Vibrations (15 page)

She hitched a ride with one of
the rookie officers and spent the morning sitting with Kevin. He was still
unstable and she didn’t want to stress him by asking any questions. She caught
glimpses of memories he was experiencing. Most of them were from his life
before the abduction. When he drifted toward the memories from that day his
mind would rebel and the memories would shut down.

Whitney spent the afternoon
writing her final report and helping the agents compile their data. Nick called
at four to let her know he had a few more stops and he would pick her up at
about five thirty. Whitney tried to keep herself busy while she waited. It was
a little embarrassing to be able to hear all the thoughts about her and Nick
coming from the other detectives. Word had spread quickly that Nick seemed
interested in her and everyone noticed this morning when they drove in late
together from Sedona. Whitney was sure the guilty smile on her face wasn’t
helping the issue.

She was relieved when he showed
up a few minutes early. When he walked into the station, all eyes followed him.
Whitney couldn’t wait to escape the jokes and gossip that had followed her
around all day. Whitney scooped up her laptop and hurried toward the door as he
came through.

“Hey beautiful,” he whispered
as he took her bag off her shoulder. “Did ya miss me?”

“Yes, let’s just get out of
here.”

Nick stopped and looked into
Whitney’s eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine. I’m just nervous
having all your friends watching me all day and wondering just what’s been
happening between us.”

Nick looked from Whitney to the
squad room. Everyone was trying to look busy, but failing. He turned to Whitney
and whispered, “Let’s give them something to talk about.” His hand moved to the
small of her back and he pulled her up tight to his body. The kiss that
followed gave Whitney a jolt of energy and made her legs so weak she had to
hold on to his shoulders. She looked up and saw him staring down at her with
fire in his eyes.

He had meant to cause a stir
with his buddies, but he hadn’t planned on whipping himself into such a frenzy.
He turned slowly and smiled at his friends before he escorted Whitney out the
door.

“Did you see Sammy? His jaw was
almost touching the floor. Now they won’t have to wonder about my relationship
with the beautiful and sexy psychic.” His grin looked like it would leave
permanent marks on his face.

Whitney had recovered enough to
giggle over the scene they had caused. What a great way to handle a bunch of
nosy detectives. She didn’t want to think about what that meant for the future.
It seemed so complicated right now considering they were both attached to their
homes and communities. She couldn’t rush into anything, and she knew the odds
were stacked against them.

Once they reached the house,
Nick saw that Whitney seemed distracted or worried. He wasn’t sure what was on
her mind, but considering what they had been through, he had plenty of ideas.
He pulled her close to him on the couch and started massaging her back. He
could feel her beginning to relax as he leaned her back for a kiss. He managed
to keep her mind off whatever had been bothering her for the rest of the
evening.

The next morning Whitney
decided not to go in to the station since there was nothing for her to do there.
Nick promised to call if anything new came up. Just before noon the phone rang
and Whitney picked it up.

“Whitney Bentley?”

“Yes, this is Whitney.”

“Hi. This is Ann Marie
Kensington. I hope it’s alright for me to be calling you there. I got the
number from a friend.”

“Ann Marie! Yes, it’s fine. I’m
glad you called.”

There was a slight pause before
Ann Marie started to speak. “I’m sorry that you haven’t been able to come see
me. My lawyer is worried that it would cause problems.”

“I know you must be going
through a tough time right now. Is there something I can do to help?”

“I just wanted to let you know
that I appreciate your help with this. I didn’t do it you know. I figured you
might know that much about me even though we didn’t talk much. Can you really
do all those things they say?”

“Well, it depends on what
you’ve heard. I am able to pick up certain vibrations. Some are feelings and
others are thoughts or memories.”

“Well, I know the police are
convinced I did it so they might not be working hard to find another suspect. I
was hoping that you would stick around and keep helping for a while in case you
could find out anything. I really didn’t wear those shoes anywhere recently. I
don’t know if someone is trying to frame me, or I’m just going crazy. Please
tell me you won’t give up on the case. Other boys could still get hurt.”

“I’ll do everything I can. I
can only do what they let me do. If they decide the case is closed I won’t have
permission to talk with anyone, but I promise I’ll do everything in my power to
get to the truth.” Whitney would keep her promise because of the children, not
because of any debt to Anne Marie.

“Thank you. I just knew you
would understand. I know you don’t have children but you’re a woman. I can’t
believe anyone could think that I would do anything like this. I…I couldn’t…”
Ann Marie’s voice started breaking and Whitney could hear her sobbing.

“I have to go now. My time is
up.”

“Take care. I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

Whitney spent the rest of the
afternoon going through her notes and reviewing the conversation with Ann
Marie. Talking on the phone didn’t allow her to get a sense of what she had
been feeling. She could have been trying to gain sympathy, or she could truly
be innocent. What would make her do this? Why would anyone be doing this? The
victims were young, promising boys who all happened to love to play sports.
They also had parents who cared enough to get them involved in the Winners Circle. Whitney was still trying to piece it together when Nick called and said he
would be late. She decided a she’d take a walk to kill time and help clear her
mind.

She was only a few feet down
the road when the neighbor’s dog came running up to meet her. She gave him a
scratch and he followed her down the road. The sun was going down on the
horizon and the clouds were glowing. She loved the pink and reds of an Arizona sunset. You could see for miles and miles over the flat landscape. It was still
pretty hot for walking, so she kept her pace slow and leisurely.

At the end of the road there
was a small shop that sold Native American items. She stepped inside to take a
peek and get out of the heat. It wasn’t much better inside. An older woman
waved hello from the back as she wandered through the store. Whitney owned a
few of the Kachina dolls that were on the shelves. The Hopi and Navajo had used
the dolls to bring good luck in many areas of their life, and now they were a
popular tourist item. Her favorite was the White Buffalo Dancer. He looked so
strong and beautiful in his white leather outfit. She kept it on the mantle in
her living room. When she saw the beautiful dream catcher hanging on the wall,
she almost considered buying it. After checking the price, she decided she
could live without it.

The woman watched her as she
walked through store and she waved goodbye when she left. Whitney always felt
guilty for not buying something in small stores like this one. She laughed at
herself for worrying about everyone else’s problems. The dog was still waiting
outside and followed her home.

She was feeling quite thirsty
on the way back. She should have known better than to take a walk without a
water bottle. Good thing the sun was going down. Every year hikers were found
dehydrated or overheated on the trails throughout the valley. Even the local
news stations took time each week to remind everyone of the need to drink water
during the summer.

She played with the dog for a
few minutes before going back in the house. She was so hot she stood in front
of the freezer with the door open. She drank down some water and waited for her
body to cool down. The dust had been blowing a little and her face felt gritty.
Wiping her face with a wet paper towel she went looking for a mirror. She
walked through Nick’s bedroom to the master bathroom. She was getting more
comfortable in his house, but her stuff was still in the suitcase on the floor.
She found her brush and some towels and rinsed off her face and neck. She took
out the scrunchy holding her ponytail and worked on brushing out all the knots.

Whitney heard a noise and
finished up quickly because she couldn’t wait to see Nick. She didn’t even
replace the ponytail as she rushed toward the hall. Just as she stepped out of the
bedroom something hit her head from behind. She saw the floor coming up at her
before she blacked out.

Nick finished up his paperwork
in a hurry. He couldn’t wait to get home to Whitney. He had to file the report
on the carjacking they had investigated today. He and Teddy had spent most of
their day chasing down leads on the child abduction case before the carjacking
occurred. Maybe he should get a laptop like Whitney and then he could just
e-mail the stuff in at the end of the day. He smiled thinking about his buddies
carrying laptops around with them all day. That would be the day.

On the way home from work he
clicked on the radio and tuned into the country station. He didn’t usually
listen to much country, but he had noticed that Whitney liked it.

Suddenly he heard her voice in
his mind. “Nick!”

His heart started beating
faster and his insides were twisting. Something was wrong. He kept waiting to
hear it again. Nothing happened. Maybe he had imagined it. He punched the gas
pedal and sped the last two miles to his house.

The lights were on and it was
quiet when he opened the door. He pulled his gun and quietly moved from room to
room. The only sounds he heard were the dogs barking outside. He inched around
the corner into the hall and found her sprawled face down on the floor. Her
hair was matted and bloody and some of it covered her face. He felt her neck to
make sure she had a pulse. When he was sure the house was empty he turned on
the light. He saw the blood around her head and he felt like he couldn’t
breathe. His hands were shaking so badly he had to try a few times to hit 911
on his phone. He finally punched in the right numbers and started checking for signs
other of injuries. It looked like the blow to her head was the only damage.

“Whitney, can you hear me?”

She could hear him saying her
name, but she couldn’t get her mouth to answer. All she could manage was a
slight grunt. Nick heard her and saw her hand trying to move.

“Whitney, it’s okay. I’m here
now. Just stay still until help arrives.”

She tried to move her head but
in a flash of pain the blackness came swirling back and she passed out. Teddy
arrived only minutes before the EMTs. Nick stayed by her side as they lifted
the stretcher into the ambulance. Her vitals were stable but she had a concussion.
The hospital would take x-rays to see if there was bleeding in the brain. Nick
wanted to stay with her all the way to the hospital, but he had to check the
area first. If there was any chance this guy was hanging around, he was going
to find him.

“Teddy, did you find anything
else in the house?”

“The back door was open. There
are marks on the floor like he was dragging her and then he stopped. He may
have heard you pull up and ran for it. No telling what he was going to do with
her. You okay man?”

Nick was shaking with fear,
anger, and left over adrenalin. He nodded to Teddy and headed around to the
back of the house. They couldn’t make out any strange shoe prints so they
started searching through the brush and sheds on the property. When they finished,
they sent the patrol cars out to check the surrounding neighborhoods.

Nick and Teddy made it back to
the hospital just as Whitney was being wheeled out of x-ray.

“Whitney.” He picked up her
hand and kissed it. She gave him a weak smile and closed her eyes. They brought
her into a room and turned the lights off. Teddy waited outside while Nick sat
with Whitney. A small, dark skinned doctor walked in and shook Nick’s hand.

“I’m Dr. Anand, and you are?”

“Nick Naylor. I’m her closest
family right now and also a detective on the PPD. How is she?”

He snapped the x-rays into the
clamp and switched the light on behind the panel. He pointed to the area of her
skull that had been hit. Nick couldn’t tell what he was looking at.

“This is where she received the
blow. It appears her skull is intact, but there is some swelling. We will have
to keep her here to monitor it. If it goes down on its own, she should be able
to leave in two or three days.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“It will depend on how much it
continues to swell. If it continues, we may have to operate to relieve some of
the pressure. Let’s just wait and see.”

Teddy walked in as soon as he
saw the doctor leave.

“What’s the news?”

Nick repeated the doctor’s
diagnosis. Teddy could see him struggling for composure.

“She’s gonna be fine. She’s
strong and it’s just a bump on the head, right? Don’t panic yet.”

“I know, I know. I’m
just…worried. Who did this to her? Maybe it’s someone out to get me, and they
found her there instead. See, this is why I shouldn’t let people get close to
me. They always get hurt.”

“Wait a minute. You don’t know
what happened. People get mugged every day around here. You can’t live your
whole life alone just because you’re a cop. Maybe she wants to risk it. It
might just be someone after her, and then she’ll need you to protect her.”

“Man, if I find the person that
did this, I’ll kill him.”

“Nick…”