groups of papers going into each folder. âHow long you been here, Cynthia?â
âOh, an hour or so, I guess,â she said. âJust putting together what we have on Thatcherâs Mill for you all to take and read on the plane. Not sure how much of it is useful, but itâs what Iâve been able to pull up on short notice.â
âIâll call McManus and get him and the geeks on it before we go,â Jackie said. Cynthia nodded and pulled another stack of papers from the printer. âCynthia, you might want to go to my apartment and see if you canââ
âI donât know what it is, Jackie,â she replied. âAll I can tell you is, that thing isnât dead and it isnât human.â She looked up at Jackie with a wan smile on her face. âAnd yes, it freaks me out, too.â
âHmm, yeah. You could say that,â Jackie said. âCould you tell if it has malicious intent?â
She shrugged. âIt isnât human, Jackie. I donât know.â She stepped over and brushed her fingers across Jackieâs hand. âAnd Iâm sorry last night didnât work out.â
Jackie rolled her eyes, but could tell the feeling was genuine. âCould be worse.â Though how was not something Jackie could imagine.
Cynthia laughed. âIsnât that always the case? Well, anyway. I hope it does. Your auras are a good match.â
Auras. What the hell did that mean? They both glow red or something? Jackie did not feel like talking about it now. She had to figure out how she was going to ride on a plane with Nick without throwing up.
âCynthia, how long have you known Nick?â
She stopped and set the papers down on her desk, and stared at Jackie for what seemed like a minute. âIâve known and loved him for years, Jackie. Heâs one of the best people Iâve ever known. If you canât trust him, then thereâs nobody you can.â
Not quite what she was going to ask, but still enough to impress. It was just weird how these people all seemed interconnected. She nodded.â. Thank you.â
âAnd, Jackie?â she said. âIf you have any questions about anything, you know, psychic, please ask me anything. Iâm more than happy to help you come to grips with all of this. I canât imagine how hard this has been.â
Jackie gave her a fleeting smile. âIf you can figure out what the hell that thing is on the other side, that would be great.â She turned away, knowing there was no answer to that one yet, and walked back toward her office to figure out what she would need to take on this trip.
An hour later, they were on their way to Midway Airport. Shelby kept glancing into the review mirror.
âIf I didnât know better, Iâd think we were being followed,â she said.
Jackie sat up in the backseat and looked out the back window. âReally? Where?â
âThat blue Jeep a couple cars back,â Shelby replied. âWeâre almost to Midway, so weâll see in a minute.â
Jackieâs first thought was FBI, but it was not a government vehicle, and from what Belgerman had told her, the investigation into her actions involving the death of Detective Morgan were done and/or shelved. Chicago PD had been pissed about the whole thing, but it all quieted down once it was made public that she was no longer an active agent. For all they knew, she had been fired.
They pulled off of Sixty-Third Street into the hangar area for private aircraft. The Jeep slowed up behind them in the turn lane but then continued on after they crossed traffic. Jackie got a good look at the driver as they pulled away.
âShit. I know that guy,â she said, disgusted.
âFBI?â Shelby wondered. âChicago PD?â
âNo.â Jackie shook her head in disbelief. âItâs a fucking reporter.â
âWhat?â Shelby and Cynthia chimed in
Cyna Kade
Anthea Bell
Natalie J. Damschroder
William Sutcliffe
Khelsey Jackson
Ali Sparkes
Nichelle Rae
Lara Adrián
J. S. Abilene
Cat Patrick