Page 72 of Jon's Helter Skelter Cold Case

Didn’t seem to be going well.

“Yeah. I take it you’re still not able to lay hands on him.”

“I wish I could say otherwise but…yeah. Thing is, the more I try to catch this guy, the more suspicious he gets. Name of my suspect is Chad Holzer, aged twenty-three. He’s a college dropout and working freelance as a stage magician. Now, get this—he went to the same college as Tylesia Evans.Plus, right now, I’m in Georgia. You see why he’s my main suspect.”

I blew out a low whistle. Georgia was where we suspected Tylesia had disappeared to, so yes, I absolutely did see what he meant. “Tell me what you need and I’m there.”

“I need two things. You and Grant Walker.”

I saw sense in it the second he said it. He needed me in order to prove whether this was our perp or not. He needed Grant to help track the guy down. Marc’s tracing ability couldn’t always take him to the perp in question, after all. Sometimes it led to whoever had left the strongest imprint.

I was all right with a road trip, but Grant…Grant was harder to take away for long periods of time. He was very much anemergency responder, so taking off with him for more than a day was generally difficult.

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Marc hastily added, “I honestly think with all three of us, we’ll be able to pin this guy in two days. Maaaaaybe a bit longer.”

“True, it’s hard to evade Grant for long. Tell you what. I’m game. Donovan’s out right now, but I’m sure he’ll be willing to do this too. Assume you have at least the two of us and that we’ll leave tomorrow morning. I’ll call Grant next and see if I can take him with me or not. Text Donovan where you want us to meet you.”

“Done. I’d offer to fly you guys here, but…”

“If you make me get on a plane, Donovan will end you. He just about had a heart attack over the last plane trip I was on.”

“Hahahaha, fair. Very fair. Okay, keep us posted.”

“Yup, call you back shortly. Well, assuming I can get hold of Grant quickly.” Which wasn’t always the case.

I hung up, then dialed Grant’s number. Only, as I dialed, I realized I had an audience of two girls and two cats.

“We going somewhere?” Abby inquired.

“The two of you are not going,” I informed her firmly. “You are not at the level to chase down criminals in the field yet. Your respective parents would murder me if I even tried—”

“Why the murdering?” Alan’s smooth tenor answered.

Dammit, I hadn’t heard the call pick up.

“Hey, Alan. I was informing my apprentice and her anchor they’re not coming into the field with me.”

“Ah, right, Abby and Skylar bonded. I’d heard. Congrats to them both.”

“I’ll relay that. I’m actually calling because I need you and Grant. Is he busy?”

“Define busy.”

“Can I take him on a road trip for two to three days and it not be a problem?”

“Hmmm…normally I’d say it’s problematic, but he’s hit the requirement.”

“Ahhh.”

Part of the procedures for being a licensed psychic with the government was being held to a very strict code on how much a psychic could use their ability before they were required to rest. It’d been necessary to input because some of us—especially people like Grant Walker—could easily be abused otherwise. His was a talent few others had, and it was lifesaving, so it was hard for him to say no. But the man wasn’t a machine. He had to rest sometimes. He had to take a break for his mental health, if not his physical one. Hence the reason for the requirement to begin with. For every forty hours he worked, he was obligated to take ten hours off. For every work week he completed, he had to take a day off. But if he hit a full one hundred and twenty hours without taking those breaks, then he was compelled by law to not work for a full week.

Grant hit the requirement all the time because he was constantly on the go. It was the hazard of being super powerful and awesome.

“How bad is it?”

“He’s edging toward a hundred hours right now. Honestly, getting him away from here will make it much, much easier on all of us. He’s too accessible to everyone.”

“I’d point fingers, but I’m in that glass house with him. So you’re saying a road trip with friends is just what he needs.”

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