Daddy's Home (21 page)

As she turned to walk away, Brooke opened the door. “Holly?”

Holly turned back around. “Oh. Hi.”

“Were you coming to see me for something?”

“No not really. Just passing by and was going to say hello, but then realized you were probably busy.”
Lord, that sounded lame.

“Never too busy for a colleague or a friend.”

Holly wasn’t sure where, but she supposed that Brooke was indicating that she fit in there somewhere between the two. She smiled, not knowing what to say and feeling very uneasy.

“So this case is keeping you all working around the clock?”

The words
you all
still carried a faint Texas twang that she was pretty sure Dr. Brooke Madison had worked hard to get rid of, but the trace lingered on. For some reason, that thought helped put Holly at ease. Maybe it was just that even the doctor had her own hidden insecurities. “Yes, it certainly is. It’s a tough one.”

“You want to come in, tell me about it? Maybe I can give you some insight. I know what I told you the last time we talked, but it appears from the reports I’ve received that the playing field has changed some, and you’re dealing with more than one killer. Funny, I didn’t get that in the beginning, but as I said, I’m not always right.”

Holly shifted from one foot to the other. Okay, maybe she would have some insight that Holly didn’t. It was Brooke’s job to crawl into the minds of these monsters and to try to figure out motives and histories. “Sure, why not.”

Holly followed the leggy doc into her office and sat down across the desk from her.

“So talk to me some more about this case. Maureen brought the new info to me yesterday about the latest victims. I’ve been going through it myself, to see what kind of read I can get, but I have to admit this is a strange case. From all that I’ve read of the reports sent to me, it does seem as though there is more than one suspect involved.”

“It does seem that way.” Holly handed her the file containing the e-mails she’d brought with her. She hoped Brooke would assume they were the cause for the visit, never to know it had been her intention to get her to convince Chad to keep silent.

Brooke read over the e-mails. “From these messages, I’d say that we are dealing with more than one psychopath, for that is essentially who these people are. Psychopaths. I told you before what I thought about the killer. Now we have to expand our thinking and consider other alternatives. Most psychopaths are loners, they don’t hang out in groups unless it’s a Manson-type phenomenon, as I see you jotted down in the file. Good theory. Maybe this James fellow or this third person is the leader and the others involved simply don’t have enough self-esteem or grit to think on their own. But, honestly, Holly, I don’t think that’s what it is, either.”

Brooke set the e-mails down on her desk and shook her head. She spread her manicured hands across the papers, a ring on her left hand. No diamond, but a ring nonetheless. A blue sapphire in the middle, with small diamonds edged all the way around it—done in platinum—expensive, very expensive. Too expensive for a cop. God, Holly hoped Chad knew what the hell he was doing—assuming he was the one who’d given the doc the ring, of course.

“I don’t know what we have, and I’m banging my head against the wall along with everyone else on the team. If there’s more than one out there, and our guy was not James, then we still have a killer on the loose, and that scares the hell out of me. After seeing the last crime scene, I know enough about escalation to know that this person is not going to stop any time soon.”

“I agree.” Brooke stood. She came around and sat down in the chair next to Holly’s and in a near whisper said, “Do you believe in intuition?”

“Of course I do. I’m a cop. We follow our gut instincts all the time.” Okay, this was getting weird.

“Take it a little further. Say . . . premonitions?”

Holly pulled her body back and tilted her head to one side. “What are you asking me?” Really weird.

“What would you say if I told you that I have a friend outside the force who has quietly helped us before, or at least me, in these types of cases.” Brooke crossed her legs.

“Like a psychic? Are you saying that you use a psychic to help you?” An interesting side to Brooke.

“Sometimes. When y’all come to me and have questions about a case that I simply can’t get answers to, then, yes, I have a friend I call who has helped me find answers. The only reason I haven’t ever brought this to anyone’s attention is that I know what some of the supervisors in this office would think about using a medium, and it could mean my job.”

“Uh-huh,” Holly replied.

“It’s only a suggestion, Holly. What can it hurt? Do you want to give it a try? It’s lunchtime. We can go and talk to her now, if you’d like. No one will be the wiser, and it might help you. And if it doesn’t, what do you have to lose? Simple folly.”

And time on an important case. “I don’t know, Brooke. It is a bit out of the norm. And I’m feeling pretty pressed for time on this thing. I hadn’t planned on a lunch break today.”

“That’s fine. Just thought I’d run it past you.”

Holly leaned back in the chair for a minute and thought about it. Brooke was right. What did she have to lose? And she couldn’t help but be a bit curious about this medium. “Let’s go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Now, before I change my mind. We’ll grab a sandwich on the way. I don’t think too clearly on an empty stomach.”

They left the office, Holly thinking that Chad’s Dr. Brooke was full of all kinds of surprises.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Anne Nickels was nothing like Holly expected, nor did she live like Holly expected. Anne the psychic was a petite woman with black hair, cut in a pageboy. Her pale green eyes were remarkable, almost the color of celery. She wore Levi’s and an Old Navy T-shirt. The house was a two story Tudor north of Pacific Beach and just South of La Jolla—an expensive area, but affordable by those who made a decent living. Holly immediately liked Anne, and with the offer of some chamomile tea, she and Brooke settled onto a sofa covered in cream-colored chenille.

“I take it from your phone call that this is pretty important, Brooke.” Anne sat down across from them in a winged-back, distressed leather chair, very shabby chic. Brooke had called from her cell phone during the car ride up, counting on Anne’s availability.

“Yes. Detective Jennings . . .”

“Holly, please,” Holly interrupted, correcting Brooke.

Brooke continued, “Holly is working a case, and I’ve been studying the files. There are some complications surrounding the case.”

“Okay. Can you tell me, are these the cases that involve the mothers and their children? The Family Man cases?”

Holly nodded. It wasn’t like that was too tough to figure out. The cases had been broadcast all over the place.

“Yes, I’ve been following the media reports, and I see your dilemma. I agree that there are three players involved here. But oddly enough, one player doesn’t know about the others. It’s a man. Well, he knows, but not in the sense that they actually work together. Do you understand?”

“No,” Holly replied. “Is this the man who thinks he was being set up?” Holly asked referring to James.

“No. This is the killer himself. He has no real need for the others. But one of them, a female, plays very strongly in this. She has a real attachment to him.” Anne closed her eyes for a minute. “However, he would’ve done this anyway without the help.”

“So they helped him?” Holly asked, not knowing what to believe and not knowing what Brooke might have told her.

“The woman did. She helped him once, and has offered to help again. He doesn’t completely trust her, but part of him enjoys having her around. He likes to keep an eye on her, if that means something to you.”

“Can you tell me what she looks like?”

Amazingly enough, Anne described Darla almost perfectly. “Listen, she has a connection to this killer, and I don’t know specifically what it is, but I also feel like she’s gone.”

“Dead? Do you think he’s killed her as well? And did this man kill James, too?”

“Wait, hold on. Slow down, please. This is too important to rush, okay?”

Holly sat back in the chair. She glanced over at Brooke who was as captivated as Holly had to admit she was.

Anne closed her eyes again and for several minutes didn’t say a word. When she opened her eyes, she spoke. “I don’t think the woman is dead. But the man is looking for her, and I think his name is Hunter. But that doesn’t feel exactly right, so don’t count on it. However, he is looking for her, and he does seem pretty angry with her right now. She wants to contact him, but she’s afraid. She’s afraid of both him and the police. But her bond to this man is very strong, and although I do think she will eventually make contact, I just don’t know when. And to answer your question about Mr. James, this Hunter man did not kill him. The woman did, and I think she’s hiding somewhere. That’s why I feel she’s not close. She is not in San Diego anymore, I can tell you that much.”

“Mexico?” Holly frowned. She was buying this. How could she not? The woman knew way too much.

“If I had to put money on it, that would be my first guess. But I can’t tell you exactly where.”

“Okay. So this man, Hunter, our killer . . . What about him? Where is he?”

“He’s still here in town, very much so. And I feel that he is closer than you think. It’s almost like you know him. Or you’ll meet him.”

Bet I will, sister. When I shoot his fucking brains out.

Anne looked her square in the eye.
Oh, God, did she just read my thoughts?

“I don’t know how he knows you, but I feel very strongly that he does. He’s definitely seen you.”

Holly shook her head and sighed. She had quickly gone from almost believing her to not buying a word she was saying.

“Holly?” Anne asked, still staring at her.

“Yes?”

“Did they ever find your husband’s body?”

“What?” Holly couldn’t have heard her correctly.

“Did they ever find his body?”

Holly looked back and forth between Brooke and Anne. She stood. “We’ve taken enough of your time. Thank you.”

As she opened the front door, Anne spoke again. “Holly, if they never found his body, I don’t know if he’s really dead.”

Enough! What was this medium, or whatever she called herself, trying to tell her anyway? For God’s sake! What nonsense. She faced her. “My husband died in that fire. That’s it, end of story.” She walked briskly to the car. She heard Brooke apologizing and calling good-bye over her shoulder as she followed Holly.

They were silent for a few moments, until Holly got onto the freeway and accelerated, driving at a high speed. This hadn’t gone the way she’d thought. She figured maybe she’d get some kind of answer, but what she’d gotten was pure bullshit. And the kind that stirred emotions in her that didn’t need stirring. She longed to call Brendan.

“Holly, I am so sorry.” Brooke broke the silence. “I don’t know what that was about.”

“You don’t? You and Chad been sharing bedtime stories? What are you up to, Brooke? Are you trying to play me for some strange reason? You and Chad in cahoots to get me off this case? You afraid I’m going to go tell Greenfield that you two are getting it on? So you conjure up this weird psychic scenario, to what . . . ? Get me thrown off the case? Make it look like I’m losing my mind?”

“Holly, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever. Let’s forget this whole thing happened. I’ve got to get back to work. I’ve got a case to solve, without you and Madame See-the-Future, much less your boyfriend.”

“Holly, I am sorry, really.”

Holly gripped the steering wheel. “Save it, Brooke. Just save it. I still have no clue as to what you’re up to, and frankly I don’t really care. But let me say this,” Holly began. “Don’t get in the way of me and this case. I’m not going to spill your secret. In fact, I could give less than a rat’s ass about who you screw. Screw the entire department for all I care. But leave me out of it.”

Moments later they pulled into the station parking lot. Brooke quietly got out and walked away.

Holly checked her watch. Chloe would be in aftercare by now. She decided to go and check on Kristy then pick Chloe up early. She wanted to get as far away from this place as possible right now. Maybe she could clear her head and try to figure out what in hell was going on. Truthfully, she wanted to go to see Brendan, have him put his strong arms around her, have him hold her tight, protecting her from everything and everyone around her.