Don't Touch (12 page)

Reaching out Amber rubbed Ryan’s arms.
“You’re my sister. I’m supposed to look out for you.”

Knocking her arms away Ryan glared at her.
“Is that what you tell yourself? That you’re looking out for me by
calling and talking to my answering machine every Tuesday. Leaving
me scared and alone wondering if I am nuts. I was lost and you
could have helped me. Well don’t worry about it I’ve been found and
I’m not quite ready for that white coat.”

Amber started to say something but Ryan
opened the door. The girl looked to Jackson for help but he offered
none. She walked out turning around to a slamming door. It was a
few minutes before the car backed out of the driveway and a lot
longer for Ryan to calm down.

Jackson had to admit he liked the flush in
her cheeks. He could imagine her running some tech through hoops
trying to keep up with her. Her hair was tousled and the night
shirt clung to her curves beneath the open robe. Clearing his
throat he ran a hand through his own mane. “Remind me to stay on
your good side.”

Ryan stopped steaming long enough to look at
him. She had almost forgotten he was there she had been so angry.
His shirt was rumpled and his hair a chestnut mess, but there was a
twinkle in his eyes as he teased.

Grinning back she tugged the bottom of his
shirt. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. My head spins around and
everything or that’s Barney’s story at least.” Sobering she rested
her forehead on his arm. “I’m sorry about that. Amber must have one
of the neighbors on red alert.”

Without thinking about it he hugged her.
“That’s alright it’s been a while since I’ve been caught in the
sister’s bed.”

Not able to stop the guffaw that came Ryan
hugged him back. “You are so bad. I had pegged Thomas as the
slut.”

They both laughed until reality hit. She was
touching him and he was touching her. Nothing was happening. Ryan
looked up at him her eyes wide. She rested her arm on his, nothing.
That made him think back to last night. He was holding her on the
couch and she had buried her face in his neck against his skin.

He bent and rested cheek to cheek for a full
minute, nothing. He placed his hand on her cheek. “Ryan?”

She thought for a moment. It was there faint;
she could feel him but not read him. Her hand trembling she touched
his face with her left hand. His beard was rough against her palm
and she could sense emotions just under the surface.

Changing hands, she hesitated a breath away
from his skin. Closing her eyes she laid her hand on his cheek. Now
she could sense his worry, a touch of fear that he had caused her
more pain. She opened her eyes and looked into his.

Grabbing his arm with her left hand the
emotions became easier for her to pick up on but it wasn’t
overwhelming. She let her right hand slide down his neck to his arm
and laced her fingers with his. She was touching him. Tears welled
up in her eyes. Then his dream flashed. They were doing a whole lot
more than holding hands.

Laughing embarrassed she let him go. He was a
man and she did sleep in his arms of course he would have a dream
like that. There wasn’t anymore to it than that. He reached out
still careful to only touch cloth. “What’s going on? You gotta talk
to me.”

A smile nearly split her face in two. “I
think working with you is helping to control the random visions. I
can touch you for a time without effect. I could tell what you were
feeling but that was it.”

“You said for a time, what did you see?” When
she blushed and stammered, something about it’s understandable he
realized it must have been his dream. He only half remembered it
but, oh no. “Oh man, uh…. I’m…..uh…”

When she started to laugh again he shrugged
as another knock came to the door.

Chapter 10

Ryan stood there in shock looking at Barbara
and Captain Heinz standing on her porch. “Uh….come in, I’d like to
say it’s nice to see you but I’m not really sure.”

Heinz laughed. “I’m not sure either, Dr.
Reign. I received a strange phone call this morning from your
sister. She was concerned we were putting your health at risk.”

Ryan rolled her eyes wanting to crawl under
something and hide. “I’m sorry. She just left here a short time
ago. Hopefully she got the hint and won’t bother you again.

Barbara bid good morning to Jackson and Heinz
gave him a look of warning. Looping an arm through her husband’s
Barbara smiled at him. “You know we can’t interfere in their
private lives Michael. Besides Detective Prince is innocent of
Amber’s accusations.”

Ryan’s mouth fell open. “She didn’t.
Unbelievable. After everything yesterday I was having nightmares.
It was the first number in my head and he came over to sit with me.
Amber had no right or say in the matter.”

With a curt nod Heinz said he understood.
“Prince may be the source of most of my heartburn but I have never
known him to take advantage of anyone. I wouldn’t put it past Lord
though.”

Barbara stepped over and gently hugged her.
“Ryan, we came by because I wanted to make sure you were alright.
What you’ve been doing is bound to affect you. Those visions are
enough to give anyone nightmares. I just wanted to make sure you
weren’t alone. I am trusting that as your friend Detective Prince
will do the same.”

Jackson shifted nervously wondering just how
much of his thoughts she knew. “I’ll be as close as she needs or
wants me.”

Ryan wrapped her robe tighter as a chill went
down her spine. “Do you have them, dreams of the visions?”

Her mentor nodded softly, “I do. There are
some I know will never go away. But knowing that I saved someone’s
life and having someone who I can lean on helps me live with
it.”

Jackson and Heinz’s phones went off. Another
body found in the old Umatilla cemetery. Ryan shivered as she
remembered her last visit there. She and a couple of band nerds
tried to spend the night on a dare. None of them made it. The place
was haunted. Now this to add to the disquiet of the place.

Barbara took her left hand and looked to the
men. “You go ahead. I’ll stay with Ryan until you call. Then we’ll
come.”

Kissing his wife Heinz grabbed Jackson and
they headed out. Thomas stammered as they arrived at the scene.
“Captain, nice to see you in the field.”

“Can it Lord, what’s going on?”

Thomas began the tour with the latest victim
lying on a grave in the same positions as the rest. The knife at
her side. Heinz shook his head at the pretty young woman. She was
dressed like the others and had long red hair, one brown eye. They
waited until the techs were done gathering evidence and taking
photographs. When the transport showed up to remove the corpse
Heinz had them wait.

Ryan was nervous with Barbara there, knowing
she had probably been doing something wrong this whole time. She
paled when the body came into view. Barbara didn’t let her stop
moving.

The woman on the ground looked to be in her
late twenties. All the usual marks and signs were there. Her skin
was ashen or she would have looked like she was sleeping. The
headstone belonged to a known family in the area. They had been in
Lake County for generations. Ryan reached for it but Barbara pulled
her back. “Graves hold too much grief, it’s easy to be overwhelmed
by it. She’s all you’ve got for now and here is where it will be
the strongest. Remember what you see has already happened, it can’t
hurt you. Just tell us what you see.”

Ryan sat on the grass reached out and placed
her hand over the girl’s heart. Suddenly she was thrown into the
night. It was a street party, music lots of people, no that’s
wrong. It was Universal City Walk. The girl was with a friend and
they were talking girl talk. She was a bit tipsy and wobbled into a
man. He laughed and helped her keep her feet. “Having a good
time?”

She nodded, “Yeah, come on we’re on our way
to Margaretville.”

He shook his head but the red head insisted.
Her friend wasn’t pleased to have a third party. “Come on Phyllis
this is supposed to be a girl’s night out.”

Phyllis looped an arm around both the man and
her friend. “Oh Ally let’s just have fun. Maybe we can find you a
new friend in Jimmy’s!”

Once they got inside the restaurant the
friend went to the bar letting Phyllis have her fill of the new
comer. Ryan tried to focus on him. But he never gave her a clear
shot of his face. It was always in the shadows or just a quick
glimpse. No positive thing to be able to say that’s him.

A few hours later the man had enough of her
antics and left the drunken woman. Phyllis looked around and
couldn’t find Ally. She thought her friend got mad and left her
there. Shrugging she stumbled out of the restaurant. There were
always street vendors along the walk between the shops and clubs to
kill some time. There was one giving a free makeover. Why not she
thought there might be another hunk out she could hook up with.

The vision swam and she was blindfolded and
walking in the woods brush hitting her legs. Managing to wrench her
arm from his grasp Phyllis took off running. Unable to see where
she was going and in hysterics she ran full speed into a tree.
Blacking out she felt blood trickle from her nose. The vision
stopped.

After a few minutes Ryan tried again but it
was almost the same. “I think the fact she was pretty well
snookered didn’t help. When she was in the woods though it felt
like she was on something more than just booze. Maybe someone
slipped her a mickey?”

The officers glanced at each other. Jackson
looked down at her. “There were traces of GHB in the victim’s
mouths. It’s mixed with something else to make it hit them fast. We
haven’t mentioned that to anyone, Ryan.”

“If I hadn’t been inside her head I would
have just contributed it to the alcohol. She must have been
snatched at City Walk but the other girls weren’t there when they
disappeared.”

Heinz called over the transport team. Ryan
got up and stood back out of the way watching them load the girl,
her next destination the morgue. She walked over the detectives.
“Are you going to the morgue?”

Thomas arched his brows. “We usually wait
until they have the reports done then we head over and pick them
up.”

Heinz took his wife by the hand. “Why don’t
you follow them over? Dr. Reign may have some pull to get her
processed quicker.”

Nodding Jackson agreed. “I think it’s a good
idea. There may be something we didn’t see here.”

Piling in the car Ryan wondered if she could
walk in there again. She started to feel butterflies half way
there. Did they all think she was crazy too? What had Amber told
them? She hadn’t spoken to anyone since the incident. Barney had
called a few times but when she refused to talk to him he stopped
calling.

Standing in the parking lot her heart started
pounding. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Then Jackson slid a
hand around her back and his warmth helped her tame those fears.
She walked in trying to grin as she was met at the desk by Kessler.
“Dr. Reign? What are you doing here?”

Jackson answered by handing him his badge.
“I’m Detective Prince; Dr. Reign is working with us on that serial
case. We’re here to observe the autopsy of the latest victim.”

Kessler’s perfect façade was ruffled.
“Observe? Dr. Reign has been on sabbatical from this facility for
some time. I was not aware she was working again.”

Crossing her arms with a hitch in her hip
Ryan looked at him. Someone whispered, it’s going to Reign, just
before she cut loose.”

“Dr. Kessler I’m assuming that you have been
speaking to my sister. Amber has no control over me. I have not had
any mental treatment nor am I in need of any. My credentials are
all up to date, call the medical board and verify it. If you think
you can stop me from observing a case that I have been assigned to
by the county law office you can think again. What room Lynn?”

“Room 33, Dr. Reign.”

She turned on her heel and walked down the
hall to the autopsy rooms leaving Jackson and Thomas stammering
before they followed. Jackson tried not to grin as she stalked down
the hall tall, confident, and full of attitude. Several people
stopped what they were doing and stared then greeted her. “Welcome
back, Dr. Reign.”

She returned the greetings with a thank you
and a nod. When she reached the autopsy room their victim had been
taken to. Barney Flack nearly dropped the file he was assembling.
“Ryan?” He looked her over then grinning ear to ear went to give
her a hug. “You look fantastic! Are you back? I hope so my wife is
wondering what I look like.”

Ryan artfully dodged the hug. “I’m here to
observe the autopsy. I’m working with the detectives assigned to
these cases.”

His face fell a bit but he led her over to
the table. “We just got her in here, the station just called with a
hit on a finger print they took on the scene. Her name is Phyllis
Marks. Her history reads like the others, first red head
though.”

Ryan had her hands in her pockets. They were
gloved but she wasn’t taking any chances. Inside she was quivering
like Aunt Sally’s Jell-O mold but to the rest of the world she was
calm cool and in complete control. She turned around and using her
body to shield her she pulled another set of gloves from the box on
the wall and slipped them on.