Sixth Sense (A Psychic Crystal Mystery) by Marilyn Baron

happened with the last girl. She’d left him before he was through with her. He wasn’t going to let that happen with Kylee. They had the whole night ahead of them.
    Kylee was a virgin. He had picked her for that particular reason. He’d tested her to make sure. She was pure and he would initiate her. He could have any girl he wanted, any time he wanted. But there was no challenge when things came too easily.
    The strangler picked up a can of cold beer and took a swig. He already had a nice buzz going. His tuxedo jacket was folded neatly on the couch. He’d had to put on a heavy wool sweater. It was cold down here. Kylee’s nipples were straining for his touch. Against her will. It was more fun that way.
    The strangler laughed. He loved a good struggle. Despite the drugs, Kylee was feisty, and she had a lot of fight left. He had chosen well. Maybe he should untie her and see what she could do. See how far she could get. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight. He had all the advantages.
    “Untie my hands, please,” Katherine pleaded. “I need to sit down.”
    Kate was already seated and her hands were unrestrained. She was obviously in the throes of a nightmare or one of her visions. The tears flowing down her face wrenched Jack’s gut. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so protective of her.
    “Kate,” Jack whispered softly.
    Katherine’s eyes fluttered open.
    “Kate, what’s happening?”
    Katherine’s body strained against the invisible bonds. She continued to whimper.
    “We need to wake her up, now,” Jack insisted, alarmed.
    “No,” argued the commander. “She might have more to give us.”
    “Stand back,” Jack threatened. Grabbing Kate by the shoulders, he gently shook her. “Kate, Kate, open your eyes. You’re safe now. You’re with me.”
    “I was there. I saw them.”
    Jack looked into Kate’s violet eyes. He could get lost in those eyes. “I know.” He wouldn’t have believed her if he hadn’t witnessed Kate’s visceral reaction first hand.
    “Look, you don’t have to be afraid. I’m packing. It’s my job to protect you.”
    “Have you ever used that thing?” Kate was staring at the bulge in his breast jacket pocket which hid his holster and gun. He’d screwed up once when he’d ignored her warning call about Ocean Rivers. He wanted to be sure she had no illusions about his ability to perform in a crisis.
    “If you mean have I ever killed anyone, no, not yet. But I’m perfectly capable of using deadly force.” Just thinking about guns always made Jack think of his father. Officer Jackson Hale had been shot and killed in the line of duty and had been branded a hero. His father had also used deadly force, yet he’d still gotten himself killed. Ever since then, ever since Jack had decided to become a cop, he knew that an officer in or out of uniform had to be prepared to draw a line in the sand, to lay hands on. Even if that meant taking away someone else’s father, someone else’s husband.
    “Do all cops have such big egos?” Katherine asked.
    Jack ignored her remark. Cops had to have inner confidence. Most of the cops he knew had it. His father had had it, in spades. Would he be as brave as his father if the time came?
    Dredging up unhappy memories suddenly made him tired, almost too tired to move. But he wasn’t going to let Kate or Commander Jones see it.
    “What did you see?” the commander wanted to know. “Could you tell where he was holding her? Did you hear any noises, buses, church bells—anything that would give their location away? Were they near the water?”
    Jack turned his anger on the commander. “Can’t you see she’s upset?” Jack accused, his eyes narrowing. “She hasn’t eaten anything since we landed. Get her something to eat and drink while she composes herself.” Jack looked around the room for a couch or something more comfortable than the straight-backed chair Kate was sitting in. “Is there somewhere she can rest for a while? She’s