onto her back. She lay there with all four feet in the air, displaying her pink tummy.
Absently, Marley pulled another candy from her pocket. Her dog was a floozie, letting a strange man scratch her belly.
“Can we stay with the program?” Detective Archer said.
“Happily.” She was amused at how easy it was to ward off Fisher’s attempts to read her thoughts. “As soon as I got closer to Liza, the voice got more intense.”
“What was he saying to her?”
Marley concentrated on the detective. “Honestly, just like I said before, I couldn’t see him and I couldn’t makeout everything he said, except he wanted her to come to him. That was obvious. I think he was hiding in the locker.”
“So, you just heard sounds really?”
“More than sounds.” She frowned at Fisher. He petted the dog, but his motions were jerky. Twice he stopped to rub his hands together. Marley looked at her own hands. They remained cold. The nail beds were blue.
“And?” Fisher said.
Archer shrugged and grinned at Marley. “I told you he keeps forgetting he’s not a cop anymore.”
“And?” Fisher repeated. He had an unforgettable voice himself. She didn’t doubt it could be mesmerizing in the right circumstances.
“You think this guy was mesmerizing Liza?” Fisher said.
Stunned, Marley barely stopped herself from shooting to her feet. He had heard her think about a voice being mesmerizing. At least, he’d picked up that idea and twisted it a little, even if he didn’t realize it. “He could have been,” she said tightly. She had never encountered anything like this before.
“I’ve never believed in that,” Archer said.
“Well, you ought to,” Marley said. “There’s a great deal more in this world than meets the eye.” She had to stop getting goaded into careless statements.
“Liza backed into the freezer or locker or whatever it was and the door shut.”
“Did you try to get her out?”
She looked back at Archer with a horrified feeling. “Yes, but I couldn’t. I had to leave.”
“You were frightened?” Fisher said. “More frightened than ever. That’s understandable.”
“No,” she cried. “That’s not it. She stayed in that place and she must be dead. I know she is. I felt her die.”
The office door opened and Marley slumped in her chair, relieved by the interruption.
A uniformed officer entered, handed a folded piece of paper to Archer and left again.
But Archer didn’t take his eyes off Marley. “What do you mean, you felt her die? You’re sure she’s dead, aren’t you? How about Amber Lee?”
“I don’t know.” She swallowed. “I don’t really know what’s happened to either of them. If I try to explain, will you promise not to disregard everything I’ve told you?”
“Your report will be checked out,” he said. In other words, there was no commitment.
“There wasn’t a car or a cab. I made that up because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe the truth.”
He raised his brows, but didn’t interrupt.
“I traveled there.”
Still he listened without speaking, but he did look at the paper in his hands. Probably trying not to let her see his impatience.
“You see, I…Well, I’m psychic, but I also have out-of-body experiences. I saw each of them, Liza and Amber, when I was away from my body.”
5
“G ive me a minute here, please,” Archer said, buying time while he decided what to say next.
He unfolded the piece of paper that had been delivered earlier.
Most medical examiners would have picked up the phone. Not Blades. He preferred using other methods so that he didn’t have to answer questions until he was ready.
Archer , Blades’s fax started.
Get over to the morgue in the morning. Make it 8:30. Still got a lot to do.
Preliminary:
Shirley Cooper.
White female.
Age: 28.
No water in lungs. (This means victim was dead when she was put in the water.)
“Thanks for the education, Dr. Death,” Archer said under his breath. Immediately, he looked
Absently, Marley pulled another candy from her pocket. Her dog was a floozie, letting a strange man scratch her belly.
“Can we stay with the program?” Detective Archer said.
“Happily.” She was amused at how easy it was to ward off Fisher’s attempts to read her thoughts. “As soon as I got closer to Liza, the voice got more intense.”
“What was he saying to her?”
Marley concentrated on the detective. “Honestly, just like I said before, I couldn’t see him and I couldn’t makeout everything he said, except he wanted her to come to him. That was obvious. I think he was hiding in the locker.”
“So, you just heard sounds really?”
“More than sounds.” She frowned at Fisher. He petted the dog, but his motions were jerky. Twice he stopped to rub his hands together. Marley looked at her own hands. They remained cold. The nail beds were blue.
“And?” Fisher said.
Archer shrugged and grinned at Marley. “I told you he keeps forgetting he’s not a cop anymore.”
“And?” Fisher repeated. He had an unforgettable voice himself. She didn’t doubt it could be mesmerizing in the right circumstances.
“You think this guy was mesmerizing Liza?” Fisher said.
Stunned, Marley barely stopped herself from shooting to her feet. He had heard her think about a voice being mesmerizing. At least, he’d picked up that idea and twisted it a little, even if he didn’t realize it. “He could have been,” she said tightly. She had never encountered anything like this before.
“I’ve never believed in that,” Archer said.
“Well, you ought to,” Marley said. “There’s a great deal more in this world than meets the eye.” She had to stop getting goaded into careless statements.
“Liza backed into the freezer or locker or whatever it was and the door shut.”
“Did you try to get her out?”
She looked back at Archer with a horrified feeling. “Yes, but I couldn’t. I had to leave.”
“You were frightened?” Fisher said. “More frightened than ever. That’s understandable.”
“No,” she cried. “That’s not it. She stayed in that place and she must be dead. I know she is. I felt her die.”
The office door opened and Marley slumped in her chair, relieved by the interruption.
A uniformed officer entered, handed a folded piece of paper to Archer and left again.
But Archer didn’t take his eyes off Marley. “What do you mean, you felt her die? You’re sure she’s dead, aren’t you? How about Amber Lee?”
“I don’t know.” She swallowed. “I don’t really know what’s happened to either of them. If I try to explain, will you promise not to disregard everything I’ve told you?”
“Your report will be checked out,” he said. In other words, there was no commitment.
“There wasn’t a car or a cab. I made that up because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe the truth.”
He raised his brows, but didn’t interrupt.
“I traveled there.”
Still he listened without speaking, but he did look at the paper in his hands. Probably trying not to let her see his impatience.
“You see, I…Well, I’m psychic, but I also have out-of-body experiences. I saw each of them, Liza and Amber, when I was away from my body.”
5
“G ive me a minute here, please,” Archer said, buying time while he decided what to say next.
He unfolded the piece of paper that had been delivered earlier.
Most medical examiners would have picked up the phone. Not Blades. He preferred using other methods so that he didn’t have to answer questions until he was ready.
Archer , Blades’s fax started.
Get over to the morgue in the morning. Make it 8:30. Still got a lot to do.
Preliminary:
Shirley Cooper.
White female.
Age: 28.
No water in lungs. (This means victim was dead when she was put in the water.)
“Thanks for the education, Dr. Death,” Archer said under his breath. Immediately, he looked
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