Sidekicks (7 page)

Cooper's mom definitely came off as distant, probably because I was practically dancing on her tasteful Persian rung in my anxiety to get Cooper moving. "Please, please, please?"

He hesitated a few seconds longer. "I'll be back in a minute, Mom." Cooper snagged his hoodie off the chair he'd been sitting in and joined me at the door. "What's up?"

"Follow me." With him slightly behind me and pulling on the hoodie, I hurried back to the police station, talking the whole way. So by the time we got to that conference room, he knew what I wanted him to do.

The questions was: would he do it?

While I introduced Cooper to the cop, the aunt, and her boyfriend, he picked up the items belonging to Bailey. He also studied the photo. He gave me his attention just long enough for me to sense something wasn't right, the extent of my abilities where the living were concerned. Then his gaze pounced on Dewan.

"What?" I asked with a tug on the hem of his hoodie, sincerely hoping he still had enough sidekicks to help.

Frowning, Cooper shook his head.

I touched his shoulder next. "You're not getting anything?"

"I'm getting plenty." He really focused on the boyfriend, hesitated, and then went for it. "Where is she?"

Dewan blinked. "Say what?"

Cooper didn't back down. "What did you do with the baby?"

Melissa Henze gasped and whirled on her boyfriend, now squirming in his wooden chair. "Dewan Childress, do you know where Bailey Angela is?
Do you?
"

"Now Missy, it's not what you think."

She stood up and placed her hands on her curvy hips. "Then what is it?"

"I did a good thing. They've been trying to have a baby for years. They'll take good care of her, and we can use the money to get married and have some babies of our own."

Without warning, Melissa snatched up a huge black leather purse and pounced on Dewan, bashing his head again and again. Detective Simms leapt to his feet, but instead of breaking them up, he shooed Cooper and me out of the room and back to his office.

My eyes instantly riveted to the bulletin board, which now had new photos on it. I saw what looked like an enlarged driver's license photo of an Asian woman with dark eyes and straight dark hair. There was another photo, too, of a female body lying on leaves. Though it was blurry, I got a quick of impression of pain and horror before I slammed on the brakes mentally and physically. Cooper rear ended me as a result. Were the women in those pictures one and the same? It was hard to tell.

With a huff of annoyance, Detective Simms slipped around us and quickly scooted a hall tree with a jacket on it to the right to block our view of the board. "You two don't need to be seeing those."

I started to speak. If anyone needed to be seeing those, it was me, the girl who could help, even if the thought scared her stupid. But Detective Simms clearly had other ideas.

"You'd both have nightmares for weeks." He gave us a smile that seemed a little strained, and it didn't take a girl with sidekicks to pick up on his downward mood swing.

"Are they the women I read about in the paper?" Cooper asked.

"Yes. But don't worry, we've got things under control." He focused on me. "I'm sorry I dragged you in here today, Mia, and sorrier that I had doubts."

"That's okay," I told him.

"At least it turned out all right." His smile seemed sincere now.

I glanced at Cooper, knowing he could probably help with the murdered women in some way, just as I could. "Are you sure about those photos? Maybe we could--"

"No." Simms shook his head. "I'm not involving teenagers, even psychics like the two of you."

Seeing that he meant business and knowing Cooper hadn't exactly volunteered, I didn't pursue it. "I'm always glad to help."

He nodded. "Good to know. Guess I'd better find out what Childress did with the kid. That is, if Melissa hasn't murdered him. She's a public defender, but I don't think she'll be taking his case." With a dry laugh, he left us.

Impulsively, I hugged Cooper. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." He dipped his head to kiss me.

I kissed him right back and then took his hand. "Is Bailey okay?"

"Yeah. She's with that guy's cousin right here in town."

He thought he'd give a baby to a family member in the city and get away with it? Unbelievable. We walked to the front to find Tyler and Brynn apparently mesmerized by the sight of...

Oh no.

Natalie Marsh, giving Sergeant Mark the third degree. "I know my son came in here. Now where is he?"

"Mom!"

Natalie turned at the sound of Cooper's voice. "There you are. What's going on here? Who is she?"

Cooper's face turned six shades of red. I felt so bad for him and opened my mouth to explain that it was all my fault even though I was pretty sure she'd already assumed that.

He never let me get a word out. "Mom, remember Bella Tagliaro from that "Inner Eye" weekend when I was eight? Would you believe she's going to Martinsburg High, too?"

I vaguely registered the shock of my friends, who'd had no idea Cooper had gifts or that our boyfriend-girlfriend status was a big dark secret from his family. "Hi, Mrs. Marsh. Nice to see you again. How are you?"

She couldn't even answer. Guess her shock and, from the look of that frown, anger wouldn't let her.

I tried to explain. "Cooper just helped a woman find her missing niece."

Natalie ignored me, zoning in on her flustered son, instead. "This is not happening. You're out of that nonsense. Have been for years." She next addressed me. "You had no right to drag him back into this."

I tensed. "I was only--"

"Mom, please--"

She cut us both off. "Enough! Cooper, come with me now."

Holy crap. Could she have humiliated her son--her
grown
son--more? I didn't see how. Every cop in the room watched with interest, and Cooper clearly knew it. Maybe that's why he chose to end the scene by pivoting on his heel and, without another word, leaving.

Stunned, I watched Natalie follow him. When the door shut behind them, I turned to my friends. Brynn mouthed
wow
. I could only agree.

And the worst part? The whole freakin' scene was my freakin' fault.

When I got home about an hour later, my face undoubtedly ravaged by tears, I found my parents seated on the couch watching the evening news. I plopped down in our old wooden rocker not far from them.

"So how'd it go?" Mom never took her eyes off the TV.

Of course I burst into tears again, which made telling her everything pretty hard to do.

Dad rubbed his bald head when I finished my sad tale. "So you two are an item?"

"If we were, we probably aren't now."

Mom got up and kissed the top of my head. "As I recall, Natalie Ray was all for her son using his gifts to help people." She seemed puzzled, and who could blame her? Nothing made sense. "It's hard to believe she could've changed so drastically."

"I think we can blame Patrick Marsh, principal not-so-extraordinaire, for that," I said, getting to my feet with a sniff. "What a bully."

"Not believing in the paranormal doesn't make a man a bully," Dad said.

"Forcing your disbelief on everyone else does, though."

He couldn't argue with that.

Mom hugged me. "We're headed to the restaurant. We have birthday party scheduled for tomorrow lunch, and I need to do some extra prep. Will you be okay?"

What a question to ask an eighteen-year-old girl. Or was she simply acknowledging my gloomy mood. "Of course."

"There's a plate in the oven. Pork chops and mashed potatoes."

"Not hungry yet, but thanks." I waved and headed upstairs, where I changed into black yoga pants and a Taylor Swift T-shirt. Pouncing on the bed, I basically crashed, the TV remote in my hand. Though "Entertainment Tonight" began sharing the news from Hollywood, something every savvy girl needed to know, I couldn't concentrate on it. All I could think about was Cooper.

Today had been horrible for him. Just horrible. And I was solely to blame. I wanted to call and apologize so badly, but feared he wouldn't talk to me. I'd definitely rocked the boat that was his life. Would he toss me overboard as a result? If so, I deserved it.

Around ten, my cell began blasting "I Won't Give Up," the Jason Mraz song I'd assigned as Cooper's ring tone and considered very appropriate to our situation. Of course I snatched it up. "Hello?"

"I'm outside."

I jumped off the bed and began looking for my flipflops. "How'd you know where I live?"

"Um...the phone book?"

Duh. "Be right down."

I grabbed a Twilight-themed throw and ran downstairs and out the door. Cooper stood on my porch. Though I wanted to throw myself at him, I held back until he opened his arms. Then I flew into them. He hugged me so hard and for a long time, easing his embrace only to dip his head and kiss me.

The moment our lips touched, I felt at peace. We kissed again and again in the dark, each one better than the last, but none of them enough to satisfy me. I wanted to gobble him up, to be his secret girlfriend forever.

If that was even still an option. I honestly didn't know.

It took a while for us to cool down. I guess we were both that needy. Taking his hand, I led him to our porch swing, hidden from the street by shrubs that needed trimming and an overgrown rose trellis. I covered our legs with the fleece throw. Safely in the shadows, he kicked the wooden swing into motion with his foot. The chain squeaked where it hung from the ceiling.

I went first. "I am so, so sorry about today. I never meant for anything bad to happen. I was just trying to help that woman."

"I know."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Do I look like I am?"

"I can't actually see you," I told him. "But you don't kiss like you are, and I'm not sure why. If I were you, I'd be so pissed."

"Well, you might've given the situation a little more thought before you blew my cover, but I understand why you did it." I heard his soft chuckle. "Melissa was beating the shit out of that guy with her bag, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, but he deserved it. What an idiot."

For a minute or two, neither of us said anything. In the silence, night sounds came up around us: the distant bark of a dog, voices, a car radio. The autumn nip in the air made me shiver.

Cooper draped his arm across my shoulders and pulled me closer. "I don't know what to do, Mia."

"What do you mean?"

"Now that I've stepped out of my mental safe room, I'm starting to see and feel things. I'm also picking up random thoughts of everyone I pass--not enough to help anyone, but still. I can send them all packing, of course, but I'm not sure if want to or even should."

"Did you notice that haze around Detective Simms?" I asked.

"So that was real? It's hard to tell right now."

"It was definitely real. What do you think it was?"

"Since it didn't feel new, I'm thinking it was residue from past cases. That stuff is bound to be inside his head and part of what he is, too. Maybe it's leaking out or something."

"I thought it came across sort of military."

"Really? I didn't get that, but it would make sense. I saw a picture of him in camo. Looked like he might've been in the desert."

"Yeah." Wondering about Cooper's returning skills, I decided to test him. "Do you sense the regular under the maple tree?" I pointed toward a huge tree in our front yard, where a middle-aged male presence often hovered.

Cooper nodded. "He's a regular?"

"Yeah. Built this house, I think. Comes back all the time to look at it, but never goes inside, thank goodness. I already have Nick, and the spirits he sometimes brings around are all I can handle."

"Who?"

"Nick." I explained his role in my life, something I hadn't done at eight or since, which meant Cooper didn't know about him. "Do you have a spirit guide?"

"Not so far."

Did that mean he was ready to welcome his gifts? "Was your mom very angry?"

"Baby, you have no idea."

Now I smiled at the 'baby,' which I took as a term of affection. "Did she tell your stepdad?"

"Of course."

"What'd he say?"

"Enough that I moved out."

My jaw hit my chest. "Moved or got kicked out?"

"Take your pick."

"Are you shitting me?"

"Nope."

"But you're only eighteen!"

"Which is legal for everything except buying booze."

"Oh my God. Where will you go? What will you do?"

"Marty's mom said I could stay with them for a while. He's got twin beds. I'll pay for my own food and stuff, of course. I mean, I get monthly checks from some kind of account Mom set up from Dad's life insurance pay-off. And I've got a job at Chick-Fil-A. They called me today. I'll be working on Saturdays for now, but maybe more later. I'm thinking I'll get a box at the post office for my mail."

I began to fume in spite of Cooper's apparent calm. How could loving parents send a high school senior packing? Wasn't he entitled to make his own choices? Sure they paid the bills, but that didn't mean they could treat him like dirt. "This is horrible. Just horrible. Do you have aunts and uncles, grandparents you can go to?"

"Betty and Sol Weeks, my maternal grandparents, are dead. My paternal grandparents won't have anything to do with us."

"Because of your mom?" It was easy to believe.

"Don't hate my mother, okay? She's just doing what she has to do to keep peace at home."

I begged to differ, but not out loud. "Sorry. Then why?"

"My parents got pregnant with me when they were seniors in high school. Dad's dad didn't want him to get married. Seems he had big plans for his only son to be a pro football player, something he'd dreamed of doing himself before he gave up and started coaching it at the high school level. When Dad told him he wasn't going to take the LSU football scholarship so he could get a fulltime job and marry Mom, my granddad threatened to cut him off. Didn't work. The 'rents got hitched anyway, left town, and graduated from junior colleges on their own."