Page 37 of Heat of Justice

“Did you see her?”

“Saw her, warned her,” the old one stated. “Find her before they do and get outta here quick, cop. Shoo! Shoo! Don’t belong with us. Get out while you can. Shoo!” She used both hands to make a sweeping, dismissive gesture.

Something was not quite right with this one, Cody understood. She had gone from friendly to threatening in less than a minute, and the slightly unhinged look in her eyes now triggered a tiny shiver down her spine. Not that she was scared, but the whole thing was a little eerie. She did not ask who‘They’might be and moved on under the bridge toward the water. Hushed murmurs in the shadows. More improvised campfires. Though they were hiding, she could feel a bunch more people’s eyes fixed on her. Watching, tracking her progress. A big rat scurried past. A bit further on, another lone junkie was poking atthe insides of a dead seagull on the ground. Cody glanced at him, then did a quick double-take when she saw him bring his fingers to his mouth.Urgh.Was he eating that thing? She clenched her teeth and picked up the pace before he could see her.Kim, where the hell are you?Just past the next pillar, she came to the water, and now another worry took hold. Surely, she would not have gone any further… With a renewed sense of dread, Cody glanced to her right. Nothing there. She looked left and finally let out the anxious breath she’d been holding. Right over there, on the edge, the woman stood on her own.

“Kim!” Cody hissed.

???

In jeans, a pair of sturdy boots, and a white t-shirt, the blond-haired, blue-eyed police officer looked startlingly like an angel when she emerged from the shadows. She exuded raw, vital energy and brought with her a tremendous sense of safety and normality. Death seemed to lurk around every corner under this bridge, but the detective walked through it like a beam of light slicing through the doom and gloom.

“Cody.” Kim gasped in relief.

She had been the one to initiate an embrace the other night. Shocked herself down to the bone with that gesture and a bit more when she was unable to forget it in the days that followed. Pretending that she’d only been wanting to comfort the woman after Cody revealed her painful story did not work. It was like she told her at the time; everything about her hit differently. Seeing her again, even in such weird and unusual circumstances, only reinforced the feeling. So did the way Cody grabbed her by the shoulders when Kim reached her, the gesture at once a little rough and fiercely protective.

“Are you okay?” she snapped.

“Yes...”

“Are you sure? You’re not hurt?”

“No, no,” Kim nodded in reassurance. “I’m fine now.”

“Now,” Cody repeated, blue eyes flashing in concern. “You don’t look too fine, actually. Your face is white as a sheet again, and your pupils are too wide.”

“I had another vision.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“It was so strong… It led me here.”

“This place is like murder central, in case you didn’t know. Dammit, Kim!” Cody sounded a mix of furious and relieved to be reunited with her. “I can feel you trembling. Are you cold? Have you been sick?”

“No, I’m just running on pure adrenaline. I don’t remember leaving home and starting to drive. I was almost here when I felt like…”

“What?” Cody prompted when she trailed off.

“Well, when I settled back into myself, you could say. And I called you.” Kim wrapped her fingers around her forearms as Cody kept hers on her shoulders. She held her gaze. “You came for me.”

“Of course, I—” The sound of glass breaking, not too far in the shadows, made Cody turn and stare hard in that direction. Somewhere, a man started to laugh. It sounded like a scream. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”

“Wait.”

“Stay close to me and keep going.”

“No, please.” Kim held her back, even as the detective took her hand and pulled. “Cody, wait.”

Impatience, then realization, flashed across Cody’s eyes.

“Oh, man,” she grunted. “She’s here? You found Cassie?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I—” Kim shivered as the previously slight tremor in her body grew in intensity. A vivid image of themissing woman’s face floated back in front of her eyes.Help me. It’s cold. Please…

“Breathe.” Cody squeezed her hand when she struggled to do so. “It’s okay, Kim. Stay with me.”

Kim managed to take a deep breath. She kept her eyes on hers, using Cody as an anchor.

“There’s something in the water over there.”

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