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I step inside and take in the hallway, following it as I wait for Nathan to say more. When he doesn’t, I turn to look at him.
“And?” I prompt, turning back as I reach the end of the hallway.
I walk into the kitchen and stop. The room is modern and airy, with all white cabinets and countertops, but it’s the sight of the black powder coating everything they’ve dusted for prints that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Where’s my bag and phone now?”
“Your bag is on the coat hook near the door. And your phone has been logged into evidence. You’ll get it back once it’s been processed.”
“Please, Nathan. Did I speak to someone the night I was…” I swallow, not knowing what to say. Was I kidnapped, or did I know the killer and willingly meet them? Maybe they set a trap or something.
I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“Here, sit down. Let me get you a glass of water.”
Nathan pulls out a chair next to the island, and I sit down and watch as he moves around the kitchen and heads right to the cupboard where the glasses are.
“Have you been here before?” I ask curiously. He didn’t say we knew each other. He would have told me if we did, right?
“Huh?” He looks from me to the cupboard to the glass in his hand, and I see the moment he realizes what I’m asking. “I was part of the team that searched the house. With a serial killer involved and rookies trying to make a name for themselves, I wanted to make sure they didn’t trash the place.”
I nod, accepting the glass once he fills it with water. He leans over the counter and watches me drink down half the glass before taking it from me and placing it to the side.
He clasps both my hands in his. “The call log shows you received a call that lasted four minutes and seventeen seconds. We tried to trace the number, but it belonged to a burner phone.”
“Oh.” I blow out a disappointed breath as I look at Nathan, but the look on his face tells me there’s more to the story.
“The night you were attacked, a call came into our station, reporting that they heard a woman screaming and that they saw what appeared to be a man attacking a woman in Highgrove Park.”
“Okay…”
“When we cross-checked the numbers, we found both calls came from the same phone.”
I gasp. “So the killer reported my attack? Why? Is this just a game to him, or did he think I was already dead? Did I know him, Nathan?” I whisper as I look around the kitchen and imagine the phone on the counter next to the half-eaten sandwich. I didn’t just leave in a hurry. I ran. The question is, was I running to someone or away from them?
I know I’m oversimplifying things, but I watch crime shows. I see now how this works. Wait… I watch crime shows? I jolt at the memory, but before I can say something, Nathan dives in.
“When we found out your name, we started investigating you and reached out to neighboring police departments.” He shakes his head before letting go of my hands and walking around the island to sit on the chair beside me. “I’d heard of you before, but I’d never actually met you until I found you.”
I frown. “How have you heard of me? Am I famous or something?” I doubt it. The house—what I’ve seen of it so far, at least—is cute, but it’s tiny and outdated. Not the kind of place someone famous lives, I conclude, wondering if I sound like a snob.
“You’ve been working with another police department. That’s what you do. You consult with the police on a case-by-case basis.”
“As what?”
He licks his lips. “As a psychic.”
My mouth drops. Nothing he could have said would have shocked me more. “A psychic? Are you serious?”
He shrugs. “That’s what I was told. Apparently, you’re tracking the same killer I am, but somehow, he found you first.”
Chapter Five
Rue
Ilook out over the small fenced yard that, much like the front, has a neat lawn and lots of flower beds in full bloom, and sit here trying to wrap my head around everything.
After Nathan told me the farcical tale about me being a psychic, I left him in the kitchen, needing to put some space between us, and decided to come out here.
