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18
After making them both a cup of chamomile tea, Logan sat down at a table with Alex. “So how’s it going?” he asked. “Rooming with a legend.”
He expected her to laugh, but she didn’t. Instead, her lips thinned, and her jaw tightened.
“That bad?”
Her eyes widened. “No, I don’t mean to make it sound ... I mean...” When she took a sip of her tea, Logan noticed her hands shaking.
“Alex, what’s wrong?”
She studied him for a moment. “Look, you’re the one who led me to God. If I talk to you about ... spiritual things, will you keep it between us?”
“Sure.”
“What do you know about Kaely’s method of profiling?”
Logan shrugged. “I was told she looks over the facts of a case and then tries to see the UNSUB. Talks to him as if he were sitting in the room with her. Seems to work for her. I don’t have a problem with it.”
“I ... I watched her do it. Once at the motel and again tonight, just before she left to talk to you and Noah. When she was gone, I tried it myself.”
Logan could tell Alex was upset, but he wasn’t sure why. “Did it work?”
She nodded. “Maybe too well.”
Trying not to sound frustrated, Logan said, “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand. What are you trying to tell me?”
She sighed deeply. “Look, I know you’ll say this was my imagination, but I ... saw something at the motel. And then tonight, I heard something.”
“Like what?”
“I saw someone sitting in the chair at the motel when Kaely did her thing. And then, a little while ago, I tried it when I was by myself and heard a voice.”
“What did the voice say?”
She blinked several times before saying, “It told me I’m not Kaely Quinn. That I’m no match for ... whoever it was. And that...”
“That what?” Logan asked gently. He wasn’t certain what had spooked Alex, but he knew she hadn’t been the same since Kaely Quinn showed up. Alex had battled demons most people would never face. But now she seemed a little weaker and unsure of herself.
“That I was going to die.”
She watched for his reaction. Although what she’d said frightened him, he tried not to show it.
“Is this ... demonic?” she asked.
“Probably.”
“So what do I do?”
He leaned closer to her. “Alex, I can’t tell you what to do, but my first question is why are you using Kaely’s technique? You’re a fantastic behavioral analyst. The best I’ve ever worked with. Why do you feel you have to do things the way someone else does them?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she frowned at him. “There’s nothing wrong with learning. If Kaely successfully uses something I don’t, why wouldn’t I want to try it?”
He was quiet for a moment, weighing his words. He didn’t want to offend her. “You’re right. We should all want to grow. We need to increase our knowledge about patterns and behaviors that help us to more clearly understand aberrant personalities. But we’re all different. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else.”
“Do you find Kaely’s technique strange?”
“Well, yes. For me. Maybe for you too. Look, if it works for her, fine. I’m not knocking her. She’s a great analyst. But you need to use the techniques that work for you. And you need to learn more about spiritual warfare. You may have a gift that allows you to see things in the Spirit. A Scripture in Second Corinthians tells us not to compare ourselves with others.” He sighed. “Just find out who you are, Alex. God will show you. Develop your own gifts and ways of using them.”
