Vibrations (2 page)

“Too bad he’s so cute,” she
mused to herself. She hated when her hormones kicked in, because it made her
face the painful facts of her failure with relationships. Whitney kept herself
apart from anything that would complicate her already difficult life style. She
tried to enjoy looking and dreaming from time to time, but her thoughts always
turned to reminders of what she was missing.

Nick saw her look away and
immediately tried to recall what he had just been thinking. “Maybe she knows
how much I don’t want to work with her,” he guessed, seeing the look of pain in
her eyes. No way he wanted to work with someone that could read minds.

He started to feel guilty for having
mean and then lustful thoughts about her, and then laughed at himself. His
imagination was in hyper drive. No one could actually read minds. The best he
could wish for was that she didn’t get in the way. Nick felt his body tense as
he pictured working side by side with the beautiful profiler. She walked past
him and he realized he was thinking about her again. What if she really could
read minds?

Whitney turned to the two
detectives and flashed her most professional smile. “My assistant is waiting
outside. We’ll drive to the site of the last abduction. Northeast Mesa, right?”

Since Nick just seemed to be
glaring at her, Teddy answered. “We’re heading there now. You can follow us if
you would like. It’s a small road off of Power, up above McKellips Road. It’s
close to Saguaro Lake. Just go two miles North of McKellips, and take a right
on East Gila Dam Road. Number 6682.”

She smiled at him but shook her
head. “No need for us to follow you. Sarah’s familiar with the valley. We’ll
meet you there. My assistant will drive me and answer any questions you have
about my work. I get a bit tired so, when we’re done, she’ll drive me back to
my room. I’ll be available later this evening if you’d like to meet with me. I
prefer not to have to talk to anyone while in the middle of my work.”

She turned to Nick and smiled
sweetly. “You can just stay in the car if you’re nervous about looking like a
fool following me around.” Before he could answer she was out the door and down
the long hall.

“Smooth, Naylor. Really
smooth,” laughed Teddy. He continued to tease Nick about his “way with woman”
all the way to the car.

“Shut up and get in the car. Just
because she was nice to you doesn’t mean that she can do all that psychic
babble stuff. You know how it bugs me wasting my time chasing after them.”

“Well, maybe we’ll find
something new at the crime scenes or at the interview,” Teddy said
optimistically.

“Sure, while she’s walking
around with her Voodoo dolls.” Nick snorted. He buckled up and started up the old
Mustang, pulling out of the parking lot before Teddy could even get his belt on.

“Nick, you either gotta get a
longer belt, or slow down driving. I’m gonna be dead before I get this thing
hooked.”

“You got all that extra
cushion, right? So what are you worried about?”

* * * *

Whitney slid into the seat next
to Sarah, and let out a tired sigh. “Same old, same old?” Sarah asked.

“Yup, the detectives assigned
to the case know they have no leads and are desperate to catch this guy, but they’re
too close minded and ignorant to give me a chance.”

“Sorry. Um, I know this is a
bad time, but I have to tell you something.”

Whitney had worked with Sarah
only once before and knew she was a worrier. The blonde haired blue-eyed beauty
had decided that she wanted a job of intrigue and danger. At the age of
twenty-four she was determined to become a profiler with the FBI. For now, she
worked as an assistant to other profilers on the job. Sarah didn’t have strong
psychic abilities but she cared about helping people. Sometimes she cared too
much.

Suddenly Whitney realized what
was coming. “Sarah!” Whitney moaned then turned an angry face toward the young
girl. “You are overstepping the boundaries, your job description, and your
right to make decisions for me.”

“Yes, Whitney.” Sarah sighed. “I
brought the small defibrillator.” She didn’t seem fazed by the anger or
insults. “I can’t take it, just waiting to see if your heart will start up
again when you get overloaded.” She shrugged and added, “Just in case.”

“No. You do not have permission
to use that on me. I know it’s scary and you feel responsible for me at times,
but I’m the one choosing to take the risk. I don’t know what could happen if
you did that to me while I was trying to clear out some of the energy. Just
don’t!”

Sarah just stared ahead and
pouted as she drove. Whitney hadn’t realized how good Sarah was at blocking her.
That must be why she hadn’t known the small machine had come with them on the
trip. She gave up trying to read her assistant and concentrated on the job. The
process of talking with the families would be difficult so she focused on calming
her breathing and preparing herself.

She usually had no problem
clearing her mind before jobs, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the
handsome detective. It was frustrating to know he thought she was a fraud and a
waste of his time before he even saw her in action. It wasn’t his fault. He had
never been exposed to anyone with true metaphysical abilities.

She hoped that he could get
past his irritation with her since they would be working closely together. It
didn’t usually bother her this much when people doubted her abilities. For some
reason she wanted him to understand her and not think she was a fool. It made
her feel shallow to think she felt different because she found him handsome. He
had found her attractive too. That thought made her feel even more foolish. He may
have liked the way she looked, but he’d never consider making a pass at her. Besides
shying away from psychics she had sensed he wasn’t big into relationships or
the dating scene. Relaxing a little at that thought she hoped she wouldn’t have
to worry about any flirting on his part.

Whitney stared out at the
passing desert and thought back to the meeting. Agent Hollerman had already
warned about the detective’s attitude but had told her to make it work. He
wasn’t what she had expected. Somehow the description had conjured up an old,
ruffled and flabby cop with sparse hair and dull eyes. Instead, she remembered
the way his dark black hair had contrasted with his deep blue eyes. Waves of
energy flowed around him, but didn’t reach far. He kept himself carefully guarded.
She had found it hard to not to look away when he looked at her with those
intense blue eyes. He was handsome and dangerous looking, and yet totally
unaware of the effect he had on women. Something about his dark looks and well
muscled body struck a chord down deep that she hadn’t felt for a long time. She
kept telling herself it was a good thing that he wanted to keep his distance
from her.

* * * *

Nick and Teddy were at the
address ten minutes before Whitney arrived. Of course, not having to worry
about a speeding ticket made it easier. They knew every road and highway that
crisscrossed Phoenix and the surrounding cities like lines on a piece of graph
paper. The homes in the neighborhood were typical clones of each other with
pink clay shingles and peach and tan stucco plastered to the outside. The city
had painted the numbers on the sidewalks to make it easier to find the right
house. They parked a few houses down from the crime scene and started looking
around.

Nick stopped and leaned against
a palm tree when the rental car pulled up. From what he could see, Whitney
looked upset or maybe anxious about something. He hadn't been paying attention
enough to see if she had any experience out in the field.

She headed straight to the
house and he jogged up next to her. “Look, you don’t have to go in here if you
don’t want to. We can let you know all the information we have from the family
without having to actually face them.”

“Get a clue,” she thought
.
“Don’t
worry,” she said to the detective. “No, this is not my first time, and no you
cannot give me all the information. I need to go inside. You can wait out here,”
she said emphasizing the word you.

“Wait, that’s not the deal. I
have to go with you to be able to catch anything of interest to our
investigation.”

“Fine,” she said briskly.
“Let’s go.”

He took the lead and knocked on
the hollow metal door. Teddy walked around the house looking for missed
evidence and Sarah stayed in the car.

Less than a minute later a
heavy blonde woman came to the door and let them in as she brushed the hair
away from her face. They could see she had been crying and hadn’t taken the
time to arrange her hair or clothing.

Whitney took a deep breath, and
began. “I am so sorry to meet you like this, Mrs. Dolan. I’m Whitney Bentley. We
spoke on the phone yesterday.”

The woman nodded in recognition
and led them to the living room. Nick took a seat and glanced around. He had been
in her home for hours just the day before, searching for something to point
them to the boy. The only thing that had changed was the height of the pile of
dirty dishes on the dining room table. The television was blaring the local
news, and had probably been on all day.

“Please let me know if he is
alive,” begged Mrs. Dolan. “Conner is just a baby. He’s only seven. He loves to
play outside with the other kids on their bikes and skateboards. He would never
stay away this long. He doesn’t even go to the end of the street. Please!” The
last word was almost a moan.

She started to sob hysterically
but Whitney continued quietly speaking to her, too low for Nick to hear. Finally
the woman began nodding and her crying subsided.

Whitney turned to Nick. “Could
you help Mrs. Dolan get us some tea from the kitchen? I want to take a look
upstairs. I’ll just be a minute.” She could see him debating what to do, but she
didn’t give him a choice as she quickly swept out of the room.

Whitney slowed as she went up
the stairs. She slid her hand on the banister and pictured the little boy that
was missing. Her stomach was knotted and her head hurt. This was just the
pre-event jitters and she wanted to turn and run. It wouldn’t get any better. She
knew. It was always the same. She already knew he wouldn’t be found alive. She
could feel it. Maybe this time she was wrong. “Please be wrong,” she whispered
to herself.

The first room on the right had
a sign scribbled telling all girls to “keep out.” She opened the door. It was a
typical boy’s room. Pictures of sports heroes filled the blue walls. Trophies
from various sports were placed carefully in rows on the shelves. His bed had a
Sponge Bob comforter and Buzz Light Year pillows. There were a few model cars
and a gigantic track in the middle of the floor.

Whitney stepped in and closed
her eyes. She could sense the happiness that had been in this room hovering
around the edge, but as she neared the window she could feel the fear. She
stood, rigid and unseeing as the image became clearer. Someone he knew was
calling him. The person was parked at the curb, just outside the window on the
first floor. She followed the sensations and quietly slipped back down the
stairs. The back door creaked as she let herself out, but no one seemed to
notice.

Her hands were open and seeking
as she walked around to the side of the house. Conner was looking for a friend
as he came around the corner. She touched the branches near where the car had
been parked and felt a chill as the energy rolled onto her hand. The killer had
been here. He had gotten close to the child. And then the child was gone. He
had only had a moment of fear before something had rendered him unconscious.

She knew that wasn’t the end of
it. He had suffered somewhere, alone, in a dark and cold place. No clues to
help the investigation. No good news to tell the family, just a new memory of
pain and fear to drift into her dreams at night.

Whitney stepped back into the
house and closed the door. She took a minute to try to shake the feeling of dread.
Now came the hardest part, facing the family again. By the time she entered the
living room, her face was calm. It held the look of reflection she had worked
so hard to perfect for times exactly like this one. She told Mrs. Dolan she
could sense that he was a happy boy and that he liked to laugh. She made sure
to keep everything in the present tense. She explained it would take time to
consider all the information, but hoped she would soon be hearing news of her
son. That part was true. She hoped they found him soon so the family could
start to have some closure.

Once they were outside Nick
gave a little snort and rolled his eyes. “Wow,” he said sarcastically, “that
was amazing. I am so glad we waited to get all of your deep insights.”

Whitney didn’t respond. Her
mind was too heavy with grief to care what the detective thought. She walked
back to her car, anxious to get away from the house, the images, and the
irritating man following her.

Teddy met up with them as Sarah
opened the door for Whitney. “Will you be going to the most recent recovery
scene next?” He was asking Whitney but she didn’t even acknowledge him.

Sarah answered curtly, “Yes,
we’re heading there next and no, you don’t need to escort us.”

“We’re coming anyway,” muttered
Nick as he got back into his car. This was worse than he thought, not even
pretending to give the victim’s family some comfort. What was the madman doing
while he was wasting his time following this quack job around to crime scenes?

* * * *

Whitney stood at the top of a
bank overlooking a small river running through the Navajo reservation. Teddy
pointed to a cave about fifty feet below them.

“That’s it,” he said. “We have
to follow the trail down on the right, and then back up from below.”

They all nodded and Whitney
took the lead. As they climbed down the tricky terrain, Nick noticed that she
looked even worse than before.