Page 13 of Heat of Justice

Impatience sizzled in her tone. When she frowned, all trace of warmth washed out of her eyes. Kim swallowed, wondering if it was even there to begin with.Steady up, for God’s sake! What the hell is wrong with you?

“No,” she replied. “I am neither witness nor perpetrator.”

That last word also sent a little rush of indignation coursing through her.Good,she thought. She would use it as fuel.

“Do you have a third option?” Miller asked.

“I saw…” Catching a tremor in her own voice, Kim cleared her throat.Keep cool. Just tell her, get it over with.“I had a vision of her dead.”

“A dream?”

“Not a dream,” Kim snapped. “I said a vision.”

Miller blinked, and her expression sharpened, though not in any disbelief or amusement.

“Right,” was all she said.

Kim briefly closed her eyes. She shook her head and sighed. Now forgetting to keep herself so much in check, she did lean her elbows on the table to rub her hands over her face.

“I know it sounds crazy.”

“Hmm. Different, for sure.”

“I considered just calling in and asking you to do a wellness check on Cassie.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know…”

“Sure you do,” Miller invited. “Come on, hit me with it.”

“Well, I’ve been a lawyer for fifteen years.” Kim shrugged. “And if my career taught me anything, it’s that trying to avoid difficult situations never leads to anything good.”

???

Cody was pretty sure that there was more to it. The words of the duty officer also floated back across her mind;‘People don’t need a full moon to be insane these days.’Kim Reed did not strike her as that kind, though. Just tired, obviously on edge, and extremely wary. Plenty reluctant, too, with a razor-sharp attitude. In spite of this, she was asking for help; begging for it, almost, which must not come easy to a woman as proud and self-possessed as she also appeared to be. Cody was open to hearing the rest of her story, at least. She may not experience visions herself, but she had developed a keen cop sense over the years, the sort of instinct she could never explain but trusted implicitly. A deep intuition that allowed her to connect random links in the cases that she worked, to progress in leaps and bounds not based on anything concrete, where others may remain stuck. Her partner liked to refer to it as her‘spooky sense’.

“I’ve never worked with a psychic, but I know the police sometimes do,” she remarked, eager to make the woman feel a bit more at ease.

The attempt clearly failed.

“I’m a lawyer,” Reed muttered unhappily. “Not a psychic. Not a killer either.”

“Okay. So, tell me about this vision you had.”

Finally!Reed’s expression seemed to convey.

“I saw Cassie’s face,” she began. “Her eyes were open and fixed. Empty of any expression, and covered with a layer of fluid. Dead eyes, you know?”

“Yes.” Cody picked up on her words. “I’m curious; how do you know what dead eyes look like?”

Reed stared daggers into hers.

“My grandfather died at home after a long illness. I arrived not long after and closed his eyes for the last time. They looked like that. I can assure you I did not murder him.”

“Understood, Ms. Reed.” Cody answered calmly, hoping it might catch. “And as you must know, it’s my job to ask pointed questions. I assume that’s why you wanted to speak to a more experienced detective instead of a uniform?”

Reed blinked once and let out a controlled breath.

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