not the law.”
“I’m who people turn to when they can’t go to the police. My client doesn’t want to involve them, and he doesn’t want his property tied up for months or years in the legal system.”
“You really hire yourself out to find things?”
His mouth quirked up on the right side. “Like you. I get a finder’s fee. What do you get?”
“The same. And the satisfaction of catching criminals. It’s the only way I can.”
Charlie caught the bitter note in her voice. “You could become a cop like your father.”
Juliana snorted. “No, I can’t. The accident saw to that.”
He’d seen every inch of her luscious body. He hadn’t seen any impediment to her becoming a police officer. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s this.” She spread her hands over the table. “This ability I have. My father told me you can’t have it and be in law enforcement.”
“Psychics can’t be cops? They are on TV.”
“They can’t be in real life, not if it’s known. Police officers often have to testify in court. I would be discredited immediately because of what I can do. Some people think I’m a fraud. I’ve been called worse. I thought my father was wrong, but I’ve asked other officers I trust and I’ve even called other states. It’s the same everywhere.”
Rage burned through Charlie, hot and startling. It surprised him. Why was he so angry about someone verbally abusing Juliana?
Because no one had a right to hurt her.
Charlie choked down his rage and asked, “But it’s something you want to do?”
“Yes. I want to follow in my father’s footsteps. I want to be a detective.”
Charlie felt speechless. Juliana had a dream she couldn’t fulfill. In a perverse way, she was like him. Odd that he hadn’t known about it. When she was younger she’d played cops and robbers with him but never mentioned her dream to him. Why not?
Then a thought struck him. “Did you always want to be one?”
Juliana looked away. “No. Only after my mom died.”
Why then? He waited, but she didn’t enlighten him. He probed a little. “That’s when you became psychic.”
She nodded. “I hit my head. Several holistic doctors told me that’s sometimes how clairvoyance manifests.”
He sensed the tension in her body. “I never knew.”
“I didn’t know what it was back then. I just knew something was different.”
“So did I.”
Juliana’s smile flitted across her face. “That’s not what I was talking about.” But her stiff posture relaxed.
“Do you resent being psychic?”
“I resent being different, being treated differently or in a negative way. But I like being able to help the police.” She drew in a deep breath. “How about I help you?” She laid her palm on the final photo. A sigh escaped her full lips. “It’s here.”
Excitement surged through Charlie. He scooted forward on the couch and looked at the web page address on the bottom of the paper. South Beach. Dalton Montgomery had it. “Can you tell me where the sculpture is in the house?”
Juliana closed her eyes and frowned. As seconds turned into minutes, she frowned harder. He could feel the tension in her. At last she opened her eyes. “I only get darkness.”
“You mean you don’t see anything?”
“No. I mean it’s dark. Maybe it’s inside something—a box, a drawer . . . ”
“A safe?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell.”
“And you can’t pinpoint better where it’s at in the house?”
“Maybe if I was closer, or inside the house.” She shrugged, the movement doing enticing things to her chest.
Charlie tore his eyes away from how the clingy white top lovingly cupped her breasts. “I don’t know if I can get you in the house or not.”
“I can’t trespass, Charlie. My father’s a cop.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to working on my own. Thanks for your help. You saved me hours, maybe days of stake-outs.”
“You’re welcome.”
Charlie gathered his pictures into the manila file
“I’m who people turn to when they can’t go to the police. My client doesn’t want to involve them, and he doesn’t want his property tied up for months or years in the legal system.”
“You really hire yourself out to find things?”
His mouth quirked up on the right side. “Like you. I get a finder’s fee. What do you get?”
“The same. And the satisfaction of catching criminals. It’s the only way I can.”
Charlie caught the bitter note in her voice. “You could become a cop like your father.”
Juliana snorted. “No, I can’t. The accident saw to that.”
He’d seen every inch of her luscious body. He hadn’t seen any impediment to her becoming a police officer. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s this.” She spread her hands over the table. “This ability I have. My father told me you can’t have it and be in law enforcement.”
“Psychics can’t be cops? They are on TV.”
“They can’t be in real life, not if it’s known. Police officers often have to testify in court. I would be discredited immediately because of what I can do. Some people think I’m a fraud. I’ve been called worse. I thought my father was wrong, but I’ve asked other officers I trust and I’ve even called other states. It’s the same everywhere.”
Rage burned through Charlie, hot and startling. It surprised him. Why was he so angry about someone verbally abusing Juliana?
Because no one had a right to hurt her.
Charlie choked down his rage and asked, “But it’s something you want to do?”
“Yes. I want to follow in my father’s footsteps. I want to be a detective.”
Charlie felt speechless. Juliana had a dream she couldn’t fulfill. In a perverse way, she was like him. Odd that he hadn’t known about it. When she was younger she’d played cops and robbers with him but never mentioned her dream to him. Why not?
Then a thought struck him. “Did you always want to be one?”
Juliana looked away. “No. Only after my mom died.”
Why then? He waited, but she didn’t enlighten him. He probed a little. “That’s when you became psychic.”
She nodded. “I hit my head. Several holistic doctors told me that’s sometimes how clairvoyance manifests.”
He sensed the tension in her body. “I never knew.”
“I didn’t know what it was back then. I just knew something was different.”
“So did I.”
Juliana’s smile flitted across her face. “That’s not what I was talking about.” But her stiff posture relaxed.
“Do you resent being psychic?”
“I resent being different, being treated differently or in a negative way. But I like being able to help the police.” She drew in a deep breath. “How about I help you?” She laid her palm on the final photo. A sigh escaped her full lips. “It’s here.”
Excitement surged through Charlie. He scooted forward on the couch and looked at the web page address on the bottom of the paper. South Beach. Dalton Montgomery had it. “Can you tell me where the sculpture is in the house?”
Juliana closed her eyes and frowned. As seconds turned into minutes, she frowned harder. He could feel the tension in her. At last she opened her eyes. “I only get darkness.”
“You mean you don’t see anything?”
“No. I mean it’s dark. Maybe it’s inside something—a box, a drawer . . . ”
“A safe?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell.”
“And you can’t pinpoint better where it’s at in the house?”
“Maybe if I was closer, or inside the house.” She shrugged, the movement doing enticing things to her chest.
Charlie tore his eyes away from how the clingy white top lovingly cupped her breasts. “I don’t know if I can get you in the house or not.”
“I can’t trespass, Charlie. My father’s a cop.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to working on my own. Thanks for your help. You saved me hours, maybe days of stake-outs.”
“You’re welcome.”
Charlie gathered his pictures into the manila file
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