many people know that."
Anyone who had ever lived in a small town— especially a small Southern town—would probably be quick to admit that skulking around at night for any reason wasn't the easiest thing in the world. There were lots of streetlights, for one thing, and people tended to leave their porch lights on as well.
Welcome, neighbor. Come on in and kill me.
She shook her head as she stood back from a too-lighted area at the edge of downtown Silence and warily watched the passing traffic. For a nervous town, there were sure as hell a lot of people out doing things on a weeknight.
Human nature, of course. No matter how nervous they might feel, most people simply never expected the really bad things to happen to them.
Until they did.
Hearing footsteps, she immediately withdrew deeper into the shadows and watched a young couple as they walked past her, holding hands. Oblivious to any possible threat.
Conscious of the gun tucked at the small of her back, she shifted her weight and breathed a sigh. Just because only men had been victims so far didn't mean the women of this town were safe, but none of them seemed to realize that. There needed to be a curfew at the very least—
All her senses flared suddenly, and she went perfectly still. Waiting. The traffic noises faded, and she no longer smelled exhaust fumes on the damp breeze. The harsh brightness of the streetlights seemed to dim everywhere—except a block away, where a lone man walked, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets. As he passed beneath each streetlight, it seemed to brighten, almost as if a spotlight followed him.
She smiled unconsciously, her gaze intent on him. The damp breeze brought her now the scent of his cologne. He was wearing Polo. She could almost feel the faint tremors of the earth beneath her feet as he walked.
Or maybe that was her own heartbeat.
She watched him walk toward her. His head was bent, and he was obviously deep in thought. Oblivious. She unconsciously shook her head. Bad to be so wrapped up in thought that you left yourself vulnerable. Worse to do that when living in a town where nice, seemingly respectable men were ending up in the morgue.
She glanced around warily to make certain there was no one else in the area, and then waited until he had nearly reached her before stepping out of the shadows.
"Hey," she said.
He jumped a foot. "Jesus1. You scared the hell out of me."
"Oh, sorry," she said mildly, her fingers closing around the grip of her gun as she began to draw it from the waistband of her jeans. "I certainly didn't mean to do that."
Nell didn't appear to be alarmed by Max's warning. "Why would I be a threat to anyone?"
"Tell me something. What did you see in the woods yesterday? What did your vision show you?"
She didn't blink or look away, but it was a long moment before she finally answered. "I saw a stormy night. A man in a slicker carrying a woman over his shoulder. I don't know who he was. I don't know who she was. I don't know if she was dead or alive."
"So it could have been the killer you saw."
"Could have. Or someone else, maybe even doing something entirely innocent."
"Do you think so?"
Still without looking away from his face, Nell shook her head slowly. "Not really. Whatever he was doing… there was nothing innocent about it."
"Now for the big question. Did you see the past? Or the future?"
"I don't know that either."
'You still can't tell?"
"Usually, no. Not unless there's something in the vision to place it in time."
"What about other kinds of control? Can you… trigger… one of these things if you want to?"
"Not really. I can put myself in a place where one is more likely, a place where something violent happened, but it doesn't always work. There's no button I can push, Max, no switch to flip when I want to see something."
"Which makes you vulnerable as hell, whether you'll admit it or not. If you could see the killer, identify him, point the cops to him, then maybe you'd
Anyone who had ever lived in a small town— especially a small Southern town—would probably be quick to admit that skulking around at night for any reason wasn't the easiest thing in the world. There were lots of streetlights, for one thing, and people tended to leave their porch lights on as well.
Welcome, neighbor. Come on in and kill me.
She shook her head as she stood back from a too-lighted area at the edge of downtown Silence and warily watched the passing traffic. For a nervous town, there were sure as hell a lot of people out doing things on a weeknight.
Human nature, of course. No matter how nervous they might feel, most people simply never expected the really bad things to happen to them.
Until they did.
Hearing footsteps, she immediately withdrew deeper into the shadows and watched a young couple as they walked past her, holding hands. Oblivious to any possible threat.
Conscious of the gun tucked at the small of her back, she shifted her weight and breathed a sigh. Just because only men had been victims so far didn't mean the women of this town were safe, but none of them seemed to realize that. There needed to be a curfew at the very least—
All her senses flared suddenly, and she went perfectly still. Waiting. The traffic noises faded, and she no longer smelled exhaust fumes on the damp breeze. The harsh brightness of the streetlights seemed to dim everywhere—except a block away, where a lone man walked, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets. As he passed beneath each streetlight, it seemed to brighten, almost as if a spotlight followed him.
She smiled unconsciously, her gaze intent on him. The damp breeze brought her now the scent of his cologne. He was wearing Polo. She could almost feel the faint tremors of the earth beneath her feet as he walked.
Or maybe that was her own heartbeat.
She watched him walk toward her. His head was bent, and he was obviously deep in thought. Oblivious. She unconsciously shook her head. Bad to be so wrapped up in thought that you left yourself vulnerable. Worse to do that when living in a town where nice, seemingly respectable men were ending up in the morgue.
She glanced around warily to make certain there was no one else in the area, and then waited until he had nearly reached her before stepping out of the shadows.
"Hey," she said.
He jumped a foot. "Jesus1. You scared the hell out of me."
"Oh, sorry," she said mildly, her fingers closing around the grip of her gun as she began to draw it from the waistband of her jeans. "I certainly didn't mean to do that."
Nell didn't appear to be alarmed by Max's warning. "Why would I be a threat to anyone?"
"Tell me something. What did you see in the woods yesterday? What did your vision show you?"
She didn't blink or look away, but it was a long moment before she finally answered. "I saw a stormy night. A man in a slicker carrying a woman over his shoulder. I don't know who he was. I don't know who she was. I don't know if she was dead or alive."
"So it could have been the killer you saw."
"Could have. Or someone else, maybe even doing something entirely innocent."
"Do you think so?"
Still without looking away from his face, Nell shook her head slowly. "Not really. Whatever he was doing… there was nothing innocent about it."
"Now for the big question. Did you see the past? Or the future?"
"I don't know that either."
'You still can't tell?"
"Usually, no. Not unless there's something in the vision to place it in time."
"What about other kinds of control? Can you… trigger… one of these things if you want to?"
"Not really. I can put myself in a place where one is more likely, a place where something violent happened, but it doesn't always work. There's no button I can push, Max, no switch to flip when I want to see something."
"Which makes you vulnerable as hell, whether you'll admit it or not. If you could see the killer, identify him, point the cops to him, then maybe you'd
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