Into a Dangerous Mind (29 page)

Zach held up a hand.
 
“I wasn’t meaning to say you hadn’t, but you are at least psychically sensitive.”

“What?”
 
Shock flowed over Dix’s face as Zach’s statement registered.

“Actually both of you are.”
 
Cassidy pointed to both Kathy and Dix.

“What?”
 
Kathy echoed Dix’s shocked outburst.
 
“Neither one of us have any psychic powers.”

Zach took Cassidy’s hand in his and looked over at Dix and Kathy.
 
“Do you remember the other morning…the er…sexual episode on the couch?”

Dix cringed as Cassidy blushed furiously and stared at her lap.
 
He shifted in his chair as the memories of even that brief contact with Kathy brought parts of his anatomy to attention that were not welcome in a room of four.

“Yes,” said Dix and Kathy together, both looking decidedly uncomfortable.

“But, Zach, you told me that was Cassidy’s talent, not one of ours.”

my gift.
 
But in order for either of you to pick up on it, you have to be sensitive enough to receive it.”

“So, the intuition or gut feelings I always have about things are really psychic sensitivity?”
 
Kathy asked, her face curious and open.

Zach nodded.
 
“Exactly, and you’ll be more open to signals from Cassidy because you two are emotionally close.”

Kathy gave an uncharacteristic giggle rather than her warm cultured laugh.
 
“So warn us next time you two are going to do some mattress aerobics, will you?”

Cassidy snapped the paper open loudly, her blush still burning bright.
 
“So, back to the copycat.”

Dix tried to hide his grin.
 
“Okay, so how about we try right after the Director calls?
 
In the meantime, I’ve got an update on Holly Peters.”

Cassidy frowned.
 
“Who?”

“The perky blonde reporter you saw dead who we’ve been tailing since this morning.”
 
Dix stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back in his chair.
 
“She’s a piece of work.
 
Several well-known city officials have restraining orders against her.
 
The station has a lawyer dedicated solely to getting her out of trouble.”

“Why wouldn’t they just fire her if she’s that high maintenance?” asked Kathy.

Dix laughed.
 
“Other than the fact she gets some damn juicy scoops for them, she’s pretty popular with the male viewers, from what her station manager says.”

Zach shrugged.
 
“I personally don’t like the Barbie-Doll silicone explosion look, but apparently I’m in the minority.”

“Anyway,” added Dix, trying to steer them back onto the subject at hand.
 
“Her latest and greatest assignment is finding out the cover up behind the Reaper case and why the FBI keeps a stable of hidden psychics on its payroll.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”
 
Cassidy refolded the paper and handed it to Kathy to read.

Dix leaned over to read over Kathy’s arm.
 
“Nope. I look pretty innocuous, so I went in and talked to her station manager.
 
She thinks this story will break her out of the small time news category and make her career.”

“Except the premise of her story isn’t true,” said Zach under his breath.

“Now, Zach, you know news careers have been made and broken on less.
 
Not everyone in the media has the integrity of Walter Cronkite,” Dix countered.

Cassidy shook her head.
 
“Even if she is a barracuda, I hope we can stop my vision from coming true.”
 
She turned to Zach.
 
“They aren’t set in stone once I see them—right?”

“Nope,” Zach confirmed.
 
“The choices we make can still affect the outcome.”

outcome.
 
I’m starting to get used to wading through crime scenes, and that isn’t good.”

Once again, Cassidy found herself sitting across from Zach, her hands linked with his across her kitchen table.
 
“Why am I more nervous this time than I was last time?”

Zach squeezed her hand.
 
“Because you’ve had more time to think about it this time.
 
Don’t worry, I’ll be right here beside you.”

Cassidy smiled at Dix and Kathy, who stood looking down at she and Zach.
 
Then she relaxed her shields and reached out a tendril of psychic energy toward Zach, linking their mind’s firmly.
 
She let the familiar presence of his mind fade into the background of her awareness and concentrated on the Reaper.

Slowly, her energy reached out beyond Zach, but this time it didn’t search, it headed straight toward…something.
 
Right before she knew it would connect, the energy stopped in place.
 
The connection was still there, and she knew the Reaper was aware of her, but somehow he kept her from connecting with him.

“Damn!”
 
Another instance where she needed full control of her powers and didn’t have it yet.

,” said Zach inside her head.

Zach’s consciousness flowed down her tendril of energy until it too reached the end and could go no farther.
 
She knew Zach searched for a way past the barrier, but when he pulled back, she knew he hadn’t found one.
 
He nudged her mentally, giving the signal to disengage, and she let out a breath and opened her eyes.

“What happened?”
 
Concern etched across Kathy’s lovely face.

“I’m not sure,” admitted Cassidy.
 
“He’s alive, I know that much.
 
But I couldn’t connect with him.
 
It’s almost like there’s a barrier around him keeping me from pinpointing him.”

“Or,” all eyes turned to Kathy.
 
She tapped a manicured index finger against her chin.
 
“His mind could have deteriorated.”

“Deteriorated?” asked Zach.

Kathy nodded.
 
“My grandmother died of Alzheimer’s.
 
I remember watching helpless as her mind deteriorated.”

“But the Reaper doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, he’s a psychopath.”
 
Dix looked around the room.

Zach pursed his lips.
 
“True, but it’s a form of disease and it does affect the mind.
 
As he goes more and more mad, he will begin to lose his sense of identity, if he hasn’t already.”

Cassidy laid a hand on his arm.
 
“I think I understand.”
 
She looked at him for confirmation.
 
“When I try and connect with him, I’m picturing Brian as I knew him before.
 
But if he’s retreated so far away from reality that he doesn’t accept he’s the same person any longer, I’ll have problems finding him.
 
Right?”

self.”

The room fell into a pregnant silence as everyone mulled over what Zach had said.
 
Cassidy rolled the ramifications around in her mind.
 
“Does that mean he’ll have problems contacting me?”

as before.”

“Damn, nothing is ever simple, is it?”

Dix broke in.
 
“But now we know he’s alive.
 
He’s probably been lying low and healing, like Zach said.”

Zach stood.
 
“I agree.
 
He’s going to be even more fixated on Cassidy once he’s healed.
 
I suggest we all get a good night’s sleep.
 
Because in the morning we all have work to do.”

“Even me?” asked Kathy, knowing she was the odd person out when it came to the Reaper.

“Even you,” Zach confirmed.
 
“You’ve become a large part of Cassidy’s support network, so don’t think you’re not important in this.”

Cassidy smiled.
 
Leave it to Zach to understand Kathy’s need to do something important to help.
 
He had the ability to make everyone feel important and needed.
 
It was one of the things she loved about him.

Love—it still seemed strange to even think it.
 
But she did love him.
 
No matter what happened with the Reaper, she promised herself she would find a way for them to be together.

Zach continued.
 
“Cass, you need to step up the training.
 
Everything you learn will help against the Reaper, just don’t wear yourself out.
 
We don’t know when he will attack and we all need to stay alert and fresh.”

“I have to go play politics and keep the Director off our backs long enough to solve the case,” offered Dix.

“No problem.
 
Better you than me, buddy, is all I have to say.”

Cassidy knew how much Zach hated the administration and politics of his job and whenever possible, he would leave it to Dix.

“Kathy,” Zach pointed over at her.
 
“I know the Symphony is off for the next few days, do you have time to help me with some Internet research?”

Kathy laughed at Zach.
 
“I don’t have to be psychic to know I don’t have the security clearance to see any of your research.
 
No need to send me on a bogus Internet search to make me feel included.”

Zach looked like a kid caught stealing candy.

Kathy walked to Zach and touched a hand to his cheek.
 
“No need to look so sullen.
 
I appreciate you trying to include me.
 
I want to be here for Cassidy.
 
Cooking helps me calm my nerves and apparently eating helps all of you do the same.”
 
She gestured to encompass them all.
 
“So, I think I’ll stick to what I’m good at.”