Page 38 of Psycho
August dropped onto the opposite end of the sofa. “The man who’s after him, he knows about Lucas’s…gift. He’s using it to hurt him.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “The psychic thing? Again? Do you really believe in that shit?” Adam asked.
“It’s not psychic shit. It’s psychometry. He has to touch things to pick up impressions. And I know he’s telling the truth because I’ve tested him. I’ve also seen what happens when his gifts take him by surprise. Kohn has learned to…manipulate Lucas’s talents, imprinting feelings and images on items and leaving them for Lucas to find accidentally. He’s playing with him.”
Adam scoffed. “Sounds like your boyfriend has a type.”
“I would never do that,” August snapped.
“We know you wouldn’t,” Noah soothed, glaring daggers at Adam. “Your brother is just being a dick for no fucking reason. We’ll go hang out with Lucas until you get there, just in case something unexpected happens. You don’t have to worry.”
August felt the knot in his chest ease. “Thank you. He leaves work at four. If you could maybe follow him home, but don’t let him know you’re there.”
Adam snorted. “Seriously?”
Once more, Noah cut his eyes to Adam, giving him a look. “Yes, of course, we will.”
“Thank you,” August said again, talking directly to Noah that time.
Once he was back in his car, he called Calliope.
She answered on the second ring. “Oh, this is a treat, I never hear from you.” There was a second of hesitation, and then she hurriedly asked, “Wait. Everybody’s okay, right? You’re not calling to tell me anybody’s dead. Right?”
“What? No. Do you think I’d be the person they sent to deliver a death announcement?”
“I mean, if everybody else was dead, maybe?” she countered.
“If my family had been slaughtered, it probably wouldn’t occur to me to call anybody to tell them so.”
“Wow, I’m honored.”
It didn’t take a genius to hear the sarcasm dripping from her words. “I need a favor.”
“What’s up, buttercup?”
August should have done this yesterday, but he’d gotten…sidetracked. “I need you to do a deep dive on a man named Laurence Kohn.”
There was the sound of nails tapping over keys. “I’m assuming it‘s not the ninety-year-old Larry Kohn in a nursing home in Boca.”
August frowned. “No.”
Calliope snorted. “Well, I hope it’s not the other one because that guy’s a fucking FBI agent.”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” August assured her.
“Oh, come on. You guys are punking me, right? You can’t really be asking me to hack the FBI?”
August didn’t have time for this. “The man is a serial killer. He has an unknown partner. There’s a chance he’s actively holding and torturing women right now.”
“What am I looking for?” Calliope said around a sigh.
“Kohn is here in town. I need to know what he’s doing here, how long he intends to stay, and who he’s been in contact with while he’s been here. He’s still got a badge, so he’s either on special assignment or he’s relocated. If he’s relocated, there’s a good chance he’s already hunting women in our area.”
“What’s his MO?”
“In New Mexico, he was hunting on the reservations. Indigenous girls and women. There’s no reservation near us, but it’s clear he’s looking for vulnerable populations. So, I’d start with high risk girls. But they’re not going to be easy to track when sex workers and addicts disappear daily.”
Calliope’s voice was grim. “Yeah, I’m on it. How deep a dive do you want?”
