Кей Хупер - Whisper of Evil

She knew. "Yes."

"You've told me that sometimes what you see is something that hasn't happened yet. The future. But how can that be, if it's memories you're tapping into?"

"I don't know."

"Could it be a second, completely different ability? Precognition?"

"Bishop says not, and the others agree." She shrugged, conscious of the tension in her shoulders. "The experience is essentially the same, whether I'm seeing past or future. The same sensations, emotions, the same time-out-of-sync awareness. So it's the same ability. The flip side of it maybe, but the same."

"How can a place hold the impression, the memory; of an event that hasn't yet occurred?"

"I don't know. We don't know. Maybe time is more flexible than we can possibly imagine, not linear at all but a loop, or a series of loops. Maybe different time lines occupy the same physical world but in alternate dimensions, dimensions I'm somehow able to tap into because they contain another kind of energy I'm sensitive to. Or maybe it's a question of fate, of the physical world holding the energy of future events because those events will happen, are destined to happen — in a sense have already happened."

Max shook his head. "That's a little too metaphysical for me."

"You asked." She smiled slightly, wondering if she could have done this, handled this, if she hadn't been able to lean on duty and professionalism. No. Definitely not. "The simple truth is, I don't know how it works. I only know that it does."

He seemed about to say something else, but finally shook his head again. "Well, I guess I have to accept that. For now, anyway."

Nell was tempted to ask if he expected anything to change later but once again shied away from probing too deeply. She rose to her feet and walked with him to the front door.

"I'll let you know something tomorrow," he said.

"All right." She looked at him gravely, wondering if he was putting her off for the sake of appearances or for some other reason. He'd danced awfully close to guessing her true motivation in coming here, and from there it was only a step to also guess she was involving him in the investigation for reasons other than the flimsy ones she had stated.

Did he know? And if he did, would he use the knowledge for a little payback?

Abruptly, Max said, "That scene you saw out in the woods. A man carrying the body of a woman."

"Maybe a body. She might not have been dead."

"Either way, it could be something that hasn't happened yet."

Nell made her voice matter-of-fact. "There's no way to be sure. I've checked records of dead or missing women in the county, and nothing seems to fit what I saw. No female murder victims in years, at least none found in the woods. So maybe it hasn't happened yet."

"And if it hasn't happened yet… it could be you. It could be a vision of your own future you saw."

"I never see my own future."

"You mean you never have before."

"I can take care of myself, Max."

Max's hands lifted slightly, as if he wanted to grab her and shake her, but in the end they curled into fists at his sides and he said tightly, "You're here investigating a series of murders, you're a threat to the killer, and you've seen something that could mean a confrontation with him that you'll lose."

There was no way she could reassure him of her safety, since it would have been a lie. So Nell didn't even make the attempt. "Whatever I saw changes nothing, and if that's how it ends, then that's how it ends. I'm here to do a job, Max, and I intend to do it." She paused, but not long enough to give him the chance to argue with her. "Don't bother telling me to lock the door behind you. I will."

"Have you got a death wish, Nell, is that it?"

"No. Good night, Max."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Max swore beneath his breath and went out the door, closing it with a distinct click behind him.

Nell threw the dead bolt with the same emphatic sound, then stood there for a moment watching her hands shake. She had thought she was ready for this, but hours spent in Max's company had proved her wrong. She wasn't ready for this. She would never be ready for this.

But there was no going back. Not now.

Nell sighed, wondering if there had ever been a point when she could have turned back. Probably not. The universe was about balance and about dealing with the past.

Sooner or later.

As for Max, all things considered, his display of concern for her safety was definitely unexpected, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. Scared mostly, because retribution wasn't nearly as effective if it wasn't preceded by an interlude of unsuspecting happiness.

She looked at her hands again and willed them to stop shaking, not surprised when it only half worked. She was tired. And worried. And afraid. And for just an instant, she was tempted to open the door and call Max back, because being alone in this house tonight was almost more than she could bear.

Her hand even reached out for the doorknob, but Nell forced it to fall to her side.

I can do this. I can take care of myself. I have to.

She walked across the foyer toward the kitchen, pausing at the side table beside the stairs where the phone and answering machine were. The answering-machine light was blinking. When Nell pushed the button, the message she heard was brief.

"Nell, it's Shelby. Listen, when I was taking some pictures today I got something… unexpected. I think you should see it. I can bring it to your place tomorrow, first thing, if that's okay. I may be out late tonight, but you can leave a message on the machine and let me know what time."

Nell glanced at her watch, then reached for the phone.

It was still a bit before midnight when he did his meditation thing and sent his dream self off to visit Nell. It was, he'd decided, the best way to keep an eye on her without being too obvious about it. The connection took him to her even faster than before, and it pleased him to be able to so easily follow the well-worn path.

Some things seemed unaffected by the passage of time.

Not surprisingly, she was in bed, asleep, and for a time he hovered near and just looked down at her. Fascinating to be so close to her when she was entirely unaware of it. To be able to stare at her unabashedly.

She was a beautiful woman, even in the dark. The night stole color, so the hair spread out over her pillow was shimmering darkness and her skin was pale, smooth, her relaxed features the picture of delicate femininity. The covers were drawn up to her shoulders, so all he could see of her sleepwear was that there was nothing frilly or sexy about it, maybe just a T-shirt or something like that, colorless and shapeless.

While he watched, she stirred restlessly, and a shaft of moonlight streaming in the window fell on her face and allowed him to see a fleeting, uneasy frown.

It caught him off guard for an instant, even shook him.

Was she simply disturbed by being in this house again after so many years? Was that what disrupted her sleep on this quiet, peaceful night? Or was her sleeping mind somehow aware of him? Could she sense him?

Hear him?

He felt a moment of uneasiness, even fear, but then the possibilities occurred to him, and they were too fascinating and seductive to ignore.

He focused his concentration and gathered enough energy to whisper her name, watching intently to gauge her reaction. He was almost certain there was a reaction, that another frown flitted across her face and there was a break in the evenness of her breathing.

Ah.

How receptive would she be?

How far could he go?

After considering briefly, he whispered again, this time telling Nell to turn over in bed. He repeated the command, soft but insistent, willing her to obey. There was another catch in her breathing, another brief frown, and then she turned over.