The Quickening Read online

  “Tiffany.”

  “What?”

  “Is something going on between the two of you?”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re both acting suspicious.”

  “Did your secret spidey sense tell you?”

  “I’m a cop at heart. I know when things feel hinky, and this feels hinky.”

  Tiffany laughed. “And you say you don’t have any psychic abilities.”

  “Seriously. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t figured that part out yet. Can we talk about something else?”

  “Okay.”

  Tiffany loved that about Jordan. She didn’t ever push an argument, and she never had to worry about her popping into her thoughts.

  “I have something to tell you. That case you read this morning? It was a test. They already have somebody in prison for it.”

  “No, they don’t.”

  “Joy Fisher’s case has been solved for nine years. I read about it when I was a cadet.”

  “The man who did this crime is not in custody. And the more I think about it, the way his appearance was blocked from me? I think that he must have some sort of dark gift.”

  Jordan shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tiff. If it’s any consolation, you got everything else right.”

  Tiffany didn’t agree that the case was solved, but she was too tired to argue tonight. She yawned and her jaw cracked. “Excuse me,” she said. “When is the next reading?”

  “Can we do one tomorrow?”

  “Sure, after I sleep in. Jordan, don’t take offense, but it would be easier for me if you weren’t there.”

  “Why not?” Jordan looked hurt. “You don’t think I would be an asset?”

  “See? You think I’m insulting you, but I’m not. It’s that you haven’t mastered your blocks yet. Your thoughts are all over the place, and I can hear them.”

  “I don’t know what to say about that.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Of course you’re an asset to the team. I just think it would be better for the situation if you wait until after I do my readings and then help.”

  “Can you hear Kat’s thoughts? She was in the room with you.”

  I wish. “Just a trace, and once I told her I could, she shut down.”

  “How the fuck does she know how to do that and I don’t know about it?”

  Tiffany laughed. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”

  “You think you know a person.” Jordan pulled into Tiffany’s driveway and popped the trunk. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  “Thanks anyway.” Tiffany hefted her bag to her shoulder. “I’m fine, really. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”

  “Good night.” Jordan kept step with her up the path.

  Tiffany was amused. She hugged her when they reached the door. “See? All safe.”

  “Later.”

  “Hey,” Tiffany said. “You really don’t have anything to worry about. Shade’s doing the best she can, but I want you to know, she would never cross any lines with Sunny. Your relationship is safe.”

  “No, I know that. I trust her,” Jordan said. “Underneath it all, I really like and respect Shade. It stings, the fact she’s so miserable, and knowing I have a part in it.”

  “Sunny and Shade were over long before you came into the picture.”

  “I know that logically, and I’m sure on some level that she does too.”

  “There’s something else going on with her as well. You just happen to be a good scapegoat.”

  “Baa,” Jordan said.

  Tiffany laughed. “Good night, Jordan. Thanks for the ride.” She stepped inside, closed the door, and turned both of her deadbolts.

  On her way down the hall, she stopped in the doorway of Angel’s empty bedroom. The small bed was neatly made, her teddy bear dead center on the pillow. She missed her terribly when she was away.

  She sighed and snapped off the light.

  After her quick shower, she climbed into her bed and snuggled under the down comforter. She had just entered the floating state of her meditation when a noise from outside brought her back to awareness. It sounded like it was outside her window.

  Her heart thudded while she strained to listen for additional sounds.

  There it was again. It could be the raccoon that had been terrorizing the neighborhood recently. Now that she heard it, she’d have to check it out. She’d never be able to sleep well otherwise. With her light ready in one hand and her cell in the other, she walked quietly down the hall, keeping in the shadows. When she reached the kitchen, she peeked through the glass in the back door. Streetlights illuminated the backyard, and she could see it was empty.

  The clatter of garbage cans almost stopped her heart. She gathered her courage to look again and saw the large dark shape dart across the lawn. She let out a nervous laugh. It was the raccoon. Now she felt silly for being so scared.

  She shook it off and returned to her bedroom, still a bit shaky but determined not to be afraid. She heard a few more noises, but dismissed them. She was tired and sleep came easily.

  She was kneeling in the mud.

  She felt the ooze under her bare knees, smelled the smoke, the copper, and felt the crushing panic in her chest. Purple heather and fuchsias smoldered on the ground next to her. She could see the green and brown ridge of the mountains on her right, the forest in front of her.

  Not again.

  She looked to the left, knowing she would see the large horse bearing down on her, the rider bent over its back with his bloody sword extended. She forced herself to stare him down and try to remember the details. The rain and screams made it difficult to concentrate on him.

  The man had long yellow hair, and it blew in streams behind him. His teeth were bared, his aggression thick and heavy in the air. The closer he got, the more she could see. Tiffany forced herself to stay this time, to face her fear, rather than wake up like she always did.

  The horse’s hoofs sprayed mud into her face, but she looked up at the rider. She wanted to see who her murderer was. Blue eyes glared down at her, the whites bright against the dirt. Even in her dream state, this wasn’t right.

  He wore Mark’s face.

  Tiffany’s eyes snapped open, and she forced herself to breathe. She felt sluggish and heavy. It took some effort, but she was able to turn on her nightstand lamp before falling back against her pillows.

  She struggled to connect with reality, to keep herself awake until the dredges of the nightmare receded. She was hyper-aware of her rapid pulse, her panic at seeing Mark’s murderous face above her.

  Not real, it’s not real.

  Tiffany knew it had to be her subconscious playing tricks on her. Mark was in prison. She was safe. More importantly, Angel was safe from him. She still had no idea why these issues were surfacing so often lately.

  She concentrated on her waterfall, bringing herself to her safe place, but it was a long time before she fell back asleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Tiffany woke to the sun streaming through the gap in her curtains. She frantically glanced at the clock and kicked off the covers, thinking she was late. The next second, she remembered Angel was at the beach. Lucky girl. She stretched and thought about lying in bed for a while longer, just because she could.

  It was no use. Her thoughts began racing with to-do lists and odd errands she should run while she could. Hadn’t she also told Jordan last night she would do a cold case reading today? Oh, and she should call Shade or Sunny to ask how the Wilson investigation went.

  She sighed, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

  After the coffee was started, Tiffany went outside to right the garbage cans the raccoon had knocked over. She noticed areas where the grass was lying flat by the house. Damn, it was big. No wonder it made so much noise.

  She heard her phone in the kitchen and ran for the back door to answer it. “Hello?”

  “
There’s been an accident,” Sunny said.

  “What happened?” Tiffany’s heart sped up. She knew she should have stayed last night.

  “I’m not sure of all the details yet. Some woman named Beenie just called me and said that Shade was in the emergency room. They were attacked early this morning.”

  “Oh my God! Is Shade okay?”

  “I’m on my way to the hospital now,” Sunny said.

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  *

  Kat got up before dawn. She spent the early hours of the morning reading some of her early journals then carefully translated her child’s point of view before she began typing them into her new manuscript. With each new line, her excitement grew.

  When she finished the chapter she was working on, she opened her e-mail and saw that Detective Parker had responded. He apologized for the deception, but he wanted to make sure the resource was accurate before proceeding.

  Resource? His choice of words pissed her off even more. Her jaw tightened, but she read on. Could she please contact him at her earliest convenience?

  Kat felt her temper build then checked herself on it. This was a job, and it was out of character for her to take things so personally. She knew it had everything to do with Tiffany and Kat’s past memories of her. She was used to having a level head in any situation. Having her emotions so close to the surface was going to drive her off the edge if she didn’t find a resolution one way or the other.

  Screw Parker. First things first. She needed to call Jordan. While she waited for her to answer, she decided she wanted to have a long talk with Tiffany. It was time to get things out in the open. Kat wouldn’t accept anything less than complete disclosure, because waiting for Tiffany to recognize her hadn’t helped.

  “Hello?”

  “Jordan, what time do you want me to come over today?”

  “We’re going to have to reschedule, Kat. We’re on our way to the hospital.”

  “What’s going on? Is anyone hurt?” Please don’t let it be Tiffany.

  “Shade was jumped this morning.”

  Kat was ashamed she felt so relieved. “Is she going to be okay? Do they know who did it?”

  “Negative. I’m going to get more information when I get there.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Not that I can think of. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay. Please keep me updated.”

  “I will.”

  “Later.” Kat disconnected the call and began pacing. She liked Shade and sincerely hoped she was all right. Tiffany must be scared to death. Kat was aware of how close they were. She tried to settle down to write some more, but she couldn’t sit still. She went out on the deck; she came back in, repeating the pattern. “Hell with it.” She grabbed her keys. She didn’t want to be stuck here across the water from where she wanted to be. She was going to catch the next ferry to Bremerton.

  *

  Tiffany hit the double glass door entry at a run. She went directly to the front desk where Sunny and Jordan were talking with the receptionist.

  “Have a seat. It’s going to be a while before you can go back.”

  Sunny looked worried. “Can’t we—?”

  “No, I’m sorry.” The receptionist looked to the man behind Tiffany. “Next!”

  Sunny grabbed Tiffany’s hand. “I’m so worried about her.”

  Jordan led them to an area that had three empty seats together. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Aren’t you going to raise hell?” Tiffany felt a little hysterical. “Go be a hard-ass or something.”

  “Tiff, sit down,” Sunny said. “It does no good to alienate the one person who has control over that door.”

  “But—”

  “Trust me, that woman has a spine of steel, breathes fire, and she won’t be giving an inch. We’re going to have to be patient.”

  “Hey,” Jordan said. She pointed to a pair of uniformed officers being ushered through the back door. “There’s my old partner. Hey, Vince! Wait up.” Jordan sprinted to catch up with them, and then disappeared around the corner.

  Tiffany felt helpless. She hated not knowing what was going on. “Are you getting anything at all from Shade?”

  “No. I tried.” Sunny put her hands over her face. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Have you called your mom?”

  “I didn’t want to worry her until I know what’s happening back there.”

  Tiffany rubbed Sunny’s shoulder. “Who’s Beenie?”

  “I don’t know. I’m assuming she’s one of Shade’s friends.”

  “Call her back and get her to explain what happened.”

  “I tried, Tiff. She used Shade’s phone. Now when I ring it, it just goes to voice mail.”

  “Oh. This sucks. Isn’t there anything we can do?”

  “We’re already doing it. I hope Jordan comes back with some news.”

  “Can’t you read Jordan? She’s back there.”

  “I think I’m too upset. I keep seeing static.” Sunny slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her stomach. “Please, Tiff, sit down. You’re making it much worse.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Tiffany made an effort to calm down for Sunny’s sake. The energy overflow from the crowded waiting room had to be overwhelming her.

  She heard the hiss from the hydraulic hinge on the doors. Most of the people in the room turned to see who was coming out, then immediately went back to their conversations when it wasn’t who they expected.

  Tiffany stared at the door like her life depended on it, willing it to open and give her some answers. Now she knew how her friends felt when she was lying back there. She ordered herself not to go there. She was a long way past the pathetic wreck she’d been.

  Sunny’s phone rang. “It’s my mother. I don’t know why I thought I could keep this from her. I’m going to go outside. There’s bad reception in here.”

  “Tell her I’ll call Angel in a little while, okay? After we find out what’s happened.”

  Sunny nodded.

  Great, now she was stuck here and waiting by herself. She hated hospitals, especially emergency rooms. She’d spent enough time in them making up excuses and lying to the doctors about how she’d been injured.

  The doors opened and a disheveled blond teen came out. Her hair was tangled and her eye makeup had run down her face. She looked like she’d been in the same clothes for a week. Tiffany felt sorry for her. She stood still and searched the room as if she were lost. She turned and looked at Tiffany, exposing a bruise alongside her cheekbone, triggering sympathy pains, and a knot began forming in Tiffany’s stomach.

  The girl made eye contact then approached her. She could see the girl was older than she thought at first, maybe in her early twenties. “Hey, are you Tiffany?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  The girl ignored her question. “I’m Beenie. I need to give you some stuff.” She dug in her purse, pulled out a cell phone to hand to Tiffany, along with a large plastic bag with a bloody leather coat in it. Shade’s coat. “Oh my God,” Tiffany said. “What happened?”

  Beenie stared at her with empty eyes. “Look, I can’t stay. I didn’t see anything, get it?”

  Tiffany grabbed her good arm, and dug her fingers in to keep her hold. Damn it, she was going to get answers one way or another.

  “Let go of me!”

  Beenie was stronger than she looked. Tiffany tightened her grip, but she broke free and pulled back as if she were going to punch her.

  Her first reflex was to duck and protect her face, her next was raw rage. Tiffany stood up and balanced herself. She wasn’t going to cower for anyone, ever again.

  The clenched fist came at her but was stopped mid-air. Kat appeared at her side, towering over them both. “Problem?” she asked Tiffany, then stared Beenie down. “Back off.”

  “What’s your fucking problem?” Beenie’s voice reached a screeching volume.

  �
�I suggest,” Kat said quietly, “you leave right now.”

  “I can take care of myself.” Tiffany was livid and felt her face burning with anger.

  Kat moved to stand between her and Beenie. “I’m sure you can. But security is coming down the hall.”

  Tiffany turned to look. When she swiveled back again, the last she saw of Beenie was her back as she slipped out the door. She stared up at Kat, speechless.

  Sunny appeared at her side and placed her hand on her back. Tiffany wanted to fight the calming warmth spreading through her, because the anger felt better than the fear. “What happened?”

  “I had a hold of Beenie-Bitch and Caveman Kat here stopped me.”

  “She was going to hit you,” Kat said.

  “Oh Lord.” Sunny led Tiffany back to the seats. “First, Angel is fine and having fun at the beach. Second, Shade isn’t severely hurt.”

  “I saw it!” Tiffany said. “That woman set her up. Shade never saw the blow coming.” She could feel the angry tears coming, and took a few deep breaths.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Kat sat next to her.

  Tiffany was still mad at her and turned toward Sunny. “They were walking down a dark street. It wasn’t Shade’s neighborhood. I didn’t recognize it. Some guy came out of the alley behind them and then hit her over the head with a pipe. She fell immediately. It was awful, seeing her going down.”

  Sunny gasped. “Oh no!”

  “What makes you think she was set up?”

  “Because Beenie kept looking over her shoulder. I saw a flash of money changing hands, and the dope she was going to buy with it. She knew.”

  “Wasn’t she hurt too?” Kat asked.

  Tiffany glared at her. “She talked with the attacker after Shade went down. She figured the amount she was receiving was worth getting beat up to avoid suspicion. I didn’t get any more than that before you stopped me.”

  “I didn’t mean to piss you off. I thought I was keeping you from a broken nose.”

  “Thank you,” Sunny said. “Tiffany, she thought she was helping. She couldn’t have known what was going on.”

  “I didn’t have time to ask. All I saw was a fist headed toward your face,” Kat said. “But I’m sorry if you thought I was out of line.”