If you have to ask, you need to get your eyes checked, Detective.”

“It’s just his pretty face and his nice arse then?” Cordiline laughed. “Not sure whether to be jealous or disappointed.”

Jake shook his head. “That was it initially, yeah. Isn’t it always? But Mari is a good person, he cares. A lot of people, all they give a shit about is making bank, or getting laid, or gossiping about who’s fucking who. Mari is interesting to talk to, he has a good brain between his ears, and I like that.”

“Well, I hope he sees sense and stops jerking your chain, Chivis.” Cordiline leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. “You deserve better than that, mate. I’m gonna have to talk to him about what he’s seen, you understand that. I’ll try to be nice.”

“Yeah, I know. And I’m sure he’s gonna want to turn the other videos he found over to you.” Jake hesitated. He knew he was walking a line here between his personal feelings and Cordiline’s case. “I’d really appreciate it if you stuck to what he’s already collected in the email I forwarded to you and not ask him if he can find anything else.”

Those shrewd blue eyes narrowed inquisitively. “Dr. Gale isn’t employed by the Met, Jake. I’d be acting outside my jurisdiction if I encouraged interference. I don’t have to tell you that,” Cordiline said, his voice professionally neutral for once. “And if he volunteers? Presumably you want me to tell him as much?”

Jake nodded. “If you’d tell him you don’t need his help, if he offers, I’d be grateful.” Although at the moment he felt like a heel for asking. He knew Mari’s expertise could be invaluable to solving the case. Also, he understood how badly Mari wanted to help.

“And I suppose it’s a given that I don’t mention your assistance this afternoon?” Cordiline said pointedly.

Jake rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d rather you didn’t. You could just tell him you’re looking at suspects already.”

Cordiline rose to his feet and held out his hand.

“Thanks for the advice, Detective. I could indeed,” he said and Jake couldn’t quite tell if he was being sarcastic or not. “I’ll be on my way then, if you’re not gonna offer me a brew, or anything?”

Jake tried to push the guilty feelings aside. It was bad enough he was talking about relationship stuff with Cordiline, he didn’t also want to lead him on in any way. “Sorry, some other time maybe. I need to get into work.” Which was true enough, since he’d only told them he’d be in a few minutes late.