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“Like a car? Headlights?” asked Angel.
“No. Like the light shining off of a badge.” The three men stared at the woman, shaking their heads. “I asked him if his brother had been in trouble with the law, and he said no, never. But I kept seeing that damn badge. The more we spoke, the more I touched his brother’s things, the worse it got. Finally, I knew. His brother had been murdered by a cop.”
“Did you go to the police with the information?” asked Gabe.
“Nope. They came to me,” she said, shaking her head. “The brother immediately left me and went to the station to file a complaint. His brother had been working at a local restaurant that was frequented by cops. I guess he took out the trash at the back of the restaurant, and that was where they found him dead. The video shows him going out there but didn’t show anyone else. Then, about ten minutes later, you see his feet behind a dumpster, and two off-duty cops are standing nearby.”
“Sounds like they doctored the tapes,” said Gabe.
“That’s what I felt. But feelings, visions, or even best guesses don’t make the police listen. I read in the paper that the two cops who say they ‘found him’ were named Al something and Mike something. A few days later, I get a visit from two uniforms telling me to stop spreading lies and it would be in my best interests to move on.”
“Have you seen either man since coming to New Orleans?” asked Noah.
“No. And I don’t want to. If they’re here, I’m leaving the city.”
“You don’t own a car,” said Angel. She stared at him, cocking her head.
“Now, who’s psychic?”
“It’s what we do. Listen, we’ll get you home, but I do think you need to take a vacation for a while. Is there somewhere you can go?”
“Yes, I can go see my friend in Houston for a while. Maybe do some work there. She’s in a similar line of work so we understand one another well. I’ll need to get a bus ticket or a cheap flight, but I can leave tonight.” Gabe nodded at her.
“Okay. All seriousness, how did you know I was in the Army?”
“Whether you want to believe me or not, there are overwhelming feelings that I get from people. Sometimes, I have to touch them. Sometimes, I have to just be near them. You three are part of the latter group. You were Army, tall blonde and pretty was Navy, and this huge Viking was something else. Still military, but I don’t know what to call it.
“But I also know this. You’re all good men and meant me no harm. It’s why I didn’t run. I knew you were honest. I can feel things. I can see things. I can’t speak to the dead like you can,” she said, smirking at Noah. He raised a brow, and she just laughed at him.
“You may have just convinced me,” said Angel.
“I don’t try to convince anyone,” she said calmly. “My goal is to just give people something that will make them feel better or give them hope. I don’t lie. Not ever. Sometimes, there’s nothing good in their lives. I can feel the cancer, see it. Or I know that death is close for them. I see their spouse cheating. It really sucks!”
“How did you discover this gift?” asked Noah.
“I was in high school and had a horrible crush on the track coach. He was so good-looking,” she smiled. “He knew it, too. One day, he asked if I would stay after track practice and help him with the equipment. Pfft! It was his equipment he wanted help with. I was young, stupid, and flattered. But the minute he put his hands on me, I saw it all. He’d raped dozens of young girls, even killing two. I couldn’t prove it. No one would believe me, but I knew what I saw.
“After that, it only got stronger. I lost my boyfriend because I could see him cheating on me. I lost my parents because they thought I was losing my mind and needed psychiatric help. I lost most of my friends, who just thought I was nuts. They all think I’m a scam artist. What you see here are my fees. No more, no less. I don’t inherit anything. I don’t ask for anything. I live very conservatively.”
Noah stood to his full height, and she swallowed, following his face upward. She heard the cracking of his knees as he stood from what seemed like a miniscule chair.
“She’s telling the truth,” he said to his friends. “Go to Houston and stay out of sight for a while. Come on. We’ll get you home.”
The three men followed her home, ensuring that she was okay. She bought a ticket to Houston, called a taxi, and they watched as she made her way to the airport. After returning to Belle Fleur, Code assured them she’d gotten on the plane and was out of the city.
“Great. Now, we have to find those cops.”
CHAPTER SIX
Ghost and Ian stepped off the elevators on the sixth floor of NOPD headquarters. They knew who they wanted to speak with, and he was seated at his desk reading through the daily reports.
Over the years, they’d developed some great relationships with the police, sheriff, and fire departments. It was a lot easier to do what they did when you were friends with the authorities, and they knew you didn’t care about who got credit for anything. They were more than happy to allow the departments to look more capable than they actually were.
“Blanchard,” smirked Ghost. “Nice to see you.” The man looked up, laughing at the two familiar faces.
“You assholes just keep getting bigger and younger. Are you taking some sort of new steroid? Should I have a drug test done on both of you?”
“Naw, man. It’s just good eatin’ from Mama Irene. How are you?”
