He jacked up his senses and the visions became sharper and more vivid.
…He saw his hand closing around the pen—no, a woman’s hand. He sensed a feminine essence…
…Felt her struggle to write a message, the fierce determination to write the note before…
…before she died…
“Mister?” Josh was scared again. “Are you okay? Your aura’s going all weird.”
“I’m all right.” He dialed back quickly. The images faded from his head. He was able to grip the pen, although he could still sense an electric trickle of energy.
He wrote the Internet address and the password for the Arcane Society site that had been established for trusted outsiders who showed a serious interest in the paranormal. There were other sites for members only but Josh wasn’t ready for that. He would find the basic facts and, most of all, the reassurance he so badly needed at the first stop.
He handed the card to Josh. “Next time you go online, take a look at this site. Meanwhile, I’ll talk to some people who should be able to convince Dr. Ogilvey and your folks that you’d do better with some different therapy.”
Josh took the card, gripping it very tightly. “What happens if they can’t convince Ogilvey and my parents?”
“Then we take more drastic measures. But these guys are experts, and Dr. Ogilvey really does want what’s best for you. They’ll know how to talk to him in his professional language.”
“Okay,” Josh said, still afraid to believe.
Zack gripped his shoulder. “Are you going to be okay here while this process works itself out? Could be a while. A few weeks, maybe.”
“Yeah, sure. It’s not so bad. First thing Dr. Ogilvey did when I arrived was start cutting back on my meds. I went off them altogether on Monday. I’m feeling a lot better now. I can handle this place.”
“Good. Meanwhile, for what it’s worth, my advice is to stop seeing auras.”
Josh gave him a quizzical look. “You mean pretend to stop seeing them?”
“Right. With luck, Ogilvey and his staff will conclude that the reason you were seeing them in the first place was because you were over-medicated. Overmedication gets blamed for all kinds of stuff.”
“Should have thought of that myself.”
“Look, I hate to leave you. I know you’ve got questions. But I’ve got to get out of here before someone comes around to check on you.”
“Don’t worry. They only cruise through a couple of times at night. Last bed check was about an hour before you got here.”
“You sure?”
“Trust me, I’ve had plenty of time to figure out the routine here,” Josh said.
“In that case, mind if I take a quick look around before I leave?”
“Sure.” Josh hesitated. “Uh, why?”
“Because I’m a private investigator and I’m looking into a case that involves the woman who was in this room before you.”
“Oh, man, that’s what you do? You’re a for-real private investigator?”
“Pretty real. Most of the time.”
Josh folded his legs, tailor fashion, under the sheet. “So what’s your psychic power? Is it like mine?”
“No.” There was a glass on the table. He picked it up. Nothing. “I can sometimes sense someone else’s aura in a very vague, unfocused way if the person generates a lot of power and is standing fairly close. But I can’t see it clearly the way you do. I can’t read it.”
“What about if you were standing close to a crazy person?”
“Crazy people sometimes give off wild, chaotic energy that I can sense.”
“Do I, uh, give off that kind of energy?” Josh asked uneasily.
“No.” He put his hand on the base of the lamp. It was silent.
“What are you looking for?” Josh asked.
He moved on to the closet, braced himself for a jolt and eased the door open. “My talent allows me to pick up the psychic residue left by someone who was in the grip of a violent or powerful emotion.”
There was nothing on the handle of the closet door except the usual layered static.
“You felt something when you touched that pen a moment ago, didn’t you?”
“Yes. A woman used it to write a note.”
“What was violent about that?”
He didn’t want to scare the kid to death, he reminded himself. “She was very worried about something at the time and desperate to leave a message for someone.”
“That is so weird.”
“Not any more weird than seeing auras.”
Josh smiled for the first time. “Guess not. So, what do you think you’ll find in here?”
He could not tell him that he was looking for traces of a killer who murdered a woman in this very room. Josh wouldn’t be able to sleep in that bed again.
“Just seeing if there was anything else left behind,” he said.
He wrapped his hand around the bed railing.
…and jumped straight into a nightmare.
He released the railing with a reflexive action.
“Find something?” Josh asked, fascinated.
“Yes,” he said. “I did. I have to go now, Josh.”
“Okay.” Josh waited until he was almost at the door. “Zack?”
He turned at the door, waiting. “Yeah?”
“I can see how a guy with your talent could do some cool things like be a private detective or a cop. But what happens to people who see auras?”
“Believe it or not, some of ’em become shrinks.”
Forty-three
The relentless pounding of the heavy metal rock music penetrated the restroom walls. Raine could feel the floor vibrating beneath her feet.
She exited the graffiti-decorated stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. It was almost 2 A.M. and there was still no sign of Zack. On the positive side, she hadn’t experienced any more of the disturbing episodes like the semi panic attack that had alarmed her so badly when he encountered the knife-wielding illusion talent. On the negative side, she had no idea how much she could rely on such a sensation to warn her that he might be in trouble again.
She readjusted her earplugs and then, taking a deep breath to fortify herself against the roar of the music, she opened the door.
The restroom was dimly lit but the hallway was even darker. The route back to Noir’s main room was a narrow corridor draped in black. The only illumination was a string of eerie blue lights embedded in the floor beneath heavy glass. She looked down, watching where she placed her feet.