Кей Хупер - Whisper of Evil

"Not that I ever heard. But since it looked like a heart attack, I doubt anyone even considered the idea."

That was true enough, and Nell nodded.

Max watched her broodingly. "Even if he was moved, what you picked up was right here, in this room — so the killer was probably here at some point."

Perfectly aware of what was bothering him about that, Nell tried to avoid discussing it. "It would be nice if I could peek back into that scene and try to get a better fix on the killer, but it doesn't seem to work that way. Or it never has. I never see the same scene twice."

"Do you ever see a second scene in the same place?"

"So far, no. It's as if, once I've tapped into the energy of a place, I've drained some of it away, eased the pressure somehow. Like the way you can be shocked by static electricity when you first touch something but not when you touch it a second time."

"The same thing can shock you a second time if you go away for a while and then touch it again later," Max pointed out. "Once the static has a chance to build back up."

"Yes, but so far I haven't figured out the time frame, if there is one, for this kind of energy. Maybe I could go back a week or a month or a year later and see something, but I haven't been able to yet. Different places may have different time frames depending on the intensity of the energies absorbed. Or this particular type of energy may dissipate completely once someone is able to tap into it. I just don't know."

"Nobody in this unit of yours has figured it out yet?"

Nell smiled slightly. "Well, aside from a pretty full load of cases to occupy most of our time, between us we also have a very wide range of paranormal abilities to deal with and try to understand. We're learning, slowly and mostly through bitter experience as we live each day and investigate cases, what our ranges and limits are, but that's an individual thing."

"And no help from science."

"No. As far as today's science goes, psychic abilities can't be validated in any acceptable sense. Oh, there are still people scattered around trying to do research, but our feeling is that today's technology and scientific methodology just isn't capable of effectively measuring or analyzing the paranormal. Not yet."

It was Max's turn to smile, albeit briefly. "That sounds just a bit like the company line."

"It is, more or less. One of the reasons I wanted to join the SCU was because I thought Bishop and his people had a very reasonable way of looking at the paranormal. They don't discount anything just because science can't explain it yet. And I have never heard any member of the team use the word impossible when referring to any aspect of the paranormal."

"Sounds like a pretty good way to live."

A little surprised, Nell said, "Corning from a hard-headed rancher, that's unexpected."

Max dropped his gaze to his mostly empty coffee cup and said slowly, "Maybe once you're touched by the paranormal, it changes your thinking about a lot of things."

Nell was very tempted to follow that path and find out where it would lead them but shied away. Not now. Not yet. The slightly sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told her she wasn't yet ready to face the truth of how badly she had messed up Max's life. So she reached for professionalism, for the safety net of why she was supposed to be here. She reminded herself that there was a dangerous killer on the loose. Which was more than enough reason to concentrate on her job and push everything else aside.

At least for now.

So all she said was, "One thing it doesn't change, in essence, is how a murder or series of murders is investigated. The next step for me is to try to gain access to the crime scenes. All of them. And I can't do that by openly waving my badge."

Max's smile twisted faintly, showing his recognition of a path not taken, but he didn't protest. "I think we're finally coming to the real reason why you and the mayor took me into your confidence. You need me, don't you, Nell?"

The statement sent an odd little shock through her, and Nell had to remind herself that he meant she needed him professionally. Of course he meant that.

She chose her words carefully. "The information we've been able to gather pointed to you as the insider most likely to be helpful to me. You knew all the victims fairly well. The people here are entirely aware of the sheriff's dislike and distrust of you and so wouldn't be surprised if you were found to be… investigating things on your own in order to clear yourself. Owning your own ranch makes it possible for you to arrange flexible working hours without arousing any undue suspicion. And you have the habit of riding around the countryside, beyond the bounds of your ranch, making use of back trails and old dirt roads, so you have a strong familiarity with the area, and the sort of mobility I could find useful."

"And," he finished, "nobody would be surprised or suspicious to see us together."

"And that."

"Was it your idea, Nell?"

She almost denied it, wanted to, but finally said, "It made… a certain amount of sense. With everything added together and my certainty that you weren't the killer —"

"Was it your idea?"

She waited a beat, too conscious of things left unsaid and unanswered. This was even harder than she had expected it to be. "It was my suggestion."

He drew a breath. "I'm not so sure I like being used."

Nell made sure she didn't sound angry or defensive when she said, "It's to your advantage to do what you can to help uncover the truth, we both know that. Left to his own devices, the sheriff is more likely to arrest you than clear you. At least by helping me — us — you're assured of an impartial investigation completely focused on finding the real killer. And we don't intend to stop working until we do find him."

"And you consider it your duty to… suffer my company for the duration?"

Again, Nell replied carefully, uneasily aware of the ironic truth that Max was the one person here in Silence capable of seeing through her pretense. And it was liable to be sooner rather than later. "We're both adults, Max. And twelve years is a long time. The past is done, over. Right now, in this time and place, what we both want is to find the truth of what's happening here in Silence. That's all. That's enough."

But even as the careful lies were spoken, she knew that she was doing nothing more than postponing the inevitable. Sooner or later, Max would demand the truth.

She only hoped she was strong enough to give it to him.

"Is it enough?" he asked.

"It's my job. It's why I'm here."

Max nodded slowly, his dark gaze fixed on her face with an intensity she could feel under her skin. "And it's the only reason you're here. That's what I'm supposed to believe."

"I didn't come back until I had to. You made that point yourself."

"You didn't come back… until you had a reason to. A nice… safe… professional reason."

Sooner indeed.

"Like I said. It's my job." She nearly held her breath, afraid he'd keep pushing. More afraid he wouldn't.

Abruptly, Max shoved his chair back and got to his feet. "Okay," he said; face expressionless. "I'll think about it."

Nell felt that sick sensation in the pit of her stomach again, but this time it was accompanied by a stab of pain. Hiding that, she said, "I'll be here tomorrow. There's enough to keep me busy here in the house. But don't take too long, Max. If you decide to pass, I'll have to figure out something else, some other way of gaining access to the crime scenes. And time is an issue."

She knew she sounded like a pro. Matter-of-fact and disinterested. Professional all the way.

He nodded, still expressionless. "There's one thing about your visions you haven't explained, you know."