ChasingShadows (13 page)

She ached to have his arms around her again, to lie with him
in bed. Her mind was so congested with doubts and fears, she didn’t know which
way was up. Despite the mixed bag of emotions, she felt an overwhelming joy.

Alex regarded her intensely for a moment longer, turned and
strode from the room. Juliana sheathed her inner turmoil and hurried toward her
bathroom to soak in an ice-cold shower.

Uncertainty ruled her. That morning was the first time in
her life someone was present to alleviate her fears upon waking. She hated to
admit her life was lonely, but the alternatives promised little better. She
could be with Alex, then eventually drive him away with her psychic craziness.
At least she’d get a slice of time with him. Or they could go their separate
ways and forever deal with the fact that she allowed him to twine around her
soul and steal her heart. Either way she was screwed.

* * * * *

Refreshed from her shower, Juliana crept into her kitchen. Alex
leaned against the counter, so sexy, so masculine. He looked fresh, relaxed and
smelling amazingly of musk. Their eyes locked; his spoke of an indefinable
emotion.

She approached him, impelled by an internal passion that was
useless to control. She touched his cheek, his fresh-shaved skin warm beneath
her fingers. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she averted her face. She backed up
a few steps, but that didn’t stop him from following.

“Stop.” His voice was husky as he hand-combed her loose hair.
Anticipation zipped up and down her spine.

His fingers were still magic. “That’s not a good idea.”

Alex ignored her and lovingly fingered her hair. “Your hair
feels better than I remembered. Don’t braid it.” A satisfied grin crossed his
mouth as he drew away and snagged two cups of steaming coffee off the granite
counter. “One teaspoon sugar, dash of cream.”

“Do you forget anything?” She returned his adorably shy
smile.

Careful not to touch him, she took the hot cup from him. She
was melting, and one touch was all it would take to devour her. He was moving
at racecar speed, repairing the wide rift between them, and her body refused to
slow down as her head wanted it to.

“Have you seen JB, my black cat, skulking around?” She
spread her hands basketball-size, careful not to spill her coffee.

“No.” His eyebrows arched. “JB?”

She giggled. “A Christmas present. ‘Jingle Bells’.” Backing
out, she headed toward the family room, Alex close on her heels.

“He’s probably on a foray into the great unknown.” She
shrugged. He had food and water in the garage and a cat door in the kitchen to
squeeze through whenever he craved a place to sleep. He was the epitome of a
self-sufficient pet.

Alex eased a hip on the back of the pastel floral couch. “If
you wanted a huge house, why didn’t you just move into your father’s place?”

The emotionally charged question was as taut as the currents
flowing between them. At least it was easier to talk about her father now.

“I love Mediterranean houses.” She blew on her coffee and
took a fortifying sip. “After living in oppression for eighteen years under my
father’s roof, the last thing I wanted was to live with his ghost in that
sprawling Tudor.” She grimaced wryly. “I needed to spread my wings after years of
living in dinky New York apartments and dreary hospital rooms.”

Regretful anger darted across his face. “Was the Institute
that horrible?”

She didn’t want his pity. It was easier to tolerate his
anger. “It wasn’t a home.” Juliana picked up the empty wineglasses, eyes
drifting to the envelope contents spread out on the coffee table. He didn’t
have to tell her he had read the inscription in the book.

Momentary panic fluttered inside her before her mind jumped
onward. “We’d better hit the road,” she said.

“Right.” He gathered the publications, shoved them inside
the envelope and under his arm.

* * * * *

Alex pushed open Andrea’s front door without knocking. Juliana
hid a grin after witnessing his error in judgment.

James lounged in a recliner near the door, with Andrea
nestled on his lap. They jumped apart as if they were teenagers caught in the
act.

Alex shot Juliana a meaningful smile while her own widened.

A scowl traversed James’ scarlet face. “Where the hell have
you been?”

The tables had been turned perfectly. A warm flush crept
into Juliana’s face in remembrance of her morning.

“Taking care of business.” Alex’s cool dodge brooked no
further discussion. “You have the warrant?”

James pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his back
pocket. “Key too.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “How’d you score that?”

“I watch their place when they go on vacation,” Andrea
interjected, stepping closer to Alex.

Alex rubbed his sister’s back and kissed her cheek. “How are
you?”

“I’m okay.” Her puffy red eyes refuted her answer.

Juliana crossed the room and gave Andrea a hug.

Alex’s questioning gaze met Juliana’s own. “Ready?”

“Yes.”
About as ready as I’d be facing a murderer.
Her
preparation was merely a focused and lucid mind. But this investigation taxed
her ESP to new extremes. She didn’t know what to expect or how she’d react
anymore. She followed his brisk, long-legged steps to the condo next door.

Her heart thumped when Alex drew his gun outside the
Douglases’ front door. He projected an energy and power that attracted her
beyond reason.
Damn!
Her eyes had never feasted on any NYPD police
officers the way they consumed Alex. She wrenched herself away from her
ridiculous preoccupation and focused on the task ahead.

Juliana and Andrea stayed on the porch while Alex and James
entered the residence. A few minutes later, Alex called for them.

The floor plan duplicated Andrea’s condominium. The tidy
living room overflowed with mismatched furniture and knickknacks. It oozed
warmth and a well lived-in charm. Juliana and Andrea went directly to the
bedroom that mimicked Lisette’s in the floor plan next door.

The stunned expressions on Alex and James’ faces mirrored
Juliana’s shock.

“Oh God.” Andrea’s hand flew to her mouth, smothering a sob.

The Douglases had decorated the room for a girl Lisette’s
age. Toys littered the dresser and wall shelves. Clothes of Lisette’s size hung
in the open closet.

Juliana caught Andrea’s hand in her own. Her lungs
constricted while she looked around in dismay.

James and Alex paced past each other, searching, absorbing. “Did
Sharon or Matthew tell you someone was visiting?” Alex asked his twin.

Andrea shook her head. “No, and Sharon usually tells me
everything. But she’s been evasive lately.”

“Adoption? Didn’t you say they couldn’t have children?”

“Sharon told me the fertility treatments were going well.”

“The other day you said she was acting strange.” Alex
stopped before her, his expression dark.

Andrea tilted her head. “Yes, when she mentioned seeing
Jasmine and Lisette at the park. She seemed like she wanted to tell me
something, but she brushed it off when I asked if everything was okay.”

“Bremley was at the park too?”

Andrea frowned and shivered. “Yes. God, he freaks me out. His
eyes…” Her voice trailed away.

“According to the hospital, they’re scheduled for two weeks
off.” James halted and jangled coins in his pants pocket.

“I didn’t know that.” Shock registered on Andrea’s face. “Sharon
would have told me. They would have asked me to watch their place if they’d
gone on vacation. They’ve never been secretive about their plans.” Her voice
frantic, she clutched Alex’s arm. “Could they have taken Lisette?”

“Doesn’t make sense,” Juliana piped in, perplexed. “They fit
up a room, then take off?”

Alex glanced at James. “Did you put out an APB?”

“You bet.”

Juliana wandered around the room, picking up a toy here and
there. She touched the lavender and white painted furniture and smoothed her
hands over the twin bed. A bright colored comforter eerily similar to Lisette’s
bedding covered the bed. Dancing cartoon animal pictures decorated the walls. The
situation was bizarre, but she felt no discomfort, no psychic awareness. Nothing
unusual.

Alex and James searched the other rooms, finding no evidence
Lisette had ever been there.

They locked up and returned empty-handed to Andrea’s place. Alex
continued his tense pacing in the living room. “Andrea, why didn’t you suspect
something odd, even after Lisette told you they had toys and clothes her size?”

“You know Lisette exaggerates.” She raised her hands,
dropped them. “They’re great people, everyone at work loves them.”

“Yeah, well, Ted Bundy was a nice guy,” Alex snapped before
contrition zipped across his face.

“I’m sorry.” He reached for Andrea, but she backed away and
moved into James’ outstretched arms.

Andrea’s muffled sobs against James’ chest deafened the room.
James glowered at Alex as he whispered pacifying words to Andrea.

“Let’s go.” Alex seized Juliana’s hand in an unyielding
clasp. “We’re off to interview Chamber and Jasmine.” He kissed Andrea’s head. “Sweetie,
I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot.”

“Just go, Alex,” she said dejectedly.

He snatched an envelope and the evidence bag containing the
keychain off the coffee table and passed them to Juliana.

* * * * *

“Brilliant, maestro,” Juliana chirped once seated in his
SUV, driving toward the foothills. “What do you do for an encore?”

“Put a lid on it, will ya?” Alex’s tone wasn’t as stern as
his words made out. “I feel like shit as it is.” He raked his hand through his
hair. “Take a look at the photos in the envelope, see if you recognize anyone.”

Silence chilled the interior as she viewed the police
snapshots. Only Mrs. Chamber and Jasmine’s roommate looked familiar.

Cracker-box houses disappeared as they left the suburbs. The
winding, tree-lined road leading toward her father’s private estate drew
Juliana’s gaze. The huge house stood empty, waiting for its new owners to move
in.

Alex must have seen her glance up the hill. “Why didn’t you
go to your father’s funeral?”

She contained a shocked gasp. “How did you know I didn’t
go?”

“The DA mentioned what a huge turnout there was. He said you
were noticeably absent.”

“Oh.” For a second, she’d wondered if Alex were a tad
psychic himself. “Do you blame me for not attending?”

“Hell no.” He scowled, jockeying the SUV onto the highway. “If
I’d known what he did to you, I’d have gone to make sure the bastard was dead
and in the ground.”

Juliana wound a strand of hair around her finger. “My
father’s been dead to me for a long time. When I broke ties with the Institute,
he never once tried to contact me. It was if he’d written me out of his life.” She
gripped the armrest, fighting the loneliness embedded deep in her heart. “He
paid my college tuition, established a trust for my living expenses and that’s
it. After I graduated, I accepted no more from him, even though he kept dumping
money in the trust account.” She hesitated, sighed. “I saw no sense in
reburying a man I’d buried years ago.”

Alex turned down the street leading to the Chambers’
property. Juliana welcomed the ensuing hush.

No love, no trust, no family. All the things she’d missed out
on for such a long time.

“I’m sorry, Jewel. Does it hurt to talk about the last
twelve years?”

A bitter laugh edged out. “Oddly enough, telling you makes
it seem like someone else’s life.”

He tossed her a quick smile. “Glad to help. I think.”

Juliana laced her hand with his. “You are. Thanks.” She gave
him a tentative smile, and then turned her head to stare at the redwood and
pines cramping the verdant foothills.

Chapter Eight

That creepy-crawly sensation emanated from Bremley again as
his dark, unfathomable eyes bore into Juliana. Silent, he escorted them into
the jumbo-sized study where Grantham Chamber waited behind a massive mahogany
desk.

Grantham Chamber, on the edge of sixty years old, looked
closer to fifty. He sported a full head of salt and pepper hair. He was slender
and fit, most likely from days on the golf course at the country club.

“MacKenzie.” Chamber tipped his head before his severe gaze
nailed Juliana to the spot.

Her eyes caught his and she blinked briskly. His slate-blue
eyes were like glacial ice, memorable yet unknown. She noted his frank and
admiring appraisal, and she defiantly returned his stare.

Alex nudged her elbow. Trapped within her thoughts, she
hadn’t heard Alex’s introduction. She quickly held out her hand. “I’m sorry. Leigh
Duncan.” Grantham Chamber ignored her extended hand, and she quickly dropped
her arm and rubbed her palm against her pant leg as if slime coated it.

Nice guy. Little wonder Andrea didn’t want her daughter
involved with these people.

Alex pulled out a chair for her and whispered, “You ready?” His
breath tickled her ear, his lips nearly kissing her neck as he stepped back.

Despite the frogs croaking in her belly, she nodded.

She opened her mind, tuned Alex out with a mental flip of a
switch, and changed the channel to Grantham Chamber.

She couldn’t have slammed into a granite slab any harder. She
consciously switched gears and attempted to read Alex. That time a mountainside
hit her. Both minds were impenetrable.

A gasp mounted in Juliana’s throat and she tried to stifle
it, but started to choke. The conversation came to an abrupt halt when both men
glared at her.

“I’m sorry,” she sputtered. “Can I ask your butler for some
water?” To clear her mind, Juliana focused on the leather-bound books crammed
in the floor-to-ceiling bookcases behind the desk.

Grantham punched the intercom and barked the request into
the speaker. He glared at Juliana as if she harbored a contagious disease.

If Bremley’s mind was closed, then her psychic abilities
were going haywire. Another milestone in the life of Juliana Westwood. She’d
definitely have to squeeze in a sanity-checking call to Doc Brian.

Seconds later, the butler proffered a bottle of spring water
and a glass of ice on a silver tray. Juliana made a show of thanking him in a
flirtatious voice. Detaining him further, she asked him to pour the water. He
complied with discreet pleasure. Too much pleasure.

She could easily read his mind. The man had the audacity to
think she could thank him by kneeling and giving him a kiss.
Of all the
freaking nerve!
Indignation seethed inside her.

“A word with you,” Alex said and sent her a measured look. They
rose and he gripped her elbow, maneuvering her from the room. The door closed
on a seething Grantham and Bremley wringing his hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t read him.”

“What? I thought—” Alex scratched at his scar. “Why not?”

“I’ll explain later.” Firmly, she clutched his arm and
steered him around to the door. “Finish up and ask him if we can inspect the
grounds. I want to visit the areas where Lisette’s been.” She coughed. “Oh, we
need to interview Bremley. Ditto Andrea’s opinion.” A disturbing quake shook
her shoulders, emphasizing her point.

He moved closer to her, dropped his voice. “What was all
that with Bremley? You probably gave the guy a hard-on.”

“I did.” She grimaced. “His mind’s an open book.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Come on.” He playfully slapped her
butt.

“Don’t write checks your hand can’t cash, Lieutenant.” She
couldn’t resist the tease.

“Yeah, well, when the bank’s closed, it’s a little tough.”

On that note, they reentered the room and Bremley sauntered
out, both heads erect.

Juliana restrained the laughter threatening to erupt. There
were some fun and games to reading people’s minds. Sometimes.

* * * * *

Alex pulled out his notepad and pen. Since Juliana couldn’t
read Grantham’s mind, he would cut the interview short. At least Grantham
remembered him. Their one and only previous encounter occurred at his son
Ethan’s funeral last year. It was also the first time Lisette had met her
paternal grandparents.

“Why do you have visitations with Lisette, now that her
father’s dead?”

“Samantha and I don’t see her nearly enough.”

Grantham’s nasal aristocratic voice grated on the one live
nerve left in Alex’s body. “Isn’t that because you never wanted to see her
before Ethan died?”

Grantham scowled. “Her father forbade us to see her.”

Alex had anticipated the lie. He scrutinized a photograph of
Grantham and Samantha on the desk. They were about twenty years younger. Curiously,
he noted the absence of photos of their sons and Lisette. “Did you arrange to
have her kidnapped?”

“No.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Grantham steepled his fingers under his chin. “Now, if I
knew that, don’t you think I would have informed the police?”

Alex stood to his full height and stepped behind his chair. “Do
you know of anyone who’d kidnap her?”

“No.”

A stone from the mansion’s walls showed more emotion than
the man inside the architectural eyesore.

“Why do you hate Andrea?”

“No offense to you, but the MacKenzies’ status is quite
beneath the social status of my family.” A cruel smile twisted Grantham’s lips.
He picked up a crystal paperweight, balancing the small pyramid on his palm.

“How did you get along with Ethan?” Alex drummed the pen on
the richly padded leather chair, his eyes fixed on Grantham’s face.

“He’s dead. I don’t see how it matters.”

“Answer the question.” Instincts warned Alex that Grantham
was hiding something. Probably a lot of things.

“We didn’t see eye-to-eye on most matters.”

“Did you disown him when he married Andrea?”

“You certainly are a smart one, Alexander.”

Alex took the response as a yes. “Why do you care about
Lisette? Is she a pawn in your game of life?”

“I love my granddaughter. She’s all we have left.” He said
the last words with a small choke.

Amusement flared briefly in Alex. The man could fake a heart
attack if he set his mind to it.

“If you care so much for family, why did you cut Ethan out?”

“We would have mended fences in due time.” Grantham’s face
frosted over. “He would have straightened out his act and come crawling back.”

“Where’s your oldest son, Grantham Chamber III?”

“The last I heard, he was living in Monte Carlo, squandering
his trust fund.” Grantham peered into the paperweight, eyes flat, bored.

Alex shifted his stance. A renewed urge to flee the stifling
house bolted through him, and his gut churned. Grantham was as cold and useless
as the paperweight he held. “Have you received a ransom note, phone call,
message of any sort?”

Grantham gave Alex a calculated stare. “Don’t you think I
would have called the police if I had?”

“If Ethan hadn’t shot himself up with heroin and cocaine,
would you have asked him to divorce Andrea and bring Lisette here to live?”

A sardonic smile played on Grantham’s lips. “I see why you made
Lieutenant so quickly.”

Alex spread his fingers on the back of Juliana’s chair. Her
heady scent renewed his lagging spirits. “If you receive a ransom note or call,
or know anything else that may help find your granddaughter, you know how to
reach me.” Alex tossed a business card on the nearly bare desk.

Bremley opened the door before Alex and Juliana reached it. Alex
swore the man must have held a glass to the door to hear the conversation end.

Alex just saw why Junior Grantham and Ethan steered clear of
their father. He wouldn’t have traded places with them for his own poor, broken
childhood.

* * * * *

Bremley’s interview traveled along the same vein, adding no
useful evidence. Juliana and Alex wasted little time with him before heading
out to the gardens in the backyard.

Juliana followed Alex onto the estate grounds behind the
mansion. Trepidation filled her when they left the shade of the main house.

“What did you think of Bremley?” Alex asked.

“Creepo kept his mind on the mundane. It’s almost as if he
is trying to mask his thoughts.” They walked along a flagstone path leading to
a gazebo in the middle of the thriving backyard. “There was little to no byplay
between his verbal and nonverbal responses.” She paused and looked ahead at the
meticulous rose garden surrounding the gazebo. “He’s devoted to Samantha. He’d
do anything for either Samantha or Grantham.”

“Kidnapping?” Alex’s heavy boot treads on the stone walkway
drowned out the click-clack of her sandals.

“That’s my impression.” They stepped into the gazebo. Juliana
wandered around the small octagon-shaped space, touching the verde iron chairs
and glass-topped table. Alex remained on her heels like a puppy.

Nothing sparked a vision or memory. “When you mentioned
Jasmine and the trip to the park, Bremley thought she was heading for trouble. He
was afraid for her.” Juliana stopped and gripped his arm. “You need to find her
fast. I really think something’s going on between them. But it’s indefinable.”

“From a gut feeling or from his thoughts?”

“Both.” She sighed and released his arm. “I don’t know why
he bothers me. Andrea gets a weird feeling about him, too, so you can’t
discredit it.”

Alex fingered the roll of antacids in his pocket, his
forehead furrowed. “Damn it.” He hopped down from the gazebo and strode a short
way along the path before stopping to wait for her.

She followed him. “Can you get a warrant?”

“Not without more substantial evidence,” he said tersely.

They continued to stroll around the yard, halting at areas
where Lisette had played. No further visions arose.

Walking toward the rear of the estate grounds, Alex grabbed
her arm and tugged her to a stop. He released her and toyed with the hair
billowing around her face in the gentle breeze. “Why couldn’t you read
Chamber?”

Unsettled, she stepped away and continued along the path. “People
have walls in their minds.” Alex walked beside her on the wide flagstone
walkway. “Caused by trauma or injury. Certain people can learn to build walls,
like I did.” A blue jay’s riotous cry startled her. A second one followed it. She
watched the flutter of blue wings through the trees bordering the
colored-filled gardens.

“It’s difficult for non-psychics, but not impossible.” The birds
hopped and danced on the lawn, then flew off, chasing each other into the copse.
“Either Grantham has had some sort of trauma, emotional or physical, or he’s
learned to build walls in his mind. It was sealed tight.”

“Can people have half-walls or cracks in the walls?”

“Yes. For example, take a child whose father abused her. She
grows up and suppresses the memory. She blocks that part of her mind from
herself, and from others.”

“Would the suppressed memory ever open up?”

It felt good to have an eager and tolerant pupil for a
change. “Yes, all at once, or in bits and pieces.”

“Can you read what I’m thinking?”

“Alex, don’t.” She halted and bowed her head, afraid to
travel that highway.

Alex eased in front of her. He touched her chin gently and
lifted her face. Determination gleamed in his eyes. “Do it.”

“I can’t.”

“Play along, will ya?”

“No, really, it’s impossible.” She groaned in frustration. “When
I hit the roadblock on Chamber, I tried to read your mind and it was just as
blank. Why do you think I wanted to scope out Bremley? I wanted to be sure I
wasn’t having a problem.”

“Try again. Concentrate.” His face relaxed, and he clasped
her hand in his.

“Alex! Oh, fine.” Juliana closed her eyes and cleared her
mind.

I’m glad you’re back. I missed you more than you’ll ever
know.

“Alex!” Her eyes grew large. “How in the world did you do
that?”

Strange and unsettling ideas crisscrossed through her mind. Doc
Brian was definitely on the agenda that evening.

The warm summer breeze blew hair across her face and she
lifted a hand to push it back. “One minute your mind’s a blank sheet of paper,
the next it’s filled with words.”

He grinned mischievously, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I
wanted you to read my mind.”

“If it were only that simple.” She absorbed the words she
read from his mind and blushed. “Did you really mean—”

“Yes.” He bent his head, and his lips touched hers like a
whisper. A delicious sensation scudded through her before shock at her eager
response eclipsed it. She pulled back and spun on her heels.

“Come on, we have work to do.” His reluctant tone grounded
them.

He led her toward a towering fountain. Water cascaded in
layers into a pool filled with lilies and koi.

Juliana spied Bremley approaching at a fast clip, as
cool-looking in the summer sun as he appeared in the air-conditioned mansion. Juliana
subtly untangled their hands and they halted at the fountain to wait for
Bremley.

“Lieutenant. Ms. Duncan.” He gave them a terse nod.

She painted on a seductive smile, turning his sedate bearing
to dust.

“Mr. Chamber specifically requests that you examine the
guesthouse at the end of this path.” Juliana’s eyes followed the direction he
pointed out. “Jasmine resides there when she’s on duty.” Bremley didn’t wait
for a response, just turned and glided away.

“Thank you, Bremley. You’re a doll,” Juliana called to his
retreating back, her voice as sweet as a candy cane.

“Stop it,” Alex growled.

She quirked an eyebrow in his direction. “Jealous?” She
couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with him now. It was if time had reversed
itself and they’d picked up where they left off.