Oracle Rising (10 page)

He was good with that.

“Do you think she was alive at the time she died?” Rhett asked, praying she wasn’t. That had to be a horrible way to go, and he knew it.

“I won’t know until I cut her open, Sheriff. I have to get a peek into her lungs. If I find smoke in her, you’ll have your answer, now won’t you?”

Rhett sighed. “Okay, make it fast.”

He laughed. “Sheriff, I can’t. She’s not the first person on my list of autopsies today. I have that older couple who died in that car accident late last night. She’s in position number three. I won’t get to her until later.”

“Doc…”

“Don’t ‘Doc’ me. We don’t know if this was just an accidental death or something more. I’m not bumping victims because you have the mayor about to go nuclear. Policy states that I autopsy by order they came in, and a double is going to take me hours. She’s going to have to wait her turn.”

Rhett stared at him. “I see we won’t be having a BFF relationship here.”

“I’m sorry, Sheriff, but there are protocols. I’m doing my job the right way.”

Rhett raised his hands. He really wished the old ME hadn’t retired. For a bottle of blue label Jack, he’d tap dance while doing a Y-incision.

“Fine. I’ll make sure I handle the media and the rest of this mess. You do your job, Doc, and I’ll do mine.”

“Will do.”

Rhett wasn’t happy.

Not at all.

This was the last thing he needed. As he headed toward his vehicle, he knew that he needed to haul ass to the mayor’s home to give him the potentially bad news.

All he could hope was that the girl would pop back up before her father had to be notified. Maybe he would get lucky. It could happen, right?

Was that too much to ask?

He nearly laughed. On second thought, he didn't have that kind of fortune with the opposite sex.

He was definitely screwed.

As he headed toward his truck, his cell phone chimed. Pulling it from his pocket, he read the message that his deputy had sent.

‘I pulled her plate. Your mystery woman is Juliett Deveraux. I’m still working on where she’s staying. Right now, she’s grabbing a coffee. I’ll follow her home.’

Well, something was looking up. He liked the way Juliett rolled off his tongue as he said it out loud.

He liked it a lot.

Tucking his phone into his plaid shirt pocket, he thought about the scared woman he’d seen in the crowd.

“Who are you, Juliett Deveraux, and what the hell are you doing here in Crosspointe?”

That was a question he needed an answer to, and fast.

Chapter THREE

If there was one thing that Nate liked, it was stirring up his partner, Lucas Mars. The man wasn’t even around, and Nate was screwing with him.

How?

Well, while Luke was away, the team would play.

Since the man wasn’t using his recently replaced Hummer, Nate and Jagger had opted to take the vehicle. It had all updated equipment in it, thanks to Elizabeth Blackhawk.

They had a new navigation screen, reinforced doors, and were riding in a tank. It was a thing of beauty, and Nate knew his partner would shit a brick if anything happened to his new ride.

It was amusing.

Taking it out was dangerous. There were only three things that Luke loved in life.

Maura.

Adrenaline.

His ride.

He made a mental note to take a picture of them standing in front of it to send to him. Why not have some fun? All work and no play made the team edgy.

Glancing into the backseat, he could see Avalon safely housed in the back of the beast. The real reason they were taking the Hummer was for her safety. That was paramount.

As Jagger drove, Nate did research on the woman from Avalon’s vision.

“We have Juliett Deveraux. Her IRS paperwork says that she works for a hospice, or should I say used to work.”

Jagger shook his head. “Wow, that’s a tough gig. I don’t think I could do it.”

That was saying a lot, considering the jobs Jagger had done for the US military.

Nate didn't disagree. “Me either. Watching people slowly die, day in and day out, has to be brutal.”

“I’m willing to bet that she uses her gift,” stated Avalon. “She’s probably empathic.”

They both glanced back at her.

“Care to explain?” Nate asked. “We’re relatively new to this psychic thing.”

Avalon continued, “When you’re empathic, you connect to someone’s emotions or pain. I’m betting that she’s picking up the fear and agony these women are feeling before they die. She’s able to read them as they’re crossing over.”

“Holy shit,” muttered Jagger. “That’s a crappy gift to have. Who wants to walk around feeling someone’s pain all the time?”

She didn't disagree. “I wouldn’t want that as my only gift. It would make it hard to block out.”

Well, at least they knew what they were dealing with.

“What else do we have on her?” Jagger asked. He hated surprises. When he was going in, he liked to know everything up front. Marines didn't like getting details at the last second.

He was a planner.

Nate searched the employment records and indeed found more. “She worked at
‘Morning Bright Convalescent Home’.
”

“That sounds about right. She’s going to want to be hands on, working with the people,” Avalon added. “She’s likely a nurse.”

She was right.

“I still don’t get it,” Jagger said. “What exactly is she doing with her abilities there? I mean, I get that she’s picking up their pain, but what could she do other than…?”

He finally got it.

Avalon didn't speak.

“Wait! She’s reaping souls?”

“I guess that in a way she is. She’s helping them die.”

He laughed. “Great. No wonder she’s being chased. She’s killing people.”

“She’s not killing people, Jagger, she’s helping them cross over. She likely eases the pain as they go peacefully into the next plane of existence. I hope, when it’s my time, I get to go without stress and hurt.”

Nate didn't even want to think about her ‘going’ anywhere. His eyelid twitched, and he was pretty sure a stroke was coming on.

“Well, if I wake up and see her standing over my bed, I’m going to shoot first and ask questions later.”

They both looked appalled.

“What? Come on! You’re a tough audience. At least Luke smiles.”

“She uses her gift to lead her to the sick patients,” Avalon stated. “She’s drawn to it and for a long time, she probably didn't understand why. It’s likely that her hospice had a high death rate.”

“I’ll look…” Nate began.

“Don’t bother. I’m telling, not asking.”

He shook his head. Working with her was always an odd experience. At home, she was Avalon.

Here?

Now?

She was definitely Oracle.

“So she dug up dirt and someone is trying to kill her?” asked Jagger. “Are we sure it’s not because of that, and we’re not after a killer who hunts psychics? Maybe she killed someone’s grandmother and that pissed them off.”

Nate glanced back. They were putting this all in Avalon’s hands. After all, she’d saved the President of the United States. Surely, she would know what’s best for this case.

“No, she’s being hunted by a killer. He’s already killed someone in Crosspointe. There will be more.”

“Has he killed before?” Nate asked.

“Yes. I can get you the names later. When he goes after Juliett, I can slip into her dreams and find them. I just need to do a little dream walking.”

He didn't like the sound of that.

In fact, he hated it.

First, because it could get her hurt doing it, and secondly, because it was something she did with him. Nate didn't want her playing in anyone’s dreams but his.

It was their thing.

“Why does that seem dangerous?” Nate inquired, staring at the woman he loved. She was all dressed in black, and had her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Sunglasses obstructed her eyes, and had he not known she was blind, he would never have guessed.

“It’s only dangerous if he catches me wandering around in her mind. I have to be sneaky.”

Nate stared openmouthed. “Avalon! You’re not supposed to risk yourself. That was part of our agreement.”

“When you pick up a gun, strap it to your hip, and head out to find the bad guys, Nathaniel, what are you doing?”

He sputtered.

“She has a point,” Jagger stated. “That’s probably more dangerous than skipping through a dream.”

“Zip it, Marine. I don’t need you taking her side. She knows how to twist me up just fine on her own.”

He grinned. “Yes, sir.”

“Well, Nathaniel Christian Carter? When you put on that badge and gun, what do you think happens to the risk level in your life?”

Oh, hell.

She used his full name.

This couldn’t be good.

While he wasn’t accustomed to a relationship, he was pretty sure his mother only threw down their full names when they were in deep shit.

“I mean…”

“Yes, what did you mean to say?” she asked. “So, it’s okay for you to be at risk, but because I’m blind, I’m a child?” Avalon was giving him a way out of the mess, but he had to opt to choose it.

Nate knew this was a dangerous area. Avalon hated being treated like a child. Only, she was jumping headfirst into something far more dangerous than she ever did before.

Before, she was the hunter.

Now, she was a marked woman.

Nate took a deep breath. There was no way he was going to win this one. So he took a lesson from his father’s playbook. “Yes, dear.”

Avalon laughed. “I love you, Nathaniel. I knew you’d see it from my perspective.”

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when she went still.

Nate stared at her. “Avi? Honey, are you okay?” he asked, touching her leg.

She didn't respond.

Instead, she pulled off her sun glasses and her eyes were completely blank. She was slipping into another trance.

Nate had seen it before.

Whenever she was getting information, however it happened, she got this unusual look across her beautiful features.

“Is she okay?” Jagger asked, glancing into the rearview mirror as he drove. “She looks out of it.”

“I think so.”

“She’s being followed,” stated Avalon. Her voice had gone soft, and eerily hollow. “She’s scared. Someone is following her, and she’s afraid it’s him. Her heart is pounding, and she’s wondering if she should bolt.”

Nate hated this.

“How far out are we?” he asked Jagger.

He hit a few buttons on the onboard navigation system, and it chirped to life.

“We have twenty minutes until we hit Crosspointe.”

Nate stared at Avalon.

“Sweetheart, who is following her?” he asked.

She blinked twice, as if trying to push her way through the cloudy mind of the prey.

“I can’t tell. She’s medicated herself. She didn't want to know if he was close to finding her, so she popped a few pills. When a psychic uses drugs, it makes it harder to focus. She’s paranoid right now. It may be nothing.”

“Can you find out…?”

“Yes,” she said, bracing her hands on the seat beside her as beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. “Just get us there, and fast,” she stated. “I’ll see what I can do.”

It made the men edgy, but they had to trust her.

Avalon closed her eyes and stopped speaking to them. She needed to focus on the woman they were going to save. If this was the killer, they were likely going to be too late.

Juliett Deveraux could be in danger, and this case might be over before it even started.

“Nate, hurry,” she whispered.

He turned in his seat.

“Get us there in ten minutes, Jagger,” he stated, knowing the Marine would handle it.

“Buckle up. We’re going to test Luke’s ride.”

Nate closed his eyes and hoped they weren’t walking into a bloodbath.

It was the last thing they needed.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Crosspointe

She was terrified.

Nothing in her life had ever prepared her for the bone chilling fear that was wracking her body.

It was getting worse by the day.

Juliett knew the second she left the fire scene, that she was being followed. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, and she had goosebumps.

It was her early warning system.

When she was in danger, she’d get that sick feeling in her gut.

It was the one she had at that very moment. Now she wished she didn't pop some sedatives to ease her distress. They were dulling her reaction time and likely going to get her killed.

All morning, before she heard about the fire, she already knew what had happened to the dead woman.

Her visions had been right.

She knew she had to face the truth.

Someone was out there, and he was looking for her. It was the last thing she wanted, but she already knew her fate.

He would find her.

He would kill her.

So, she numbed it all. She popped a few pills to fight the anxiety, and while the sound of his laughter abated, she was still shaken up.

When she opted to show up at the fire, her intention was just to drive by. She wasn’t going to get out, but then she was compelled to do it. Her only hope was that because she’d dulled his voice, by medicating, he couldn’t feel or get her.

It might be her only chance.

As she stood there, she saw this man.

He stole her breath.

He was tall, handsome, and on the other side of the police tape. There was something innately sexy about the way he stood there in his jeans and plaid shirt. He looked virile, safe, and gentle.

She didn't get that from many men anymore.

They all had an angle, and it was mostly to get into your pants.

While he caught her attention, it wasn’t only because of the well-worn Levis. She knew a cop when she saw one, and as he stared at her, she was worried.

It wasn’t the woman beside her, or the man to her right. It was her that he focused on.

Shit!

He was watching her.

Her plan had been to head there, rent a place by paying cash and laying low. Now she had the attention of the local cops. Why was her life so damn difficult?

It was like fate hated her.

Instead of feeling safe in the crowd, she was edgy, heated up, and wary.

Fight of flight kicked in, and she took off. As she left, she knew he was watching her. Juliett’s palms were clammy, and her heart was racing.

It was all his fault.

This time, it had nothing to do with the crazy voices in her head.

The man was ridiculously handsome, and he made her want to do really stupid things. The last thing she needed was to have someone focused on her.