The Touch (5 page)

Chloe did as she was told, her movements slow, a slump to her shoulders.  “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Of course I will, honey.”

“And will you make sure my mom leaves the hall light on?”

Lexi looked down into that sweet little face, knowing what it cost her to ask that question.  “Sure, no problem.  Now let’s read an oldie but a goodie…”  Picking up the book of Grimm’s faerie tales, she flipped through to stop at random on the story of Rapunzel.  “Once upon a time…”

***

Lexi could tell when Chloe slipped off into dreamland, but she kept reading along, wanting to wait until she was deeply under before getting up from her perch on the side of the bed.  When the final words of the story were spoken, her eyes fell to the sad little pile of belongings on the bedside table, the delicate earring in particular drawing her attention.  More than likely it was just one of Allie’s old earrings, but it didn’t fit with the childish nature of the other items. 

The whole discussion of ghosts had been odd from the start; first with the drawings and then the admission that they shared the house with not just one ghostly child
,
but a whole passel of them?  Any other day Lexi would have chalked it up to Chloe’s overactive
imagination, but there was
something off about her niece’s behavior.  Besides, who was she to say whether or not ghosts did exist?  She’d always been interested in the
supernatural
, given her own abilities
,
and she liked to keep an open mind. 

Suddenly it occurred to her that she might very well have the proof right at hand, so to speak.  With trembling hands, she pulled off one glove, picking up the earring and closing her fingers around it. 

The brush moved rhythmically through her hair, lips moving as she counted
softly.  C
inquanta, cinquantuno, cinquantadue
,
cinquantatré… until her hair shone in the candlelight.  She studied the effect
in the dressing table mirror, turning her head first one way and then the other. 
There, pretty as a picture. 
I
f only
Jack
would come home
to
them
… to
her
… It was almost unbearable facing every day without him, and now with the attack he would be gone that much longer
.
  Her eyes lingered on the small black and white photo tucked into the corner of the mirror, Jack’s handsome face looking so stern and capable in his uniform.  “Come back to me amore mio…” she whispered, fingers reaching out to stroke the edge of the worn picture.

Lexi separated herself from the wave of
utter loneliness and despair that she’d never see this Jack again and she sat there wondering who these people
were
and how they fit into Chloe’s ghostly visits. 
The woman
in the vision
wore
the earring still clutched in Lexi’s hand and the room
was
recognizable as Allie’s bedroom with old
er fu
rnishings, leading her to believe that t
he earring belonged to a former resident of the house which was at least sixty years old as near as she could tell. 
It could have been left behind in a forgotten closet corner, or even
turned up
in the backyard when Chloe was out playing. 
There were any number of rational ways the earring could have ended up in Chloe’s possession
and Lexi reassured herself with those possibilities
. 
Sometimes
it was ea
sier to believe
a comforting lie
than the truth.

Chapter
Three

“Tell me again what we’re doing do
wn here?”  Maddie pulled her
Chrysler LeBaron into the parking lot of The Harrison Group, the cellular company where Neil was V
ice President
of sales.  The nondescript beige car blended well with the other
vehicles in the lot and she was
careful to park on the side of the building, well away from the security door.

A roll of the eyes was given, Lexi had filled
her in on the plan before they
even left
Santa Cruz
,
but her housemate looked like she was much less enthusiastic after the forty-five minute drive to
San Jose
.  “I told you, I want to see if there’s anything in Neil’s office that will tell us if he took off or not.  Plus
,
I want to get a look at the
chick
he’s been seeing on the side.”  If that’s what you called it; she wasn’t sure just how much he
saw
her outside of the office or if their relationship was limited to the odd quickie at lunchtime.

“Okay
,
but what am
I
doing here?”

“Moral support?” Lexi gave her an entreating smile.  “Besides, you look more corporate than I do.”  That was true on any
day; Lexi’s blue
streak
s,
Chococat
t-shirt
,
clunky boots
and the ever present gloves
might not have
warranted a
second glance on the streets of
Santa Cruz
, but in C
orporate
America
, she stood out.

“I thought you were go
ing to
identify yourself as his sister and see if they let you in?”

“Yeah
,
but in the event that doesn’t work, I’ll need you to work your magic and sneak in there.”

“Is that why you made me dress like this?” Maddie gave an inelegant snort.  The petite blonde was dressed for success in her navy blue pencil skirt and blouse, hair drawn up into a French twist. What she liked to call her “capable” outfit when trying to impress potential clients.  “What exactly do you think I’ll be able to do?” 

“I’ve never seen a situation you haven’t been able to talk your way out of.”

“You’re doing a fair job of talking me into this on your own, what makes you think you can’t get in there?”

“You’re just my ace in the hole.  That, and I don’t trust the Bug to make it over the hill.”  The
winding
highway between
Santa Cruz
and
San Jose
was treacherous even under ideal circumstances.  The idea of attempting it in her old beater car was enough to make
Lexi
break out in hives. 

“Ah
,
the truth comes out, it’s my LeBaron you want
,
not me,” Maddie sighed dramatically, drawing a smile from Lexi.

“Wish me luck.”  Lexi didn’t own “capable” clothes by corporate standards, the nicest thing she owned was a black silk dress Allie
had given
her for her birthday a couple of years ago and she never wore it, she was too afraid she might spill so
mething on it.  In the end she
decided not to try too hard with her appearance, hoping the security wouldn’t
be
all that tight in a mid level cellular company. 

No such luck.

“I’m sorry
,
Mr. Travers isn’t in today.”

“Yeah I know; that’s why I’m here,” Lexi
tried explaining
for the third time.  There were plenty of people just walking into the building, and she might have been able to sneak in, only she had no idea where Neil’s office was in the two story building. 

“I’m
sorry;
I can’t
let you into his office without his permission.  I can try to reach him by phone…”

Jill t
he receptionist just wasn’t getting it, and Lexi started to wonder if an excess of styling products were freezing the girl’s brain in place along with her hair.  “No, you see
,
he
isn’t
answering
.  T
hat’s why I need to get into his office
;
I’m trying to find out where he went.  I’m his sister, Alexandra.” 
Almost the truth…
she
just left off the in-law part.

“I’m
sorry;
I
can’t let you back there without authorization.  I could ask Mr. Daniels but he’s at lunch.”

“When
will he
be back from lunch?”  All she got was a shrug of the shoulders.  So much for the honest approach; Lexi hoped Maddie would have better luck.  Her friend was a better snoop than she was anyway;
Maddie
had a knack for ferreting out all sorts of secrets, mostly of the technological variety.  Lexi was more the live and let live type, maybe because she already had an unfair advantage into seeing people’s deep dark secrets?  “Thanks, you’ve been helpful.” 

Oblivious to the sarcasm laced thanks, the girl behind the desk smiled back politely, turning back to her game of solitaire on the computer. 

Head down as she drew out her cellphone, Lexi took the building corner a little too sharply, nearly dropping the phone as she crashed into someone doing the exact same thing.  “Oh
,
I’m so sorry, I…” the words died on her tongue as she recognized Detective Gabriel Ryan.  He’d said he would make a few phone calls, had something changed?  Surely Allie would have called her if Neil’s body had washed up on the beach or something.  “What are you doing here?” 

Surprise warred with suspicion as his head
tilted
to one side, studying her intently.  “I’m pretty sure that’s my question.”

“I was trying to get into Neil’s office to see if I could find anything.  You?”

“The same.  They didn’t let you in there, did they?”

“No, my mistake was I stopped to ask where his office is.  Oh, but now that you’re here we can get in easy,”
Lexi
brightened at the thought.

Ryan’s hands came up in a halting gesture. 
“Whoa, now hold on a sec; what makes you think I’m taking you with me?”

That brought her up short.  “Because two heads are better than one, and I might notice something you would ordinarily overlook since I know Neil better than you do.”  Best not to mention her ability
,
at least until after she got in the door.  If he thought she was a fruitcake, more than likely he’d tell her to pound sand. 

Ryan stood there, a skeptical look on his face, until she started to think he was going to tell her to forget it, but instead that elusive grin surfaced, “Come on,” he jerked his head towards the front entrance.  “But stay quiet until we get past security.”  Lexi hurried after him, flashing a private smile until they reached the doors and she put her best business face on. 

Detective Ryan had no trouble getting past the receptionist.  In fact, the girl even abandoned her post, escorting them personally to Neil’s office on the second floor.  From the way
Jill
stared
at the handsome detective, Lexi could tell she was hoping he might pick her for a little one on one interrogation time.  “You can pick up any phone and dial zero if you need anything,”
Jill
offered, hovering at the door which was thankfully unlocked. 

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,”
Gabriel
smiled back and Lexi felt a stab of irrational jealousy.  He’d never smiled at her like that before… Damn him anyway for having such an appealing smile in the first place. 
Jill
ate it up though and it was another few seconds before she wandered off and left them alone.

“You can go on after her if you want.  I can look through the office if you want to continue your conversation.”  A petulant note crept into Lexi’s voice against her best efforts to sound casual and she turned away to hide the scowl of self recrimination that
followed
. 

“Didn’t your mama ever tell you it’s easier to draw flies with honey than vinegar?”  Ryan stepped inside the office and shut the door behind them with a lopsided grin. 

“Come to think of it
,
no, she never broached the catching of flies,” she pretended to consider.  “But then again, she didn’t stick around to give me advice on much, so maybe she just didn’t have the time to get around to it.”  Moving to the desk, Lexi eyed the chair with equal parts interest and disgust.  It was probably her best bet for picking up on his last actions in the office, but after what she’d seen from the belt buckle, she was loathe to touch it.  For the moment she left her gloves on to see what they could find the regular way.  “Oh, did you bring any gloves to wear?” she gestured at his bare hands.  Anything he touched would sully her ability to pick up Neil’s vibrations.

“I think I know how to search without disturbing evidence,” Ryan smirked, pulling a pencil from his pocket and using it to lift a sheaf of papers on the desk.   “What’s the deal with you and
the g
loves anyway?”

Lexi’s gloved fingers twitched as she felt his eyes on them.  “I wear them for protection,”
not a lie
.  Without them she’d be on constant sensory overload.  In her own room with her own things
,
Lexi
was able to project her own energy onto her possessions, so she could sleep in her own bed and touch her own clothes without gloves; but any time they came in contact with anyone else, she had to start all over again. 

“From germs?”

“No, not exactly…”  Not quite ready to go there just yet, she changed the subject.  “You never did tell me what you were doing here,” she pointed
out, turning the pages back on the
desk calendar with the tips of her gloves. 

Ryan turned on the computer with the end of the pencil, waiting for it to boot up.  “I got nowhere on the phone last night, it was like everyone he knew either wasn’t home or wasn’t picking up the phone.  I had to come to
San Jose
to drop something off anyway,
so
I thought I’d swing by and check things out.”

Impressed, Lexi watched him at the computer.  “I thought you were just telling Allie you’d make some calls to make her feel better.”

“I don’t make empty promises,” Gabriel looked up, meeting her gaze. 

“I’ll have to remember that.” The corner of her mouth tugged up into a smile before she remembered to tell him
what she found out after he
left Allie’s place the night before.  “Oh, I should tell you, I found out he’s been having an affair with someone who works here, a blonde named Monica, I have no idea what department she’s in.”

His brows rose at that.  “She shouldn’t be too hard to track down.  Did Allison tell you about her?”

“God no, she has no idea.  At least I don’t think she knows.  I found it out while looking through Neil’s things in the bedroom.”
Not a lie
.

“I wonder if this Monica came in to work today?”
h
is smile reappeared.

“I wonder,” her answering smile faltered when her cellphone buzzed in her pocket.  “Oh crap, I forgot about Maddie!  Excuse me,” Lexi turned away, picking up the call. 

“I didn’t know if you were getting roughed up by security and
if
I should try and break you out of there,” her
housemate
teased.

Lexi felt about an inch high for completely forgetting about her waiting out there in the parking lot. 
“Sorry Maddie, I forgot to tell you, I ran into Detective Ryan and he got us into Neil’s office.”

“Oh, the cute one who came out to take the report?” 

“That’s the one,” Lexi’s eyes flicked over to where he stood before the computer, his face scrunched up in dismay at the prompt for a password.  Too bad he was probably going to write her off as psycho as soon
as he found out about her gift;
he really was cute. 

“So do you need me to stick around then or do you have things well in hand?”
  Maddie asked, drawing Lexi’s attention back to the phone call.

“Do you have some place you have to go?”  

“I thought I might head up to Valley Fair Mall since I’m up here.  I could swing back and pick you up later?”  It was a well known fact that once Maddie got to the mall it was unlikely she’d be done shopping anytime soon and Lexi gave Ryan a speculative look.

“Hold on a sec, Maddie,” Lexi turned back to
the detective
.  “Hey, would you be able to give me a ride back to town?”
s
he gave him her best smile.