Page 19 of Jon's Helter Skelter Cold Case

Borrowman and Grant did the date, license numbers, etcetera spiel. Then Grant sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, settling in for a quick nap.

“Always amazes me how fast he can fall asleep,” I observed to Alan in a hushed whisper.

“I know, me too. Was that girl Abby?”

“Ah, I forgot, you haven’t met her yet. Yeah, that’s her.”

“I’d love a proper introduction after this.”

“Sure.”

I was going to say something else, but Grant abruptly opened his eyes and sat up. Uh. Surely that hadn’t been long enough. He’d only been down thirty seconds.

“The game’s afoot, as Sherlock would put it.” Grant’s expression waffled between intrigue and irritation at being thwarted. “First of all, this girl isn’t dead.”

Borrowman pumped a fist in the air, vindicated at being right. “Could you get a lock on her?”

“No,” Grant admitted. Ahh…the reason he was irritated. “But the fact I was able to get on the dream plane and search means she has to be alive. That would be impossible if she were dead.”

A plot twist for sure. I was relieved to hear she was probably alive, but at the same time, what could keep both Grant and Carol from finding her?

7

Judge Agatha McClain was a woman who took no bullshit. She’d been a judge for two decades, knew everyone in the business, and likely had a black book of dirty secrets somewhere. She was one of my favorite judges to work with, not going to lie. I was very impressed Borrowman had gotten an appointment with her so quickly, though, as she was also crazy busy.

I brought Abby along. I wanted her to see this part of the process and meet the judge. Abby, knowing of the appointment, had worn a pencil skirt, white heels, and a dressy white top. She looked incredibly cute and professional.

We met in the judge’s office, which was across from the old courthouse, as the place was too old to support everyone working there. Her office was tastefully appointed, with judge’s paneling on the walls and beautiful landscapes. It smelled of beeswax, so likely someone had cleaned in here recently.

Borrowman greeted her as we entered. “Hi, we’re here.”

“So I see.” She looked over her specs and waved us all in. Judge McClain was obviously in a more relaxed mode. I normally saw her in suits, but today her greying blonde hair was in a loose curl around her shoulders, and she wore jeans and a red cardigan to ward off the office chill. “Plus a new face. Hello, young woman.”

Abby was a little shy but rallied. “Hello, Your Honor. I’m Abigail Moore. Jon’s my mentor.”

“Ahh, the Reader apprentice I’ve heard so much about. Delighted to meet you. Come, sit, sit.” She moved around her desk and to the sitting chairs arranged around a coffee table, encouraging us to all sit as well. “Abigail, before we start on the case, tell me more about yourself. Are you interested in this line of work?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Abby answered politely while taking a seat next to Donovan. “I think it’s both awesome and I like the idea of serving the community. I never thought I’d be able to study under Jon, but he offered, so I leapt at the chance.”

“Smart of you to do so. How old are you?”

“Seventeen, ma’am. I’ll be a junior in high school this coming year.”

“Is that right? Then we’ll be able to work with each other on a consistent basis soon.” Agatha sat back with a satisfied smile.Her lines were full of pumpkin orange anticipation. “I can only imagine that if I have two gifted Readers, we’ll be able to put away that many more criminals, which sparks joy. Abigail, are you going to do any schooling?”

“Um, I’d love to do criminal law.”

“I think that’s wise. Leave your phone number with me before you go. I’ll make sure you’re a scholarship candidate.”

Abby lit right up at her words. “You mean it?”

“I do. We need more psychics and women in the law field, so I’m going to sponsor you, if you don’t mind.”

“Not one bit.” Abby’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

Now, I’d not expected this plot twist, but I could understand the judge’s reasoning. Having Abby fully educated and ready to go could only be a boon for the police force.

“Good. We’ll talk more about it later.” With a satisfied air, Agatha sat back, crossing her legs comfortably. “Now, let’s switch to the main topic. I understand Solomon did something stupid again.”

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