ChasingShadows (5 page)

“Alex, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” She reached out and
caressed his cheek. The rough stubble of a two-day-old beard prickled her
fingers.

He laced her fingers with his, both lost in the emotion in
the other’s eyes. James returned to the room, breaking the spell. They pulled
back from each other as if burned. James slid a bottle of spring water across
the table and Juliana threw him a weak smile.

“No, I guess you wouldn’t have known,” Alex said flatly. He
stood and slowly returned to the chair across the table.

Small relief washed over Juliana in realizing that she
hadn’t missed a key element in her dream.

She had confronted many grief-stricken parents in other
abduction cases. But she was always the outsider, having no previous bond to
the victim, so the impact wasn’t as great to her. But this! Poor Alex. She
couldn’t even imagine what he was suffering.

Juliana sipped at the water and let Alex’s hot and cold
attitude toward her slide. The kidnapping of a loved one was enough to turn
anyone into a raving lunatic.

“You okay?” James patted her hand from across the table.

“I’m fine.” She forced a smile to her lips.

Concern simmered in Alex’s eyes as he watched her every
movement. Her throat grew narrow as he continued to stare, and her body
betrayed her in response. Her nipples tightened under her silk blouse, and it
wasn’t from the frigid air. She crossed her arms over her chest to hide her
untoward reaction.

James dropped down in his chair. “What did you see in your
dream this morning?” He picked up his pen and scribbled on his notepad.

Thankful to resume the interview, she counted to ten in her
head to steady her nerves. Then she proceeded to describe the dream in vivid
detail.

When she finished, Alex leaned forward, his large hands
splayed on the table. “You’re positive Lisette knew him?”

“Absolutely. There’s no way she’d have willingly gone with
him if she didn’t.”

“Could you pick his face out of a mug book? Or his voice
from a recorder?” Alex asked in desperation.

She wished she possessed the ability to do what he asked. “Not
right now. And I’ve already gone through my contact list and searched my memory
for people I’ve met lately. No one rings a bell. When I have another dream, I
may distinguish his features, but there’s no guarantee.”

“What do you mean?”

Juliana’s heart fluttered at the distinct curiosity in
Alex’s voice. “If he looks into a mirror or if I see his reflection in glass or
water, I might see a picture of him.” She tightened her arms to ward off the
chill refusing to leave her extremities alone. “I might get an idea of his
features. His own thoughts about himself. I may see things about him.” She
paused and studied James’ chicken scratches on his notepad. “For instance, I
might see his height in relation to the height of an automobile. A scar on his
hand. If he’s thinking about his eyes, I may see that they’re blue or green,
whatever. Or I might see him wear certain brands of clothing.”

Alex sat back and tipped his head. “Okay.”

A missing detail lodged behind a wall in her memory. She
struggled to recall the elusive element.

James asked, “Did Lisette take anything?”

Again, she concentrated on the vision. The evasive detail
surfaced as if one of the detectives had transmitted the thought. “Lisette took
a white stuffed animal with her. A bunny, I believe. Her favorite.”

Alex sprang from his seat. He spun around toward the door,
his fists clenched loosely at his sides. James stood and laid a calming hand on
Alex’s shoulder, but Alex shrugged him off.

“Alex. If you didn’t believe in psychics, you have to now.
You know in your gut
Juliana
didn’t take Lisette,” James said, but his
voice wasn’t in an “I told you so” tone. “For Lisette’s sake.”

Alex sighed heavily, and his shoulders sagged.

Why couldn’t this have been a normal case?
Her mouth
felt like old, dusty paper. She drained half the water and gripped the bottle
in her already frozen fingers, not even feeling the coolness of the liquid.

Long seconds dragged past while Alex reined in his emotions.
When he returned to his seat, his face was expressionless.

Juliana spoke first, almost afraid to upset the balance. “Knowing
it’s your niece…” She threw Alex a compassionate look. “I’ll do
anything
to help you find her.”

Long ago, she learned to disassociate herself from the
crimes to avoid as much of the agony suffered by the victim’s families. However,
this case was so close to home that it would levy a hefty fine on her emotions.
And she would give her all for the investigation. She owed Alex that much.

“Let’s get back on track.” James looked from Alex to
Juliana, a hard sober look to counter any defiance.

Alex crossed his arms over his broad, muscled chest. “Do you
think he’ll go after Andrea?”

Juliana realized her queasy nervousness and headache were
gone, and she said a silent prayer of thanks. “He lied to Lisette about Andrea
joining them soon. I felt it—interpreted it.” To her surprise, Alex nodded.

She dug deeper into her mind for additional clues, but the
search bore no fruit.

“You didn’t see what model car he drove, street signs, what
the house looked like?” James rapped a ballpoint pen on the laminate table, the
sound startling in the small room.

She shook her head, sadness bearing down on her. “I’m sorry.
The dream was fuzzy after he left Lisette’s room. He was less excited until he
arrived home, or at his destination.”

“What else can you tell us?” James implored.

More than a causal work relationship linked James O’Malley
to Alex. Such a connection explained the forlorn look in his eyes.

Alex threw her thoughts off kilter when he asked, “Why do
you insist on no publicity?”

Juliana traced a spot of ink on the table. “Do you really
want the kidnapper knowing a psychic’s involved? Don’t you think it might
jeopardize your case?”

Alex reached for the untouched file James tossed on the
table earlier. “Yet, you have no problem publicizing your prowess on Wall
Street,
Ms. Gold Maker
.”

She knew her successes on Wall Street would eventually find
their way into the conversation. She earned the nickname in the financial world
several years ago when she couldn’t pick a loser investment if her life
depended upon it. “I keep those two parts of my life separate. I don’t care to
parade my private life to public scrutiny.”

“Your psychic abilities didn’t earn you the nickname?” Alex’s
eyebrows quirked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“So, why your terms about no publicity?” Alex scratched at
the jagged scar on his face. The scar reddened from the rough contact and
Juliana yearned to caress it. “What do you hope to gain in the end?”

“A good night’s sleep.” She met his gaze, challenging him. “If
I have to put up with reporters and doctors hounding me,
and
if I have
to spend my life fearing the kidnapper may come after me, my psychic dreams
will turn to dust. I won’t have the ability to help find your niece.”

The sobering effect of her words triggered the fear that
flitted across Alex’s face. He needed her, and he knew it. Precious little consolation
coated that reality.

James cleared his throat loudly, as if to break the tension.
“Have you ever been wrong about your premonitions and visions?”

Another anticipated question. She looked directly at James
and replied, “Once.” Mistaken through her own misinterpretation, and her guilt would
die with her.

Juliana forced her mind off her past. She couldn’t afford
the interference—she needed to focus on Lisette’s abduction.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to add.” The most difficult
skill to confess. Something even Alex didn’t know about her. Juliana lowered
her head and weaved her purse strap through her fingers. The reactions she’d
received in the past varied from awe to flagrant derision.

Alex nodded for her to continue, and James stared at her in
anticipation.

She grabbed the water bottle and downed a few gulps, the
liquid like rain in a dry creek bed. “I’ve been able to help the police in
interrogating suspects and witnesses. Under the table-type stuff, since it’s
not quite legal.”

She stirred uneasily in her chair. “I’m telepathic.” Ready
for their best shots, she raised her head proudly. “I can read minds.”

Chapter Three

“What the hell? You’ve been sitting here fucking reading
our
minds this whole time.” Alex shoved away from the table and jumped to his
feet, the chair clattering on its side. A shadow of anger shot across his face.

“Cool.” James smiled at her. “I like a psychic with multiple
talents.”

A chill swept through Juliana as she looked at Alex and
formed her response. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alex cut her off.

“Have you?” he demanded.

She clenched her lips tight as her tolerance of Alex’s
attitude wore tissue-thin. “What are you hiding?” she egged him on.

A cool calm replaced Alex’s anger and his lips twitched with
a tight smile. “What goes on in my mind is none of your damn business.”

James rapped the table sharply with his pen a few times, a
glower on his face. “Let’s get back on track. We’re wasting time we don’t
have.”

Alex ran a hand across his face. “Shit. I can’t deal with
this right now.” He moved toward the door. “James, finish up and meet me in my
office.”

“Alex,” Juliana said. When he turned around, she continued,
“I’d rather throw myself off the Golden Gate Bridge than read your mind.”

* * * * *

Alex left James to complete Juliana’s interview while he
called to check on Andrea. Nothing he said consoled her, and he hung up the
phone, misery stabbing at his gut. He gazed lovingly at Lisette’s colorful
artwork pinned helter-skelter on his office walls. An unwelcome voice from the
corridor intruded upon the reflective moment.

“Too bad about your niece.” A raspy laugh followed his
archenemy’s arrival in the doorway.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. Why did that loser
ex-detective from Internal Affairs have to be in his face every day? That was
the last thing he needed right now. “What do you want, Shelby?” Alex’s jaw
clenched.

“To say how sorry I am.”

Alex lifted his head and glared at the smirk on Shelby’s
face. He kept his tongue only with extreme self-control. The last thing he
needed was more trouble from his number one ass-buster.

“Maybe I’ll stop by and console my
ex-girlfriend
.” Shelby’s
smirk curled into a wicked grin.

Ex-girlfriend, my ass.
“You had one date. Stay the
hell away from my sister.” Alex glared at Shelby, disgust reaching the roasting
point inside. “And get the hell out of my face.”

After a two-finger wave, Shelby stalked off, not a moment
too soon.

Racehorses ran the Kentucky Derby in Alex’s head. He palmed
some antacids, threw in a couple of aspirin and downed them with yesterday’s
cola. The stale, warm liquid burned as it went down his throat.

He skimmed the list of potential suspects, which included
family, friends, neighbors, teachers and any other people who may have
connected with Lisette over the last few years. He began a list of questions in
preparation for the interviews.

Only a few minutes elapsed before James barreled through the
doorway and banged the door shut.

Alex met his friend’s stormy eyes. James made a lousy poker
player—his face showed every mood. His shirt hung halfway out of his khaki
slacks, his tie askew.

The case would have an enormous emotional impact on both
Alex and James. It was already a top priority for the entire police department,
which rallied together to find their own kin, related by the fellowship of law
enforcement.

“Tag Shelby, but don’t tip our hand,” Alex commanded, in no
mood for civility.

James dropped in the visitor chair and frowned. “You think
he did it?”

“He has motive. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

James’ frown turned to a deep scowl. “You didn’t bang him
down from detective to desk flunky.”

For the most part, Alex hated Internal Affairs, and his
opinion worsened when Shelby joined the team. “He’s digging for any excuse to
bust my ass to cover up his own fuck-ups.”

James scowled. “Man, he was responsible for the murder of
that witness! He shouldn’t even be on the force in any capacity.”

Alex threw James an impatient look. “Forget that stupid ass.
We’ll work on him later. How about a forensics update?”

James flipped through the file in his hands. “No
fingerprints anywhere in or outside the bedroom. The footprint outside the
window belongs to a man’s size ten-and-a-half athletic shoe. The tread revealed
no worn spots. Forensics is working it to determine the perp’s weight.”

“Window latch?”

James leafed through a couple more pages in the file. “Jiggled
open with a knife or similar object. Standard latch. Andrea removed the screen
last week for you to fix.” James held up his hand and rushed on. “Don’t blame
yourself, man. Anyone could have bypassed the screen. And the lock on the
window’s the same as the others in the complex.”

“I was supposed to fix the screens and install new locks on
the windows this weekend.” Alex slammed his fist on the desk. A stack of closed
case files careened to the floor in a jumble. Alex shoved them aside roughly
with his foot.

“He knew what he was doing.” As usual, in a crisis or an
intense case, James’ voice remained even. Alex didn’t know what he’d do without
James taking the lead right now. “It was premeditated.” James leaned back in
the chair and laid the file on the desk. “The guy would have found a way in, no
matter what kind of lock. Or he’d have snatched her some other way.”

Alex rubbed his scar. Who took his niece? And why? His gut
continued to churn with the lack of evidence.

“I’ve divvied up the interviews. Sterling and his team are
on the people at the school, neighbors and others. We’ll take the principals.”

He studied the list again. The first names at the top: Grantham
and Samantha Chamber, Lisette’s paternal grandparents. A grimace hardly
displayed his loathing adequately. He didn’t savor the prospect of speaking
face-to-face with the man who wanted custody of his niece. Not that day. He’d
tear Grantham’s head off. James might have to do that interview alone.

Alex’s body ached as if he’d just run a cross-country
marathon. He lifted a fresh roll of antacids from his desk drawer and shoved it
into his pants pocket. “Let’s do it.”

* * * * *

The idea of working with Juliana and seeing her again after
all these years when he could do without the distraction caused apprehension,
confusion, rage and an array of other emotions to war within him. James had coerced
Alex into taking Juliana to Andrea’s condominium to examine Lisette’s bedroom. Juliana
had suggested to James in her interview that she might recall more if she saw
the room in person. She assured the detectives that she wasn’t a touch
telepath, but she sometimes recalled new details at the crime scene.

Alex and James agreed to play by the rules and interview the
Chambers without Juliana. They would include her for a second round of
interviews, if warranted.

After compromising on the division of work, Alex wound up at
Juliana’s house while James conducted the first interviews. He grimly took in
the huge two-story home that dwarfed his own twenty-year-old ranch-style house.
If not for his foul mood, he might even have appreciated the beautiful and
sparkling new Mediterranean-style home.

Two ulterior motives compelled him to pick up Juliana. First,
he wanted to see if she really had moved back to San Jose—he’d believe it when
he saw it. Second, he wanted to snoop around her house even though she’d
allowed the police to search it earlier. He wasn’t taking any chances, especially
after her vanishing act. Not that he thought she was involved in the kidnapping.

To his surprise, Juliana opened the door before he jabbed the
doorbell. His heart did a double beat as he took in her capris and silky T-shirt.
Her intoxicating, trademark perfume intrigued him still, twelve years later. His
eyes raked her from her blonde hair to her bare toes, his heartbeat quickening
as a tiny smile lit her beautiful face.

She inclined her head, dainty hand resting on the doorframe.
“Hello, Alex.”

“Juliana.” The frosty businesslike nod belied his internal upheaval.

She ushered him into the large, airy house, and he strained
to hear any unusual sounds as he scanned the entryway and beyond. He searched
for any clue that might disprove her dream and produce Lisette alive and well.

A vise seized his heart at the thought. He wanted Juliana to
be clean with him almost as much as he wanted to find his niece.

Juliana’s eyes widened. “Have a look around. I’ve nothing to
hide from the police or you.”

Damn. She always knew his thoughts—without resorting to reading
his mind. They’d been in tune in a way he’d never experienced, not even with
his twin sister.

“I’ll wait in the family room.” She swept her hand toward a
large room to the left and with a provocative sway to her hips, sauntered away
from him.

Too damn distracting, and he wanted to kick himself for
looking. And thinking. And feeling.

He blew the cobwebs out of his head and began his
exploration in the roomy, sterile kitchen. His methodical search of each room
proved futile, and relief sluiced over him. Despite the lack of furniture in
the house, it appeared Juliana was home to stay.

* * * * *

Andrea’s condominium was in an older, centrally located
neighborhood. Meticulously landscaped grounds surrounded the slightly
worse-for-wear condominiums. Lawns were freshly mowed, and the pungent smell of
cut grass wafted up in the summer heat. Juliana stifled a sneeze as the
brilliant sun caught her eye.

How had Andrea ended up in such a humble neighborhood after a
marriage to the son of one of the richest men in the world?

When Alex parked his SUV in the guest parking spot, strange
perceptions that escaped meaning ratcheted up a thumping in her head.

To her relief, no reporters skulked around. Despite the lack
of media, the case had engendered plenty of airtime. Children snatched from
their homes under their parents’ noses tended to create vast tension and fear. Certainly,
in any abduction case, a parent wanted all the public exposure they could
generate. Nonetheless, Juliana was glad she wouldn’t be accosted going into
Andrea’s house.

Andrea’s front door opened as soon as Alex and Juliana
hopped out of Alex’s tall SUV. Andrea ran out and flung her arms around Juliana
as if she’d found a long-lost relative. Juliana stifled her pleasant surprise
at her high school friend’s warmth. She didn’t deserve the warm, fuzzy feeling
that she belonged.

She eased out of Andrea’s arms and regarded her with a
mixture of sadness and welcome familiarity. Still tall and slender, Andrea seemed
like the same girl she remembered from high school.

Andrea clasped Juliana’s hand and they entered the
condominium. The instant Juliana stepped across the threshold, the strange
sensations that had assailed her in the driveway intensified. They nearly smothered
her with the impression that she’d been here once before.

“Juliana, I’m so grateful for what you’re doing.” Andrea
attempted a smile, despite the tears glimmering in her eyes. Eyes that looked
exactly like Alex’s.

She gently squeezed Andrea’s hand. “I’ll do what I can to
help find Lisette.”

Alex coughed, impatiently clearing his throat. “Juliana. Do
whatever you need to do.”

She nodded and breathed deep. The foreboding had moved into
the pit of her stomach, and the pounding in her head increased.

What was happening to her? Off-key didn’t begin to describe
the odd sensations.

Juliana followed Alex down the short hallway to Lisette’s
bedroom, with Andrea bringing up the rear. The closer she came to the room, the
more Juliana’s apprehension increased. Perspiration broke out on her forehead
and she felt feverish.

Alex stepped through the second doorway on the right at the back
of the condo. He said unnecessarily, “Lisette’s room.”

Juliana pressed past him, her hand brushing his thigh. Heat
flared up her arm, shaking her already jittery nervous system.

Alex jerked away and leaned against the closet door. He
yanked his notebook and pen out of the back pocket of his jeans, avoiding eye
contact with her.

Hooking a tendril of loose hair behind her ear, she scanned
the room, taking it all in. She neared the bed in the middle of the small room,
her dream crystallizing in her mind. Smiling sunflowers patterned the comforter
in jewel-tone colors, just as she’d pictured in her dream. She leaned over the
twin bed and lifted the stuffed penguin from atop the pillow.

A sharp pain shot through her temple, and the stuffed animal
dropped to the floor. Suddenly, a wave of nausea convulsed her and she
instinctively clutched her stomach. Her mind’s eye glimpsed the kidnapper
flipping the penguin away from Lisette’s face before he covered Lisette’s mouth
with his hand.

Juliana jerked upright as if yanked by a marionette string.

“Jewel, you okay?”

Alex’s strong arm snaked around her waist, and she leaned
into his warm body.

He gently coaxed her to sit beside him on the end of the bed.
“You don’t have to do this right now,” he said tenderly.

Concern paled his handsome bronzed face, and her heart
melted. “I’ve never experienced touch telepathy. I think it just happened.”

Excitement touched her voice. The euphoria overpowered her,
masking the pain in her head. She had just reached a new level of psychic
ability, a talent that had always eluded her. It was little wonder she’d been
feeling strange since she’d arrived.

Alex carefully withdrew his arm from around her waist and
stood up. The loss of his touch left her confusingly bereft.

He stared at her as if he’d seen an apparition and resumed
his stance in front of the closet. “Can you continue?”

“I think so.”

Andrea lowered plaintive eyes to Juliana from her position
in the doorway. “What did you see?”