Extrasensory (21 page)

“Captain.” She nodded at him, her own face a mask.

Everyone in the room felt the tension erupt between them.

Holcomb turned to Dan. “What’s she doing here?” he snapped.

“She’s been a big help to us,” Dan told him in a firm tone. “She actually sent the first warnings that there might be a theft. And by the way, I’m sure you know it’s
Dr.

Fleming.”

“She did, huh?” Holcomb turned to her again. “A word of advice, Dr. Fleming.

Don’t muddy my case with your hocus pocus this time. Leave things to the professionals.”

“As you can tell,” she told Dan in a bitter voice, “Captain Holcomb and I are acquainted.”

“Let me handle this,” he said quietly and turned to the policeman. “Captain, I don’t know your history with
Dr.
Fleming but someone took her involvement with this particular situation seriously enough to try to kill her. I know you’re aware of the car bombing. It was her car that was destroyed. So there are obviously people out there—

and this time someone connected to this case—who think she can provide information they don’t want getting out.”

“Think what you like.” Holcomb’s voice held an edge of anger. “I work with facts.” He turned away from Dan and introduced the people with him as the detectives on his squad.

“I’ve brought all seasoned people with me,” he assured them. “Including the Crime Scene Unit right behind me here. I know the attention a high profile case like this will draw.” He paused and looked at each person in turn. “First thing we’ve got to do is hit everyone in this building before anyone has a chance to slip away.” He motioned to his people. “I want each floor locked down and people sequestered in a single room on their floor. They won’t like it but it has to be done. No matter how much they complain, don’t let them leave until I say so.”

“I have more men here who can help you,” Dan told him. “We just had extra men flown in last night and they’ve been containing the population of each floor. Just tell them what you want them to do.”

Holcomb nodded his head once. “Thanks. I’ll take that help. Detective Solomon here,” he pointed to the man, “will be your contact. Round up your people and let’s get started.”

He took a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, pulled them on and motioned to the CSU. “All right. Someone point us toward the office where the body is. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

* * * * *

Mark greeted Holcomb, giving him what information he had and headed back to the conference room. So did Rick, having thoroughly chewed out his men and pried every scrap of information out of their brains. They short-stopped all questions until Dan walked back in.

“Holcomb’s doing his job and the demonstration will be ready to go in ten minutes, according to Chase.”

“Where
is
Chase?” Joy demanded.

“Setting up another run-through for Oscar. He wants to make sure the robot didn’t get switched while the guards were down.”

“What?” She looked at him, astonished. “What guards? The ones watching Oscar?”

“Yes.” He swallowed his impatience. Joy Rivers pushed every one of his buttons.

“I’ll let Chase tell you himself as soon as he gets back up here. Captain Holcomb has the crime scene well in hand, so meanwhile we all need to stay as calm as possible. And hope none of this has leaked to the media. The car bombing was bad enough.” Ladd, showing the first signs of strain took out a snowy handkerchief and mopped the fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead. “Jesus, the media. I thought it was bad before. They’ll storm the building.”

Mark shook his head. “Holcomb knows that. He told me he’s already dispatched cruisers to set up barricades and move people away from the building.” Joy, looking only the slightest bit pale, commented, “Between the murder and the psycho we’ll be the hit of the tabloids and the six o’clock news.” Dan’s famous control frayed. “Mia Fleming is a psychic, not a psycho, Miss Rivers.

If you can’t refer to her appropriately, don’t refer to her at all.” He turned to Ladd.

“Since Chase isn’t here, can you explain to Miss Rivers the importance of not making irresponsible remarks?”

Something flashed in her eyes, something Dan couldn’t quite define. Anger?

Resentment? But she managed to sound contrite when she spoke. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so worried for Chase. None of this is doing him or the company any good.

Please forgive me for anything I’ve said that’s inappropriate.” Ladd gave her a tight smile. “She’s just a little anxious like the rest of us. With the big day coming up this Friday and everything focused on that, she and Chase decided to ditch the arrangements for a big wedding. They have plans to get married as soon as they get past the weekend. It’ll be just a small ceremony but I know they’d like you to be there, Dan.” He put away his handkerchief. “Then they’re off for two weeks to a private island.”

“Of course you’re invited,” Joy said in a clipped voice. “But I’m sure you’re much too busy to bother with something like that.”

In other words, don’t bother showing up.

Dan frowned at her. “But won’t there be a lot of follow-up? Contracts to complete?

Others to negotiate? Production schedules to set up?”

“Lucas takes care of the schmoozing, Paul does the financials and I handle the contracts.” His eyes suddenly looked sad. “Stan would have set up production. I guess we’ll have to rethink that now.”

“All right.” Dan looked around the room at everyone. “Here’s the situation.” He explained in concise sentences what had happened and informed them Chase and Lucas were at that moment setting up to test Oscar again.

“So you think the coffee was doctored?” Ladd asked.

“It’s the only answer. Rick gave the cups to Holcomb and he had someone run them to the SAPD lab with an order for urgency.”

“It wasn’t one of our people,” Joy snapped at once.

“This time I have to agree with you,” Dan told her. “Too much chance of being recognized. That means someone, somehow, got into the building, got a cafeteria worker’s uniform and managed to get four drugged cups of coffee up here without anyone stopping them. An outside person could do that but not without a lot of extra planning.”

“Are you saying it’s one of our people?” Joy’s tone was defensive.

“I’m saying we have to look at all possibilities.”

“And we’re already doing that,” Holcomb told them, walking back into the room.

“Mark, can you reach Chase and ask him how soon they’ll be ready to start?”

“Better for Dan to do it. He’s in charge here.”

Dan picked up the conference room phone and punched in three numbers. When someone answered on the other end, he spoke quietly, nodded and hung up. “Ten minutes.”

In exactly ten minutes Chase jogged into the conference room, out of breath. “Okay.

We’re good to go.”

Joy rose and went to put her arms around him. “Come and sit down, baby. You’ll have a stroke if you don’t get control of yourself.”

“I know, I know. But Jesus, Joy. You know what’s at stake here.”

“And everything will be fine. Come on. Sit down with me.” She looped her arm through his and guided him to a chair beside her at the table.

Lucas came in, lowered the lights and turned on the flat screen monitor. “Seats, everyone.”

Holcomb, Dan, Mark and Rick chose to stand against the far wall while the others sat. In a moment, a picture appeared on the screen.

* * * * *

“Well.” Chase blew out the breath he’d been holding. “At least we know we got to Oscar before anyone else did. He’s working just fine.”

“I’d say you all were on top of things before they had time to put the rest of their plan into play,” Holcomb told them. “Good work, everyone. And by the way, that was a hell of an impressive demonstration. I want to make sure our chief is here Friday for the big festivities.”

“He’s on the guest list,” Lucas assured him. “I hope he’ll be one of our first customers.”

Chase pushed back his chair. “I’d better get Oscar back in his cage right away.” Lucas put a hand on his shoulder. “Sit for a few minutes. Joy’s right. You’re strung as tight as a high wire. I’ll get Oscar settled and be sure he’s locked up properly.”

“I can promise you our men will be guarding him better than their own mothers,” Dan assured him. “They don’t like being taken advantage of the way they were. It makes them cranky and twice as vigilant.”

“I certainly hope so,” Joy snapped. Then she leaned over and brushed a lock of hair from Chase’s forehead. “Lucas is right, sweetie. Just let him take care of things. Take a deep breath, okay?”

Chase slumped back in his chair. “Fine. But I want a look at Oscar after he’s in place.”

“No problem. We’ll do that later.”

“I think one of our men should go with you, Lucas,” Dan suggested. “Someone with a nasty agenda is still roaming around.”

“I’ll be fine.” He lifted his shirt to show the gun at the small of his back. “I’ve been carrying it since the car bombing.”

“I’m going back to Forbush’s office,” Holcomb told them. “I’d appreciate it if you’d all stay here until I get back.” He turned to Dan. “Except you. I think it would help if you were with me.” Lastly he looked at Mia. “And nothing from you, you hear?” She simply looked back at him without saying a word.

* * * * *

An hour later the crime scene people were still at work in Stan’s office. Holcomb’s detectives and the Phoenix people were working their way from floor to floor, questioning everyone from the company security people to the janitorial service. Each floor was in lockdown, which didn’t make anyone very happy.

The person who got the gold star for the day, as far as Dan was concerned, was the Carpenter Techtronics receptionist who fielded the hundreds of calls without turning a hair. He wondered what it would take to hire her away, since Phoenix was about to lose their own wonderful person to her husband’s relocation.

“I’m surprised you don’t have the cleaning service come in at night when no one’s working,” Holcomb remarked, his eyes fixed on Chase. “That seems more logical to me.

No disturbances.”

“We do. But Stan’s so damn secretive about his work and so nervous about someone getting into his stuff he won’t let them into his area except during the day.

Then he can put things away and keep an eye on them. He was always here much later than the rest of us, anyway. I think he worried about being attacked.”

“Apparently with good reason,” Mark said in a dry voice.

“I’d like to see the body.” Mia had been sitting quietly in the corner, drinking coffee Faith had poured for her. Some color had finally returned to her face.

“Ah, yes. Dr. Fleming.” Holcomb stared at her, his face impassive. “I thought we’d be having a conversation about that.”

Almost casually Dan moved to position himself next to Mia. The protective warrior in place.

Do you feel the connection, Dan? I do. It’s there and it scares me, that we bonded so quickly.

You’re a lone wolf, with the power to hurt me.
But what can I do? I’ve already lost my heart to
you. And here you are, taking care of me in a way no one ever has before.

She shifted in her chair to move closer to him and saw Holcomb narrow his eyes suspiciously.

“I’m gathering your relationship with Dr. Fleming is somewhat adversarial?” Dan asked, his voice carefully uninflected.

“Captain Holcomb and I have a less than…beneficial relationship,” Mia said, tension radiating from her body.

Stay with me, Dan. I need your strength this time.

Holcomb turned his gaze to her. “You led us a merry chase one too many times, Dr.

Fleming.” His mouth was set in a grim line, his eyes cold. “Wasted time and resources.”

“But I’ve helped you a lot too,” she protested. “And I’ve always been up front that my visions aren’t a hundred percent.”

“That’s a fact,” he grunted.

“But they’re hints that can’t be ignored.”

Dan squeezed her shoulder. “In my opinion, I don’t think we can discount her input. If she wasn’t heading in the right direction in this instance, no one would have tried to kill her by blowing up her car. Then whoever it was went to enough trouble to get rid of the bomber, trying to tie up any loose ends. That definitely means she’s making someone nervous.”

“We haven’t proved yet that Nate Wilson was the bomber,” Holcomb objected.

“Come on, Captain,” Dan protested. “You don’t think it’s all a little too coincidental? And her having a vision of someone getting shot about the same time he was taking two taps to the head?”

“I’m still not willing to let her compromise a crime scene,” Holcomb bit back.

“Please,” she begged. “I won’t disturb anything. I know what to do. If I can just touch him I might be able to help you.”

“Mia, that’s a pretty gruesome scene,” Mark put in. “I don’t know if you want to subject yourself to that.”

“I can handle it.” She set her jaw in a stubborn line.

“Let me think about it. We have other things to take care of first. Like who would have access to Forbush’s office without being detected or seeming out of place?”

* * * * *

Detective Steve Aragon and his partner, Cliff Wallace, had taken a crime scene tech with them to Nate Wilson’s apartment. Their orders were to go through it from corner-to-corner and wall-to-wall.

The building itself was on the edge of South San Antonio and had seen its best days before either man had been born. The superintendent who lived on the premises was vocally unhappy about being awakened to unlock doors for them.

Aragon shrugged. “We can break them down if you’d rather.” He looked at his partner. “Let’s see, Cliff. What do you figure a new door costs these days?”

“All right, all right,” the super grumbled. “God, a man can’t even get a decent night’s sleep these days.”

But when he opened the door to join them on the walkway, the two detectives could see a chunky brunette in a flowered robe leaning against a doorway. She was holding a glass of something and watching them with avid interest.

Yeah, right. A decent night’s sleep.
Aragon snorted.